Happy new year guys and gals! This year I promise to stop slacking off so much with this blog. I went through a little depression spell and I just tried to avoid stuff for a while. I must add, I might possibly have to be away for a while; they are thinking about throwing me in a halfway house. Well that sucks, but it would give me more time to read though. Hey, I’m trying to look at the upside of things. So without further ado, I chose to review Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda as my first review of the year, and first read as well, because it’s been sitting in my TBR pile for quite some time. Also I’m going to be reviewing it as I read which means that this review will have spoilers, but I’ll try to not give them all. However, if you don’t want to hear spoilers but are interested in hearing what my overall opinion of this book is, head on to the last paragraph.
At first, I just picked up the book based on the cover really. It says Best Day Ever and I was immediately drawn to it. This book got acquired when I went to Barnes and Noble and I bought Jefferey Deaver’s The Burial Hour. I also bought this one and The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith. I read The Burial Hour, but the rest just stayed in my TBR list.
I said, “I haven’t forgotten about you books.” And I picked this one up. Upon opening the book and reading the sleeve, I’m way excited about reading this one more. From what it seems, this is a story about marriage and a day that was planned to be “The best day ever,” but there were some complications. Very intriguing!
The chapters are separated by the time of the day, makes sense. The whole story starts at 9:00 am.
“We’ve got a long drive ahead of us, so try to relax. Let’s make today the best day ever.”
The setting starts in Columbus, Ohio and they planned a trip to their lake house in Lake Eerie. Would you look at that, problems start. And who is the main culprit? Mia, the girl. What a surprise? No just kidding women.
“This was supposed to be the best day, and it’s deteriorating, decaying like the memories of childhood. You still have a sense of what it was like to be a kid, but the feeling of jumping into a swimming pool on a carefree summer day has faded.”
But to be serious, women, when a guy is trying to make you happy, why do you try to ruin it? I mean, he’s making the effort because he cares, he’s not doing it because he has to right? He truly wants to make you happy and it seems like some of y’all purposely try your hardest to not make that possible? Well I believe that when you first meet and he does this, y’all let them do it. But I guess y’all get comfortable with the guy?
As I keep reading, now my opinion has changed. First I thought that the problems that they were going to encounter were mainly because of Mia, but now I see that there is a deeper reasons for her actions. It seems like the guy is a hardcore control freak. He wants things done his way and only his way, if you agree otherwise, you are a threat to him. He’s also kind of superficial, he wants the wife, kids, and the white picket fence so he can show people how “good” he has it. This book is really fascinating me; I’m liking the way Kaira Rouda writes! Very intriguing.
From what I’ve read so far, it seems like all the problems that they are encountering are mainly because of him. He’s a perfectionist and if something doesn’t go as he had it planned in his head, then it’s not going right. He’s also a very controlling individual and hard headed. Like I said, he want things done his way and his way only.
“Mia isn’t talking to me. That much is clear. She walked out of the all-white cloud of out bedroom without saying a word. But then again, I’m not speaking to her either. We are in some weird sort of truce, or a silent argument of sorts. I hope she is reflecting on her attitude and how she is ruining our best day together.”
We tend to, most of us, blame the other person when it’s really us who is to blame. Upon reading this, that’s what I see, none of it is his fault. He’s trying right? He’s trying, but to do it his way.
“Perhaps I also wanted to allow my parents a glimpse at how great my life is compared to theirs, how beautiful my wife is, how rich we are. Our house is bigger, of course, twice the size of theirs and we have double the backyard.”
Okay, I never thought that I’d have a fiction character this early in the year that I’d like to punch! This guy is really getting to me right now. So much that I don’t know if I’d like to keep reading; which translates, Kaira Rouda is a pretty good writer. A book that makes you feel such bad emotions for a damn character that doesn’t exist is a sign that it’s a good book, most of the time. Sometimes you just hate the characters because they’re just lame POS, not to go into detail…
This guy, Paul, is really getting to me. From what I’ve read, he thinks that he’s better than everyone and that he should be worshiped and praised of some sort. He thinks everyone is jealous of him and that all he has is better than anyone else. This guy is pathetic and reminds me of someone, but…
“Back then, my temper would explode immediately: a fistful of rage to a beautiful face, for example. We’d been together, Lois and I, for more than a year by then. She had no way of seeing this coming, as up until then our relationship had been all fun and great sex. But on that fateful night, we were to attend a cocktail party held in my honor by the professor I’d been working with. It was a very important event, a thank-you and a congratulations, an introduction to society so to speak. Lois wasn’t ready when she said she would be. She completely disrespected me, and the importance of the night. It wasn’t my fault, not really.”
