Holy Hell.. This book genuinely frustrated me to no end. I kind of despised everything about it, even though it had the potential to be|| 1.5 stars ||
Holy Hell.. This book genuinely frustrated me to no end. I kind of despised everything about it, even though it had the potential to be everything I love. I mean, taking this plot and set-up at face value, I thought I was going to really like it. However, the actual book itself managed to execute everything so horribly and so annoyingly, that there was no way I could even enjoy it.
I think what bothered me most about this book were the characters and their absolute lack of a connection. Both of the love interests had an unlikable personality to begin with, but sometimes it’s possible for two arseholes to still create some chemistry. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case in this situation. All these two had was a long history and even that history does not get explored at all. There weren’t any loving or sweet moments between them. Why and if these two even really liked each other? Who the Hell knows. I would grow pretty damn sick of the other person if I were either of them. After all, Blue was such an undeciding dumbass, while Kelly was so incredibly entitled and demanding. So much so, I don't think there is even one moment where Kelly is in a mood other than angry or cranky.
Their whole story was honestly just boring. I found myself pushing to read further just to be done with it. There were also absolutely no stand-out moments: not a single one. It was bad from start to finish. I am just glad to be done with it, and I have absolutely zero intentions of ever reading the sequel.
Merged review:
|| 1.5 stars ||
Holy Hell.. This book genuinely frustrated me to no end. I kind of despised everything about it, even though it had the potential to be everything I love. I mean, taking this plot and set-up at face value, I thought I was going to really like it. However, the actual book itself managed to execute everything so horribly and so annoyingly, that there was no way I could even enjoy it.
I think what bothered me most about this book were the characters and their absolute lack of a connection. Both of the love interests had an unlikable personality to begin with, but sometimes it’s possible for two arseholes to still create some chemistry. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case in this situation. All these two had was a long history and even that history does not get explored at all. There weren’t any loving or sweet moments between them. Why and if these two even really liked each other? Who the Hell knows. I would grow pretty damn sick of the other person if I were either of them. After all, Blue was such an undeciding dumbass, while Kelly was so incredibly entitled and demanding. So much so, I don't think there is even one moment where Kelly is in a mood other than angry or cranky.
Their whole story was honestly just boring. I found myself pushing to read further just to be done with it. There were also absolutely no stand-out moments: not a single one. It was bad from start to finish. I am just glad to be done with it, and I have absolutely zero intentions of ever reading the sequel....more
Oh god, what a ride! The twists and turns, the shocking reveals, the persistent suspense… It all had me in a constant chokehold! I don’|| 4.5 stars ||
Oh god, what a ride! The twists and turns, the shocking reveals, the persistent suspense… It all had me in a constant chokehold! I don’t want to go into the specifics of the plot since I feel like it would give too much away, but I can honestly say I was insanely engrossed with this entire book! The narration flowed so easily while the story itself was mind-blowing enough to keep me on my toes throughout! This book definitely had me in its grip from beginning to end.
I’m not sure what to say about this one. It was cute. Definitely. But beyond that, I don’t know. It was just a quick, simple, cutesy ro|| 3.0 stars ||
I’m not sure what to say about this one. It was cute. Definitely. But beyond that, I don’t know. It was just a quick, simple, cutesy romance story. That’s it.
The story follows Mara and her roommate, Liam. They pretty much have a love at first sight thing going on, but then Liam realises who she is (namely, the roommate he did not want), and thus begins the start of their animosity and little house war. They try to make living together as uncomfortable as possible for the other person in the hopes of the other moving out. However, those feelings they had when they first saw each other eventually creep back in and the more they get to know each other, the deeper they fall in love. They eventually end up in a very cute friendship where both of them are too awkward and too shy to admit they want more.
As I said before, this was a cute romance. Both characters are pretty endearing and their dynamic is sweetly playful. However, something about these two felt a little simple… Which is odd considering they are supposed to be enemies at first, which usually means a fair bit of drama and intensity, but not here. It was easy, almost a little bland. Also, the development near the end definitely did feel like it was lacking quite a bit, and I think all of that is why I never felt like the book went beyond anything more than “cute”.
The 'STEMinist' Novellas: 1. Under One Roof - 3.0 stars 2. Stuck with You - 2.0 stars
Merged review:
|| 3.0 stars ||
I’m not sure what to say about this one. It was cute. Definitely. But beyond that, I don’t know. It was just a quick, simple, cutesy romance story. That’s it.
The story follows Mara and her roommate, Liam. They pretty much have a love at first sight thing going on, but then Liam realises who she is (namely, the roommate he did not want), and thus begins the start of their animosity and little house war. They try to make living together as uncomfortable as possible for the other person in the hopes of the other moving out. However, those feelings they had when they first saw each other eventually creep back in and the more they get to know each other, the deeper they fall in love. They eventually end up in a very cute friendship where both of them are too awkward and too shy to admit they want more.
