This is my first Silvia Moreno - Garcia book and I will be definitely be reading anything else she's written, cause what I loved most about this book, was her writing style. I think she has a beautiful way with words, she surely knows how to tell a story and this book was quite compelling and interesting to read.

Overall, it was a very intriguing read. I was invested in the story, I couldn't put it down and was really keen into finding out what would happen in the end. I was surprised I was so interested in the story, because I didn't really feel connected to any of the characters. I didn't really care if Noemi would get out or not, I didn't particularly enjoy her subtle romance with Francis and generally, apart from my dislike towards the Doyles, I didn't favor any character.

What was missing for me, was the atmosphere. This book has nature horror and many thrilling aspects, but I didn't feel like scared or afraid or anything of the sorts. I'm a scaredy cat, I do not read horror EVER and was actually contemplating if I should pick this up, because from the synopsis I coul gather that it would scare me a lot. This book not only did t scare me, but it didn't even feel like a thriller. Scary and gross things happened and it didn't feel anything. I didn't feel my heart racing or the need to stop reading, etc.

All in all, this is such a well written book, with an intriguing, original premise, from an author that knows how to tell a story. The reason for my "low" rating amidst all these great comments about it, is as I said, the lack of atmosphere.

I knew very little about this book when I started reading it. Very quickly what drew me in was the resemblance the dream sickness had with Covid.

At one point, I considered DNFing the book, only because it hit too close to home, reading about masks, quarantine, people isolated, a sickness that no one could find a cure for, it was a bit too much, too soon. But I am very glad I powered through, because I really loved this book.

The most amazing part of it, is the writing style. It's so exquisitely written, so beautifully melancholic and sad, yet realistic, that I was in awe. I will definitely read anything else this author will write, if only to simply get lost in her brilliant writing style!

As for the story goes, it was so intriguing and not only because it reminded me of Covid. It has a big cast of characters, all with very distinct voices and personalities (which I think it's an hard task to pull off for any author) and you can't help but feel for some of them, while dislike some others.

There is so much food for thought, so much to talk and think about and I really enjoyed the fact that the sickness in this book had such "prominent" effect. With Covid, it's easy to think that it's not that serious since it can start off as a common cold, but in the book you go to sleep and simply never wake up. Talk about a sickness that can't be made light of and also the terror of the people was so palpable, so real, as they knew that it wasn't some sort of fake news, especially when the sleepers started piling up on the streets.

There are many quotes or excerpts to keep from this book, since even though it's a work of fiction, anyone who reads it in 2020 will realise that more often than not, fiction mirrors real life. Overall, reading this book was an amazing experience and I wish I had someone to buddy read it with me, if only to talk about everything that happened in this story! Would definitely recommend!

WHY DIDN'T I READ THIS SOONER

I try and read YA contemporaries now and then, just to experiment with the genre and spice up my reading, even though I know that this is one of my least favorite genres! Well, this time I got lucky, because this book was so sweet and such a nice and relaxing read!

We follow Kimi, a highschool student that spends spring break in Japan with her estranged grandparents, trying to figure out her life and what she wants to do in college. I really sympathized with her, even though I wasn't expecting to, since we are in totally different stages in our lives, but I guess contemplating about your future just never stops! Kimi overall was a wholesome character, she was interesting to follow and her relationships with other people in her life seemed genuine and not forced.

I loved that fact that the bigger part of this book takes place in Japan, it really made me want to visit the country and since that can't happen anytime soon, I'll resort to tasting Japanese food instead! I also loved the romance, it was cute, it was mature and generally it was way better than other YA romances I've read!

All in all, this is such a fun story to read, I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you are looking for something light and heartwarming to read now that it's summer!

I'll start by saying that contemporaries aren't my cup of tea, so I was a bit reluctant when I started reading this one. Let me tell you, I loved it so much that I am so glad I eventually read it and I'm definitely going to read it again in the future!

Two things I loved most about it, one being the friendship between Gus and Kalyn! On my God, I wasn't expecting them to become such good friends, I was expecting the level of cuteness that ensued and I was also not expecting how dedicated and loyal they were to each other! It was so refreshing reading a novel about two teenagers being such good friends and if that doesn't day something for how friendships are portrayed in YA books, I don't know what does. Kalyn and Gus and friendship goals and I just loved loved LOVED them!

The second thing that I really liked was the whole mystery aspect. There was a plot twist in the end and I was reading the last few chapters almost out of breath, trying to reach the point of the final revelation. This book had me guessing all the time, I was trying so hard to solve the case myself and I was glad I couldn't predict what happened!

The characters were all well written, they had distinct personalities, unique voices and I was also happy to see so much representation! We have disability, LGBTQ+ people, all in all, it was a very modern and inclusive book.

In conclusion, I have to say that this sory is as beautiful as is the cover of the book, which was the first thing that made me check it out. It's a fun, heartbreaking and poignant book, such a gem in the midst of all the cliche YA contemporaries.

I don't know if this book suffered from 2nd-book-in-a-series syndrome, but I didn't enjoy it as much I loved the 1st one. The main reason was the I didn't enjoy the whole gladiator setting, it had too much fighting for my liking and the relationship wasn't something I was actually interested in.

