ARC REVIEW: Ivy Feckett Is Looking For Love – by Jay Spencer Green

Title: Ivy Feckett Is Looking For Love
Author: Jay Spencer Green
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
First published: July 28th 2016
Publisher: CreateSpace
Finished reading: October 11th 2016
Pages: 236

“Every single day there are billions of acts of generosity, of good deeds, of cooperation. Just because they’re not on the news… well, the job of the news is to report extraordinary events, and if extraordinary events are bad, presumably the ordinary things, the things not worth mentioning because they’re so commonplace, are good.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

WARNING: unpopular opinion ahead. I was sent a copy of Ivy Feckett Is Looking For Love by the author some time ago and it sounded like a fun contemporary read. I was looking forward to it, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I’m not sure the problem is the book itself though, because the rest of the reviews have been really positive so far. I guess this is just another of those cases where the book simply isn’t for me… There was just too much explicit sex talk, romance and colorful language involved to my taste, but then again the romance genre is not really my thing in the first place. Due to those elements I found it really hard to warm up to the story, which is a shame because the plot is without doubt interesting. I’m not completely sure about the characters either, but that might just be related to the before mentioned elements and the appearance of an annoying love triangle. I loved the geocaching elements though! In short, I’m having a hard time properly reviewing Ivy Feckett Is Looking For Love and if you like contemporary romance and don’t mind ‘adult’ content and colorful language, definitely don’t rule this one out.

Bookish Ivy Feckett is smart and sensitive, but also a little socially awkward and doesn’t have a lot of experience with relationships or dealing with men in general. Her search for love has never gone smoothly, although she has never tried actively before either. Then she meets her boss, the rich and handsome Ned Hartfield, and she cannot stop thinking about him. Not sure what to do, she asks for the advice of her flatmates and her best friend Sam, which will cause a lot of awkward moments since Sam has been secretly in love with her for a long time. Is Ned really so ‘perfect’ as he appears to be? And what will happen to her weekly search for geocaches with Sam?

Like I said before, this book is probably yet another title to add to my list of books that are simply not for me. I’m not really a fan of the romance genre, especially if there is a lot of explicit sex talk and general colorful language involved. And Ivy Feckett Is Looking For Love definitely has a lot of both. Looking at the other reviews, I guess I’m in the minority when it comes to my opinion… So if you like the genre and don’t mind the ‘adult’ content, you will probably enjoy reading this story.

WWW Wednesdays #107 – October 19th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I still haven’t finished The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, and that’s mostly because I’ve been wanting to finish a few ARCs first. I’m going to try and finish it before I continue with Faithful by Alice Hoffman though… I’m only a few pages into that one so far, but it sounds really promising.

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

* I first finished Ivy Feckett Is Looking For Love by Jay Spencer Green. I guess this is one of those books that just isn’t for me, because the other reviews are really positive. There was just too much explicit sex talk, romance and colorful language to my taste… I liked the general plot and the geocaching though.
* I then read The Best Friend by Shalini Boland, which turned out to be another brilliant psychological thriller. Fast-paced, many many plot twists and characters that might be unlikeable but work perfectly with the plot, suspense… This story has it all and more.
* I was finally able to read a Halloween themed book as well: The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black. I was surprised to find out that I enjoyed this story that much, because I normally don’t like vampire stories. This one is an exception though; well written, not too many romance scenes and the right dose of creepy.
* I also finished Dark Water by Robert Bryndza, the third book in a new detective series that is without doubt entertaining. I would have liked to see less romance and I thought the spark of especially the second book was missing, but it was still a solid thriller read with quite a few plot twists and action scenes. I kind of already saw the ending coming though…
* Finally, I was able to read Trow-Truck Pluck by Annie M.G. Schmidt yesterday. The Dutch version (and the rest of her work for that matter) was one of my favorite childhood books and probably one of the first stories I read by myself… It was so good to revisit that world with this English translation that was provided by me by Netgalley and the publisher. It has the perfect bedtime stories to read to the little ones.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

Next up are two pending thriller ARCs: Worth Killing For by Ed James and The Good Sisters by Helen Phifer. The first is a sequel (review of the first book will be posted tomorrow) and the other sounds like a great Halloween read. I also want to read Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender for the same reason… And my newest TBR jar pick is still The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson.

WWW Wednesdays #106 – October 12th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I’m almost finished with Ivy Feckett Is Looking For Love by Jay Spencer Green, which is about time since it’s been too long since I first started it. I also decided to read The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, because I have been seriously neglecting my classics this year and somehow I have never read the original Tom Sawyer story?! Or at least I don’t remember. I’ve also started The Best Friend by Shalini Boland, a very fast-paced and intriguing thriller so far.