As I said before, this was a cute romance. Both characters are pretty endearing and their dynamic is sweetly playful. However, something about these two felt a little simple… Which is odd considering they are supposed to be enemies at first, which usually means a fair bit of drama and intensity, but not here. It was easy, almost a little bland. Also, the development near the end definitely did feel like it was lacking quite a bit, and I think all of that is why I never felt like the book went beyond anything more than “cute”.
The 'STEMinist' Novellas: 1. Under One Roof - 3.0 stars 2. Stuck with You - 2.0 stars...more
Quite honestly, I was bored out of my mind. I started to drift off so often, I simply couldn’t help but skim the hell out of this book.
T|| 1.0 star ||
Quite honestly, I was bored out of my mind. I started to drift off so often, I simply couldn’t help but skim the hell out of this book.
This book was the definition of “telling, not showing”. I was told from the very beginning that these two have been in love with each other for years, but I was never actually shown what that looked like or why they fell in love. They are constantly waxing poetry about how much they care about each other, but I didn’t get to see an actual connection. It was very superficial, and there was zero development. Everything stayed the same from beginning to end, and I couldn’t care any less.
It was even worse because they were so over-the-top and intense with their emotions and declarations, yet it all felt so fake and forced to me. Their entire love story simply fell flat, and was almost a bit ridiculous. Besides, when they finally got together, all they did was have (weird, domineering) sex, which really hammered home how lust-focused, rather than meaningful, their attraction towards one another had been the whole time.
Anyway, long story short, I literally read this whole thing with a scowl and the occasional eye-roll or raised eyebrow, which is clearly not the vibe you want to have when it comes to a romance book.
Oh, these books are genuinely so fun and entertaining! I can’t get enough of them! It’s not even that anything extremely interesting or|| 3.5 stars ||
Oh, these books are genuinely so fun and entertaining! I can’t get enough of them! It’s not even that anything extremely interesting or cool is happening here, but the writing is just so addictive. The way the narrator talks about everything and everyone kind of makes me feel like I’m constantly listening to a gossip session about all the characters, and for some reason, I find it insanely fun! Besides, there’s also a pretty intriguing mystery aspect to these books that isn’t too obvious and does keep my guessing!
At the moment, Aria is sort of the only character I truly like and respect. None of the other girls seem to have any self-confidence and they let everyone walk all over them. It’s pretty pathetic. In any case, I do still like Spencer and Hanna’s chapters, because, despite their insecurities, I find them interesting and fun to read. There’s something very compelling about their messiness. With Emily there is no such luck, though, since she genuinely bores me to death.
Spencer has a lot of potential, if only she’d stand up to her parents, while also recognizing what a useless waste of space Wren has always been. If she recognizes that, maybe there is still hope for her and Andrew! When it comes to her and Melissa, though, I’m not sure which of them is actually most in the wrong. They can both be brutal and cruel to each other, and I have no idea which of them actually started it. With Hanna, I really want her to stop caring about her dad so desperately, since he doesn’t deserve her consideration; if you haven’t visited your daughter in four years, you’ve lost the right to call yourself a parent. I also want her to stop mooning over Sean, since he’s clearly not interested! They’re obviously not a good fit, and besides, she deserves someone who will adore her completely. When it comes to Emily, I don’t know what it is, but something about her just puts me to sleep. I can’t really find it in me to be interested in any of her plotlines. I did like Maya and Toby, but I just don’t care about Emily. I feel like both of them (and the storylines they brought) were wasted on a character as boring as her. Now, of course, that leaves Aria, who was my absolute favourite. I was excitedly waiting for all of her chapters, constantly wishing the next one would be hers. It’s clear that Aria was the least messed up out of the four, and that all of her problems stemmed from her dad’s affair (who deserves to die, by the way) rather than her own insecurities, such as was the case with the other three girls. Aria knows who she is, she knows what she wants, and she’s not afraid to go out and get it. I actually thought her and Sean were pretty cute too, and they’d definitely be a better fit than him and Hanna. Even still, I think she can do better, since she’s so smart and beautiful and charming.
I was hired by the publisher to work as a corrector/proofreader for this book, so I don’t think I should post any rating or review online, as it simplI was hired by the publisher to work as a corrector/proofreader for this book, so I don’t think I should post any rating or review online, as it simply wouldn’t be objective. I want to remain entirely honest and neutral on this platform, so that’s why I’m choosing to put this disclaimer here instead of anything else. ...more
This was a true rivals-to-lovers slow-burn with all the feels and angst!
“There hasn’t been a second where I wasn’t wondering what y
|| 4.0 stars ||
This was a true rivals-to-lovers slow-burn with all the feels and angst!
“There hasn’t been a second where I wasn’t wondering what you were thinking and if it was of me.”
The story is about two upcoming authors who are both opposites in the type of genre they like to write and spend most of their college workshops hurling insults at each other. They’re genuinely mean and rude towards each other, and do not hold back. I honestly struggled with this a little bit at first, because aside from her inner monologue acknowledging how handsome he was from the start, I truly could not feel any romantic tension or feelings between them at all. I was afraid their romance was going to fall flat for me. However, I shouldn’t have feared, because once I saw their relationship slowly develop and blossom, I actually appreciated that they started out with so much animosity. They genuinely acted like rivals at first and it was a true slow-burn.
