Sarra ManningCritiques

I enjoy the style of writing of the aud author.But the mc seems very anooying.

Really slow starting....almost DNF but I'm too cheap. I like Vaughn but Grace not so much. I just don't tolerate immature, selfish, unhappy people. I know she was in her 20's but her spending addiction was not fun to read about. Hard to read all the European words...."wanker" "shagging", etc....

Really enjoyed this, but it could have standed to be half the length.

I fell in love with the pretty cover of this book,I adore roses so was drawn straight away. I know, you should never judge a book by it’s cover, but believe me, this one really carried on, on the inside too.

The storyline had me gripped & the characters were truly well written into this dual narrative novel set in the 1930s and the present day.

Historical reading isn’t my normal genre but I really enjoyed this book.
Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. I adored this book

I fell in love with the pretty cover of this book,I adore roses so was drawn straight away. I know, you should never judge a book by it’s cover, but believe me, this one really carried on, on the inside too.

The storyline had me gripped & the characters were truly well written into this dual narrative novel set in the 1930s and the present day.

Historical reading isn’t my normal genre but I really enjoyed this book.
Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. I adored this book

Nicely one slow burn romance.

I'm sorely tempted to give it up. It's a disaster.
This one induced a night of dreams filled with screaming apparently (I don't know why or what - got the heads-up from my parents. Rarely remember what it is that I dream during the night. I wonder what it was all about?).

I can't say I'm enjoying it. But.
My morbid curiosity is getting the better of me. I can see it sprawled in my armchair, grinning smugly.

EDIT:
NO. I refuse to suffer any more.
Whatever on earth and beyond possessed me to pick it up?

I need some good books to wash away the grime and the after-shudder.

Avoid it. It's so incredibly unbelievably UGH.
Whatever possessed me???

A romantic comedy. Book loving, insecure Neve falls for charming, man-slut Max, in a story that keeps you coming back for more.
I was disappointed with this book. Not because it isn’t a good book, it is, but more because I didn’t feel it was as good as previous books by the same author.

I think the first few chapters were the best. I was uncomfortable reading about Max and Neve’s first meeting, but this is how I wanted to be. As Sarra Manning challenges my view on prostitution in [b:Unsticky|5981262|Unsticky|Sarra Manning|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1278271300s/5981262.jpg|6154611], I wanted her to challenge my view on dress size. This book didn’t. If anything, it confirmed stereotypes. I was disappointed at the ending as I thought it could have been stronger. Neve having built on her self-confidence should have been stronger.

That said I did thoroughly enjoy the book. I found it amusing, the writing flowed easily and the characters were likable. I liked the relationship between Neve and her sister-in-law Charlotte, I thought Charlottes view of Neve and her own feelings were interesting to me in understanding Neve’s character. The story was well paced and kept me reading, even when I should have been doing something else.

More of 4.5/5 I hated it as much as I loved it... I'm not sure what to think about it.

Favorite Quote:

"I was a heartless, ungrateful wench of a girl who promised everyone who came into contact with me a one-way ticket to pain and hurt. I didn't know how to love and I didn't deserve to be loved back."

I don’t like to read about mean girls, somehow the author always find a way to twist my mind and make me like them by proving that deep down they are good and kind-hearted, that there’s a reason why they became such cruel creatures, that it’s their defense mechanism against the world so that no one will ever know what’s in their hearts, that they are in pain and their only outlet is to bully.

I’d been a victim of bullying back in middle school and I couldn’t get myself to forgive the persons responsible of my misery, for all what they’ve done to me, because no matter their home’s problems, it didn’t give them the right to look down and to mentally torture me and the others: weaker, helpless and poor persons.

And so, I was enable at times to sympathize with Isabel, she acted like is a deep-down-to-the-core bitch, the queen bee of her private school, where she terrorized the girls and ruled as she liked.

