Tag: MA

Book Review: Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

After reading two books by Riley Sager and giving them 5 stars, I knew that Riley Sager’s plot twists are something very different and out of this world, which I love. So I decided to pick up Lock Every Door from him. So this book follows a girl named Jules Larsen, who is broke and doesn’t have a place to live until an opportunity comes to her. Basically, she gets the offer to do an apartment sitting at one of the most prestigious yet creepy Bartholomew apartments. Being broke gave her no choice but to take the opportunity, and after living there for just 2 days, one of the apartment sitters, Ingrid, disappeared without a trace. And Jules can’t sit and decides to find out what exactly happened.

First of all, the entire book is from Jules’ point of view. At first, I thought she was dumb because she was looking for a girl whom she had just met. But as we move on and get to the twist, that dumbness saved her life. Which I think is one of the smart ways to write a character in a thriller. I also loved that she suspected the culprit quickly and didn’t try to list out an excuse, given their past relationship.

It’s fast-paced and creepy; however, the plot felt flat for me. I already suspected the culprit, and when the revelation happened, as to why people are disappearing, I don’t know, but it didn’t make any sense at all. I just felt that more could have been done as the vibe of the book and the revelation don’t sit together. The book is creepy, but the revelation made it not good.

The plot, again, was very unpredictable; however, I already guessed the culprit, so it went flat for me. I wanted more, as the setting was so good, so it would be better if something paranormal had been the twist.

I don’t think so, you will miss out on much if you don’t read it, but again, it’s your choice.

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: The September House by Carissa Orlando

The perfect book review for the perfect month with the perfect vibe. The September House by Carissa Orlando is my favourite horror thriller and mystery book, and you know why? Because it’s funny as hell, I was laughing rather than creeping out by the book. The book follows the story of Margaret and her husband Hal, who bought a Victorian mansion at a very low price. But then they started discovering haunted things in the house that only happen in September. Margaret is not ready to move as it’s her house; however, after four years, Hal can’t take it anymore and leaves. But he is not returning the calls of their daughter, Katherine, who is unaware of the house, and she has never visited the house. And now she is on the way to the house to find her father, and the worst part September has just begun. How Margaret hides about the house is fun to read.

Let’s start with the main character, Margaret. Only one thing to say about her, she is fantastic. It is so rare to like a character of a thriller book, and I was rooting for her till the end. The woman is so adamant that she won’t leave the house, no matter what. And a lot was happening to her physically as well as emotionally. Her talks are my favourite, she is so sarcastic and knows how to deal with things perfectly. Because of her, I loved the entire book and never got bored with it.

There are other characters as well, but they don’t play much. It’s actually just Margaret and her house, so here the house is another main character. I loved the house and the creepy things it does. I don’t think so, I have never read anything so unusual, but I loved every second of it. The house was definitely creepy, but I didn’t find it much; it depends on the reader. There were many fascinating things about the house. Firstly, it happens only in September, and what it brings is so much fun to read. The house characters were amazing, and the way they all came together in the end was mind-blowing to read.

Talking about the plot, it’s a mixture of horror, comedy and thriller. Nothing is foreshadowing but working together, there is not much thriller, but the plot twist I loved. The plot is engaging and so fast-paced that I couldn’t stop reading it. Actually, I just wanted to read what Margaret has to say.

The author’s writing is so simple, the way she has described the activity happening in the house and the dialogue of Margaret, I loved every second of it. Honestly, I thought the ending would be like that only; however, in the end, the plot twist, wow, it still amazes me when I think about it. I loved that the author decided to end like that rather than how it was going, and I thought it would end. The ending scenes were my favourite; it was like I was watching an action-packed movie, and it really felt like that.

I highly recommend it.