“I know you prefer what’s in your books, and I pretend I don’t want to be like them, but I do. I want to be the person you picture when you’re reading and dreaming because you’re who I picture every single time.”
This was not the only reason I appreciated this romance so much though. It was so much more than just that! It was the way I genuinely got so invested in their relationship that I literally felt my heart pang or beat rapidly in my chest whenever something happened between them, good or bad. You know that feeling, when you are so into it that you genuinely have physical reactions to the story? It could be your gut dropping or cramping, or maybe your chest feeling tight, or perhaps even full-blown butterflies in your stomach? Those were the feelings I got whenever one of them said something that really hurt the other person, or if one of them felt deep pain or sadness, but also when they were being insanely gentle and vulnerable and sweet to each other. Their dynamic was so organic and their interactions felt so real to me that I couldn’t help but feel intense emotional (and physical) reactions to all of it!
“I’m not yours anymore.” “Fine. If you’re not mine, then know that I’m yours.”
And I don’t mean all this in a way like everything was constantly angsty or emotional between them, because they actually had a lot of really cute and sweet moments as well. I’m honestly pretty hard to please when it comes to domestic scenes, because I tend to find them a little uneventful or even boring quite easily, so you must really believe me when I tell you these scenes were adorable and felt really authentic. It never felt forced or over-the-top; I genuinely felt like these two were having these gentle or cutesy moments together because they loved each other deeply and were the perfect fit for each other, which simply made it incredibly sweet to read. Especially since all of those moments were so nicely written too!
“I’ll wait for you, Rosie. I swear it. I’m in it for the long haul. I want all your tomorrows. Every single one you’re willing to give me.”
Moreover, I also really liked the unique premise this book presented where we saw fragments of the book that the two characters were writing together throughout this story. The actual book is written from the heroine’s POV, but these fragments gave us a lot of insight into what the hero was thinking too and it was often incredibly swoon-worthy. I always love seeing the parts in a romance where the hero is pining for the heroine, and these fragments gave us that (albeit second-handedly) in a very refreshing and powerful way!
The truth was I liked her no matter what she did, no matter what she said.
All in all, I was honestly surprised by how much I ended up loving this book. I have to admit that I thought this book would be kind of silly and perhaps even superficial (I’m not sure why, really), yet it felt much deeper and more emotional than that to me. Whether it was the pretty and easy writing, the pleasant pacing, the well-rounded characters, or the angsty, well-developed, beautiful romance; I loved it all!
**I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**...more
A cute, fluffy, angst-free read that’ll make you smile more often than not! It took me a little while to get into this one, but once I || 3.0 stars ||
A cute, fluffy, angst-free read that’ll make you smile more often than not! It took me a little while to get into this one, but once I did, I really had a great time with it.
Jeez, this girl seriously had about twenty different love interests so it was pretty much impossible to keep track of them all. Moreove|| 3.0 stars ||
Jeez, this girl seriously had about twenty different love interests so it was pretty much impossible to keep track of them all. Moreover, it was also very hard to take any of those feelings seriously considering she had them for so many different people. I mean, she claims to be in love with Christian (and even hates Magnolia for being the girl he loves), but then she also goes on and on about how much she loves Romeo and how she always will?? Like, girl, PICK A SIDE! I honestly don’t understand why the author chose to include Romeo in this book at all; there was no need for it and it only made Daisy seem unfaithful, superficial and insanely hypocritical. It was a weird choice. And a bad one.
Honestly, I just feel bad for Christian at this point. He keeps falling in love with girls who have this toxic, insane love connection with boys from their childhood. This guy can’t ever catch a break and I want him to find someone who truly loves him, and only him. Of course it could be said that he wasn’t faithful to Daisy at the start either, and sure that’s true, but at least he didn’t claim to be in love with her at that point. First he was in love with Magnolia, then he started to slowly and unconsciously develop feelings for Daisy, until he eventually fell in love with Daisy completely and moved on from Magnolia. That’s a normal and valid trajectory. Daisy, on the other hand, claims to fully and completely love Christian from the start but also feels the same about Romeo, and also has very intense feelings and attractions to a million other men. That’s not normal and not valid. She’s giving exactly the type of behavior Christian hates Magnolia for, but Daisy is actually much worse since she isn’t honest about her feelings to anyone and also doesn’t have a single valid reason for stringing all these people along. She uses people and doesn’t even acknowledge how evil some of her actions are. I think the thing that annoyed me the most about her was her hypocrisy; she was so hurt and so angry about Christian’s unresolved feelings for Magnolia, but she’d been having so many more worse feelings for Romeo the whole time. This girl was exasperating! And Christian really deserved better. He really did. (And Romeo too, actually).
As might be quite clear by now, I genuinely couldn’t stand Daisy. But my dislike for her turned into full-on hatred towards the end when she broke up with Christian for the dumbest reason and just completely fell of the wagon. She became a giant mess who didn’t care who she hurt in the process of her own little mini-drama. She was selfish, mean, cruel, embarrassing, self-absorbed and insanely slutty; she turned into the absolute worst, and I was completely done with her by then. She didn’t have a single redeeming quality left to her. And it killed me to see Christian still pining away for her, willing to give her a million more chances, and even acting like he was the one who had to make things right. SHE was in the wrong. SHE should be begging. Ugh.
