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Book Review: Funiculi Funicula - Before the Coffee Gets Cold (1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

2024-04-16T00:36:00.001+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

Funiculi Funicula by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

*I own a copy of this book.*

Genre: Novel Fantasy

Pub. Date: December 6, 2015

Visit this review on my Goodreads page here!

This book is not thick. In fact, in my good 'ol days I could practically read it in one sitting. And I did.

Firstly, I think it doesn't feel quite alright to categorize this book as a fantasy novel, but it is. The blurb says it all. An old coffee shop which offers a chance for its visitors to time-travel. The premise is pretty intriguing, I must say. And it is one of the reasons I picked this book up. Anyway, this book is the first of a trilogy but I haven't read the rest.

Just like what it promised in the back cover, Funiculi Funicula tells a series of time-travel story experiences by several characters. The start was actually kind of boring in my honest opinion.

I had this high expectation of enticing time travel stories but I was kind of disappointed by the opening where this couple in the mid of breaking up (plus distance separation) in the very coffee shop. I was like, 'where's my time travel experience?'. Then the story went on and on and finally it reached the part where the woman of the said couple asked for a chance to time travel because she wanted to do anything to change the flow of event from the day of her break up. And once again I was like, 'seriously, where's my dramatic time travel experience?'. I was really disappointed that the first time-traveler would be this (sorry) pathetic woman in denial.

Then one chapter ended and in my positive respond, I'd like to think that the first chapter played the part as introduction of so many rules regarding of the chance for people to be able to time travel. The rules are so many that not everyone is able to just come to the cafe and time travel as they want. And it was all covered perfectly case by case in this chapter. It was actually pretty neat explanation to go forward with the next ones.

From second chapter onward, this book just gets better and better.

Funiculi Funicula only has 4 chapters in total. The first one is just like how I described before. The second one titled 'Husband and Wife'. And it was so so good I buried my face on the pillow to stifle my screaming of emotionally affected by the sweet sweet interaction of both characters, the heartbreaking circumstances, the feeling of longing of something similar, the maturity of their relationship not just as a married couple but more than that, as friends, and partner in everything. I even wrote a mini review on my instagram saying something in line with this:

'Get you someone who loves you,

the way Fusagi loves Kotake

not big in words, but stellar in action

not even big in gestures of love,

but always clear about where he stands'

And it's all because of this letter from Fusagi in reply to Kotake's containing only:

"Marry me."
(Funiculi Funicula, p. 86)

The third chapter titled 'Sisters' and it was just ugh, my heart exploded in tiny confetti. And not in a good way. I cried the whole journey of the sister's time travel. I have a sister on my own so I could picture exactly how she felt at the moment and I was like.. 'don't torture me this way'. But I just LOVED the ending of this chapter. Really, this Kawaguchi guy really knows how to write a perfect closure, not just for the characters, but for the readers as well.

The last one titled 'Mom and daughter'. I said this book just gets better and better the more you read and IT IS! Though, my favorite chapter would be the second one (I am a hopeless romantic, don't mind me) but this one, hands down, perfection. There are so many mind-blowing moments and I am all for it. In fact, I am all for this book!

If I am going to put my emotion and feeling while reading this book into a graph it would definitely be an exponential growth one, a J-shaped curve. I still remembered, I put the book on my chest and stared at the ceiling of my room for -I don't know- an hour or so even though it was already 3 in the morning. This book made me think about a lot of thing. About things I took for granted. Things better left unsaid. Things should not be forced. Things to just let be.

It took me a month to finally able to jot down this review cause I wanted the review to convey my feeling exactly. I think I have not put it down in proper words but well, I tried. Despite so many reviews saying this book is not their cup of teas and so on, I personally want to recommend you to read this one. It is a short, roller-coastery, yet neatly closured read. I think you will love it like I do.

Mini Review: The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson

2024-03-10T23:18:00.002+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson

*I own a Paperback Copy of The Book*

Genre: Self Help, Non Fiction

Pub. Date: January 1st, 2016

Visit this review on my Goodreads page here!

I don't know why I picked this book up as my first ever read in 2024. But maybe it's because a part of me wants to read something other than romance for a bit. Or maybe it's because a part of me thinks that I need some self-help considering the circumstances lately. And maybe it's because a part of me that has been giving a fck about so many things my brain could not comprehend.

There are some parts of the book that I personally can relate. There are lots of them that I could not agree cause my mind goes like, what the f this book even saying now?. But overall, it's a good read cause there are some lines that I highlighted along the way indicating that in fact, this book makes sense to me in some ways.

I did not read this book in order of the table of content. I just read the chapter that I could relate to at the moment of me reading it. I literally brought this book everywhere I go. A couple cafe visits, a bunch of lunch sets, 8 flights, and one after jogging session later, I finally finished this book. Took me so long but I'm glad I could finish this. The final chapter, actually resonated with me a lot. It makes me think about a lot of things. About death, the feeling of gratefulness, about life, and how I've been leading my life all these times. It actually even gives me chill a bit.

'They say that a butterfly flapping its wings in Africa can cause a hurricane in Florida; well, what hurricanes will you leave in your wake?'

This particular line got me like, damn. What have I been doing with my life?

I could recommend this book for people who's in need of a good big slap on the face about not to give a fck about everything and actually start to choose what to give a fck to. But I must say that you have to bear the pretentious tone this book gives out and put it aside to actually fully get what it says.

Review (bahasa): Home $weet Loan by Almira Bastari

2022-02-27T09:44:00.000+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

Home $weet Loan by Almira Bastari

*Paperback copy was pre-ordered through Tokopedia on January 25th. Available at bookstores on February 23th, 2022*

Genre: Metropop

Pub. Date: February 23th, 2022

Visit this review on my Goodreads page here!

Mengulang momen dengan Ganjil Genap. Tahun ini, buku Almira kembali menjadi buku pertama yang saya baca. Hopefully it will be the start of another book-reading for me!

Saya membuka laptop malam ini berniat untuk menulis review novel Home $weet Loan yang selesai dalam satu malam, tiga minggu yang lalu. Namun melihat cover metropop terbaru Almira Bastari ini kembali mengingatkan pada pe-er yang kerap terabaikan: catatan keuangan harian. Membuat saya berencana untuk menghabiskan weekend kali ini untuk kembali menyusun catatan keuangan pribadi dan meng-update beberapa item di dalamnya.

That’s how this book is affecting me.

Berbeda dari karya Almira sebelumnya yang jauh lebih ringan dan ber-tone ceria, Home $weet Loan menyuguhkan problematika real yang cukup serius berikut cerita perjuangan yang mampu membuat frustrasi pembacanya, or at least it felt that way for me.

Memulai cerita, saya spontan bertepuk tangan dengan kata-kata pembuka Almira sebelum halaman Prolog.

“Untuk yang berjuang memiliki tempat untuk pulang”

Singkat, jelas, dan mengena. Membuatku yakin, para pejuang KPR yang kebetulan membaca buku ini akan merasa sedikit panas di sudut mata membaca sebaris kalimat tersebut. Well, saya yang tidak relate dengan kondisi tersebut bahkan merasa hangat di hati. But for another reason that I would spill later in a bit.

Prolog langsung membawa kita ke titik permasalahan yang menjadi fokus pada cerita kali ini: proses mencari rumah tinggal yang ideal. Ideal dari segi lokasi, lingkungan, historis, dan tentu saja finansial. Ibarat mencari jodoh, sekompleks itu juga proses mencari rumah. Tidak bisa tergesa-gesa, perlu penjajakan. Tidak cukup hanya datang satu kali, namun harus berkali-kali untuk mendapat sudut pandang yang berbeda yang nantinya akan membentuk opini final seseorang. Almira menuangkan seluruh alur proses tersebut dengan detail yang mengagumkan. Secara tidak langsung, kita diberikan tips dan trik dalam mencari tempat tinggal yang ideal dalam kemasan yang menarik. Bahwa ada banyak sekali faktor yang harus dipertimbangkan. Dan memiliki checklist atas faktor-faktor tersebut adalah hal yang wajib, meski pada akhirnya kita diberitahu bahwa walaupun nantinya tidak seluruh boks pada checklist itu terisi, bukan berarti itu merupakan pilihan yang buruk. Seperti yang dihadapi tokoh Kaluna, Tanish, Miya, bahkan Danan, yang seperti beberapa orang ternyata tempat untuk pulangnya bukan hanya rumah. Seperti halnya dalam mencari pasangan hidup. Bukan hanya soal sosok mana yang akan memenuhi seluruh isi checklist kita, namun meski sosok tersebut nantinya memiliki beberapa unchecked boxes tidak berarti sosok tersebut merupakan pilihan yang buruk bagi kita. Itulah mengapa sebaris kalimat pembuka tadi turut menghangatkan perasaan pembaca, terlepas dari status pejuang KPR atau bukan seperti saya. Karena pada akhirnya, tempat untuk pulang tidak selalu merupakan rumah. Karena bisa saja, tempat untuk pulang itu adalah sosok yang dapat memberikan rasa nyaman untuk bersandar setelah lelah berjuang.

"Kadang kita menemukan rumah lebih dulu, kemudian sepi. Kadang kita menemukan orang yang seperti 'rumah'."

Satu hal yang selalu saya sukai dari karakterisasi yang Almira lakukan di buku-bukunya (correct, I’ve read all four of them, even repeatedly for some) adalah bagaimana ia selalu membawa sekelompok karakter yang di-develop sedemikian rupa sehingga pada beberapa kesempatan tiap-tiap karakter tersebut bahkan dapat menjadi pemeran utama cerita, tergantung dari sisi cerita sebelah mana pembaca memandangnya. Begitupun di Home $weet Loan. Kaluna yang memiliki porsi cerita paling banyak tidak serta merta menjadikannya pusat perhatian. Karena saya menemukan titik-titik di mana penggambaran karakter Kaluna agak sulit diterima sebab pada beberapa kesempatan sosok dirinya terkesan lemah. Kelugasan Tanish, misalnya, menjadi daya tarik tersendiri menurut saya. Begitu juga Miya, yang awalnya terkesan reckless namun ternyata sosoknya memiliki niat dan kegigihan yang cukup kuat dalam menjalankan komitmen yang telah ia ambil.

Namun sosok Kaluna, dengan segala kelemahannya, mampu membuat pembaca untuk berkaca pada diri sendiri. Seperti yang saya sampaikan di awal perihal pe-er besar yang tertunda. Kaluna membuat kita bertanya pada diri sendiri: sudahkah saya melek finansial? Seperti tergambar pada tokoh Danan, sayapun seperti ‘ditampar’ dengan fakta bahwa mirisnya kebanyakan generasi muda sekarang tidak banyak yang punya perencanaan keuangan yang baik. Kebanyakan tidak tahu pentingnya, sebagian tidak ambil pusing, sebagian bertahan hidup from paycheck to paycheck, sebagian lainnya merupakan bagian dari sandwich generation. Almira menggambarkan realita di Indonesia tersebut dengan gamblang, membuat kita dapat melihat sosok-sosok Kaluna (si melek finansial namun kerap berada di pusaran masalah keuangan baik di keluarga maupun percintaannya), Tanish (si ibu muda yang harus berjibaku tidak hanya dalam masalah keuangan, namun problematika berumah tangga hingga mertua), Miya (si financial-disaster dengan mimpi, kepercayaan diri, dan kegigihan yang sama tingginya), dan Danan (si berkecukupan yang buta finansial) pada orang-orang di sekeliling kita.

Hanya saja, berbeda dengan penggambaran hubungan antar karakter yang biasanya Almira lakukan

pada buku-buku sebelumnya di mana rasa persahabatan biasa digambarkan dengan sangat hangat, rasa persahabatan antara tokoh Home $weet Loan terasa tidak begitu muncul ke permukaan. Namun ini tidak lantas menjadi suatu kekurangan, karena, let’s be honest here, tidak semua persahabatan akan selalu memiliki ikatan yang erat. Apalagi persahabatan di antara mereka di usia 30-an, dengan segala permasalahan hidup masing-masing, di mana di antara mereka ada yang telah berkeluarga, belum lagi mereka yang masih melajang yang masalahnya sering dianggap tidak sebesar mereka yang telah berkeluarga (You did portray this issue perfectly, Al!) meski nyatanya tidak.

Di samping topik utama di atas, Almira tidak lupa menyelipkan romansa pada Home $weet Loan yang dikemas dengan sederhana, tidak terburu-buru namun ditutup dengan teramat manis. Closing romansa di buku ini disajikan dengan amat realistis serta mampu menepis pernyataan bahwa menikah akan menyelesaikan segala permasalahan ketika masih single, namun paling tidak beban permasalahan tersebut dapat dibagi dengan dua pundak lainnya. Bahkan isu problema hubungan di ambang pernikahan turut dirangkum oleh Almira dengan lugas. Bagaimana pernikahan tidak hanya menyatukan dua insan yang jatuh cinta, namun dua keluarga besar yang akan mengiringinya. She pictured it pretty good there.

