Tag: review

Review: ‘Shine On Me’ C-drama (2025)

Another Chinese drama on the list. I feel like they are very easy to watch and easily accessible. Shine On Me follows the story of an energetic and lively girl, Nie Xi Guang, as she starts her campus life. During her university life, she gets a crush on Zhuang Xu, a top student. However, during her work life, she meets Lin Yu Sen, a former surgeon who now works in the solar industry. Both are drawn to each other.

Let me start by saying that this drama was so hella confusing that I wished I had not watched it. So let me start with the plot. It was a slow-burning romance; however, every other thing that was added to slow down the romance was so boring. Nothing was making sense; it was all about work, which I found not entertaining. The plot was not engaging; I rather found it repetitive. The second lead, Zhuang Xu, was a headache.  What in the world is he thinking that every girl will pursue him while he is still confused about his feelings? This part made the drama more frustrating.

Let’s move on with our female lead, Nie Xi Guang. She belongs to a wealthy family, and every friend of hers makes her realise how privileged she is. To be honest, her character is average during university. But the way she became so powerful during her work life was amazing to watch.

Then, we have our male lead, Lin Yu Sen. The female lead stands out more than he does. Definitely, he was more towards the emotional side with what happened to him. He is a green flag as things move forward. I didn’t find the chemistry between the couple at all. It’s a slow burn, but I was not able to anticipate them together.

It’s a very predictable drama, but with a lot of things happening, which made it frustrating and boring, especially the kind of awkward love triangle.

I won’t recommend this drama.

Total Episodes: 36

My Rating: 5/10

Genre: Romance, Friendship, Drama

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

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Review: ‘The Best Thing’ C-drama (2025)

“Don’t think you’re not good enough and have no value, you’re just hurt by a bad relationship. Love yourself and live well, that’s the most important thing you can take your time with everything else that said, if possible, I do hope you can heal a little faster” – He Su Ye

I think every drama’s vibe can change, except Chinese dramas. They are always on track with what and how to provide. I don’t think I once thought that C-dramas are losing their charm. You know how sometimes you need a detox by watching a drama that is just a basic love story with nothing major. And ‘The Best Thing’ C-drama is one of a kind. It follows the story of a hotel manager, Shen Xi Fan, who is a workaholic and has insomnia. So to cure it, she visited a Chinese medicine doctor, He Su Ye.

I absolutely loved the storyline, simple and beautiful. I loved the bonding between the leads, the way both will meet and just spend time together, getting to know each other. It was so fresh to see them being friends and happy without any awkwardness.

He Su Ye, a green flag. I loved his way of understanding. It is important to appreciate green flags who never take anything for granted and give perfect advice. His eyes are so expressive, so who wouldn’t fall in love with him?

Shen Xi Fan, first of all, is absolutely breathtaking. For me, she made the cinematography more beautiful. A beautiful character that deserves everything. Her family dynamic is so good.

I feel like in this drama everything was positive. No problem, nothing, just straight away two people meeting, becoming friends and falling in love. The chemistry is insane. Their scenes after dating were so beautiful, and it never felt awkward.

I have to say the cinematography of the drama is top-notch. I don’t think so, I have watched a drama where every scene has a beautiful background. The trees, the cherry blossoms, the music, the colours, and their outfits fit so well that I wish to exist in their world.

I want one of their houses. Just breathtaking and something I wish to just get lost in. The storyline is very simple but memorable. It felt like a palette cleanser for me.

I highly recommend this drama.

“A relationship is about two people; happiness and joy should go both ways. For me and for you, it should be the same. So if one day I make you feel miserable or I make you feel unhappy, you have to tell me. I’ll make changes.”

Total Episodes: 28

My Rating: 8/10

Genre: Romance, Friendship, Comfort

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

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Review: ‘Pursuit of Jade’ C-drama (2026)

“When my life was hanging by a thread… she saved me.

When I was in despair… she gave me her love.

I didn’t realise my life was worth living until I met her.

