Ritika Bhattacharjee

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.

“Because I think she loves you more than she loves sex. And you love her more than you love alcohol, but you two just haven't let yourselves believe it yet.”.

●・○・●・○・● ●・○・●・○・● ●・○・●・○・●
rating - 4/5

Okay wow, for about the first 30% or so, I thought this would be similar to the first two books with not a lot going on. But wowza could I BE more wrong.
After they all went to the spring break trip, things took off really well. Definitely way more plot than the first two books combined; which i really, really liked. The friendships and relationships have strengthened and it's really cool to see all of it play out together.
The entire friendgroup > >

“It's not your fault,” Rose says. “You were a kid. we all were”“And you have a shitty fucking father,” Ryke adds.“And no mother,” Daisy says.“And you were an alcoholic,” Connor concludesFor the first time I have them, and I feel tears build at the words I never thought I'd hear. It's not your fault. I can believe it one day i think.

“I go to Calloway Sunday luncheons with Rose,” Connor tells me. Oh shit.If I marry Lily, I'm easily going to be the worst son-in-law. Connor Cobalt cannot marry Lily's sister. He'll set unattainable standards I'll never be able to reach.

I can already picture myself squealing to their intellectual banter.

defensive of a couple that I find destined and beautiful. They belong together the way books fit in a library.

“Isn't this the part where our love overcomes our addictions? Where our problems magically solve from a kiss and a promise?” rating- 4/5

I'm bawling my eyes. THAT is not what i expected.
Did I pick this up because i thought it would be a light hearted romance series? yes. Am I disappointed that it is exactly the opposite of light hearted? honestly..not? This was something i didn't know I needed T_T
But then again I probably wouldn't have picked this up if somebody had given me the brief beforehand:

‘A book about two addicts being dependent on each other, pretending to have a healthy life and dating. While in reality, they're infact not okay; absolutely spiralling, going off the deep end and enabling each other.'

the lack of plot

character-driven

somebody.

could've been shorter

repetitive

recurring, unchanging nature was a more realistic portrayal of their problems

Wait for me.” The words come out choked and pained. “I need you to wait for me.”

The half brother thing was pretty evident. The only thing i didn't anticipate was Ryke being Jonathan and Sara's son. idk.

Final thoughts:

rating -4/5
Sometimes you're just in the mood for psychotic men, and this was one of those times. I enjoyed this a lot more than ‘The Finisher'. In the beginning, it felt like a ripoff of Haunting Adeline. (Sorry, not sorry); but I did end up liking it more as I kept reading. The characterisation and plotline, although slightly extreme; fit.. just right. I LOVED the writing, as I always have w this series. I could feel Lyla's frustration, her helplessness, the progressively increasing loneliness and desolation with every page. And Dainn blackthorne

rating- 4/5
okay wow. you think you know what you're getting into once you read the blurb but respectfully you absolutely don't. Coffee and Condolences surprises you, in the best way possible. it's so specific, detailed and yet conveys such an universal message. The themes of grief & loss, family, difficult relationships and mental health really spoke to me. I loved how raw and blunt the writing was and how factually and systematically the author conveys exactly what he wants to. I also really liked the format of the book being divided into the therapy sessions of the past while simultaneously taking us on this journey of growth and progress. This helps the reader gauge how far the protagonist, Miles has come and connect with them as well.

