Ritika Bhattacharjee
rating- 3.5/5“We're all too busy looking down to remember to look up at the stars.”
something was just off, throughout: the writing and the foreshadowing were just not it. The narrative felt very conversational to me and the fortune cookie sayings were everywhere. However, I didn't want to put the book down, so credit where it's due.
The ‘plot twist' was pretty good imo because i couldn't predict it bahaha T_T. The past and present pov is also done pretty well and while there were a few plot holes; I thought the letters were from someone else throughout so, i was pretty shocked towards the end.
Overall, creepy, decent imagery and good characterisation with a flowing storyline. You should definitely give it a chance:D
It's not where we're planted but where we bloom that defines us.”rating- 4.5/5
one word. obsessed.
saying that i love this series would be an understatement. While i might like Dante a tad bit less than Tristan, “my heart still beats for him”. (see what i did there?)This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions from kicking my feet to pain, all at once.
And the writing
“his demons dance with mine”rating- 4.5/5
I absolutely love this series. While this was a lot slower than the first since it had a lot of loose ends to tie; it was still so much fun to read.
Tristan & Morana>>>
i mean, tell me how I'm supposed to just carry on with life after reading things like these:
“That's the name you're going to be screaming for a long time, Ms. Vitalio. Remember it.”“I know exactly who you are.” “Who am I?” “Mine”“Touch her without permission again and i will break you”
phew. yes um so, I'm obsessed.
Probably the only complaint i have with the book is how the ending was done. The plot twist i really liked, but i thought it all just happened very quickly for me to process. In my opinion the page time for something they've been setting up for almost 2 books was very very little and could've been extended just a tad bit more. That being said, i also understand why it had to be that way for Morana to freak out and for Tristan and Morana's relationship to get to that vulnerable place; and then for things to get better.
Overall, I LOVED this book. The epilogue had me in a chokehold. I was squealing internally by the end. The characterisation, developing relationships, writing and just execution was top notch. I'm still slightly in a slump but these books are the reason i might soon not be in one.
On to Dante's book:)
rating - 2/5
i don't know if it was me or the book but dear god, that was AWFUL.
somehow the writing style or the phrases used were just not for me; it was not immersive and i felt disconnected from the storyline throughout. That being said, there definitely was potential. The premise and setting had me excited and the first few chapters even had me hooked; however it was just a downward slope after that. I always like the lead up to the fmc and mmc getting together but somehow I didn't even enjoy THAT phase in this book.
Overall, although i liked Astrid, her thoughts when it came to Levi were annoying as heck and everytime Levi called her a princess i wanted to strangle him. i.e what I'm saying is— no :).
The side story/murder plot that the author was foreshadowing throughout the book wasn't all that great either and was extremely predictable.
I'm really really upset i didn't enjoy this book because i was extremely ready to just get into the rina kent universe and love lots of new characters but it is what it is, i guess:/
rating-3.5/5
I loved the book but didn't really see any connection between Dallas and Diana until about the 45-50% mark. I just saw an overly helpful neighbour and a very, in-her-head woman trying to raise her nephews; both living their individual lives for the first half of the book. It did start to get better once you could see that he did really like her through the little things he did. (I know, I know. I've to get used to MZ's slowburns still, clearlyy).
But I did think that both the character's feelings were pretty hard to decipher in Diana's pov because of how the boys's and their upbringing was her primary focus. Parenting as a single parent, living with grief, divorce, family dynamics and multiple other things were also given a lot of focus throughout the story; which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, because I'm pretty sure I'd be bored reading a 600 page book, otherwise.
I do wish there was better resolution to multiple things like Dallas's brother, tension with Diana's mother, Nana pearl's comments etcetc; but I loved the book otherwise. Josh and Lou have my entire heart <3
I read this before ‘The Wall of Winnipeg and me' T_T and thus couldn't appreciate the cameos more, but that's on my priority tbr now. (as soon as i am in the mood for a slowburn, i promise.)
rating - 3/5
I loved a few specific scenes but somehow they just didn't add up imo.
I thought, although the first book was predictable, it was a lot more memorable compared to Christian and Gianna's story. While the characters are a lot more fleshed out in this case, the format with the time jumps took me out of the story and didn't give me a sense of continuity i prefer.
cute relationship dynamic though and a fun book to read in order to pass time:D
rating - 5/5what is jessa hastings putting in these books????? asking for a friend— I'm genuinely so so so obsessed with these characters, the writing and everything and idek why T_T
(no spoiler review)
okay so my first question is, how the fuck does daisy have so much time as a med student and my second question is, how much sex is too much sex?/ how many love interests are too many love interests? (if you're reading this without having read the book, highly unlikely but yeah, I hope that makes you want to read it heehee.)