I will never betray her… not until death do us part.” – Xie Zheng to Fan Changu

The first office drama of 2026 that I watched, and back with the review. To be honest, for a long time, no drama was able to capture my attention until my entire feed was filled with this drama. And literally after watching two to three videos, I picked up this drama and finished it. We meet two characters, Xie Zheng and Fan Changu, who meet when she saves him, and their entire lives are shifted.

It’s an historical drama; however, it went so fast that I didn’t even realise. I was literally so into it that I didn’t get bored for a second. The drama focuses heavily on the plot and the female lead’s point of view. Romance is the subplot, and it’s very common in historical Chinese dramas.

Let’s start with our female lead, Fan Changu. OMG, what a lead. She is everything needed for a historical drama. Like the girl can fight and do every single thing to exist. I absolutely loved her courage and the way she would go out of her way for her loved ones. I absolutely love a strong female lead, and she did such a perfect job in portraying her character.

Then we have the male lead, Xie Zheng, and I absolutely adored him. However, I felt the story was more focused on the female lead and her fighting, so his character didn’t stand out. Definitely, his fights and all were good, but I wanted to see a more powerful aura from him. His gaze is absolutely marvellous.

Then we have the plot, so engaging and straight to the point. The plot was actually the main thing about the drama. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful. I would watch in awe the village of Linan and wonder when I would get to live like this.

The fighting scenes were shot amazingly. I enjoyed each one of those.

The chemistry was chef kiss. The way both would talk with each other, understand each other, was amazing to watch, especially in the beginning episodes. And their gaze, their slow love, was just beautiful. Also, the found family of the female lead was amazing to watch.

Now, as I have watched the drama, I feel that there was so much missing. I wish it had more episodes to clear it up. Like Xie Zheng and Fan Changu needed more episodes for their growth, which we never saw in the end. The end was so abrupt that we never properly saw them as a couple.

Also, another thing is that now I am reading the book on which this drama is based. And in that, Xie Zheng, the Marquis, was seen as cold, and I wanted that throughout the drama. I felt that the male lead character was not shown as he should have been. Not brutal as in the book, but the aura I felt was missing. The drama is more focused on the female version.

Other than that, the drama is amazing. Fast-paced, engaging, strong leads and chemistry.

I highly recommend this drama.

“I’m not afraid of death. But I’m afraid Changning would be left without a sister. And I’m afraid I’d never see you again. I missed you so much. I was so scared you were dead. Come home with me, okay?” – Fan Changu to Xie Zheng

Total Episodes: 40

My Rating: 9/10

Genre: Historical, Romance, Drama, Action

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

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Book Review: Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Another day, another thriller. I have to say the thriller vibe is coming back as I got to read two good thriller books in a row. One of them is Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak. Mallory Quinn has just got out of rehab and takes a babysitting job for Caroline and Ted Maxwell. Their son loves to draw and grew closer to Mallory. Later, he began drawing very creepy things, which led Mallory to uncover many secrets that might put her in danger.

One thing that attracts me is the book’s pace. When my attention can’t be anywhere else but the book. And I have to say, this book was one of those. The plot and the pace of the book were incredible. The writing is very engaging, and the chapters are short, too. The paranormal vibes in the book were just amazing. The cottage, the jungle, everything through the words was perfectly delivered by the author.

The main character, Mallory, is a protagonist with fast learning and solving skills, which I love in a thriller. I loved that she made the main revelation and revealed it, which made the book more interesting. I liked how, through her, we got to see the plot twist that makes it more interesting.

The plot line was engaging, and I did not guess the plot twist. It was wild to say and amazing. It is a whole new level of twist, but it fitted so perfectly with the book, I loved it. The paranormal activities and the pictures, everything was so eye-catching that I was looking forward to that part. The drawings were amazing, and the way they slowly revealed the whole story was phenomenal.

If you want an engaging thriller with paranormal vibes, 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.

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Book Review: She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena

Another day, another thriller. I have been hearing about Shari Lapena and her popcorn thrillers for a long time, and I thought this was the right time to give her books a shot. I started with her book She Didn’t See It Coming, which follows the story of a perfect couple, Bryden and Sam. They have their careers thriving and are surrounded by the right people. However, it is not always true what our eyes see, right? One day, suddenly, Bryden disappeared, leaving behind everything. And slowly, the detectives and the readers come to understand the reality of being a perfect family.