Overall, unexpectedly wholesome and stands out from the monotony of current fiction because the author explores the vulnerable male pov (something we rarely see). Reminded me of the likes of authors like Alice oseman and Salley Rooney and I'm super glad i decided to read it.

rating- 3/5[b:The Lives of Saints 54205369 The Lives of Saints (Grishaverse) Leigh Bardugo https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593535795l/54205369.SY75.jpg 84577530] is a collection of the short stories of miracles and martyrdoms of the saints in the grishaverse. The stories are pretty short and make for a fast read.While it makes a great addition to the grishaverse, most stories of the saints have the same recurring theme of: miracle is performed,-they are either branded as evil and killed by the people -or become a hero and die doing good deeds.due to this there were only few stories that stood out to me. Reading about the familiar saints like Lizabeta, Anastasia, Nikolai, Grigori, Juris or for that matter Alina and the Starless saint was really nice but i don't think any of the other stories will stay with me for too long.The illustrations are beautiful and although i read the ebook, I'd love to have a physical copy for the illustrations alone.I also listened to the audiobook for a few stories and BEN BARNES narrates it. (I feel like that's more than enough reason to listen to the audiobook immediately.)overall, i liked the lives of saints but it doesn't stand out to me like the beautiful and haunting writing in [b:The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic 34076952 The Language of Thorns Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic (Grishaverse, #0.5, 2.5, 2.6) Leigh Bardugo https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491842507l/34076952.SX50.jpg 55087763] does. The stories are fast and don't add anything to your existing knowledge of the grishaverse. you could pick it up if you're in a reading slump or need short stories to read in between books.

“Because it was all you were willing to give me. And I'd rather have you hating me than not have you at all.”

rating- 5/5

kinda contains spoilers?

I've been internally screaming ever since i picked up this book. Aaron. Lina's inner monlogue. The romance. Literally everything about this book is so perfect?? Did i mention Aaron Blackford? yes him.
[b:The Spanish Love Deception|54189398|The Spanish Love Deception|Elena Armas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1610900883l/54189398.SY75.jpg|84555384] has easily made it to my favourites and is also one of my comfort reads now. i'm so in love<3

I have to admit i was reading way too much fantasy for a while there and that could be why i liked it so much. Although this is probably the first contemporary book I've read that's over 400 pages long, I practically DEVOURED this book. I also want to apologise for all the voice messages i sent to Pratha:) and Shreya<3: i was just veryyyy impressed by Aaron. sighs in love. Like the author definitely put something in this book. Because i get it, it's not even extremely special or unique, but i fleW through it and love it SO much.

Okay moving to the plot, the wedding theme? the workplace romance? i loved every aspect of the book. the tropes? i mean it has:
-enemies (more like rivals?) to lovers-fake dating-slowburn-sunshine x grumpy-one bed trope
How could you possibly not like it?
What i loved most is, despite having so many tropes the author does a great job at playing it out into the story and NOTHING feels forced.
The fake dating trope never gets old :)) I especially LOVE when in the fake dating trope, people don't find out about them ‘NOT dating' in this huge dramatic confrontational scene (I was terrified her family would find out the whole time) and instead they just gradually become a real thing< 3. It just makes my heart SO HAPPY. And THAT is literally this book's brand.

ALSO coming back to AARON-

“If you get any more perfect, I'm going to believe you were made just for me.”

rating-3/5
This one felt like a filler read. A good filler read, but a filler read, nonetheless. Was not very invested in the couple, but didn't hate the grumpy sunshine at all. I also thought, the characterisation was pretty consistent. Loved the way the author handled the mental health issues w the fmc too.

The plot was quite different and I didn't really expect to like it?? Infact I was surprised I didn't hate it while I was reading it? I'm not really a fan of the amnesia thing? I hate how one person gets hurt in the whole process. As a kid, I'd have probably eaten this trope up, but now it seems a bit meh.

Overall, I'm pretty sure, if it were any other series this review would be going quite differently. I was constantly invested, solely: because of the universe and the characters from the previous book, the syndicate etcetc. Super excited for the final book in the series which comes out in less than a week from when I'm writing this: 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:)

For January, I don't care how the story ends as long as I spend it with you.

rating- 4/5
buddy read with pratha:)

Definitely not what i expected, in the best way possible. This book captures romance in such an authentic light while also talking about important topics like dealing with grief and infidelity.
The writing is witty, beautiful and thoughtful. I loved the mix of authentic raw moments with cute dialogue between the characters. The dynamic between January and Gus is really well written. Their banter was cheesy, fun and playful, and had me smiling the whole time:)))
My favourite part in the book is, how the process of writing books has been depicted. Since we never really get an insight into the writing process of authors, this felt super special.