Anyway, I went into this with zero expectations, wanting to skip to magnolia's book but ended up obsessed with daisy and wanting to skip magnolia2 and going straight to dh2 instead. As a pre-med student, Daisy's character stood out to me and felt easier to relate to, than magnolia's. The footnotes were a chore, like the outfit description character-trait in book 1, ngl. But it does make the book stand out as the author intended, so no complaints.
Overall, I absolutely loved this book although I might be screaming, crying, throwing up from that ending; I'm genuinely in love with this series and will read the rest of the books as soon as i can:)
rating - 4.5/5
I expected to like this more than mile high since most people do; but somehow i was just not suuuuper impressed like everybody else. A for effort obviously.
I mean i rated it 4.5 stars because i know it's mostly me being picky.(if i was going off purely on reading experience it was probably a 3.5 or 4) Reading two contemporary romances back to back is never a good idea when you're in a romantic drought and in your cynic era; but I braved this one and I sorta feel bad ngl. Because I just KNOW for a fact i would absolutely love Ryan Shay otherwise. * sigh * it is what it is, i guess.
Reading is subjective so, I can say...if only this was 200 pages shorter, I would've liked it more; I can say... i just wish the book hadn't tried to tackle so many things at once. The truth is: I wouldn't like it as much, no matter what the author did- simply because I wasn't in the mood for it.
dunno why i read it then, lets not get into logistics.
Overall, while i appreciated certain events like building the bookshelf, learning ASL etcetc. The book simply felt all over the place. An example of this could be the knee injury distracting from the smut scene or even Indy going from thinking? about the cheating to fertility to his love language to saving flowers, back to Ryan's trust issues. Like idk if it's just me, but it was a loooot to take on in a single book. Somehow I was just burnt out by the 80% mark and the final third act conflict was just pushing it too farr. Anywayz, i loved the first book so i know it was mostly me. can't wait to readd Kai's book:)
This book took me forever to finish because of how dark and graphic the first half of the book was.
The author's writing had SO MUCH potential: because i was pulled into the darkness and depravity of that house and my mind-space felt similar for quite a few days. I was constantly waiting for the HEA, the rescue and felt Addie's desperation.
However, despite the decent writing, I do think it was slightly wordy and could use a few more rounds of editing at certain points.
Right up to the train scene and even how her PTSD, reclaiming her scars, etc were described felt super realistic and well done. While on the longer side, it still doesn't feel unnecessary.
However, the smut after that, just wasn't for me. The knife-play seemed contrived; especially after the Xavier debacle. (while i get that, THAT is the whole point. The difference between him and Zade i know, i know– I was just put off somehow.) Rio's character was really done well and was a highlight for me. Most of the antagonists' characters & personalities are very black and white and adding motives and grey characters are always a plus. The note from him at the end saved the third act and sort of reminded me of how much i liked the rest of the book.
Overall, a pretty good read but just somehow falls shy of being perfect¡
questioning my sanity because i rationalised pretty much everything zade did lmfao.
lots of toe-curling, mouth-hanging-open bits in the book...
The potential to be a guilty pleasure, I-can't-believe-I-read-this-stuff, 5 star read was there but the execution was not a 100%.
□ The writing/editing felt slightly messy but we breezed through wattpad in 2016, so this was a cakewalk.
□ The ‘mystery' plotline seemed weak and just felt like an attempt to add something to the plot (not saying i hated it tho; i didn't even expect a mystery plotline going into this book so there's that)
Overall very entertained, so we will be reading the next book (preparing myself)
rating- 3/5
my pet peeve is when they call a book enemies to lovers when it's only them not starting off on the right foot.
But even if i let that slide, i wasn't really a fan of the whole cowboy/country vibe T_T and the entire setting was purely country so...
(But that is a me problem, so i won't let that affect my rating much)
Overall, it was pretty meh. Entertaining at some parts, but just felt flat otherwise.
Also was it just me or was the ending sliiiightly...dissatisfying? Could be the competitive streak in me, but are you fr? No way he just decided to quit, when he was that close to winning a third title. An alternate better ending, imo would be: Summer convincing Harvey, Cade and Beau showing up for Rhett's last rodeo at Vegas. And her mouthing she loves him exactly like it happened. But instead of impulsively quitting, his family and Summer finally showing up for him gives him the love, support and understanding he's always been craving; therefore helping him hang on for 8 seconds. He wins, Theo comes second. Rhett coaches him next year so he can win. Because let's be fair; Theo would actually like to win instead of being handed a title for funsies.