Let’s start with the plot. Hell, it was so engaging. I was on a full ride, enjoying as if I could be the culprit. This is a mystery thriller, so it is hard to keep readers engaged until the end, as everything has to be revealed in the end. But the author did such a good job in her writing. I was fully hooked. I liked the plot. One reason it was so fast-paced was the multiple points of view, which kept the plot engaging and interesting. However, I felt that there should have been more secrets about the couple, which would have made the book more interesting.

There is no main protagonist as such, but we see two stories I absolutely loved: Alice’s and Derek’s. I felt that their point of view added more depth to the Bryden story and overall to the book. To be honest, all the characters of the book were not very suspicious to me. I find the characters to be very average.

As I have read a lot of thrillers, it was very much predictable as to who the culprit was, but I still enjoyed the plot twist. I had a great time reading this book.

Overall, for a one-time read, I recommend it.

Rating: 4/5

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

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Book Review: An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

I started this book because I saw the review that it was fast-paced and enjoyable. And I am not going to lie, it was indeed enjoyable. And I know this author’s book is always hit or miss. The book follows the story of characters who get a chance to spend their weekend at an amazing inn deep in the woods. All gathered, excited to spend the weekend; however, suddenly everything went downhill when one of the characters was found to be dead, and soon others followed. The chaos began when a heavy blizzard strangled them, and maybe the killer is among them.

The plot was nice, but I felt that something was missing. I wanted more, and I kind of guessed what the plot twist would be. The book was definitely thrilling as bodies were randomly found around the house. The setting was good too, with an ice storm covering the entire inn, and the inside was all old, like a cosy cottage. The book begins slowly, and I was not having it, but it did pick up its pace.

I liked the plot as it was from twist to twist, especially the last revelation that happened, and I definitely found it over the top, but I think with the story, it went well.

The characters are the main part of the story. I doubted everyone because all of them were unhinged and extremely creepy. I mean, it won’t be a thriller if characters aren’t unhinged. The way all have something to hide or have done something extreme in the past was great to read.

Would I recommend it? Only if you want something quick to read, but nothing over the top. It’s a good book, but not something I would go all over for.

Rating: 3/5

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

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Book Review: Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda

This book was a headache to go through; I am not lying when I write it. I know books are meant to be dramatic; however, this thriller was on another level. It frustrated me so much that I wondered why I even picked up this book. The book is about Hazel Sharp, the daughter of a detective. She inherits her childhood home and is drawn to the town and its people. After a decade, Hazel is back, and she is going to discover something unexpected that might change her life.

I don’t know how and why I finished this book, but I have to say nothing made sense to me. After reading the blurb, I thought it was going to be all detective, but it all dived into family relations. I felt that it focused a lot on family dynamics rather than being a thriller. More than half of the book was based on family dynamics, and in the end, a revelation happened, but I was so fed up that I just wasn’t able to enjoy the twist and the ending.

The character of Hazel was so annoying, like, why is she engaging in things when she doesn’t have to? So many moments she was told to just mind her business, but OMG, she won’t listen. I couldn’t like her at all. I hate characters like this; it frustrates me so much. Also, so many things were happening at once, and it was so confusing. Like the round-up of the story and its relation was not well executed; it made more of a mess, according to me.

I want a thriller that I enjoy rather than one that gives me a headache, and this one was not for me.

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, and 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.

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Book Review: Guess Again by Charlie Donlea

For such a long time, I really wanted to read a mystery thriller, a proper one with a detective and all and when everyone started raving about Guess Again by Charlie Donlea. I knew it was time, and everyone liked it so much. So the book is about a girl, Callie, who disappeared 10 years ago. And the detective working on that case, Ethan Hall, now works as an ER doctor. He gets a call from his former detective partner to reopen this cold case and find unfinished answers.

I have to start with the plot, it was amazing with twists and twists coming every second. Throughout, it was engaging, and I really wanted to know how it would end. However, the book is huge with many chapters that are so short. The different places and timelines were so chaotic that I couldn’t keep up with them. Because of it, I was dreading continuing. At one point, I wanted to know, and at another point, I was getting confused with all the names of the places. I wish it were not written that way; it would have made the book fast-paced and more enjoyable.

