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Just Jennifer has commented on (40) products.

Just Jennifer, May 20, 2013

Before I even started reading this book I could tell there was going to be a good amount of humor in it. The acknowledgments were infused with humor (albeit an inside joke with her social media fans.) So when I started to get into the book I was happy that the humor continued. It gave the book a fanciful feeling. I knew the story was going to be a fun read and it's not meant to be a serious (as in not funny ha ha) romance novella. I tend to read lots of heavy and serious books, so I love when I get to change the pace a little bit and read something that is meant to be fun. And the humor in this one is similar to my sense of humor - a bit raunchy and sarcastic - so I was able to get into the story that much more.

The novella follows Maggie and Chaam. Maggie is a fairly well developed character - she's got a story, a purpose, and morals. She did come off as a bit of a prude (even for 1934) at the begining of the story, but as she started to warm up to Chaam I started to warm up to her. The other characters - Chaam, Cimil, and grandpa - aren't as well developed in this novella. After reading some of the excerpts from other books in the Accidentally Yours series I can tell that Chaam and Cimil's characters are developed in other stories.

This novella made me want to read the rest of the series for two major reasons. 1 - there is such a build up and the story ends as a cliffhanger, so I have a need to find out what happens next. 2 - I think I could really like these characters. I don't feel like I missed out not having fully read any of the other books, but I would like to know a bit more of the back story.

The story was humorous and it did live up to it's warning: sexual content and naughty words. This was a nice change of pace for me and I enjoyed reading it. I would pick up more of Mimi Jean's books in the future.

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for a review. This review is my truthful honest opinion.

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Through the Withering Storm by Leif Norgaard Gregersen

Just Jennifer, May 18, 2013

Even before I started reading this book I was drawn to it. Being someone who suffers with depression I like to hear other’s stories. It makes me not feel so alone in the world. Even when you’re surrounded by family and friends when you’re dealing with depression you still feel very alone. So having these stories is somewhat therapeutic for me. It’s like the light at the end of the tunnel. Someone else has been there and look where they are now ��" you can get there too. It was comforting to see some of what I have experienced over the last few years also be a part of someone else’s life. So I have to thank Leif for sharing his story with the world. I hope that it brings about the awareness you are striving for.

While this book was therapeutic for me to read I think that it’s something the loved ones of a mentally ill person could benefit from. I think if you’ve never been the one to deal with depression it’s really hard to understand what it’s like. What kind of struggles occur on a daily basis. And those of us with depression can’t always explain what we’re going through, because in all honesty you don’t really know what’s going on sometimes. Now my depression has never gotten to the point of hallucinations, like Leif’s does, but I still have dealt with many of the things he has dealt with. He explains what he was going through so well. I think that’s the biggest benefit a mentally healthy person could get from this ��" he explains so well what depression is like.

The book is well written. Even though it’s a biography it doesn’t read like a biography. It’s easy to follow and isn’t monotonous. The adventures that Leif has in his life are the things that fiction is based on. There’s even a few times where he makes reference to “that’s how they did it in the movies.” And even though depression and Leif’s story are not happy topics, it’s not a heavy story. I don’t think I would have been able to make it to the end if it were a heavy book. Yes it’s great to read someone else’s story, but it really made me look at some of the things in my life that were similar to Leif’s.

So it’s an exciting book in that there’s a lot going on. It’s a learning tool in that it spells out pretty accurately what a depressed person is going through. And it’s also a comfort to someone with depression to be able to see in writing that they aren’t the only one. Given how common mental illness is becoming in the world I think this is one that just about anyone would benefit from reading. If it’s not you, it’s likely someone you know that is going through something similar.

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for a review. This review is my truthful honest opinion.

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The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

Just Jennifer, May 7, 2013

I am amazed by this book. Had I knot known Chelsea Pitcher was a debut author I would never have been able to guess it. This book was so well executed that it comes off as being written by a very seasoned author. But the execution isn’t the most amazing facet of this one for me. Teenage suicide is a very hard subject to deal with and difficult subjects can sometimes turn into emotionally draining books. I did not feel that way with this one. Pitcher is able to bring to light the subject of teenage suicide, highlight it’s impact, get inside the head of a teenager distressed enough to commit suicide, and still not write a heavy book. Not to say that it’s easy to read about a suicide or that I wasn’t touched emotionally by this one, I just think it was written in a way that most people can connect to. Teenagers can connect because they maybe experiencing some of the same situations and adults can connect because we’ve been there and can remember going through it all.

The characters are so well developed. There’s Lizzie, who the book revolves around, she’s the one who committed suicide that sets the rest of the story in motion. Even though she’s not alive in the book I still was able to get a good sense of who she was and what she was going through. The twists that the story takes near the end of the book really give Lizzie so many more dimensions than just being a girl who was bullied and then committed suicide. The end of the book is really where we start to figure out exactly what Lizzie was going through and all the motives surrounding her decision. Even though she wasn’t a part of the current story I really became attached to her and when the story begins to reveal what Lizzie was going through I was so upset and hurt for her. Then there’s Angie, Lizzie’s best friend ��" well at least she was before Lizzie betrayed her. After Lizzie’s death Angie makes it her mission to find out who was behind the horrible things that were done to Lizzie before she died. Through the search Angie realizes she may not have really been the friend she thought she was to Lizzie. Angie deals with anger, sadness, frustration, irritation, heartbreak, guilt, and so many more emotions as the story behind Lizzie’s last few weeks alive begin to unfold. The other characters appear to fit into the typical high school stereotypes. But as Angie learns everyone is not always who they seem to be.

