Tag: book review

Book Review: The Right Move (Windy City Series #2) by Liz Tomforde

“Sometimes the quietest love is the loudest.” – Ryan Shay.

I disliked the first book so much, but I heard that it would get better from so many reviews, so I decided to give it a try. Honestly, I can’t believe there is so much difference between protagonists written by the same author. Ryan Shay is the newest Captain of the Devils, Chicago’s NBA Team, and the last thing he wants is a distraction like Indy Ivers, his sister’s best friend. Indy has nowhere to go, and her best friend has the craziest idea to let her stay at her brother’s place. Ryan and Indy are polar opposites, but there is a spark…

Ryan Shay healed this series for me. I liked him so much because of the way he was. I liked that whatever happened to him, he didn’t turn worse, but handled it really well. What happened to him was so out of the box, I was not expecting it, but it shows he was the green flag from the start. He is caring and lovable, a male lead hard to find. He is a standard book boyfriend who knows what his girls want; he is a perfect act of service to exist.

Indy Ivers’ character was amazing. I found her amusing, and her thoughts always made me laugh. I liked that she was so understanding about living with Ryan rather than being arrogant about it. I liked that I did not see any arrogance in this book. She is beautiful inside and outside, I liked how confident she is in herself.

The chemistry is really great too. The bickering and the tension, and I liked that there was nothing forced between them, but it came naturally. His care for her was enduring, and her understanding of him is what we call an understanding couple.

Just like the first book, there is nothing about basketball in the book, which was disappointing. The last part was okay, so basically, both talked about each other’s flaws, and still, they had a misunderstanding about the same. I hated it to the core. The ending, to be honest, I had enough with this book. At the 75% mark, I had enough because that would be the perfect ending, but no, the remaining 25% was just a misunderstanding of things that they had already talked about. I think the biggest complaint of mine from this series is that it is too long, and I get bored.

In the end, I found the book all over the place, and my interest went below zero. The plot was nice and definitely out of the box. But I don’t know why stars need to take instructions about how to live their personal life from the team that didn’t sit right with me. According to me, it was really good in the beginning, but again, in the end, I wanted to get over it quickly. Because I got bored, there is nothing that I remember and would highly recommend. My biggest pet peeve is long chapters and long books, especially in romance. Maybe that is the reason I liked it, but just not much.

Give it a try if you want. Will say Ryan Shay is the ultimate book boyfriend.

“His quiet love. It’s always the loudest.” – Indy Ivers.

Rating: 3/5

Side Note: I just want to clarify that this is entirely my opinion; you are free to love this book, and I am free to give my opinion on this book. I would be very happy if you loved this book, but please do not take this review to heart; it is okay to have different tastes. Thank You.

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blog

0

Book Review: Mile High (Windy City Series #1) by Liz Tomforde

Okay, every single thing that I have heard about this book screams for me to not read it at all. However, I thought how bad it could be and trust me when I say it was…(no words). I never thought I could ever dislike any book the way I dislike this one. The book follows the story of Stevie, a flight attendant who gets a new job working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL. She meets the hockey player, Zander, who is a huge playboy and a narcissist. Both hate each other, but can’t say the same about the attraction between them.

Let’s start with the character of Stevie. Did I hate her? No, but did I love her? No. In the beginning, I thought she would be a strong character with a curvy body and bold personality, but I was so wrong. She would have been such a great female lead, but she gave in so fast, and the reason for it is that I can’t even write it here because it was so embarrassing when I read it. I wanted to see her passion and her bold personality, but I was so disappointed. I liked that the author did a great job of portraying her insecurities with her body, but there is nothing else about her that I would call interesting.

Now, let’s talk about Zander. Sigh. What a character! I disliked him the second he was introduced. He thought Stevie wanted his autograph, which was not the case and got offended. Hello??? I hate male leads who try to be over-smart and absolutely annoying for no reason. In the first half of the book, he was giving me pick-me energy (side eye). The way he talked about his previous partners, I was not having it, and then his back story came, and that made me want to bang my head against the wall because apparently, it was a PR stunt?!?!

