Since it's December and about 18 days before Christmas, I want to get into the spirit of the season. I decided to take pictures of books with Christmas ornaments in the background. So, please expect the rest of my posts to be all colorful and Christmasy.
The Adventures of Natalie Bloom is the sequel to The Misadventures of Catie Bloom. Natalie is Catie's older sister. She is a chef who is trying to open her own restaurant in New York City.
In the first book, I preferred the character of Natalie over Catie. In this book, I wanted to give Natalie a kick in the butt. Just like I wanted to hit Catie over the head to make her see sense in the first book. Natalie, to my surprise and bewilderment, is a very naive, trusting and gullible woman. I wanted so much to shake her to wake her up from her delusions that a friend would never betray her. As they all say, don't mix friendship with money. I guess, Natalie never got that advice from her mom or anyone as she was never any wiser about trusting her business partner with full access to her bank account.
As infuriated as I am with Natalie's naivety, I am happy for her that she was able to travel outside of her comfort zone and in a way learned some things on her own. I think she had to be exposed to a lot of things, mostly to the harsher realities of life so her perspective and her ability to see through people will grow. She really needs to hone her ability to know that some people do smell fishy, not only the fishes she cooks in her kitchen.
As affected as I am with Natalie's adventures, I enjoyed it also. Natalie and Catie are both endearing and the most irritating sisters and characters I have met. They tested my patience, at the same time they made me roll on the floor with laughter and amusement from their crazy antics. I hope these two will finally sort themselves out in the next book.
I give the book 4/5 coconuts. This book took me to the exotic beaches of Panama and to the lush forests of Costa Rica. This was a fun adventure with Natalie, albeit without being robbed and kidnapped. I am still of the opinion that Natalie has to toughen up so she could say no to people who are trying to appear nice and disadvantaged, but in truth are trying to walk all over her.
In the first book, I preferred the character of Natalie over Catie. In this book, I wanted to give Natalie a kick in the butt. Just like I wanted to hit Catie over the head to make her see sense in the first book. Natalie, to my surprise and bewilderment, is a very naive, trusting and gullible woman. I wanted so much to shake her to wake her up from her delusions that a friend would never betray her. As they all say, don't mix friendship with money. I guess, Natalie never got that advice from her mom or anyone as she was never any wiser about trusting her business partner with full access to her bank account.
As infuriated as I am with Natalie's naivety, I am happy for her that she was able to travel outside of her comfort zone and in a way learned some things on her own. I think she had to be exposed to a lot of things, mostly to the harsher realities of life so her perspective and her ability to see through people will grow. She really needs to hone her ability to know that some people do smell fishy, not only the fishes she cooks in her kitchen.
As affected as I am with Natalie's adventures, I enjoyed it also. Natalie and Catie are both endearing and the most irritating sisters and characters I have met. They tested my patience, at the same time they made me roll on the floor with laughter and amusement from their crazy antics. I hope these two will finally sort themselves out in the next book.
I give the book 4/5 coconuts. This book took me to the exotic beaches of Panama and to the lush forests of Costa Rica. This was a fun adventure with Natalie, albeit without being robbed and kidnapped. I am still of the opinion that Natalie has to toughen up so she could say no to people who are trying to appear nice and disadvantaged, but in truth are trying to walk all over her.
What a mess my life has become. The man I thought I loved is about to rip my sister's life apart, and the man I trusted with my dreams ripped them to shreds. And when all the pieces land, I'll be left with nothing but a broken heart, an empty dream, and no one to blame but my own pitiful self.
I want to be an independent woman and not need a man. And I don't need a man, but I want one, I want someone to love and be loved by.
- Brooke Stanton, The Adventures of Natalie Bloom -
