tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10045228844035286772024-03-18T10:22:05.825+00:00Reading In Between The Lines.Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-68951667541955945402018-08-18T19:51:00.000+01:002020-06-19T13:15:07.612+01:00The Holy Grail Of Publishing - And How To Find It <style type="text/css">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><b>How do I get a job in publishing?</b></u></span></div>
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<b><i>That</i></b> my friends, is the holy grail question for those looking to get into publishing and one which I myself personally searched for, for many years, until I arrived at this point.</div>
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4 years ago, when I got my first ever work experience slot at Hodder & Stoughton in 2014, I wrote a 3 part blog series about <b><i>Cracking Into Creativity</i></b> which you can view <a href="https://bit.ly/2ON2oI3"><b>here</b></a>.<br />
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Now, 4 years was a long time ago and a lot has changed in publishing but - a lot of what I write in there still heavily applies. And as loooOoNnng winded as my posts are, I still believe them to be well worth a read before you come into this post itself. So, chop chop, off you go, arm yourself with a mug of something delicious and hot as you settle down to read my 3 essay length posts and rambling. <br />
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In todays post, I’ve revived myself (after almost exactly 6 months of being absent) as <b><u>MANY</u></b> people online and in real life, have been asking me about my experience on how to get a job in publishing, not just in general, but also as a person of colour with no previous knowledge or experience of publishing itself. Everything I’m about to type, the nuggets of wisdom that are about to follow, are all based off of my own experience as a 25 year old, Muslim, British born Bangladeshi, hijab wearing woman.<br />
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<b><u>Humble beginnings and 360 turn in career paths.</u></b></div>
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So. The basics. The background. The first rung of the ladder, etc etc. Let’s roll it back 7 years ago (crikey I’m old) to 2011. During the 6 week break from finishing 6th form and before starting my first year of university, I spent the summer indulging myself by creating a book review blog, to share my reviews, read other peoples and generally bask in the glorious world of words. As my blog slowly picked up pace and publicists started sending me books to review, I slowly discovered the world of publishing for the first time. That you <u><b>COULD</b></u> work with books as a career. </div>
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I was due to start university to study Criminology and Social Policy at the London School of Economics and I still wanted to study what I had chosen. My initial career path was to join the civil service, the Metropolitan Police to be exact and my degree was the stepping stone to that. I decided to continue my degree with gusto and decided in the final year of university, during the Christmas and Easter break, I would do work experience / internships in publishing so that by the time I graduated, I’d have enough experience to apply for entry level jobs in publishing. <br />
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<b><u>Paying your dues through unpaid means.</u></b></div>
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Despite my degree being so vastly different from what I wanted to then pursue, I didn’t see it as a hinderance to the future as getting a degree wasn’t just about the degree itself, but about the skills you accumulate in doing that degree. The work experience would be to bulk up my CV. I did a variety of work experience which I will briefly outline below:<br />
<ul>
<li>2 weeks unpaid work experience at Hodder & Stoughton </li>
<li>2 weeks unpaid work experience at Legend Press. </li>
<li>2 weeks unpaid work experience at Orion </li>
<li>5 weeks unpaid work experience at Penguin RandomHouse </li>
</ul>
The take-away I personally found from doing those internships was that they were very very short periods of time. Not sufficient enough to help you learn what publishing is all about and not long enough to learn any type of skillset that could carry you forward. But they are useful in finding out which department you might be interested in - whether that be editorial, sales, design, marketing and PR or none of those even. It doesn’t just help you in realising what you want to do, but for some it helps them realise it might not be the path for them at all. I already knew before doing any of those placements that I wanted to work in PR and marketing. I did the placements to bulk up my CV as I had no previous work history at all. Those placements would show potential employers that I’d spent time in publishing, and was willing to take the next step forward. <br />
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I continued to apply for jobs on the above basis and eventually joined an agency, called <a href="https://creativeaccess.org.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItI2P3aH33AIVRLHtCh2K_gHTEAAYASAAEgI1MfD_BwE"><b>Creative Access</b></a>. They are an agency specifically for people of BAME background and who wanted to get into the creative industry. They were to me, in a word, <b>AMAZING</b>. So helpful in finding placements, CV clinics to help improve your applications, events across different creative industries to help you figure out what you wanted to do and to network with others which was very useful. If you are from a BAME background, DEFFO check them out. <br />
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It was through them that I got my first ever paid internship at an academic publisher, SAGE Publications, as a Digital Content Assistant. Even though trade publishing was where I wanted to be, I gratefully took the role as 1. it was for 6 months and 2. it was PAID. Music to my ears. Through that role, which I enjoyed ridiculously, I learnt many skills and about publishing itself, even if it was academic. Near the end of the role, they wanted to make it permanent and asked if I’d like to interview for it. I did, and in the end they offered me the role, but I turned it down. I know how crazy that sounds. I struggle for so long, finally get a paid internship which turns into a full time position, and I go and turn it down. But. I KNEW I wanted to work in trade publishing. I could have easily taken that role and done it happily - but the more I stayed in academic, the harder my move to trade could have been. I figured it was best to make the move sooner, rather than later. So I turned the role down and spent the next 6 months searching for a job. <br />
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And I got one. I landed a role at HQ, HarperCollins as a PR Intern - paid, for 6 months. I loved it. It was everything I wanted and more but sadly the role wasn’t one that was made permanent. I did that role for 8 months, until another imprint within HarperCollins approached me and asked me if I’d like to work for them in HarperImpulse as a Digital Marketing Assistant on a fixed term basis. I jumped at the chance and said yes! Again, I loved it. I also know how crazy rare it is to just be approached from within the same company, not get formally interviewed and get the job based off a few informal chats. But it happened and I was at HarperImpulse for 8 months. <br />
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<b><u>Bouncing around at Bonnier.</u></b></div>
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But I needed something permanent - I had done my lions share of unpaid internships and a fare amount of paid internships too. A fixed term contract didn’t offer me the same security I wanted in a permanent job, and so with all my experience up until this point, I applied for a Marketing Executive role at Bonnier Publishing and well the rest is history as I’ve been here for almost 6 months now! <br />
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Now - I’ve written A LOT up there and I know all you guys want are the main take-away points and not my innate ramblings. So here’s some key things for you:<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">CV and applications: </u><br />
<ul>
<li>When I first started applying for jobs, I made a master list of all the UK / London based publishers (it was a <b>H U G E</b> list) and systematically worked my way through each of them to see if they had a website, if they had any vacancies going, and if they didn’t, I’d email them anyway with my application in case they had any positions in the future and letting them know I’m interested. Having an organised approach will help. </li>
<li>When it comes to CV’s, you will have to put in the work. As ideal as it would be to have one standard CV and cover letter which you can reuse, you actually can’t and shouldn’t do that. Take the time to really tailor your CV and cover letter to where you are applying, it makes <b><u>ALL</u></b> the difference. Again, an organised approached helps. Structure your cover letter paragraph by paragraph. Research the publisher and take that information and slot it into relevant paragraphs in your letter. </li>
<li>Don’t be afraid to be <b>creative</b>! I wasn’t happy with the standard cover letter approach as I felt like it didn’t really reflect me. I scrapped it, and wrote a funny script instead in which I’m being interviewed. Each ‘interview’ question would be tailored to the job I was applying for and my answers would highlight my skills and suitability for it each time. It was fun, it was me, and it worked. It got publishers attention every time and I even if it didn’t help me land an interview, every single publisher I applied to using the cover letter, gave me positive and great feedback on my style. </li>
</ul>
<u style="font-weight: bold;">Tips: </u><br />
<ul>
<li>Apply to any and <b>EVERY</b> job. You honest to God will never know where it will take you. Whether you land that job or not, it could open up other doors for you like ‘hey this might not be the job for you, but I know so and so is so and so company is looking for someone like you. Please apply here’. </li>
<li>Networking is important and actually fun! I used to be <b><i>TERRIFIED</i></b> of the word and more so of the actual act. Meeting unknown people in one space and trying to make friends / make connections? COUNT ME OUT. But it was honestly one step at a time. Go to one event, take a friend, everyone is REALLY friendly and probably all feel the way you do. The second time, don’t take a friend, try to relax, listen to others, share your input. I promise it gets easier! And it’s a great way to find other like minded individuals and though networking isn’t the short-cut to getting a job, it <b><u>DEFFO</u></b> a huge help in knowing people in other companies and divisions to hear about jobs and opportunities. </li>
</ul>
<u style="font-weight: bold;">Agencies: </u><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://creativeaccess.org.uk/register/">Creative Access</a> were a HUGE help for me, and though I know it’s only for people from BAME backgrounds, there are many other agencies out there who can do the same for non-BAME people. Do your research and you can find them. </li>
</ul>
<b style="text-decoration-line: underline;">Websites: </b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://thesyp.org.uk/">SYP</a> - The Society of Young Publishers is a website you pay to join where jobs in publishing are posted early before they reach the masses. They also have events, networking opportunities and are wonderful people! </li>
<li><a href="https://jobs.thebookseller.com/">The Bookseller</a> - The Bookseller has a page dedicated to jobs in publishing, trade and academic and is regularly updated. Keep your eyes on it, there’s always lots of roles going. </li>
<li>Twitter - follow publishers on twitter, many of them either have specific HR / job vacancy pages or will tweet about upcoming or open positions through their channel. It’s also great to follow publishers to see what they’re promoting, what kinds of books and lists they have, just so you know a little bit more about them. </li>
</ul>
<u style="font-weight: bold;">Skills:</u><br />
<ul>
<li>My blog helped propel me (ok arguably it doesn’t look great now given I’ve been inactive for 6 months) but having a consistent blog, and Instagram account focused on books helped show my passion for reading, my ability to write (through reviews and blog posts) and my social media prowess through using Twitter and Instagram to somewhat self promote myself and my blog posts. Yours could be a blog, a Youtube channel, Instagram account, even your Twitter. Any and everything that could help set you apart or show that you’ve got more than just the passion to read. </li>
<li>Additional skills will also come in handy. For me, that was my photography, coding, and Photoshop. I loved learning to use Photoshop and basic coding to elevate my blog and because I really enjoyed that creative outlet and it’s come in VERY handy for me, the same with photography. I self taught myself all of the above out of passion for each creative element and used it for my blog, and later for my jobs. While it doesn’t have to be those specific skills, Photoshop is SUCH a handy tool to know how to use especially for PR and Marketing roles. </li>
</ul>
And that’s it for now! Phew, long enough, huh? Everything I’ve written above has been my experience and my thoughts of publishing so please don’t feel like you have to follow everything I’ve said. I hope the above is useful to anyone reading and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask! Always happy to help. I’ll do another post soon with more details on applications and interviews, but if there are more things you’d like me to write posts about, do let me know! I’m always prancing about on my <a href="https://twitter.com/Line_Reader">Twitter</a>. That’s it for now, Sahina #OverAndOut <br />
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</style>Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-3205602933302731822018-01-17T18:00:00.000+00:002018-08-18T21:02:21.255+01:00Without Merit - Colleen Hoover; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="306" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IQin46VahQ3UETNoz5vE3IqX0co-B9RwO3GdCuY08pAGfnp9pZY9MQ_xBtNzeV-oat7UPVPGHrIOLOyFPpwlFKJzwqzkBZkWp6rdxIbG1ata_zZo03ZSFa27xHyWmMecKQo7pUvgPco/s200/33280872.jpg" width="128" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Hardcover</b>: 384 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> Simon & Schuster UK (3 Oct. 2017)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 1471171922</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-1471171925</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Without-Merit-Colleen-Hoover/dp/1471171922/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1512254841&sr=1-1">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Without-Merit-Colleen-Hoover/9781501170621?ref=grid-view&qid=1512254846258&sr=1-1">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/without-merit/colleen-hoover/9781501170621">Buy It On Waterstones</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="610" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLV-WVcTpc4-sJa81um51VY3qdjv3JEZVDiiEvNVFBXvIjqaanRPu6WZSYXCmEyU2WqRTF0y6wHAoLvAzRLzGJUQVgv3V3qk4iESh-7tcGzub31ixcs1gOsFU6h7acfy6zCjFbixMjf4/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">There was a lot of things that I really liked about Without Merit, and equally, things I really didn’t like about the book. I didn’t like Colleen Hoover’s usual books, which I know a lot of people absolutely loved, the contemporary ones such as the Slammed, Hopeless and Maybe series. The one that I </span><span class="s3">did like though,</span><span class="s2"> LOVED - was <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/it-ends-with-us-colleen-hoover-review_30.html">It Ends With Us,</a> which was probably one of my fav books of the year, last year. I’m more of a fan of her NA/adult books, and Without Merit is another one of those (I think?) - but I sense this is a hit or miss kinda book and I’m still not sure how it sits with me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">This is darker than Hoover’s usual, evident in the content and the issues discussed in the book. There’s a very dysfunctional family dynamic going on, there’s issues about identity, sexuality, drugs, abuse. There’s basically A LOT going on - and I get what the author was trying to do in bringing these issues to light - but quantity over quantity. For me, there were too many issues trying to be jam packed into one and the risk of that is that there’s never enough time to properly explore the issues on hand and this is very very important. Because you run the risk of not talking about the issue properly, not representing it how it should in the story - it shouldn’t just be a tick-box case where you throw the issue in there just to get it out there - these issues are important and should be given time to be explored and talked about in a book. For me personally, picking fewer topics to discuss would have worked out better. Having said that, I really did appreciate Hoover’s inclusion of Sagan and his background - about his family in Syria and in highlighting the Syrian crisis - but again, there wasn’t enough time to really delve into what this issue means and the plight of the people.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">In terms of the characters, I’m torn between how I feel about Merit. There’s something about her that’s broken which I relate to and understand - she’s flawed, there’s a lot going on with her, but the more I read about her, the less redeeming qualities she seemed to possess. Her perspective, her views, were very narrow minded and started to get annoying. Likewise, her relationship with her siblings was irritating - I think midway through the book, I was pretty sure I disliked all of them, including Merit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I feel like this book could have been really, really good - as always in such cases, the idea was definitely there - but it could have been executed better. Fewer issues, more time spent exploring said issues, and an ending with a resolution because it didn’t feel like it was really resolved to me. I know there’s a lot of negative going on here, so let’s chuck some good stuff in - ok ok the story at the beginning about how they moved into what used to be the church and Merit dressing the statue of Jesus up every morning did make me chuckle. There was a fair bit of dry, sarcastic witty humour in the book - my fav type - but it was few and far between. I did however, love the message I took away from the book, and one of my fav quotes from the book:</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>“Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.” – Sagan</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">One of the few other things I did like about the book, was that it’s not all about the romance. The little that there was, I don’t think I enjoyed - Merit annoyed me and there wasn’t much about Sagan that I found likeable either - together, these two weren’t great. So I guess I’m glad there wasn’t much to endure, a blessing in disguise. The writing however, I really did like - Hoover knows how to write, that much is evident. I just hope the next book from here is executed better, because I know she can - she did it with It Ends With Us and I’m literally just waiting for another scorcher of a book from here. Please Hoover, SOON.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span class="s2"></span></div>
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</style>Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-60115657737484329232018-01-10T21:58:00.000+00:002018-01-10T21:58:29.986+00:00Lucas (The Preston Brothers #1) - Jay McLean; Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUwT0VkdyQ57r4KxsOlHBBi4OYxT0H5q2u3RF8qy-1PtSG_fEdynCa9S7ryyYPdaPmn0WbxQRsgHCX7-umXjlQTP7NWaz3ScljdyiRoKSFd3G0kSjbTFIVoyFKqGQdNXxnxC4v1OdELE/s200/28369891.jpg" width="131" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Book Details:</b></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Paperback</b>: 354 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (22nd Oct 2016)</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Language: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 1539524965</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-1539524960</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>In a sprint, every millisecond counts. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>When you’re waiting for love, those milliseconds can feel like eons. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>High school senior Lucas Preston has it all: star of the track team, a scholarship waiting for him, an apartment to himself and a revolving door of girlfriends. He also has an older sister, five younger brothers and a father who relies on him to make sure those brothers don’t kill each other. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>His saving grace? Lois “Laney” Sanders, a girl he started to fall in like with when he was just eleven.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>A girl who became his best friend, his confidant, his courage. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>It took only sixteen clicks and eight seconds for Lucas to realize that his like for Laney had turned into love. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Eight life-changing seconds. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>It’s also the exact length of time it took to lose her.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Lucas-Preston-Brothers-Novel-More-Than-Spin/1539524965/ref=la_B00EW7F6WE_1_3_twi_pap_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495904008&sr=1-3">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Lucas---Preston-Brothers-Novel-Jay-McLean/9781539524960">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="610" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLWtuZn6HDCZEKh_io6YTtHo17ahTSM6eSsPTnELehutR-z7j4_SfcM9xZaw8tqsWvKB0uCYVWq6rM18FMzfWspw9fXyUEvW0kL3YFqTZ2LTbOBuaAvR3UVWYFrQ-KJgR61KDVte2FgQ/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">This book. Was INTENSE. I’m still scrambling over finding the words to review this and it’s been months since I read it (.. also a downside because I can just barely remember what happens in it, LE SIGH). But what I can tell you, is that it’s a packed, intense (there’s that word again) story with strong characters and though it’s a storyline I’ve read before, the writing and the execution really made this one stand out and draw out all kinds of emotions from me. I vividly remember pounding my fist on my pillow (no good came of that, I assure you) at certain scenes and much ‘WTFFF’ing throughout.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Jay McLean really knows how to write a story - let’s start there. The main reason why this story, despite running your typical girl-boy-friendship-turns-to-love storyline we’ve read over and over, the authors writing turned this into an emotional rollercoaster which I enjoyed being on. The depth of the two main characters, Lucas and Laney - was one of my fav things about the book. They were both flawed, felt very realistic to me and above anything else, you can see how much these two love and care about each other. That stood out to me so much throughout the whole book - even through scenes where I wanted to punch one of them (sometimes both) for their choices and actions.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Told through a dual narrative (which I loved) the story is told in flashbacks - recounting the key events in both their lives and what it meant to each of them, how either of them saw these events, either the same or differently. With time, you see their friendship develop and turn to love - and there was just something quite heart-breaking about it in the way we could see how much they loved each other, cared for each other, but were at a loss on how to move forward, how to be with each other, with everything they knew about one another.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">There was angst and romance, friendship - the development of these characters was another thing I really appreciated, especially that of Lucas. There were moments I wanted to punch him, but he’s meant to be flawed, meant to be a little broken inside - but we see him develop, understand, learn, act - for the better.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The supporting characters also helped make this book what it is, with the relationships and family bond *cough the Preston brothers* and *bigger cough, Logan, MY FAV* - all which helped round this book into something more than just your usual YA teen romance and contemporary.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Why didn’t I give this 5 stars? I’m actually not sure of the reason, I can’t seem to pin-point the why factor but there was just something *throws fists up to the sky* just SOMETHING that stopped it from hitting that 5 star for me. But what I can say, that at 4 stars, this was still such a great read - full of angst, friendship, romance - and a story that will have you rooting for these two main characters that will have you forgetting this is a work of fiction. Pick it up, read it, love it. So many people do and you’ll see why. In the meantime, I’m off to read the second book in the series, which is about Logan :D my FAV. Adios for now.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">***</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">“My own home doesn’t feel like home unless you’re there.” </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2">***</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>“You impress people with your mind. With your kind heart and humble attitude. And while you’re a beautiful girl, your looks or the way you dress shouldn’t be the reason people are impressed by you. And when you’re older and boys start to notice you, I want you to remember that. <b>Because if it’s only your looks they’re attracted to, then they’re not the one for you, Lo. You can do better. You will do better.” </b></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2">***</span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">“You can't control what people do or how they treat you. You can only control how you react to it.” </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2">***</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>“Take your time, but don’t waste it. Trust me on that one.” </i></span></div>
