Customer Reviews

The Ten Best Days of My Life

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Ok, let me help bring this book out of its overall 5-star rating. Here I was thinking, based on the reviews, that it would be a light-hearted read touching upon the simple joys in life that we shouldn't overlook while we're still alive. That would have made a pretty good book, I think. Nothing like that here unfortunately.

It's almost 300 pages of spoiled rich princess brat (Alex) endlessly whining about every little thing and being a general pain in everyone's behind. Overall, this is a tale of a fairly sheltered individual who never had any real struggle in her life, and never did anything of note for anyone else. I mean, almost all of her 10 best days were about other people doing things for her. The whole concept that a completely self-absorbed person like herself could be admitted to the highest order of eternal pleasure is just plain disgusting. Not once in the whole book did the author move me into believing that Alex had any kind of integrity and true good-will in her heart.

Besides that, the author's style of writing is laughably amateur. Every dialogue between the characters seemed completely unnatural and scripted ... Dawson's Creek and the OC portrayed more believable situations. The main character was disgusting, her parents were revolting (snooty, even more self-absorbed, and only concerned that their daughter find a rich husband), and the love interest was a caricature at best - seemed to be added only to embellish even more how the author could not write a realistic scenario to save her life.

The title of this book caught my eye, and I purchased it several days later. I read it in 2 days and wished she'd written 10 more books for me to read! Like talking to a girlfriend I laughed and even surprised myself by crying at the end. It was so uplifting and I just hope she's right! Get this book.

I just finished this book and it was wonderful. Not only does it have a nice sweet story to it, but it also really makes you think about your own life and the contributions that you have made and the people that truly matter to you. It was also very comforting to think about death in the way of the author's perspective. I am passing this book on to one of my closest friends and I would also recommend this as a nice, easy read to anyone.

I just finished The Ten Best Days of My Life, by Adena Halpern and I LOVED it (and I'm not just saying that either). It was the perfect book for me to read today. I've been dealing with my friends losing their 3-yr old daughter and also losing my grandpa - too much! This book helped me feel so much better about moving to the next stage in our existence.

Yes, we miss those who pass onto the next life (heaven, in this case). But it was nice to read about everyone in heaven having a great time and that families were together again. None of them wanted any of us left behind to worry about them. They were happy and loving it there.

I also liked how Ms. Halpern explained heaven as being different planes (7th heaven is the best heaven; the 4th plane of heaven is where all the great musicians hang out -- not as perfect there, but great music!).

It was interesting to see that while Alex wrote about her 10 best days she actually learned more about herself and her life than had she not gone through that test. She realized what really was important in life and in death -- good friends and family.

I've been reading some parenting books and this actually touches upon the one theory that I've been reading about lately -- saving your children actually harms them more than it helps them. Everyone must learn to be responsible for their own actions and deal with the consequences themselves. Parents do not help their children by "saving" them from their bad choices. The main character, Alexandra, had to learn that the hard way. She was her parent's "miracle child" and was always treated as a princess. By treating her as such she never learned to behave as a responsible adult until much later in life... and almost too late.

I read this in bed one morning. I couldn't put it down. I laughed, I cried and I kept reading. I loved it. Thank you for writing this for me right now, Ms. Halpern. I really needed it and thoroughly enjoyed it.

both the plot and main character's moral compass. Shallow.
I expected the vain, and vapid, Alex to turn a corner somewhere at some point, but all i got was more of the Hills meets Keeping up with the Kardashians. In heaven. which resembles something created by MTV and E, anyway.
If you are helpless over-romantic that loves to shop, gossip and has very little interest anything but themselves- THIS IS FOR YOU!

I had a hard time with this book. The narrative drove me crazy. Alex is suppose to be 29, but she comes out sounding like she's 15. And a very spoiled, annoying 15 at that. I also don't think I connected with her because her idea of heaven was a closest full of designer clothes and the perfect guy next door, because in Seventh Heaven you get exactly what you dreamed of. I did like the idea of earning her right to stay in Seventh Heaven, but not much of her story made me feel like she did deserve to be there. I did enjoy her reflections of when she realized she couldn't rely on her daddy to bail her out of trouble anymore. And I was impressed with her desire to move to the other side of the country to make something of herself. Overall, it was really just the main characters voice that I couldn't handle. Not sure if I will seek out something else by this author.

This book makes you laugh out loud! Throughout the entire book, you think about your own life and how precious our time on earth is. She lived such a wonderful life, but her heaven is just ten times better! I was envious of this funny gal! I hope heaven is really that splendid!

Interesting concept, no doubt about it. However, it is very hard to view this book as a professional piece. I have read less than 100 pages and I have discovered NUMEROUS capitalization errors and missing letters. It's as if nobody proofread this book. Normally I ignore mistakes in a book since it happens to all authors, but this is just ridiculous. The mistakes just keep on coming and the lack of professionalism is disappointing.

Good idea, poor execution and editing.

I finished this book a few days ago and just now remembered something about it that really bugged me. I don't understand why the uncle in "Uncle Morris" is never, ever capitalized, even when it's the first word of a paragraph. Puzzling.

Anyway, I cried near the beginning when I realized that I probably couldn't come up with five best days of my own, let alone ten. For a "chick lit" book, it really got me thinking that I need to make some improvements in my life. I think if a book can be entertaining, funny, and get you thinking, all while getting your mind OFF of things, it must be pretty good, right?

I was expecting quite a different ending, however. I won't give it away here, but I wonder if any of the other reviewers agree?

Reading Adena Halpern's new book The Ten Best Days of My Life is like drinking as much champagne as you like - without the dreaded hang over! It tastes delicious and goes down easily.

Written in a breezy conversational style, Ms. Halpern spins a yarn that is both serious and fizzy. Through the main character (Alex) we begin to accept the complexity of our own lives. Neither judged, nor in judgment, Alex, like the reader, stops to examine who and what is meaningful to her in a very profound but humorous way.