Category: Place of Reviews!

Book Review: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

“And that’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.”

This book broke my heart so badly that whenever I think about this book I hear the shattering of my heart again and again. Here only I am mentioning that please look at the trigger warnings and then proceed. So the book focuses on two friends Amir and Hassan and their friendship. It is set in 1975, Afghanistan where a 12-year-old Amir wants to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But again, the future is unpredictable and that afternoon what happened to Hassan shattered their lives.

I don’t know where to start because just thinking about this book gives me goosebumps. The story is all about betrayal and redemption. However, I still think how much a person has to redeem to get forgiveness and peace of mind after what happened. Amir, the boy did the worst betrayal of all time to his most loyal friend Hassan and just thinking about what Hassan went through makes my eyes so teary and my heart weak. The situation in Afghanistan was all about war and Amir with his father had to fly to America but he never got peace ever again. The story moves on to how Amir starts the journey of redemption correcting the wrongdoings that he did as a boy.

Hassan is a friend that everyone deserves except Amir. Hassan was not only smart but he knew what was right and what was wrong. He did everything for Amir because he accepted Amir as his friend but again he was the only one who accepted that not Amir. The character of Hassan was so strong and just thinking about how much that boy went through then too he never broke his friendship with Amir. He is such a selfless person and having that kind of a friend is a gem. But we also need to be like Hassan the loyalty that boy had was enough to make everyone cry. He deserves the world but the world did not deserve him.

The plot is devastating as it talks about war, the aftermath, the lives of people in the war, the hunger, the poor people, the freedom, the friendship, the loyalty, and whatnot. Till the end Hassan always stayed true to his friend, his loyalty never broke so just imagine what kind of a person Hassan was, a beautiful rose that shouldn’t have grown between the thorns.

I don’t want to give away the ending, however, it all depends on how readers want to interpret it. Amir in the end made sacrifices to get things right. I can say that through the last chapter, we get to see the hope for the future of Afghanistan and the characters for the better. The book is beautiful, and the writing makes it more heart-wrenching, however, if you want to read it then keep in mind it will get more devastating as you move on so please if you can bear it then only proceed with the book. The whole book is filled with beautiful quotes that describe different courses of life.

Rating: 4.5/5 (Please check trigger warnings)

“I’m so afraid. Because I’m so profoundly happy. Happiness like this is frightening…They only let you be this happy if they’re preparing to take something from you.”

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Review: ‘Love O2O’ C-drama (2016)

“After watching the video, you never doubted Bei Wei Wei? You trust her that much? Why wouldn’t I trust my girlfriend?” – Xiao Nai

I will never stop yapping about this Chinese drama ever in my life and it is my favourite drama. I want to say that this drama is mind-blowing to start your C-drama journey, however, I am afraid it might make your expectations higher than infinity. Also, there is no C-drama like this made again. Bei Wei Wei is a beauty with a brain girl who is majoring in computer science and loves to play games online. On the other hand, Xiao Nai is a cold-hearted boy who is also majoring in computer science and loves to play games online. So both get married in the virtual game, however, they don’t know anything about each other in real life.

This drama has set the expectations for other dramas too high because there is nothing in this drama that I did not like. First of all the plot is simple yet very fun because it goes back and forth from the leads being the players in the game and then they are shown in real life. The cinematography is amazing, and the game shown is so beautiful that it makes you think you are part of the drama.

Now talking about my favourite thing about this drama is the leads. If you are a follower of C-drama, you might know that it follows the pattern of rich boy and poor girl. The boy is handsome while the girl is not beautiful, then the parents’ opinion, another girl or boy, which to be honest I am not a fan of. But this drama broke all the patterns and such a beautiful story was created.

Xiao Nai is handsome and very popular yet he is a gentleman. He knows what he wants and trusts Bei Wei Wei like every man should do for their woman. He legit fell in love with her from behind that too at first sight and then only he decided he wanted her and after that fate worked out for him. Now, Bei Wei Wei is also a popular girl with beauty and brain which for a Chinese female lead is rare. I think I loved that about this drama they made both of them equally great for each other. I love how modest she is, she’s classy, knows her worth and is strong irrespective of being shy.

