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
I know it’s a fairy tale, and should thus not be taken too seriously, but the pure and utter stupidity of Snow White really got on my n|| 2.0 stars ||
I know it’s a fairy tale, and should thus not be taken too seriously, but the pure and utter stupidity of Snow White really got on my nerves so badly. She genuinely had to have had less than a single brain cell, and her passivity and unwillingness to learn were truly astounding. I’m certain that if she didn’t have her pretty privilege, nobody would have even cared to save her either. Sure, the Queen wouldn’t have had a reason to go after her in the first place, but let’s ignore that for argument’s sake.
Oddly enough, I was actually looking forward to reading this original fairy tale (even though I was never a fan of Snow White’s story), but it was exceedingly disappointing to me due to its complete lack of intelligence and rationale. It’s hard for me to root for a character if they don’t even attempt to save themselves and honestly seem to do everything in their power to make the dumbest possible decisions.
Oh, and the fact that she eventually marries the guy who tried to take her dead corpse to his castle because she was just too damn pretty to never look at again was… disturbing, at best.
P.S. The version I read didn’t have any illustrations, so maybe those could have made this more enjoyable or charming....more
This Grecian play is about Prometheus, a Titan who defied Zeus and is now being torturously punished for it. After Zeus overthrew the T|| 3.5 stars ||
This Grecian play is about Prometheus, a Titan who defied Zeus and is now being torturously punished for it. After Zeus overthrew the Titans (with Prometheus’ help), he settled himself as a pure tyrant with nothing but cruelty and narcissism to his name. He saw no use for humans and wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth to be replaced by a new race. However, Prometheus took pity on the human creatures and decided to give them the gift of Fire, and with that gift gave them the knowledge to stay alive and improve their lives. Zeus, furious for being defied, puts Prometheus in chains for this and orders him to be tied to a cliff’s edge for many, many years, where he will feel nothing but torture and misery. Prometheus knew that he would be punished for his selfless act to help the humans, but even he did not imagine his punishment to be so cruel. Thus, the play mostly shows him lamenting his bad fortune and hopeless future to whoever will listen, but yet he never loses his spirit or his belief in his own righteousness. He screams taunts of Zeus’ inevitable downfall, and refuses to offer any help in the future. The play shows us that Prometheus may have lost his freedom, but he did not lose his fiery heart or his desire for revenge.
HERMES: “You think I am to blame for your misfortune?” PROMETHEUS: “To put it bluntly—I hate all the gods who received my help and then abused me, perverting justice.” HERMES: “From the words you speak I see your madness is no mild disease.” PROMETHEUS: “I may well be insane, if madness means one hates one’s enemies.”
All in all, I think this was a very sad story that showed the evilness of the Gods, even towards someone to whom they owe their rule. We see how Prometheus, who acted out of nothing but the goodness of his heart and willingness to teach, will have to suffer dire consequences by the hands of the evil Zeus, who, by tradition, is truly one of the most cruel and disgusting Gods in the whole of Greek mythology. Honestly, Zeus and his weak-minded minions made me want to rage and riot, as per usual. That said, I do think the play itself lacked a sense of action, suspense and urgency. The characters spoke a lot of words discussing the past and future, but we don’t actually get to see any events unfold in the present. Therefore, the story was a little bit stale....more
This felt like a very flowery love letter to nature.
It tells the story of a child who is completely enamored by the wild life around h|| 2.5 stars ||
This felt like a very flowery love letter to nature.
It tells the story of a child who is completely enamored by the wild life around her, and who would give up a fortune to protect it. However, she later wonders if she made the right choice and if saving a bird was worth more than money and the chance at friendship with another human....more
A cute, fluffy, angst-free read that’ll make you smile more often than not! It took me a little while to get into this one, but once I || 3.0 stars ||
A cute, fluffy, angst-free read that’ll make you smile more often than not! It took me a little while to get into this one, but once I did, I really had a great time with it.
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.
