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
This is an anti-slavery novel written in the 17th-Century by the very first professional female author; for that reason alone I would a|| 4.0 stars ||
This is an anti-slavery novel written in the 17th-Century by the very first professional female author; for that reason alone I would already consider this to be a historically interesting and admirable piece of writing. However, it is not for that reason alone that I am glad to have read this, as it also turned out to be a surprisingly well-written, easy to follow, thoroughly compelling and emotionally engaging story! I truly felt my heart break and my anger rise during so many moments in this novel: it was so brutal and so tragic!
In the first part of the novel we get to see the beauty and honour as well as the hardships and barbaric customs of the African culture of which Oroonoko is a Prince. Then, after he is tricked into slavery, we get to see how disingenuous Europeans can be in how they betray their promises to Oroonoko time and time again. Yet, the Europeans also show him a tremendous amount of kindness and care that they do not show any of the other slaves. They claim this is because he is “different” and “better” than all the others, but it was clearly just because Oroonoko resembled their own features and customs more than the other slaves; his beauty and haughtiness somehow commanded their respect and admiration…
So as it was in vain to make any resistance, he only beheld the captain with a look all fierce and disdainful, upbraiding him with eyes that forced blushes on his guilty cheeks, he only cried in passing over the side of the ship, “Farewell, Sir, 'tis worth my sufferings to gain so true a knowledge both of you and of your gods by whom you swear.” And desiring those that held him to forbear their pains, and telling 'em he would make no resistance, he cried, “Come, my fellow-slaves, let us descend, and see if we can meet with more honor and honesty in the next world we shall touch upon.”
As I said before, this was a very gripping novel, and I especially felt myself near tears when it came to Imionda’s, even more so than Oroonoko’s, fate… Whereas Oroonoko had a very powerful and self-assured aura around him, Imionda was shy and defenseless and so entirely innocent. Considering Oroonoko himself had sold slaves when he was still an African Prince, I found it more difficult to feel true sympathy for him. I had no such problems with Imionda, and could only deeply admire her for her bravery and loyalty, and thus, my heart genuinely shattered into a million pieces for her from the moment she received the Royal Veil to the moment of her death…
“And why,” said he, “my dear friends and fellow-sufferers, should we be slaves to an unknown people? Have they vanquished us nobly in fight? Have they won us in honorable battle? And are we by the chance of war become their slaves? This would not anger a noble heart; this would not animate a soldiers soul: no, but we are bought and sold like apes or monkeys, to be the sport of women, fools, and cowards; and the support of rogues and runagates, that have abandoned their own countries for rapine, murders, theft, and villainies. Do you not hear every day how they upbraid each other with infamy of life, below the wildest savages? And shall we render obedience to such a degenerate race, who have no one human virtue left, to distinguish them from the vilest creatures? Will you, I say, suffer the lash from such hands?” They all replied with one accord, “No, no, no.”
Personally, I thought this novel showed a very interesting duality in how there were both Africans and Europeans who could either be pure and nobel and worthy of great respect as well as those who could be filled with deceit, dishonour and cruelty. This might not sound like much to today’s standards of racial equality, but for a novel written in the 17th-Century, which was during the very height of the slave trade, I found this to be extremely surprising and perhaps even inspiring to read!...more
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
Oh… This was actually quite sad. Depressing even. Definitely tragic.
Amberly was clearly such an insecure, naive, desperate and dumb gi|| 3.0 stars ||
Oh… This was actually quite sad. Depressing even. Definitely tragic.
Amberly was clearly such an insecure, naive, desperate and dumb girl, but the most awful thing about that was that Clarkson chose her exactly because of this. He wanted someone he could control and would blindly adore him no matter what, so that’s the only reason why he decided Amberly, as the biggest doormat imaginable, was perfect for him.
It was truly heartbreaking to see Clarkson propose to her with words that only portrayed calculation and manipulation from his side, yet having Amberly receive it with nothing but heart-eyes and love.
I really just witnessed the beginning of an abusive relationship, and the most painful part about it is that Amberly was so incredibly happy and grateful to be in one.
