Two for the Road (Stories in Pairs, Set 3) By Ekta Garg

The First Story, “Excess Baggage”: Allison has just come home from a grueling business trip. All she wants to do is spend a quiet weekend at home parked in front of the TV or maybe curled up with a blanket. When a friend calls to ask her for a favor, though, all of Allison’s plans hit rough air.The Second Story, “Wrong Way”: With one daughter married and another in college, Rachel and Jim should be enjoying their time as a couple again. But Jim’s worries about his widowed mother force Rachel into a spur-of-the-moment road trip to check on the old bat. When Jim catches Rachel complaining to a friend, tension will ride with them in the car. Can Rachel make an apology stick?- Goodreads

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I don't really know how to start this review but I've been following this series since the beginning of the year when Ekta approached me with the first book. From then on, I've been following the series and reading each book as it's come out.

This book was different from the first two because the characters were different and it was generally more on the American side instead of the Asian side that Ekta was pushing in her first two books. I didn't mind that too much except for the fact that I was rather enjoying her bold take. I think it takes courage to write about Asians considering that the world is predominately Western and most books are written with a Western context. So I did miss that.

Each of her stories ended rather abruptly in my opinion and I would have very much liked to hear more of the stories though I have a feeling like the fourth book might have more elaboration. I don't know. Just a feeling.

Otherwise, it was a very lovey and short read. I read it in one sitting actually. I absolutely adore this series and I can't wait to read more.

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My Rating: 4/5 Stars
*A copy of this book was provided to me by the author to read and review*

My Top 5 Books For (Half) Of 2015

Hey guys so it's June!

Yeah okay. It's been June for a while now....Um...yeah... Anyway, I don't exactly know how half a year has gone by but it has and I thought that this was the perfect time to do recommendation post. So I'm going to recommend 5 books to you based on what I have read over this last half year. I've read 54 books so far and if you want to see all the books, you can click here. Okay so let's get straight into it!

1) The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

If you only read one book this entire year, I would say read this one. I read this in the early part of the year and reviewed it here. So you can check out my full thoughts on it if you want. But basically this is a historical fiction book that follows the lives of two sisters as they try to survive in France which has just been taken over by the Nazis. If you are worried about the historical aspect, don't. Its not boring or overly factual. It's more fiction really. I cried so hard during this book. It broke my heart and then stomped on it. And I loved it!  In fact, this is the book that I have been recommending left and right and I will continue to recommend it for a very long time.

2) All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

This book was perfection. You can read my full review here. But it is essentially about these two kids. Theodore and Violet. They meet on the top of a bell tower when they are both trying to commit suicide. They pretty much save each other from that and they soon start hanging out and eventually they fall in love. This book has quite a hard ending. It made me cry and it made my heart hurt for days after. I still think about this book now and consider how it made me feel and react.

3) An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

This book follows Laia, a slave who is trying to free her brother from prison. She joins the Resistance and in exchange for their help, they send her to one of the most dangerous places. They send her off to be a slave and spy of the Commandant. The woman in charge of the Masks. She is in charge of a training ground for Masks and she is deadly. Among the Masks is a boy called Elias. He is desperate to be free of the Mask life. He meets Laia and together they attempt to attain freedom. I absolutely loved this book. The world building in this one was excellent. I loved how complex the story was yet it managed to still be very much readable and enjoyable. Certainly something to pick up.

4) Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

This book was something I enjoyed greatly. It's about how this young girl named Jenna spends her whole life trying to find her mother who disappeared when she was 3. She enlists the help of a psychic, Serenity and a private investigator, Virgil to find her mom who walked out of a hospital and vanished after a trampling killed her co-worker at the elephant sanctuary where she worked. The book is shrouded in secrets and mystery and I love how the story twisted and turned all the way through. I especially loved how much I learnt about elephants through this novel. Jodi always does amazing research for her books so each of her books is a learning experience in itself. I completely recommend this if you like a good mystery and have a passion for animals. Actually, even if you don't have a passion for animals, Jodi will make you love them in this book.

5) A Court Of Thorns And Roses by Sarah J Maas

This book is a retelling of Beauty And The Beast. It's about a girl called Feyre who kills a wolf in the forest one day. Unfortunately, she doesn't realise that the wolf is a Faerie. Because of what she has done, a Faerie named Tamlin comes to take her over the wall that separates Faeries and humans and he keeps her captive there. Slowly, Feyre finds herself falling in love with Tamlin. The story twists and turns and spins around. It's a really amazing book that I just fell deeply in love with. I completely recommend it if you're looking for an interesting love story.

