Book Reviews

Honest & Unfiltered Book Reviews

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All We Ever Wanted - ARC Review

Title: All We Ever Wanted

Author: Emily Giffin

Expected publication: June 26th 2018 by Ballantine Books

Genre: General Fiction/Women’s Fiction

Rating: 5/5 stars

Wow. Beautiful. I’m not going to say “All We Ever Wanted” is Emily Giffin at her finest, because that would discredit her previous novels that are all truly amazing, each in their own way. But AWEW is different kind of story than what we come to know and expect from Giffin.

And it’s wonderful.

Maybe it’s because I got to meet Emily back in 2014 at a book signing in Nashville, but I really believe she is one of the greatest story-tellers of our time. Not only are her books amazing, but she seems as genuine, down-to-earth, and real as the complex characters she writes. I know this book is going to stay with me long after I’ve turned the last page. 

What I loved:

Setting: So, I’m from Nashville so I obviously LOVED this setting. I think Nashville really is the perfect place for this story to unfold because you have the rich, privileged, and almost backwards mindset that comes with the south, along with the trendiness of our city. Giffin got everything right: to the teenagers shopping at the Gulch, to the shoutout to the Green Hills mall. I loved seeing my city in the pages.

 Writing: Giffin’s writing is beautiful, concise, and poetic. She can spin words and phrases in a way that just makes sense. Whenever I pick up her books, I really feel like I get to know the characters. Also, she was able to pull of 3 distinctive POVs. We have three different, fleshed out voices. Each character sounded like who they were. Giffin can definitely pull off writing “a male voice.”

 Plot: This novel is plot driven. You really get sucked into the drama within the first chapter. One might think a gay, twenty-three year old guy might not find parts of this story entertaining (since I am not a parent or a wealthy high class member of society) but everything about this story was fascinating to read about. You really do want to keep turning the pages.

 Characters: I absolutely adored, Nina. She is the strongest, most woke character I’ve read about this year. I love how she stuck to her morals and values, even though it was hard for her at times. Tom was dreamy and impossible to not fall in love with. Giffin always writes relationships in the best way. The way her characters act and the relationships they develop with each other just seem so real and genuine. Giffin understands that life isn’t black and white, and she’s able to write that into her novels. Her characters are three dimensional: real, flawed, layered.

My two minor complaints:

The epilogue frustrated me, and I wanted a bit more romance.

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Overall, All We Ever Wanted deserves to be moved to the top of your TBR list when it comes out. This book is relevant to our times. It’s woke, but not political. This story is heartbreaking, moving, and delivers an important message on values, family, privilege, and double standards.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my eARC. This is my honest, unbiased review!

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Bring Me Back - ARC Review

Title: Bring Me Back

Author: B.A. Paris

Expected publication: June 19th 2018 by St. Martin's Press

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Rating: 4/5 stars ( ★★★★)

I was so excited to get my hands on this book! B.A. Paris is one of my favorite writers in the psychological thriller genre. Behind Closed Doors is one of my favorites and I enjoyed The Breakdown. Bring Me Back was gripping and entertaining, but I didn’t like it as much as her previous pieces of work. Here’s what I liked: We get multiple POVs with this book, and Paris makes each voice their own. Finn sounded authentically like him, a middle-aged male. While Layla’s chapters sounded like …Layla. Paris is GREAT at pulling off red herrings. It’s rare for me to actually say, I did not see that one coming while reading. She had me thinking I was outsmarting her, that I was on her trail, but really she was the one outsmarting me, pulling me along for the ride. It’s truly impressive when a writer can do that. In the first few chapters, I thought I had already figured out what happened to Layla. A few chapters later, I realized I was wrong. And repeat. A thriller proving you wrong time after time is always a sign of a good, intriguing story. The middle of this story was so tense. I kept asking myself why. I kept turning the pages, I didn't want to stop to sleep. What I didn’t like: You know how I just said Paris is great at red herrings and twists and turns? For the most part, that statement is true, but what kills me is the final twist, the last reveal – the one that is supposed to shock us put everything into place – was a huge disappointment for me. The end was so unbelievable, so implausible, I felt cheated. The ending of this book left me scratching my head in confusion, which is never something I want to happen when it comes to a thriller. I also hate second person point of view chapters in stories. It’s such headache to read and I don’t think it was needed (although I understand why it was present). -- Overall, this book really put me through a roller coaster of emotions. Bring Me Back will take you through ups and downs and ups and then back down again. As over used as this phrase is, this book really is a twisty, psychological thriller. The end left me with a bad taste in my mouth, but I still recommend! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC. These are my honest, unbiased thoughts!

