Why I Hate Green Beans Book Blog Tour, Review, and #Giveaway #LoneStarLit

I know what you are thinking, I never read memoirs. It’s true, I prefer to read fiction. But sometimes, you have to take a shot at something different. I tried Why I Hate Green Beans. And like trying anything new, I didn’t hate it! I actually enjoyed myself!

To start, I’m impressed by Ms. Ray’s courage at putting her life out there in a book for us to read, flaws and all. I don’t think that I’d have the fearlessness to do the same.

I’d also like to point out that I actually LOVE green beans. They are one of my favorite vegetables. But I can totally understand why Ms. Ray hates them. If I were in her situation, I’d probably hate them as well.

Here are some of the aspects of the book that I liked:

1) There are many helpful key information boxes throughout the book. From tips about skinny jeans to tips on dating gleaned from years of watching and recapping The Bachelor, Ms. Ray cuts to the chase and tells her reader what is important. Here are two examples of key information boxes that I love:

“If your plunging neckline is so deep it looks like your exposed sternum is being prepped for heart surgery, button up.”

and

“If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, leggings are not pants.”

I totally agree with BOTH of these quotes.

2) The humor in Why I Hate Green Beans is on almost every page. As you can see from the above quotes, the sarcasm is strong with Ms. Ray. And I love a good sarcastic book.

3) Ms. Ray clearly put all of her emotions on the pages of this book. My two favorite chapters are the ones where Ms. Ray has hit rock bottom. I know, I’m weird. But reading those bared emotions really struck a cord with me.

4) The book flows chronologically. This is a very logical decision that works well for me as a reader. The novel starts when Ms. Ray was a teenager and followers through to her life til now. We see her mature while following the natural progression of life.

5) The writing style is very conversational. Ms. Ray parlays her skills as a blogger and recapper into a style that is easy, and, more importantly, enjoyable, to read.

We all have the vegetables we don’t like (GROSS EGGPLANT!). Similarly, there are some aspects of the novel that I didn’t like:

1) I found teenage Lincee really bothersome. I wanted to skip these chapters. I really didn’t click with Lincee til she was in college and more self-confident. Once we moved past the troubled teen years, I was more interested in Ms. Ray’s story.

2) Ms. Ray repeatedly reminds us that she is an extrovert\introvert. I’m not disputing that extrovert\introvert people exist. Just that I really couldn’t figure out what this has to do with anything else in the book.

I really enjoyed this memoir. And as an avid EW reader, I’ll be actively looking for Ms. Ray’s work on the website and checking out her blog in the future. Don’t be afraid to try a new book genre and check out Why I Hate Green Beans for yourself!

Thanks to author Lincee and Lone Star Book Blog Tours for providing this opportunity to review Why I Hate Green Beans. I received the novel free in exchange for my honest review.