2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Just One Damned Thing After Another, the first book in The Chronicles of St Mary's series by Jodi Taylor.

Pages: 480 pages

Length: 1 month (October)

Participants: Elaine, Rachael

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

I started this book and really liked the first several chapters. Then I read a bit more and found that the characterizations were feeling a bit flat. However, I decided to give it more of a chance and while I wasn't blown away, there was enough of interest to keep me reading intermittently. But then, (view spoiler)[the author decided to make Sussman a sexual predator? What?!? Where on earth did that come from? The entire thing was so distasteful and out of left field that it pretty much ruined the book for me. (hide spoiler)]

DNF

Just checking in to say I haven't forgotten about this buddy read but it will probably be at least a week before I start it.
Elaine, I'm sorry it was a DNF for you. I've read this book before but I can't remember the bit you put in the spoiler tag at the moment.

I have started reading this book (again). I just got to the bit mentioned in your spoiler, Elaine. I agree (view spoiler)[ it did seem to come out of nowhere. I know earlier Kal was annoyed with Sussman but I thought that was because he didn't rescue anyone from the fire not because he was a sexual predator. I don't know how much further you carried on but the resolution of that event is so abrupt and unsatisfactory because Sussman is killed off a few pages later. I'm now trying to remember if that is a red herring and he actually is still alive (hide spoiler)]