First things first, I really really loved Alosa’s pirate crew, and all of their dynamics together were by far my favourite thing about || 3.0 stars ||
First things first, I really really loved Alosa’s pirate crew, and all of their dynamics together were by far my favourite thing about this entire book! Not only is Alosa a great captain, I also truly loved all the men and women under her command. It was clear they all cared so deeply for each other but also had so much respect and admiration for what they each contribute! They all found a family in one another that loves them unconditionally.
That said, I think the romance part of this book was just plain bad. Riden was beyond frustrating to me from beginning to end, and neither did I enjoy any of his interactions with Alosa. The way he treated her irked me quite a bit, and they also lacked chemistry. There weren’t any real bonding moments between them, and all they did was bicker or make unfounded love declarations. I didn’t like it.
Opposingly, I was far more intrigued by the hints and glimpses we got of Kearan and Sorinda’s blossoming romance. We didn’t get much, but I ate up every little scrap we got. I love Sorinda’s black cat energy, and I adore the way Kearan seems to pine after her. I love that he truly wants to be better for her while she reluctantly wants to take care of him. It’s why I can’t wait to see their story develop in Vengeance of the Pirate Queen, which I just found out will be their own book! So exciting!
All in all, I don’t think this book was all that amazing, but I did read it easily and with enjoyment. It was, once again, a rather simple story with straightforward writing, but I liked it less than book one because it didn’t have as many fun scenes that showed Alosa’s sassy personality. I really missed the way she was in the first book! This particular story also didn’t have as many twists and turns, thus making it a little less engaging. Overall, this book was okay. Nothing more, nothing less.
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
This managed to be so much more disappointing than I could have ever imagined. I was really hoping the author would write the emotions, || 1.0 star ||
This managed to be so much more disappointing than I could have ever imagined. I was really hoping the author would write the emotions, depth and angst well, especially after where she left off with the previous book, but she managed to do everything exactly wrong.
First of all, I found it so off-putting that they kept on bantering with each other in every single situation, from beginning to end. They’re supposed to feel immense betrayal, yet they just keep on quipping quirky little one-liners towards each other? It’s not what I was expecting or hoping for. I wanted to feel the intensity and the angst between them; not this silly bit of almost-anger that hardly seemed to matter to either of them. Their entire relationship was just so superficial, it made me lose all interest in it.
Even more: Where was Kai’s guilt? Where was his desperation to win back her forgiveness and affection? Sometimes his inner-monologue seemed like he cared, but he treated her so callously and cold. Like he didn’t even care that she hated him now… He didn’t fight for her whatsoever. And she didn’t even seem to mind that he didn’t grovel or beg or show remorse; she weakly kept lusting after him anyway.
Furthermore, I absolutely despised the fact that Kai seemed to act like he had any right to anger. Like he was the one who should feel betrayed or hurt. He acted like she wronged him instead of the other way around. The hypocrisy of it all pissed me off so badly.
She’s alluring in the way most deadly things are. It’s captivating. No. No, it’s terrifying. It’s supposed to be terrifying, still thinking of her as something I’m trying to deserve. Still deeming her worthy of my desire. But she’s not. No matter what has already happened between us. She’s my prisoner and my mission. She is nothing to me.
Worst of all, the fact that Kai kept putting his “mission” above saving her, loving her, earning her forgiveness, was insanely unattractive. Him acting like an aimless lapdog to his father and now to his brother was just pathetic. I mean, this dude has been slaughtering innocents for years because… what? Because he couldn’t say a simple “no” to his evil daddy? PATHETIC. And now he’s willing to do the same thing to the girl he “loves” for the new king, his brother, just because he’s told to? PATHETIC. There’s seriously nothing less attractive than a man who’s willing to throw the girl he loves to the wolves because it’s his “duty” to listen to his king. I mean, where is his duty to her? Where is his sense of courage or protectiveness?? Absolutely nowhere.
“One landmark closer to my death.” I look away to the street below us, not wanting to think about the possible truth in her words. I hate that I don’t know what Kitt plans for her. Or worse, what he plans for me to do to her.
Is it bad of me to say I almost want her to end up with Kitt now? At least he was somewhat interesting and seemed to have actual emotions that went further than teasing and bantering. Most importantly, at least he never intended to murder her and give her up for his “duty”. Nope, he’s just straight up going to save her and all the other Ordinaries by marrying her. Like, I’m sorry, but am I supposed to pick the guy who never fought for her and was willing to let her die (and even killed lots of other people just like her) over the guy who’s going against everything and everyone to have her as his bride and do what’s right? Because I think not. I’m going with Kitt here.