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<span class="s2">***</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">“I need you. I need to love you. And I need to love you right.” </span></i></span></div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-49393723853419970722018-01-06T18:24:00.000+00:002018-01-06T18:24:51.133+00:00What To Say Next - Julie Buxbaum; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4FJ-5jypesx0wWiTUTkN4ys6-woeYUW1KC1Diz9c3vXjtpgGNOo4_rfg9NXLkTn9OwI3A2tvumY4IjNyolFq0MPYJdZZDcg31Tzmzh_c9HrGNa8LbIk5nLuU40y_mlem2ThGy5i6JaCQ/s200/30199656.jpg" width="131" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Hardcover</b>: 292 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> Delacorte Press (11th July 2017)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 0553535684</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-0553535686</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>KIT:</i></b><i> I don’t know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I’m going through. How could they? I don’t even understand.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>DAVID:</i></b><i> In the 622 days I’ve attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I’ve never once sat with someone until now. “So your dad is dead,” I say to Kit, because this is a fact I’ve recently learned about her. </i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit’s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad’s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Say-Next-Julie-Buxbaum/dp/0553535684/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500427811&sr=8-1&keywords=what+to+say+next">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/What-Say-Next-Julie-Buxbaum/9780553535686?ref=grid-view&qid=1500427820638&sr=1-2">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="610" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLV-WVcTpc4-sJa81um51VY3qdjv3JEZVDiiEvNVFBXvIjqaanRPu6WZSYXCmEyU2WqRTF0y6wHAoLvAzRLzGJUQVgv3V3qk4iESh-7tcGzub31ixcs1gOsFU6h7acfy6zCjFbixMjf4/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">This author had secured herself in my ‘when-a-new-book-is-out-by-them-you-MUST-read’ list after <a href="https://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/tell-me-three-things-julie-buxbaum.html">Tell Me Three Things</a> which I read last year. Of course, as the title of the above list goes, as soon as I knew she had another book out, I was clicking my fat fingers away to get my copy. An added bonus - the storyline sounded great, and the cover was adorkable. As was the title - tick tick tick. I was not disappointed with this book, and neither will you be.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Buxbaum’s writing style is one of those that is straight up my alley - fluid, easy to read in one sitting, witty, sarcastic and at times, deep. I loved that about Tell Me Three Things and more so in What To Say Next. In this book we are introduced to Kit and David, both of who I ended up loving, one more than the other *cough, David - heart heart heart*. After the death of her Father, Kit no longer knows how to be around people, how to be ‘normal’ in the way people expect her to. She decides one day to sit with David - who, as recounted, has sat alone for 622 while he has been at Maple View High. His conversation opener? ‘So your Dad is dead’. What does Kit respond? You’ll have to read and find out!</span></div>
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<span class="s2">This one action sparks a lovely story about friendship, about loss and healing. I loved both Kit and David, obviously David more so. David has ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder - he’s a unique and brilliant individual in so many ways and the construct of this character is one of my fav things about this book. David reminds me a lot of Jacob Hunt in Jodi Picoult’s House Rules - if you’ve read the book, you’ll know why - but both these characters are ones I adored. There’s a particular quote which I’m so glad the author used in the book - which I love and appreciate.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>“There’s a famous expression that if you’ve met one person with autism, then…you’ve met one person with autism. So you met me. Just me. Not a diagnosis.”</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">What I adored about the friendship between Kit and David was that this wasn’t a friendship that would bring to fruition a popular David, or have him be accepted by the ‘popular’ crowd - instead that I gleaned from their relationship was that Kit never intended to change him in any way - but instead helped him be himself fully, openly. This, is a glorious, GLORIOUS THING.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>“Be normal I think. Be like the neurotypical, which is another way of saying “everyone else.” Be less like me. I no longer want to be less like me."</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">She helped broaden his horizon, helps him be who he is without apology. Their awkward, peculiar little friendship helped develop who they were well and truly, and seeing this blossoming was honestly lovely and touching. In turn, David’s friendship, who he is, how he is, helps Kit realise that <b><i>it’s okay not to be okay.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">There was romance, but it wasn’t the driving factor in this story which is one of the reasons why I like this book a lot. Instead, it was the act of David and Kit becoming friends, developing their friendship, helping each other grow, Kit not essentially ‘getting over’ her Father’s death, but finding ways to get through it, with the help of David.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">David takes things literally, and I swear some of his internal monologues in those moments had be snorting out loud in the most unattractive of ways.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>" I let her 'no shit' pass without comment, even though she knows it’s an expression I do not like. It makes me think of constipation, which makes me think about grunting, my least favourite noise, after squawking and chewing. I also have a list of favourite noises. It has one item on it: Kit’s laugh.”</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">This for me was such a lovely, funny, and somewhat heartbreaking read but still one that I’m glad I read. Buxbaum has done it again, I’m excited to see what she comes up with next - though I do know for sure I’ll be picking it up as soon as it drops. In the meantime, I’m leaving you with some lovely quotes. Be sure to pick your copy up soon. SOON. SOONER! You can thank me later.</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">“They seem to understand that the world is a big, diverse place, and that different is not the same thing as scary. It’s amazing to me how many people mistake the two.” </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>***</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>“The thing is, sometimes people grow from breaking.” </i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>***</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">“Every happy moment from now on will have the lingering, bitter, heartbreaking aftertaste of loss.” </span></i></b></span></div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-2226831129240686332017-12-27T21:40:00.000+00:002017-12-27T21:40:39.786+00:00Kissing Max Holden - Katy Upperman; Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCcgt69A2ank9Nhx1g11usruxc3pBr5IWNR3WoRQHNW0JurmeibooKaepkXlzzz-GHEIeA9rk1OETQdgYgNxfGc0kjlojC9gkBCZ0BD4QuvkGqMJk4e6_16YujA2Ok2kaxs6uIHfP704/s200/31145039.jpg" width="133" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Hardcover</b>: 297 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> St Martin's Press (1 Aug. 2017)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 1250111161</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-1250111166</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Kissing Max Holden was a terrible idea...</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>After his father has a life-altering stroke, Max Holden isn't himself. As his long-time friend, Jillian Eldridge only wants to help him, but she doesn't know how. When Max climbs through her window one night, Jill knows that she shouldn't let him kiss her. But she can't resist, and when they're caught in the act by her dad, Jill swears it'll never happen again. Because kissing Max Holden is a terrible idea.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>With a new baby sibling on the way, her parents fighting all the time, and her dream of culinary school up in the air, Jill starts spending more and more time with Max. And even though her father disapproves and Max still has a girlfriend, not kissing Max is easier said than done. Will Jill follow her heart and allow their friendship to blossom into something more, or will she listen to her head and stop kissing Max Holden once and for all?</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kissing-Max-Holden-Katy-Upperman/dp/1250111161/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1512253882&sr=8-1">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Kissing-Max-Holden-Katy-Upperman/9781250158963?ref=grid-view&qid=1512253887287&sr=1-2">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="586" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLW6eVLBfVljzGKoc93e3GnqLSzAG30up7gl9zO7fRr7tf3uF1B_c3mW2CfN7Yf7orSV4P2QPa460S8t7j3xcyJDM78p5ApLemtV-drc3xjJoRKi-iwXUciGk8d5gTsfrRXV23CEx1zMs/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><u>Review:</u></b></div>
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<span class="s2">I thought this was going to be a very cute, somewhat angsty YA contemporary - that would have me wiggling my fat toes with glee … but. BUT. ALAS! Of course, you can already see where this sentence is going - this was not what I wanted at all and instead I am left with pent up annoyance which I shall lovingly unleash upon you all today.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">There was just so many things I found wrong with this book. This is a problematic book. And here’s why. Ok. So, where to start. I’ll start with some good things. The title - ok kinda liked it. Same with the cover. So far, so good? But it ALLLL goes downhill from there on.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">The story is about Jill and Max. Neighbours and once-upon-a-time best friends, an event causes them to drift apart. But now, both have grown up, and hormones are allll up in the air, and they’re both undeniably attracted to each other. The problem, isn’t the fact that Max has a girlfriend. I’ve read many YA books where the MC has either a girlfriend/boyfriend and has feelings for someone else or just hasn’t realised it yet. BUT. Here, the problem is that Jill and Max both know Max has a girlfriend, YET THEY BOTH DECIDE IT’S OKAY TO KISS, NOT ONCE, BUT MANY TIMES, AND NOT CONSIDER THE FACT IT’S CHEATING? This my friends, is where the downward spiral begins for me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Based on the writing and the justifications behind some of the MC thought processes, it almost seems like the author wants us to believe that this infidelity is somewhat ok, because Jill and Max have feelings for each other, they have a history, and that Max’s girlfriend is some kinda bitch and horrible character and so it’s OKAY that these two went ahead and cheated. Max’s girlfriend could be the biggest bitch in the world, but that does not make what Max and Jill do, ok in any way, shape or form. Cheating, is cheating and for me both Max and Jill are as bad as each other for all the instances where this happens.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I’m pretty sure I disliked all the characters in this book - Jill and Max being the most obvious choices. Both annoyed me, both came across as selfish, hormonal driven characters who I found no connection with and certainly no sympathy. I can’t even remember the other characters? Though I distinctly remember remember that Jill’s Dad also cheated, irony where art thou.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Another thing which annoyed me greatly and festered as I continued to read the book, is that Jill saved a lot of money to fulfil her dream of going to the International Culinary Institute - until she finds out that her parents used up her money for fertility treatments which resulted in the incoming baby. Was Jill annoyed? Of course she was, she was fuming.. at first. And then it’s like she’s completely forgotten about the utter betrayal? This is mainly a personal thing, but if that was me I would be pissed 5eva, throwing that in their faces at every given opportunity - but she seems to let that go (.. along with her conscience when she continues to kiss Max despite the fact she has a girlfriend). (Just wanted to slip that in there). (Ok done).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Like with many other reviews and reviewers who didn’t like this book, I had the same issues as they did in the reasons as to why this was not a good book. There was a lot of slut-shaming, girl on girl hate, drama, bad decisions, ridiculous justifications behind those bad decisions. For me, it was such a mess of a book. I eye-rolled most of my way through it and I’m surprised I somehow even finished it. This book was a let down and I’m baffled as to how so many people really, really love it but I guess people could be looking at all the books I love and rave about, and wonder the same thing. So, touché - that’s me done for the day. Kissing Max Holden <b><i>really</i></b> was a terrible idea indeed.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span class="s2"></span></div>
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</style>Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-79574938247393468362017-12-25T18:26:00.002+00:002017-12-25T18:28:55.335+00:00Turtles All The Way Down - John Green; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qsYEeIf33YGA5Zs1TLF7vDFxxXDKBOofC13ddnPIqMUvjgyttyN-h4sqA1pReHlwSeHwemaEwhfgIyWcfcUEgcnJUNRaBrkBf3pmjMyh2pUK-oItRXseU5nntGsN6bhgrhNvY6YljUE/s200/35504431.jpg" width="132" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Hardcover</b>: 304 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> Penguin; 01 edition (10 Oct. 2017)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 0241335434</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-0241335437</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. </i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship. </i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://buy%20it%20on%20amazon/">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://buy%20it%20on%20the%20book%20depositary/">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://buy%20it%20on%20waterstones/">Buy It On Waterstones</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="610" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLV-WVcTpc4-sJa81um51VY3qdjv3JEZVDiiEvNVFBXvIjqaanRPu6WZSYXCmEyU2WqRTF0y6wHAoLvAzRLzGJUQVgv3V3qk4iESh-7tcGzub31ixcs1gOsFU6h7acfy6zCjFbixMjf4/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">John Green, I do love you, muchos. I’m on the side of the fence who adores John Green and his writing and of course, his books. Not all of them were my cup of tea, mostly I loved loved loved <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/looking-for-alaska-john-green-review.html">Looking For Alaska</a>, <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/the-fault-in-our-stars-john-green-review.html">The Fault In Our Stars</a> - but now I can add Turtles All The Way Down to that list.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I love Green’s writing, it speaks to me in a special way, which is why I’ve found that even if the plot or characters in his books aren’t 110% what I want to read about, I’ll still be spellbound by his writing, enough to continue on and appreciate the story. Green is hugely intelligent, witty, and his writing reflects that; there’s no half-heartedness to his stories, he’s socially aware, he strives to know more, so that his writing doesn’t just feel like 3 pages of wikipedia research that he’s then translated into a plot and then divvied up into characters. I appreciate that about this author and therefore appreciate that about his books, more so with this one.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Turtles All The Way Down has been on my radar since the MOMENT it was announced, and by golly gosh I was excited to read this. I counted down the days till it was released, but thanks to my reading slump, once it was out, I never picked it up. Until .. until that one fateful day when The Vegan One (hey Anna!) said she’d read it, and that I was LITERALLY like one of the characters in the book and that of course, she liked the book a lot. That’s all it took (.. well not really, it took me a lot of effort to get in the mood to read a book, but I got there in the end).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">The book starts slow, and kinda continues at that pace, or that’s how it felt to me at least. But that’s not a criticism actually, I quite liked the ease of pace with which it all moved. This isn’t a fast, frenzied read, it’s a slow burner and I was okay with that - some people won’t be.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">The Vegan One (hey again Anna!) was right - I was a lot like one of the characters in the book - Daisy. Daisy is bat-shit crazy, spontaneous, hilarious, kinda fierce, and did I mention bat-shit crazy? I was very much Daisy, but I was also Aza. One of the things I loved most about this book, what makes this a great book, was what I said earlier about Green writing with intelligence, and not some level of half-heartedness. The characters, even the plot itself in this book, wasn’t riveting and mind blowing. But rather, it was the construct of that one character, Aza, that really connected with me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I have my own mental health issues which I’m only recently, and slowly, learning to be open about, mostly because I just don’t know how to put into words how I feel inside. But reading this book.. reading about Aza, about ‘the spiral’ resonated with me hugely and though it doesn’t encompass <b><i>everything</i></b> I think and feel with my own issues, it still highlights a lot of things and somehow with that spiralling metaphor, it does a great job trying to explain the thoughts and the process involved in a lot of mental health issues.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I know it’s a book, it’s a work of fiction, but something about the book just felt so hugely real - and maybe it’s because the plot and book wasn’t focused on the romance, it wasn’t even about solving the disappearance of Davis’ dad - but it was everything in between those bits, the nooks and crannies, the crevices in the story where we learn about loss, grief, anxiety, relationships. That was the best part of the book for me and I’m pretty sure John Green knew exactly what he was doing when he was writing this. It’s a departure from the work of his that I’m used to, the YA-centric, romance driven stories that I’ve loved from him, but this one just felt that much more deeper and important on so many levels.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">This book let us feel OCD and anxiety - for me personally, there were parts in the book that I’ve never read or felt in any other book - the most distinct scene where Aza is battling with herself about swallowing hand sanitiser (.. ok this will make so much more sense if you’ve read the book). But the dialogue played out between Aza and her mind, was terrifying and at the same time, amazing to me - because we’re not <b><i>just </i></b>reading a sentence about ‘Aza fought within herself’ or something along those lines, no, instead we have it played out for us. I could see the struggle and the compulsion and anxiety in that scene. It’s show and tell x 100. It was brutal and honest and unflinching.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Now. Some other things. The romance, ah the romance. Twas cute, and not actually central to the storyline which I appreciate a lot. Because I didn’t want this story to be dwarfed by the romance element, or be shown that a boy, feelings, can ‘fix’ something inside someone - not to say there are instances where it can, and that’s great - but in this case, it wasn’t the focus and I appreciate that. I appreciate how we’re inside Aza’s mind and the way she thinks and feels when it comes to kissing Davis, and on the flip side we get Davis, the super sweet, super cute guy who doesn’t push, who doesn’t judge.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Let’s lay down some dislikes. I loved Daisy’s character, but I also wanted to slap her when she came out with all that stuff about Aza, AND THE FACT THAT SHE WROTE FANFICTION ABOUT HER THAT MADE HER OUT TO BE SOME EXHAUSTING PERSON. Oh my, that scene had me itching my palms for a slap. NOT. COOL. I get they forgive each other in the end, but if that was me, there’d be a punch up involved in there somewhere, just sayingg.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">All in all, I can say this was a very different book to what I went in expecting, and I’m very very glad of that. I liked this book a lot, and I feel like it’s an important one too. Well done again Mr Green, well done. ALSO. THE TITLE. Guys, it’s a metaphor. IT’S A METAPHOR. IT’S NOT MEANT TO BE ABOUT TURTLES! ALSO ALSO. I freaking love the cover and title, more so because I know so many people hate it LOL. I’M DONE, BYE.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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****</div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Anybody can look at you. It's quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you do.</span></i></b></span></div>
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****</div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>Your life is a story told about you, not one that you tell.</i></b></span></div>
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****</div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Your now is not your forever.</span></i></b></span></div>
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****</div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>I guess I just don’t like having to live inside of a body? If that makes sense. And I think maybe deep down I am just an instrument that exists to turn oxygen into carbon dioxide, just like merely an organism in this . . . vastness. And it’s kind of terrifying to me that what I think of as, like, my quote unquote self isn’t really under my control? Like, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, my hand is sweating right now, even though it’s too cold for sweating, and I really hate that once I start sweating I can’t stop, and then I can’t think about anything else except for how I’m sweating. And if you can’t pick what you do or think about, then maybe you aren’t really real, you know? <span style="color: #0b5394;">Maybe I’m just a lie that I’m whispering to myself.</span></i></b></span></div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-46914293341381580042017-12-03T23:08:00.001+00:002017-12-03T23:19:21.485+00:00I Believe In A Thing Called Love - Maurene Goo; Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX40LhQjlAYmurjwAoKXZ8k3fy5bmBLEWjIpBFW_d5HaKiLqVATyt0Cht_eyCEU8m7GyCD_1cHQoe5VATmO4FNwOVa8K7fDumOH5FmemrKypa3uguitI5RtU-kAirQvqpOWQx9jYNefOA/s200/31145133.jpg" width="133" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Hardcover</b>: 325 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc (30th May 2017)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 0374304041</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-0374304041</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Desi Lee believes anything is possible if you have a plan.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>That’s how she became student body president. Varsity soccer star. And it’s how she’ll get into Stanford. But—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation magnet whose botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds guidance in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It’s a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Armed with her “K Drama Steps to True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/I-Believe-Thing-Called-Love/dp/0374304041/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1499025094&sr=1-1">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/I-Believe-in-Thing-Called-Love-Maurene-Goo/9780374308193?ref=grid-view&qid=1499025097215&sr=1-1">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="613" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Xq6Bix0ozZy_sIWbkBmQHYsN8kqM4t5CmJOMJsVcJXmVHqKBbYurV9D7XaTht2Hir0yAF5Bn5ejWpWhb0nAbCSTgjQaFXVK7wklRFrW9yy7VHRJpU4XZbrcCrq5ybbHrd8sFS-dPxi8/s400/5.jpg" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; text-align: left;" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Be still my beating heart. This book. Ok. THIS BOOK. WAS SO STINKING CUTE. High <b><i>high</i></b> praise, but this has to be one of, if not the, fav contemporary of mine this year (unless of course something even more awesomeballs comes along in the last month, you just never know). I loved this book so much, I laughed so hard and so often at nearly every page. Do you even know how many passages I highlighted as I snorted my way through? The whole book pretty much. I don’t even know where to start with this review, so many things. Such love, much wow. I mean truth be told, there were some small, very very smollllll things I didn’t like about the book, which of course I shall talk about, but this book fully warrants the 5 stars in my eyes for sheer enjoyability and laugh inducing moments.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Reason 1 to love this book:</b></div>
