“Just because something isn’t practical doesn’t mean it’s not worth creating. Sometimes beauty and real-life magic are enough.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: mean sisters, rock bands, fortune-telling, strict parents, colorful wigs, figure skating, babies, a boy next door, Marie Antoinette gowns, and… cherries.

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion… she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit – the more sparkly, more wild – the better. And life is pretty close to perfect for Lola, especially with her hot rocker boyfriend.

That is, until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket return to the neighbourhood and unearth a past of hurt that Lola thought was long buried. So when talented inventor Cricket steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally face up to a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. Could the boy from Lola’s past be the love of her future?

Fall in love with the international bestseller from queen of young adult fiction, Stephanie Perkins.

After finishing “Anna and the French Kiss“, I immediately picked up “Lola and the Boy Next Door” because I was hoping it would be as good as the first book. While it wasn’t, I still think this was a cute read – I just liked the first book better in comparison.

Lola was a fun character and quirky to read! She is very into fashion and designing outfits, and I really enjoyed reading about that. Of course, there were some moments here and there that showed some immaturity from Lola but I had to remind myself they’re still pretty young and this is still a YA novel! I also want to mention Lola’s parents, Andy and Nathan, because I loved them as characters! Even though they are strict with her, they are great parents.

I feel like there’s a more… adult feel to this one. Her boyfriend Max is 22 and she’s only 16 years old, so that was a little creepy to me. Also, he was a jerk to her, always trying to control her and only liking her because she was young.

The romance was cute! I really liked Cricket Bell as a love interest. They liked each other for a very long time, and only now they’re starting to express their feelings for each other. Who doesn’t love a good first love story? Compared to her boyfriend Max, Cricket is very sweet and kind to her.

Since this is a crossover kind of trilogy, Anna and St. Clair from “Anna and the French Kiss” were part of the book! They made a few appearances here and there, so it was cool to see their “happily ever after”.Overall, I had fun reading this. It was a cute story and I enjoyed it for what it was, but so far the first book is still my favorite. I liked the first story better and I found it more entertaining and engaging than the second book. Let’s see how “Isla and the Happily Ever After” goes!

“Seriously, I don’t know any American girl who can resist an English accent.” – 4.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: movie reviews, new friendships, colorful pastries, boarding schools, English accents, terrifying diagnoses, cinemas in every corner, sweet wine grapes, a fear of heights, and the many steps of the Eiffel Tower.

Can Anna find love in the City of Light?

Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her coworker at the movie theater, who is just starting to return her affection. So she’s less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year.

But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Étienne St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he’s taken —and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic near misses end with the French kiss she’s waiting for?

I finally read the epitome of YA Romance: “Anna and the French Kiss”!

I know I’m super late to the “Anna and the French Kiss” party, but I am happy I finally started this series. I’ll admit I had low expectations for this book because I thought this was probably overhyped. Well… I’m thrilled to say I was wrong.

Oh, the charms of Paris. I was excited when I found out the setting was in Paris! I was afraid this was going to be a very stereotypical view of Paris, but I liked the details that made this story escape the usual stereotypes – like the mention of the sweet wine grapes and the cinemas on every corner! Of course, you still have the staples, but the mention of different things was a pleasant surprise and made me think the author was actually in Paris and took inspiration from personal experience.

The romance was cute! I liked Anna as a main character and Étienne was a cute and interesting romantic interest. The word that best describes the characters in this would be “adorable”. The only thing that I didn’t like was the fact he had a girlfriend for most of the book. Without giving too many details, there’s a lot of emotional (and even some physical) cheating. I admit this wasn’t my favorite thing, but the rest of the story made up for it.

Surprisingly, there is some depth to the book. I thought this would be a full-on fluff book, but there were a few elements here that I wasn’t expecting. The lighter topics are well-balanced with the heavier topics mentioned –  it’s a fluffy read on the one hand with the cutesy romance while discovering Paris, but on the other side, we have one of the characters dealing with cancer. So not everything was butterflies and roses!

Overall, I was entertained and I was curious to see how the story ended. I heard the other two books are not as good as this one, but I’m still curious and I’ll be continuing the series to find out for myself.

“I never wanted to be the next Bruce Lee. I just wanted to be the first Jackie Chan.” (not from the book) – 3.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: dangerous stunts, amazing movies, being kind, terrible mistakes, and martial arts.

A candid, thrilling memoir from one of the most recognizable, influential, and beloved cinematic personalities in the world.

