“Trap me? I’d love to be trapped here. You can’t trap someone somewhere if it’s the only place in the world they want to be.” – 3.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: tiny bikinis, fish hooks, car accidents, cotton swabs, new roommates, long hair, a British accent, fortune cookies, private letters, old besties, and Pilates classes.

Dear Bridget,
I’m writing this letter because it’s highly doubtful I’ll ever garner the courage to say this to your face.
So, here goes.
We’re totally wrong for each other. You’re the proper single mum with a good head on your shoulders. I’m just the carefree British doctor passing through town and temporarily living in your converted garage until I head back to England.
But here’s the thing… for some bloody reason, I can’t stop thinking about you in very inappropriate ways.
I want you.
The only reason I’m even admitting all of this to you right now is because I don’t believe it’s one-sided. I notice your eyes when you look at me, too. And as crass as I appear when we’re joking around about sex, my attraction to you is not a joke.
So, what’s the purpose of this note? I guess it’s a reminder that we’re adults, that sex is healthy and natural, and that you can find me just through the door past the kitchen. More specifically, it’s to let you know that I’m leaving said door cracked open from now on in case you’d like to visit me in the middle of the night sometime.
No questions asked.
Think about it.
Or don’t.
Whatever you choose.
It’s doubtful I’ll even end up sliding this letter under your door anyway.
–Simon

This was fun! I was in the mood for something light and fun, so I picked up a random romance from my TBR – and it was this bad boy! This ended up being just an okay romance – not bad, not extraordinary -, but I’m still glad I read it because it got me out of my (small) reading slump!
I liked the characters and I feel like they had some chemistry, but I personally prefer the “enemies-to-lovers” trope more than the “friends-to-lovers” trope, so this didn’t captivate me as much. There’s also a bit of an age gap between them – the girl is 5 years older than the guy. It’s not a super common thing to happen in romances, so I thought that was interesting!
The couple meets in a funny way – the girl has a fish hook on her butt, and the doctor that assists her was none other than the romantic interest. It was definitely an interesting way of starting the book, to say the least!
What’s also interesting about this story is that the girl has a son, so they also have to navigate her being a mother and having her responsibilities. Also, a big part of the story is the guy knowing he can’t get attached (and vice-versa) because he is going to move back to England soon. Also, he mentions several times that he doesn’t want to play a parent role anytime soon, so everyone is very apprehensive about starting an actual relationship. So there are a few interesting obstacles here and there that keep the reader interested in the story.
I keep thinking about why I can’t give this more than just a 3-star rating, and my conclusion is that this was too much of a cliché for me. It just felt… too easy and instalovey to be honest. I think I needed a little more angst to love this one!
Not gonna lie, I’ll probably pick up a few more romances after reading this. As I said, it wasn’t an extraordinary romance, but it made me want to pick up more romances!

“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita. Did she have a precursor? She did, indeed she did. In point of fact, there might have been no Lolita at all had I not loved, one summer, an initial girl-child. In a princedom by the sea. Oh when? About as many years before Lolita was born as my age was that summer. You can always count on a murderer for a fancy prose style. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, exhibit number one is what the seraphs, the misinformed, simple, noble-winged seraphs, envied. Look at this tangle of thorns.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: innocence, smooth skin, obsession, scholars, deception, desire, and a lot of… preying on children.

Humbert Humbert – scholar, aesthete and romantic – has fallen completely and utterly in love with Dolores Haze, his landlady’s gum-snapping, silky skinned twelve-year-old daughter. Reluctantly agreeing to marry Mrs Haze just to be close to Lolita, Humbert suffers greatly in the pursuit of romance; but when Lo herself starts looking for attention elsewhere, he will carry her off on a desperate cross-country misadventure, all in the name of Love. Hilarious, flamboyant, heart-breaking and full of ingenious word play, Lolita is an immaculate, unforgettable masterpiece of obsession, delusion and lust.

So I finally read “Lolita”. Sure, I was creeped out like I thought I would be, but honestly… it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I heard a lot of people saying this book made them feel super uncomfortable and that it was horrible to read his thoughts – and while they have a point and I agree, maybe I expected something overwhelmingly graphic and horrifying.