Well that's my recommendations for the first half of this year. I most likely will do another recommendation post at the end of the year. Hopefully by then I would have finished another 50 books which actually looks like it might happen if I keep going at the pace I am keeping with now. Honestly this half year has been full of really good books so check out all the books I've read if you want to find more great reads. Other then that, have a great Monday and an awesome week ahead!

Feng Shui & Charlotte Nightingale By Pam Ferderbar

Feng Shui and Charlotte Nightingale' is an uplifting and hilarious fable about empowerment and perception, and the magical things that happen when we begin to see the glass as half full. 

Charlotte Nightingale has the worst luck in the world. Her cluttered apartment is the poster child for *shar chi* - poison luck in the realm of feng shui. Her boyfriend s a jerk, her job sucks, she's broke and her own family seems to hate her. Kwan, a handsome Chinese food delivery man and aspiring feng shui practitioner, takes pity on Charlotte. While Charlotte searches for the money to pay for the Emperors cashew chicken Kwan has delivered, he surreptitiously begins to move things around in Charlotte s apartment in accordance with the ancient art of placement - hoping to improve her life. 

Charlotte's luck subsequently appears to change in a big way. It goes from bad to worse - or so it seems.  Charlotte is free to embark on a great adventure that will awaken in her a world of possibility where nothing is as simple as it seems. Until, in the end, Charlotte realizes that everything she ever wanted was right under her hose the whole time.  -Goodreads

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This book was everything that I wouldn't normally read. If I saw it in a bookshop, I would let my gaze slip right over it. But I guess that is why it's good to be a reviewer. You get exposed to books and genres that you would normally glean over. 

When I started reading this, I found it a little bit hard to get into. I just couldn't understand how one person could be that unlucky. It seemed almost over exaggerated. But after a few chapters, the words and the storyline became smoother and I was able to settle comfortably into the story. I have always said that the one thing about reading that I find most special is the fact that you can live a thousand lives through the pages of a book. Through this book, I was able to live the life of an extremely poor woman who was miserable and who had nothing much going for her. I was able to see her rise up from her troubles and decide to make the most of her life. I was able to learn more about feng shui which I previously knew very little of.

I found the book to be very uplifting. Initially I worried that it might be preachy and it was slightly at the end but it was very relevant to the storyline and I could forgive her ending because the rest of the book was just really good. I loved how three stories  merged into one. I also loved how funny Charlotte was. In fact, I thought she reminded me a lot of the brunette girl in 2 Broke Girls.

I found myself laughing out loud at certain parts and shaking my head at some parts and rolling my eyes at some parts (especially after that doctor boyfriend got involved). It was a very feel-good book. Just a very lovely, sweet read.

Overall, I'm really glad that Pam approached me to review this book. I really enjoyed it and I think Pam personally deserves all the success that this book is going to garner. If you want to watch the book trailer and see the cover reveal that I did a short while back, click here.

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My Rating: 4/5 Stars
*The book was given to me to read and review by the author*

How My Reading Habits Have Changed Since I Started Blogging

Hey guys! So recently, I started thinking about how blogging about books in particular and joining Goodreads has changed the way I read and the way I feel about books. Because honestly, there has been a major change ever since I started blogging about what I was reading. I have gone from loving books, to obsessing over books.

I have gone from being a casual reader to someone who is in a fast paced and snappy community (that I adore). I've gone from being a lonely reader to bouncing thoughts with my book club mates. And I thought you guys might like to hear about this because a lot of you may be new to the community or just may be curious about it.

So let's start with some background. I first blogged about a book last year in June when I posted my review of The Fault In Our Stars. After that all I did was lifestyle. And then in October, I decided that I wanted to do more book reviews so I did one on Gone Girl. It was also about that time when I joined Goodreads. And from that point, everything changed.

1) I Read More

It's not a big surprise to anyone that ever since I joined Goodreads and started blogging, I've read so much more. In fact, I read a total of 36 books last year but this year, I've already read 49 books and it's only June.

 So that's a huge jump. I guess it has to do a lot with the pressure I face externally. I used to just read whatever and whenever but now I have friends in the book community and new books are coming in every day and there is so much discussion going on that you feel left out if you haven't read the latest Sarah J Maas book or heard about the publishing date of the final book in a series. There's a lot of pressure to keep up but it's the good kind of pressure. The kind that pushes you to keep wanting to do better and to read more. I personally love it. It just drives me and makes me feel amazing.