The romance between them at first is awkward because he is very straightforward while she is very shy. They both understand each other without saying much which I liked. The chemistry is electrifying. Both love and support each other so much. I wish to have a relationship like them. There is no moment in the drama where he does not believe her or where she doesn’t believe in him. There is no misunderstanding, it is just straight-up learning about each other.

I love both of their friendship groups there is not much interaction between their friendship group and there is no pairing among their friends which is also very rare. I just wished for their interaction as it would be funny as hell. The second lead couple is so sweet but the story mainly focuses on the first lead couple.

I highly recommend this drama, it is all about romance and the beauty of trusting and believing in each other.

“As long, as she is willing to be with me, I don’t care about any of that!” – Xiao Nai

My Rating: 10/10

Total Episodes: 30

Genre: Romance, Game, Friendship

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides was one of the first thrillers I read after getting back into the reading. And I have to say that this book wrecked me with its plot twist and I did not see it coming. The book describes the story of a thirty-three-year-old famous painter, Alicia Berenson, who unalive her husband, Gabriel Berenson, whom she once loved dearly. This happened six years ago and since then Alicia has not uttered a word not even to defend herself in front of the court. Now, a psychotherapist, Theo Faber, wants to figure out the mystery behind Alicia and joins a hospital where she is kept.

I loved this book so much, not only because of the plot twist but also because of the writing of the author. He made sure to give an explanation about the situation of Alicia and Theo which made me more engrossed in the book. I loved the character of Alicia and how in the end she connected all the lines and freed herself. I don’t know what to say about Theo he did not expect the situation to become like this. He wanted to do something better but everything turned out worse.

The biggest lesson that this thriller taught me was you never know what is going on in a person’s mind. You never know what a traumatic past someone has so it is so much better to be mindful of what you say in front of anyone. The situation of Alicia got wild because of her past and it triggered so fast that she unalive her husband. That is why it is said to be mindful because you never know what can trigger a person and its outcome will be worse than one can imagine.

The plot twist, I was legit staring at the wall when I read the page before it was revealed because I was shocked and at the same time sad because it was the situation that made everything turn out like that. I love the plot it was something very different from what I read and the book focuses more on generational trauma and trust.

I highly recommend this book, if you read a lot of thrillers then it might be predictable, however, there is more to this book than just the plot twist.

Rating: 4.7/5 (Please check trigger warnings)

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Review: ‘Healer’ K-drama (2014)

“Fate, destiny, I believe in that kind of stuff. If it didn’t exist, why would words for it exist, right?” – Young Shin

I just re-watched the drama to write a review after reliving the old vibes from this K-drama. I watched it years ago and since then I re-watch it once in a while. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since this drama was aired. It is a mystery and thriller drama with intense chemistry between the leads. Chae Young-shin is a failed reporter who aspires to become like Kim Mun-ho, a star reporter. Then she crosses paths with Seo Jung-hu, a mysterious criminal named ‘Healer’, and their lives intervene.

It is one of the finest K-dramas out there with such a good plot line, the whole time I did not have a dull moment. The mystery is very much intervening however the execution is done so well. The twists and turns were amazingly inbuilt and I loved how the main characters were so greatly connected. The drama is filled with suspense and slowly the mystery is revealed and how each is connected.

Chae Young Shin is a sunshine that was developed amidst black clouds. I loved her and her talks. Seo Jung Hu is a character who truly knows how to show his duality. He in black is everything and I love the duality in him a lot. I loved Kim Mun-ho, if not for him the drama wouldn’t have progressed. The biggest shout out to Jo Min-Ja, she is hilarious and the best side character to exist in K-drama. I loved Cha Young Shin’s family and how much they loved her.

The chemistry is insane, you all. I loved every scene of them especially when things were getting revealed and how they are connected to each other. The love is pure as both went through so much and fate brought them together again. I would say, he was sunshine and she was midnight rain.

