As soon as I saw that Audrey Hepburn was a character in this book (and on the cover of the edition I bought), I picked it up, no questions asked.

Sabrina lives out her 'which five people living or deceased would you invite to dinner' scenario on her thirtieth birthday. At the table sits her estranged father, her best friend, Jessica, one of her professors, her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Tobias, and of course, Audrey Hepburn.

Although Audrey Hepburn keeps the dinner conversation grounded, the book is really about Sabrina and Tobias' relationship. Jumping back and forth between dinner and flashbacks, we follow the ups and downs of their life together. The birthday dinner helps her process the past decade of her life and make sense of her future.

Given the concept, I'd anticipated this being a silly and fluffy read. It's actually quite emotional. Humor is woven into the writing, but I would say that that's secondary. Even though it wasn't the completely lighthearted beach read I'd planned on, I enjoyed the story and it's stayed with me much longer than I would have guessed.

I love Gilligan’s Island, so an extra star for nostalgia, but otherwise this was a major disappointment (and my expectations were low to begin with). The plot of this book makes the TV show look sophisticated in comparison. The male characters’ voices were fairly true to their sound, but the girls were so flat with maybe the exception of Mrs. Howell.

Ridiculous plot, which is saying something for this series. They all go into the Howell’s hut during a storm and all of a sudden they have to steer themselves to safety? How? What is the wheel attached to?

Again, my expectations were low to begin with as I’ve read a number of novelizations for older shows and movies, but I can still find enjoyment more often than not. If this hadn’t been published in the 60s, I’d be questioning if it was written with AI because the characters were empty shells of themselves and the plot all over the place. Fortunately, this made it a fast read so I powered through.

The narrator of this book is what drew me to this series. That, and the fact that the first book is roughly 150 pages, making it feel a lot less intimidating to pick up. I like a lot of sci-fi, but the length scares me off most of the time. Given this is really a novella and part of a decent-sized series, I'm going to hold off on a more detailed review until I can review the series as a whole.

After reading The Do-Over, I was a bit disappointed that I'd purchased three of this author's books at one time. Not because the books are bad, but because I am very much too old for these characters and plotlines. Thankfully, I had a buddy to read this one with, and I enjoyed it a lot more.

Bailey and Charlie meet on a plane, their clashing personalities making for an insufferable flight, particularly for Bailey. A year later, their paths cross again when they both take a job at a waterpark. With all of their peers flirting with each other, bets are made, and Charlie sets out to prove that boys and girls can't be 'just friends'.

Bailey tries to fight how much she's enjoying her blossoming friendship with Charlie, but he's at least something better to focus on than her mother's new boyfriend and the fact that he's always in her house and destroying her old routine. And when the new boyfriend decides to take her and her mother on a ski trip, she and Charlie come up with a plan to throw a wrench into the works.

I probably would have eaten this up as a teenager. Reading this as an adult, I can appreciate the audience it was written for while also being frustrated with the childish behaviors and ridiculous schemes. As I said, I did enjoy this more than The Do-Over, but I still struggled to wholly care about the characters and get invested in the plot. A lot of things happened that I wish had been done differently.

I still have Better Than the Movies on my bookshelf, which I do plan on reading the next time I need a palate cleanser. I think some adults can enjoy this book depending on what they're looking for. For me, this was a good book to pick up when I needed a break from a darker story.