Author: Zakiya N. Jamal

Zakiya N. Jamal was born in Queens, raised in Long Island, and currently resides in Brooklyn. In other words, she’s a New Yorker through and through. She holds a BA in English from Georgetown University and a MFA in Creative Writing with a concentration in Writing for Children and Young Adults from The New School. She has been published in Romper, BuzzFeed, People.com, Thought Catalog, and more. Her non-fiction essay about her "Cuban Impostor Syndrome" can be found in the Latinx anthology, Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed. You can find her on Twitter at @ZakiyaNJamal.

Book Review: Love Lies Beneath

Posted on January 26, 2016May 11, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Simon & Schuster:

Tara is gorgeous, affluent, and forty. She lives in an impeccably restored Russian Hill mansion in San Francisco. Once a widow, twice divorced, she’s a woman with a past she prefers keeping to herself.

Enter Cavin Lattimore. He’s handsome, kind, charming, and the surgeon assigned to Tara following a ski accident in Lake Tahoe. In the weeks it takes her to recover, Cavin sweeps her off her feet and their relationship blossoms into something Tara had never imagined possible. But then she begins to notice some strange things: a van parked outside her home at odd times, a break-in, threatening text messages and emails. She also starts to notice cracks in Cavin’s seemingly perfect personality, like the suppressed rage his conniving teenage son brings out in him, and the discovery that Cavin hired a detective to investigate her immediately after they met.

Now on crutches and housebound, Tara finds herself dependent on the new man in her life—perhaps too much so. She’s handling rocky relationships with her sister and best friend, who are envious of her glamour and freedom; her prickly brother-in-law, who is intimidated by her wealth and power; and her estranged mother. However perfect Tara’s life appears, things are beginning to get messy.

*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2016 Reading Challenge.*

I absolutely love Ellen Hopkins and there’s only one book of hers I haven’t read yet but I’m hoping to change that soon. Anyway, the point it, when I discovered she had a new book out that was written in prose instead of her typical poetic style was over the moon.

I’m a big fan of Hopkin’s poetic style of writing, which is why when I discovered Love Lies Beneath was written in prose I was shocked but also intrigued because it’s new. And although the book is mainly written in prose we do get a poem every couple of chapters. But if I’m being honest, which I always am, I could’ve done without them because I felt like they took me out the story and didn’t really add anything.

If you don’t know anything about this book (because truthfully I didn’t until I stumbled upon it in the library) it’s Hopkin’s third adult novel and follows Tara, a forty year old woman who’s been divorced three times. And she’s filthy rich.

Tara also comes a pretty tough background. She grew up with just her sister, mom, and whatever boyfriend her mother had the time. Her mother wasn’t the best, to say the least, and all Tara ever wanted to do was leave her mother and past behind, which is exactly what she did.

I really liked this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end. I never knew what to expect or who to trust. Everyone was suspicious to be and Hopkins still somehow managed to hit me with a big surprise in the end. Unbelievable. Seriously, Hopkins is one of the greatest storytellers I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and if you haven’t read any books by her yet I definitely recommend this one (and all the others!).

Really, though, this novel was excellent. It was mysterious, sexy, and I couldn’t put it down. Definitely give it a read!

Borrow or Buy: Buy!!!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Even as a kid I had to be the adult.”

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Alec John Belle

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Man Crush Monday: Wesley Rush

Posted on January 25, 2016January 23, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Oh, Wesley.

He’s hot, funny, a bit cocky but overall a really sweet guy. Also, did I mention he’s hot? Seriously though, throughout The Duff, I couldn’t help falling for Wesley. He definitely does and says some stupid things sometimes but the way he matures by the end is amazing.

If you haven’t read The Duff yet the main character, Bianca, finds herself in an enemies with benefits situation with Wesley. Although she can’t stand him (at first) she finds comfort and distraction in sleeping with him and that works for the both of them, to an extent.

Their relationship is interesting and I liked that they understood each other in a way that other people couldn’t. From the beginning they have great chemistry but by the end they also have a great relationship.

Definitely check out The Duff if you haven’t yet. It’s amazing!

Swoonworthy Line:

“Wesley Rush doesn’t chase girls, but I’m chasing you.”

Played By: Robbie Amell

Book Review: The DUFF

Posted on January 21, 2016January 18, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper may not be the prettiest girl in her high school, but she has a loyal group of friends, a biting wit, and a spot-on BS detector. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush, who calls Bianca the Duff–the designated ugly fat friend–of her crew.

