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How Not to Save the World (Remi Austin #1)
by
Jessica Yinka Thomas (Goodreads Author)
Remi Austin is a fundraiser for the African Peace Collaborative (APC), a conflict resolution nonprofit founded by her late mother. Frustrated by her inability to raise funds and faced with the imminent closure of the APC, Remi turns to a life of crime to keep her nonprofit afloat.
From Sydney, to Tokyo, Geneva and Cape Town, Remi transforms from a fundraiser too shy to spea...more
From Sydney, to Tokyo, Geneva and Cape Town, Remi transforms from a fundraiser too shy to spea...more
Kindle Edition, 314 pages
Published
October 21st 2011
by Jessica Yinka Thomas
(first published October 16th 2011)
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This was a pretty fun book! A story about a woman forced to become an international Robin Hood-like thief. Sometimes it was a little far-fetched, especially with all the high-tech gadgets, but I was into the character and wanting to know what happened next, so I didn't dwell on that and just enjoyed it :)
Jun 11, 2012
Clarry
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
firstreads-giveaway-wins
What a fun read! Remi Austin, the narrator, is incredibly likable and tells a great tale of adventure and daring - whether she wants to be involved or not! Fast paced and exciting to the last page, you definitely won't regret picking up this fun and quick read. I don't want to give anything way, but this is a fun adventure with a pure soul full of good intentions at its heart.
A great first novel by Jessica Yinka Thomas.
A great first novel by Jessica Yinka Thomas.
This was a great book! Remi was fascinating and I really felt for her struggles. I also loved the humor (especially Izi's comment: "I'm drowning in nerds and I'm loving it"!) and the characters, all incredibly compelling.
Unfortunately, on my Kindle, the formatting got a bit messed up and it was hard to follow dialogue at some points. Otherwise, I really loved this book! I can't wait until the author publishes more books (especially more Remi Austin books).
[I really hate spoilers, so I guess I sh...more
Unfortunately, on my Kindle, the formatting got a bit messed up and it was hard to follow dialogue at some points. Otherwise, I really loved this book! I can't wait until the author publishes more books (especially more Remi Austin books).
[I really hate spoilers, so I guess I sh...more
I enjoyed this book.It took me a moment to get into the book, but that could have been because I was swamped with several other things. But once you are in, you don't want to stop. Not sure how to speak about the book without creating a spoiler. I will say that I enjoy how the main character evolved with the story growing into confidence of self.
Firstly, a thank you to the author for sending me this for review, and I'm glad she did because this book took me on a sweet roller-coaster of a ride and I loved every moment of it.
Remi is the sort of character that you can't help but love as you go along on her journey. With a soft heart, and a mission in life, Remi continues the fundraising for the African Peace Trust her mother started, and while things don't go exactly as planned when she can't raise enough funds to keep it afloat, she turns...more
Remi is the sort of character that you can't help but love as you go along on her journey. With a soft heart, and a mission in life, Remi continues the fundraising for the African Peace Trust her mother started, and while things don't go exactly as planned when she can't raise enough funds to keep it afloat, she turns...more
I received from Goodreads First Reads:
I was disappointed with this. The idea of it - international fundraiser Remi turns thief using high tech gadget gowns - sounded like so much fun. Unfortunately, the book seemed to focus more on the guilt stricken feelings she had, made more intensive by the loss of her mother and how she would have felt about Remi's actions, rather than the funky gadgets which her friend created for her.
I felt that the story was pulled in two different directions - the fundraising for the peacekeeping initiative...more
I felt that the story was pulled in two different directions - the fundraising for the peacekeeping initiative...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This is a Goodreads giveaway.
The main character, Remi, is completely complacent in the book. The only thing she really does for herself is steal. When someone begins stalking her, entering her apartment and using her, she doesn't even seem slightly taken aback. She goes about her life as though nothing is wrong.
There are a lot of details, some unnecessary to the plot or the character. Her life as a poor woman due to her job that throws her in the path of the ultra rich isn't completely believab...more
The main character, Remi, is completely complacent in the book. The only thing she really does for herself is steal. When someone begins stalking her, entering her apartment and using her, she doesn't even seem slightly taken aback. She goes about her life as though nothing is wrong.
There are a lot of details, some unnecessary to the plot or the character. Her life as a poor woman due to her job that throws her in the path of the ultra rich isn't completely believab...more
I had no idea where this book was going, and I enjoyed where it took me. I do not normally ready books like this, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Two and a half stars
I liked the description of the different countries.
I liked the description of the different countries.
