hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about my worst books of the year. this list was honestly so easy to write, since i hated so many books that i read last year. and if you want to see my best books, here it is. and this also won’t be in that much of an order till the last couple books.
10. everything everything by Nicola Yoon. this is the only reread on this list, which i wasn’t even going to include but i still need to talk about this. but, this book was such a crappy book, since i couldn’t get over all of the lying, which honestly just pissed me off so much. the only perk is that it is kind of a cute love story.
9. miss peregrine’s home for peculiar children by Ransom Riggs. here’s the thing, i honestly love the move so much. it was honestly such an amazing movie, so i just expected this to be as good, but obviously it wasn’t. i am kind of upset, but i do feel like i will read the rest of the series maybe sometime in the future, so i can just see where it goes.
8. all your twisted secrets by Diana Urban. this book was honestly such a mess. i feel like this was all of the YA mysteries that we all know and love balled into one book, but not in a good way. like right before i read this, i read one of us is next, and this was such a knock off of those books.
7. conceal don’t feel by Jen Calonita. i honestly had such high hopes for this book, but it just wasn’t it. Since i am such a disney fan, i just expected this to be so good, but it wasn’t even close. The whole plot was just all over the place, and honestly i just could not get into this story no matter how much i tried.
6. the right swipe by Alisha Rai. this book had so much potential, i mean it is a cute modern romance, but this was not it. the characters were flat and annoying, and the romance wasn’t even that good. i will say though, i hope there are more romances like this in the future with dating apps, since that is normal in 2021.
5. yes no maybe so by aisha saeed and becky albertalli. of the bat, i can tell you that this book was obviously a no for me. But, this book was honestly such a badly written love story, and honestly some people said that their religion was not written about that good in here, which honestly just made me hate this book more than i already did.
4. the bookish life on nina hill by abby waxman. i went into this book thinking it was going to be some cute bookish love story, instead we got this whiny narrator about who hated her new family. and i also found this book to be so stereotypical, and the nina was bat shit crazy for some of this book.
3. stay with me by Jessica Cunsolo. i had this book as an arc, and going into it i literally had zero expectations. But, this book was just so bad and cringey, and it was barely a romance, since it just had so much family drama it gotta be so annoying. which, just pissed me off cause this was told to be a romance, not a family drama book.
2. call me by your name by Andre Aciman. this book was honestly so gross, and when i was reading it, it honestly made me so uncomfortable, so i had to put it on this list. and i’m not even sure what is so cute about this book, cause as far as i’m concerned, it is honestly not cute.
after by Anna Todd. this is honestly not a surprise to anyone, since i honestly hated this book with a passion. and honestly i just found it to be so freaking toxic, which made me hate it so much. and i honestly don’t really know how people can like this book, since it honestly is so bad, and just the writing is so cringey.
anyway, that is all for today! i hope you enjoyed this post. and if you couldn’t tell, if you click on the title of the book, it will take you to the review, so you can read more of my opinions of that book if you want.
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about cemetery boys by Aiden Thomas. i gave this book 4/5 stars. it was honestly so good, and i completely loved all of the characters and honestly the story as a whole. it was just so good and i completely loved it.
trigger warning- transphobia and fat shaming
first thing first, i really loved the romance. i completely loved the whole slow burn romance, and how a lot of stuff didn’t happen that quickly. and, Julian is also a ghost, i really liked that they didn’t jump into things. and that they took time to show their relationship and let their relationship really grow, and that they really grew everything happened.
on a worst note, there is a lot of transphobia in this book. it was honestly kind of shitty, but at the same time i feel like it was a learning experience for the family and the everyone else. but, i do really like how in the end they where so happy for Yaddy when he showed his powers, and then the whole fact that everyone literally expected him, which was just so cute and made me so happy.
this book is also so depressing. which, honestly wasn’t the worst thing in the world. since if this book was so happy, it probably wouldn’t have been that great of a book. but, this book is so sad, but i feel like it is a ray of sun shine and also such a feel good book. even if it was so sad.
but, i do feel like Thomas is such a great writer. i mean, there are writers who write characters, then there is authors who write characters. and Thomas is totally the second. they doesn’t half ass anything, they really write it completely. they write the characters inside and outside, and these stories are so personal, but also completely personal. but, Thomas wrote these books and characters who have so much care and are so polished characters.
there also is two different ways of queer books. there is the whole part where they have everyone accept them, then there is the whole nobody accepts him. but, Thomas went in between them both. he got the whole people not accepting them, but also not people completely accepting Yaddy. we got that people still thought that he needs to be with the woman in the kitchen, but then how his grandma says that he will always be “her little girl.” and i guess, that most books with trans character they are so negative, where when this happened it had the whole stab you in the heart, quick, then it would leave. and then you had the people that accepted him, and how he will always be a man, and screw everyone else. and Thomas constantly wants to go in the in between the two, the two where it is powerful, but also so sad and then happy.
i also completely loved Julian so much. he was honestly so cute, and i loved how he acted around Yaddy, and he was honestly so amazing. and also it was so amazing since he cared so much for his friends, which is something i love in friends. and this was just such an amazing character.
there also was the whole tropes. which, also kind of hit you in the face. but, it still all worked. it honestly wasn’t the best, but then tropes will work forever and ever, and they will always be a stable. we get the whole ‘bad boy’ and then the also troubled kid, but he actual is just kind of misunderstood, but also a kid. where he really cares about his brother and his friends, and he just wants to keep them safe. like he’s the typical kid, he is loud and nice, kind, and he is just so funny and will honestly walk threw fire to keep everyone in his life safe.
anyway, that is all for today! i know this book is honestly kind of short, since i feel like, since i liked this book so much, it was honestly kind of hard to write a post about. but, this was honestly such an amazing book i hope more people read this.
