de los Santos, Marisa. Belong to Me.6 word synopsis: Suburban lives: Love, loss, and learning.
I had actually read the previous book about these characters, but didn't realize it when the ARC arrived. I really enjoyed this one, and didn't go back and re-read my review of the previous novel Love Walked In until I had finished Belong to Me.
Probably a good thing, because although I had liked parts of the first one, my overall impression of Love Walked In was "simply Chiclit."
De los Santos' latest effort, however, is much more. Certainly, it will appeal more to women than to men, but the narrative and the characters have grown and developed; they have blossomed into something much more complex than the original.
Here is a link to my 2006 review of Love Walked In. I still love the poem I found by de los Santos (Milagros Mourns the Queen of Scat) and included in the review.
Thanks to Christine at Harper Collins for this one.
Another review can be found at Lesley's Book Nook. Interestingly, Les read Belong to Me first, and Love Walked In second and liked Love Walked In better. I had completely forgotten about Cornelia and Clare when I read Belong to Me but definitely preferred the Belong to Me.
Fiction. 2008. 388 pages.
I also loved this book, you can read my reivew here: http://heatherlo.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/review-belong-to-me/
ReplyDeleteI read Love Walked In recently too, and here is my review of that one: http://heatherlo.wordpress.com/2008/04/13/review-love-walked-in/
I'm glad you liked it too!
I need to read these. I love the cover of BELONG TO ME.
ReplyDeleteI just received a copy of this one and I'm looking forward to it...hopefully, in the next week or so it will hit the top of the stack. Glad to see that you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover, too. Recently saw another cover that looked similar but not as good. I don't know why they do that. When I see a copy cat, it makes me turn away from the book in disgust.
ReplyDeleteI like your 6 word synopsis that you've been doing for your reviews.
It's always interesting to me to see how the order in which someone reads books can play a role in which book they liked better.
ReplyDeleteHeatherlo - Yes, I enjoyed Belong to Me very much; thanks for the links to your reviews!
ReplyDeleteKay - It is a great cover, isn't it?
Sam - I hope you enjoy it. There are some interesting relationships. Although it is might be classified as chic lit (a designation I really dislike), de los Santos tells an interesting story -- or SEVERAL interesting stories intertwined.
Booklogged - I don't like seeing the same cover on different books either, and I see this more & frequently, so it isn't just a coincidence.
Lisa - I agree...and WHEN you read them, whether close together or separated by a few years. I think I might have enjoyed Love Walked In better it I'd read it second because I liked Belong to Me so much and would have been predisposed to like it. I loved Clare in both books, but was impatient with Cornelia in the first one.
Interesting how timing can effect how you feel about a read. I know that's true with me. There are times I can't stomach something chick-litty but it's not unusual for me to go through a phase during which I can't read anything unless it's extremely light, upbeat and easy on the brain. Both books interest me, based on your review and others I've read. Thanks -- still loving those 6-word reviews.
ReplyDeleteI personally like the cover to this book. It is not something I would necessarily read, but there is something about the cover that catches my attention.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you enjoyed this! Thanks for the mention of my reviews. I hope she writes more about Cornelia and Clare, don't you? Although, I'd read whatever she publishes next.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to reading this one. I am glad you said something about the characters first appearing in the book before. I hadn't realized that--luckily, I have that one on my shelf already.
ReplyDeleteBookfool - I do enjoy books that are classified chic lit, but certainly not all of them. Some seem to be written for the genre, some seem to be thus classified after being written. The best of them have good stories and interesting characters and fill those "comfort cravings" for (as you mentioned) the "light, upbeat and easy on the brain."
ReplyDeleteKailana - The cover is what caught my attention when the ARC arrived, but I did enjoy the story!
Les - I'd like to hear more about Dev! And Clare, and Cornelia, and Teo...
LF - Hope you enjoy them! I definitely preferred Belong to Me, but many preferred the first one.