Book Price Comparisons
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 Classic James Patterson Love Story Coupled With Delightful Fantasy A sweet tale born of a precious memory of Patterson's son as a child. His son said it best - "Love means you never have to be apart." Sure, one reviewer mentions that this tale holds a bizarre premise - and that may hold true, however, if you can get beyond the image of a child's imaginary friend being her real-life prince charming (at least beyond the icky vision that he was once her childhood friend)...then you have, my friends, a charmingly refreshing and unique love story. In addition, I'd like to point out that in true nature, if there is such a genre as magical fiction as opposed to magical realism, then this novel is that genre's poster child and the bizarre premise is right at home. Don't be deceived by the cover, though. This was the only disappointing aspect of the book for me, other than Patterson foreshadowing the twist of the story (which I personally didn't catch until the end). As I read about the two main characters, Jane and Michael - I immediately pictured Jane as being the lovely brunette pictured on the cover of the book - in truth, she is a blond in the story which, at least in my case, ruined my initial vision of her. I haven't a clue who the couple is on the front of the cover, but I can assure you that the woman, at least, is not Jane. Having said that, I was easily able to picture every other character and humorously enough, they are all real people - actors, mainly. Jane takes the persona of a gal with a striking likeness to the clumsy and loveable Bridget Jones, complete with witty comments to herself in her own mind while conversing with others - while her boyfriend, Hugh fits quite ironically, the character that Hugh Grant plays in the same movie, slimy Daniel Cleaver. After having created this vision, I almost laughed aloud when I stumbled upon Patterson's own reference to the Hugh of the novel being similar to that of Hugh Grant. Don't worry, my visions were not entirely confined to this movie alone. Back to the matter at hand, this is a classic James Patterson love story - only with a magical twist. If you loved Sam's Letters to Jennifer or Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, this will not disappoint you in anyway. Patterson also peppers in pop culture references and humorous tidbits shared between the various characters that will have you smiling to yourself. All in all, I loved it. It not only reached my expectations, but I was also pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the odd premise as it gave the novel quite a unique quality. I began reading this last night and had sleep not gotten the best of me, I would have made it an all-nighter. If you are a person demanding realism from a novel - I'll warn you in advance, this isn't the book for you. In my opinion though, considering the world we live in today, a fantastical happily-ever-after seems almost moronic. But if you take into account the novel's moral of living every day as though it were your last and also cherishing the people in your life as though you may never see them again as that day will inevitably come - then this tale is a refreshing break from reality, and in turn, a dream come true. Different...but I enjoyed it! I have to say the "idea" of this book didn't grab me as much as the last two love stories Patterson wrote. However, I was the first one in the store to buy this Monday morning. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I loved Jane's humor, most women can relate to her sweet tooth craving and fighting to say "no!" She was easy to fall in love with as a little girl in the beginning. Michael was a perfect listener, he was kind and handsome...a perfect love story character. I did think the imaginary friend thing was a little weird, but it seemed to work, if you (as a reader) don't mind using a little imagination in the story! The ending wasn't as of a suprise as I was hoping. I won't give a thing away, but maybe it's because I read too much!? Overall, 4 stars!  Weird premise that doesn't work James Patterson has tried centering a whole novel around a gimic that doesn't work...at least not for me. I enjoyed the beginning of the novel when Jane is a young girl. Very believeable and touching. I also enjoyed the character of Jane as an adult. Patterson's heroine is extremely likeable. And, actually, I truly liked the hero, Michael, as well. The problem for me isn't the characters of Jane and Michael, per se, as much as how childish the gimic of their relationship becomes half-way through. I can usually suspend my disbelief pretty well as a reader, but this just didn't work for me. Midway through, I started to feel I was reading a pre-teen paranormal novel. I was internally rolling my eyes during the last half of the book. I love a love story, but this one just left me disappointed. My husband asked me what I thought after I closed the book, and all I could answer was, "Stupid." | |||||||||||||