Let's start from the beginning. I think this book made me realize that Mia isn't as badass as everyone says she is. Instead of only having Mr Kindly to drink her fear, now she has Eclipse too, so nothing affects her as much as normal people. She does all this crazy stunts and battles, but she's not scared. She doesn't do anything despite her fear, which would have made her a badass heroine, so what's the point?

The gladiator setting was so cool at first but it quickly became tedious for me. We were going from one fight to the next and you could tell that Mia would either win or make something up to aid her cause. It felt a tiny bit predictable and after a while, I was a bit tired of reading about fights and training sequences.

Now let's talk about the relationship. It was unexpected for me, but I didn't really care for it? I didn't mind it, I didn't like it, it was just there and to be honest, I think the plot could move forward without it complicating matters.

The plot twist was interesting, but I have another thing to say about Mia's plans. How do we know that her father's coup was the right thing to do? How do we know Scaeva is the bad guy here? We've read bits and pieces about him being a tyrant, but how is Mia's cause actually justified?

Anyway, this is an interesting book, one I wouldn't reread, as opposed to the 1st one, which I might pick up again in the future! Sometime in 2021 I will (hopefully) read the 3rd and final book, to see how this story concludes!

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

This was a very highly anticipated book for me, but I ended up not liking it as much as I hoped! We follow a bunch of friends that go to a prestigious school and try to figure out what actually happened to one of their friends who was murdered a few years back.

I think my most lasting impression after finishing this, is that I would wish it was a movie or maybe, that it felt like one of those movies, teen girls would watch at a sleepover.

Overall I think it was quite predictable, I was between trying to decide between two people as to who actually committed the murder and one of them actually was the murderer. When the reveal happened, I felt a small satisfaction regarding my prediction of the murderer, but the reason behind the crime wasn't one I found too valid, it felt like a poor "excuse" in a way.

One think I really loved though, was the school setting, I'm a huge fan of books that take place in elaborate schools or academies and this book really fuelled my imagination on that aspect.

All in all, "They Wish they Were Us" is a fun book, a book I wouldn't take too seriously and a story that I would love to see become a movie, purely for the outrageous, yet so fun, events that are happening!

I read this book in a span of almost 4 months and I have to say I went through almost every possible emotion in this reading journey!

At the beginning, I was so invested, I loved it, I would read over 100 pages in one sitting, I would be so into the world and the characters and... everything! There were other times though, that I found it so so slow. There were times that it took me 2 days to even finish 20 pages!

This is a fairly slow book. It has an amazing premise, I love all the politics discussed in the story, the characters are solid, original with great voices and what can I say about the world building? It's, for me, the best part of this book!

My favourite character would have to be Kelsier. After the first couple of chapters, I was sure I'd like Vin best, but there were some choices (I'm talking about the romance here) were choices that I found too immature and to be completely honest, I didn't feel like this book needed a romantic subplot.

Overall, I enjoyed so much the political intrigue, I enjoyed seeing Kelsier plot and make his way through every mishap, but I will have to admit, I was hoping this book was shorter. I think it was too long for its own good and even though I want to continue with the series, I'm not really looking forward to another massive book with an equally slow plot. Maybe I'm completely wrong though and the second installment will have a better pace! Only time will tell!

I think this book and I met in the wrong time. I wholeheartedly believe that if I'd read this one when I was like 15-16 years old, I would be a die-hard fan for it and the romance.

Saying this, I do not by any means consider this a "bad" book. It was enjoyable to read, Kestrel was such an intriguing protagonist and I really loved watching her story unfold.

There were many familiar and overdone ya tropes in this story, but again, I think this is because of the time the book was published. I didn't really enjoy all the tropes because it made the book a bit predictable and I also had a bit of a problem with the pacing. There were times it felt like the story progressed as slow as a snail and other times that I felt like certain events needed more exploration.

One of these events, is the romance. It started out as a slow burn, but then it escalated so fast that I didn't have time to properly register each person's feelings. I do believe that our main characters make a good couple, if only they were given a bit more time, to make their romance more believable and solid.

Overall, it's a book I do not regret reading and hopefully I will continue with the series, if only to find out what will happen next in Kestrel's story!

WHAT A BOOK!

If you know me, then you know sci-fi is (probably) one of my least favourite genres. So I don't really know what made me pick this up. Nonetheless, I bless the reading gods that brought this to my path, because it was an absolute delight!

My favourite thing about it is the writing style. K. Easton has a brilliant way with words that made this thrilling space adventure read like a fairytale. I loved all the bits and pieces that were inspired by the Sleeping Beauty, but I think this book truly adds a unique twist to a well known story.

The ensemble of characters are simply marvelous, even the villains, because they are all so well written and feel so authentic. My favourite by far is the Vizier, who I adored not only for his devotion to Rory but also for his wit and braveness. Rory was a lovely protagonist to follow, so clever, so intriguing, while also maintaining the whims that come with being a teenager.

Even though it has underlying tones of romance, it isn't heavy on that, something I thoroughly enjoyed, as I was much more interested in the politics! I think that if you are a sci-fi fan, this book will be an absolute treat for you!

Overall, it's safe to say I loved this book. Can't wait to read the sequel and find out who Rory's story will conclude!