| Title | : | Four of a Kind (Four of a Kind, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781927940754 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published November 1, 2014 |
The population of Fairview, a town where all anyone talks about is the Fairview Four’s return after fourteen years: 47,327.
The chance of Reagan meeting a guy who sees her as one of a kind: better than she thinks.
Following in her sisters’ footsteps—and, all too often, their shadows—is nothing new to Reagan. But a disastrous first day at Fairview High forces her down a new path, one that could lead to seeing herself as more than just someone else’s sister. Things aren’t going as smoothly for Reilly, Reece, and Rhiannon though. How can Reagan let herself be happy—or dare to fall in love—when she may be the only one who can bring her family back together?
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets Gilmore Girls in the first novel of a heartwarming new series about first loves, family, and finding your way.
Four of a Kind (Four of a Kind, #1) Reviews
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I requested this because the blurb said "Gilmore Girls meets Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." Well, that was probably way too much to hope for. This is the story of quadruplets who are returning to their mom's home town as teenagers. Besides that, I'm not really sure...
While the part of this is I read was well-written and very sweet, it just lacked the edge and sense of purpose I need in a book. In the past, the quads were in a "Jon and Kate"-type reality show but that isn't a part of the story, sadly. I gather that there will be four books, one about each of the sisters. Reagan, the narrator of this one, wasn't a very compelling main character.
This book will be great for those readers who want a very sweet, PG reading experience, but not so great for me.
FTC Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher for providing a free advance copy of this book for me to review. If you are a regular reader of my reviews, then you know that getting a free book does not necessarily make me like it! -
*E-book received from NetGalley and Patchwork Press in exchange for an honest review*
Four of a Kind was a decent contemporary read and was overall a quick and fast read. I did thoroughly enjoy the main character of Reagan and her typical sibling interactions with her 3 sisters. Kellie Sheridan did a wonderful job of creating a set of quadruplets who embodied regular siblings who bicker and fight but also have a special bond with one another that will not be broken.
I really really wanted to love this book - especially since it is the first in a series. However, I felt like it was just ok. I found myself not pulled to the book as much as I wanted to be and always felt like something was missing. I also felt as though maybe this book is more targeted towards a younger audience and maybe that is why I wasn't as interested.
That being said, I rate it at a solid 3 because it was a decent read and I think that a younger audience, maybe 9-12 (??), would enjoy it more than a young adult audience would.
Full review of the book will be posted on my blog tomorrow:
http://the-contentedreader.tumblr.com -
I started this book fully prepared to dislike it. Between the cover and the description, it seemed like a lot of Bad Waiting to Happen.
However, I was pleasantly surprised.
Disclaimer: A received a copy for an honest review from NetGalley. Also, this review does contain spoilers.
Yes, there is a little bit that could do to be changed (the quads' R-names really need to be thought; I still can't 100% tell the difference between Reilly and Reece and really, who names a child Reilly?), including the moments when Reagan seems to slip into seeming, well, too much like a narrator. I think that's one of the biggest downsides of the book; occasionally, Reagan will think something that is so incredibly not something a teenager would think about themselves (such as "Curse my teenage hormones!" What teenager says that!?) that it takes you out of the moment entirely and you wonder if you're reading a book about a teenager or a book about a teenager that was clearly written by someone trying very hard to sound like a teenager. It's hard to describe and not entirely the worst thing in the world, but some editing and rewriting would definitely benefit the situation.
There were some errors throughout the book (as an ARC copy, it's understandable), including the frequent switching of our/are. But that can be forgiven.
The one thing I will say is that it felt like the book ended just a little too abruptly. It was quite a short book; I read it in a total of perhaps 4 hours. It felt like towards the middle a lot of random "drama" happened, such as Reece (???) dying her hair and Rhiannon disappearing. Regarding that second incident, I think Reagan's non-anger at Rhiannon was the most disappointing part of the book; talk about being untrue to teenagers! Rhiannon's foolish behavior lead to Reagan having to abandon her first ever date--what a dick move for her sister to pull. Any teenager, or adult, honestly, would be livid, but Reagan was just "too good" for that. There were a few moments like this where the reactions of characters seemed to be just too fake and unrealistic. No one, absolutely no one, reacts to teenagers breaking rules with, "Well maybe we need to readjust the rules." No, if my kid disappeared and turned off her phone, she'd be getting grounded at the very least. But not Rhiannon's parents!
Then, after Rhiannon came back and Reagan got to do a date re-do, the book ends. We get a brief scene where Reagan acts in a play, but that's it. It's a bit anticlimactic; there is no big action that creates tension or changes things. Things seem... the same as when the book started, plus a boyfriend. Maybe Rhiannon's disappearance is meant to be the climax, but it didn't feel like it; Reagan found her within 10 minutes of starting to look, so, you know.