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This Love Story Will Self Destruct - ARC Review

Title: This Love Story Will Self-Destruct 

Author: Leslie Cohen

Genre: Romance, New Adult

Expected Publication: January 23rd 2018 by Gallery Books

Rating: 4/5 stars ( ★★★★)

I was so excited to read this book! How could I not with it being compared to One Day and When Harry Met Sally? For the most part, This Love Story Will Self Destruct did not disappoint.

The Good:

Setting: New York is the ultimate, classic backdrop for rom-coms, and I loved it. The city itself was a character in this book, and it worked so well for the story. Cohen wrote about New York in a real, authentic way where the city buzzed within the pages.

Character Voice: I find that a lot of writers have a hard time pulling off two distinct voices, but with this book, I could tell Eve’s and Ben’s chapters apart.  Their voices were their own and I liked getting both POVS.

Authenticity: As someone who is entering their mid-twenties, this book was super relatable. Like when Eve had a break down in an ATM vestibule or how her anxiety about finding a new job and where she was going to live occurred. Many readers will identify with this.

Writing: I loved Cohen’s writing style. There were a lot of great metaphors that I thought were really clever. However, I wish more of the story was shown instead of told.

There were some definite cute moments between Ben and Eve, and I like how when they met it wasn’t some big grand gesture or ordeal we see too often in rom-coms. When we first see Ben in the story, he’s barely mentioned. And I think this rings true to real life. Not everyone we meet is going to make some huge impression on us at first.

My minor complaint:

Pacing: I am one for fast paced novels. I like short chapters and story lines with a high stakes, quick plot. This was a bit slow for my taste, and the beginning dragged on for a bit. The first 60 (Nook) pages was one party!? The story also jumped around a bit, so I had a hard time following at some points. However, the second half of the book was way more interesting than the first.

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Besides this story dragging on a bit too long, I recommend Cohen’s debut for all the romance fans out there. New Adult is a genre I struggle to get into, but this book made it easy.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster (thanks y’all). This in no way influenced my review. These are my true, unbiased thoughts.

*This cover is so cute! Love it. 

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My Fairy Godmother is a Drag Queen - Book Review