There were a few things i didn't like: Gus's broodiness wasn't my favourite and felt like it was included only to fit the quiet, broody stereotype; their college rivalry had no basis and it didn't really feel like academic rivals to lovers as such. But overlooking these tiny details, it was a fun, light-hearted read that i absolutely loved.

Also just found out that there's two alternate endings based on the edition you have??? i read the UK one with the book dedication and i loved how it ended. wouldn't change anything:')
Which reminds me of this quote i really loved:
“It was a happy ending.”“For who?”“For them,” he said. “They were happy. They had no regrets. They'd won. And they didn't even have to see it coming. For all we know, they live in that moment forever, happy like that. Together and free.”

i was not emotionally stable enough for the ‘10 years into the future' stories:'')

“Everything is a game, Avery Grambs.” rating-4/5
I read this at 3 am and absolutely flew through it. Super fast-paced, super fun. Felt like a mix between a heist and a thriller. A little bit predictable since it's YA.
(I'm just hoping that the love triangle they're setting up, doesn't get annoying. We're seriously praying, trust me.)
But otherwise, I loved it. It did help that I was in the mood for the genre, but Jennifer Lynn Barnes' writing always works really well for me. I absolutely loved The Naturals and I'm really excited to see where the author takes THIS story.

< Nick and Charlie 3tw: eating disorders, self harm, ocd love how the series just gets progressively better and better:). it's so much more than a contemporary gay romance. it deals with sensitive topics and feelings of teenagers in such a beautiful way. I've read [b:Radio Silence 25322449 Radio Silence Alice Oseman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1448470869l/25322449.SY75.jpg 45055773] by [a:Alice Oseman 7789423 Alice Oseman https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1603122242p2/7789423.jpg] and loved it, so I'm not surprised with the author's ability to write about mental health in such a raw and real manner but also somehow making it extremely simple to understand. she's incredible at it! i love her writing for the same reasons.this volume in particular dealt with eating disorders, self harm and ocd. nick and Charlie's journal entries were so heartwarming please:') i want the next volume right now :((also if you're reading this review and haven't read this series, you should definitely pick it up rn. they'll get you through a slump since they're very fast reads and will leave you smiling:)))

rating-3.5/5
Honestly, it was a decent & fast paced read. Nothing stood out to me per se, but I did like the plot revelations and the flowy writing.I don't see the point of book 3 atp.., like more puzzles? Another trail? For what? The first book was pretty enjoyable but it kept getting unnecessarily convoluted from there. New characters? Eve? And she looks like Emily? Like... why the drama T_T.

Coming to characters and relationship dynamics; some likable characters like Oren, Libby, Nash, Zara etc had very little page time and weren't in the forefront at all. While Avery's pov started to get a little bleh. She's all “Oh. Grayson! Oh , Jameson! oh I'm so confused.” It's annoying. The romantic development felt weirdly off to me; as if it took an accident for Jameson to suddenly fall in love with her. The author also used the same incident to portray Grayson in bad light.
I just had a little bit of whiplash with how quickly, it all happened.

Overall, not bad but definitely not as good as book 1. I'd say pick it up, only if you were super invested in the characters while reading book 1.

it was a pretty good read honestly:), i haven't read any nicholas sparks books before this (no I haven't read the notebook) and it really caught me off guard. I was a bit skeptical with the way it started out but ended up reading it in one sitting.
absolutely love jamie and landon. You should definitely pick it up if you liked the movie or just want something short and heartwarming to read:)

"i like to think we would find each other in every universe."

