Book Review- JoJo Moyes' One Plus One

I first discovered JoJo Moyes last year, when I read her smash hit, Me Before You. I really enjoyed Me Before You and was very excited to read all of her other novels, of which there are many. I've recently joined the review site NetGalley and I was very excited when Viking Press accepted my request to review Moyne's latest novel, One Plus One. Thanks Viking!

Jess is a twenty-something single mom trying to hold it together by working odd-jobs in a seaside resort town in England. Her estranged husband has depression issues and cannot support his children. Jess can barely make ends meet. She has informally adopted, Nick, a child from her husband's former relationship with a drug addict. As an outcast teenager, Nick is routinely beat up by kids in the neighborhood for being different. Her preteen daughter, Tanzie is a socially awkward math wiz, whose teachers have pushed to have her enter a math competition in Scotland. If she wins the competition, there is a huge cash prize which would allow her to attend a fancy private school and change the future for the entire family.

The problem is, they have no way to get to Scotland. Through a series of unlikely circumstances, the family embarks on a crazy road trip, driven by Ed, an owner of one of the luxury houses that Jess cleans. They look at Ed's life and imagine that his money makes him live carefree. What they don't realize is that he is under investigation for insider trading and is about to lose it all. 

I loved this story. It's funny, heartfelt and poignant. It reminded me of one of my favorite movies,  Little Miss Sunshine, with the quirky family on an unexpected journey. The plot is solid and entertaining, but what Moyes really hits the mark with is her creation of characters that are endearing. Each of the main characters affected me and I really cared about their fates in the story. This novel really got under my skin in a good way. Although plenty of terrible things happen, the overriding emotion that I was left with was one of joy. 

One small thing that I noticed, and I can't confirm this without the author or publisher chiming in, is I think some small things were changed for an American audience. My husband is British and one of the funny things that my mother-in-law pointed out when I visited (and when she visits America) is how American TJ Maxx stores are TK Maxx in the UK. In the book, the stores are called TJ. Also, a character refers to potato chips as chips, rather than crisps. They are such minor things, but they popped out at me enough for me to stop and point it out to my husband.

That was a minor nit, because I really loved the story and Moyes is a fantastic writer. As soon as I finished One Plus One, I went to Amazon and purchased a load of her books for my Kindle. I can't get enough. 

I highly, highly recommend One Plus One and Moyes as an author to check out. 

Booksparks 2014 Summer Reading Challenge - Emily Kiebel's Serenade

Lorelei is a freshman vocal student at a prestigious music college in Maine, when tragedy strikes. While her father is visiting her for the weekend, he is struck and killed by a car. As he is dying, Lorelei has an overwhelming urge to serenade him and she sings to him as the ambulances are arriving. Lorelei's mother has never been supportive of her decision to pursue music and with the family in mourning, she forbids Lorelei to return to school. Lorelei disobeys her mother and sneaks off to return to Maine, only to discover that she cannot concentrate on her classes. She receives a letter from a mysterious Great Aunt, who lives on Cape Cod, with an offer for Lorelei to visit indefinitely. Curious about her aunt and unable to cope with school, Lorelei takes off to meet the family that she has never known. 

Without giving away any major plot twists, Emily Kiebel's Serenade is The Little Mermaid meets Final Destination. It's a strange mix that actually works. Keibel writes high energy action scenes and her book has a cinematic quality. It's often exciting and her writing makes it very clear to visualize. Plotting and action are Kiebel's strengths. 

That said, Serenade was not my cup of tea. 

I felt very disconnected from Lorelei at the start of the novel and I never got beyond that feeling. I often gravitate towards stories with grieving characters and I usually find them to be  cathartic. However, Lorelei's grief did not mirror my own experiences and I just couldn't relate to her. She was whiny and entitled. Although her mother's coldness is explained, it rings false. I wanted a resolution between the mother and daughter. I wanted her icy exterior melted a bit. The characters often felt one-dimensional. This was especially true later in the story with the romance between Lorelei and Tyler. I just didn't buy into it. 

Serenade is set to be the first in a series of books and that means that there isn't a total resolution at the end.  The ending is rushed with a lot of explanations regarding supernatural elements in the world. Again, a set up for the coming book.The number of lose ends seemed more like a second book in a series, the book that is written in response to the overwhelming popularity of the first novel.  Unfortunately, I was not left wanting more.

Like I said, this was not my cup of tea. I think this could appeal to YA audiences or people who like stories with fantasy elements. The story has a lot of creativity. I liked elements of Kiebel's writing, but overall, I didn't feel like the story gelled. 

UK August-October 2013- Hyde Park

Hyde Park is absolutely beautiful. In my mind, it trumps Central Park as my favorite city park. It's and spacious, with a surprise around every corner. We walked through it several times on our way to attractions near our hotel and here is a compilation of pictures that we took over multiple days. 

Isn't this giant horse statue fabulous? It was so popular, that we had to queue to take a picture with it. 

We kept snapping pictures as we walked through Hyde Park. 

It was hard to find, but we finally made it to the Peter Pan statue. 

The Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain was very peaceful and a touching tribute. It was so long, that we couldn't take a single shot of the entire fountain. It was technically in Kensington Gardens, but I had a difficult time distinguishing what was considered Kensington Gardens Vs. Hyde Park. They bleed into each other. 

Across from the fountain, is a large body of water called The Serpentine. There were paddle boats for hire and although it was too cold in October, there was also a swim beach. Clearly though it's the birds that own the place.

My favorite part of Hyde Park was the Italian Gardens. So pretty!

I got very excited when I found a copy of Nick Hornby's How to Be Good sitting on a bench in the Italian Gardens. Although it was not an official Bookcrossing release, the previous owner had left his book for a new reader to find, as he indicated with a note in the book. I got really excited, until I got back to the hotel and figured out that I had already read the book many years ago. This happens...frequently... so, I took the book back to the park the next day and left it on the same bench. It's good book karma. 

I was really impressed with all of the beautiful parks in London, but Hyde Park was a stand-out.