Book Review: 'Sisters' by Danielle Steel

Confession: I've always wanted to read a Danielle Steel novel. I grew up with my mom reading them, and I always wanted to seem more grown up and mature by picking up "grown up" books and pretending that I could read and understand them. My mom's Danielle Steel books were no exception, so ever since then, I told myself I need to get around to reading one for real.

I first picked up Sisters over Christmas vacation in 2012, and I wasn't immediately intrigued by anything in the first 70 pages I read, so I decided to move on to something else, but I did want to revisit Sisters eventually. Naturally, I always find myself in a reading slump in the late spring/early summer. Maybe the change in seasons just brings out a craving for a different kind of book than the ones I've been reading all winter. Whatever the reason, I found myself struggling to find a book that I could stand longer than 50 pages (which is one of my biggest pet peeves; having to put down a book because it's boring). Then I noticed Sisters in a box of my mom's old books. I decided, hey, what the hell; why not give it another shot, it's been almost four years and it's not like I had any other books that were calling out to me.

Sisters starts off weak and cliché, there's no doubt about that, so it's no wonder I didn't feel like forging through it the last time I picked it up. Steel's descriptions are just so bland, so commonplace, so ordinary, that the only thing that kept me reading was the fact that I knew tragedy was about to hit the characters. The novel follows four sisters who, in very different places in their lives and in the world, find the time to return home to Connecticut for their parents' annual Fourth of July party, but before the party can happen, tragedy strikes that leaves the entire family reeling...and then jumping into action. Honestly, the pictures Steel painted of the four main characters in the beginning of the book were just so bland and so annoyingly perfect that I was actually happy when I realized something bad was going to happen to them, and I like to think it was written that way on purpose (or maybe I'm just a bad person; a discussion for another day). It's very easy to see why so many people on the Internet detested this book. It's no secret that since the 90s, Steel puts out several novels each year and they all basically have the same plot with different characters, but all wind up bestsellers. Her writing style in Sisters is not the best. In fact, it's terrible; it's juvenile and reads as severely underdeveloped, but at the same time, her characters, while really nothing unique, become very interesting and I just kept reading for their sake and their story.

I think that's why I ended up liking Sisters so much: because the characters and the story themselves are really nothing special. We've seen stories like theirs on the screen and in countless other books, but from time to time, when you've been reading stories that actually are unique, it's nice to read a story that can very well happen in the real world; it's just about people and their relationships with each other. Sisters is merely a character-driven and cheesy comedy-drama about four sisters and how much they mean to each other, and I am a sap for that stuff. Several chapters brought to mind The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Boys on the Side. The relationship between the two eldest sisters, Sabrina and Tammy, also really reminded me of the relationship between Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) and Kitty (Calista Flockhart) on Brothers & Sisters. So it's really no mystery why I ended up liking Sisters; if one of your guilty pleasures is watching movies like Mystic Pizza over and over again, you'll probably end up liking it! You'll get used to Steel's bad writing style after awhile, at least I did; I managed to put my all into the characters I fell in love with and ignore the things that bothered me. 4/5 stars.

Book Reviews: 'Wildflower' by Drew Barrymore and 'Kindred Spirits' by Rainbow Rowell

1. Wildflower, by Drew Barrymore:
This was just such a fun, simple, enjoyable read. Wildflower contains several stories written by actress Drew Barrymore, with topics ranging from her rough upbringing, to being on her own after being emancipated at 14, to skydiving with Cameron Diaz. It was one of those memoirs (it isn't technically a memoir, but it has that feel) where you just want to keep reading and reading because the stories are so interesting, so enveloping, and yet written so casually that you'd think Barrymore is an old friend she's catching you up over a cup of coffee on a breezy summer afternoon. A lot of people on Goodreads slammed and bashed her writing style; I saw one review saying they thought it read like an unedited college essay, but I totally, wholeheartedly disagree with all of them. The writing style is simple, yet effective; not written in a way that's too sophisticated, but also not written super fancy. Honestly, the writing style was exactly like I thought it would be, because I basically read the whole book with Drew Barrymore's voice narrating all the stories to me in my head. I love Barrymore; she's one of my favorite actresses and I really love her attitude on who she used to be and how that has helped her become who she is today. Anyone who loves Drew Barrymore will love Wildflower. I would totally consider reading this again, just because I found it so enjoyable. 5/5 stars.