Akhirnya, dengan segala kepelikannya, Home $weet Loan mampu memberikan lebih dari sekedar bacaan kasual di akhir minggu. Almira menyinggung banyak sekali permasalahan real di dunia nyata pada buku ini mulai dari sulitnya generasi muda memiliki rumah hingga pentingnya memilih pasangan hidup yang paham dan punya solusi atas kesulitan tersebut.

Really an eye-opener!

Review (bahasa): Ganjil-Genap by Almira Bastari

2020-01-22T22:06:00.000+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

Ganjil-Genap by Almira Bastari

*Paperback copy was pre-ordered through TokoPop on January 8th. Available at bookstores on February 2020*

Genre: Metropop

Pub. Date: February 03, 2020

Visit this review on my Goodreads page here!

It’s been a while since I finished a book in one sitting. I even have a couple of books that remain unwrapped cause laziness came creeping down once I bought the books. But Ganjil-Genap breaks the spell for me.

Almira once again amazed me with her writing that I have no idea it could get much much better than before, knowing it was already so good back then.

Pertama kali membaca Ganjil-Genap dari Wattpad membuat saya can’t help but comparing tulisan Almira di platform Wattpad dan dengan yang di buku. Beberapa scene memang diangkat dari sana, tetapi dibandingkan dengan ‘Resign’ yang tidak mengalami banyak perubahan dari penceritaan awal di Wattpad dan dengan di buku, membaca Ganjil Genap di buku terasa amat sangat berbeda dengan di Wattpad. Its a LOT better.

Almira sukses membangun alur cerita yang runtut dan menimbulkan tanya serta menggugah rasa penasaran di tiap lembarnya. Tiap scene diceritakan dengan apik dan mampu membawa emosi pembaca naik turun dengan berbagai konflik-konflik yang meskipun tidak berat (—kecuali bagian Gala diputuskan pacarnya di tahun ketiga belas) namun sangat relatable karena diangkat dari kejadian keseharian. Rumitnya pekerjaan, kandasnya hubungan sepasang kekasih tanpa alasan yang relevan, 'tuntutan' mengkritisi dari society akan status menikah bagi perempuan akhir 20an sementara anak-anak muda sekarang mulai menggandrungi fenomena nikah cepat, belum lagi fakta bahwa lingkaran sosial seseorang semakin mengecil seiring bertambahnya usia (—Gala punya 3 sahabat, bahkan lebih banyak dariku yang hanya punya 2), sulitnya menemukan sosok pria dewasa yang potensial untuk menjadi pendamping hidup, seperti kata Almira di salah satu judul chapter:

“Cowok berkualitas itu kalau bukan pacar orang atau suami orang, mungkin nggak suka cewek" ─Jomblo yang berburuk sangka

—atau mereka enggan berkomitmen, hingga permasalahan semrawutnya berlalu lintas di ibukota, semua diceritakan Almira dengan lugas dan 'ngena' membuat pembaca tanpa sadar mengamini hal-hal tersebut pernah terjadi dalam hidup mereka.

Diceritakan dari sudut pandang Gala, seorang cewek INTJ yang mungkin jarang ditemui di dunia nyata, tapi nyatanya I could relate a lot with her way of thinking. Karakternya yang sangat logis dan tidak terlalu suka berlarut dalam emosi berlebih membuat Gala menjadi female lead yang mudah diikuti jalan pikirannya. At least, I do think so. Meski Gala bisa dibilang 'sempurna' tapi seiring jalan cerita kita akan belajar banyak bahwa bahkan seorang INTJ sekalipun bisa menjadi personal yang teramat toleran ketika jatuh cinta. Mengiyakan yang tidak peka, hingga 'terbiasa' diabaikan. I love that we could see the development of Gala's character throughout the story. And it's always amaze me thinking that somehow, it might be, in real life, the author also came to a realization about this change-for-the-better when writing about this character. Simply heartwarming!

Dengan inti cerita yang jelas dapat ditangkap di blurb di cover belakang buku, Ganjil-Genap menyajikan tepat seperti premise yang dijanjikan. Hubungan 13 tahun yang dikira akan berakhir di pelaminan malah kandas di parkiran, membuat seorang wanita menjelang tiga puluh yang patah hati masih harus tertekan dengan judging masyarakat sehingga menceburkannya dalam perjalanan penuh intrik untuk berburu calon suami. That's it, simple, relatable, dan tidak lari dari inti. Konflik utama hanya terjadi di awal cerita namun tidak lantas membuat sisa alur cerita menjadi membosankan. Meski the wrap-up of the story praktis hanya diselesaikan dalam dua chapter terakhir tapi saya tidak menangkap kesan bertele-tele dari sekian puluh chapter di antara konflik utama dan penyelesaian. Buku ini bagai menghipnotis pembaca untuk tetap setia mengikuti setiap detail cerita yang menggelitik dan tidak membuat mereka merasa perlu untuk 'lompat' atau sekedar 'mengintip' ke epilog karena merasa bosan atau tidak sabar. Saya bahkan menuang air minum ke gelas dan meneguknya tanpa sekalipun mengalihkan pandangan dari lembaran Ganjil-Genap! And I finished it in 5 hours straight, earning me a book hangover the next morning. And I'm not even complaining! I laughed a LOT, like every witty exchange between the characters and amusing analogies the author use to describe the situation occured. And that scenes where all the pressure finally take its toll on Gala: first the insurance agent calling and second with the police. Oh man!

Membaca Ganjil-Genap bagai membaca buku harian yang membuat kita merasa tertohok, terenyuh, malu, hingga merasa perlu introspeksi sebagai closure. Setidaknya itu yang saya rasakan. Almira berusaha mengajak pembacanya untuk memahami bahwa ketika hidup kita tidak berjalan seperti kehidupan banyak orang, tidak lantas membuat kita menjadi pihak yang 'salah' sedangkan mereka yang mayoritas adalah 'benar'. Tidak juga sebaliknya. Tetapi, ketika hal tersebut terjadi, maka kembalilah kepada diri sendiri dan tanyakan, "apakah kita bahagia saat ini?". Tidak perlu dengar pendapat orang, tapi yakinlah bahwa ketika kita bahagia dengan diri sendiri, then that's enough.

Very well done writing, Almira!

Top recommended bagi mereka yang sedih karena memulai 2020 sebagai seorang single. You don't have to be, pals!

Review: Brilliant Cut (Diamond in the Rough #3) by Elisa Marie Hopkins

2016-11-15T00:01:00.001+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

Brilliant Cut by Elisa Marie Hopkins

*Digital copy was received from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Genre: Romance - Suspense

Pub. Date: November 15, 2016

Get a copy here!

AMAZON| BOOK DEPOSITORY

It’s always such a bittersweet moment when you got the last book of a series in your hands. Like you’re dying to devour the book and find out how it’d turn out but you don’t want to touch it, moreover read it, because if you do and you reach the end, then the whole journey would be over. I found it really hard to pick up my Kindle and touch that cover of Brilliant Cut ARC on my shelf. It’s that kind of undeniable moment when you know deeply inside your heart that once you click on it, there’s no coming back to the feeling you had before you read it. You know that you can’t not read it but you resist because you want to prolong the journey with your favorite characters, even if it meant being stuck in the moment. I needed a couple of minute to breathe and made myself swear that I wouldn’t just devour it all recklessly ―that I would savor every pages.

Diamond in the Rough series started with an engaging first book, continued with a complicatedly heartbreaking sequel, and ended up with a brilliant conclusion of the whole series. As a debut author, Elisa really went all out with her debut series, and I’m not just saying it to sweeten my review and all. Elisa did her research, explored with the ideas, and gave her all to these books like, well, a mother to her babies. This series is what I would call the perfect definition of suspense romance. I've said this on my review of the second book, Black Diamond, and at some points I might have said it on my review of the first book. The suspense part and the romance part are pretty well-balanced in a way that won’t make you think certain part is standing out than the other.

This last installment of Diamond in the Rough series started out a little bit different than the first two books. The first page instantly brought me back to the memories of reading Robert Langdon’s adventure. The prolog had a vibe of Dan Brown in it and it made some thriller-maniac neurons inside of me come back to life. I loved it so much that Elisa put such great twist into the story, developing a whole new level of issues as she revealed practically every single mystery we’ve been dying to find the truth ever since she dropped them each for the first time.

Told from third person perspective, Brilliant Cut fast-forwarded to a few years after Black Diamond ended. Or if we’re going to talk from Sophie’s angle: after Oliver. Yes, our favorite couple went separate ways last time we saw them. And while it broke my heart to pieces, there were so many reasons why the ‘calamity’ had to take place on the first place. But it’s for good that I don’t talk about it all here.

Sophie Cavall, an ex-model, now-writer, tried to live a normal life after all the chaos happened in her life two years ago. Apparently, two years was enough for everything to change completely. Like how Sophie now had two parts of herself crawling and screaming around the apartment creating after-disaster-effect every day. And how, instead of having Oliver to keep her from being crazy, Sophie had a pediatrician who sometimes balanced out her craziness with his. It’s totally unthinkable before that there would be a day when Oliver would be just a name in her history book, but it was what had happened. But in all honesty, Sophie could very much moved to Alaska and dated a seal but Oliver would always be her personal sun that keeps her heart warm all these years and her skins tingling just by hearing his name. Some say true love is hard to forget. Some say it would be forever unforgettable. Some say it would be etched in eternity in your mind. Sophie proved them all right when she very much didn’t want them to be. What had happened between her and Oliver was too perfect, too beautiful, that it felt too painful when it’s over. But was it really over? Sophie was in the edge of a cliff of madness, by recalling and pushing the memories of Oliver every day of her life. If not because of her twin boys who needed her concern above everything, she would pretty much end up in an asylum the second Oliver walked out of their flat. And Sophie wanted to believe that she loved Adam. But could one give her heart out to someone when this other person still got a hold on that very heart? Wouldn’t it be ripped out in the process? No. Because the hold was so strong even Sophie felt herself barely living with that empty hole where her heart used to beat.

“Trying to forget you was like trying to forget my way home. I realized you can’t build homes out of people, because then you feel homesick for a place that no longer exists.” ─Chapter XI

Among the three books, Brilliant Cut had the quickest yet the most emotional plot of all. Elisa didn't play around by bringing up a lot of issues like politics, secret order, and some mind-games to bring our couple back together. It might sound too heavy for some but trust me Elisa is a pro in putting complex words together into a bedtime story without leaving the thrilling part. I seriously wanted to blurt out the whole book scene by scene but then I would be thrown away into the sea for being a spoiler brat. This book is that good that you’d feel like holding a presscon to tell the world how the story goes. I loved that nothing’s changed with either Sophie or Oliver. Sophie with her independency and Oliver with his controlled-possessiveness and sexy brain (I never even think about this phrase before meeting Oliver). I felt a lot of things at once reading this book. There was a lot of emotion in two days I finished it. Sophie’s kids got my full attention instantly. Their ‘normality’ was so Oliver, I felt like crying my eyes out that not many people could actually accept them.

There were so many ups and downs along the way, a lot of mind-blowing revelation that keeps making me question whether this was really Elisa’s first ever series. She wrote cleverly. She explored so many topics, putting a lot of exciting trivia, and the way she wrote Oliver’s character deserved rounds of standing applause. We all know how genius Oliver is. But let’s come to a realization that behind every unique and singular character, there is only one person in charge in creating them: the author, Elisa. I am starting to wonder if Elisa might be an agent or something in real life..

To put it shortly, Brilliant Cut made a fantastic conclusion to the story, thus, making the series a total excellent accomplishment. This series deserves more attention than it’s been getting until today. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND this series to everyone who happened to come across this review of mine. Elisa is a new gem in this writing world that is totally deserving of more recognition. And like a diamond, you might get a little too attached once you get to know her pieces.

Review: Lionheart by Fran Seen

2016-09-09T00:19:00.000+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

Lionheart: a Beauty & the Beast Retelling by Fran Seen

*Digital copy was received from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Genre: New Adult - Contemporary

Pub. Date: August 8, 2016

Get a copy here!

AMAZON| BOOK DEPOSITORY

I have a thing for a fairytale retelling lately, ever since I stumbled upon a kind of book which runs on the same genre a while ago. And ‘a Beauty and the Beast’ retelling? Please, I’ll stop anything to read the book. Including my long-hiatus of reading.

”I believed all this time that, when I finally saw your face, all I would be able to see is what you were trying to hide”

“But all I see is a man made of shields. All I see is you.”

