June Reading Wrap Up

This month I read 9 books! Considering I only read 1 book last month, I think I did pretty well.

3/5 After reading To All the Boys I've Loved Before last year, I couldn't wait for the sequel. Unfortunately the novel was underwhelming and somewhat of 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. My review here.

3.5/5 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. 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. A lot of the characters were very flat and the romance wasn't particularly enjoyable. My review here.

3.5/5 This was definitely one of the better Dessen novels. It was a quick and enjoyable read. Remy was a pretty boring character but I really liked Dexter. The whole cast was really unique and interesting; it would have been nice to get to know them more. The plot, however, lacked depth and it needed something more than Remy overcoming her fear of love. My review here.

2.5/5 The book was engaging and interesting but a disappointment. The summary sells the book as one with a lot of email interaction between the main characters but the emails made up only about 2% of the novel. The characters were two-dimensional and boring. Graham was too perfect and Ellie was too stubborn. There was some casual misogyny which pissed me off. The book was entertaining but failed on many aspects. If only the book was as pretty as the cover. My review here.

5/5 I get why some people don't really like it, the first 200 pages were just okay, the main character is irritating, it might be slightly misogynistic, and there are quite a few cliches and things that don't really make sense but ohmygosh the last 100 pages were so emotional and just SO GOOD. I think people who are more empathetic and emotional would like this. Normally I would have given this book 3 stars but it gets 5 for what it made me feel.

1/5 I AM SO FUCKING HAPPY TO BE DONE WITH THIS DAMN BOOK. Tiger's Curse is one of the worst books I have ever read. I honestly pity those who actually liked this book. Like how can you consider this proper literature? The actual premise is interesting but it was executed so poorly. It took me an entire month to read this because it was so boring. The characters are so weird and not in a good way. Kelsey, the main character, is boring and bland and one of those "I'm not like other girls" female characters. It pisses me off when characters are like that. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being into make up and "girly" things. Ren, the love interest who is also a tiger, is so fucking creepy. He LICKS her. Did I also mention that he's a tiger (as well as a man)? The book is basically about beastiality. I despise this book so much. It was recommended to me by a friend (who also hates the book but finds it funny to read) and I regret reading it so much. Life is too short for mediocre (and bad) books. Anyways, sorry for the rant, don't pick up this book.

4.25/5 I loved the book, but it was a disappointment. I expected so much more from a series that I loved so much. Maybe I just went in with my expectations too high, but I felt it could have been better. My review here.

4/5  I went in ready to hate this book. After reading The One, I was so disappointed in the series so I was surprised to find myself enjoying The Heir. It certainly wasn't the best book I've ever read but it was enjoyable nonetheless. My review here.

3.5/5 I was expecting a little bit more after hearing all the hype but I still really liked it.

Well, there's my wrap up! What books did you read this month?

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.