I think the other books in the series might be more up my alley. (single dad romance with a cute kid??? shut up I'm skipping to Cade's book right now)
rating - 5/5
let's be fair, we all know this book is toxic and repetitive and the romance is unhealthy to the point of obsession. do we hate that though?...that is a very good question...
(the way i loved you by Taylor Swift playing as i write this, is very fitting *)The drama, the writing and just everything was done so well; the universe had me by a chokehold by like page 2. I was highlighting and screenshotting like my life depended on it and almost ordered a physical copy, only to find out it's extremely expensive to deliver here but we're saving so dw.If that doesn't tell you how much i liked this, i don't know what does.Rooting for BJ and Magnolia like my life depends on it. (slightly less so after that ending but we'll see what occurs). excited for the second book but I'm spacing them out so they don't put me in a slump.After writing like this:The trick shot fails. The disaster of what we've become blitzes right past what we were, circles the drain of what we could be a couple of times before it teeters off to the side and lands smack bang right where we don't want to be. can you blame me??? There was just such beautiful, beautiful writing especially at specific plot points—the hard reset 15 seconds, her reciting all of bj's tattoos while having segs w tom (skull emoji*) and a few other instances. I LoveD it.
just a fun experience reading it all tbhtbh. same way we want to experience a breakup to feel the pain in breakup songs, i wanted to be cheated on just so i could feel magnolia's pain, you know? no? just me? okay- (don't know what that says about me; Bridget would know)
I did think the author did a really really good job at putting those feeling in words, though. The universe was so fleshed out and detailed, it felt extremely real. My only complaint would be more info on a few of the side characters maybe, so they didn't seem two-dimensional compared to magnolia and bj.
But this universe has to be up there with the addicted books. REALLY REALLY loved itt; if this isn't a 5 star book, i don't know what is, honestly.
rating-4/5
honestly i don't know how to rate thrillers anymore; somehow the end/twist sways my entire rating up or down. In this case, i'm conflicted about that too.
Wouldn't say it was INSANE or anything, but i didn't expect it at alll.
(spoilers from this point onward)
For one, unreliable narrator is pretty much the first thing i think of now, because of how often it is used. But to the author's credit...or not?, I did dismiss the thought immediately because of how inane it was. I thought it was highly unlikely that they'd portray her therapist as a stalker because I thought the entire book was about trying to help people through therapy and everything yk? Eitherway I was sorta kinda disappointed, but that didn't take away from the frenzy of reading as fast as I could, theorising and trying to find out who this ‘supposed man' was or if there even was a man. That was funn, hence the rating.
Although I did have a few problems with the book; starting with the ‘psychotherapists and psychiatrists' with malpractice suits waiting to happen (except for indira, love her) and improper research because sir- you lowered the drug dosage of an highly unstable patient from 16 mg of Risperidone to 5 mg overnight with absolutely no health problems or side effects? are you okay? like i don't even need an undergraduate degree to tell you that is not right.
I'm always of the opinion that if you're doing something, might as well do it right? it's not that hard to get the facts right you know? same with the end: you're telling me an IV drug strong enough to put her in a coma gave her enough time to write ALLL that down AND hide this diary? even if i let that slide for the sake of plot.. coming to the plot itself:
There was most certainly potential. I didn't even think of the Kathy-Gabriel connection so honestly props to the author. But sorry not sorry, the plot was very contrived, to say the least. Red-Herrings and loose ends and just a whole lot of mess in order to confuse the readers. There was just WAY too many dead ends. Like.. the max assault, paul debt, lydia, christian; everything felt sort of cluttered?? At first I didn't see where the Kathy sub-plot was going but that seemed to tie-in well. I just wished all that ^ added up to something or lead somewhere as well you know? Because why do I know that Jean felix cares only for her paintings and Max is in love with her etcetc other than to distract from said ending. I don't know, could've been done better I think.
Despite all that, good pacing, the writing flows well and captivates the reader. The Alcestis parallel was really interesting and i liked how the author construed that into a ‘psychic death'. Not bad at all for a debut novel I think. I was hooked and read it in one sitting pretty much. you should definitely give it a chance.
"here I was thinking this was just a casual, no commitment, no jealousy thing.”“shut up, anastasia.”
rating - 5/5
HONESTLY? perfect.
I read this at a period of time where i needed a cute contemporary stand-alone, so I really really enjoyed it and didn't think it was too long (which by consensus almost everybody seems to think).