I received a copy of the book two days ago and had read a few pages yesterday. I caught a cold today so I had a day off-work and using it to take a break while finishing the rest of the book. And Holy God… I did expect that this book would be a good read. I just didn’t expect it would be this good. I mean, not just good, it’s a very well-written fairytale retelling while at the same time didn’t seem like repeating the tale itself. Fran Seen had polished it somehow to be a whole new story with the same essential message of loving someone unconditionally yet wrapped them up in a modern way with a lot heavier issue in the background. To bring a topic like a war, especially a middle-east war in Iraq, it took a lot of efforts for a writer to deliver it through a story, moreover a romance one, and engage the readers to actually read it. In Lionheart, Fran even put so much detail about the war as to enlighten us about what the hero actually went through for us to be taken with his persona. For me, it didn’t just enlighten us on Alo, but it also got me thinking deeper about the sad truth of how people live in the other side of the world. Some people might skip the part about the war but I personally felt so much about Alo Rahim through the way Fran introduced him to us for the first time. How she didn’t quite tell us right away about the war he had faced, but the way she pictured him interacting with others and with himself was strangely enough for his character to ingrain. I already felt so much for him without knowing the details behind the awful past. What I liked so much about the hero is the fact that he’s broken but not hateful. I dig broken hero but a tiny part of me always bothered by their mean personality. I didn’t see this in Alo. He’s withdrawn with others and that’s it. He’s lonely, angry, disappointed but he got control. Yet basically he was just sad. And also got mean humor and corny jokes.

Meanwhile Lula is the kind of heroine who’s got a special spot in my heart. Determined, positive-thinking, caring, and so selfless it hurts me to see her so. But I’m those kind of people who’s believing in a good things happen to good people, so I could relate with Lula a lot. It was a good thing too that Lula was introduced to us while she’s already on her fight to standing up for herself. I loved her way of thinking and there’s a line in chapter 3 that instantly made me think that I totally liked her.

‘I mean-think about it-telling a perfect stranger to smile was pretty rude, like saying: “I don’t like the way you look right now. You’re ruining my scenery with your frown. Please change your facial expression for my benefit.” The premise was that I existed for him to look at and admire and appearing unhappy ruined his admiration.’

I never felt more connected to a character than now.

Fran Seen wrote beautifully, like really beautiful. She didn’t prolong the drama, didn’t write unnecessary angst scenes just to make the readers cry. She made me cry alright but it was because I felt like I was one with the characters. Like I’m Lula, dying to fix the unfixable within ‘my’ family, yet at the same time I’m Alo, fighting the undefeated bad memories. But Fran also got me laughing more than once through the humor slipped within the convos Alo and Lula had every single time. They exchanged banter like some old friends and it was just so heartwarming to see two people scarred by their pasts to be able to laugh together in the mere present of each other.

The writer obviously knew how to write a romance scene and I’m not just talking about one or two scenes but a whole romance scene in the book. There was this scene in chapter 12 that got me biting my nails in jealousy because I swear I’ve never been more jealous than when Lula and Alo sat together exchanging questions and answers over imaginary chocolates. God.

Besides the romance and the lovely characters, I loved the way Fran put everything up in their own places in the end. Like she resolved every problem in the book without making it seemed like it had to be resolved because the story has come to an end. No, she actually thought about it and gave the best resolution for everything and everyone. Really, this book just got better and better the more I thought about it.

Anyway there’s this saying in the end of the book that conclude the ending of how a romance book should end that I loved so much.

‘And that was the thing- having a significant other didn’t all of sudden make my life more significant, but he sure as hell made it more enjoyable’

Damn right, girl! It’s not all suddenly rainbows everywhere but at least you got someone to dance under the rain with.

I fully recommend this book to those who enjoy fairytale retelling as much as me, but generally though, to all romance readers, Lionheart is the book worth reading if you’re looking for one to cuddle with.

Cover Reveal: Brilliant Cut (Diamond in the Rough #3) by Elisa Marie Hopkins

2016-07-11T23:40:00.000+07:00

Let's Say It's a... Book Event! is a feature where I publish book-related events under. Find everything from blog tours, book spotlights to cover reveals here!

It's been a while since I last hosted cover reveal! And now that I have a chance to host one, I'm super excited to be a part of cover-reveal team for the third as well as last installment of my favorite suspense romance series, DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH!

Readers of Elisa's amazing series would be all thrilled about this upcoming book but to those who still new to the series, it's okay, you can check the first book and the second one below:

A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH, book 1

A Diamond in the Rough

GOODREADS / AMAZON / READ MY REVIEW :)

25-year-old model Sophia Cavall has a seemingly nice life walking the runway until she begins to receive death threats through social media and is almost kidnapped by a masked figure. She tries to fight off her assailant, but luckily the attempt ends in failure when mysterious business magnate Oliver Black intervenes.

Sophie doesn’t know it, but the stakes are high: her life and her heart. Desperately needing support, she turns to a few trusted people, and to Oliver most of all. But can he be trusted, who speaks the truth, and the question on everyone’s lips: who is the man in the mask?

Her checkered past returns to entangle her. She will come to realize that it is not dead after all…it is still very much alive.

BLACK DIAMOND, book 2

Black Diamond

GOODREADS / AMAZON / READ MY REVIEW :)

Over the weeks following her disappearance and the discovery of a long-silenced secret, the yellow brick road to Sophia Cavall’s happiness becomes littered with minefields.
Enter Oliver Black and his irresistible persona. He’s strong, caring, and doesn’t question her need for freedom. Sophie is Oliver’s feminine equal—the lioness in his lion lifestyle. She is his eyes and ears, and has his heart in her pocket. They have enough passion to paint the town red with love and a lurking, dangerous rival fears their union is a problem.
The price of fame and a high-profile relationship collides as the media spins a yarn to boost their ratings. Before they know it, the romance begins to falter. Can the two reconcile their opposing views before it is too late or will they lose the greatest love they’ve ever known? A devil of a choice is in order.
The odds are stacked against Sophie and Oliver in this second installment of the Diamond in the Rough series. What is the truth? Who is the real enemy? There’s no two ways about it—ready or not, he will come.

And now... we almost reach the conclusion of the suspenseful series, which would be coming out very soon! Ready to unravel the first mysteries of Brilliant Cut? Here we go!

BRILLIANT CUT

Desperate for a new beginning, Sophie Cavall trades Manhattan for Brooklyn, where she meets someone new. He's a fun-loving man, hardworking and good with kids, but a run-in with her former flame revives a yearning Sophie thought was long buried. And this time, Oliver Black won’t be giving her up for anyone.

Even if it meant facing death alone, Oliver did the only thing he could think of to keep the woman he loves safe and out of the limelight: break her heart.

The real enemy is closing in. The last piece of the puzzle may prove to be the most dangerous of all.

In the third and final installment to the Diamond in the Rough series, Elisa Marie Hopkins explores love, loss, forgiveness, and the perseverance of two characters facing extraordinary challenges. There might just be light at the end of the tunnel…

ADD TO GOODREADS!

Get ready this FALL

Pre-order, Release Date, and ARCs TBA soon!

THE AUTHOR

Connect with Elisa Marie Hopkins
WEBSITE / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / PINTEREST

Review: Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally

2016-06-29T22:23:00.000+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally

*Digital ARC was received from Sourcebooks Fire through Netgalley*

Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary

Pub. Date: July 5, 2016

Get a copy here!
AMAZON| BOOK DEPOSITORY

Taylor was an overachiever whose grades were as bright as her coming future. Targeting Yale as her next step, Taylor meant to add up on the supremacy her whole family has worked on for a long time. Her dad was a successful senator while both her siblings enrolled in aforementioned Ivy League school trying to catch up their father's brilliant path. Following her family's grace was all she knows her whole life. Taylor might have worked so hard to be the next valedictorian as well as the best soccer captain in her current private school, but keeping a good image of being a senator's academically-bright daughter is what challenged Taylor to be better ―not that she needed to get any better, anyway.

Taylor was just one step away from reaching all those dreams... if only she's also 'bright' enough to keep herself from playing hero on backstabbing ex-boyfriend.

Covering her less than charming ex-boyfriend for drugs possession resulted in Taylor getting kicked out of school and mentally out of her family. Not only that she tainted her clean sheet for Yale's early submission, she also put her dad’s campaign for coming election into such fatal risk. What Taylor had been working on practically all her life was blown away by a single mistake (or more like ‘unnecessary heroic act’).

It’s kind of ironic and sad, what happened to Taylor and how her family reacted to the case. It’s even sadder because things like that did happen in real life all the time. Miranda accurately portrayed Taylor’s life as a teenager with all the problems within. Her interaction with her friends, her romantic life, her life as both senator’s daughter and that one haven’t-yet-to-be-succeed kid in family which pressure was pretty high either way, and how her life was slowly crumbling down along with her belief on what was supposed to be her master plan all along. The author brought us to the front row to see how it all changed and affected Taylor with her detailed scenes. I’m sure there would be many teens out there who could pretty much relate to Taylor’s life because being a kid, moreover the last kid in the family, you would be expected to do much better than your siblings or at least do as well as them. I personally could relate with her from this angle. Sometimes it could be easy for parents to compare you with your sister or brother and though they mean well with that, it could be a sensitive issue because no one in this world wants to be compared with other people, not even their siblings. Everyone just wants to be seen as themselves, be it good or bad.

I could feel what Taylor had to go through and it sucked that her parents are such hopeless excuse. The only comfort she could get was only from her brother which is sad considering Taylor also got a sister but the said sister was really awful to her. The chemistry in Taylor’s family was almost non-existent and I was hoping that in the end it would be fixed but the author decided to let Tay made peace with her family in her own way. Like it’s not necessarily be a sweet ending where everyone asked for forgiveness from each other, but it’s simply that since Taylor had found her way in life, she could face her family with stronger backbone.

The appearance of Ezra character in the story seemed to be out of nowhere and I kind of missed the background story at first. But along with his continuous appearance, we learned what had happened in the past between him and Taylor. I grew a deep feeling of sympathy for him that soon turned into affection. I felt really bad for him and at the same time felt amazed by how compared to Taylor, Ezra was much braver to go against his family’s conservative wish. Ezra’s relationship with Taylor was pretty sweet and I like its dynamic between them.

I might not have any serious issues with this book but truthfully speaking, Defending Taylor is what I would call as a good yet barely memorable read. It’s not that it’s badly written or what. There were several scenes that fell flat that I wouldn’t mind if it was removed from the book anyway. Like those when Taylor asked for advice from the friend who less and more was in the same circumstance as her. It might be a good and a little touching even, but it was like it’s written half-heartedly that I couldn’t find the emotional connection that likely supposed to be there. Though, honestly the advice was really good!

”Your advice is to just come clean? Let my family know I’m a big ole mess and have no direction?”

… “Yeah, and the sooner the better. Then you can start figuring out what you want to do instead of worrying about what your parents will say and pretending everything is fine. Just come clean.”

Defending Taylor contained a good amount of life lessons, especially for young reader who’s in the middle of figuring things out in their life after high school. Miranda made a clear picture of teen’s life with all the problems that come along within it. Yet me being too old to be a ‘teen’ found this book simply as good read but not the one that would leave marks. But don’t let me discouraged you to pick this book up, though!

Review: Sweetgirl by Travis Mulhauser

2016-05-15T22:38:00.002+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

Sweetgirl by Travis Mulhauser

*Digital ARC was received from HarperCollins UK through Netgalley*

Genre: Adult Fiction
Pub. Date: Feb 2, 2016

Get a copy here!
AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

It surprised me that it took me so long to write down this review when I’ve finished reading the ARC a few weeks ago and had quite interesting reaction upon finishing it.

I walked into this book thinking that it might not meet my cup of tea despite my attempt to request its ARC on the first place. But the mention of a lost baby and a girl who seems to live longer than her age pulled me to a stop… and I knew that I couldn’t skip this one.

I never considered myself as a reader who would enjoy dark and suspense read. So I was literally having a hard time reading this book at first. It didn’t help that not only this book was so intense; it also brought such disturbing topics like drugs and alcohol addiction and murders. Reading this was so out of my comfort zone but I could somehow bear it because of the characters of the aforementioned girl and baby.

Percy James was only sixteen but we could see how life had shaped her into a much older and wiser person than her years living in the world. For the nth time, Percy had to go out to find her mother who’s disappeared along with her booze addiction. It was snowing and probably going to be a bad storm soon but Percy had no other choice but to keep looking for her mom. It’s like a dead-end circle with her mom’s situation. Percy loved her mom, so deeply she could never forget the good times they used to have together when her mom was still fine. But lately things only got worse, moreover when her sister went to live her new life with their little happy family across the state, leaving Percy to take care of her alcoholic mother. Percy was a good girl; so good that she often lied to her sister that their mother was okay, that everything was as fine as a sunny weather. But it’s actually a snowstorm in Michigan; even a worse one in Percy’s household.

The first time Percy met Jenna, the baby was practically halfway to be buried by the snow blowing from the open window in Shelton Potter’s cabin. It’s like a fate. When Percy went there to find her mom (who last she checked with the neighbor, was on a drunk fight with Shelton), she found Jenna instead. The poor freezing baby seemed to alter her priority as its innocent grip brought Percy to her determination to get the baby out of the hell place. Looking at Jenna neglected in the middle of meth-house with no responsible adult to take care of her, tugged a string inside Percy’s heart. The baby was so much like her. Yet again she’s much older than Jenna when her mother had gotten to her worse condition and left her to fend for herself. Suddenly, Jenna became her priority. Even if saving Jenna meant she had the drugged-angry Shelton and his bunch of criminal friends hot on her heels. Even if saving Jenna made her fight her own beloved bad mother.

