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booksare42's Reviews (608)
Thank you to The Write Reads for organizing and inviting me to participate in this blog tour. Thank you, Net Galley and Penguin, for providing me with an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Bad Habits is about Alex, a rebel teenager who wants to get kicked out of her strict Catholic boarding school, St. Mary’s. She’s always getting in trouble, and she hates the double standard with how boys and girls are treated. After a late-night incident at the campus store, Alex decides that she’s going to get expelled by staging a production of The Vagina Monologues. What follows is a laugh-out-loud journey of self-discovery and feminist fun.
My favourite thing about this book was all of the laugh-out-loud moments it had. I read most of this book on the couch, and I received a lot of strange looks from my Dad because I was giggling while I read. Some people don’t appreciate the kind of humour in this book and might be offended by it, but I thought some of the lines were hilarious, and it was definitely the most enjoyable part of the book for me.
As far as the characters go, I have mixed feelings. In my opinion, Alex really isn’t that likable of a character. She’s pretty judgmental, kind of spoiled, and a little bit too into herself and her problems. That being said, I thought she was funny, and she did grow as a person as the story went on. Alex’s roommate, Mary Kate, was one of my favourite characters in the book. I liked that she had a goal, principles and that she stood up for herself. I also liked Patrick, the hockey player, I thought he had his funny moments, and he seemed like a decent person.
I liked the feminism and body positivity aspect of this book, even though I was frustrated with Alex’s brand of feminism. Alex has a specific brand of feminism that is fairly judgemental and not very feminist. Fortunately, throughout the book, Alex starts to learn more about feminism and makes her a better person.
I also want to say that I liked the hockey aspect of this book. It seems very cliché that a boarding school in Minnesota would be obsessed with hockey, but I loved it.
Overall, this was a fun and quick read. It had its laugh-out-loud moments, and it had its memorable moments.
Bad Habits is about Alex, a rebel teenager who wants to get kicked out of her strict Catholic boarding school, St. Mary’s. She’s always getting in trouble, and she hates the double standard with how boys and girls are treated. After a late-night incident at the campus store, Alex decides that she’s going to get expelled by staging a production of The Vagina Monologues. What follows is a laugh-out-loud journey of self-discovery and feminist fun.
My favourite thing about this book was all of the laugh-out-loud moments it had. I read most of this book on the couch, and I received a lot of strange looks from my Dad because I was giggling while I read. Some people don’t appreciate the kind of humour in this book and might be offended by it, but I thought some of the lines were hilarious, and it was definitely the most enjoyable part of the book for me.
As far as the characters go, I have mixed feelings. In my opinion, Alex really isn’t that likable of a character. She’s pretty judgmental, kind of spoiled, and a little bit too into herself and her problems. That being said, I thought she was funny, and she did grow as a person as the story went on. Alex’s roommate, Mary Kate, was one of my favourite characters in the book. I liked that she had a goal, principles and that she stood up for herself. I also liked Patrick, the hockey player, I thought he had his funny moments, and he seemed like a decent person.
I liked the feminism and body positivity aspect of this book, even though I was frustrated with Alex’s brand of feminism. Alex has a specific brand of feminism that is fairly judgemental and not very feminist. Fortunately, throughout the book, Alex starts to learn more about feminism and makes her a better person.
I also want to say that I liked the hockey aspect of this book. It seems very cliché that a boarding school in Minnesota would be obsessed with hockey, but I loved it.
Overall, this was a fun and quick read. It had its laugh-out-loud moments, and it had its memorable moments.
I purchased this book last year on what turned out to be my last trip to a bookstore before the pandemic. I finally got around to reading this book earlier this month for the first book in a trilogy prompt for the TBR Tackle Challenge. I had high expectations going into this book because so many people love it, and I’m happy to say that this book exceeded my expectations and that I loved it.
When Emily relocated to Willow Creek, Maryland, after her life imploded, she expected to spend a summer helping her sister recover from an accident. What Emily wasn’t expecting was being roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire by her niece and spending her weekends learning about the Elizabethan times, being a tavern wench, and trying to figure out what Simon’s problem is. As the summer passes, Emily starts to wonder if maybe Willow Creek is more than a temporary stop in her life.