heartstopper X Detroit: become human (a video game? that the author really liked and decided to make fanart based on her characters, for; i love how this ended up being a whole mini comic). i have no idea what detroit: become human is and i still loved it!
people who haven't read heartstopper or have and haven't read this: you really should:)
it's Nick and Charlie but in an entirely different situation and world. I loved Nick as an Android and Charlie as a detective as much as i loved our high school Nick and Charlie< 3
you can read it here: heartstopper: become human

rating- 5/5

“Apparently, you're not out of my system, Ms. Vitalio.”

immaculate.

squealing and kicking my feet in the air

(enemies to enemies-with-benefits to enemies-who-might-like-each-other-but-are-still-enemies-with-benefits)

Tristan Caine >>>

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.

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 - 3.5 / 5

I absolutely love the characters and I'm super upset the series is coming to an end. Buut...this book, was not the epic conclusion i was expecting, i guess?

The pacing was very off and I didn't feel like this was the last book. The first 15% of reading the book was just me confused. It felt like shatter me with looong descriptions and the plot just not moving forward. Only at about 50% did the plot finally get somewhere and I sorta kinda had an idea of what was happening. Nothing was going right and i didn't see how the author would solve any of the problems without making it feel rushed. Again my love for the characters takes over when the plot doesn't deliver; hence the rating. But i was sliiiightly disappointed:/ to say the least

Aaron warner practically carries the entire series for me, so it was probably the lack of his pov; but this book was nowhere as good as Restore me or Defy me. idk if I'd be able to take frustrated-and-upset Aaron pov chapters though, so maybe it was for the best. Also Robo-J (as kenji would say) had me so frustrated ughh. The whole thing with Juliette finding Anderson attractive was also extremely weird and Max being amused by this was...just repulsive. It all felt very contrived and convoluted for the last book. I was just there like- okayyyy...?

The entire book was the equivalent of building up to something extremely insane, only for it to end up being ordinary at best.
The one thing i did love though? was the epilogue.

“I want to murder him in his sleep. No, I want to murder him when he's awake so he can see the joy on my face when I do it.”

A college hockey romance with fake dating? you already know i'm eating up that shit.

was it predictable? definitely. a little cliche? yes. did i also absolutely love it? yes yes yes.

There were some parts that made me want to stab somebody in the eyeball but the fun dialogue and the characters made up for the few stab-in-the-eye parts. For me, the highlight of the book was Hannah and Garrett's banter. Both of them were such great characters and I adored their relationship development. I also loved that they talked about their problems because i'm not a fan of the miscommunication trope. It was great to see protagonists openly talking about their issues and being honest with each other.
Moreover, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the dual pov.

super fun, cute and fast paced. definitely worth a read if you want to read something for pure entertainment.

rating: 3 / 5

“You were looking at her like you were in love with her!” “Jesus Christ, woman, I look at YOU like I'm in love with you!”

felt necessary

redundant

substantial,

3 facts for you:
1) i stayed up till like 3 am reading this.
2) i read all four volumes in one day.
3) you should definitely read heartstopper right now.

the third volume is all the love and friendships and characters in the first two books, but now they're on a paris trip. COULD IT POSSIBLY GET BETTER THAN THAT? { i haven't travelled in almost 2 years because of covid and this just made me so impossibly happy:) } THE PARIS SQUAD is my favourite friend group ever. they're just so precious.
I love Nick and Charlie so much and the whole time, i just wanted to yell at everybody who was mean to them.
!please!read! heartstopper!
(this is your sign to pick up the book)

if you haven't read this already, WHY????? you've been deprived of nick and charlie's existence for long enough. don't do that to yourselves anymore. READ IT!!!i love the illustrations and i love the characters. tara, darcy, tao AND TORI. GOD i love her so much:) she's so effortlessly incredible and cool!honestly, she makes me want to read [b:Solitaire 20618110 Solitaire Alice Oseman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680269555l/20618110.SY75.jpg 39901420] immediately.anyways, onto volume 3 and 4, i am absolutely binge reading them all today!