[Review] The melody of you and me - M. Hollis

Author: M. Hollis
Original title: The melody of you and me
Publisher: -
Release date: February 19th, 2017
Finished date: October 2nd, 2017
Pages: 144
Read in: English

After dropping out of university and breaking up with her girlfriend of three years, Chris Morrison’s life is now a mind-numbing mess. She doubts that working at the small neighborhood bookstore is going to change that. The rest of her time is spent mostly playing guitar and ignoring the many messages her mother keeps sending her about going back to college.

But one day, an adorable and charming new bookseller waltzes her way into Chris’s life. Josie Navarro is sweet, flirty, and she always has a new book in her hands. The two girls start a fast friendship that, for Chris, holds the promise of something more. But is she reading too much into this or is it possible that Josie feels the same way?

Source: GoodReads

Rating

I was instantly sold on this novella when I heard it followed a pansexual main character. The books with these kinds of representation and diversity are so rare that I jumped at the chance to read it. Unfortunately, I am sorry to say that I didn't really like it. I really appreciated the discussion and themes represented in this book and I hope that the fact that books like this are being published is bringing awareness to these issues. I loved that most of the characters were queer, the portrayal of sexuality as a positive thing, the openness to subjects that still remain taboo in our society like female masturbation, female-female sex and the fact that most people don't know what they want to do with their lives in their early twenties.

However, I really did not enjoy the writing. I found out later that English is not this author's first language, but I wouldn't be fair if I said it didn't bother me. It was even kind of hard to read at times. I also didn't really enjoy the story itself. It was overly simple, insta-love-y and flat. There wasn't much happening besides Chris thinking about Josie, on her way to see Josie or being with Josie.

I guess I was just expecting there to be a little more substance to this.

[Review] Cruel Beauty - Rosamund Hodge

Author: Rosamund Hodge

Original Title: Cruel Beauty
Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Release Date: January 28th, 2014
Finished Date: April 18th, 2015
Pages: 342
Read in: English

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom - all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth she has been in training to kill him.
With no choice but to fulfil her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle - a shifting maze of magical rooms - enthrals her.
As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

Source: GoodReads

Rating

This is a very peculiar book. I'm glad I went into it knowing little more than that it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. I can't decide whether this was beautifully weird or weirdly beautiful. Maybe it was both. The point is that this book should not have worked. But it did.

This book takes most of my buzzwords - greek mythology, Beauty and the beast retelling, morally grey characters - and blends them together in a complicated and strangely woven plot.

If you're looking for a great, out-of-the-box read, I definitely suggest picking this one up.

«Demons are made of shadow. Don't look at the shadows too long or a demon might look back.»

The following extended review contains spoilers

If you have not yet read the book and/or do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read any further.

[Review] Hopeless (Hopeless, #1) - Colleen Hoover

Author: Colleen Hoover

Original Title: Hopeless
Publisher: Atria Books

Release Date: March 7th, 2013
Finished Date: April 16th, 2015
Pages: 416
Read in: English

Synopsis

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

Source: GoodReads

Rating

I don't get this one. I thought Hoover was growing on me after I thoroughly enjoyed Confess (click here to see that review) but this one was definitely not for me. A lot was happening - too much was happening.
I could see the big reveal coming from a mile away, and it honestly was so angsty and dramatic that I couldn't connect to the characters in any level. It felt just like I was watching it happen, but I didn't really care.
There was insta-love, there was drama, there were unrealistic situations - all in all it was a bunch of things glued together, and it made the book seem like a jumbled mess.
This might have been much better had Colleen Hoover decided to tackle only one of the million issues this book deals with.

The following extended review contains spoilers

If you have not yet read the book and/or do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read any further.

[Review] Tangled (Tangled, #1) - Emma Chase

Author: Emma Chase

Original Title: Tangled
Publisher: Gallery Books

Release Date: May 20th, 2013
Finished Date: April 13th, 2015
Pages: 256
Read in: English

Synopsis

When rich, handsome, and arrogant meets beautiful, brilliant, and ambitious, things are bound to get tangled.

Drew Evans makes multimillion-dollar business deals and seduces New York's most beautiful women with just a smile. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? He'll tell you he has the flu, but we all know that's not really true.

When Katherine Brooks is hired as the new associate at Drew's father's investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy's life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.

How can one woman turn a smooth-talking player into a broken, desperate man? By making the one thing he never wanted in life the only thing he can't live without.