What a delicious, complex character Remi is! Part James Bond, part cat burglar, part humanitarian fundraiser, and underneath it all just an insecure little girl who wishes her mother were there for her. It was a pleasure to see her grow and develop as the story unfolds. I had no idea the conflict resolution organizations were such a large business, but the story couldn't be more timely - the day I read this we saw George Clooney taken away in handcuffs as part of a protest on the Sudan conflict....more
How Not To Save the World is an entertaining adventure featuring Aderemi Austin. After her mother's death, Remi abandoned her studies to join the African Peace Collaborative (APC), working unsuccessfully as a Fundraiser for the financially struggling organisation her mother helped establish. In one impulsive moment, Remi steals a million dollar necklace and donates the proceeds from its black market sale to the APC, just like a modern-day Robin Hood. But someone was watching and he has something...more
Quirky! If you don't mine a few "you gotta be kidding" moments and some information about turmoil in Africa, you will enjoy this quick read. It is not really all that deep and while there's a villain, you don't get to know him in order to hate him. The only real drawback was that I was reading this on a Kindle and the font was way too small. But it was worth dealing with in order to get through the whole adventure.
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway.
How Not to Save the World surprised me. I was not expecting the book to be so engaging. It took a few chapters to really get into the book. For some reason I found the beginning to be incredibly slow and I was not a fan of Remi for a while. It wasn't until the setting shifted to Sydney, Australia that I really got interested and that was mostly because I have vivid memories attached to experiences there. The description of the city and the people were so a...more
How Not to Save the World surprised me. I was not expecting the book to be so engaging. It took a few chapters to really get into the book. For some reason I found the beginning to be incredibly slow and I was not a fan of Remi for a while. It wasn't until the setting shifted to Sydney, Australia that I really got interested and that was mostly because I have vivid memories attached to experiences there. The description of the city and the people were so a...more
An international thriller written by a colleague of mine... What's not to love? Four words for you, Jessica: I want that dress! The one that doubles as an evening gown and an underwater scuba suit. Sounds like a must- have for all of us, right? Anyway, I loved this, couldn't put it down, thoroughly enjoyed the main character and look forward to the next in the series!!
How Not to Save the World is the debut novel from Jessica Yinka Thomas. Aderemi Austin works for a global non-profit agency, African Peace Collaborative (APC). She travels the world attending fundraisers and writing grants to help keep her organization afloat. Her efforts are often unsuccessful. Aderemi turns to a life of crime to fund APC. Jessica Yinka Thomas did an excellent job with this book. It is a page-turner! The high-tech gadgets and death defying robberies kept me intrigued the entire...more
Although I found the beginning of the book to be a little on the slow side, the background info was necessary to the plot, and it quickly picked up speed. I loved the interaction between the characters, and the descriptions of the cities were lovely.
Kindle freebie. Not bad, but caused a lot of eye rolling. I'm generally willing to suspend belief pretty darn far, but there was just too much. Overall a quick, quirky read, but everything sure wrapped up nice & neat.
A fast paced thriller heist that is both sexy, sophisticated and smart. I truly enjoyed watching the main character develop. I loved the book and I cannot wait for the sequel.
I highly recommend this book for anyone
FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.
FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.
I absolutely enjoyed this book from start to finish. With each adventure, I imagined how scary and exciting it would be to swap places with Aderemi. I look forward to reading the sequel!
Apr 29, 2012
Trudy E
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Danae, Mom
Recommended to Trudy by:
Ashley
Loved this one and could not put it down.
Looking forward to more books by this author,and especially about this character.
Looking forward to more books by this author,and especially about this character.
Sep 14, 2012
Frank
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anybody wanting to read a fun book
Recommended to Frank by:
no body
loved it. I t got a little bondish but she came out fine. waiting for book two.
I really enjoyed this book. Interesting plot, complex characters and covert missions.
Este libro está en un género novedoso que yo nombraría drama-ciencia ficción condimentado con un poco más de gadgets que los necesarios. En general ligero, divertido, fácil de leer. Un libro para llevarse a la playa o esperar en el aeropuerto...
This is a really good book! I highly recommend it, especially if you like books that are a bit off beat, creative and invite you to think. Especially read it if you like books with strong women! This is a book by, about and for women. Sure men will enjoy it too, but books with and for strong women, women with brains and guts are SO hard to find! I am really celebrating this one!! ... and I can't wait for the next!
Jessica, please keep writing!
Jessica, please keep writing!
not a great book, too superficial for my taste.
Silly but entertaining.
I enjoyed this book fairly well. It was easy to read. Not much depth. Maybe a good beach escape novel. I did like the strangeness of a charity fund raiser turned thief. (Goodreads give away.)
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Like most superheroes Jessica Yinka Thomas leads a double life. By day, she is the managing director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, where she has authored several award-winning academic articles. By night, she is a social justice novelist, author of How Not to Save the World and an upcoming sequel.
Jessica has worked as...more
More about Jessica Yinka Thomas...
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Nov 25, 2011 06:56am