Everyone knows Jackie Chan. Whether it’s from Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, The Karate Kid, or Kung Fu Panda, Jackie is admired by generations of moviegoers for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and mind-bending stunts. In 2016—after fifty-six years in the industry, over 200 films, and many broken bones—he received an honorary Academy Award for his lifetime achievement in film. But at 64 years-old, Jackie is just getting started.

Now, in Never Grow Up, the global superstar reflects on his early life, including his childhood years at the China Drama Academy (in which he was enrolled at the age of six), his big breaks (and setbacks) in Hong Kong and Hollywood, his numerous brushes with death (both on and off film sets), and his life as a husband and father (which has been, admittedly and regrettably, imperfect).

Jackie has never shied away from his mistakes. Since The Young Master in 1980, Jackie’s films have ended with a bloopers reel in which he stumbles over his lines, misses his mark, or crashes to the ground in a stunt gone south. In Never Grow Up, Jackie applies the same spirit of openness to his life, proving time and time again why he’s beloved the world over: he’s honest, funny, kind, brave beyond reckoning and—after all this time—still young at heart.

This was probably one of the most surprising memoirs I have ever read.

I can’t say I’m a huge Jackie Chan fan since I haven’t seen a lot of his movies – and apparently there are a lot of them -, but I’m a fan of the person he is. I always admired his work ethic and humble background, especially knowing how far he has come.

As I was expecting, he started his martial arts training very young and he did it for about 10 years. He soon started working on films as a stuntman, and he quickly became more and more popular because he was very hard-working and was always pushing his limits! He also talks about how every part of his body was broken at some point – he even goes into detail about every single lesion, which was insane to read about!

Now let me tell what surprised me the most about his story: I always saw him as a humble person, but he admits he wasn’t always like that. He talked a lot about his mistakes and how he mistreated people a lot. I can’t lie, my view of him changed a little! That was very surprising to me, but he was very open about it, which also tells us how much he has changed.

I really liked reading about his story, his passion for creating high-quality movies and always pushing his limits. I still admire him.

“I do love him. I’ve loved him as long as he has loved me. I’ve just spent so much of my life, so much of the last week, pretending it wasn’t true. So that we wouldn’t be hurt. That we wouldn’t suffer at the hands of class and expectations.” – 3/5 stars!

“The Little Mermaid” takes a twisted turn in this thrilling sequel to villainess origin story Sea Witch, as the forces of land and sea clash in an epic battle for freedom, redemption, and true love.

Runa will not let her twin sister die. Alia traded her voice to the Sea Witch for a shot at happiness with a prince who doesn’t love her. And his rejection will literally kill her—unless Runa intervenes.

Under the sea, Evie craves her own freedom—but liberation from her role as Sea Witch will require an exchange she may not be willing to make. With their hearts’ desires at odds, what will Runa and Evie be willing to sacrifice to save their worlds?

Told from alternating perspectives, this epic fairy tale retelling is a romantic and heart-wrenching story about the complications of sisterhood, the uncompromising nature of magic, and the cost of redemption.

Meh, it was alright.

Now this was a little closer to the “Little Mermaid” story to be called a retelling in comparison to the first book. In “Sea Witch”, the focus is on the sea witch story, but in this book, it’s a little closer to the story most of us know – but the interesting part is that this book focuses on Runa (a sister) instead of Alia (the little mermaid).

I admit I wasn’t super invested in this book. It just felt a little flat and boring, and I had a hard time feeling captivated to keep reading. Not sure if that’s because I already “know” the original story and I lost interest? I also don’t think this needed to be a duology. 

At the end of the day, this duology was just okay – nothing too captivating. I find it hard to find good mermaid books, and this was another example of that struggle. It’s just not a very memorable book. It wasn’t terrible, but it was great as well… just alright.

“I’ve learned that there are really just two mental patterns that contribute to dis-ease: fear and anger. Anger can show up as impatience, irritation, frustration, criticism, resentment, jealousy, or bitterness. These are all thoughts that poison the body. When we release this burden, all the organs in our body begin to function properly. Fear could be tension, anxiety, nervousness, worry, doubt, insecurity, feeling not good enough, or unworthiness. Do you relate to any of this stuff? We must learn to substitute faith for fear if we are to heal.” – 4.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: affirmations, health conditions, and handling emotions.