I really can’t say enough how amazing this book was. I think that everyone, especially teenagers, should read this one. It is difficult to read at times, and there are some situations which may not be suitable for younger teenagers, but I think it’s a must read for older teens. If nothing else I think this book shows that people aren’t always what you think they are and that if you take the time to really get to know a person you’ll be surprised at the person you find. While the story focuses on figuring out Lizzie’s suicide the true story takes place with Angie’s transformation as she investigates. There are a few twists at the end of the story that were unexpected and they really help Angie make some realizations that help in her transformation.

I liked that this book doesn’t look at bullying in a typical way. I think many times when talking about bullying we tell teens “bullying is bad”, which it is. But teens already know that bullying is bad, to really understand they need to see what the ramifications can be and what ripple effects bullying can have. What I think this book does is says that “bullying is bad, because look at the extremes some people will go through to escape bullying.” It’s a book that explains suicide in a way that doesn’t glorify it. Lizzie’s suicide is tragic, but the story doesn’t seek to justify her suicide. I felt that the book looks at the reasons why someone may commit suicide and shows how simple misunderstandings can be so twisted and distorted that they become a helpless situation. I don’t know what would have stopped Lizzie from taking her life, but I feel like if someone ��" anyone ��" would have taken the time to learn what was really going on that it might have been preventable.

So yes it’s a difficult subject to read about. But I think this book is written so well that it takes a good look at bullying and suicide without being depressing. I was so engrossed with this story that I read the book in two sittings. I just couldn’t put it down. And even though I became so wrapped up in these characters I wasn’t disappointed when the book ended. I feel like the story of these characters has been told, and there’s not much more to say about them. I really can’t say enough how well executed this story was. I highly recommend this one to everyone.

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for a review. This review is my truthful honest opinion.

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What in God's Name by Simon Rich

Just Jennifer, April 21, 2013

I really liked the idea of this book - Heaven is a corporation run by God. The angels work for Heaven, Inc. performing miracles, answering prayers, and all the other things that we think of angels doing. It was a new look at Heaven, almost made the concept of Heaven seem more "real" because it was something I could relate to. I could see an office building with cubicles, water cooler, lunch room, board room, conference tables, etc. When I think of Heaven normally there's not really any concrete imagery that comes to mind. So the idea that Heaven is similar to something I could relate to made it easier for me to read.

The imagery associated with God was a bit off-putting at the beginning, but as the story progressed and his character changed a bit I began to come around. God started off as a frustrated CEO who needs a change in his life. He's tired of the corporate life and wants to open a restaurant. It really humanizes God and again, it makes the concept of God something tangible that I can associate with. It took a little open-mindedness to think of God in terms of the tangible life the book portrays, but I did get used to it. Although even at the end of the book it was a bit shocking still when God cusses. That I just couldn't get used to. It just wasn't something I would ever expect - I curse like a sailor most of the time, but I just can't imagine that God does also.

The story doesn't really focus on God though. The story is a love story at heart. Craig and Eliza have to work to make Laura and Sam fall in love to save humanity. The two humans are seemingly beyond all hope. But Sam and Eliza use some pretty creative miracles to help move the process along. I liked the dynamic of the two angel's love story going on with the human's love story. It was kind of neat to see the parallels in the two paths. I also liked the miracles they used to help the humans fall in love - not that I ever though food poisoning could be a miracle, but it did have the intended effect.

The story is quite humorous. The author does a great job of mixing humorous writing with humorous situations. But I think the true beauty of the story is that even with everything that is going on the writing is simple. Not simple in that it's dumbed down or anything. It's simple in that the author doesn't over explain things, doesn't complicate the story with useless details, and doesn't go into detail about the parts of the story that don't impact the outcome. Even the miracles that are used by the angels are just series of simple events. I thought that was kind of a neat aspect to the story - miracles don't have to be big and flashy even the little moments in life can be miracles. So other than God and his potty mouth I really enjoyed this book.

A copy of this book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

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Being Anti-Social by Leigh K. Cunningham

Just Jennifer, April 1, 2013

When I requested to review this book I have to admit I did it simply because of the title. I didn't really read the description - other than it was fiction. So when it arrived at my door I wan't sure what to expect. After reading the first few chapters I was glad that I had gotten it. It was a story that I can somewhat relate to. I used to have trouble reading books that have Australian characters - mainly because the language is pretty different. But I'm finding that the more I read the more I don't really notice the "Aussie" English. I have gotten to where I can understand most of the slang and different definitions. So this is one of the first Australian set books that I didn't have to re-read to figure out what I was reading. And that excites me because it opens up so much more literature to me. But back to the story...

I really liked Mace. I kind of related to her. I think she used her sarcasm as a shield, something to hide behind so she doesn't have to expose herself. A lot of the thoughts she had were what I could see myself thinking in her situation. So I connected with her almost immediately. As I got further into the story I realized that a few different choices I could almost have been Mace. I really enjoyed her point-of-view on life, which made this such an enjoyable read. I also liked Mace's group of friends. They cover just about every personality and each one of them is unique enough to give the group a good dynamic. Outside of how well these friends complemented each other I like how strong their relationships as a group and as individuals is. When one of them needs something the friends make sure they get it. This group reminded me of my step-mother's group of friends. So on top of having a connection with Mace I could understand her friends. The only part of the story I couldn't relate to was Mace's relationships with her mother and older sister. In Mace's eyes she isn't close with either of them. She feels like they are judgmental and disapproving. So when Mace's mother is diagnosed with Cancer Mace's goal of being closer with her mother she has to deal with a lot of other emotional baggage.

In addition to great characters the book was well-written. The story was well-thought out and very well executed. Being able to draw so many characters into a book and be able to keep them from all being one-dimensional characters is a great feat. Plus the story was emotionally catching: there is humor, sadness, love, spite, caring, indifference. It was so compelling that I couldn't bring myself to out it down. I read it in two sittings. I have to say this was a great book.

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