Her life’s home of course is a terrible mess. After her mother’s death (which she held herself responsible for) her relationship with her father and little brother deteriorate, so she’s barely at home, always getting wasted at parties or spending time with her BFFs hooking up with boys. But then, she meets Atticus Smith at a party, who kissed her (while being both very drunk) thinking she was the girl he met and fell for not long ago. After clearing the misunderstanding, they however start to see each other, they exchanged their iPods then got involved sexually; the problem is Isabel lied about her age telling him she’s 18 just because he’s 20. What started like a little lie soon became a cobweb of lies impossible to get out of, it was too late to tell him the truth, not when she’s falling for him, and not when everything is fugly at home. But when the least she expected it, Isabel got caught up by her own lies and now she’ll have to deal with it and face the truth.

Sarra Manning sure knows how to make you love and hate a character in one page. Her writing is so realistic, so strong, she really masters the art of painting her characters’ feelings and to make you feel like they are real-life persons that you met before and here’s their story. It was unbelievable how strongly I felt towards the book; I loved it, I hated it, it made me want to scream, it made me want to cry, I wanted to slap Isabel and I wanted to hug her too… I’m still confused right now how to rate the book, what to clearly think about it.

One thing’s for sure, it’ll take me some time to read another Manning’s novel. I’m not yet ready to live a further experience any time soon.

A good YA novel about first love, friendship & family with the difference that, this time, the story is told from the bad girl's pov. Isabel is the girl that every time you do something embarrassing lets everyone know and the one that kicks you when you're already down and Dot, Ella & Nancy are the "friends" you hope you never have...but, after all, it seems that be a mean girl isn't easy either..

Who is being rescued here? Blossom the dog, or Will and Margot, her owners?

As the book begins Margot is in her mid-30s and has just split up with George. He wasn't the one but she was hopeful that he might still be someone she could settle down and have children with. She's watched her friends do this but when will it be her turn? She decides to adopt a rescue dog and she finds herself drawn to Blossom, a nervous Staffy with who knows what kind of past. Will is a troubled man, totally eligible but has no faith in himself. He also wants to adopt Blossom and so he and Margot agree to co-pawrent(!). It's an interesting concept and perhaps one that would suit a lot of people but you have to be able to get on with your co-pawrent, and Margot and Will butt heads quite a lot.

The story is told in alternating chapters from both human viewpoints and through this device we see how each character sees the other as well as being privy to their own inner thoughts. I felt this really made each of them three-dimensional and made me like them even more. It brought out the fact that what we show to other people isn't always indicative of our real self.

Blossom is an absolute delight. She's quite a little madam at times and knows exactly how to manipulate her two owners and often play them off against each other, the little minx. Even Blossom, though, has a back story which only sometimes she feels able to face.

I thought Rescue Me was a book with a story that creeps up on you and slowly wraps you in a warm embrace. I came to care about the main characters and also really enjoyed the supporting cast of Margot's friends and Will's family. It's a gorgeous, original read, totally heart-warming and full of all the things I love in a book.½

First off, I haven’t read the original Vanity Fair so I can’t compare these two books.
When it comes to this book, I can honestly say I liked the book. I both admire and hate Becky Sharp.
The story itself kind of pulls you in and goes up and down and up and down until the end. The plot is interesting and I feel all kinds of emotions and I absolutely love that Amelia got a happy ending and that George Wiley got what he deserved.
All in all it was a good book that made me feel a thousand emotions.

* ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley

"A Book by an author you've never read"

A modern day version of Vanity Fair, this was really true to the original, very enjoyable

Neve and Max meet when Neve's sister drags her along to a party. Neve suffers from a low self-image due to having been morbidly obese. She has lost a lot of weight, but her mind has not accepted her new shape. Max has his own personal demons. They decide to have a temporary relationship in which Neve will work on her confidence and Max will learn what it means to be in a relationship.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. I especially liked the interaction between Neve and Max. They are very cute together and their characters were very believable. I wasn't as enamored with the parts of the story where Neve interacts with her friends and family. Although I understand Neve's hangup with her weight, I thought the author really over emphasized and dragged on about it. I would have liked to have known more about Max's background than we were given. Although predictable, I was very satisfied with the ending.

