When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

4 Stars

“This is our life. We get to decide the rules. We get to say what goes and what stays, what matters and what doesn’t.”

I really like this. I'm so excited that I finally got around to reading it. It feels like such a long time coming. It was cute. It was diverse. It was funny. I don't know what more you could ask for. 

I loved Dimple. She was such a strong character and so independent. Dimple is the kind of girl I aspire to be and I think I related to her a lot. I loved that she was all for carving out her own life. I think that was a great example to set. I also adored Rishi, who was almost Dimple's polar opposite. He was so sweet and gentle. I loved seeing that in a male character. 

I loved that Dimple was into coding. I think that's something we should begin to appreciate more because it is hard. I have a father who codes and does a wonderful job of it but he does get overwhelmed by it all. The results are terrific though, always. More appreciation for coders because I am useless at it. I think it's cool to bring in a hobby that defies the gender norm a bit, and important too. I'm so glad to see all these hobbies coming into books that we don't usually see much of.

I loved the diversity, that is what initially attracted me to this book so much. I definitely don't think I've read much with Indian characters, much less Indian main characters. I would love to see more of that. I really liked that, I think Menon slipped in some interesting cultural things in the story really naturally which I enjoyed.

It was such a cute book, literally just like reading a rom-com. I adored it. I know that so many of my fluffy contemporary loving friends will also just love this. I loved the characters. I loved the story. I loved the subject matter. I just thought it was such a cute and endearingly dorky book that I think anyone who enjoys a good contemporary will just eat up. 

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

5 Stars

“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”


I am thrilled I finally got to read this. It has so much hype and it deserves every slice of it. It is such an important book. It does a fantastic job of tackling such an important and relevant topic. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone and everyone. In my review, I won't be hyper critical because I just think it's so important we finally have this highly important own voices book and I think it's important that it gets the praise it deserves. However, if you're interested in a bit more of a critical review, there's a few interesting ones on Goodreads, you might just have to sift through. 

I will just say quickly, do I think everything was perfect? No, I don't. But that's not why I'm giving it 5 stars. I'm giving it 5 stars because it's incredibly important and relevant and I think it brought up so many important things. This will definitely be one to leave you thinking. 

The thing I love about THUG so much, is that it is a YA book dealing with a huge issue. It's important for people to be talking about the big issues and this is a fantastic way to get people educated and talking, particularly young people. I would love to see more YA authors try to tackle big issues like these because I think it's incredibly important to speak out using whatever medium you feel right using. I love that Angie Thomas has done that. You can tell it's a topic she feels strongly about and she has used her voice and perspective, to talk about it. I love it, I fully support it. 

I loved Starr, I think she was really well written within her thought processes and whatnot and she felt like a really authentic character. You could tell it was an own voices author. She was strong and stubborn but still scared and had her flaws that she could acknowledge. I loved her family dynamic. I think it was so important to have such a gorgeous and supportive family. You all know by now that I adore some strong and loving families in YA. They were all really well written dimensional characters. They were really fleshy and I loved that. 

I loved that THUG shuts down and breaks down the stereotypes that we are fed through the media. It gives us a unique perspective and certainly one that particularly news outlets aren't going to let us see. Which I think is incredibly important because you can't give credit to a lot of the media. THUG encourages you to have a mind of your own and gives you this perspective as food for thought.

I think it definitely has a shock factor. I think for some people, it's going to be hard to take in the fact that this book isn't just one big hyperbole. I'm lucky enough to have a father that talks constantly about the police shootings and the unfairness and ridiculousness of it, to know that this stuff is happening. But, I know for a lot of people The Hate U Give might be hard to swallow but I think it's important you do because only then can you help make a change.

I must say I've never read anything quite like this. Which I almost feel ashamed to admit. It was so different and important and fresh. I think it was brilliant. I feel more educated and aware after reading it which I think is what Thomas was aiming for. I would love to see more books like this one. Definitely read it if for some reason you haven't already, definitely support it, show it some love. I think it was great. Once again, I would love to see more books like this. I hope this becomes a classic in the years to come.

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

5 Stars

“Never say no when you really want to say yes.”

I was SO excited to unwrap this Christmas day, I had been dying to read it practically since it was announced. I feel like anyone who has been here with me long enough will know that I adore Lara Jean and the To All The Boys trilogy. I absolutely loved it. I think this was the perfect conclusion to Lara Jean's story. 

I love that while it still focused on relationships, it focused on a different aspect of relationships that I think is often overlooked in YA because it might not necessarily be the part everyone wants to think about. Lara Jean had to make some interesting decisions about the future and I think that's relatable for a lot of people. And, Lara Jean has a hard time when things don't go exactly to plan.

I adore that it included so many more aspects of life. It really talked about so many more things in Lara Jean's life and I appreciated that. It focused of the changes happening to Lara Jean and how that affected the relationships she has with those around her. It wasn't just about her and Peter anymore, it was about a lot more which I think is reflective of how Lara Jean has grown as a character. 

Something I loved about this was seeing how Lara Jean had grown since the first book. Yet, she was still Lara Jean. She still has her charming naivety and optimistic nature. But there was definitely still some rock solid character development which I think was great because we didn't lose who Lara Jean is and what makes her so lovable but we still got to see her grow as a character.  

