Review | Twisted Hate (Twisted #3) by Ana Huang

“Hell with you sounds like heaven to me.” 4.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: ugly paintings, offices, libraries, nights out, threats, homemade videos, recognizable shoes, skiing, redheads, a ton of angst, and an enemies-to-lovers trope.

He hates her…almost as much as he wants her.

Gorgeous, cocky, and fast on his way to becoming a hotshot doctor, Josh Chen has never met a woman he couldn’t charm—except for Jules f**king Ambrose.

The beautiful redhead has been a thorn in his side since they met, but she also consumes his thoughts in a way no woman ever has.

When their animosity explodes into one unforgettable night, he proposes a solution that’ll get her out of his system once and for all: an enemies with benefits arrangement with simple rules.

No jealousy.

No strings attached.

And absolutely no falling in love.

**

Outgoing and ambitious, Jules Ambrose is a former party girl who’s focused on one thing: passing the attorney’s bar exam.

The last thing she needs is to get involved with a doctor who puts the SUFFER in insufferable…no matter how good-looking he is.

But the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes there’s more than meets the eye to the man she’s hated for so long.

Her best friend’s brother.

Her nemesis.

And her only salvation.

Theirs is a match made in hell, and when the demons from their past catch up with them, they’re faced with truths that could either save them …or destroy everything they’ve worked for.

Twisted Hate is a steamy enemies with benefits/enemies to lovers romance. It’s book three in the Twisted series but can be read as a standalone.

Warning: It contains explicit content, profanity, and topics that may be sensitive to some readers. For details, please see content notes inside the book. Recommended for 18+.

My favorite book from the series so far!

I’m a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers story, so I was excited and hopeful about this one – although I wasn’t exactly expecting a lot from it after reading the previous book because I ended up being disappointed. The plot is a pretty typical one for a modern romance: the story of a girl who is running away from her past and mistakes, so she moves to another town to start over. But of course, her past catches up with her and she even starts getting blackmailed – then the guy comes and saves her. It’s not exactly a groundbreaking plot, but not necessarily a bad one in my eyes!

I really liked Josh Chen as the romantic interest, and to be honest, he’s probably the reason why I liked this book as much as I did. In comparison to the first two love interests (Alex and Rhys), Josh is more… normal? He seems like a good, outgoing guy, as opposed to Ale, who has a “too much” gene, and Rhys who is overly grumpy. I also liked Jules as a main character, and how fierce and strong she was! She was also very different from the previous two main characters with her fiery red hair and attitude!

The romance was pretty good! I’m a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, so this was a treat for me. There’s a lot of anger, angst, and sexual tension behind their clever banter, which I loved! Also, I really liked the nicknames Josh gave Jules, my favorite one being JR (Jessica Rabbit) – and the one she hated the most.  

As a side note, I’m also glad that Josh and Alex were working things out in this book. I still think they have a long way to go, but I’m glad things are moving forward. Good for you Josh! It was also fun to see the girls together now and then, and the author took the opportunity to introduce Stella, the main character of the next book. It was a smooth transition to the next book!

The writing is okay and it is easy to follow. The books are on the bigger size, but it’s super easy to read without feeling demotivated. The plot itself wasn’t bad and I was fairly entertained, so I think this series is a good option if you just want to read an easy romance/smut book.

To finish this review, I feel like I have to mention the hype around these books: I do believe this series is a little overrated. I don’t think the books are bad… just not great as most people promote them. They’re entertaining but I still think they lack something. Maybe plot-wise or weird pacing, I can exactly pinpoint what it is.

Like I said, from the three books I’ve read from the series, this is so far my favorite. I had high expectations when I started Bridget’s story because I thought that would be closer to what I like in romances, but I felt like something was missing. Then I thought about what went right with this book, and the answer is: the characters made this book. If they didn’t have great personalities, I don’t think this book would have worked for me. Josh and Jules had chemistry and great banter, so I believe that’s the reason why this was my favorite.

