Stationary Book Tag

I’d like to thank Cassiopeia’s Moon for tagging me ♡  I haven’t thought of a new idea for a blog post so this tag is a huge help!

Also, thanks to Sam from RiverMoose-Reads for creating this fun tag!

 

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Pencils || Favorite MG or children’s book

Whisper by Alyson Noël

I wasn’t able to read the first three books of this series, but Whisper is a really great read! It’s fun, exciting, and the setting’s in Rome! And I love everything that has gladiators and the Colosseum! To top it all off, Riley has a dog as a sidekick. A dog! 😍

 

 

Pens || A basic staple for any reader

The First Phone Call From Heaven and The Time Keeper by  Mitch Albom

I’ve read these books back when my depression was getting the best of me — back when I was beginning to lose hope and reasons to live. These books did not only restore my faith in God, but it also taught me to know the value of my life. 😊

 

 

Notebooks || What books do you own multiple copies of?

I’m not a fan of owning multiple copies of the same book (well my wallet isn’t). But if ebooks are considered, I’ll go with All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. I have a physical book AND its ebook copy.

 

 

Markers || A book with a beautiful cover

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

There are too many books with drop-dead gorgeous covers, but since I had to pick one, I chose this since Struck isn’t a mainstream book AND the cover is prettier than the story itself 😂 oh how looks can be deceiving.

 

Glue || Two characters that work well together even if they aren’t together

Helena and Muslim from F*ck Love by Tarryn Fisher

Muslim’s part in this novel may (or may not) be insignificant in this novel, but they were able to change the mindset of each other and that’s the most perfect teamwork for me.

 

 

Scissors || What book would you like to destroy?

Illyria by Elizabeth Hand

This book is just confusing and filled with make out scenes. I thought I’d love the story because it’s about cousins falling deeply, madly in love with each other, and loving the same thing — theater. But I ended up selling my copy because I didn’t want to see it ever again, especially when I exchanged my beloved copy of The Catastrophic History of You and Me for this book.

(I am so sorry to the people who loved Illyria.)

 

Art kit || What completed series do you own?

As disappointing as it sounds, I don’t own a lot of books because my shelf doesn’t have enough space, my money is really budgeted, and my parents aren’t a huge fan of my book collection. Luckily, I own some completed series. These are:

• Trylle Trilogy
• School for Good and Evil trilogy
• Miss Peregrine’s trilogy

and if ebooks are allowed, I have:

• Never Never trilogy
• Hopeless duology
• The Selection series
• Mockingjay trilogy

 

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I TAG

onebookishgirl

ninireadspng

Whispers of a Wallflower

Amidst the Pages

Bibliophile Mish

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RULES:

• Thank the creator: Sam @ RiverMooseReads.
• Answer the questions.
• Add pictures! (If you want to)
• Tag (about) 5 people.

 

 

This or That Tag

Huge thanks to AC of Books and a Cup of Coffee for tagging me to do this 💖 and to Ayunda of Tea and Paperbacks for creating this tag! 🙂

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READING ON THE COUCH or IN BED?

For physical books, I’d prefer on the couch. For ebooks, however, I’d rather read in bed because there’s a socket beside it. 😂

 

MALE MAIN CHARACTER or FEMALE MAIN CHARACTER?

I’m more fond of reading books with a male main character because it helps me understand the opposite sex better (reality wise). The female mind is easy to understand in my perspective, but a male’s? Oh man, I’d rather finish my calculus assignment!

 

SWEET SNACKS or SALTY SNACKS?

Always down for a sweet snack! 😋

 

TRILOGIES or QUARTETS?

Haven’t tried reading a quartet so I’ll go with trilogies!

 

FIRST PERSON POV or THIRD PERSON POV?

First person. It’s more convenient in so many levels.

 

READING AT NIGHT or IN THE MORNING?

At night. My mind’s half asleep until 11 am. 😂

 

LIBRARIES or BOOKSTORES?

Bookstores 😍 always and forever!

 

BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU LAUGH or BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU CRY?

Life already makes me cry, so I’d rather read books that makes me laugh. It relaxes me and it’s very effective when I want to escape reality!

 

BLACK BOOK COVERS or WHITE BOOK COVERS?

Black book covers. I was never good at making any white thing stay white. Either it turns yellow or grey 😂

 

CHARACTER DRIVEN or PLOT DRIVEN STORIES?