2) I Know What and Who I'm Reading

In the past, I used to walk into a book store and not know a thing. I wouldn't know any author except one or two that I found particularly notable. I wouldn't know a thing about any of the books on the shelves until I read the blurbs. But now, when I walk into a book store, immediately everything is familiar. I know what I like and what I don't. I roughly know when books were published. I know about the author and if I've read books by them in the past. I can confidently say that I recognise about 70% of what is in a bookstore now. I'm still learning but it's quite a leap from knowing absolutely nothing.

3) I Feel Less Alone

I never really had friends who were super crazy about reading. I had a couple of friends who liked reading but usually never as much as I did. Reading to me was a lonely hobby. That is, until Goodreads and book blogs and booktubers popped up. Now, I no longer feel like I'm in this bubble of sorts. I feel like I'm part of a group of people. I can freely talk to people about what I'm reading and it's not like I'm talking to a wall anymore. I feel like I can finally share my passion for something with other people and form friendships through that. It's just a lot of fun.

Well I think that about sums it all up. It was just a short little post but I wanted to let you guys know how blessed I am to be part of this wonderful community of people. Honestly I don't know what I would do without some of the friends I've made here. I just feel like I have a place here which is something that I have never felt in most aspects of my life.

Okay I have no idea how to end this without it being awkward so...bye haha.

Semester Break TBR List

Hey hey hey! I'm so excited! Today is technically the start of my semester break! I say technically because we have this white space week that is intended to be this week where we don't have classes but we still have submissions and things. We are supposed to be pursuing our interests in this week but I have a pretty huge essay due this coming Friday which basically means that I will be working all week on that. Immediately after our white space week though is our two week long semester break. So I am on holiday till the 21st of June.

I'm really excited for that and I have packed in my driving lessons. I'm serious. I booked 15 lessons and some are back to back. I just don't want to have to deal with driving while I'm dealing with the second half of semester which is always ten times crazier then the first half.

But I will be having a lot more time to myself and I really want to slay my TBR list. Oh! I forgot to tell you guys that the Rainbow readathon ended at midnight today. Basically we had a week to read seven books that each had one of the colours of the rainbow on it's cover. This was my list for the readathon.

Red: Anna And The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Orange: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
Yellow: Something Real by Heather  Demitrios
Green: Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
Blue: Winger by Andrew Smith
Indigo: '89 Walls by Katie Pierson
Violet: Off The Page by Jodi Picoult

I ended up finishing 4 books (one wasn't in my list oops) in the week which was not ideal but considering that it was also hell week (submissions week), I think I did quite well. I usually can manage 2 books a week so I'm quite pleased with myself.

But back to my semester break TBR list!

1) Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

This is the 11th book in the Princess Diaries series and it is one of the most anticipated books of 2015. I personally have never read The Princess Diaries (I know I know!) but I requested this novel and Edelweiss approved my request yesterday. So I'm hoping to finish this one before it releases on June 2nd.

2) Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

This one has been on my TBR for the longest time and it is currently the only Jodi Picoult book that I have yet to read. So I'm reading it this month because The Freshly Picked Book Club is doing this for their monthly read.  I was the one who actually suggested it haha. So I'm very excited about that.

3) Never Never #2 by Colleen Hoover

To be perfectly honest, I didn't enjoy the first book in this series. But because I read the first one and also because this is a short read, I've decided to just go for it. But quite frankly, I barely remember the first book and I haven't heard that many great reviews about it.

4) Winger by Andrew Smith

Another one that has been on my list forever. I had a few friends who read it and loved it so I wanted to give it a go.

5) Feng Shui & Charlotte Nightingale by Pam Ferderbar

Pam emailed me last month with this book and I'm quite excited to read it. It will probably be one of my earlier reads because it releases on June 21st and I'm part of the blog tour and cover reveal.

6) 89' Walls by Katie Pierson

This has been on my Netgalley shelf for quite a while so I'm hoping to get to it finally. It's also leftover from the Rainbow Readathon.

7) A Court Thorn Of Roses by Sara J Maas

I am actually already 22% into this book and I'm loving it but I put it down last week so that I could have a fresh start when we did the Rainbow Readathon. So this will most likely be one of the first books I finish this month.

8) Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

I have heard an equal number of good and bad reviews for this one and in particular, the Rainbow Club isn't enjoying this one. But I want to see it for myself so I'm going to try it.

9) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

It's a bit ambitious of me to aim for 9 books in 3 weeks but it's the holidays and I want to challenge myself. I've been pushing this book every single month this year but I've never got to it. So I want to finally read it.

I'm really excited to have some time to myself. It's so important to slow down and to actually enjoy life. I never have that luxury during semester. And I feel like I'm writing a reflection. Okay I'll stop. What are your TBR books for June?

Red Queen By Victoria Aveyard

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win? -Goodreads

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THIS BOOK. 

THIS FREAKING BOOK.

I LOVED IT SO MUCH DAMMIT.

Okay so here's the story. I have basically not read a single fantasy novel since I did the whole Mortal Instruments series back in January 2014. I've been doing contemporary ever since and I finally decided that I wanted to sprinkle a bit of fantasy back into my reading lists. So I picked up Red Queen. It had good ratings and people generally seemed pretty obsessed with this book. So I plunged. AND OH MY THIS BOOK WAS GOOD.

From the very first chapter, I knew that this was going to be a good book. You know how sometimes you can just tell if a book is going to tank or if its going to soar? Well I knew this was going to be great. The writing was easy to read. It was smooth. The words and the style just flowed over my brain and tongue.  (Don't you dare tell me that you don't understand that. I know you do). It was very easy to follow along and to place myself in that castle and in that village. It was easy to merge myself into their world and to feel what they were feeling. 

I did read a number of reviews before reading the book though and everyone mentioned that there was a sort of twist at the end. So I kind of saw what was about to happen before it did and that softened the blow which I was a bit upset about. But it was still pretty cool. I mean it still affects you and you're still left with that 'what the hell' face after.

I was also really impressed with the way Victoria handled the conflict in this book. Usually when I read scenes with conflict in it, I tend to roll my eyes a lot because it's hard to control. Often it can end up sounding fake or overly dramatic. But in this book, Victoria did an excellent job. There was perfect control in her writing. I didn't find any parts to be too dramatic or anything like that.

A lot of people complain that this book bears many similarities to other fantasy novels but I don't read a lot of fantasy so to me, the whole idea of the story was shiny and new.

Overall this was an absolutely excellent book. I would recommend it to anyone especially people who are looking to read more fantasy novels. I literally can't wait for the second book in the series which will unfortunately only be out next year.

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My Rating: 5/5
Purchase the books at The Book Depositary using my special link Here. 

More For The Heart By Ekta Garg

“Making The Proposal”: Readers learned in Two for the Heart about the end of Pooja and Akshay’s unique arrangement—get married and then prepare their divorce papers—but did you wonder how it began? Just how did Pooja and Akshay make this crazy deal in the first place? Find out in this first story in More for the Heart.“Reminiscence”: In Two for the Heart, sisters Rose and Helen reconnect with great reluctance after an 11-year estrangement. These two women have spent more than a decade apart. What convinces Rose to stay this time around? Sit at the table with Rose and watch her internal transformation in the second story in More for the Heart. -Goodreads

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When Ekta emailed me to tell me that her next book in her Stories In Paris set was out, I was super excited. I throughly enjoyed her first book in this set and I couldn't wait to see how she proceeded with the storyline.

I was thankfully not disappointed. 

The second instalment of the series went backwards in time. It explored the beginning of Pooja and Akshay's 'marriage' and it goes into the reasons why Rose decided to stay and take care of her injured and grieving sister. 

I truly enjoyed going deeper into the psyche of these characters. In my review of Ekta's first book in the series, I mentioned that I thought the stories would do well as full novels. I think with this second book, I understood what Ekta has been trying to do here. She's been trying to create a full novel but in bits and pieces. It's such a unique idea that I haven't really seen much of before. 

I had a few issues with the the way Ekta wrote in some parts. I found some parts to be repetitive and staggered and while that did impact the flow of the story at some parts, it wasn't too much of an issue. I actually had a lovely discussion with Ekta regarding her writing style. By the way, she is so so nice. One of the nicest authors I've come across. 

Overall this was an extremely lovely read. I enjoyed it a lot and I think it's something that anyone would love. 

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My Rating: 3/5
*This book was given to me by the author to read and review*
Purchase the books at The Book Depositary using my special link Here. 

The Boy Next Door By Katie Van Ark

Maddy Spier has been in love with the boy next door forever. As his figure skating partner she spends time in his arms every day. But she’s also seen his arms around other girls—lots of other girls.  

Gabe can't imagine skating with anyone but Maddy, and together they have a real chance at winning some serious gold medals. So, he’s determined to keep thinking of her like a sister. After all, he’s never had a romantic relationship that lasted for more than two weeks.But when their coach assigns a new romantic skating program, everything changes. Will this be the big break that Maddy’s been hoping for or the big breakup that Gabe has always feared? -Goodreads

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This is my first book review in about a month and of course it has to start on a negative note. Welp. Great way to get back into reviewing. Just fantastic.

Okay let's start at the beginning. I read the summary and I was immediately drawn in. When I was 13 and 14, I did figure skating. Yup. I had a trainer and I went every Monday. I could do jumps and spins and it was great. Until it wasn't. My workload from school made it such that keeping up with skating was impossible. So I stopped. But I've still always loved the sport. 

So when I heard that there was this book about figure skating partners who fall in love, I was like , 'Hell yes. I need this in my life right now.". I mean, you know how I feel about a good 'ole romance where the pair are friends before and then they fall in love. Anyway, thankfully, Swoon Reads hooked me up and very soon the book was sitting in my lap.

I got into it and I really really really wanted to love it. But I didn't.

So first of all, Maddie and Gabe are completely all over the damn place. One minute they were complaining about how they couldn't be together and the next they were practically having sex in a theatre. Following the story was seriously so hard because they were everywhere. There was absolutely no proper chain of events or even a coherent flow of thinking. The way they handled their transition from friends to lovers was horrific. I would expect that kind of uncertainty and confusion from perhaps 15 year olds. Or maybe even 13 year olds. Certainly not young adults.

And then there was the fact that there was no proper reason why they couldn't be together. Or maybe there was but it just wasn't properly brought across. I get that they couldn't be together because they didn't want to jeopardise their skating and that Maddie didn't like what a womaniser Gabe was. I get that. But again, one second they are crying about how much they want to be together and the next, Maddie is performing a freaking strip tease for him. I MEAN COME ON.

BUT

I gave this book 3 stars. Why would I do that when I only have bad things to say? Well that's because I actually liked it. It was one of those weird books that really suck but that you kind of like anyway and you're not sure what to do with it because you liked it but you also didn't. I honestly don't know. I guess certain parts were nice and it helped that it was a romance novel so the mushy parts helped to balance out the bad writing.

ANYWAY

To conclude, it was just a very haphazard book. Half the time I didn't know what was going on. One second they would be okay and the next they would just be not okay. It was like the author wrote the book in parts and just forgot where she left off so she decided to start from the top. The other characters, like the parents, were just as weird and pretentious. it would have been nice to see some conflict with the parents. I mean no one puts themselves so completely into the debt of someone and then doesn't have the occasional flare up. It was so superficial. I really wanted to like it and I kind of did but I also didn't which is sad because this book had so much potential.

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My Rating: 3/5 stars
*A copy of this book was sent to me to read and review*
Purchase the books at The Book Depositary using my special link Here. 

Fragile Bones By Lorna Nicholson

Meet Harrison and Anna.

One is a fifteen-year-old boy with an uncanny ability to recite every bone in the skeletal system whenever he gets anxious ― and that happens a lot. The meaning of “appropriate behaviour” mystifies him: he doesn’t understand most people and they certainly don’t understand him.

The other is a graduating senior with the world at her feet. Joining the Best Buddies club at her school and pairing up with a boy with high-functioning autism is the perfect addition to her med school applications. Plus, the president of the club is a rather attractive, if mysterious, added attraction.

Told in the alternating voices of Harrison and Anna, Fragile Bones is the story of two teens whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways. -Goodreads

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I've always been interested in Autism and other neurological and personality disorders and because of that, I've always loved reading books on the subject (okay only fiction books for now). So I was very happy to receive a copy of this book to read and review. 

This book follows Harrison, who has autism, and Anna, the girl who befriends him. I really enjoyed this quick and simple read. In fact I cried a bit at some parts. I thought this book was really lovely. In fact, I was originally planning to give it a good old 5 stars. 

BUT

I saw a review that someone else had made on the book. It wasn't a very good review of the book but I like reading both good and bad reviews of a book especially before I review a book so that I can be objective. So I saw this review and in it, the person mentioned that she didn't really learn anything new about autism and that everything was told very superficially and that even Harrison's parts were not as deep as she hoped they would be. 

That got me thinking. I didn't learn anything new about autism through this book and yes, it was a very surface level kind of book. While I did feel that I understood people with autism better, I felt like I didn't get to really know as much as I would have liked from this book. If I saw a boy in the streets walking in circles and flapping his arms, I might be sympathetic but I wouldn't really understand him very well. Going into a book like this, one would hope to be able to look at that boy on the streets and understand the struggles that he goes through on a deeper level. It felt like Nicholson simply saw this boy and wrote about him with less research then one would expect from a book of this caliber. 

I also felt like the romance thing was a bit forced. I felt that Justin and Anna could have stayed friends. It might have made the story even more impactful. But instead the love story made the book just a tad cheesy. Just a tad.

Overall, this was a great read however if you are hoping to learn a great deal more about autism, maybe this book won't be for you. However I urge everyone to pick up this book because as surface as it is, it does help us empathise with someone who has a neurological disability and I think everyone needs to be aware of how they can help and how they can contribute to making a disabled person's life just a tad easier.

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My Rating: 4/5 stars
*This book was given to me to read and review by the publishers*
Purchase the books at The Book Depositary using my special link Here. 

The Color Of Happiness By K.P. Gazelle

Faith Lane is the girl who has everything. At least, that’s what everyone thinks when they see her rocking a killer dress while laughing with her best friend, Tiffany. But Faith’s life is far from flawless. Her peers torment her relentlessly, and her parents expect her to be the epitome of perfection. Criticized and pressured at school and home, Faith retreats into silent acceptance and finds an escape in her passion of dancing. Then she meets Alex – quirky, forever with a pass, and concealing a mysterious secret of his own. And through his encouragement, Faith starts believing in her gift for dance and gains courage to stand up for herself. But will she be able to keep her footing when the events of one night consume her with the need to jump off the rocky cliffs near her coastal home? And what has pushed her to the edge of reason? -Goodreads

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Let's start with the good points for this one. This book was well written. The author had a lovely style that drew you in and kept you wanting to read. The storyline was also really good. A little bit unbelievable at points and a little over dramatic but it was good. I laughed and I cried through the book. The parts with Alex and Faith made me feel mushy inside(Almost like I was reading fan fiction). I felt angry on her behalf at her slightly crazy parents.

Now, on to the bad points which may be a little spoilery. I found Faith's first suicide attempt to be very abrupt and quite frankly very weird. In the book, Faith gets bullied for wearing clothes that people deem to be too conservative. So she goes through that. But then she also mentions that she doesn't really care what people think and that apparently she was also known for her fashion sense. That's very weird and if she had such mixed feelings about that, why was she all of a sudden, randomly drawn to try to shove a handful of pills down her throat?

 Also, I would hardly refer to the mild comments made by her peers 'relentless tormenting'. I used to be bullied. I know what relentless tormenting is and let me tell you, this is not it.

Then there was the fact that the writing was somewhat pretentious and overly dramatic. I felt like the author made certain parts much more dramatic and unbelievable then they had to be. In fact, Faith's second suicide was almost just as all over the place as the first. I understand that what she was going through in that instance was too much for her but come on. Give me a break.

If you take away the bad points, this book is good. I mean it has a good storyline and its captivating. It makes you feel all the emotions. It's an okay book.

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My Rating: 3/5
*An advanced copy of  book was given to me by the publishers to read and review*
Purchase the books at The Book Depositary using my special link Here. 

Two For The Heart By Ekta R. Garg

Two stories about relationships and the power of love. 

“The Proposal”: Pooja and Akshay don’t want to bother with relationships, but they get cornered into marriage. The two devise a fool-proof plan: get married, then get their divorce papers ready. But will they have the guts to go through with the break up?
“Remembrance”: Helen wakes up in the hospital, but she has no idea how she got there. Everyone dodges the question…and then the sister she hasn't spoken to in 11 years arrives. Why is she here? And will Helen ever remember what happened?- Goodreads

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This book was a nice short read. I finished it in one sitting and I have to say that they were both very enjoyable. 

I loved how Ekta developed each character so throughly. Even though the stories were short, the author was able to bring across their personalities and their fears very well. She made the characters relatable and loveable for the most part.

I really loved how the author overlapped the stories by bringing in one character from one story into the other. It just made the first story seem that much lovelier and complete. It was almost like an epilogue of sorts with Pooja's involvement in the second story.

I think Ekta exhibited very good control with her stories and it's a pity because I think both stories would do very well as full novels. That said, I liked that Ekta was able to bring both stories full circle even with the limited word count.

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My Rating: 4/5
*This book was given to me to read and review by the author*

The Girl On The Train By Paula Hawkins

Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar. Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train… -Goodreads

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I love people-watching. There's just something so captivating about making up this whole life for someone else based only upon what you see in front of you. 

I decided to read this little thriller mainly because pretty much everyone was reading it and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I'm pleased to say that all the fuss is correct. This is one damn good book. I loved the grittiness of it. I loved how raw it was and how it stole your breath away when you least expected it.

Paula Hawkins basically makes you hate all the characters. She makes everyone a suspect. Every one including the baby.

"But where was the baby?"

I'm just kidding.

It was such a refreshing change to see characters that were so messed up and unlovable. I guess that's why it has been compared to Gillian Flynn's 'Gone Girl' a lot. I absolutely hated every character with a vengeance. I would find myself standing in the shower sometimes and I would be thinking of the characters and having this huge ranting session in my head about why they are douchebags. Then I would leave the shower, pulsing with fury only to pick up book again because I had to know what happened.

This story is told from the point of view of three highly unreliable and unstable narraters. You never know who is telling the truth, who is lying and who simply cannot for the life of her remember what happened. 

Rachel is the forgetful alcoholic, Anne is the lying second wife and Megan is the neurotic cheat. They have all been robbed of the fullness of life and they are all grieving for what could have been. Together they work to bring three lives together into the big mystery of what happened on Saturday night. Everyone keeps secrets. Everyone.

The reason why this book didn't get the full 5 stars from me was because I felt like the conclusion was weak. I didn't like how the book ended. I felt like it was overly dramatic. But that's the only flaw I could find. 

Now go out there and get your hands on this book because it is one hell of a good story.

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My Rating: 4/5
*The publisher sent me a copy of this book to review*
Purchase the books at The Book Depositary using my special link Here. 

Part-Time Princess By Pamela Dumond

Lucy Trabbicio’s a down-on-her-luck, young, American, former biker-bar cocktail waitress desperate to find a job. Lady Elizabeth Billingsley hires Lucy to travel to Fredonia, the tiny jewel of a country in the Alps, for ten days ‘tops’ to impersonate her.

In the mother of all makeovers, Elizabeth’s people teach Lucy how to dress, walk, talk, eat, be coiffed and even get naked like a European Lady. 

The goal?

To keep Crown Prince Cristoph Timmel interested in Elizabeth until she finishes her unexpected, pressing personal business in the States.

But fate intervenes… Lucy meets and is wildly attracted to sexy, bad-boy Nick on the oh-so-long flights to Fredonia. Unfortunately for Lucy—Nick and Elizabeth have a hot sexual history, which Nick wants to immediately resume.When the real Lady Elizabeth decides she’s not marrying Cristoph and never returning to Fredonia, Lucy’s faced with an uncomfortable decision—continue her deception, marry the prince she’s not in love with and live a dream life albeit without Nick, her dream guy? Or tell the truth and return to poverty and oblivion? - Goodreads

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Let me start off by saying that this isn't  one of the best books I've ever read. It was a very childish and typical read. I pretty much knew what was going to happen and when it was going to take place every step of the way. So there was basically no room for creativity in the general outline of the book. 

However, that said, I must say that I found the book to be pretty laid back and quite a nice relaxing and funny read. Ever since the Shopaholic books, I've mainly been reading the darker stuff. I've been reading Gillian Flynn and other books about murders and things. So this was a nice change of pace.

This book could have basically been written for a young girl if it wasn't for the occasional F-word, the sex scenes and that one strip club. It was almost mocking the readers intelligence. For example, Lucy keeps on almost saying 'Elizabeth- I mean I would like that." or someone would be like, "Luc-Elizabeth" 

And it happens all the time and I'm just here wondering when someone is going to wise up and figure it out. Of course we have people who finally realise that she is not who she claims to be towards the end and where the story needed it. But I found it to be rather unrealistic.

And the dialogue was very very childish. *mild spoiler here* I mean, so they set up a full royal wedding. The press is there and its the hugest event ever. Mid way through the ceremony, Lucy decides to reveal that she is an imposter and no questions are asked.

"Queen Cheree-Can I keep the puppy?"

She leaned back in her pew, sighed and nodded. "So be it."

"Thank you everyone! Have a splendid day!"

And that's it. Lucy waltzes out of the church and goes home with her puppy and eats chocolate ice cream. I mean are you serious? And immediately she is dubbed 'Princess with a Heart'. I don't know about you but in the world I live in, if someone found out that Princess Kate or Prince William were an imposter, there would probably be riots. They wouldn't just brush it off and say "Oh well, the imposter was nicer then the real princess anyway. Let's sign a petition and get the imposter from Chicago who knows nothing about ruling a county and lets dub her Lady Lucy and get her to rule over us." And aren't there consequences for doing that at a huge wedding? This is a royal wedding. I'm thinking they had a Princess Kate and Prince William audience for their wedding. And she just skips along out. Are you serious?

I know I just dissed the whole book but I truly didn't mind it too much. It wasn't excruciatingly bad or anything (and I've read excruciatingly bad). It just isn't for readers who are too old or who are looking for something a bit more serious in nature.

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My Rating: 3/5 
*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review*
Purchase the books at The Book Depositary using my special link Here. 

When You Leave By Monica Ropel

Cass is positive that the people she cares about most will eventually leave her. Her father is gone, her mother doesn’t notice Cass exists, and her best friend’s battle with cancer was too close of a call. So when she begins her year at a wealthy new private school, Cass’s plan is to suffer through it in anonymity.

However, when her cute locker neighbor, Cooper, shows an undeniable attraction toward Cass, keeping him at a safe distance isn’t easy. Even though her Frogtown skater world and his do-gooder preppy one are so different, Cass and Cooper somehow mesh. And once Cass lets her guard down, Cooper is mysteriously murdered—thus proving her original theory.

When Cass’s close friend is suspected as the killer, she isn’t sure who she can trust anymore. Between investigating Cooper’s murder and trying to understand what she really meant to him, will Cass even find what she is looking for? -Goodreads

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You guys know I hate giving bad reviews. Especially when I'm reviewing an advanced copy of a book. I hate forming a negative impression of a book that hasn't even come out yet. But I need to be honest with you guys so yes. The book wasn't that great.

'When You Leave' is about a girl called Cass who attends a private school by day and then after, joins her friends from the rougher side of the neighbourhood to skateboard together. One day, the boy she has been dating for 2 weeks, Cooper, gets murdered and one of her best friends, Gav, is taken in as the main suspect.

Cass decides to become Nancy Drew and find out who really killed Gav because she believes that he was wrongly accused and she decides that only she (and not the highly qualified police officers) can solve the case and bring Cooper's killer to justice.

I didn't like the book firstly because I felt that it was very pretentious. I thought that the way Cass and her friends talked and acted was just too over the top. I mean what's with the insistence that there are the higher class people and the lower class people? It was annoying.

I also didn't like how unreal the whole thing was. This is a minor spoiler but Cass needs to find Cooper's phone to find out who lured him into the woods in the first place and the cops can't find the phone. One day, Cass has a dream that the phone is in the woods and she dreams up the exact spot where it is. So good old Cass goes ambling into the woods where they have been told to not go and goes to get the phone and blah blah blah, Cass is a hero.

What I didn't like about that was that the area in the woods had been had cordoned of by the police for a long time for investigation.  You're telling me that the police couldn't find the phone if it was hidden in a log? You're telling me that in this murder investigation, the highly qualified investigators didn't think to look inside a damn log?

I also hated how Cass immediately assumed the role of investigator. I mean, in the real world, you can't go around accusing people of murder randomly. In the real world you can't lie to investigators without consequences. In the real world you don't get to play the role of the police as and when you want. The storyline was unrealistic and childish.

I also felt like the book was very rushed. Like when Monica got to the middle she just got tired and decided to rush things along. I mean you're telling me that someone capable of murder and escaping the police for so long would be so careless as to leave a phone with a text on it that incriminates him? And you're telling me that the text was the only factor in the murder? That was the only clue? I don't feel like she spent enough time going over how serious the charge was and how serious the case was. I mean she never even really mentioned much about how the community reacted to a murder happening in the school woods. That's a big deal. When you tackle a subject like murder, you need to be prepared to go in depth and you need to prepare to give the story time to develop and grow. You need mature characters and strong storylines. This had none of that.

I honestly felt like I was reading some Famous Five book. 

To her credit, I think the twist in the end was a good. The murderer was someone unexpected. Which is a pity because the book really had the potential to be good. It just wasn't given enough time, thought and research.

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My Rating: 2/5
Publication Date: 7th April 2015
*I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley.* 
Purchase the books at The Book Depositary using my special link Here.