Mona A

Mona A

  • member since Friday, December 21 2007

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Displaying 1-10 of 25 reviews
  • Snowed In
    • Rated 3 stars

    It's not that I didn't like the book in general, but I gotta say I was disappointed, the book's beginning intrigued me to read more, but when it actually came to the love story between the hero and heroine, the plot (the love story) was frail. We got it, Ash. has never before felt about a guy the way she feels about Josh, but does she have to remind us about it constantly. Another case of a book "told" but not "showed."

    Mona A wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List
    • Rated 4 stars

    Jessica is infatuated with acting; she'd do anything to get a leading role in the school's play, in hopes to land in Hollywood. When she meets Jordan, who secretly tells her he is the son of a famous actor and makes her promise not slip his secret away, Jessica is intrigued. She starts scheming with Jordan to invite his dad over to their school play. Jordan, because he wants his divorced parents to get back together and Jessica because she want Jordan's dad's recognition to ease her way to Hollywood. But things go all wrong, when Jessica accidentally lets her Drama teacher on Jordan's secret, from that point on things get awkward between Jessica and Jordan, Jessica and her best friend, and even Jessica and her Drama teacher.

    A fluffy read. The part in which Jessica and Jordan first meet one another was hilarious. While I thought the book was overall very good, I didn't like the part in which the actual play took place, I thought the scene too fabricated, too redundant.
    Other than that, it was a good funny read.

    Mona A wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Off Season
    • Rated 5 stars

    (Taken from my review on amazon.com)

    When DJ Schwenck got to join the Red Bend boy's football team, when she and Brian got together, and when she was finally able to "talk," she thought that all of her problems were simple solved. But once, while in practice, DJ hurt self and had to decide whether football was worth ruining her future for. Then Brian started acting all weird when they were together in public, and her older brother, Win, got hurt really bad during a football game. That's when DJ steps up, once again, to take all those burdens on her already-injured shoulders.

    I thought Murdock's Dairy Queen, was the best coming-of-age-story I have ever read. Turns out, the off season is a progression of DJ's coming-of-age that started in the first book. Though containing a more no-nonsense tone than the previous book, it still contains numerous laugh-out-loud scenes, not because the situation is funny but simply because DJ says it as it is. Like the first book, this too is authentic, and Murdock strongly established that fact in its ending, it wasn't all happy-go-lucky, but then again it wasn't a sad one either. But rather well balanced, some people might not like the way DJ and Brian's relationship turned out to be, but I guess that also was realistic. What are you waiting for? Do yourself a favor and get this book, it simply is amazing

    Mona A wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Talisman Ring
    • Rated 5 stars

    The wild goose chase starts when old Sylvester dies and there isn't a legitimate successor to step into his shoes. His heir and only grandson who also happens to be convicted of a murder and who is supposedly shipped abroad returns to England and takes smuggling into liking, while Sylvester's half-French grand daughter flees from a convenient marriage with Sylvester's allegedly solemn and unromantic nephew who in his turn isn't too keen about the arrangement and the young romantic bride-to-be. With different adventures in mind, a misplaced precious talisman ring reunites the adventurers together in order to restore it to its rightful owner, creating in return an unforgettable humorous story.

    By far this is the most humorous of Heyer's books, and I have read like most of them, the scenes are hilarious, and you'd be kept thinking "What would happen next!. What else will those whimsical people do now ?".

    Mona A wrote this review 12 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Summer in the City
    • Rated 5 stars

    Jamie, a sports fan and an athlete, goes to Baltimore "the big city" to spend summer with her romance-novelist mom, in order to get out the way of her dad and his love-interest. Though cynic towards the idea of love at first sight, Jamie is nevertheless hopes to experience true love in her last summer before college. She joins a lacrosse camp to spend time working out while summering, and there she sets the gorgeous-looking-coach off with her attitude, makes new friends and gets a job as a basketball summer camp coach. Then unexpectedly, Jamie tangles herself in a relationship she was better off without. Will her summer in the big city be that of heaven or hell ?

    Picking this book up, I thought it would be a stereotypical chick-lit; light and maybe funny. I didn't set any high expectation for it, and boy was I surprised! The love story introduced in this book was vividly illustrated. My heart went out for both the heroine and the hero (won't say who, you'll have to figure that out for yourself). If it weren't for the fact that I got this book from the YA section and the fact that the characters were in their teen years, I would have thought this book was a pure romantic one.


    Mona A wrote this review 4 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Tourist Trap
    • Rated 3 stars

    The main concept of the story was overall well thought of, but the plot was fickle. I felt that there wasn't any solid "chemistry" between Cassie and Jared. The story was in some parts draggy. Overall, a not-so-bad book.

