My November Wrap-Up
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I know this is a week late and I am so sorry! Truly. Life has been so busy lately that I can't even keep up with my own life. In-between assessments, interviews and managing my work and social life, I've barely had the time to read, let alone write reviews for the ones I have read. But here is my inevitable albeit late penultimate wrap-up of the year - there have been some pretty good reads this month and I highly recommend the ones I've rated above four stars so with the Christmas holidays coming up...happy reading guys!
The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily
DASH AND LILY #2
- by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
4.5/5.0 stars
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When I read Dash & Lily's Book of Dares back in January (review in my wrap-up here), I fell in love with it. New York at Christmas time, with a sassy couple, a cute romance, and exciting little adventures, how could I not. I wanted more from these characters so when I found out that its sequel, Twelve Days of Dash & Lily, was to be released this winter, I was more excited than I'd like to admit. And it was just as delightful as the first.
Dash and Lily have been together for a year and whilst it's been all sunshine and rainbows, the honeymoon period is beginning to wear off and the cracks start to show when Lily's beloved grandfather suffers from a heart attack, causing her to spiral and lose that spark that made Dash fall in love with her in the first place. He feels her drifting and when Lily loses herself to a dark corner where even Dash can't reach her, he races against the clock to piece her back together, and gift her with the lost magic of Christmas in New York - and in a city like the Big Apple, there are no limits to how magical or beautiful he can make her Christmas...
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In some ways, I enjoyed the sequel so much more. There's a more distinct tone of maturity in the plot and it might be a light, fun, easy read but at the same time, there's a layer of melancholy we feel through Lily's experiences and this in turn gives room for the characters - and relationship - to develop. I didn't think I could love Dash any more than I did in the first book. I was wrong. He's still that sarcastic, obnoxious teen we meet in book one, but he's so in love with Lily and it is freaking adorable. His love for her is authentic and I think ultimately, so is their relationship. This sequel delivers in giving it depth; through Lily, there's the very relatable insight into how life can sometimes get the better of us until we question everything we hold to be true, from our personal identity to the people who love us, and through Dash, we see the flip side..how it's important to never give up on someone you truly love, especially when they have given up on themselves, and also that conquering the lows of life comes with a change of perspective. The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily works so well because whilst the charm of the characters, the magic of Christmas, and the outrageously crazy sense of adventure of the original story is not lost, there's an undercurrent of realism and gentle grit that adds so much more to this sweet, beautiful winter tale.
Twisted Palace
THE ROYALS SERIES #3
THE ROYALS SERIES #3
- by Erin Watt
3.0/5.0 stars
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I first read The Royals series, or the first two that were out at the time, back in August and I wrote a full in-depth review for it which you can find in my August wrap-up here.
If I'm honest, because Twisted Palace is the third and final instalment in the series, I'm not going to review it as such because pretty much anything I could say on it, has been mentioned in that wrap-up but I will just quickly say that everything I said about the first two books, stands. You can see the escalated drama that made them so addictive to read carry through into the last book but for me, while it worked so well with Paper Princess and Broken Prince, it fell flat in Twisted Palace. It was already hitting borderline believable at the end of book two with that cliffhanger, but in this book, the events that occur are beyond inconceivable. The "plot twists" are so far-fetched that it completely ruined what was good about the story; the suspense was watered down when it should have been the foothold of the book and I feel like a lot of the focus was in the wrong places and that then deterred the plot, steering it away from what the first two books had set up initially.
The biggest disappointment though was the lack of attention given to the secondary characters because in the previous books, they were key in not only driving the plot, but in providing an entertaining, dark, complex angle to an otherwise lacklustre story. Maybe that's why Twisted Palace felt dull in comparison. The characters I was invested in - much more heavily than our main characters - faded into the background and it left a gaping hole in plot delivery. Especially when some pretty intriguing sub-plots involving them were teased at in the first two books only to be brushed under the carpet with the final book. Whilst Paper Princess and Broken Prince were far from perfect with a wholly I-shouldn't-like-this vibe, they were enjoyable enough to keep me reading, but Twisted Palace lost even that appeal. Forgettable and altogether tediously slow in dragging out a tiresome plot, it simply wasn't executed well.