But things aren’t so great at home and Bianca, desperate for a distraction, ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

I watched The DUFF movie a while back and I absolutely loved it and I’ve been dying to get my hands on the book ever since. Therefore when I went to an indie bookstore the other day and saw it there I had to buy it.

I don’t know if I’d say the book was better than the movie but I will say the book definitely had a lot more going on. I hate that the film changed the relationship between Bianca’s parents because I really liked her dad in the book and we don’t even see her dad in the movie.

Also, I really loved the relationship between Wesley and Bianca in the book. I like that they start out as kind of like friends with benefits but not really because Bianca hates him. I also found it very cute when they got to know each other and started opening up to each other.

Okay, the more I think about it the more I realize the book is definitely better than the movie but isn’t that always the case? The book was just so much deeper than the film made it out to be. The film kind of just recreated She’s All That (a great film, by the way, if you haven’t seen it) and threw in the term DUFF. Otherwise the movie is way off base from the book.

I’m definitely glad I saw the movie before I read the book because I can see now why so many people were upset about the movie. The book was so much more complex and I liked the characters way more in the book. Also, I don’t understand why the movie felt the need to add a mean girl when there was no mean girl in the novel. At least, not one that bullied Bianca.

Anyway, my point is this book is amazing and you should definitely read it. I totally have a huge crush on Wesley Rush and I just want to reread this book so I can fall in love with him again. So cute and funny and perfect!

Borrow or Buy: Buy it! Buy it now!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Wesley Rush doesn’t chase girls, but I’m chasing you.”

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Kate Tilton

Dear Author

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Woman Crush Wednesday: Crescent “Cress” Moon Darnel

Posted on January 20, 2016January 18, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Cress is so incredibly sweet and definitely naive when we first meet her in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. She’s hopelessly in love with Thorne before she even meets him and doesn’t know anything about Earth because she’s been trapped on a satellite that orbits Earth most of her life.

If you haven’t read The Lunar Chronicles yet here’s a little backstory that I don’t think will really spoil anything for you. Cress is what’s called a shell, which means she doesn’t have the ability to control people like most people from Luna (the moon) do and she also can’t be controlled.

However, what Cress can do is hack and she’s pretty damn good at it. Hence why she was forced to live on this satellite where she had to do the bidding of the queen of Luna, Levana.

What I love most about Cress is that she’s so genuine and kind and she just wants to help people. But, also, she wants to destroy Levana just like every other main character in this series and she does everything in her power to take Levana down, including making some serious sacrifices.

Her hacking skills are out of this world (pun intended) and some of my favorite scenes were when she’d amaze everyone with her skills. I think sometimes Cress would be underestimated because she’s so sweet and cute when in actuality Cress can kick a** and take names with the best of them. Tech wise, anyway.

Honestly, I could talk about Cress for days but I’ll end here so I don’t give away too much. Basically, she’s one of my favorite characters in the series and if you can read these books and not fall in love with Cress I’m concerned for you.

Favorite Moment:

“My life is an adventure,” [Cress] said, growing confident as she opened her eyes again. “I will not be shackled to this satellite anymore.”

Dreamcast: AnnaSophia Robb

Book Review: Enter Title Here

Posted on January 19, 2016March 22, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Goodreads:

I’m your protagonist—Reshma Kapoor—and if you have the free time to read this book, then you’re probably nothing like me.

Reshma is a college counselor’s dream. She’s the top-ranked senior at her ultra-competitive Silicon Valley high school, with a spotless academic record and a long roster of extracurriculars. But there are plenty of perfect students in the country, and if Reshma wants to get into Stanford, and into med school after that, she needs the hook to beat them all.

What’s a habitual over-achiever to do? Land herself a literary agent, of course. Which is exactly what Reshma does after agent Linda Montrose spots an article she wrote for Huffington Post. Linda wants to represent Reshma, and, with her new agent’s help scoring a book deal, Reshma knows she’ll finally have the key to Stanford.

But she’s convinced no one would want to read a novel about a study machine like her. To make herself a more relatable protagonist, she must start doing all the regular American girl stuff she normally ignores. For starters, she has to make a friend, then get a boyfriend. And she’s already planned the perfect ending: after struggling for three hundred pages with her own perfectionism, Reshma will learn that meaningful relationships can be more important than success—a character arc librarians and critics alike will enjoy.

