Since I started my blog years and years ago, I’ve noticed that my tastes have drifted more towards the romance genre and less towards YA. I’ve also gotten better at abandoning books when I know I’m not really liking it, or I just can’t get into it. Sometimes it has no reflection on the book or the writing, and more to do with my mood. But other times, I just know that the author’s writing style is not my cup of tea, and it’s better for me to put the book down before getting really into it.

Ready Player One

Out of all the books I’ve read in the past month, Ready Player One is the book that’s lingered the most in my thoughts. I admit, I’m really not as nerdy as I thought I was after reading this book. Maybe it’s because I was born after the 80’s—so a lot of the references just went right over my head.

But I absolutely loved how Ernest Cline wove pop culture references (a lot of them tended to sway more towards the obscure) into this science fiction novel. With the state of virtual reality today, I can easily picture Cline’s world becoming reality.

I listened to Ready Player One on audiobook format, and it was long. But in addition to the plot being entertaining, the narration was also well-done. I’m really excited to see how Steven Spielberg will transform this novel into a movie.

Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat

Kings Rising was a satisfying conclusion to the Captive Prince trilogy. My former roommate had recommended this series to me a few weeks ago. She said it was her favorite series of all time—despite not being a huge romance reader. I took a stab at reading the series since I’ve been trying to diversify my reads in terms of romance genres. I’ve never read a fantasy romance before, so that was new for me, but this was also my first true m/m romance (as far as I know).

I’m glad that by the time I read this series, the last book had come out so I was able to read books 1-3 almost one right after the other. It killed me that there wasn’t instant gratification with Damen and Laurent, but the slow-burn romance made the ending a lot more worth it.

 We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

I was a little apprehensive before I read Nina Lacour’s We Are Okay. I couldn’t get into You Know Me Well, co-written with David Levithan, and I didn’t like Every Thing Leads to You as much as I would have liked. However, I enjoyed We Are Okay so much more than her other novels. It was such a heart-breaking novel about grief and loss.

I listened to this one on audiobook, which is narrated by Jorjeana Marie. I’ve listened to quite a bit of audiobooks narrated by Jorjeana Marie, and I’m a really big fan of her voice. I listened to the audiobook of We Are Okay almost all in one sitting!

Royally Matched by Emma Chase

While I’ve basically read every Emma Chase novel out there this year, I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed the audiobook for Royally Matched. Ever since I read The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, I’ve been on the constant lookout for another royal romance.

My first introduction to Emma Chase was the first book in the Royally series, Royally Screwed. Unfortunately, my library had the longest wait for the second book. Months later (yes, months!), I finally got off the hold list, and it was worth the wait.

Royally Matched by Emma Chase is The Bachelor meets The Royal We. Hilarity (and romance!) ensues when Crown Prince Henry of Wessco agrees to find true love on a reality TV show.

Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai

I really wanted to enjoy Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai more than I did. I blame it on moving. The change in my commute meant that I read less on my ereader, and listened more to audiobooks. It broke the flow of my reading of Hate to Want You, and I found that I just wasn’t as into it towards the end.

What I did love the most about Hate to Want You was the diversity in the characters. I love that Livvy, the protagonist, came from a Japanese-American family. It’s not very often that you see PoC in the romance genre. I love that her story line was never just about her race. Her family’s race helped shaped who they are as people, but that is not their defining traits overall.

I’m really excited to read more from this series, and I’m sure that when I reread this book in the future (chances are high!), I will enjoy more the second time.

Post written by Muggle-Born

Heroine: After growing up on a secluded estate away from London society, the Ravenel sisters are innocent. Helen, the eldest, is definitely more practical than her younger sisters, but growing up without the influence of London society has left her super shy. Unfortunately, I did not find her personality to be super memorable. However, I did enjoy that she is an avid orchid enthusiast. Helen inherited nearly 200 orchids from her late mother. She is the only one out of her siblings to take interest in the laborious task of caring for the plants. She is well-versed in all the different species of orchids and all of their special attributes. Her green thumb is one of the few traits that made her stand out.