I highly recommend this drama if you want to watch a story filled with suspense and intense chemistry.

My Rating: 10/10

Total Episodes: 20

Genre: Romance, Action, Suspense, and Mystery

“The truth doesn’t always end with happiness. Sometimes it can be hell.” 

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter

“She’s not you.”

“What?”

“She. Isn’t. You.” – Wes to Liz

This is my first ever rom-com book and I have not heard any single bad thing about this book so I decided to read it. It is a cute romantic book without much melodrama and to be honest I like books with more melodrama. The story is very simple it is about Liz Buxbaum who wants her real-life love story to be exactly like movies. She is a hopeless romantic and loves to live like it. Wes Bennett is her next-door neighbour who will take any chance to annoy Liz so they are frenemies. When Liz’s crush Michael comes back she wants him to notice her and Michael is getting along well with Wes. So she asks Wes to help her to get to Michael.

Overall the book can be defined as cute, the plot is very straightforward as it is based in high school. The entire book is in Liz’s POV but I wished the author would add Wes’s POV as it would make the book more interesting. I won’t lie and say that I wasn’t annoyed by Liz. Since the whole book was in her POV sometimes she acted to impulse according to me, however, since she was in high school I can look past it. I loved Wes, even from the POV of Liz, I got to know him so much. He is a cutie pie like a typical high school boy and a next-door neighbour. The whole story revolves around Liz becoming close to Wes instead of Michaal and I loved that the author also pointed that out.

In the middle of the book I loved Liz, the kiss scene was just a chef kiss. I was not expecting it at all and the author wrote it so well and captured all the emotions of them. There is no romance romance because till the end Liz is figuring out her feelings. It was also kind of disappointing, but since it’s the book vibe, I did not mind that much. I loved the conversation of them while they were figuring out their feelings. I loved Helena, Liz’s stepmom and she gets most of the credit for making Liz aware of her feelings.

The relationship between Wes and Liz as friends was beautiful, Wes thoroughly understood her. However, since they get together in the end there is not much about their romantic relationship. But there is a sequel to this book called Nothing Like The Movies.

If you want to read something light-hearted, I will recommend this book.

Rating: 4/5

“I fell in love with teasing you in the second grade, when I first discovered that I could turn your cheeks pink with just a word. Then I feel in love with you.” – Wes confession

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Review: ‘When I Fly Towards You’ C-drama (2023)

“If fate could have told me in advance that I would meet such a person, could I have choosen to meet her a little earlier?” – Zhang Lu Rang about Su Zai Zai

This C-drama is a package of everything. Everything is shown so beautifully from childhood to their marriage that I wish I could rewatch it for the first time. So, I have already said in my previous post that I love reminiscing about my school days and this drama brings back good memories from my school days. It is about a cheerful transfer student Su Zai Zai who on her first day of school encounters a cool boy, Zhang Lu Rang and falls for him. Now their love story is shown through all the timelines from school, college and job so you can see their love story in different aspects which I loved.

Talking about Su Zai Zai, she is a girl’s girl. You all know that I do not prefer bubbly FMC however, she is a huge exception because it suits her face. She has an inner child in her and the way she is so bubbly all the time makes her character so adorable. But she is so mature and loving which speaks out for her innocence. On the other hand, Zhang Lu Rang is a green flag. It is hard to find a lead who is cold-hearted but at the same time respects the FMC without saying harsh words to her but again he is an exception. He is cool and calm and loves to adore Su Zai Zai. There is nothing about their characters that is extraordinary, however, that is the reason maybe they fit each other so well.

OMG, their chemistry is amazing. Even after getting into a relationship Su Zai Zai is still the same because Zhang Lu Rang loves her the way she is. Zhang Lu Rang is not much of a talker but a listener to Su Zai Zai. There are scenes where he is so grateful to have a partner who understands him without words. Their confession scene is so good like their story is calm and beautiful. And the proposal is endearing that’s all I am going to say, it’s so heartwarming I still remember screaming because it’s hard to find that in real life.

