I haven’t done a wrap-up post in a while so I figured it was time. November was filled with some let downs but I also read some really great books. Here’s my wrap-up.
In book five of the Throne of Glassseries things heat up for Aelin and Co. Taking back her throne as Queen of Terrasen isn’t as simple as Aelin had hoped but as per usual she’s got a plan up her sleeve. The question is will she be able to save herself along with her kingdom?
Nicola Yoon is a queen of writing great contemporary YA romances with diverse characters and she brought her A game with The Sun is Also a Star. Told in various point of views, Yoon tells the story of two teens who fall in love and how one’s actions can affect all those around them.
I’ve never read a Kasie West book before but I can see now why people love her. The Fill-In Boyfriend was a cute YA romance about a girl named, Gia, who’s all about keeping up appearances. When her boyfriend, Bradley, breaks-up with her right before prom she enlists a stranger to fill in but surprises herself when she discovers she actually likes him.
Although I was supposed to be on a book buying ban, I ended up purchasing Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon because I needed to purchase a book in order to get my books signed. It was totally worth breaking my ban for though.
The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don’t.
With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.
In this breathtaking fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin will have to choose what — and who — to sacrifice if she’s to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart.
*Warning: This review will contain some spoilers. If you don’t want to be spoiled please don’t read.*
I borrowed Empire of Storms from the library because I’m on a book buying ban and honestly I’m having a hard time returning it. I don’t want to give it back. I want to keep it forever. I want to reread it immediately. I need it on my shelves. It was so good!
Empire of Storms picks up a little after where Queen of Shadows ended. Aelin is finally headed back to Terrasen to reclaim her throne but things don’t go as planned. Lord Darrow, who’s one of the biggest jerks in this novel, basically tells Aelin she can’t be queen and if she tries to take her throne back they (the Lords of Terrasen) will see it as an act of war. So rude. Although Aelin is pissed, and rightfully so, she doesn’t fight and instead gets to work on putting her many plans in motion.
This novel followed a lot of characters so there were a lot of different plot lines going on. The Valg king, Erawan, attacked Rifthold and Rowan had to go rescue Dorian and then they ended up going to Skull’s Bay to pay the Pirate Lord a visit. Manon, who’s such a softie, was dealing with her terrible grandmother and the other witches and ended up making a choice that led to a big revelation, altering her fate. My favorite lady, Elide, was freed from Morath but had to try to find Aelin/Caelena who she didn’t know was the same person. On her way to Terrasen she was hunted by Lorcan, who was still looking for the Wyrdkeys. They ended up partnering up and thus a new ship was born.
Of course all these different storylines ended up coming together and it led to a huge revelation about Aelin’s fate and a devastating ending. Empire of Storms was filled with a lot of action as Aelin & Co. had to fight not only Erawan’s forces but also Maeve’s, the Queen of the Fae. This novel also contained a lot of romance. Basically everyone hooked up with someone in this novel. Seriously, there was a lot of kisses and sex and declarations of love, which also caused for some hilarity since the Fae can tell when someone had sex or desires someone. Speaking of hilarity, Aelin still had the same level of sass we’ve come to know and love but there were also some new characters that were great additions to the sass in this book. Particularly, Fenrys, who’s one of the Fae in Rowan’s “cadre.” He was fantastic.
Overall, I am in love with this book. I already started rereading it even though I know I have to return it soon. I still love Queen of Shadows because it had a much happier ending but Empire of Storms is a great novel. It’s well written, the characters are great, and the twists were perfect. There were twists that dated all the way back to the second book. That’s crazy!
Definitely read this book if you haven’t already. You’ll love it!
Stars:
Favorite Line:
“Even when this world is a forgotten whisper of dust between the stars, I will love you.”
Best Friend Rule #1: never want the guy’s sister.
Oops.
Trent Salway is one of San Francisco’s hot up-and-coming-under-thirty bachelors. A highly successful mutual fund portfolio manager, a workaholic, and a ladies’ man, he’s got everything he could possibly want…except one thing.