Honestly, I think there is only one couple I’m actually interested in right now: Henry and Taura. They’re both such decent people, and I love how they seem to have a little more of a slow-burn with actual development. I’d love to get a book about them. Probably won’t get it though.
Lastly, I want to talk a bit about Julian: I’m not sure why we got his POV considering he never really gets his own story and he only really exists to narrate about Daisy’s life and feelings, yet I still found him to be the most intriguing and meaningful character (perhaps that should tell you something about the lack of overall depth in this book, but I digress). I definitely think there could have been a lot more to this character if only the author cared enough to give him his own voice, relationships and feelings outside of Daisy. That said, his unconditional and deep-rooted love for Daisy was kind of exactly why I was intrigued by his character so much. A cold mobster who hates everyone but his baby sister? Yea, love that. And when these two had their falling-out it was the only time I actually felt sad while reading this book. Their relationship was so gentle and truly loving; it broke my heart a bit to see that shatter. And I’m very curious to find out how Julian will react to it after he’s had a minute to calm down. I imagine he’ll be absolutely devastated…
All in all though, this book gave me yet another awful romance where I do not want the couple to get together in the end because one of them deserves better (Christian in this case, Magnolia in the other), yet I still really enjoyed this book due to all the addictive drama and high-paced angst. I just have such a weird relationships with these books where I kind of hate and love them at the same time.
'Magnolia Parks Universe': 1. Magnolia Parks - 3.5 stars 2. Daisy Haites - 3.0 stars...more
WARNING: THIS BOOK WILL GIVE YOU THE FIERCEST BOUTS OF CRINGING YOU’LL EVER EXPERIENCE!
I was only one chapter in and already near tears.|| 1.0 star ||
WARNING: THIS BOOK WILL GIVE YOU THE FIERCEST BOUTS OF CRINGING YOU’LL EVER EXPERIENCE!
I was only one chapter in and already near tears. It told me everything I needed to know about the kind of book this would be, and I immediately had a feeling I would be in for a miserable time, which unfortunately, proved to be true. After about the halfway point I couldn’t take it anymore and decided to skim. I think it surprises no one that I missed absolutely nothing while doing this, since it was the simplest, most meaningless, uneventful book that gave me nothing but ridiculous quirkiness and over-the-top immaturity. Every single page was the exact same and nothing ever changed!
The beginning already showed me exactly how dreadful the heroine would be as it had me sit through an entire monologue about how AWFUL Bree thinks Nathan’s girlfriend is because said girlfriend doesn’t like her. Of course, the girlfriend’s dislike is entirely valid since Bree DID have feelings for her boyfriend, Bree DID want to steal him from her, Bree DID treat her like she didn’t remotely matter to Nathan, and Bree DID look down on her for merely existing as a female like the big pick-me girl she is.
These men could all squash me between their thumb and forefinger, but they are all softies who honest-to-goodness treat me like their queen. They would carry me around on a chair lifted above their shoulders if I let them. I have no idea why—probably because I’m that girl who doesn’t have an ounce of threat in my five-foot-four body. To these guys (Nathan included), I’m just Bree Cheese, the fun-loving, curly haired girl everyone loves with the dance studio above the pizza parlor.
Anyway, clearly I hated “I’m not like other girls” Bree with a fiery passion, and, although he was definitely better, I did not hold any love for Nathan either. These two were so painfully immature, and I couldn’t deal with their whole quirky dynamic that was supposed to be cute somehow, but just wasn’t. They both just needed to shut. up. Mostly Bree, but still. Nathan deserves to get shamed too just for loving that behaviour and going along with it.
Also, both of them had to be the most blind people on the planet. They both think the other had “friend zoned” them, even though they’ve clearly been desperately in love with each other for years. Of course, neither of them is ever willing to admit their feelings to the other or act on them, so they’re continually in this stupid kind of limbo where they keep dating other people (basically stringing them along) while behaving towards each other like they’re in a relationship anyway. I mean, God, they really gave me a headache. Just be honest and communicate with each other, or at least just open your damn eyes! It’s not that hard. In all fairness, though, I blame Bree a lot more for their miscommunication than Nathan. At least Nathan actually had to deal with Bree constantly shouting she only saw him as a friend or as a brother and saying she would never date him, so I get why he’d be confused by the mixed signals. Bree had zero excuse, though, since Nathan was obviously in love with her and never really claimed he wasn’t. He tried to, sort of, make multiple moves on her and she shot it down each time for no reason.
Honestly, the only thing I did like here was how insanely whipped Nathan was. That boy was head-over-heels and in full-on adoration mode when it came to Bree. He would have done anything for her and loved every little bit about her. I adore love-sick heroes like that, especially if they treat their girl delicately and like they’re the most important thing in the world. Even when the heroine doesn’t deserve it because she’s an annoying pick-me girl like Bree, I can still appreciate the love he has for her. Sort of....more
Although it may sound slightly contradictory, this book was somehow way too smutty and way too sappy all at the same time. The result e|| 2.0 stars ||
Although it may sound slightly contradictory, this book was somehow way too smutty and way too sappy all at the same time. The result ended up being pretty boring and far from engaging.