    Mona A wrote this review Friday, September 5 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Thrill Ride
    • Rated 4 stars

    Megan (Dallas, TX) has applied for a job in amusement park –Thrill Ride!- for the whole summer. Although it was a difficult decision she has made, since she'd be leaving her boyfriend Nick behind in Texas, Megan is glad to get away from her home's unhinged atmosphere and the constant disputes between her mother and soon-to-be-married eldest sister about the upcoming wedding. Little did she know that Thrill Ride! held so many surprises for her, one of which is an incredibly-hot coworker, Parker.


    A very fun, fast-paced read. If you're in a mood for a chick-lit, then this is the book you should go for.

    Mona A wrote this review Tuesday, August 26 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas
    • Rated 4 stars

    James Patterson has put many avid romantic writers to shame with this simple and heart-wrenching book of his.

    A good winter read, whenever you feel like you want be cuddled up in your blankets, grab this book and it will seep with cozy warmth.

    Mona A wrote this review Monday, August 25 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Dairy Queen
    • Rated 5 stars

    From my review on AMAZON
    A your-not-so-typical teenage girl named DJ, tends to her family's farm while her dad recovers from a hip injury. All is well- well, as well as it used to be anyways- until a QB , Brian Nelson, of a rival high school is sent to help DJ out with the farm. What DJ wasn't expecting from this particular jock was to start encouraging her to talk; about her dreams, the F she got in English and her strikingly odd family.

    I somewhat knew that this book would be good, because I've read encouraging reviews prior to buying it. What struck me the most about this particular books was its authenticity. I wouldn't wonder it if I learned that DJ was somewhere in Wisconsin painting the barn with Brian Nelson. That's how real the characters were. I also loved the writing style, DJ has flunked English, and that fact is strongly established in "her" writing style. A refreshing read, as refreshing as a tall glass of cold fresh milk is.

    Mona A wrote this review Saturday, August 23 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)
    • Rated 2 stars

    *****Might contain Spoliers******

    This book actually deserves a 2.5 starts
    Ah, where to start from?
    I read twilight when it first came out in our country, and I found appealing, not great. But very good. I couldn't wait to read the second book –New Moon- and when I did I just fell in love with it, it was very vivid, very real, and it just seemed effortless. When it came to eclipse, my solid opinion about Meyer's writing wavered, I thought she lost her touch with eclipse. Little did I know that breaking dawn would even prove to be a greater disappointment?

    Breaking Dawn, was a page turner in its two segmented books (Book 1 and Book 2), this fact I can not deny, and that's probably the only positive point I can grant it. But this one fact is overshadowed by a greater number of flaws:
    1. Even though the second book (Jacob's POV) was interesting, it was too dragging. Meyer could have cut it down, and still display its chief plots.
    2. Meyer introduced Kachiri in the first book, and though the conversation she and Edward had was mystifying and stirred the reader's curiosity, Meyer seemed as if she had forgotten all about her and only remembered her when it came to the very end of the book. A clue or two about Kachiri would have been nice to be seen somewhere in the middle of the book.
    3. The other flaw in this particular book, is Meyer's introduction of a swarm of new characters. This was probably the biggest mistake Meyer has made. Breaking dawn is supposed to be a finale, when the entire jigsaws (from all the previous books) are put together to create a finished picture, a closed ending. New characters aren't supposed to be introduced in the very end of the book! This only proves that Meyer hasn't thought about the ending of the saga when she was writing the prequels to breaking dawn. What is worse though, is that these new characters had no role what so ever in the progression of the story. Yes, they were the alleged witnesses, but the way Meyer has described each and every one of them had us think that they would undoubtedly have a bigger role than being mere witnesses. What happened to the battle's preparation? The conflict between the characters, the sacrifices they so promised to make? Gone with the wind?
    4. I know it is very harsh to say this, but I am a disappointed fan and I have to voice my views and get all out of my chest. But really, the whole book seemed whimsical, there was no flow in the transition between the plots, there didn't seem to be a link between the previous books, breaking dawn could have been a stand-alone. It was very poorly written.
    5. Whereas the previous books seemed effortless and flowed wonderfully, this particular one was stiffly scripted. The plot, the characters, the ending- they were all forced down our throats.

    I could go on forever.
    "Move over, Harry potter" USA TODAY…apparently those people either haven't read Harry Potter or haven't read Twilight. Because, in no way they can be comparable.

    Bear in mind that these are all one person's opinion. Would I still recommend people to read the twilight saga? Yes definitely, the three books were very good. You wouldn't want to miss it. And fourth ? you might want to find out for yourself,

    Mona A wrote this review Sunday, August 17 2008. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink )
Displaying 1-10 of 25 reviews


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