There is no breakup or misunderstanding. It’s a simple and sweet love story of theirs from childhood to their marriage. The friendship group is hilarious but sweet. The second couple Jiang Jia and Gu Ran have a mind-blowing love story that fills the whole drama to its brim in the best way possible. Their wedding is also fun to watch and both look beautiful. Overall there are no dull scenes in this drama, the cinematography is stunning it’s like breathing in fresh air

If you want to watch a sweet love story where you think you are part of their life then I highly recommend this drama.

My Rating: 10/10

Total Episodes: 24

My Favourite Episodes: All

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Youth

“Perhaps every girl can become a princess infront of the one she loves.” – When I Fly Towards You

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

You know that one classic book that everybody should read for the thriller genre is The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. It’s a psychological thriller and let me tell you this book has altered my whole brain system not because of the twist but the thoughts and what was going on in the main character’s mind. It is about Rachel who catches the same train every morning and she knows when the train will stop at what signal each time, overlooking the back gardens. She started to feel that she knew one of the couples who lived in one of the houses and they seemed the perfect couple. However one day she sees something very shocking that changes everything about her life and now she is not just a girl on the train anymore.

For a thriller, the plot twist was not shocking, I saw it coming at the start of the book. The plot is also basic it’s nothing extraordinary however the writing of the author legit sucked me in. Rachel the main character is very complex, she is going through a lot and the author’s writing made me feel every emotion that Rachel was going through. The book focuses on Rachel and how she is dealing with her life and basically, I think I was in the mind of Rachel the whole book. The other characters are good and it is great to see how they get tangled in the mess with Rachel or Rachel gets tangled with them.

The psychological aspect is very high because Rachel is already going through a lot and finds herself in a twisted situation. I don’t dare to pick up this book again because even though I read it a year ago, I still remember my mind was not having a great time reading what Rachel was going through.

I will never forget this book ever and I highly recommend this book but please check the trigger warnings.

Rating: 4.5/5

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: Verity by Colleen Hoover

This is the only Colleen Hoover book I have read and this book is so crazy. This is a psychological thriller book with romance as a subplot. So it focuses on Lowen Ashleigh who is struggling as a writer and is about to go bankrupt. Jeremy Crawford is the husband of bestselling author, Verity Crawford. However Verity is severely injured, so he hired Lowen to complete his wife’s remaining books. She started living with them and one day found a disturbing manuscript of Verity and from that point, her life changed completely.

So I read this book after reading The Housemaid by Freida McFadden and if you have read it you know that the characters are the same in both the books, two women and one man. So I already know the plot between the three of them and what it would be, however, the suspense and plot of the books are totally different. The book Verity is very fast-paced and you won’t realize how much you are engaged until the suspense starts to keep you on the edge of the seat. The plot is astonishing as the manuscripts are so disturbing. My mind was having an internal battle because if I were in the place of Lowen I would have packed my bags the first day and would love to go bankrupt but again in thrillers characters are supposed to be dumb and curious. Apart from manuscripts, Verity herself was deranged which adds another bone-chilling point to the book.

Jeremy Crawford, I don’t know what to say about this character because you can’t figure him out. The way he is written, he is just too good as a person which means in a thriller he should be on the top of the list as a prime suspect. Verity, she is crazy however the book doesn’t let you know the truth, so it is up to you to decide what you feel about her. Lowen is the main storyteller of the book and there is nothing extraordinary about her except the shocks she gets when she reads the manuscripts.

The book ending left me gasping, that is all I am going to say, and it is up to you to figure it out. So the book is delivered into POV, first Lowen’s current POV and second Verity’s POV through her manuscripts. So the audience is divided into a team letter or a team manuscript. Or maybe Jeremy is the real psychopath, nobody knows that.

I wish I could say that this is the best thriller book I have read but the romance ruined it for me. I can’t stand romance in a thriller book. And in this book, it was so cheap and unrealistic. The setting is definitely creepy and brings more thriller to the book. But this book is still in my mind, I read this almost a year ago but I still remember everything because of the ending. I think that fulfills the main aspect of the thriller and the author did an incredible job of writing the book in a way that will make you gasp every time you remember this book.

