Reviewer- kinalhariya
Book- Hurricane with a little sunshine.
Author- LakshmiVaishnavi
Blurb:
I found the blurb interesting. We get to know about the backstory and are curious to see who her friend would be and what secret they would bring along.
There was a minor error, I couldn't help but notice. First line says she is called Ness by her friends. And the third para says she has no friends. So please look into it.
Overall, nicely drafted blurb. It made me interested to read the story.
Moving towards the chapters,
What a unique and intriguing start! It left me shocked.
Description and detailing is good. I could imagine the entire scene.
The longing and desperation with which she searches for her mom was so beautifully described. The emotions and the feeling that it was all her imagination was conveyed well.
Lack of conversation between the family really showed their dynamics.
Author has given a nice ending to the first chapter. The sentence showed how much she yearned to have someone she could share her thoughts with.
It is hard to describe views and surroundings in first person, but Author has done a remarkable job. The cliff type area sounds scenic and makes me want to see it.
Pillow being her best friend, who knew all her secrets- the line was deep and also showed how lonely she was.
The diary entry was perfectly penned down. The way she poured all her problems, anger, sadness, and her longing for her mom felt relatable and real.
Not because I didn't want to see her, but because I lose her everytime I see her.
The above line was really heart touching.
A small suggestion: Not because I didn't want to see her, but because I lose her everytime I wake up...this might suit better.
The way she ended the diary entry. See ya soon diary, I'm sure I will - it felt like she was giving hope to herself. That she would live the next day and would surely come back to write. If this was what the author was intending to convey then a great job was done.
I loved the cute scene between the child, Vanessa and the dog. The whole chapter was interesting and it ended with a great cliff hanger.
Loved the quote about memories.
The police seem suspicious. Hope this doesn't end the way I am thinking it would.
Andddddd it did.
Damn! I really thought that she jumped from that car in the first chapter. A great idea to build suspense. And it was interesting to see how she played out the idea in her mind, before doing anything stupid.
The dustbin and how she reacted when those guys found her again was hilarious. Enjoyed every bit of it. I just hope that this doesn't turn out worse than her life already is.
I was really dumbfounded by the revelation. I never imagined he would come to save her.
I was looking forward to the conversation between Vanessa and her brother. But there is a time skip. I am sure the topic might come up later, but I will have to wait for it. However, it seems good to see her living her life now. It seems a lot better than in the past.
The significance of the hair dye was beautifully described. And I also loved how the author showed her conflicting emotions when she went to change her hair colour.
Her job of photography takes me back to the starting chapters where she tried to take a pic of scenery.
The small flashbacks of her life are interesting to see. I am also curious to see who that mystery boy was and if she met him ever again.
The part with the principal not listening to her and only going by janitor's words felt relatable.
The chapters after time skip are interesting, but I am seriously still hooked on the part when she was kidnapped.
*****
Characterization is done brilliantly. Vanessa's feelings are conveyed really well. It was easy to get emotionally connected with her. Her sadness, sassiness, obsession with cleanliness and order; everything is portrayed very well. Her brother has been mysterious from the start. And I can also feel the fury after reading about her father. All kinds of characteristics are portrayed really well in starting chapters.
There are quite a lot of characters who have taken entries in the 7th chapter. I like how they all were introduced with one or two lines about them in their introduction as they gave some sort of attendance. It gets overwhelming when too many characters are introduced together, but it was shown nicely.
Descriptions are really beautiful. I can imagine the entire scenes, especially the scenic views. Description and detailing are just perfect; not too much and not too little.
I love the writing style. The story has kept me engrossed right from the start. And I have felt so many emotions while reading these eight chapters. Almost all the chapters have ended in a way that either shocked me or floored me with emotion.
Main storyline is interesting, but the writing and the way the plot progresses has made me keep wanting to read further.
Pace and flow of the story was great from the start. However, the time skip has really baffled me. I wasn't expecting it at that point of the story. I can't tell if it was a good move or not unless I see how the further chapters go. But, I am sure Author must have planned something before making this move.
Grammar:
Tense fluctuated from present to past sometimes.
Punctuation errors.
Some typos.
Some errors in sentences:
Chapter two
1)I take out my hoodie and take it this new freedom.
→I take out my hoodie and take this new freedom.
Or
→I take out my hoodie and enjoy this new freedom.
Chapter four
2)I also squat down and he holds my head while I pet the dog
→ Maybe if was hold my hand😅
Chapter five
3) Now please get it.( when the police were asking her to get inside the car)
→ Now please get in.
The above mentioned errors were minor and almost negligible. However, there were a few sentences that sounded weird. They are grammatically correct but they felt a little off. So these are just my suggestions.
Chapter two
1. Why couldn't for once things go right!
→Why couldn't things go right for once?!
Chapter three
2. Ask him also to help me!
→Ask him to help me too.
Chapter three
3. Oh, how wonderful is life with friends!
→Oh, how wonderful life is with friends!
Last words,
Awesome story. I had a great time reading it. The plot was interesting, I could connect with the main lead, and emotions were conveyed really well. Some editing is needed in grammar, but the errors aren't too many to worry about.
Overall, it was an amazing read. I would love to finish reading the entire story someday.