Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Favorite

Top positive review

Fast paced creepy book

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2012

Angie Favorite's mother disappeared from her life on her 11th birthday and for 5 years, Angie has been hoping and praying that her mother would someday return safe and alive, even though everyone else assummed she was dead. Angie and her brother, Jason, live with their grandmother while their father tours the country with his band. The book opens with Angie picking up her grandmother's dry cleaning. When she leaves she is approached by a strange man who grabs her and tells her he wants her to see something. Angie gets free from his grip and runs into nearby woods eventually falling and ending up in the hospital. When Angie wakes up she finds out that her attacker, Scott Bittner, has been arrested, but that does little to help her growing panic attacks. Shortly after her attack, she is contacted by Scott's mother. She wants to apologize for her son's actions and make it up somehow to Angie. From there the plot really picks up and Angie starts to realize that the Bittner's may have some tie ins with her mother's disappearance.

The plot pulls you in right away because the action starts immediately. While I was reading I could feel the building anxiety and plain creepyness and had a hard time putting the book down. There never was a good stopping point because it was all going so fast. Needless to say, this is a very quick read. The problem I have with the book is the characters are pretty flat. I know it is a YA novel but it would be nice to have a little more background on all of the characters especially the Bittner clan. I also think the book was tied up a little too neatly. I was left wondering about what had happened with some of the characters.

Favorite has good parts and bad but all in all it was a pretty good book. In my opinion, if the author can get me to start feeling the characters emotions then it is at least a 3 star. There are definitely much better crafted YA novels out there but this one was creepy and fast. 4 stars.

22 people found this helpful

Top critical review

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Entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2021

Favorite by Karen McQuestion is a thriller young adult novel in which no one and nothing is what it seems. On her 11th birthday, 16-year-old Angie Favorite’s mother disappeared without a trace. Five years later, Angie is abducted from a mall parking lot. She narrowly escapes and her attacker is arrested but takes his life in jail before he can answer for his crime. When Lillian, the attacker’s mother, contacts Angie, begging forgiveness on her son’s behalf and offers any help Angie may need. She agrees to meet Lillian. When she arrives at the woman’s massive estate, she can’t help feeling uneasy and unable to shake the feelings of foreboding. Something is not right and despite her urges and warnings, no one is listening to Angie. Can she finally figure out what’s wrong before it’s too late?
Favorite was an easy read, fast paced as the reader is taken on a journey with many twists and turns. I was able to finish the story in one day as I could not put it down. Every time I tried to find a good stopping point, something would happen to fuel my interest to find out what happens. I did not see the ending coming! There were hits and misses with the characters. I enjoyed Angie who acted and behaved as someone who has been through a traumatic event. Her family, despite being concerned for her when she was in the hospital, seemed to focus on their own desires as Angie raises her concerns. While I enjoyed the book, I feel the target audience of young adults may enjoy it more. I recommend Favorite.

Favorite is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.

9 people found this helpful

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From the United States

familyof5

Disappointing

Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2021

Verified Purchase

Read a previous book by this author. This one had the same set up, Crazy lady kidnaps someone random. Hero shows up. Everyone has a strange connection. Police arrive. Expected so much more.

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DragonLady

Not like the other much better books she has written

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2021

Verified Purchase

Plot was labored. Situation was manufactured. No ability to feel empathy for any character in the book. I do not recommend this book

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Miranda

Favorite

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2012

Verified Purchase

This book was predictable, poorly writen and disjointed. I felt as if I were reading a rough draft of something that could have been much better. Without giving anything away, the main character is supposed to be a bright, strong-willed young woman yet she behaves like a gullible, naive and helpless little girl. The story became frustrating and stagnent. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

2 people found this helpful

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Jim Rowlandson

This one is a Throwaway

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2011

Verified Purchase

This book felt like it took about as long to write as it did to read.

Narrated by Angel Favorite, a sixteen year old girl (everybody's favorite child!) who tells it very much in what must be meant to be her own uncomplicated words.

From the opening page it is action packed. Bad things have happened and continue to happen quickly to Angel - rather predictably - one on top of the other until the book reaches its also fairly predictable finish.
There is a twist but unfortunately one can see it coming from the moment the cat Misty mews in the night.

The central plot was thin and implausible, the characters more like charactures.
Easily duped and abducted mother Laura, who Angel apparently resembles closely; her father with his rockstar career; the bumbling yet well meaning brother Jason, and the evil rich Mrs Dimble who everybody allows to have her way over everything because she is filthy rich and "because she says so" - even the manservant chauffeur/butler henchmen in the plot Hank and his wife Judy the cook are totally implausible. And let's not forget the "hot looking" love interest for Angie Mike(y), who is Mrs Dimble's pliable grandson - oops, I just forgot him.

I knew nothing whatever about this author before, but on the final page she asks for an Amazon review so here it is. I bought this book chiefly because the reviews I read beforehand were mainly positive.

It did hold my attention for a couple of hours - but in the end it was a relief to have finished and forget about it.

9 people found this helpful

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Wyoholte

Predictable

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2010

Verified Purchase

I do not usually write reviews, however this book was so disappointing after seeing all the great reviews it received. The ideas for the book were really good but I found myself predicting each event too quickly. Every twist to the story seemed too convenient to be believable and I only finished the book to see whether I was correct in all my predictions. Again, I liked the idea behind the story but all the events were just too convenient and predictable.

6 people found this helpful

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Nibby

not realistic - totally unbelievable

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2012

Verified Purchase

Didn't read that book was for 12 year olds, but even so....it is not at all believable. Nobody would act the way the main characters act. Even if they are young adults. Very dissapointed.

One person found this helpful

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QueenBook

Just don't. Really.

Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2011

Verified Purchase

This story was ridiculous. There was no suspense -- just utter disbelief at how silly the storyline was. Characters did things that were not logical and were motivated by -- well, I never did figure out what motivated over half of the choices they made. It had a cool cover that drew me in. There, I said something nice.

5 people found this helpful

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L. Jones

VERY DISAPPOINTING

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2011

Verified Purchase

I bought this book based on the reviews and the price. It was predictable and boring. I can't believe this story received so many good reviews. I've come to believe that you can't rely on reviews at all. If you are an avid reader and enjoy reading a well written novel don't waste your time reading this one.

3 people found this helpful

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