Heal Your Body is a fresh and easy step-by-step guide. Just look up your specific health challenge and you will find the probable cause for this health issue and the information you need to overcome it by creating a new thought pattern. Louise Hay, bestselling author, is an internationally known leader in the self-help field. Her key “If we are willing to do the mental work, almost anything can be healed.” The author has a great deal of experience and firsthand information to share about healing—including how she cured herself after having been diagnosed with cancer.Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world have read Heal Your Body and have found it to be an indispensable reference. Here are some typical “I love this book. I carry it around in my purse,refer to it constantly, and share it with my friends.”“HEAL YOUR BODY seems divinely inspired.”“Thank you for writing HEAL YOUR BODY. It changed my ideas about diseases. As I am a doctor, it also changed the way I look at people.”

Oh, how I love Louise Hay! Her books always come to me at the right time, and I couldn’t be more grateful!

This is a book for people who want to treat a specific health condition through metaphysics. Louise explains that the health issues we have are usually created by us either by feelings like fear and anger, or personal trauma. So she uses this book to explain how you can treat your specific condition. 

It’s not a conventional book format when it comes to structure, because it consists (mostly) of a table with three columns: a column with different conditions/diseases, a column with the probable cause, and a final column with affirmations to work on the issues. There’s also a specific area at the end that focuses on back pain and goes into detail on the probable causes and treatments.

She listed a lot of conditions, so it’s probable you’ll find in the list what has been bothering you! It’s vast and complete with the most common health problems.

This is more a book to be consulted from time to time, it’s not exactly a full, deep read.

Highly recommend it if you’re open-minded and are looking for a cure in an unconventional way.

“I told the girl that I loved my scars. And I do. My scars tell my story more clearly than any ink.” – 2/5 stars!

NK taught Leora that all was not what it seems on the surface.
SPARK taught her that there are two sides to every story.
Now Leora has had enough of lessons – she wants to make her own story.

The explosive finale to the best-selling INK trilogy sees Leora struggling to reconcile her past and her future – and recognising that there may be no easy answers.

Oh, the conclusion for this trilogy wasn’t better. I wanted to end this series on a high note, but I ended up reducing my rating again.

Once again, what bothered me the most in this book was the constant nonsense. Nothing makes sense. The dialogs lead to nowhere, the characters do unexplainable things for weird reasons… the writing is so weird!

One thing that happened a lot is that a new element is introduced (character, situation, etc.), but after a while then you understand it wasn’t relevant to the story. For example in the second book, Gull’s bother was introduced and I was super sure he was going to form a love triangle with Leora and the other guy (can’t even remember his name) because he was getting so much attention… it turns out, he wasn’t relevant in the end. Things like that happened all the time in all of the books, and it made the pacing very awkward because you expect something to happen and then it never happens.

On a side note: I was scared when I read about the immortality thing. I genuinely thought to myself “Are you serious, I can’t believe I’m reading this”. It turns out, it wasn’t really a thing (thank God). If you read the book, you know what I’m talking about.

I’m sad because I really wanted to love this trilogy. As soon as I read the synopsis for the first book, I was immediately captivated, but the execution ruined these books. What a shame.

“I don’t feel as though I’m a blessing, but at least I can choose not to be a curse.” – 3/5 stars!

Leora is reeling: questioning everything she has ever known about her family and herself.

As half-Marked and half-Blank, can she ever wholly belong in either fractured community? Mayor Longsight wants to use her as a weapon: to infiltrate Featherstone, home of the Blanks, and deliver them to him for obliteration. Leora longs for answers about her mysterious birth mother, and Featherstone may reveal them.

But will she find solace and safety there or a viper’s nest of suspicion and secrets?

Yeah, I’m not loving this series – and trust me, I wanted to!

This book is a little better compared to the first, but it was still too nonsensical for me. Just like what happened with the first book, there were a lot of chapters where things didn’t make any sense – weird dialogs between the characters, random decisions, etc.

It felt a lot like a filler book because it felt like almost nothing happened. Leora went to the blanks as a spy, but of course, she starts seeing things differently and changes her mind. It was a very predictable plot!

To be completely honest, it was not a very entertaining book, but at least it was a little more pleasant than the first one. I keep saying the concept of the trilogy is cool and interesting, but the delivery is not the best.

“I cast this burden of resentment on the Christ within, and I go free, to be loving, harmonious and happy.” – 4.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: manifestation tips, a lot of examples, affirmations, and a great dose of inspiration.

Explore the wisdom of a New Thought classic and master the game of life!

In this classic bestseller, Florence Scovel Shinn helped to define the personal success genre. Written in the new thought tradition, her message is simple yet transformative—we receive back what we put into the world through our actions, energy, and attitudes. Negativity and pessimism are returned in kind, but by switching the script in favor of positive attitudes and affirmations, we are able to manifest success and joy in everything we do.