Ok, only one book missing now… I can see the finish line!

Review | My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

“Why do you think it’s so popular? The missing-woman story?”
“Because who can resist a damsel in distress?”
3.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: letters, non-bio sandwiches, caves, fake names, and a lot of sneaking out.

A couple’s fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting…

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

I’ve been wanting to read this book for years! It’s funny how I barely pick thrillers anymore, but this was probably the only one I had on my TBR that I really wanted to read for the synopsis. A couple that spices up their boring lives and marriage by killing women together? That sounded so different and interesting!

Unfortunately, this wasn’t what I expected and the story ended up disappointing me a little. I was hoping we would see their dynamic together while kidnapping and killing the women, but we get almost nothing of the sort. A big portion of the book is focused on the kids and the parents thinking about how their actions are affecting them. Also, I thought this would be a dual POV since the couple is doing it together, but instead, we only get the husband’s POV. There’s a lot of “what is my wife doing to the women behind my back” and not a lot of “this is what we are doing to the women”.

There’s a bit of a plot twist at the end, but I didn’t think it was surprising. You kind of see it coming as the story progresses. Also, the pace is on the slower side, so coupling this with the fact there’s almost no action… it gets a little boring.

It wasn’t a terrible book and part of me was entertained, but I thought the story would be a little better and more engaging. Oh well, at least I’ve finally read it!

Review | Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrik Backman

“We want you to be better than us. Because if our kids don’t grow up to be better than us, then what’s the point of all this? We want you to be kinder, smarter, more humble, more generous, and more selfless than we are. We want to give you the very best circumstances we can possibly provide. So we follow sleeping methods and go to seminars and buy ergonomic bathtubs and push car-seat salesmen up against the wall and shout, ‘The safest! I want THE SAFEST, doyouhearme?!’ (Not that I’ve ever done that, of course; you shouldn’t pay so much attention to what your mother says.)” 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: starting bands, strong women, masculinity, justice, IKEA, teams, helpful (and unhelpful) advice, and tons of poop.

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World collects the personal dispatches from the front lines of one of the most daunting experiences any man can experience: fatherhood.

As he conveys his profound awe at experiencing all the “firsts” that fill him with wonder and catch him completely unprepared, Fredrik Backman doesn’t shy away from revealing his own false steps and fatherly flaws, tackling issues both great and small, from masculinity and mid-life crises to practical jokes and poop.

In between the sleep-deprived lows and wonderful highs, Backman takes a step back to share the true story of falling in love with a woman who is his complete opposite, and learning to live a life that revolves around the people you care about unconditionally. Alternating between humorous side notes and longer essays offering his son advice as he grows up and ventures out into the world, Backman relays the big and small lessons in life, including:

-How to find the team you belong to
-Why airports explain everything about religion and war
-The reason starting a band is crucial to cultivating and keeping friendships
-How to beat Monkey Island 3
-Why, sometimes, a dad might hold onto his son’s hand just a little too tight.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove shares an irresistible and moving collection of heartfelt, fictional, humorous essays about fatherhood, providing his newborn son with the perspective and tools he’ll need to make his way in the world.

Reading this small book felt like reading a heart-warming love letter. This is such a beautiful and loving dedication from the author to his newborn son, and I’m glad he decided to share it with the world as well.

I would describe this small book as a collection of essays, where the author describes to his newborn son his first time experiencing fatherhood. He says to his son that he will fail a lot as a parent and how much he is trying. He also gives him “practical” advice on multiple everyday things – which was very funny considering the chosen topics! And yet, there’s a lot of love and wisdom behind his words – and that’s not only directed to his son but to his wife as well. She also received her fair share of love letters from this small book, and it was a joy to read about it!

I’ve read a few Fredrik Backman books before this one, and I can see his familiar humor shining through. I just love how funny this was! Fredrik Backman has a great sense of humor and I’m glad we got to see it not hidden behind his works of fiction.