Unsurprisingly, my favourite thing about this book is the enemies-to-lovers trope. Enemies-to-lovers is one of the best tropes, and I cannot get enough of it. Emily and Simon start to butt heads almost as soon as they meet. Emily thinks that Simon hates her, they exchange some snarky comments, and you can feel the tension when they interact. Anyone familiar with this trope knows what happens next, and I made fangirl noises when it finally happened.
The other thing that I loved about the book was the characters. Emily is a fun character. She’s organized but lost, selfless but trying to learn how to put herself first, and she’s hard-working. It’s clear that she cares about her sister and niece and wants to be part of Willow Creek. Simon is an English teacher, and it’s clear that he has a lot of responsibilities and that he struggles to juggle all of them. He has a past and a legacy to maintain, and it’s clear that he struggles with the idea of change. Emily and Simon infuriate each other, and in my opinion, they balance each other out perfectly. I also love that both of these characters had their moments that made me laugh-out-loud.
I also loved the setting of this book. Small towns are a lot of fun, but Renaissance Faires are even more fun. I’ve never gone to a Renaissance Faire, but I want to go to one after reading this book. I loved reading about the different performers, costumes, and activities at the Faire, and I wanted to be a part of it. I’m not saying that I’m going to give up my current life to become a tavern wench, but this book made the idea very tempting, especially if it means being wooed.
Finally, I loved that this book was cliché. This book follows the typical rom-com trajectory, but I loved it. I like knowing what’s going to happen, and the anticipation and build-up were fantastic. I also like going into a book knowing that I’m going to feel good at the end of it, and this book did not disappoint on that front. I also want to note that even though this book was cliché and that it followed the typical rom-com trajectory, it was still an exciting read.
Overall, I loved this book. It was my favourite book of January, and I anticipate that I’m going to be gushing about it for a long time.
When Emily relocated to Willow Creek, Maryland, after her life imploded, she expected to spend a summer helping her sister recover from an accident. What Emily wasn’t expecting was being roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire by her niece and spending her weekends learning about the Elizabethan times, being a tavern wench, and trying to figure out what Simon’s problem is. As the summer passes, Emily starts to wonder if maybe Willow Creek is more than a temporary stop in her life.
Unsurprisingly, my favourite thing about this book is the enemies-to-lovers trope. Enemies-to-lovers is one of the best tropes, and I cannot get enough of it. Emily and Simon start to butt heads almost as soon as they meet. Emily thinks that Simon hates her, they exchange some snarky comments, and you can feel the tension when they interact. Anyone familiar with this trope knows what happens next, and I made fangirl noises when it finally happened.
The other thing that I loved about the book was the characters. Emily is a fun character. She’s organized but lost, selfless but trying to learn how to put herself first, and she’s hard-working. It’s clear that she cares about her sister and niece and wants to be part of Willow Creek. Simon is an English teacher, and it’s clear that he has a lot of responsibilities and that he struggles to juggle all of them. He has a past and a legacy to maintain, and it’s clear that he struggles with the idea of change. Emily and Simon infuriate each other, and in my opinion, they balance each other out perfectly. I also love that both of these characters had their moments that made me laugh-out-loud.
I also loved the setting of this book. Small towns are a lot of fun, but Renaissance Faires are even more fun. I’ve never gone to a Renaissance Faire, but I want to go to one after reading this book. I loved reading about the different performers, costumes, and activities at the Faire, and I wanted to be a part of it. I’m not saying that I’m going to give up my current life to become a tavern wench, but this book made the idea very tempting, especially if it means being wooed.
Finally, I loved that this book was cliché. This book follows the typical rom-com trajectory, but I loved it. I like knowing what’s going to happen, and the anticipation and build-up were fantastic. I also like going into a book knowing that I’m going to feel good at the end of it, and this book did not disappoint on that front. I also want to note that even though this book was cliché and that it followed the typical rom-com trajectory, it was still an exciting read.
Overall, I loved this book. It was my favourite book of January, and I anticipate that I’m going to be gushing about it for a long time.
Thank you, Harper Collins Canada, for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Even though I didn’t know much about The Berlin Girl before picking it up, I was excited to read it because of the period that it takes place in. The Berlin Girl takes place in Berlin during the lead up to the outbreak of WWII. This is a period that I learned a lot about in University, and I loved reading about it in this book. It was one of those books where I struggled to put it down once I got into it, and I became attached to the characters. If you’re a fan of Historical Fiction that takes place around WWII, this is a must-read book.
My favourite thing about this book is the period that it takes place in. I find the lead up to World War Two to be fascinating, and I spent a lot of time in University learning about Germany in the late 1930s. I thought this book did an excellent job showing the building tension in Berlin as September 1, 1939, got closer and closer. You could feel the distrust between neighbours, the increased paranoia that people were listening, and the increased danger as Germany edged closer to war. It was very clear that the author did a lot of research while writing this book, making it even more enjoyable for me.
The other thing that I loved about this book was Georgie Young and Max Spender. I loved everything about Georgie, especially how determined she was to make it in a male-dominated industry. I loved her wit and how fiery she could get when defending herself and her journalistic decisions. I also loved how much she cared for the people around her and the extremes she was willing to go to to help people. To a certain extent, Max Spender was the opposite of Georgie, but I liked how they balanced each other out.
I also became attached to some of the secondary characters in this book. I loved the press pack and the camaraderie between them. I also loved the Amsel family, and it broke my heart reading about them having their rights stripped away because they were Jewish.
I enjoyed reading about Georgie and Max trying to uncover some of the hidden horrors of Nazi Germany. I spent a good portion of the book on the edge of my seat, not knowing what would happen to them as they dug deeper and deeper. It also didn’t help that I knew what Georgie and Max would discover before they did, which made parts of the book a bit stressful to read.
Overall, this book made me feel a lot of emotions, and I absolutely loved it. I will definitely be checking out the other books by Mandy Robotham, and I’m excited to get to them.
Even though I didn’t know much about The Berlin Girl before picking it up, I was excited to read it because of the period that it takes place in. The Berlin Girl takes place in Berlin during the lead up to the outbreak of WWII. This is a period that I learned a lot about in University, and I loved reading about it in this book. It was one of those books where I struggled to put it down once I got into it, and I became attached to the characters. If you’re a fan of Historical Fiction that takes place around WWII, this is a must-read book.
My favourite thing about this book is the period that it takes place in. I find the lead up to World War Two to be fascinating, and I spent a lot of time in University learning about Germany in the late 1930s. I thought this book did an excellent job showing the building tension in Berlin as September 1, 1939, got closer and closer. You could feel the distrust between neighbours, the increased paranoia that people were listening, and the increased danger as Germany edged closer to war. It was very clear that the author did a lot of research while writing this book, making it even more enjoyable for me.
The other thing that I loved about this book was Georgie Young and Max Spender. I loved everything about Georgie, especially how determined she was to make it in a male-dominated industry. I loved her wit and how fiery she could get when defending herself and her journalistic decisions. I also loved how much she cared for the people around her and the extremes she was willing to go to to help people. To a certain extent, Max Spender was the opposite of Georgie, but I liked how they balanced each other out.
I also became attached to some of the secondary characters in this book. I loved the press pack and the camaraderie between them. I also loved the Amsel family, and it broke my heart reading about them having their rights stripped away because they were Jewish.
I enjoyed reading about Georgie and Max trying to uncover some of the hidden horrors of Nazi Germany. I spent a good portion of the book on the edge of my seat, not knowing what would happen to them as they dug deeper and deeper. It also didn’t help that I knew what Georgie and Max would discover before they did, which made parts of the book a bit stressful to read.
Overall, this book made me feel a lot of emotions, and I absolutely loved it. I will definitely be checking out the other books by Mandy Robotham, and I’m excited to get to them.
Thank you to the Publisher (St. Martin’s Press & Wednesday Books) and Net Galley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I saw that Emma Lord had a new book coming out, I immediately added it to my TBR because Tweet Cute was one of my favourite books of 2020. Even though I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Tweet Cute, I still thought it was quick and delightful, and I highly recommend checking it out.