Royally Screwed
ROYALLY #1
ROYALLY #1
- by Emma Chase
1.0/5.0 stars
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Trouble is a Friend of Mine
TROUBLE #1
I, like any girl in the twenty-first century, am a sucker for modern-day fairy tale romances. Give me a book with a tortured prince who has to rule a country, only to fall in love with a commoner who the Royal family do not accept but he marries her anyway and together they rule a Kingdom, and I am all over it. Naturally then, when Royally Screwed showed up on my recommended list on Goodreads, I snatched up the chance to dive right in. And I regretted it terribly.
Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook, Crowned Prince of Wessco, aka His Royal Hotness, is wickedly charming, devastatingly handsome, and unabashedly arrogant; hard not to be when people are constantly bowing down to you. Then, one snowy night in Manhattan, the prince meets a dark haired beauty who doesn't bow down. Instead, she throws a pie in his face.
Nicholas wants to find out if she tastes as good as her pie, and this heir apparently is used to getting what he wants.
Dating a prince isn't what waitress Olivia Hammond ever imagined it would be. There's a disapproving queen, a wildly inappropriate spare heir, relentless paparazzi, and brutal public scrutiny. While they've traded in horse drawn carriages for Rolls Royces, and haven't chopped anyone's head off lately, the royals are far from accepting of this commoner.
But to Olivia, Nicholas is worth it.
Nicholas grew up with the whole world watching, and now Marriage Watch is in full force. In the end, Nicholas has to decide who he is and, more importantly, who he wants to be: a King... or the man who gets to love Olivia forever.
I mean, it had all the right ingredients for a wildly addictive contemporary fairy tale full of politics, drama and a swoon-worthy romance to boot, but it just wasn't what a fairy tale should be. It started off strong; I was initially hanging on to every word in Nicholas' narrative and when I was introduced to his world and the people in it, I thought it was going to be the perfect set-up for a tale as old as time - with a twist. Then I got into Olivia's narrative, and again, the set-up seemed perfect. Her portrayal as a commoner was original and fresh, and I liked the idea of her owning a coffee shop and just about scraping by in New York City with a younger sister and a father to look after. She was hard not to like when her sarcasm and fiery nature sprung to life amid her circumstances. And then the two meet. And it all went downhill from there.
I felt no connection there. There was no chemistry whatsoever, and if you're writing a fairy tale, then that's kind of a problem. Their relationship did not work in the slightest; Nicholas was an asshole and I'm all for that asshole-complex when the guy is gorgeous, has a troubled past, and is on the road to redemption, but there was nothing redeeming about Nicholas. He and Olivia kick off their relationship and honestly, it was all about the sex. It was cringey and boring as hell. What I didn't get though is that Nicholas is supposed to be getting married when he gets back home and so they label their "thing" as a no-strings-attached fling, but then he makes these ridiculous claims about how he loves her and then when he does fly back home, she moves country to be with him even though he can't promise her a single thing. I'm sorry, what? If you have feelings for a guy, and you bloody well know he has to get married and that there is no future for you, you don't follow him halfway across the world and when you get into an argument RE marriage and he makes it crystal clear that he can't marry you, but wait, he does love you, but hang on, he's throwing ugly words in your face, you walk away because you deserve a lot better than a coward who leads you on knowing full well you are in love with him but that there is no future. I couldn't deal with Olivia the doormat. God, this book was frustrating. It completely blew up the romance angle of it and when that's gone out of the window, then frankly, so has your book. There was no plot which was so disappointing because there was so much there to work with. The politics of the monarchy and soon-to-be kingship of Nicholas could have such an intriguing plot device but the Royal family side of things almost became background noise which is a shame because that is what underpins a fairy tale. If the author was going for a character-driven story, then she failed there too because the main characters were so bland, I had no interest in them, and the few introduced that actually proved to be interesting that could have made this book somewhat compelling, only made the odd appearance before fading into nothing. It was a shambles. Altogether, a bloody awful book and let's be honest, that awful cover should have been fair warning.
Trouble is a Friend of Mine
TROUBLE #1
- by Stephanie Tromley
4.5/5.0 stars
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I'm not entirely too sure what made me read Trouble is a Friend of Mine except that the concept really intrigued me. It sounded original, fresh and entertaining and it delivers.
