Review: The Vacationers by Emma Straub

Publisher: Riverhead 
Pages: 304

Received: Received a copy from Penguin Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: May 29, 2014
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Goodreads Synopsis:

An irresistible, deftly observed novel about the secrets, joys, and jealousies that rise to the surface over the course of an American family’s two-week stay in Mallorca.

For the Posts, a two-week trip to the Balearic island of Mallorca with their extended family and friends is a celebration: Franny and Jim are observing their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, and their daughter, Sylvia, has graduated from high school. The sunlit island, its mountains and beaches, its tapas and tennis courts, also promise an escape from the tensions simmering at home in Manhattan. But all does not go according to plan: over the course of the vacation, secrets come to light, old and new humiliations are experienced, childhood rivalries resurface, and ancient wounds are exacerbated.

This is a story of the sides of ourselves that we choose to show and those we try to conceal, of the ways we tear each other down and build each other up again, and the bonds that ultimately hold us together. With wry humor and tremendous heart, Emma Straub delivers a richly satisfying story of a family in the midst of a maelstrom of change, emerging irrevocably altered yet whole.

My Review:

This was actually a very cute and fun book for me. I had not heard about it until it was recommended to me, and I have to say I am glad that I took the recommendation. This is a great story about family in the middle of change and how they cope with so many things. What caught my attention with this story was the way it is described, the idea of a family going on vacation with all these secrets and slowly things are revealed.

The story is one of a family working through many issues, all while on vacation together. They are stuck in a small place for two weeks, and slowly things are revealed about each of the characters that changes their view on life and family. The story is told in third person perspective, as we follow each of the characters on this vacation and see how they deal with the fallout of their actions.

I adored the family dynamic in this book, it's a very real family that have their issues and try to hide them from others. But what really got me interested in this book was seeing if and how these characters would work through their issues. They are all very eccentric, and stubborn in the way they deal with problems, this is a family that just wants to sweep things under the rug rather than deal with it head on. But in the end, each person comes out different and stronger in many ways.

I did have a couple of issues with the story, the main one that made this book difficult was how the story jumped between the characters. There were a few times where I was confused as to what was happening because there were so many important players in the story, and there were quite a lot of subplots happening at once. It felt at times that there was too much going on in the short amount of time, and too many people to follow along with.

I do think this is a great book about family and learning to forgive and work through things. It's also about growing up, Emma Straub really shows that even adults still can be childish at times, but that in the end family bonds are truly strong and most people can get through even the biggest of hurdles. 

Review: Pointe by Brandy Colbert

Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 352

Received: Received a copy from Penguin Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: April 10, 2014
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Goodreads Synopsis:

Theo is better now.

She's eating again, dating guys who are almost appropriate, and well on her way to becoming an elite ballet dancer. But when her oldest friend, Donovan, returns home after spending four long years with his kidnapper, Theo starts reliving memories about his abduction—and his abductor.

Donovan isn't talking about what happened, and even though Theo knows she didn't do anything wrong, telling the truth would put everything she's been living for at risk. But keeping quiet might be worse.

My Review:

The cover of this book just completely caught my attention, and this is one that I will have facing out on my shelf just because it is so beautiful and captivating. But this cover does not give away what the story truly focuses on, yes dance is a huge part of the main character's life, but there is so much more to the story that you can't let go of.

Theo has been through so much, and she is finally getting better after everything, she is eating properly (for the most part) and is on her way to the life she has dreamed of. All of a sudden, everything is turned on it's head when her best friend who disappeared four years ago returns home. The problem is he is not talking about anything, and Theo believes she may be able to help. This book deals with a lot of heavy emotions, and yet it is such a beautiful story.

Being a dancer myself I really loved how Theo's life revolved around this one activity. I could really understand some of the things Theo dealt with in that part of her life. Dance means everything to Theo, and it is almost as if her entire life revolves around it, she works so hard to be the best, and for me it was amazing to read about this part of her life, it took me back to some amazing times in my life. Dance is a way to get away from your life and you really view that for Theo.

What I absolutely loved about this story is how, as a reader, you really see how Theo struggles with the revelations of the case and how it affects her in such a massive way. And also how she handles herself through everything. This is a girl that has had problems in the past and you see how keeping a secret that could harm people brings up some issues. But I really loved how Theo learned to open up and she learns that sometimes how one person sees things may come out differently.

At times, I felt like Theo's friends weren't completely there f.or her because they were in their own world, but you think back to yourself at that time and I can understand. Especially with the fact that Theo seems to close herself off from people, which is where many of her problems stem from. I absolutely loved this book and would go back to read it again.

I think Brandy Colbert has brought about a beautiful story about learning to open up, and how talking about some things can bring about a different perspective. This story really shows how some secrets can hold us back. 

Review: The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson

Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 384

Received: Received a copy from Harper Collins Canada in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: April 29, 2014
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Goodreads Synopsis:

From the author of The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared comes a picaresque tale of how one person's actions can have far-reaching-even global-consequences

On June 14, 2007, the king and the prime minister of Sweden went missing from a gala banquet at the royal castle. Later it was said that both had fallen ill, but the truth is different. The real story starts much earlier, in 1961, with the birth of Nombeko Mayeki in a shack in Soweto. Nombeko was fated to grow up fast and die early in her poverty-stricken township, be it from drugs, alcohol, or just plain despair. But Nombeko takes a different path. She finds work as a housecleaner and eventually makes her way up to the position of chief advisor, at the helm of one of the world's most secret projects.

Here is where the tale merges with then diverges from reality. South Africa developed six nuclear missiles in the 1980s, then voluntarily dismantled them in 1994. This is the story of the seventh missile, the one that was never supposed to have existed. Nombeko Mayeki knows too much about it, and now she's on the run from both the South African justice system and the most terrifying secret service in the world. The fate of the planet now lies in Nombeko's hands.

Jonasson introduces us to a cast of eccentrics: a nerve-damaged American Vietnam deserter, twin brothers who are officially only one person, three careless Chinese girls, an angry young woman, a potato-growing baroness, the Swedish king and the prime minister. Quirky and utterly unique, The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden is a charming and humorous account of one young woman's unlikely adventure.

My Review:

I had heard so much about Jonasson's book The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared when I heard he had a new book coming out I knew I needed to read it. I have to say this was such a fun and unique story, Jonas's characters will capture readers and the story is so over the top that you can't stop until you know what happens next!

The story is the type that follows the paths of many different people, but it is how all these people come together to make the story that really keep the reader invested. Nombeko was such an intriguing character, I loved her growth over the course of the book (which for the record takes place over a large amount of years). I really adored Nombeko's smarts and how she is able to get herself out of such precarious situations. For someone who is uneducated, she has a lot of smarts and knows how to formulate a plan (though it never seems to work for the long-term).

And as much as I loved Nombeko's character, the story would not be what it is without the multitude of secondary characters that Nombeko meets over the years. Everyone has their own quirks that add to everything, and I think if Nombeko never met any of these characters the story would not take the turn it does. From the drunken engineer who is in charge of the missiles, to the group of people that she ends with, you love every person you meet. Each of the quirks everyone has adds such a comedic undertone to the book that I was giggling through the entire book even at some of the more "intense" moments (if you could call them that).

Everything about this book is so over-the-top and that is what makes it so enjoyable. Jonas Jonasson creates a story with a cast of characters that will keep you hooked and laughing at all the little things, from one bad situation to the next, they all come with a side of comedy. I want more from Jonasson, his stories are the reason I read so much, escape reality for a little while, and this story is so charming and eccentric that I always wanted to pick it up after a long day!