You Have a Match follows Abby, a teenager who agrees to sign up for a DNA service with her friends Leo and Connie, even though she knows that she won’t find anything surprising. When she gets the results back, they’re exactly what she expects, until she gets a message from a stranger claiming to be her sister. What follows is a summer full of camp, photography, culinary creations, confused romantic feelings, friendship, family secrets, self-reflection, and growth.
My favourite thing about this book was the different hobbies that the characters had. Abby, the main character, is a photographer. She doesn’t have a lot of confidence in her artistic abilities, but she takes pictures of scenery and of Leo’s culinary creations. Leo is interested in food, and he loves experimenting in the kitchen. There’s a lot of talk about the things he makes in this book, and his lasagna balls, in particular, are something that I need in my life. Savvy is a lifestyle influencer on Instagram. She posts things like green smoothies and yoga poses, but it’s clear that she enjoys what she does. I liked seeing these hobbies play out on the page, and I thought they added a fun dimension to the characters.
Speaking of the characters, I loved all of them. I enjoyed the friendship between Abby, Connie, and Leo, even though there weren’t a lot of scenes with all three of them together. I loved the group of girls that Abby met at summer camp, and I liked that they all had plans for their futures and how to tie social media into their plans. I wanted to hug Finn, and he was probably my favourite secondary character in the book. I thought Mickey was awesome, and I loved everything about her. I liked Abby and Savvy, and I enjoyed reading about them trying to figure out what their dynamic should be.
I really liked the family secret aspect of this book. I don’t think I’ve read a book before that deals with secret sisters, and I thought it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed reading about Abby and Savvy trying to figure out their parent’s secrets and trying to piece together their story. I also enjoyed the shenanigans they got into while plotting against their parents.
As far as romance goes, this book has some. It’s not the main plot of the book, but there are a few romantic threads. There’s also a bit of a love shape in this book, which is fun if that’s something you’re interested in.
This book deals with some heavy topics like, trying to find out where you’re from, divorce, family secrets, and dealing with a loved one’s death. I think all of these topics were handled well, especially the grief aspect of the story.
As mentioned before, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Tweet Cute. This book was a quick read. I liked the characters, and I thought the storyline was cute, but it also felt like something was missing. I’m not entirely sure what was missing, but there was something that wasn’t there. If I figure it out, I will let you all know.
One final thing that I want to note is that Emma Lord writes the best epilogues. I don’t want to give anything away, but seriously, her epilogues always fill me with a ton of joy.
When I saw that Emma Lord had a new book coming out, I immediately added it to my TBR because Tweet Cute was one of my favourite books of 2020. Even though I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Tweet Cute, I still thought it was quick and delightful, and I highly recommend checking it out.
You Have a Match follows Abby, a teenager who agrees to sign up for a DNA service with her friends Leo and Connie, even though she knows that she won’t find anything surprising. When she gets the results back, they’re exactly what she expects, until she gets a message from a stranger claiming to be her sister. What follows is a summer full of camp, photography, culinary creations, confused romantic feelings, friendship, family secrets, self-reflection, and growth.
My favourite thing about this book was the different hobbies that the characters had. Abby, the main character, is a photographer. She doesn’t have a lot of confidence in her artistic abilities, but she takes pictures of scenery and of Leo’s culinary creations. Leo is interested in food, and he loves experimenting in the kitchen. There’s a lot of talk about the things he makes in this book, and his lasagna balls, in particular, are something that I need in my life. Savvy is a lifestyle influencer on Instagram. She posts things like green smoothies and yoga poses, but it’s clear that she enjoys what she does. I liked seeing these hobbies play out on the page, and I thought they added a fun dimension to the characters.
Speaking of the characters, I loved all of them. I enjoyed the friendship between Abby, Connie, and Leo, even though there weren’t a lot of scenes with all three of them together. I loved the group of girls that Abby met at summer camp, and I liked that they all had plans for their futures and how to tie social media into their plans. I wanted to hug Finn, and he was probably my favourite secondary character in the book. I thought Mickey was awesome, and I loved everything about her. I liked Abby and Savvy, and I enjoyed reading about them trying to figure out what their dynamic should be.
I really liked the family secret aspect of this book. I don’t think I’ve read a book before that deals with secret sisters, and I thought it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed reading about Abby and Savvy trying to figure out their parent’s secrets and trying to piece together their story. I also enjoyed the shenanigans they got into while plotting against their parents.
As far as romance goes, this book has some. It’s not the main plot of the book, but there are a few romantic threads. There’s also a bit of a love shape in this book, which is fun if that’s something you’re interested in.
This book deals with some heavy topics like, trying to find out where you’re from, divorce, family secrets, and dealing with a loved one’s death. I think all of these topics were handled well, especially the grief aspect of the story.
As mentioned before, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as Tweet Cute. This book was a quick read. I liked the characters, and I thought the storyline was cute, but it also felt like something was missing. I’m not entirely sure what was missing, but there was something that wasn’t there. If I figure it out, I will let you all know.
One final thing that I want to note is that Emma Lord writes the best epilogues. I don’t want to give anything away, but seriously, her epilogues always fill me with a ton of joy.
Thank you to The Write Reads for organizing and inviting me to participate in this blog tour. Thank you to Penguin for providing me with an advanced copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
This is my second Karen M. McManus book, and it certainly will not be my last. You’ll Be the Death of Me follows three teens, Ivy, Mateo, and Cal, who, in an attempt to recreate their best day ever, they end up living through their worst day ever. This Ferris Buller’s Day Off-inspired story features a mysterious death, a complicated web of drugs, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very last page.
The first thing I want to talk about is the characters in this book. It’s been a very long time since I last watched Ferris Buller’s Day Off, so I can’t make a character comparison between the two, but I feel like there are parallels. Ivy is your typical type-A character. She’s driven, organized, a problem solver, and feels like she’s never enough. Mateo is burned out because he’s been dealing with the fallout of multiple family crises. Finally, Cal is a forgettable outsider, dealing with relationship problems and trying to hold onto something. These characters used to be friends in middle school, but then they drifted apart in high school. Personally, I didn’t find any of the characters particularly memorable, but I thought they made a great trio.
I loved the mystery in this book. It was full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing to the very last page. I loved reading about the characters stumbling upon clues, piecing everything together, and using their skills and experiences to help put everything together. I don’t want to say much more about the mystery because I don’t want to spoil anything, and a lot of the reveals are quite great to read. I also liked that as the characters travelled around, trying to piece together the clues, they pieced together what went wrong with their friendship.
Overall, this was an exciting book to read. It had twists and turns, and it was the kind of book that made you want to keep reading.
This is my second Karen M. McManus book, and it certainly will not be my last. You’ll Be the Death of Me follows three teens, Ivy, Mateo, and Cal, who, in an attempt to recreate their best day ever, they end up living through their worst day ever. This Ferris Buller’s Day Off-inspired story features a mysterious death, a complicated web of drugs, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very last page.
The first thing I want to talk about is the characters in this book. It’s been a very long time since I last watched Ferris Buller’s Day Off, so I can’t make a character comparison between the two, but I feel like there are parallels. Ivy is your typical type-A character. She’s driven, organized, a problem solver, and feels like she’s never enough. Mateo is burned out because he’s been dealing with the fallout of multiple family crises. Finally, Cal is a forgettable outsider, dealing with relationship problems and trying to hold onto something. These characters used to be friends in middle school, but then they drifted apart in high school. Personally, I didn’t find any of the characters particularly memorable, but I thought they made a great trio.
I loved the mystery in this book. It was full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing to the very last page. I loved reading about the characters stumbling upon clues, piecing everything together, and using their skills and experiences to help put everything together. I don’t want to say much more about the mystery because I don’t want to spoil anything, and a lot of the reveals are quite great to read. I also liked that as the characters travelled around, trying to piece together the clues, they pieced together what went wrong with their friendship.
Overall, this was an exciting book to read. It had twists and turns, and it was the kind of book that made you want to keep reading.