I did read half of it at a friend's place and the rest of it on my Kindle and they were both different versions (one with lola and the other w sabrina- i was genuinely vv confused at first, but twas' a fun experience nonetheless). Honestly i thought Lola was a better character than Brin since the rep could've just been done.. slightly better, but yeah.
Overall, i absolutely loved the characters, the friend group, the banter and the conversations about mental health, therapy etc. Their arguments and the conflict felt very layered and real and was done extremely well, in my opinion.
I loved the characters actually communicating and just saying what they should be; since it was different from what we usually see in books. Henry and JJ were my favs.
super happy i picked this up! you're a 100% missing out if you don't give this a chance:)
rating - 4/5
honestly idek what kind of crack the author put in these. like I'm genuinely so so attached to these characters and it's been like that from the first freaking book. like? it doesn't even make sense. There was literally no I'm-beginning-to-like-these-characters phase. i went straight to: i want to absolutely protect lilo with my entire heart.And even if there's phases in the books where nothing's really happening and it's honestly not even that great I'm still reading like my life depends on it. i don't even know what it is about the whole series; it's very weird.Eitherway, this book was honestly such a great way to tie up lilo's story/pov, i guess. I could see how much character growth/development there was, and it was genuinely so so rewarding to see them finally get their ‘happy ending' in Earth 616:)Overall, the subplots weren't too crazy or eventful with the ceo meetings and teenagers (okay sliiiightly eventful). BUT the kids! changed everything honestly. i was so much more invested to see them as parents. It was like introducing layers to the characters, that i haven't seen before and added to the whole experience Introducing garrison and willow was also a fun addition although I'm not really super interested in their story or anything. my favourite part about this book was loren hale! the growth and maturity with handling everything thrown at him was impeccable and made me really really happy. And the wedding? crying, brb.
rating- 3.5/5We're in Earth-616. This isn't an alternate universe.” I clutch the phone tighter, tears falling. “We're going to have our happy ending. It's just going to take us a little while to get there.”
I LOVE these characters and the way the author writes these books sm <3 lilo has my entire heart.
Kiss the sky and Hothouse flower did an incredible job at making me love rose-connor and Daisy-ryke but somehow lilo's story felt disjointed and incomplete. We were given a paragraph entailing a big event; and we're somehow supposed to pretend it's important, with no context whatsoever about how the characters feel.
(considering ryke isn't the most emotionally perceptive person i had no idea as to what lo could've been thinking)
Hothouse flower opens with lo having relapsed and the media accusations about his dad but we don't see the connection or the hows until now. this is so important because it fills in the blanks and gives us a complete picture. SO happy i didn't skip this book honestly.
Was it repetitive? yes a 100%. There were around 2-4 scenes that were almost word for word with the dialogue. but there were also things that really made me appreciate the alternate pov.
getting to see what lo thought of daisy and ryke was so important because from ryke's pov, he just seems downright hostile.
It goes beyond them together. It's that he can't be honest with me. He asks me for his complete trust, but it's becoming harder and harder when he builds walls between us.
rating - 5/5
“Hope is a fickle, dangerous thing. It steals your focus and aims it toward the possibilities instead of keeping it where it belongs—on the probabilities.”
writing, the plot, the characters, dragons and the banter
perfection.
chef's kiss
we get more of his pov
there wasn't one dull moment in the book. The world building was done really really well for a fantasy. I think it'd be a great first time fantasy read because of how seamlessly the author eases you into the world. overall just done very well.
rating - 4.5 / 5
“the entire world doesn't have to love me.”“only the ones that matter”
trust the process.
just go with the flow, enjoy the book as it comes
learn to love them despite their mistakes and flaws.
ALSO THE PREGNANCY??? STFU I did not expect that T_T. The whole reveal with Ryke blowing his 'i secretly know French' cover was so fun. also my babies lilo too:')
"People hope to touch the sky. I dream of kissing it.
rating- 4 / 5
everybody's watched reallyyy terrible reality shows right? the ones that are obscenely dumb and make no sense? you know that the whole time; and yet it's so entertaining you just HAVE to keep watching.
This book is literally that, but in print format.
Okay so make this make sense. They're rich and can own a whole-ass production company- or uh sue scott?? OR get another production company to produce the show?? shouldn't stuff like this be easier if you're rich? UM but what they do instead,... is let creep-scott basically put them through so much shit. But I digress. For the sake of plot, I will let all of that slide. But the ending was not it sorry not sorry. what do you mean they didn't take it to court :D. ‘scott van wright won. but he didn't win what matters.' WHY?? give me a unrealistic happy ending and not an eh life goes on ending T_T
Honestly, read this a really long time ago and don't remember any details. All i remember is absolutely dying and squealing throughout.
is it realistic? absolutely not. is it fun to read though? heck yess.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE ALLLL the characters and they're all my absolute favourites. Rose and Connor had me in a chokehold by like the first chapter T_T
Their dynamic, relationship and intellectual banter>>>> Their conversations were the absolute highlight for me; despite how eventful this book was.
