Tag: review

Review: ‘Oh My Venus’ K-drama (2015)

“Everyone is in pain, either a lot or a little, in their own way.” – Kim Young-ho

One of the biggest reasons I started this K-drama is because of how hot and handsome the male lead is, and it’s very rare for me to get attracted to a male lead. This K-drama is about a lawyer Kang Joo-eun, who is in her late thirties and gets jilted by her long-term boyfriend for gaining weight. So she decided to get professional help and met a celebrity trainer, Kim Young-ho. This drama features a fat-to-thin trope, and being set in 2015, it may be perceived as offensive to the audience in this era.

However, I think the 2015 drama portrayed the fat-to-thin trope very well. Because her being overweight has to do with her health rather than her beauty. The biggest reason I like it is that the male lead started liking the female lead before she lost weight, and both fell for each other because of their personality, which I think is a positive point for the show. Talking about Kim Young-ho, played by So Ji-sub and if you are familiar with K-drama actors, you know that he is one of the hottest K-drama actors, and I started because of him. In the beginning, he is very harsh, but later he gets to know her personality and wants her to be healthy, and we can see he starts developing feelings for her.

Talking about Kang Joo-eun, played by Shin Min-a, her character is freaking hilarious, but people around her don’t take her seriously because she is overweight. The chemistry is insane, another reason to watch the drama. I can say both were hot as hell as a couple, and I can feel the tension. Aside from the comedy aspect, the drama taught me a lot. I have watched drama recently, and that is why I can come up with things it taught, like no matter how one looks, we truly never know what is going on with them. And insecurities are always there, no matter how one looks.

Like Kim Young-ho, he has it all; he is wealthy, tall, and muscular. However, that is from the outside; from the inside, he has challenges he has to overcome, and his emotional mess prevents him from living a good life. The female lead’s ex-best friend was also overweight, then she lost weight and got a model figure; however, she still has insecurities about it. We live in a world of beauty standards, and if you fit, then the world will take you seriously, but if you are not fit like Kang Joo-eun, then you are a joke to the world.

The last 60 seconds of the drama ruined everything for me. I don’t know what the writer was thinking and writing that scene. I would say just skip that last part.

This drama has both negative and positive points, but I think it is a classic drama to watch once. The chemistry is insane, so I recommend it.

“If you’re hanging in there, you haven’t reached your limit.” – Kang Joo-eun

My Rating: 7.5/10

Total Episodes: 16

Genre: Romance, Friendship, Comedy

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

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Book Review: Before the Coffee Gets Cold (#1) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

I always loved books and movies that let me experience time travel because of the mistakes I have made in the past, which I can’t rectify but seeing fictional characters getting the chance makes me imagine myself in their place and I feel happy. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is the first book in the series and when I heard it’s Japanese coffee-themed and time travel I knew I needed to read this book and I’m glad I picked this up. So basically this book talks about a funiculi funicula cafe in a small back alley in Tokyo that has been serving brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But with coffee, they allow their customers a unique experience and what is that? The chance to travel back in time. But there is a catch, a risk certain rules that need to be followed for the person to go back in time. And I am not going to tell you because it’s the main thing and experience that you need to find out by reading the book. The book follows four visitors who want to make things right using the cafe’s time-travelling offer.

Now the book is divided into four parts with each part a new customer comes and time travels and their story is told. Each story is so different from the others, however, the common thing between them is the regret and how they want to go back and make things right. But that’s the thing what happened in the past can’t be corrected, the choices were made and destiny played its part. All four stories felt like a warm hug, the characters were beautiful and how I can relate to them. In this book, the stories focus on the lovers, husband and wife, the sisters, and the mother and child and each of them felt to the heart.

This book shows the memories we have of our loved ones and the life we have with them, we can’t imagine living without them but circumstances can’t be reversed. This cafe allows people to get the chance to relive the moment differently but with rules that must be followed. The waitress in the cafe, Kazu Tokita is such a pure and heartwrenching character and I loved her the most. The setting is beautiful as it doesn’t give an impression that in such an ordinary old cafe something big like going back magic can happen but that is what makes it unique.