My life is not my own. And, for that reason, she can never be mine.
Anyway, this entire book was just a giant disappointing mess that didn’t even come close to living up to its potential. The whole thing was nothing but repetitive and silly banter; there was no actual plot or any form of development. Everything stayed the same from beginning to end, and we basically saw the same scene play over and over again. It was annoying, superficial and boring.
The 'Powerless' trilogy: 1. Powerless - 3.0 stars 2. Reckless - 1.0 star
This was very unlike what I expected it to be, or at least, parts of it were. The book is divided into two parts, and the first part di|| 3.5 stars ||
This was very unlike what I expected it to be, or at least, parts of it were. The book is divided into two parts, and the first part did fit exactly what I thought the whole book would be like. We see Dr. Watson and Mr. Holmes meet, we see Watson being in awe and wonder at Holmes’ peculiar and genius personality, we see Holmes get involved in a mysterious and strange murder-case, and finally we see him easily solve the case with his own brand of deduction skills. Opposingly, the second part completely abandons these two characters and dives into the past to give a detailed, intricate and tense backstory of the murderer and why he has decided to commit his crimes. It is only at the very end that everything is tied back together again and we find out the full story at the same time as Dr. Watson.
Personally, I thought the first part was a little simplistic and nowhere near as smart or distinctive as I thought it would be. I wished we could have seen more of Sherlock’s actual deduction work, but considering the story is narrated by Watson, and he only gets short and simplified summaries of Sherlock’s deductions after the fact it has already taken place, this wasn’t the case at all. It was still fun and easy to read, but not as special as I was hoping it to be.
When I got around to the second part of this book I was honestly quite mystified and confused. At first, I didn’t have a clue as to what was happening or what I was even reading. However, once I started to realise that I was reading the backstory to the crime of the first part, I became more interested and eventually found myself very intrigued. It was actually a really good story that tug on my heartstrings more than once. I especially found myself feeling the highest respect for John Ferrier and his perseverance in wanting to protect his adoptive daughter against the horrors of Mormon culture and against having to become one of the many brides in a polygamous harem. He would rather die than have his little girl be tied to these monsters, and it was admirable to say the least. Jefferson Hope, of course, also acquired my respect for all that he did and I honestly couldn’t help but feel that the men who were murdered didn’t quite get enough compared to all that they were guilty of. I’d have wished to see them die more gruesomely if it were up to me. All in all, it was actually quite a tragic story with no happy ending for any of the good people involved.
All this said, I do think it is important to note that I believe this is one of those very rare cases where the tv adaptation is far better than the original text. I mean, the BBC’s Sherlock is seriously one of my favourite tv series of all time, while this was certainly not one of the best books I’ve ever read. Sure, it was still really good, and all the credits for the premise of the story and the idea of the characters should go completely to this, so I am glad I have read it, but still, the BBC’s adaptation just does it so much better. Therefore, if you’re only interested in exploring one version of Sherlock’s adventures, I’d recommend watching that instead. For die-hard fans (like me), however, this felt like an extra little bonus to read!...more
Mare and Cal both had the personality of a wet blanket and I could genuinely not care any less about either of them. They were truly th|| 2.5 stars ||
Mare and Cal both had the personality of a wet blanket and I could genuinely not care any less about either of them. They were truly the blandest people to ever exist and having to watch them pretend to have chemistry or tension between them was simply embarrassing, especially as neither of these hollow characters could ever convincingly portray any strong emotions for anyone or anything. Their “connection” truly made no sense and was based on absolutely nothing. It was basically insta-love, and it truly bothered me to see Mare’s constant attraction to him, even despite knowing he stood against everything that she loved and believed in. Mare literally just betrayed her whole belief-system by having these feelings while Cal betrayed his own brother by acting on them, and for what? The most stale and meaningless romance ever?? It was simply ridiculous.