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<span class="s2">K Dramas. My best friend *Shaida, if you’re reading this, wag1 son* is absolutely obsessed with anything Korean. Through friendship osmosis, I’ve actually come to admire and love korean food, music, culture and even ventured into watching my first K Drama, Descendants of the Sun (so good, by the way). So imagine my ABSOLUTE thrill when I realise the main character in this book is Korean, and becomes equally obsessed with K Dramas? I’ve read a few books in which the main character is asian, and somehow it never really felt authentic in the same way Desi feels in this book, and the Korean culture as I have come to know it, felt really encapsulated in this book - from the way her Dad is, the way he acts, and his relationship with Desi, which I adored.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Reason 2 to love this book: (yep this is fully going to be a list)</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Desi’s character. Man oh man could I relate to this girl wholeheartedly. I am very much a plan-orientated, step by step person, always armed with a list, backup ideas, and iron willpower to achieve that end goal. I put very much the same effort into studying as Desi did, and I use that very dedicated will in achieving everything else in life. Have I ever used that mission plan in pursuing a boy and getting him to fall in love with me? NOPE *echoes loudly in the empty boyfriend chamber* but you best believe if I ever thought to, I would do it the same way Desi did. Observe a case study (in this case, Desi used Korean dramas and the romances in them), make notes on what was successful from that case, what was unsuccessful, curate those singular items into a step by step outline, relating to your own male species in mind and own circumstance. Then - execute. Monitor progress. (.. oh so nerdy and I LOVE it).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Problematic instance 1: (but not enough reason to put off loving this book):<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">However, where I draw the line and my gripe with this, was actually the extent to which Desi goes to, in achieving her mission. There are moments where she puts her safety and others safety on the line, simply to follow through on the steps to her plan - which despite this being a book, and one not to be taken too seriously or literally, I still couldn’t get on board with the antics, and feel alternative, safe and still equally funny events could have replaced those that were actually dangerous. Doesn’t matter if Desi is a girl and is using such means to achieve her ends, if you flip this and a guy was doing such things in pursuit of getting a girl - I would be shaking my head in the same vehement manner. In the K-Drama sense of it and the world it encapsulates, as said in the book itself, her behaviour may not seem as drastic, but looking at it in terms of the larger picture, and what this means for a contemporary novel as a whole - these elements shouldn’t be okay in the book.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Problematic instance 2: (but<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>again, not enough reason to put off loving this book):<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Likewise, as much as I laughed and loved her dedication in making a plan, and again, this isn’t something to be taken seriously, but really and honestly, love and affection cannot be attained through making a plan and thinking following through those steps will get you what you want. Character, fate, the big cheese up above (aka God), and of course, the guy in question - is what determines whether he will fall for Desi or not - not the list and plan.</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Back to reasons to love this book:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">So. The cover - hello gorgeous. This very much reminds me of Jenny Han’s, <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/to-all-boys-ive-loved-before-jenny-han.html"><i>To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before</i> </a>series with the character on the front, the colour scheme and the font - but I really didn’t like Jenny Han’s series and much much prefer this book. I LOVED this book. So there’s that. Additional things that are currently pouring into my head from this book are as follows: refreshingly, the high school portrayed in this book isn’t a cliche pot of jocks vs nerds and the like. It reminded me a lot of my high school actually, where, yeah sure we had separate groups, the artsy crowd, the popular crowd, the nerdy ones - but like in most YA stories, it wasn’t war of the worlds when it came to these groups mixing, people just <b><i>got along. </i></b>I really liked that about this book - these teens just got on with life and school. Also. OH MY. The best thing about this book? (aside from ALL of it) is the use of the name Won Bin as a nickname. I died at this scene. I died a lot throughout this book actually, from just sheer enjoyment and laughter. The constant use of death threats. The ‘shit eating grin’ passage. The ‘cutie dum dum’ moment. The humour was dry, witty and sarcastic. My FAV kind and I full out enjoyed this book so much.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I can’t wait to read more from this author. If there’s anything to take away from my ever-usual long and hefty rambling review, is that this is an adorable and HILARIOUS (hilarious x 2 to emphasise this point) book with lovely characters and a great story. Pick it up and be sure to thank me in the form of marshmallows delivered to my door. Cheerio. I shall leave you with some (and I don’t say that lightly, as I really had over 40 passages highlighted of my favourite parts) of the best parts from the book. Enjoy! .. and again, you can thank me with marshmallows. Me kiddeth not.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>So I tried to muster a kind rejection. But instead, I felt a cough coming on. I put my hand to my chest and shut my mouth tight—no, this was NOT the time.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>But there are just some things that have a force of their own.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>So I coughed. Really hard.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>And that phlegm that had been rattling in my chest all day?</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>Landed right on the front of his crisp, striped shirt.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>__</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">“Discuss why Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales was social criticism for its time. And lay off the fart jokes! We all know how bawdy the wanker was.”</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>__</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>“Shut up,” I said with another involuntary giggle. But when I turned around, Luca was walking toward me, backpack on correctly now. I froze. And apparently, whenever Luca walked toward me, the world moved in slow-motion. He pushed the beanie out of his eyes with glacial speed. By the time he finally reached me, we had already dated, married, and sent our two daughters off to college tearfully. Giggles immediately dissipated.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">My fashion sweatpants fell off. In a puddle at my feet.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">I looked down. Luca looked down. I looked up. Luca was still looking down.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">And I heard Wes yelp, “Are you kidding?”</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">I pulled them up and ran. Like the wind.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i><b>Confidence boosted, I decided to actually try flirting. Lord, here I go. I gently bumped my hip against his. He looked over at me lickety-split, surprised. I smiled. “I’m a nerd that can clearly outrun you. Can you handle the rest of the walk back to the bus or do you need me to carry you?”</b></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">I flushed—while my friends were being kind, I suddenly felt like I was fishing for compliments. “Well, I am the best soccer player to have ever lived,” I said breezily. “Not counting Messi.”</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i></i></b></span>*fist pump, she mentioned Messi, my fav footballer like EVER*</div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>Luca did that car-backing-up thing where you twist your entire body to the right and drape your arm across the back of the passenger seat. Where I was sitting. His hand brushed lightly against my hair and I got a whiff of boy sweat and breath mints. Somehow an intoxicating yet gross cocktail.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>[appreciate the fact he didn’t smell like sandalwood like all YA boys seem to]</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">Finding yourself fitting into the negative space of someone else’s body perfectly.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>*I adore this whole concept of negative and positive space and body - echoed in <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/juniper-lemons-hapiness-index-julie.html">Juniper Lemon’s Happiness Index</a>*</i></span></div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-52062566050669157392017-12-02T21:59:00.000+00:002017-12-02T21:59:05.010+00:00When Dimple Met Rishi - Sandhya Menon; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjbT1hy0V8Rx6cCW7o5URNoFi00DNTu5mVtv9vDf9aOfzKHWii2-Y-hAl5A-ThC_HpzYN_IEDuyJVPqyJgQbBplj4TR6HJQsqTlKNegznqnyIUVjE31A5ITKaGxgI5VeN8PigoV_K_IE/s200/28458598.jpg" width="133" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Paperback</b>: 384 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> Hodder Paperbacks (1st June 2017)</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Language: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 1473667402</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-1473667402</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>Meet Dimple.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Her main aim in life is to escape her traditional parents, get to university and begin her plan for tech world domination.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>Meet Rishi.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>He's rich, good-looking and a hopeless romantic. His parents think Dimple is the perfect match for him, but she's got other plans...</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Jenny Han and Nicola Yoon, WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI is a frothy, funny contemporary romance set at a coding convention in San Francisco over one exciting summer. Told from the dual perspectives of two Indian American protagonists, Dimple is fighting her family traditions while Rishi couldn't be happier to follow in the footsteps of his parents. Could sparks fly between this odd couple, or is this matchmaking attempt doomed to fail?</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Dimple-Rishi-Sandhya-Menon/dp/1473667402/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498505766&sr=8-1&keywords=when+dimple+met+rishi">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/When-Dimple-Met-Rishi-Sandhy-Menon/9781473667402?ref=grid-view&qid=1498505769613&sr=1-1">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/when-dimple-met-rishi/sandhya-menon/9781473667402">Buy It On Waterstones</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="586" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLW6eVLBfVljzGKoc93e3GnqLSzAG30up7gl9zO7fRr7tf3uF1B_c3mW2CfN7Yf7orSV4P2QPa460S8t7j3xcyJDM78p5ApLemtV-drc3xjJoRKi-iwXUciGk8d5gTsfrRXV23CEx1zMs/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>*Fat fire breathing cat hath returned*</i></b> but not for the reasons you’d think. No, the fire breathing cat has not made its return because it’s in love with a book - but instead because it was such a let down. Alas, tis with great regret I write this review, of what is clearly a much adored book - but I didn’t like it. Yep, it’s out there into the world wide web, </span><span class="s1"><b>I did not like this book</b></span><span class="s2">. I wish I could take these words back, really, I do, <b>BELIEVE ME GUYS.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, or even over the last few years (with the other being Sarah J Maas’ books). This book promised me so much man. Quirky title - check. A kick ass premise - check and this check is so important, because its a person of colour, writing a people of colour story. And more specifically, <b>SOUTH EAST ASIANS</b>. Who are practically non existent in publishing industry except when there’s a need for a person of suspicious intent (cough terrorist). Sadly, we all know it’s true.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">So to know there would be a young adult contemporary book with Dimple and Rishi, two Indian characters - my heart leapt with absolute and undeniable utter joy. I didn’t even care at that point what the story would be on, it could have been a book about them battling dragons in China for all I care, and I’d still want the shit out of it. But this would be a YA contemporary, where both their parents are setting them up for an arranged marriage (another tick, shedding light on a negatively perceived topic). Which is why the letdown in the end hurt me so much more. Let me get in to the actual review and then I can sob again at the end, to my hearts content.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">The good - I love the title. <b><i>SO MUCH</i></b>. It’s quirky, it’s catchy, and it’s seriously cute. The cover is another glorious thing to behold - with the partially hidden face, the henna on her hands as she holds a Starbucks (east meets west with that shot!) and of course, her smile. <b><u>WINNING</u></b>. One of the best covers of the year for me, fo’sho.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>More good stuff: </b>huge props to the author who I adore online - but it saddens me to say this didn’t translate into the book I wanted to read, BUT brownie (ha! pun intended) points awarded for the following. For writing a book which featured south east asian characters. I loved the interspersed moments where they speak hindi - as a fluent speaker myself, it’s such a lovely and refreshing thing to read and laugh along to. Points awarded for this being a YA novel about young south asian teens and even more so for it being based around arranged marriage. This is a huge thing for me and something I’m <b><i>SO</i></b> glad the author has chosen to base her story on, as the misconception and taboo around arranged marriage is so misinformed - and to take the topic into a YA book based on south asian characters, is a great way to openly talk about the topic in a light and informative way and for me - in this instance - it was a real representation of how arrange marriage in this day and age works. I have so much more I could say about this, but this review is already looking too long so let me cut it short and sweet. I appreciate the things the author has chosen to base her debut novel on - it’s risky territory but I’m glad the representation is there and appreciate the hell out of that.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Now. </span><span class="s1"><b>The Bad</b></span><span class="s2">. Brace yo’selves. I really, really, didn’t like Dimple or Rishi. *blows out a big breath* I know. This saddens and shocks me too. But my god, I really really disliked both characters, but probably and sadly, more Dimple. I get what this character was meant to be - the intent was clearly there. Swapping out the ultra-feminine stereotype and making her ambitious, into coding, doesn’t wear make up - intent on pursuing her dreams. Great, really, that all sounds fab - and would have been - if it wasn’t all so cliched and ended up being achieved by putting down other girls who aren’t anything like Dimple. Dimple spends a lot of the book talking about the other girls and characters around her, commenting on them, judging them, and making herself sound like she’s superior to them simply because she wasn’t into the things other girls were. She doesn’t wear makeup - that’s cool - but that doesn’t mean girls who <b><i>do</i></b> are any less of a person or not worthy of respect.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">“Even when she was in elementary and middle school, she always chose computers as her choice of centers while all the other more popular girls seemed to cluster together in art or reading.”</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">There’s. Nothing. Wrong. With. Being. Into. Art. Or. READING. No no no no no NO - we’re trying to bypass these cliche tropes, not fall face first right into them. Dimple can be into whatever she pleases - but NOT at the expense of putting down those who aren’t, who explore other passions or even have no passions even. Other questionable moments:</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">“Her booty shorts also barely covered her booty.” </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">NO.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">“Really, it was sort of refreshing to have a boy prefer her company to a girl like Isabelle’s.” </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">NO NO DARLING<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">“Of course Isabelle was up for it. She'd probably even eat carbs for that amount of attention.” </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">NOoOOO</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">“She refused to be one of those girls who gave up on everything they'd been planning simply because a boy entered the picture.” </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">OH HELL NAWWW</span></div>
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<span class="s2">So many wrongs comments, oh my oh my. The way a girl dresses is NOT a representation of her character or a portal through which to degrade her or judge her. Using a boy’s preference of company is NOT a way to asses your own worth or diminish another girl’s. DON’T TALK SHIT ABOUT CARBS YO. And the last one? Don’t even. Pursuing a career and not focusing on a relationship - GREAT. Focusing on a relationship and putting your career second - GREAT. <b>WHY ARE EITHER OF THESE OPTIONS<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A PROBLEM?</b>! Even if someone wanted to give up all worldly aspirations and spend their life imitating a cucumber, WHO THE EFF CARES?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Moving on. Dimple, not cool yeah - not cool. She talks so much about how she perceives herself being judged by the “Aberzombies” again - where she judges another group of people - and yet she’s the one who is incessantly making comments about them? Irony, where you at. Sadly there’s just so many things I disliked about her character - I know she was meant to be a strong, fierce, fiery and ambitious character - but she just comes across as rude, judgemental, and frankly batshit. There was also a lack of focus on the ACTUAL coding part - she’s at this convention, but a lot of the time is spent wandering around with Rishi or trying to come up with a dance routine for a talent contest (moment to wtf pls?). Sigh sigh sigh.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">This review is getting so long - so I’m going to wrap it up here folks. I sadly did not connect with any of the characters in this book - there was SO MUCH promise in this book, but it all fell flat as the usual YA tropes made entrances and ruined everything for me. It’s a no from me *Simon Cowell moment*. This book COULD have been spectacular, the ideas were all there - the characters ready to be fleshed out - but the execution left much to be desired. I know the author is coming out with another book, <b><i>From Twinkle, With Love</i></b> - which I will still pick up next year - but I’ll be going in with caution. For now - that’s it #OverAndOut<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-30762423024456076592017-11-27T13:00:00.000+00:002017-11-27T21:46:18.023+00:00The Brown Girl Is Alive. <div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Hello world. It’s me.. <b><i>Sahina</i></b>. I’m alive.<b> <u>I’M ALIVE</u></b>. And this is my message to you…<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Okay so it’s been exactly 4 months since I last posted. </span><span class="s1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><b>FOUR. MOTHER. FREAKING. <i>MONTHS</i></b>. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I mean that’s like half the time it takes to have a baby? No, I’m not having a baby, I’m not sure why I use pregnancy as a marker for time lapse. Let’s get the facts straight though.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>Factoid 1:</b> </u></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Where have I been in the last 4 months (not in a ditch somewhere, thankfully).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">I’ve actually just been really, really busy. That’s all. I wish I could tell you otherwise - I wish I could tell you something amazing and epic and mind-blowing, like I was off on a secret mission for Her Majesty’s Secret Service.. but er nope, nothing of that sort. My internship at HQ (aka Harlequin) was extended from 6 months to 8, and then I landed a job as Digital Marketing Assistant at Harper Impulse, an imprint within Harper Fiction and that’s where I’ve been toiling away for the last 4 months - and I. Love. It.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I’ve made some truly brilliant friends and have been coming out my introvert shell and rather than avoiding any and all social activity after work.. I’ve found myself making even more plans than usual and actually following through with them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">Before.. (ah the great <b><i>before</i></b>) I just wanted to come home as soon as work finished, settle down in my room and just unwind. But these days, if I’m not out after work (not everyday, mind) or working away late into the evening in the office.. I almost don’t know what to do with myself. Work and friends are filling an ever empty void which I previously used to fill with books and blogging.. which brings me on to my next part.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><u><b>Factoid 2:</b> </u></span></div>
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<span class="s1">It’s been almost over 5 months since I read a book. ALMOST. I hear your outcry. I do. Let me explain.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">So work has been keeping me busy, and social plans too. All fine and dandy. But the downside? I’ve found that I don’t want to pick up a book. I mean I’ve not completely gone off the deep end, I did read 1 or 2 books during that 5 month period (1, for work bookclub, and 1 for work) which makes the grand total of two. I’ve also started many books - (6, to be exact) but have yet to find the willpower to follow through with finishing them and it weirdly has nothing to do with the books themselves (many of which are really good so far) but it’s just me. <b>IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME</b>. Really. That’s what I’ve been shouting at these books as I put them down.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">I’m not quite sure what it is, it sounds like a reading slump x 100, and perhaps it is - but deep inside, I’m just so reluctant to pick up a book, and when I do, I put them down after a few pages or chapters and that’s the end. I can’t pick it back up…<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">ANYWAY. I’m not here to analyse myself (though that’s pretty much what I’ve rambled on about and actually done) BUT I am back to blogging, with the many, MANY reviews the I was intending to write before my ‘reading slump’ began and I’m back in the mood to write and post. I’m also determined to <b>REALLY</b> make time to do this because I love blogging and writing reviews and I need that back in my life. Am I still having trouble finishing a book? Indeed - but I’m hoping that finishing off my backlog of reviews will perhaps re-awaken something in me, but who really knows - my mind is a weirdly wired place.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">For the time being.. I just wanted to say <b>HI. I’M ALIVE</b>. I mean I’ve been really active on my Twitter (@Line_Reader) so I’ve not been off the grid or anything and have still been posting on my Instagram (<a href="http://www.instagram.com/reading.in.between.the.lines"><span class="s2">www.instagram.com/reading.in.between.the.lines</span></a>) it’s just my beloved blog that’s been neglected.. but no more!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
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<span class="s1">What can you expect from your brown girl: stay tuned this week for the review of When Dimple Met Rishi which has been sitting in my ‘finish writing review’ pile for MONTHS. Brace yourself.. it’s going to be a long one, and sadly, not a pleasant one. That’s all I’ll say. For now - I’M GLAD TO BE BACK! <b>#OverAndOut<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span></div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-47165006345479705442017-07-27T19:40:00.000+01:002017-07-27T19:40:30.010+01:00Words In Deep Blue - Cath Crowley; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcdwDsjWLH7RRZqLLrnFI70ijgZJLsfJDF_sTTp9nBFRDJYru-bUGKQdEiYNV_GvGpZK4SxXDME3wZLzdF20z4j2OzhK3EvNyGq_mV3_aUJiVHajThcKhgEGULZgys3DitHsrsK4TJVg/s200/31952703.jpg" width="131" /></div>
