This is What Happy Looks Like | Book Review

Title: This is What Happy Looks Like
Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Series: Standalone

Publisher/Year: Headline, 2013

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 416 (Hardcover)

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.71/5

My Rating: 2.5/5

From Goodreads: "If fate sent you an email, would you answer?When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?"


I was engaged immediately. The prologue includes a series of witty emails sent back and forth between Graham and Ellie. The entire premise of the novel is that they met online and made a connection, and from that connection they meet each other and develop a relationship. Yet we only get about 2% of the online relationship they have. These characters forged a connection online so that when they meet in real life they already have a relationship in the works, one that, from the point of the reader, makes no sense. We don't get to see their relationship grow from more than just a casual email. The connection between the characters is there but since the development of that connection isn't shown, the reader can't see it and it makes their relationship feel very shallow and under-developed.

Without being able to read the emails that formed that relationship, it wasn't possible for me to get invested in the story and characters. I could't feel anything for them. Along with the lack of depth in the plot, the characters were very two-dimensional and boring. Graham was too "perfect" and Ellie was too stubborn. I mostly liked Graham, until he mentioned how Ellie was "different from other girls" (like how many times has that line been used before?) and went on to criticize women who wore makeup and "impossibly high heels". Because putting effort into how you look and being confident in makeup and high heels is something to be frowned upon.

Although, the novel is over 400 pages, things happened too fast. The characters didn't grow or develop at all. The problems that faced Graham and Ellie were fixed in the blink of an eye. There was no real conflict. The book was incredibly overdramatic. Both Graham and Ellie had parental problems which created many melodramatic scenes that were completely unnecessary. The major conflict in the book was too easily resolved. There was no real solution and no development between the characters. It all just went back to the way it was at the beginning of the novel.

Overall, This is What Happy Looks Like is a simple, light, and entertaining novel that fails on many aspects. If only the book was as pretty as the cover.

This Lullaby | Book Review

Title: This Lullaby
Author: Sarah Dessen

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Speak

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, 

Pages: 345 (Paperback)

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.05/5

My Rating: 3.5/5

From Goodreads: "She's got it all figured out. Or does she? When it comes to relationships, Remy's got a whole set of rules. Never get too serious. Never let him break your heart. And never, ever date a musician. But then Remy meets Dexter, and the rules don't seem to apply anymore. Could it be that she's starting to understand what all those love songs are about?"


This Lullaby is definitely one of the better Dessen novels. It was a quick read and I read it in one sitting. I really enjoyed the characters, especially Dexter. He was a fun, unique love interest and I wish we got to learn more about him. Remy, while not the most interesting or relatable character, was a great strong and independent female character. The whole cast was so unique and interesting, I just would have liked to learn more about them. Both Dexter and Remy have  intriguing and atypical friends but the reader doesn't get to learn too much about them, which makes sense as the book isn't about them but it would have been nice. 

I liked how Dessen portrayed Remy's broken family and the contrast between her brother and her sister was really well done. Remy's family is a big part of her life and her beliefs and it was interesting to learn about it. 

As with all Dessen novels, however, it had its fair share of problems. Ruby wasn't the most interesting character. Her view on love at first was interesting but it just became irritating. Some of the choices she made frustrated me and she didn't have much of a personality aside from being an anti-love control freak. 

The plot was weak as well. It lacked depth. The novel is essentially about Remy overcoming her fear of loving someone. It focused too much on the "love" aspect and I felt there could have been more beyond the plot. The climax was anti-climactic and the issue with Remy's mom just felt out of place and thrown in there to create drama and move forward the plot.

Again, an interesting read but not without its problems.

Lock and Key | Book Review

Title: Lock and Key
Author: Sarah Dessen

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Speak

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction

Pages: 422 (Paperback)

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.02/5

My Rating: 3.5/5

From Goodreads: Unlock your heart and the rest will follow. Ruby is used to taking care of herself. But now that she's living with her sister, she's got her own room, she's going to a good school, and her future looks bright. Plus there's an adorable boy next door. Can Ruby learn to open her heart and let him in?


This wasn't my favorite Dessen novel but it was enjoyable nevertheless. I really enjoyed how it focused on familial relationship rather than the romance. A lot of YA novels tend to ignore the family but Lock and Key successfully made the family an important part of the plot. I loved the amount of growth Ruby went through as a person. She overcame her flaws and changed so much from the start of the book.