I loved the book because it’s pure and very calming to read. The author did an incredible job with his writing to showcase the peaceful vibe of the book. 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: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

I hate myself because how could I not read from Sally Rooney until now? I have heard a lot of people say how intricate and different her books are and I decided to read her latest release Intermezzo. Let me tell you I was not at all disappointed by her, I admire this book so much. I just finished the book and wrote the review because I can’t hold back talking about how much I learned. So this book follows two brothers, a 32-year-old Peter and a 22-year-old Ivan, who had just lost their father. Peter is a lawyer, torn between two women he loves equally. Ivan, a chess prodigy, sees himself fall for a woman who is 14 years older than him. The book shows their life and how they are coping after their father’s death and also, the women in their life. It is said from three perspectives Peter, Ivan and Margaret.

First of all, let’s talk about the different things in the book. The highly controversial thing people hated was the absence of quotation marks in the dialogue. To be honest I did not know about this however I got used to it quickly. At first, it might be really hard but when I got used to it I loved the book. Sally very intelligently uses different writing techniques between Peter and Ivan’s chapters. In Peter’s chapters, the writing style is incomplete, choppy, and hard to understand while Ivan’s is straightforward, direct, and easy to understand. The book focuses on the grief of two brothers who do not share a great bond and after their father passed away how hard it was for them to connect.

Peter, his character might be my favourite and very hard to understand. He according to his brother is very social, good-looking, decisive, and a perfect person to live life. But in reality, from my perspective, Peter was a man who struggled a lot and never had anyone to share his feelings with because he was the oldest. Initially, it was hard for me to connect with Peter but as he opened up about his feelings, I sympathised with him. It is truly said that grief is that feeling that will never go away and a person who is grieving will fall in the big hole of regret and guilt. It was the same with Peter, first of all, he can’t seem to move on and let go of the situation that he is in. He is torn between two women and can’t let go of either of them because people in his life have made him confused.

Ivan is someone who lost his father at the age of 22 which is very early and he is the one who was closest to his father. Ivan is someone whose character is shown as rebellious and has a strong opinion about life. It is easy to understand Ivan because of his strong views and straightforwardness. The thing I would salute Sally for is that she has shown Ivan as a character who is young and prone to mistakes. His frustrations, fears, doubts, awkwardness and regrets felt so personal. I definitely connected with Ivan first because he thinks very intensely which is actually kind of scary. After all, being 22 and thinking so deeply about life is scariest.

The relationship between Peter and Ivan as brothers brings tears to my eyes. Ivan already created his thinking about Peter but in reality, he never asked Peter how he was doing in life. While Peter does not think before sharing his opinion on Ivan’s decision. I loved the confrontation scene that screamed that they were real brothers. I loved it when Ivan realised his mistakes and understood why Peter changed and apologised. Their relationship and this book taught me how awkward I am feeling, and how much I dislike someone but if I see someone I will always ask how they are doing.

I love books which show flawed characters because they’re highly relatable. It is a slow-paced book so if you want to read it you need to have an open mind and be ready to meet the flawed characters. I recommend this book at least once because it’s legit literary fiction that made me feel so many emotions and I loved every emotion I went through when I read.

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: The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn

The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn is one of the first thrillers I read when I decided to step up my thriller game. And I loved this book because it definitely checked all the boxes as the new thriller girlie. It is about a woman named Anna Fox who has not left her home in ten months and during that time she has haunted her rooms like a ghost lost in her memories. The only thing that connects her to the world’s reality is her window where she sits all day and watches her neighbours. One day, Russells moves in, a picture-perfect family of three and Anna is instantly drawn to them. Until one evening she heard a terrifying scream and saw something she was not supposed to and from there, her life changed completely.

I loved this book as it was creepy and thrilling. It kept me on edge the whole time especially when the first plot twist happened. The first plot twist OMG, I still remember my jaw hanging for five minutes because I just couldn’t grasp what I read. And you know what after the first plot twist the story gets more creepy and gripping which makes the book interesting. The plot was great from the start I felt like such a good family and then I was gasping at the fact that it was not like that at all, not even close.

