August 2020 Wrap-Up

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

August went and came very quickly, and while it was probably my least favourite month of the year, I read some phenomenal books this month!

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The first book I read this month was Playing Nice by JP Delaney. I had read one Delaney books before this newest publications, and even though I gave her previous book 5-stars, I enjoyed this one even more! This book encaptured every single trope I love to read in thrillers, and I absolutely loved the plot and characters. This book is worth every star, so I obviously gave it 5/5 stars! To read my full review, click here!

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The second book I read this month was The Swap by Robyn Harding. I had high expectations going into this novel, however, it did not live up to my hopes. Initially after completing this novel, I was so conflicted with my rating. I really enjoyed the writing, but I found the characters so difficult to read about. Overall, I gave this book a 2.25/5 stars.

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The third book I read this month was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I think that I am the last person on earth to read this book, but nonetheless, I think that it is one of the best books I have ever read in my entire life. It was such an emotional and heartbreaking story, and one that I will never forget. Of course, I rated this novel 5/5 stars.

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The fourth book I read this month was The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon. I received a finished copy of this book from HBG Canada in May, but didn’t have a chance to get around to it until this month. I wish I would have gotten to it sooner, as I loved it! It was such a fun and heartwarming contemporary romance, filled with so many great characters and a unique plot line. To read my full review, click here! I rated this book 5/5 stars!

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The fifth book I read this month was The Switch by Beth O’Leary. Last summer, I read The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, which was one of my favourite books in 2020! To say I had high expectations for this book is an understatement, yet somehow, this book blew me away! I loved every aspect of this contemporary novel, from the heartwarming setting and plot, to the outstanding characters and writing. To read my full review of this lovely novel, click here! I rated this book 5/5 stars, and at this moment it is in my Top 3 books of 2020!

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The sixth book I completed this month was The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. This was the first novel I completed on my new Kindle Paperwhite (and a review of the device will be coming next month)! I was not really sure what to expect from this novel, as I had never read a Ruth Ware thriller before, but I knew that she was a highly exclaimed thriller author. However, this book really disappointed me. To read my full review, click here. Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for the eARC!

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The seventh book I read this month was The First To Lie by Hank Phillippi Ryan. This was another eARC I received from Netgalley and TOR! A full review of this novel will be coming very soon!

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The eighth and final book I read this month was The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey. I rarely read books very far in advance from their official release date, but this was one of my most anticipated 2021 novels, so when I got approved for it on Netgalley, I read it immediately! I don’t want to spoil my review, but I will say that if this book interests you even in the slightest, do yourself a favour and pick it up as soon as it hits shelves!

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Those are all of the books I read in August! I can’t believe I read so many fantastic books this month, and I bet a lot of them will show up on my favourite books of the year list! Hopefully I will be able to continue to read so many great books over the last four months of 2020! What did you read this month?

Good Night Book Owls!

A Virtual HCC Frenzy Presents Fall 2020 Preview Recap!

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Due to COVID-19, the lovely ladies from Harper Collins Canada decided to run the annual Fall/Winter Frenzy Presents event live on Zoom! Frenzy Presents is an annual event run by the YA division of Harper Collins Canada – “Team Frenzy” – focused on sharing their new Fall/Winter 2020/2021 releases with Canadian bookish influencers! This was the fourth Frenzy Presents event I have attended, and one of the best ones yet – especially considering the circumstances!

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Over the course of about 45 mins, Team Frenzy shared their most anticipated YA HCC publications, so here are a few of mine!


*All synopsis taken from Goodreads.com. To find out more about the novel, simply click on the title and it will take you directly to their Goodreads pages.*

49151299Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam

The story that I thought
was my life
didn’t start on the day
I was born
Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. “Boys just being boys” turns out to be true only when those boys are white.
The story that I think
will be my life
starts today
Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it?
With spellbinding lyricism, award-winning author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam tell a moving and deeply profound story about how one boy is able to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth, in a system designed to strip him of both.

