Hello there! This is long overdue. I went home for the month of May and came back to the US late June, so I really didn't get much reading done which made writing up a wrap-up seem rather pointless. Then time ran away from me and June's got pushed back. So, we have a duo wrap-up! Yay! Here are all the books I read in the months of May and June.
Dry
by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
“...and I realize that this is the true core of human nature: When we've lost the strength to save ourselves, we somehow find the strength to save each other.”
When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, one teen is forced to make life and death decisions for her family in this harrowing story of survival. This is a realistic dystopian YA novel, that makes you really thirsty. It was.. okay. A little meh. Not to give any spoilers, I just found the outcome rather pointless and made the whole reading experience not worth it. If you want an easy read that isn't very light-hearted, pick this up. Just don't expect anything overly interesting.
Rating: ★★
Maybe In Another Life
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
“Life is long and full of an infinite number of decisions. I have to think that the small ones don’t matter, that I’ll end up where I need to end up no matter what I do.”
When twenty-nine-year-old Hannah is faced with the decision of whether to go home with her best friend or her ex boyfriend Ethan, we follow both courses that her life could've taken. In concurrent storylines, she lives out her days in these parallel universes. In one, her and Ethan decide to make another go of their relationship. In the other, her life is completely flipped upside down, but is it for the better? Is there any Taylor Jenkins Reid book that I don't love? No, no there isn't. This is a refreshing idea for a book and as always, I loved her storytelling. The characters were great, I cried, I smiled, and I had a constant cinnamon roll craving thanks to Hannah's love of them. The only thing that lowered this from a 5 star read was the sometimes repetitive scenes that took place in both timelines, which became a little annoying. Otherwise, it was perfect. And I'm probably reaching for something to criticise it for as I can't just give Taylor Jenkins Reid books constant praise.. or can I?
Rating: ★★★★
Skyward (Skyward #1)
by Brandon Sanderson
“You get to choose who you are. Legacy, memories of the past, can serve us well. But we cannot let them define us. When heritage becomes a box instead of an inspiration, it has gone too far.”
Spensa is a teenage girl living among the remnants of the human race, trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious aliens. Training to become a pilot in the shadow of her father's past, she pledges to be the woman she wants to be - going down fighting. So when she finds the wreckage of an ancient ship, she wants to fix it up - if she can while navigating her new life in flight school - and reach the stars. But the ship is like nothing she has ever known, it has a soul. This was the first YA Brandon Sanderson book I picked up, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I liked the book, the characters were humorous and the story had a classic Brandon Sanderson feel. But there were some aspects that felt unnecessarily classic YA. Random romances that didn't need to be there and some dialogue that read cheesy. Nevertheless, I found it enjoyable and I will be picking up the sequel.
Rating: ★★★★
Evidence Of The Affair
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
“It seems as if you see me exactly as I wish to be seen. There is no greater gift than that.”
Through the form of letters, this is a short story revolved around a man and woman as they come to terms with the knowledge that their mutual marital spouses are having an affair. I never knew such a short book (a mere 115 kindle pages) could pack such a punch of emotions. This was beautiful, so beautiful. I found myself crying and aching for the characters as they talk about the loss of their marriages and find peace through their newly discovered friendship. If you like anything Taylor Jenkins Reid has written, pick this up.
Rating: ★★★★★
Lullaby
by Leïla Slimani
"The baby is dead. It took only a few seconds."
Translated by Sam Taylor, this French to English thriller was for sure... interesting. Louise, a forty-something woman, is hired to be the nanny to Myriam's two children. She appears to be kind, quiet, and the all round perfect edition to the household. She is quickly viewed as a part of the family - going on vacation with them, joining in at dinner parties, staying overnight. But things begin to change when lines are crossed and dependency is beginning to define the relationship between parents and nanny. I was expecting a twisted story that would play on my mind, but I was instead given a weird and meh book. I kept waiting for something to happen, for something to snap, but it just didn't. We ended the book with pretty much the same feelings after the prologue. The cover is pretty though, so yay.
Rating: ★★
Normal People
by Sally Rooney
“Marianne had the sense that her real life was happening somewhere very far away, happening without her, and she didn't know if she would ever find out where it was or become part of it.”
Told during their high school and college days, Connell and Marianne are the most unlikely of couples. In high school he's the popular guy and she's the intense 'weird' girl (think 'She's All That'). But when they some into contact, they release that they have a connection unlike anything they've yet to experience. Skip forward a few months, and their roles have switched in university. She's now the popular attractive girl and he's the lost student. This book seems to be a love or hate it situation, I've read such varying reviews. I personally loved it. It was devastating, the story was sad and I do think that's why so many people hated it. You have to be prepared to get your heart shattered. I initially gave this a 4 star rating, but the longer it sat with me, I couldn't get the characters out of my mind. So, I pumped this to a sparkling 5 star rating.
Rating: ★★★★★
Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer
“I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars.”
Edward is a perfect vampire, so when he meets a clumsy human called Bella who smells like a perfect meal, how can he resist? But can they survive an evil vampire trying to kill the first woman he has ever loved? A dad with a shotgun? A werewolf child who gets paid by his dad to turn up at their first prom together? He doesn't know, but he does know that a lion will not give up on his lamb. I chose to reread this for the Popsugar Reading Challenge prompt 'Read a book that makes you nostalgic', and you know what? I still enjoyed it. It's terrible but great. I don't think you can ever hate something that you once loved so much. Granted, I would've once given this a 5 star rating and it's now lessened to a 3 star, but it's Twilight. There's a part of me -and I didn’t know how potent that part might be- that will always partly be a Twihard.
Rating: ★★★
What books are you hoping to pick up this Summer?
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