Hero: Unlike most novels, Rhys Winterborne is not an aristocrat. He is a self-made man—a phenomenon that starts to emerge during this time period. Rhy’s backstory is fascinating: he grew up as a Welsh grocer’s son and transformed himself into one of the most successfull businessmen in the country. Rhys owns a booming department store that revolutionized the way people shopped. Before the rise of the department store, people were not able to buy so many different items under one roof. I really enjoyed reading about a department store can change people’s lifestyles.

Unfortunately, I had a love/hate relationship with Rhys. I never warmed up to him completely because I was turned off by some aspects of his personality. I found Rhys’s possessiveness to be overbearing. His possessiveness sometimes made him think irrationally and rashly. For example, he kept pressuring Helen to elope, even though she stressed that she wanted a proper wedding with her family. However, I really do admire his ambitions and his respectable business practices.

Supporting Cast: The Ravenel sisters are such a delight to read about, especially the twins, Pandora and Cassandra. They are a foil to Helen’s serious countenance. I’m looking forward to reading their stories in the future.

Romance: A lot of initial courting happens in Cold-Hearted Rake, the first book of the series. This is one of those romances where it’s important to read the books in sequential order. Marrying Winterborne skips a lot of the courting and the romance moves fast. It’s not really a spoiler to say that Helen and Rhys get engaged at the very beginning of the novel. So for me, it was a downer that there was no unresolved sexual tension. Helen and Rhys have chemistry, but the love story was not the most fun thing to read about.

Plot: In terms of plot, it doesn’t get exciting until halfway through the book. Helen discovers a secret that could ruin her engagement. She is blackmailed into silence, but she feels guilty from keeping it from Rhys. I enjoyed the unraveling of Helen’s secret and I was kept turning pages to find out what would happen. I wished that the plot had developed a little bit earlier in the book so the conclusion didn’t feel as rushed.

Overall, I thought that Marrying Winterborne had a lot of potential, but it just fell short of my expectations. I wish that the romance had been less anti-climactic. I really enjoyed reading about Rhys’s department store, and I look forward to the rest of the series.

Love Potion Strength:

 – Acceptable

Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas
Series: The Ravenels, #2
Publication Date: May 31st 2016 by Avon

Summary: A ruthless tycoon
Savage ambition has brought common-born Rhys Winterborne vast wealth and success. In business and beyond, Rhys gets exactly what he wants. And from the moment he meets the shy, aristocratic Lady Helen Ravenel, he is determined to possess her. If he must take her virtue to ensure she marries him, so much the better…

A sheltered beauty
Helen has had little contact with the glittering, cynical world of London society. Yet Rhys’s determined seduction awakens an intense mutual passion. Helen’s gentle upbringing belies a stubborn conviction that only she can tame her unruly husband. As Rhys’s enemies conspire against them, Helen must trust hi
m with her darkest secret. The risks are unthinkable…the reward, a lifetime of incomparable bliss. And it all begins with…

Marrying Mr. Winterborne

Disclaimer: I received this ARC free of charge through a friend.

Post written by Muggle-Born

GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT

– Exceeds Expectations

Book Summary: An unforgettable story of bravery, grief, and love in impossible times

The missing girl is Jewish. I need you to find her before the Nazis do.

Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, her nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She likes to think of her illegal work as a small act of rebellion.

On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman’s frantic plea to find a person—a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such dangerous work, but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations that lead her into the heart of the resistance, open her eyes to the horrors of the Nazi war machine, and compel her to take desperate action.

Meticulously researched, intricately plotted, and beautifully written, Girl in the Blue Coat is an extraordinary, gripping novel from a bright new voice in historical fiction.

Book Review Overview:

• Just another World War II book? NO!
• I loved Hanneke because she’s a flawed protagonist
• I learned new things about WWII and the Holocaust!

I was in the middle of a reading slump when I picked up GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT by Monica Hesse. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first since this book was compared to Number the Stars. I don’t take comparisons to what I deem as a classic very lightly. But from the very first page, I already knew I was going to enjoy Girl in the Blue Coat immensely.

