(Related) Reminiscent Reads (7)

Reminiscent Reads is a feature that Cait at A Life Like Mine and I started recently to showcase the books we have read before starting our blogs. From time to time we will choose a few, good/bad, related/not, and do a mini-review explaining a little bit about the plot and our overall opinions.

Since someone was so kind enough to lend me Sisterhood Everlasting, the new book by one of my favourite authors, Ann Brashares, I think it is only fitting that I showcase one of my all-time favourite series' before I delve into what can only be a delight in book form! I present to you: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants! 

Also, since I will be talking about all the books in the series, this review could be a tad bit spoiler-y...

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS
by ANN BRASHARES

♥♥♥♥♥

I remember absolutely loving this book. I read it so long ago, but I remember the feeling like it was yesterday: perfection. It was the perfect book for a girl my age and everything was just so right. Out of the four girls, there was always someone for any teenage girl to relate to, and all of the letters and escapades were so coming-of-age yet fun and light. This is was the first novel in a series that would change my life, and the lives of young girls everywhere, forever. The pants were so magical and symbolized something so much more than fitting into denim; fitting into life.

THE SECOND SUMMER OF THE SISTERHOOD by ANN BRASHARES

♥♥♥♥

In the second installment in the series, we pick up right where we left off with Lena, Bridget, Tibby and Carmen. The girls continue on the journey with the pants, finding love in unexpected places, and learning about everything that they went through last summer. We see the girls grow, change and mature, which makes this book so much more than just the enjoyable, fun read that I saw it as when I read it so many years ago. This book is about love, loss, family, friends, life, and learning to get through. Truly amazing.

GIRLS IN PANTS by ANN BRASHARES

♥♥♥♥½

In the third book, we see the girls in the summer before college starts. This book really contributes to the versatility of the series, as we see the girls growing and learning their identities through all different experiences. We see that the girls are still connected, even though their experiences take them physically and mentally far from home. Lena is still experimenting with life and love, and learns volumes about family and loss. Tibby is also struggling with new romantic endeavors, and blame and depression from anxiety about her family and changes that she is going through. Bridget revisits issues from her past and learns more about herself and love. Carmen struggles with her family life and starting a new endeavor in college, and also about herself and her ability to love selflessly. This third touching book in the series sets us up beautifully to experience the last book, and left me wanting more and more of these wonderful girls and all of their stories.

FOREVER IN BLUE by ANN BRASHARES

♥♥♥♥♥

Entering into the last book in the Sisterhood series, it was almost as if the magical pants themselves have gone unseen for a while, just becoming a metaphor and catalyst for all of the life altering experiences that we see our four favourite girls endure. The book brings us full circle, though, when we are brought back to the magic of the pants and everything they represent. I love how Brashares incorporated that special, magical feeling that we started off with right in the beginning. We see how the girls end up, and everything wraps up nicely, bittersweetly, and perfectly. Brashares writes beautifully and magically in this heartfelt ending to an iconic series.

3 WILLOWS by ANN BRASHARES

♥♥♥

So this isn’t actually part of the original series, but is a continuation or sorts, with cameos from the original Traveling Pants girls. I really didn’t enjoy this book. I found that I was too mature too understand the struggles of the girls, and to relate to them. I also just felt myself longing for the original girls, which is a void that is not easily filled. Having said that, the key plot ideas and themes of this book were equally important as those in the original series, and I found that a new generation of young readers could benefit and love this continuation of a wonderfully epic series.

If you haven't read this series yet, or anything by Ann Brashares, I seriously urge you to, since her writing is beautiful and timeless. Her stand alone novel The Last Summer (Of Me & You) is also amazing, and I can't wait to read both Sisterhood Everlasting (seeing the original 4 girls as adults) and her newest novel Her Name Is Memory. There has also recently been cover-redesigns for the original series, which are gorgeous, and I might just do a Covergasms♥ post on them soon!

Reminiscing--Cheers & Enjoy♥

Fishbowl by Sarah Mlyknowski

Allison, Jodine and Emma set their apartment on fire. No, they didn't do it on purpose. What kind of lunatics do you think they are? And don't go worrying. No one got hurt, although they did go to the hospital. Unfortunately, there was no one in white yelling stat!, no one climbing aboard a gurney to thump life back into someone's heart and no hot paramedic performing artificial respiration.


What they do have now is one giant repair bill and no money. Problem? No way! Not for three bright women with a great fund-raising idea—they'll organize swanky soirees and dating seminars.

Perfect. How could this possibly go wrong…?

                                                                                                                      -Chapters Canada

This book has been on my list for a long time (like seriously more than 5 years, I swear), and I decided it was just time to buy it already, so I could cross it off my list. Also it is set in Toronto, CANADA! Wooo-hooo!