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about the voting booth by Brandy Colbert. i gave this book 4/5 stars. this was honestly such an amazing book, and it honestly was so cute. so, thank you so much Netgalley and Disney Publishing for an arc of this book!
first off, i really liked how this whole book encourages younger people to vote. i feel like when your a teenager and just get the chance to vote, there is always so much pressure in the media, and you never really get told anything other then you need to vote. which, this book is honestly so positive, which i really liked.
i also feel like if you like the sun is also a star, you would completely like this book. since, this pretty much takes place in only one day. and it honestly was so cool, and that it honestly was just so cool to see everything happen in one day. and also to see how much a relationship can grow in one day.
but i also really liked the whole plot about the cat, and how the cat is like instagram famous. and this was honestly so cute, since there was time that it took away from the whole stress about murder, but also makes it happy. and also who doesn’t love a good cat plot in a book.
and also there was so much chemistry in this book. which, i honestly really liked in this. and i don’t know if it is just me, but i feel like there is some YA books that don’t have that much chemistry, and if they do it’s really boring. but, i honestly really liked the whole chemistry between the characters. and most of this book isn’t even that much of a romance, since they barely even kissed.
honestly, this book was kind of hard to read, since there is always so much political stuff going on in the world, since there is always politics in the world. and when i read this book it was around the time of the election, which probably wasn’t the best move. but, to teach its own, this was still a really good to see a cute story about voting.
this book also tackles all of the issues about Black Americans voting. since, it is a little harder to vote for Black people, and it is still something that we have seen a little bit in the last complete months the election so i really liked how it talked about that. and also how we just get to see how they have to overcome it and how much they need to do to get into the polling place and actually getting your vote counted.
it was honestly really nice that this was like a non fiction, mixed with complete fiction. and how Colbert got to see all of these struggles in this book. and also how there was some racism in this book, but it also wasn’t like the major theme of this book.
and honestly this book was honestly so important and i actually have heard that people have to read this for some of their classes. and i honestly really like it, since it is such an important read. and i honestly really hope that more high schoolers get to read this book for summer reading or something like that. but, even if it isn’t for school, i still really hope more teens read this.
but, i also really liked how there was more of a neutral stance on politics. since, i feel like there is always more of a party inside the books. but, this book was honestly pretty neutral and they honestly never talked about a party in this book. it was completely just a cute story about
going back to the cat thing again, i honestly am really happy that the cat didn’t die. i mean, i feel like a lot of books that have animals have something bad happening. but, this wasn’t even that bad.
duke- i honestly really liked the insights that we got on his past. i honestly thought he was actually kind of a good character, and i didn’t completely hate him that much. like, he was honestly so freaking sweet, which i really liked.
marva- i honestly feel like we don’t know that much about her. which, to teach its own, wasn’t the biggest deal, since this was more about voting. but, i still really liked her, and what she added to the story, and how everything played together. and also how she had this boyfriend and how that played into the story and the romance.
anyway, that is all for today! i honestly really liked this book, even if this review is a bit short, since this book is honestly kind of short. but, thank you so much Netgalley and Disney Publishing for an arc of this book!
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about city of the plague god by Sarwat Chadda. i gave this book 1/5 stars. but, thank you so much Netgalley and Disney publishing for an arc of this book! and also, happy pub date to this book!
trigger warnings- islamophobia, racism, ableist language, grief and loss of family member, death of a brother, motorcycle accident, death of a mom (on page), death from being ran over by a train, blood and gore, plague and pandemic, hospital, illness of parents, war themes, refugee experience, homelessness mentioned, murder, attempted murder, a lot of talk about insects.
first off, i felt like this book literally had zero plot. like, there was things that got brought up, but then they just got dropped, and the same thing kept happening over and over again. this honestly got so annoying. and this might just have been me, but i literally couldn’t figure out all of the different plot points. and it got to be so annoying after awhile.
another thing that i’ve seen some people on goodreads and netgalley talk about is how the author isn’t even Assyrian or Mesopotamian, but he still decided to write about their culture. and i mean, i can see how he has no real part about writing about their culture. and, its not like there isn’t any Assyrians or Mesopotamians are all dead, they are still alive. and anyone that does anything like this pisses me off since they are just making money based on someone else culture.
but, it also felt like every single page there was talks about maggots. and this literally got so annoying, since i literally do not care at all about maggots. since, they are just so gross, and every time they talked about it, it literally had zero point to the novel. and i mean, they are also just so dumb, since they literally are just maggots.
another thing that just annoyed me was that all of these characters were so flat and had zero personality. since, there was so much talk about how Ishtar was just told as being beautiful, that that was literally her only personality point, which i guess is a male writer for you. and then Belet’s only personality is that she has a sword and she has a bunch of cats named after disney cats. and then there was sik, who was as flat as a book. he literally did nothing and was so annoying and pretty much whined the whole goddamn time. and honestly his only personality trait was that he liked to cook. and that was it.