I’d prefer books that cannot be effortlessly predicted, and character development can be easily foreseen… so I’d choose plot driven stories. I’ve never been disappointed by a plot twist from a good book!

 

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I Tag

 

1. Jess
2. Jay
3. Rose
4. Aimee
5. Trish
6. Joyce
7. Krista
8. Kaira
9. Marco
10. Bico

 

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RULES:

• Mention the creator of the tag.
• Thank the blogger who tagged you.
• Choose one of the options for each question (and explain if you want to).
• Tag 10 other people.

 

Thirteen Reasons Why

 

“In the end, everything matters.”

 

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Author: Jay Asher

Rating: 5/5

Started on: September 06, 2016

Finished on: September 08, 2016

Edition: Paperback

Published by: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Mystery

 

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Clay Jensen doesn’t want anything to do with the tapes Hannah Baker made. Hannah is dead. Her secrets should be buried with her.

Then Hannah’s voice tells Clay that his name is on her tapes — and that is he, in some way, responsible for her death.

All through the night, Clay keeps listening. He follows Hannah’s recorded words throughout his small town.

. . . and what he discovers changes his life, forever

 

 

Looking for a novel that’ll give you goosebumps, an emotional breakdown, and will make you contemplate life for about ten minutes after reading it? Then I highly suggest Thirteen Reasons Why! I honestly went to the bathroom several times while reading this because, apparently, my bladder couldn’t handle the intensity TRW has. I actually attempted researching Hannah Baker’s tapes on youtube since Jay Asher provided a link, but I’m afraid it may not let me sleep. The novel alone made me awake for two nights! Now that’s an amazing novel by a great author!

 

 

“No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue. Yet we push it just the same.”

 

Hannah Baker was just another new girl in town with an ordinary life — living with her ordinary parents, studying in a regular school, hanging out with typical students who, like her, just moved in. Everything was going well. Until one rumor led to another rumor, which led to another rumor…and so on, and so forth. No one, nor nothing, could stop the snowball effect on Hannah Baker’s life — nothing but suicide.

Being fed up with everyone judging, belittling, and pushing her to be okay even when, in reality, everything is falling apart, she decided to end her life one evening. Everyone in town, especially Clay Jensen, was caught off guard. But that was just the beginning for Mr. Good Guy, Clay.

As Clay was on his way to his room one afternoon, he saw a package for him with no return address. Without second thoughts, he immediately opened the package. Inside was cassette tapes — Hannah Baker’s cassette tapes, in which she revealed every person responsible for her death, and what they did to her.

Desperate to know her reasons and his contribution to his long time crush’s death, Clay immediately began listening to the tapes, trying his best to absorb every information Hannah is telling them — what she’s telling him. And as he gets near the end of the dreadful thirteen records, Clay discovers something about Hannah Baker that makes him realize, everything. . . affects everything.

 

 

You may think “OMG she’s (me) definitely a sadist for giving 5 stars to a horrific novel like this!” but I am not. I highly appreciate novels about suicide because it gives me reasons to continue my life, and it makes me feel like someone actually understands the noise in my head. I’ve read three (or maybe four) novels regarding suicide, and this, by far, is the best one because Hannah Baker’s life is almost similar to mine. Also, even though this is a tragic, traumatic book, it gave me comfort — it gave me hope. Another reason is, TRW made me think about all the things I’ve said to people, and apologize to them. Jay Asher really enlightened me to be very, very careful with everything I say. This also made me keep in mind that everyone is going through something, thus being patient and kind is really necessary everyday with everyone.

 

I’ll definitely recommend Thirteen Reasons Why to everyone, especially to those who’s suffering from depression.

 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

 

“The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.”

 

 

Original story: J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne

Playwright: Jack Thorne

Director: John Tiffany

Rating: 5/5

Started on: September 02, 2016

Finished on: September 03, 2016

Edition: Hardcover, Special Rehearsal Edition

Published by: Arthur A. Levine Books

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

 

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Synopsis:

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

 

 

Everyone thought Harry Potter’s story ‘stops‘ on July 21, 2007 — when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the “last” book in the series, was published, So when the news about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child suddenly bursted out, everyone became hysterically excited.