It’s not often you see a fiction author open up a window like this to their personal lives. Sometimes in the world of fiction, we easily to forget that authors are real people who live real lives and have real experiences. This book made me think about my favorite authors and the kinds of lives they’re living and what challenges they are dealing with daily.

It was a book that made me feel very happy and warm inside. Also, it was a very easy read and I read it in one sitting! I would recommend this one to Fredrik Backman fans, but I’m sure if you have kids this would be a very special read anyway.

Review | Ink (Skin Books #1) by Alice Broadway

“We’re all a bit bad. We all have things in our lives that bring us shame and regret. Things that have hurt our souls or hurt the people we love. But ‘re all a bit good too. i reckon we’re mostly good actually. And life is about trying to learn the balance, plot our place on the continuum… We’re not just made up of good and bad: we’re everything else too.” 2.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: old stories, tattoos, ink, procedures, public markings, new jobs, secrets, crows, witches, public readings, best friends, funerals, skin books, family trees, and blank skin.

There are no secrets in Saintstone.

From the second you’re born, every achievement, every failing, every significant moment are all immortalized on your skin. There are honorable marks that let people know you’re trustworthy. And shameful tattoos that announce you as a traitor.

After her father dies, Leora finds solace in the fact that his skin tells a wonderful story. That is, until she glimpses a mark on the back of his neck…the symbol of the worst crime a person can commit in Saintstone. Leora knows it has to be a mistake, but before she can do anything about it, the horrifying secret gets out, jeopardizing her father’s legacy…and Leora’s life.

In her startlingly prescient debut, Alice Broadway shines a light on the dangerous lengths we go to make our world feel orderly–even when the truth refuses to stay within the lines. This rich, lyrical fantasy with echoes of Orwell is unlike anything you’ve ever read, a tale guaranteed to get under your skin…

I’ve had this for so many years on my TBR! As a dystopian fan, as soon as I read the synopsis for this book a few years ago I was convinced this story was something I would like to binge on.

I still think the concept behind this book is very unique and interesting. A society that makes you tattoo every important mark on your skin and when you die, the skin is saved as a life book? A society that sees non-tattooed people (or blanks, as they call them) as outsiders and rebels with souls that will be lost? Sounds like a cool story to me!

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the amazing story I thought it would be. There were a lot of things that didn’t work out, but the most important one for me was the execution – it was not good. This plot was an absolute mess and the world-building is severely underdeveloped. It was such a slow-paced story to the point where it felt like it barely progressed. There are a lot of scenes that don’t make a lot of sense, and at the end of the day, it was difficult to find the reason why they hated/feared the blanks so much?

A big thing about this story is that the portrayed society created its foundation on old tales. They have these stories that they use to explain why things are a certain way. So a few chapters are dedicated to telling these stories to the reader. Even though I liked the fables and understood their role in the story, they stole the attention from the actual plot and story – and trust me, they really needed the spotlight more!

Now the characters! As a main character, Leora is very childish, annoying, and has a superiority complex that it’s difficult to read at times. It’s difficult for me to root for a character like that. But she wasn’t the only weird character! It was really weird to see the interactions between the characters because you couldn’t understand why they did the things they did. I’m not a writer or anything (obviously), but I think the story would have benefited from a simpler plotline with more… common sense.

In conclusion, this was a flop to me because there was barely any character development, the characters were bland and acted with unclear motivation, the story lacked structure and there was so much nonsense. It just felt… flat. Either way, I still have the intention of continuing the series. I hope the other two books will be a little better and the story picks up. We’ll see!

Review | Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

“Sometimes there is such beauty in awkwardness. There’s love and emotion trying to express itself, but at the time, it just ends up being awkward.” 3.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: drawings, beets, scurvy, genocide starvation, Baltic countries, Stalin, deportation, and labor camps.

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they’ve known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin’s orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously—and at great risk—documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father’s prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

This book has been on the back of my mind for years! I followed a YouTuber a few years ago named Joana Ceddia – you may have heard of her -, and she mentioned this book in a video, saying this was her favorite book of all time. Since then this book has been on my TBR. I finally picked it up this month, and even though I didn’t love it as much as Joana did, I still liked it!