and honestly, the writing was just so bad. i’m not sure if Chadda was just trying to dumb everything down, for middle schoolers, but it literally was so annoying. like, it just got on my nerves so much how when he was writing about Ishtar, even though she was this goodness, her only purpose in her life was to have and adopt kids, and that is it.
another thing that was just weird, but also on brand for books by Rick Riordan, was that Sik and Belet where about 13 years old. which, to teach its own, is honestly pretty cool. but, then again, here they characters acted like they where 30. like, how they thought and acted wasn’t like how your 13 year old thought and acted. and i guess, in the end it really just annoyed me so much.
but, this next point i’m not really sure if this is just because this is a middle grade or something, but it annoyed me so freaking much that whenever they brought up these characters, all whom i believe are all part of ancient Mesopotamian mythology, but Chadda would make up these stupid names for them. and when i say stupid, i mean so stupid. for example, there was Ratty, Frog face, Maggot, and so many more. and these just got to be so annoying, and getting on my nerves.
another thing, was i never really understood the whole Mesopotamian mythology. since, we never really got talked about Greek mythology when we were in middle school and maybe a little bit in high school. but, we pretty much never got talked about Mesopotamian mythology ever. and when i read this book, i feel like Chadda wanted us to go into this book like we actually knew everything about it, which most people didn’t.
the next couple paragraphs are gonna be about Daoud. first thing first, was how Chadda went talking more and more about how this character is always wanted to act, and also how how he isn’t white, and how he always go the role of playing terrorist. (but, the thing you are going to need to know is that he is not Mexican.) and it honestly got so annoying about how he was always trying to get jobs about when he where he was Mexican and/or a drug dealer. which, just pissed me of because this character is definitely not Mexican and also that it is just plan weird and gross.
another thing is more of what this character said was how if you have scars on your face or really anywhere on you, you are ultimately ugly and there is no real argument in Chadda’s mind. which, for obvious reasons this annoyed the actual hell about me. like, that is literally saying that if you have these scars, you are ugly and there is no argument about that.
and i’m not sure if Chadda understands this, but even if your characters are talking, it still is you talking. so, if you say everyone with any scars is ugly, that is quite literally you saying it. and i’ve literally say nobody talking about this, which is just so annoying.
there was also so many opened questions in the end of this book. like, i’m not sure if i just didn’t read it right, but to me, there was so many things that were opened up, but never closed. and this isn’t a series, so i don’t know why he didn’t just close it up. but, i mean, there was about Belet and where she lived and about giving everyone the whole immortal crap.
but, one of my favorite parts about older people writing younger characters and what they think pop culture is. where today, pop culture is pretty much tiktok, super hero’s, Hamilton, friends and the office, so you get the basis. but, Chadda thought the peak of pop culture is flashy cars, the Kardashians, disney world, disney cats, and most likely one direction. so, you get the point, that he had no clue what he was doing, which untimely makes it more funny for me.
anyway, that is all for today! thanks so much netgalley and Disney publishing for an arc of this book! i could probably write so much longer about how much i hated this, but, i’m gonna stop right here, so this isn’t 10 pages long. but, also happy pub date!
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about the best books of 2020. on Sunday the 17th, there will be my worst books of the year. but, this post is going to start from my 10th book to my first books. the books 10-5 will be in no real order, but books 1-4 will be in order order.
10. clap when you land by Elizabeth Acevedo. Camino Rios can’t wait for the summer when her father visits her in Dominican Republic, but when her father is supposed to land, a crowd of crying people there. where, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is crying, and that her father, a hero, died in a plane crash. but, there is distance, and all of Papi’s secrets come out, the two girls are forced to face a new reality, which their father is dead, and they have a sister.
this book was honestly so freaking amazing. this book was so heartbreaking, yet it was so amazing. and i loved the writing of this book so freaking much. and, i mean, all the books by this author is so good, but this ne was probably my favorite by her.
9. the roommate by Rosie Danan. this is all about Clara whose whole life was already planned. but, they never bargained that she would move cross country to see her childhood crush. but, when things changed, Clara finds herself with a complete stranger. then Clara learnt that Josh did make a name for herself. but, they might not agree on enough, but they do agree on that woman deserve to have better sex.
i honestly went into this book with zero expatiations, but this was so much better then i heard people day it was. and this book just blew me away about how everything worked together and how amazing it actually was. and i mean, it was kind of cool, and it was also so sex positive, which i honestly loved so much.
8. home before dark by Riley Sager. this is all about Maggie Holt, who always questioned her parents story about the house. about how there was ghosts and drove them out. but, today Maggie is a restorer of old houses and was to young to remember any of the events in her fathers book. after her father dies, she inherits the house, and goes back. after strange experience after strange experience that her father was talking about, the more she believes her.
i was honestly so surprised with this book. since, i mean, i never really liked horror books, but in here this book was just so amazing. and i think that there was so good and additive. and also that this book was honestly so amazing, since i never really read horror before.
7. kingdom of the wicked by Kerri Maniscalo. this book is all about Emilia, who her and her twin sister, Vittoria, are witches that are avoiding being found and also persecution. then, Vittoria misses dinner at the families Sicilian restaurant. then the body is found. which, lets Emilia sets out to find her sister murder and to seek vengeance, even if she needs to use dark magic to find it. even with the help of Wrath, and Wicked prince of Hell.
this book was honestly so freaking good. and i mean, this book was honestly so good, since this follows a witch. and honestly Maniscalo is literally one of my favorite authors. so, this book was literally so amazing.