Life, Shinn tells us, is not a battle of us against the world, but rather a game of giving and receiving. What we give to the world we receive back—whether that be the dark weight of fear and inhibition or the freedom of joy and empowerment. This new edition of The Game of Life and How to Play It combines the text of Shinn’s original edition with a sleek design that will inspire a new generation of readers.

Ooh, I loved this book! I needed a little inspiration and this hit the spot – and of course, I found it at the right time!

It reminded me a lot of “The Secret” because it’s a book that teaches how you can manifest whatever you want in life. It teaches you how to use your thoughts and words in your favor – you just have to follow a set of “rules” to do it harmoniously. And the best part is that the author gives you plenty of examples!

There’s a big connection to religion here, so keep that in mind if you decide to get into this book. There are a lot of biblical references, but I truly believe you can still take the lessons from this book, no matter what your beliefs are.

I took a lot from this book, especially the part where the author talks about asking what you want as long as it’s according to our divine plan. Meaning, that it has to come into our life harmoniously if it’s meant to be ours. That made a lot of sense to me, and it made me reflect on my wishes and how I make them!

Not gonna lie, the writing was a little difficult to understand at times because it was originally published in the 1920s and the writing is a little different. Keep in mind I’m not a native English speaker.

I’ve already recommended this book to a few of my closest friends, and I’m sure they will take something from this book. And to be honest, I’m sure I’ll read this again in the future!

2/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: kidney stones, health insurance, treatments, and symptoms.

THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON TREATING KIDNEY STONES

Living with Kidney Stones is a health resource for anyone who has ever suffered with the pain of kidney stones.

One in 10 individuals will suffer from kidney stones at some point in their life. Composed of hard, painful mineral deposits forming inside the kidneys, these stones are both crippling and potentially chronic. Thankfully, patients can take action to reduce their chances of developing or redeveloping kidney stones by following a good diet, observing proper self-care, and adopting a comprehensive wellness plan.

To that end, Living with Kidney Stones offers the most up-to-date information on this illness, paired with heartfelt insight from an actual kidney stone sufferer.

Living with Kidney Stones also
• Easy-to-understand information on types and causes of kidney stones
• The latest information on kidney stone testing
• Traditional and alternative options for a broad, full-body approach to wellness
• Guidance on self-care techniques for patients, families and caregivers
• Valuable medical and community resources for kidney stone sufferers

Learning to manage your risk factors for kidney stones can seem overwhelming, but by taking everything one day at a time and making sure you’re provided with the care and support you need, you can minimize your risk while maximizing your quality of life. Don’t just live with kidney stones— live well.

I added this book to my TBR because, as the title implies, I thought it was cool that someone who has a history of kidney stones was willing to share their story. I believe we can learn from other people’s experiences and mistakes, so thought this could be an interesting read.

Unfortunately, this didn’t work out for me. The main reason why I didn’t like this book is the fact that it feels too specific, so it’s not relatable to a lot of people. I honestly couldn’t relate to her experience for several different reasons, and I don’t think this book would help anyone to be sincere.

The author talks about symptoms, possible treatments, and her experience was dealing with health insurance and medical professionals. And while this may seem like good information to know about, it seemed to me that there was more complaining done than actual useful and practical advice. Plus, the few facts the book presents (and that matter) are not very complete.

I’m not an American citizen, so all the information about health insurance and the medical system was not useful. I can see some value in the treatments section, but the symptoms, once again, didn’t add value to the book in my humble opinion.

The real question is: at the end of the day, is this book helpful? To be honest, I don’t think this book is going to help everyone who has kidney stones. Maybe it could help some U.S. citizens in the sense that they could kind of understand what the hospital experience would be like, but other than there’s nothing too valuable you can take from this book.

Since this person has a history of having kidney stones, I wish she shared the advice she received from doctors and her own experience of what she learned along the way to prevent stones. That would have been helpful!

I believe there are many great books on the subject, and unfortunately, this is not one of them.

“Know your worth, girls. You’re not lucky to be at the party; the party is lucky to have you. Apply as needed to relationships, jobs, and family.” – 4.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: hot pink, cute boys, fashion, runway, a bedazzler, privilege, designer clothes, secrets, paparazzi, new businesses, trauma, ADHD, social media, a lot of partying, heiresses, modeling, catchphrases, and the famous “baby voice”.