Oh my Ford! Now he’s really a douchebag! Now I really want to punch his pathetic face! He’s beat women before? And to top this off, he had the audacity to say that it wasn’t his fault? He’s jealous of his lake house neighbor and his wife’s relationship, and right now, I wouldn’t blame her at all if she were to cheat on his pathetic narcissist ass with their lake house neighbor. You never hit a woman ever! This guy is a pathetic excuse of a man! I’m sorry, but hitting a women is a thing that I really really really think is not okay no matter what.
I remember, when I was engaged, my fiancée used to beat me. Yes, a little story of my life haha…. But she used to really beat me, not just slap me and call me names. No, she used to throw mean hooks at me; sometimes she used to wake me up with a kick to the stomach because she had a dream I cheated on her and I was like, “WTF? I’m sorry?” This was when I barely came out of the physical rehab place where we met. She was one of the nurses that worked there. I just came out of physical rehab from my accident where I suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI); I didn’t think I could do better than her. For a time, I was legally considered retarded, before I got cognitive rehab. Even after she punched me, I never EVER lay a hurtful hand on her. I think that she later realized that I’d never hit her so she would snap at me more and more. What was her defense? The same as this Paul guy, it wasn’t her fault. It was mine… Ah those were the days…
Anywho…
“My mind flashes back to Lois (his ex girlfriend BTW). I did see her again, of course, on campus, but she didn’t see me. I knew her class schedule, and I also needed to be sure she wouldn’t ruin anything for me and my new job at the hippest advertising agency in Nashville. So I kept tabs on her.”
And the story with this guy keeps getting worst! Besides him being narcissistic, a women beater, he is also a stalker? And not only that, a good one, so he says! Like I said, he’s only interested in himself.
“I am a normal, loving husband and father.”
No you’re not! A normal husband and father doesn’t beat up women and blame the woman for doing so. What is wrong with this guy?
“Love is such a complicated thing to us humans. We overanalyze, we fret, we try to understand it. It’s easier to understand if you think of us all as animals, with needs and desires.”
Well true, love is a complicated thing and oh so hard to understand. However if I were to look at it as animals Paul, I say you’re a dog; a filthy pathetic one too!
“Ah, Gretchen. She’s the one I’ve been fighting the urge to call since we left home this morning. She’s the one who has called me a few times since we left. Sweet girl… Our relationship doesn’t harm anyone; it simply brings more joy to the world as a whole.”
Touche Mrs. Rouda, I thought I couldn’t hate this guy more and wham! You just did! So to add to his long list, he not only beats girls and stalks them, he is also a cheater? It doesn’t harm anyone? Well not until your wife finds out, if she does. I’m kinda now hoping that Mia really does cheat on this piece of scum! I mean he’s cheating on his wife and he still has the audacity to get jealous of his lake house neighbor. What a hypocrite! Which reminds me back to me being engaged.
My fiancée used to always accuse me of cheating, she even used to come home when she was supposed to be working just to see if I was cheating on her. One time, I was chilling in the living room watching TV and she barges in. “Where is she!? Where’s that bitch that you’ve been cheating on me with?” I was like, “Uh… What?” Then she started looking through all the rooms and when she found no one, she then said, “You probably saw me pulling up and snuck her out the back door.” We lived in a piece of shit town of about 2,000 people and the next house was about a quarter mile away so I told her, “Well go see, there’s no way you could miss her if I snuck her out the back.”
Why did I put this? Why did it remind me of this? Well, in the end it turned out that the woman who accused me of cheating and getting super jealous (you should have seen how pissed she used to get when I had to talk to a girl), she was the one who was cheating on me! I got warned that maybe she was the one cheating and that’s why she was always accusing me but I didn’t believe them. Like I said, I was legally retarded for some time and I just couldn’t believe it.
Wow! Then he got fired from his job and failed to tell his wife? Yeah Paul, you’re the perfect husband; a role model! Who wouldn’t tell their spouse that they don’t have a job anymore? Like come on! Don’t they say that communication is important in a relationship? He fails to see that the reason this day isn’t going as planned is mainly due to him, he doesn’t see this. He rather point fingers and blame the others. Ugh…
“Paul, you’re going to make your wife discuss your obsession with a young woman at work? Really? Maybe we should just go.”
She’s now talking about the reason why he got fired; apparently he was caught messing around with a coworker, what a dog!
“Oh, honey, Caroline was obsessed with me and it got out of hand. It was embarrassing for everyone involved epecially me. If anything, I was the victim here. She needs help. And as for the job, it was time to go. I’d been there forever. I didn’t tell you because I was just trying to protect you and the boys until I made my next move. It will be a great job, better than anything at old Thompson Payne. Probably one of the greatest jobs in Columbus, actually. And I promise, I’m about to announce great things.”