It was quite different in contrast to the first two books but I loved that. I think the relationship drama had been pretty exhausted at this point and I loved to see some other stuff happening with the Song girls. But, that being said, I think this book worked so well because we had the other two and we grew attached to Lara Jean and her family and friends. I don't think this would've worked as well as a stand alone. 

I think this was the perfect conclusion to the perfect trilogy. I absolutely adored it, I think it gave a really nice closure to everything. While I'm so sad that the Lara Jean saga has come to an end, I am so thrilled that it was done so well. I won't lie, I was a little bit worried about not liking this or not getting the ending I wanted or having it feel awkward. But, it closed things off, it didn't exhaust anything, it showed growth of characters. It was pretty much everything I could've wanted. 

December 2017 Wrap Up

Hello everyone. It's actually New Years Eve here in Australia as I write this and I can't seem to comprehend that. I think this year has gone the fastest of all of them for me. I'm excited for 2018 but disappointed for the end of what has been a fantastic year.

So, what did I read?
- The Start of You and Me by Emery Lord (I think? I'm sorry, I forgot to write down a list)
- Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
- Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
- It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

And I started Always and Forever, Lara Jean yesterday which I am LOVING. I'll probably have it done by the end of the day so maybe we'll have to edit this post a little later. Who knows. I didn't love The Start of You and Me which was disappointing and it seriously put me in a bit of a slump. I thought it was bland. I reread Anna and Lola because they're a couple of my favourites and I needed to get out of my slump. Good news, I still love them just as much as I did the first time. I adored It's Kind of  a Funny Story and I can't wait to write my review.

Blogging wise, it wasn't great even though I wanted to get back into it. I've had the weirdest month in terms of blogging. I've written so many posts that haven't gone up simply because I couldn't get them how I wanted them and it was incredibly frustrating. I think it's just a bit of a slump that I'll have to try and persevere through.

Anyway, I had a brilliant Christmas. I have so much chocolate, I swear I won't have to buy anymore until next Christmas. I got some books that I've been dying to read so I can't wait to get into those. It was a really lovely day and I hope everyone else had a day as lovely as I did. I treated myself to some more plants (someone remind me to do a plant post soon).

Oh! And I've been watching Stranger Things (finally) and oh my god, why did no one make me do this sooner. I have one more episode to go which I'll probably watch tonight. It's incredible, I'm obsessed. If you haven't already watched it, I would definitely recommend. I want to write a post dedicated to it if anyone would be interested in reading that. I can't wait to finish it tonight but I also feel very sad saying that and knowing I have to now wait until season 3.

Anyway, I think that's mostly everything I wanted to say about December. I'll see you guys in 2018 and I hope you've had not only a fantastic month but a fantastic year. I hope you all take the time to reflect on the year that has been and the year that is to come. Have a great New Years!

Romanticising in YA

This is something I've been wanting to talk about for the longest time but I've been struggling to find the words. So, basically what I'm going to be talking about today is romanticising things that shouldn't be romanticised, particularly in YA books.

I'm going to start by talking about John Green. We all know John Green, we were all a huge fan once upon a time. However, I've been thinking about him a lot with the publication of his newest book, Turtles All The Way Down which I haven't read, I'm definitely curious though but I don't think I'll go as far as to buy a copy. Because I have a lot of feelings about his books now. And, this isn't to be taken as me talking shit about John Green, I think he's an incredibly talented writer and he and his brother do fantastic crash course videos that have helped me in science on numerous occasions so I actually do owe my science related success to him. However, his books are the things I have issues with. A little over a year ago, I read The Fault in Our Stars for the second time and wrote a rave review of it. Well, that's all well and good but I think the bookish community has really helped me to see what is wrong with his books and made me think a bit more critically of everything. I think The Fault in Our Stars romanticises illnesses but I don't exactly think that is the intent there, I do think John Green purely intended for it to be a gorgeous love story between two sick kids but I think particularly the way it was advertised, just romanticises the whole thing.

But, TFIOS is not the book I have the biggest issue with, it's Looking for Alaska. Once upon a time I adored Looking for Alaska. I have a lovely 10th anniversary edition that I loved to pieces but anyone whose read it knows that Alaska is not exactly a stable person and the narrator just keeps on romanticising it, looking back it's actually gross. The obsession with Alaska is just very not healthy and not a great thing to be depicting to young people. John Green loves the manic pixie dream girl trope and he isn't the only one but it's damaging and not healthy. I remember reading Looking for Alaska when I was about 13 and something a bit scary happened, I wanted to be like Alaska so people would romanticise me and that boys would think about me because I'd be this unique individual who 'isn't like other girls' as though that's such a horrible thing to be. But, my issue with the manic pixie dream girl trope is a talk for another day.

I don't think unhealthy relationships, substance abuse, mental illnesses, the list goes on, should be romanticised. Do I think they should be written about? Absolutely, it's important to bring exposure to all of these kinds of things but it is so important to avoid romanticising it. YA readers can be young and impressionable and to be honest, I remember being that person a few years ago. Write about depression, write about drinking problem, write about illnesses, write about sad people, but don't make it out to seem like something beautiful and desirable.

So, basically, the point I'm wanting to get across is to stay aware. Keep talking but don't make it out to be something it's not. Educate. Education on these topics are so important but there is a right and wrong way to go about it. And, I think it's important, when you see a book or a film or whatever, romanticising something that should not be romanticised, speak up about it to keep yourself and others aware.

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

5 Stars

“The beautiful thing about books was that anyone could open them.”

This is a reread because once again, I couldn't manage to get really into it the first time I read it so I've read it again and I've actually fallen in love with it.

Okay so, the world building was fantastic. The atmosphere was perfect. Everything was great there. I've noticed from reading one of the authors other books that she has a fantastic writing style. It was really easy for me to get into the second time and I would've finished it within a couple of sittings if I'd had the time.

I adore the characters. August was so gorgeous and complex. I loved that. Kate is equally complex and I really love her as a character, I think she compliments the atmosphere perfectly. So, I was very pleased with that. They just really stood out to me. Leo and Isla were brilliantly written as well.

Also, as an irrelevant kind of side note, after about a week of staring at the cover, I've only just realised it's a violin. I have no idea why it took me this long to notice but it's made me fall even more in love with the cover and you know I made sure I didn't buy the Australian cover because it's not great.

Anyway, I could read about August forever. I really adore him. I love his love for music. It made me want to pick up my trumpet and play for the sake of it but it was also 11pm and I think my parents would possibly kill me if I did that. I love books that talk about music because it's something I can relate to. So I loved that and I loved how vividly it was described.

It was a fantastic book and I'm very excited to read Our Dark Duet which I'll actually probably get out of the library very soon so I'm looking forward to that. It was vividly written and something that definitely stands out from other fantasy novels. I liked it a lot and I'm glad I reread it.

Can You Outgrow Your Favourite Books?

This is something that's been in the back of my mind for a long time and I've only just thought to make a discussion post out of it. I'm 17, I've been reading YA heavily since I was about 13. When I was 13, the popular books were John Green and The Hunger Games and Divergent and whatnot. So, of course I read them and loved them. However, I reread most of these last year which was interesting and I discovered, I like them nowhere near as much which I struggled to admit due to all the nostalgia and feelings I associate with those books, it's almost like certain experiences I associate with what I was reading at the time.

John Green novels were filled with angst and special snowflakes and everything that made me feel special while reading. I had just turned 13 when I got into John Green books, I was in the early days of high school and I'd already had boy troubles, friendship troubles, you name it. I felt like I could relate to these books because I think everyone starts going through these kinds of things for the first time and you kind of feel like you're the only one. Which, is kind of the general theme of John Green novels. I'm not sure if this is making sense but I;m struggling to find the words to explain why I felt like I connected to John Green novels. But, when I reread them, it just wasn't the same experience for me and I almost felt like the story lines were forced to make these characters seem like the special snowflakes they are. A common trope is manic pixie dream girl which was another trope that I really loved when reading these for the first time. But, I still can't exactly let go of them because I associate so many experiences with them, basically the entire 13th year of my life, I just associate with John Green novels but I definitely feel like I've grown out of them. I'm not really in a stage of my life where these things are something I resonate with and to be completely honest, there are a lot of things in his novels I now disagree with.

What about The Hunger Games and Divergent? Well, I'm simply no longer really into dystopia as a genre where I used to adore it. I recently reread Divergent and I didn't like it at all. I didn't like the relationship between Tris and Tobias at all whereas I used to think it was absolutely gorgeous. And, it's kind of disappointing because I know how much I used to love it, so why don't I anymore? I will admit, I will always have such a soft spot for The Hunger Games since it really got me into reading and I think the movies are still great. But, I can't help but feeling like it just doesn't really fit for me anymore. I feel like I've grown past it. It's definitely a little sad.

However, there's also things like Harry Potter that I haven't grown out of and don't see myself growing out of anytime soon. I don't really know that this means that Harry Potter is the superior because it has stood the test of time for me. I think it probably comes down to a lot of factors, maybe the fact that it feels like everyone has grown up with Harry and we've watched him grow and maybe it's kind of like a community thing. Anyway, I think I might be getting off topic here. But, my point is, Harry Potter is one favourite that has stood the test of time for me.

So, I'd love to know what you think. I think it's absolutely possible and common to outgrow your favourite book. I'd love for you to tell me your thoughts and how many of your favourites have stood the test of time or which ones you've grown out of. 

November 2017 Wrap Up

I can't believe this is the second last wrap up of the year, it's incredible. This year has gone by offensively fast. November has been an interesting month for me. I did a lot, probably more than I've done all year. Despite the fact that I only actually finished one book, The Start of You and Me by Emery Lord, and I think I only made about three blog posts.

I had my birthday on the 2nd which was great, I already wrote a post about it. I got a new trumpet and cried about it because I told my parents they didn't have to get it, trumpets are kind of expensive and they've been wanting to renovate the house so I was saving up myself. They were ridiculously coy about the whole thing. The trumpet sounds fantastic, I got to use it for my exam which was great because it just sounds so much better than my old one and makes certain things easier.

So, I had my final exams. I have never been more stressed. I have never been more tired. I didn't feel like doing anything other than studying and any time I was doing anything that wasn't studying, I felt insanely guilty. It was intense. I had four written exams and my music practical exam. My written exams were all within the same week which was awful. But, alas, I somehow got through it. I'm not sure that I did quite as well on any of my exams that I hoped but I don't think any of them were particularly catastrophic. I'm just trying to comfort myself until the results come with the fact that I did everything I could. However, the whole exam experience did remind me how shitty the school system really is because particularly on my bio exam, they were able to catch me on some of the things I wasn't confident in when with everything I'm not comfortable with, there's quite a few things I am comfortable with so it just felt so unlucky that they caught me on the few things that I couldn't quite grasp. No one is going to understand every thing, everyone is going to have their weak spots and that's what bothers me. Most people had anywhere between 2-5 exams to study for and it's just not a great system. I don't really have any suggestions on how to improve it but I think it's important to remember that it's not exactly an ideal situation for anyone.

Anyway, after that exam rant I think I'm done. I had a bit of a blogging break this month to focus on my exams but I have some fun blog posts planned out that I'm really excited to write. I can not wait for December, I adore everything Christmas and I'm hoping to do a lot of Christmas themed posts this year since I'll be on holidays all month. So, look forward to a very active Brooklyn the next couple of months. I'm going to be on my blogging best again.

See You In A Couple Of Weeks: A Teeny Tiny Break

You may notice, I've been not very active recently. I've been studying hard for my final exams. But, I just wanted to share a quick post to let you all officially know, I'll probably be a bit MIA the next couple of weeks during the exam period.

I had my very first exam today which was my music practical exam and I was shaking the entire time but it wasn't offensively bad. There were quite a few mistakes but sound and everything was perfect and I managed to catch myself on pretty much all my mistakes which is something that you've got to get good at when performing. So, anyway, I only have 4 written exams left and I'm done until next school year. I'm lighting my load next year because I went pretty heavy this year so next year will hopefully be a bit more about having some fun with my classes. Written exams officially start on Monday, I have my first one on Tuesday (I think? I should probably check on that) and then another one every couple of days. I'm feeling very thankful that I don't have two in one day though, this time around. However, I'm going to be very busily studying and trying to limit any outside distractions such as reading and blogging so I can do my absolute best because I'd really like to smash these exams.

I'm going to schedule a few reviews because, why not? I've got that many reviews stock piled that I may as well use a few of them while I have the chance. So, there'll be that. I should be back and running in just a couple short weeks and hopefully I'll have some really good posts and I'll have the time to get back into the swing of blogging. So, I hope everyone has the time of their lives while I'm out for a while and please keep me in your thoughts, I'll need it. I look forward to coming back!

17 Thoughts for 17 Years

It was my 17th birthday the other day so, I'm writing a post in honour of it today. I had a great day, I didn't do much. I went to school, luckily, my birthday fell on a Thursday which is the day I only have a half day of classes. So, that was great. My parents got me the brand new trumpet I've been saving up for and talking about all year and I couldn't even begin to express how much I loved it. It's a Christmas/birthday present but they wanted to give it to me for my birthday before I have my music exam and before band breaks up for the holidays. Anyway, I should probably get into my post now. I'm writing 17 thoughts for 17 years.

1. If someone is a negative presence in your life then you need to do something about it.

2. If it makes you smile, then it's probably worth it.

3. It doesn't matter what you think of what someone is wearing, if they're wearing it, it probably makes them happy and that's what matters.

4. Sometimes it's good to get out of your comfort zone.

5. Tell people how you feel because soon enough it'll hardly matter if so and so didn't feel the same way or so and so didn't agree with this.

6. Take opportunities when they come to you, they may not come again.

7. You've got to learn to not let other's opinions of you affect you.

8. It's worth being kind to everyone you meet.

9. Sometimes the smallest things can be the loveliest.

10. Read what you want to read. It doesn't matter what others think. Same goes for music, clothes, anything. If you like it, then what on earth does it matter.

11. Putting effort into every thing can be exhausting but the results can be brilliant.

12. Flat stomachs aren't the world! People store fat in different ways.

13. You should embrace your little quirks. Own them and make them yours.

14. Failure is bound to happen sometimes and it's going to suck but you've got to suck it up and try again. You can't let yourself miss out on experiences because you're scared of failure or rejection or disappointment or whatnot.

15. One day, you're going to get your heart broken and maybe that won't be by a romantic partner but maybe a family member or a friend, maybe a beloved pet will pass away. It'll happen but it doesn't mean you shouldn't love anything.

16. Just because others have it worse doesn't make your problems invalid.

17. It's important to remember not to take the things you have for granted and to remind those around you that you appreciate them.

October 2017 Wrap Up

Happy November or if you're still in October, then happy almost November. I've had a fantastic month but I'm really looking forward to November. Mostly because it'll be my birthday tomorrow and my birthday is one of my favourite days of the year. I also finish school which is great and have a significantly longer holiday than I did in high school but I also have my exams, so it's all happening.

I did a lot of rereading in October because I just wasn't too keen on actually reading anything new. So, I read:
Love Letters To The Dead by Ava Dellaria
The Yearbook Committee by Sarah Ayoub
This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

And that was it, I'm in a bit of a slump at the moment. I don't know if anyone else can relate but I find it really hard to focus on reading when there's too many exciting things going on in my life. I've been really out of my shell this month, I've finally been building friendships with people who I've been wanting to build friendships with this whole year. The only problem is we've only got a couple more weeks of the school year to go so I'm hoping I'll keep talking to these people even when school is over. I always get really excited about talking to new people, it really gets my adrenaline going. So, I'm struggling to read too much at the moment with so much going on, not to mention exam study, but I think this is a good reason to be in a slump.

I did receive The Start of You and Me by Emery Lord in the mail so I'm super excited about that, I'm already a couple chapters in but I was really excited to receive it since an Emery Lord book got me into blogging. So, shes an author dear to my heart and this is the second book of hers I've been sent. That's the only book I've gotten this month, I was planning on going to the library since I haven't been in a long time but I just haven't gotten the chance. Despite the fact it is literally a couple of blocks down from my campus.

I'm in a great mood today since I got one of my re-tests back for maths with an A which is two marks higher than my first test and on the hardest unit. It's my first A, I was painfully close on one of the other tests we've done but I finally got my first A and I'm just really pleased because I've been working so hard to do well in maths. It's definitely a bit of encouragement especially considering I was feeling pretty down about it on the day of. Hopefully I'll be able to smash out another one on the exam. I also did a practice music practical exam and I passed after struggling the entire year to pull together a suitable program and that's great news to me because the practice exam was a bit of a mess and I definitely think I could do a little better so with that in mind, I should be able to pass the real thing easy. I'm glad I'm going to be able to pass the course because it really was up in the air for a while and that sucked since my music theory is really my strong point. I've had a crappy past couple of weeks because I was stressed about school and I was trying so hard but I feel like I'm finally getting some results.

I'm hoping to treat myself to a couple new books for my birthday so I'll have to wait and see what tickles my fancy then. I'm also hoping to take a trip to the library finally and get some books out. I'd ideally like to finish the Lunar Chronicles and The Raven Cycle but I don't know if that'll happen. I'm also reading a Beatles biography at the moment so I'm hoping to finish that in November. But otherwise I guess we'll see what I feel like.

Anyway, I should probably leave my very chatty wrap up there for now. Expect a post in the next couple of days for my birthday. I'm also hoping to get back onto regular posting when school finishes so you can look forward to that if you'd like. I'd love to hear what everyone read this October and what they got up to so you can let me know in the comments.

The Yearbook Committee by Sarah Ayoub

4.5 Stars

"And if we want to change this world for the better, then we must be the best possible version of ourselves, because who we are in each moment is a gift to the universe."

The Yearbook Committee has been one of my favourite contemporaries since I read it for the first time last year. Because it is one of my absolute favourites and I don't have a review of it, I decided I must reread it and review it because I love it way too much not to.  

Okay so, The Yearbook Committee is an Australian book and you know how much I love OzYA. This is my favourite OzYA. The Yearbook Committee is very much The Breakfast Clubesque which I love in any book. There's five kids who wouldn't usually hang out being forced to hang out thanks to the yearbook. So, five kids in year 12. Their last year of high school or as it's called where I come from, college. I finished high school in year 10. But nevertheless, it's really the same thing whether it's high school or college. And, it hit particularly close this year because this time next year I will be studying very hard for year 12 exams and trying to push my ATAR as high as I possibly can. Reading the characters studying definitely reminded me that I have my own exams in a months time to study for instead of reading. 

I love unlikely friendships and if you do too, you'll love this. It is very heavy on the unlikely friendships. I also love that the characters are each going through their own things. You've got Charlie who has just moved to Sydney from Melbourne but let me just talk about this for a moment. Sydney and Melbourne are certainly not the only cities in Australia so I don't know why authors, even Australian authors, act like they are. I've never even been to either. But, anyway, you've got Charlie whose struggling with the move and it determined to hate Sydney. Matty, whose mum is sick meaning he has to work two jobs in order to keep the two of them going. Ryan, who is school captain and has had an accident which means his dreams are no longer within sight. Gillian who is child of a politician and gets a lot of online bullying. Finally, you have Tammi who is struggling with the pressure's being put on her by those closest to her. 

I love the way this story is told from multiple perspectives. It means we really get to see inside everyone despite the stereotypes placed on them by the others. We get to know their struggles and hardships and their plans. This sort of story really does need to be told from multiple perspective. I think it's done really well.

I love that the book deals with the party culture kind of thing. I know that Australia is pretty heavy on party culture especially with things like schoolies and just general parties. I think it has a really important message. Without spoiling anything for you, it's hard to talk about what exactly I liked about how it dealt with party culture. But once again, it's a crazy important topic. Particularly with things like schoolies, for those unfamiliar, schoolies is something you can do once you've finished year 12, people even go to Bali and stuff for it. It's basically just one big week long party. There have been quite a few bad incidents on schoolies. 

I know some people have called this bland but I actually think it's very real. It's very real story, and I love that it doesn't try to be anything more. I think by adding anything else, the story could've potentially been cheapened and less maybe less relatable. It very much maintains through the story that these characters could be anyone. It really enforces the idea that everyone is going through their own things and that they aren't just a stereotype. Although, that being said, contemporary is my favourite genre and I know a lot of people find the entire genre to be bland. 

I really love this book. I think anyone who loves contemporary will love this and I really suggest reading it, not just because it's Australian. It's a gorgeous book that I wish I could talk more about with out spoiling it. I can hardly wait to get my hands on a copy of Sarah Ayoub's other book which is supposedly just as great. This has been a bit of lengthy review already so I'm just going to stop here and let you decide for yourself if this is something you want to read. 

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

3 Stars

“All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.”

I feel pretty meh about this one. I don't know that it had anything to really stand out to me. I hate writing reviews about books that I've felt meh about.

I really liked the concept of it. I thought it was a really awesome idea, I mean, how cool? Juliette can't touch anyone, that just sounds like the makings of a really cool book to me and it kind of is cool. It definitely is cool. I think that is the best idea. I really liked the prison setting, it almost reminded me of Entangled by Cat Clarke.

I didn't really love Juliette, she kind of annoyed me and she seemed a bit paper thin. Like there wasn't much complexity to her but I think if I dug a bit deeper I would find a bit more. She is really intense though, it was like she feels things more than the average person or shall I say the average YA character. Perhaps we'll get to experience more of the in the next book. Adam seemed typical YA boy and their relationship was a bit too insta love for me. Definitely keeps it interesting though.

I hate Warner. At the same time I'm kind of attracted to him. I'm not entirely sure how this works. He is such a bastard and is horrible to Juliette but I think I can feel something budding between them. He is also a creep. Reminds me of Sebastian from The Mortal Instruments. Less creepy though. Not sure how I feel on Adam, he's kind of too card board cut out for me at the moment. He lacks a bit of complexity that Warner makes up for. I'm just not entirely sure which side I'm on here but I have a suspicion that this might turn into some sort of ACOTAR situation?? We'll see.

The ending has me a bit excited for the next book, it has that rebellion vibe and I love me a good rebellion. I want to see how much of a role Warner will play in the rest of the series because I can tell he's going to be back. I have a feeling things aren't done between him and Juliette either?? Hmm. Nevertheless, I am actually excited and I think despite it's mediocre first impression on me, the series will actually be pretty good. I have faith in this.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

5 Stars

“Thinking something does not make it true. Wanting something does not make it real.” 

Loved!

I wasn't sure about this. I just didn't have a great feeling about it despite the really intriguing blurb. I don't know, I just had a weird feeling about it. Immediately, though, I was pulled in and the short chapters made it less of a heavy read. I was able to finish it in lightning speed purely because it was such a page turner.

Noah is beautiful and I love him. He reminds me of Peter K from All The Boys and Cade from P.S I Like You which is probably because all three books include similar tropes. I absolutely adore him and I think he might be part of what made the books for me.

On the topic of Noah, this book had a very contemporary vibe although the further and further you read the more fantasy like it got. Which I knid of liked. It reminded me of Outsiders by Tammy Ferebee. It could've absolutely passed for your average contemporary.

It was strange and quite dark at some stages. It was really captivating though. The plot while it probably didn't have the climax and solution like most plots should have, it worked. I really liked the high school setting which made it seem a bit more realistic.

I really like the relationship between Daniel and Mara. It was gorgeous and lovely to see a brother looking out for his sister so much. I hope he's present in the next books as well, he is such a good brother and I'd really love to see more of him.

While we're on the topic, surely we have to see Jamie again. I loved him, he is so good to Mara. I need to see him and Noah get over their differences and become a trio.

I really loved this book. I think it's the start of a what looks like a fantastic trilogy. I loved the characters and the storyline. I am so excited to see what happens next.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

4 Stars

“I knew they would kill me when they found out, but…” He struggled for words, releasing a sharp breath. “I think I realized that I would rather die because I betrayed them, than live because I betrayed you.”

The Lunar Chronicles, more like The Ship Chronicles.

First Prince Kai and Cinder and now Scarlet and Wolf. The ships are getting out of hand and I'm lead to believe they get even more insane. My little shipping heart can not wait. But, seriously, I love the tension and build up between these people. They are written really well. Reading so many books has desensitised me so when I feel my heart really pulling at these sorts of things, it's usually a great sign. It's all very lush and gorgeous.

I was addicted to Cinder and I was addicted to this. Wowzas trousers. I couldn't put it down. It took me a bit to get going but once I was going there was no bloody stopping me. I was going, going, gone. It is the most additive book series I've read in forever. I'm so in love with it. I love the feeling of being that immersed in a book. It's like I'm a junkie but a book junkie.

Scarlet's storyline added onto Cinder's added more depth to the story which I really enjoyed. I wasn't sure about it when I started because I loved Cinder so much I didn't want to read about anyone else. But, once I realised I was still reading about Cinder, just Scarlet as well, I was quite content. I loved the way the stories intertwined, it was done really well. It gave me another really orgasmic bookish feeling of realising how everything is relevant to everything else. Except this happens to me rarely because for some ungodly reason, I'm a completely oblivious reader. It sure did this time though and it gave me a real boost in self confidence.

I loved it. I don't know why I haven't given it 5 stars, it just doesn't feel right yet. I think I'm saving the 5 stars for the big guns. What if the next books are eons better and I have to rate them 5 because that's my highest rating? Horror story. But, it was the best sequel I could've asked for and I am so pumped for Cress. I'm usually exaggerating when I say things like that but this time, I'm for real. This is one of the best series' I've read in a while and definitely the best this year. (Haha *nudge, nudge* get it? Because I only read it on the fourth of Jan). I still have no doubts it'll make it to my 2017 favourites, that's right, I'm calling it. Risky move but just you wait and see. I really, really love it, okay?

Also, please note. I thought I already posted this but alas, I did not. I posted my Cress review instead. It was only when frantically searching for it I realised I never published this and now I feel like a bit of a ning nong so please excuse the fact that my reviews are slightly out of order.

Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

5 Stars

“White shouldn't be the default any more than straight should be the default. There shouldn't even be a default.”


Oh my gosh!!! I loved this. Simon is so relatable and I love him, so gorgeous. I loved everything about it, this review may be a lot of flailing.

IT IS SO DARN CUTE!!!! I haven't read a contemporary this cute in a while. Simon is quite possibly my favourite character ever. I love the way he narrates things omg. He is a beautiful human. His emails are also so full of personality which is a lot more than I can say for myself. He is just so full of personality. He is relatable without it seeming forced. Simon is so darn real.

I loved this whole mysterious pen pal kind of thing. It reminds me of P.S I Like You by Kasie West which was a similar concept. The emails were great too, through the emails we got to see a different side of Simon. A slightly more personal side of Simon and perhaps a bolder side. I found the whole thing ridiculously gorgeous.

Simon has such sweet friends, I particularly liked Abby but I really liked them all. They were so different and they were all so great when Simon came out to them. I really loved that about them. He is extremely lucky, he has a great dynamic with all of them.

It also had me hard core craving chocolate. When they were talking about Reece's, I just about imploded.Ugh, and all the Oreo talk too. It actually made me go out and buy cookies and cream ice cream because I couldn't stop craving it so I eventually gave in.

I can't get over how absolutely adorable this was. I love it so much. It is such a plus that it's diverse. That makes me so happy. I loved the way it ended. So freaking beautiful. I just think this book is a great thing, an absolutely great thing. I just think everyone should experience the cuteness.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

5 Stars

“Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday you'll meet a boy who will learn your favorite flower, your favorite song, your favorite sweet. And even if he is too poor to give you any of them, it won't matter because he will have taken the time to know you as no one else does. Only that boy earns your heart.”

Okay, sit back, I'm going to tell you a bit of a story about me and this book. I bought a copy last year after hearing nothing bu soaring reviews, I was excited. My copy came with the dusk jacket all damaged which was disapPOINTING BOOK DEPOSITORY WHY YOU GOTTA DO ME LIKE THAT. Anyway, I was that excited to read it, hoping it's magical greatness would pull me out of my slump. Now, let me tell you, I'm not a huge fantasy girl and fantasy sure as heck will not get me out of a slump so what I was thinking, I don't know. I need a completely open mind to read fantasy because I have too little patience. So, I read Six of Crows and absorbed absolutely nothing. I didn't even know what to write in my review and somehow I failed to pick up an entire character. So, I reread it because this book is supposed to be mind blowingly good, so I wasn't going to give up that easy. To cut this short, I reread it, I loved it, I actually retained nothing from the first read and I still don't understand how that happened, I expected to recognise some things but alas. So, now I'm going to dive into this review.

I adore the representation in this book, let's get it out of the way, it was great. I know literally every other blogger has said the same thing but here I am, reiterating. Honestly, I think fantasy is perhaps the genre with the least amount of representation which is crazy because authors are literally making up this whole world that can have anything. So, I think this is beautiful and I hope other authors can soon follow in Leigh Bardugo's footsteps. 

The characters are fantastic. In Shadow and Bone, I didn't love the characters but in Six of Crows they were electric. They were basically pouring from the page. I've said it before but characters make a book for me, I could more or less care about what said character is doing but as long as they're a strong character, you can usually tell I'll like it. I particularly love Inej and Nina and Jesper. They were my favourites. They were funny and strong and great characters but they're all so good. They all have stories to tell and they're just so three dimensional. It takes a very good writer to write characters like that.

The world building was something else. It was so vivid and that's something I look for in a fantasy. The world you're writing should be vivid and wonderful and almost real feeling. So, I really appreciated that. The atmosphere was perfect. It was dark and blunt and just perfect. World building is a strong second next to characters for a book, in my own opinion. 

I am dying to read Crooked Kingdom, you wouldn't believe it. The end was epic, the whole book was epic. I highly recommend it, even for those who maybe aren't the biggest fantasy fans. I don't know what to say that hasn't already been said about this book. I'm sure you've all read the reviews. It's a great book and that's from someone whose genre isn't really fantasy. Do yourself a favour and read it if you haven't already.

Books I Swore I'd Read But Still Haven't

Today, I was thinking about all the books I swore I was going to read as soon as they were released but still haven't. There's a lot of them. It's hard for me to get to these new releases since I usually have to actually buy a copy since my library is so small and the YA section is only a couple of shelves big. But, these are all fantastic sounding books that I'm still trying to get to.

1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
This has been a read I've been anticipating ever since I first came across it on my twitter feed. I just think it is incredibly relevant at the moment and it's something I've been dying to read. It's about the police shootings and that's something that I can get incredibly passionate about. I'm hoping I'll get to read it soon, I can already tell I'm going to love it.

2. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
This sounds like such a cute and diverse read. I've been anticipating this for so long and now that it's out I still haven't gotten the chance to read it. It sounds like it's going to be pretty rich in culture which I'm looking forward to. I'm looking forward to reading about a culture that I haven't read about much about before.

3. Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
I'm straight up mad at myself for this one. I love the All The Boys series so much and when I found out there was going to be a third and final book, I died inside a little. I've been looking forward to reading it so much. And, I still haven't. I can't believe myself. Everyone I know has completely fallen in love with the conclusion to the gorgeously fluffy series and I am dying to read it.

4.We Are Okay by Nina Lacour
I've been kicking myself about this one too. I adored Everything Leads To You by Nina Lacour so when I saw this was coming out, I was so excited. I've seen so many of my favourite blogs loving on this book. I'm really looking forward to it, it sounds like everything I love in a contemporary.

5. Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor
I've heard everyone and their dog raving about this book and hyping about this book. I need to read it and I swore I would. I even got accepted for a copy on Netgalley but the next day it got archived before I got to download it. I was so disappointed. Maybe this is the universe giving me a sign that I should not read this book. But, nevertheless, I've heard nothing but fantastic things about it so I'm really hoping to get to read it sometime soon.

6. Gemina by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman
I loved Illuminae a lot. So, I was super hyped about Gemina. But, it's feels like perhaps an entire eternity since Gemina was released and I still have not read it. I fell in love with the way Illuminae was written and finished it dying to read Gemina but I still haven't managed to read it.

7. Summer Days and Summer Nights edited by Stephanie Perkins
I really liked My True Love Gave To Me and I really like these little anthologies. There are always some absolute gems and I always find a new author to fall in love with. I've been meaning to read this forever, it's got authors I already love and authors I haven't heard of. The cover is gorgeous. I need to read it.

8. History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
I haven't read one of Adam Silvera's books before but this one was getting so much hype everywhere and I was so excited. I knew I needed to read it but I still haven't and I'm kicking myself for it. Although, I think I may have seen this one at my local library during my last visit so I may be able to get to this one a bit sooner than I'd thought.

Okay, those are all the ones I can think of off the top of my head but I can assure you, there are more. Why must authors put out so many books when there are so many books that I still need to read. I don't have enough time for all these books that I'm still dying to read. Maybe if I spent less time talking about my never ending TBR, I'd actually be able to read some more books from my TBR. Hopefully I'll get around to reading each of these gems soon enough.

September 2017 Wrap Up

Guys, let me tell you. I feel like I blinked and September was over. It is so surreal. I can't believe how quickly the year is going and I am willing it with all my might to slow down.

This month I only read three books which is perhaps the smallest amount I've read in a long time. I read:
- Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I DNFed a book sometime between the two books because I wasn't into it at all which took up some of my precious reading time. Genuine Fraud was okay, definitely not anything I'd rave about but I didn't dislike it so there's that. Gone Girl was pretty good, I had minor issues but overall, really goo, I enjoyed it. Six of Crows was a reread because the first time I read it I was in such a bad slump and didn't actually absorb a single thing so I reread it because I really wanted to love it and I did this time around so you can look forward to that review.

September has been pretty stressful, not going lie. I usually pride myself on my ability to not let the stress get to me but college is so completely different to high school in the workload and expectations. But, not long to go now and it'll finished until next year when I get to do it all again but this time with even more stress and expectations. I'm really enthused, I don't know if you can tell. But, I'm hoping to write some stress related posts with all the new coping mechanisms I've become reliant on. So, you should look forward to that.

I'm looking forward to October, it's going to be absolutely jam packed with study. It's the last month before final exams so, it'll definitely be study, study, study. I probably won't get around to doing too much reading aside from the texts from my English text which I'll be going over so much in an attempt to soak in as much as possible from all four of the texts. But as for recreational reading, that may be hard to come by. But, I'll definitely try to get some in as a bit a relaxer between studying and practising and everything else I've got to be doing.

I think I'll leave it there for now. I hope you've all had a great and less stressful September than I did and I hope you got a bit more reading in than I did. I'd love to know what you read. I wish you all a happy and comfortable October.

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

4 Stars

“Ten thousand skies, and a million worlds, and it still wouldn’t be enough for me to share with you. Nothing less than forever will do.”

I love this world. I love that we got to see a bit more of it in this second book and gain a bigger and better understanding of how it works.

This was a big and explosive sequel to A Thousand Pieces Of You which I also adored. It was literally filled of action. And so many different dimensions. It was wonderful. I was always so excited to see what dimension Marguerite was going to jump into next.

It focused heavily on the relationship between Paul and Marguerite. The dimensions making it even harder for Marguerite to decode all the feelings she has for Paul. It was quite interesting to see how it all unfolded between them even if Marguerite's Paul wasn't present through the large majority of the book.

My one flaw for this book would be, the way the author switches from present time to the past by the drop of a hat. Especially at the beginning. I understand the author is trying to get across as much information as she can but it's difficult to understand when she's jumping from present time to a past memory. The transition wasn't as smooth as it could've been. I think this could be a great info dumping tool if done well, unfortunately this wasn't done all that well.

Another small flaw that has nothing to do with the actual author themselves, I love Theo. I really, really want Theo to be with Marguerite in the end. Theo is absolutely gorgeous and Paul is just not my type at all. Obviously, Marguerite is but I am not. I want more Theo action.

But, asides from my massive love of Theo. I loved everything else about this book. I don't often read Science Fiction but this makes me want to read more of it. I love the idea of dimensions and I'm so excited to explore more of that in the next and final book. I think this was a brilliant and excited sequel and it left me hardly able to contain my excitement for A Million Worlds With You.