Fangirl | Book Review

Title: Fangirl 

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Series: N/A

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Pages: 434 (Hardcover)

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.20/5
My Rating: 4/5

Cath and Wren are identical twins. They do everything together, that is, until they went to college. Wren decides she wants to become independent - meet boys, go to parties, get drunk - all activities Cath doesn't enjoy. Cath is shy, has social anxiety, and writes fan fiction. Without Wren, she's lost. Completely out of her comfort zone, she doesn't know if she'll be able to survive college on her own.

This was such a fun and relatable book! I love Rowell's characterization and how she describes people. Instead of saying something like "he was tall and lanky" she writes something unusual and abstract but still makes complete sense. As strange as this sounds, when I like a book I physically feel something in my chest (what, I don't know), and this book did the trick.

The main reason I enjoyed this book so much was because of the relatability. Cath suffers with social anxiety, something I experience as well. There were many moments in the book where I was Cath. She said things I've said and did things I've done in order to get out of social situations. While her reluctance to do anything social was a bit more extreme compared to me (she did everything she possibly could to make herself exempt from social situations whereas I at least try occasionally to be social), the relatability was immense.

Now while I did enjoy this book a lot, I had quite a few quams with it:

1. The characters. I felt all the characters, minus Cath, lacked dimension and, well, character. All of the characters (Levi, Nick, Laura, Reagan, etc.) did have their own unique personalities, however, they could have been fleshed out more. A few of the characters, especially Nick and Laura, seemed to be there only to add a little bit of conflict. They didn't really further the plot or help instigate character development. Also, Levi. He's the "perfect" guy. What could be wrong with him? That's precisely the problem. No person in real life is that perfect. People are flawed, broken, or at least have problems of some sort not revolving around the love of their life. Levi's perfectness didn't do it for me. I would have preferred a more rounded, flawed, character.

2. The length. The book was too long. I mean, a 400 page contemporary? Some of the plot lines felt stretched and could have been scratched out completely.

3. The fan fiction. While an avid reader and lover of fan fiction, the Simon Snow excerpts and fan fiction just didn't cut it for me. When I read a fan fiction, I have already created a strong connection with the characters and want to know more about them. Not having read the fictional Simon Snow series, I couldn't do that. I didn't feel anything for the characters so the excerpts and fics bored me to the point where I didn't even read them after a while.

4. The ending. It wasn't satisfying to me. It felt too abrupt and cheesy. It left quite a few loose ends, for example, what happens with Laura and with Carry On?

Despite the many problems I had with it, I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, quirky, and a good read overall. I don't think everyone would enjoy it but I definitely recommend at least trying Fangirl out before giving judgement. 

Just Listen Book Review

Hello!

Recently I've been on a contemporary romance kick and wanted to share my thoughts on a book I just read.

Just Listen follows Annabel Green, the "perfect" girl. She struggles to keep her life intact with modeling, a fallout with her best friend, and her sister's eating disorder. She retreats into herself and becomes isolated, that is, until she meet Owen. She learns to be honest and speak up for herself as she fights to be more confident.

This was such a fun and interesting read! I love how Sarah Dessen isn't afraid to address heavier issues such as rape/sexual assault, eating disorders, bullying, etc. I was definitely not expecting the book to be something like this. My favorite part about this book was the honesty. Dessen didn't skimp out on the character development and no one just suddenly become "fixed". She took a lot of time to make sure the growth was reasonable and made sense. The characters were so complex and wonderful. No one was just a stereotype, they all had their own specific personalities and character growth. Overall, this was a great read and I highly recommend it.

Until Next Time,
Hana

The Summer I Turned Pretty Book Review

Belly has spent every summer at Cousins with her mom and her brother, and with her mom's best friend and her two sons, Jeremiah and Conrad. Belly has been in love with Conrad since she was ten, but this summer things change. The boys finally start to notice her, but she becomes conflicted on who she loves and what she wants.

This was such a fun and quick read! I really enjoyed how this book was organized. It shows Belly's past summers and her present one. I felt I got to know Belly so much better through those glimpses of the past. I was expecting this to be a stereotypical, fluffly contemporary, but it was so much more. While there is the typical angst and miscommunication in the novel, there are also some deeper undertones that lead toward a bigger picture. The characters were also wonderful. They were flawed and made so human. Belly was very relatable. She was kind, smart, immature and just plain silly sometimes. Jenny Han captured what a teenager is like perfectly. Reading, I thought I knew the characters but towards the end I realized how complex they all really are. I cannot wait to read the next one!

In the Afterlight Mini Review

In the Afterlight is the third and final installment of The Darkest Minds trilogy.