I felt so much emotion being played while reading this book. It was quite bothering that I had to see half of scenes on the book from Shelton’s perspective. Yet at the same time I was impressed by Mulhauser’s ability to write that perspective with such details. It was oddly fun and certainly dark but it was also quite heart-breaking when Shelton’s actual feeling sometimes was shown during one of his many weak moments. It surprised me that even in the end I felt a piece of my heart had gone along with Shelton’s character.

Seeing things from Percy’s perspective meanwhile was quite an experience. We could literally see her love for Jenna growing stronger. Her struggle, her hopelessness, her determination, and her faith for Jenna’s better future were all pictured in rich details for us to witness. I felt my love for Percy and Jenna grew as well. The appearance of Portis Dale as Percy’s hopeless savior just added another color to their tragically desperate yet endearing journey of escape. Portis was this skeptical figure who’s as close to a family Percy ever had in her life besides her mother and sister. I found it quite amusing how Portis kinda wanted to just leave Jenna behind because he was worried of Percy’s safety yet with Percy’s persistence (or really just stubborn) to keep Jenna, he let Percy had her way. Their banter often sounded intensely scary to others but we could hear in Portis’s harsh tone how much he cared for Percy and how much Percy needed a father figure in him. Completed with Mulhauser’s extremely detailed description of cold weather in Michigan, Sweetgirl would make you curl under your blanket in your reading couch, with heartbeat running and tears ready to flow any moment.

In the end, I had to give in with my emotion as I put aside my Kindle and hid my tears for the world to see. The tears were mixed of happy ones and sad ones but I’d like it to be a happy one because I knew that what the author decided to write in the end was for the best for all. God, even now when I re-read that last chapter I am tearing up again like a newborn baby I am. The author did write such beautifully heartwarming (with little heartbreaking-spice) ending to such a heavy read. It felt like Mulhauser did not just close the curtain after the show but also wipe the stage and cleaned the aisle from the tissues being left behind by people. It was a very neat ending; near perfect even.

I would like to recommend this book to just everyone who loves to read. Even me who prefers to read sweet, light reads than the heavy ones, Sweetgirl just made an exception for me.

‘I’m the one who found her,…. But I’m not the same person I was before. I am different now because of Jenna and Portis Dale and I believe we all tried to save each other in that storm and that mostly we did.’ ―chapter XXIII

Review: Anything You Want by Geoff Herbach

2016-05-08T15:46:00.001+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

Anything You Want by Geoff Herbach

*Digital ARC was received from Sourcebooks Fire through Netgalley*

Genre: YA (Contemporary)
Pub. Date: May 1, 2016

Get a copy here!
AMAZON| BOOK DEPOSITORY

I had such a long complicated journey with this book during the past two weeks.

The blurb promises a story of how a barely-17 years old boy working on to be a bright student, promising drama actor, and… perfect dad, all at once. It does sound totally unlikely. Except this is Taco Keller we’re talking about. Taco―as he earned the nickname ever since forever―might be the most positive human living ever existed in the entire galaxy. And it is supposed to be a very good thing if Taco isn’t also kind of dumb at times because when those two things collided, it creates something called delusional. I don’t know how to best describe what I felt about Taco because I swear during the first half of the book I wanted so much to kick his character out of the book (when clearly he’s the main character…). I just couldn’t connect with his way of thinking. It’s not helping that the author made Taco the only narrator in the story and decided it’s okay for him to sound very immature and irrational most of the time…

Taco had this belief that partly responsible of his overly-positive attitude. His mom once said before she died, “Today is the best day of your life. So is tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next. No matter what happens, every day you have is the best day of your life.” Unlike his brother or even his father, Taco believed in this saying very much. Even when his home life was a mess, with a father (running) away to work in the Mine leaving him with only his brother whose drinking problem was as hopeless as his job to support their little family of two, Taco still believed in the good in everything. Then he fell in love with this girl named Maggie and I had to bear a few pages of Taco telling me that they kept―and I quote― ‘celebrating love’ until we reached the obvious outcome of all that: unexpected teen pregnancy. With a baby on its way, Taco officially added quite a few messed-up things on the list of his family messed-up life because instead of running away from the responsibility, he embraced his upcoming title of becoming a dad. I felt like reading a big joke of a character with a weird nickname and even weirder mind when Taco with all the train-wreck around him still believed in trying his best of doing impossible things with positive attitude because what? Every day is the best day of your life, no matter how ugly things already were. Kill me.

I blamed the absence of responsible adult was the main cause of Taco character became somehow ‘uncontrollable’. Because as much as I disliked him, Taco was the most genuine character I ever knew. I suspected that Taco had been raised by his mother’s overflowed love. Seeing how her first son grew into an angry boy, she tried to shower Taco with so much love so he could grow into a loving boy. He did though, but before Taco got a chance to step into a real world with real problems his mother had died first. Taco had his lesson on how to act positive anytime but no one left to teach him how to act rational at times.

The things were just getting messier each page and I almost gave up finishing the book. But then again, I’m all against DNFing books. Nothing personal, but I think it seems unfair to stop reading certain books because of some (or most) part pissed you off causing you to judge the whole story negatively without bothering to finish it to prove it yourself.

‘In retrospect, I believe I was overthinking. This overthinking caused larger crisis.’ ―chapter XI

I literally cheered inside when I read the line above. I was like, ‘God, finally this boy has a connection working on his brain cell’. But it’s not until a character named Nussbaum came out that thing starts looking up.
I started to enjoy Geoff’s humor through Taco. Maybe it’s partly because I finally got it why Taco adopted such unbearably uncommon character like that.

‘Never let anyone tell you your butt is not important. Your butt is very, very important to general motility’ ―chapter XVII

I laughed a lot at that silly yet serious statement of Taco!

I also kind of loved it when Taco worked real hard on his impossible dreams. I even ached witnessing how selfless he was.

“So you want to get a job and work here and go to school and be a musical munchkin and be a dad?”
“Yes,” I said. ―chapter XXII

Yes, Taco was dumb, so dumb even but all he knows is how to do the right thing. Even if it was irrational thing to do. Even if it hurt him.

‘How can your muscles feel sad? They can. That’s why I laid so still after Mom died. Because even though I couldn’t cry, my muscles were so sad, they didn’t want to move. Liquid sadness had pooled in them.’ ―chapter XXVII

I started to feel real bad for Taco. I was so mad at his sorry father and his drunken brother and literally everyone who only knows how to tell him to stop his gut rather than explaining why he should stop in the first place.

“I know I can be a dumb kid. But I’m growing up,” I said. ―chapter XXXII

I liked how Geoff wrapped the story up. I liked that in the end it was Taco himself who came to the final decision on how to fix all his messes. I really didn’t expect for this book to make me cry, yet it did. I was teary-eyed and my heart felt like it was broken into pieces reading the letters Taco wrote to Maggie and their kid. His sincere was crystal clear there; you just want to cry no matter how much you said you hate Taco before.

Anything You Want and me clearly had a rough start but we eventually became buddies in the end. I practically had to put my Kindle down several times during the first half of the book because I barely tolerated Taco’s behavior. I’m glad I didn’t give up halfway or else, I might not be able to write down this review.

Just so you know, this barely is a romance piece. More like a story of how a clueless young boy tries to figure out his life –which is a total bundle of mess- when there’s no one to turn to yet there’s people who depends on you. Hopefully there’s more people who’s on board with me to finish this book till the end because trust me, when you’re patient enough you’ll find out what a gem this book actually is.

‘In the end, maybe that is what a best day looks like? Making hard decisions so that the people you love are okay?’ ―chapter XXXI

Review: My Kind of Crazy by Robin Reul

2016-04-25T23:07:00.000+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

My Kind of Crazy by Robin Reul

*Digital ARC was received from Sourcebooks Fire through Netgalley*

Genre: YA (Contemporary)
Pub. Date: April 5, 2016

Get a copy here!
AMAZON| BOOK DEPOSITORY

This is the book that I’ve been looking for my whole life. Hell, I think it’s the strongest candidate of the best book I’ve read in 2016! It has this perfectly balanced combination of happy, sad, and crazy things all at once. The plot is very well-written, well-built, well-… everything! I couldn’t even explain just how happy I am that I am given the opportunity to read the ARC of this book. One thing I am disappointed at myself is the fact that I put this book on hold until a few days ago.

It didn’t take me long to engross myself into the story with unusually captivating opening. Hank Kirby, a 16 years old nerdy teen just found a supposedly-brilliant idea of asking a popular girl to prom from internet: lit prom-spelled sparklers on her lawn. And he did. Except, the plan went up in flames in seconds. Literally. With Amanda’s lawn on fire and his promposal in memory, Hank chose to run for his life as his instinct told him to. He thought he was saved that night, but surely his lucky charm was not that bright. Hank earned himself a witness when he accidentally left an evident in the place of accident. A witness who could very well ruin his life with one tell but instead, she asked for something so different. Something not much girl wanted from a guy like him: to be a friend and maybe more.

Peyton Breedlove is always that one unique girl who’s both intriguing and creepy at the same time. Or so people thought. The truth is Peyton had her own share of bad histories that had shaped herself into who she was now. Pyromaniac isn’t exactly a favorite kind of personality to most people, especially to those who don’t get where she came from. But seeing―or more accurately―witnessing Hank set her neighbor’s lawn on fire was like finding a long lost other-half. That night, Peyton knew that Hank would be the one who would understand her like no others. Except, he might not be in board with her one-sided feeling. Because after all what he did that night was to impress another girl. A normal girl who gets her things together, whose family life is perfect, and surely who doesn’t play with matches as an escape. A girl who’s not her.

“Everybody needs somebody who gets their kind of crazy, right?” ―chapter XVIII

But what is normal exactly? Hank really thought that Peyton had a serious baggage that he was sure don’t want to get involved with. Everything about her screamed enigma. Strangeness. You name it. But spending a day without seeing Peyton around felt so much like staring on a puzzle board with a piece missing. It might be just one piece, yet you can’t stop glancing at the empty space. You can’t overlook it once you notice it. And for Hank, if normal means pursuing a popular girl like most guys at school, he much preferred stepping outside the line. Peyton might love to do a lot of crazy things unlike others, but sometimes people only need to be understood rather than being judged for their actions. Peyton was no exception. And Hank might be the one who did understand her… if only there were not so much things she hid behind the curtain.

‘Everyone is hiding something though. There’s the story we tell ourselves and the story we tell everyone else’ ―chapter VII

I had soooo much fun reading this. Every emotion all mixed into one, I finished the book in one sitting. It’s been a while since I feel this so much ‘hooked’. With me being busy and all, it was so hard to be engrossed so deeply into a book nowadays. And this book came to me and broke the spell.

My Kind of Crazy is what I’d call a neat read. It has a clear plot, uniquely-made characters, enough issues to be pulled up as leading points, perfect ending, all wrapped up in a very casual yet captivating writing told from a boy’s POV. Robin did a stellar job voicing a teen, slightly nerdy, boy through Hank Kirby. I liked that little natural touch when Hank’s mind was all over the place and unfocused sometimes because that’s how guy’s mind exactly is. And I super loved that the romance was built slowly yet it felt like a very romantic journey every time with them.

And God… Peyton! She’s my best favorite character through and through! I swear, I already fell for her since the first time she was introduced into the story. I loved her bluntness, her ignorance, her unselfish bit, her cheerful and innocent beauty. Simply put, I loved everything about her.

What’s better is how much I laughed reading this book. Robin’s writing is exactly what I needed in this phase of my life when reading is such a luxury for me and she made my moment worth it with such brilliant piece. I’m seriously craving for more Robin’s writing in the future.

I recommend this book to those who’s in need of funny, special, and sweet read to enjoy in such a short time. It’s a quick read and I have no doubt you’ll want a re-run once you reach the last page.

