In keeping with the challenge I entered on Wednesday called Indie Fever, I'm reviewing my first indie book of the year from my list. I don't normally review books on the blog; but for these eight, I'm making an exception. Here's hoping you all check out these books and authors (if the review is a nice one)!
Without further ado, I bring you: Love From Planet Wine Cooler by Kate Baggott
Synopsis:
The last "nice girl" on earth finds her way through a world defined by sex, music and the Internet. Somehow.
Love From Planet Wine Cooler is an ode to a generation of women who didn't so much lose their virginity as misplace it thanks to the advent of wine coolers. Somehow, they managed to find out all about love, relationships and careers.
Or did they? Put in your imaginary ear plugs and follow Marina and her best friend through the laughter and tears of being a human being from the '90s on the search for answers now.
My personal notes (not to appear in the review elsewhere):
To be honest, the cover didn't appeal to me (I'd love to see that changed - Kate, if you're reading this, send me a message and we'll see what we can do - if you're interested) and neither did the synopsis (doesn't tell me much about what to expect). What caught me and wrapped me in a web of intrigue was the sample I picked up on Amazon. I got to the last page and was terribly upset there was no more book. So, I bought it.
Now for the review.
From a reader's perspective:
I loved the voice of the main character, Marina. She came across as an intelligent, albeit self-centered, character with a lot of spunk and clever witticisms. Her journey through high school and beyond was one I could identify with. I was in turmoil every time she entered a new relationship; wondering what the outcome would be and how she would get along with the boy/man. Pacing in the book was really good and the humor here and there had me with stitches in my sides. One of my favorite scenes was Marina out on a date at a martini bar. If you're a pro-feminist reader, you'll love this book. It reads more like a series of short stories or snapshots of Marina's life than a novel; but it works.
From an editor's perspective:
Grammatical issues were nill. I only had one problem with the book overall: When people are speaking to one another or writing a letter, they use contractions. When writing, it's easy to forget that or feel like you need to write more formally, but it's an issue that needs to be addressed. It stilted the flow. But it wasn't so stifling that it threw me out of the story.
Rating:
1 star for a great main character.
1 star for a wonderful true-to-life story.
1 star for making me wonder what was going to happen next.
1 star for great pacing.
.5 star for grammar.
-.5 star for contraction usage.
4.5 out of 5 stars (where applicable, this will be rounded up to five and not down to four)
You can find the book on Amazon for just $4.99 via this link:
Love From Plant Wine Cooler: Kate Baggott
Follow Kate on Twitter here: @baggyk
Find Kate on Goodreads here: Kate Baggott
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