 

It’s what’s everyone’s waiting for! This book became the talk of the town from the day it was “announced” until it’s release day, July 31, 2016.

 

I never imagined I’d be able to read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and own a copy of it. It’s just surreal! It was just like yesterday I was in despair after I binge read this book at the bookstore on its release day, because I can’t have my own money for there were payments I had to settle on my university. And when I DID have the money, it was out of stock. So when my mom surprised me with my own copy…

I got euphoric! Because, besides the fact that I’ve been craving for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I have never read any Harry Potter book (I’m a muggle born) so having this book in my hands is more than a privilege for me. 

 

 

“Sometimes costs are made to be borne.”

 

Nineteen years ago, the Battle of Hogwarts happened.

Wizards, Witches, Death Eaters, and other magical creatures were lost.

The Dark Lord was, once and for all, defeated by the Boy Who Lived.

All was well.

 

Nineteen years later, the Golden Trio is back with their own families.

Harry Potter is happily married to Ginny Weasley with three children — James Potter, Albus Potter, and Lily Potter.

Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are married with two children — Rose Granger-Weasley and Hugo Granger-Weasley.

Draco Malfoy married Astoria and has only one son — Scorpius Malfoy.

Rumors and expectations are hard to live with, and Scopius and Albus knows this very well. It runs in their blood, as they say.

Hogwarts is their home, it’s the happiest place to be — unless you are a child who, in your opinion, did nothing but disappoint your friends, your parents, your dad, and yourself.

 

It’s been twenty two years since Lord Voldemort rose to power once more. Everyone knows he’s dead and incapable of causing harm to anyone. But that doesn’t mean they are away from evil. After all, darkness comes from unexpected places.

 

 

I gave 5 stars for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child because:

1. Scorpius Malfoy had his spotlight. We all know the Malfoys has a bad image on the previous stories, and I am a huge fan of Draco.
2. The plot twist caught me off guard…and I LOVE stories that blows up my mind.
3. The actual play was only shown in London, but with this book, it felt like there was a live show inside my house!
4. Because of JK Rowling and everyone (it’ll take me ages before I finish enumerating all of them..and my knowledge isn’t enough) who made this possible, I was able to be the happiest bibliophile on earth for a couple of seconds! 

 

I hope more people will read this gem despite the number of disappointed Potterheads. After all, Scorpius and Albus are totally worth it!

 

The Trouble With Flirting

 

“Dreams are easy, Franny, but you can’t live on them.”

 

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Author: Claire LaZebnik

Rating: 4.3/5

Started on: June 28, 2016

Finished on: July 01, 2016

Edition: Paperback

Published by: HarperTeen

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Women’s Fiction, Chick lit, Retelling

 

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Synopsis:

Franny’s supposed to be working this summer, not flirting. But you can’t blame her when guys like Alex and Harry are around. . . .

Franny Pearson never dreamed she’d be attending the prestigious Mansfield Summer Theater Program. And she’s not, exactly. She’s working for her aunt, the resident costume designer. But sewing her fingers to the bone does give her an opportunity to spend time with her crush, Alex Braverman. If only he were as taken with the girl hemming his trousers as he is with his new leading lady.

When Harry Cartwright, a notorious flirt, shows more than a friendly interest in Franny, she figures it can’t hurt to have a little fun. But as their breezy romance grows more complicated, can Franny keep pretending that Harry is just a carefree fling? And why is Alex suddenly giving her those deep, meaningful looks? In this charming tale of mixed messages and romantic near-misses, one thing is clear: Flirting might be more trouble than Franny ever expected.

 

 

The Trouble With Flirting is definitely the perfect “next book” after reading an intense, melodramatic novel (I’m looking at you, Me Before You)! No drama that’ll make you tear up, no action that’ll give you a heart attack, no plot twist that’ll break your heart. Just some scenes that’ll make you light-headed, laugh your heart out, smile from ear to ear, feel all the butterflies in your stomach, and will definitely make you want your own Alex, Julia, Vanessa, Lawrence, Isabella, and Harry Cartwright. I absolutely enjoyed every moment with this novel! It just makes me feel so alive, and happy, puts me in a good mood, and gives me so much hope for my future love life 😂

Anyway, let’s start talking about the novel.

 

 

“There’s the way people look on the outside and the way they really are, and with me you never even saw the difference.”