It was ok, a little boring and very predictable.
Also, this book made me understand why men hate women who do nothing but whine about their weight. It started to get very annoying and was part of the reason why I didn't enjoy it as much in the end. She may be overweight and she may want to slim down, that's all fine and dandy but I need more story than that. A person is more than just the number on the scale and it was just lacking more of a personality and story for me.

Yet another brilliant YA book that I have read this year!

This was a wonderful adventure through London as the main character Sunny races around London, processing her boyfriend's lies, decides whether she wants to break up with him and generally finds herself. Her internal journey is wonderful to watch as she thinks about her relationship with her boyfriend, with other peoples perceptions of herself, her mixed race heritage and other people.

I loved the little histories of the places that Sunny and her friends visited throughout the one night that this story takes place.

It's a really heart warming story that is gentle at every turn and takes the time to explain how one goes about finding oneself. I wish this had been around when I was a teenager!

Between the recent obnoxious adaptation on ITV and this update of Thackeray's novel, Vanity Fair has almost killed off my love of the classics. I also tried reading the original text again, but life's just too short.

Sarra Manning has done a fair job of reworking Thackeray's doorstop into a chick lit holiday read, apart from the final few chapters. I think she must have reached the point where George flirts with Becky under Amelia's nose and thought, 'Flaming hell, I'm not even halfway through!', before skipping merrily ahead to the reunion of all the characters in Pumpernickel. Not that I blame her. Where she does stick to the plot, the story works well. All the names remain the same, apart from oily MP George Osborne who necessarily becomes George Wylie, presumably to avoid a lawsuit, but there are some interesting modern twists. Becky becomes a social media celebrity after losing out to Amelia on Big Brother, and the Crawleys are now an acting dynasty, with Aunt Matilda turning into a knock off of Dame Maggie Smith. Slimy George, as mentioned, is a politician, while faithful Dobbin remains in the army. Jos was the best reboot of the original character, making millions from protein balls in LA! I was a little disappointed that George didn't meet the same fate, but I suppose Emmy coming independently to her senses is both swifter and more satisfying for modern readers (the smug actress playing her in the ITV adaptation would no doubt approve). Becky remains amoral and amusing, but the message about how she came from nothing and has only herself to rely on was a little heavy-handed - what worked with Thackeray took me too much out of the story in this case.

I'm not sure how readers who haven't read the original novel will take Becky - maybe that's what all the 'woe is she!' reminders are about, and the bizarre choice to turn her into a charity sponsor and a UN ambassador! - but there's enough humour and social sniping to appeal to everyone.

I struggled with even giving this book 2 stars. It was so far from good for me. It seemed like no one had feelings but they cried a lot and I was totally turned off by the whole story. The only real moment I remember from the entire book was the "frozen yellow water" that is all and that was pretty funny but then I got nothing from the rest of it..It was a little slow and a little repetitive.

Wonderfull book, life affirming, very well written fast paced contemporary YA.

Pretty Things sounds like a great book to read in the summer, and that's why I picked it up.
We follow four teens: Charlie, Brie, Daisy, and Walker, who come together over the summer for a theater group. I enjoyed that it was told in alternating perspectives. That really helped make the point that we all think we have people pegged. We even think we have ourselves pegged sometimes. But people are fluid, ever changing, ever growing. People surprise us. We surprise ourselves.
That's really what Pretty Things is about in the end.
Great summer read? Yes, it was quite funny and enjoyable. But it is also a book that you take something away from.

*And as a lovely bonus, each chapter has a quote from a song lyric at the top (the credits to which are in the end) so if you like listening to music while you read, you've got yourself a soundtrack for each chapter.

Edie and Dylan are finally a real couple, and to celebrate they’re off on an amazing road trip across America. But nine weeks on the road in a foreign country is a long time—and a real test of their feelings for each other. Will it bring them even closer together, or break them apart forever?