Maven seemed like a somewhat interesting and intriguing character with at least some sort of depth to him, but, unfortunately, he had non-existent chemistry with Mare from beginning to end, so all of his scenes were always a little awkward because of that. The fact that he constantly got sidestepped by everyone for his wet blanket brother, Cal, honestly made me annoyed most of the time. I know it’s probably controversial to say this, but I didn’t even feel that bad about what he did at the end. Sure, it was a bit over-the-top and dramatic, but I didn’t truly blame him for wanting revenge and for wanting to come out on top. I can’t really blame him for having the guts and brains to outsmart everyone, especially since nobody was ever truly in his corner. I mean, is he a good person? Certainly not. He is pure evil. But honestly, I’d argue that all of the characters are terrible, cowardly, and deeply selfish people. The only difference was that Maven wasn’t absolutely dumb as rocks like all the rest of them.
Anyway, I have to say that the plot was pretty simple and underdeveloped as well. It had an okay premise but the book didn’t do much with it and simply lacked a feeling of suspense in general. It all remained rather surface level, which is a shame, since the plottwists in this were actually good, so this could have been a really cool story.
When it comes the the writing and the pacing I honestly have some mixed feelings. On the one hand it was rather easy and smooth to read, thus making it possible for me to fly through these pages quickly, but then on the other, it also lacked any kind of depth or true emotion, thus making it a bit hollow and empty.
Long story short, I’d say this book was nothing to write home about....more
This was honestly such a fun and engaging read! It’s actually quite a simple story with rather straightforward writing, but I think the|| 4.0 stars ||
This was honestly such a fun and engaging read! It’s actually quite a simple story with rather straightforward writing, but I think there was something very pleasant about that. It’s super easy to follow along with and even easier to get lost in. Especially since it’s also very quickly paced and the plot could even be quite twisty.
The book is about a fiery, stubborn, badass girl who gets herself kidnapped on purpose so she can steal an important item for her father, The Pirate King. Nobody can know she’s a willing prisoner and neither can she reveal how skilled she is, so she has to keep herself in check most of the time. Still, she really isn’t capable of turning off her sass and snark, so her imprisonment is certainly an interesting experience and definitely far from boring.
I honestly really liked the heroine, Alosa. She wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, she never doubted herself, she had confidence in spades, yet she was never needlessly ruthless or cruel. She was a genuinely good person, but not one who had to make herself feel or act small to be liked. She was just really… cool.
When it comes to the romance though, I do think there could have been much better development. I really would have preferred a deeper, more meaningful connection between her and Riden, and I have to say it was unfortunately veering a little towards insta-love territory. That said, they did have some pretty fun banter sometimes and their overall dynamic was one I mostly enjoyed. It wasn’t anything special, but I liked them together well enough.
This was so mind-numbingly boring and truly beyond frustrating. I wish I could get the time back that I wasted on this book, but alas.
A|| 1.0 star ||
This was so mind-numbingly boring and truly beyond frustrating. I wish I could get the time back that I wasted on this book, but alas.
As you might expect from my introduction, this was the worst kind of chick-lit you can get with unfunny humour, over-the-top clumsiness, forced cheeriness and just all-around cringe. You always hope you’ll find that rare chick-lit that genuinely has you laughing out loud, infuses you with warmth, gives you all the feelings, and genuinely has an entertaining story, but unfortunately it’s safe to say that this was not one of those rare finds. The writing and story here were so flimsy and empty, it honestly felt like I was reading nothing.
The entire plot of this book literally goes like this: The heroine is a high-powered, driven career woman who gets into a major problem at her job, which leads her to have a huge meltdown, therefore resulting in her fleeing away and getting a job as a housekeeper by lying to everyone about her real life and credentials. Thus begins the rest of this entire book where we see the heroine attempt to cook and clean, but failing miserably at it every single time. I swear, this woman is incapable of doing the most basic things and we get to hear about it in detail. But, of course, along the way she realises that cooking and cleaning is actually the only thing in life that can bring her happiness so she decides to give up her entire career to become a housekeeper (even though she didn’t even know how to do something as basic as cook an omelet, operate a laundry machine, use a clothing iron, or literally do anything involved with keeping a house until a few weeks ago). You’d really think the most logical thing for her to do was simply go back to having an actual career but just attempt to find a better work-life balance (basically just stop being a workaholic but still do something she’s actually been trained for), but apparently that’s too difficult a solution for her to come up with. Thus, in the end, the heroine literally had some sort of existential breakdown and serious midlife crisis (at 29!) and saw that as a sign to throw her whole life away, but somehow I’m supposed to think this was a happy ending… Okay.