Franny Pearson isn’t like her classmates that would have the best summer job, and the most interesting essays once school resumes. She’d be in a summer theatre program, helping her Aunt Amelia sew costumes for people involved in something she always loved. She already prepared herself for (possibly) the worst summer in history, but all of her expectations changed when Alex Braverman showed up in the dining hall on every student’s first day.

While working for her aunt, Franny managed to make friends with Julia, her friend back in middle school and, not to mention, Alex’s sister, Vannessa, Lawrence, Alex, Isabella, Alex’s apple of the eye, Marie, and Harry Cartwright, the flirtatious  guy who seems to “flirt with everything that’s moving”.

Everything seemed so perfect for Franny, until Isabella and Alex starts hanging out more often and her dear Braverman only talks to her when Isabella’s smoking with her best friend, Harry and Vanessa; until Harry starts to be more than just flirt with her; until her heart starts to become confused.

Soon she realizes how destiny’s playing with her and, with a certain twist of events, would learn that not every man with a “good guy” image should be trusted and not every stereotype, bad looking guy doesn’t know how to love someone deeply and will take the one he loves seriously.

 

 

Even though this novella is a fun read, it wasn’t very exciting. I also didn’t like the fact that almost all of the proceeding scenes are undeniably predictable. But hey, at least everybody ended up with who I wanted them to end up with.

 

Me Before You

“You only get one life. It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.”

 

Author: Jojo Moyes

Rating: 5/5

Started on: May 27, 2016

Finished on: June 19, 2016

Edition: UK Edition

Genre: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Chick-lit, Adult fiction, Realistic fiction, Drama

Synopsis:

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.
What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.
What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.

Me Before You. Published on the 5th of January 2012 and hit the big screen on the 16th of June 2016. I have already watched the movie last Saturday, June 18, 2016, and I have to say, I am quite proud of the director for putting justice on the book. Although, there were some important scenes on the book that were not present, or was rushed, in the movie. But hey! Both ripped my heart and made me cry a puddle because of one reason so I guess that can make up to all the missing/rushed scenes. Also, Will Traynor was freaking hot in the movie, similar to his description in the novel 😍 so…yeah. Justice prevailed!

“All I can say is that you make me… you make me into someone I couldn’t even imagine. You make me happy, even when you’re awful. I would rather be with you – even the you that you seem to think is diminished – than with anyone else in the world.”

 

Louisa Clark thought everything was going well with her life. She has the best job at the cafe, a very loving and supportive, long term boyfriend, a caring family, a unique sense of fashion, and enough knowledge to get her through life. What she wasn’t aware of was that her dull, boring life was about to ride the roller coaster that was hidden from her life for twenty six years, with the help of Will Traynor.

 

William Traynor lived his life the best he could until a motorcycle accident destroyed every dream and happiness he has in his life, which caused him great depression and thoughts of ending everything. What he doesn’t know is that the most cheerful and colorful woman in UK is about to enter his life and will make the best out of her contract.

 

Love is the least thing they’d expect to emerge in their patient-carer relationship, but it’s the best thing that had happened in their entire life.

 

They found the comfort and happiness that’s been missing their entire life, and began to fill the notch that’s been living in their hearts for a long, long time. Lou began to release her adventurous side while Will started to show emotional and mental improvement. It was a love story to die for.

 

But we all know happily ever afters only occur in fairy tales.

Overall, I am highly recommending everyone to read, and watch, Me Before You! I know this review isn’t as great as the novella but hey I’m no Jojo Moyes. 😋

 

And because I can never get enough of Will, here’s one of my favorite line from him.

 

 

Book Mail!!!!

Last March 16, 2016, around 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, I was scrolling through my social media accounts while waiting for our exam in Differential Calculus. When I opened my instagram, I was shocked of how many comment notifications I got. It was more than usual! So being the curious and impatient puppy that I am, I opened it immediately. And this was what the blabbering was about:

geekgirlreads is my bookstagram username 🙂

 

The moment I saw this post, I literally screamed and squealed and jumped for joy! … in our university cafeteria… with all the students and faculty looking at me. But who freaking cares?! I JUST WON A GIVEAWAY ❤️‍

 

I immediately contacted them and settled with two books – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and Everything I Never Told You. But since I am a girl and I just LOVE every book I see in book depository, I changed it to a more mainstream book, and one book for my sister (check her bookstagram @bookishmuggle to see what she recieved!)

