Location: Canada
Member Since: April 25, 2011
Bonnie
Where to find Bonnie online
Books
This member has not published any books.Smashwords book reviews by Bonnie
- Bridesmaid Lotto
on June 29, 2011
Bridesmaid Lotto was a really fun and lighthearted read. I loved Josie as a main character and she just felt so real to me. I loved that she was prone to accidents and embarrassing herself in public – who isn’t? – and her Disaster Diary provided some welcome comic relief. Josie really did not want to be a part of the Bridesmaid Lotto but eventually the glitz and glamour (and of course the chance to meet her long time movie star crush) wins out and she surrenders to the parties and the designer dresses. While she does get caught up in the excitement preparing for the wedding I was happy to see that she didn’t completely loose herself. She still reminded herself of who she was by writing about her misadventures in her Disaster Diary and she remained relatively grounded considering the situations she found herself in. I absolutely loved Josie’s friend Matty, he was the token gay best friend, but his character was done so well. He wasn’t too over the top and added just the right amount of humor. The love story was a little predictable but it was well done so I didn’t mind. It was nice for a change to read of a main character who isn’t completely tortured and damaged and suffering in an emotionally draining relationship. Josie’s relationship was the kind of story that makes you *sigh* and wish you were in her shoes. Sometimes we all need a little bit of a fairy tale. I don’t often read Chick LIt but I am so glad that I read Bridesmaid Lotto. It was the perfect combination of humor, wit, and a little bit of romance. I can honestly say that I am looking forward for the release of the next book in the series Gamble on Engagement, which is expected to be released in August, 2011. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light and fun romantic comedy. I received a free copy of Bridesmaid Lotto from the author (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
- Starring in the Movie of My Life
on Jan. 03, 2012
Starring in the Movie of My Life was one of those books that I didn’t want to stop reading once I picked it up. Osterkamp is a beautiful writer and wonderfully captures the essence of the two female leads. Everything from their thought process to word choice feels authentic and accurate for their ages. I was amazed how well she was able to transition between each narrator as well as past and present events; not once did I find myself confused or lost. The pace of this novel was perfect and I quickly became engrossed in the novel and tied up in the complications of these character’s lives. In my opinion one sign of a great novel, or a great author, is the ability to create characters that not only force me to care about them, but make me forget that this is a work of fiction. They need to feel real and authentic for me to completely lose myself and the fact that Osterkamp was able to do this so well puts her at the top of my list of favorite authors from 2011. Melody was a villain; a manipulative, immature and selfish villain who was also raised by a manipulative, immature and selfish mother who provided her with no moral compass. As the novel went on I went from hating Melody to feeling sad for her and the path that her life taken. Sam was also one of those characters who I started off disliking. She seemed so lost and aimless, two qualities that I do not usually appreciate in a main character. As the novel moved on and I got to know her and her past a little better I actually started to appreciate her more. My favorite parts of the novel involving Sam were the flashbacks into her past – it made the person she was in the present make so much more sense. The way that Osterkamp tied the two storylines together was brilliant and I truly was not expecting to find so much depth and emotion based on the book description. This book is about so much more than a high school girl trying to get her young teacher to fall in love with her. Not only does she write about Melody’s obsession with her teacher, but readers are also given a glimpse into the past that caused Melody to behave the way she did. I loved how Melody grew as a person towards the end of the novel and was really happy with the direction that she was headed in. I wasn’t as thrilled with Sam’s ending, it felt a little obvious and I think I would have preferred to see Sam standing on her own two feet for once. It started to look as though she was moving in the direction of becoming a stronger, more confidant woman and I felt like the ending diminished that a little bit. Starring in the Movie of my Life is a truly engaging read that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys dramas with well fleshed out characters and storylines. The narration from multiple points of view was done extremely well and really allowed the readers to get inside the heads of these two very different women. It was impossible to not become engrossed in their stories and root for a happy ending for each of them. I received a review copy of Starring in the Movie of my Life from the author (thank you!!!) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 4.5 stars, originally posted on www.handsandhome.ca
- Between The Land And The Sea
on Feb. 28, 2012
Review originally posted to Hands and Home blog Feb 28, 2012 http://www.handsandhome.ca/2012/02/between-the-land-and-the-sea-by-derrolyn-anderson.html The Story: I really had no expectations when I began reading this book as it was my first mermaid story and with the exception of Disney’s Ariel I had zero frame of reference. I am happy to say that from the very beginning this book had me hooked. Marina is a 16 year old who has travelled the world with her father and lived an extravagant life with her Aunt Evie. Nothing however could have prepared her to move to Aptos with her bohemian Aunt and edgy cousin while her dad travels to Afghanistan for work. Marina tries to navigate her way through the trials of high school and run ins with the “popular” crowd (a completely foreign concept to her) all the while wishing to understand her draw to the sea and her mysterious connection with a Mermaid named Lorelai. I was particularly impressed with how well Anderson was able to portray Marina’s lure to the sea. It was psychological, emotional, physical and completely out of Marina’s control which I have to admit had me on edge more than once. I kept waiting for something sinister to happen and was beginning to become suspicious of almost everyone in the book (probably due to the fact that I have been reading far too much paranormal YA these days!). The Characters: Marina was a great protagonist and I found that I really liked her. She was smart, confidant, and most of all genuinely kind and likeable. If I had one complaint it would be the focus placed on all of Marina’s designer clothes and accessories. I understand that her relationship with her Aunt Evie and therefore her extravagant gifts (and her appreciation without obsession of them) was a big part of who she was, but it got a little old after a while. I really, really loved Ethan. Finally a male YA character who is not a jerk. Seriously, Ethan had the smoldering looks and popularity but he was also caring, hardworking and thought for himself rather than following the stuck up crowd that he hung out with. I loved that Ethan was a character that did more than surf and wander idly through his days. He had plans and wasn’t afraid to work for them. In my opinion this is the kind of character that we should hope to see more of in YA. There was an edge to his personality which, combined with all of his positive characteristics, made him most definitely swoon-worthy! The Romance: Would you believe it if I told you that this is a YA book that does not fall victim to the curse of instalove. While the attraction between Marina and Ethan is nearly immediate, it actually takes them quite a while to get to know each other, trust one another and develop their relationship into anything serious. There are definitely sparks and they are believable because it took more than one look for them to develop. Ethan is the epitome of the sweet, caring guy but he has enough roughness to him to make him appealing. He is a good guy with a little something that could be dangerous lurking under the surface – and I think we will see more of that in the next book. The Writing: When Derrolyn Anderson approached me to review this series I had not read many indie authors and had never read a mermaid book so I was going blindly into this read. Since that time I have read quite a few books by indie authors and was impressed by the caliber of Anderson`s writing – and not just as an indie author but for any published author. There were a few speech elements that I found distracting and a little annoying (for if you read the book you will probably see what I mean) but other than this bit of stylistic nit picking I think Between the Land and the Sea was a really well written book. Final Verdict: I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it to any fans of YA, paranormal fiction and mermaids! I received a review copy of Between the Land and the Sea from the author (thank you!!!) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.