Also, if you expect any type of romance in this book: DON’T. There’s nothing here. The “romance” doesn’t even start until halfway into the book and even then it’s the most meaningless, boring, passionless and uneventful“romance” I have ever seen.
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!
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.
Well, shite. What a big disappointment. Especially after I had such high hopes…
This book really started out promising; it was gentle an|| 2.0 stars ||
Well, shite. What a big disappointment. Especially after I had such high hopes…
This book really started out promising; it was gentle and sweet and delicate. Archer was such a broken but heartbreakingly kind man, and Bree was the sunshiney goodness he needed in his life. They were both so pure and warm, I instantly loved them. I adored seeing their quiet but strong connection grow over time; it was so endearing to see Archer find a safe place and a person he could talk to. It was sad, but also really beautiful.
However, the minute these two decided to get intimate in a romantic way was the same moment the whole book went downhill. Gone went all of their sweet and meaningful interactions, and in its place came nothing but horniness, smut and the occasional love-bombing. Sex was all these two seemed to do with each other anymore and their love declarations felt a little over-the-top and underserved; the book just lost all depth and beauty for me, and it simply became boring and repetitive. Super disappointing.
Also, I got really frustrated with their relationship near the end. At first, Archer seemed to think Bree hung the moon and stars and adored her with a fiery passion. This woman was his whole world and you’d think he could never live without her. But then, randomly, and without reason, this man decides to leave her for months because he loves her too much and needs to learn how to live on his own…?? EXCUSE ME!? He literally just left her. With a dumb, weak note. For months. Bree had no idea if he’d be back, or when that would be, and he even said he didn’t expect her to wait (so apparently he was fine with her moving on??? What the hell??). But obviously she does wait, and when he comes back she doesn’t even get mad. Nope, she welcomes him back with open arms like nothing happened and they live happily ever after. And I guess their happy ending was that Archer now learned to love her less, so he won’t be afraid of losing her, and that’s… good somehow? I dunno. I thought it sucked. And honestly just kind of ruined their whole relationship dynamic for me.
Lastly, the plot of this whole book was insane. You’re telling me Archer’s dad and uncle shot each other, but nobody ever thought to ask the only witness, Archer, what the hell even happened? Even if he couldn’t speak, they could ask him to write it down! Jeez. How incompetent is the police department in that town??...more
Oh my god, this was awful. It felt like it was written by a 14-year old girl who didn’t even bother to check whether any of her writing || 1.0 star ||
Oh my god, this was awful. It felt like it was written by a 14-year old girl who didn’t even bother to check whether any of her writing made a lick of sense before publishing it. The sentences had no structure whatsoever, the plot gave me whiplash, and the characters were as ridiculously unbelievable as possible. The romance had to be the most random and underdeveloped thing I’ve ever encountered; it’s a bully romance, but the book starts with the bully being halfway in love with his victim from the get-go, so the very first time we see them interact he says “sorry”, they hook up, and start a relationship. This all happened in the first damn pages, and it was simply insane.
Anyway, after I’d read about 20% of this book I knew it was utter trash, so I decided to skim the rest of it. I’ll just recap the gist of the plot, because wow, it was so dumb and I feel like people need to know just how dumb it is before choosing to waste their time on it: Okay, so the book starts with the arsehole bully having an epiphany about lusting after the guy he’s tormented for years, so he decides to have some sort of hate make-out session with him (which the victim was totally okay with for some reason?), and then they immediately start dating and talking about love. It was super random and had no build-up. However, it gets worse, because some big “misunderstanding” happens that has the victim running away for five years, which leads to the bully being all pissy and angry at him (hypocrisy is a foreign concept for him, I guess). Anyway, this means that after the victim comes back he spends the whole rest of the book groveling and trying to win the bully back. Like… excuse me!? You’re telling me the bully gave his victim severe anxiety, OCD and dissociative disorder with his abuse, but the book decides to focus on the grovel the VICTIM gives to the bully? A grovel we NEVER got from the bully in the first place?? And the victim has to grovel for leaving for very valid reasons, because who can blame the guy for not assuming the best about his abusive bully when everyone tells him horrible lies about what the bully was planning to do to him?? I’d have left too! Well, I’d never have forgiven the bully in the first place, so the whole point is moot, but still. Just… What a mess. So frustrating.
