Sarah
This book has a few of my favorite qualities - features books and book lovers, historical fiction based in reality of World War II heroines, and just a touch of romance, so if that's up your alley, you'll likely enjoy it.
Spoilers
Last few chapters and the ending had me weeping throughout.
Real rating of 4.5 - only docked because the climax was a bit predictable and Eva's mother was heavy-handed and irredeemable with all the guilt she caused Eva to feel in my eyes.
Smiled the whole time! So many cute little Disney Easter eggs to catch. The tension built nicely.
Perfect to read on a spring break/late June road trip
This series would make a great TV show. Definitely intended for younger audiences and interesting how much the Florida disney parks have changed since publication.
A slightly slower read than other books I've read recently. Lots of conversations and not a lot of action for the mystery solving. Slow build but fine. Could clearly visualize the characters. Would like to compare to an Enola Holmes book.
Feels like a darker Harry Potter if you're thrown in near the end of the 6th year.
The occasional references to real-life things (Lord of the Rings, Disney, televisions) took me out of the narrative and world building a bit.
Lead up to the climax felt very rushed and a little too simple but I'll probably still read the next one because there's enough mystery and questions left unanswered while still having a satisfying ending.
Enjoyed the three different female protagonists and their bond. I laughed, I cried, and I was inspired. Based on several real-life cryptographers and women, it was fun to reminisce on a previous trip to Bletchley Park and London. Really felt like this book was made for me so if you don't have the personal connection to Bletchley Park, you probably won't care as much about it; however, it's a nice expansion upon the context and surrounding characters of the Imitation Game. Somehow didn't predict the twist at the end, but felt like I should have.
Cute and grounded in the setting. A pleasant amount of spice. The perfect read for end of summer or ren faire season. Emily's anxiety and fear of confrontation was a little annoying but still relatable so I'm excited to read the sequels that seem to focus on other characters.
The sexual assault in the first 60 pages was a bit unexpected, but overall, I couldn't put this down. A powerful love story and loved the daughter's wit even though there were so many irritating (accurate) male characters. Wish it would have addressed racial justice issues of the time period, but glad the TV adaptation made some changes to attend to this.