My vocabulary is a new woman. Concupiscient? Lascivious?? rose ma'am- (that whole scene * hot sweating emoji *)
” don't you dare say - do you like what you see. I will break up with you right here if you utter those fucking stupid words.”“I already know you do.”
top tier.
good, addictive, reality-show-like-drama.
entertaining, nicely paced and addicting.
rating - 4 / 5
(review contains spoilers)
What even was that? And I don't even know if I mean that in a good way tbf.
“No one is likable from the inside out. One should only walk away from an autobiography with, at best, an uncomfortable distaste for its author.”
Although this isn't an autobiography; THAT is exactly how i feel.
Distaste.. more like unsettled. Not because it was creepy, i guess? Somehow I wasn't extremely disturbed/creeped out? even though there was a valiant effort to do so, I felt disconnected to the characters because I simply wasn't rooting for any of them.
low's in verity's bed? *slight exaggerated shiver * but also eh. do i care if she's dead? not really.
you see what I mean? I didn't trust any of the characters. And thank god for that, because ALL of them are unhinged. They're either murderers or complicit in a murder (by witnessing it, writing about it, etcetera).
It was fast paced, extremely hard to put down, and I read it from cover to cover in like.. two sittings? I think. So props to coho for the engaging plot. It is.. pretty smart if you think about it? author/book inception– author writing about an author reading a manuscript (journal?) by another author.
Despite all that, I feel discontent after reading it; but maybe that's how it is with open endings.
The letter at the end was equivalent to middle school me, writing a story and concluding it with, ‘it was all a dream'. It felt anti-climactic and threw away 300 pages worth of set-up, character arcs and development. Did I hate it though? no.
I know it must be hard to write open ended conclusions since you've got to tie up everything you already did, but with an entirely different possibility. I did think there were multiple loose ends, unanswered questions/plot holes, but somehow they only help by adding further leads or directions to this disarrayed labyrinth for plot.
Crew's character, april being a trained professional and unable to see through verity's lies (we love some oxymorons; verity means truth in case you didn't get that. clever ngl.), chastin's scar, the floorboard knife. It's all a frenzied mess tbh. If that's what the author intended, (i'm guessing not?) she's done a great job.
So the important question: manuscript or letter? Honestly I did, and still think both. I lean towards one sometimes; but the more I think about it, the more confused i get.
“And that's how easy it is for a writer to pretend to be someone they aren't.”
such a darker story
ANTAGONISTIC JOURNALING
(A writing excercise: for funsies lol)
rating - 4 / 5 overall series rating - 4.5 / 5“Hell is empty and all the devils are here”(aaron warner crossover?)
I LOVED this series. When i started reading it, I thought this would be kind of predictable, but boy was I wrong- everything right from the actual killer to the ending, I couldn't have guessed.
This was more than just about the romance and the incongruous, mismatched pair of Lana and Logan.
“that's what happens when you're a serial killer dating an FBI profiler who hunts serial killers.“It's sad that I want to hide my bodies now so that my boyfriend gets a break and can spend more time with me” It was about revenge, justice and victims whose voices have been silenced, corruption and the lines between right and wrong being blurred
“And you treat her like a monster. Why? Because she kills? Do you treat your military like monsters? Do you stare at your own reflection with such disdain? Because I've seen your file. You've shot and killed thirteen serial killers since your career began. Those were real monsters, just like all the men Lana has dispatched.”
The whole shift in Logan's stand was done in such a great way. Book 4 practically left me broken; so seeing everything fall back into place and right itself was the absolute best.
“Her head falls to my chest, and my lips press against the top of her head as I hold her as close as possible. And we dance.”“Nothing I stood for was worth more than her. Nothing I valued held any true value at all. Everything I have is pointless without her.” (* screaming *)
And the epilogue? chef's kiss. topped it all. The whole killing people the system can't touch is such a beautiful way to continue the legacy of the absolute goddess: LANA MYERS.
loveddd jake, loooved hadleyy and LOVED LOVED LaLo. (def inspired by lilo T_T) You're a 100% missing out if you don't read this series. Just make sure to check all the trigger warnings before you do.