Off to the Races by Elsie Silver (2022)Vaughn is trying to save his family's ranch after his grandfather's passing and a scandal about fixing horse races. He hires Billie to train the ranch's horses. The two can't stay away from each other, but will Vaughn decide that the ranch or Billie is more important to him? I liked Billie at first - she's feisty and sassy and not afraid to say what's on her mind, however inappropriate. I was a little disappointed that at times she was relegated to stereotypical female character roles - cooking for Vaughn and spending the second half of the story always in tears, despite how strong she seemed earlier. I liked the ranch setting and learning more about horse racing/horse training. I'm not really an animal person, but DD the horse really captured my heart! So, what does it say about the romance when I'm talking more about a horse than the relationship? It was ok, with some spice, but nothing really new or super interesting to me. 3 stars
A modern adaption of Anne of Green Gables, set in New York City as Anne finishes up her master's degree and comes back into contact with Gil Blythe after five years (and a disastrous kiss) apart. I wanted to love this so much - I read the original just a couple years ago, for the first time, and fell thoroughly in love with Anne, plus I love a good retelling. But I don't know, something was missing for me. Maybe it's because she's older, but I didn't feel the same charm from Anne. She seemed bland, almost a side character in her own life. The slow-burn (but not really) romance between her and Gil felt natural; of course you want these two to end up together. However, the third-act events that break them apart for a time had me rolling my eyes a bit. I did enjoy seeing how the author incorporated all the original characters, though. 3 stars
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I was hoping Anne was better. I love the original so much, but it seems to not have been well executed.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I had high hopes, too, but it was just meh for me.
DeleteModern adaptations can be tough. I've never read the originals but they seem so beloved by so many readers. :)
ReplyDeleteI only read the first one. Maybe my opinion would change a little if I read the ones where Anne was older.
DeleteAnne of Green Gables is one of my favorite books. I've read the book many times, but wouldn't want to read the adaptation.
ReplyDeleteAdaptations can be so good, but unfortunately this one missed the mark for me.
DeleteI ended up taking Anne off my TBR after reading several reviews like this one. Bummer too because it should have had so much potential.
ReplyDeleteI know!! The Goodreads reviews were not great, I should have listened!
DeleteI recently saw Off to the Races being offered for free (maybe thru an author newsletter?) but after reading several reviews I decided to give it a pass. Sounds like I made the right decision!
ReplyDeleteIt did have good Goodreads reviews so I'm surprised I didn't like it more.
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