Pfew, wow, so much to unpack here… I’m not sure what to say, but this was certainly a depressing, shocking, emotional, powerful and int|| 4.0 stars ||
Pfew, wow, so much to unpack here… I’m not sure what to say, but this was certainly a depressing, shocking, emotional, powerful and intense story.
It tells the story of a woman of unknown origin who’s rejected by her husband when their baby turns out brown. He assumes she must have a Black heritage and therefore loses all love for her, which leaves her absolutely shattered to pieces. The end gives such a twist, though, that it puts the whole narrative on its head!...more
This tells the story of a group of children who live in a colony on Venus where the sun only comes out for an hour every seven years. A|| 2.0 stars ||
This tells the story of a group of children who live in a colony on Venus where the sun only comes out for an hour every seven years. All the children hate the constant rain and the lack of true warmth on their skin, but Margot is suffering most of all. She has grown sullen, ashy, quiet and sad; it’s like she has been slowly losing her life force, or perhaps even her very will to live. The other children tease her relentlessly and, worst of all, lock her in a closet when the sun is finally shining again after seven years. She misses that little hour of sunshine she so desperately needed…
All in all, I wasn’t very impressed with this story. It felt a little aimless, and although I’m sure some sort of meaning could be attributed to what I’ve just read, I didn’t really see it. To me, it seemed insubstantial and perhaps even a bit random....more
This story is about a woman who receives the news of her husband’s death in a rather… unexpected manner. Instead of grief, she feels in|| 3.0 stars ||
This story is about a woman who receives the news of her husband’s death in a rather… unexpected manner. Instead of grief, she feels intense joy, gratitude and relief for the freedom his death will now grant her. Not because she hated him or because she didn’t love him, but purely because, without a marriage, she felt she would finally be able to genuinely live life without being held back and without restrictions. She would be able to live life for herself.
This story clearly displayed the very sad reality of the stifling and oppressive nature that marriage used to have not so long ago, and also how very little autonomy and liberty a woman had when she was legally tied to a man.
Oh, but that ending? Such a twist! I definitely didn’t see it coming!...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
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.
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
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
This was a simple story with not much meat to it, but it was still pretty fun and entertaining. People say it’s kind of like a YA Crim|| 3.0 stars ||
This was a simple story with not much meat to it, but it was still pretty fun and entertaining. People say it’s kind of like a YA Criminal Minds, but I really think it wasn’t anywhere near that quality to be even remotely compared to it. The actual profiling the characters do here isn’t particularly extensive or cleverly put together, but I am willing to give credits for the effort. I mean, the execution really isn’t anything special, but I like the idea.
The main mystery plot was pretty interesting and kept me hooked at trying to figure it out. The reveal was a little awkward though. I get why the author chose to go this route because it was shocking and impactful, but it was also very dumb since it seriously made me question all of “The Natural” kids’ abilities. The whole point is that these kids can perfectly read people and catch serial killers, but none of them noticed anything off about the killer living right under their noses? They’re clearly not very good at something they’re supposed to be super talented at… It’s a little embarrassing. Truthfully, all this book did with that was show their complete and utter incompetence.
Of course, there’s also an instant love triangle that comes straight out of nowhere. Cassie doesn’t truly know either boy, but she’s inexplicably drawn to one of them and the other is inexplicably drawn to her. In the end, she has two boys fighting over her even though she has the non-existent personality of a cardboard box. It’s the same old, same old. It’s very clear that Michael is just an obstacle though; I’m willing to bet Cassie is going to end up with Dean. Michael is fun and flirty and actually shows interest in her, but Cassie doesn’t think or care about him like she does Dean, who is broody and self-loathing and tries to fight his attraction to her at all costs. Michael would be the obvious choice for any well-functioning, normal person, but it’s always the Dean-types who get the girl in books, so I am pretty sure this series won’t be any different. That said, I really don’t dislike either of the boys, and I kind of just want both of them to be happy, so I hope the author will find a way to make them happen.
'The Naturals' series: 1. The Naturals - 3.0 stars 2. Killer Instinct - 3.5 stars...more
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