He really meets the criteria for people who have Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Nothing he does is his fault, he thinks he has the best everything (according to him), he’s a pathological liar, and everything must be the greatest. Sounds a lot like our current President no? I can almost hear Paul say that something is bigly! haha…
“Her demeanor doesn’t fit her words. Instead of looking angry, she simply looks sad. As if it were I, not her who precipitated this turn in our evening, which of course is ridiculous. This is all her fault.”
Even when he’s clearly in the wrong, he refuses to take accountability! Wow! Just wow! I’m afraid to keep reading, not because the book is horrible however. More because of what I might end up doing to the book. If I can’t punch him, I can sure as hell throw the book across the room! No just kidding, I hope I don’t reach that level. If I do, it’d be hilarious though!
No, he wasn’t messing around with the girl. The girl actually respected the fact that he was married with children and he’s the one that then started stalking her by calling her and sending her text messages at odd hours. Yeah this guy is a total creeper!
“We’re all like me, ladies, just differing degrees. We are more than willing to put up with your emotions, as long as you keep your end of the bargain. Look good, take care of the kids, maintain a clean home, have sex when we want it and for God’s sake, don’t question us or out motives. Never do that.”
Uh no, not everyone is a douchebag Paul! Women aren’t supposed to be our love slaves and worship the ground we walk. It’s a mutual thing, both people have to put in work. It’s not a 50/50 relationship, it’s more of 100/100. Seriously women, not all men think like this. At least not this man…
Now my question is, does Kaira Rouda think that this is how all men are? I really truly hope not because not all men are like this. Nah, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t believe that all men are like this. This book is freaking awesome so far. Watching Paul dig himself deeper and deeper and deeper; I mean the guy is horrible, But the story is like wow! It’s like an onion, there are many layers; as you go through the layers they stink more and more! This is a great book to start my year!
Haha… Busted! His wife’s not stupid as it seems. Paul got caught trying to steal her mineral rights of some sort, lets see how this goes!
So they went back to the house and Mia and the neighbor, Buck confront him about everything.
“Mia has become unrecognizable. It’s as if she changed overnight into a sneaky, manipulative woman who hides things form her husband.”
No, the sneaky, manipulative person who hides things is Paul. A damn sleezeball!ck
“Silly man. He doesn’t realize I hold the power for both of us. Her power doesn’t exist. I started taking it
the moment we met.”
Well as it seems, she’s now taking the power back from him. She’s taking a stand and now she’s told him that she’s kicking him out. Ooh! And the plot thickens!
Oh my Ford! So it comes to be that he basically hooked up with her because he knows that her family has money. And he just keeps on insulting his wife! Calls her fat and other names. The layers just keep on peeling and the smell is horrid! I was hoping that maybe he would somehow change, but he just keeps getting worse!
Mia now wants him to sign their separation papers and he’s still adamant. He sees everything as a competition, see I’m telling y’all. He’s such a narcissist!
“Mia looks at him like a lost puppy dog and nods a silent yes. Clearly my mutt needs a little retraining.”
Who in the world calls his own wife a mutt and his property?
Ah haha… Good, now it comes out. Turns out Buck has a investigation firm, or something like that, that has been investigating him. They know all about him, he’s not as sneaky as he thought he was and yes, Buck says that he’s a narcissist! Seems like the best day ever, according to him, involved him killing his wife!
Oh wow! Yeah, this is an awesome book! So the world he created is crumbling down. Now he seems to be going on a vendetta. He went back to the lake house and he also went back to where he worked before he was fired, among other places too. Apparently I think he’s infatuated with a coworker named Caroline, the one he sexually harassed. This guy is a total psycho! Oh my!
Now he went to his mistress apartment, who now knows that he”s psycho thanks to Buck and he’s trying to get into her apartment.
“I knock again, three times, and then wave a hand so she’ll know it is me, a friend, a lover, not a Peeping Tom or some other creep.”
Well it is a creep; a creep named Paul! This guy shouldn’t be out in the free world for real!
Well as you can see, I decided to write my review as I read, but eventually I got too caught up in the story and I really don’t want to ruin the ending of the book.
Overall, this book was amazing from front to back. Towards the end it did turn into a page turner; I must say that it wasn’t a page turner, not because it was bad. It wasn’t a page turner because it was so good that some parts just pissed me off so much that I really didn’t want to keep reading if I make sense. Yes, this book is so good that you want to stop reading it. haha… For this being my first book to review of the year, man this book is very amazing! If I were to have read it last year, it would have certainly been one of “Most Memorable Books” post I did last time.
And for my first rating of the year, I’m giving this book