And that was exactly my biggest concern going into this book. I was concerned the “physical” scenes were graphic, but fortunately the author kept it “clean” and there were no details during those scenes. I’m super glad the author decided “not to feed” the creeps! It sure made reading a little more… comfortable?

So if you don’t know about this book, this story is about Humbert Humbert – what a stupid name btw -, who is fascinated by what he calls “nymphets” or “lolitas” – also know as… female children. It’s an interesting book because you get to see what a person with no morals or common sense thinks like. He is a repulsive villain who keeps justifying his actions, “falls” in love with these children and preys them.

But is he really in love? Because one thing I found funny while reading this book is how he keeps talking about how in love he is with “Lolita”, and constantly talks about how smooth her skin is and how sweet and innocent she is… but he absolutely hates her personality. It’s comical how his feelings change as soon as she opens her mouth. Is he really in love, or is it physical attraction? As you would expect, his attraction decreases significantly when she starts getting older – still a teen, but older.

As you can probably tell by now, this is obviously not a love story. I would say this is pure obsession and ugly manipulation. The book felt very real. It was disturbing, but I feel like this could be a true representation of a lot of creeps out there. It’s a work of art. A poetic, impactful, ugly and disturbing work of art. But a work of art, nonetheless.

“Guncle Rule number eight: Live your life to the fullest every single day, because every day is a gift. That’s why people die. To teach us the importance of living.” – 4.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: brunch and lumper, cocktails, Japanese washlets, the tooth fairy, grief, and taking care of family.

Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is honestly a bit out of his league.

So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick’s brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of “Guncle Rules” ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting—even if temporary—isn’t solved with treats and jokes, Patrick’s eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you’re unfailingly human.

This book was so good, I’m very surprised by how much I liked this!
I admit I never thought much about this book. I’ve seen it a lot in bookstores but I always looked at the cover and kept moving to the next book. It just never caught my full attention, so when I randomly picked it up, I wasn’t expecting it to be this good!
So this story follows GUP, also known as Gay Uncle Patrick. He is a movie star who peaked his career a while ago and spends his days now enjoying his best life. But after his nephews Maisie (9) and Grant (6) become temporarily under his care, his life takes a turn – for the better, of course!
Patrick is an incredibly funny character and since he has no experience dealing with kids, he often treats them as adults – which, as you can imagine, sometimes works… and sometimes it doesn’t. They follow him around everywhere, and for the first time, he’s learning how to be responsible for his nephews instead of focusing only on him and his needs.
I loved this book so much. It was the perfect mixture of sweet and funny, but also a unique breath of fresh air. It’s a story about growth and being there for the family when they need us. It’s also a story about forgiveness and patience. It was great to see that they all became better after spending time together – not only did the kids learn from their uncle, but the uncle also learned valuable lessons from the kids as well. It is wholesomeness galore with this one!
Also, I just found out there is going to be a sequel! I’m super excited to get my hands on it. I definitely recommend this one! Don’t walk past it like I did, give it a fair shot to steal your heart. As a side note, I also highly recommend the audiobook version of this book because the narrator did a great job with this one.

“Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: Greek gods, romances, war, music, and beautiful art.

It’s 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She’s a shy and talented pianist; he’s a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it’s immediate and deep–and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.

Aubrey Edwards is also headed toward the trenches. A gifted musician who’s played Carnegie Hall, he’s a member of the 15th New York Infantry, an all-African-American regiment being sent to Europe to help end the Great War. Love is the last thing on his mind. But that’s before he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who’s already survived unspeakable tragedy at the hands of the Germans.

Thirty years after these four lovers’ fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite tells their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a luxe Manhattan hotel room at the height of World War II. She seeks to answer the age-old question: Why are Love and War eternally drawn to one another? But her quest for a conclusion that will satisfy her jealous husband uncovers a multi-threaded tale of prejudice, trauma, and music and reveals that War is no match for the power of Love.