Source: GoodReads

Rating

Despite the spoiler warning down below, I wouldn't worry too much about spoilers. And that's because I only managed to read about 20% of the book. Nothing had happened between the main characters yet. Why didn't I read more?, you ask. Well, it seemed to me like Drew had a cronic case of asshole. And I really dislike reading about presumptuous pigs who enjoy degrading women and think of them as lower beings only fit to have sex, cry and be, as he called them, bitches. No thank you.

The following extended review contains spoilers
If you have not yet read the book and/or do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read any further.

[Review] Confess - Colleen Hoover

Author: Colleen Hoover

Original Title: Confess
Publisher: Atria Books

Release Date: March 10th, 2015
Finished Date: April 9th, 2015
Pages: 306
Read in: English

Synopsis

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…

Source: GoodReads

Rating

Yes. This book finally made me understand why people seem to praise Colleen Hoover so much that they almost treat her as a GOD. This was so much better than what I anticipated, I can't even put it into words. It wasn't perfect - there were some things that didn't really set quite right with me, but it was powerful. It was moving. It was beautiful.

As in Maybe Someday, which I've also read and reviewed (click here to go see that review), Colleen decided to transcend the written word as a way to tell her story. In Maybe Someday she used music to complement the story. In this book she used paintings. Beautiful, soulful paintings. And I don't even like paintings all that much.

The story was heart-wrenching, and even if it was a bit too much at times - which, lets face it, is Colleen's style - it still managed to throw me off with a big revelation that changed everything.

If you're looking for a good NA, go pick this one up.

The following extended review contains spoilers

If you have not yet read the book and/or do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read any further.

[Review] Maybe Someday (Maybe Someday, #1) - Colleen Hoover

Author: Colleen Hoover

Original Title: Maybe Someday

Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: March 18th, 2014
Finished Date: March 31st, 2015
Pages: 385
Read in: English

Synopsis

At twenty-two years old, Sydney is enjoying a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers that Hunter is cheating on her—and she’s forced to decide what her next move should be.
Soon, Sydney finds herself captivated by her mysterious and attractive neighbor, Ridge. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either. They soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.
A passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance, Maybe Someday will immerse readers in Sydney’s tumultuous world from the very first page.

Source: GoodReads

Final Rating: ★★★ out of 5

I have such mixed feelings about this book... This was my debut into the genre of New Adult, and although more than two months have passed since I've read it, I'm still conflicted.
There were some elements to this that were entirely refreshing, and the romance itself was swoon-worthy, but there were this little things that ticked me off.
Let's be honest: Maybe Someday is a book about cheating. Cheating and betrayals. And that particular topic hits a nerve with me. Colleen Hoover has this way of writing that makes you want to understand, and were it about anything else, I would have.
Still, I really liked the book, mainly because I think it was an incredibly original idea and very well executed. Although the accompanying music wasn't really to my taste, and I found the songs to be quite repetitive and similar, it was an amazing idea to combine literature and music and make it an incredible sensorial experience.
Two stars for the actual story. It gets one additional star for the innovative idea of incorporating music into the story.

The following extended review contains spoilers

If you have not yet read the book and/or do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read any further.

[Review] Girl Online - Zoe Sugg

Author: Zoe Sugg

Original Title: Girl Online

Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: November 25th, 2014
Finished Date: March 12th, 2015
Pages: 352
Read in: English

Synopsis

From YouTube sensation Zoella comes a debut coming-of-age novel that perfectly captures what it means to grow up and fall in love in today’s digital world. Girl Online is the first book to be published by Keywords Press, an imprint under Simon & Schuster dedicated to today’s digital stars.

I have this dream that, secretly, all teenage girls feel exactly like me. And maybe one day, when we realize that we all feel the same, we can all stop pretending we’re something we’re not. That would be awesome. But until that day, I’m going to keep it real on this blog and keep it unreal in “real” life.

Penny has a secret.

Under the alias GirlOnline, Penny blogs her hidden feelings about friendship, boys, high school drama, her quirky family, and the panic attacks that have begun to take over her life. When things go from bad to worse at school, her parents accept an opportunity to whisk the family away for Christmas at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. There, she meets Noah, a gorgeous, guitar-strumming American. Suddenly Penny is falling in love—and capturing every moment she spends with “Brooklyn Boy” on her blog.

But Noah has a secret, too, one that threatens to ruin Penny’s cover—and her closest friendship—forever.

Award-winning and influential YouTube vlogger Zoe Sugg delivers a heartfelt coming-of-age novel that perfectly captures the highs and lows of first love, friendship, and growing up in the digital age.