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<b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><u>Book Details:</u></b></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Hardcover</b>: 269 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers (6th June 2017)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 1101937645</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-1101937648</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Love lives between the lines.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Years ago, Rachel had a crush on Henry Jones. The day before she moved away, she tucked a love letter into his favorite book in his family’s bookshop. She waited. But Henry never came. </i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Now Rachel has returned to the city—and to the bookshop—to work alongside the boy she’d rather not see, if at all possible, for the rest of her life. But Rachel needs the distraction, and the escape. Her brother drowned months ago, and she can’t feel anything anymore. She can’t see her future.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Henry’s future isn’t looking too promising, either. His girlfriend dumped him. The bookstore is slipping away. And his family is breaking apart.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>As Henry and Rachel work side by side—surrounded by books, watching love stories unfold, exchanging letters between the pages—they find hope in each other. Because life may be uncontrollable, even unbearable sometimes. But it’s possible that words, and love, and second chances are enough.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Words-Deep-Blue-Cath-Crowley/dp/1101937645/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1499024948&sr=1-1&keywords=words+in+deep+blue">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Words-in-Deep-Blue-Cath-Crowley/9781524764456?ref=grid-view&qid=1499024956046&sr=1-1">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/words-in-deep-blue/cath-crowley/9781444907896">Buy It On Waterstones</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="613" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILr-faF9eQ-qjOWb5h98_NDID8xlPHnypSiQG7ArOgGYb3SMMYC6dNxvNl1OREUiM1KJCWyBE_oYVQKlBbucJQBGW658b4nOITHoLFlB6cLBB-9K7Shnjxgq12nrNg5jdJApqJanHEAg/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">This book, was quietly menacing - which should no make sense at all, but if you read it, you’ll totally get my oxymoronic claim. A book about bookshops? </span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><u>TAKE MY MONEY</u></b>. This type of book has to be, by far, my fav thing ever to read - but more than that, when it’s done <b><i>right</i></b>. Though having said that, I have yet to read a book about bookshops that destroyed that glorious theme, and I hope I never have the misfortune of reading such a tragedy. But it can so easily go wrong, if the author doesn't <b><i>reallyyyyy </i></b>feel the way they should about books and stories, and that can so easily come across in the characters and plots they build. Anyway, I digress, Words In The Deep Blue luckily did it right - and what we are left with here, is such a beautiful and poignant tale about love and loss, relationships, growth, and of course <b>booooooks</b> <i>books</i> <u>BOOKS</u>.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Told in a dual narrative between Rachel and Henry, two people who used to be friends, possibly something more. Rachel is unwillingly reunited with Henry when she moves back to the town after the death of her brother and in search of a job, lands at <b><i>Howling Books</i></b>, owned by Henry’s parents and Henry who works in the store. - <b>Sidenote; dear Rachel - you landed the best job ever. EVER</b>. What ensues between these two characters is rediscovery of their friendship and relationship, as they both tentatively go from frenemies to actual humans to friends. Henry; sweet, cute, caring, totally lost in the abyss of what he currently thinks he wants (a girlfriend that keeps dumping him). Rachel; lost in a sea of her own grief (pun intended) after losing her brother who drowned.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Two of my fav characters, aside from Rachel and Henry who were awesome in their own right, was Henry’s little sister, George, and Henry’s Dad. George - because she’s <b>epic</b>. Witty, sarcastic, funny, and her sub plot broke my heart a little, and if you’ve read the book, you’ll know what I mean. She reminds me so much of Louise, from Bob’s Burgers - which basically means George echoes one of the best cartoon characters, very close to my heart. Henry’s Dad - because it’s all stemmed from him - despite the financial troubles that’s threatening to tear down <b><i>Howling Books, </i></b>hid Dad just loves the bookshop too much and can’t bear to let it part. Everything that’s in this bookshop, from it’s eclectic mix of patrons, the <b><i>Letter Library,</i></b> the monthly bookclub; it’s all part of this glorious bookshop and makes my heart swell with happiness. Sidenote; uhm we need a <b><i>Letter Library</i></b> in every bookshop please, ASAP. I mean come on, people leave HANDWRITTEN letters in between the folds of books, for strangers to discover? <b><u>EPIC MUCH?! </u></b>Think Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares on steroids.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">All the characters were fleshed out so well, so dimensional and vivid, individuals with their own personality and had nuggets to add to this gold-rush of a story. The prose was <b><i>beautiful, </i></b>so wonderfully written, so easy to read in one sitting. The love the characters had for books and reading; granted Rachel and Henry spoke a lot about classical books, which went straight over<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>my head as I don’t read many classics, but just reading about them and reading about why they loved these books, why these were their favourites and just general bookish chatter had my heart soaring. Also. Other books about books which are a must read: <b><a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/the-shadow-of-wind-cemetry-of-forgotten.html">The Shadow of the Wind</a></b> (aka, my fav book EVER), <b><a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/mr-penumbras-24-hour-bookstore-review.html">Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore</a> </b>and<b> <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/dash-and-lilys-book-of-dares-rachel.html">Dash and Lily's Book of Dares</a>.</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>Words In Deep Blue </i></b>-<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>beautiful book with beautiful characters that really is just one of <b><i>those</i></b> books that you settle down in a comfy chair, with a mug of hot chocolate, and read into the early hours of the morning, with a smile lingering on your lips with every page. Going back to how I opened my review, “it’s quietly menacing” - this book doesn’t scream drama or shout - it’s a softly spoken thing, with tonnes of character, growth and love. It’s menacing in the way it will settle in your heart. It’ll make you laugh and smile and have your heart aching. But in a nice way. Leaving behind for you one of my fav parts of the book.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>"What?" she asks.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>"Your head," I tell her, "is a very pleasing shape."</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>"Likewise," she says, and smiles.</i></b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsjUDmsPF4IkocTqBIlwhaACV4CfvjZbzGCwmBAdpY55KjYQ6HC_0wTSCHnsOe7V6a-y723D2Heblz0T1bMFixWneR0PTmHieZDo_iUBCKjMmG6UGUPX9Q16P-JPMbxyYZmY_4g25oe4/s200/22847526.jpg" width="133" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Hardcover: 336 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (24th Jan 2017)</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Language: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2">ISBN-10: 0374302693</span></div>
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<span class="s2">ISBN-13: 978-0374302696</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Seventeen-year-old Raychel is sleeping with two boys: her overachieving best friend Matt…and his slacker brother, Andrew. Raychel sneaks into Matt’s bed after nightmares, but nothing ever happens. He doesn’t even seem to realize she’s a girl, except when he decides she needs rescuing. But Raychel doesn't want to be his girl anyway. She just needs his support as she deals with the classmate who assaulted her, the constant threat of her family’s eviction, and the dream of college slipping quickly out of reach. Matt tries to help, but he doesn’t really get it… and he’d never understand why she’s fallen into a secret relationship with his brother. The friendships are a precarious balance, and when tragedy strikes, everything falls apart. Raychel has to decide which pieces she can pick up – and which ones are worth putting back together.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/After-Fall-Kate-Hart/dp/0374302693/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1490477141&sr=8-6">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/After-the-Fall/9780374302696">Buy It On The Book Depositary </a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="621" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfJCOfUhrCckR1gX_ZeRxRBjqLYbnKZ92WZtD2M_AmrxuOliDStroKEEMQgkHUZsoLhxuRzIV65PvWVegtvbghz6dUf5E8in8vpoFWZAbkjT3qhzvFrtejcchCTzTgDM4BaQMqobMgOA/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">The lure of another YA contemporary about relationships, slut shaming, and high school issues, drew me in like a moth to the flame. Other books that deal with important issues can be found here - </span><a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/what-we-saw-aaron-hartzler-review.html">What We Saw</a>, <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.com/2017/02/what-happens-next-colleen-clayton-review.html">What Happens Next</a>, <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/exit-pursued-by-bear-emily-johnston.html">Exit, Pursued By A Bear</a>, <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/all-is-not-forgotten-wendy-walker-review.html">All Is Not Forgotten</a> and <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-butterfly-garden-dot-hutchinson.html">The Butterfly Garden</a><br />
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<span class="s2">I was excited for this book to bring something fresh to the table when it came to slut shaming and positive body image. But I felt like the book was a bit scattered; so many threads and issues in this book that it became overwhelmed and drifted from what could have been a really insightful book. For me at least, there was a lot going on - from topics such as sexual consent, gender roles, slut shaming, grief and loss - and few others thrown into the fray. The focus should have been singular for books such as these as otherwise the message gets lost, swallowed up by everything else you’re trying to cram in there. A lot of good questions were raised and this is great in getting conversions started - but it was left there, with no answers and no conclusions. Stick to one issue and make it count.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Told through dual narratives from Raychel and Matt, we get to see the same relationship but through two different perspectives. I particularly like this narrative style and it works well for this type of book, highlighting gender differences and how this might shape opinions in similar or different ways. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t really connect with either of the characters, neither Raychel nor Matt. Raychel and Matt are best friends, through Matt’s perspective we see that he wants something more from the relationship, but enter the triangle - where Raychel instead has feelings for Matt’s brother Andrew, who she’s sleeping with. The dual narrative with these two voices got messy at times, a little confusing, and did nothing in aiding me to enjoy the book or even like the characters. I didn’t like either of them and instead their voices and perhaps what they wanted to represent, fell really flat.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">In terms of the storyline, it went at a slow pace for me, with nothing much really pulling me forward in the book, except to see how it ends. There was no engagement and no excitement - the only emotion I felt was with that shocking major event *trying not to be spoilery!* at which point I was legit like wait, WHAT THE FUUU? Even then, I felt so betrayed by that act and it was so random and weird, really weird.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I feel like overall, the author started this book with the intention of raising some good questions and that she did at certain points, but what she intended this to become vs what it actually came across as, are two different stories. There wasn’t the level of focus on sexual assault as there should have been, and instead to me, it felt overshadowed by the romantic lines drawn between these three characters; a triangle in which sexual assault was used as a vehicle to resolve romantic angsts. Could have been better in many departments overall.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-90284177023890844952017-07-15T16:29:00.001+01:002017-07-15T16:29:58.443+01:00Love and Gelato - Jenna Evans Welch; Review<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKkWA842TUayT_qN9DXWtGFXtEx_9sQtOkZ5eEXITBTaAhjfuOn497VHVcqzuBXEGE3SccisO6-mONL9S1I7985lNTBlX6K42t_1SyY8OoTQqXt7c4frOX2q1xwe0qqKCza30ZsROE1g/s200/25756328.jpg" width="131" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yxn0zleKM_Qxg2SnpTj92a6HXulai0tQPnYQmuLPBH6_Ol61p2isLDiShzizQjO9koHmx_0oX5FFxyYvUdHKf8h1NVRKHkryeJ-V203lwumn9Pd43k8fG3B0nA30RPdRh4_Mvve-KCM/s200/33877465.jpg" width="130" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Hardcover: 400 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Publisher: Simon Pulse (3rd May 2016)</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Language: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2">ISBN-10: 1481432540</span></div>
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<span class="s2">ISBN-13: 978-1481432542</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>“I made the wrong choice.”</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Gelato-Jenna-Evans-Welch/dp/1481432540/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1490477944&sr=8-1"><i>Buy It On Amazon</i></a></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Love--Gela-Jenn-Evans-Welch/9781481432542?ref=grid-view&qid=1490477947715&sr=1-1"><i>Buy It On The Book Depositary</i></a></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/love-and-gelato/jenna-evans-welch/sam-brewster/9781406372328"><i>Buy It On Waterstones</i></a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="621" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfJCOfUhrCckR1gX_ZeRxRBjqLYbnKZ92WZtD2M_AmrxuOliDStroKEEMQgkHUZsoLhxuRzIV65PvWVegtvbghz6dUf5E8in8vpoFWZAbkjT3qhzvFrtejcchCTzTgDM4BaQMqobMgOA/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Another contemporary bites the dust - alas! The word “cute” is probably plastered all over everyone’s reviews, and that is exactly what I wanted it to be, but it failed on so many counts that this just became a roller-coaster of eye-rolling for me whilst reading. I wanted to love this, trust me, I <b><i>really</i></b> did - it’s all there, Italy, gelato, cute falling in love in a beautiful city (there’s that word cute again) but the characters (or a certain character I should say) waft of insta-love and lack of actual chemistry, really set the ball rolling in my unwanted conclusion to really dislike this book.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">The storyline was promising - Lina, our main character, arrives in Italy to stay with the father she hasn’t seen for 16 years, as a dying wish to her mother. She then discovers her Mum’s diary, learns more about her past which intricately links into her future. Along the way, she finds romance. I feel like this would have made the perfect movie - not dissimilar to Letters to Juliet (the immediate movie that pops to mind) but mainly also because as a story, as a book, this should have been oodles and oodles of cute and fun - but for me, it failed in that sense. I can’t even summarise coherently why, except for the reasoning that I didn’t much like Lina - to me at least, she came across as quite rude, judgemental, immature and not a likeable character. She meets Ren, who was likeable enough I guess, but in the long run of the book, these two together just lacked any real chemistry, everything with them felt too fast and stumbling rather than the slightly slower and sweeter burn I was expecting.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Also, Lina discovers her now deceased Mum’s diary, and is it just me, but if you discovered something like that, would you not be speeding through it at breakneck speed to find out everything as soon as you can? Rather than how Lina did it, in chunks, drips and drabs, at some snail pace? Kinda reminds me of Clay from 13 Reasons Why, who took 5eva in listening to all those tops (but fair enough for the book and TV show, you kinda had to long it out to actually move the plot along).<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">In terms of the rest of the characters, I really liked Lina’s Dad and felt bad for him, having to deal with this stroppy unappreciative teenager - fair enough she’s just moved all the way across to Italy, to live with the Dad she hasn’t seen in 16 years and her Mum has passed away - but her rudeness towards him is not warranted, also given she has no idea why she hasn’t seen him in so long - something she does find out later on, but still.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">The writing style was okay, nothing spectacular, but readable - though the use of metaphors definitely could use some help. “My voice was like weak tea”. The upside however to this book, was the description and imagery of Italy, the hidden nooks and crannies of the places Lina and Ren go on to visit, and of course - the fooooood. The need for gelato and pasta as I read this book was unreal.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">This just wasn’t the book for me in the end - I’m glad others loved it enough to compensate for my dislike, but just the execution, the character growth and general </span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><i>feel</i></b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> of the book, just wasn’t for me.</span></div>
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</style>Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-43928258514506458882017-07-08T21:41:00.000+01:002017-07-08T21:41:40.552+01:00Punk 57 - Penelope Douglas; Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDY8Gf5IWk_dUrJqExhkxSgFoAx9azbr4noXh-ujqUNDDzdhhNkgIeZWq9yruudE_t67CPOG1PCeAVpixlMSNssQ-geeNE8au4NlLLqhOkXblZ98yzcLiZ7-oVDccbQONXKmaKgto7x2g/s200/29104680.jpg" width="128" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Paperback</b>: 342 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (18th Oct 2016)</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Language: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 1539427765</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-1539427766</span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>“We were perfect together. Until we met.”</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>Misha</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>I can’t help but smile at the words in her letter. She misses me.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>It didn’t take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever…</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>And that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes there’s one a week or three in a day, but I need them. She’s the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it?</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Until I run across a photo of a girl online. Name’s Ryen, loves Gallo’s pizza, and worships her iPhone. What are the chances?</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>F*ck it. I need to meet her.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>I just don’t expect to hate what I find.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>Ryen</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>He hasn’t written in three months. Something’s wrong. Did he die? Get arrested? Knowing Misha, neither would be a stretch.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Without him around, I’m going crazy. I need to know someone is listening. It’s my own fault. I should’ve gotten his number or picture or something.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>He could be gone forever.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Or right under my nose, and I wouldn’t even know it.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Punk-57-Penelope-Douglas/dp/1539427765/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495905777&sr=1-1&keywords=punk+57">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Punk-57/9781539427766">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="621" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfJCOfUhrCckR1gX_ZeRxRBjqLYbnKZ92WZtD2M_AmrxuOliDStroKEEMQgkHUZsoLhxuRzIV65PvWVegtvbghz6dUf5E8in8vpoFWZAbkjT3qhzvFrtejcchCTzTgDM4BaQMqobMgOA/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I don’t even know where to start with this book, I have so many mixed emotions about it. People really, really love it - just look at all the 5 star raving reviews, and I thought I would love it too. I liked it to some extent, probably the beginning handful of chapters - but alas, twas not meant to be! The more I read about Misha and Ryen, the more it seemed I was destined to dislike them.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Misha and Ryen become friends as pen-pals, getting to know each other, finding comfort in each other, and love too. In the letters we see between them, they both come across as sweet, honest and gentle characters - which is probably why I had such issues with both of them later on. Aside from the letters, we see what Misha and Ryen are like in real life; Ryen being the personification of popular girl, high atop the social hierarchy at school, conflicted about the bullying around her as well as the ones she sits and lets happen. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">I hate bullies. I cannot stand bullies, and in this instance, especially given the stark contrast between the girl in the letter and the girl we see on the pages, I couldn’t for the life of me come to like or understand her. Yes high school is hard, it’s cruel and plays dirty - there’s many reasons behind Ryen and her behaviour while at least she’s aware of, which makes her feel an ounce of guilt - but it wasn’t enough for me, it wasn’t enough to redeem her character in my eyes. She felt really selfish and cruel to me, and I just couldn’t warm up to her.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">On the flip side, we have Misha - who again, in his letters comes across as this wholesomely sweet, supportive and trouble driven guy. The revelation of the real life Misha is more understandable than Ryen’s change, but he too felt too mean, too horrible, too cruel in the way he acted with Ryen. Sure he stuck up for the underdogs, and I could find less fault with this character if the one we see in the letters to Ryen wasn’t so different. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">Together, these two were reckless and immature, cruel and not characters I liked in the slightest, which is such a shame. I feel like I <b><i>get </i></b>what the author was trying to achieve with these too - the ugliness and harsh reality of love and life, of high school, and that everyone has ugly and bad in them, some are just more up front about it. But personally, I feel like this same story and events could have been played out the same way, but with less harshly defined characters.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">The characters were probably my biggest gripe with this book and sadly that ruined the whole story for me since the whole book hangs on these two and their relationship. But the writing was gripping, a definite page turner as you scramble through trying to find out just what went wrong and where for this ocean of distance to open up between these two. I am sad that I don’t love this book like the way everyone else does, because it was promising - but it can’t be helped when you can’t connect with the characters and thus not get on board with the story. Disappointed, but I will try few of the authors other books nonetheless.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-1420863175150690702017-07-03T20:57:00.002+01:002017-07-03T20:57:33.640+01:00Before We Were Strangers - Renee Carlino; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoLXHJcFp-HbKzHuMwqVXtfF3Bgrw5xEHnmbGk9lPyW-CMQh_xpwlN4iE5nVSILKCpmuov7T-dUuVVj1K5-16Jip9gwlRIJ6FGwI0eHcmwjUqVIKdB4xt_uOouiGbUDUIXSJ8FxBAGno/s200/23309634.jpg" width="128" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Paperback</b>: 320 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> Atria Books; 1 edition (27th Aug 2015)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 1501105779</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-1501105777</span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>To the Green-eyed Lovebird:</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding…</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half?</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>M<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Before-We-Were-Strangers-Story/dp/1501105779/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Before-We-Were-Strangers-Renee-Carlino/9781501105777?ref=grid-view&qid=1495903111457&sr=1-1">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/before-we-were-strangers/renee-carlino/9781501105777">Buy It On Waterstones</a></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="621" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfJCOfUhrCckR1gX_ZeRxRBjqLYbnKZ92WZtD2M_AmrxuOliDStroKEEMQgkHUZsoLhxuRzIV65PvWVegtvbghz6dUf5E8in8vpoFWZAbkjT3qhzvFrtejcchCTzTgDM4BaQMqobMgOA/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5">