A sweeping, multi-layered romance with a divine twist, by the Printz Honor-winning author of The Passion of Dolssa, set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II.

I almost DNF’ed “Lovely War” if I’m being frank with you. I wasn’t feeling the book’s theme, the super slow pace at the beginning, the weird connection between Greek mythology and World War I, or the boring romances. I still pushed through and ended up continuing the book, and fortunately, it got a little better.

As I said, I wasn’t captivated at first, but as the book progressed, I was able to connect a little more to the story and characters. Unfortunately, it still wasn’t a 4-star read for me.

I think the best part of this book was the ending, where the author left a note for the readers. In this note, the author talks about the real historical facts behind the book (characters inspired by real people, real events that were added to the book, etc.). Knowing the book was pieced together with different real events made the book way more interesting in my eyes!

At the end of the day, it just wasn’t very memorable in my opinion. I think it’s important for you to take my opinion with a grain of salt because this is probably just a personal preference. It’s not a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.

“The pain from kidney stones is known to bring macho, grown men to their knees. I should know, because it happened to me.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: excruciating pain, new diets, minerals, oxalates, bad habits, and, of course, kidney stones.

In “Even Urologists Get Kidney Stones,” Dr. Evan R. Goldfischer provides an in-depth guide with everything you need to know about kidney stones–from causes to treatments to prevention. If you have experienced kidney stones and really, truly do not want to experience that pain again, it is important that you review the guidelines and information in this book.

Dr. Goldfischer has first-hand experience with kidney stones (he’s had two calcium-based stones), and he is able to apply personal experience, knowledge, and medical expertise to help kidney stone sufferers prevent future stones from occurring.

I was looking for books to read on the subject, and this quickly caught my eye for the title. An urologist getting a kidney stone? That’s unusual, or at least that’s what I thought.

The book starts with the author sharing the story of how he got his kidney stone and his experience with the terrible pain it comes with. After that, he explains what are kidney stones, the basic anatomy of the urinary tract, how kidney stones are formed, the factors that contribute to their development, and how you can treat the stones and prevent them from happening again. 

The part I appreciated the most was the diet part! If you tend to develop kidney stones, make sure you are eating the right foods. The author has a list of what you should avoid and what you can eat freely – that was very helpful!

It’s an easy and practical book to go through, and it uses simple terms so that everyone can understand what is being said. Worth checking out if you’re new to the condition and want to learn more information on what you can do.

“I don’t want to disappear. I want to exist in my body, with these new possibilities. Possibilities. Perhaps that is one of the main components of life lost to lack of representation. Options erased from the imagination. Narratives indoctrinated that we spend an eternity attempting to break. The unraveling is painful, but it leads you to you.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: secret relationships, the media, mental health, and transitioning.

Pageboy is a groundbreaking coming-of-age memoir from the Academy Award-nominated actor Elliot Page. A generation-defining actor and one of the most famous trans advocates of our time, Elliot will now be known as an uncommon literary talent, as he shares never-before-heard details and intimate interrogations on gender, love, mental health, relationships, and Hollywood.

An interesting memoir.

As soon as I saw this was going to be released, I was immediately interested in it. There was something different about this actor that always intrigued me. The movie that introduced me to Elliot Page (Ellen Page, at the time) was Juno. It was such a weird movie, but it had its charm and I liked it for what it was. So when I found out he transitioned and wrote a book talking about it, I got very curious to see what it was all about and I quickly added it to my TBR.

I listened to this book in the audiobook format, narrated by the author. He talks in a deep, monotone voice, and I can see some people not loving that. I personally was okay with it, but keep that in mind if you decide to listen to the book instead of reading it because you can catch yourself closing your eyes from time to time.

I have a few conflicting feelings about this memoir. On the one hand, we get a glimpse of what his life was like, the changes he went through, and his struggles with mental illness. But on the other side, I kind of wish the focus of the book was on him instead of focusing so much on his romantic relationships. It seemed at times, the focus was just saying “I dated this famous person and this happened”, then “I also dated that famous person”. I understand it’s part of his story, but I wish the focus was mostly on him.