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

* I finished reading The Bitter Side Of Sweet by Tara Sullivan first, which turned out to be a brilliant read. Even though it’s a fictional story, it’s based on actual facts and the descriptions are really well done. Two young brothers forced to work at a cacao farm under difficult conditions and without pay… It definitely gives you something to think about.
* I then finally finished Empire Of Storms by Sarah J. Maas, which has turned out to be a mayor disappointment. The story is overlong and most characters are basically horny teenagers that want to sleep with each other all the time. What’s with all the romance?!!!! I seriously hope book 6 will be better, and that cliffhanger ending made the wait for the next book even more painful. Sigh.
* The last book I read is Who We Were Before by Leah Mercer, a book I requested on a whim from Netgalley. I’m normally not really into drama, but the blurb sounded interesting enough and I’m glad I gave it a go. The ‘present/Paris’ chapters weren’t as strong as the ones set in the past, and maybe not as believable either. Still, it was interesting to learn more about how the two main characters met and how it all started to go wrong… Poor little kid.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

I have two thriller ARCs up next: Dark Water by Robert Bryndza and Love You To Death by Caroline Mitchell. I can’t wait to start reading both; Bookouture is quickly turning into my favorite Netgalley publisher! I also still want to read The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black to get into the Halloween mood. And since I have decided to not read ACOMAF until the third book is published (there is NO way Sarah J. Maas will have me pining over TWO unpublished sequels), I have a new TBR jar pick: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson. I was originally going to read Since You’ve Been Gone first, but the TBR jar has spoken…

WWW Wednesdays #105 – October 5th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

Basically, I’m still reading the same books from last week plus a new one. Oops?! I guess it shows I was away for the weekend… My main focus is The Bitter Side Of Sweet by Tara Sullivan, which is turning out to be a really interesting and fast-paced read. As soon as I have finished that one, I will continue with Ivy Feckett Is Looking For Love by Jay Spencer Green. I’m only a few pages into that one, so not much to tell so far. I also still need to finish Empire Of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. I’m enjoying it better than I thought I would, but the whole Aelin-Rowan romance is really starting to get on my nerves.

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

* The first book I finished is actually a cookbook that caught my eye at Netgalley: But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan! by Kristy Turner. Although I could never give up meat (or cheese!) completely, I always try to prepare vegetarian/vegan meals at least two or three times a week… And this cookbook is a little goldmine! The descriptions and introductions to the recipes are hilarious as well, and there is a lot of extra information ‘special’ ingredients and how to prepare them.
* The other title I managed to finish is Safe With Me by K.L. Slater. I’m having mixed thoughts about this one. When I first started reading it, I was sure I was going to give it the highest possible rating… But as the plot twists and unlikeable characters evolved, I started having second thoughts. Everything is almost too absurd (especially during the final part of the book) and it just didn’t seem believable at all. It didn’t help that I couldn’t connect to the main character either. The ending was supposed to be a mayor plot twist, but I kind of already saw part of it coming?

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

I’m waaay behind with my ARCs, and next up are two books I’m looking forward to: The Best Friend by Shalini Boland and Dark Water by Robert Bryndza. I’ve really enjoyed reading the work of both authors in the past, so I can’t wait to start reading these new titles! I also want to read The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black to get into the Halloween mood, and A Court Of Mist And Fury by Sarah J. Maas is still my latest TBR jar pick (and will be for a while longer I’m afraid).

WWW Wednesdays #104 – September 28th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I started reading Empire Of Storms by Sarah J. Maas a few days ago despite the mixed reviews, and I think the warnings have paid off because I’m enjoying this fifth book better than I thought I would so far. I’m also about to start another pending ARC: Ivy Feckett Is Looking For Love by Jay Spencer Green. So many pending books, so little time!

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

I’m not going to mention all the books I’ve finished since my last WWW post because that would be a looooong list haha. I’m glad to be back!

* The first book I finished since last week is Trouble Is A Friend Of Mine by Stephanie Tromly. This book was recommended to me in the past and while the whole plot and story was a bit too absurd and unbelievable, somehow I still managed to enjoy reading it. I’m not sure if I actually like the main characters though…
* I then read one of my ARCs: Engaged By Danger by Barbara Venkataraman. It’s the fourth book of a cozy mystery series and definitely just what I needed. The perfect easy and entertaining read for fans of the genre!
* I also finished We’re All Mad Here by Claire Eastham, which I requested on Netgalley on a whim. It turned out to be a really interesting read that is both easy to read, funny and has some interesting pointers for those who want to learn more about social anxiety. (As an introvert, I could really relate to some of the author’s stories.)