Review: Did I Mention I Need You (DIMILY #2) by Estelle Maskame

2016-04-11T22:28:00.002+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

Did I Mention I Need You? by Estelle Maskame

*Digital ARC was received from Sourcebooks Fire through Netgalley*

Genre: YA (Contemporary)
Pub. Date: April 1, 2016

Get a copy here!
AMAZON| BOOK DEPOSITORY

Also Read: 'Did I Mention I Love You?' Review

When book one didn’t quite satisfy me, book two somehow managed to steal a bit of my attention. I had so many issues with DIMILY and I was highly hoping on DIMINY to fix it for me. Well, it did but unfortunately not much.
It’s kind of a relief that the current situation didn’t include much of the group of reckless teenagers back in California. I also liked that DIMINY focused more on Tyler and Eden even if I personally thought that the beginning of the book was a bit rushed. Book two started with Eden choosing to spend her summer in New York based on Tyler’s invitation. Pardon me but I already smelled ‘wrong’ and ‘cheat’ here. Just like how Eden’s choice irritated me during the ending of book one, I still couldn’t accept her action in book two. It just got worse when Eden went to New York to see Tyler again after one long year, I just couldn’t see what she was actually up to with all of her doings. Dating Dean, yet not even once she forgot memories with Tyler. Dating Dean, yet she chose to stay with Tyler on summer which clearly was a straight way to make a fatal mistake. I felt like I was seeing a girl with a serious problem of playing with others’ hearts. While I admit that moments with Tyler was sometimes sweet, I couldn’t overlook that what they’ve been doing in New York was far from acceptable. It’s not helping that the author seemed to really enjoy writing about Tyler and Eden’s forbidden moments than dwelling with factors that might make readers to really understand where they come from. In book 1 Estelle succeeded in making me ‘get’ their situation. There were layers of shared pain and insecurities between them before. But it all seemed to be forgotten in this continuation of the story. Seeing Eden and Tyler now and before was like seeing two different couples. Before, I saw them as two people who helplessly fall for wrong people; and it was actually quite sad for me. Now, I saw them as two people who shared no more than meaningless fling in the past, who then was met again and couldn’t ignore the sexual tension surrounding them.
It might sound ironic but I started to enjoy it a bit when people from their past coming to a not-so-ideal reunion in New York. How it became the start of a big revelation. And how everyone reacted to it. I’ve been waiting for this moment to happen.
The ending was another cliffhanger which I warmly welcomed because I sensed a more mature story to come next. Again, I was hoping for more ideal parental role in this series. Because after all the case of falling-for-your-stepbrother couldn’t just be a teens’ problem which could be solved by the teens themselves. It’s a crucial problem which indeed needs the role of much older and experienced people to meet the best way to solve it.

I’m really counting on to the last book of the series to present a real story of this forbidden love.

Review: Any Other Girl by Rebecca Phillips

2016-03-31T23:20:00.002+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

Any Other Girl by Rebecca Phillips

*Digital ARC was received from Kensington Publishing through Netgalley*

Genre: YA (Contemporary)
Pub. Date: January 26, 2016

Get a copy here!
AMAZON| BOOK DEPOSITORY

I read this sometime back in January and honestly it took me almost two weeks to finish it because partly I was so busy that I kept putting it off. And partly, maybe it’s because I didn’t really find any part of the book that made me want to sit down for hours, ignoring the world and keep reading non-stop till the last page.

Any Other Girl told a story of a girl who’s raised in a family a little different than others. It’s not that Kat doesn’t have such happy family because she did; it’s just that instead of having mom and dad, Kat was gifted with two dads and that’s okay for her. More than okay actually because her dads were both amazing, caring, and clearly dream parents. What’s not okay was how some people tended to judge her as a maladjusted girl just because Kat loved to play soccer and happened to be raised by men. This was a quite fresh theme for me and I was eager to find out how the issue would be resolved. Unfortunately this part that I thought was the main issue of the book was apparently not the main issue. People’s judgment of gay parents was apparently just a layer of background story of Kat’s personality while the rest of the story would mostly focused on Kat’s personal problem with her best friends and the boys.

I tried to understand where Kat’s coming from, why she’s so flirty and doesn’t even think the side-effect of her acts, and maybe at some point I think I did get it. I even felt sorry for her especially during that apology-scene with her bestfriend. But it’s her ignorant that I couldn’t quite tolerate. Kat did realize that she’s flirty, or at least that’s what I got from her narration, yet just because she didn’t have any hidden meaning besides casual flirts, she thought it was okay to do so to any boys―bestfriend’s boyfriend no exception. It’s a little selfish for her I think to ask people to understand her actions all the time. Also, when there’s an explanation telling the reason Kat loved to flirt and being the center of attention among the crowd was because she wanted to show that she was also like any other girl who’s raised in general family. I sensed a little of unfairness judgment here for teen girls. Does every girl love to flirt that much that you should be all flirty and attention-seeker to be considered as a ‘normal’ girl? I really don’t think so. But it might just be my opinion or I might misinterpret what the author actually meant so feel free to correct me.

I actually did enjoy some parts of the story. Like how I loved the side of Kat who could ask for an apology so sincerely, like how she apologized not because she wished for the forgiveness, it’s because she wanted the peace of letting the other knows that they could label her anything when she’s really not and that’s okay because she somehow was the one who plays the wrong move at first. I loved her friendship with her best friend slash cousin. I loved how sweet the romance scene could be. Also I loved how Rebecca summed up the story in the end that life goes changing every minute and that’s fine because after all what’s not? That you might got into a fight with your best friend and it changes your friendship that it’s impossible to go back to the ‘before’ state but at least you go forward to the ‘after’ state with new perspectives, new level of maturity, and new ways to solve any upcoming bumps together. It’s just too unfortunate that the story was actually very simple, with an even simpler ending and issues-solving, yet it’s all those dramas that stretched the story out to be that long.

The plot of the story might not what I would remember for a long time but the moral lessons I got from this book would definitely be something that I would keep in mind. There’s these words Rebecca wrote about family that was so beautifully true that I really loved.

‘Like any other family, we fought and scratched and drew blood and then kept on loving each other in spite of it all. The bonds we shared were strong yet elastic, like ligaments connecting bone―easy to injure and difficult to heal, but ultimately resilient.’

This is one of those books that you might enjoy to read in a lazy Sunday afternoon when you don’t feel like heavy-thinking or getting your emotion so worked up. It’s not really a bad book because Rebecca’s writing is good and even a bit poetic. But considering the whole factors, I’ll sum it up to an okay.

Review: You Were Here by Cori McCarthy

2016-03-31T00:00:00.000+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

You Were Here by Cori McCarthy

*Digital ARC was received from Sourcebooks Fire through Netgalley*

Genre: YA (Contemporary)
Pub. Date: March 1, 2016

Get a copy here!
AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Having a quite long break from reading in the past two months, I didn’t really have any particular expectation from the book that I picked up as my comeback. All I wanted was just picking up a book and taking my mind away to an exciting mental journey I hadn’t had lately. Thus I dove into You Were Here without reading any reviews about it, nor its blurb.

Starting out, the story was presented for the first time through Jaycee’s perspective. I was instantly drawn to her character fast because of the way Cori described Jaycee’s wrecked emotion so painfully beautiful. I felt like I was ‘forced’ to feel along with her and strangely I didn’t even mind it. Even before knowing the complete story of the tragedy, I could feel that it would be something unusually tragic looking from the way Jaycee’s grief seemed so intense. I liked that Cori didn’t withhold the truth for too long and how casually the source of grief was thrown into the first chapter. It broke my heart yet I sensed that Cori didn’t want her readers to drowning in sorrow that fast in the first chapter with the way she played the supposedly depressing character into such person who’s half sarcastic-half peculiar yet oddly amusing that I really enjoyed Jaycee’s voice here.

When the whole pack finally came out, the story just got even better. Not only because of the fact that the book was told from everyone’s (which means all five main characters) perspectives, but also because all of them got their own eccentricities that made me fall in love with all of them in different ways.

Like Jaycee whose sarcasm was over the top when really it was just a mask to cover the broken soul within. How she seemed like a reckless wild teen when she’s really just a lonely girl with no direction to go. Her anger, grief, disappointment, loss feeling all mixed up leading her to the only way she knows how to cope it with: retracing her brother’s steps. Then there’s Natalie, an ex-best friend who complemented Jaycee in such a way no one could. They apparently shared a rough past that seemingly would forever damage their relationship and they couldn’t even stand each other’s present in the same room but their circumstance told us just how reality really is. No relationship in this world, be it between best-friends or lovers, that never hit the bumps. It could be just a little misunderstood but it could also be so bad that people would even grow apart for years before coming back as one. I liked that Jaycee and Natalie could go on and on bantering for hours yet they couldn’t stop caring for each other. I liked that they could call each other an ‘ex-best friend’ yet they still remembered every little details from the good ol’ days and reminisced it together when the memories came rushing out in the middle of them exchanging insults. I loved that Jaycee was so ignorant and Natalie was so uptight and they didn’t need to change themselves in order to befriend each other. And I could go on and on with all these fascinating things about them but I couldn’t ignore the fact that there were also these other three characters that as interesting as the girls.

Zach, Bishop, and Mik were the boys who completed this misfit group of five. Following Jaycee’s morbid adventure was Natalie who was accompanied (half-heartedly) by her boyfriend, Zach, and (fully) by their friend, Bishop. Zach, a teenager with a drinking problem and too much baggage on his plate, was actually a lovely person if you just give him a chance. I didn’t know why but just like how Jaycee’s character pulled something in my heart, his also made me feel want to hug him tight and get mad at him for hurting himself. And there’s Bishop whose words of graffiti were so deeply moving. I liked how he could be so introvert around people sometimes yet he seemed to always be there when his friends needed him.

And Mik…

I loved loved loved Mik! Mikivikious was a character that’s so unique and absolutely mesmerizing. I could count just how many times he talked in the entire book but I swear every time he did, he took my breath away that I fell head over heels again and again for him. I don’t want to reveal much about him except for this saying Jaycee said about him that, well, summed up a little part of him…

“He was still the boy who’d rather bite himself than reveal too much.”

Also I found the dynamic of the relationship between these five teens were so naturally amazing. I loved that nobody’s perfect in this group, I even loved it more that everyone was flawed in the past, and together they embarked on this estrange journey and came out learning the best lesson of how to live a real life.

“What do I know about anything―other than how fast the world can break and how very long it takes to put all the pieces back together.”

Reading this book really played with emotions, while the story is actually about a grief of losing someone you love Cori tried to tell us that sad things were not always depressing if you just tilt your angle toward it a bit. I loved how real the scenes were, the characters, all those places they’ve been in…

I really really enjoyed reading this book. With an insanely good writing, great details, unique characterizations, and oh, those amazing graphic illustrations I almost forgot to mention, You Were Here made an awesome comeback read for me. I recommend those who love John Green’s Looking for Alaska to pick this book up and find yourself addicted with these awesome characters.

Anything Post: I'm (Hopefully) Coming Back for Good!

2016-03-06T16:10:00.000+07:00

Let's Say It's a... A..Anything! is a feature where I post random things like some babbling or random discussions about anything.

HELLO.... from the other side!

I've been meaning to post this thing I want to say since weeks ago but things keep getting on the way so.. yeah.

I know I've been away for too long. Told I'd be coming back on February but it's only now that I could actually pull myself out of my work-cave to check my blog out and clean all the cobwebs in the corner... It's been a hectic month last February and a very lonely month as well without me being able to read any book properly in peace. And I could feel it within me that it started making me a little desperate each day that reading seems to be such a luxury these days for me. Not to mention all those ARCs that still sitting neatly untouched on my shelve...

So I'm making a change now!

Living as a banker is really fun. But I'm not letting it lessen my quality time with all my books!

I'll come back with my TBR list next week and will post reviews again as often as I could. I might not be able to post all the unique features here like I used to before but whenever I got some little free time I'll dedicate it for reading and managing this blog! (I'm so fired up here!)

I'm really sorry that I seemed to neglect this blog when maybe some of you still want to make some visits here. I'm THANKING all of you guys for that! While I won't blame those who left this blog as well.

I know being a book-blogger requires high dedication and I'm trying my hardest here. I'm still pretty new in this book blogger-life so I guess I still need to learn more. Balancing my life here and the one on the other side of the screen is pretty challenging and could get very tough at times but both are my life and am not picking side here.

I witnessed so many book-bloggers out there who's successfully managing their blogs to be so big when many of them have jobs and even kids to be taken care of. Guess I can do it too?

Thank you for all of your visits!

Hopefully we'll meet often here again from now on!

xoxo :)

Review: In Place of Never by Julie Anne Lindsey

2016-02-21T22:34:00.002+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

In Place of Never by Julie Anne Lindsey

*Digital ARC was received from publisher through Netgalley*

Genre: YA (Contemporary, thriller)
Pub. Date: February 2, 2016

Get a copy here!
AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

After 3 years of curling up in pain and grief, Mercy was now ready to come out of her shell and find the answer behind the mystery of her sister's death. Mercy was sure that Faith didn't commit a suicide, despite what the town rumor said about it. Whatever hidden behind the curtain had been stayed too long while her family grieving over the losses of two family members in a row. Now less than a month before she's off to college, before she left her dad and Pru behind to deal with the rest of the physical memories, Mercy was determined to reveal all the truth. Still there were people who looked at her one-sidedly due to her dark way of dealing with grief in the past three years. But nothing could stop her now, especially not now when she got full support from a kind stranger whose family might or might not be related to Faith's death. Cross Lovell and his eccentric group sounded so much like trouble for the town, what with constant accidents that seemed to follow them closely - Faith's case included. Pastor Porter sure didn't want Mercy and her lil sister Pru to have anything to do with them. But sometimes appearance didn't exactly show what's on the inside. Sadness, darkness, or madness that was reflected from ones' outer look would not always show that they actually felt that way.

Since everyone has stories and all people could do is just to guess and not to judge.

