My May Wrap-Up
22:00
Because breaking self-imposed book bans during exam period is a crime I cannot stop committing.
Enemies-turned-lovers seemed to be a running theme this month, maybe because they are my fictional weakness whilst also being super easy reads. I think I've hit a record because I rated every book above 4 stars and yes, I recommend them all because have you heard of anything as messy and fun and exciting as the love stories that feature May's wrap-up: the scientist and the artist, picking up the pieces when they discover that their respective other-halves are having an affair; a self-proclaimed bad-boy and an untarnished good-girl that find themselves in a bargained marriage; a schizophrenic and a blue-eyed boy she doesn't know is imaginary or real; and a troubled college girl and her tortured track coach who don't quite see eye-to-eye...
These are my reviews, thoughts and feelings - enjoy!
That Thing Between Eli and Gwen
- by J. J. McAvoy
4.0/5.0 stars
So, we've established that I'm a sucker for enemies-turned-lovers. They are absolutely some of my favourite romances to read and holy wow did this book deliver on that front.
Eli Davenport has it all. The youngest neurosurgeon in his city, he is smart, wealthy, and engaged to his dream woman who is his perfect match in beauty, brains and ambition. Guinevere (Gwen) Poe also has it all. An infamously successful artist, she is creative, inspired, and engaged to her dream man who is handsome, successful, and the only man she's been in love with. But when Eli's wife-to-be runs off with Gwen's fiance on his wedding day, the two are left confused, hurt and broken. As fate throws the two of them together under unlikely circumstances, they find themselves being the salvation to each other's happiness, and realising that maybe their perfect matches weren't so perfect after all...
| His eyes...his eyes were like mine; broken
I flew through this book. It has that addicting quality where you can't get enough of the characters and you're just itching to know what happens next, and not necessarily because it's packed with suspense or intrigue, but because it's such a fun, heartfelt read. Eli and Gwen are wonderfully drawn characters; their witty banter is hilarious, their narratives are compelling and authentic, and their personal journeys make for an engaging read. I loved the nature of their relationship. Their quirky friendship - that starts off rocky as hell! - had me hooked, as did their passionate romance. What's more, J J McAvoy added real depth to her novel with the wonderfully written family angle and possibly my favourite aspect of it was her depiction of two professions that are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Gwen's free-spirited, artistic side and Eli's scientific side albeit clash initially, but I love how the author portrayed them as equally valid. She carefully captures the delicate and heart-breaking nature of Eli's job so realistically and the way she intertwines that with her sub-plots gives this book a real edge. It was just so refreshing to read adult fiction without the unnecessary teenage drama that riddles young adult fiction - it was simply two adults working out this messy thing we call life and love with the sacrifice, compromise and determination it takes to make things work. A perfect meld of angst, humour and romance, it ticked all the right boxes.
Three Loving Words
- by D. C. Renee
4.0/5.0 stars
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I consumed this book in one sitting in the space of three hours and did I regret it, no, but all I could think was that at 1:30am, it was two hours past my bedtime and holy hell when did I become so old?! I miss the days when I would stay up till the break of dawn reading, the quiet peace in that solitude and the thrill of being engrossed in a book I wouldn't be able to put down. Maybe that's why I relished the adrenaline rush that came with devouring Three Loving Words, the house pitch black, the silence kind of eerie, and me sitting on my bed in the darkness of my room squinting bleary-eyed at my Kindle, fighting sleep, and feeling like a right rebel.
Three Loving Words is Paige's love story. Except it's not a love story. At seventeen, she has her dream wedding all planned out in a scrapbook, from the scrupulous details of her wedding dress to the colour scheme and flower arrangements. She fantasises about her Prince Charming and being the centre of someone's world after having spent her whole life living in her sister's shadow. So when she makes the split-second decision to marry the son of her father's best friend, Enzo, in a bid to save her family from a crisis and finally be the hero in her parents' eyes, she doesn't think twice. But Enzo is not the Prince Charming she wanted to marry. And he sure as hell didn't want to marry her. Trapped in their arranged marriage, Paige and Enzo are slam-barrelling towards a head-on collision and the wreckage will prove to be more than either of them bargained for...
| "I hate you"
I heard those words so many time from his mouth that they lost their meaning. His "three loving words"is how I mockingly referred to them. It didn't bother me though, because I hated him too
Man, this book was a MESS. And I loved it. I can't explain it, honestly, it was ludicrous, unrealistic and a crazy angsty emotional roller coaster that made me ship these two characters so freaking hard and I shouldn't have loved it, but I did and really, that's all I can say about it. I mean, the author made me fall in love with these characters so much that I abandoned sleep to race through their insane, constant-push-and-pull romance and you know what, this book shouldn't have worked but it bloody did and I basically have no words except kudos to you Ms Renee. Ku-freaking-dos.