Rating: 4.5/5

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blog

0

Some random thoughts…

We are all broken. That’s how the light gets in. – Ernest Hemingway

My life has been in that phase where I am afraid to move on, while on the other hand, I am moving on and living an adult life. The thing is that I have yet to have a realisation, I think I have been in an auto mode for a long time, and that is the reason I am unable to grasp and actually accept my new adult life. When something happens, it happens so fast, and you don’t even get a chance to adjust, while on the other hand, the plan you have made and are waiting for takes such a long time. This is what we call the unpredictability of life. I have learned so far that someday I am not going to like how my life is going, while other days I will feel happy, and that’s okay. I just know that I will never give up and I will achieve the dream that I have been dreaming of for a long time. You have to start somewhere to reach the place that you actually want. Don’t feel heartbroken if life is not going the way you want because it won’t in the start, but that start will help you reach where you always wanted. I think life throws challenges because it wants to make us stronger to hold ourselves for a long time. I am actually speaking from my own experience, I have been through a winding road in my life that I can’t accept that I actually crossed it and am now on the other winding road, but if I compare, I have actually become so patient as well as strong, maybe because I know I have dealt enough to know what I should do. Just want to tell you that don’t give up, you are more than capable of anything you want and don’t regret anything. You did your best and still are doing, and trust me, ahead you are going to feel how strong you have become in managing life challenges.

Don’t compare yourself to others. Be like the sun and the moon and shine when it’s your time.

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blogging

0

Stop waiting to feel ready!

Action cures fear. Move before you feel ready.

I have been in that stage of my life where I am ready to take up the biggest challenge of my life and go ahead with it like a job. And I am a person who is ready to do a job, but when the opportunity comes, I get so afraid and insecure that will I be able to do the job? And when I start, give it some time, I feel better. Adulthood is really hard because we are constantly upgrading ourselves, learning new things, and in that, we come across a lot of challenges. However, from my personal experiences, you will never feel ready. There will never be a moment where you will feel that from tomorrow I am going to do it, no, you need to show up and then only you are going to do it. Life is all about challenges; you have to take the first step, you have to show up. That’s the biggest thing I learned: there will be no realisation before I do anything, it will only happen after I do it. Because feeling ready is not a sudden emotion, it’s a practical aspect of life, and you need to be practical about it. Feeling ready is a decision you need to make. The first few moments will be uncomfortable; however, as you show up, things will get better, and you will feel like you were born ready. It’s all about your mindset, no matter what people say, if you are ready, make the decision to do things right in your life, it will happen, slowly, but you will feel the progress. Believe in yourself and your knowledge, it’s all going to be alright, and it’s all up to you. Don’t wait to feel ready; if you know you can do it, then take up the opportunity and go for it. That’s how you learn by trusting yourself and believing in your skills, so go for it and stop waiting to feel ready!

Stop waiting to feel ready. Ready is not a feeling. It’s a decision.

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blogging

0

Book Review: The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager

Yes, I am in my thriller era and will be in it for a long time. The next thriller pick of mine was The House Across The Lake by Riley Sager. I read so many good things about his writing, so I knew I had to pick, and I started with this book. The book follows the story of Casey Fletcher, an actress whose husband recently passed away, and she is trying to escape the press. So she retreated to her family’s lake house to find peace. However, the house across the lake was recently bought by a couple, Tom and Katherine Royce. The couple from outside seemed glamorous; however, as Casey from her house started spying on the couple through binoculars, things went absolutely crazy.

Let’s start with the character of Casey Fletcher, just like everyone says, never trust anyone in a thriller book. Even when the story is told from the main character’s point of view, that doesn’t mean they are not crazy. I couldn’t believe what I read when the plot twist happened; my jaw was on the floor, and I’m not exaggerating. I don’t think so, anyone would get the plot twist because the writer, through his writing, made everything so clear yet clever. I will just say Casey is absolutely crazy, but in a good way for a thriller book.

Then we have the couple, living across the lake and just like the description, there is a problem going on between the couple; however, I would say it can be deceitful. I don’t think so, I can say more otherwise it won’t be fun. However, it’s so good, the plot twists OMG what?!?!?! I really want to talk to the writer because what was he thinking writing the plot twist?

Then we have the plot, basically a drunkard girl who is trying to find peace, finds that the couple across the lake is not what they seem, as Katherine goes missing, and Casey thinks it’s Tom who has unalived her. And now she is trying to investigate, simple, right? No, it’s all deceitful in a good way. I absolutely couldn’t get the plot twists, and I don’t think anyone could because it’s so different and jaw-dropping. No, I seriously want to talk to the writer because the plot twist was mind-blowing and nobody can guess it because it’s so out of the world. And all the plot twists just come out at the same time, connecting the story, that’s my favourite part.