6. cemetery boys by Aiden Thomas. this is all about trans boy, Yadriel, who summoned a ghost and now he can’t get rid of him. but, Yadriel traditional Latinx family has problems with accepting his true gender, so he becomes determined to prove himself to them. which, is performing a ritual by himself, and he sets out to find the ghost that murdered his cousin. but, in the end, he summons the bad boy, Julian, who doesn’t want to go quietly to death. now, they work together to figure out what happened to Julian and also Yaddy’s cousin.
this book was honestly so mind blowing good. i literally loved the whole talk about being trans in a traditional family, and all of the hardships about coming out and having your family expect you. and also, just all of the talk about it. and i honestly really liked the whole romance and how it played into each other.
5. heartstoppers by Alice Oseman. this is about Charlie, who is openly gay, and Nick, who is a soft and loveable rugby player and they met at an all boys school. friendship comes easily, but can there be more going on under the seems. but, as they quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. but, then again love works in weird way.
this is probably the cutest book on this list. and it honestly was just the perfect feel good story. since, it is so light and cute, but also has some harder topics talked about. and i just loved this story so much. and if i would want any of these books on this list to be read, it would definitely be this one.
4. cinderella is dead by Kalynn Baryon. this is all about how 200 years after Cinderella found her happily ever after, the story is over. but, teen girls are required to go to the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom pick wives based on the girls looks. but, Sophia much rather marry her best friend, Erin, but that is not allowed. then, she meets Constance, who is the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. together, they vow to bring down the king once and for, but now they learn that there is more to the cinderella story then everyone knows.
this book was honestly such a badass book and i loved it so much. and it was honestly such a cool take on Cinderella. but this book did have a lot of the same recycled tropes and things over and over again. which, was annoying, but it was still pretty good of a book.
3. felix ever after by Kacen Callendar. Felix love has never actually been in love. he wants to know what it is like, but he secretly fears that he’s too black, too queer, and too transgender. but, when an anonymous student starts sending him transphobic messages, and also publicly posting Felix’s deadname and also posting photos before he transitioned. Felix comes up for a plan of revenge. but, he sure didn’t expect a catfish scenario and landing him in a love triangle.
this book was honestly so freaking powerful. i literally loved all of the discussions that were brought up, and how figuring out your sexuality is pretty hard. and i mean, all of these characters were so sweet, and i honestly loved his book so much.
2. good girl, bad blood by Holly Jackson. this is the sequel to a good girls guide to murder, where we still follow Pip and Ravi, but we got something new. but, Pip pretty much gave up on true crime, and instead she is just working on her podcast. but, when a friends brother goes missing, she is thrown back into being a detective again, hoping to find justice again.
this book was honestly so good, since this book was literally so amazing. and i mean, this book literally made me so happy, anxious, and also like sad towards the end, since it was so depressing. but, i completely love all of the characters. and my only wish is that we get to see more of Charlie and Flora in book 3.
a good girls guide to murder by Holly Jackson. this is all about Pip Fitz Amboi, who for her capstone project she wants to looking into the case about Sal Singh and Andie Bell. which, Sal allegedly killed Andie, then he killed himself. but, Pip doesn’t think so, which makes her get help from Sal’s brother, Ravi Singh to help her untangle all of the web of mysteries, to hopefully find some justice for Sal and Andie.
i’ve been talking about this book so much, and i pretty much based half of my personality based on this book. so, it honestly is no surprise that this book is my favorite book of the year. and that the sequel is my second best book of the year. and i honestly can write an whole essay on why i love this book so much.
anyway, that is all for today! i hope you enjoyed this post, since these are probably some of my favorite books as of right now. and i literally cannot wait to talk about my worst books next week, since i honestly hated so many this year.
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about now and when by Sara Bennett Wealer. i gave this book 4/5 stars. honestly, this was a decent book, there was somethings that were missing, or just needed more explaining. but, it was still a decent book. thank you so much Netgalley and Delacorte Press for an arc of this book.
trigger warning- cheating, self harm
first thing that needed more explanation was why Truman was such a bad person. like Skyler went on and on about how she hated him, and how can’t believe in the future she marries him. but, we never got told why or what he did to Skyler that made her hate him with a burning passion. like we only go told that he was this really smart guy and that he was in the debate team, and things like that. but, nothing that can really her hate him as much as she did.
but, i did find the whole app thing to be kind of cool. i mean, it adds a whole level of if this doesn’t happen, or this thing happens, it will majorly change the outcome of how your life is going to turn out. like, if she goes on a date with Eli, she might not get married to Truman, but if she goes to study with Truman, they are going to get married. and also just the fact that they could see themselves and each other as adults was kind of cool, in my mind.
there was also some cheating in this book that was no unnecessary. it was kind of like the second kissing booth movie where Joey King’s character is like i love Noah, but then she still kisses Marco. like that was exactly what happened in here. Skyler was like i love my boyfriend Eli, but i’m still gonna make out with Truman. and honestly i just hate cheating so much, it just made me so pissed. and it literally had nothing to do with the plot, in the grand scheme of things.
it also got super annoying because there was this part bout teenage pregnancy. and then Skyler was shaming people that get pregant when tehy are teenagers. like this whole thing just pissed me off, and i literally cannot stand when they slut shame or when they teen pregnancy shame in any book. and in here she went on and on about it, which just made me so mad.