*SPOILERS* Inspired by her rock idol Ruby X, 17-year-old Molly Montgomery starts up a band with her girlfriends called the Hormones. After their first gig, the attractive but maddening Dean convinces Molly and her bandmates that the group needs him on guitar and Tom on drums. Dean gets them a gig opening for a local band that starts the Hormones down the rocky road to fame. Molly and Dean try to hide their charged relationship from the band. Jane develops substance abuse problems. Molly butts heads with her shifty, slick manager. The parties, touring, media pressures and group in-fighting finally break Molly and she dramatically quits the group in the last show of a U.S. tour that was to be their breakout in the business.

I have a bit of a complex relationship with After the Last Dance. There were some bits I loved to pieces, others that were terrifically emotional and some bits that made me wonder whether I was still reading the same book. I do love dual narrative books spread across time periods, but this one had some awkward moments. It also had some bloody brilliant scenes. So what worked for me?

I really enjoyed the narrative of young Rose, who runs away to London with her mother’s fur coat and sister’s dressers because there is no way on earth she’s going to be a Land Girl. She saw on the newsreels about Rainbow Corner, a home away from home for the American GIs in London and she’s going to get there. Never mind the weird taste of this Coca-Cola stuff, Rose isn’t going home, she’s going to reinvent herself as older and wittier. Naturally, Rose gets into several scrapes along the way, but she also meets a lovely bunch of friends (‘my girls’ she calls them) and a nice boy or two. It’s not all Coke and doughnuts though. There’s fear and devastation as the war continues, and Rose isn’t left out. I think that this storyline could more than hold its own in a single book. It’s charming and fraught with a range of emotions. I’ve never read about Rainbow Corner before (as the myth goes, when it was opened, they threw away the key because it would never be shut) and I think Sarra Manning makes it sound fascinating.

The storyline set in the modern day took some time for me to like it. It almost seems like a different genre – girl in wedding dress walks into a bar in Vegas and marries one of the patrons. It’s rough, blunt and very sexy early on. It didn’t quite match the tone of Rose’s story or even seem to be in the same calibre. Jane, the bride, is harsh and calculated beneath the tiara. She jilted her fiancé after it turned out he wasn’t going to be a billionaire. She talks about being married by 27, but why does she throw everything she’s worked for away for a penniless artist in Leo? Leo is often described as not being much of a catch – he’s pudgy, a no-hoper and enjoys a line of three. I didn’t understand why Jane would suddenly turn from fortune hunter to a needy female who marries (literally) the first man she sees? Lucky for her, Leo has a very rich aunt in Rose and now she’s dying, so it’s off to London they go.

The narrative then shifts to Leo and Jane playing each other and Rose playing them both. Will the newlyweds stop pretending and start living? As time goes on, more of the backstory of Rose, Leo and Jane is told until you can see where they are coming from (but sometimes I still didn’t see why Jane and Leo made the choices they did). The strength of After the Last Dance is in the story – Manning is not afraid to shock or make the reader cry. While I didn’t find all of the characters endearing, my thoughts on this book skyrocketed within the last 100 pages. Manning knows how to pack an emotional punch. I’d love to see her try her hand at historical fiction, as she also captured the glamour and living one day at a time of World War II London.

Thank you to Hachette Australia for the copy of this book. My review is honest.

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Sweet, that is the perfect word to describe this story...

So, so, sweet.

A young woman named Neve has struggled her whole life with her weight and loneliness, so much in fact that she decided to do whatever was in her power to change her life around and get the man of her dreams to fall madly in love with her. He is away in California and has been for the past three years. She lost weight, she feels a bit better about herself and the only thing that is still an unmarked territory is....relationships....

She never had one, and needs to get some experience pronto!

She meets Max at a party and has a disastrous one night stand that leaves her more bummed about her future then anything.

Neve needs a trial relationship to get any insight on how things work. Max needs a trial relationship to get to the bottom of his man-whoreness.

They strike a deal, the rest is history.