This was just another superficial romance with a ridiculous premise and two unlikable main characters. There’s nothing new here and ins|| 2.0 stars ||
This was just another superficial romance with a ridiculous premise and two unlikable main characters. There’s nothing new here and instead, it only rehashes silly cliches (with poor execution) I’ve never liked in the first place, let alone enjoy reading the billionth replica of. In short, this book brought me nothing but boredom, eye-rolls, and a whole lot of skimming.
'Dreamland Billionaires' series: 1. The Fine Print - 2.0 stars 2. Terms and Conditions - 2.0 stars...more
This was the most addicting train wreck I have ever witnessed and I simply could not look away! It’s non-stop, idiotic drama, but I cou|| 3.5 stars ||
This was the most addicting train wreck I have ever witnessed and I simply could not look away! It’s non-stop, idiotic drama, but I couldn’t get enough of it. It was so fun for some reason. That said, the angst between the main couple did feel very repetitive, and I was constantly waiting for that moment where either of them (preferably Magnolia) would truly snap and just finally break the never-ending cycle between them. That never happened, though. Magnolia let it go on and on forever, even though she shouldn’t have. She even let him blame her for their situation sometimes, even though she was genuinely in the right about every fight they had.
I have to say that this whole book reminded me a lot of Gossip Girl. The rich socialite lifestyle and the entire vibe of the book was very similar. Moreover, the relationship between BJ and Magnolia was a lot like Chuck and Blair’s with their extreme toxicity, unconditional love, constant push-and-pull, and never-ending tendency to hurt each other. However, Magnolia’s personality and status was completely unlike Blair and much more like Serena, so that did make their dynamic a little different.
Magnolia might have been a little self-absorbed, but she had her heart in the right place and I honestly felt bad for her. She deserved better from most of the people in her life. That said, I had actually started to forgive BJ quite a bit throughout this book, even though he was incredibly unreasonable and hurtful and selfish, because I truly thought he might have had a good reason for his “cheating” (I actually thought he might have been drugged or blackmailed because of the way he talked about the incident). However, then the final revelation came at the end, and there’s really no coming back from that. Before the ending, I have to admit that I wanted him and Magnolia to maybe work it out somehow; I thought their love might have been bigger than that one mistake (even though BJ didn’t show it with his actions). But then when I finally learned the details of that mistake (and the why), I fully realized that I don’t want Magnolia to ever get back together with him. She can’t after what he did. Especially since he did it for no reason while showing no care for her in the moment. He randomly wanted to sleep with someone else, and that shows me his love is worth nothing. Anyway, I truly hope the rest of the series will give her a new love, someone who will make her forget that slutty man-child, and I hope he will do nothing but suffer while watching her live her best life.
All in all, every character in this book was a complete mess and not particularly likable, but I didn’t dislike them all either. A few of them really did have some redeeming qualities or something that still endeared them to me. The only side characters I truly could not stand were Jonah and Paili. On the flip side; Henry was definitely my favourite. Or maybe the sister, Bridget; I really liked her too.
'Magnolia Parks Universe': 1. Magnolia Parks - 3.5 stars 2. Daisy Haites - 3.0 stars...more
Oh, this was such a pleasant surprise! It wasn’t what I expected it to be at all, but that actually turned out to be good thing.
This w|| 3.5 stars ||
Oh, this was such a pleasant surprise! It wasn’t what I expected it to be at all, but that actually turned out to be good thing.
This was about a romance between a motorcycle club member and a tattoo-artist, but their relationship was super gentle and sweet. Of course, their interactions could also get rough when they fought, but their relationship was extremely soft and delicate under normal circumstances. It was oddly endearing.
“I want to be everything to you.”
I also really liked both of the main characters. They were both strong and independent, but also surprisingly vulnerable. Both of them managed to stood their ground when it came to their boundaries, yet they were willing to change for the other as much as possible.
I do want to give a quick warning that this book was pretty smutty, which, if you know my tastes at all, is not something I enjoy reading, but it was actually not so bothersome to me in this case. I think it’s because all of their intimate scenes held a lot of emotion and depth; it wasn’t just sex, it was them opening up to each other in the most vulnerable way. These scenes were always very gentle and meaningful, which took the crassness out of it for me.
P.S. I wish everyone in that motorcycle club had died a fiery and painful death, and it actually makes me sick to my stomach that they got away with everything they did.
'SEX & MAYHEM' UNIVERSE:
Hounds of Valhalla MC: 1. Road of No Return - 3.5 stars
Oh my god, this was so incredibly good! This book had me completely gripped from beginning to end. The writing was so engaging in a suc|| 4.5 stars ||
Oh my god, this was so incredibly good! This book had me completely gripped from beginning to end. The writing was so engaging in a succinct yet powerful way, and the characters were woven so perfectly into the story, I simply could not stop reading for even a second! The pacing was also done in the exact right way. The book never gave too many details that would make the story start to feel like it dragged, but instead it always managed to say exactly what needed to be said for the reader to understand what was going on, what it meant, and how it must feel for everyone involved. Overall, it was such strong writing and I instantly fell in love with it.