It was May 5 (or so) when I sent my order at bookdepository.com. Few days after, it was finally dispatched from UK! Now all that’s left to do is wait…

 

And wait…

 

And wait…

 

And freaking wait

 

 

 

(this is the only bad thing when it comes to book mail. it takes FOREVER before you have it 😭 luckily, forever doesn’t exist. HAH! in your face, lovebirds)

 

After waiting for a long time, it finally arrived! I received a message earlier from my sister saying that the book mails are finally in her hands! 😍

 

I screamed my heart out (again, in our cafeteria) and went home as fast as the jeepneys and tricycle could handle. And thanks to adrenaline, my legs didn’t feel weak despite of how fast I was walking.

 

AND HERE IT IS!

I unwrapped it as fast as my hands could handle and…and… I was completely speechless.

 

It’s so beautiful! 😍 There are some defects but whatever! The book looks so gorgeous and it’s mine and I can finally meet Lou Clark and Will Traynor ❤️‍

 

I haven’t posted anything on my bookstagram but I have posted one photo on my personal account (@nichikolaa)

 

Also my gallery is currently filled with photos of this book so expect geekgirlreads to have posts filled with this gem ❤️‍

 

I’ll be reading Me Before You this weekend and if ever I finish it by then, I’ll make sure I’ll post a review as soon as possible!

 

For now, I’ll be in my paradise, sniffing my brand new baby 💖

 

 

Too Late

“I guess that’s the difference in being loved the right way and the wrong way. You either feel tethered to an anchor… or you feel like flying.”

Author: Colleen Hoover

Rating: 4.2/5

Started on: April 24, 2016

Finished on: April 26, 2016

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Sociology, College, Adult, Contemporary Romance, Dark, Suspense, Mental Health

Synopsis:

Sloan will go through hell and back for her little brother. And she does, every single night.

Forced to remain in a relationship with the dangerous and corrupt Asa Jackson, Sloan will do whatever it takes to make sure her brother has what he needs.

Nothing will get in her way.

Nothing except Carter.

Sloan is the only good thing to ever happen to Asa. He knows this and he never plans on letting her go; even if she doesn’t approve of his lifestyle. But despite Sloan’s disapproval, Asa knows what it takes to get what he wants. He knows what he needs to do to remain on top.

Nothing will get in his way.

Nothing except Carter.

First and foremost, I’d like to apologize for being a rebel. Colleen Hoover and other mature audiences warned the minor nonreaders to NOT read this novel on wattpad due to some (well a LOT) of inappropriate, detailed scenes (for everyone who doesn’t know, I’m just 16 years old, turning 17 this July). I overestimated my open-mindedness and understanding, thus causing me to lose the remaining innocence I have left *cries*. Nevertheless, Too Late is a fantastic read and the things I sacrificed for it was worth it!

[Although I do not encourage minors like me to read this..unless you’re really eager to open your mind to a lot of sexual stuff, and lose your innocence.]

Too Late is my fourth CoHo novel since 2016 (and in my entire bibliophile life) so I already knew that this would definitely have a plot twist that will destroy my heart or will make me sob pathetically, my parents would think I’m insane. However, despite the expectations I have, I was still caught off guard – Colleen Hoover was still able to blow my mind and shatter my heart in a way I wasn’t expecting. I have never read a novel before this that made me flinch so bad I had to pee every end of a paragraph, or even a sentence. It’s terrifyingly stunning and it made me had the best (and worst) emotional roller coaster ride of my life!

[WARNING: This summary will 99.98% spoil you. It’ll be perfect for the minor ones, and a life wrecker to the matured ones who hasn’t read the novel yet]

 

 

“It’s too late to kill me, Asa. You killed me a long fucking time ago.”

 

Sloan is a teenage girl who would do anything and everything for her brother, Stephen. At an early age, Sloan was force to be mature enough to take care of her brothers since their mother is no longer capable of doing her duties to her family – unless a public appearance of a loving mother is needed.  She thought everything was under her control, until an unfortunate thing happened to one of her brothers. Few years after, Sloan is finally free enough to go to college and not live with her malevolent mother while having her brother, Stephen taken care of. As days go by, she meets Asa Jackson, a very attractive classmate of hers who doesn’t seem to make school his priority. She was happy enough to look at him from afar until he asked her out. Sloan thought her first date in her entire life would be the stairway to heaven she’d always dreamt of…until Asa unraveled the mask hiding the monster he is.