<span class="s2">I had previously picked up this authors best-selling book, Swear On This Life (review <a href="https://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/swear-on-this-life-renee-carlino-review.html">here</a>) which despite all the raving reviews, I really really didn't like. Not to be deterred, I thought okay, no biggie, there’s another book by this author which also got great reviews too and the storyline sounds better, let me give that a go. Sadly, alas, it seems me and this authors books won’t bet getting along. I had less issues with this book than the previous one, but didn’t enjoy it any more and feel disappointed with both books - there was promise with the premise, but the execution, chemistry and characters were so lacking that both books fell flat.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">The story follows the lives of once seemingly two best friends, Matt and Grace, as it flits between the past and present. Matt and Grace were one inseparable, great friends and something more but everything started to fall apart for them, and in the present we see how different their lives are, how far they’ve drifted and eventually the reasons why. When Matt spots Grace one day on a departing train, he puts an ad in the newspaper, in desperate hope to find her again. The storyline and idea was cute enough and the beginning really had me engaged, in wanting to find out what happened between them to cause all this distance, but the more I read about their past, and especially Matt, it turned out, the more I really really disliked him, and from then on, the story for me could only take a nosedive.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5">
<span class="s2">Matt’s character to me, started off great - he came across as sensitive, funny, witty, and charming. He was ambitious and creative, his love for photography pulling me in as I myself have a passion for it too. I felt connected to his character in that sense - until the night that Grace, after some misunderstanding, was upset with Matt and agreed to have dinner with a professor, who we sense is into her, but she’s not - as you can guess, she only agreed to it after being hurt by what she assumed Matt was doing. When Grace brushes Matt off, goes to dinner and returns, she sees Matt doing shots off a girl whose sat in his lap, and pretty much both of them making out. Grace, hurt and jealous, grabs a guy and is about to take him to her room when Matt suddenly intervenes and gets really pissy and angry - irony much? He’s sat there making out with a girl which Grace is meant to be okay with, but when she grabs a guy, suddenly Matt’s all possessive. Granted both their reasonings for their actions at that time weren’t the best - but Matt’s response I did. not. like. Up until this point we see Matt as this sensible and caring character, only for us to suddenly see this 180 degree turn? Just felt really out of character for the Matt we got to see.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5">
<span class="s2">The other thing that really annoyed me about him, was once Grace and Matt are pretty much dating and officially together, there’s an impending question of their futures hanging above them - for Grace, it’s the opportunity to travel for a year with the professor and his orchestra group, and for Matt, it’s a 3 month internship abroad for National Geographic. Both amazing opportunities for both characters, and logic dictates that at this point at least, they should have a conversation about what this means for their relationship but Matt keeps putting it off, and Grace never fully garners the courage to really talk about it. The one moment she does, Matt gets really angry, saying would she really ask him to turn down this amazing opportunity to stay with her? Then he hammers home that this is apparently just a “see you later” scenario rather than a goodbye - Grace relents and tearfully says yeah ok. She herself turns down the orchestra tour, though she doesn’t admit this, to stay and wait for Matt to return and Matt should have realised this, it’s so obvious - but he doesn’t push her to pursue her aspirations the way he should have. This whole scene made Matt come across as extremely insensitive, stubborn and selfish.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">The final nail in the coffin was once they both reconnect in the present, he’s a part of her life, and when he finds out one of the main reasons they were apart and who was responsible for it *cough trying not to spoiler it here* he gets angry at GRACE INSTEAD OF THE PERSON WHO ACTUALLY DID THE HORRIBLE THING. Logic, where art thou? I can’t even with this character. There’s so many more strikes against his character and plot threads that really annoyed me, but I’ll stop here.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">The writing style was better than Swear On This Life, the characters were okay *cough except for Matt* and though it started off well, I wound up rolling my eyes more frequently as the book went on. In this case, similar to Swear On This Life, the ideas and storyline were promising, but the execution wasn’t. Matt’s character was my biggest gripe with this book and my disappointment in him, ruined everything else for me. Sadly I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of this authors books, tis a shame, because I feel like both these books could have been great.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> Nice cover though.</span></span></div>
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</style>Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-36450633698165441812017-06-30T18:39:00.000+01:002017-06-30T18:39:04.459+01:00The Lines We Cross - Randa Abdel-Fattah; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_BdAYIemQLNvCw3uq3Pmvt4PrDSSGfiTtxJqdCE1xjc4CV0gFAA3sHaW_LqN3p2Y5yT6KxcayB1nfwhxA1YHrnEz-NA9u6ZZACd0AbL1qQn4bcm_442myiT5m5lQF-2ycwVnO1kIAlM/s200/35422736.jpg" width="130" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyiY4zbEnY_ufCUiaa_-NhET-c0RwXQOqeZeRlt5xV8jt0F9Zj4K40bGwyR6_gxsxntBEz5j3rHfASPYRfoCNYCzjSR5M-wwuNHzl-Xvrl2kTZ2XsNMmoR0_D-KL7KW4rvSRLgi4KgmM/s200/35392370.jpg" width="132" /> </div>
<br />
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Paperback</b>: 400 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> Scholastic (4th May 2017)</span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 1407173472</span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-1407173474</span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>Michael is drawn to his new classmate Mina, but they're on opposite sides of an issue that's tearing their town apart. His parents are part of an anti-immigration group, while her family have fled their besieged home in Afghanistan. As tensions rise, lines are drawn and both must decide what they want their world to look like, no matter the cost.</i></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lines-We-Cross-Randa-Abdel-Fattah/dp/1407173472/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1498841407&sr=8-2">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Lines-We-Cross-Rand-Abdel-Fattah/9781407173474?ref=grid-view&qid=1498841410522&sr=1-1">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-lines-we-cross/randa-abdel-fattah/9781407173474">Buy It On Waterstones</a></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="610" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLWtuZn6HDCZEKh_io6YTtHo17ahTSM6eSsPTnELehutR-z7j4_SfcM9xZaw8tqsWvKB0uCYVWq6rM18FMzfWspw9fXyUEvW0kL3YFqTZ2LTbOBuaAvR3UVWYFrQ-KJgR61KDVte2FgQ/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s2">Similar to The Hate U Give (review <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/the-hate-u-give-angie-thomas-review.html">here</a>) this book, this story, the characters and the issues addressed in this book is hugely relevant to this current social climate. While it comes dressed as a love story between two teens on opposite sides of one issue, for me at least, it was less about that and more about individual voices, about opinions and clashes - the bigger picture in general and I really appreciate that about this book.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2">It could have easily turned into a very YA, romance orientated book given the two main characters slowly and sweetly fall for each other, but the main focus wasn’t that and instead it was the conflict behind why these two, to the community and world at large, couldn’t be together. Having previously picked up (but not finished) a book from author Randa Abdel-Fattah’s, “Does My Head Look Big In This”, I was familiar with her writing style and felt comforted by her choice of topics and backstory to use for her new book, The Lines We Cross.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<div class="p5">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s2">I enjoyed this book, whilst simultaneously feeling angry - not <b><i>at</i></b> it, but because of the things the author managed to so accurately nail in regards to immigration and a person’s conscience. The main issue in the centre of this book is that of immigration and Islamophobia. Michael’s parents have formed a group, whereby they think there should be limitations on refugees that take residence in their country and in general and how they should behave once they arrive. The terrifying and anger-inducing thing I found about this element of the book, was how scarily true and common such ideologies are. By no means are Michael’s parent’s painted as these horrible racists and compassionate-less people - but instead they’re presented in a way that’s really reflective of our current society and real people who hold such views.</span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s2">In the eyes of Michael’s Dad, if refugees can afford to pay people to smuggle them out of their country, then it should mean they have enough money to sustain their own lives elsewhere rather than coming as refugees to their country. The counter argument we get to see through this book, is that these refugees are fleeing from conflict, from war-torn countries, from untold horrors which the western media don’t show - they flee because their lives depend on it, and not as Michael’s Dad believes, for a <b>better</b> life. It’s life or death for these individuals, something portrayed so tragically through Mina’s character and all that her parents went through just to safely arrive in Australia.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s2">His parents concern, and up until a certain point, Michael’s concern was that refugees are coming to their country, stealing their jobs, taking benefits, taking advantage of the system, just because they can, rather than because they <b><i>need</i></b> it. They didn’t fully deny that refugees need help and that they should all be turned away, they believed in helping, but only as much as a country can do or should do. They were good people - and this is important to me at least, because this book and story shows that such ideas, shaped through the media and lack of correct information, can seep into everyone, good and bad people - and can manifest in different ways. It would have again been easy for the author to paint Michael’s parents as satan’s spawn, spewing racists commentary and uneducated, illogical word-vomit who eventually would turn against Michael for his opposing views - but instead they’re shown as sensible parents who find a way to still love their son, and he love them in return, without anyone being disowned.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s2">Through this central issue, the rest of the strands of the story unfold; issues about identity, your own personal beliefs, standing up for what you believe in and not following the crowd. With dual narration through Micheal’s point of view and Mina’s, we get to see the stark contrast in their ideologies and their beliefs, which made this engaging to read and really showed how the characters played off each other, shaped each other’s actions and eventually viewpoints. Though I did wish that Michael’s change and development, about his own views rather than those inherited by his parents, would have changed because of something that he experiences, rather than because of the romantic element, which got all of this started for Michael. Mina was a strong character for me; she’s been through a lot and still continues to, but she’s firm in her beliefs and not afraid to stand up for herself and those she loves.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="p4">
<span class="s2">I did also wish that there was more to the ending - while Michael and Mina’s relationship was sweet and slow, I felt like there was no conclusion to them by the end - the end felt really rushed and we don’t get to see what happens after. Does Mina’s parents find out about Michael? How do the two stay together despite their obstacles? Do they get their happy ending? Just a few more chapters would have really helped in rounding this story off - but otherwise it was a good and important read and I’d like to thank Scholastic for sending me a copy for review.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-31519388453389892192017-06-16T15:57:00.002+01:002017-06-16T15:59:52.891+01:00Firsts - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2r4eg5A5JUIBfcfkxQAj1bS0e7_VsKgeug7kb4fFgI91WIu21eIIUgWXzngeT9nfHXoGcGPU1hFhn7_s8wsrp91PNdAlhrQKcBT74LE0JfZ3TG8HJdUfwWhzlXADTCmWp4q1Fhc5BH-k/s200/25876099.jpg" width="132" /></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Book Details:<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b>Paperback:</b> 320 pages<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Publisher:</b> St Martin's Press<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Language:</b> English<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b>ISBN-10:</b> 1250130042<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-1250130044<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><u><span style="background: white; color: #181818;">Summary:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #181818;">Seventeen-year-old
Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only
if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets
the boys get their awkward, fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in
return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time- the kind Mercedes
never had herself.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></i></div>
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</i>
<div style="color: #181818; text-align: center;">
<i><i><span style="background: white;">Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has
been easy- so far. Her absentee mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about
Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend,
Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes
doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a
turn- or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in
bed.</span></i></i></div>
<i>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #181818;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has
to find a way to salvage her reputation and figure out where her heart really
belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, FIRSTS is a
one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<b><u><span style="background: white; color: #181818;">Links To Buy:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b><u><span style="background: white; color: #181818;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Firsts-Laurie-Elizabeth-Flynn/dp/1250130042/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1497540495&sr=8-1">Buy It On Amazon</a><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Firsts-Laurie-Elizabeth-Flynn/9781250075963?ref=grid-view&qid=1497540625623&sr=1-1">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><u>Rating:</u></b></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="621" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfJCOfUhrCckR1gX_ZeRxRBjqLYbnKZ92WZtD2M_AmrxuOliDStroKEEMQgkHUZsoLhxuRzIV65PvWVegtvbghz6dUf5E8in8vpoFWZAbkjT3qhzvFrtejcchCTzTgDM4BaQMqobMgOA/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<b><u>Review:<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<div class="xmsonospacing" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">I did not know how I would
feel about this book, even as I kept reading it, I was like hmmmm, HMMMM and
turns out, after all my hmmm-ing and ah-ing, <b>I don’t like this book</b>. Nope. My
expectations were of a smart, witty, insightful book, which to be fair, in some
parts, it was – but the tropes played out in this book, and the main character, just really didn’t sit well with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">The idea behind this
really pulled me in, especially after seeing so many of my fellow GoodReads all
reading it, so of course I jumped on the bandwagon. 17 year old Mercedes, who
never got her perfect first time, takes it upon herself to sleep with boys,
teach them to do it “right” so that their girlfriends will have a better first
experience than she did. <b><i>Crikey, right?</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">I went in with
expectations of a story which repels slut-shaming and promotes body positivity
– and it did; something I came to understand through Mercedes character was
that she uses sex as a control mechanism – she’s got seduction and the lead up
to it down to an art form. But outside of that realm, outside of her
predicating which guys like which outfit, she doesn’t quite know how to form
and maintain relationships. Of any sort, whether that be with her
there-but-absentee-mother, her friend-but-more-than-a-friend Zach, or even her
best friend Angela, from whom she keeps her endless secrets and a betrayal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">I feel like the purpose of
this book was meant to divide the majority, to make people question “why can’t
she sleep with loads of guys and feel good about it, without being shamed by
it?” and the answer to that lies very simply in whether you think the reasons
why she does it, is justified or not. For me. It was clearly not. <b>NOPE</b>.
Mercedes is a somewhat messed up character, craving love and affection but simultaneously
pushing people away. Wanting to provoke a reaction from her ever chirpy mother,
but then pushing back when she gets what she wanted. She’s a bit of a mess,
which is totally fine, because characters are meant to be flawed and broken
especially when their experiences have shaped them so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">But this whole sex
initiation thing she does with guys, is just plain wrong. She sleeps with other
girls boyfriends on purpose, and then lets them go on their merry way, back to
their girlfriends, thinking she’s done them a favour, and she’s actually proud
of what she’s done. Imagine the roles were reversed okay; a guy sleeps with
girls and takes their virginity, so that their boyfriends would have a good
first time with them. <b>YEP. IMAGINE THAT.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Imagine how many guys
could have traipsed their way into her bedroom, claiming to have a girlfriend
they love, they sleep with Mercedes, only to then reveal they don’t have a
girlfriend, they were just looking for an easy way to sleep with someone – and
all they had to do is say they want to make their “girlfriend’s” first time
memorable, and bam. She agrees. Yeah, not great.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="xmsonospacing" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">In a twisted way, it does
bring to light how a guys first time is a big deal too, and there is a lot of
pressure on them to perform and for there to be fireworks and a huge deal made
about it. It works that way for both parties, girls and boys and this book does
a good job in highlighting the issue through both genders, whether through Toby
or through Angela. But in the case of Mercedes, her reasoning
about why she did what she did, felt so wrong to me. After what she went
through, I would have expected her character to have more of an awareness of
what intimacy means and the vulnerability for a girl – but all this went down
the drain with the clear example of Angela. They’re meant to be best friends –
when Angela’s boyfriend approaches her, in a weird manner which sets alarm
bells ringing in her own head – even if its just suspicions at this point – the
first thing you think she would do is tell the best friend – and not hide it
from her and instead enable the boyfriend’s behaviour?! LIKE. WOT. Let that
sink in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="xmsonospacing" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Also. Okay, come on, Faye’s
solution to Mercedes problem was ridiculous. She wanted to take attention off
Mercedes, so she goes and makes a supposed sex tape and broadcasts it to the
whole school on purpose? Sure it grabs their attention and makes them
momentarily forget about the previous scandal – but is that meant to erase the
heartbreak of all the other girls, whose boyfriends slept with someone else for
their first time, essentially cheating on them? <b>No sir it does not</b>. As a female
character, I felt like if Mercedes can think about these girls and want their
first times to be great, she should have also had the capacity and depth to
think about how those very girls would feel when they found out their
boyfriends had cheated on them, with her, on purpose. Not placing the blame solely on her shoulders, <b><i>it takes two to tango</i></b> as they say *eyeroll* but she created this whole thing to start with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="xmsonospacing" style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">On the other hand, I liked
Angela’s character, definitely more so than Mercedes, because that tape stunt
aside, Faye, to me, was a strong female character, who was aware of her
sexuality and was not apologetic for who she was, even with the series of
unfortunate event *pun intended* that led her to a new school. Despite being
describe as some major hottie, she was kind and honest and not some hated
competition character, only featured to make the main character look better in
contrast to her horrible nature. I’m glad she was instead made to be a friend,
an honest one at that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Overall though, I was quite
disappointed in this book, I had expectations of the kind of story that could
have evolved from the topics introduced in this, but instead the potential was
left untapped. I am hoping for other authors to pick up on this kinda storyline
though and write strong stories about something along the same lines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-84328753162195178232017-06-10T20:29:00.001+01:002017-06-10T20:36:47.614+01:00Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index - Julie Israel; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WMt4Qu8MmbcSlInTmsA7ibGryqbTwuaI7WcQNS0Sx_lF39X4do2-jkT77TbIG1UMZx9jwD40DiKHGOLlPsgIVG9GORmRvw9BYdjumaS5qVI516lPaBc_8PNPpS3cZDKFjs4PxKSb214/s200/33871765.jpg" width="130" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XMR5W_2M8zHT2mNRyv_dlxSsAZjydp1pUZaGSFcSes9lcpF4_XjwSq1oWhBzWAwqRBAVCacnGl92ClAGWoaQuIWDYABjS1tWwSY_eCkuogFxWW-yuLLKjPzlryQHaT9D0G5lQuCVm_4/s200/32510588.jpg" width="132" /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Paperback</b>: 352 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> Penguin (1st Jun 2017)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 0141376422</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-0141376424</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>It's hard to keep close a person everyone keeps telling you is gone.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>It's been sixty-five painful days since the death of Juniper's big sister, Camilla. On her first day back at school, bracing herself for the stares and whispers, Juniper borrows Camie's handbag for luck - and discovers an unsent break-up letter inside. It's mysteriously addressed to 'You' and dated July 4th - the day of Camie's accident. Desperate to learn the identity of Camie's secret love, Juniper starts to investigate.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>But then she loses something herself. A card from her daily ritual, The Happiness Index: little notecards on which she rates the day. The Index has been holding Juniper together since Camie's death - but without this card, there's a hole. And this particular card contains Juniper's own secret: a memory that she can't let anyone else find out.</i></span></div>
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<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Juniper-Lemons-Happiness-Index-Israel/dp/0141376422/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1495905979&sr=1-1&keywords=juniper+lemon%27s+happiness+index">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Juniper-Lemon-s-Happiness-Index/9780141376424">Buy It On The Book Depositary </a></span></div>
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<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/juniper-lemons-happiness-index/julie-israel/9780141376424">Buy It On Waterstones</a></span></div>