It did not disappoint. I was again surrounded by the author's witty humour throughout, and love this about Sarah Mlynowski.  Just like her other books, this one was very light and fun, definitely for those who enjoy devouring chick-lit. This book was very directed toward college/university students, and I think was very relatable. The only thing I found myself being a little disappointed with was the ending.  Somehow it just didn't seem to sit well with me. There were some parts that were predictable and some that weren't, so I'll give her that.  But I still wasn't completely satisfied with how the girls ended up.  Having said that, I guess that the ending was very realistic though, and what I imagine would happen in this type of situation. So kudos on that....

Something that I cannot really decide if I liked or not was the omniscient narrator that we got to see a few times.  Can't decide if this was genius, or just plain confusing and unnecessary... Overall a pretty good read, for something light and funny.

Spoiler Alert: Don't read past this point if you don't want to know specific book details!


So the book is based on three girls who are just entering adulthood, and are moving in together without knowing each other first. Allie, Emma, and Jodine are all very different, so right off the bat there is tension and humour. All of the girls have boy issues, which do seem to be annoyingly predictable, but do not really end up that way.

Jodine just kind of ignored me with her woes about Manny, and because of this, I wasn't really sure if I was rooting for him or not. When George the bartender was introduced, I thought for sure he would end up being her prince charming and curing her of her obvious psychopathy. But this was so far from what happened, and she didn't end up with anyone. I was kind of hoping she would. Emma was pretty much just a slut. I mean we obviously knew she wasn't going to end up with 'Nick the Prick', who was hot, but that was the only thing going for him. What Emma does to Allie, though, is completely unforgivable. Which brings me to Allie. I felt sorry for her the whole time, even though it was so obvious that she would end up with the cute handy-man with the undying love for her.

The main conflict though: the girls completely scorch their kitchen, and none of them have insurance.  So they have to come up with $10,000 to cover the damage, lest their landlord finds out. Although this is supposed to be the focus of the book, I found that it didn't really read like that to me. I found the dynamic between the girls to be the most interesting, which is why I was slightly disappointed in the ending, because it was just kind of anticlimactic for me. And I found myself really pissed at Emma (and still do) because of what she did to poor innocent Allie.  And she really didn't even feel that bad. But I will say again, that however lackluster the ending was to me, it did ring true with how I imagine this scenario would play out in real life.

Not epic or extraordinary by any means, but worth picking up for light entertainment.

Hitting the books--Cheers & Enjoy♥

Milkrun by Sarah Mlynowski

Must think happy thoughts. Julie Andrews dancing. Cadbury's chocolate Easter eggs. But no amount of positive thinking changes the fact that Jeremy-—the man of my dreams, the man I would marry, the man who should spend his whole life worshipping me and lavishing me with kisses-—went to Thailand to find himself.

Obviously I''m not as cute and witty as I thought I was, since while I''ve been sitting around every weekend, he's been sleeping with half of Thailand. And then he found Someone Else. That someone not being me.

I have been pathetic.

But now I will date. I will become the queen of dating. I will forget all about him.

Single in Boston, that's me. But not for long…

                                                                             -Chapters Canada

I have wanted to read this book for just about forever, and decided to just buy it already!  It wasn't a huge disappointment, but let's just say I wouldn't be lacking some earth shattering awesomeness if I had put off buying it for another little while.

It was very light and is definitely chick-lit.  Very girly with pretty equal parts friendship, family, and romance.  One thing I did really enjoy was the humour of the author, and I think that must be why her books are still on my list.  This just wasn't one of my favs.  I found the intro to kind of last forever and was pretty disappointed in the ending.  I just found myself not satisfied, but still worth reading.

Spoiler Alert: Don't read past this point if you don't want to know specific book details!

So the book starts out with what I would call a pretty lengthy introduction.  Like I get that the inciting incident happens to be that this pretty cheesily pathetic guy, Jeremy (who we know all too quickly is not a winner), breaks Jackie's heart, which is kind of just sad for me, because he is totally skeevy, and really does not deserve all the attention.  So right off the bat I was kinda annoyed with our female protagonist.  I was however happily distracted with the uncanny similarities to my life, which are described quite humorously. I know this is not especially for me, but it definitely got my attention.

This launches Jackie (and eventually her much more likable roommate) into the club scene, and a few pretty terrible dates, which Jackie definitely does not foresee.  I actually found it kinda endearing how naive she was. And the dates were a pretty humorous addition, although I could tell that Andrew was her perfect match all along. If only she would have been stronger and realized it, as well as staying away from her skeeze-bag ex-douche-ball.  But probably the biggest let down was the ending. These light, fluffy books do not usually disappoint me! That's usually one thing I can count on: a happy ending that wraps up like a perfect little amouse-bouche. But not this time folks.  We had to have ambiguously disappointing instead. Boo!

Not much else really happens. At least not that I can remember, which seems pretty bad ... but it's just the truth.  Definitely not something for a reader who is looking any deeper than a $2 scratch lotto ticket...

More Momentarily--Cheers & Enjoy♥