The writing was overall okay, but I have only one thing that I need to mention. If the book followed a timeline it would be easier to enjoy. This book is all over the place, and it’s difficult for the reader to not get lost when you’re constantly going back in forth. There were so many random small stories added that you keep thinking “Why did they add this?”. That made it difficult to enjoy, personally.

At the end of the day, I appreciate Elliot speaking his truth and sharing his experience with transitioning, dealing with the media, and discovering himself. Compared to other memoirs, it wasn’t great – but it was still okay.

“My friend Kira always said that life is like an extremely difficult, horribly unbalanced videogame. When you’re born, you’re given a randomly generated character, with a randomly determined name, race, face, and social class. Your body is your avatar, and you spawn in a random geographic location, at a random moment in human history, surrounded by a random group of people, and then you have to try to survive for as long as you can. Sometimes the game might seem easy. Even fun. Other times it might be so difficult you want to give up and quit. But unfortunately, in this game you only get one life. When your body grows too hungry or thirsty or ill or injured or old, your health meter runs out and then it’s Game Over. Some people play the game for a hundred years without ever figuring out that it’s a game, or that there is a way to win it. To win the videogame of life you just have to try to make the experience of being forced to play it as pleasant as possible, for yourself, and for all of the other players you encounter in your travels. Kira says that if everyone played the game to win, it’d be a lot more fun for everyone.” – 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: AI technology, conscious avatars, riddles, fancy headsets, vintage video games, a few more 80’s references, the OASIS, and a new hunt.

An unexpected quest. Two worlds at stake. Are you ready?

Days after winning Oasis founder James Halliday’s contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything.

Hidden within Halliday’s vaults, waiting for his heir to find, lies a technological advancement that will once again change the world and make the Oasis a thousand times more wondrous—and addictive—than even Wade dreamed possible.

With it comes a new riddle, and a new quest—a last Easter egg from Halliday, hinting at a mysterious prize.

And an unexpected, impossibly powerful, and dangerous new rival awaits, one who’ll kill millions to get what he wants.

Wade’s life and the future of the Oasis are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.

Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, fun, action-packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again.

Oh how disappointing this was. 

I fell in love with the first book and was amazed at the world-building and creativity… but this sequel just wasn’t as good. I truly believe reading this sequel ruins what was created in the first book.

The story gets picked right after Wade wins the contest in the first book. When I first started this, I was curious to see what the author was going to create next but unfortunately, I was quickly disappointed. To be honest, this sequel was completely unnecessary and added nothing to the story. 

There was also a hunt in this book (the “Seven Shards of the Siren’s Soul.”), but it felt forced and it wasn’t even close to being as good as the first one. Still, it was probably my favorite thing about the book. The pacing was very slow and I didn’t like how this book changes your view on Halliday. He went from a sweet, introverted nerd to a psychopathic stalker! As you can imagine, this revelation makes you think differently about the first book, which I did not appreciate.

Of course, I still liked the 80’s references and movies, but it wasn’t enough to take this book from a 3-star rating to a 4-star rating. It was just okay, with a few extra points for the retro references and movies – that Prince World was a little too weird for me though.

I wish I could delete this book from my mind.

“I created the OASIS because I never felt at home in the real world. I didn’t know how to connect with the people there. I was afraid, for all of my life, right up until I knew it was ending. That was when I realized, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real.” – 5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: vintage videogames, 80’s references, clues, hunts, cheaters, improbable friendships, stacks of trailers, easter eggs, the OASIS, and the “High Five”.

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade’s devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world’s digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator’s obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade’s going to survive, he’ll have to win—and confront the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

This book was INCREDIBLE! It has been a while since I’ve read a book this good!

I was fully immersed in this book in a way that only readers could know. I had so much fun! The funny thing is I’m not even a science-fiction reader, but some dystopian books steal my heart once in a while and I just can’t resist their charm. And that’s exactly what happened with “Ready Player One”!

Ernest Cline created the most interesting world, full of retro videogames and 80’s references. The hunt made the story super interesting, the plot was captivating, the characters were great (I loved Wade as a main character) and the deep message behind this story is a very important one.

