Feb 2018 Buddy Read - Beginnings (Fran, Snowflakemood)

[~KarenH~, Moderator]

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[Fran, Moderator]

Hi Snowflakemood! I’m excited to read a book with you :)

Unfortunately I have the flu. I hope to be up and running by early next week. I skimmed your tbr and there’s a bunch I would be happy to read that aren’t on my tbr. We have a few in common too.
I will try and get back on the computer later tonight and come up with a small list of suggestions. Please do the same if you want, and we can go through them and come up with a final title :)

Looking forward to our buddy read!

[Fran, Moderator]

Here's a list of titles from your tbr I would be interested in (some are on my tbr too). Let me know if you are in the mood for any of these, or if you see something interesting on my tbr that's new to you or if you have any other ideas.

A Second Harvest
Autoboyography
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
Wicked Fall
Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles
Man Hands
Jilted

[Snowflakemood]

Hi Fran!

I am sorry to read you're unwell, hope it gets better soon. Let's try to find a good book that can keep you entertained while you are recovering then ;)

From the ones you have picked I would probably go either for
A Second Harvest or
Wicked Fall

However, I found these on your tbr that are new to me and seem promising (listed from the most to the least preferred):
Win Some, Lose Some
Beginnings
The Will

I am not a picky reader, so I'd be happy reading any of the above mentioned.

[Fran, Moderator]

Out of the above I am most interested in A Second Harvest or Beginnings.......would you like to choose? I’m excited for either one.

[Snowflakemood]

I'd go for Beginnings then. This book is a bit different from what I usually read, and I like to discover new stories. It could generate a stimulating discussion.

[Fran, Moderator]

Sounds great!

[Fran, Moderator]

Hi Snowflakemood!

I've started Beginnings. No rush, we have all month to read it. Looking forward to chatting about it :)

[Snowflakemood]

Hi Fran,

I will start in a couple of days, as soon as I'm done with the book I am currently reading. Can't wait though!

[Snowflakemood]

Hi Fran,

how is your reading progressing? Any thoughts so far? I am almost done, I just have half of the last chapter left to read. I wanted to get it done this morning and I was really into it. Bummer that at some point I had to go to work...

[Fran, Moderator]

I’m finished! I will post my thoughts later on today when I get home from work. Monday mornings are not fun, lol.

[Snowflakemood]

I'm also done! This is my first buddy read so I don't really know how we are supposed to structure this discussion.
I will begin by saying that I'm happy I got to discover this book. I liked it a lot, with the overall score swaying between 4 and 5 stars. At the moment I am leaning towards 4 because of the ending, which I couldn't find utterly fulfilling.
The part I enjoyed the most was the second one, due to its pervasive sense of unsteadiness and frustration tied to the awareness that the object of one's longing might never come back (English is not my native language, I might not be explaining myself clearly).
I am a lot into this kind of bittersweet stories, in which the MCs have to struggle before reaching their HEA, going through pivotal moments or making choices that might turn out be completely disruptive.
I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I did, and I can't wait to learn your opinion about it!

[Fran, Moderator]

I don't think I enjoyed it as much as you did, snowflakemood. I did like the first half. I thought the idea of an imaginary friend that wasn't exactly imaginary was interesting. But eight years worth was a whole lot. She had no other friends and no real sense of her environment. I was frustrated with how the story unfolded in the second half. Saving him was great, but the years they were not together and her misery was not enjoyable for me. There were also a lot of editing issues that drew me out of the story.

I gave it 3 stars, because I liked the original idea of the story, but in the end it didn't fully work for me. But overall not a bad read, just not a favorite.

Thanks for reading it with me! I'm so glad it worked for you and you really liked it!