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Made You Up
- by Francesca Zappia
4.5/5.0 stars
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Alex is a schizophrenic. Unable to differentiate between reality and hallucinations, her coping mechanisms include taking pictures of her day-to-day life so she can dismantle her imaginations from real life, and carrying out 360 degree perimeter checks to eliminate her paranoia and keep her hyper aware of what's going on so that nothing can take her by surprise. But when she starts a new high school, it's hard to reel in her fears and mentally keep track of what is there - and what isn't. Then she meets Miles who looks suspiciously like the little boy she met when she was seven years old. When she had her first episode. Could it be him? Or is she imagining him - again? With secrets of his own, the two are sucked in by the crazy world of high school and teenage life that proves to be crazier than the crazy Alex is used to...
Ah, I loved this book. Mental health is always a tricky subject to handle in fiction but Francesca Zappia has done a flawless job with it. Alex's narrative is so compelling that I found it hard to pull myself away from her story after that instant connect with her. The exploration of schizophrenia through her experiences is so neatly woven into her characterisation that whilst she's an unreliable narrator that begs the question of whether we're experiencing her reality or delusions, it's so easy to experience what happens in the plot with her before actually back-pedalling and wondering, wait up, is this happening or is Alex hallucinating? It makes for such a fascinating read. Without down-playing Alex's mental state, the author manages to portray her as a normal girl who is going through all the teenage rites of growing up like the passage through high school, applying for college, falling in love...and in doing so obliterates the social stigma that is attached to mental health, and more specifically, schizophrenia. The story itself is light and yet captivating and entertaining, and that crazy plot twist towards the end? Yeah, I sure as hell didn't see that one coming. To throw your readers with a curve ball in a book that is already blurring the lines between delusion and reality? I applaud you Francesca Zappia. The friendship/love-hate relationship between Miles and Alex gave this book life and whilst the author adamantly steers away from romanticising mental illness, she opens up a world of understanding between these two characters as they deal with their distinct yet equally heart-breaking struggles. Delicately handled with an engaging plot and flawed characters that you can't help but love, Made You Up is arguably one of my favourite books in this genre.
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Waking Olivia
- by Elizabeth O'Roark
4.0/5.0 stars
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Am I the only one who thinks the hottie on the cover looks exactly like Jim Sturgess-as-Dexter in the movie One Day...? Fab book by the way. But that's not the book in question and I'm digressing. Apologies.
Let's get back to Waking Olivia. The story of a girl that has to confront her past in order to build her future. Once a star track runner, Olivia was destined to go to great heights, but when her past catches up with her and haunts her in nightmares she can't escape, she finds herself fighting to keep a scholarship that is quickly slipping through her fingers. Having transferred to a new school, she is determined to take her second chance by keeping her past at bay, at least until she secures her academic future. But when she comes face-to-face with her new coach, Will Langstrom, she realises that she has her work cut out for her. Cocky and demanding, with patience that wears as thin as a thread, Will's animosity towards Olivia is ill-concealed. Struggling to pay off his father's debt, working two jobs to make ends meet, and upholding a failing girls' track team, he has enough on his plate as it is. Add Olivia to the mix, a girl whose reputation precedes her but the only girl who may just save his career, and it's a recipe for a disaster. She's a lot more than Will bargained for but when her secrets come tumbling out, he is drawn to her like a moth to the flame. It's not long before their spark ignites, but the demons of their past and the forbidden nature of their attraction destines them to crash-and-burn...
This book, like all books, has its flaws. There were plot holes I couldn't ignore and the "climax" that should have shocked, didn't shock at all, and was over pretty much as soon as it had begun. It was as though the author created drama for the sole purpose of drama (not that this book needed any more drama than there was), and then suddenly decided against it, so brushed it all under the carpet. That being said, Waking Olivia is a solid read; it's fast-paced and the dual narrative is compelling, and in a story like this one, needed. Without Will's perspective, I think I would have really hated him. Not only does it open up Will's world to reveal his conflicted nature and emotional turmoil, but it allows us to watch Olivia's struggles through his eyes to evoke a sense of sympathy for her that the book would have otherwise lacked. I can't fault their characterisation; Olivia is one of the strongest heroines I've read in a long while and the mystery surrounding her nightmares and the secrets that burden her was intriguing, almost bordering on thriller. The abusive nature of her past was grossly fascinating - and this is where the author derailed slightly because it becomes secondary to the plot, to the point where it's almost disregarded entirely. Then again, the psychological aftermath of Olivia's traumatic past and the impact it has on her ambitions made for a gripping read. Will is troubled in his own way and it was just as interesting to see how his own burdens torture him and fuel his pent-up frustration that generates a heated friction between the two. Then he takes on Olivia's shit and makes it his own and oh God I fell in love with how much he nurtured her vulnerability and put her safety above all else. Their chemistry is undeniable. And can I just say that Will's family is simply perfection. They added a dimension to this book that made it all the more enjoyable and with its originality, addicting plot, and the slow-burn romance, I couldn't put it down.
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