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<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="610" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIml-4gvUHXEEbBtImrilbS2KmM2u83qlZwbSnQg-SZY19J94WVBuS_3DZaxgdjSxLKEE29HOUfsieSIEHB49_rAAQiDkKRnJVY03AG_m8qt4drGsFmcRf4FIsmEpjQR9EYlCdC3XvZA/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">I instantly fell in love with the idea of this book, as soon as I read the premise, which included a ritual the main character completes - daily index cards. As a keen journal-er, diary keeper, and general stationary obsessed person, this idea stuck out to me more than anything else in the blurb, and off I went on getting stuck right in, expecting a sweet and exploratory story of love and loss.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">What I didn’t expect though, was how deeply moving this very simple story was. Juniper lost her older sister in an accident - she’s been keeping count of how many days it’s been since it happened, and continued on a tradition she started from when her sister was around - keeping a daily index card, to rate her day; the good, the bad, and everything in between. I was touched and saddened by the grief and heartache and loss our main character Juni feels, which was greatly portrayed by the author. The holes in happiness, the loss of feeling, the constant thoughts and echoes of ache, the emptiness. It felt really tangible to me and I feel like the author did a great job in showing how grief can manifest in different ways, through the different characters - whether that be obsessiveness for a ritual, or complete avoidance of a certain place. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The array of characters, from Juni, her parents, Kody, Angela, Sponge, Nate and Brand. When Juni loses one of the most important index cards she’s written, with what she feels like is her darkest secret, she sets off scavenging in the dumpsters to find it. This loss however, brings her so many gains in the most unexpected way, friends and acquaintances that she comes to cherish. The people she helps along the way, some unintentionally, some intentionally, was one of my fav parts of this story, because in the end, the author brilliantly shows that everyone is dealing with something, everyone has their own struggles and are fighting their own battles - just be nice. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">Another discovery which really drives this story forward, is when she discovered a letter, written on the day of her sister’s death, addressed to someone nicknamed “You”. Juni’s desire to find out who this person was, this missing link in her sisters life which no one knew anything about, inadvertently helps to heal some of Juni’s grief, and though I am totally bummed that we never get to find out who this person is, I am kinda glad that their identity remains undiscovered, because in the end, this was her sister’s secret, a part of her life - and with her gone, I feel like it should go with her. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">This isn’t a love story, despite the call of first love that Juni hears, despite what builds with Brand (so adorable, by the way) and I greatly appreciate that the author didn’t focus so intently on their relationship - but instead it was just a facet of the story, with emphasis on friendships, of loss, of family ties more - the book highlights a lot more important issues and does a great job on keeping focus on that. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">As predictable as some parts were, you really won’t mind, given how intelligently and sensitively this book was written, with a great array of characters and the way it raises key issues, important issues, and all in all, makes this a lovely story for every reader. Thank you to Penguin for an ARC of this book.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Here's a picture I took of the book and my own index card.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1441" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcv6N4BKM5wudXL5Jv966Tg6HDr4N2QQejdvycq4U0JBQcifjFN5Qi3tqUVgel2tV7ZtlLQTnVYLgeQZJqhZBBLsecQ865tGWjy-OgEPqvfWNXm2d4mPhI-wlbQHgp537vmGfl8C0JISY/s640/Photo+25-05-2017%252C+7+17+04+pm+%25282%2529.jpg" width="536" /></div>
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Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-9767802658993655512017-06-01T22:04:00.000+01:002017-06-01T22:04:31.158+01:00By Your Side - Kasie West; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyInoUjRb2OomMnqkDIEjgFrMqkh_awg1AiaKZ8p8D3aa2uEI7fKrwCq9bjrz8jBJdHaOL0bH7IEmKMU4aQGwJtyIxYl5LpkuDM0eSDjU8nsnh35kYZfbobkE-vCnuxk37PprQw7eXwGU/s200/30256248.jpg" width="132" /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><b>Paperback</b>: 342 pages</span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><b>Publisher</b>: Harper Teen (31st Jan 2017)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 0062455869</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13</b>: 978-0062455864</span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>In this irresistible story, Kasie West explores the timeless question of what to do when you fall for the person you least expect. Witty and romantic, this paperback original from a fan favorite is perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Morgan Matson.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Only he doesn’t come. No one does.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side? </i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Your-Side-Kasie-West/0062455869/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495054260&sr=8-1&keywords=by+your+side">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="621" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseuMTM8BIhRvmHu4HnYbDSAcn3cZaDzOXSnrOk8a_ODb1pqNVrqqn3wmhL9wxTW8AKGci4QI5j7z0-1Dfb911PvI60fRGBdKHusVWick1lmwbYAaYRCD0UiNYn77O1eg0pPNna7pomss/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: left;">
<span class="s2">Kasie West is my go to author when I want a cute, light, fluffy YA contemporary read - and I have loved her previous books, like The Distance Between Us, <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/on-fence-kasie-west-review.html">On The Fence</a>, <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/ps-i-like-you-kasie-west-review.html">PS. I Like You</a>. But this one sadly, just didn’t do it for me. I still love you Kasie West *she screams from the rooftops* but I know you can, and <b>have</b> written better.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">There wasn’t anything majorly <b><i>wrong</i></b> as such with this book, just that I didn’t enjoy it, didn’t really connect with it, like I have with her previous books and ok yeah I had a few issues with things in the book, don’t I always. The writing though, was great, very easy to read, simple and the usual you’ve come to expect from this author. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">Sadly, the characters, the storyline, the execution really fell flat for me. I mean.. girl + (bad)boy trapped in a library.. IN A LIBARY. Like, all booklovers dream right? To be trapped in a library with books .. and hot guy, but more so BOOKS. ENDLESS BOOKS. ENDLESS BROWSING WITHOUT SOMEONE BREATHING DOWN YOUR NECK AND WATCHING YOUR WEIRDLY AS YOU STROKE THE COVERS.. uhm NOT that I’ve done that. Nope nope. *smiles*</span></div>
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<span class="s2">But like I said, others have loved this book, I just didn’t connect with it in the same way. I started reading this by the way, after finishing the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why - and whenever the names Jeff and Zach, I instantly thought of the characters from the show. (#JEFFDAVIES DESERVED BETTER) just.. yeah. Anyway.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">For me the biggest thing was the kind of.. lack of chemistry and FEEEELZ to this book - there should have been 7 different levels of glorious feelings, guy and girl trapped in a library, he bad boy, she relatively good girl - magic ensues. But as much as I want to like Dax for the character he stands for - and as cute as his moments were, I felt like he didn’t have much of a personality? Like even though it was all there in the description of him, of what he has and does go through - there’s still nothing there to get the angst going for me. Autumn - I just didn’t really like her character either, not that she did anything wrong, but again, there was no connection with </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Other things I did not like: </b></span><br />
- Her friends - who seem like real a-holes to be honest, in the way they treat her and view her. Like how is it you didn’t even realise she was missing?! The way Jeff’s best friend treats Autumn, wow the hate is unreal - he’s such a little pile of turd. </div>
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- The representation of her anxiety just didn’t sit right with me - it seemed opportunistic and just not authentic.<span class="s1"></span></div>
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- The triangle with Jeff was a plot device but felt so blah. <span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I mean there were some good points to the book, like Autumn’s parents who were so caring and conscious of her mental health, checking up on her, making sure she’s okay or if she needs a break. YES PLS KINDA PARENTING. The writing from Kasie West as always is fun to read and there were some really cute moments between Dax and Autumn - but just not the kinda chemistry I’ve come to expect from West and from YA contemporaries in general.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s2">All in all, there was GREAT potential, this really could have turned out to be one of my faves from Kasie West, but the lack of depth, chemistry, buildup and complexities to the characters just didn’t push the boat out in this one. On the bright side, there’s a new book due out from Kasie West - Lucky In Love, 25th July - can’t wait to get my hands on that one! In the meantime, take your fill from my reviews of the authors other books which I’d totally recommend - </span>The Distance Between Us, <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/on-fence-kasie-west-review.html">On The Fence</a>, and <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/ps-i-like-you-kasie-west-review.html">PS. I Like You</a></div>
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Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-85906275055568500562017-05-27T14:39:00.001+01:002017-05-27T14:40:24.334+01:00House Rules - Jodi Picoult; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4q8h9gzP0I6u3vpVoSlTo5IAQAs5IQ2UUKE8IwPXRgyOy4mg1FYZ-3ydHc5K77OpxCn7kcDle5ctF_hQ-ao2ZkWmn4UIH0ldkdMII_azFePEHXdKmP1831VsfnZKIwejsYDYil26Qyg/s200/7153548.jpg" width="128" /> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFeJ8_WGCZaKrgVsv6kLDOa-NCljxHaucmVPmefBe6GozNHVqHvYJIlXYSWbxnqNR9DVZWrG8uE7H4d2MWDeUV67OY0y_9CfGViSxGOeLnw8Z7qRa42-jQMODIZdxtYiJk3udemDrc5O0/s200/6614960.jpg" width="131" /> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF9U2wzD5GLAL1NHAgFUwlpt0sCqc2NhROpdpxQyQWiG6nwyHKOU5pFilqvjiSgPO_e6LVyEP2m3QLg0eOGslPCoQWyeGqeykSa2RMntoRdtbhyphenhyphenIGclzjolPGdyJWCn1EjpTq2urdPkAg/s200/7924837.jpg" width="128" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Paperback</b>: 640 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher</b>: Hodder (10th Oct 2013)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10</b>: 1444754424</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13</b>: 978-1444754421</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>When your son can't look you in the eye...does that mean he's guilty? </i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Jacob Hunt is a teen with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, though he is brilliant in many ways. But he has a special focus on one subject - forensic analysis. A police scanner in his room clues him in to crime scenes, and he's always showing up and telling the cops what to do. And he's usually right.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>But when Jacob's small hometown is rocked by a terrible murder, law enforcement comes to him. Jacob's behaviors are hallmark Asperger's, but they look a lot like guilt to the local police. Suddenly the Hunt family, who only want to fit in, are directly in the spotlight. For Jacob's mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication why nothing is normal because of Jacob.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Rules-Jodi-Picoult/dp/1444754424/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492368976&sr=1-1&keywords=house+rules+jodi+picoult">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/House-Rules/9781439177549">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/house-rules/jodi-picoult/9781444754421">Buy It On Waterstones</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSd0fPNugDNrzjSU8T_SYKCT5Ttj6c_2kP6Y0cNwlH1F34H0ZwCj1OtATJhLM0vM6MFGCZWjzlNfFFPeTIy8vNzreX1S7Lw8j26PGO1HyhyEkM2VFsUHANys5-P8SqO8mZHGiSRhvi9FM/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review: mild spoilers ahead. </b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">On a mission to read more of Picoult’s books, rather than re-reading my favourites of hers, I recently picked up Plain Truth (review <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/plain-truth-jodi-picoult-review.html">here</a>) and House Rules. Though sadly Plain Truth left me disappointed, I continued on with House Rules, hoping for the amazing story and amazing writing that the last book deprived me of. This was more like the Picoult I had come to love - but still, it wasn’t her absolute best work, which I believe adamantly to be <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/keeping-faith-jodi-picoult-review.html">Keeping Faith,</a> <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/second-glance-jodi-picoult-review.html">Second Glance</a>, <a href="https://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/small-great-things-jodi-picoult-review.html">Small, Great Things</a> and Nineteen Minutes. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">We follow the story of Jacob; a teen diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome who suddenly looks to be the main suspect in the murder of his tutor. With information that only the murderer would know, and Jacob’s blanket wrapped around the victim’s torso - could it really be anyone else? </span></div>
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<span class="s2">We get the usual we expect from Picoult; alternative viewpoints between Jacob, his mother, his brother Theo, the lawyer defending him and of course, the policeman. This is one of my favourite aspects from any Picoult novel, in the hands of most authors, this may seem like an overwhelming number of viewpoints with the threat of it being too crowded. But with Picoult she does a wonderful job of making each voice distinct and providing so many individual viewpoints to one main event. Also, there are the somewhat lengthy court scenes which are a love/hate aspect of her books and though sometimes I can do without it, it is something I have come to accept and skim past. When you’ve read so many Picoult books with so many court scenes, you come to get tired of them - but a new reader would appreciate the detail and precision and level of research gone into these things to really make it authentic. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The author really does know how to do her research and I was fascinated about the details we learn in regards to Asperger’s Syndrome as well as the forensic analysis information. I have a bachelors degree in Criminology (which I guess, would make me a criminologist?) and I am totally fascinated with crime scene investigation. My desire in life at one point was to be a forensic analyst, and crime is one of my favourite topics ever. So I totally loved this aspect of the book as it was one of the main reasons I picked this book up and the author manages to dish out this information without making it too heavy-handed. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The writing was great and allowed me to whizz through the book in a couple of sittings, with the sole question revolving around my mind; was it Jacob or was it Theo? See, both Theo and Jacob were at the scene of the crime on that day, albeit at different times. Both seemingly have a motive - Jacob, for having an argument with her, and Theo for being caught accidentally seeing her naked as she came out the shower. As the book progresses, we question each of these individuals but for me at least, there was no doubt in my mind as to who did it. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">The author, as always, raises some good questions through her story; in this case, about issues regarding autism, social stigma, being ostracised from society, personal identity and helps us questions our own ideas and thoughts on the topic.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The characters were great and Jacob especially was my favourite - his character and voice was so distinct, his humour and personality really shone - the way he couldn’t lie, the way he takes things literally, both of which are markers of Asperger’s but is also traits of a normal teenager. I loved the parallels that were drawn in this book in the court scenes; being secretive, not being able to make eye contact, being distant and cranky - things that were markers of Asperger’s, but also markers of being a regular teenager. Jacob’s mother - a lion, doing any and everything for her child, reminded me of another character who is an all time favourite of mine - Sara, from My Sister’s Keeper. The Mom that kept on giving, kept on fighting, no matter what, even if sometimes this was at the expense of her other children. The author does a great job in bringing together some great characters and giving them their own distinct voice in this book. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The one thing that really stopped me from giving this book a 5 star was the ending - OH GOOD LORD. Why why why whyyy WHYYY. The ending really killed the book for me; after ALL that, to have it end so quickly and conveniently, didn’t sit well with me. Overly rushed and not at all what should have been the outcome in my opinion. A little more work on the ending really could have bumped this up into a 5 star book. My grievance with that aside, this was a really good book that I enjoyed reading - but if you’re looking for an EPIC read from Picoult, I would still recommend my all time fav books ever - </span><a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/keeping-faith-jodi-picoult-review.html">Keeping Faith,</a> <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/second-glance-jodi-picoult-review.html">Second Glance</a>, <a href="https://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/small-great-things-jodi-picoult-review.html">Small, Great Things</a> and Nineteen Minutes. </div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-71570040736588419302017-05-20T18:57:00.003+01:002017-05-20T18:57:25.370+01:00I'll Be Yours - Jenny B Jones; Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2lUnmuDVtgan1JV_0ve7gljCSG1ImZMJVxd2JwlFypU0N8TWN4e0RpoxLNAdfDo62gcYE08IK05M12EU2tXc6etYJ77Pzyost-wBdeot3mBvt5RNnPmTuVGEr2nvxS3ZzSh6-JWy0zk/s200/29339707.jpg" width="129" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details: </b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Paperback</b>: 342 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher:</b> Sweet Pea Productions (16th Mar 2016)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10:</b> 0692665463</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-0692665466</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>The day Andrew Levin arrives at Washington High, Harper O’Malley knows he’ll make the perfect starter boyfriend. The school’s newest band geek is totally in Harper’s league, yet completely out of this late-bloomer’s reach. Between fitting in with a new family, scoring the first chair in band, and rescuing dogs for the local animal shelter, Harper’s never had the opportunity to hone her dating skills. But even though Harper’s love life is far from perfect, she’s got the perfect plan.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Harper knows she’s insane to agree to tutor Ridley Estes, a notorious heartbreaker and the star of her high school’s football team—but in exchange, he’s offered to school her in the game of love. Just when she sees promise with her crush, a football scandal rocks her family, her town, and Ridley’s entire future. Harper suddenly has everything to lose—her family, friends, and even her heart. When the dust of the scandal settles, nothing will be the same. Including the girl who asked the most popular jock to teach her about love. </i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ill-Be-Yours-Jenny-Jones/dp/0692665463/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1494967782&sr=1-2&keywords=i%27ll+be+yours">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4u7wHEXWsyCBVNzBV4ddlayq6I-5QUB6shKX8EMTeeM3UFZQfJPjdZY3sBUiftEZgLx_IiTYc6LDc2R3W32uIshUFEhnGQHMT8wGMXTplUy-oSLT5GdQgNdQxoNEi8qd_JFh_cwj09Mc/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review: mild spoiler alert.</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I NEED ME A RIDLEY ESTES, ASAP PEOPLE, ASAP. THIS IS NOT A DRILL… *takes rapid breaths in quick succession.. calms down slightly*. This was such a fun, CUTE and lovely read - with a deeper message embedded… not so deep that it shifts the story, but enough, woven in with the beautiful story and characters, that you just finish reading it, and nod to self. Well done book, well done. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">There is, given my five start rating, MANY things I loved about this book. Ridley Estes I hear you murmur? Ehhh, he was okay *shifty eye look as heart starts beating deceptively* uhm yes we shall get on to that later. I’ll start with the writing - my first Jenny Jones book and I’ve come to love her already, for the story she brought to life, with her epic group of characters and her great writing, full of fun, humour and romance. The totally cute, squee with glee and blush type romance. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The story is one, I’m sure many of you have read before. Nerdy girl, wants to get a guy, enlists the help of oh so handsome jock. Two fall perilously in love. Oh no, what do I do now?! Ensue mistakes galore as she comes to realise who she really wants. Cliche? TRUE. But I’m the biggest believer in cliche’s and tropes that are repeated throughout YA - when done right. This is when the writing is good, fun, great characters, and the feels are all there. I’ll Be Yours ticked all those boxes. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">I loved loved loved the array of characters in this book. My favourites probably *aside from Ridley, obvs* being Harper’s parents. Harper was adopted by the O’Malley’s when she was 9. Her past was a traumatic one.. something she never talks about, and has worked hard, alongside her adoptive parents, to move past it. The love these parents have for her, the way they show it, the way they speak about it - granted this is a fictional book, but it moved something deep within me. Hey hey, I’m not adopted myself or anything like that *despite what my brothers kept telling me up until the age of 7* but the parental love, the support, the fierce protectiveness, was something I really enjoyed reading. </span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>“I could be in the midst of my own court battle, but I’d still get to that parole hearing. We could live across the country, and I’d still be in that courtroom to remind that judge of what happened to </i><b><i>my daughter.”</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>“Do you have any comment about the recent photos of your husband with his former employee, Josie Blevins?”</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>At that Mom stopped. She spun around on the reporter so fast, he tottered backward, and for one hopeful second, I thought he might hit the sidewalk.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>Mom poked her finger right in his bloated face. “Since you know who I am, let me remind you who these three individuals are—</i><b><i>they’re my children.</i></b><i> And they shouldn’t have to be subjected to someone so low as to make catcalls ten feet away from the Lord’s house.” </i></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>She stepped so close she was surely breathing his same air. </i></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>“This is sacred ground you’re standing on, and I don’t mean because we’re at church. I mean because I’m standing on this ground. And who am I? </i><b><i>I’m a mother. And these are my children. </i></b><i>And if you get near them again, I will go full-on Mama Bear, throw down my handbag, and rip out your throat until it comes out your big mouth. Are we clear?”</i></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>Wide-eyed, the man nodded.</i></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>“Oh, I don’t think I heard you.” Mom reached for her purse strap.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>“Yes, ma’am! Yes, Mrs. O’Malley.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>“Good.” She exhaled loudly and found a cool smile. “You have a blessed day now. Come on, kids.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p6">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5">
<span class="s2">Great stuff, eh? *claps hands* now we move on, nuh uh uh, not yet to Mr Ridley. Few more characters and things to go before I talk about <b><i>him</i></b>. Let’s talk instead, about how totally ADORABLE Harper’s relationship with the football team was? Her Dad being the coach and all, the boys came over every weekend to have lunch, and tradition of sorts, and they became part of the O’Malley clan. You can’t not love these boisterous boys who dote on Harper. The proof .. is in the pudding.</span></div>
<div class="p6">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>“No.” Humiliation was my drink of choice this weekend, so I just tipped it back and guzzled even more. “I asked him to a dance, and he turned me down.” Ten heads swiveled in my direction, chicken suspended before open mouths. “Actually he didn’t even answer.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>Hand grenades exploding in the house couldn’t have been louder than the reaction of the team.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>“Gimme dat kid’s address.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>“I’m gonna punt him into Georgia.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>“I’d like to throw that freak over the goalpost.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>“That fool ain’t fit to kiss the soles of your little bitty girl shoes.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><b><i>“He gonna talk to my friends Righty and Lefty!”</i></b></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>“Beside me Marcus laughed and pulled me against his sweater-vest for a catch-and-release hug. “Say the word, and we will find him now.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>Dominic Vago pushed up his sleeves. “Yeah, we can call that dessert.”</i></span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5">