It’s a work of fiction based on what happened to the Baltic states after the Soviet Union annexed and occupied their countries. The people from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were deported and imprisoned, and many of them ended up in Siberia doing forced labor. This story in particular follows a teenage girl named Lina who was deported from Lithuania, along with her mother and brother. She was an artist, but her dreams were put on hold the moment the soviet soldiers broke into her home and forced them to leave with them. It’s a heartbreaking sad story, as you can imagine!

I believe the target audience for this book is young adults, but I have to warn you there is some violence in this book, so keep that in mind when you decide to read this. Still, for a YA historical book, this was a good book. 

And yet, I kept thinking about why this didn’t grab my attention like I thought it would. After some thought, I think I finally found out the reason why! The author did a great job creating a very atmospheric read, but I feel like the tragic events were toned down (a lot) because at the end of the day… it’s still a YA book. I just had this constant feeling that things were way worse than what the author was describing. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that – I just prefer a more realistic, true approach to historical themes. Again, this is a YA book and I’m not exactly in the targeted age, so that’s on me.

I wasn’t mind-blown by this book, but it was still an okay story for me. I personally didn’t know a lot about this situation, so it was nice to learn about the history behind the fiction. I ended up doing some research on the topic after reading this book – and that’s exactly what I consider a positive impact from a book!

It’s an informative book for youngsters, so I would still recommend this if you are in the age range and want to learn a little more about the topic through a work of fiction.

Review | Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea

“For some reason, I always thought adults made decisions with purpose. That they knew what they were doing all the time. But maybe adults are just like teens, bumbling around aimlessly, unsure if they’ve gotten it right.” 4.5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: prom nights, time travel, new siblings, yoga studios, car hide-and-seek, wedding plans, dangerous ladders, that one move from “Dirty Dancing”, and mac and cheese.

Planning the perfect prom is one last “to do” on ultra-organized Charlotte Wu’s high school bucket list. So far, so good, if not for a decorating accident that sends Charlotte crash-landing off a ladder, face-first into her obnoxiously ripped archnemesis J. T. Renner. Worse? When Charlotte wakes up, she finds herself in an unfamiliar bed at thirty years old, with her bearded fiancé, Renner, by her side.

Either they’ve lost their minds or they’ve been drop-kicked into adulthood, forever trapped in the thirty-year-old bodies of their future selves. With each other as their only constant, Charlotte and Renner discover all that’s changed in the time they’ve missed. Charlotte also learns there’s more to Renner than irritating-jock charm, and that reaching the next milestone isn’t as important as what happens in between.

Navigating a series of adventures and a confounding new normal, Charlotte and Renner will do whatever it takes to find a way back to seventeen. But when―and if―they do, what then?

It has been a while since I’ve last picked up a contemporary YA that I actually loved. This was the one to break the curse because I had so much fun reading this! I wasn’t even planning on reading this anytime soon, but I just randomly grabbed it out of my TBR and I’m glad because I had a wonderful time.

Charlotte, the main character, is in school and she always plans for the future – she even has a bucket list! She has her future entirely planned out and she is focused on her goals and what she wants to achieve. But while she was decorating for prom, she fell over her nemesis, Renner, and woke up when she was 30. The surprising thing is that her life is not as she thought it would be – she’s married to the guy she hates, she doesn’t talk with her best friend anymore… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Let’s just say she learns the hard way things do not always happen the way we want them to! It was such a well-made, creative story. It reminded me a lot of the movie “13 Going on 30” with Jennifer Garner, with a few differences. The main difference is that she’s not the only one that time travels, but the guy is also trapped with her! So as you can probably tell, this is essentially a romance book and let me tell you: if you like the enemies-to-lovers trope, you are in for a treat. I loved the love/hate relationship between Charlotte and Renner! The characters were endearing and sweet, and I couldn’t get enough of them.