It's the first book that I pick after three weeks of no-reading. I was honestly expecting a lighter story to start anew but it's on my January TBR list and I had promised to finish up my Jan TBR before creating one for February so... Yeah. But it's pretty intriguing and the thrill was over the top! Due to my preference of lighter story in the beginning, I started this book with less excitement than I was supposed to. The book started strong with detailed descriptions on how Porter's family went on with their life after the miserable losses. From chapter one only we already got a clear picture on how each of the Porter dealt with the grief. The dad chose to focus more on being a pastor with all his church activities. Pru, the little sister, tried to act nonchalant while trying hard to get everything back to normal in their broken family, whatever the 'normal' means. Mercy herself was shown withdrawn at first until she heard the news of the Lovell group coming back to town; that's when she felt like her determination to reveal the mystery finally got its first direction.

The description of each tension and character's expressions were done very well. Despite my lack of excitement toward the heavy plot, somehow I found this story quite interesting with a very well-played thriller and all. I liked the way the author made the readers keep guessing which culprit behind the case all throughout the story. Ms. Lindsey gave so many clues here and there but never directly pointed out to certain person to be suspected. I was constantly blown away by little revelations that I gave up guessing in the end and decided to just go with the flow.

The only slightly minus point from me was how slow the pace seemed to go on from the second half. The story initially started with a determination of Mercy to find the truth behind Faith's death. Yet somehow in that point things got a little tangled up with Mercy's attraction toward Cross and I personally felt like the progress to unravel the mystery went stagnant there. I really didn't mind their romance because I honestly thought theirs were a perfect un-insta one, unlike most romance in YA books. But a few misplaced romance scenes in this book seemed to overwrite the real issue, causing the ending to be rushed and a little out of nowhere.

I bet Cross character is a lovely one. He's like a warm chocolate covered inside a bottle of vodka. Instead of finding the burning liquor, you'd find warmness instead within him. I liked that he's really honest and never judge people for what they'd done. He's really wise, really. I super loved his one saying to Mercy about their circumstances:

“I’m not broken, not yet. Neither are you. We’re just a little dinged up . Slightly damaged.”

I wished to learn more about him because I don't think he's got enough part in the book due to so many complex issues happening. Here I got something to make you feel gooey inside about Cross, his confession of love for Mercy:

“ I would want you if you were bald.” He dropped a kiss on my temple. “Twice my weight.” He kissed my throat. “Had hairy legs.” One long finger hooked in the waistband of my shorts. “Talked like a trucker.” He kissed my lips. “I fell hard for this.” He laid a palm over my heart. His soulful eyes burned with emotion. “The rest is icing.”

(Awww the rest is icing he said...)

The epilogue wrapped everything up well. I noticed one interesting line there about how Mercy character was described to be a religious person than we thought she was the entire time. Her refusal to belief in such thing as curse and believing in talisman showed her strong faith to God and I personally liked that about her.

In Place of Never is a unique and intriguing title. Inside, you'd find a gripping story on how a family dealt with loss and eventually found closure about it. There's also an issue about how unbiased judgment still going strong among us and how damaging it done to those who's directly impacted by it. Lindsey brought the issue up but luckily she also wrote it in different angle to show that sometimes it's all what's on our mind that matters really, not what's on people's mind.

In 24 chapters, Mercy Porter would take us to a journey of how to come to terms with a broken past with the help of faith and a little love.

Blog Tour: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald | Review + Sweepstakes Campaign + Giveaway!

2016-01-20T20:40:00.000+07:00

Let's Say It's a... Book Event! is a feature where I publish book-related events under. Find everything from blog tours, book spotlights to cover reveals here!

Title: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
Author: Katarina Bivald
Genre: Fiction; Contemporary
Pub. Date: January 19, 2016 by Sourcebooks Landmark

SYNOPSIS

Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen...
Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds that Amy's funeral has just ended. Luckily, the townspeople are happy to look after their bewildered tourist—even if they don't understand her peculiar need for books. Marooned in a farm town that's almost beyond repair, Sara starts a bookstore in honor of her friend's memory. All she wants is to share the books she loves with the citizens of Broken Wheel and to convince them that reading is one of the great joys of life. But she makes some unconventional choices that could force a lot of secrets into the open and change things for everyone in town. Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this is a warm, witty book about friendship, stories, and love.

AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | ADD TO GOODREADS

MY REVIEW

Honestly speaking, I was worried of not enjoying this book ‘cause it’s been a while since I picked up a fiction (could it be Sparks’ The Best of Me which I read last August?). As much as I love contemporary books, I always find myself picking up YA a lot more than fiction or chick-lit ones. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend proved me wrong. If any, this book made a ‘fiction-enjoyer’ side of me blooming again after hiding somewhere for months.

Story line

Book-lover Sara Lindqvist couldn’t be any happier when Amy, her elderly pen-pal, invited her to come to her hometown in Iowa, United States. Broken Wheel was the name of the town Amy had been telling Sara again and again through the letters they’ve been exchanging with from the past two years. Amy’s story made it sound so much like a dream-town for Sara, especially since she hadn’t ever gone out of her hometown of Haninge, Sweden all her life. Befriending three people and an unlimited number of books had always been enough before. But Amy had introduced her to a place across the sea for Sara to escape for a while. And to enjoy it with fellow book-lover? It would be one big step for Sara to come out of her comfort zone and lead a life like any other woman her age do: visit new places, meet new people. Of course, with a company of her long life best-friend, books.

Sara could already imagine how the trip would be: meeting Amy, reading and book-talking with her day and night, meeting everyone in town whose story she already knew from Amy’s letters, walking along Jimmie Coogan street or just doing any other things that Amy promised Sara could do in a quiet and peaceful small town of Broken Wheel.

What Sara didn’t expect was to find a literally broken and dying town with its population had just finished a funeral ceremony of an old lady. No one to visit any longer and practically nothing in town to see, Sara had to bury all the dreams she had in mind about her so-called vacation. But apparently without Amy or any tourist-y spot, Broken Wheel still managed to make Sara keeping her vacation schedule on. In fact, she even wanted to stay longer than her visa let her to.

Book Friendship

Told in third person omniscient POV, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend portrayed every corner of Broken Wheel vastly from various angles. Sara might be the center of the story (a.k.a. the heroine) but Bivald made the others’ story as important as hers. This is because The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is simply a story of how a dying small town starts a friendship with books. Sara represented ‘the books’ while some residents play the role of the town.

Right People, Wrong Place

Each person living in the said town had their own share of sorrows from different past tragedies. There were loss, injustice rights, negative judgment, self-insecurity, bad business, unexpected turn of events, and even unhappy marriage, all contributed to Broken Wheel’s constant dreary aura. Some left the town and never came back, resulting in a lot of empty spaces there, both physically and mentally. Those who stay were barely hanging on with their life. When Sara came, I found it endearing how everyone was curious and excited of the potential tourist. Sara quickly became the town’s shared guest rather than just Amy’s. Turned out Broken Wheel was nothing like its outward appearance. People there might not all have a good life, but they make a good small society together. They had a high tolerance for each other, strong loyalty, and offered most excellent hospitality to newcomer albeit their gloomy streets. Sara’s existence among them only emphasized their hidden charms with the way they eagerly treated her so good.

Bookworm + Sweet Heroine = ♥

Sara, who never really felt such acceptance from others before quickly fell in love with Broken Wheel and its people. Yet as much as she enjoyed their sweet friendliness: complete free of facilities and necessities, Sara couldn’t let these people continue pampering her throughout her stay. Knowing the history of Broken Wheel and people who’d been living in it through Amy’s letters, Sara knew exactly how to repay the town back. Book was definitely the answer and since Amy had lots of them: a bookstore it was. What started as a form of payback―which earned plenty raised eyebrows from the people―eventually became the center that held the town together. Skepticism toward the bookstore slowly shifted into feelings of proud, oddly needing, and even some sense of belonging―just like how Sara felt about the Broken Wheel in return. Sara’s the main character that I’m sure all readers, especially hardcore book lover, could easily relate with. I found myself keep comparing my reading-habits with hers from page to page and got quite a lot similarity between us. I could even relate with her social life, being a book-lover and all. Her determined self and her love of books succeeded in giving the town what they truly needed but never figured out what. Sara’s creativity is also something that attracted me to her character. Her idea of unconventional yet striking shelf title was definitely amazing! If only we have a bookshop assistant like her in our town…

Let’s Move... to Broken Wheel!

I could not not talk about the people of Broken Wheel here. First impression about them I got from the scene of Sara’s arrival might not show anything engaging. But throughout the story, the delineation started to take shape as each resident made an appearance one after another and the story took turns focusing on them. I am personally drawn to George’s character, a fifty-something ex-alcoholic who nursed a deep longing to meet his daughter for years. His loyalness to Sara was really touching. Besides him, the other characters like Caroline, Jen, Grace, Andy, John, and Tom each has different personalities which made their small group even more interesting. The quirkiness of certain characters, the rigidness, the skeptical, and the overtly-worry habit created such unique combination that amusing and heartwarming at the same time. And the best part? These people loved plotting so much! There was this scene when a neighbor town looked condescendingly toward Broken Wheel’s new bookstore and Andy, being an enthusiast he is, plotted a scheme to defend the bookstore which already became part of their town. The plan was simple (rather a disaster, actually, and goodness! I couldn’t stop laughing those entire two chapters…) yet the purpose behind it was really deep. Reading about these people makes me feel like packing up my bags and moving in to Broken Wheel. And this is the feeling that I’m sure would not be solely mine.

Book about Books

I’ve never really read book about books before. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend managed to give me quite an excellent first experience in this. There was a lot of discussion about books ranging from classic to nowadays favorites. I also deeply enjoyed so many agreeable book-related opinions presented here. I love how the author threaded every scene with books, enriching the ‘book-about-books’ quality within, such as when she connected certain moments with analogies to the storyline from some popular books. The way Bivald wrote every part about books gave a clear impression of how much she loved books. There was a paragraph telling sixteen years old Sara broken down on the amount of classics books in the library she visited, worrying she could not read all of them even if she dedicates all her life just for reading. It strangely left me with a really warm feeling. Putting aside the other elements of the book, the scene of young Sara itself already successfully showed that it’s possible for someone to fall so deeply in love with books. It’s kind of beautiful and I, as an avid reader, found it quite magical.

Amy: A Pleasant (nonexistent) Character

Not having a physical appearance within the story didn’t lessen Amy’s role. Bivald built Amy’s character through series of letters she sent to Sara and spread the letters to each fitting chapters making it as if Amy was still there, among the other characters. Amy’s wisdom and passion that was captured on the letters indirectly became the bridge that connects people of Broken Wheel and Sara. And even without ‘meeting’ Amy in person, the readers still got a clear picture of what kind of character she is: an old lady who once, too, made a mistake in life yet found a warm solace through books and good companies.

Final Thought(s)

Despite its predictable ending (and cliché closing words), I felt like finding a warm closure in the end of the book. Some chapters were titled by score marks between ‘books’ and ‘life’ as to present Sara’s preference of books over life. The epilogue terminated the final result in which Bivald showed that both books and life, albeit their different ways, give a similar kind of comfort if being put in good balance. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend might be a book dedicated to books, but the author didn’t forget to slip an essential message that life and all the realities in it could be as good as book. Sara, though she’d been working among books for years, got to learn this important lesson in a town whose people hardly ever touch a book before. It’s kind of ironic yet aptly realistic and even brilliance to put it that way.

To the readers who in need of a good reminder of why they fall in love with books, Katarina Bivald’s The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend provides a pleasant answer in 400 pages of endearing journey of Sara, Broken Wheel town, and books that connect them.

SWEEPSTAKES CAMPAIGN

Independent publisher Sourcebooks announces the “Readers, Recommend Your Bookstore” campaign, which will give grant money to three nominated bookstores. The “Readers, Recommend Your Bookstore Campaign” is inspired by the phenomenal support booksellers have given The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald, which was selected as the #1 Indie Next Great Read for January 2016.

Anyone can nominate their favorite bookstore at:

Readers, Recommend Your Bookstore Sweepstakes

Sourcebooks will award the winning bookstore with a $3,000 prize; two additional bookstores will each receive a $637 prize (the population of Bivald's fictional Broken Wheel, Iowa). In addition to bookstores receiving prizes, weekly giveaways for those who nominate will be held throughout the campaign. Voting began January 4, and runs until February 19, when the winning bookstores will be announced!

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katarina Bivald grew up working part-time in a bookshop. Today she lives in Alta, Sweden, with her sister and as many bookshelves as she can squeeze in. She has still not decided whether she prefers books or people. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is her first novel.

Anything Post: Blog Announcement!

2016-01-10T18:02:00.000+07:00

Let's Say It's a... A..Anything! is a feature where I post random things like some babbling or random discussions about anything.

HELLO!

This is going to be a quick post but I'm going to make a short announcement for every reader of my blog!