Title: My Fairy Godmother is a Drag Queen 

Author: David Clawson

Published: May 2nd 2017 by Sky Pony Press

Genre: Young adult, contemporary, LGBTQIA

Rating: 1/5 stars

Wow. This book was an absolute mess. Which is surprising, because it has the right ingredients. A modern Cinderella story with queer characters? Yes, please. Classic case of good idea, bad execution. What went wrong for me: Writing: It just wasn’t there for me. A lot of the story was shown rather than told which resulted in a painfully slow read. I lost all interest at the halfway point. Romance: Even from the start, I couldn’t root for J.J. and Chris because they had a terrible case of insta-love. They share one stare, kiss, and nod and then suddenly they’re dating?! And then a few paragraphs later they’re madly in love?! I don’t buy it. Not at all. Seriously, there was zero chemistry between J.J. and Chris. I didn’t understand why they were together or how they fell in love. The whole “romance” of this novel was underwhelming and vastly disappointing. Characters: My favorite characters in this book were the “wicked step-sisters:” Kimberly and Buck (who is male). But the two of them were even one dimensional! And don’t even get me started on how much I disliked Chris. His self-loathing was so tiresome to read about page after page. I also didn’t get why Chris was so scared about coming out. Don’t get me wrong, every queer person has a right to their feelings (and often times that includes fear) but Chris lived in Manhattan, and his step family was very liberal. It just didn’t make sense to me. I may have disliked Chris, but I HATED J.J., the love interest. He was spineless and had no problem cheating on Kimberly with her step-brother. He was an awful character with no redeeming qualities. Plot: I’m also not a big fan of fake dating stories. In the story, J.J. tells Chris that they can’t be alone together out in public because he needs to appear straight. Can a politician’s son not have guy friends? They didn’t even text. Also, for a Cinderella retelling, you think the ball would happen somewhere around the halfway point (or a little before that) but not the first few chapters. The “ball” in this story wasn't very glamorous, nor was it exciting to read about. And the shoe concept of this book was just…stupid. The ending was quite abrupt and ridiculous. Also, this book was waaaayyy problematic in a variety of ways. Here are just a couple quotes I found offensive/low-key homophobic. “Does he know anything about my family’s support for the LGBTQ community?” “Seriously? Is that what you guys call it in your house?” “Pretty much. It’s a very PC atmosphere.” That’s how a lot of people refer to the queer community, Chris. Not only that, but I like being PC. I think it’s wrong to be careless about other people (especially those different than you) and their beliefs. “A million fag hags can’t be wrong?” “I didn’t think that word was okay anymore?” “I think it’s like using the “n” word if you’re black.” He looked around to make sure no one was close before he whispered, “Fag.” “Faggot,” I whispered back. Finally, we shared our first smile of the day. Not only that, but J.J. has this big long paragraph about why he doesn’t think there needs to be gay pride. (Those are just a few that stood out to me.) In short, stay far away from this one!!

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With Malice - Book Review

Title: With Malice

Author: Eileen Cook

Published: June 7th 2016 by HMH Books for Young Readers

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/YA

Rating: 2/5 stars

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I was really excited to read this book. The plot-line: two best friends vacationing in Italy where one turns up dead in what appears to be an accident, sounded intriguing. But in reality, this book was a huge disappointment for me. My complaints: This story is extremely slow. Seriously, the entirety of the novel is Jill in the hospital trying to remember the car accident that killed her best friend. I’m all for a slow paced novel as long as it’s building up to something. As long as I’m gripping my seat in anticipation because the climax has finally arrived, then sure, be slow. That didn’t happen with this book. It was slow and didn’t really pick up until the last chapter, which at that point I knew I wasn’t going to get the full resolution I wanted. Since Jill is experiencing memory issues from the car accident. I think it would have been best to tell the story from both the present (her in the hospital trying to remember) and the past (the trip to Italy where Simone died). That way, we could have actively been a part of the story instead of just being with Jill as she tries to process everything during recovery. Bottom line, I didn’t like how this was told. I also never felt for any of the characters. Even Nicco, who is a large part of the Italian scandal, was very forgettable and one dimensional. Semi-spoiler alert (I guess): If you like books with endings that answer all your questions and wrap up any lingering thoughts you may have, DO NOT read this. The ending was left kind of open, and I don’t like that with my books. 

Also, some of the texting dialogue between the teenagers was cringe worthy.  However, I did think the relationship between Simone and Jill is relatable to anyone who’s experienced that type of hero/sidekick type of friendship. I also like the portrayal/significance of the media and its influence with crime in the United States. How we sometimes chose to believe the small point of view presented to us, and how easily that opinion can change with new evidence. If you liked Abigail Haas’s "Dangerous Girls," then you should definitely read "With Malice." Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of either.

