From the Bookshelf of A Long Story Short…

Dark Days of Promise

Shaunna Gonzales

Start date: May 1, 2019

Finish date: May 31, 2019

Discussion: DARK DAYS OF PROMISE - May 2019

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 2 topics — 5 comments total

DARK DAYS OF PROMISE - May 2019

Book Discussion ~CONTAINS SPOILERS~
By A Long Story · 2 posts · 3 views

last updated May 08, 2019 02:10PM

First Impressions/Pre-Read
By A Long Story · 2 posts · 4 views

last updated May 06, 2019 08:30AM

showing 2 of 2 topics view all »

What Members Thought

May 12, 2019 Katelyn R. rated it it was ok

I think I am in the minority here scanning through the other reviews. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and was asked to read it and give my honest opinion, so I ask that you please respect that my opinion may differ from yours and there's no need to leave ugly comments. I am sure I have loved some books you would hate and I am fine with that. I was going to give this a one star because it is rare that I can't even finish a book, which is the case here. However, after giving it some though I think I am in the minority here scanning through the other reviews. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and was asked to read it and give my honest opinion, so I ask that you please respect that my opinion may differ from yours and there's no need to leave ugly comments. I am sure I have loved some books you would hate and I am fine with that. I was going to give this a one star because it is rare that I can't even finish a book, which is the case here. However, after giving it some thought, I decided to be generous and give it two stars, only because if you have come here to get EXACTLY what the back of the book says, then you'll get it. I was just hoping it would evolve into something deeper and it didn't for me.
I did not enjoy this read at all. I felt it read as if I was watching a Lifetime movie.
I am going to be totally upfront and say I couldn't even finish this book so I DON'T actually know the ending, but if it is as predictable as the first half, I am sure I can guess what happens. I do like reading romance novels at times, but this one is just so incredibly predictable in the half that I read and follows an overly done romance scenario. It is as if someone transcribed a Hallmark movie into a novel. With this plot line and story theme I was hoping to get some deeper character development and emotion, but it just scratched the surface of what I think it could have been. Vicki the main character continuously acts like a high school girl fretting over her love life and has some of the most dense thoughts that are totally laughable because no one in real life could possible have those kind of thoughts and be a real person. Like when she thinks of why doesn't Kelley bend his knee to collect snowballs... REALLY? Anyone in the real world could probably make the connection of oh he is a soldier suddenly home and is very awkwardly leaning without bending his knee. Hmm maybe something has happened to him. And her notion of her ex husband is odd. All she talks about is how she is going to be a single parent now and grapples with how do it... but haven't they been divorced and subsequently already a single parent due to him cheating? Her feelings about this and about her ex are very confusing and contradictory. I may have missed what era this story is taking place in (due to the story line trying to move at hyper speed) but it feels that Vicki has the ideals of a 1950s house wife. If it is meant to take place in that time, then her character is a little more acceptable for me, but if not I can't stand how all she is worried about is how her family will make it without a strong male head of house. I get this is smack out of the sappy love story handbook, but Vicki beats it to death and with this subject matter and plot I was hoping for something a little deeper. I want to see a strong independent lead female that wants a man to stand beside her not lead her. Right now she seems absolutely helpless to the point where it is nauseating. I hope as the novel continues, she will evolve into that.
Also, the writing style is really taking me out of the story and just not allowing me to get hooked.
First, the concept of time within the writing baffles me. One minute she is hanging laundry, the next in the car, and then at church. Actions that should take up a page at least take two sentences while meaningless conversations or thoughts go on forever. It is so unclear to me how much time has actually passed since her ex-husbands death in the first chapter to when they are at church or her son is shoplifting. It feels like the author had a thought and jotted it down and didn't think to clearly join them together with a nice flow between paragraphs. She just seems to be speeding through and taking it way too fast.
She gave us no time to get to know the characters and feel an emotional connection with them before killing off the ex. A scene where the military comes to tell someone that their soldier is gone can be a huge emotional, sad, chilling moment and when it happened in literally the first sentence. It just didn't hit home for me the way it could have. I would have loved some back story first so we are hit in the feels a little harder and care for this family a little more.