Of course, even with a mastermind like Reshma in charge, things can’t always go as planned. And when the valedictorian spot begins to slip from her grasp, she’ll have to decide just how far she’ll go for that satisfying ending. (Note: It’s pretty far.)

In this wholly unique, wickedly funny debut novel, Rahul Kanakia consciously uses the rules of storytelling—and then breaks them to pieces.

*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from Disney Hyperion. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be on sale on August 2, 2016.*

What’s great about this novel is from the beginning you’re told the protagonist, Reshma Kapoor, is unlikeable. This at least makes a little less surprising when you discover that she’s really unlikeable. She has a few redeeming qualities but for the most part Reshma’s that girl in high school that always raised her hand in class even though she’d answered the last five questions correctly. In other words, she’s the girl you couldn’t stand.

But that didn’t stop me from loving this novel. In fact, I’d say it helped. Rahul Kanakia writes this novel in a meta way that makes you feel like Reshma is a real person trying to write her own novel. It’s written in diary style so we get all of Reshma’s real thoughts but just as I think anyone does in real life there’s a lot Reshma keeps hidden from the reader until she has to tell us the truth.

What I liked most about this novel is that it kept surprising me. Because it’s written as if Reshma is trying to write her own novel she discusses all the tropes of a typical young adult novel and what she believes her story needs to succeed. She then proceeds to do all these things in her day to day life so her novel will be good. For example she believes her novel will need a love interest, friends, a party scene, and other life experiences so she sets out to do these things.

Based on many YA novels I expected this novel to go one way and then it went totally left. Nothing about this book was predictable and although I wanted to be on Reshma’s side, I just couldn’t but I also don’t think Kankia expects you to be. I felt sympathetic towards Reshma but mostly I just wanted her to get help because she obviously has some issues she needs to work through.

There were two characters I ended up really liking though: George, the boy who lives in Reshma’s house illegally and Alex, the girl Reshma decides to make her friend. They both had interesting influences on Reshma. I won’t spoil it but I like how Reshma interacts with both of them.

Overall, I’d say this book is worth a read. It’s different than a lot of other YA novels I’ve read in the past and I’m always in support of a YA novel that has a person of color as the protagonist. I also appreciated the discussion of race, privilege, and culture in this novel and how they all played a role in the plot of this story but weren’t the main focus. Definitely check it out!

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

Stars:

Man Crush Monday: Daniel “Day” Wing

Posted on January 18, 2016January 18, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

To be honest it’s been a while since I read Legend and I haven’t had a chance to read Prodigy yet. However, I do remember liking Day and I also really liked that the author, Marie Lu, wrote the novel in Day and June’s, the protagonist, point of view.

Day has had a hard life when we first meet him in the novel. He’s living on the streets with his friend Tess and they’re just trying to survive. In the world of Legend kids have to take a test called Trials that basically determines the rest of their lives. Day was told he failed his test and was therefore sent away…somewhere. I won’t spoil it if you haven’t read it but basically the Republic where June and Day live is shady and Day ends up in the slums.

While trying to survive with Tess, and also on the run from the police for a crime he didn’t commit, Day also does everything he can to provide for his family even though they think he’s dead. Day is just such an all around good person and of course he’s also attractive. And he’s super smart and can kick butt.

I really liked him and I liked how and he and June worked together in the novel. Now, I want to go and read Prodigy. I’ll add it to my to-be-read list. If you haven’t read Legend yet definitely do so. If you’ve read the whole trilogy let me know what you think of it in the comments below.

*Note: The following quote is from the last book in the trilogy. It doesn’t really spoil anything but read at your own risk.*

Swoonworthy Line:

“You drive me insane, June. You’re the scariest, most clever, bravest person I know, and sometimes I can’t catch my breath because I’m trying so hard to keep up. There will never be another like you. You realize that, don’t you?”

Dreamcast: L. Joe

Book Review: Big Rock

Posted on January 14, 2016January 22, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

It’s not just the motion of the ocean, ladies. It’s definitely the SIZE of the boat too.
And I’ve got both firing on all cylinders. In fact, I have ALL the right assets. Looks, brains, my own money, and a big c&$k.