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History Is All You Left Me - Book Review

Title: History is All You Left Me

Author: Adam Silvera 

Published: January 17th 2017 by Soho Teen

Genre: Young adult, LGBTQIA

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

So after closing this book, I’m left with one daunting emotion: sadness. Yes, History is All You Left Me made me feel incredibly sad, basically the entire time I was reading it. I loved Silvera’s debut More Happy Than Not, and maybe that’s why I had such high expectations going into this book. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad story by any means and you should totally read it. Plus, Adam Silvera’s Twitter and IG is lit. From his online presence, he seems like a really cool person, but this book just didn’t do it for me. I guess I should start with the thing that bothered me most, and that’s the second person point-of-view chapters. I’ve never once read a book where the “you” format was needed. To me, it’s distracting and never flows. I understand Griffin was talking to Theo, but it really made reading such a pain, switching from first to second person point of view every few pages. I wasn’t crazy about any of the characters. The main character, Griffin is kind of an asshole. Jackson and Theo too. They were all low-key assholes. I guess I shouldn’t call them assholes, they were flawed. The real hero of the story was Wade. What I liked: Silvera’s writing style is flawless. He’s one of the few people who actually write “lyrically.” His words and descriptions were beautiful and perfect. And just like he previous book, he made me have that moment where I said to myself, "I did not see that one coming." I also loved how coming out was present in the story, but it wasn’t a big deal whatsoever. Coming out is a huge deal in every queer person’s life, and I very much enjoy stories based on the coming out process, but Griffin’s family and friends made no fuss over his sexuality, which was great. And, Theo was bisexual! Yay representation! I definitely recommend reading this book, because Adam Silvera is one talented dude. However, know that this book will break your heart into a million pieces.

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The Cutaway - (ARC) Book Review

Title: The Cutaway

Author: Christina Kovac

Published: March 21st 2017 by Atria / 37 INK

Genre: Adult, Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 3/5 stars 

The Cutaway by Christina Kovac was a novel I definitely enjoyed, although I did not love it. To begin with, this is being marketed as a psychological thriller, compared to the work of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins. This book shouldn’t be compared to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. The Cutaway was good, but to me, it just didn’t fall into the same category as the previous books mentioned. Here’s what I liked about The Cutaway: Writing Style: Kovac’s writing style was amazing. Crisp, clear, concise, with the right amount of description. Her writing made me never want to put the book down. Authenticity: Virginia, our narrator, works as a new producer in Washington DC. Kovac also has experience producing news shows, and her information and background really helped pull the story along. This wasn’t someone guessing about how to run a news station, this was someone who knew how to run this type of platform. Main Character: Virginia was a fascinating main character. Her flaws made her human, and she was smart. So often in mystery/thrillers we have main characters who make stupid decisions, and I just can’t root for them. I also like how Virginia was a journalist. Often with mysteries we get the viewpoint of a detective or just average Joe. Virginia fell into the middle. My complaints: I think the biggest thing that shocked me about this book is that it wasn’t a thriller. Not once did I feel scared or really worried for our main character. It was definitely a mystery, but there wasn’t a lot of suspense. The D.C. setting I enjoyed, however there was a lot of political lingo I wish could have been dumb downed a bit. I also thought there were too many characters introduced in the story, and at times it was hard to keep track of who’s who. Some of the “twists” also left me scratching my head in confusion. Bottom line: Would I recommend this book? Yes. Is this a thriller? Not really.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC! This is my honest, unbiased review!

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The Perfect Stranger - Review

Title: The Perfect Stranger

Author: Megan Miranda 

Expected Publication: May 16th 2017 by Simon & Schuster

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Adult

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

To be honest, I did not enjoy Miranda’s thriller, All the Missing Girls. The method of telling the story in reverse did not work for me, at all. Nevertheless, The Perfect Stranger was a book I was eager to get my hands on. The plot sounded juicy: a missing roommate who might not be real, a sexy cop, and a flawed narrator trying to solve a murder in her small, Pennsylvania town. And for the most part, this book did not disappoint. There were some aspects of this story I absolutely loved. Writing: Miranda has a beautiful writing style. It’s like each word was perfectly picked out. It was type of description you want in a thriller, giving enough detail to jump start your imagination, without being weighed down by too many words. Overall, just an amazing writing style. Narrator: Leah was a character who was always in her head, but she never got tiresome or annoying. She was flawed, complex, and interesting to read about. I loved her relationship with her roommate, Emmy, and the cop she was seeing. Pace: This is one of those books you never want to put down. It flew by, and wasted no time getting interesting. The small town setting was just perfect for this novel as well. However, there was one big element of this story I did not like. And that was the mystery aspect. Like I said, it was a juicy mystery, but even when I had all the answers, I was left scratching my head. The pieces didn’t align for me, probably because there were too many plot lines to keep up with. Once the truth was revealed to me I was left thinking, “Wait. Who did what when?” I’m still not really sure of what happened towards the end. And that’s never a good sign. I want to have that aha moment with thrillers, where everything clicks into place. Also, there were creepy moments, but I never felt scared at any point, so I’m not sure if this is a thriller. Bottom line, I would still recommend this book because of its fabulous writing style and wonderful, fleshed-out characters. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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P.S. I Like You - Book Review

Title: P.S. I Like You

Author: Kasie West

Published: July 26th 2016 by Point

Genre: Young adult, Romance

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

P.S. I Like You was the perfect book to break my thriller streak for these past few weeks. This is my 4th Kasie West novel, and I’m anxiously waiting for whatever she writes next. Not many YA authors can pull off gem after gem, romance after romance. Her stories give me the Sarah Dessen vibe: awesome friendships and sweet romances mixed with family drama. Narrator: I loved Lily. She was a genuinely funny character who had me laughing within the first few pages. She was witty and self-deprecating, but never got to the point where she was annoying or a drag to read about. Plot: You could tell almost immediately who Lily’s secret pen pal was in the story, although that didn’t take the charm away from the novel. However, I wish they didn’t wait until the last minute to reveal their identities to each other. Romance: The romance between Lily and her pen pal was intense. They had amazing chemistry on page and in person. Their intimate notes and cute dates gave me all the feels. Family Dynamic: I love when YA books incorporate families perfectly. And this book did just that. Lily’s family was fun, energetic, and realistic. They were flawed, but all the siblings had such a sweet relationship. Although, I thought it was weird how Lily kept calling her family big, hectic, and crazy. She had only three siblings and they were pretty normal (in a good way) to me. Writing Style: West has an amazing writing style. It’s simple, but just descriptive enough to jump start your imagination. Her writing was very clean, and kept the story moving quickly. I also loved the friendship between Lily and Isabel. Many readers will connect with them, because their friendship is so authentic, you can’t help but be reminded of your own best friends. This wasn’t a four star read for me because overall, the story was quite predictable, and I could do away with some of the antics towards the end of the story. Plus I wasn’t that impressed with Lily’s amateurish lyrics. I would still recommend this book because it’s an adorable YA romance.

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Safe With Me - Book Review

Title: Safe With Me

Author: K.L. Slater

Published: November 1st 2016 by Bookouture

Genre: Adult, Thriller

Rating: 1/5 stars

I’m sorry to say, this book was an absolute mess to read and experience. I don’t even know where to begin this review. The story starts with Anna, a mailwoman, witnessing a car accident where a motorcycle driver is struck and injured by another woman on the road. This woman, “Amanda,” is a ghost from Anna’s past. As the story progresses, Anna tries to insert herself into the injured Liam’s life so he won’t be fooled/hurt by Amanda like she was 13 years ago. I think the official summary of this novel also leaves out a big plot point to this story. Anna got behind on her mail delivery route, and has a whole mess of undelivered letters sitting in her spare room. Yeah, you read that correctly. There were pages and pages of this novel were Anna was fretting and getting in trouble in work because she had heaps of undelivered mail. It was boring to say the least. I guess I should start with the characters. I didn’t like a single one of them. And I especially hated Anna. It was so obnoxious being inside her head. Clearly, she wasn’t alright. I could never root for her or support her decisions because we know so little about her and her past. She had no right to insert herself into the Bradbury’s lives, and her intrusiveness played on my nerves. Another thing I hated about this book was how many times it switched points-of-views. We have Anna in first person for a significant portion of the book, but there were a lot of chapters that switched to a third person point a view. With a variety of characters too. Anna’s next door neighbor. A cop. An investigator. Carla, the girl from Anna’s past. There were too many viewpoints to keep up with, making the story drag and on. All of the story lines felt disjointed and nothing was making sense. The plot was all over the place. I couldn’t figure out the point of this book. There’s no reason for this to be labeled as a thriller, because there was absolutely nothing scary about this story. Hell, it was hardly even a mystery. *Semi spoiler alert:* I hated the ending. Everything wrapped up too perfectly and quickly in my opinion. I don’t think fans of “The Girl on the Train” will enjoy this book. However, this is my opinion. My opinion alone. Don't let one bad review discourage you from picking up a book you may really like! Give it a try! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc. This is my honest, unbiased review!