My immediate reaction when I encounter a World War II-era book is usually it’s just another Holocaust book. But Girl in the Blue Coat is much more than that. Hanneke, the protagonist, is a black market dealer of hard-to-find goods in a Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. At first glance, she works as a secretary at a funeral parlor, but her main source of income is through finding and delivering black market goods such as make-up, cigarettes, and extra food rations.

During a routine delivery, Mrs. Jansse—a regular customer—frantically pleas Hanneke to help her find a person. Mrs. Jansee had been hiding a Jewish teenager in a secret cupboard, but she has suddenly vanished. Hanneke reluctantly agrees to the impossible task, and she ultimately gets drawn into a web of dangerous secrets in the resistance efforts of the war.

I had an immediate liking for Hanneke because her character is flawed. With her flaxen features and skills in flirtation, Hanneke is able to divert the Nazi’s attentions from her illicit activities. But Hanneke deals in the black market for purely selfish reasons: for her family’s survival. As the sole breadwinner of the family, Hanneke cannot afford to care for her customer’s views on the war, as long as they can pay. Hanneke is so narrow-minded and naive for the majority of the book. For the sake of survival, she has been failing to see all the atrocities that is happening right in her own city.

One of the things I loved about this book is how I learned new things about the Holocaust such as youth resistance movement and the Underground Camera. Many events in the book were inspired by real life heroes. The resistance movement in the novel was inspired by the Amsterdam Student Group—university students who orchestrated the smuggling of Jewish children away from the Nazis. I learned about the resistance network of photographers who risked their lives to capture secret photographs of soldiers and civilians. This group included clever women who hid cameras inside purses and handbags.

The pacing of the plot had me on the edge of my seat. I encountered so many plot twists that I didn’t see coming as I put together what happened to Amalia. I loved how all the pieces fell into place at the very end. I love books that are a bit unpredictable and have me guessing until the last page.

It’s been a long time since I’ve reviewed a book prior to its release date. But after reading GIRL IN THE BLUE COAT, I wanted to spread the word as much as possible. This book is a must-read, especially for those who love historical fiction!

Other Book Reviews:
Charmingly Simple
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ALL WE HAVE IS NOW

– Poor

Book Summary: What do you do with your last day on earth?

Just over twenty-four hours are left until an asteroid strikes North America, and for Emerson and everyone else who didn’t leave, the world will end. But Emerson’s world already ended when she ran away from home. Since then, she has lived on the streets, relying on her wits and on her friend Vince to help her find places to sleep and food to eat.

The city’s quieter now that most people are gone, and no one seems to know what to do as the end approaches. But then Emerson and Vince meet Carl, who tells them he has been granting people’s wishes—and gives them his wallet full of money.

Suddenly, this last day seems full of possibility. Emerson and Vince can grant a lot of wishes in one last day—maybe even their own.

Book Review Overview:

• A light apocalytpic novel with the feel of a contemporary novel
• Failed to make a connection with the characters
• The premise of the plot doesn’t make sense at all

In just over 24 hours, an asteroid will make impact with earth. All We Have is Now by Lisa Schroeder follows two teens who decide to make the most of their last day on earth by making people’s dreams come true. With the constant onslaught of post-apocalyptic/dystopian worlds, it’s refreshing to see a light apocalyptic novel with the feel of a contemporary novel. I like the idea of the characters embracing life during their last moments and living it to the fullest.

Vince and Emerson are two homeless teens living in Portland, Oregon. Emerson is a runaway, who left home after she could not get along with her mother’s new boyfriend. Her best friend, Vince, is a foster kid who decided to leave the system and try living on his own. Unfortunately, I failed to make a connection with either of these characters. The lack of connection made it very difficult for me to empathize with their problems.