there also was this part when they talk about how one of Skyler friends, went to the hospital since she was self harming. i know there are people on goodreads who think the rep is fine. but, i honestly didn’t like it. since, they literally brought no awareness to this, and they just used it when it was convenient to the plot, which is so annoying. and i only hate when they do that so much.
this book also gave me major back to the future vibes. that is probably one of my favorite movies of all time, so with this being kinda similiar to it, it was honestly pretty cool. and i honestly think this is a really cool modern way to look at these movies and make it where more teenagers can relate and like it.
the start of this books writing was also kind of shitty. like, as the book went on, it definitely got better, but the beginning it was kind of bad. which, at this point is kind of basic. but, i still really liked it, even if the writing was kind of questionable. and i guess it just took a bit for the author to come into her skin.
there was also no chemistry between Eli and Skyler. which, i mean at one point it is understandable, but it was still annoying. and i just found it kind of hard to think that these two are this stable and in love couple that has been together for a hot second if they have zero chemistry. like there has been far more characters in non romance books that have more chemistry.
there was also so much talk about the garden. which, to teach it’s own, it sounds okay and it’s important. but, then again it got to be kind of annoying. even if this whole part got to be kind of annoying. since, there was so much talk about this.
and i also thought the whole talk about prom was decent. like, it wasn’t even that bad, but it just got to be so much after awhile. it was honestly kind of cute how it ended though, and what happened in the last couple of pages. and i honestly really cute. especially how Eli asked her to go, that was kind of cute.
spoiler-
okay so there is this like almost sex scene, and basically they were at Skyler’s sisters apartment, and they were in the living room doing their thing. and the sister walks threw the front door, and i honestly don’t know how she doesn’t see them naked. cause, the only way she wouldn’t if there was a wall there, but i don’t even think there is, and she wasn’t like “why are you guys having sex on my couch?” which, to teach its own i guess.
end of spoiler
Skyler- overall, she was a decent character. she had points that she was kind of flat and boring, and definitely very predicable. she also had parts where she was annoying, but that is kind of normal for YA characters.
Eli- Eli was pretty much the basic prep kid. i mean, he was one of those basic preppy kids that we see in boarding school books, which isn’t a terrible thing. but, he didn’t have any chemistry with Skyler.
Truman- he wasn’t the worst character in the world, but also not the best. i mean, he was kind of sweet, but he was also into school it got to be annoying. and i mean, he did have some good mortals in the end of it all.
anyway, that is all for today! i honestly really liked this book, and i thought it was so cool. and i honestly really liked the whole back to the future and how it was kind of similar. but, i do wish there was more romance in this book, since it honestly didn’t have that much in my mind.
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about my 202 bookish resolutions, and then even a little bit about what i want to post this year/month. honestly these resolutions are kinda of all over the place, so it might be kind of a mess to read.
read at least one owlcrate book per month
this is honestly something i really need to do. i mean, i’ve been getting owlcrate for years, and i’ve honestly really stopped reading most of the books. so, i really want to get into reading these books more and more as the year goes on. since, i do have so many of these books, but, i’ve read a good probably like 5, when i probably have like 25+.
2. read at least 3 older arcs per month
this is also kind of like the whole owlcrate thing, i’ve requested so many arcs when i first got my Netgalley account, and i never really read them. so, with reading 3 or 4 per month will honestly help me get threw some of these. which, at this point i really need to do.
3. read all the arcs for the books coming out each month, and post reviews on their publication date.
yet again, i do have a bunch of arcs that i need to get to, but this is kind of my goal that i’m going to read all the arcs for this month, and then any for next month. so, for example, i’ve already read all of my January arcs on christmas break, and even earlier this month. but, i do have some arcs coming out February 2nd, so i’ll read those this month.
4. read more diversely
i’ve seen a ton of people do things like this, and i honestly want to do it too. i feel like in 2020 a lot of the books i read where of white straight characters by white straight authors. so, in 2021 i really want to start reading more lgbtqia+ books, but also by Black and poc authors.
5. read 120 books this year
that is honestly just mu goodreads goal, and i honestly hope i can read all of those. but, i did read about 167 in 2020, so i’m hoping i can keep it going for the new year, and honestly just read books that i enjoy and things that were actually good.
6. pre write more blog posts and get back into pre writing so i’m not writing this the day before it does up
this is honestly going to be such a need. since, a lot of times, i will plan out what i want to post for each month, and then i’ll literally write it the day before it goes up. so, just like this post, i’m supposed to post this on thursday and i’m writing this on wednesday. and also just post content that i like and have fun with it.
7. like what i post on bookstagram, and be more active
this is kind of the same as number 6. i honestly hate some of my content some days, and i literally hate to post it. but, also whenever i post a photo on instagram, i pretty much post, like a few things, watch a couple stories, then leave. and i want to get better where i’m more active throughout the day and post things i like.
now, i’m going to be talking about stuff that i’m going to be posting this year or the first couple months of 2021. i’ll still be posting mostly reviews, since that has always been really what i post. but, other then that i do have some other fun things to do and what i want to post.
post my worst/best books of 2021 sometime in January.
also post my most anticipated for 2021. hopefully in january, but i don’t really know.
post some things about how these beloved authors are pretty problematic, and why we should just turn a blind eye on it.
post some more i read 5.
post more discussion posts, and get out of my comfort zone a little bit.
anyway, that is all for today. this was honestly a fun little discussion post to do, and i honestly want to do more chill posts like this, since it was honestly really fun. but, hopefully i’ll post more fun things like this in the months to come.