Then the storyline, what was it? I never knew I would ever read a book with this kind of storyline. The first shocking thing was that there was no mention of hockey at all. Where is the part about competition???? I couldn’t vibe with the storyline at all. I found a lot of potholes. Also, the storyline was kind of muh! Especially the PR stunt from Zander’s agent. Their interaction felt so forced. I hated their first interaction because I felt that the author kind of forced them to interact.

Another thing is that a contemporary romance being 600 pages blows my mind because there would definitely be a third-act break-up that I despise. In this book, there was and at 28%, a lot happened so I knew it would bore me to death and then I DNFed it.

Even though I have DNFed this book, I have heard that the series gets too good, so I am definitely going to give this author and this series another chance.

Rating: …

Side Note: I just want to clarify that this is entirely my opinion; you are free to love this book, and I am free to give my opinion on this book. I would be very happy if you loved this book, but please do not take this review to heart; it is okay to have different tastes. Thank You.

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blog

0

Book Review: Grave Matter by Karina Halle

Seriously, it is one of the most underrated books I have read. The book Grave Matter by Karina Halle is a gothic fiction, psychological thriller, and science fiction and OMG, what a book it was. I just recently finished it, and I know I need to write about it ASAP. So this book follows an aspiring mycologist, Sydney Denik, who is getting a second chance at life. When a dream opportunity came in the form of working in a prestigious foundation, how could Sydney deny it? However, the prestigious foundation is not what one can imagine; it is isolated, with no outside connection, and everyone around her is hiding secrets. How is Sydney going to survive in the middle of nowhere with people hiding secrets and finding herself falling for one of the residents of the foundation?

Let’s start with the character of Sydney Denik. Just like every horror book, she is very dumb. Seriously, there is no single cell left in her brain. I thought she would be smart at first, but boy, I was so wrong. The entire book is in her POV, and I felt that I was in her brain. I wouldn’t say she was a complex character, but what was happening to her was definitely creepy. The book is more focused on the plot rather than the character, so there is nothing more to say about Sydney.

Then we have Wes, the MMC, and as I said, the book is in Sydney’s POV there was nothing much about his character. However, through her POV, we get to know how obsessive he was. Through him, we only get to see the love he had for Sydney; the boy did everything for Sydney. They have great chemistry, and the instant connection they felt was definitely a spoiler.

Now, the main thing that kept me hooked to the book was the PLOT. There was not a single moment in the book where I was bored because Karina Halle’s writing was so intriguing and fast-paced. The plot was outstanding, and even though there were technical terms as it is science fiction however everything was written so easily that I understood it so well. I understood what was happening pretty much early in the book but still, the end plot twist I didn’t see it coming at all.

I truly enjoyed the vibe of the book and the ending as well. The plot is complex, but the writing isn’t, so I think that was the reason I vibed with the book. There was so much creepiness, and at one point, I was truly confused if Sydney would ever make it alive or not. The book was perfectly balanced with mystery, romance, sci-fi, and horror, which made the storyline interesting.

If you would like to read a mixture of horror romance and science fiction, I highly 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.

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blog

0

Book Review: The Castaways by Lucy Clarke

I randomly picked this book very early in my reading journey, and it’s been a long time since I read it. Guess what? I have not forgotten it at all. Because I hated no wait, despised the ending of this book. The book follows the story of two sisters, Lori and Erin. Lori books a holiday for herself and her sister to Fiji, but a night before the flight, both sisters have a fight. So Lori ended up boarding the flight alone while Erin never boarded the flight. But here is the twist, Lori never reached Fiji and Erin can’t get hold of her, so as a reporter she is trying to find out what happened to her sister.

The book was so good from the start, full of thrilling, however, the end ruined it for me. It’s a long book with many characters in two different places and timelines. Throughout the book, I was so intrigued because apart from sisters, there were other characters as well, which were pretty intense. The book goes back in past with Lori’s point of view and in present it moves with Erin’s point of view.