I wouldn’t say this is fully a contemporary book because there’s a fantasy element of time traveling. And yet, I just can’t call this fantasy. It always makes me nervous when the time travel element is added to books, but I have to say this was done perfectly here! Of course, you don’t know why it happened and there’s some mystery there, but I didn’t see any major plot holes so that was a plus.

I didn’t know how much I was missing a good quality YA romance book until I read this! It’s a very easy book to go through, and it’s a relaxing, cozy, fun read! I loved it and I’m curious to read more from this author.

Recommendations | The “Oldest” 30 Books On My TBR!

Hello friends!

It’s no secret I have a very long TBR list. As I’m writing this post, I have 563 books on my TBR according to Goodreads. That’s a lot of books! I mean, it’s not my fault that great books are being published every single week – can you blame me?

Ever since I started reading more, I kept pilling and pilling up books that I’m interested in reading and I never stopped. It also doesn’t help that I read almost every single genre of book. I try to read different kinds of books, which also translates into my TBR list.

So today I thought I would share with you the 30 books that have been on my TBR list for the longest! Let me warn you that you’ll find some dinosaurs here! It’s funny how most of them are dystopian books, part of any sort of series, but you’ll see it for yourself!

These are ordered from the oldest book I’ve added to my TBR to the 30th oldest (still super old). Saying this another way: the first book in the image below is the oldest, and the last book is the most recent on this particular list. Here’s a quick overview of the 30 books:

I told you: dinosaurs! There are a lot of dystopian series here, but also a few contemporary romances here and there as well as some thrillers. Let’s take a closer look by row!

1. The Boy Most Likely To by Huntly Fitzpatrick

Meet my oldest TBR book! One of the first books I read when I started to read more was “My Life Next Door” by Huntley Fitzpatrick. I was enchanted by the story and the cute romance! But when I found out she wrote a companion novel focusing on two other characters, I immediately added it to my TBR. The reason why I didn’t pick this up yet, is because I want to reread the first one before getting into this story!

2. More Than We Can Tell (Letters to the Lost #2) by Brigid Kemmerer

This has a similar background to the first book in this list. I first read “Letters to the Lost” (which is the first book), and then I found out there was a second book! So I also added to my TBR but never read it for the same reason – I want to reread the first one first!

3. Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1) by Stephanie Perkins

Get ready to see a lot of new series here that I never started! And the first one on the list is none other than “Anna and the French Kiss”. This is such a hyped series when it first came out, that I couldn’t help but be curious about it. I admit I’m a little scared that I’ve outgrown this kind of book, but I still want to try and read it one day!

4. After We Collided (After #2) by Anna Todd

This is a book that I’ve started but never finished. I started the “After” series a very long time ago, but I feel like it’s difficult for me to read a long series with the same main characters. Maybe that’s why I never picked this up again: I got bored. Hopefully one day I’ll give it a try again!

5. Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

An iconic series… that I have no desire to pick anytime soon! I admit the only reason why this is here is because I feel like everyone and their mother has read this series. I probably won’t pick it up anytime soon, to be honest!

6. City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare

This is a series I wanted to read but never got the chance to start! I have all six books lined up on my shelf waiting for me to pick them up. I believe I’m afraid of committing to a longer series (as usual).

7. Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1) by Veronica Rossi

This was a series recommended by a friend, but I also never started it because it’s a longer one!

8. Sea Witch (Sea Witch #1) by Sarah Henning

I believe the reason why I didn’t pick this up yet is a matter of timing. I truly believe I’ll read this soon.

9. Jewel (The Lone City #1) by Amy Ewing

This seems right on my alley, not sure why I haven’t picked this up yet!

10. Enclave (Razorland #1) by Ann Aguirre

Another example of a series I want to read, but I’m afraid this is going to be too complex. Also, there are five books in this series, so it’s a big commitment (to me, anyway).

11. Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi

Once again, another great example of a (too) long series for me to deal with! This series in particular has over 6 books (not counting the endless novellas). Wow, I really have commitment issues.