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about the woman outside my door by Rachel Ryan. i gave this book 4/5 stars. first off, happy (late) release date for this book, since it came out yesterday. but, also thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an arc of this book.
trigger warning- cheating, kidnap, lying, drowning, car going into water, mother dying, cancer.
first thing first, i really liked the relationship between Bren and Georgina. i mean, there was so much distrust between the two different characters, and they really didn’t like each other, since Bren did cheat. and in the start Bren thought Georgina was insane, so this added a whole other element of the parents fighting. and i personally really liked how they didn’t get along that well in the start.
i also don’t completely know why Georgina didn’t take the lollipop away from Cody when he said ‘New Granny’ gave it to him. like she was so uneasy about how he got this, and where he got it. but, then she just let him have it and keep eating it. like, if i was a kid and just had this lollipop that my mom did know who gave it to me, she would straight up take it away and not even feel bad that she did it. since it’s like the biggest rule, don’t eat candy from strangers and definitely don’t eat it.
another thing that might just be the arc and how it wasn’t a perfect, but there as a couple different spelling mistakes in this book. but, the biggest one was probably whenever they were trying to say ‘jesus’ they would say ‘jaysis.’ which, i’m not sure if this is just an irish thing. but, i have no clue and i honestly just wanted it to happen since it happened a bit.
there was also so much sex in this book. and one of the many things i found weird was how Georgina was going to her neighbor for sex advice. which, i honestly found to be kind of weird. i mean, why would you go to your neighbor for sex advice. but, that is just me.
and it was also pretty cool about how many things the author put in this book, to show that this isn’t a healthy relationship. i mean, with any situation like this, it can be kind of hard to talk about. since, with everything that is happening today with like grooming and trafficking. but, i still think the author did a decent job on doing this.
but, i feel like since this is harder subject to talk about, with kids possibly being trafficked and being groomed, i’m not really sure why they didn’t go to the cops or something. and especially if you think something bad like that is going to happen.
but, there was also a bit of cheating in this book. nd i honestly do not like cheating at all in books, so having it be a central topic in this book was kind of annoying. i mean, this might just be me, but i literally could not fuck with this at all. and i mean, to me, cheating is cheating and even if it happened off page it was still so annoying.
honestly, this book was so hard to put down, and i honestly loved this. like, this whole book was so easy to keep me wondering what was actually happening. and i mean, this book kept me on the edge of my seat. and this was just so good.
and this author is definitely an author that i would want to watch for them to release other books. since, this honestly sounds so freaking good, and i feel like they would make some more killer family drama and psychological suspense books.
spoiler time-
i honestly found the ending so predicable. like, i feel like the once they start to talk about Anne, it is honestly so easy to tell that she is the one that is kidnapping Cody and is playing New Granny. and i mean, i feel like it is kind of basic, and easy to tell what is going on.
but, i also found it to be kind of weird that after they found Cody the next day Bren and Georgina got like go touchy after they got Cody back. and i feel like it is kind of weird how after they found him, it was just so perfect their life then. and also how they had sex after. i mean, i feel like it was so weird and made me kind of uncomfortable.
anyway, that is all for today! happy release date to this book! thank you so much Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book! this was honestly a really good book, and i can’t wait to read other books by this author in the future.
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about lore by Alexandra Bracken. i gave this book 4/5 stars. first off, thank you so much Netgalley and Disney Worldwide Publishing for an arc of this book! and also happy release date to this book!
trigger warnings- blood, violence, gore, attempted murder, murder, murder of children (on page and graphic,) murder of parents (on page and graphic,) terminal illness, abuse, attempted rape, and also arranged marriage.
first off, i found this book to be a bit confusing. this is probably me, but i’m not a big fantasy fan, also i’m in a reading slump. so, this probably just made my enjoyment so down. but, i feel like there was so many characters thrown at you, and different gods that you were supposed to know and also all the different rules. everything just got to be pretty confusing and i really just didn’t understand a lot of this.
but, if you are in the same boat as i was, i feel like as soon as you figure out what is happening, it is still really good read. and also that there is a lot of twists, lies, and also betrayal. and even if you are confused, it still is a pretty easy thing to still figure out what is happening and still be sucked in.
then this might just be because this was an arc, but there was a couple little spelling errors throughout the story. one of the ones that happened over and over again was “feking.” and i’m not sure if that was supposed to happen, or if that is just a simple spelling mistake. and how i found it in the context was it was supposed to be ‘fucking’ but i don’t even know.
there was also some parts where they would go back in time when Lore was a kid, i think it was like 7 years in the past. and i’m not even sure what was happening in those parts, since they honestly were so boring and i honestly just skimed it, since nothing really happened in those parts.
and i also really liked that this was set in modern day New York. since, i feel like this is a place that a lot of us know, and that maybe you’ve been or hell you live there. and i feel like since there is so much culture and different types of people that you wouldn’t see in a different city. but, i really liked that it was in NYC. but, i kind of find a trend that in mythology and even in a lot of fantastical books do take place in new york, and i wish they would kind of move on from this and pick a different city.
and i know a lot of people do like percy jackson, and i honestly feel like this book would be the perfect book. and far less problematic then those books. and i really like that they had some similarities. and i really think this is great for the original pjo fans, since they probably are a little older then some of the other ones.