If you watched the movie adaptation, keep in mind that it’s very different from the book! Of course not everything is different and the gist of the plot – yes, not plot, but the gist of the plot – is the same, but the movie doesn’t do justice to the book. It would be almost impossible to recreate this book in a movie format because it’s very complex and there are so many cool elements that would be difficult to incorporate. Also, a big part of the movie plot is taken from the second book! So even if you watch the movie, I highly recommend you read this book, it’s so much better!

Unfortunately, the second book in the duology was not good and I wish I never read it, but I digress! My advice for you is to pick up this book, read it, love it (even reread it if you want to)… but after you finish it, don’t think about picking the second book. In my humble opinion, it destroys the awesomeness of the first book and you can’t look at it the same way after reading the second book. It’s not worth it!

After finishing “Ready Player One”,  I immediately knew I was going to reread this one day. I loved all the details, the complex hunt, the clues, the 80’s references, the videogames mentioned. It was such a complex, detailed, piece of art that can’t be read only once, but needs to be enjoyed more!

I had a wonderful time reading this, and I can’t recommend it enough!

“In your thirties something strange starts to happen. It’s a mere hiccup at first, an instant of hesitation. How old are you? Oh, I’m — you start confidently, but then you stop. You were going to say thirty-three, but you’re not. You’re thirty-five. And then you’re bothered, because you wonder if this is the beginning of the end. It is, of course, but it’s decades before you admit it.” – 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: senior homes, old memories, difficult routines, inexperienced vets, and of course, water for elephants.

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.

I wasn’t even planning on reading this book anytime soon, but one day I saw it in my TBR and decided to give it a go!

I read this randomly near the end of the year 2023… and I just can’t stop thinking about it. I didn’t know the story or anything about it before picking it up, so I was completely in the dark – in the end, I ended up giving it a 4-star rating! It was a fascinating and well-made story. I have to say I found the animal abuse scenes disturbing and upsetting to read, but I get why they were important to the story. 

I’m not sure if this was popular when it came out, but if it wasn’t, this deserves all the hype! It was a very heartbreaking read, but there is something very special about this book that has stuck with me. 

Also, a few weeks after finishing the book, the movie version was on TV and I ended up seeing it! If you saw the movie, I would say that you don’t necessarily need to read the book because I thought they did a good job adapting the story to the big screen. But of course, there’s always something that is lost so if you like the story, I would say to read the book anyway!

“My heart is not mine to give because it is already yours.” – 3.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: old friendships, witches, fishermen, mermaids, princes, 3 days, true love, a first kiss, drownings, and… revenge.

Everyone knows what happens in the end. A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss. But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends. One feared, one royal, and one already dead.

Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch.

A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.

But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.

Some people may want to read this book knowing this is a Little Mermaid retelling, and if that’s the case, I need to tell you this. While the story progressed I kept thinking “…how is this a Little Mermaid retelling?”. That kept going on for a while and eventually, my question was answered and I finally understood what the resemblance was. For this reason, I want to tell you to keep in mind that this is still very different from the story we all know. If you’re a fan of the Disney version and want to read this book for that reason, let me tell you straight up: you’ll be disappointed!

The writing was okay. There are two timelines here, but I personally was not confused by that format. The author uses two timelines to explain the main event and also the “present”, 4 years after. The pacing is on the slower side, especially during the first half of the book. Things took a while to start moving and I admit my attention was starting to get lost.

Still, there were a few elements in this book that kept me interested and wanting to keep reading – like the mystery surrounding Anna -, but other elements were a little too repetitive – for example, the fact they kept repeating the main event that started it all in different perspectives.

The characters in this book are a little bland, and even though there is some romance in here, the story feels a little flat. I liked the “main” romance, but the “secondary” romances felt a little too insta-lovey for my taste.

Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it – it was okay. I think there are better mermaid stories out there, so I wouldn’t exactly recommend this one. With that being said, it’s not a bad story and it was entertaining at the end of the day.