Literally it was like pulling teeth for me to even flip through as many pages as I did. Just not my cup of tea unfortunately. Perhaps, if I ever get time to come back to it, I can give it another go. My hope is it gets better and doesn't stay so incredibly predictable. If I do get through it I will come back and update my review here. ...more

Like · see review

May 12, 2019 Katelyn R. rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: giveaway-wins

I think I am in the minority here scanning through the other reviews. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and was asked to read it and give my honest opinion, so I ask that you please respect that my opinion may differ from yours and there's no need to leave ugly comments. I am sure I have loved some books you would hate and I am fine with that. I was going to give this a one star because it is rare that I can't even finish a book, which is the case here. However, after giving it some thoug I think I am in the minority here scanning through the other reviews. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and was asked to read it and give my honest opinion, so I ask that you please respect that my opinion may differ from yours and there's no need to leave ugly comments. I am sure I have loved some books you would hate and I am fine with that. I was going to give this a one star because it is rare that I can't even finish a book, which is the case here. However, after giving it some thought, I decided to be generous and give it two stars, only because if you have come here to get EXACTLY what the back of the book says, then you'll get it. I was just hoping it would evolve into something deeper and it didn't for me.
I did not enjoy this read at all. I felt it read as if I was watching a Lifetime movie.
I am going to be totally upfront and say I couldn't even finish this book so I DON'T actually know the ending, but if it is as predictable as the first half, I am sure I can guess what happens. I do like reading romance novels at times, but this one is just so incredibly predictable in the half that I read and follows an overly done romance scenario. It is as if someone transcribed a Hallmark movie into a novel. With this plot line and story theme I was hoping to get some deeper character development and emotion, but it just scratched the surface of what I think it could have been. Vicki the main character continuously acts like a high school girl fretting over her love life and has some of the most dense thoughts that are totally laughable because no one in real life could possible have those kind of thoughts and be a real person. Like when she thinks of why doesn't Kelley bend his knee to collect snowballs... REALLY? Anyone in the real world could probably make the connection of oh he is a soldier suddenly home and is very awkwardly leaning without bending his knee. Hmm maybe something has happened to him. And her notion of her ex husband is odd. All she talks about is how she is going to be a single parent now and grapples with how do it... but haven't they been divorced and subsequently already a single parent due to him cheating? Her feelings about this and about her ex are very confusing and contradictory. I may have missed what era this story is taking place in (due to the story line trying to move at hyper speed) but it feels that Vicki has the ideals of a 1950s house wife. If it is meant to take place in that time, then her character is a little more acceptable for me, but if not I can't stand how all she is worried about is how her family will make it without a strong male head of house. I get this is smack out of the sappy love story handbook, but Vicki beats it to death and with this subject matter and plot I was hoping for something a little deeper. I want to see a strong independent lead female that wants a man to stand beside her not lead her. Right now she seems absolutely helpless to the point where it is nauseating. I hope as the novel continues, she will evolve into that.
Also, the writing style is really taking me out of the story and just not allowing me to get hooked.
First, the concept of time within the writing baffles me. One minute she is hanging laundry, the next in the car, and then at church. Actions that should take up a page at least take two sentences while meaningless conversations or thoughts go on forever. It is so unclear to me how much time has actually passed since her ex-husbands death in the first chapter to when they are at church or her son is shoplifting. It feels like the author had a thought and jotted it down and didn't think to clearly join them together with a nice flow between paragraphs. She just seems to be speeding through and taking it way too fast.
She gave us no time to get to know the characters and feel an emotional connection with them before killing off the ex. A scene where the military comes to tell someone that their soldier is gone can be a huge emotional, sad, chilling moment and when it happened in literally the first sentence. It just didn't hit home for me the way it could have. I would have loved some back story first so we are hit in the feels a little harder and care for this family a little more.

Literally it was like pulling teeth for me to even flip through as many pages as I did. Just not my cup of tea unfortunately. Perhaps, if I ever get time to come back to it, I can give it another go. My hope is it gets better and doesn't stay so incredibly predictable. If I do get through it I will come back and update my review here. ...more

Like · see review

Jun 02, 2019 A Long Story Short Co. rated it it was ok

Group Home Bookshelf Discussions

Photos Videos

Send invite Members Polls