All this being said, it wasn't an entirely unpleasant book to read; I would definitely recommend it as the start of a series to younger readers (I'd say it's definitely written at around 6th or 7th grade level). -
Imagine growing up as a quadruplet and being born in a smalltown where this is a phenomenon and made the big new. Now years later , the four girls and their parents are moving back to the small hometown they were born in and it seems that their arrival back is set to make headlines once again. The thing is though that these four girls just want peace and quiet and to find their own footing in high school and not be labelled as freak shows by the media. Four of a Kind mainly focuses on Reagan who is the quiet one out of the four , she would rather sit at home and play her online RPG games than interact with the world. What will happen though when she finally meets a guy who likes her for her ? Will she turn to her sisters for dating advice or will she freak out and crawl back into a hole ? Will her sisters find their own feet in the school ?
The first half of this book I understood , I have to admit but the second half of the story got a bit weird and it made me wonder whether other stories had been added to this book and then I got a bit confused as I had already read some of the next set of books.
Overall though, this book was awesome since I love reading stories about identical siblings. -
I received a free copy of this book through netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
After reading the prequel novella I was excited to dive into the first book in this series. There was a lot to enjoy and I easily breezed through this book, but I also had some issues with it. In the end I think I actually enjoyed the prequel novella more, which seems so weird to say. Four of a Kind follows Reagan, she and her three sisters just moved back to the town they were born in. It's going to be a difficult adjustment for them, new town, a new house, a new school, new friends etc. Reagan didn't mind the move as much and she seemed to enjoy being there. While the others struggled a bit more to adjust.
So after reading the prequel novella Reagan was pretty much my favorite of the four characters, but in the prequel we got all four point of views. Here we only get Reagan her point of view and she seemed somehow more normal and less quirky than in the prequel novella. She seemed to be a pretty normal teenager, not that there is anything wrong with it, but I kinda had hoped for something more. Overall I enjoyed Reagan her story and it was also kinda nice not to switch back and forth, but at the same I kinda missed having the other three point of views as well. I know I am contradicting myself. In the prequel novella the focus also was on the upcoming move, while here it's mostly on normal school life, which gave a very different tone to the story.
Reagan is the quiet one of the four, she likes to play games and read books and isn't all that social. But she actually does pretty well making a new life for herself and she even finds a boy she likes. This book mostly focuses on Reagan her daily life, going to school, making new friends, trying to fit in somewhere, worrying about things and along the way she develops a crush on a boy. But I wouldn't categorize this as a romance book, as it's mostly a sub plot. It's this cute and slightly awkward romance, but it only really progresses towards the end. And I never felt like I really got to know Kent or saw enough of them together to form a good opinion of them as a couple. And then the ending was kinda rushed, skipping weeks at a time and I just wish it would've slowed down to see more of their relationship. I wasn't too happy with how it ended, but I am curious to see the other sisters their story and this book does provide a good foundation for their stories next. I wonder who will narrate book 2?
The pace of this book was well done and it kept my attention. There is little drama, but a bit of teenage angst. I did think it was well written and Reagan come across as a typical teenager, I guess I was just a bit disappointed she didn't show more of her own unique personality. Like I mentioned before, the ending felt a bit rushed, not only when it related to Reagan, but also to some of their sisters. Some big changes are mentioned, but we didn't get to see anything about that. And it felt like there was more story there that we didn't get, but maybe we'll get that in later books? Now it just felt a bit rushed and like we were missing parts. This was a fun read and I did enjoy it, but it felt like there was something missing that could've made this book even more enjoyable for me.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the whole concept of the quadruplets. It just seemed like a fun set-up for a book and I did enjoy that part. Although at the same time this is also decidedly Reagan her story. I was glad I read the prequel novella as I had a pretty clear idea of everyone's personality thanks to that. I liked seeing glimpses of the sisters their personality in this book, although it was less clear than in the prequel novella as we only get Reagan her point of view, but I still felt the author did a good job giving us an idea of everyone's personality. The sisters don't always communicate much with each other so we only get pieces of the other sisters their stories. I had hoped to understand a bit more of what they were going through, but I guess I'll have to wait for their stories for that. I am looking forward to continuing this series.
To summarize: all in all this was a fun read. The quadruplets plot line made for an interesting touch, but mostly this is just a story about a teenage girl trying to fit in at her new school. There is very little drama, but a bit fo teenage angst. I wish we could've gotten more of the other sisters their stories, but I guess I'll have to wait for the later books for that. I really enjoyed this book and at the same time I had hoped for more? Reagan seemed pretty normal in this book and less quirky. But I did think the author got the teenage voice well done as she did sound like a teenager. And I liked how each of the sisters had their own personality. Overall I would recommend this book to those who like a good YA contemporary book with a little bit of awkward teenage romance and an original touch with the focus on quadruplets. -
This book was pretty okay. I almost DNFed it because I was just bored. I liked all the characters enough, but not enough for this character-driven story to work out. I felt like a book about quadruplets needed more character development. We get the basics of who is who- Reece is the popular and loud one, Reilly is the nice one, Rhiannon is the rebellious and smart one, and Reagan is the shy one. But I needed more about who makes who who they are. I mean, I just kept mixing up Reilly and Reece's personalities.