Wow. This was a stunning conclusion to one of my all-time favorite series. The characters grew a lot and everything was wrapped up so nicely. In the Afterlight is definitely the most dark and heavy book of the series. Compared to The Darkest Minds, a lot more things need to be solved in this book so it makes sense that it wasn't as light-hearted. There are a few comedic/happy moments but there isn't a lot. However, the ending was incredibly satisfying. There were no loose ends, everything was concluded perfectly. If you haven't read The Darkest Minds series yet, what are you waiting for?

Until Next Time,
Hana

To All the Boys I've Loved Before Mini Review

"Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letter that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved--five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control."

This was such a cute book! It was so sweet and fluffly and fun and a great read in general. I loved the family dynamic. In YA literature the family tends to be there only when it's needed but in this story, Lara Jean's family is a big part of her life. The cultural diversity was great. Not only is Lara Jean, half Korean, but her traditions and culture also play a big part in her life. The romance was cute but I felt it was superficial. I wanted to learn more about the relationships between all the characters (Josh and Margo, Peter and Gen). It was also really predictible and Lara Jean's decisions annoyed me sometime. Overall, however, this was so much fun to read and I cannot wait for the next one! 

Until Next Time,
Hana

The Lunar Chronicles Series Review

Hey guys!

I just finished Cress this morning and thought I would write a full series review.

4/5 stars

Overall, I liked this book. It was a really interesting take on the Cinderella story. I never really liked Cinderella because she was so weak but in this retelling she was a lot stronger. However, there were points where she just refused to stand up for herself and it annoyed me so much. I also really liked how the government in this book wasn't something to be afraid of. For once in a YA novel, I actually wanted the current government to stay in power. The backstory of the Earth and the Lunars and how everything came to be was really interesting as well.

What I didn't like was the ending. I felt it was too abrupt. And the "plot twist" at the end was so obvious. 50 pages in and I already new what the plot twist was. Kai and Cinder's relationship also didn't make much sense. They barely spent any time together and it was just too quick. Kai just suddenly started pining after her and I think it would have been a lot better were Kai more involved and not just there for most of the book. Even though he said he wanted to change things, he wasn't actively doing it. He was mostly complaining.

4/5 stars

Scarlet was such an improvement from Cinder. I did enjoy Cinder but this was definitely better. I really liked the characters in Scarlet. Cinder (the character) annoyed me a lot in Cinder (the book) but she was so much more badass in this one. I liked Cinder and Scarlet equally but I liked Scarlet and Wolf's relationship better than Cinder and Kai's. There's just something about the whole "mysterious bad boy" quality Wolf has that appeals to me. And Kai and Cinder's relationship never felt real to me. Kai also had more of a personality in this book but I wish we got to see more of him. When Thorne was introduced I was a bit weary but overall I think he added a fun element to the novel and he reminded me a lot of Captain Jack Sparrow. I think these books are a lot more about the characters themselves than about the plot but it's still really interesting. I really liked how everything connected in this book and how the ending was a proper ending.The way the story left all the characters was really satisfying and I'm super excited to read Cress. The only negative thing I have to say is that the beginning was a bit slow and it took me a while to get into it but other than that I loved it.

4/5 stars

This was a very frustrating but entertaining book. I got so much second-hand embarrassment from Cress. Literally every other thing she did made me cringe. Wolf really annoyed me in this book. He was very whiny and mopy, I get why but still. I really wish we got to see more of Scarlet in this one. I also felt that Thorne and Cress's relationship was very superficial. It just didn't make sense to me and then the sudden character development towards the end was strange. What I did like, however, was Cress's badass hacker skills; that was pretty freaking cool. The whole book was pretty action-packed and there were no boring parts. We got a glimpse of Winter and I'm really excited to find out more about her. She seems very interesting and I have a feeling she might be my favorite character. There was one scene at the end that was just sooo cute and the way it ended makes me look forward to Winter. 