i also feel like lore is a kick ass feminist novel. which, was so cool. since, i do feel like a lot of YA fantasy novels are written by men and/or have male characters or hell even just had kind of flat female characters. which, is completely different then this book. which, i feel like our female leads, Lore and Athena, do most of the book, so i really liked to see how they all worked together throughout this story.
and also i feel like this book is honestly so cool since it has way more feminist then the basic greek mythology and novels. since, this story has female characters that pretty much do anything, and of course Lore does tell the series. and don’t quote me on this, but most of the bigger greek gods that are talked about is mostly female.
the action scenes in this book were also pretty good. i’m not the biggest fantasy fan in the world, but i still really liked how it was talked about and what happened. and it never was like super suspenseful, where you are like biting your nails or something. but then when their was a fighting scene, there was time to recover before something else happened.
i also really liked the romance. like, this romance was a childhood friends to lovers, but it was also super well done. i mean, this story wasn’t like the main theme of the story. like the romance was way more big in the end of the novel, like the rest of the story was pretty much just about fighting and about Agon.
and also the friendships in this book were so good. like there was so many different friendships that went on in this book, and how they all intertwined in this book. and i mean, i feel like they all work together, and how because someone was friend with some and so, but they didn’t get along with so and so. and also that their was per-existing relationships, so Lore was besties with Miles and lives with him, but then Lore was also friends with Castor, but then they had this fall out. which, i thought was honestly pretty cool.
and also this whole story is pretty much the whole percy jackson mixed with the hunger games, and pretty much what we all read on wattpad years ago, but just way better. since there is the descendants of the greek gods and heroes we all know and have read about or at least know. but also while they were trying to survive and run around New York and steal the powers of the greek gods to steal their power for themselves.
anyway, that is all for today! i am honestly really liked this story so much, even if i was confused for a lot of this book. but, thank you so much Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for this arc.
hello everyone! today i am going to be talking about the books that are coming out in January that i’m excited for. this is honestly a pretty big list, since i have a bunch of arcs in here, but those will be the first 6 books that i talk about, since i’ve read some of those already.
lore by Alexandra Bracken. this book comes out January 5th. this book follows around Lore Perseous, who has escaped the world of greek gods after her families brutal murders. but, since the new Agon is starting up again, the hunt is starting over again. this leads to Lore getting the help from her childhood best friend, Castor, who Lore thought was dead, and the wounded Athena, to help her. since Athena offers an alliance, they hope this Agon will be forever behind them. but, once Lore binds her fate to Athena and rejoin the hunt, this will all come at a deadly cost for Lore.
the woman outside my door by Rachel Ryan. this book also comes out January 5th. all kids have imaginary friends, Georgina tells herself over and over again, and of course all kids grow out of it, but with her seven year old son Cody, something doesn’t feel right. New Granny is the friend that he met in the park, and like any mom Georgina is nervous and suspicious. at friend, Georgina thinks she is loosing her mind, but this could be some way to cope with her mothers passing. but, her husband, Bren, becomes the voice of reason, telling Georgina that this is some type of stupid game, this is just their son’s imagination. then again, this has to be just an imaginary friend, right?
city of the plague god by Sarwat Chadda. this book comes out January 5th. 13 year old Sik just wants to have a simple life, go to school and helping at his parents deli at night. but, then Nergal comes looking for Sik, thinking Sik holds the secret to eternal life, but in a turn of events it turns out Sik is immortal but doesn’t know it yet. luckily, Sik isn’t alone, he has Belet, the adopted daughter of Ishtar, the goddness of love and war on his side. to succeed though, they will need to conquer demons, gods, and their own nightmares.
the famoux by Kassandra Tate. this book comes out January 19th. after the wreckage of an environmental collapse, and now the country of Delicatum came up. and now it’s most important tv show, famoux, which features all these beautiful stars called the fishbowl. now, 16 year old Emilee is obsessed with the Famoux, they provide help for her terrible life at home. but, when she gets the offer to become a member of herself, she takes it. leaving behind everything she is known, and now enters a world of high glamour and high stakes.
city of villains by Estelle Laure. this book comes out January 26. this is all about Mary Elizabeth Heart, who is a high school senior in the day, but at night she is an intern at the Monarch City police department. so, she watches the detectives fight the crime rate. and the cities wealth neighborhood called Scar, who had a bunch of magic. then the businessmen goes missing, and Mary Elizabeth gets the chance to help when she gets put on the case. but, one missing persons case becomes more and more, and lettings her go into a rabbit hole. that’s when she finds a girl with horns, boyfriends with secrets, and a sea monster in a poison lake. and this book is kind of a different origin story for different disney villains.
shine your icy crown by Amanda Loveless. this book comes out January 26. this is all about feminism and now letting men rule the world and how you can be yourself and not worry about what other have to say about you. and also that you don’t need to have a king to be a queen.
across the green grass field by Seanan McGuire. this book comes out January 12th. this book follows around Regan, and through her school-friend situation has been complicated. then she finds herself pushed threw the doorway that pretty much swallowing him whole, she must learn to live in a world with centaurs, kelpies, and other magical things, and in this world the human is supposed to be the hero.
you have a match by Emma Lord. this book comes out January 12th. Abby signs up for a DNA service, she mainly goes to give her friend and secrets love interest, Leo. anyway, she knows who she is already: a photographer, a injury prone tree climber, and best friend to Leo and Connie, even though she has had the big embarrassing incident with Leo. but, she never knew she was a younger sister. since the DNA service shows that she has a secret sister, an instagram stat Savannah Tully, it is hard to believe that they are related. so, they meet up at summer camp, and figure out why Abby’s parents gave up Savvy up for adoption, well there is family drama and the romance with Leo.