I legit guessed the plot twist. I guess I don’t have to guess again! (hahaha) I will be honest, I didn’t like the plot twist, it was too predictable, or would I say too common for a thriller book. I like the vibe of the book, the chapters are short but very chaotic, which, for a thriller, might be a part I didn’t like, and till the end, it never really made sense to me about the places.

After reading the blurb, I thought that the detectives would work together; however, the entire book is totally different. The storyline is good, the vibes match with it perfectly; however, it was very common, so I didn’t find it amazing, or something I will rave to others.

The characters are good, including Ethan Hall, the main protagonist. The pressure of finding out what exactly happened to Callie, while his own personal and professional life is getting mixed up. As we move through so many POVs and characters, nobody really stands out as such.

If you want, you can give this book a try.

Rating: 3.5/5

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

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Book Review: That’s Not My Name by Megan Lally

I heard so much about this debut book, so I picked it up. It did intrigue me as I went through its blurb; it felt mysterious and creepy. I love books with mystery and thrilling vibes, and this one stood out to me. So basically, this book follows the story of a teenage girl who is found shivering in a corner of the road. However, she knows nothing about herself, no name or where she came from. But a man shows up claiming that he is the father of, and her name is Mary, with all the proof. On the other hand, a teen named Lola disappears and the entire time believes that Dew, her boyfriend, murdered her.

Honestly, I had high expectations from this book, and unfortunately, it did not deliver. Starting with the plot, it has two points of view, one from Mary and the other from Dew. The story is very straightforward; everything is as clear as water. I liked the fact that the author tried to mislead me into believing something that wasn’t true, and then the plot twist happened. I liked it as it was very fast and very disturbing. However, there was nothing new about the book or the plot.

The character of Dew brought a lot of emotion to the book, which I liked. Also, the last plot twist was amazing. I didn’t see it coming at all, and that made me feel really bad for Dew. There are creepy moments in the book, but it’s short, so I flew by very fast. The book is really short, so it is suitable for beginners.

Overall, the plot fell really flat for me as it’s very clear in the beginning what it is about, except for that one plot twist, which I have to say I liked.

The book has a thriller, mystery and emotional side, so if you like to read it, please go forward.

Rating: 3/5 (Please proceed by looking at the trigger warnings.)

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, and 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.

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Book Review: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

I have read, I think, three books by Riley Sager and loved every single one of them. So I decided to pick another one by him, Home Before Dark. The concept was perfect for this spooky season, and I was really excited to see what’s stored in this book for me. The book follows the story of Maggie Holt, who returns to a Victorian estate which is owned by her father. And after he passes away, she gets hold of it. However, the house holds a haunted tale that his father has published in his book, House of Horrors. But she doesn’t believe a thing until she starts living in the house and experiences some questionable things.

Honestly, the plot was really good and entertaining. There was a perfect balance of spookiness, calmness and haunted vibes that I felt in the book. The plot was very simple and straight to the point; however, the plot twists, did I see it coming? Some I did while the last one, I knew it would never be simple in Sager’s book, so I knew something had to come.

And it did! The plot twist was crazy. I was shocked because it was not much talked about in the book; it just came out of nowhere, and I loved it. And I know Sager’s book had that twist, and it did. The story has a lot of intensity because the past is what made the book more haunted, rather than the house. I loved all of the things that came together.

Talking about Maggie, our main character, she was a likeable protagonist trying to find the truth as well as run away from it. Her backstory was amazing. I did not see anything coming, given how she was such a crucial part of what happened in the past.

Maggie’s parents, in the beginning they might seem unlikable, but actually, they are the main characters of the book. Other characters play a huge role, but for the spoiler-free review, I am just going to say that every character in this book is phenomenal. I absolutely loved the back story of the plot twist. It was everything gothic and creepy, and I ate it up. The book is really fast-paced. I finished it in less than 24 hours.

I highly recommend this book as it’s a mixture of intense, haunted and gothic vibes. As well as the story makes total sense with a great ending.

Rating: 4/5

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

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