Hooked on Books discussion

Members Starting the BR: Vicki & Anna
Challenge:
Book: All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker


Anyone is free to join in this Buddy Read! Happy Reading!

I barely started this one today but I am loving it so far. I only got 10 chapters in before family came to visit us at our resort. I'll get more read later today. I love the short chapters too!

Through Ch. 65

Oh. My. Heart. (view spoiler)[My heart is so broken for Patch! Being born with one eye and having kids bully you is bad enough, but then to save a girl's life only to have yours taken...ugh!

I am loving the writing and the plot as well as all of the characters so far. Saint is a saint. She's been such a true friend. It makes me sad for her too that Patch came home a different guy. Who wouldn't!

I hope that Nix or somebody finds Grace. She was so instrumental keeping Patch alive and his mental health as good as it could be. I wonder how long she's been captured. I really want her to be alive and well. I really also hope that Saint and Patch can build their relationship up again.

Man, all those bodies they found. I can't imagine! (hide spoiler)]

Through Ch. 116 / 50% Stopped at The Hunt 1983

(view spoiler)[So much has happened and they've all grown into adulthood. Jimmy and Saint are married, but I got the impression she would rather have been able to marry Patch. I guess Misty has her sights on Patch, but I feel like it's more because of how he saved her. I am beginning to wonder myself if Grace was real or not but I feel like she is.

Patch robbing banks is bad news. I don't know how that will end, especially with Saint being a cop now. Will she have to end up hunting him down and arrest him? Or is the HUNT because they're looking for Grace? Will they ever find her? I hope so. And is Aaron alive?

I was rather surprised to find out that Tooms and Aaron were in cahoots on the kidnappings/murders. Totally didn't see that one coming. Maybe I just missed it.

Still loving this one! (hide spoiler)]

Through Ch. 186 / 75% Stopped at The Prisoner 1998

(view spoiler)[So much to cover and remember. I just love this one! Patch went through a lot so far. He had such a hard time with his need to find Grace. It ended up in jail for 6 years. I think he is such a good person. Obviously he did wrong by robbing banks, but his reason was a good one. I love how badly he wanted to help the families of the murdered girls and painted pictures of them too eventually selling them to raise money. Wow.

I was so sad that Saint ended her pregnancy, but what a JERK Jimmy turned out to me! OMG and I don't recall seeing him land in prison oner beating her. I'm glad they aren't together anymore.

I was also surprised to discover that Misty had a baby by Patch. It was so sad she died, especially for Charlotte. I HATE it when a young child loses their mother and/or father. It must be such an awful thing to deal with. But I am so happy that Patch is stepping up to the plate and it appears that even though she wants to hate him, she's definitely warming up to him.

After that last sentence in Ch. 186 I am worried about what Patch will do. I hope it is Jimmy that becomes THE PRISONER, and not Patch. (hide spoiler)]

I loved this one so so much!! I hope you do too!

I absolutely do!!! I will finish it this morning.

I am frustrated now. I posted my final comments this morning but for some reason they aren't here. Oh well. Ugh

(view spoiler)[I don't have a lot to say but I can't right now so I'll do it asap. (hide spoiler)]

Finished Hoping I don't lose this one too.

(view spoiler)[OMG! What just happened? I had originally suspected Nix some, but mainly because Trisha and I always say, "it's always the cop." lol But honestly I wasn't 100% sure that Tooms was telling the truth, but I did believe him once he said he was only helping Aaron. So I believed it was the two of them...then along comes the end and Saint shooting Nix and the explanation of what really happened.

I was glad that Saint actually never aborted her baby and now she has a son who she loved enough to give up to a good home and away from an abusive guy. I was pretty shocked she had a kid.

Grace was REAL! I'm so glad that it ended how it did and I loved the most when Charlotte ran into Patch's arms. Such a fantastic book! (hide spoiler)]

First 25% of story, my thoughts!

(view spoiler)[I loved how even thought Patch was born with one eye, he owned it. Loved how he had his patch and just ran with it. I hated people made fun of him, not only for his eye, but also for being poor. I really liked Saint. I want to know what happened to her bees. She's such a true friend and I think she has a history in detective work. I like Nix and I'm glad that he's there to help. I want to know more about Grace. Is her name really Grace? Where was she taken from? It is sad that Patch came home different but I think that's going to play more into the story later. (hide spoiler)]

I remembered how to do the spoilers!