Overall:

This is a really fun series. It has its flaws and definitely isn't one my favorites but I would highly recommend it. It's action-packed, has (a very small amount) of romance, and is overall very interesting. I love Marissa Meyer's spin on the fairy tales. I cannot wait for Winter. I just wish I didn't have to wait 14 months for it... :(

The Maze Runner Movie Review (Spoilers)

I think The Maze Runner was a pretty good movie, but just an okay adaptation. I rate is 8.5/10 stars. I'll start off with what I did like. The casting was great. I felt Dylan O' Brien was a perfect Thomas. The cast was a lot more diverse (less white people) than typical YA movies so that was pretty awesome. Thomas is also a lot more likable. In the book he was annoyed me a lot and was just too angsty while he was less so in the movie. Speaking of angst, this was quite the angsty movie. But I liked that. The movie seemed a lot darker. I read the book for the first time last week and while reading I didn't feel like it was as brutal, actually seeing everything play out made me realize how dark it actually is. The banishment scene freaked me out and seemed so primitive. I also really liked how the Glader slang was toned down. In the novel, it's very "in your face" which would have been confusing in the movie for those who haven't read the book. Another change they made that I liked was that they took out the whole telepathy thing. I think towards the end there was a scene with telepathy but it was only hinted at. I didn't think the telepathy made sense in the book but I haven't read the rest of the series so it might be explained in those books. In the movie, less time passed. I think Thomas was in the Maze for 5 days max while in the book he was there for two weeks. It made a lot more sense, translated to film, to do that.

Now onto what I didn't like. The characters were lifeless. They had more personality in the book (not that much more), but aside from Thomas and Minho, the characters were really flat. There were also quite a few plot holes. It didn't really make sense to me to not have the medicine to save people stung by Grievers until the end. The Changing is what justified Gally's hatred toward Thomas so in the movie it seemed quite random. Also, I didn't see the point of saving Alby. In the book it made sense because he could have been saved. However, in the movie it clearly stated that whoever was stung would die. At that point, the medicine hadn't been introduced so Minho was pretty much dragging Alby back to the Glade to die when it made more sense to just abandon him and save himself. Because of this, it also didn't make sense for Thomas to try and save Alby. Prior to that scene, Alby and Minho went to trace Ben's footsteps. What was the point of that? He's obviously going to be dead so it made no sense. I also didn't like how the Cliff was taken out of the movie and how easy it was to escape. What I liked about the book was how they got out of the Maze. It was so badass in my head but the way the scene played out on film failed me. Also, where the hell did Gally get a gun in the end and how the hell did he even get out of the Maze? And finally, why did Thomas and the other Gladers trust the people who took them away so quickly? They didn't offer any explanation for their actions... There were more plot holes but I don't remember the rest. Aside from the plot holes, I really enjoyed the movie and I definitely recommend watching it.

~Hana

The Maze Runner Book Review

Hello~

The Maze Runner follows Thomas, a boy who wakes up surrounded by strangers who, like him, have lost all their memories. They live in the Glade, the center of the Maze: an always-changing maze with no way out. Then a girl arrives and everything changes.

After watching the trailer for the movie I knew I just had to watch and read it. I did enjoy this book, but I didn't love it. What I did like about the book was the plot and backstory. I thought it was really interesting and intriguing. The book is very visual and Dashner does a great job bringing the setting to life. I also loved that Thomas's storyline didn't center around the Teresa. Of course, Teresa is a key player in the book but the novel wasn't just a debate about if they're going to become a couple or not.

I don't think Thomas was a great character. He was extremely repetitive and constantly complaining. Some of his thoughts were childish and just annoyed me and he tried too hard to be comedic. I also felt that Chuck was really not needed. Thomas and Chuck's relationship just seemed forced and that one scene at the end just didn't make me feel anything because of this. The only character I really did like was Minho, but even then I got annoyed. I also didn't like the pace of the book. A lot of people think that the beginning is really slow but I think it needed to be that slow in order to set up everything properly. However, I felt the last quarter of the book was just way too fast. It was difficult for me to really understand what was going on (and I just didn't want to take the time to read it slowly).

I'll probably read the rest of the series at some point but not any time soon. I'm really excited to see the movie though. :)

~Hana

The Iron Trial Mini Book Review

Hello!

It seems that I'm always finishing books at one in the morning.

The Iron Trial is a middle grade book that follows Callum Hunt. All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he passes the the Iron Trial he will be admitted into the Magisterium and that can only mean bad things. Call tries his hardest to fail but is unsuccessful. He is accepted into the Magisterium but that's only the beginning...

I don't have much to say about this book. It's definitely middle grade but it's really fun and intriguing. The characters are wonderful. There isn't a whole lot of plot in this book but it does a great job setting up for the rest of the series. The plot twist at the end was definitely unexpected and I can't wait for the next book. I really enjoy Cassandra Clare and Holly Black's books so I was not disappointed. I was expecting it to be obvious who wrote what part as it is in many other cowritten books but the writing flowed well and it was as if one person had written it. If you like fantasy and Percy Jackson, you'll probably like The Iron Trial.