When Philip Digby - mysterious, socially outcast and known to be a little more than trouble - casually shows up on Zoe Webster's doorstep one morning and lands her in detention first thing, she should know better than to get tangled up in his mess. Before she knows it, she's working on a fake project with him to please the detention master, solving a cold case crime of a missing girl which may or may not be linked to Digby's little sister who went missing eight years ago, and breaking into her mother's gynaecologist's office. Caught up in Digby's crazy world, she finds herself making dodgy side-dealings with the police, learning the trade of an undercover meth operation before dismantling it, and stealing evidence in a wild attempt to investigate the truth behind the abduction of Digby's sister. Amidst all the reckless and law-breaking scheming, she almost gets shot, is arrested then kidnapped, and in an explosive finale, escapes an untimely death just in the nick of time. It seems like Zoe is addicted to Trouble and being unable to say no to Digby proves to be her Achilles heel - especially when there's more to him and his manic escapades than meets the eye...
Trouble is a Friend of Mine is, for lack of a better way to describe it, a roller coaster of a ride that is packed with enough action, crazy drama, and sharp, witty dialogue that keeps you on your toes throughout. It's so...out there, so ridiculously outrageous and yet it works. It's addictive and fast-paced, to the point where sometimes it's hard to keep track of the plot because so much is happening at any one time, but it's engaging and entertaining and you can't help but want more. The dynamic between Digby and Zoe hits the perfect balance; their sarcastic dialogue, the way they work together, their quick back-and-forth works wonders with their impulsive behaviour and mad scheming and ultimately, the sheer absurdity of their adventures was too entertaining for me to resist. I couldn't put it down and I'm excited to start the sequel tomorrow morning on the train which to me, is the sign of a damn good book.
Holding Up The Universe
- by Jennifer Niven
4.0/5.0 stars
~
After reading her All The Bright Places, reading Jennifer Niven's latest release, Holding Up The Universe, was high up on my book priority list.
Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for every possibility life has to offer. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.
Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.
Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.
Jennifer Niven is a natural at writing poignant young adult fiction. Her writing quality is almost lyrical and yet in her simplistic style, she can deliver a message so profound that it makes you want to pause and let her words sink in. Holding the Universe is just another example of that. Through not only Jack and Libby, but also through her supporting characters, she portrays the realistic struggle of impressionable teens with identity and the social and emotional impact that comes with it. She encapsulates the beauty in being understood, that sheer relief of finding someone who can maybe, possibly feel what you're feeling, and knowing that you're not alone in it. She successfully reminds whoever reads it that they are wanted, and loved, and appreciated for the person that they are.
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Libby is a wonderfully drawn character. I felt the pain of her past as well as the battle with her body image and so it was impossible to not admire her tenacity that shines through from page one right through to the very end. She is brave and bold and not afraid to embrace who she is. She stood out to me as a heroine in young adult fiction because not only is she all of the above, but she also freely speaks what's on her mind. I'm so used to reading about heroines who bottle in their inner conflicts and refuse to speak about their past that Libby's character was refreshing to be acquainted with. She openly shares her story and in doing so, she becomes a inspiring figure who tears down a soul-destroying perspective of her.
Jack is incapable of recognising faces and his prosopagnosia decapitates his social life. Keeping it a secret from everyone he knows - bar Libby - he is literally winging each day as it comes, but when he kisses a girl who's not his girlfriend and is forced to remember his brothers by their hairstyle and stature, it's becoming more difficult to hide his condition. Those small details, the day-to-day insight that Jack gives into his life with the prosopagnosia felt realistic and of the two, I think he was definitely my more favourite character. He has a lot of depth and there's a lot of conflict there with his insecurities, the pressure to keep up a social facade that he feels will come crashing down if his friends or family find out about his neurological condition, and the questioning of his moral status when he wonders whether or not he sees beyond Libby's weight. Their friendship and blossoming relationship amid these personal struggles while they both defiantly brush aside social perceptions of flaws and weaknesses made for an engaging read and I bought into it. I think Jennifer Niven showed Libby as strong on her own two feet and yet while she doesn't need a man to validate her, she finds a mutual understanding and sense of belonging in another human being and it was beautifully done.
Jennifer Niven goes beyond her two main characters to create a refreshing story in which the message of everyone belongs is ingrained, and that without our differences, our world wouldn't be half as beautiful. It's not easy to make young adult fiction significant and profoundly moving, but Jennifer Niven has done it again. I loved All The Bright Places but in some ways, I loved Holding Up the Universe so much more.
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