<span class="s2">I love that kind of dynamic, the sense of family and loyalty that’s earned over time. So so cute. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Harper herself, to me, was such a loveable character, a genuine one that lifted from the pages. Her wit, her awkwardness, her personality, I really liked her. She has a messy past, scars that run really, really deep - but it wasn’t a show and tell thing in this book.. but instead you kinda felt it, in the way she reacted to people, to touch, to situations. She was very much a real character to me, with the realisations that dawns on her near the end, her courage in talking about her past, about her acceptance that nothing is ever perfect - it’s just reality. Her desire to rescue abandoned dogs, her banter with Mavis, her big heart - all drew me to her. I liked her a lot.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
<div class="p6">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5">
<span class="s2">Now.. on to the finale. <b>LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, TAME YOUR WILD STALLION HEARTS, AS I AM NOW INTRODUCING, MR RIDLEY ESTESSSSSSSS</b> *draws out name like they do on wrestling with that booming voice* you get the gist though eh? Man oh man, I <b>loved</b> Ridley. Just everything about him in this book, captured my heart. Sure, he comes across as your typical jock, arrogant, good looking, mean - but we all know how that plays out in YA right? The thing I liked most about his character, as lame as this may seem - was what a gentleman he was. The way he would put his hand lightly on Harper’s back to guide her when walking. The countless times he’s shrugged out of his jacket and draped it on her. The way he opens doors and pulls out chairs for her. His manners, the way he checked if Harper was 110% comfortable moving forward with things she had no experience in. The simple things, really <b>make</b> a character. This has to be one of my fav parts of the book, which is saying a lot, given how many parts I do adore. Brace yourself ladies. *and guys* the full passage will be found at the end of this review. You can thank me later. </span></div>
<div class="p6">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5">
<span class="s2">Is this review getting too long? I think it may be. You know me.. me and my ramblings. Let me summarise so it gives you time to go and pick yourself a copy of the book. With great writing, great characters, depth, and steamy chemistry between the two leads, I couldn’t have asked for anything more from this lovely YA contemporary.. except maybe that I wished it was longer, just so I get more dosage of Ridley, the O’Malley’s and the football boys. Jenny B Jones - I need more. But for now.. enjoy the scene below. </span></div>
<div class="p6">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">___</span></div>
</div>
<div class="p6">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
</div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Here.” Before the evening chill swept over me, Ridley shrugged out of his jacket and eased my arms into it. I tried to imagine it was Andrew’s, but for some reason I couldn’t even bring up a memory of his face. All I could see was this boy in front of me.</span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“If the guy is the right one”—I sucked in a breath as Ridley pulled me to him—“and if he’s holding you right, you won’t be thinking about stray dogs.”</span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“This seems to be more your thing,” Ridley said, his voice near my ears as we swayed to the slow-moving song. His body was warm, and I had the strongest urge to rest my head on his shoulder, to shut my eyes and let all my problems disappear in the fog that swirled around me. The terrace was empty, save for the two of us. Gaslit lamps stood on iron stands, giving the look of rustic candlelight. ”</span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">His laugh tickled my ear. “I think it’s time we took the next step . . . in your tutorial.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Ridley leaned closer. His face hovered inches from my own. His eyes searched mine, and his challenge levitated in the sliver of space between us. “Kissing.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Kissing,” I repeated dumbly.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“That’s right.” His gaze dropped to my lips. “You’re going to want to take notes.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Is that so?” I wondered if he could hear my heart thudding in my chest.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“The lesson’s already started, in case you’re wondering.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“I don’t know that this is really necessary.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Oh, kissing is very necessary. And I recall it being your idea.” Ridley had yet to retreat. If anything, he had somehow gotten closer. His left hand reached out, slid up my stiffened arm. It slowly journeyed back down. Rested on my hand. </span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><b>"I’m not going to hurt you.” He gave my fingers a squeeze. “Do you believe that?”</b></span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">My answer left my lips before I had time to think. “Yes.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Have you noticed you don’t totally recoil anymore when I touch you?”</span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">I had noticed. He had somehow made the short list of people who could handle me without making me want to barf on their shoes.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Do you want to proceed?”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">I nodded. Then let out the air I didn’t know I’d been holding.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><b>“You stay stop, I stop. Got it?” His smile was kind, heartbreaking even. “It’s just a kiss.”</b></span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Let us continue.” That gentle smile turned a little wicked, lifting his cheeks, lighting his eyes. He picked up my hand, and his skin, roughened from football, was an electric abrasion on mine. He waited a long moment, as if letting me adjust to the feel. Lifting my fingers to his lips, his eyes now on mine, daring me to look away, he turned over my palm. And pressed his lips in the warm center.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Lesson twelve.” His breath was a caress on my hand. “An amateur goes straight for the lips, stays there.”</span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Good heavens, I couldn’t move if a tornado screamed into the room and spun us about.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“But someone who knows what he’s doing,” Ridley continued, his voice gravelly and deep, “he knows there’s more ground to cover. To explore.” Ridley’s gaze dipped to my hand then back to me. “Just part of the fun.” And with that, he pressed his open mouth to my palm again. As if the nerve endings were directly connected to my heart, my chest fluttered and jumped. My thoughts tripped over themselves, caught as a new heat wrapped around me and filled my every cell. I couldn’t think.”</span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">All I could do was . . . feel. This was <i><b>so</b></i> going in the diary.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“And then,” he said, “you might use that hand to pull the person in.” He did just that. So close my hand landed on his chest to keep my balance. A prayer couldn’t have fit between us. “You getting this?” Words eluded me, sentences beyond possibility. “Yes.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">He looked at me as if I were a mystery he wanted to solve, a present he wanted to unwrap. “Then you focus on your target.”</span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">His attention on my mouth had me sucking in my bottom lip, worrying it with my teeth. With a faint laugh, Ridley framed my face with his hands. He rubbed his thumb over that same lip. “You might say something complimentary at this point.” That thumb teased my lip again in a slow, excruciating slide. “Like how I love the scent of you. Or how I think about your lips. Too often.” </span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">He began to close the distance again, his head tilting, leaning.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Ridley—”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">He lazily lifted his eyes to mine, his mouth hovering so close. He quirked a dark brow in question.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“I . . . I don’t know where to put my hands.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">His thumbs now aimlessly caressed my cheeks. “Lots of places for hands. It’s like a multiple choice test you can’t get wrong.” He waited. Smiled. Watched. “Give it a try.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Right,” I breathed.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">I thought of every romance novel I had ever read, every movie makeout scene I’d watched.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">My hands seemed to be detached, almost robotic as I lifted them.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Started at Ridley’s chest.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Wondered about his back.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Considered his neck.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Stayed away from his butt.</span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“You’re thinking too hard.” Then, as if trusting me to figure it out, he pressed a featherlight kiss to my cheekbone. Then two more just like it, creating a trail of shivery sensations. “Go with what you feel.” He continued to kiss. And when his lips closed on my neck, I sucked in a breath and slinked my arms around his waist and pulled him tight. Whatever he was doing, it was heaven.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">His laugh vibrated against my chest. “Good girl.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Was it okay to move my hands? What were the rules? I hesitantly walked my fingers up his back, felt the muscle, traced it through his shirt.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“O’Malley?”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Yes?”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">His lips moved from my neck to the space near my ear. “I’m going to kiss you now.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“I thought that’s what you’ve been doing.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Just the warm-up.”</span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Ridley’s mouth descended, and I lost all sense of time and space. Gravity eluded me, and my heart floated about. I felt just the slightest touch, his lips on mine, his—</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">He stopped. “You’re not breathing.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">What was with all this talking? “Of course I am.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><b>“Do you want me to stop?”</b></span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“No.” The single word came out a little too loud.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“I don’t want to push this.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“But it’s just a tutorial,” I said. The stars flickered overhead, the night breeze sang all around. “It means nothing. Right?”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">A wayward strand of hair escaped, and Ridley reached out and slid it behind my ear. </span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><b>"It’s okay to tell this dude to go slow. It’s okay to say you have . . . boundaries.”</b></span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Ridley was worried about me. Me and my odd assortment of mismatched baggage. “Maybe I’m tired of the boundaries.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><b>“Not in this department. Do not make it open season for this guy.”</b></span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">I laid my hand on his chest, felt the rapid beat of his heart. “You’re a good guy, Ridley Estes.”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Then he crushed his smiling lips to mine.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Good heavens. Ridley Estes kissed like a Beethoven symphony. It was power and beauty, a crescendo of fire and grace. His lips on mine, his hands now holding my face, angling it to draw me closer. His tongue traced my bottom lip before capturing it again. “Close your eyes, O’Malley.”</div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">And I did.</span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">But not before seeing that hard face soften, his features relax as if completely unguarded.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Then Ridley seemed to pull back, slow it down. As if he’d decided to savour and take his time. I knew I was awkward. My nose hit his more than once. But he didn’t laugh, didn’t say a word. Just held me tight and kept his mouth fused to mine. My hands slid up his chest and around his neck. I marvelled at the heat of his skin. The heat within me.</span><br />
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">He drew his lips away from mine, and I heard him sigh heavily before pressing one final kiss to my forehead. “You think you’ve got it?”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">While I willed my legs to keep me upright, my eyes drifted open to find Ridley watching me, an unreadable expression on his dark face. “Not bad,” I said.</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">He grinned at that. “You’ve had better?”</span></div>
<div class="p5" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">“Danny Jacobson’s kiss did come with nachos.”</span></div>
<div class="p6" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
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Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-16724107805185569152017-05-15T19:58:00.000+01:002017-05-15T19:58:53.944+01:00Love and First Sight - Josh Sundquist; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJk5VhwvTTD-pyAMXtvayqZxkHaNdkWGGcv0MQ6TChhvEQeVOXKlWREXgIEEcyzNZzEZ7YMJRhT3SgHT5VCQJf9yF4r-HuQ2Kp2T1QxE_1Ow-EwgwPcEZywnBiaMWYFWhI9ZfxkMWTuYM/s320/24921988.jpg" width="211" /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Hardcover: 288 pages</span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Publisher: Little, Brown (3rd Jan 2017)</span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">Language: English</span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">ISBN-10: 0316305359</span></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2">ISBN-13: 978-0316305358</span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s1"><b></b></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>Love is more than meets the eye.</i></span></div>
<div class="p2" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i></i></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="s2"><i>On his first day at a new school, blind sixteen-year-old Will Porter accidentally groped a girl on the stairs, sat on another student in the cafeteria, and somehow drove a classmate to tears. High school can only go up from here, right?</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>As Will starts to find his footing, he develops a crush on a sweet but shy girl named Cecily. And despite his fear that having a girlfriend will make him inherently dependent on someone sighted, the two of them grow closer and closer. Then an unprecedented opportunity arises: an experimental surgery that could give Will eyesight for the first time in his life. But learning to see is more difficult than Will ever imagined, and he soon discovers that the sighted world has been keeping secrets. It turns out Cecily doesn’t meet traditional definitions of beauty—in fact, everything he’d heard about her appearance was a lie engineered by their so-called friends to get the two of them together. Does it matter what Cecily looks like? No, not really. But then why does Will feel so betrayed?</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-First-Sight-Josh-Sundquist-ebook/dp/B01FRASFJK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1490477784&sr=8-1">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Love-and-First-Sight/9780316305358">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/love-and-first-sight/josh-sundquist/9780316305358">Buy It On Waterstones</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseuMTM8BIhRvmHu4HnYbDSAcn3cZaDzOXSnrOk8a_ODb1pqNVrqqn3wmhL9wxTW8AKGci4QI5j7z0-1Dfb911PvI60fRGBdKHusVWick1lmwbYAaYRCD0UiNYn77O1eg0pPNna7pomss/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I had no idea Josh Sundquist was a Youtuber. Now how is that possible? But nonetheless, I was so excited about this book, it had been on my to-be-read list for ages. Blind kids starts to see and the world isn’t quite up to scratch. Epic stuff, eh?</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Sadly this just wasn’t my kind of book. There were a few elements of the book I did enjoy, but overall, I struggled to actually finish this book in the first place. Granted, I was reading two other books at the same time, but there was nothing in this book that made me want to speed-race to the end, nothing <b><i>really</i></b> to pull me through the story. The writing, though good, especially for a Youtuber as his debut book, the story itself was lacking. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The beginning few chapters were good and really got me interested, and I enjoyed (probably not the best word to use) reading about the kind of life someone blind leads; the everyday struggle with basic things that I really do take for granted. What I found really cool was the concept of perspective which our main character explains, isn’t something he actually gets. How can you have perspective for something when you have nothing, no visual markers, to compare it to? For someone who was born blind, how exactly are you suppose to understand the concept that some things look smaller when far away and get bigger as you get closer? That was so fascinating to me and I appreciated the author did loads of research to make this as authentic as possible. But for me at least, there’s a stuff a huge leap between writing authentically from something you yourself have experienced, to writing <b><i>about</i></b> something you have no experience with. It’s not the same thing, but still, I will say, the author did a good job with this and it was respectfully done. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The characters however, felt really underdeveloped to me. Even the main character, though this is all told through his narrative, felt lacking in depth and true emotion, it was all explained and not really something felt, you know? Does that even make sense? I just felt like as I was reading it, that this was <b><i>just</i></b> a book and not really a story that I was getting invested and interested in. There was no chemistry between the main character and the love interest either, despite understanding what drew them together, I didn’t really feel anything for either of them. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The story kind of went off track for me too; we see that Will decides to go after Cecily, but in between that mission, there’s a detour for him to see as many things as he can, while he can, with the impending possibility that his newfound eyesight after surgery might be relapsing. I get it in theory; this is his chance to see what he can just in case this does all fall through, but again, I didn’t <b><i>feeeeel</i></b> it. There should have been angst, a certain level of fear and vulnerability to have found something only to have the threat of it going hanging over you. But I felt none of it. In that sense, given it is YA, this was a very amateurish YA book; there surface elements were all there, but I feel like it may have been too much of a stretch to write this as a first book. In the hands of a more experienced author, this story could have had real depth. Don’t get me wrong, having said that, Josh made a great effort with this book. Just for me, I struggled to find something really engaging to get me to the end and went weeks without reading it - only to pick it up and finish it just to finish the book off. Great pun with the title and great fun with the cover - but this book just wasn’t for me. </span></div>
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</style>Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-68449042812214040742017-05-13T00:24:00.000+01:002017-05-13T00:36:58.332+01:00P.S. I Like You - Kasie West; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwWWciCL_ptf_FnBPh5P89Of4GO-soink1pWN7KiKT3IwsxlLMzI9VYHqwxfs_X0yM6vCDDfRAxWFYGU1Xe0CiV44RgWH2LgLouq3Kw5RLFhBKK5XqylvO2zPxXZ2inTjtZsezVOwXSw/s320/25486998.jpg" width="213" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Paperback</b>: 336 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher</b>: Point; Reprint edition (25th July 2017)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10</b>: 1338160680</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13</b>: 978-1338160680</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Signed, sealed, delivered…</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/P-S-Like-You-Kasie-West/dp/1338160680/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1493642391&sr=8-1">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/P-S-I-Like-You-Kasie-West/9780545850971">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4u7wHEXWsyCBVNzBV4ddlayq6I-5QUB6shKX8EMTeeM3UFZQfJPjdZY3sBUiftEZgLx_IiTYc6LDc2R3W32uIshUFEhnGQHMT8wGMXTplUy-oSLT5GdQgNdQxoNEi8qd_JFh_cwj09Mc/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review: mild spoilers up ahead!</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">One word - ADORKABLE. Having previously read and loved Kasie Wests’ novel, like <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/on-fence-kasie-west-review.html">On The Fence </a>and The Distance Between Us, The Fill In Boyfriend, I knew what I would get when I picked up PS. I Like You; a cute, funny, adorable read and BINGO, I was right. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">One of the main reasons I love this author and her books, is because of how (for lack of a better word) clean it is; don’t get me wrong, it’s great fun to read books that are detailed and steamy, but it’s also refreshing to read something so simple, no painful innuendos, just a girl and a guy and their feelings. It’s amazing that an author can write something as easy as hand-holding or moments of eye-contact as something that gives me butterflies and induces squueeee-worthy moments. But like I said, that’s what I love about this author and this delivered that on all counts. </span></div>
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Chemistry - a lesson, let's face it, we alllll despise, suddenly became really interesting for our main character and us when one day, after scrawling on the table *inner nerd in me revolted at this act of vandalism* she comes back to find someone had <b>WRITTEN BACK. </b>Let's all take deep breaths now. As the book progresses, these two form a connection through their note writing; something that starts out as simple as a distraction from that dreaded class, suddenly becomes a chance for them to open up to one another, become friends.. and perhaps more?</div>
