Mondenwende: Sonnenglaster II by Oliver Jungwirth: Let’s start with the positive, the story is not so bad. Getting that out-of-the-way, there are a couple of things seriously wrong with this book. First of all, it is a sequel. Without having read part one it’s a little bit difficult to follow. The author refers quite heavily to his first book without ever offering at least some explanation on what happened. That would have been great as a prologue. Another problem was the repetitive writing style. Thoughts and motivations of character behavior were explained in three different ways without adding anything of substance to the plot.
And my biggest problem was the preaching style when it came to certain political issues. There is no question on which side the author stands. Which is good for him but rather miserable for the story development. Overall this could have been at least one-third shorter. It would have helped with my desire to pick up the book again. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case, so it took me forever to finish it. I’d like to thank the author for sending a copy to Pollybert.com.
All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin: Usually I associate Emily Giffin with fluffy chick lit. So while this one reads as easy as her others, the topic is way more serious. What happens when your son posts a sexually charged and explicit racial picture of a girl? The book was more about the inner turmoil of the mother and less about the really alarming behavior of her son. When you write about such a topic I find it is not enough to just use it as a backdrop for the mother’s story.
This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith: When an email goes astray an unlikely friendship gets struck. How these two who don’t even know each other’s names become friends is a wonderful story. When a real life encounter happens and things don’t go exactly as planned. This is what happens when you stay anonymous and won’t even share your first name. Lovely to read though and I couldn’t help myself rooting for these two. I guess I need to read the short follow-up.
Happy Again by Jennifer E. Smith: A very short sequel to ‘This Is What Happy Looks Like’. And if you are a sucker for everything romance then it delivers. I loved that there was a kind of follow-up even though I imagined it all different. It was enough that the two main characters get a chance at being with each other again. What more do you want in life? There can’t always be a happily ever after. A happy again must be good enough. Reads like a charm!
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