Review of House of Hoops
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Danielle Briggs
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Review of House of Hoops
[Following is a volunteer review of "House of Hoops" by June Gillam.]
House of Hoops by June Gillam is the fourth installment in the Hillary Broome novels. Hillary and her family are now settled in Sacramento, California. Her daughter, Claire, is a middle school basketball player with dreams of becoming a professional player. Hillary, with a new job in public relations, is promoting the new community center being built downtown that will feature programs for community members of all ages and interests, but not everyone is as excited for it as she is. Charlie Bierce is against all the recent urban development and gentrification, seeing many of the negative impacts, including increased homelessness and higher taxes. Already having a personal vendetta against Hillary’s father for being responsible for discrediting him, Charlie makes it his personal mission to stop Hillary and her boss from opening the center.
I enjoyed that the main character switched between chapters, some from Charlie’s point of view and some from Hillary’s. Being able to see both Hillary's and Charlie’s views allowed me to understand both sides and not just see Charlie as a crazy old man. Gillam does a wonderful job at using a smooth, straight-forward writing style while also keeping just the right amount of mystery and suspense throughout. These elements combined made it easy to fly through the pages without wanting to put the book down until the end.
I liked that Gillam does not shy away from modern-day issues like mass shootings, homelessness, and urban development. She highlights all of them seamlessly throughout her story and is able to show their impact on everyday people. At the beginning of each chapter, there are quotes from various people in history, especially from Ambrose Bierce, a real-life author who is written to be Charlie Bierce’s ancestor. These quotes added a reflective element for me, both for my personal views and to better understand the views and mindset of Charlie.
I only had one negative to mention. The underlying theme of abandonment by Hillary’s mother seems too dramatic and overplayed. I understand how the feelings of trauma and rejection affect her life, but her actions and reactions to the topic come across as childish, which I do not think the author intended.
Even with the negative mentioned above, I still rate this book a 4 out of 4. The negative was more of a personal annoyance than a problem, so it does not affect my score. I loved how both characters with very different viewpoints were highlighted, allowing me to see both sides of the issues. I found very few minor errors that will not hinder enjoyment or cause confusion.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy fiction novels that address modern, real-life issues. Readers that have already read the first three novels in this series will enjoy the continuation of Hillary’s story, but it is worth mentioning that there is a lot less mystery and suspense than in the previous novels.
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House of Hoops
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
House of Hoops by June Gillam is the fourth installment in the Hillary Broome novels. Hillary and her family are now settled in Sacramento, California. Her daughter, Claire, is a middle school basketball player with dreams of becoming a professional player. Hillary, with a new job in public relations, is promoting the new community center being built downtown that will feature programs for community members of all ages and interests, but not everyone is as excited for it as she is. Charlie Bierce is against all the recent urban development and gentrification, seeing many of the negative impacts, including increased homelessness and higher taxes. Already having a personal vendetta against Hillary’s father for being responsible for discrediting him, Charlie makes it his personal mission to stop Hillary and her boss from opening the center.
I enjoyed that the main character switched between chapters, some from Charlie’s point of view and some from Hillary’s. Being able to see both Hillary's and Charlie’s views allowed me to understand both sides and not just see Charlie as a crazy old man. Gillam does a wonderful job at using a smooth, straight-forward writing style while also keeping just the right amount of mystery and suspense throughout. These elements combined made it easy to fly through the pages without wanting to put the book down until the end.
I liked that Gillam does not shy away from modern-day issues like mass shootings, homelessness, and urban development. She highlights all of them seamlessly throughout her story and is able to show their impact on everyday people. At the beginning of each chapter, there are quotes from various people in history, especially from Ambrose Bierce, a real-life author who is written to be Charlie Bierce’s ancestor. These quotes added a reflective element for me, both for my personal views and to better understand the views and mindset of Charlie.
I only had one negative to mention. The underlying theme of abandonment by Hillary’s mother seems too dramatic and overplayed. I understand how the feelings of trauma and rejection affect her life, but her actions and reactions to the topic come across as childish, which I do not think the author intended.
Even with the negative mentioned above, I still rate this book a 4 out of 4. The negative was more of a personal annoyance than a problem, so it does not affect my score. I loved how both characters with very different viewpoints were highlighted, allowing me to see both sides of the issues. I found very few minor errors that will not hinder enjoyment or cause confusion.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy fiction novels that address modern, real-life issues. Readers that have already read the first three novels in this series will enjoy the continuation of Hillary’s story, but it is worth mentioning that there is a lot less mystery and suspense than in the previous novels.
******
House of Hoops
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Moonlit Nights by Jacob Parr