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Sorry for all the psychological thriller reviews lately. I’m picking up two YA books form the library tomorrow and will hopefully be able to review them! School is  kicking my ass right now (finals, ugh), but more reviews should be coming soon! 

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Gone Without a Trace - Book Review

Title: Gone Without a Trace

Author: Mary Torjussen

Expected publication: April 11th 2017 by Berkley Books

Genre: Adult, Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 2.5/3 stars

I wanted to like this book. I really did. The premise sounded interesting enough. Hannah comes home from work and finds her boyfriend, Matt, gone. He’s taken everything with him. Photos, texts, e-mails, CDs, etc. Immediately, the search is on. Hannah is determined to track down Matt, no matter the cost.

Aspects of this book that bothered me:

Pace: Even though the chapters were short, this book dragged on and on. There was no tension or “psychological suspense” within the plot. The mystery was long and drawn out. I’m an avid reader, but this book took me six days to finish. I never wanted to pick up the book and resume the story.

Characters: None of the characters had any redeeming qualities for me. They were all a bit bland, and I feel like we never really got to know Hannah, even though we were inside her head. She caused all of her own problems, especially when it came to work. So I couldn’t stand hearing her whine and complain the entire duration of the book about how her job was in jeopardy and whatnot.

Mystery: I had mixed feelings about the plot twist in this book. I didn’t really see it coming, and the twist made sense, but it’s not a direction many readers will enjoy. I don’t know. I guess I’m just tired of books with unreliable narrators.

Writing: The writing style was bland and too simple for my liking. For a thriller, a tone needs to be set. We need detail. We need to feel and envision everything our character is experiencing. This didn’t happen in this book.

One thing I can praise this book on is that it gave me goosebumps at one point! That’s always a good sign when you pick up a mystery/thriller. And the ending was…interesting. You should definitely read the epilogue.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. These are my honest, unbiased thoughts.

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The Girl Before (ARC) - Review

Title: The Girl Before

Author: JP Delaney

Expected publication: January 24th 2017 by Ballantine Books

Genre: Adult, Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 3/5 stars

I was so excited to read this book. I mean, how could someone not be with comparisons to The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl (even though that is publisher’s go-to line with thrillers now, even if the stories are nothing like the work of Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn)? And although I found this story enjoyable, I didn’t love it, nor was I blown away by any means. A significant reason why this book bothered me so much was the alternating viewpoints. Jane and Emma’s stories were so similar, that I could barely tell their chapters apart. When I’d put down the book and pick it up a few hours later, I couldn’t remember which event/thing happened to which girl, because the story-lines were too similar. The whole book was too disjointed, simply because the two P.O.V. were too much alike. And what really bothered me about Emma’s chapters was the absence of quotation marks. I completely loath when writers feel the need to do this. Half the time, you can’t even tell who’s talking in Emma’s chapters, because, like I stated, there are no quotation marks. It was a big guessing game: Are these Emma’s thoughts, or is she speaking out loud? It’s such a headache to read a story with dialogue that breaks one of the most important rules of grammar. The lack of “” was distracting to the story and very off putting. The writing itself was sort of dry. A lot of “says…insert adverb here (drily, tartly, etc)” I also found bits of this story to be too far-fetched. I don’t care how fancy or nice a house like One Folgate Street is, no one in their right mind would live in a place with so many rules and restrictions. I mean, no furniture? No books? Although, as much as I’d like to say the technology inside the house was teetering on the edge of science fiction, it really wasn’t. I can see variations of smart houses like One Folgate Street popping up in the future. This book did have its creepy moments, but it wasn’t exactly thrilling or hair raising if you know what I mean. Yes, the house was eerie, but it wasn’t scary. On a good note, there were a couple twists and turns within the story that surprised me, and this really is a book you don’t want to put down. And, I did get The Girl on the Train vibe towards the second half of the novel which is always a good thing. Thank you to NetGalley/the publisher for this ARC. This is my honest, unbiased review!