A MILLION MEANINGS IN A SINGLE NAME…
Heiress. Party girl. Problem child. Selfie taker. Model. Cover girl. Reality star.
These are labels that have been attached to Paris Hilton by others.

Founder. Entrepreneur. Pop Culture Maker. Innovator. Survivor. Activist. Daughter. Sister. Wife. Mom.
These are roles Paris Hilton embraces now as a fully realized woman.

Paris rose to prominence as an heiress to the Hilton Hotels empire, but cultivated her fame and fortune as the It Girl of the aughts, a time marked by the burgeoning twenty-four-hour entertainment news cycle and the advent of the celebrity blog. Using her celebrity brand, Paris set in motion her innovative business ventures, while being the constant target of tabloid culture that dismissively wrote her off as “famous for being famous.” With tenacity, sharp business acumen, and grit, she built a global empire and, in the process, became a truly modern icon beloved around the world.

Now, with courage, honesty, and humor, Paris Hilton is ready to take stock, place it all in context, and share her story with the world. Separating the creation from the creator, the brand from the ambassador, Paris: The Memoir strips away all we thought we knew about a celebrity icon, taking us back to a privileged childhood lived through the lens of undiagnosed ADHD and teenage rebellion that triggered a panicked–and perilous–decision by her parents. Led to believe they were saving their child’s life, Paris’s mother and father had her kidnapped and sent to a series of “emotional growth boarding schools,” where she survived almost two years of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. In the midst of a hell we now call the “troubled teen industry,” Paris created a beautiful inner world where the ugliness couldn’t touch her. She came out, resolving to trust no one but herself as she transformed that fantasy world into a multibillion-dollar reality.

Recounting her perilous journey through pre-#MeToo sexual politics with grace, dignity, and just the right amount of sass, Paris: The Memoir tracks the evolution of celebrity culture through the story of the figure at its leading edge, full of defining moments and marquee names. Most important, Paris shows us her path to peace while she challenges us to question our role in her story and in our own. Welcome to Paris.

It’s funny to think I kind of judged this book before picking it up, which proves the point she is trying to make. It’s not that I thought this was going to be a bad book, but I think I had a formed idea in my mind of what this book would be – more on the superficial side, to be honest.

I’m very surprised she opened up about her story and the things she went through. Sure, people look at Paris and see a rich party girl always dressed in pink, but even though that’s, in fact, a big part of who she is, she is also extremely intelligent, kind, and a businesswoman at heart. I’m not surprised she’s still friends with Kim Kardashian because they are very similar in this regard! She openly talks about how people are quick to judge her because of the “persona” she created over the last few years. And even though I know she is very smart and was “playing a character” for a very long time, I still thought this book was a product of that character. Well, I was wrong.

But I digress, let’s go back to the book. The book was very easy to read and was well structured. I liked how casual it was, but it was still very well organized – as I reader, I prefer well-structured memoirs because it’s easy to get lost in the timeline of events sometimes. She talks about her family (not in a lot of detail, but enough for you to understand her upbringing), how she started getting famous, all the trouble she caused, and how much she’s grown. She also talks about how she fell in love with her now-husband and how she had trouble getting pregnant. She even mentions how she started her signature phrase “that’s hot”, which I thought was a pretty funny thing to add to her book! But the thing that marked me the most – and I would even say it’s the biggest thing she talks about in the book – was her time spent in a sort of boarding school for troubled teens. Her parents had enough of her and sent her to a very disturbed place that abused kids – well, in their defense, they had no idea what was going on. They just trusted she was going to a good place with psychiatrists and therapists. Paris (and the other kids) were severely traumatized by the years they spent there, and some of them were either killed or took their own lives. It’s insane to know a place like that existed, taking advantage of desperate parents by taking loads of money and promising to “straighten” their kids. It was difficult to read her telling her experience and talking about other kids who were there at the same time with her. Still, I’m glad she brought that to light for people to start a conversation on the subject.

I think people don’t give Paris enough credit. She is not trying to fool anyone – she knows and acknowledges she was very lucky to be born with good looks and to grow up with old money – but I wish people would look over all her privilege and see how hard-working and inspiring she is.

I finished this book wondering if her parents read it. Apparently, her parents had a really hard time when they finally knew what happened to her and she even says she hopes they read her book. I honestly hope they did (or do).

I wasn’t expecting any of this, but I was pleasantly surprised by her honesty and humility. It was a very eye-opening memoir and it made me think of how quickly and easily we judge people we don’t know. She talked about some very serious issues and I’m glad she brought them to light. Very impressed with this one!