49867239Charming As A Verb by Ben Philippe

Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger can charm just about anyone. He is a star debater and popular student at the prestigious FATE academy, the dutiful first-generation Haitian son, and the trusted dog walker for his wealthy New York City neighbors. But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition to attend his dream college, Columbia University.
There is only one person who seems immune to Henri’s charms: his “intense” classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy. When she uncovers Henri’s less-than-honest dog-walking scheme, she blackmails him into helping her change her image at school. Henri agrees, seeing a potential upside for himself.
Soon what started as a mutual hustle turns into something more surprising than either of them ever bargained for. . . .

40599772._SY475_The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Prince North’s home is in the sky, in a gleaming city held aloft by intricate engines, powered by technology. Nimh is the living goddess of her people on the Surface, responsible for providing answers, direction—hope.
North’s and Nimh’s lives are entwined—though their hearts can never be. Linked by a terrifying prophecy and caught between duty and fate, they must choose between saving their people or succumbing to the bond that is forbidden between them.

Early Departures by Justin A. Reynolds 45734692._SX318_

Jamal’s best friend, Q, doesn’t know he’s about to die . . . again.
He also doesn’t know that Jamal tried to save his life, rescuing him from drowning only to watch Q die later in the hospital. Even more complicated, Jamal and Q haven’t been best friends in two years—not since Jamal’s parents died in a car accident, leaving him and his sister to carry on without them. Grief swallowed Jamal whole, and he blamed Q for causing the accident.
But what if Jamal could have a second chance? An impossible chance that would grant him the opportunity to say goodbye to his best friend? A new health-care technology allows Q to be reanimated—brought back to life like the old Q again. But there’s a catch: Q will only reanimate for a short time before he dies . . . forever.
Jamal is determined to make things right with Q, but grief is hard to shake.
And he can’t tell Q why he’s suddenly trying to be friends with him again. Because Q has no idea that he died, and Q’s mom is not about to let anyone ruin the miracle by telling him. How can Jamal fix his friendship with Q if he can’t tell him the truth?

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots 49867430

Anna does boring things for terrible people because even criminals need office help and she needs a job. Working for a monster lurking beneath the surface of the world isn’t glamorous. But is it really worse than working for an oil conglomerate or an insurance company? In this economy? As a temp, she’s just a cog in the machine. But when she finally gets a promising assignment, everything goes very wrong, and an encounter with the so-called “hero” leaves her badly injured. And, to her horror, compared to the other bodies strewn about, she’s the lucky one.
So, of course, then she gets laid off.
With no money and no mobility, with only her anger and internet research acumen, she discovers her suffering at the hands of a hero is far from unique. When people start listening to the story that her data tells, she realizes she might not be as powerless as she thinks.
Because the key to everything is data: knowing how to collate it, how to manipulate it, and how to weaponize it. By tallying up the human cost these caped forces of nature wreak upon the world, she discovers that the line between good and evil is mostly marketing. And with social media and viral videos, she can control that appearance.
It’s not too long before she’s employed once more, this time by one of the worst villains on earth. As she becomes an increasingly valuable lieutenant, she might just save the world.

All About Us by Tom Ellen* 50494580

If you could turn back the clock, would you choose a different life?
Ben’s always loved the month of December, but this year, with his relationship with Daphne on the rocks, it’s missing its usual magic. And then his old friend Alice gets back in touch. Ben’s always thought of Alice as the one that got away, and he can’t help but wonder: what if he’d done things differently all those years ago?
He never imagines he might get to find out… but when a stranger sells Ben a mysterious watch one freezing winter’s night, he’s astonished to wake up the next morning on 5th December 2005: the day he first kissed Daphne, leaving Alice behind.
Now Ben must make the biggest decision of his life, all over again. But this time around, will he finally find the courage to follow his heart?
All About Us is a captivating novel of heartbreak and loss, friendship and hope – and how the choices we make throughout our lives will shape our destiny. *adult title


Those are the books from HCC Frenzy’s upcoming YA publications that I am very excited to read! Thanks to Ashley, Marisol, Maeve, and the rest of the HCC Frenzy team for inviting me to attend another one of your spectacular Frenzy Presents events!

Good Night Book Owls!

My First Book Depository Haul!

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Just under a month ago, during The Reading Rush, I placed a small order from Book Depository using TRR coupon code! I had never purchased from Book Depository before, but I have heard about it numerous times ever since I started this blog in 2013. Truthfully, I thought it was another “big-name” book retailer, and did not realize that they had a lot of books for discounted prices, and free shipping no minimum to Canada! While it took about three works for all of my books to arrive, I am so happy about what I received, and I look forward to purchasing books from them in the (distant) future!

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The first book I purchased from Book Depository was His & Hers by Alice Feeny. This book actually arrived one week before the others did, even though it was the last one to ship (needless to say, the mail has been very unpredictable ever since COVID-19 began). I have never read any of Alice Feeny’s backlist titles, however, I was very intrigued by her newest release ever since I heard a snippet of the plot. Plus, Book Depository mostly ships out the UK editions of novels, and I absolutely love this cover!

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The second book I ordered from Book Depository was You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson. I cannot recall the last time I read a YA (Young Adult) novel, however, this one has been getting such high praise from practically every one who has read it, and since they synopsis interests me, I thought I would give it a try! This novel is the first pick for Reese Witherspoon’s new YA book club, which is incredibly exciting!

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The third book I ordered from Book Depository was A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson. I have been eyeing this book ever since it was published last year, and I was so happy to see a UK Paperback edition available for purchase! After opening the package, I was surprised to see how thick this book is, but I am sure I will be able to read it in no time!

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The fourth and final book I purchased from Book Depository was Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid! If you are active in the online book community, I am 99.99% sure you have already seen and heard of this novel. It has been getting some well-deserved hype, especially due to all of the tragic and heartbreaking events that have been happening in the world recently. I am really looking forward to reading this novel, and hope it lives up to my high expectations!

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Those are the four books I purchased from Book Depository! I could not be happier with my purchase!

Good Night Book Owls!

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P.S. Check out the gorgeous bookmarks that came with my order!!!

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware (eARC) | A Reading, Reading, Reading Review

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Ruth Ware is one of the most well known mystery/thriller authors in the genre. She has written and published seven mystery/thriller novels, all of which have become hugely successful. Her newest novel, set to be released in September 2020, is already receiving high praise. I had never read a Ruth Ware novel before reading The Turn of the Key, her 2019 publication.

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Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.
What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.
Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.
It was everything.
She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder. Which means someone else is.

Truthfully, I was very disappointed in this novel. I had expected great things from Ruth Ware, and this novel did not live up to the hype, in my opinion.

The pacing of this novel was very confusing. It was a quick read for me, but that could be because I am a fast reader in general (especially at a time like the one we are currently living in). However, I was very engrossed in the story and constantly wanted to know what was going on. I was genuinely scared at times, and had to flip my lights on during some chapters when I was getting creeped out – especially because I read this book over the span of two late nights!

Something I did enjoy was the writing style. This book is written in letters to a potential lawyer that Rowan, the protagonist, wants to use for her trial. She is essentially convincing him to come and help her case. However, I wish the letters were a bit shorter and more urgent sounding. It read as if she was just re-telling her side of the story, when in reality, I wish she would have done more convincing.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the ending. Believe it or not, at around the 75% mark, I saw it coming, but I enjoyed how Ruth Ware revealed it, and specifically how she wrote it. However, the main plot twist pertaining to the main character and the real reason why she applied to be their nanny I did not see coming at all!

I think what it came down to was the fact that I did not care about any of the characters. I am not someone who needs to read about likeable characters, in fact, I am a big fan of unreliable and unlikeable narrators. In this particular book, since I did not care about any of the characters, I found it hard to emotionally care about the plot line and the events that happened.

Overall, I gave this book a 2.25/5 stars. I do not understand all of the hype surrounding this novel, but I hope her 2020 release makes up for my thoughts on this one! Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for sending an eARC of this book my way!

Good Night Book Owls!

The Switch by Beth O’Leary | A Reading, Reading, Reading Review

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

Believe it or not, I have taken a short break from my dark and crazy mystery/thrillers and have been working my way through my unread contemporary romance novels! Although I claim that my favourite genre is mystery/thriller, contemporary romance novels always seem to take up a good chunk of my favourite books at the end of every year. Last year, I read Beth O’Leary’s debut novel, The Flatshare, and while it did not make my favourite books list, there is no doubt that her most recent publication, The Switch, will!

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Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen.
Once Leena learns of Eileen’s romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.
Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn’t as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?

This book was the equivalent of a chef’s kiss. It was perfection in every sense, and ever since I have finished the novel, I have been contemplating whether it is currently my #1 favourite book of the year!

What made this novel so great was the quirky, unique, and overall wonderful cast of characters. There were quite a few characters in this novel, but I never found them hard to keep track or remember. I became so emotionally attached to almost all of the characters, and found myself caring for them so much. I specifically loved Arnold, Martha, and Fitz’s characters, as they were side characters that added so much to the novel.

The writing in this novel really stood out to me while I was reading it. Like The Flatshare, this novel was written in dual perspective. Both points of view were written with very distinct voices, and I never had aa problem remembering which perspective I was reading from. The characters voices were established very well from the very beginning of the novel, which I enjoyed and appreciated immensely. In most cases of dual POV stories, often times one voice will stick out more than the other, and in this case, that voice was Eileen, the 79-year-old grandmother to Leena. Her voice was incredibly witty and humours, and it was such a joy reading all of her chapters!

I also really appreciated the way Beth O’Leary wrote both of the settings in this novel. Leena lives in a small village a couple of hours away from London. O’Leary wrote the town to perfection, and it really felt like I was in a small town when reading from her perspective.

Typically, I am not a huge fan of character driven novels, because I love plots with a clear problem and solution. However, this one was spectacular. Overall, I absolutely loved this novel and gave it 5/5 stars. And although I gave The Flatshare 5/5 stars as well, I somehow liked this novel 10x more! If you are a fan of character driven contemporary novels, I would highly suggest giving this one a try!

Good Night Book Owls!

The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon (FC) | A Reading, Reading, Reading Review

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

After reading so many mystery/thrillers over the past few months, I was in need of a good romance “palette cleanser” novel. I had a few of them to chose from, so I decided to read through the first page to see which one intrigued me the most. When I picked up the  novel, The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon, I read the first line – “Alexa, play Drake.” and I knew this was the one for me! {Also, NEW DRAKE TODAY!}

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Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

Samiah Brooks never thought she would be “that” girl. But a live tweet of a horrific date just revealed the painful truth: she’s been catfished by a three-timing jerk of a boyfriend. Suddenly Samiah-along with his two other “girlfriends,” London and Taylor-have gone viral online. Now the three new besties are making a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves. No men, no dating, and no worrying about their relationship status . . .
For once Samiah is putting herself first, and that includes finally developing the app she’s always dreamed of creating. Which is the exact moment she meets the deliciously sexy, honey-eyed Daniel Collins at work. What are the chances? When it comes to love, there’s no such thing as a coincidence. But is Daniel really boyfriend material or is he maybe just a little too good to be true?

This was the PERFECT romance for me. Since both of the main characters, Samiah and Daniel, work at a huge tech company, I really loved the tech elements presented in this book. I really loved reading about all of the projects they were tasked with and all of the extra tech-talk that was written in this novel.

Of course, one of the best elements of their workplace was the fact that Samiah was a women in a powerful position. In the male-dominated tech-world, it was so nice to read about a women of colour in a high-up position, who was respected and appreciated for by her employees and employers. I never enjoy reading the trope of the “unappreciated female employee”, so I was very happy that that was not included in this novel. Since Samiah is an important asset to her male-dominated company, there is a lot of great commentary about women – specifically women of colour – working in the tech industry and trying their best to succeed in order to keep doorways open for other women like them. A lot of the commentary was not something that I had ever read before or thought about, so I was incredibly grateful to have been opened up to those conversations.

One of my favourite aspects of this novel was reading about the strong female friendships between Samiah, London, and Taylor. Although they are brought together by an unfortunate event, their friendship blossomed throughout the story and was simply a joy to read. I have a strong group of friends like the one written about in this novel, and it made me appreciate them even more!

And of course, I LOVED Daniel! He was definitely my favourite character in this novel. Without spoiling anything, he does some questionable things in this novel, but they are all for a purpose and easy to understand. He is put in some hard situations, and even Samiah comes to understand why he did what he did. I loved Daniel and Samiah’s relationship from the very beginning of this novel, as they liked each other right away. I know the hate-to-love relationship trope is very popular, but I find it to be a tad overdone. I really enjoyed the pace of their relationship, and I enjoyed reading about every aspect of it!

The writing in this novel is nothing special, but I appreciated that the synopsis began and ended within the first 50 pages of the novel, and truthfully, most of what occurs in the novel, is not even mentioned in the synopsis at all! As for the “steamy scenes” (as I like to call them!), they were the perfect amount of sweet and steamy, and were not to overly descriptive. In my opinion, it was the perfect amount for a contemporary romance.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and gave it 5/5 stars. Thanks to HBG Canada for providing me with a finished copy to read and review!

Good Night Book Owls!

P.S. I’m low-key convinced the Farrah Rochon and myself are the same person based on her author-bio on the bag of the novel! We both love reading, travelling, Walt Disney World and Broadway shows!!

What I’m Reading for the Week of August 10-16, 2020 | Weekly Reading Plans #5

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I have recently been realizing that while I share my book reviews and ratings on my blog, my Bookstagram account is often the place where I share what I am currently reading. However, I want to change that and bring back my Weekly Reading Plans posts! I have not done one of these since 2015, and you can read that post here (it is a tad cringe worthy…).

Ever since the month of July, I have been reading a lot of books and at an incredibly fast pace. Over the past few days, I have been taking my reading very slowly and have been focusing on one long book (which you will see in just a second!), which I have been LOVING. Slowing down my reading and taking my time with the story has been so great, as I find myself thinking about the characters more and connecting with them a lot better.

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The book I have been slowly reading is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Funny enough, this book was featured in a WRP post in 2014! Believe it or not, I have only ever read bits and pieces of this book over the past several years. I think when I picked this book up in 2014, I was a bit too young and did not appreciate the story or writing style as I am right now. When I picked this book up at the end of last week, I was in the mood to read a historical fiction novel – which is a genre I don’t think I’ve read from since 2015! I am so happy that I decided to pick this book up, and plan on finishing it today (Monday)!

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After TBT, I plan on reading The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. Ever since I have been on my mystery/thriller book, I have been neglecting my unread adult romance books. The last romance novel I read was Beach Read, and as of right now, that book is #2 on my Best Books of 2020 list! I have super high expectations for this novel, as everyone and their mother (including my own!!!) has read this one and absolutely adored it!

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The last book I hope to read this week is The Night Swim by Megan Goldin. I pre-ordered this book back in July, and it came in the mail a few weeks ago. I love mystery/thriller novels that have a tech trope in it, and this one features a podcast! I have read some stellar reviews on this novel, and hope I love it as much as I have been loving a lot of other new mystery/thrillers lately!

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Those are the books I hope to read over the next seven days! What are you reading plans for this week?

Good Night Book Owls!

Netflix Announces a Nurse “Ratched” Original Series!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

As part of my AP English course that I took last academic year, I was required to read, analyze, and write about One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Keesey. I had never heard of the novel before, and was weary about reading it because I normally do not enjoy books that mostly take place in hospitals. However, to my surprise, I enjoyed the book immensely and absolutely loved Nurse Ratched.

The novel, itself, takes place in a psychiatric hospital ward. Nurse Ratched is the antagonist, who oversees the operations of the ward, and is loathed by practically every patient in the novel. I was immediately drawn to her character, as I typically enjoy reading from the perspective of, or about, a villainous characters. And Nurse Ratched was no exception! For our final project to complete on the novel, we had to create a very lengthy and detailed character analysis, and I chose to complete it on Nurse Ratched herself!

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After watching the Les Miserables: Staged Concert on my TV (do yourself a favour and purchase a copy from your digital media provider – it was extraordinary!), I went on YouTube before finishing up my night by starting a new novel! Coincidentally, Netflix had posted a new original trailer titled “Ratched”, that seemed to be getting a lot of buzz.

It wasn’t until the trailer hit the middle section until I realized what it was about. Netflix was going to be releasing a TV series about one of my favourite fictional characters of all time, Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest! If you haven’t seen the glorious trailer, featuring none other than Sarah Paulson, find it below!

The series will essentially be a prequel to the original novel, sharing the origin story of Nurse Ratched.

According to Netflix, the first season of the series will be coming out on September 18 (were they prepared for COVID-19 or what?!). We also know that Brandon Flynn and Sophie Okonodeo will play major roles in the series.

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I can’t remember the last time I watched a TV series on Netflix, but this one will be watched immediately upon release! I have never done a TV series review on the blog, but that will be changing after I watch “Ratched” in full!

Are you excited for this new Netflix original series? Will you be watching it?

Good Night Book Owls!

Playing Nice by J.P. Delaney | A Reading, Reading, Reading Review

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

As you may know by now, I have recently been reading new Mystery/Thriller novels like it is nobody’s business! The mystery/thriller genre has been my favourite since 2018, but I think I have read more books from that genre this year than I did all of last year! In 2019, I read J.P. Delaney’s The Perfect Wife, and while I really enjoyed it, I did not find to be very memorable. However, with her newest mystery/thriller Playing Nice, I don’t think I will be able to forget this story or these characters for a very long time.

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Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

Pete Riley answers the door one morning and lets in a parent’s worst nightmare. On his doorstep is Miles Lambert, a stranger who breaks the devastating news that Pete’s son, Theo, isn’t actually his son–he is the Lamberts’, switched at birth by an understaffed hospital while their real son was sent home with Miles and his wife, Lucy. For Pete, his partner Maddie, and the little boy they’ve been raising for the past two years, life will never be the same again.
The two families, reeling from the shock, take comfort in shared good intentions, eagerly entwining their very different lives in the hope of becoming one unconventional modern family. But a plan to sue the hospital triggers an official investigation that unearths some disturbing questions about the night their children were switched. How much can they trust the other parents–or even each other? What secrets are hidden behind the Lamberts’ glossy front door? Stretched to the breaking point, Pete and Maddie discover they will each stop at nothing to keep their family safe.
They are done playing nice.

There are two word I would use to describe this book: simply stellar. Everything about this book was so simple, but done to such a high degree of effectiveness. The overall concept of this novel is unique, but done so simply with such intricate emphasis on the plot. As I previously shared, I have read one other J.P. Delaney book, The Perfect Wife (click here to read my review), and while I enjoyed that one, I enjoyed this novel so much more. I found as the story in The Perfect Wife developed, it became less and less realistic, whereas that never happened with this one. I truly think what makes this book so thrilling, is not due to any specific detail in the novel itself, but rather the plot seems so horrifyingly realistic.

In the past, I’ve had issues with the pacing and longevity of thrillers—especially those that are around the 400 page mark. Some seem to drag on for ages, and not everything in them tends to be necessary for the overall development of the plot. However, this book felt like one of the shortest thrillers I have ever read—even though it is over 400 pages! The pacing of this novel was impeccable, and since this book has small twists or conversations that lead you to want to continue reading at the end of each chapter, I read the book so quickly, which in this case, I did unintentionally. Sometimes, especially in readathons, I will read quickly for a purpose, but this book was so engrossing and captivating that it pushed me to read it at an unusually quick speed.

The POV style of this book was very surprising, and immediately caught me off guard. You would think that a novel that centres around a pair of couples whose children were accidentally swapped at the NICU upon birth would be written in two POVS—one person from each respective couple. However, in this novel, the book is written from two POVs—the man and woman who have a partnership together (they are not married). As the plot line develops, it is unknown as to why the author made this choice, but when you get to the last few chapters, it suddenly becomes clear.

The writing itself was very simple, but incredibly enjoyable. I find that in thrillers, I appreciate simple yet clear writing, as it makes the story easy to read and helps to pick the pace of the book up, even if it is a little bit slow, unlike this particular novel.

The characters were very, very interesting. Immediately upon reading this book, I felt attached to Pete, the father of Theo. He is a stay-at-home father, a profession that is not typically amplified enough in many adult novels. He is a very kind and sensitive person, and takes passion in taking care of his son while his wife is at work. Because I liked him so much, it was easy to care deeply about his emotions and thoughts while the story developed. I also really enjoyed reading from Maddie’s perspective, Pete’s partner and Theo’s mother. She has a very distinct and ominous voice throughout the book, and her character developed into something unexpected but very appreciated as the novel concluded.

This book was an amazing mystery/thriller, that embodied everything I love about and in mystery/thriller novels. I rated this book 5/5 stars, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys novels centred around family dynamics, children, or court room dramas.

Good Night Book Owls!

Read-EH-Thon TBR

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

It feels like I just posted a TBR recently, doesn’t it? 😉

The Read-EH-Thon is a Canadian inspired readathon hosted by an abundance of Canadian book influencers! Personally, I discovered this readathon last year, as it is hosted by BooksandLala, one of my all-time favourite BookTubers. The Read-EH-Thon challenges you to read as many books, written by Canadian authors, as you can. There is also a bingo card that features 16 challenges, with the goal of you completing 4, meaning you would have a “BINGO”! However, I am on a book buying ban for the month of August (just wait until you see my next book haul…), so I have decided to compile my TBR by choosing books written by Canadian authors, regardless of if they complete a challenge or not. Nonetheless, the bingo card is below!

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Some of the books I have chosen happen to fit some of the prompts/challenges, but some of them do not.

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The first book I plan on reading for the Read-EH-Thon is The End Of Her by Shari Lapena. I pre-ordered this book a few weeks before it came out, and it just released on July 23! I have read Lapena’s previous novel The Couple Next Door, and while I did not love the ending, I loved her writing immensely and decided to give her newest novel a chance. This one is a domestic thriller, which are my absolute favourite type of thrillers to read, so I hope I love this one! This book completes the challenge of having nature on the cover.

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The next book I hope to read for the readathon is Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I initially had this one on my Reading Rush TBR, but ultimately decided to wait for this readathon to read it, as Mandel is a proud Canadian! I have heard nothing but phenomenal things about this novel, and I hope it lives up to all of the hype! This book completes the challenge of reading a book that was nominated for a Canadian book award.

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I then hope to read The Swap by Robyn Harding. I had no idea that Harding was a Canadian author, but I was thrilled to find that out after I purchased this novel! As I shared above, I love domestic thrillers, and I believe this book revolves around two couples who swap partners. I have heard that this book is incredibly entertaining and fact paced, which will make it a great pick to read for this readathon!

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Next, I hope to read Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali. I read Ali’s 2019 publication, Love From A To Z, which I loved, so I hope to enjoy this one just as much! This book completes the challenge of reading an Immigrant/Refugee story.

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The second last book I hope to read for the readathon is What My Sister Knew by Nina Laurin. Nina Laurin is one of my favourite thriller authors, and this is her 2018 release. I picked it up last year after reading The Starter Wife, but never got around to it. I hope enjoy this one as much as I have enjoyed her last two novels!

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The last book I hope to read for the Read-EH-Thon is The Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-El. I received an ARC of this book from Simon and Schuster Canada quite a while ago, but never got around to it. I am normally not someone who requests children’s/early reader/middle grade novels, but I believe this one is supposed to be an adaption of Winnie The Poo, which sounds great to me! This book completes the challenge of reading a Canadian children’s book.

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Those are all of the books I hope to read for the Read-EH-Thon! I don’t think I will be able to get to all six of these books, but if I get to four, I will be really happy with my reading for the week! Are you participating in this Canadian readathon?!

Good Night Book Owls!