This is partly sad news but I think I won't be spending the rest of my January finishing all of my TBR. As you might know, I have 8 books on my TBR list this month and being a slow reader I've only read 1 book so far like a queen snail I am!
I so won't be nailing my TBR like I said..... *sigh*

I'll be away for some short of business that lasts 3 weeks starting from next week and won't have much time to do some reading or even reviewing. And that, too, means I won't be blogging much here except for some posts that have been scheduled in advance to be posted within this month, like blog tour or weekly feature that I've saved on draft already (hey, I have upcoming blog tour with giveaway next week, so you better keep an eye on my blog!).

But don't worry, I might be able to steal a few hours to read and write a quick review about it because after all who could stand not reading for weeks? Me, that who.

Anyway, I will be coming back on February, hopefully, and will transfer books on Jan TBR that I haven't got a chance to read to Feb TBR. Meanwhile, feel free to explore through my reviews archive!

Thank you all for your visits and hope you enjoy my every post here!
Until then...

Weekend Rec: The Invasion Trilogy by Jessica Frances

2016-01-10T17:26:00.000+07:00

Just like its name, Let's Say It's a... Book Rec! is a feature where I recommend book for your weekend read!

Here comes weekend again!

I was quite busy this week, tmth yet so little time to do it. I even had to give up posting two posts of my supposedly new blog features 'cause I really didn't get enough time to write (or type) it down... *sigh* But it's okay, I'm going to rearrange my blog posting schedule so it won't overlap my personal schedule. Anyway, for this weekend I'm going to recommend one of my favorite series from sci-fi genre. The plot is epic and I super love the thrill and all the feels I got from following this trilogy! It is just too bad that not many people knows about this trilogy because I'm sure that those who read this would definitely be in love with them. Well, what trilogy is that?

THE INVASION TRILOGY by Jessica Frances

#1 EARTH

AMAZON | ADD TO GOODREADS

"The world as we know it is ending."

(Chapter II, Earth)

The first book already made a total mess with my mind! All the feels that I got from reading this were just... epic! The thrill, the suffocating feel, the crying, the tension, the heartbreak, the romance, THE CLIFFHANGER. God, I remembered internally screaming at the top of my lungs once I read the last page because there was no way in hell I could sleep after everything that happened in that first book.

Synopsis

Earth is being invaded. There was no warning and no time to stage any kind of defence. Instead countries started to go silent. They were no longer reachable and no one knew what was happening. So when Canada went dark; everyone knew America would be next.

My name is Matilda, but everyone calls me Mattie. I was at college in Oregon when the attack began. By the time Canada went quiet, we’d had enough. So two of my friends and I decided to join the fight in Vancouver and find out what was really happening. That is when everything changed. What we found was death, destruction and machines that were slaughtering humans. There would be no escape for us; no place to go where the machines couldn't reach us. I had no future, but then I met him.

My name is Marduke and I’m part of the reason Earth is being invaded. I’m from a different planet and even though I look human, I’m not. But when Earth was invaded, I began running from my family and running for my life. Then she saved me. She made me feel something I’d never felt before. She saved my life and opened my heart to the possibility of love, she changed me forever.

What are the chances of finding your true love right when the world is ending? What kind of cruel fate places them together under those circumstances? What is she supposed to do when he tells her he is not from Earth? When she finds out that he is one of the invaders?

What does she do when she finds out everything she thought she knew was wrong?

What does he do when he has to make a choice between protecting her and saving himself?

How can they overcome everything standing in their way?

Me saying...

"...I finished the rest 90% in one sitting because apparently after the invasion kicked in, I just COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! Seriously. Ms. Frances brought up the invasion as the main topic and she did it awesomely because it’s just so well-built, the invasion, background story of the Oden. They’re all so well-thought. Even me as a romance-sucker ―who’s basically been focusing only on romance side in just every book, this time also felt intrigued by the non-romance part as much as the romance ones."

Review: The Girlfriend Request by Jodie Andrefski

2016-01-09T17:34:00.001+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

The Girlfriend Request by Jodie Andrefski

*Digital ARC was received from Entangled: Crush through Netgalley*

Genre: YA (Contemporary)
Pub. Date: January 11, 2016

Get a copy here!
AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

First Impression

Truthfully I was thrilled with the main idea of the story. A girl came up with a grand scheme to make the boy next door (which also her best-friend) see her in different light through the power of social media account. The blurb clearly screamed funny and light-hearted journey of love between longtime best-friends and I happened to crave some light and cutesy romance as my first read of the year. Well, it was funny… at some parts, but the whole story? Unfortunately, not so much.

Synopsis

Emma and Eli had been best friends ever since she came to the neighborhood ten years ago. What started as simple gesture of help had grown into a tight friendship of two. Emma and Eli were practically inseparable and everyone knew that. What everyone didn’t know, though, behind all those casual hang-outs in pizza parlor and those innocent movie-times spent on Sunday night, there’s some unspoken feeling whirling around them. Emma had felt it for Eli since that first encounter on the curb and the feeling only grew stronger over time. But how exactly could a girl admit of having a special feeling for her very own best friend? For all she knew it was most certainly one-sided thing. Admitting it to Eli would just ruin everything between them, and she was sure as hell wouldn’t want that. Until Emma had it enough.

Ten years of hiding her feeling behind the curtain, she was now ready to let it out for Eli to see. Well, a part of it, to be exact. And that, too, would be done virtually instead of through reality. With the help from a fake facebook account and some little genuine touch of Emma within all the words being sent, Eli would get a repeat of getting to know ‘Emma’ again from the start, complete with all her true feeling in clear display. Hopefully in this the ‘new’ package, Eli would finally feel something for ‘Emma’. Something he probably hadn’t felt for the real her in the past ten years.

Yet this time, Emma might be the one who need to reveal the truth behind the other’s curtain.

Hazy Roller Coaster Ride

I’m not saying that this book is horrible or such. In fact, The Girlfriend Request has quite an idea of a teen love story with that entire shenanigan the girl is up to. That part itself succeeded in luring me into reading this book. Basically I liked the idea of scheme in this book. I once read a YA with quite similar plot and enjoyed it a lot. So it was a little disappointing that despite all my giddiness in the beginning, I found this book all wrong in the end. I mean, it felt like it didn’t quite hit the right button. Like when you ride a roller coaster, all excited when the cars slowly riding up to reach the peak hidden behind the mist; then when you slice through it, turned out the peak merely three meters high. The only thing that redeems your disappointment is at least the scenery around is beautiful enough to enjoy.

It started with a scene where Emma was about to start her seemingly brilliant plotting to get the boy next door fall for her. I’m not gonna lie but first chapter just had me all giddier to turn the next pages quickly. Then I reached chapter four and it practically went downhill from there.

Characters: Half Relatable – Half Unbearable

Emma is actually pretty relatable at first. Her feeling of crushing someone, a best friend, the confusion, the shyness, the insecurity, the ache of falling deeply for someone we thought we don’t have a chance with; I think most people would easily relate with her in this. But then when something in the plotting altered and she had to come up with a second plan to keep it going, I objected how her feeling could shift easily back and forth like that. She became somehow indecisive and it all, for me, was for no solid reason.

Eli, in the other side, is the best friend any girl would dream of having. Caring, charming, protective, and understanding. What I found lacking about him is the way his emotions were described here. His was a bit too explosive for a boy. Also the shifting of his feeling (this is the part that I mentioned above about things started go downhill from chapter four onward) for Emma was out of nowhere and lacked of background story. Don’t get me wrong, but I was beyond happy that Eli feels the same way to Emma (it’s not a spoiler anyway, it’s on the blurb). I adored them so much when they’re together, whatever the type of their relationship was at the time. Their moments were just so cute and made me smile despite all the unnecessary drama flying around the book. But I would like to see how things actually going on between them before each character even had monologues about liking each other as more than a friend. Not just simply a change that happen within one chapter, few pages apart.

The Writing: Plus-Minus

There was this scene when Emma hit the point of frustration about her own feeling for Eli that the tears just fell randomly when her mom asked her about it; she kind of threw the hair brush she’d been using when the curl in her hair couldn’t be tamed. I loved that the scene was so real I couldn’t help feeling a little ache for her out of sympathy. My only issue about the writing lies in the way the author often slipped too much unnecessary scenes that didn’t really hold any significant importance to the main point. Too many descriptions that could’ve been cut out. And I haven’t even mentioned the dramaS (yes, capital S in the back). Too many dramas and none of them were essential enough to build the plot. The whole plot of the story is actually pretty simple: Emma and Eli, best-friends who fall for each other secretly; Emma wanted more so she made a plan to get Eli falls for her (though, he already had); Eli seemed to fall for ‘fake’ Emma, when in actuality he fell for ‘real’ Emma too; Emma got sad Eli liked the ‘fake’ her, she came up with another idea to push Eli’s true feeling out―she fake-dated another guy; Eli got jealous; Eli forgave Emma; Eli and Emma got together after admitting each other’s feelings. It might only be 216 pages but it felt like 12382703430498 pages long for me, thanks to all the miscommunication dramas being slipped here and there that made it sooooo long and boring for some parts.

Final Thought(s)

I’m really really really sad that I ended up disliking this book, especially when I was so damn excited to read it in the first place. As I said before, The Girlfriend Request isn’t a horrible read that you couldn’t even finish. There were some parts that actually pretty funny and sweet. And many more parts that had potential to be explored more. The idea of creating a fake facebook account, for one, could be something that would emanate a climax that oh-so-shocking when it was revealed. Eli’s discovery of Emma’s plotting could be something that oh-so-funny. The problem of this book is, despite its so many potential here and there, the story delivery just didn’t present it right. Simply put, it’s like an actually funny joke but it comes out not that funny because of the weak punch lines.

Cover Reveal: Revolution by Jessica Frances

2016-01-08T18:49:00.000+07:00

Let's Say It's a... Book Event! is a feature where I publish book-related events under. Find everything from blog tours, book spotlights to cover reveals here!

REVOLUTION by Jessica Frances

Pub. Date: January 26, 2016
Genres: New Adult, Dystopia
Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

I was raised in a world where humans no longer rule.

In the past, we made a terrible mistake by creating a new species we thought would serve us as our army, which led to our downfall.
There was a war, we lost, and many lives were massacred. It was the end of life as we knew it and the beginning of a hell we were now trapped in. We became enslaved to what we now called Superiors, becoming pets to them, simply there to entertain.
In a world so miserable, I managed to do the unthinkable: I fell in love. But even that was doomed, because to love a Superior was forbidden.
What the rest of the Superiors didn’t know was how deeply a human could love or how resilient we became when we were hurt.
The Superiors never could have imagined an uprising, which was why they never saw it coming.
Humans deserved to be free, and I would stop at nothing to deliver that promise.
My name is Tilly, and I am still alive with one sole purpose: to begin a revolution.

I had been raised to believe humans were worthless. We owned them and controlled them, and when we were done with them, we threw them away. Therefore, I never thought I would ever feel more for Tilly than disinterest. I never expected to want to save her.
It was forbidden for a Superior to love a human. No one had ever crossed that line, but I did. I fell madly in love with her, so it was no surprise how we ended up.

I was raised to be a soldier, and that was what I was always going to be. However, I was not a soldier for the Superiors, not anymore.

I became a soldier for humans, and I would stop at nothing to help them. They deserved to be free, and I would die protecting them.

My name is Johnny, and I am here with one sole purpose: to finish a revolution.

Author Bio:
Jessica lives in Adelaide, South Australia. When she is not writing, you can find her reading, napping or watching excessive amounts of TV. Connect with her on Facebook and Goodreads.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook

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Review: This Song Is (Not) For You by Laura Nowlin

2016-01-05T15:07:00.000+07:00

Book and ARC reviews are posted under this feature!

This Song Is (Not) for You by Laura Nowlin
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

*Digital ARC was received from Sourcebooks Fire through Netgalley*

Genre: YA (Contemporary)
Pub. Date: January 5, 2016

Get a copy here!
AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY

“Have you ever met someone, and you could feel that they were going to be important to you? It’s like you never knew it, but you’ve been waiting your whole life to meet this person…”
The gripping opening line narrated by Ramona above starts this unique story of how in love everything is possible in this latest YA contemporary by Laura Nowlin. Having read her ~~heart-wrenchingly~~ amazing book If He Had Been with Me before, I was beyond excited to pick this up as my closing read last year. Laura wrote a very, very good romance and I was giddy to devour another one from her in this book. She did give me what I expected, but in the most unexpected way.

Synopsis

When Ramona met Sam for the first time on the first day of school, she already knew that Sam would have the name Sam. And it would be the name that she’d etch in heart for years after. It was.

But Sam was her best-friend, like her best-friend with capital best. Ramona knew better than taking the risk of ruining their friendship of years by admitting her feeling to him. They’d been best-friends for too long and been making awesome music together. What else could she want more than that? And it’s not like he felt the same way to her.

Yet he did.

Sam could not not look at Ramona whenever she’s on her element―the drum. And he knew that it’s more than just a casual admiration for her. It’s more. Way more.

But Ramona was his best-friend. That kind of friend that you’d been way too comfortable with you could care less about keeping image around them. And though she’s the reason he played music, Sam realized that being in a band with Ramona was everything. Together they made a perfect band; but a perfect couple? Cool girl like Ramona would probably tell him from the start if she ever thought of making a perfect couple with him. But she didn’t.