Source: GoodReads

Final Rating: ★★ out of 5

I know there has been a lot of controversy around this book and the way it was written, especially about the lack of transparency of the author in regards to her ghost writer.

Despite all that, I decided to give it a try, and judge it as I would judge any other book. The end result differed from what I expected. Although it was not exactly good it wasn't terrible either. 

It deals with very serious issues in a realistic manner, among a (almost too) fluffy romance.

I recommend this to younger teens (12-15 years old).

The following extended review contains spoilers

If you have not yet read the book and/or do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read any further.

[Review] Attachments - Rainbow Rowell

Author: Rainbow Rowell
Original Title: Attachments
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Release Date: April 14th, 2011
Finished Date: March 6th, 2015
Pages: 323
Read in: English

Synopsis
"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . "
Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.
Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.
When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.
By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.
What would he say . . . ?

Source: GoodReads

Final Rating: ★★.5

I'm going to be honest - up until half the book I wasn't very impressed. Beth and Jennifer were hilarious, but I wasn't convinced with Lincoln. It was hard for me to start seeing him as more than a creep who proof-reads other people's e-mail. Once I got over that, it was actually like experiencing a Nora Ephron movie in book form - think You've Got Mail, but creepier.

«Falling... was he falling? Or was he just bored?»

I will also admit that, since I don't even know what Dungeons & Dragons is, there might have been little things that I didn't notice and/or couldn't interpret correctly.
Anyway, it was nice, but not really my thing. Which is a shame, because I actually like Rainbow Rowell's writing a lot.
Give it a try, you might like it.

«"I think I missed my (...) get-a-life window. I think I was supposed to figure all this stuff out somewhere between twenty-two and twenty-six, and now it's to late.»

The following extended review contains spoilers

If you have not yet read the book and/or do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read any further.

[Review] The Bronze Horseman - Paullina Simons

Author: Paullina Simons
Original title: The Bronze Horseman
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release date: Januray 1st, 1997
Finished date: February 23rd, 2015
Pages: 912
Read in: English

Synopsis

The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.

Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana—and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects—a secret as devastating as the war itself—as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.

Source: GoodReads

Final Rating: ★★★★

«“I found my true love on Ulitsa Saltykov-Schedrin, while I sat on a bench eating ice cream.”

“You didn’t find me. You weren’t even looking for me. I found you.”

Long pause. “Alexander, were you… looking for me?”

“All my life.”»

~~~~~

«Alexander was the one who crossed the street and said, I’m yours.»

I read this over a period of 8 days. I can tell you right away that this was not due to my not liking the story. It was because unfortunately, I do not read for a living, and I couldn't stretch the hours on my days enough to read 900 pages non-stop.

In The Bronze Horseman we follow Tatiana, a young and incredibly naïve Russian girl through the beginning and then the development of World War II.

«The Russians were unparalleled in their suffering, the English in their reserve, the Americans in their love of life, the Italians in their love of Christ, and the French in their hope of love.»

This was her idea of the different nations in the beginning of the book. I have seldom seen such a huge character development in a book. Tatiana starts out as a weakling and ends up as a strong and remarkable woman.

It is written beautifully. I felt cold when she felt cold, I felt hungry when she was hungry. And I felt the overwhelming despair of not being able to do anything about it.

Yes, a major part of this book portrays a love-triangle. But this is the kind of love-triangle I don’t mind reading about. One that is well-written. One that is not the whole plot.

Throughout the book, we see very clearly the interaction between Tatiana and Alexander evolve with and because of war. I loved their first moments together, sweet short moments in which innocence was still present. 

“In America we have a custom. When you’re given presents for your birthday, you’re supposed to open them and say thank you.”

Tatiana nervously looked down at the present. “Thank you.” Gifts were not something she was used to. Wrapped gifts? Unheard of, even when they came wrapped only in plain brown paper.

“No. Open first. Then say thank you.”

She smiled. “What do I do? Do I take the paper off?”

“Yes. You tear it off.”

“And then what?”

“And then you throw it away.”

“The whole present or just the paper?”

Slowly he said, “Just the paper.”

“But you wrapped it so nicely. Why would I throw it away?”

“It’s just paper.”

“If it’s just paper, why did you wrap it?”

“Will you please open my present?” said Alexander.

The following extended review contains spoilers

If you have not yet read the book and/or do not wish to be spoiled, please do not read any further.