I am struggling to provide a summary of this book considering it tells so many little stories of many different characters. I hardly think it’s possible to choose one of these stories and point towards it saying: “This. This is what the book is about.” Moreover, so many of these stories were more subtle, never fully fleshed out or even acknowledged, that it would be very hard to describe them in my own words. So really, if I were to attempt a summary, I honestly wouldn’t know where to look or where to begin, and the end-result would be incomplete and wrong anyway.
That said, I do want to point out that this book genuinely made me feel so many emotions! I had very strong opinions on all of the characters, of all the things that happened in the past, present and future, but also of the social issues that were raised.
For example, I genuinely felt so much pain for the McCulloughs; I think what happened to them embodies the worst fears of any parent thinking about adopting or of those who have already adopted a child. To live with the fear that your child can be taken away like that… Just because someone thinks they have a claim on a child they abandoned due to some irrelevant blood-connection. It’s devastating and terrible and unjust. A parent is someone who takes care of their child, who nurses them, who loves them, who provides for them, who will never ever think of leaving them. Being a mother is more than giving birth to someone.
It came, over and over, down to this: What made someone a mother? Was it biology alone, or was it love?
Although I had intense feelings about them all, I think there was really only one character I truly felt an immense dislike towards, and I am willing to bet not many readers will think the same on this as me: The person I had a distinct distaste towards was Mia. Her ungrateful, fanciful and irresponsible attitude bothered me, but it was mostly her hypocrisy that made my skin crawl. First of all, I genuinely believe Mia was a bad mother. I don’t care how she tried to justify it, whether it was due to her “artistic spirit” or her young age, but she never ever did what was best for her daughter in those early years. She never chose to take care of her daughter properly, and instead continued to choose to live the life of a starving artist, as if she didn’t have a whole child depending on her! She dragged that child from place to place, never staying somewhere for more than a few months, never letting her daughter set up roots anywhere, forcing her to be forever lonely and homeless. And really, this would be enough reason for me to dislike Mia, but it was her superior attitude, despite her own many flaws, that distinctly bothered me. She acted like she was a great mother, a great person, this pinnacle of wisdom and goodness, when she was anything but. She was aimless, she was irresponsible, she was selfish, but, like I said earlier, she was also insanely hypocritical. She had a very strong opinion on the adoption case of the McCulloughs (her own actions even being the sole cause for why Linda and Mark now had to fight to keep their adopted child), and she argued this by saying that a child should be raised by her “real” mother and that the “real” mother deserved to raise her child, but she never, not even once, mentioned (to herself or anyone else) the very real fact that she stole her own child away from her father. Did she simply think this sentiment does not apply to fathers? Is she truly that unfair and cruel? Because it’s important to note that her daughter’s father desperately wanted to raise this child, but Mia just took her from him; she stole his child. And she never thought she did a single thing wrong. The hypocrisy! It baffled me.
And yet here was Mia, causing poor Linda such trauma, as if she hadn’t been through enough, as if Mia were any kind of example of how to mother. Dragging her fatherless child from place to place, scraping by on menial jobs, justifying it by insisting to herself — by insisting to everyone — she was making Art. Probing other people’s business with her grimy hands. Stirring up trouble. Heedlessly throwing sparks. Mrs. Richardson seethed, and deep inside her, the hot speck of fury that had been carefully banked within her burst into flame. Mia did whatever she wanted, Mrs. Richardson thought, and what would result? Heartbreak for her oldest friend. Chaos for everyone. You can’t just do what you want, she thought. Why should Mia get to, when no one else did?
Of course, I also had very strong opinions on all of the other characters and plot points; some positive, some not, and some… unsure, but I won’t bore anyone with going into details about all that. It doesn’t really matter what my own specific opinions were anyway, the only thing that really matters is that this is the type of book that invokes those strong emotions about its characters and its plots. I felt everything while reading this: indignation, sympathy, suspense, anxiousness, endearment, unsurety, pity, all of it… And isn’t that the best kind of book? A book that makes you feel intensely and makes you form strong opinions about its content? For me it is. And that’s why I loved this!...more
Everyone always says that the books are really different from the TV show, so I thought it would be interesting to check this out. Howe|| 3.5 stars ||
Everyone always says that the books are really different from the TV show, so I thought it would be interesting to check this out. However, although I can see that a lot of the relationships, for example, will turn out very unlike the TV show, this first book was extremely similar plot-wise to the first few episodes, so it was all a little predictable and repetitive for me. That said, I think things will become completely separate later on in this series, so I might just keep at it to get to that point. Because I have to say I do find these books very entertaining. They’re a little trashy, but in a fun and addictive way.