Erin’s character was my favourite, even though she was messed up, she did everything to find her sister. Lori was my favourite until the end. There are other characters with their own story, and we can’t trust anyone, so that was pretty intense for Lori as well as for me. The plot was actually quite fast and it kept me engaged. Since it is more mystery than thriller, I was quite eager to see what actually happened to Lori, so I read it really fast. The plot was messed up, but in a good way, because we have different characters’ involvement and so much was happening, so I can’t even guess what actually happened.

The ending was not good at all. I read so much just to see this ending, I can’t believe it was so unfair for Erin. I didn’t appreciate Lori for the decision she made in the end. It would have made more sense if the ending was different because this ending made no sense. I just found out that it was adapted into a TV series.

Would I recommend? Maybe…

Rating: 3/5

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blog

2

Book Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.” – Achilles about Patroclus.

I had to do a research paper on mythology and literature, so I picked The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I would say this was my first proper historical fiction and I loved every single word of it. The book is a retelling of the Trojan War set during the Greek Heroic Age and is told from the perspective of Patroclus.

The character of Achilles is so complex, seeing him as a leader with no fear and strong passion truly made me addicted to this book. I loved how he was not afraid of anything, the royal blood made him so ready for the obstacles that would come in front of him. I liked his communication skills, just talk how much you need to. I think being a good leader comes with the quality of observing and finding out what one feels rather than talking much, which Achilles nailed. The way the writer has written Achilles’s fighting skills was incredible.

Talking about my favourite character, Patroclus, oh how much I wanted to give him comfort and love. Seeing how relatable he was because of his anxiety and how much his own parents criticised him for being not a good prince broke my heart. I think Achilles’s biggest motivation as well as weakness was Patroclus and people knew that, so we can say how this awkward prince has power in his heart. Till the last this boy fought through everything for his tribe and Achilles because he never wanted people to be against Achilles. He deserves so much and the saying is so true that goodness always leads to one’s destruction.

The characters of Achilles and Patroclus are moulded in a way that shows every aspect of the relationship. The chemistry, the intensity, the friendship, and the understanding of everything about them is so beautiful and heart-wrenching. They both were two peas in a pot, and both couldn’t live without each other. Achilles, the strongest man, gave his weakness to only Patroclus while Patroclus, the awkward prince found solace in the strong-headed Achilles.

The story is so beautiful and heart-wrenching. There is something so surreal about reading about mythologies of centuries and seeing how that has incorporated the world today. Greek mythology is beautiful but shattering at the same time. The end was so emotional and heartbreaking, that it still gives me goosebumps when I think about it.

If you are someone who likes reading about mythologies then I highly recommend this because it might hurt your head seeing so much going on altogether.

Rating: 3.5/5

“He is half of my soul, as the poets say.”

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blog

0

Book Review: What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

Clearly, we can see that I am in my thriller era and my next pick was What Lies Between Us by John Marrs, it was my first book by this author. The book follows the story of a mother and a daughter, Maggie and Nina. However, their relationship is very different from that of a typical mother-daughter relationship. Every night Nina helps Maggie after dinner to go to the attic and ties her with heavy chains that keep her there. Because Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she has done to her. Also, there are many secrets that Maggie has kept that Nina doesn’t know and she will keep it that way no matter what.

I don’t really know what I felt while reading this because it is more than a thriller, there are thrilling vibes however it is not exactly like a thriller book but more a horror story between a daughter and a mother. Nina’s character is one of the most dangerous characters I have ever read in a thriller. The way she was from the start showed and gave me all the hints of the plot twist. I was actually traumatized by Nina, her point of view was so aggressive and just out there, it’s crazy.

Maggie’s character shows a lot to the readers. I can understand she loved Nina a lot and would do anything for her but I felt like if she asked for help a lot of people would be alive. But a mother can go to any extent to save her daughter. I was so shocked reading how Maggie, the mother, did anything possible to save her daughter, Nina.