 

Every day of her life, Sloan sees and experiences hell with Asa, and this had been going on for two years. She’d love to escape from his brutal hands and get away from his illegal lifestyle, but that would cause her brother’s life. Fortunately, Carter and Dalton came in the picture and changed everything in her life, including her desperate love for Asa.

 

As her feelings for him fades and her love for Carter grows, Asa begins to imagine a future with Sloan and forces her to marry him. Sloan, knowing how dangerous and a psychopath he’s become, finds an escape route both for her and Stephen. What she didn’t know is that this thought of her would trigger her fiancée to commit the crime he’d always want to oblige. Will Sloan forever remain in the hands of Asa Jackson or will Sloan finally get the love she truly deserves?

 

First, I didn’t like how Asa treated Sloan like a prostitute-slave, and his senseless ideas about women being (please excuse the term) hoes. It’s very disrespectful and painful, especially to the mothers.

Second, I loathed how helpless Sloan became. Girls shouldn’t feel like the only way to resolve a problem is by asking a guy for help.

Third and the last reason, I despise John and Kevin so much I’ll gladly burn them alive if I was given the chance.

Hopeless and Losing Hope

“And once again in my new world full of heartaches and lies, this hopeless boy somehow finds a way to make me smile.”

Author: Colleen Hoover

Rating: 4.75/5

Started on: March 22, 2016

Finished on: April 07, 2016

Edition: Kindle edition

Genre: Romance, New Adult, Young Adult, Contemporary, Sociology, Fiction, Chick Lit, Drama, High School

Synopsis: (by book)

Hopeless

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

Losing Hope

In the follow-up to Colleen Hoover’s #1 New York Times bestseller Hopeless, the charming and irresistible Dean Holder tells the passionate story that has melted thousands of hearts.

In Hopeless, Sky left no secret unearthed, no feeling unshared, and no memory forgotten, but Holder’s past remained a mystery.

Still haunted by the little girl he let walk away, Holder has spent his entire life searching for her in an attempt to finally rid himself of the crushing guilt he has felt for years. But he could not have anticipated that the moment they reconnect, even greater remorse would overwhelm him…

Sometimes in life, if we wish to move forward, we must first dig deep into our past and make amends. In Losing Hope, bestselling author Colleen Hoover reveals what was going on inside Holder’s head during all those hopeless moments—and whether he can gain the peace he desperately needs.

Honestly speaking, I am not fond of books with faces on their covers. It creeps me up and it always gives me an impression that it won’t be worth the read. But maaaan was I wrong about this duology.  Since I’ve finished the gorgeously written novel, November 9 by Colleen Hoover, I’ve been eager to read all of her novellas, even though some, like these two, doesn’t have appealing covers, in my opinion. Anyway, it’s the mindblowing, heart-wrecking plot twist that gets everyone in their knees, right?

Well, let’s not linger around my thoughts about these books any longer.  Let the book reviewing commence!

 

 

“I want you to remember who you are, despite the bad things that are happening to you. Because those bad things aren’t you. They are just things that happen to you.  You need to accept that who you are, and the things that happened to you are not one and the same.”

Sky Davis is a 17-year-old girl who grew up with her best friend, Six, and her loving foster mother, Karen.  She and Six had been living a life every teenage girl has – sleepovers, rebelling against their parents, and making out with different guys almost every night. The only not-so-typical thing about Sky’s life is… well everything. She never experienced any form of social media, or even a television for that matter, she was home-schooled ever since, and she never felt anything when she’s around guys, no matter how hot or good looking they are. Until Holder shows up.

 

Dean Holder hasn’t been around for the past year for who-knows-what-reason. When he finally decided to go back due to an unwanted occurrence,  he coincidentally bumped into Sky in a grocery store, where he was 101% sure that the girl he’s staring at is his long lost childhood sweetheart, Hope. Unfortunately, this was another “hallucination” of Holder so he decided to run, and afterwards saw Sky standing in front of his house. They met a lot of times after that and, needless to say, they both developed feelings for each other.