2. Kindred Spirits, by Rainbow Rowell:
Let me tell you about my journey with Kindred Spirits. When I came across the title on Goodreads a couple of months back, I was confused because I hadn't heard that Rainbow Rowell was coming out with a new book; she had just published her last novel, Carry On, last October (I also follow her diligently across all social media because she's one of my favorite authors, and I also hadn't seen her tweeting about it or anything). Later, I learned that Kindred Spirits is a short story she wrote for World Book Day in the UK, and that it would only be published in the UK and wouldn't be coming to North America until next year. So I thought, well, that just won't do! Where can I get my hands on a copy of this book?! It's Rainbow Rowell, I need it! My first instinct was to check Amazon, where I am a frequent shopper, and instead of the North American Amazon, I checked the British Amazon and sure enough, there it was, available for pre-order (I was already having my freak-out before the book even came out). The exchange rate didn't seem so bad, so I quickly pre-ordered it. And I waited. And I waited. The book came out in February, and it arrived in my mailbox on March 29. By that point, I didn't even care because I had managed to get my hands on a copy of a book that was only released in the UK, so I was proud of myself. There isn't much to say about Kindred Spirits other than it's just as flipping amazing and cute as every other Rainbow Rowell book. The story itself was only about 60 pages, and I honestly could've read a whole novel about the characters. I really feel like Rowell understands the heart and soul of the introvert, which is just one of the many reasons I love her and her books. The other reasons being that she's just awesome and her books are just awesome and you should read them. Right now. Go do it. This review was just me fanboying for an entire paragraph and I don't even care. 5/5 stars.

Katherine Heigl's rom-coms, ranked from weakest to strongest

Katherine Heigl has had her fair share of TV and movie roles. Whether she's being a bridesmaid and falling for James Marsden, raising someone else's kid with Josh Duhamel, or slaying as Izzie on Grey's Anatomy, we can't deny her loveable charm. Here are 5 of her romantic comedies ranked from weakest to strongest:

5. One for the Money (2012)
Heigl stars as Stephanie Plum, who finds herself unemployed and broke, forced to work for her cousin's bail bondsman business as a bail enforcement agent, despite having no training nor experience. She is tasked with finding Joe Morelli, a former cop wanted for murder and who also happened to know Stephanie in high school...and took her virginity. Not even Ms. Heigl could save the terrible plot, not to mention she is not convincing as a brunette. It is most probably her worst movie.

4. Killers (2010)
Heigl stars alongside Ashton Kutcher, a sexy stranger she meets while vacationing in Nice, France with her parents, portrayed by Tom Selleck and Catherine O'Hara. The thing is, her handsome guy is an assassin. Three years pass before she learns the truth, leading them on a wild goose chase with everyone around them seemingly working for the enemy. Despite the ridiculous plot, Killers is made enjoyable solely by the performance of its star-studded cast.

3. The Ugly Truth (2009)
Heigl stars as Abby, a producer of a morning television show in California. Gerard Butler co-stars as Mike, who does a segment called "The Ugly Truth" on a local talk show. Mike tries to help Abby see the flaw in her dating, leading to quite the pandemonium. Heigl certainly shines through the rest of the cast in this one, including Butler, who I found to be the worst part of The Ugly Truth.

2. Life As We Know It (2010)
Heigl stars as Holly, a single bakery owner and chef, alongside the dreamy Josh Duhamel as Eric Messer, set up on a disastrous blind date by their mutual best friends. When the mutual friends in question are tragically killed in a car accident, they left custody of their toddler, Sophie, to Holly and Messer...together, forcing them to put their differences aside for Sophie's sake. Despite the stereotypical, predictable plot, Heigl and Duhamel dazzle as screen partners, making Life As We Know It quite enjoyable and charming.

1. 27 Dresses (2008)
Heigl stars as Jane, a woman whose main pastime is being a bridesmaid for other women. Malin Akerman stars as her younger sister Tess, known for being popular with the opposite sex. Not only that, Jane is in love with her boss, George (Edward Burns), and can't get a hold of herself long enough to tell him how she feels. Unfortunately, she can't get it out before Tess falls for George, and guess who agrees to be her maid of honor? James Marsden also co-stars as a newspaper columnist who covers the wedding section whom soon takes a liking to the bridesmaid of the century. 27 Dresses is arguably Heigl's best and strongest romantic comedy. The storyline and plot are original and fun, the performances are solid and no one can deny the chemistry Heigl shares with each and every co-star. The question remains, why hasn't the 27 Dresses magic been replicated in any other of Heigl's film roles? Quite the travesty.