The storyline is very traumatizing and very deep. The book gave me a headache because there are shocking revelations throughout, and all of them are deeply disturbing. The plot twists were not shocking at all because I guessed almost all right, and that is what makes it not a thriller for me but more of a horror story about a daughter and a mother. Because as the revelations are made, the story turns crazier.

The vibe is so creepy and I was shocked by what I was reading. Nina is a very complex character and reading her different phases of life gave me creeps and I can never forget her character. The book gave me a headache in what I was reading, however, I felt it was more horror than a thriller. And the book was kind of slow so that did not fit right with me. The setting is very disturbing as well as the characters of Maggie and Nina.

I wouldn’t put out there to recommend this book but if you want to read please check the trigger warnings.

Rating: 3/5 (Please check trigger warnings)

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blog

0

Book Review: The Locked Door by Freida McFadden

To be honest Freida McFadden’s books are either a hit or a miss and this one for me was a miss. There was nothing much for a thriller in this book I just read it because I was in a reading slump and it successfully brought me out of it. The book follows the story of Nora who was just eleven years old when her father was arrested for unaliving someone in their basement. Decades later Nora is a successful surgeon while her father is behind bars. Everything was going perfectly until Nora found out one of her female patients had been unalive in the same way her father used to unalive his victims.

The main character is Nora, and the whole book is from her point of view. From the start, the way Nora was, I knew she was her father’s daughter because she did show some psychic things. However, she worked on making herself different from her father, and I guess she succeeded in it.

The pace of this book is very fast I did not even realize it when I ended up in the middle of the book. There is nothing thrilling in the book as it follows just Nora’s point of view. I felt that maybe if the past point of view were of her father’s that would make the book more thrilling. There were definitely some creepy scenes and did I guess the plot twist, no I was thinking totally opposite to what actually happened.

The plot twist was actually kind of good, I didn’t guess it. I think that it did give me a thrilling vibe. The book has a creepy vibe too because I suspect everyone but not the one who was the actual culprit. But I would say it lacked quite a good amount of details which would have made the book more thrilling and creepy.

If you don’t read this book you wouldn’t be missing much.

Rating: 3/5

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blog

0

Book Review: Never Lie by Freida McFadden

The amount of people who have recommended this book finally got me and I decided to read it and loved every second of it. The book follows a newlywed couple Tricia and Ethan, who get strangled amid a snowstorm at a remote mansion once owned by Dr. Adrienna Hale, a psychiatrist who vanished years ago. While looking for something Tricia finds a hidden room with tapes of Dr. Hale’s patient interviews. As she listens, she uncovers the unsettling events leading to Dr.Hale’s disappearance. Each tape reveals more secrets until the final one exposes the chilling truth.

This book had me in a chokehold till the last end. I did not see the twist coming at all and that made me realize OMG what just happened. So basically this book has been divided into the present and the past, the past POV of Adrienna and the present POV of Tricia. So there are not many characters one can suspect then too I did not get it. Talking about the characters, we don’t really explore the characters until the truth is finally revealed and their true faces are exposed to the readers. But she made me believe pretty well until the truth was revealed.

Ethan is a side character until the end, and I was shocked because I was not expecting a plot twist on plot twist but he also gave me suspicious vibes. Adrienna’s POV tells a totally different story and at first, I was confused about how the past and the present would merge but Frieda did exceptionally well in merging and executing it well.

The plot and the plot twist were perfect. I did not see it coming and was shocked because HOW!!!!!!!!!. Adrienna’s POV really made me understand that we truly don’t know what goes on in people’s minds, and if we do, then we have to face the consequences. The thriller never fails to make me aware that we truly don’t know which face of the person is real and how they actually are from the inside.

I loved that the author added transcripts, which made the book more creepy and suspenseful. The ending! What will I say about it? It’s so different, but for a thriller, I think it’s perfect. I have not yet read a thriller with this kind of ending, so I loved it. The book is very past-faced and intriguing; it kept me hooked till the end.