 

Unfortunately, their “live” feeling was mildly ruined by sudden realizations and confessions from both parties. Sky started questioning her entire life and Holder’s feeling for her. On the other hand, Holder was so confused with what to do with his hopeless life and whether to keep his memories with Les, his twin, or permanently let all of it go.

 

Will the both of them truly meet their happily ever after or is it just an illusion that can never become a reality?

 

[P.S.: 

Since Losing Hope is just Holder telling his side (and his own plot twist in life), I’ve just (sort of) combined the summaries of both novels. ]

I gave Hopeless 5 stars, while Losing Hope gained 4.5 stars. I really don’t have a clear reason why I didn’t give Losing Hope the same stars as Hopeless. It just so happened that I already knew almost 75% of the story so some parts were a little dull for me. Nevertheless, these novellas deserve all the love and recognition in the world! I’m praying that people who related to Hope’s case can face it the way she did. And I pray there will be less similar cases that will occur in the future.

Paper Towns

“The town was paper, but the memories were not.”

Author: John Green

Rating: 3.2/5

Started on: March 05, 2016

Finished on: March 09, 2016

Edition: paperback (Speak)

Genre: Young Adult, Adventure

Synopsis:

Who is the real Margo?

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew…

“It is so hard to leave – until you leave. An then it is the easiest goddammed thing in the world.”

 

Ahh Paper Towns – a book by John Green that was published 2 years earlier that the heart-wrecking The Fault In Our Stars. Being one of the people who has read TFIOS before Paper Towns, I expected this novel to break my heart ruthlessly and would leave me in a puddle of tears. Apparently, that wasn’t the goal of this novella – it’s far from its goal, in my opinion. Nevertheless, I still liked Quentin and Margo, and the Paper Town.

[Friendly note: this review is a little SPOILER-ish. For those who still hasn’t read Paper Towns and wants to read it naively, read at your own risk…or just don’t read this part]

Paper Towns is about a guy named Quentin Jacobsen who loved his childhood sweetheart, Margo Roth Spiegelman since they were kids, and was never given a chance to tell it to her because of certain circumstances – and because, like most friendship that started at an early age, they grew apart. Q sees her everyday at school, hanging out with her friends and her boyfriend, Jason Worthington. And although it always breaks his heart to see her happy around a guy that’s not him, Quentin couldn’t resist his self because that’s the only time that he would see her, well except when he remembers the “tree incident” when they were still playmates. One weekday night, however, she came in his room through the window and forced Q to go with her, letting him experience the best night of his life with the love of his life. On the next day, however, Margo Roth Spiegelman was nowhere to be found.

 

Quentin and her best friend, Lacey Pemberton, was eager to find out where Margo went this time. Only in this adventure of hers, the footprints that she left was vague and, in a way, irrelevant. But with the help of Radar and Ben, they unravel the clues piece by piece until they were a road trip away from finding her.

 

The only question haunting Quentin’s mind is, is Margo Roth Spiegelman really there? Is she still alive or was this a mission to find a dead person like the way they found the dead man under the tree?

Unlike The Fault In Our Stars, this novella is made with pure contrast. This is because I loved the beginning and middle part so much since it was pure mystery and thrill and will really make you cringe on the edge of your seat. However, when the last part came in the picture, every love I’ve build up with the characters and the story was ruined. (poof!) Cliché was an understatement with describing how Paper Towns ended. It really disappointed me to the point where I’m scared of reading another JG novel.

Yep, I guess this is the consequence of falling in love with TFIOS intensely.

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P.S.:

If you see someone having the same pattern as I have (details of the book, my thoughts about the book, book summary, why not five stars?) PLEASE keep in mind that I was the one who first made up this pattern (well some details of the book was inspired by bibliophilemish). As some of you have known, a blogger has copied this certain pattern of mine without giving credits or notifying me that SHE would use it. And this really makes me sad because I somehow considered her as a friend ☹️ *sigh* and I really do my best to make my blog unique…but of course she HAS to destroy that dream of mine. Ugh why do people do this? Get the idea of other people and have all the credits..how do you sleep at night? 😭

Evil part of my brain: like a baby! mwahahahaha! 😖

 

Anyway, HAVE A GREAT DAY PEOPLE! ❤️‍ Do NOT plagiarize. You’re gonna make every puppy and kitten upset.

 

– Nicolynne 👓