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A review by rorasreading
Birds of California by Katie Cotugno
2.0
Disclaimer: I read an ARC provided to me from work (I work at an indie bookstore) *
ALSO warning spoilers may be ahead:
This book was interesting....
I loved the idea and the storyline behind this book, but unfortunately the execution just was not there for me. I felt no chemistry between the characters, no development, and way too much insta love. I really really wish this was written better because I think I could have loved it.
Summary: Fiona's former Hollywood life has mellowed out into basically being an ordinary person. She works at a print shop, and is acting in a theater? Meanwhile, Sam's tv show gets canceled, and he is broke despite appearing rich. When a reboot of Birds of California gets announced, Sam is desperate to get Fiona to sign on despite all her refusals. And then bam, they meet again, go on a few dates, and fall in love.
Thoughts in-depth:
This book was so so shallow and could have added another hundred pages. SOO much information and development is missing, maybe I've gotten used to reading slow burns but this book just moves way too fast. The arguments are never fully fleshed out, they basically just yell at each other, and then 2 seconds later they're apologizing? I was just not captivated by any of the characters or any of the plot. The ending to me was also so weird. The whole story hinted at Fiona's trauma being that she was groomed at a young age, but I don't like how this was told. I think there should have been a better ending to this storyline rather than her and Sam just saying they loved each other. I wish I could have loved this book because of the plot. SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL. I hope there is still time for the author to make some edits because I think this book could be a big hit with some adjustments. I think we just need more time with the characters and more depth to them. There also is very little community building, which makes these characters feel less real. They have a few interactions with their friends and family but I feel like these weren't very captivating and the family/friend dynamics were not super interesting. I think instead of trying to tackle so many problems in such a short span of words, the author should have developed 2-3 max throughout and made us connect with them.
Basically:
This book could have been good or great even, but instead, it was just okay. I'm mostly angry at the wasted potential but that doesn't mean there weren't positives to this book (Fiona is pretty badass in defending herself, some cute moments occur, etc.). If someone reads the published version please let me know your opinion because I'm wondering if this is just me reading too many slow burns.
ALSO warning spoilers may be ahead:
This book was interesting....
I loved the idea and the storyline behind this book, but unfortunately the execution just was not there for me. I felt no chemistry between the characters, no development, and way too much insta love. I really really wish this was written better because I think I could have loved it.
Summary: Fiona's former Hollywood life has mellowed out into basically being an ordinary person. She works at a print shop, and is acting in a theater? Meanwhile, Sam's tv show gets canceled, and he is broke despite appearing rich. When a reboot of Birds of California gets announced, Sam is desperate to get Fiona to sign on despite all her refusals. And then bam, they meet again, go on a few dates, and fall in love.
Thoughts in-depth:
This book was so so shallow and could have added another hundred pages. SOO much information and development is missing, maybe I've gotten used to reading slow burns but this book just moves way too fast. The arguments are never fully fleshed out, they basically just yell at each other, and then 2 seconds later they're apologizing? I was just not captivated by any of the characters or any of the plot. The ending to me was also so weird. The whole story hinted at Fiona's trauma being that she was groomed at a young age, but I don't like how this was told. I think there should have been a better ending to this storyline rather than her and Sam just saying they loved each other. I wish I could have loved this book because of the plot. SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL. I hope there is still time for the author to make some edits because I think this book could be a big hit with some adjustments. I think we just need more time with the characters and more depth to them. There also is very little community building, which makes these characters feel less real. They have a few interactions with their friends and family but I feel like these weren't very captivating and the family/friend dynamics were not super interesting. I think instead of trying to tackle so many problems in such a short span of words, the author should have developed 2-3 max throughout and made us connect with them.
Basically:
This book could have been good or great even, but instead, it was just okay. I'm mostly angry at the wasted potential but that doesn't mean there weren't positives to this book (Fiona is pretty badass in defending herself, some cute moments occur, etc.). If someone reads the published version please let me know your opinion because I'm wondering if this is just me reading too many slow burns.