I just finished reading my story, so here's my survey!
1) Name of the story you read and the author and what you feel the genre is. Your answer might be different then the authors.
I read "My Answer Is You" by Rachel (colorguard_div a). I agree with the genres she gave it - drama and romance.
2) Would you have ever read this story if it wasn't a challenge?
Probably not. I am a Brian girl, so it might have caught my eye, but after reading the summary, I doubt I would have even clicked on it. The premise isn't one that I would find interesting; I just don't get easily sucked into romances that are all about interpersonal drama. I usually need something more than that, some outside drama or life-or-death situation, to suck me into a story.
3) What was your favorite scene?
My favorite scene was probably Chapter 15, when Nick comes back to his hotel room to find Brian and Josie in bed together, after specifically telling them "No hanky panky in my bed." There was a lot of comedy in that chapter; Nick was funny.
4) Who was your favorite character and why?
My favorite character was Nick because he was the unlikely voice of reason. He had a good relationship with both of the main characters and gave them better advice than anyone else. He helped stop all the drama and shenanigans. He provided some comic relief, too.
5) Overall tell us one reason why you think someone else should/or shouldn't read this story.
If you genuinely love romance as a study of the interpersonal relationship between two people, read this story. It's well-written and short and simple enough that it would make for a nice, rainy day read. The two main characters are flawed in a way that makes their relationship quite dysfunctional at times, so readers who enjoy that kind of drama would probably find them interesting to read about.
If you're like me and prefer event-driven stories to character-driven ones, it's probably not the story for you. It's definitely character-driven, and while there is plenty of drama in the story, it's just not the kind of drama I find interesting.
6) Did it convert you to the genre it is? Would you be willing to read another story just like it?
No, it didn't convert me to romance any more than I already was. I do read some romance, but usually only when it is more of a subplot or has more event-driven, dramatic or suspenseful subplots to keep it interesting for me. I have read other stories like this, and I'm not likely to read more for my own enjoyment unless the premise, writing style, or characters were just so engaging that they sucked me in from the beginning. I can only think of one romance that has truly done that to me, and that is "Cover Me With Dreams" - which still, I should add, took me two tries to get into LOL. I am just not a big fan of that kind of romance.
7) Give one piece of concrit that might help the author for future reference. This can be positive too, concrit doesn't always mean negative.
Except for a few typos and mixing up your/you're on occasion, this story was well-written. It made for a quick, easy read because it was just detailed enough without being too wordy. The only constructive criticism I can give is about point of view, which we've already discussed here. I found the point of view awkward at times, when it switched from Josie's first person narration to Brian's third person perspective within the same scene. I think it would have been smoother and less awkward to tell the story totally in third person omniscient point of view, so that the reader could still have insight into any of the characters' thoughts without one of them actually telling parts of the story.
8) Rachel's question: Did you find the female lead to be multi-dimensional enough that she appeared realistic?
Yes. I wasn't sure at first, but as the story progressed, I do feel I got to know and understand Josie as a person. She wasn't a Mary Sue; she was far from perfect, and little story time was given to describing her physical appearance and that kind of thing. I couldn't always relate to her, but I think it's just because her personality is completely different from mine. She came across as a drama queen and an avoider, the kind of person who blows little things out of proportion and then runs off in a huff instead of stopping to think things through and resolve the problem. I know people who are just like that, so even though her over-the-top reactions frustrated me, they weren't unrealistic. I also believed in her relationship with her son, which was a big part of the story.
9) Would you recommend this story and author to another person? Why or why not?
I would definitely recommend "My Answer Is You" to any romance fan. I have to admit that I haven't read any other of Rachel's stories, but from reading this one, I think she's a great writer and would recommend her writing to anyone. I would be interested to read a story by her in a different genre.
10) Out of 10 stars what would you give this story?
I'd give it an 8. It was a good story, even if it wasn't really my cup of tea.
11) Do you think after you are done reading what's there so far (and you only have to read however many chapters are there when the start of this challenge was given) Do you think you will continue to read the story through to the end to see what happens to the characters?
N/A, since the story is finished.
12) And for those of you reading completed stories, if there was a sequel, would you be curious enough to continue reading on?
In all honesty, probably not. The characters got their happy ending at the end of this story, so I feel like a sequel would either be all fluff about their family or manufactured drama for the sake of creating conflict, neither of which would really interest me. I think Rachel picked the perfect place to end the story.
Author
Topic: Engarde!!!! The Reading Duel challenge (Read 51518 times)