So I just finished this after checking it out from the library, and I'm still in the sorting-feelings stage of the reading experience. Benford's an author I have a lot of time for and there's much in this that I liked. But it seems incredibly self-indulgent in places, with Benford interweaving his narrative with his takes on the people he's met (such as Robert Heinlein) and the times in which he lived. That part I can accept, but there's a lot of it that seems like more of an old man's wistful nostalgizing about how he would live life differently if he knew then what he knows now. And of course sex plays a big factor in this, which leaves me wondering if when I get to be an old man whether I'm going to spend my days fantasizing about all the first-rate fucking I would do if I could magically be transported back to my youth. It seems to be a theme with a lot of the de-aging novels written by older white dudes (who of course make their totally not-Gary Stus fabulous in the act) and frankly it makes me embarrassed for my gender.

 

They were meant to be together, yet destined to be kept apart. Claire is the good girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Colin is the chosen one. His path has been determined by his last name. Thrown together for countless summers at a young age, it's only in adulthood that love takes hold of their hearts and disrupts their lives. Will they be able to survive the stones tossed their way? Rewrite the Stars is a modern twist on a classic plot. Despite the obviousness of the tale, Dove appeals to the heart with a serenity and sincerity that makes for a wonderfully sweet read.

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Rewrite of Pride and Prejudice in the dog competition world. I enjoyed the alternate points of the story between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. I especially liked how we get more of Mr. Darcy's thoughts as he struggles with his attraction and questions why it is happening with Elizabeth. It was fun to see it all work out against the dog shows and the preparation of the dogs for the shows. It is different from the Hallmark movie but both follow the basic Pride and Prejudice storyline.

Gordon Kessler's book "How to Edit, Revise and Rewrite Your Novel--A Quick and Simple Guide" is a very helpful little resource. Packed with great information for the beginning and intermediate writer (like me), this guide is succinct, well-written, and organized, without a lot of fluff. At the price of free, it's definitely worth picking up.

I wish to thank the author for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Other than dystopia, time travel is one of my favorite things to read about. I mean, hey, who wouldn’t like to be able to go back and forth in time? As I’ve gotten older I know that there are things that I a few years ago I would have loved to have changed but now know it was for the better. Unlike most time travel books, A.J. doesn’t know how to control it, why it happens to her and how to bring herself back on her own. Throughout her life, this has caused some problems along the way, especially in her personal life where those around her don’t understand the whys or how’s neither.

This story revolves around A.J., a teen growing up basically relying on her two best and only friends and who in turn rely on her. All their lives are completely abnormal due to their parent’s flaws. The story also centers around Constantine, a transplant in A.J.’s area due to something Constantine did in a past time travel that really screwed things up full circle with his family. The difference between the two is that Constantine knows the answers to the why’s and how’s. How their meeting and growing relationship plays out is what you need to find out by reading this book.

Even though I loved this story as a whole and enjoyed the two POV’s that changed from chapter to chapter, the time it took to actually get to the nitty gritty of the story, to get to A.J. knowing that she’s not a freak and for her to know that Constantine is just like her on most levels was just a bit mind numbing. This is not a short book, and if it hadn’t been for me wanting to know where the story was going to go and for this being read for a review, I may have stopped short. By the time we get to something many books would be nearing the end of their own story.

The details are wonderfully done. You can picture the tree house, the scenery (future and past), the characters themselves with little to no guess work. The way the different characters act and the whole mean girl bit was done perfectly. I loved the tit-for-tat between Lex and Misty aka Bratz Doll so much. I felt like I was right there with them and found myself doing the triumphant giggle when it was over. Kind of like, oh no she didn’t, oh yeah she did, SNAP! The author also did a great job explaining the reason why only a handful of the world’s population were time traveling and how it was kept all hush-hush.

I recommend this to anyone who likes time travel books with a touch of flair. Nothing to outlandish, but coated with the perfect level of reality thrown in with levels of mayhem, chaos, and done in a way that will leave the reader completely satisfied at the end.