12. Eve (Eve #1) by Anna Carey

I’m curious about this one, so I would put it in the same box as the “Jewel” series.

13. Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo

I’ll admit one of the reasons I still haven’t picked this one yet is because I’m a little confused with the order I should read this. I think this connected to another series and there’s a specific order to read everything? So let me just tell you what I feel about that: ain’t nobody got time for that! Well, maybe I will try and sort this out, but for now it will stay on the list.

14. Uglies (Uglies #1) by Scott Westerfeld

Another example of a series I want to read, but there are multiple books in this series (I think 5 or 6?), and as I pointed out, I have commitment issues.

15. The Aztec Code (Thieves Like Us #1) by Stephen Cole

Oh, this is a special one for me! “Thieves Like Us” (the first book in the series) was the book that made me want to read more a few years ago, but when I first read it I didn’t know this was part of a trilogy. So after finding that out, I added the second book to my TBR… and I never read it. But I still want to read this one day, I just need to reread “Thieves Like Us”!

16. November 9 by Colleen Hoover

I’ve had this on my list since I discovered Colleen and started reading her books. And I remember I picked this up one day but I wasn’t feeling it, so I put it down again. I don’t pick up Colleen Hoover books anymore, but maybe one day I’ll read this.

17. The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

A series that was very popular during its time and my curiosity regarding it didn’t leave. Hopefully, I’ll read this one day.

18. Switched (Trylle #1) by Amanda Hocking

A trilogy that I’m also curious about. I’m not entirely sure, but I think this is also a dystopian series.

19. Ruby Red (Precious Stone #1) by Kerstin Gier

This seems like a really cool trilogy. I hope I’ll read it in the future!

20. Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

I’ve heard so many great things about this one. I know a lot of people loved this, so I’m curious to finally understand the hype around it.

21. Entwined by Heather Dixon Wallwork

I saw a video at the time by a Youtuber I loved, and she recommended this book. She had really cool recommendations, so I immediately added this to my TBR.

22. The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long

The other book was recommended by that same Youtuber!

23. Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas

This has a little backstory: basically, I bought the first book “Throne of Glass” in Portuguese and I loved it! But the disappointment came quickly when I discovered the publisher decided to stop publishing this series – and yes, I checked, I contacted them! I was heavily disappointed and decided to put the series on standby. The funny thing is: they are now publishing the books… thanks for nothing! Maybe now I’ll buy the entire series and read everything.

24. You (You #1) by Caroline Kepnes

I was very interested in reading this, and I tried it at some point. The problem is that the first chapters freaked me out so much that I stopped reading it. It was so creepy! I still want to read this, but I have to prepare myself mentally first.

25. Vinyl (Vinyl #1) by Sophia Elaine Hanson

The premise of this series caught my attention, and I still have the same desire to read this. It just sounds and looks so interesting!

26. Ink (Skin Books #1) by Alice Broadway

I’ve started this one this month! So far it’s okay, I’m not super invested yet, but the story is very unique and different from everything I’ve ever read. Fingers crossed!

27. Unearthly (Unearthly #1) by Cynthia Hand

That Youtuber that I mentioned before also recommended this one, so that’s why it’s here.

28. The Winners Curse (The Winners #1) by Marie Rutkoski

Another trilogy that I don’t know much about – but it looks cool!

29. Carve the Mark (Carve the Mark #1) by Veronica Roth

I have this duology waiting for me on my shelf, but my interest in reading it is decreasing with time. We’ll see if I ever pick this one up.

30. As Filhas da Floresta by Alaitz Leceaga

I’ve started this one as well, but I got a little bored so I stopped reading it. I’m still determined to read this again – and this time finish it.

Wow, that was a long list, I hope you’re not tired of me already! This was only a small part of the books I keep adding to my TBR list… And I’m sure I’ll keep adding more and more books!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post! It was fun to go back to memory lane and see what my interests were during my first year of reading more. Clearly, I was very interested in dystopian books at the time!