You might think I’m an as%*$le. I sound like one, don’t I? I’m hot as sin, rich as heaven, smart as hell and hung like a horse.
Guess what? You haven’t heard my story before. Sure, I might be a playboy, like the NY gossip rags call me. But I’m the playboy who’s actually a great guy. Which makes me one of a kind.

The only trouble is, my dad needs me to cool it for a bit. With conservative investors in town wanting to buy his flagship Fifth Avenue jewelry store, he needs me not only to zip it up, but to look the part of the committed guy. Fine. I can do this for Dad. After all, I’ve got him to thank for the family jewels. So I ask my best friend and business partner to be my fiancée for the next week. Charlotte’s up for it. She has her own reasons for saying yes to wearing this big rock.

And pretty soon all this playing pretend in public leads to no pretending whatsoever in the bedroom, because she just can’t fake the kind of toe-curling, window-shattering orgasmic cries she makes as I take her to new heights between the sheets.

But I can’t seem to fake that I might be feeling something real for her.

What the hell have I gotten myself into with this…big rock?

After reading a lot of YA, which I love, I decided to step out of my regular reading zone and jump into some erotica. The last romance/erotic novel I read was Fall With Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout in May, so it’s been a while.

I don’t remember how this book crossed my radar but I do remember reading the description and being intrigued. Give me a best friend relationship that turns into something more and I’m automatically hooked.

This book was everything I wanted (and expected) it to be. Lauren Blakely chose to tell this story from the guy’s, Spencer, point of view and I liked that a lot. This is the first erotic novel I read from the guy’s point of view and I liked it. I don’t know if this is true of all guys so I don’t want to say it is but in this case Spencer didn’t spend too much time dissecting what everything meant. He keeps things pretty straight forward and I liked that a lot.

He was attracted to Charlotte, they started hooking up, and then he starts to think maybe they should be more than friends. It’s that simple. Of course he questions whether being more than friends with her is the right thing to do but we don’t get chapters and chapters of him worrying about it, which I appreciated.

Also, I liked Spencer as a person. I think it was a little much that Blakely basically made him into the perfect guy who’s rich, hot, and well mannered, but this is fiction so I went along with it. Besides, it was nice to read about a guy who didn’t need to be fixed or had some crazy, dark secret that his love interest would have to get past in order for them to be together.

Instead, Spencer is just a regular guy who is a bit cocky but besides that is funny, kind, and loves his parents and younger sister, Harper, which I found to be cute and endearing. And I really liked his relationship with Charlotte. They play well off each other and although I think the pacing of the novel was a little fast and I found Charlotte’s quick preposition to be “friends with benefits” with Spencer a little unbelievable, I still enjoyed the novel.

As far as the erotic parts go, they were good and steamy as well. This is probably the best erotic novel I’ve read so far. The erotic scenes weren’t too much and I actually liked the plot too. Plus, Spencer and Charlotte are really cute together. Definitely check out this book if you want to dip your toe in erotic fiction. It’s a good gateway book into the genre.

Also, if you read this and love it there’s a sequel coming out this summer! It’s titled Mister Orgasm, which will make more sense once you read Big Rock (although, let’s be real, it’s already kind of self explanatory). I’ll probably read the next one because I’d like to enter this world again and it stars Spencer’s best friend, Nick, and Spencer’s sister, Harper, and I could already sense the sparks between them in this novel. Plus, the “dating the sister of my best friend” trope is also a favorite of mine.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“My heart trips over itself in a race to get closer to her. Something is happening. Something strange and completely foreign. My heart is speaking a language I don’t understand as it tries to fling itself at Charlotte. Great. Now, that’s two organs I have to do battle with every day.”

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Woman Crush Wednesday: Scarlet Benoit

Posted on January 13, 2016January 13, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

holland-roden-loves-matching-her-lipstick-nail-color.jpg — Source: JustJaredJr.com

I absolutely, positively love Scarlet from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.

Scarlet is witty, funny, brave, and strong. She doesn’t back down from a challenge and we first meet her she’s determined to do whatever it takes to find her missing grandmother.

Scarlet lives in a nice, quiet town in France, where she and grandmother run a farm. Scarlet continues to keep the place running when her grandmother goes missing and after she finds herself caught up in a world of crazy when her long lost father returns all Scarlet wants to do is get back to her life on the farm.

