"Rules of Persuasion" Book Review

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars

I felt like I have read this book already, except the reason for the relationship is different. It wasn't any different from the countless pretend relationship, YA contemporaries populating the literary shelves. 

The secondary characters were props; their presence added zilch to the story. Yes, they listened to Meg complain about kissing the guy she now likes but that was about it. I didn’t connect with any of the friends and I kept forgetting their names. What good are they for except listening to Meg talk about boys and getting dressed up for her hot date? 

Meg was the cliché rebellious chick – rides motorcycle, check; wears black, check; has one main reason for behaving the way she does, check; gets into trouble for no good reason, like at all, check; is portrayed as sexy, check; has colored hair, check; is feisty, check, check and check; need I go on? She was quite forgettable though.

Luke, cliché hot guy – rich, sexy, athletic, good at schoolwork, wants nothing to do with his family’s money, wants to forge his own path in life, is whiny about having money yet uses it (clothes, food etc, car, fucking hypocrite, go live under a bridge if you want NOTHING to do with it). 

Rich does not equate to high-class in terms of behavior. The guy’s parents were rude and had a lack of basic manners. Is this how the author really wanted to portray them? As caring only about appearances instead of the well-being/happiness of their kids. 

The plot was fun, but the execution was lacking. The only kind of romance I can stomach is young love, reading and being taken along on the journey of two humans falling in love, especially those who had no intentions of doing so. 

I think this book’s best audience would be for the novice readers to the pretend relationship category; however, to those who have read countless of this type, steer clear.

Digital copy received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

"Zenn Diagram" Book Review

My Rating: ★★★★☆ 4 Stars

This was one of those cute books with a surprisingly clear writing style and selection of words.

The protagonist stood out to me and I connected with her in a way I haven’t connected with a character in a long time. She was smart, but not to the cliché point of having no social skills. She was a Christian but also a regular teenager with emotions and made bad decisions. I love how the various themes in this book were not overly done for the sake of creating drama/gaining attention. 
The friendships featured were not perfect, some fell flat while others were exciting and intriguing. 


Allow me to expound:
Eva & Zenn: Exciting, intriguing and cute.
Eva & Charlotte: Tolerable, not too many girly squeals.
Charlotte & Josh: Flat, dull, almost too perfect. I didn’t get to experience who they were, instead I got told who they were (if that makes sense). 
Eva & Family: Real

Overall, Zenn Diagram was well-written with a solid plot and likeable characters. 


Digital copy received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

"The Temptation of Adam" Book Review

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 2 Stars

Another YA tackling addictions/diseases laced with philosophical dialogue from whiny teenagers who all sound the same. 

Digital copy received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

"The Red" Book Review

My Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars

I am not a fan of the genre, but its always good to expand your literary horizon. 

I presume erotic books are meant to transport you into another world and render you completely oblivious to the real world while you’re engaged in reading. I also believe it is written to be so far from reality that you can’t help but forget about your problems and stressors; that being said, someone who loves this genre would absolutely love this book. 

It is “action” packed and not exactly plot-driven. If you’re expecting to read a solid plot filled with rich character development then this isn’t the book. 

The Red is truly an erotic piece written for the sole purpose of transporting its reader into a salacious fantasy. 


Digital copy received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

"Taming the Rebel" Book Review

My Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3.5 Stars

Definitely a cute, light read which will entertain you for a few hours. Although full of teenage angst and highly emotional responses, Taming the Rebel is filled with comedy, strong friendships, delightful rapport between characters and charming intimacy. 

Digital copy received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

"Stargazing for beginners" Book Review

My Rating: ★★★★☆ 4 Stars

Stargazing For Beginners had a lovable main character you can't help but feel an instant connection to. I felt her troubles like they were my own and I was fully engrossed in her story; however, i hated the situation she was placed in.

I was angry that a grandparent and a parent of two kids, one being an infant, could be so irresponsible and careless. It is something that really hit me hard and simply left me completely in a bad book mood. Just for this I would have given the book 1 star but that would have been unfair since the writing style was superb and so clear; the main character was lovable and the relationships that said main character had with friends were well-written and solid. 

Digital copy received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review

"The Ship" Book Review

My Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ 1 Star

Despite being of the post-apocalyptic genre, which is my favorite, I did not finish reading The Ship. I ended at 24% but I could have/would have stopped at about 10% when I realized that I did not fancy the writing style; however, I wanted to finish it, I tried to, but failed.

The book starts off by giving us a glimpse of the present post-apocalyptic world that the narrator, a 16 year old girl, lives in.

The world building was a bit confusing and quite dull; there wasn't much that held my attention. I didn't like that words were thrown in that had no accompanying explanations e.g. Screens, ravens, Dove. The words were integrated into the body of the passages and I guess we're supposed to figure out what they mean by their usage, but as a reader, I like explanations especially when the story is of the dystopian or post-apocalyptic genre since their technology tend to be/may be vastly different from what I currently know.

I saw there were some really great reviews on goodreads already but this book just didn't hold my interest.

I applaud the readers who were able to finish the book, especially those who grew to love the book.

Digital copy received from Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.