Physical therapist Kelsey Quaid dumped her ex-fiancé six months ago because she was tired of not even being a distant second to his career. Which is why despite secretly crushing on her big brother’s best friend for as long as she can remember, there’s no way Kelsey can go there. One workaholic in her life is more than enough, thank you very much.
Before Kelsey’s brother leaves on his Navy SEAL mission, he asks Trent one simple request: make sure Kelsey isn’t dating any assholes while he’s away. As Trent does his best to do just this, he and Kelsey spend more and more time together. Sparks fly, as do a few items of clothing, and the next thing they know things are getting physical between them. Now, Trent has to decide what to do about the woman he’s falling for—the one whose brother would take him down faster than he takes down the enemy. And Kelsey will have to decide if Trent is just another workaholic or if he’s decidedly off limits.
I’m typically a fan of the “best friend’s sibling” trope but the writing style of this novel really ruined it for me. Told in alternating POVs between Kelsey and Trent, both of their narrations are written as if they’re having a conversation with you and expecting you to respond. For example, at one point in Kelsey’s narration we get this:
Did you see who was third in line? That’s right. The Viking.
Then later in Trent’s POV we get a similar thing:
Did you recognize the woman who tried to outbid Kelsey? She was Beatrice Peterson, or Reese, as she preferred to go by.
Also, I still I have no idea who Beatrice is and why she’s so terrible, besides the obvious reasons, so no Trent, I did not recognize her. This was literally so frustrating. It was as if the author, Stina Lindenblatt, was attempting to do a breaking down of the fourth wall, like in House of Cards, but with a book and it just didn’t work well here. At least not for me. The thing is I know I’ve read other books that are kind of written like this that I loved but I think Lindenblatt just tried too hard with this, especially because we got it in both POVs so the voices started to sound a little similar.
Additionally, there were just too many points where the narrators kept asking me to “imagine” things or “remember when” something. This seemed to happen at the start of a lot of chapters and in both POVs and it was so irritating. Still, despite how infuriating I found the writing style to be I did push through and finished the novel and it wasn’t totally terrible. The plot itself was fine, in that it was exactly what I expected it to be. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, both think they can’t be together, they hook-up anyway, keep it a secret, there’s some kind of conflict, they go their separate ways, only to realize they’re perfect for each other. One major issue I did have with the plot was the “break-up” scene. It just felt so anticlimatic to me and completely out of nowhere. There was no build up and it was so abrupt that I had to go back and read it over to make sure that was the break-up scene. Seriously, the whole moment only took like two pages.
Still, I did really like Trent and Kelsey as people though. I thought their dialogue was great and their chemistry was good. Even so, overall I wasn’t all that impressed with this novel and I’m glad I only spent 99 cents on it.
Stars:
Favorite Line:
“I love everything about you. Your love for your job and the kids you help. Your love of life. Your love of those funny little owls. Your amazing photographs. Your heart. I love it all.”
When Gia Montgomery’s boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she decides to do the unthinkable…convince the cute guy waiting to pick up his sister to pretend to be her boyfriend for the night. The task is simple: two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.
The problem is that days after prom, she can’t stop thinking about her fill-in boyfriend. But can Gia turn her fake boyfriend into a real one without exposing her lie and possibly destroying her friendships and her newfound relationship?
Smartly observed and wonderfully romantic, Kasie West’s talent shines in this tale of one girl’s unexpected quest to find love…and possibly herself.
The Fill-In Boyfriend has been sitting on my shelves for at least a year and after seeing Kasie West’s books all over bookstagram I decided to finally give this book a try. Overall I liked it. It was a cute, short, romantic read that only took me a day to finish. The novel is told in the POV of Gia and the novel literally begins with her being dumped outside of her prom and it wasn’t the prettiest break-up.
From the very start of the novel I could tell what kind of person Gia was. She wasn’t so concerned with her break-up and was more worried about what her friends would think when she walked into prom solo. In other words, Gia is all about appearances, which is why she enlists a total stranger to pretend to be her now ex-boyfriend, Bradley. To be fair, the whole reason Gia feels she has to go to these extreme lengths instead of just telling her friends the truth about her break-up with Bradley is because this new girl, Jules, has infiltrated her friend group and has basically been implying that Bradley wasn’t real. Thus to prove Jules wrong Gia shows up to prom with the “fill-in Bradley,” who I’ll now refer to as FIB.
Gia reminded me a lot of Andie from The Unexpected Everythingby Morgan Matson. They’re both very focused on keeping up appearances, they don’t stick with the same boyfriend for too long, and they like to keep their relationships with other people only on the surface level and never anything deeper than that. For this reason, I couldn’t help but compare the two novels and although I will say I like The Unexpected Everything better I still thought The Fill-In Boyfriend was a great novel and the plots were different enough that I think you can enjoy both without feeling like you’re reading the same book.
While The Fill-In Boyfriend heavily deals with the fact that Gia doesn’t real deal with her feelings it also focuses on her friendships and the tangled web of lies she weaves when she first hatches her plan with the FIB. Naturally, although this was only supposed to be a one night thing it quickly spirals out of control and along the way Gia found herself actually opening up to people in a way she hadn’t done before, not even with her family who’s just as closed off as she is.
Although I thought Gia’s whole “fake boyfriend” ploy was juvenile and Gia should’ve just manned up from the beginning and been honest I also hated Jules and kind of wanted to see Gia beat her at her own game. As I continued reading though I realized I kind of hated all of Gia’s friends and felt she was better off without them. However, I did fall in love with FIB and his little sister, Bec. They, along with Gia, made this novel for me and I really liked the chemistry between Gia and FIB.
Like I said, this book was really cute and a quick read. I recommend it if you’re look for something with a happy ending, some teen angst, and a lot of fluff.
If you’re a fan of Mr. Robot or just love anything tech related you’ll love E. C. Meyers’ YA novel, The Silence of Six, which goes on sale everywhere on December 6. I got the chance to chat with him about the book, his knowledge about hacking, and more! You can read the full interview below and make sure to grab a copy of The Silence of Six when it’s released.
If you had to summarize The Silence of the Six in three words how would you summarize it?
Hacktivists versus government.
The Silence of the Six deals a lot with hacking and computer programming. Did you have any background in computer programming before you wrote this novel?
Aside from a basic class in high school, I have no computer programming experience. I’m not even particularly adept at maintaining or modifying computers, but I’ve always been comfortable with looking up whatever information I need to accomplish something and unafraid to roll up my sleeves and try it for myself. I’m familiar with much of the technology in the book, but not even remotely an expert on any of it!
What made you first start writing?
I’ve been writing since I was very young. I love stories in every form, especially books, and I’ve always enjoyed creating stories of my own and sharing them with others.
What is your writing process like?
My process is always changing, and every project is different. I usually have at least a rough idea of where things are going and I just start typing. I write wherever and whenever I have to, as long as I have a keyboard.
Are you working on any other YA novels for the future?
I have a completed YA novel I would still like to publish, but right now I’m focusing on a few short stories I’ve promised to various YA anthologies. My next long-form project will actually be a middle grade fantasy.
Who are some of your favorite authors right now?
It’s hard not to gush about so many authors! I’m a big fan of Jaclyn Moriarty’s Colors of Madeleine trilogy, though I haven’t had a chance to read the last book yet. I’m always a fan of Philip Reeve, whose fabulous book Mortal Engines is being adapted into a film by Peter Jackson, so I hope more people will discover his work. I am loving Gwenda Bond’s YA Lois Lane series, and Kelly Barnhill’s middle grade novels are enchanting; her book The Girl Who Drank the Moon is also being adapted into an animated feature.
Besides writing, what other hobbies are you interested in?
Besides writing and parenting and work, I don’t have a lot of time for other things, but I enjoy photography and playing video games. I used to collect old 8-bit Nintendo games, and lately I’ve gotten back into retro gaming. I just started streaming live sessions of me playing [Nintendo Entertainment System] games when I can. I am also actively exploring podcasting.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Read a lot, and read everything! When you start writing, don’t get caught up in worrying about whether it’s any good until you finish a draft — you must finish it, and almost everything can be fixed in revision. Set manageable, realistic goals: “I will finish writing a novel in three months” instead of “I will get a publishing deal this year.” Try to have fun and don’t lose sight of why you’re writing in the first place.
When I first met Blake Crawford, all I wanted to do was hit him in the face.
Maybe the groin.
Okay, maybe I wanted to kiss him too, but that’s neither here nor there. I mean, he may have a gorgeous English accent, sexy full lips and an ass I’d like to bite but…
Where was I?
Right.
Being in the same creative writing class, he’s the last person I wanted to speak to, let alone be paired up with for my final assignment.
But here comes the kicker…not only did our project end up getting us both As but we found out we work well together.
Really well together.
I hate him and he hates me and yet we churn out gold.
We’ve started writing self-published erotica under a pen name and let me tell you one thing…
Writing dirty sex scenes with the sexiest, most infuriating man you know is a lot harder than you think.
And keeping our hands off each other?
Well that’s another story…one with an ending I didn’t see coming.
Smut was a quick, fun read. The novel is told in alternating point of views between Amanda and Blake. This was your typical “I hate you but come to love you” kind of story. Amanda doesn’t like Blake because he’s a playboy that sleeps his way through most of the women in their writing class. Blake doesn’t like Amanda simply because she doesn’t like him. Naturally, they’re forced to work together for the final project of their class and they realize that just like with most people there’s more to each other than their perceived notions.
I think my biggest issue with this book was the reason why Blake and Amanda started writing erotica together. It felt like when they finished their writing project that could’ve been the end of the book except for the fact that Amanda and Blake weren’t together yet. So the last half of the book felt a bit forced, as if the author realized she needed some reason for Blake and Amanda to finally hook-up so she added the writing secret erotica together storyline. Similarly, I thought the inevitable moment when Blake and Amanda finally acknowledged they had feelings for each other was a bit anticlimactic. I expected something bigger and to me that part just fell flat.
Overall, I did find Smut to be a cute and funny read but I probably wouldn’t ever read it again. The smut in Smut was also well done so that’s also a plus. Still, this wasn’t an all time favorite for me.
Stars:
Favorite Line:
“She doesn’t have my affection, my future, or my heart. You do, Amanda. You do.”
Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?
*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from First in Line and B-Fest. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it.*
Nicola Yoon knows how to make me feel all the feelings. At first I wasn’t sure I would like this novel because it’s written in an interesting way. Not only do we get the first person perspectives of Daniel and Natasha but we also get the history and future histories of other characters. We learn what’s to come for Daniel’s brother, Charlie, and Natasha’s father’s history of regret. Yoon not only gives us insight into almost every character that Daniel and Natasha come into contact with but she also gives us the history of African-American hair care, the meaning of fate and love, and many other things.
In the beginning I wasn’t a fan of these extra little side stories and histories and just wanted the Natasha and Daniel parts of the novel but then I ended up actually loving those sections that weren’t about Natasha and Daniel. I started worrying about Irene, the security guard, and Jeremy, the lawyer. I wanted to know how their stories would end and what their future histories would look like. Yoon made me become invested in characters that weren’t even main characters and that’s what’s truly remarkable about this book.
Yoon expertly weaves a love story that’s also an exposé on how our actions, whether they’re big or small, can affect the lives of the people around us. How one moment or one day can alter someone’s life forever. The Sun is Also a Star takes place within the span of a day but we see so much more than just what happens in this one day. We see what led to this one day in Natasha and Daniel’s lives and what comes after and it’s beautiful and heartbreaking to read. This novel deals with not only romance but immigration, racial tensions, a lot of science, and poetry.
If you’re looking for a love story that will make you swoon Natasha and Daniel definitely give you that but The Sun is Also a Star isn’t just a romance novel. It’s so much more than that. It’s a story about people, and how despite our differences we’re all connected in some way. Definitely give this book a read if you haven’t yet. It’s worth every penny.
There are two sides to every love story. Now hear Will’s.
Colleen Hoover’s New York Times bestselling Slammed series has brought countless readers to their knees with a whirlwind of love, passion, and heartache. Layken and Will’s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young lovers, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can’t resist his wife’s pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.
In This Girl, Will tells the story of their complicated relationship from his point of view. Their future rests on how well they deal with the past in this final installment of the beloved Slammedseries.
*Warning: There will be minimal spoilers about Point of Retreat in this review. Read at your own risk.*
I was nervous to read this book because I didn’t really like Point of Retreat but surprisingly I loved This Girl. It turns out a lot happened in Slammed that we (and Layken) didn’t know about it and it was interesting learning these new things. I really loved how Colleen Hoover wrote this novel. UnlikeLosing Hope where she just started from the beginning of the events in Hopeless it was like we were learning about Will’s past with Layken.
We began with them in their hotel on their honeymoon and Layken is asking Will questions about their past and what he thought about all the things that happened between them. Then we got the answer to these questions in the form of little short stories, some of which we’d already heard from Layken but other’s that we’d never heard before. It was also nice getting to see Layken’s mom again and my heart was broken once again over Layken’s loss.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and thought it was the perfect ending to Layken and Will’s love story. I also really liked how the title played into the story as well. Still, I definitely skipped/skimmed the poetry as I did with the other two books in this series. I just wasn’t into it, especially the poems we already read in Slammed. Besides that though I thought this book was great and I recommend it.
Stars:
Favorite Line:
“Sometimes two people need to fall apart to realize how much they need to fall back together.”
A second chance at first love… Five years ago, Kat Harper fell into a dizzying summer romance with her brother’s best friend Bryan. It was a mad, crazy love full of kisses all through the night — but he broke her heart and she had to move on. Five years later, Kat is finishing her graduate degree and building her business as a jewelry designer, when Bryan, head of his own successful company, walks back into her life. Bryan has been assigned to Kat as her new business mentor and the rules are clear. No hanky panky permitted. Kat can handle that because she’s totally over him… right? Except, he still makes her laugh, and he remembers all the things she likes. Not to mention that he’s even more handsome now than he was then. Then there’s the spark between them — the simply undeniable chemistry, and the tender ways he shows he still cares for her. Can they resist each other the second time around or will first love trump all?
Typically I love Lauren Blakely’s writing but this book just didn’t do it for me. The novel is told in the first person point of view and it’s Kat’s point of view. Unfortunately I didn’t like Kat. I found her to be annoying. However, I did like Bryan and the romance between him and Kat was swoonworthy so that made this book okay for me but I didn’t love it.
What drove me crazy was Kat’s attempt at trying to pretend she still didn’t have feelings for Bryan and the lengths she want to try to pretend those feelings weren’t there. On the one hand I tried to me empathetic. I know what it’s like to like someone and not want to but hearing Kat’s thoughts about it drove me crazy. Just get over it already! Or tell him how you really feel. Just do something! It was so frustrating.
Still, even though I didn’t love this novel it was a quick, romantic read. It took me only a day to get through and there were some very steamy scenes that were fun to read. Besides that though I wasn’t all that interested in this novel and won’t be reading the other books in this series.
Stars:
Favorite Line:
“He was a movie kiss, he was the name above the title. He was the one you wanted the heroine to wind up with so badly that your heart ached for her when they weren’t together, then soared when they finally were.”
