I haven't been reading YA contemporary as much anymore, but it will always be special to me. Nav's Foolproof Guide is exactly what I want out of the gI haven't been reading YA contemporary as much anymore, but it will always be special to me. Nav's Foolproof Guide is exactly what I want out of the genre: coming of age in which messiness and growth come together, with an adorable romance to top it all off. Nav struggles with change and with letting people in, and this leads to her acting in some not-always-great ways. All of it is so understandable though, and I found it to be a relatable journey. There's also, like I said, an adorable romance. It was so wonderful to see Nav and Gia spend so much time together and slowly build trust and connection. They helped each other grow, which was amazing to see. And they're just SO cute together....more
Many thanks to PRH International for the digital review copy!
This is a clear case of "too much of a good thing" for me. At first I thought I was goingMany thanks to PRH International for the digital review copy!
This is a clear case of "too much of a good thing" for me. At first I thought I was going to LOVE this, because it has Olivia Dade's signature banter that I've come to know and love. Except, this book didn't have anything else going for it, so it was just all banter, combined with a frankly absurd and incoherent storyline. The build-up of the romance felt very sudden and choppy, which made it hard to feel emotionally invested. And even the funny bits got old. It felt like Dade had named the love interest Gaston purely so she could joke with his song from Beauty & the Beast. This was funny once, and maybe even the second time, but I could really have done without the three or four times after that....more
Veel dank aan Rebel Books voor het recensie-exemplaar!
Lees dit boek voor: � Spionage � Royalty � Forbidden romance � Geheimen en intrige � Een prachtige coVeel dank aan Rebel Books voor het recensie-exemplaar!
Lees dit boek voor: � Spionage � Royalty � Forbidden romance � Geheimen en intrige � Een prachtige cover en vormgeving
Masker van verraad valt meteen met de deur in huis met de ene spannende scène na de andere. Dit was zo fijn, want daardoor zat ik meteen midden in het verhaal. Hoewel ik hierbij wel graag iets meer uitleg had gezien over de wereld en hoe het leven van de hoofdpersoon eruitziet, leefde ik meteen met haar mee en was mijn interesse direct gewekt. Ik houd altijd enorm van een sterke hoofdpersoon, en die vind je in dit boek zeker!
Dit boek las als een trein en ik vloog er doorheen. Waar ik aan het begin wat context miste, werd dat helemaal goedgemaakt aan het eind van het boek, toen het ene na het andere geheim onthuld werd. Het einde, gevolgd door een geweldige epiloog, vond ik al helemaal heel sterk en daardoor smaakte dit boek zeker naar meer....more
This was a 5 star prediction for me, and it was even better than I expected. The prologue was absolutely brutal and immediately drew me into the storyThis was a 5 star prediction for me, and it was even better than I expected. The prologue was absolutely brutal and immediately drew me into the story. Then the story was off to a fairly slow start with a lot of introduction to the magic system. Usually this would feel too dense for me, but here, it was so interested, and even though the magic system is complex and intricate, I did feel like I was grasping it. Even though I was reading at a slower pace than I normally would, my eyes stayed glued to the page and I was completely hooked. Some of the reveals shook me to my core, especially as this book offers strong societal critique in its parallels to our own world....more
I kept waiting for this to really hook me, but it never did. I tend to love time loop books, but you have to make them FUN. Here, I felt like everythiI kept waiting for this to really hook me, but it never did. I tend to love time loop books, but you have to make them FUN. