"You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, old man, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers."
I do, Augustus.
I do.
And that marks the completion of The Fault in Our Stars... Wow.. what can I say.. As i had already watched the movie so it wasn't new for me.. but nothing can explain the story better than the words itself, as they say "words can say it all". The characters are so real in this. And the best humor in this is "everything is a perk of cancer" and "evrything is side-effect of dying".
So truly said - its funny as it is heartbreaking.

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Well, it took me really long to finish this. I picked this because, you know, its a must read book in your lifetime.. and yes I couldn't agree more. I was disinterested in the beginning as it was like a typical teenage girl diary - her school chaos, her friends, how everybody likes her at school and want to be with her. At starting, it doesn't felt any different.

But as I progressed through halfway, I started liking it. When it came to things about war and how she and her family managed through the hiding, it became interesting, but not that much to give it full 5 stars. Well its a diary written by a 13-14 years old, so you can't expect much.

The things that I liked about Anne and her diary:
=> Her writing was good. I can say that she was ahead her time. She wrote many such things which appeared to be written by any experienced person.
=> She had great knowledge about all things at her age, for eg. I was surprised that how sexually aware she was. She knew too many things, that even I didn't knew at that age. :p
=> Best thing? She was a reader. She liked to read a lot and as well write. She always craved for good books, no doubt, that they were the only source for her to pass her time during hiding.
=> She was always hopeful. Even though she knew that they were in war and its not sure that they will make it alive, she never lost her hopes. She always looked towards her future after war. She had ambitions and she was determined to complete them.
=> She was feminist, I guess. She doesn't wanted to live her life like her mother and other ladies there. She wanted to prove herself, she wanted to earn in her life, wanted to make some difference by her writing. She thought that women are not only for household chores, they can do much more.

“Women should be respected as well! Generally speaking, men are held in great esteem in all parts of the world, so why shouldn't women have their share? Soldiers and war heroes are honored and commemorated, explorers are granted immortal fame, martyrs are revered, but how many people look upon women too as soldiers?...Women, who struggle and suffer pain to ensure the continuation of the human race, make much tougher and more courageous soldiers than all those big-mouthed freedom-fighting heroes put together!”

=> She knew how to adjust. The circumstances, that she lived in during the hiding, were really harsh and it was not possible for a 14 year to understand those and adjust accordingly. But Anne didn't complaint as much it was impossible to live, rather she adjusted there and was thankful that they are still alive.
=> She never forgot to thank God for they were alive and were in much better condition compared to many of other Jews. She always appreciated this fact and considered herself lucky

Things I didn't liked:
=> Well, most of her writing was about how everyone in Annexe hated her. I would say 80% diary was about this only. And probably the reason for this was her gloomy attitude and how everyone treated her as a child, while she wanted to be considered as an adult.
=> Her relationship with her mother. Well, its no hidden fact that most of the children at her age thinks that their parents don't care for them and always scolds them. While reading each entry about her mother, I just felt that what would have been happened if her mother had read it? How heartbroken she would have been felt.
=> At many places, I didn't liked her attitude at many places. I felt as if she was self-obsessed and could have dealt the situation differently.
=> I expected much more from this. It was merely a collection of her daily routines in Annexe, while I expected more of some final events. It would have been better if the final events, after they caught, would have been described (but obviously it was not possible in the circumstances). I wanted to know more about the war impacted and its events rather than the daily quarrels of Annexe.

But besides these shortcomes, its still an important part of our history and a very cruel one. I can't imagine myself or anyone else to live in these conditions, under those circumstances. She was truly brave.

This was not an amazing read for me, but yes it was very good. And for all the haters, i would just like to say: it is a diary and is meant to read as such.

“Anyhow, I've learned one thing now. You only really get to know people when you've had a jolly good row with them. Then and then only can you judge their true characters!”

And after finishing it, the first thing that came into my mind was - how many great things she would have written if only she would have been alive

My rating: 4.5
wow.. this book was just wow..I loved the first book too much and my expectations from the second book in the series were obviously high.. and I am glad that it kept my expectations very well. I just loved it too.
This is the story of Emily and Kayne, who met after 5 long years because of the tragic incident that happens with Emily. In order to understand the story's background properly you need to read the first book in the series "you loved me at my darkest". And trust me you won't regret it.
Like I said in the previous book's review, this can be made into a typical bollywood masala movie..
I just can't wait for my hands on the 3rd book of the series.. but I am sad too as the series will finish after that.

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My Rating: 4.5
I have no words for this story and its previous parts. The whole series is just amazing. Though, I am a hard person to cry while reading (but I easily cry while watching anything emotional), this book made me cry a little, which didn't happen for me for the previous books in the series.

This book is a continuation to the previous books in the series. Though it can be read as a standalone, it is advisable to read the previous ones, to get a proper background details of the whole story.

This is the story of Joseph (Joey) and Alexa (Lexi). Both are in love with each other from their childhood. They had a dark past and both promised each other to 'Never let go' and try to live forward in their lives by leaving their past behind.

Joey is haunted by his father who gave him a very dreadful childhood. Alexa lost her whole family at a very young age. Both these broken pieces find love and piece in each other.

But the path for future is not easy, as Joey is haunted by his uncle after the death of his father. Joey wants to create a safe world and future for his girl Lexi, while all what lexi want is to be beside him, in all the ups and downs. Will they be together ever after all their differences? Will they be able to move forward by leaving their past behind? Will there be any 'happily ever after' for them? Will Alexa be able to make Joey a good man and make him stay with her?

The author, Evie Harper, has done a fabulous job with the whole story. There is no part in the story where you feel dragged down. The story is fast-paced, not wasting any time. It keeps the readers hooked to their places and they crave for more. In each scene you can feel yourself there. The emotions portraited seems so real, as if you are living their lives. You never get a feeling that you are not connecting anymore and so you should stop reading this. Never, not once.

The story, though, at the end, makes you think about the next batch of stories to come. I can'wait to read the story of O'connor brothers: Alexander, Matthew and William. Also I'm eager to read the story of Dom, the fourth person Jake's childhood group.

I loved the writing style of the author, as it is easy and flowing. This series is a must read for every romantic-suspense genre lover.

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My Rating: 4.5/5
Wow.. this book is just great. I soon as read its synopsis, I decided that I am going to read the full series. Every scene written is so explanatory, you can imagine yourself right there.

I can say, this was a typical Bollywood masala movie. The heroine gets kidnapped by the villain, she falls for the wrong guy, they love each other fiercely, then the twist comes, hero saves the heroine and at the end all is happy.

This was a great read for me. After finishing each chapter, you crave for the next one. At each point you think what will happen next. It holds your curiosity at each level and maintains it till the end. Also, the issue that has been raised in this book is so touching. The author clearly shows the feeling of the girls who are forced into this business and you can feel their pain yourselves.

The chemistry between Jake and Lily is just amazing. Its hot and sizzling. The chemistry between two sisters seems very realistic, where one can do anything for the other one.

I felt some kind of connection with the book, I even dreamt about some scenes in the book after I finished it. :D Can't wait to get my hands on second book of the series.

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One of my most anticipated book of the year was Carrie Soto is Back and oh boy did it deliver!

I couldn’t have expected anything else from TJR. It was my third book from the author and it is safe to say that she is now in my auto-buy authors' club ☺️

Coming to the story, it is about many things- love, grief, sportsmanship, determination and the will, but at the core, it is about the tennis and father-daughter relationship! And ah, Javier is one of the best father figures I have come across in fiction. What a splendid character!

And so is Carrie Soto! Much like Evelyn Hugo, Carrie Soto is a star too! More fierce, more stubborn, but nonetheless you can’t stop falling for her by the time you finish the last page!

Carrie and Javier’s relationship is bounded by their fierce love for tennis. Javier is Carrie’s coach too for most of her career. They make quite a pair- father and daughter, coach and player.

And oh, the tennis details throughout the book! Just splendid.

TJR can take a most basic story and can turn it into a splendid tale through her magic words. I am not a tennis follower, well I am not exactly a sports person. But the way TJR's words made me believe that I was seeing those tennis matches live was just commendable!

That sitting at the end of the seat excitement, pumping of blood in your ears, the sound of your heartbeat— reading about every match Carrie played was just like that visual imagery, that level of excitement. Trust me, the stakes were kept real, there were ups and down, so the whole experience of visualising the games felt like some live-action movie!

One word for this book? STUNNER!

Read it for TJR, read it for the love of Tennis, read it for a beautiful father-daughter relationship, for the unexpected love story, and read it to simply have a wonderful time

Small Things Like These is really about the small things, the random thoughts we often think about in the dark of the night, mundane thoughts we come across in passing. As you see, the book is small itself and so is the world of Furlong in the book, hence the title perfectly captures what is within.

You must have seen the mention of Magdalene Laundries in the reviews talking about this book. And yes it is about that too, but I would’ve never guessed it myself or have known about it if it weren’t mentioned in the introduction by the author! And that was a huge thing for me as I kept waiting for the introduction of Magdalene Laundry, for I had no idea what it was before coming across this book. But when that point did come into the story, it was as chilling as I expected.

The story is simply about Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, and his family, which incidentally consists of all women. He was born out of wedlock and that is a key point in the story that would be tied up later on. The story continues with his mundane thoughts as he is trying to understand the repetitiveness of his daily life. One day around Christmas though he comes across the Church and an incident inside it which might change his peaceful life forever, but that’s where the story ends.

Keegan has captured the beauty of daily life and the human mind beautifully and that’s what makes this a beautiful read. The mundaneness, the randomness!

I might have expected it to be more action-packed but I am satisfied with what I got in the end. This is the only book in the Booker Prize list this year that I have managed to read so far, but I am glad that I did. I came across a horrific part of history and I am grateful to have come across it.