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Review

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian 

Author: Sherman Alexie

Published: September 12th 2007 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young adult

Rating: 3/5 stars

So I decided to read this book because of the acclaim it has received. And although I enjoyed “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian,” I wasn’t blown away by this story or anything. It’s a quick read and fun way to kill an afternoon.

The Good:

Humor: This book was a laugh-out-loud funny one.

Theme/Topic: What I really enjoyed about this book was that one of the occurring themes in the story was freedom and personal salvation. It’s about wanting to make a better life for yourself, even if you have to face hardships to get there, like leaving your home and everything that’s comfortable. For that, I thought our main character, Arnold “Junior” Spirit was strong.

Pacing: Like I said, this was a quick read and the chapters were short. No part of the story dragged on.

I also enjoyed learning about the Native American culture in this book, especially one set in modern times. The unwritten rules of Junior’s tribe, and details about their everyday life were cool to read about.

The Bad:

Characters: It’s not that I disliked any of the characters, I just didn’t feel like I got to know any of them well. Even while I was inside Junior’s head, I felt like I barely scratched the surface of who he was. This character undergoes a massive culture change and experiences death within the novel, and still he was very…basic. Even Penelope, his girlfriend, felt very two dimensional. You think she’d play an important role in the story, but she really didn’t. Penelope seemed more like an afterthought. Also, how their relationship started didn’t make sense. It was all told and not shown. One minute they were strangers, and the next they were dating (sort of). Same goes with Gordy. He was enjoyable enough, but he and Junior became friends too quickly. All the relationships were very instant.

Drawing: I know a lot of people say they like the illustrations in this book, but for me they were too distracting, and interrupted the writing.

Writing: Alexie’s writing style was too simple for my taste. There wasn’t much description or detail within the pages. Not only that, but the word “faggot” was used in a derogatory way too many times. Find a better word. I don’t care if teenage boys calling each other faggot is authentic…it’s wrong and needs to stop.

Issues: I know I said I like the theme of this story, but I felt like this book was trying to handle too many issues at once. Racism. Bullying. Grief, Eating Disorders. I think it was too much crammed into one book.

And this is just me complaining, but two basketball scenes are two, too many for my liking.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel, and there were definitely some parts of the book that are highlighter worthy. If anything, read this book for the message and because it’s banned!

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While You Were Sleeping - Review

