genieinanovel's Reviews (752)

When Vivian is burned by a summer fling with her long-time crush, Jake, she decides to get over him with a replacement crush – someone who won’t take her heart and stomp all over it. The key to her master plan is to choose someone who she doesn’t feel any romantic feelings for. By playing it safe with guys that she’s comfortable with, there’s no way her heart can be broken, right? And then she meets the new guy in town, Dallas.

I really enjoyed the instant chemistry between Viv and Dallas, especially after their awkward meeting where he overheard a conversation that Viv was having with her best friend, Jaz (a conversation that no one should have been hearing). And when he eventually finds out about the list and teases her with it, it’s one of my favorite parts of the book. Honestly, Dallas was my favorite in the book. He was just this great guy, with his own sort-of mysterious new guy aura, and he knew how to play it cool when he needed to. He was also able to call out Viv on her flaws in her plan, but didn’t try to force her to stop it.

As mentioned, Viv did have her flaws, but most of the characters do, and the best ones usually do in any novel. What I really loved about Viv though was that she’s pretty relatable, and a bookworm/book blogger (so, yeah, very relatable!). She definitely showed off her nerdy side and wasn’t ashamed about it like some high school kids are and I think it was that side of her that really won me over to like her as the MC.

Overall, this was a pretty cute book. There’s a bit of drama, but they’re teenagers, so it’s bound to happen. And yes, we do get a small look at Viv’s book blog in the story, which made my nerd heart happy. I would definitely recommend this one!

I have to say I expected a bit more from the final book of this amazing series. It could be I was just not as into it after an emotional first week of the month, but I can’t help but feel it was the story itself that was lacking something. Maybe it’s because the book wasn’t quite as dark as the first three… not super dark, mind you, but for the first time Charlotte and Jamie weren’t in mortal danger and I guess those two just have a pattern.

Still, the mystery of the summer drama program at Oxford was intriguing. Why did that one girl disappear and who was behind it? Why are they being attacked again? It was definitely a mystery that pulled me in and I was curious to find out the answers, and as always they came in a way I hadn’t expected. I think how Charlotte pulls it out is fantastic, actually.

There are still some little twists that come out from the previous books that actually made me happy, though nothing really came from them… other than a little redemption for Milo.

Now that I’m writing this review, I realize the element that was missing was Jamie. There’s just not enough of him in this book for my liking. Though I kind of like the story being told by Charlotte, I still missed Jamie’s voice and perspective on everything. But having less Jamie in this book made me enjoy it less than the other novels because he was the reason I fell in love with this series – something about his voice really brought the story to life.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad book or conclusion to the series. It just wasn’t as good as I was expecting based on the previous novels. It’s still a series that I highly recommend for fans of Sherlock Holmes and young-adult mystery!

Fairest of All is a great look into a classic Disney fairy-tale from the villain’s point of view. After all, a villain is just a character who’s story hasn’t been told. No one is born a villain; something had to happen along the way to change them. This book shows us what brings The Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to the point where she wants Snow White dead.

In the beginning there is no trace of evil in the Queen and she actually has a great relationship with her new husband and step-daughter. Her lady-in-waiting is even her best friend, and she loves this new family of hers dearly. But things begin to take a turn after she’s given a mirror that seems to be magical and soon after loses her husband.

The Queen was a complex human in this book, something we don’t see in the movie, and at the end it made me sad for her fate. You see her slowly fall into the self-absorption and vanity that makes her the wicked villain she is, and when the reasoning for why comes out, it just makes you hurt for her.

This was the second book I’ve read that gives a story to The Evil Queen and how she became evil and this tale is my favorite of the two, though it also makes me more sad. Still, this is a good little book and the story just flows along so quickly that it’s over before you know it! A definite recommendation to anyone who enjoys Disney villains!

A novel about college, friendships, family, and first romances.

Lauren and Elizabeth have been assigned as roommates for college in the fall, and when given her roommate's information, Elizabeth (EB) decides to email Lauren from her excitement of going away to college and sharing a room. Lauren, on the other hand, is a little disappointed about having to share a room after asking for a single, but it's justified, as she's the oldest of six and shares a room with her two younger sisters. As EB and Lauren continue their back and forth with email, they find a place where they can talk about things that they can't portray yet to their loved ones, but they quickly learn that email can be a tricky basis for a friendship.

What drew me to the book was the concept of it, especially since I was a commuter and online student at my different schools. If I were in EB and Lauren's shoes, I'd imagine I'd be excited to meet my roommate as soon as possible as I'm also an only child like EB. At the same time, I related to a lot of what Lauren went through at home as far as not being able to afford new appliances, but also that closeness she had with her parents.

The best part of this story was the girls' communication via email, and the authors did a great job of portraying how tricky email can be. Just like with texting, you don't get to see the other person's facial cues or hear their tone of voice. While sometimes it can be obvious, other times you're unsure, and you can end up making a big deal out of something that wasn't, or misread the other person's intentions. EB and Lauren learn this not too far into their long-distance friendship, and there's a bit of drama between the two due to some miscommunication.

There was obviously some of that "summer before college" romance going on, though ones that might last a little after the summer (or so it was implied). I didn't really care for EB's new relationship with Mark, but I did like Lauren with Keyon because they just had a good chemistry between them. Still, I was glad the romances weren't the driving part of the book and more of a background story to go along with the real one.

All in all, I did enjoy this book and I think it's a great read if you're in the mood for something light-hearted and that reads very easily.