As usual, I’m always open to book recommendations, so if you have any for me, let me know!

Thank you for reading, I’ll see you in the next one!

Review | Tokyo Mew Mew series by Mia Ikumi and Reiko Yoshida

Attention! This book contains: magic spells, maid cafés, new friends, sweet romances, surprises, cute outfits, and endangered species.

Ichigo is out on a hot date with her ‘crush’ when suddenly she’s involved in an odd incident in which her DNA is merged with the DNA of an almost extinct wildcat. When four other girls’ DNA is merged with the DNA of four other almost extinct animals, it’s apparent that they’re part of a much bigger plan. Ichigo and her friends have been chosen to become a part of a secret project called the “Mew Project.” Their mission: To protect the planet from aliens who are using the planet’s animals to attack humans.

*Review of the original 7 volumes*

This was a cute series!

When I was younger, the anime version was on TV, but I never watched it. I was curious about it and regret not watching it at the time because it was really popular! I just got to know the story and what it was about now, by reading the manga.

It’s a little difficult for me to rate this series since I’m not in the appropriate age range, but I still have my opinion! 

I think this is a very fun series to read and just pass the time, but I feel like it was a little too shallow for me. In reality, I believe this story is inspired by Nature and how important it is to protect the environment and raise awareness to protect endangered species. And even though this is a great thing to inspire a series, I feel like the story itself was too hollow and had little to do with the topic.

The good thing for me is that there was a lot of romance! In the beginning, you wonder who she’ll end up with because there are so many possible love interests (way more than usual) – but at some point the love interest becomes clear. If you swoon over cute manga characters like yours truly, this series is pure heaven! There are many cute boys here.

But I have to be honest with you, the last few volumes lost me a little. I thought this would be a 4-star read (for the entire series), but it started to decrease slowly to a 3-star read. I know this is fantasy and a younger type of manga, but it started to get a little too nonsensical to me – but when the very young school kids get married at the end… Well, that was the nail in the coffin. To be fair, I believe it’s usual in Japanese shojo that the MCs get married at the end… but I still think it was pretty weird.

I did still liked this though. I would describe this as your typical fantasy shoujo: full of magic, cute costumes, and fun! Good to get your mind off the real world.

Review | Alice in Borderland series by Haro Aso

“Haven’t you ever wanted to be swept away somewhere – anywhere – as long as it’s someplace else?” 4/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: ruins, killing sprees, cleared games, mysterious creators, dealers, questions without answers and a lot of sadistic games.

Eighteen-year-old Ryohei Arisu is sick of his life. School sucks, his love life is a joke, and his future feels like impending doom. As he struggles to exist in a world that can’t be bothered with him, Ryohei feels like everything would be better if he were anywhere else. When a strange fireworks show transports him and his friends to a parallel world, Ryohei thinks all his wishes have come true. But this new world isn’t an empty paradise, it’s a vicious game. And the only way to survive is to play.

The first game starts with a bang, but Ryohei manages to beat the clock and save his friends. It’s a short-lived victory, however, as they discover that winning only earns them a few days’ grace period. If they want to get home, they’re going to have to start playing a lot harder.

*Review of the original 18 volumes*

Oh how excited I was to read this one! I first fell in love with this series when I first watched the live action on Netflix… so I thought I’d give the manga a try!

I’m very surprised to say that the Netflix show is mostly true to the original story – that almost never happens! They did a great job with the adaptation because even though it was true to the original work by Haro Aso, they added a lot of action and cut out the slower scenes!

If you don’t know, this series is an “Alice in Wonderland” retelling! Well, of course you probably saw that coming when you read the name, but the actual retelling is very subtle. Our main character, Arisu (Alice), enters a new world called “the Borderlands” with his friends and quickly discovers his life is at risk. He needs to play deadly games to keep himself alive! At some point he meets a girl named Usagi (white rabbit in Japanese), and together they explore the Borderlands and try to find a meaning for what is happening and who created this reality. 