I highly recommend it if you want to read something different and jaw-dropping.

Rating: 5/5(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

1

It’s never enough…

“Nothing will knock you down quicker than offering the best of yourself to someone and it still not being good enough.” – M.W Poetry.

It’s never enough how much you do for others; they will still want more. They will still complain about how ungrateful you are and not enough. In this world, you need to understand that it’s never enough to impress people; if they have already made up their minds about you, they will never see your effort, no matter what you do. So learn to live for yourself, the society will never be happy, no matter what. The courage to stand up for yourself and do whatever you want doesn’t come easily. However, if you want to survive living in this world and want to create a place for yourself, then you need to focus on yourself. You only work for yourself, not for others. This is your life, so live it however you want should be your motto. You will get tired of impressing others, and amidst that, you will forget how to live for yourself. That is why you do whatever you want, regardless of what others say. It’s definitely not easy; however, you only live once, and this is your life, and you should always remember that for yourself and your future, you need to become selfish. The world will not even look in your direction when it’s their time, so just do it for yourself. I have learned that no matter how much you do, it is never enough. So it’s better to just focus on yourself and believe in yourself. Do whatever you want and don’t tell anyone about it. No one deserves to know what you are doing and why you are doing it. You should know that in this world, you are your only true self. Everyone else is just there to take advantage of you. Selfish people don’t have the guts to appreciate you when they see you are going ahead of them; they will demotivate you and show you it’s never enough, so leave those people behind and just trust yourself. You live for yourself only, and do whatever you want to do for yourself; you are what matters.

It sucks, doesn’t it? feeling like you’re not good enough, no matter how hard you try.

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blogging

4

It’s Okay…

It’s okay if all you did today was survive.

It’s okay if days are not going the way you want them to be. It’s okay if things are going great, and something happens, but it does not make you a failure. My life has been on a roll, I’m busy preparing for so many exams that I have a deadline this month which will decide my future, and today I cut my hand so badly that I’m recording to write this blog post. And guess what, my exam is in a week and I have injured my hand, which I’m supposed to write with. I was kind of panicking, but it’s okay, I am fine again. I am doing great, and I will be better very, very soon.  Life is like that, only it will test you at every step, and it comes so suddenly that we don’t know how to deal with it. But again, at this point in my life, where I have seen so much and been an adult for such a long time, I have learned that life works that way; it will test you, but we have to believe in ourselves. Just like happiness, there is sadness, and for the rainbow to be there, the storm has to come. After every difficulty, we definitely get to see the result; we just need to hang in there. I had the habit of always questioning myself if I didn’t accomplish something, I put such pressure on my mind and kept thinking about what went wrong, but later realised nothing was wrong, it’s just a phase of life which will go, I just need to believe in myself that I can do it. If I put pressure on myself and start questioning my existence, that world is going to do the same, and I’m not going to be okay. So let me tell you, it’s okay, you’re doing fine, one setback will not decide your future, but it’s your courage to pass through it that will. So hang in there, do what you love and remember to say this yourself when life gets a little hasty, it’s okay…

You are strong, but you are also tired, and that is okay.

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blogging

0

Book Review: None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

I came straight after reading the book to write my review because I felt insane about what I just read minutes ago. This book is insane, and my head is spinning at a high rate. The book follows the story of Alix Summer, a famous podcaster and a woman named Josie Fair whose past is full of pain. Josie and Alix share the same birthday, and Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcast and comes up with a plan that she might be a good subject for Alix’s podcast.

Let’s start with the character of Alix. I can’t believe she is a famous podcaster who interviews so many people and can’t even tell how a person is. I found Alix’s character to be so unrealistic that I hated her; she was the reason why things turned out that way in the end. She is such a famous podcaster and has a family, and she is so okay with inviting a random lady she met by accident just a few days ago to her house and letting her stay as well. I wanted to throw the book at her because she meets so many people and can’t tell a person’s nature, that’s impossible. Definitely the dumb character in the thriller I hate, and guess what, she is also the main character. She is to blame for everything, by the way.