*Note: There will be spoilers about the book and movie in this review. Read at your own risk*
I went into this film with low expectations because the reviews weren’t great and on average the movie is almost never as good as the book anyway. That being said I didn’t hate The Girl on the Train movie but I definitely didn’t love it either. Here’s my full assessment.
Plot
Source: Amblin Entertainment
First of all, my biggest issue with this film was for some reason the setting was moved from London to New York City. This made no sense to me, especially because Emily Blunt, who plays Rachel, is British. Why change the setting when your main actress is already British? I don’t understand. Besides that the plot pretty much stayed the same. It’s hard to change the plot too drastically of a mystery. There were still changes of course but nothing too major.
Rachel for some reason draws now, which was never in the books. She’s actually a pretty good artist in the film. I don’t know why they felt the need to add this characteristic to Rachel but they did and it seemed like a pointless addition to me. There was also the addition of Martha, the wife of Tom’s former boss. I’m not sure if she was even in the book but she was given a big role in the film because she’s the one that makes Rachel realize everything Tom told her she did while she was drunk was a lie. In the books it was actually Dr. Kamal, the psychologist, that helped Rachel reach this realization.
Speaking of Dr. Kamal, in the film they kind of made it seem like Megan didn’t actually have an affair with him and in the books she did. Yes they ended it but it did very much happen. Still, I didn’t think skimming over this was that big of a deal. It didn’t change the plot that much so it was fine.
What bothered me the most, in terms of things being removed from the plot, was Scott and Rachel having sex. I thought it was so weird in the book and showed a lot about both Scott and Rachel’s character. Also, Scott was much scarier in the book than he was in the film. In the movie he kind of felt a little irrelevant to be honest. In the book I truly suspected Scott but in the movie he just didn’t seem all that bad. Yes he was a bit emotionally abusive in the movie but in the book he was more physically abusivee as well, which made things 10 times worse.
Similarly, although Tom was definitely still shown as the terrible person he is I didn’t like that we didn’t get to see how much Tom played Rachel and Anna. In the book Tom visited Rachel multiple times and even made it look like he regretted his decision to leave her and be with Anna. We got to see him make Rachel feel like he was still in love with her and if Anna wasn’t around they’d still be together. We don’t get that feeling in the movie. Instead it just looks like Tom is just as annoyed with Rachel’s antics as Anna is, which wasn’t the case. Tom enjoyed the attention he got from Rachel and took advantage of it and I felt like that was an important part of the story that you don’t get to see in the film.
Characters
Source: Amble Entertainment
I kind of went into this with Scott already but another character that was very different from their book version was Rachel’s roommate, Cathy. In the movie she is much nicer than she was in the book. Also, Cathy’s boyfriend doesn’t even exist in the movie, which, to be honest, is fine since he didn’t really have that big of a role in the book anyway. I was surprised by how nice Cathy was in the film and I kind of liked the change. I liked Cathy way more in the movie than in the book.
Another character that wasn’t included in the film was Rachel’s mom. On the one hand I don’t think Rachel’s mom was necessary for the film so I think her being absent is okay but in terms of how the book closes the money Rachel receives from her mother helps her move forward whereas in the film Rachel’s future is left a bit ambiguous. Again this isn’t necessarily a bad thing it’s just different.
Emily Blunt did an excellent job of playing Rachel. She was an unlikeable character in the book and remained that way in the film. The same can be said for Haley Bennett who played Megan and Rebecca Ferguson who played Anna. Justin Theroux as Tom was perfect and just as crazy and scary as I imagined him to be.
Overall
I didn’t love this movie and the book was of course better. I’m not sure why but the way the book is formatted with the alternating point of views of Megan, Rachel, and Anna, seemed to work much better on page than on screen. The film did a pretty good job sticking to the book but I just don’t think it translated well on screen. Even if I hadn’t read the book I don’t think I would’ve liked this movie.
Zakiya N. Jamal 