Also, I felt like a lot of problems were just brought up without being fully addressed. Reagan is growing distant with her best friend from Richmond, but the full effect of that is never addressed. We get that she is sad, and there's a sister bonding moment, but then she just gets over it. This is her best friend since elementary school, so I feel like there should be some maturity from this situation. Maybe some reflections, some talking it out with her friend, some more extended sadness.
The moments I loved the most were the sister moments. I wanted more of that. I think it's special to be a quadruplet, and I love ow all the sisters are each other's best friends. That being sad, I wanted more of them being individuals. The way it's done is they all eventually change the way they look on the outside, but on the inside I don't think Reagan has come to terms with how to be an individual with three identical sisters, and I think she needed to.
It wasn't that I disliked this book, I was just bored while reading it and think it left some to be desired. Goodreads says two stars is "it's okay" and that's how I felt. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good, it was just okay.
This book was given to me for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion. It has not affected my review at all. -
Reagan is one of four girls who are quadruples at a new school. Reagan may struggle at the new school but her sister's lives aren't as perfect as she first thought, Rhiannon, Reilly and Reece are all going through stuff, not being able to do their favorite activities like seeing old friends, boyfriends and clubs means finding new one's within a new community and as the family is news to moving to the area they're all feelings the pressure to keep up a good image for the whole family, especially their mum.
Reagan however finds herself chancing the brushes of love with Kent and throwing herself into the school's drama club as well as keeping up online with her old friend Nadine.
We really see how change impacts life as a teen and how much it changes us and the people we thought we knew. I enjoyed this book and it had a great Halloween section too. I recommend this if you can relate to the situations mentioned or just like a nice young adult fiction.
Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this for them! -
*Review copy received from publisher*
Four of a kind is a light-hearted, fun story. The characters are fairly superficial but I liked the sisterly relationships between the four girls. -
You can check out my full thoughts on this book on my blog post here "
http://celindareyesblog.com/2018/08/m..." -
As an only child, sibling relationships and dynamics interest me. I watched that Quintuplets show many moons ago, so reading a book about quadruplets sounds just like me. It was a good story, written well, but what didn't sell me was that the characters felt two-dimensional. Each sister has her "thing" and I don't really feel it strayed much for that. It was enjoyable, but I felt it could have had just a bit more character development. Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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I received a copy from the publisher/author on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Four of a Kind was the story of four identical quadruplets, specifically Reagan, the oldest of their number, and the trials that they face when they move back to the hometown that knows them better than they know it.
It's an intriguing premise. Obviously, there's a lot of drama to work with here. I especially loved reading about the siblings and their parents. I could feel the love and support that they felt for one another, and I definitely understood the teenage girls' frustrations at this pivotal moment in their lives.
However, I didn't feel like there was much of a plot. Rather, it felt like a series of vignettes about Reagan's sophomore year in high school, with very little tying it all together. There was nothing at stake. The few speed bumps hit on the way to the perfect year were resolved quickly, although the author continued to describe them, making this book a lot longer than it needed to be. I also couldn't tell the difference between the four girls' personalities most of the time. I was told that rather than shown it. -
I was very excited to read this, having just recently read and enjoyed the prequel. Now the quads are in Fairview, and settling into their new lives.
The book is entirely narrated by Reagan, which made it easier to follow who was who, although the R-names are still a bit confusing. I can't remember which was Reece (occasionally spelled Reese too, just to confuse things even more) and Reilly, and then Reagan made a new friend called Rosie too... oh boy!
Reagan is a bit awkward and shy, more at home playing a WoW-type computer game with online friends than hanging out with people IRL. She made a good and interesting narrator as it seemed her character got to go through the most growth of the four - ie. actually making flesh and blood friends ;) (Her ex-bff Nadine does not count. Cow.)
It's mostly just your generic teen/new school/boy meets girl fare, but definitely a lot of fun to read. If all the other sisters each get a book I'd definitely read all of them! (Even Rhiannon's and she wa my least favourite.) -
Its more like a family story. A set of quadruplets with different personality and attitude and the fact they love each other very much, has given a good impact in reading this. Not so much any complicated things happens, and that's that. I'm only given an okay in reading this so far.
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As someone who doesn’t read much of the contemporary genre, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. One of my favourite aspects was the great sisterly relationships, and Reagan, a highly relatable, nerdy introvert, was a great main character to follow as we learned more about the Donovan family. At the beginning I was a bit unsure about the romance, due to a slightly insta-love moment, though it soon became much more realistic. If you’re looking for a cute, easy to read contemporary, then Four of a Kind is a great place to start.
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So excited to see this book finally out in the world. Definitely got the Stars Hollow vibe that the blurb promises. I loved watching Reagan's evolution as a character. All around, a cute book that reminds me of my own sisters. Can't wait for the next one!
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Amazing and breath taking
I love how this book starts where the prequel left off. I am ready to see what the next book is about. -
Have you ever watched an ABC Family or Hallmark movie? This book basically feels like that. It wasn't bad, but I also feel zero compulsion to finish it. Someone else may like it, but I just didn't feel anything for it.
