Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

i had read and enjoyed two other books in the Reece's Picks, so i thought i would read this book. but, ugh. at first i was captivated by the book. the language was beckoning and i was presented with a character i wanted to care about. but then, what happened? i felt like i was being emotionally manipulated by the scenario of a young girl in an awful situation. and i tired of the sea and the shells and the feathers, even though nature is my thing. but really? the author made the case over and over again, move on. i also didn't like the way the book took us out of the 1950s to present us with a murder in the later 1960s. more manipulation. but still, i tried to read on. and the thing is, i read a lot. i have a stack of books at any time waiting for me to read. but i felt that i HAD to finish this book because of all the five star reviews. what was i missing? so i came to the amazon reviews and started reading some. i quickly realized it was okay to NOT finish this book. it was too predictable, too cloying, too purple, too unreal. the story i did like (loved!) is EDUCATED. now there is a book i can get behind. when i go home tonight, i'm going to take this book and place it in my donation pile for our local library. someone else will find it and love it. but not me.