Rating: 
Summary: Melodramatic story of a troubled marriage.
Review: After reading Harvesting the Heart and Plain Truth, I was so impressed with Jodi Picoult's writing I wanted to read everything she's written. Picture Perfect was truly disappointing, though. The author describes over and over again the many times in which Cassie Rivers is beaten, kicked, shoved, bruised and knocked out by her husband Alex. After the second beating, I'd had about enough and just wanted to see how Cassie was going to resolve the situation, hopefully by leaving Alex. However, Jodi Picoult takes us through countless more scenes of domestic abuse before she's convinced that we truly fathom (yes, we get the picture) that it's a tough situation to get untangled from. I almost gave up on the book a few times, but kept reading, hoping it might get better somehow. It didn't happen. I'm just left wondering what happened to the wonderful wisdom and insight Jodi had in her other books.
Rating:
Summary: Not Picture Perfect
Review: After reading Harvesting the Heart and Plain Truth, I was so impressed with Jodi Picoult's writing I wanted to read everything she's written. Picture Perfect was truly disappointing, though. The author describes over and over again the many times in which Cassie Rivers is beaten, kicked, shoved, bruised and knocked out by her husband Alex. After the second beating, I'd had about enough and just wanted to see how Cassie was going to resolve the situation, hopefully by leaving Alex. However, Jodi Picoult takes us through countless more scenes of domestic abuse before she's convinced that we truly fathom (yes, we get the picture) that it's a tough situation to get untangled from. I almost gave up on the book a few times, but kept reading, hoping it might get better somehow. It didn't happen. I'm just left wondering what happened to the wonderful wisdom and insight Jodi had in her other books.
Rating: 
Summary: Cassie¿s Not So Picture Perfect Life
Review: Cassie Rivers, suffering from amnesia, is found by Will, an officer new to the Los Angeles police force, and he befriends her while she tries to discover who she is. She finds that she is a successful archeologist and starts to uncover clues to her background. When Cassie's husband finally shows up to pick her up at the police station, she is surprised to discover that she is married to one of the most successful, handsome actors in Hollywood. Will feels that something is amiss with their relationship and is reluctant to let her go.As Cassie gradually reacquaints herself with her beautiful homes and life of luxury, the history of her relationship to Alex is retold through flashbacks. He has serious emotional problems and lashes out at her in violent beatings, which have become more and more frequent. In spite of his violence, he is totally dependent on her since he feels she is the only woman who can every truly understand him. And she does understand him, but her compassion traps her in this dangerous marriage. Finally, for fear of losing the unborn child she is carrying, which Alex doesn't know about yet, she runs away from him to the only person she can trust, Will. Will takes her to stay with his grandparents on an Indian reservation in South Dakota. She leads a placid and peaceful life among these simple people while waiting for the baby to be born. Will has fallen in love with her, but she continues to love Alex in spite of what he has done. She returns to Alex a month after the baby is born, since he has promised to undergo psychological counseling for his emotional and physical abuse. All seems fine for a while, but Alex reverts to his old patterns, and Cassie is terrified that he will hurt the baby also. Cassie takes the only way out of this hopeless situation. She exposes Alex to the public, since she knows it's the only way she can spoil his love and dependence on her. Although it dealt with a difficult and frightening subject, the book was rich with detail and emotion as it described the African grasslands where Cassie and Alex met, the austere Indian reservation and the glamorous lifestyle that Cassie and Alex had enjoyed. Another fine effort by Jodi Picoult.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: I am a great fan of Picoult but was very dissappointed with this book. I list The Pact as my favorite book followed by a few of her earlier titles but this book was a total bore. I would have put it down if it was not for the author. I kept thinking this has to get better but it never did. Save your time and skip this one.
Rating:
Summary: Picture Perfect
Review: I didn't enjoy Picture Perfect as much as I enjoyed Jodi Picoult's other novels. I couldn't identify with the characters and don't find the subject of domestic abuse interesting. I really enjoyed her other novels.
Rating:
Summary: Picoult does it again
Review: I first read The Pact by Picoult and became addicted to her work. Picture Perfect is another fine piece of work by this author. The only problem I could find with her book was the ugly cover (I think she needs to find a new publisher). Her words kept me glued to the page and I highly reccomend her work to any readers.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointment
Review: I had been waiting to read this book for quite a while. I've read all of Picoult's others and have loved most of them. As this was one of her first books, I didn't know what to expect.
The premise intrigued me, but after about 200 pages, I couldn't take any more. The story dragged on and on, and I just got to the point where I couldn't even care about what happened to the characters anymore. While there were some interesting elements to the story, most of it was mundane and formulary. Cassie, a renound archeologist falls for a movie star, Alex Rivers. She always questions how well she can ever trust an actor to ever be genuine, but regardless, she is swept into his spell. Warned against marrying him by a childhood friend who has died, but appears in her dreams, Cassie still goes with her feelings and marries Alex. Of course all is not what it seems, and Alex is not the man Cassie thought he was. Which leads to how the book began, Cassie, wandering around with amnesia. Rescued by a police officer/American Indian, the book has its hero. Not much more than a harlequin romance, this book is not worth the time. Try one of Picoult's others. Most of them are excellent books that will have you spellbound.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not perfect
Review: I love Jodi Picoult. She is one of my favorite authors. I liked this book, but I wanted to like it more. There's nothing wrong with the subject matter. Domestic violence is a serious issue and people need to be aware of it. What got to me was the emotion that oozed from every single scene, the excruciating psychological agony every character experienced, the nonstop telling us how everyone felt. It's as if they were all overacting, and even if it does take place in Hollywood, the author should have resisted the temptation to descend into melodrama. Thr ending left me feeling it was a hopeless cycle, whether Alex and Cassie got back together or found other partners. I mean, go back and check out Will again. He's a lot more similar to Alex than the first read-through makes you think. He's a career police officer who lost one job--why? It's not the best book she wrote but it is by no means bad. I disagree that Strange Fits of Passion was better. In fact, that one was so awful I stopped reading anything by Anita Shreve. Jodi Picoult writes on a far more intellectual level. I'll go on reading her books.
Rating:
Summary: Once again Jodi captures my interest
Review: I normally don't read tales of spousal abuse because it hits too close to home. However, reading this book really made me realize that I am not the only one experiencing the same stuff as Cassie is undergoing. If I was in Cassie's shoes, I would have done the one thing right ~~ to protect something so precious. It also helps to know that I am not the only one who was fooled by appearances. Not everything that glitters turn out to be gold. Picoult dives right into the scenery and the characters have more life than you would think. It's not as poignant as her later books, but I really enjoyed this one. I couldn't stop turning the pages even though I figure that if Cassie goes back to Alex, it wouldn't stop. Picoult also gives her usual twist at the ending ~~ this time leaving it open for the imagination. Once again, I am not disappointed with Picoult's talent. Too bad all authors aren't as talented and brillant as she is.
Rating:
Summary: Jodi Picoult has quickly become one of my favorite authors.
Review: I originally picked up this book on the Bargain Books rack and was pleasantly surprised to learn that I had found a great author. I was very taken with the characters in this book and found myself thinking about them even after I had stopped reading for the day. I couldn't wait to finish it. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading another one of hers
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