Personally, my favourite chapters were definitely those by Spencer first, then Aria, then Emily, and then Hanna. -Spencer is a character that is very realistic in how much pressure and loneliness she feels. She works so hard, but her parents will never truly acknowledge or love her, always favoring her sister over her, and that understandably breaks her heart. It’s why I kind of understood why she felt it was okay to steal her sister’s boyfriends the way she did… Even though, of course, it shouldn’t be. Besides, her and Wren were honestly kind of cute, even though I actually want her with Andrew. I know he doesn’t have many scenes and he hardly even exists in the TV show, but still. He just seems so utterly adorable and his unrequited crush on Spencer is truly precious. I hope she will start to notice him in the next books, because I know he would be the sweetest boyfriend to her. -Aria’s gentle and quirky yet confident personality was genuinely nice to read, and I personally like her best out of the four girls. I really want to find out what happens to her next: I hope she’ll eventually dump creepy Ezra for good (who was honestly much worse here than in the TV show) and she’ll find a good guy in the end. Maybe Noel has potential? Even though he seemed to be quite dumb so far. -Emily is a sweetheart, but she’s a little too passive and therefore kind of boring. I want to care about her, but so far I don’t really. Her swimming is not something I care about, and her relationship with Maya hasn’t really sparked an interest in me yet either. -With Hanna, I do feel pity and sympathy for her struggles and self-loathing, but I genuinely do not like the person she is right now. That said, Sean deserves to get kicked in the groin for what he said to her and he needs to be knocked off his high-horse so badly. I want to see that happen in the future!
Lastly, I just want to quickly mention that all of these parents are the literal worst. Emily’s parents are racist bigots, Aria’s father is a cheating groomer, Hanna’s mother is a distant workaholic, and Spencer’s parents are cold, unloving and abusive. They all made my blood boil.
'Pretty Little Liars' series: 1. Pretty Little Liars - 3.5 stars 2. Flawless - 3.5 stars...more
This was such an adorable, fun, heartwarming, and swoon-worthy romance! It’s about a grumpy single dad and the sunshiny firecracker he || 3.5 stars ||
This was such an adorable, fun, heartwarming, and swoon-worthy romance! It’s about a grumpy single dad and the sunshiny firecracker he hires as a nanny for his five-year old son.
I realize in that moment maybe I am heartless after all, because the beautiful girl with the copper hair grinning back at me right now is the one who stole it.
I’m honestly not sure where to start, because I really enjoyed a lot of things about this book. First, I think I just want to point out how much I genuinely liked all of the characters. Willa was such a fiery, passionate, carefree, fun, loyal, and witty woman I couldn’t help but adore in every way. She was the perfect combination of soft and fierce! I needed a little longer to warm up to Cade, but I quickly fell for him as well. He was super crabby and ill-mannered, but I found it to be oddly charming. And Luke… Well, Luke was just the cutest little boy on the planet, wasn’t he?
I need to pick my next words carefully so I don’t come off like a condescending asshole. I know I often come across that way, and I don’t want to with Willa. It’s an unfamiliar feeling, wanting someone to like me.
The funny thing is, I just know that Cade could have been a very annoying character if he had been judgemental or condescending to Willa, but he was luckily never like that. He was so in awe of the happiness and lightness that always hung around her, and, even though he wore a permanent scowl on his face, he could never find it in his heart to be mean to her. He adored her so much, and it became insanely obvious in the way she was the only person in the world, other than his son, who could make him smile and feel genuine warmth. He truly put her up on a pedestal and was scared she was way out of his league. He felt jealous and possessive of her, but never wanted to drag her down to his level. He genuinely thought the world of her, which is why I could never judge him for the scowls and grumpiness he gave her from time to time. That was just the way he was, and it made his gentle moments all the more sweet.
How hard would it be to smile more, to laugh more, if it made her look this happy?
It wasn’t just the romance that stole my heart in this book, though. I was also melting at the true love that developed between Cade’s son, Luke, and Willa. Not only was Luke the cutest little boy ever, it was also really obvious that he was craving a mother’s love so much. He was so enamoured with Willa’s free spirit and fondness for fun, and I could tell he fell in love with Willa just as quickly and just as deeply as his dad. Their bond was simply the best thing ever.
“Do you think . . .” He peers back up at me now. “Do you think it would be okay if I called you mom too?”
Nonetheless, despite, the many things I loved about this book, I do have to say that it lost me a little in the second half. The beginning had a lot of delicious pining and tension, whereas the book became a little more boring to me after they finally gave in and had sex for the first time. I was actually surprised at how long it took them to get to this point, so I do have to give the book credits for that, but when it did happen, the book lost a lot of its intensity for me. It was still really sweet and did make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but I wasn’t as engaged as I was before.
“See, Dad? I told you not to be sad. I told you she’d come back. Our wishes came true! She loves us too much to leave.”
All in all, I really thought this was a nice read. I especially enjoyed the way Cade’s grumpy scowling slowly and reluctantly melted away by Willa’s fiercely happy attitude, and I loved seeing their little family click together. It was very wholesome!