She can sometimes be blunt and jump into things without thinking but she is also very caring and kind. She doesn’t sugarcoat things, which makes her friendship with Princess Winter very funny to read. Some people even ship them but I don’t because…

Her relationship with Wolf is adorable. She’s his alpha and they work so well together. They’re my OTP for sure and I still don’t appreciate the emotional roller coaster Meyer put them and me on. Still, they’re adorable and both of them kick butt, which I love. They’re equals and partners and would literally do anything for each other.

Next week, I’ll continue The Lunar Chronicles love fest to talk about my girl Cress. Make sure to check back next week and comment below who your favorite character from the series is.

Favorite Moment:

“Alpha female,” [Wolf] murmured. “I sort of like that.”
Beaming, Scarlet gave a mild shrug. “It could grow on me.”

Dreamcast: Holland Roden

Book Review: Let It Snow

Posted on January 12, 2016January 11, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis from Amazon:

A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today’s bestselling teen authors—John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle—the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2016 Reading Challenge.*

Although the holiday season is now over I couldn’t let that stop me from finally reading this book. Therefore, when I got the email from the library saying I got it I couldn’t wait to read it so I just did.

Although each short story is it’s own story they are all interconnected and take place in the town of Gracetown. Due to a massive snow storm Jubilee, the protagonist of the first story by Maureen Johnson, gets stuck in Gracetown, on her way to Florida to be with her grandparents since her parents are in jail. Yeah, it’s a long story.

Jubilee, who had big plans of spending Christmas with her always busy boyfriend, is devastated that she not only won’t be with her boyfriend but she won’t be with her family either. Thankfully, there’s a nice guy from Target with an overbearing mother there to help get her in the holiday spirit.

The next story is by John Green and although I loved each of these stories, I have to say Green wins it for me. This story follows Tobin and his best friends, the Duke and JP, as they try to make it the Wafflehouse in an effort to spend the night with some cheerleaders. However, due to the massive snow storm this is easier said than done and these three quickly realize sometimes the journey is way more fun than the destination (although the destination is definitely much warmer). Oh, and of course there’s a cute little romance going on as well.

Lastly, is Lauren Myracle’s story, which is the perfect conclusion to the book. Addie is devastated that she’s spending her Christmas alone because she thinks her boyfriend, Jeb, hasn’t forgiven her for the terrible mistake she made. But Addie soon realizes that maybe she hasn’t really been looking at the big picture of what went wrong in their relationship. In an effort to change, Addie tries to step outside herself and care more about the people around her than just her own issues. Also, both couples from the first two stories make an appearance, which is amazingly cute.

Overall, this is the perfect holiday novel to read. Each story is cute, funny, and heartwarming and I’d definitely read it again during the next holiday season.

Borrow or Buy: Buy!

Stars:

Favorite Line:

“Christmas is never over,unless you want it to be…Christmas is a state of mind.”

Other Reviews

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Man Crush Monday: William “Will” Owen Herondale

Posted on January 11, 2016January 10, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare involves one of the most interesting love triangles I’ve ever read. That being said, although I truly love Jem I also really love Will and I believe we’re supposed to love them both just as protagonist Tessa Gray does.

Therefore I had to dedicate a Man Crush Monday to Will. He’s incredibly handsome with his jet black hair and blue eyes. More than that, he’s got that complicated, bad boy, dark past that makes him incredibly irresistible even though it totally shouldn’t.

When we’re first introduced to Will he’s adventurous and snarky, pushing away the people that love him because he feels he has to. The only person he lets love him is Jem and their friendship is amazing. They’re parabatai, which in the Shadowhunter world means they’ve taken an oath to protect and look out each other for the rest of their lives. It’s kind of like they got married but they’re like brothers, not husband and wife.

Anyway, I honestly think I loved Jem and Will’s relationship more than Tessa and Will’s relationship because the bond between Jem and Will was just so strong. I won’t spoil it but they’re friendship goals to the max.

But back to Will as a person. He’s really funny, loves books (a man truly after my own heart), and he’s weirdly afraid of ducks. Oh, and did I mention he’s very attractive. Because he his. Even Magnus can’t keep his eyes off him.

Honestly, if you haven’t read The Infernal Devices trilogy yet please do so immediately. Even if you don’t like The Mortal Instruments still read this prequel series. I think it could stand on it’s own and I liked it better than The Mortal Instruments anyway. Although Alec and Magnus are still my OTP so you do miss out on that. Seriously though, read these books!

Swoonworthy Line: