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In between school work, the constant stream of depressing news, and walks around the neighbourhood with my parents, it has been quite challenging to find the time (or motivation) to pick up a book (for pleasure) and read it all the way through. Alas, my reading slump has now ended thanks entirely to The Trouble With Hating You by Sajni Patel. This book was a real treat to read, and the perfect novel to stop my long lasting reading slump!

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

Liya Thakkar is a successful biochemical engineer, takeout enthusiast, and happily single woman. The moment she realizes her parents’ latest dinner party is a setup with the man they want her to marry, she’s out the back door in a flash. Imagine her surprise when the same guy shows up at her office a week later — the new lawyer hired to save her struggling company. What’s not surprising: he’s not too thrilled to see her either after that humiliating fiasco.
Jay Shah looks good on paper…and off. Especially if you like that whole gorgeous, charming lawyer-in-a-good-suit thing. He’s also arrogant and infuriating. As their witty office banter turns into late night chats, Liya starts to think he might be the one man who truly accepts her. But falling for each other means exposing their painful pasts. Will Liya keep running, or will she finally give love a real chance?

This book was magic from beginning to end! While I will admit the story seemed to begin fairly slowly, I was incredibly surprised by how the pace picked up, and from there, the story really took off! Before reading this book, I was in the mood for a light adult romance, but I’d say that categorization is actually a bit off. I would not really call this book a romance, as it is not steamy in even the smallest way. It is actually a very deep and emotional story, which can be triggering for some readers. This book is not your everyday hate to love romance, but rather a hard hitting adult contemporary featuring a great cast of strong, Indian characters.

In books like this, the characters usually make it or break it for me. Luckily, I really enjoyed Liya and Jay, the main characters in this novel. This book is written in dual-POV, which made it easy to quickly care for the characters and understand their emotions. Liya is a very independent and head-strong character, which is very different than what other woman in her community are like. While I thought she was being overly stubborn at times, her actions always had proper reasoning and understanding. Jay is possibly my new favourite fictional character of all time! I absolutely adored his character, as he was both strong and sensitive, and was never afraid to stand up for himself (or his lady!).

Other than the two main characters, the friendships in this book are so inspiring and admirable. Liya has a mighty and tight inner circle of friends who always have her back, while Jay is very close to his immediate family. All of the friendships and relationships in this book made me feel so happy to read about, especially since I have not been seeing my friends as often as I’d like to (thanks to COVID-19, of course). This book made me appreciate the unconditional love I have with my parents and others, and reminded me never to take it for granted, especially since Liya has a lot of trouble with her parents.

The writing in this book is absolutely phenomenal. While I had a few small pacing issues throughout the story, the writing was immaculate and astonishing for a debut author! Sometimes in novels written in dual-perspective, it can be hard to remember which character is narrating a certain chapter, however, I found the two main perspective’s voices distinguishable and very easy to follow.

Overall, I loved this book and gave it 4.75/5 stars! If you are looking for a light but emotional book to read this summer, I HIGHLY suggest picking this one up! Thanks to HBG Canada for sending me a finished copy of this book!

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

I apologize for the lack of posts this month. I have been very busy at school, specifically trying to get settled in all of my classes this semester. I have only read two books in 2020 thus far, but my reading pace has been picking up over the past week! I was able to complete Perfect Little Children by Sophie Hannah in just three days, and if that doesn’t explain how much I enjoyed it, I don’t know what does!

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

All Beth has to do is drive her son to his Under-14s away match, watch him play, and bring him home.
Just because she knows her ex-best friend lives near the football ground, that doesn’t mean she has to drive past her house and try to catch a glimpse of her. Why would Beth do that, and risk dredging up painful memories? She hasn’t seen Flora for twelve years. She doesn’t want to see her today, or ever again.
But she can’t resist. She parks outside the open gates of Newnham House, watches from across the road as Flora and her children Thomas and Emily step out of the car. Except… There’s something terribly wrong. Flora looks the same, only older. As Beth would have expected. It’s the children. Twelve years ago, Thomas and Emily were five and three years old. Today, they look precisely as they did then.
They are still five and three. They are Thomas and Emily without a doubt – Hilary hears Flora call them by their names – but they haven’t changed at all.
They are no taller, no older… Why haven’t they grown?

This book was really, really excellent. I had never read anything from Sophie Hannah before, and I was very pleasantly surprised by her writing. It was easy to follow and straight to the point. Since the characters are English, I enjoyed the small touches of typical English lingo.

The characters in this novel were really interesting to read about. Throughout the novel, I was constantly struggling to determine if the main character, Beth, is an unreliable narrator or not. Near the middle of the novel, we figure out the definite answer, which was enjoyable to read. I also really enjoyed the other central characters, especially Suzzanne, Beth’s teenage daughter. I thought her character added a lot to the story overall, and her development throughout the novel was fantastic. I would have loved to have read more about the side characters, specifically Thomas and Emily and other people in their household (no spoilers here!).

This book took many twists and turns, however, I found the ending to be quite anti-climactic. There was nothing about it that shocked me, and there were a few twists I had personally thought of that would have added a little more suspense to the ending.

While reading this book, I was surprised that this novel was not more popular on bookstagram. Even though I haven’t been super active on Instagram lately, this seems like this book would have a lot more discussion if it was released from one of the more “mainstream” thriller authors. This one was definitely up to par with some very well-established thriller authors, including Ruth Ware, Riley Sager, Sarah Pinborough, and others. If you enjoyed books from those authors in the past, I highly recommend this novel to you.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and gave it 4/5 stars. It is not one of my new favourite mystery/thriller novels, but it is definitely one of the best one’s I have read recently!

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

It is currently November 4, 2019, when I am writing this, and it is crazy to believe that when you are reading this we are already a few weeks into 2020! Pure insanity! Last year, I managed to read all of Karen M. McManus’s books, and throughly enjoyed her first two publications, so it’s no surprise that I enjoyed this one as well!

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

Come on, Bayview, you know you’ve missed this.
A ton of copycat gossip apps have popped up since Simon died, but in the year since the Bayview four were cleared of his shocking death, no one’s been able to fill the gossip void quite like he could. The problem is no one has the facts.
Until now.
This time it’s not an app, though—it’s a game.
Truth or Dare.
Phoebe’s the first target. If you choose not to play, it’s a truth. And hers is dark.
Then comes Maeve and she should know better—always choose the dare.
But by the time Knox is about to be tagged, things have gotten dangerous. The dares have become deadly, and if Maeve learned anything from Bronwyn last year, it’s that they can’t count on the police for help. Or protection.
Simon’s gone, but someone’s determined to keep his legacy at Bayview High alive. And this time, there’s a whole new set of rules.

While this book is being marketed as a sequel for McManus’ first book “One of Us Is Lying”, I would argue that this is more of a campion novel. If you read a spoiler review of OOUIL, you could easily read this book without confusion. One of my biggest reasons for not reading many sequels is simply because I do not remember all of the characters and their relationships that take place during the first book, so I was very happy to find that this book focuses on the secondary characters in OOUIL with just a touch of the main characters spread throughout it.

I really loved all of the characters in this novel. I was truly invested in each of their stories, and I enjoyed reading from all of their perspectives. Sometimes when I read a three-person POV, I am only interested in one or two of the characters points-of-view, but in this book, I genuinely enjoyed reading from all three! I liked how they were all somehow connected to the “Bayview Core Four”, but they were all very different characters at the same time.

While Karen M. McManus’s writing is some of my all-time favourite YA writing, I will admit that at times the story seemed to drag on. I am somebody who wants to see all scenes of a novel connect and contribute to the flow and conclusion of the story, and I do not think all of the scenes were very relevant in this book.

That being said, the final plot twist in this novel was SHOCKING. It will probably be one of the most hyped and talked about ending twists of 2020… and for good reason! This is one plot twist that I would have never predicted, which is really surprising since this book falls in the YA category.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and rated it 4/5 stars. Thanks to Penguin Teen Canada for the ARC! Be sure to pick up a copy of this book as soon as possible, as it officially releases in stores today!

Good Night Book Owls!

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When I first heard that Cynthia Hand was publishing a new book, I immediatley knew I wanted to get my hands on it. Cynthia’s 2017 release THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE was my second favourite books of 2018! Even though her new 2019 release, THE HOW AND THE WHY, is a very different book, I was still so excited to get my hands on it! Fortunately, I got my hands on an ARC of it at the HCC Frenzy Presents event I attended in August!

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

A poignant exploration of family and the ties that bind, perfect for fans of Far From the Tree, from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand.
Today Melly had us writing letters to our babies…
Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for. They’ve given Cass a life she wouldn’t trade for the world. She has everything she needs—except maybe the one thing she wants. Like, to know who she is. Where she came from. Questions her adoptive parents can’t answer, no matter how much they love her.
But eighteen years ago, someone wrote Cass a series of letters. And they may just hold the answers Cass has been searching for.
Alternating between Cass’s search for answers and letters from the pregnant teen who gave her up for adoption, this voice-driven narrative is the perfect read for fans of Nina LaCour and Jandy Nelson.

WOW. This book was breathtaking.

The characters in this novel were so well developed and crafted. I felt that I knew each character so well, and they all seemed very real to me. Cass’s closeness to her parents and overall value/importance of family was one of my favourite parts of the story. You could tell that she cared so much for them and loved them with all her heart.

The writing in this book was so effortless but meaningful. This book had some of the most beautiful ending chapter quotes I have ever read, and I truly loved some of the messages that were written in them. One of my favourite aspects of this novel was the flash backs that were written as letters from Cassandra’s biological mother. They gave us an insight to her biological mother’s life, while also sharing her hopes and aspirations for her future daughter, even though she was giving her up for adoption. These letters were so touching and beautiful, and often resulted in multiple tears being shed!

The overall story was so fantastic! It flowed at a perfect pace, and did not include any scenes that weren’t important to the story.

Overall, I loved this book and gave it 5/5 stars! Thanks again to HCC Frenzy for the ARC!

Good Night Book Owls!

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Last month I had the pleasure of reading FULL DISCLOSURE by Camryn Garrett (courtesy of an ARC provided by Penguin Teen Canada). This book blew away my initial expectations, and I am so excited to share my full review with you!

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

In a community that isn’t always understanding, an HIV-positive teen must navigate fear, disclosure, and radical self-acceptance when she falls in love–and lust–for the first time. Powerful and uplifting, Full Disclosure will speak to fans of Angie Thomas and Nicola Yoon.
Simone Garcia-Hampton is starting over at a new school, and this time things will be different. She’s making real friends, making a name for herself as student director of Rent, and making a play for Miles, the guy who makes her melt every time he walks into a room. The last thing she wants is for word to get out that she’s HIV-positive, because last time . . . well, last time things got ugly.
Keeping her viral load under control is easy, but keeping her diagnosis under wraps is not so simple. As Simone and Miles start going out for real–shy kisses escalating into much more–she feels an uneasiness that goes beyond butterflies. She knows she has to tell him that she’s positive, especially if sex is a possibility, but she’s terrified of how he’ll react! And then she finds an anonymous note in her locker: I know you have HIV. You have until Thanksgiving to stop hanging out with Miles. Or everyone else will know too.
Simone’s first instinct is to protect her secret at all costs, but as she gains a deeper understanding of the prejudice and fear in her community, she begins to wonder if the only way to rise above is to face the haters head-on…

As I shared above, this book obliterated my expectations. Everything about it was done perfectly and with purpose.

The characters in this book felt so real. While I didn’t personally connect with the main character, Simone, it was so interesting to read from a perspective of a girl that is HIV positive. The side characters were all so supportive of the main character, which was obviously so great to read about. I LOVED Miles (Simone’s love interest), as he treated her like any other girlfriend that he would have, regardless of her HIV. Simone has two fathers raising her, which was a fantastic addition to an already diverse novel.

Like I said in the previous paragraph, this book had a wide variety of representation. From Simone having two fathers, to a POC HIV-positive main character, there are a lot of things that YA readers will read in this novel that they may not have read before.

The overall plot was great. The story was very interesting and beautiful written. While I thought that some scenes in the story dragged on a little bit, I understand why they were written in. The overall flow of the book was great, too!

Possibly my favourite part of the book was the writing style. It went so perfectly with the overall importance of this story.

Overall, I absolutely loved FULL DISCLOSURE and rated it 5/5 stars! Thanks to Penguin Teen Canada for sending me the ARC! I highly encourage you all to pick up this book, especially since it comes out today!

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

Back in May, I had the pleasure of attending the Penguin Teen Social. At the event, we got to meet several different authors and have several different books signed. When I heard that Tanaz Bhathena, the author of THE BEAUTY OF THE MOMENT, was going to be at the event signing her book, I was SO excited to meet her and pick up a copy of it! I had been wanting to read it ever since I received it at PTS, and have finally read and finished it yesterday!

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

Susan is the new girl—she’s sharp and driven, and strives to meet her parents’ expectations of excellence. Malcolm is the bad boy—he started raising hell at age fifteen, after his mom died of cancer, and has had a reputation ever since.
Susan’s parents are on the verge of divorce. Malcolm’s dad is a known adulterer.
Susan hasn’t told anyone, but she wants to be an artist. Malcolm doesn’t know what he wants—until he meets her.
Love is messy and families are messier, but in spite of their burdens, Susan and Malcolm fall for each other. The ways they drift apart and come back together are testaments to family, culture, and being true to who you are.

This is easily one of the sweetest YA contemporary books I have ever read! It was very cute, but also featured a lot of really important themes.

I loved how the theme of family was a heavily weighted aspect of this book. Almost every other scene was with either Susan or Malcolm’s parents, and I really enjoyed the contrast between them. Both main characters came from rough childhoods, but were both trying constantly thinking about the relationship they had with their parents. Their parents were big influences in their lives, for both good and bad reasons.

Another one of my favourite parts of this book was the cultures that both Susan and Malcolm came from. They both came from similar, but very different places, which meant that some of their traditions and holidays differentiated from one another. I really enjoyed learning about their cultures, as well as the different ways they called their elders!

I also really liked how the book was written. It was written in first-person perspective, and dual-POV, which makes readers really get in the heads of the two main characters. However, I never felt myself fully connect or empathize with Susan and Malcolm. They were very basic YA teen characters, and while they did develop quite a bit throughout this story, I didn’t really care for or about them.

Asside from the characters, I thought that the story dragged on a bit. Some of the scenes seemed a bit receptive, and I found that the characters were doing the exact same five things throughout the entire story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this YA contemporary, and gave it 4/5 stars. Thanks to Penguin Teen Canada for the finished copy, and thanks to Tanaz Bhathena for signing it for me!

Good Night Book Owls!

Welcome back to Reading, Reading, Reading!

Believe it or not, I have never read a Riley Sager book before! Riley is a critically acclaimed Mystery/Thriller writer, but even though I am a huge fan of that genre, I have still never read any of his books… until now! When I first heard about this novel, I knew I needed to read it, as it focuses on one of my favourite mystery tropes, a mysterious well-known building. And while I wouldn’t say that this is one of my new favourite thrillers, Riley definitely didn’t disappoint!

Synopsis (Goodreads.com):

No visitors. No nights spent away from the apartment. No disturbing the other residents, all of whom are rich or famous or both. These are the only rules for Jules Larsen’s new job as an apartment sitter at the Bartholomew, one of Manhattan’s most high-profile and mysterious buildings. Recently heartbroken and just plain broke, Jules is taken in by the splendor of her surroundings and accepts the terms, ready to leave her past life behind.
As she gets to know the residents and staff of the Bartholomew, Jules finds herself drawn to fellow apartment sitter Ingrid, who comfortingly, disturbingly reminds her of the sister she lost eight years ago. When Ingrid confides that the Bartholomew is not what it seems and the dark history hidden beneath its gleaming facade is starting to frighten her, Jules brushes it off as a harmless ghost story . . . until the next day, when Ingrid disappears.
Searching for the truth about Ingrid’s disappearance, Jules digs deeper into the Bartholomew’s dark past and into the secrets kept within its walls. Her discovery that Ingrid is not the first apartment sitter to go missing at the Bartholomew pits Jules against the clock as she races to unmask a killer, expose the building’s hidden past, and escape the Bartholomew before her temporary status becomes permanent.

HOLY… this book was one wild ride!

To be completely honest with you, throughout the beginning and middle of the book, I thought it was quite boring and dragged on a lot. I didn’t feel any connection towards any of the characters, and thought that I had predicted the ending of the book at the halfway point. It took me over a week to read just the first two-thirds of the novel, which justifies me saying that it seemed boring and slow. However, the ending was crazy and super unpredictable! I did not see it coming at all, and was so crazy to read about!

By far my favourite thing about this book was the writing. The writing was so clear and crisp, which made it super easy to visualize everything. Even though I thought the pacing was off during the majority of the book, the writing captivated my attention throughout the entirety of the novel. I also loved how there were little two-page snippets into the future at the end of each section of the book. The peaks into the future made the story super intriguing and even more eery as I read further and further.

Like I said earlier, I didn’t particularly love any of the characters. I don’t think they developed at all throughout the novel. I would have loved to have learned even more about them, especially since there aren’t too many characters that we read about in this novel.

Even if you are a seasoned Mystery/Thriller reader, I think you will still really enjoy this one, as the ending is super unpredictable and crazy. That being said, I gave it 3.75/5 stars, as I really enjoyed the ending, but didn’t really love the first two-thirds of the story.

Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a finished copy! If you are interested in reading this book, pick it up at your local bookstores now, as it is officially out to the public today!

Good Night Book Owls!