I will definitely recommend this book.

Rating: 4/5 (Please check trigger warnings)

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Review: ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo’ K-drama (2016)

“We can’t do anything about the people we hate. You’re pretty and popular, but that’s not everything. You should be a decent human being first.” – Kim Bok-Joo’s father

I will never stop raving about this K-drama ever. I am not usually someone who has comfort dramas but this right here proves me wrong. I watched this drama years ago but I remember every piece and how much it has brought me comfort. If you watch K-dramas you might know that the male leads are often portrayed as cold-hearted and serious. But this drama brought back the male lead who is unserious, comedic and crazy. So basically it is about Kim Bok-joo who is pursuing her dream to become a weightlifter, she gets a crush on her friend Jung Joon-Hyung’s older brother Jung Jae-Yi. 

Let’s start with Kim Bok-joo, she is so funny and cute. Her whole friendship group is hilarious and she did an incredible job of portraying an athlete. Her father runs a chicken shop with his brother and both are hilarious which adds no boring scenes to the drama. The main focus is also on their food and how a weightlifter has to maintain their body. Even their eating scenes are full of comedy. I love how she has a crush but is clueless about how to express herself. This is where the main hero, Joon-Hyung, comes into the picture. He tries to help her but each scenes turn into comedy. There are a lot of comedic scenes that went viral and still make me laugh.

Jung Joon-Hyung is a masterpiece character written in K-drama history. He is so unserious, hilarious, and unhinged. He is a swimmer with a past and meets Kim Bok-joo in college again. He is a green flag and truly gives her the right advice. His acting is on point, the hilarious face he makes or unhinges talks of his takes the drama to another level. They became good friends and their scenes were so calming because you can see how a beautiful relationship they have created. The confession scene is iconic, it’s the right word to describe it. She is so clueless when he gives her hints about his feelings, it makes the drama more hilarious because of her response.

The chemistry is electrifying. Even after they get into a relationship. The bond of their friendship still surfaces. They are still hilarious and a teenage couple trying to figure out each other. There is so much depth to their chemistry that I loved every moment of theirs. I think their pair can maintain a romance and comedy to their relationship which is one of the reasons why I loved this drama so much.

The plot focuses on sports, friendship, love, food, comedy, and the depth of being surrounded by the people who love and encourage you in every step of your life. I highly recommend this drama. Watch it if you want something different filled with comedy, friendship, love, and food.

My Rating: 10/10

Total Episodes: 16

My Favourite Episodes: All

Genre: Friendship, Romance, Comedy, and Sports

“Everyone keeps a few painful wounds buried in his / her heart. If they can move on, it’s great. But even if they can’t, they still live. They become numb to the pain with time” – Jung Joon Hyung

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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Book Review: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

What I am most afraid of is that one day I wake up and realize that my life is all fake and the people I am living with are not recognizing me. If you want a better perspective of what I am trying to say read the book Dark Matter by Blake Crouch and get lost on how perfectly the book is written. First of all how in the world he came up with this incredible and astonishing idea? I will not give a lot away but it is about Jason, a simple man whose life gets turned upside down when he gets kidnapped in a way you could probably never imagine in the whole world. It is sci-fi, which is amazingly written with a twist of thriller that perfectly balances out the book. The entire time I was so engaged in what would happen next and till the last page my reaction was thrilling and shocking.

The story is so engaging and at a certain point in the book my mind was blown by what was happening. This book truly shows that the decision we make in the past definitely at some point in our life affects our present which leads to the future being uncertain. The book also focuses on family relationships, Jason keeps going and not giving up because he wants to see his wife and son and that courage worked out for him. This sci-fi is not at all boring as there is a mixed thriller, which makes it very interesting. Till the end I was not bored, the book is definitely a page-turner as nothing will make sense until the very end which I am saying in a good way. I highly recommend this book, just pick it up and thank me later.

Rating: 5/5

Till we meet again, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Keep Smiling – a girl who likes to write.

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