Title: While You Were Sleeping

Author: Kathryn Croft 

Expected publication: November 16th 2016 by Bookouture

Genre: Adult, Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 2.5/5

I wanted to love this book. I really did. It had all the right ingredients: murder, a narrator with self-doubt due to a blackout, and shady characters. But overall, While You Were Sleeping fell flat. The book starts with Tara, our narrator, waking up naked next to her married neighbor, Lee Jacobs. It’s clear to Tara that Lee was murdered in a brutal way, and she quickly flees his house before she even has time to gather her thoughts or understand what has happened. When his murder comes to light, everyone is Tara’s life is a suspect, especially her seventeen year old daughter, Rosie. To begin with, I definitely recommend reading the prologue for this one. It really sets the scene of Tara waking up in Lee’s house. I did have quite a few issues with this novel. The Characters: I hated all of them. And it’s not because they were bad, horrible nasty people (they weren’t), it’s just the fact that most of them were dull and lifeless. Except Rosie. No. Rosie was one of the most annoying characters I’ve read this year. She was ridiculous, immature, and couldn’t stop lying. Lie after lie. Scene after scene. Anytime Rosie entered the room, you knew she was about to start spewing pointless bullshit. There were no redeeming qualities for her, and she one was of the big factors to why this story was ruined for me. Which brings me to Rosie’s mother, Tara. Tara had no backbone, especially when it came to her daughter. The entire length of the novel, Tara knew that every story out of Rosie’s mouth was a lie, but yet, she did nothing to get the truth. After every conversation with Rosie, Tara basically went, “Well, that didn’t go well. I know she’s lying but she’s my daughter and I have to give her space.” Your daughter has been accused of murder, Tara! It’s not something to just brush off. She wasn’t much of parent to say the least. She let Rosie have completely free reign and get away with countless lies, but would get mad and complain to anyone that would listen that Rosie was lying to her. On top of that, Tara was just a stupid character. When she was put in dangerous positions, she thought to herself: Hmm I should call the police…but I won’t. When her stalker breaks into her house, she only stands there, threatening to call the cops, but never makes the move, even with the phone in her hand. Pacing: The pacing in this novel was terrible. This mystery dragged on and on and I just couldn’t wait for it to be over. I don’t get why this is labeled as a psychological thriller, because there is absolutely nothing thrilling about this story. It’s a mystery, but not a thriller. I also had trouble digesting the two “plot twists” towards the end. The first didn’t make sense, and the second one left me unimpressed. It wasn’t a big aha moment or anything. The pieces were there, but the author was forcing them together. Also, almost everyone was made out to be a suspect. This works for some novels, but there were too many red herrings for me to be surprised at the outcome. The writing was okay, although it was a bit bland. I think if it was a bit more descriptive, it could have helped set the tone for the story more. I didn’t hate this book, hence the two star status. And at the start, it did kind of remind me of The Girl on the Train (a comparison that is overused and hardly ever worthy), but as the story dragged on, my excitement fell. However, I might still give Kathryn Croft another chance because some of her stories seem really interesting. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. This is my honest, unbiased review!

[book-roastings]

Does anyone have any young adult psychological thriller recommendations? Please no fantasy, supernatural, or paranormal elements to the story. (And if I’m being really picky, I prefer 1st person POV) Thank you!! Anything? 

[book-roastings]

Three Truths and a Lie - Book Review

Title: Three Truths and a Lie

Author: Brent Hartinger

Published: August 2nd 2016 by Simon Pulse

Genre: Young adult, LGBTQIA, Thriller

Rating: 4/5 stars

In reality, this was a three and half star read for me, but since so many people have rated this low, I wanted to give it a higher rating, hence it’s four star status. Going into this book I wasn’t expecting much. I’ve read a few of Brent Hartinger’s novels, but nothing has blown me away. It’s all been very middle of the road. However, I really enjoyed Three Truths and a Lie, so it’s easily my favorite by him. There are three aspects of this story I really enjoyed. 

First: the fact that this book has queer characters and the focus is not about them being queer or coming out or anything. Don’t get me wrong, coming out stories are great, but sometimes I like to read more about a person’s life than them figuring out who they like. So I applaud Hartinger on that front. 

The second element of this story I really enjoyed was the thrill factor. I was skeptical about going into a story where there were so few characters. You have less than five suspects to basically choose “whodunit.” Or in this case “whosdoingit.” And although I figured out who the killer was about halfway through the story, it didn’t take away the scary elements of this book. For me, a sign of a good thriller is if I get goosebumps. And I’m happy to report this book gave me the chills three times. Three times. 

Another thing I enjoyed about this novel was the setting. A cabin in the middle of the woods, cut off from the rest of the world. Yaaas. Some call this setting for thrillers corny, but I like to think of it as classic. And creepy. Here’s what I didn’t enjoy:

The characters were all sort of bland. They were likeable enough…in a sense, but for the most part, none of them felt real to me. They didn’t leap off the page or anything. I also really hated the plot twist at the end. It definitely could have been better thought out or made to be more believable. Overall, TTL is one of the better YA thrillers I've read. It’s more on the mature side of YA, which I think it great. There’s a lot of cursing, sex, and references to drugs. I’m looking forward to reading more of Hartinger’s work.