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

I need to tackle my ARC pile ASAP, so I’m going to try and read both Faithful by Alice Hoffman and Lemon Sting by Collin Henderson next. I also want to read Ink And Bone by Rachel Caine; a series that has been on my wishlist for quite some time now. A Court Of Mist And Fury by Sarah J. Maas is still my latest TBR jar pick… I know, I know: I should have read that one ages ago, but somehow I haven’t been feeling like rereading ACOTAR first even though I loved it the first time around.

ARC REVIEW: Breakfast At Cannibal Joe’s – by Jay Spencer Green

Title: Breakfast At Cannibal Joe’s
Author: Jay Spencer Green
Genre: Fiction, Dystopia, Dark Comedy
First published: July 20th 2015
Finished reading: September 9th 2015
Pages: 332

“They forget that the CIA is all about collecting information. Information for other people to act on. If you join the CIA expecting a life of laser guns, ju-jitsu and exotic STDs, bear in mind that your only contact with them may come through the pages of The Lancet and Popular Mechanics.”

*** A copy of this novel was kindly provided to me in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I was asked to read and review Breakfast At Cannibal Joe’s a little over two weeks ago and it sounded like a very entertaining read. Now I’ve read it, I can’t deny it is a highly original, unique and creative story with matching prose, but I’ve also came to realize this kind of humor just isn’t for me. I’ve had similar problems in the past (with The Hitchhiker’s Guide To the Galaxy and A Dirty Job to name a few) where a lot of people seemed to appreciate the novel a lot more than I did, so maybe me and this novel just weren’t ment to be? Like I said before, the prose is without doubt original and interesting, although it does include a lot of strong language (swearing, sex, drugs). If you are easily offended or don’t appreciate dark humor, this might not be the perfect read for you. I liked the general storyline with the CIA agent Joe Chambers as a main character and the setting in a slightly dystopian Dublin, but I did have a hard time following the plot mostly because of the random bits of information in between the main story. Those paragraphs are also part of the uniqueness of Breakfast At Cannibal Joe’s, so it’s easy to say I had a hard time rating this novel…

CIA agent Joe Chambers screwed up in the past and is sent to Dublin to oversee a CIA front company since they can’t get rid of him in another way. While it’s not the most beautiful place to be stuck in, Joe is quite content with his current situation and is willing to do a lot to prevent the CIA from sending him back to the USA. He will have to find a better way of maximizing profits of the Whetstone Publishing company to save it, but Joe has other problems in his life as well. A MI6 agent keeps breaking into his apartment and stealing his booze, he might need to actually start selling drugs to keep the profits up, he has a tapeworm named Steve after his wife’s lover in his guts… Joe Chambers’ life is nothing close to ordinary. Will he be able to figure out his mess?

There is no doubt that Breakfast At Cannibal Joe’s is an unique story and I really appreciated that. The main characters aren’t exactly likeable, but they are not supposed to be in this story. I wasn’t completely convinced by the humor and plot myself, but that mostly be because this kind of dark humor simply isn’t for me. If you like the genre and don’t mind the use of strong language and graphic scenes, give this novel a chance!

WWW Wednesdays #56 – September 9th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is hosted by Sam at Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

Wait, only one book?! It’s been a while since I haven’t started more than one book at a time… But I really want to enjoy Queen Of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas without reading other stories in between. So far I’m loving it!

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

Six finished books since last week, which is quite a decent number.
The first is a travel memoir; Five Weeks In The Amazon by Sean Michael Hayes. I enjoyed the setting and it was nice to learn more about the Ayahuasca ritual. It was a fast read as well, although I did have some problems with it.
I read I Was Here by Gayle Forman next, which was my previous TBR jar pick. It was an interesting read, although I’ve read better books with the same suicide theme.
I continued with Legend by Marie Lu, a series I have been wanting to read for ages. I really enjoyed reading it and I will probably read both sequels soon as well. Still, I felt something was missing to turn it into something mindblowing.
The next book None Of The Above by I.W. Gregorio was just as good as people kept promising me. A very interesting topic and beautifully written; definitely recommended!
I then read End Of Days by Susan Ee. I’m still not sure I have been waiting this long to finish this series! I really enjoyed it, although it wasn’t as good as the first two.
The last book on this list is Breakfast At Cannibal Joe’s by Jay Spencer Green, an ARC that was sent to me last week.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

The Kill Order by James Dashner is still high on my list, although I will probably try to read Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer first. I was actually going to start it last weekend, but I got my hands on a copy of End Of Days and Queen Of Shadows and I just HAD to read those first. My newest TBR jar pick is The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski; a series I have been looking forward to start, but I’m not sure I will actually be able to read it before I leave…