Lost and Found

"Cheeky fish out of water, strange bedfellows science fiction. Take one hungover Chicago commodities trader, kidnapped by aliens while on a camping trip, add in an intelligence-enhanced stray pooch and a Noah's ark worth of otherworldly creatures on a spaceship bound for who knows where, and you've got yourself some drama with major hijinks potential. It's not Asimov, or even <I>Star Trek</I>, but it wiled away the time, made me laugh, and even want to read the sequel."

"This wasn't quite what I expected, and it wasn't as much about a murder mystery with Vera doing amateur sleuthing or the like as it was about her being a gay woman in the 70s and navigating her life as a gay woman with a relationship with another woman who had a harder time with her family and them accepting her and her way of life.<br/>This was about Vera and Max going to visit Max's parents, where there was chaos with her parents and their marriage ending. It was about whether and how Vera and Max were going to reveal themselves and their relationship to her parents, etc. This was also about how it was easier for them to just say they were friends and hide their relationship and true nature around certain people and in certain situations. It was also interesting yet strange to see the similarities and differences in how women and gays/homosexuality was viewed back then versus how it is now.<br/>And once again, this story led to a woman being taken against her will and admitted into a hospital or mental institution of some sort for 'sick people. I've now read 3 or 4 books this year relating to history and women being put in mental institutions because of reasons that are not related to them being sick and needing to be in a hospital the way the hospitals described it back then.<br/>I was a bit disappointed in this story as I was expecting something fun and great, like other amateur sleuth stories I've read. It was a decent read with some interesting things and a good storyline, but I feel like it should have been identified differently, perhaps as a light mystery with more historical fiction.<br/>Thanks to NetGalley and Tin House for letting me read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own."

"This was another freebie I had gotten. This was better than some, but mostly I had trouble making myself sit down and read it. There wasn't much to go on for Krista's background. Her boyfriend beat her, she was in a really bad situation, he put her in the hospital. She had her moments where she froze, but really, she seemed worried about Sean's womanizing ways (which I would worry about that too). The author barely touches her history and expects to to play out through the story. It's hard because I was never really connected to Krista at all and felt very little for her. It was hard to connect with her and her past.<br/><br/>There were some cheesy spots where she does something klutzy. I think the author played this aspect up too much. The 7th or 12th time it happened, it wasn't charming. Does this girl close her eyes when she walks or turns corners? I used to have a horrible habit of looking at my feet when I walked and I never once had it as bad as Krista does, running into everything. Once or twice is funny, after that it makes me wonder what drugs she's taking.<br/><br/>The story was interesting enough to keep me reading, but there was a lot that left me completely unsatisfied. At the beginning, Sean start to suspect something about her bad past. Someone had hurt her. Soon that idea fell from his head. It did mine too, to be fair. Krista wants him but doesn't want to want him. So she starts dating a guy she really doesn't like, so she can have sex. I'm all for girl power, but this doesn't make me easy with her background nor the romantic interest between the two main characters.<br/><br/>Sean is a womanizer. He's supposed to stop his womanizing ways because of his interest in Krista. He doesn't. Instead he gets a guilty look on his face when he gets busted with another office romance. It doesn't speak well for his character.<br/><br/>I'm not sure I like this couple, to be honest. Sean didn't want to make a move while they were working on a project together. Smart idea. Sleeping with your team members can be a problem. Especially if you break up. So obviously Sean is going to get over that at some point in the next book or two because they are on the same team again. Krista, the socially awkward girl with her womanizing boss, Sean. I don't care to read more to find out. Mostly, it was a boring book with barely a story I wanted to finish. The work related stuff was tedious and boring.<br/><br/>So this book ends abruptly. I would say in the middle of a chapter really. I was reading along and BAM! The end. The hell just happened? The author felt no need to wind it down for the next book. It could have been done better without throwing the reader into the wall going into the turn. Poorly done and not interested enough to actually buy the other two books to find out what happens or anything else this author may put out."

"My suggestion is to get the whole collection. I love it "

"I still think about this book a year and a half later and break my own heart all over again.<br/>If you are into angst and giving yourself emotional trauma through books, read the prequel, then read this."