~Hana :)

Isla and the Happily Ever After Mini Book Review

Isla and the Happily Ever After is the third and final installment of the Anna and the French Kiss series. Isla has had a crush on Josh since her freshman year. After a random encounter in Manhattan, Isla realizes that a relationship with him could be possible after all.

While this wasn't as good as Anna and the French Kiss, I really enjoyed it. I could really relate to Isla. A lot of people were annoyed by her insecurities and at points I was too, but for the most part I've had similar worries and I totally understood where she was coming from. I really liked Josh as well. We get to know so much more about him than in Anna. I loved the conversations between Isla and Josh. However, I felt that it was definitely insta-love. It came out of nowhere and was way too convenient. One of my favorite parts was when all the characters from previous books came in. I love how Perkins always ties in her past characters. There was one scene with all the characters that just made my heart melt (if you've read Isla you know what I'm talking about). The ending was very satisfying and so adorable. I definitely recommend checking out this series.

Until next time!
Hana

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown Book Review

Once again,  I have stayed up till one in the morning to finish a book.

"Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave. One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself." (from Goodreads)

Wow. I'm not one for paranormal books, every one I've read just wasn't a good experience, but The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was just amazing. Everything about this book is great. Vampirism is such an overdone topic but this book gives it a fresh spin. The Coldtowns themselves are so intriguing. They're lawless and violent and while I would never want to live in one of them, I'm captivated.

The characters are amazing as well. They're so unique and I just love them. Tana, the main character, is badass and won't let anyone push her down. While at some points I cringed at her decisions, she was a great character. And Gavriel... he's so strange and just crazy and reckless. I didn't completely fall in love with him but I did really enjoy his character. Something I don't like about paranormal books is how romance heavy they are and this was definitely more about Tana's story than the romance. However, I really wish I could have had more Tana and Gavriel.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the way it ended. I felt it was rushed, a little too convenient, and it left a lot of unanswered questions. I understand that Black meant for the ending to be open-ended but I would have preferred it to be 100 pages longer or turned into a duology. 

I highly recommend this even for those who normally don't like paranormal.

Thanks for reading!
Hana

Top Ten Most Owned Authors!

Hello!

So today I'm going to the Top Ten Most Owned Authors Tag that's been circling around Booktube.

10. Agatha Christie

I own After the Funeral, Dead Man's Folly, The Moving Finger, and Murder on the Orient Express. I haven't read any of Christie's books in a while nor do I plan buying anymore of her books but what I have read I've really enjoyed.

9. Tahereh Mafi

I LOOOVE the Shatter me series soso much. I also have the novellas but I've lent it out to a friend. I can't wait for Tahereh to right more books.

8. Veronica Roth

The Divergent series is one of my all time favorite series and I definitely plan on buying more books if Veronica writes anymore.

7. John Green

I own An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, Looking for Alaska, and The Fault in Our Stars. I own pretty much all his books that he's written on his own and I seriously cannot wait for him to right more.

6. Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins is one of my favorite authors of all time. I have Impulse, Perfect, Crank, Glass, and Tricks. I didn't really like Crank and Glass but the others were AMAZING. I really need to buy the rest of her books.

5. Rick Riordan

I have the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and I realllllllly want to buy the Heroes of Olympus series. I have read them but I don't own them.

4. C.S. Lewis

I haven't read the Chronicles of Narnia in a very long time but I remember I loved it.

3. J.K. Rowling

This is a pretty obvious choice. I remember I really enjoyed this series but I haven't reread it since the last book came out.

2. Cassandra Clare

At number two I have the 9 books of The Shadowhunter Chronicles are sooo good. I love love love Cassandra Clare. I'm so excited for her new books. The Iron Trial comes out it 3 days! I'll basically buy any of her books without hesitation.

1. Lemony Snicket

And coming up at number one I have all 13 of A Series of Unfortunate Events and Who Could That Be at This Hour? (not pictured). A Series of Unfortunate Events was my childhood and I just love the series so much. Who Could That Be at This Hour?, however, was just not for me. It's more suited for a younger audience.

Thanks for reading!

Hana

The Truth About Forever Book Review

Hey!

This morning I finished The Truth About Forever, a romance novel by Sarah Dessen.

This novel is about a girl named Macy whose summer consists of a boring job at the library and studying for the SATs while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp as she grieves the loss of her father. An unexpected series of events happen, leading to Macy getting a catering job at Wish with its chaotic crew. A member of said crew is Wes, a boy with an amazing artistic talent and she turns Macy's world around. Throughout the book she ventures out of her shell and begins actually enjoying herself.

