Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I wanted to try a new format where I write smaller reviews for books but include it all in one post for you all. Here are some books I've been reading lately. I decided to break it up with 5 books per post, so please let me know what you think of the formatting!
Publishing Date: June 7, 2016
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 336
My Review: I bought this book when it first came out but when I moved, I didn't take a lot of my books with me. A copy of this is currently in a box at my mom's house but I felt a strong need to read it after having read Albertalli's other book and loving it. There is also going to be a film adaptation of this called Love, Simon.. so I knew it was now or never. I opted for the audiobook version and Michael Crouch does an amazing job of bringing the characters to life. I really loved the email interactions between Jacques and Blue. I loved the idea of falling in love with someone for who they are. Their personality first, and looks after. The only thing that really bothered me about this book was one character: Martin. He had me raging every time I was listening to this book. Besides that, it is a lovely story about friendship, family, and coming out. I really loved Simon's story and I think everyone should pick this book up.
Available for purchase:
Chapters/Indigo - Kobo - Audible - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Publishing Date: January 2, 2018
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 448
My Review: This book was Indigo's staff pick of the month a few months back and I had heard a few of my co-workers absolutely rave about this book. I was off thriller books for a bit because it was getting easier for me to guess them and honestly, I wasn't enjoying it as much anymore. I also find with thrillers that the protagonist is extremely unlikable. Not in this case though! Despite loving merlot and mixing her meds with alcohol when she shouldn't, I really liked Anna as a character and learning more about her. There were so many twists and turns that I definitely didn't see coming. I also really liked how fast paced the book was. Overall, I really enjoyed this thriller and would highly recommend it for fans of Clare Macintosh!
Available for purchase:
Chapters/Indigo - Kobo - Audible - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Publishing Date: March 20, 2018
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 304
My Review: First of all, look at this absolutely beautiful cover. I have to admit that this is what first drew me in before the premise. I was really excited to read this book because after loving THUG, I wanted something similar to that. The story follows Marvin and his twin Tyler. I really liked the dynamics of the twins so it was nice to see that story unfold. Unfortunately, after a night at a party, Tyler goes missing, only for Marvin and his family to learn later that Tyler was murdered by a white policeman. The book is incredibly timely with the race relations and political climate happening in the states. This book made me angry and sad, and definitely had me crying on a few occasions. Police brutality is very much present and this depiction of it was incredibly powerful. I think it would be a great book for fans of THUG, but also something to use in the classroom when discussing political issues. The story also has a nice focus on applying for universities, friendship, and family.
Available for purchase:
Chapters/Indigo - Kobo - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Disclaimer: I received an e-galley of this book from Hachette Book Group. All opinions are my own.
Publishing Date: March 20, 2018
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 480
My Review: THIS BOOK Oh my goodness, what a book. I must admit that in the beginning, it was a little bit difficult for me to get into. It has been a while since I've read a book with magical realism elements, but once I got used to the formatting of switching back from present day to past, and then smoke and mirrors moments, it got easier to get into the story. This book follows Leigh, who travels to Taiwan after her mother's suicide to learn about why her mother was estranged from her parents, but also because Leigh is convinced her mom became a bird and she must speak with her. The same day her mother killed herself is also the same day she finally kissed the boy she loved. There's a lot of flashbacks about her relationship with Axel, so you get to learn about that relationship, but also at the same time, learn about her mother. It was heart-wrenching at times because the depiction of depression really hit close to home. I loved learning more about Leigh's family, and seeing her interactions with her grandparents. It is a stunning story about family, love, and grief. It reminded me Jandy Nelson's I'll Give You The Sun for the art components of the book, but most of all, the magical realism aspects reminded me of Haruki Murakami. This is a wonderful debut novel and I can't wait to see what Pan writes next!
Available for purchase:
Chapters/Indigo - Kobo - Amazon - Kindle - Book Depository
Disclaimer: I received an e-galley of this book from Hachette Book Group. All opinions are my own.
Publishing Date: February 13, 2018
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Pages: 432
My Review: As some of you may know, I've been reading Kinsella books for a while now and I really enjoyed her last one so much. When I heard she was coming out with a new one, I was so excited. Right around Valentine's Day too. Although this had the quirk characters that I know and love from Kinsella, and absolutely hilarious, ridiculous moments, something in the story fell short with me. I really liked Sophie as the main character, but I wasn't entirely sold on Dan. With every other book she's written, it was easy to see why the protagonist loved a certain character, because you as the reader also fell in love with that character. Dan was hard to read at times for me. However, I liked that the story focused on the after of falling in love, and how to "stay in love." It touches on marriage and how it can't always be easy, so I liked that it felt authentic. It did wrap up nicely in the end, with all the loose ends tied up. I just expected more from the text. This isn't her best one for me, but I think if you are married and can relate to the subject matter, you would definitely enjoy it.
Available for purchase:
Chapters/Indigo - Kobo - Amazon - Audible - Kindle - Book Depository
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