P.S. The victim’s dad casually ended up dating and impregnating his recently legal son’s closest friend, which was totally accepted by everyone and the dad was considered the good guy in this story. I feel like that should tell you all you need to know about the quality of this book and the decency of the characters....more
This story follows a man who says he is being haunted by a ghost who keeps warning him before terrible tragedy strikes.|| 3.0 stars ||
Oh, how creepy!
This story follows a man who says he is being haunted by a ghost who keeps warning him before terrible tragedy strikes. The man is beside himself because the ghost appeared before him again, and he now fears danger is looming ahead. Yet, the man does not know how to stop the upcoming tragedy from happening, nor does he know what the danger entails. He is scared and wants to do something to help, but knows he is useless to do anything. He is terribly frustrated because why would the ghost warn him without telling him what he can do to prevent the tragedy? He confides his troubles to a complete stranger, who comes to the conclusion that the man’s senses must be betraying him, and that the man’s illusions of the ghost’s appearances and coinciding previous tragedies have to simply be a coincidence. Still, the stranger doesn’t want to outright call the man crazy, or expose his secret to others, especially since the man seems intelligent and controlled in all other aspects. Thus, the stranger decides to let it be for the time being. However, the next night something happens that proofs the stranger wrong, and it certainly has dire consequences...
I think the reason this story worked so well for me is because I never figured out if the man’s loneliness made him see things that weren’t there, or if maybe he truly was being haunted by something supernatural. It all depends whether the end could be seen as a coincidence... Could it? I’m not sure. Perhaps the man’s fear and paranoia made him do things that led to this end. It could also be that the man’s own certainty of a fatal ending simply willed it into being. So many options, but no clear answer. ...more
I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy this novella because we already knew it would have a sad ending due to the previous book, but I shouldn’t || 2.0 star ||
I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy this novella because we already knew it would have a sad ending due to the previous book, but I shouldn’t have worried. There wasn’t a single moment where I would have felt emotional anyway, regardless of knowing the ending beforehand. I felt zero connection to the characters or story, and I simply didn’t care.
Also, is it just me or was it a little sad that Adena was constantly thinking about Pae like she was some perfect saviour, when we know that Pae never even gave her a second thought once she left Loot. I mean, poor girl… Such a one-sided friendship, and then she even has to die so tragically for it? That’s the worst luck in the world.
That said, Adena’s incessant perkiness and childishness did give me a major headache and her romance with Mak was really superficial as well. Adena truly read as a child 99% of the time, and Mak read like he had the personality of a cardboard box. Their relationship gave me the ick, especially because Adena was way more into him at first than the other way around and it was pathetic. Then, suddenly, for no reason whatsoever, Mak becomes obsessed with her too but it just feels fake and random.
The writing was also insanely repetitive and super cringy, especially in the first half. The first half truly was one of the worst things I’ve read in a while, but the second half was quite a bit better. It still wasn’t good, but at least it wasn’t that awful either. I think it’s because the second half at least had some semblance of a plot, so we didn’t have to focus so much on the awkward and forced romance. Still, the tiny bit of plot we did get felt super rushed and underdeveloped. This novella could have done so much more with it. We could have gotten to see the true friendship between Adena and Pae so that Pae’s upcoming revenge arc would hold more meaning (Update: There was no revenge arc in Reckless) or we could have seen how and why the king did this to Adena, but instead we skipped over every scene that could have told us anything meaningful. I think the only reason this novella will have had some sort of purpose is if Mak ends up playing a big part in the rest of the series, but I’m not sure he will (Update: He wasn’t even mentioned once in Reckless). And even still, his personality was pretty much non-existent in this, so the novella wouldn’t have added much regardless.
Honestly, I just wasn’t a big fan of this whole story overall, and I felt disappointed and underwhelmed. It was pretty bad. It’s as plain and simple as that.
