The Breakdown – B.A. Paris

June 12, 2019June 17, 2019 Book Chick3 Comments

29438850 | GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside—the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

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My thoughts:

“Unfulfilling, a little melodramatic and anticlimactic.”

It is the first time I read anything by Paris and I have to say that I’m surprised over how little I liked it. Had its moments of course, but it was not what I had expected and not really for me and I love Thrillers.

I would call it a straight forward, light, predictable, thriller, where you are not supposed to think too much. The writing is mediocre and the last 50 pages was filled with misspellings. It makes me wonder how many misspellings there was in the whole book. Since English is not my first language, misspellings is mostly something I do, not detect and if I do see some, there is usually a lot more that I do not see. And that it was so many makes me feel that both author and editor just gave up in the end. And the whole “mystery unravelling” through SMS is, for me, a cheap and unimaginative way of unravel all the secrets. The ending is nothing to boast about either. Unfulfilling, a little melodramatic and anticlimactic.

And I didn’t like the character that much. Specially the main one, Cass. How can you be so gullible, naive and whining but still be so “smart” in the end? There are just several things that are contradicting each other and that makes me want to throw the book away. Unfortunately I had made a commitment to read it and in the end it did have some moments and I’m satisfied enough to finish it. I would however not recommend it to a fellow reader.

Contemporary · Romance

The Messenger – Jessica Gadziala

February 10, 2019February 8, 2019 Book Chick1 Comment

41576496 | GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: He’s loved her since the day he met her. She’s been either oblivious or uninterested.
And now she is set to marry another man.
So, he decided he had to let her go.
But when he finds her on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, staining her wedding dress with tears, needing help, he realizes he had never let go. And now that he has the chance, he will stop at nothing to show her that he was the one she was meant to be with all along.

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My thoughts: I’m happy for Kai to finally get his HEA. He have been a side character in the first two books but his love for Jules have never been a secret. And damn this was intense and yes, it was a good book. But at the same time, I’m little disappointed. I expected Jules to be this bad ass, strong woman, who just had no idea that Kai had a thing for her. Then it turns out she had known all the time, misinterpret (maybe) her own feelings and never acted on it. Kind of meek and submissive and not in the good way. It made the story a little to unrealistic and certainly not what I had expect. Then the whole like me, like me not, needs time, do not need time cabal back and forth, just irked me. But Kai totally saved it. I love him. He is the perfect guy. And maybe I love him more than other characters because he reminds me of my own man, but hey, we are not laying not on that.

The plot was believable and new compared to what Gadziala usually writes. However somewhat unsatisfying and anticlimactic with the whole Gary thing. I wish we got to follow Bellamy instead according to that topic, but that just me I guess. I crave the more darker stuff in these type of books.

Next up is the fourth book in the series and I’m so exciting. Because there you will (I have heard) get to know the whole truth behind Eli’s incarceration and the circumstances surrounding those characters. But I’m going to save it to a time where I do not have to work. Hate to read those really good books, but then have to go to work.

children · Fiction/Science Fiction · Young, New adult/College

The one and only Ivan – Katherine Applegate

January 10, 2019January 8, 2019 Book Chick1 Comment

| GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better.

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My thoughts: Cute story. It certainly is a quick and easy read, but then again it is a book for children/young adults. It was exactly what I needed after Us against you. Something easy, fast, light and funny. Perfect for that dreadful book hangover.

So as I said, it is a cute story. You follow Ivan who is a Gorilla and some of his friends. It is a touching story who lifts the topic about animals in cages for entertainment and moneymaking, in a nice and sound way. The book is completely from Ivan’s point of view which makes it even better since he is an animal but still tries to communicate with the humans around him.

Touching book who fit readers in all ages but mostly it is written toward children. I can see myself reading this one to my future children one day. And it is suppose to come out as an movie also where, among others, Sam Rockwell is the voice for Ivan and Angelina Jolie as Stella. I movie I certainly is going to watch. I just love animated movies.

Adult fiction/Erotica · Chick Lit · Contemporary · Romance

The hating game – Sally Thorne

July 11, 2018July 31, 2018 Book Chick1 Comment

25883848 | GOODREADS | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥|

Goodreads synopsis: Nemesis (n.)
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman.

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

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My thoughts: So I finally read this one. I threw myself on the hating game wagon to see what all the fuss is about. I do not often like hyped up books as much as everyone else. I’m always that pessimistic person who do not find them as perfect and wonderful as the hype states. I hate it and often avoid books just for that reason. I think the hype itself destroys it for me. And I have to be honest and say that I was very skeptical to this book and it took me some time to get into it and feel relaxed while reading. I had expected something else. Something quite angst filled and repetitive. Some juvenile actions and over the top romanticism. Well this was nothing like that and now I’m a little mad at myself for the reason that I have had this book on my kindle for like a year and kept swiping past it. Because this is goddamn one of the best books I have read this year. Yes it is that good.

Lucy and Joshua is rivals and yes the book do start out with the rival in focus, but I was pleasantly surprised about how grownup this book was. There is no big drama or angst filled actions or misunderstandings. There are two strong people who talks instead of assume and do not drive over, push or leave without giving each other a chance to explain or make right. It feels very true to my experience of real life and it made me fall in love with the characters, side characters, the plot and the book itself so hard that it hurts.

It is an easy, sweet, funny and adorable story about an office romance between two enemies who fall in love. It filled me with such happiness, joy and glowing feelings that I hardly can keep it contained. I love Lucys history and how positive she is trying to stay throughout it all and I love Joshuas history and how he really tries and how the fit together. They are like two puzzle pieces who have not realized that they fit and make the whole puzzle picture complete.

It is so cleverly written with a plot and characters who snares you in, lock you up and the outside world is forgotten. I would love to read this again. Like right now. That is how good it was.