It is made obvious from the beginning that Vince has feelings for Emerson, but Emerson has made it clear that she does not want any romance for fear of ruining their friendship. Emerson values Vince’s friendship too much to risk it. But as the last hours on earth winds down, Emerson slowly realizes that she needs to take advantage of everything that life has to offer. While I’m usually a fan of romances that blossom from friendship, my issue with the characters made it difficult for me to enjoy the love story. I did not feel any chemistry between Vince and Emerson to the point that reading the romantic scenes bordered on cringe-worthy.

My biggest problem with All We Have is Now is not with the characters but with the premise of the entire plot. Halfway through the novel, Vince and Emerson meet a group of naysayers who think that the asteroid is a complete hoax. They debate various theories about the government and how they could engineer such a widespread lie. To me, none of these so-called theories are believable, but they actually made the characters second-guess their situation.

Spoiler Alert //

At the end of All We Have is Now, it turns out that the asteroid was a hoax after all and everyone panicked over nothing! Within a year, Emerson and Vince are living even better lives than they had pre-asteroid. The apocalypse actually made everything better!!!

The ending makes me angry the more I think about it. It reminds me of a poorly-crafted ending you come up with in beginner creative writing classes: the protagonist wakes up and realizes that everything was just a dream!

The worst part is that Lisa Schroeder doesn’t offer a concrete explanation at the end of the book, except for the poorly-crafted theories earlier in the book. Readers are just supposed to accept that the U.S. government has turned the country upside down causing riots, deaths, and mass hysteria for no reason at all except they’ve just given up?

If it was indeed a hoax, it doesn’t explain how one government can actually trick the entire world that an asteroid will collide with earth but no one can see it? Schroeder gives an explanation that the government has actually imprisoned all the world’s leading scientist so no one can disprove their asteroid claims, but that doesn’t make sense at all. If a big enough asteroid were to hit earth, I bet loads of amateur astronomers would be able to see this coming. Communications are cut so late in the novel that I would also think that word would get around from all the nations of the world that the U.S. is basically just making things up!!!

To be honest, I really wished that the asteroid hit the earth and everyone died. It would have made for a more satisfying ending. It would have made sense!!!!

//End Spoiler

All We Have is Now is one of those books that I knew I wasn’t going to like after 20 pages, but I read through the end because it was a “quick” read. I should have quit while I was ahead because this book made me angry more than anything else. I was really hoping that this book would be similar in vein to Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Life As We Knew It (another apocalyptic novel) but it didn’t even come close. All We Have is Now by Lisa Schroeder was a disappointing read.

Other Book Reviews:
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Princess Bookie

Post written by Muggle-Born

THE START OF ME AND YOU

– Acceptable

Book Summary: Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.

It’s been a year since it happened–when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her–the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club–simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?

Book Review Overview:

• Wished that the cast of characters was more diverse
• Full of friendships; these characters were actually nice to each other
• Super cute romance

In THE START OF ME AND YOU by Emery Lord, it’s been over a year since Paige’s 2-month boyfriend died drowning from an accident. Ever since, she’s been known as That Girl. She’s determined to overcome her trauma and to move on, she makes a plan that includes: get back to socializing with her peers, date again, participate in more extra curricular activities, and most importantly, get over her fear of drowning and swim again.

While I’m not usually one to constantly gripe about the lack of diversity in book publishing, I couldn’t help but complain this time around. I honestly almost stopped reading THE START OF ME AND YOU by Emery Lord after the first fifty pages because I just couldn’t help but feel that the novel was so white-washed. There could have easily been a minority character in the novel without having it become a race-centric novel. It just gets really disheartening after a while to read a fun, contemporary YA when everyone is white. Like where’s the cute romance for Asian teens? Why can’t my younger self have a high school romance? // End rant.

But despite the lack of diversity in THE START OF ME AND YOU, I ended up liking the book a lot. One of the things that I enjoyed the most out of this novel was the fact that it was full of positive, reaffirming friendships. These girls and guys are just nice people! And the few times where they aren’t so nice to each other, they own up to it and they apologize for their horrendous behavior. I have to say, it was refreshing to read a novel where teenagers are treating each other with respect.