The plot here was definitely an improvement from the first book. It was much more hands-on; we actually got to see The Naturals in acti|| 3.5 stars ||
The plot here was definitely an improvement from the first book. It was much more hands-on; we actually got to see The Naturals in action rather than them just sitting in a house, babbling about how special they are.
The murder mystery was actually very intriguing and I felt super curious from the very beginning about what truly happened. The resolution and reveals were good too; I didn’t feel disappointed or underwhelmed at any time.
Furthermore, I was also very intrigued to find out more about some of the characters’s histories. Especially Dean. That guy has been an enigma from the start, but his past was clearly very dark, disturbing and haunted. I was hooked on every little scrap we got about him. I honestly feel like he would have been a much more interesting main character than Cassie… His past, his coping mechanisms, his fear, his repressed anger, but also the way people around him seem to care so deeply about him and want to do anything to protect him; it’s all so much more complex and meaningful than anything Cassie has to offer as a main character.
Nonetheless, despite the positives this book had to offer I still can’t get past that horrendous love triangle. Seriously, the love triangle was still as stupid as ever. There was just zero reason for either boy to be obsessively in love with this random girl, but somehow they still are. It was also obvious from the start which of the two boys Cassie would choose, so it wasn’t particularly exciting to watch the development in that department.
Also, am I the only one who was actually insanely curious about the reason why Michael and Dean hated each other so much? Deep down they clearly did care about each other, but for some reason they choose to mask it by a lot of animosity and mistrust. Why? They’re both nice guys, so it’s not like either of them really had a reason to be enemies with the other based on principle, so something must have happened in the past. But what is it? Is it truly just that dumb reason Michael gave; about Dean repressing his anger? That would be such a silly reason to me…
Sloane is probably the most likable person in the group to me. She’s the most socially inept but obviously has the best intentions. There’s nothing more endearing to me than a socially awkward genius trying to make sense of other people’s emotions through statistics and logic. She’s always trying to help and comfort, but just isn’t very skilled at doing it right.
I genuinely think all of the members of The Naturals are sweet people in their own way, but the only exception to that is Lia for me. She is just so freaking annoying and entitled. Her relationship with Dean and Michael are both so weird and I hate the way she takes all of her frustrations out on Cassie whenever something goes wrong with either of them, especially when it comes to Dean. Like, calm down, girl. That boy is not some sort of precious china doll you need to protect at all costs. Get a hobby or something and stop obsessing about a guy like your whole life depends on it. It’s even more embarrassing and pathetic since Dean clearly doesn’t care that much about her in return; he’s more interested in Cassie’s well-being and it’s painfully obvious. I’m not sure whether the book will ever try to make Michael and Lia a thing, but I sure hope not. Lia’s priority has always been Dean, and Michael deserves better. Just like it’s also obvious that Michael would never look twice at Lia if Cassie gave him a shot. Putting these two together in the end would thus be supremely unsatisfying.
Anyway, long story short, this was a very fun, engaging, suspenseful and mysterious story that managed to have me hooked from start to finish! The silly love triangle is dumb, but the plot itself was actually surprisingly good.
'The Naturals' series: 1. The Naturals - 3.0 stars 2. Killer Instinct - 3.5 stars...more
Was this book supposed to feel like pretentious drivel on steroids or has something gone seriously wrong?
The never-ending, supposedly in|| 1.0 star ||
Was this book supposed to feel like pretentious drivel on steroids or has something gone seriously wrong?
The never-ending, supposedly insightful ramblings and literary quotes made my eye twitch uncontrollably, and the overall writing was very close to giving me a full-blown aneurysm. Furthermore, the portrayals of important and delicate subjects were all handled in rather distasteful and over-the-top kind of ways.
The characters in this book were also completely unbearable; every single “adult” needed to be slapped right into next week, and the hyper-active, mentally ill MMC somehow developed an insane obsession with the moody, bitchy FMC for no reason whatsoever. Of course, both MCs are represented as quirky and special and not like everyone else, but in reality they were just sad and lonely, and I personally don’t think that’s a feeling that should be romanticized or idolized.
Also, zero realistic conversations have actually been spoken in this whole entire book, but who cares, right?
I think reading this book could be best described with one single word: headache....more
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