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read something so girly in a while and it was definitely what I was looking for. The characters were great. They all had their own unique personalities and defied stereotypes. Macy was a great protagonist. She was three-dimensional, interesting, and not annoying (for the most part). However, I felt like all her problems could have been solved easily if she just opened her freaking mouth and confronted her mother. The only character I didn't really like was Monica. I felt her lack of personality was just overdone to the point where it's not even funny anymore. But Wes...sa-woon! He was such an interesting character, I just loved Macy and Wes's interactions and I really wish there was more.

The writing was also wonderful. It was simple but still well written. Sarah Dessen definitely has a distinct style but it's great all the same.

The plot was pretty good too. Although it seem's Dessen's novels each follow the same structure, it was still fun to read and lighthearted. While it was enjoyable, it definitely wasn't anything special. There were some parts that dragged on, and there was the very typical teen drama which annoyed me. I also felt Dessen could have gone more in-depth into some things, such as Becky. She seemed to be a character just added to add more conflict.  Overall, however, it was a good read and I definitely recommend checking this out.

Until next time!

Hana

Crank Book Review

Hey guys!

Last night/this morning I finished reading Crank by Ellen Hopkins.

(The old cover was way better but this is the one I own.)

Crank follows Kristina, a 16-going-on-17 year old girl. She's the perfect daughter: obedient, great grades, on track to graduate early. When away at her father's house on a court-ordered trip, she meets the monster: crank, also known as methamphetamine for those less educated about drugs like me.

I've read three Ellen Hopkins books before (Impulse, Perfect, and Tricks) and I loved them. All of them got 5 out of 5 stars. Crank, however, was somewhat of a disappointment. The main character really annoyed me. Some of her decisions seemed really stupid and something that wouldn't happen in real life, although this novel is based on Ellen Hopkins's actual daughter. The story was also very repetitive. It basically goes like:

Kristina moves.

Kristina gets high with her dad and new boyfriend.
Kristina moves back to Reno.
Kristina gets high.
Kristina gets high.
Kristina gets high.
Kristina gets high.
Kristina gets high.
Kristina gets high.
Kristina gets high.
Kristina gets high.
Multiply by 10.

The writing was beautiful as usual but the plot just bored me. What I did like however, is how Hopkins tackles the subject of teenage drug abuse. Unfortunately, I felt Ellen was trying too hard to steer teens away from drugs because of her personal experience with it. This was her first novel so she definitely has improved and I look forward to reading more of her other books.

Thanks for reading!

Hana

If I Stay Movie Review

Hey guys!

So today I saw the movie adaptation of If I Stay.

I would give it a C+/B- (7.5/10 stars). It wasn't the worst book-to-movie adaption but it wasn't the best. While watching it there was a lot of awkwardness. The transitions from past to present were awkward, Chloe's acting was awkward, and the voiceover was awkward. I think the best way to have presented the movie was to just have it be confusing in the beginning and then clear things up in the end instead of having Mia narrate. Another problem I had was that there were a lot of continuity errors and some of the logic didn't make sense.

I also didn't like how they made everything overdramatic. For the most part I liked Jamie's acting but sometimes he could be too dramatic. Additionally, some of the character changes that were made I didn't understand. For example, in the movie Adam was extremely selfish at times and it just didn't make sense. Kim was also downplayed too much. In the book she was a big part of the story but in the movie it seemed like her only purpose was to show that Mia isn't a total loner.

While all of these things added to the poor execution of the movie, my biggest problem was how they centered around the romance. Instead of focusing on Mia and her Choice, they focused on Mia and Adam's relationship. I felt that the book really wasn't about the romance and was about her Choice. Another thing that upset me was the ending. (Spoiler) I feel like instead of making the Choice herself, Adam made it for her. Adam wasn't the only reason she chose to stay, but the movie made it seem that way. (End Spoiler)

There was a lot I didn't like about the movie, but I did like some things. The (many) kissing scenes were great and there were a few scenes that I genuinely enjoyed. However, I do think the movie could have been a lot better.

Thanks for reading!
Hana

The Book Blogger Test

Hello! I saw this tag online so I decided to do it. :)

1. Bent spines, curled pages, long chapters
2. My bed with a mug of tea
3. I judge books by their cover, I tend not to read the blurbs of books, can't think of a third one
4. A month ago when I read Where She Went by Gayle Forman
5. I don't have a bedside table.
6. Ice cream
7. The Fault in Our Stars - John Green, Divergent - Veronica Roth, and The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
8. Don't have one.
9. They mean everything.
10. Don't have one.

TTFN!
Hana

Welcome to my blog!

Hello!

My blog is going to be the place where I share my interests, book reviews, and more! I hope you enjoy what I have to offer. :)

TTFN,
Hana