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<span class="s2">I knew the first chapter in, who the mystery note writer was, honestly it just couldn’t BE anyone else - it was so startlingly obvious. I will admit, I was so so sceptical at first about this, because I’m not fond of a guy acting oh so cute and sensitive in mystery notes, only to behave COMPLETELY rudely, horribly and cruelly on an outward level towards the same character, or to everyone really. The old “he teases you because he likes you” really doesn’t apply or shouldn’t apply because at the end of it all, you should’t have any reason to be horrible to anyone, especially to someone you like simply to mask the fact that you do. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">But despite all this, as the book went on, I actually found myself warming to this character and ended up rooting for these two lovebirds with some major fist-pumping. Flawed as it was in my opinion, his logic, the reasons why he behaved the way he did, worked for his character, and for the way he perceived himself and his situation, why he acted the way he did. His true self, was caring, sweet, attentive, misunderstood and really, just craving affection. I loved him for that. </span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>"So you think I'm hot?" </i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>"Doesn't every girl?"</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>It surprised me when his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. I wasn't sure why that embarrassed him in any way. I was positive he already knew it. He ran one hand through his hair. Then he said, almost too quiet for me to hear, "You're not every girl."</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I loved Lily’s family dynamic and this was probably one of my favourite things in the book - her family, as crazy as it sounds, was sweet and genuine and as the youngest of 8 siblings myself, I totally get it. Her parents were my fav, with the necklace judging competition to the pie judging competition, they were sweet and loving. Even that damn rabbit with it’s pink eyes was cute, peeing over guys and all included. Crazy as the family was, they were loveable and given the stark contrast it provided to the mystery note-writers dead-beat family, I’m glad Lily appreciated that. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">On to Lily herself, I’m not sure how much I actually liked her character. To me, she seemed somewhat selfish, presumptuous, prone to judging but also complaining about how she was judged herself. But then again, most teens (and even adults) are like this, are they not? I just couldn’t really warm to her character I guess, the same way I did to our mystery guy. Having said that, I loved reading about these two through their notes, both of with were witty and cute. Oh how I wish my high school days included any-note-passing of any kinds with a potentially cute guy. But nope, all we had was chewing gum and other unknown and unidentifiable materials stuck to the bottom of our desks. *shudder* Also, I don’t know why, but I just found this scene so so cute so I’m sharing. </span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>“We wedged ourselves inside and ********* pulled the door closed behind us, instantly engulfing us in blackness. He must’ve shifted to the left because his foot came down on mine. I breathed air between my teeth.”</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>“Sorry,” he whispered. “Where are you?”</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>I was so close to him I could feel his body heat, so I wasn’t sure why he couldn’t tell where I was. I put both hands up, thinking they were going to touch his back, but realized I was touching his chest instead. “Right here.” He placed his hands over mine on his chest. “Now I won’t step on you.”</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">This book made me laugh, made me smile really hard at the page, and even face palm myself with a resounding NOOOOOoooooOoo during a certain notebook-reading-scene. Though this book can be accused of being cheesy, I totally love it for that element and the feel-good read and sweet romance it provided; and as always, will mean I will continue to pick up more of this authors books. There were some flaws and things I didn’t particularly like in the book, but a 5 star rating for sheer enjoyability. </span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>“Give me your arm.” I stepped closer to him and after one second realized I had stepped between his knees that were wide on the barstool. It would seem awkward to step back now, like he affected me in some way, so I didn’t. Because he didn’t. </i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>But his musky scent sure was doing a number on my breathing. I took the bracelet, one end in each hand and tried to attach it around his wrist. Only now my hands seemed shaky.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>“You smell good,” he said softly.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b><i>I closed my eyes for a moment, my breath catching. “Just hold still.”</i></b></span></div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-69765951094403473982017-05-10T21:44:00.000+01:002017-05-10T21:44:27.151+01:00Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHsdShK0use8UyvI9xGm7UWCzrMbjsYOOxhWHJFio3Qfl51rIVNzFd3a_gJn7GxYmmY8VXy3aV_K7fkoIL2I3S59On4qubvrqZA8qiRSXUD6xbswtdscpqodi6b0dNvGXlokkF7nfVnro/s200/1767864.jpg" width="128" /> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWgCe651pM5es7JzWPvTXyfIlonWgKq-o-xg9pTD-z8hBRyNkR-tQq4LvrrkRkp9nTXndmKwZ7T_rpxGLdejqYG94RFwvbAO5nCwp2t4Bf9F-3gWPaFs3QH1vIpnfMv9Dhw6SGU2L5F0/s200/3104030.jpg" width="130" /> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAfVnOQk8Hp_zRLwuGRRRQL2tbAohOm7XJ7igHkxRfpgKFHy2e-_a5wgFFSMocG25BcuEn9sBQuHluHZlD_QuOo3K1WbC5qTvcREuRojqAr9UmPeUIjLmNrj_Bf50sTmjT7fO3YTb7Ho/s200/14864.jpg" width="130" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Paperback</b>: 464 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher</b>: Hodder (15th Aug 2013)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10</b>: 1444754378</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13:</b> 978-1444754377</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>The small town of Paradise, Pennsylvania, is a jewel in Lancaster County - known for its picture-postcard landscapes and bucolic lifestyle. But that peace is shattered by the discovery of a dead infant in the barn of an Amish farmer. A police investigation quickly leads to two startling disclosures: the newborn's mother is an unmarried Amish woman, eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher. And the infant did not die of natural causes. Although Katie denies the medical proof that she gave birth to the child, circumstantial evidence leads to her arrest for the murder of her baby. </i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>One hundred miles away, Philadelphia defense attorney Ellie Hathaway has achieved an enviable, high-profile career. But her latest court victory has set the sands shifting beneath her. Single at thirty-nine and unsatisfied with her relationship, Ellie doesn't look back when she turns down her chance to make partner and takes off for an open-ended stay at her great-aunt's home in Paradise. Fate brings her to Katie Fisher. Suddenly, Ellie sees the chance to defend a client who truly needs her, not just one who can afford her. </i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plain-Truth-Jodi-Picoult/dp/1444754378/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492368726&sr=1-1&keywords=plain+truth+jodi+picoult">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Plain-Truth-Jodi-Picoult/9781444754377?ref=grid-view&qid=1492368731051&sr=1-2">Buy It On The Book Depositary </a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/plain-truth/jodi-picoult/9781444754377">Buy It On Waterstones</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseuMTM8BIhRvmHu4HnYbDSAcn3cZaDzOXSnrOk8a_ODb1pqNVrqqn3wmhL9wxTW8AKGci4QI5j7z0-1Dfb911PvI60fRGBdKHusVWick1lmwbYAaYRCD0UiNYn77O1eg0pPNna7pomss/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review: Warning - mild spoilers ahead. </b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite authors, like everrrrr. I’ve read and loved so many of her books, with some of my favourites including <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/keeping-faith-jodi-picoult-review.html">Keeping Faith</a>, <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/second-glance-jodi-picoult-review.html">Second Glance</a>, Nineteen Minutes and <a href="https://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/small-great-things-jodi-picoult-review.html">Small, Great Things</a>. She’s an absolutely amazing writer, and when she gets it right, she nails it, fully. But when she gets it wrong.. well she gets it wrong. This book is one of them. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">I picked up Plain Truth whilst in my reading slump and thought what better book to get me out a slump than one from Picoult which would surely revive me and leave me reeling. Sadly, this book didn’t deliver on that end, and instead I found myself on the other side of the fence when it comes to her books. Whilst I’ve always firmly been on the love-and-gush side, I’m now seeing from the other side why some have not enjoyed her books in the same way, because they picked the wrong book as an example of her amazingness. This book is one of Picoult’s weaker books. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The premise was promising, every single of one of her books always has an interesting blurb, with a refreshing new storyline, bound to tackle deep rooted issues through the story and book. To me, this one felt like it would dissect and discuss religion, faith, pro-life choices and gives us great depth into Amish culture and what life for them is really like. And it did do that, don’t get me wrong. As someone who has no idea about Amish culture, this gave me good insight into that way of life, the beliefs and ideas behind it, and that’s one thing this author always delivered on - information and depth. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">However the characters, the story itself, the execution, I couldn’t say the same for. The pace of this book started really slow and I had hoped the deeper I got into it, the more I would start to like it and it’s just a case of warming up to the story, but sadly that wasn’t to be the case. Above all, one thing that annoyed me the most and continued to annoy me throughout the book and right through till the end, was the main character, Katie Fisher. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">As the story goes, police turn up to the Amish village when they hear about a baby that was delivered, with no mother coming forward, and the baby being pronounced dead - whether through natural causes or murder, remains to be seen. When police enquire if there were any pregnant ladies on the land, there is no one - with the only viable suspect being Katie, who though wasn’t <b><i>seen</i></b> as being pregnant, is eventually found with a uterus that has recently given birth, and blood dribbling all down her legs. Katie however maintains, throughout this WHOLE damn book - that baby is not hers and she did not have a baby. You hear that? Throughout the WHOLE BOOK. Despite being caught with a recently given-birth-uterus (can’t think of the correct term to explain this) and evidence she had given birth and later on evidence that she had had sex, became pregnant and GIVEN BIRTH - BUT SHE STUBBORNLY MAINTAINS SHE DID NOT HAVE A BABY. Now c’mon, who wouldn’t be annoyed by that, all the way through. It’s one thing to protest at the beginning and eventually succumb once all evidence was presented, but to not just argue against it, but so <b><i>stubbornly</i></b> argue against it, really got on my nerves. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">Another thing that grated on my nerves about this character, was about how much of a wise-ass she was presented as. When a lawyer is thrown into the mix in the form of Ellie Hathaway, who comes to the town to visit her aunt and gets caught up in this investigation and ends up defending Katie, she see the two starkly different women interact and build a relationship. Katie, portrayed as very much the simple girl, leading a simple life and very determined beliefs about Amish culture, clashes with Ellie, a lawyer from the city, who has honed her career and sacrificed a lot along the way for it. These two very different characters were the perfect opportunity to explore each others worlds and the connections between them, but while Ellie’s character was okay enough to read about and understand, Katie’s wasn’t - she was annoying, stubborn and would answer questions with unnecessary remarks and questions that were an attempt to sound wise and interested, but instead fell flat and felt pretentious. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">While this tactic from the author, to end chapters with questions that leave you thinking or statements that leave a mark, often works so well and is one of the main reasons I love her books - just for this story and these characters, it just really didn’t work. Maybe it was because I couldn’t connect in any way to any of the characters or just the story simply wasn’t gripping enough, but either way, I couldn’t find myself getting lost and in love with this story and the writing wasn’t what I was used to from this author. The story itself was very predictable and I had already guessed what had happened - I kept on reading with the hopes it would end differently, there would be a twist to bring it all to justice, but nope. Disappointed on both ends. Instead the ending was so predictable and HUGELY anti-climatic, with so much build up to the moment, only for it to end in such a way. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">Not quite the book I was expecting from my favourite author, but I guess you can’t always write amazing books 100% of the time. Disappointed as I was, I know that Picoult has the capacity and ability to write AMAZEBALLS books and this just wasn’t one of the finest examples of that. I picked up and finished another book by her, House Rules, the review for which as always, is coming soon. </span></div>
Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-87869024395007715612017-05-06T22:14:00.000+01:002017-05-06T22:14:04.979+01:00Swear On This Life - Renee Carlino; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg50ei6fCC2BTINngu5I5iAKEOIDCOF0luNavGiX7g2J_KXkH-ot8F5m7Q5Kt5lxRgwFVXDstIJejJHlX30ybNwfULXi0SM-zCTgDuvGmx4i9NYty4iHX9jhf6lswEmAf7Ok4XJmA-Qqwg/s320/23492533.jpg" width="204" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">Paperback: 320 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Publisher: Atria Books (11th Aug 2016)</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Language: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2">ISBN-10: 1501105795</span></div>
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<span class="s2">ISBN-13: 978-1501105791</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>When a bestselling debut novel from mysterious author J.Colby becomes the literary event of the year, Emiline reads it reluctantly. As an adjunct writing instructor at UC San Diego with her own stalled literary career and a bumpy long-term relationship, Emiline isn’t thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of a young and gifted writer.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Yet from the very first page, Emiline is entranced by the story of Emerson and Jackson, two childhood best friends who fall in love and dream of a better life beyond the long dirt road that winds through their impoverished town in rural Ohio.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>That’s because the novel is patterned on Emiline’s own dark and desperate childhood, which means that “J. Colby” must be Jase: the best friend and first love she hasn’t seen in over a decade. Far from being flattered that he wrote the novel from her perspective, Emiline is furious that he co-opted her painful past and took some dramatic creative liberties with the ending.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>The only way she can put her mind at ease is to find and confront “J. Colby,” but is she prepared to learn the truth behind the fiction? </i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Links To Buy:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Swear-This-Life-Renee-Carlino/dp/1501105795/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490477654&sr=8-1&keywords=swear+on+this+life">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Swear-on-This-Life-Renee-Carlino/9781501105791">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxXqxfixJIftk4a7j2QksHaeVy5HEc6dcwoVo_tLSJOrrgc4St3xJIPzeVNpyLZTd-ZYg4dJYhiBpO89cXTkbZUsd9O3shrpskaxDIk24sXZCQs3J_lYcaKlS2ov9S_kyLocSfkCbPJY/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I feel like I’m very much in the minority when it comes to this book, in that I really, really did not like it. At all. With so many 5 star reviews, and gushing comments, I had high hopes for this, but I felt so deflated when I finished it and thought ehhhhh. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">It sounded like it was going to be epic - come on, girl and boy separated by so many years, only for the boy to write about a book about them and the girl discovers it - ensue emotional turmoil and angsts and ALL DA FEELS. But nope, there was nothing, nada, zilch, going on for me with this story. There was, to me at least, no real emotion, nothing that I could cling to and really feel - instead it was flat, too constructed, didn’t flow. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">We follow the journey of these two characters through flashbacks of past and present. Emiline and Jace grew up together, a rough childhood with only each other for comfort through those dark times. They eventually separate, go on to lead their own lives, and told through the narrative of Emiline, we see that she has a boyfriend (a very annoying, boring boyfriend might I add) and wants to be a writer. One day, her friend reads the bestselling book by the hotshot author J Colby and passes it to Emiline to read. Turns out.. the book is about her, her past with Jace, and everything comes rushing back for her. As she grapples with her past and her current present and unfinished feelings for Jace, we eventually see her come face to face with Jace. And boy let me tell you, what a letdown that was. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">Present day Jace was cocky, arrogant, hardened and to me, an annoying guy. There were no remnants of the Jace Emiline loved from the past, and Emiline was no golden girl herself. Both these characters, though meant to incite excitement and passion and tragedy, instead annoyed me to no end, with their bland, exaggerated and illogical selves. Even their past, though they grew up together and helped each other, even that lacked any sweetness to me and felt really contrived. It reminded me a lot of <a href="http://reading-in-between-the-lines.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/the-problem-with-forever-jennifer.html">The Problem With Forever,</a> another book where old childhood friends rediscover and rekindle their connection, but it felt flat, with no real chemistry between them. They were annoying, selfish, impulsive, lacking maturity. The moment when they both meet should have been fireworks and raging emotions, instead it was a big pffttt. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">Anticlimactic - all through the book, as Emiline is reading the book, both her friend and Jace keep telling her to finish the book. FINISH THE BOOK. Apparently there is meant to be big revelation or some great conclusion once she reaches the end - but once she does, there was nada, again. It wasn't mind-blowing like it was made out to be, but instead predicable and you guessed it, bland. My new favourite word. Why couldn't Jace just contact her after all this time and just ask to meet over coffee? Why write a whole book, about her, for her, and then leave it on the off chance that her friend or someone close to her will pass it to her to read? Communication is key people. I was not invested in the past or present characters or their story. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The writing was okay, in that I was able to finish the book in a couple of days, but the deeper I got into the book, I kept thinking surely it will get better, I mean people LOVE this book, it has to get better, right? So wrong was Sahina. I was disappointed from start to finish. The concept was there, the story was there for the taking, but the execution was all wrong. I have picked up the authors other book, Before We Were Strangers in the hopes that might be better. Review soon, as always people of the bookish world. </span></div>
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</style>Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1004522884403528677.post-72886673962516915332017-05-01T15:02:00.001+01:002017-05-01T15:02:06.582+01:00The Obsession - Nora Roberts; Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPtf1Ex5viNBuJZqN-GtOtUTpGw0d7JrQUi3l6jGPUz4vqZzUqQfhUASwXE1b_PnxYW9tY0xjFjmDQj_46bQ_nIGVodE5XvXNhT-9tEIRKswqJW3l6gj2RUsbOfnZQPpE-0vy_sd5soo/s200/26236956.jpg" width="131" /> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWegDMZ2E2cDGA4MgqmI7yrLPgOyOxpCfAN_Mr_jECgm8PT8D9uPC3gVfPwxX7v7P4ucFrLwz8cxO8mp353PD9k-tPD56ToDMRSqNkjWdXTp9QiTATEvMLvlomPQvSef05bMFKIj9kt74/s200/29096553.jpg" width="148" /> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9AKpLH3SgEXO66b0ZW91WcnVssK7K3uHUnGncEMWttAkl6vEAEw524CLJYWJEmBcc960X9C0tomz5qMOOkNIpmYAGPHMWy9BzWFLOYTZm-9XT7la7znnHMJ9CP5zYZlSq0FnHyg4h7s/s200/34536820.jpg" width="127" /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Book Details:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Paperback</b>: 544 pages</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Publisher</b>: Piatkus (18th May 2017)</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>Language</b>: English</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-10</b>: 0349407789</span></div>
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<span class="s2"><b>ISBN-13</b>: 978-0349407784</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Summary:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>“She stood in the deep, dark woods, breath shallow and cold prickling over her skin despite the hot, heavy air. She took a step back, then two, as the urge to run fell over her.” </i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Naomi Bowes lost her innocence the night she followed her father into the woods. In freeing the girl trapped in the root cellar, Naomi revealed the horrible extent of her father’s crimes and made him infamous. No matter how close she gets to happiness, she can’t outrun the sins of Thomas David Bowes.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Now a successful photographer living under the name Naomi Carson, she has found a place that calls to her, a rambling old house in need of repair, thousands of miles away from everything she’s ever known. Naomi wants to embrace the solitude, but the kindly residents of Sunrise Cove keep forcing her to open up—especially the determined Xander Keaton. </i></span></div>
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<span class="s2"><i>Naomi can feel her defenses failing, and knows that the connection her new life offers is something she’s always secretly craved. But the sins of her father can become an obsession, and, as she’s learned time and again, her past is never more than a nightmare away.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Obsession-Nora-Roberts/0349407789/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492368395&sr=8-1&keywords=the+obsession+nora+roberts">Buy It On Amazon</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Obsession-Nor-Roberts/9781101988626?ref=grid-view&qid=1492368401752&sr=1-2">Buy It On The Book Depositary</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-obsession/nora-roberts/9780349407784">Buy It On Waterstones</a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Rating:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>Review:</b></span></div>
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<span class="s2">I had heard so many great great things about this book, and in particular about this author. Nora Roberts is a household name and I was excited to continue my psychological/thriller binge reading with The Obsession - but alas, it wasn't meant to be! I wish I had loved this book, but there were a handful of things that stopped it from being great for me. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">Having not read any of her other books, I don’t know if her writing style is the same in every book - but I just really couldn’t connect with the writing in this book. To me it felt extremely choppy and disconnected - I thought at the beginning maybe it’ll get better once I’m further into the book, but sadly this stayed all the way through to the end. There were too many instances in this book where I had to stop and re-read sentences and whole paragraphs, which meant this book took me longer to read than usual and I just kept thinking I really <b><i>really</i></b> don’t like the writing. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The storyline and plot of the book itself is something I have read before and that’s not an issue with me, as long as the writing and the characters stand out and I can enjoy the book. Sadly, given the writing style, and the characters (which I’ll move on to in a second) didn’t do this for me at all. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">The main character Naomi felt bland, lacking any real pull, yet she is portrayed as being very different from any other woman in the new town she’s moved into. This portrayal comes from the viewpoint of her love interest Xander, who’s views on her, comments about her, really niggled at me on being borderline sexist. Things Xander found extremely attractive about her - the fact she didn’t need a huge purse anywhere she went, the fact that she knows a little bit about cars, or that she can get ready within 10 minutes and not take ages and ages. These finer points that he appreciates about her would have been fine, if it weren’t for the fact he made it sound like a negative and unattractive thing if any females did that. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">With Xander himself, he started out as a promising character, and a good love interest for Naomi but then you know.. the above happened and I kept rolling my eyes at him. He was probably meant to come across as strong, unafraid, protective, but instead to me he felt really confrontational and rude at times in the way he addressed Naomi, in telling her to “get over” certain things and be honest about what she really wants to say. There’s nothing wrong with nudging someone to be honest, but it’s not a right for you to have and not something you should verbally force someone else to talk about - and these scenes with Xander and Naomi really annoyed me. The only character I really did like was her brother Mason, who came across as a sensible character. The rest just blended into the background for me. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">Another thing that I didn’t quite enjoy was the sheer amount of time and description was spent on the renovation of the house, the interior and work etc it took away from the story - you could literally take all that out and it wouldn’t make a difference to the book in the slightest. The final nail in the coffin for me with this story, was the predictability of who the killer was, I had, like many it seems, already guessed from the start who it would be - the culmination of this book though, the ending and the final scenes including the revelation, was just so rushed and anti-climatic, literally over and done with, within a few pages. </span></div>
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<span class="s2">All these little things took away from the book overall, as it meant there was no real build up or suspense, though this book is a thriller, for me there were no gripping, edge of the seat moments. The romance was lacking, the writing wasn’t my cup of tea, and the characters and storyline didn’t stand out. The main points that should have made this story amazing, just weren’t there for me and though it’s a shame my first Nora Roberts book was a huge disappointment, I will check another one of her books out and hope for a better story. </span></div>
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</style>Sahinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13050203015024025570noreply@blogger.com0