This manga series consists of 18 volumes, so I’m going to give you my thoughts on the series as a whole! I personally am a little conflicted about the way I feel about the manga. I’m a huge fan of the story like I mentioned before, so I expected a lot from this series. And the truth is that I was loving it until the last few volumes. The pacing slows down considerably and (without wanting to give you information on what happens) Arisu’s attitude changes a little. I had some trouble finding motivation to read the last volumes for this reason!

Still, I had fun reading this series for the most part. The games are perverse and deadly, but they have to keep fighting to try to uncover what is going on and who created the games! I liked the characters and the thought put behind the games. Also the art was very good and easy to follow. It was all nicely put together!

So, would I recommend this one? I personally liked both the manga and the Netflix show, but if I were to recommend a friend to one of them, I would definitely recommend the Netflix version. It’s very well made, true to the original work, and they slightly changed the last volumes to add more action and a faster pace!

At the end of the day it’s a very exciting and engaging series, and I highly recommend it if you like horror/mystery manga! Also… I recently found out there’s an anime version as well. I’m curious about it, should I give it a go?

Review | The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

“My father shoved aside my bowl of receipts, setting up his things on the bar. “I just want to let you know,” he said, “I call the shots. You sit right there in that chair and I’ll tell you what goes on.”
I looked at him with a growing sense of horror.
“I’m Britney Spears now,” he said.”
5/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: abortion, pop stars, dancing, greedy parents, shaved heads, mental institutions, divorces, paparazzi and spotlights.

The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.

Oops I did it again!

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I was to get my hands on this memoir. I only knew about it a few days before the actual publishing day, but I knew I needed it ASAP because my curiosity was killing me – not my loneliness… get it? Needless to say, when I finally got it, I devoured it!

So let me get you some background first on what I knew about her: I was a Britney fan when I was younger and I remember thinking how pretty she was and how she could dance and sing like a pro! I first saw her first music video “Baby One More Time” on MTV (1999) and it was a huge hit worldwide. I still remember to this day how mesmerized I was by her – and I was only 5! I confess I’m not super familiar with her work that came after the “Blackout” album, but I know one or two singles that came afterwards. I also knew she was in a legal battle with her father regarding her conservatorship and how messy it was, but other than that I didn’t know a lot about her.

If you’re going into this thinking she wrote her own book, I’m just going to say it: I’m 99,99% sure her ghost writer wrote the entire thing. I really don’t think she has the capacity right now to write her own book – and I think that was a good call because the book is very well written. I really doubt she wrote a single word there – like a lot of celebrities, I might add – and that’s fine.

I was surprised this was only a 5 hour and half book. Usually memoirs can go up to 12h or 13h (some even more – let’s not talk about Michelle Obama’s book length…), so I was surprised how short the book was. As the book goes on, you start to understand why.

In this memoir, Britney shares her story describing her life from a young child, to an ascending pop star, to her struggles in life. And oh man… she struggled a lot! She touches on how her family turned on her, her relationship with Justin, the abortion, the paparazzi, the legal battle for her kids, the conservatorship… The list is long!

The conservatorship chapters were tough to read. Oh my God… I can’t believe she went through all that for so many years. The amount of medication she took, the months and months of her life wasted in institutions, the endless tours that only filled her dad’s pockets… It’s almost incredible how she endured all that for so long.

I can’t even imagine how hard it was for her not having her family’s support. Her sister turning her back on her, her mother doing a book tour and bashing her, her father stealing her money and putting her in institutions for months to control her… With a family like that, who needs enemies?

It was heartbreaking to see how much she has suffered along the years. My heart goes to her. She sure is a very strong woman, and I wish her all the best in life and I hope she recovers and gets her life back fully.

It was a very easy and fast audiobook to listen to, since it was only about 5 hours like I mentioned before, and I ended up loving it. It’s definitely a heartbreaking memoir, but worth it! If you are or were a fan of hers at any point of your life, I definitely recommend checking it out.

Trigger warnings for: suicide, abortion, substance abuse, abuse of power.