The romance in this book is a bit predictable, but that’s okay because the journey is where all the fun is at. From the beginning, it was obvious to me whom Paige was going to end up with, and I spent the whole book gleefully waiting for it to happen. It’s one of those romances where it’s obvious to everyone in the novel but the couple.

I honestly didn’t think I was going to like this book at all, so I’m glad that I read all the way through. The lack of diversity in the novel really kills me though, and this book would have been a 4-star read if the characters had been more diverse. The romance was adorable and I loved how their relationship progressed over the course of the book. I’ll definitely read more of Emery Lord’s books in the future!

Post written by Muggle-Born

GABI, A GIRL IN PIECES

– Exceeds Expectations

Book Summary: Gabi Hernandez chronicles her last year in high school in her diary: college applications, Cindy’s pregnancy, Sebastian’s coming out, the cute boys, her father’s meth habit, and the food she craves. And best of all, the poetry that helps forge her identity.

Book Review Overview:

• Laugh-out-loud audiobook
• Enjoyed reading Gabi’s take on Mexican culture
• Loved reading about Mexican food but it made me hungry

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces is one of those books that I just decided to take a chance on at the library. I was in the middle of a reading slump, and I wasn’t sure what to read (in this case, listen to on audio). Since this book was available to download straight away, I decided to give it a chance.

Much to my surprise, I instantly fell in love with the audiobook. Narrated by Kyla Garcia, I was hooked within the first fifteen minutes. Garcia’s narration brings Gabi’s diary to life. Gabi, A Girl in Pieces chronicles Gabi’s last year in high school: from her best friend’s pregnancy to her dad’s meth addiction.

Gabi is laugh-out-loud funny and easy to relate to. She has insecurities that most girls and women feel, mainly about weight. I also love her growing interest in poetry. I’m not a fan of most of the poems she wrote (that’s okay, since she’s a newbie, after all!), but I like how they are inspired by the different poets that she learns about in class.

As a reader, I’m trying to get myself to read more diverse books from a variety of authors (hello, We Need Diverse Books). This is why I also decided to read Gabi. It’s been a while since I read a book with a PoC! Bonus: not only is the protagonist a PoC, but the majority of the cast is a minority.

And despite the fact that I am not Mexican or Latina, I was able to relate to Gabi completely. I loved learning more about Mexican culture and I enjoyed hearing about how her culture affected her family dynamics. I love how there was lots of Spanish dialogue (so I really had to practice my Spanish comprehension skills) because it added to the overall authenticity of the story. I enjoyed Gabi’s social commentary of what it means to be “Hispanic”. Because she is a light-skinned Mexican, she often feels criticized that she isn’t Hispanic enough. She also feels pressure from her mother to act like a good Mexican girl and not like the “bad” American white girls. Throughout the book, Gabi strives for the perfect balance between her Mexican and American cultures.

But my favorite part of this book had to be all the references to food. I could relate to Gabi’s fondness of food, and there were lots of Mexican dishes I had never heard of before and I really wanted to try them all.

I also enjoyed how this book was written in a diary/epistolary format. With Gabi’s wit and humor, Gabi, A Girl in Pieces reminded me of a Mexican version of The Princess Diaries.

Overall, I really enjoyed Gabi, A Girl in Pieces. I’m so glad I took a chance on it, and I would definitely recommend it to others!

Post written by Muggle-Born

THREE WEEKS WITH LADY X by Eloisa James
Series: Desperate Duchesses by the Numbers, #1
Publication Date: March 25th 2014 by Avon

Summary: Having made a fortune, Thorn Dautry, the powerful bastard son of a duke, decides that he needs a wife. But to marry a lady, Thorn must acquire a gleaming, civilized façade, the specialty of Lady Xenobia India.

Exquisite, head-strong, and independent, India vows to make Thorn marriageable in just three weeks.

But neither Thorn nor India anticipate the forbidden passion that explodes between them.

Thorn will stop at nothing to make India his. Failure is not an option.