While I did enjoy the book, I did have a few problems. Nate, the love interest, was a very two-dimensional, "perfect" person. I didn't feel anything for him when, considering his situation, I should have. Nate and Ruby's relationship didn't seem right either. I didn't understand why they became a couple. They didn't have much of a connection. On the topic of characters, I couldn't connect with Ruby. She was a boring protagonist. In the novel there were a lot of stereotypes played out including the "I'm not like other girls" trope. Throughout the book Ruby kept on stating how she's "different" and "not like other girls" which irritated me. There's nothing wrong with being similar to the "other girls". Being different shouldn't be a big deal and is overplayed.

Another problem I had was that the themes were pushed too far and over the top. The theme of family was taken too far as Ruby had a literal school project about the meaning of family. This theme is explored throughout the novel but was overdone. 

I liked the book but the climax was too short and easily resolved. There wasn't much conflict and it was very unsatisfying. 

Lock and Key was an enjoyable read but it definitely wasn't perfect.

P.S. I Still Love You | Book Review

Title: P.S. I Still Love You
Author: Jenny Han

Series: To All The Boys I've Loved Before #2

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Chick-Lit

Pages: 337 (Hardcover)

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.3/5

My Rating: 3/5

From Goodreads: Lara Jean didn't expect to really fall for Peter. She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren't. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever. When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean's feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

I really loved To All The Boys I've Loved Before (review here), so P.S. I Still Love You was underwhelming and a disappointment. What I loved in the first book was missing. There was less humor and the romance wasn't very interesting. In the first book I really enjoyed reading about the sisters' bond but this time the story focused more on the love triangle and the romance.

Lara Jean was very childish throughout out the novel. I kept waiting for her to grow up and go through some character development but she never did. She stayed her childish, petty self. On the topic of characters, I didn't like Peter either. He was a really fun, cute character in the last book while in this book he was the stereotypical "popular jock". There was nothing unique about him.

I never understood the connection between Lara Jean and Peter. Even in TAtBILB I didn't think they had any chemistry but I still though they were cute. In PSISLY their relationship didn't make sense. They didn't communicate and weren't a good couple. The addition of the love triangle was pointless. It didn't add anything but unnecessary drama to the story. The way Lara Jean handled the love triangle was irritating as well.

While I did have quite a few problems with the novel, I did enjoy it. I like the tone of the books and how they're not stereotypical, cliche chick-lit. The books have a personality which I really enjoy. This novel also continuously discussed sexism and double standards which was a great addition.

I love this series, however, if you haven't read any of the books yet I'd recommend just reading the first book.

Burn for Burn | Book Review

Title: Burn for Burn

Author: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Series: Burn for Burn #1

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Pages: 358 (Hardcover)

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.89/5

My Rating: 3/5

After a series of unfortunate events, Lillia, Mary, and Kat team up to get revenge on people who wronged them.

This book was a dissapointment. I've heard a lot of good things but I hated the plot and the characters. Still, I thought it was a decent book. The writing is fine, nothing special but not bad. It was a pretty quick read and I was somewhat entertained.

However, Burn for Burn had a lot of flaws. The characters really annoyed me. They stuck almost completely to their stereotypes. There was nothing unique about these characters whatsoever. They just made bad decision after bad decision. I also did not enjoy the plot. The whole story is about getting revenge on people who wronged them. Yes, getting revenge instead of communicating and talking it out when there's only one year left of seeing these people while also risking not getting into college is definitely a good idea. I just don't understand why people don't COMMUNICATE. Sure words don't always get through to people. But the characters are never going to see the people they hate after the school year ends! The reasons for revenge were also mostly unjustified. Lillia and Kat bully and hurt their enemies horribly. Yes, they're not the nicest people but you shouldn't stoop down to their level! Mary was the only one whose revenge was justified but what she did was still wrong.

I felt the characters went through no character development or growth. They just got more and more irritating and immature as the book went on. The length of the book was unnecessary as well. It's a fairly large book and felt dragged on. I think the series should just be one 500 page book rather than 3 books.

The paranormal aspect of the book also really through me off. I don't think it fits with the story and feel of the book.

I got incredibly frustrated and annoyed throughout the entirety of the book. That being said, I do plan on reading the next in the series. Life is too short to read mediocre books, but after reading the plot summary of what happens in the next two books, I'm very intrigued and confused so I'll just try to read them as quickly as possible.

Sorry that this became more of a rant rather than a review. ^^

Until Next Time,

Hana

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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.