Book Review: 'Me Before You' by Jojo Moyes

I'm a little disappointed, but with all things considered, I don't know why I'm not surprised.

Popular, lovey-dovey, cheesy romance books aren't really my thing. I didn't read The Fault in Our Stars simply because it didn't sound like a book I'd enjoy. I have read a few from time to time, and your romance book can be as lovey-dovey and as cheesy as you want it to be; but as long as you avoid clichés and your plot is original, I'll probably read it and I'll probably like it. Take Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park for example; it's cheesy as hell! But it's original, it's relatable, it's real and it's cliché-free, for the most part (and, you know, it's just amazing in general). Unfortunately, I went into Me Before You thinking it would be cliché-free and original. It wasn't.

And, for some reason, I don't know why I'm not surprised Me Before You was a tad unoriginal and overly cliché. The back cover description sounds like a thousand other books we've seen before, yet I went into it expecting to be blown away. I wasn't. It did have its good parts. For those who don't know, a brief rundown; a girl named Louisa Clark, who lives in a small English town and has a unique sense of style, takes a job as a caregiver for a quadriplegic who requires constant care, Will Traynor. I need not say anymore because I'm sure you get the gist.

The rest of this review will now contain spoilers, so for those who don't want it spoiled, go get a coffee.

I really liked Louisa's character development in the beginning; she has this unique sense of style that no one, including her family, in her close-minded small town seems to appreciate. She is belittled, put down and made fun of by her family, mostly her dad who I'm pretty sure called her fat at one point, and lives in the shadow of her older sister, Katrina. She's also been dating a guy named Patrick, who is an athlete, for seven years, and he's a bit of an asshole. All of this goes to show that Louisa is obviously just accepting the love she thinks she deserves, which is all too common and all too sad. I just figured she didn't know any better than to branch out into the world where her style will be appreciated, but we later learn that Louisa used to dress to impress and on one summer occasion was potentially sexually assaulted by a group of guys after everyone had one too many. My like of Louisa just went downhill from there. Her reason for not branching out of her small town was because of that incident, she was scared to branch out of her comfort zone. This just reminds me of the first season of Veronica Mars, when Veronica was raped at a party when she was popular and didn't know who did it, the only difference being Veronica rose above the incident when Louisa just let it drag her down. I'm not doubting that it was traumatic for her, but your reason for not leaving your stupid town is because an incident with a bunch of teenage perverts led you to believe the whole world is this way? Um, no. I won't say anymore because rape has always been a heated topic for obvious reasons, but I just really, really didn't like that part.

Will was the only person to encourage Louisa to branch out into the world, which I loved. Will was also the only character I still enjoyed by the end. When Louisa learns Will plans to end his life (he is paralyzed forever with no chance of recovery), Louisa decides to show him that life can be worth living. I figured this would be a series of cheesy, inspirational scenes where Louisa takes Will on all sorts of adventures, but there was only maybe a total of three, and I wouldn't use the word adventure to describe them. She failed miserably. She blamed her inability to plan anything on his disability. She had ONE mission and she didn't do it, then when she takes Will on a vacation and they have a moment; he reveals he is still going to end his life in Switzerland she completely throws a fit, making it all about her. For once, I agreed with all of Will's points on why he wanted to commit suicide. It's a difficult situation, but I did agree with him. Will ends up ending his life, leaving behind money for Louisa for her to go out into the world and start her life. Will Traynor is the real MVP of Me Before You. Louisa Clark was a completely unlikable character by the end of the book, at least in my opinion, and if she's like this again in the sequel (After You), I no longer have any interest in reading it.

This seems like a harsh and negative review, but it was really only those specific parts of Me Before You that I hated. It did have its moments of cheesy lines that did make me smile (mostly from Will, the saving grace of the book), as well as a few other good parts, despite finding that the main storyline dragged along. I debated between 3 and 3.5 stars, and then I debated being that person who gives 3.25 stars to a book, so I've just decided to be generous and round up. 3.5/5 stars.