be dazzled by Ryan La Sala. this book comes out January 5th. Raffy has a passion for bedazzling, but also sewing, stitching, draping, pattern making, basically anything for creation. he has always been about art, and this year he wants to go to the biggest cosplay competition. now, hopefully he can get a scholarship to art school, but the only issue is that his ex boyfriend, Luca, is his main competition. he tries to be friendly with, hell they made a perfect team when they dated, but Luca’s insecurities and Raffy’s need to have the crafts perfect, this just lead for this to crash. now, Raffy is forced to partner with Luca on the biggest built yet, he was to juggle the unresolved feelings for the boy who broke his heart.
every single lie by Rachel Vincent. this book comes out January 12th. everyone in Beckett’s life is hiding something and is not telling the whole story. her boyfriend, Jake, keeps hiding text and is probably cheating on her. her father lied about losing his job before he died, and everyone is whispering about her and family behind her back. but, nothing ever compares to the day Beckett finds the body of the newborn baby in a gym bag, Jake’s gym bag, on the floor of the high school locker room. as the word leaks, Beckett’s mother takes off, and as the police investigation unfolds, she discovers that everyone has a secret to hide and truths could change everything she thought she knew.
don’t tell a soul by Kristen Miller. this book comes out January 26th. all Bram wants to do is disappear, form her old life, her family’s past, and from the scandal that haunts her. now, she is in Louth, the tiny town by the Hudson River where her uncle, James, is renovating an old mansion. but, James has his own ghosts, his wife died in a fire that everyone says his daughter set. the manor and the locals are creepy, they don’t want an outsider like Bram in their town. and every day she discovers a rumor spreads and the legends about the Dead Girls. the Girls who lives her ut short in the house Bram calls home.
the girls i’ve been by Tess Sharpe. this book comes out January 26th. Nora O’Malley has been a lot of different girls. she is the daughters of a con-artist who targets criminal men, but she grew up with her mother has her protégé. but, then the mom fell for the mark instead on conning him. but, now she has three problems. 1. her ex walked into her with her girlfriend. 2. the morning after Wes finds them kissing, they all have ton deposit the fundraiser money, the bank turns into a nightmare. 2. right after they enter the bank, two guys start robbing it.
the girl who…. by Andreina Cordani. this book comes out January 14th. people can’t bring themselves to say what happened to her. they describe her as “the girl who, you know” but they really know, no one sees the real Leah. since Leah is the perfect survivor. she was 7 when she saw her mother and sister killed. the cast hit the headlines, and made her a brave and national sweetheart: strong, courageous, and forgiving. but, Leah is hiding a secret and she can still think of revenge. then Leah’s dad meets a new partner, and her stepsister Ellie moves in. Ellie knows that Lean isn’t the sweet girl she pretends to be, then Ellie discovers Leah has a plan, one is has been putting together since that day. now that the killer is being released from prison, time is running out for Ellie to discover hoe far Leah will go.
this will be funny someday by Katie Henry. This book comes out January 19th. Izzy is 16 year old and she is used to keeping her thoughts to herself, but when she accidently walks into a stand-up comedy club, and performs, and the experience is pretty good. after the show, she meets Mo, who is a aspiring comic who is everything that Izzy isn’t: bold, confident, and also comfortable in her skin. Mo invites Izzy to help her group of friends and introduced her to the Chicago open mic scene. but, she tells Mo’s friends, but the only issue is that Izzy is a high school student, but she introduced herself as a college student. so, now she wants to judge two separate life’s. but, the controlling boyfriend is getting suspicious, and her former best friend know that something is going on. but, Izzy loves comedy, as her two different lives collide, in the most hilarious way. Izzy needs to choose to either hide or do what she wants to do, or stand up for herself.
happily ever afters by Elise Bryant. this book comes out January 5th. 16 year old Tessa Johnson has never felt like the protagonist in her own life. she never sees herself in the romance novels she reads and love, the only place she is the leading lady is the romance novel she writes; the love stories she only shares with her best friend and #1 devoted reader, Caroline. then Tessa gets accepted into a creative writing program at a prestigious art school, she is so excited to show her work. but, when she goes to her first workshop, the words go away, so Caroline tells Tessa that she needs to use real-life love stories as an inspiration. and now she is so excited to deal with her novel inspired steps to finally find her happily ever after. Nico, the artist who looked like he walked out of Tessa’s story, is the perfect Prince Charming. but, as things get checked off of Caroline’s list. she gets further and further away from herself, and now she risks losing everything she cares about.
playing with fire by April Henry. this comes out January 19th. Natalia is that kind of girl who takes a bunch of risks. six years ago, she barely survived the house fire that killed her baby brother. now, she is that kind of girl who plays everything safe, for moths her co-worker Wyatt has begged her to come hiking with him, and then she finally agrees. but, then a wildfire breaks out, blocking the trail back, a perfect sunny day moves into a nightmare. there is no cell service, a few supplies, and a no clear way out of this burning forest. now, a group of stranger will need to work together to become allies if they are going to survive. now, hiking in the dark, and the only way out was over a deep canyon before the fire catches them.
anyway, that is all for today! i am honestly so excited for all of these stories. and i honestly cannot wait to read all of these stories hopefully sometimes soon. and they all sound so good.
r.bookish 