This was a story about a woman who never learned to stand up for herself in an abusive home environment, who never learned to accept he|| 3.0 stars ||
This was a story about a woman who never learned to stand up for herself in an abusive home environment, who never learned to accept herself for who she really was, but also about a woman who was forced into a role of caregiver when she was wholly unprepared and unsuited for it. I think that last part is the one that I found the most intriguing here; the portrayal of being a caregiver was very raw and bold in this book, showing the ugly and dark sides, while also not shying away from the reality of not wanting to dictate your entire life to someone else’s needs, not even when it’s for a person you love. Eventually, someone might simply burn out after having to spend each day that way for months, and I think that’s understandable.
Anyway, I think it’s obvious that, in a way, I did like this book as it dealt with some very interesting themes, but most of it got overshadowed by how much I despised the heroine, Anna. She was very selfish, egotistical, naive, passive and weak. I know she was autistic and had her struggles because of that, but that wasn’t an excuse for every single thing. Some of it simply showed bad character.
For example, the fact that she let her dad brutally suffer for months and months, knowing he didn’t want to live that way, only because she didn’t dare open her mouth to her mother and sister was honestly disgusting and cruel. If it had been because she couldn’t say goodbye or face the truth of her father’s hopelessness I could have understood, but no. She never opened her mouth only because she didn’t want her mother or sister being disappointed in her or thinking bad of her. That’s why she let her father be tortured for months. It genuinely made me a little sick.
I want to tell them to stop, that he’s moaning because he doesn’t want to live this way, and all their ministrations are torturing him. But I don’t. I know it won’t do any good. I’m not here to talk
I also feel like she didn’t appreciate Quan enough. She took him for granted and didn’t give him the same care, support, interest and consideration as he did her. She let her family treat him like trash without ever correcting them. Even more, she never actually broke up with her other boyfriend, even after months of dating Quan, which was just insanely disrespectful. He really deserved better, and I could never quite figure out why he was so in love with her. She truly wasn’t all that great to him (or anyone else), so it didn’t make sense to me. I almost felt like she was using him a little bit, and he just accepted it for no reason. He gave her everything, while she gave him basically nothing.
“Anna, I’m in love with you.” “I love… being with you. You’re the one person I can really be myself with. But I don’t know if I’m in love with you yet.”
Long story short, I think this book had an interesting story to tell but I sometimes struggled to get over my dislike for the heroine.
Honestly, I did kind of like the tension and the chemistry between them at the beginning, but after they had sex for the first time it || 2.0 stars ||
Honestly, I did kind of like the tension and the chemistry between them at the beginning, but after they had sex for the first time it all became super bland. And it’s not even like there were only sex scenes after that, but it’s just that I didn’t get a deeply romantic vibe from them. Luckily it did take them a while to get to the sex stage, but once it did, I was super bored and I lost all investment in their relationship. It suddenly felt a lot more superficial and forced, and they just didn’t interest me whatsoever.
Also, I really struggled with the tone of this book sometimes; it’s like nobody was ever capable of having a real, genuine conversation with meaningful emotions. Like, for example, when her dad finds out she’s been groomed as a teen by her doctor and sister’s husband, he just… jokes about it? And doesn’t mention it again?? Nobody takes it as seriously as you’d expect and that really threw me off. Weird situations where serious topics are brushed aside like that happened quite often in this book and it made it pretty hard for me to feel connected to the story or the characters. It made everything seem pretty lame and silly.
Furthermore, I kind of hated how Summer let everyone walk all over her. I know she’s supposed to be this sweetheart with a giant heart, and I do like her because of that, but it also really frustrated me when she was so forgiving towards people who genuinely treated her like trash.
Lastly, Rhett truly behaved like a child 99% of the time. He could be pretty gentle and galant towards Summer, so I didn’t hate him or anything like that, but he was just so childish and petulant that I honestly couldn’t respect him. It’s like Rhett’s one goal in life was to be as stubborn as he possibly could. He also never really took other people’s feelings into consideration, and it made him seem so immature. This dude was literally destroying his own body for no reason; he was doing it just because he was so damn desperate for attention. Thus, like I said, I simply couldn’t respect him.
All in all, this was a disappointing and lackluster read for me. It wasn’t terrible, but it was just super underwhelming.
This book proved that you really don’t need constant, over-the-top love declarations for a book to be insanely romantic!
Khai is autisti|| 4.5 stars ||
This book proved that you really don’t need constant, over-the-top love declarations for a book to be insanely romantic!
Khai is autistic, and because he has never processed emotions the same way as other people do, he has convinced himself he has a heart of stone and can’t feel anything at all, but nothing could be further from the truth. He actually experiences things very deeply, and is capable of extending a tremendous amount of care. I mean, even though it isn’t until the end of the book that he is finally able to recognize he has loved Esme this entire time, it was already so obvious through his subconscious actions and thoughts towards her. It was such a touchingly sweet and gentle story, and I loved it from start to finish.
I also thought it was a very nice detail that Esme never really learned what autism was, and never saw Khai as different in any way. She fell for him exactly the way he was, and she didn’t need any excuses or explanations. It was honestly adorable; Khai’s broody cluelessness and Esme’s bubbly naivety truly made for the cutest couple.
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