If you want to read a thriller where every character gives the vibe of morally gray then I recommend Never Lie by Freida McFadden.

Rating: 4/5

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blog

0

Book Review: Before We Say Goodbye (#4) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Writing the first post of 2025 through a book review and it was not planned but accidentally. I hope this year will fulfill all your desires. Wishing you a healthy and happy year.

The fourth book in the series Before We Say Goodbye is another great book written by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. I read this series continuously and the four stories in this one were the most challenging because it has a story about a dog. In this book, we meet again at the magical Cafe Funiculi Funicula known for its famous legend and extraordinary time-travel offering. The customer gets the chance to go back in time but with every journey, there is a risk and here the customer has to obey certain rules otherwise the punishment is brutal. We will be introduced to four new sets of visitors; the husband with something important left to say; the woman who couldn’t bid her dog farewell; the woman who couldn’t answer a proposal; and the daughter who drove her father away.

The vibe of the book is comforting and familiar, the only thing is that the rules are explained very much which makes it repetitive but becomes less in the later part of the novel. The timeline of this book was also a little different than others and I wished there was more of Kazu and Nagare mentioned but because of the timeline, it couldn’t happen. The stories were heart-wrenching, especially of the dog and its owner, I bawled my eyes out. Honestly, this book and this series are like a comfort you can read in a day or savour chapter by chapter. It is a short book, however it makes you empathetic towards others and see how people are going through so much in this world.

I recommend this book.

Rating: 4/5

Check out the review for the first, second, and third books by clicking here.

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blog

0

Book Review: Before Your Memory Fades (#3) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

‘Well, I read that when you give a gift to someone who is striving to achieve their dreams, you have to give them the most cherished thing you have. Some days, that person who is chasing their dreams will not be able to find the strength to keep going. It will be bitter and painful, and they will have to weigh up their dreams and reality to make a choice. When that happens, the person gifted with the most precious thing will be able to fight on a little more. It apparently helps them to feel they are not alone. So, I’m giving you this book because I want you to fight for your dream.’

Let me continue with the review of Before the Coffee Gets Cold series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and today it’s time for the third book in the series. Before Your Memory Fades is my favourite book in the series, it has touched my heart with its beautiful stories. Again we met on the hillside of Mount Hakodate in northern Japan in Cafe Donna Donna. The cafe is back serving delicious coffee as well as giving its customers the chance to go back in time by following certain rules. In this book we meet four customers; a daughter who resents her deceased parents for leaving her orphaned, the comedian who aches for his beloved and their shared dreams, the sister whose grief has become all-consuming, and the man who realized his love for his childhood friend.

I connected with this book so much, all the stories were heart-wrenching and inspiring. The four characters who went back in time were filled with angst and guilt, and because of that, the conversation was filled with words that my heart started sobbing. This book truly allows us to see how much every person is suffering from something, how each person is carrying guilt, how they have regretted what they have done in the past, and how they want to just forget the past and make things right. This book also teaches that if you ever get the chance to meet the person again maybe life could get a little better.

‘If it was just a matter of travelling back to the past, anyone could do it. But this cafe chooses people…By its rules…And some people hear those rules and give up. But those people who are resolved to go back, despite the rules, have a reason for doing so. It doesn’t matter what the reason is. If there is someone they must see, or someone they should see… even if the present reality won’t change…then, that’s all that matters.’

However, it also teaches that reality can’t be changed and maybe this is for the better of one being. The thing about me is that when I read stories about people who went through life in a hard way, it makes me want to appreciate life and be more grateful.

That is why I highly recommend this book.

Rating: 4.5/5

‘Something I strongly believe is that we mustn’t allow the death of a person to be the cause of unhappiness. The reason for that is simple: if you let everyone who dies be a cause for unhappiness, that would mean people are being born to become unhappy. But the opposite in fact is true. People are always born for the sake of happiness.’ – Yukari Tokita, Author

Check out the review for the first and second books by clicking here.

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blog

1

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