Josie, what a character! She is someone who will gaslight and manipulate people so easily, but only a naive person like Alix, the famous podcaster, will believe it. The author has not exactly gone into her mind, but very simply, through her talks, we get to know her character. Then, too, her character was intense to read. The end was unexpected, actually, that’s more like the plot twist. We might think Josie is the main character, but no, it’s Alix as she gets tangled in her own mess she created, and she can’t even clean that up ever.

The plot is excellent. I won’t say there are any plot twists because it’s very clear what is happening. I think it’s more frustrating to see Alix’s character and realise how dumb she could be given her profession. The book is very fast-paced, and I read it in less than 24 hours. The second half of the book was pretty intense and thrilling.

The book is more like a warning than a thriller about how we should never trust a stranger and not bring them home if we have a family, because we never know what that stranger can do, and it can lead to a forever loss like what happened to Alix.

There are no plot twists, everything is clear as water; however, the last ending, OMG, is what made my mind go spinning because wow. It was definitely unexpected, and in a thriller, we never trust any person, no matter what, and that’s what the ending says.

I highly recommend this book.

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

Never say Never…

Sometimes there is no next time, no second chance, no time out.

Sometimes it is NOW or NEVER.

I will start by saying, take that opportunity, it has come your way, which means you were chosen for it. As an adult, you need to come out of your comfort zone, you can’t hide forever, you need to take that risk, no matter how much you are afraid. At this age, you have to test your ability, and this will happen when you take on the opportunity that scares you. Being an adult is scary; however, it also allows you to explore and find yourself. I really want to see how much I am capable of things, and that will only happen if I take risks, no matter how nerve-wrecking it is. I know the feeling of saying no to something and then regretting it so much and thinking if only I took it, maybe I would have failed, but at least I tried and learned. Taking the opportunity to learn and teach how to do things right and better as we move on in life. Everything is scary at first because you have not tried yet, you won’t know how much you are capable of, how much you can do, unless you try. You have to try and start somewhere to keep going and make the life you’ve always dreamed about. I recently learned how to drive a car, however, I was so afraid at first, even though I can drive well, my confidence was so low. But I know I have to start the car and keep going to actually see my progress. And guess what, I drove so well and now my confidence level has increased because I know what my flaws were, and I worked on them, and now I can control the car. Nobody is perfect, and people we see who are so good at their job started somewhere, started imperfectly, to reach where they are so perfect. No matter what, never say never. Life is all about risk and especially in matters where your whole future lies ahead of you. Taking that opportunity will give you some result, but saying no will never allow you to move ahead, and the result will always be nil. So take the opportunity, I know you have a lot of courage to rule the whole world, so never say never…

You have to fight for what you want.

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blogging

0

The chaos of life…

“Life is divine Chaos. It’s messy, and it’s supposed to be that way.” – Keats

I love calmness, but I also adore the chaos of life. When you are walking on the street surrounded by thousands of people and wonder what kind of life they are living and what kind of life you are living, but at the same time, you are in the same place. Life is something; if we look upon it as a queen of mischief, it will throw you down, but like a magic flying carpet, it will catch you. I believe in the chaos of life. I like trying things that seem so out of this world, things that bring drama to my life, because we only live once, and no one knows what will happen next, so why not do dramatic things? I believe that embracing the chaos of life gives you a whole new perspective on it, you find beauty in things that you never even thought about, and you get to know the beauty and the chaos it carries, bringing you the ultimate comfort. All great things are embedded with chaos; chaos is constant in life, but we must find peace within it. Messy things can be beautiful, like abstract painting that might not make sense to a common person, but it looks phenomenal. Maybe the chaos of life will make you go mad, but it’s okay, everyone is a bit mad, so instead burn it, let go and just dive into the chaos life has brought. Maybe this will help you find where you truly belong. Embracing life makes everything so easy, and we actually get to see the beauty of it, but it also comes with a lot of chaos that we need to hug in order to go past it and find the beauty and peace in it. I have heard that to survive, you need to be wild in chasing your dreams, and that will happen when you know how to embrace the chaos of life…

And she embraced the chaos as it painted her life with purpose.

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

Pinterest Instagram Twitter Tumblr Blogging

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