So she wasn’t, he thought.

Then came Tom to the frame. And like what music did to them, Tom’s appearance made an invisible bridge that connects Ramona and Sam in a way that they could only imagine before. If Sam and Ramona made a perfect band together before; with Tom, they made a stellar one―both as band and best-friends.

The problem?

Ramona might fall for him, too. While her love for Sam didn’t lessen one bit.

Unique Romance

This Song Is (Not) For You is a unique story of teenagers of three who got tangled in love and friendship. In this book, Laura Nowlin brings up a quite fresh concept of love between three friends without necessarily messing it up into a sickening love triangle. While some people might find this concept odd and slightly inept, I’m sure more people would say it’s something possible and even think of it as sweet arrangement because Laura did a great job building the romance between each character. I, personally, still did not know where my opinion stands about this kind notion of romance in this book. I somehow still couldn’t get my mind around it since I’m a firm believer of love as an exclusive tie between two hearts. But part of me honestly thought that This Song Is (Not) For You has a really well-written romance and friendship.

Amazing Characterizations

Told in three different perspectives, this book clearly shows that each character, the three of them, all play the same important roles to the story. Ramona is a quirky girl with deep passion in music. She plays drum and piano, and she loves both instruments equally. What are the odds though that she would love people in the same way she did her music? When usually I feel weird of people who could love more than one person at the same time, Ramona’s character didn’t bother me when she did exactly that. The feeling she had for Sam was built very deeply that we could feel it stays strong even when she grew another one for Tom.

Sam is probably my most favorite character of all. He’s pretty cool with his feeling I might say. That he loved Ramona, yet didn’t want to say it in case it’d ruin their friendship. But when another man came to the picture, he didn’t do some alpha-male drama boys usually do in romance book to claim Ramona as his considering he’d known her first and longer. He’s clear with his own wants. Yes he played music because of Ramona. But he wasn’t blind of the fact that music isn’t everything he wants to do in life. So he pursued his own passion while enjoyed making music with his best-friends. I liked that about him a lot. His non-judgmental personality is really sweet and that’s the very thing that made me love him the most. The way he let Ramona did things her way sometimes, the way he accepted Tom to the group, the way his opinion shifted from indifferent to slightly jealous to actually coming up with the idea that becomes the whole point of this book shows that Sam is one of those rare people with a very good heart and open mind. And that scene when he confessed his feeling, quick and simple and has a bit spur-of-the-moment feel…goodness, I loved it so much!

Free Soul: Discovery!

Meanwhile, Tom’s character is what I would call a free soul. His love for music, art, and freedom, and the way his do-gooder personality often slipped into his works are genuine. I was surprised when I read the part saying he’s actually an asexual person because honestly it’s the first time I hear about such type. It only made this book even more unique in my eyes. And the asexuality layer just strengthened his whole free persona even more. Tom’s character kind of reminded me on a particular quote that I really love. I found it years ago and had taken a liking of it right away but honestly didn’t quite know what it truly means. Until now.

Tom’s character made me realize just how exactly a free soul would be like. I mean, they don’t have to be exactly like Tom. But they could be someone who could make people feel like Ramona and Sam when they’re near Tom. I’m really glad that I read this book because I’ve been searching for the meaning of this quote for a long time now and here, Laura, made me understand it in one easy way through Tom. What an experience I had here!

Final Thought(s)

This Song Is (Not) For You presents a picture perfect of how a girl and two boys could build love and friendship without abandoning any of them out of the group. It’s definitely not a shallow young romance and I personally think people needs to be open minded to really get the point of this story. Guess I kind of failed to do it but I think I’ll read it again and will probably change my mind later. For now, though, I’m still enjoying the friendship more than the romance.

I don’t really have any book comparison with this one but those who enjoy David Levithan and John Green’s books might find this book endearing.

Monday BooQuote #1

2016-01-05T12:14:00.000+07:00

Let's Say It's a... Booquote! is one of new features here in my blog where I post all of beautiful quotes taken from books. Thus, BooQuote! :)

Happy ~~late~~ Monday!
Uh, I supposed to post this in the morning, you know, kind of quote-to-start-your-day thing but I forgot though I had this on my draft already...

Today's quote is taken from one of my favorite YA paranormal, Halton Cray, by N.B. Roberts. It's the first book of the Shadows of the World series and is inspired by Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontё! You guys should read it if you haven't because it's insanely good (you can check my review here!) and has so many quotable phrases that you'd surely love. Just like this one...

Awww... isn't it true and darn beautiful?

Anyway, I hope you guys have a great first Monday in this 2016 and of course, more great Mondays to come! xoxo

Sunday Special: Book&Song #1 with Aflame by Penelope Douglas

2016-01-03T20:36:00.004+07:00

Let's Say It's a... Book&Song! is one of new features here in my blog. Inspired by my habit of interpreting (too much) on any song-lyric and matching it with any story come across in my mind, LSIa-Book&Song! is a weekly feature where I match book(s) with song(s) that make perfect fit!

This is actually my most favorite feature of all 'cause God knows how much I love books and music! Like what the note said above, I will match a book to a song that I think perfectly suits the whole story. In this very first post, I will go with one of my favorite books on NA genre (since, honestly, it's much easier to get an idea from this genre). Book that I will find its song-match today is:

The tables have turned. Now I have the power—and it’s his turn to beg…
Everyone wants to be me.
Maybe it’s the sway of my skirt or the way I flip my hair, but I don’t care. Even though their attention is the last thing I crave, I just can’t stop. I dominate the track, the speed rattles my bones, and the wind and the crowd screams my name.
I’m her. The girl driver. The queen of the race. And I’m surviving—something he thought I’d never do.
They all still talk about him. Did you see Jared Trent on T.V? What did you think of his last race, Tate? When is he coming back to town, Tate?
But I refuse to care too much. Because when Jared does come home, I won’t be here.
Tatum Brandt is gone. I’m someone new.

AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | ADD TO GR | MY REVIEW

YEP! It's Aflame from Fall Away series by Penelope Douglas. It's my #1 favorite book from the series, which also made it to my Top 2015 Reads! I really love the couple, Jared and Tate with all the ups and downs between them. Used to be childhood best-friends, growing up became nemesis-for-life, then ended up with being lovers. I loved the dynamic of their relationship! And though I felt a little indifferent to Jared on Bully, Penelope succeeded in making me fall for him in this book. Ahh.. talking about it makes me want to reread this book again soon! >.<

Anyway, what song I would match this amazing book with?
Well, it should be what songs. Yes, I have two songs that I think perfectly suits Aflame. Both are from the same singer, even same album, and of course, both are my favorites! What are they?

Go Sam Hunt, go! Sam Hunt Go!

He he, I really love this guy. His voice is so good! It makes me oh-so-melting every time I listen to him. Both songs above are from his album Montevallo and oh boy... these songs just perfectly fit Aflame plot!

First reason,

Aflame starts with Jared and Tate caught up in bad circumstance that caused them to go separate ways. Jared made a quite fatal mistake and Tate, being Tate, had enough of it and decided to make the table turns. Tate is a badass heroine and girl like her is not one for crying over stupid (sorry, but Jared was that at first) boyfriend. There are scenes of them that perfectly captured by Break Up In A Small Town. I'm not going to say more but if you read the lyric, I could exactly imagine how Jared felt so frustrated seeing Tate, from afar, ~~with the other~~... I actually laughed when I listened to this song because it's just so them!

And the second song exactly portrays the second-half of the book! Jared, the sexy, rough, far-from-sweet, and badboy material had to give up his badass label to win Tate's heart back. How it went? Make You Miss Me is exactly how I imagine what's on Jared's mind the entire time he conducted his mission about Tate.

I ain't gonna be that easy to leave

and
Girl, I'm gonna make you miss me

are so Jared; so full of himself but I'm not even complaining...

Also,

You're cold and hot
You burn out like a match

these lines are perfect descriptions of Tate!

Second reason,

I don't know but everytime I listen to Sam Hunt's song, it would always bring me to scenes on New Adult books. Maybe it's because his songs seems to always revolve around college life's romance (my opinion), like his Cop Car song which narrates certain scene that often being used on NA books.

Third reason,

I don't know about you, but for me Sam Hunt is Jared Trent. You know, built muscled body, sharp jaw, toned abs, seemingly-bad-boy but actually possesses a really sweet heart... He's a real life NA hero ~~and isn't he also definitely a boyfriend material?~~

***

That is our first edition of LSIa... Book&Song feature! I hope you enjoy it and agree with my book-song match today. But if you have another song that fits the book better in your mind, I'd be more than thrilled to hear from you! Bye now! :)

TBR January

2016-01-01T12:00:00.000+07:00

Let's Say It's a... TBR! is one of new features here in my blog. This monthly feature would be about the list of books that I ~~wish, I~~ would read this month. I know I'm not big of reading based on a list but I realize it would help me narrowing down the amount of my only-God-knows-how-many books on my lifetime TBR. I might stray once or twice along the way but well, that's why I said, let's say it's a TBR! *grinning*

This January I have EIGHT books that I plan to read! It's a big number for me but I'm sure I'll tackle the list *sayonara, sleep* Anyway, they're all the books that I've been eyeing for weeks so I'm really excited for my first TBR this year! Here they are:

THE GIRLFRIEND REQUEST

Author: Jodie Andrefski

Pub. Date: January 11, 2016
Genre: YA (contemporary)
ADD TO GR

Got this ARC through Netgalley, yay! The blurb is super cute! A girl falls for the boy next door but rather than admitting her feeling out loud, she creates a fake facebook account and befriend the boy as the other girl. Turns out the boy is secretly in love with her too. But the highlight here is... well, the boy already knows that the other girl is his very neighbor.

TEN THOUSAND SKIES ABOVE YOU (FIREBIRD, #2)

Author: Claudia Gray

Pub. Date: November 3, 2015
Genre: YA (sci-fi)
ADD TO GR

Again, super gorgeous cover from Firebird series!! Thought the first book is the most beautiful cover I've ever known... then the sequel comes out and I am like "HOLY...."

So excited of meeting Paul again! And traveling through dimension from New York to Paris sounds like heaven for me!

HAUNTED LOVE

Author: Jessica Frances

Pub. Date: February 23, 2015

Genre: NA (paranormal)

ADD TO GR

Jessica writes a very gripping sci-fi trilogy: The Invasion. I want to experience such beautiful romance again through her writing and this paranormal read sounds promising! The girl is a ghost while the guy is the detective who works on the girl's murder case. I've read the excerpt and it's so intriguing! And this last sentence on the blurb:

"Because love is rarely anything but trouble and I know this love will haunt me forever."

Well, aren't you intrigued?

HAWTHORNE AND HEATHCLIFF

Author: R.K. Ryals
Pub. Date: August 2, 2015

Genre: YA (contemporary)
ADD TO GR

It seems like everyone who read it, loved it. And with such enchanting cover that breathes romance... I so hope to find a heartmelting love story in this book! Also the 'shoes' thingy that connects them! God...

ANY OTHER GIRL

Author: Rebecca Phillips

Pub. Date: January 26, 2016

Genre: YA (contemporary)
ADD TO GR

Granted this ARC on Netgalley! The blurb smells love triangle, which usually I hate, but for some indescribable reason I couldn't skip this one. Also, Jessica Verdi says that this book is.. “A wise, heartfelt story about self-image, first love, and the burdens we carry for those most important to us. ...” Surely, we really couldn't skip this!

IN PLACE OF NEVER

Author: Julie Anne Lindsey
Pub. Date: February 2, 2016

Genre: YA (suspense)
ADD TO GR

I've started to build interest in suspense read since the past few months. Also I have weakness for sibling-issue reads so I was beyond excited when I was granted this ARC on Netgalley. Moreover there's a romance waiting somewhere between the mystery, yum, yum, yum, just count me in!

DID I MENTION I NEED YOU? (DIMILY, #2)

Author: Estelle Maskame

Pub. Date: March 1, 2016
Genre: YA (contemporary)

ADD TO GR

I just finished the ARC of book one last month and the cliffhanger got me arghsdgsfskhjsalhcxn! Thanks God I got the ARC of the sequel too! It's a story of forbidden love between a girl with her step-brother. And it's a trilogy, which I suspect this book two would end up in another major cliffhanger...*sigh*, but it's okay! I love me some cliffhangers! Once in a while, I need a reason to put my fist to work! *kidding* *or not*

YOU WERE HERE

Author: Cori McCarthy
Pub. Date: March 1, 2016

Genre: YA (contemporary)
ADD TO GR

Another ARC copy! Well isn't the cover beautiful? And the blurb seems like hiding a big mystery within! Honestly, I'm not really sure when I put this book as contemporary subgenre. The blurb sounds a bit like thriller and mystery but who knows? (Me!) I'll let you know once I finish it...

***

So, how about you? Do you usually have a TBR, too? Or is there any book from the list above that you plan to read as well? Feel free to let me know! :)