But there is only one thing that will make India his—the one thing Thorn can’t afford to lose…

His fierce and lawless heart.

Heroine: India is definitely a memorable heroine. For starters, she’s an interior designer, a very uncommon career path of the time. Left without a dowry after her parents’ untimely death, India established her career and made her own fortune. She’s a self-made woman, but she’s aware that she isn’t perfect and has a lot more to learn.

Hero: I really enjoyed This Duchess of Mine, a book from the Desperate Duchesses series that introduced us to Thorn (a.k.a. Juby/Tobias) as a child. Years later, he finally gets his own book and a shot at true love. Of course, like any other bastard in the romance genre, Thorn has his usual issues of undermining his own self-worth.

Supporting Cast: One of my favorite characters in the book is Rose, Thorn’s young ward. She is such a precocious six-year-old! I love that she is able to outwit adults more than twice her age.

Plot: India has three weeks to transform a house and turn the son of a duke marriageable. Thorn had bought the house to remodel in hopes to impress the family of Laetitia Rainsford, a beautiful young debut from a respectable family. To me, it just sounds like the makings of a slightly forbidden romance that I will whole-heartedly enjoy. The next three weeks involves lots of unresolved sexual tension between Thorn and India. My pages kept on turning…

Romance: Thorn and India had chemistry from the very beginning of the book, which is probably what made the book so enjoyable. Within their very first encounter, I was already rooting for their happily ever after.

Love Potion Strength:

– Exceeds Expectations

Three Weeks with Lady X is a great start to the spin-off of the Desperate Duchesses series. Eloisa James continues to write steamy romances with lots of banter and wit.

Post written by Muggle-Born

BETWEEN US AND THE MOON 

– Poor

Book Summary: Ever since Sarah was born, she’s lived in the shadow of her beautiful older sister, Scarlett. But this summer on Cape Cod, she’s determined to finally grow up. Then she meets gorgeous college boy Andrew. He sees her as the girl she wants to be. A girl who’s older than she is. A girl like Scarlett.

Before she knows what’s happened, one little lie has transformed into something real. And by the end of August, she might have to choose between falling in love, and finding herself.

Fans of Jenny Han and Stephanie Perkins are destined to fall for this story about how life and love are impossible to predict.

Book Review Overview:

• The protagonist seems really immature to me
• Not a fan of the romance; it’s all based on lies!
• A great audiobook listen; Luci Christian is a great narrator

Right before Sarah’s family leaves for their annual trip to Cape Cod, her boyfriend and childhood best friend breaks up with her. He says that Sarah spends too much time observing the world like a scientist and not enough time just living. Determined to prove him wrong, Sarah begins an experiment to be more like her older sister, Scarlett. Scarlett is flirty, fun, popular, and 18 years old—two years older than Sarah. When Sarah meets 19-year-old Andrew, she finds herself caught in a lie about her age and her school plans for the fall. The more time she spends with Andrew, the more she falls in love and the harder it becomes to come clean about the truth.

Generally speaking, I am not a fan of books where girls do not embrace their nerdiness. So from the beginning, I already had my doubts about this book. I have a love/hate relationship with the protagonist. I love that Sarah is a nerd at heart. I really like that she’s able to spit out nerdy space and ocean facts, but I hate how she just doesn’t embrace it. Also, I found Sarah to be quite immature in some ways. A part of me couldn’t believe that it took her until the end of the book to realize that she was basically looking for her family’s attention the entire time. Every time she did something rebellious, her response was to always check if anyone noticed that she was “being bad”. To me, she acted a lot younger than sixteen.

My biggest problem with the book is the plot. The plot revolves around Sarah basically lying about her age and where she’s going to school. She tells everyone she meets that summer (including love interest, Andrew) that she’s 18 and going to MIT in the fall. The more lies that Sarah tells to back up her story, the more I wait for the whole thing to just blow up in the protagonist’s face. The entire time, I just wanted to smack myself in the face, wondering how Sarah could ever think that this would end well.

Because the romance is all based on a lie, I was not rooting for the romance at all. Sarah keeps justifying that even though their relationship is based off a lie, Andrew is the only one who knows and accepts the “real” her. I just ended up feeling really bad for Andrew because he’s such a nice guy!!!

One thing that surprised me was that there was S-E-X in the book! The subject matter was handled very nicely (not on the same level as an adult romance novel, in case you were wondering), and I probably would have enjoyed reading the scenes more if I had been more invested in the romance.

This is one of those cases where I knew halfway through the book that I knew that my opinion of the book would not get any better. So why did I continue reading? Well, it was because of the audiobook narrator. The audiobook is narrated by Luci Christian, who does a phenomenal job of doing voices! Luci Christian was able to give each character in the book a distinct voice that really reflected the different personalities.

Overall, I was not a fan of the book… which makes me think, Am I too old to be reading this? Is that why I can’t connect with the main character? 

Post written by Muggle-Born

The Maze was just the beginning! See Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials in theaters September 18

In this next chapter of the epic “Maze Runner” saga, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) and his fellow Gladers face their greatest challenge yet: searching for clues about the mysterious and powerful organization known as WCKD. Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles. Teaming up with resistance fighters, the Gladers take on WCKD’s vastly superior forces and uncover its shocking plans for them all.

Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Giancarlo Esposito, Aidan Gillen, Ki Hong Lee, Barry Pepper, Lili Taylor, and Patricia Clarkson
Screenplay By: T.S. Nowlin, based upon the novel “The Scorch Trials” by James Dashner
Directed By: Wes Ball

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– Acceptable

Book Summary: This is the funniest book you’ll ever read about death.

It is a universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks. But on the first day of his senior year, Greg Gaines thinks he’s figured it out. The answer to the basic existential question: How is it possible to exist in a place that sucks so bad? His strategy: remain at the periphery at all times. Keep an insanely low profile. Make mediocre films with the one person who is even sort of his friend, Earl.

This plan works for exactly eight hours. Then Greg’s mom forces him to become friends with a girl who has cancer. This brings about the destruction of Greg’s entire life.

Fiercely funny, honest, heart-breaking—this is an unforgettable novel from a bright talent, now also a film that critics are calling “a touchstone for its generation” and “an instant classic.”

Book Review Overview:

• Strong voice, but the humor can be love it or hate it
• Characters are better developed in the film
• Questionable portrayal of race
• Overall, I enjoyed the movie 10x more than the book

This is not usually the type of review I write on my blog, but after watching Me & Earl & the Dying Girl at the theaters with my best friend, I was inspired. I loved the movie so much that I wanted to read the book. (Disclaimer: I’m usually a book-before-film kind of girl.)

Before I go into my review, I’ll remind everyone that I’m the type of person who prefers not to watch every single young adult adaptation. Ever since I took the Lit to Film class in college, I found myself excessively critical of any book-to-film adaptations. In general, when I do make it out to the theaters, I have very low expectations… I’ve been disappointed by way too many YA films (*cough*HungerGames*cough*).

One of the first things that struck me when I read the book is that the narrator, Greg, has a very strong voice.

Greg is an outsider. He survives high school by existing on the fringes of society. He’s acquainted with all the cliques at school, but never to the point that he is associated with one particular group. When Rachel, a childhood acquaintance from Jewish school, gets diagnosed with cancer, Greg’s mother urges him to be a “good friend” to Rachel by spending time with her. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews follows the story of what happens when Greg develops a friendship with a girl dying from cancer.

I think Greg’s voice falls on one of those extremes of either you love it or you hate it. If you love the voice, chances are that you will think that he is hilarious. On the other hand, if you do not like the narrator, I can easily see readers to find him to be obnoxious.

Personally, this is not the kind of voice that I would generally lean toward. However, because I have seen the movie before reading the book, I can picture the narrator more clearly. I can hear the actor’s voice in my head and the delivery of the jokes come through.

Greg Gaines has a very strange sense of humor, and it’s another one of those things that you either get or don’t get. For the most part, I did not find the book to be laugh out loud funny. There were a few chuckling-inducing scenes, but that was about it. On the other hand, the actors in the film brilliantly conveyed the comedy. I remember thinking to myself during the first 10 minutes that I wasn’t sure bout the humor in the film. But after a scene involving a pot of Vietnamese pho, I found myself laughing uncontrollably.

As I continued to read the novel, I noticed that Greg’s relationship with Rachel feels more fleshed out in the movie than the book. Basically, all I got from their relationship is that Rachel snorts a great deal at Greg’s jokes. I never felt the bond grow between them, and I didn’t feel how close the two had gotten as the story progressed.

I think this has to do a great deal with Rachel’s character development. She is literally just a dying girl in the book, almost used just as a plot device to help Greg’s character develop. I never really got to know Rachel as a person, and her character felt really flat. On the other hand, the film did such a great job of developing Rachel’s character. Within the first fifteen minutes of being introduced to Rachel, I already knew: I did not want this girl to die. Film-Rachel sparkled with personality. Her laugh was infectious and she was the kind of girl I would have liked to hang out with in high school.

What I found worrisome in both the book and film (more so in the book than the film) is the portrayal of race. Greg’s best friend, Earl, is black. Throughout the book, I worried that Earl’s character is almost caricatured in order to provide comic relief. Earl is smart, but lazy and he takes remedial classes at school. On the other hand, Greg does see him as an equal. He calls Earl his coworker and credits Earl whenever he has a great idea. He says that Earl is sometimes a better human being because he is kinder and can sympathize with Rachel a lot easier. My biggest problem with Earl’s character is that he speaks in heavy slang. Greg constantly has to translate “Earl-speak” when in a group conversation with others. Earl’s slang was really difficult to read, and some of it was almost incomprehensible to me. I just wonder if this was really necessary, especially because he is a pretty important character in the book.

Another cause for concern is Earl’s family, whom I felt were heavily stereotyped. Earl’s stepfather is in jail, and his mother is an alcoholic. His family is poor and the house is falling apart. His older brothers do drugs, affiliate with gangs, and tend to be violent. His background explains how Earl becomes an extension of the Gaines family. Despite the fact that Greg mostly refers to Earl as a “coworker”, it shows how close they really are based on Earl’s relationship with Greg’s family. Even though Greg  doesn’t want to admit it, Earl is his best friend.

Since I am a Person of Color, I’m always on the lookout for the portrayal of minority characters in YA novels. It’s not enough that there is diversity in the books we are reading, but how are these characters being represented? Me and Earl and the Dying Girl lies on a very thin line between comedy and cultural misappropriation. While I can’t speak from a black reader’s perspective, Earl and his family’s portrayal made me uncomfortable enough to question it.

/endseriousrant

Lastly, it is hard to write a review about Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews without mentioning the movies! Greg and Earl are amateur filmmakers who are inspired by obscure avant garde films that they watched when they were younger. Inspired by their favorite films, the two set out to remake their own versions.

Unless you really know your movies, it is hard to appreciate Greg’s love of films. While I recognized a handful of the films that were mentioned, I’m sorry to say that I haven’t seen most of them. In addition, I loved how Greg’s passion for film is conveyed through scenes in the novel written as a screenplay. The different format adds a fun layer to the standard prose.

One of the best things about the film is how it brought their films to life. The film does an amazing job recreating the sequels that they made – complete with sub-par acting, homemade effects, and bad lighting. To actually see the films come alive rather than just reading about them on the page, I can see how two eleven-year0old boys can fall in love with film-making. The clips from these “homemade” videos are enough warrant this film a must-see.

In conclusion, watch the movie. It’s rare that I ever say this, but I confess that the film is better than the book. The characters come truly alive in the film. Since Jesse Andrews wrote the screenplay, to me it feels as if he used the film to develop the characters even more. The film feels like a polished, near-perfect version of the book. I’m already excited to give this film a second watch.

Post written by Muggle-Born