Anna, the main character, what can I say about her, she never left me feeling any less creepy, with her thoughts I felt like I was stuck in her mind. Her loneliness was so horrifying because if she wanted to get out of it she couldn’t as she herself had locked the door to her mind. Her mind did not let her accept the reality and that is why she was stuck living in a dream that her mind had created for her that she feels is the reality. What happened to her was heartbreaking and she can’t get past it and that is the reason why her life is like a facade created by herself. I loved the scenes in which she started to realize life and situations. I loved that in the end she realized what truly she is and that is what saved her life.

The other characters in the book are all mysterious and actually deranged. They kept me on the edge and their interactions with Anna were creepy. The pace of the book is fast, and the writing is simple which kept me awake the whole night about what is going to happen next. The ending was good as I did not see it coming but again in a thriller where is the fun if predictable happens, right?

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.

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Review: ‘W- Two Worlds’ K-drama (2016)

“I’m someone who’s hoping for you to have a happy ending. I’m your fan.” – Oh Yeon Joo

2016 was an iconic era for K-drama lovers because the number of K-dramas that came with so much versatility is mind-blowing like this ‘W: Two Worlds’ K-drama starring Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo. I have never seen this kind of drama again and to be honest 2016 was not ready for this masterpiece. It is about a doctor, Oh Yeon Joo whose father is a webtoon creator and he created a webtoon called ‘W.’ Everything is going well until she gets dragged into her father’s webtoon and saves the protagonist, Kang Chul. Kang Chul gets really confused by her sudden appearance and disappearance but falls in love with her without knowing anything. This leads to him following her to the real world.

The drama concept is unique, and it was executed really well. I could feel the difference in both worlds. The plot was something I really appreciated watching because of how unique and different it is from the other dramas. I liked how fast Oh Yeon Joo grasped the concept of how to go back to the real world, and some of the ways she did were hilarious. I did not find myself getting confused about how the story was moving because I think it was like an open book and everything was making sense perfectly. Another reason why I liked this drama was that I did not have to use my brain much. I loved that in the beginning she was saving him then, in the end, he was the one who took charge of getting everything right and saving her.

Now talking about the characters, I absolutely adored Kang Chul, he was shown in different phases as he discovered his reality. I loved his and Yeon Joo’s first scene and his eagerness to meet her again. I could say that she really met him at times when he needed her the most. In the starting, he is shown as a kind and straightforward man who helps Yeon Joo. Then later he realized his reality and became more serious and intimidating, he looked handsome. I loved that he was shown as intelligent in knowing the situation and accordingly, he acted on it.

“Gosh. You’re such an unpredictable woman. You suddenly showed up, slapped me in the face, kissed me, disappeared, and showed up again. Now, you suddenly take your clothes off and point a gun at me.” – Kang Chul

Yeon Joo, the girl because of her father was a mess. The way she got sucked into the parallel universe and had to deal with everything. She was legit funny in front of the people of the parallel universe as her talks made no sense. The way she acted so deranged to make sense to the people was a treat to watch. I loved her character because she was smart and grasped everything very fast and within episodes she made everything right as well.

I cried for Kang Chul when he realized his reality about how he is a webtoon character and someone is writing his story. His realization that his friend is not even real and he lost his family and his world. The chemistry is beautiful as I already wrote at first she was saving him but later he was the one saving her. He falls in love with her at first sight and whenever he meets her, she saves him so it does make sense for him to fall in love with her.

The ending was beautiful with everything making sense and the couple getting their happily ever after. The supporting cast was hilarious I have to mention them.

I highly recommend this drama if you want to watch something fantasy yet not so much confusing. This drama has everything comedy, thriller, romance, fantasy, basically an outstanding K-drama.

“I think this girl holds the key to my life. I think she has the key to find the reason of my existence.” – Kang Chul

My Rating: 10/10

Total Episodes: 16

Genre: Romance, Thriller, Fantasy, Comedy

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

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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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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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