Through 50% of the book

(view spoiler)[ I hated to see Saint end up with Jimmy. I felt like she only did that because it was expected of her. I always hate when people get together just because it's the right thing to do in family's eyes. I thought Tooms was hiding stuff from the beginning. I hated to see Patch go down the bank robbing route. I know he's fixated on Grace but I was hoping to see him strive in life and this was not the way I wanted to see it happen. Misty will show back up I'm sure. (hide spoiler)]

Through 75% of book

(view spoiler)[Saint having an abortion didn't surprise me as much. I felt she was in the marriage just to be in it. I hated she felt like she had to do that but also understand why she wanted out from Jimmy. I wasn't expecting Jimmy to beat her up. That was an interesting twist. Patch and Misty just keep moving towards one another. I think that's the part of the storyline that I came to expect. I hated to see her get sick though. Patch has lost so much in his life. Charlotte is a nice happy in his life. Jimmy is back and I just never liked Jimmy. (hide spoiler)]

The end! Gave this book a 5. I really liked it. Loved some of the twists and turns. The writing was good and it didn't feel as long as I thought it would given the page count.

(view spoiler)[Didn't see that Tooms twist coming! I wasn't expecting him to be in a relationship with him. I was for sure Saint had an abortion so didn't see that one coming either. I was glad she kept things for her son and we got to see a little glimpse of that part of her life that she lost. I also loved the ending with Charlotte and Patch. Just a great story from childhood to grownups. (hide spoiler)]

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Members RE-Starting the BR: Amanda & Kirsten
Challenge: Book Quest Adventures
Book: All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker


Anyone is free to join in this Buddy Read! Happy Reading!

Lots of spoilers for us to not click!

and 5 stars across the board!

So I had only 1 day on my library hold so returned it today for the person waiting. I have a bunch of audible credits though so if they don't finish it by like next week (esp. if it fits in vamps), I'll just buy

I’ve started! Really enjoying the writing style

I'm about 40% in and just so sad for Saint. She loved Patch so wholeheartedly and when he (understandably) came back as a completely different person I feel like she's just been kinda pushed aside. They really seemed like they were the "weird" kids that were gonna do their own thing but now she's going a very traditional route.

I loved their budding romance, diehard friendship in the beginning so my heart just hurts

I’m so into this I’m wearing headphones while I walk to get tom from daycare lol. I’ve only got 10% left and I’m all over the place

Loved this so much!!

Some pretty major spoilers for the last like 10% here

(view spoiler)[ So I truly thought Nix was gay the whole time but Tooms was such a surprise! And the fact that he was just helping all the girls out. Heartbreaking. I think this book touches a lot on parenthood in a meaningful way and also on penance (even if you actually do not have anything you need to do penance for). The whole end was just a roller coaster of emotions for me with way more twists than I expected, plus such a satisfying ending. I definitely cried over the painting. And Charlotte and Patch running to each other.

Also, did not see Saint having had the baby coming. It makes so much more sense when she took off months after the beating (although her injuries also seemed dire enough). (hide spoiler)]

Just 10% in and hooked but too busy to read!

Finished and wow and basically read instead of posted and holy cats the last few chapters were a total revelation. Everything changed.

I'm looking forward to trying to make sense of this in my review.

I really liked it, but I also thought it was a little too long.

Saint was an amazing character. I often struggle with "not like other girls," but I felt like she had so much going on with her grandma and Patch (and then her children, both bio and not) that I ended up loving her anyway.

Kirsten wrote: "Finished and wow and basically read instead of posted and holy cats the last few chapters were a total revelation. Everything changed.

I'm looking forward to trying to make sense of this in my rev..."

I felt the same way with Saint. I also thought it never was made into a positive. A lot of times "not like other girls" is used in a "because other girls suck" way, but I think Saint, at times, would have loved to be more like other girls.

And yeah I was talking to a RL friend who read it and she said she felt like the author must have got a new editor about 1/2 through because the first half was so many needlessly long descriptions and the 2nd half was much more toned down. I think listening makes me miss some of that sometimes, as it makes it feel more like I'm watching a movie if that makes sense

I really liked Patch and Saints relationship. (view spoiler)[i was hoping they would end up together and there were so many things that were in their way! I loved the ending! (hide spoiler)]

So very much going on in this book! Twists that I saw coming and some that I never expected! It was a very good read.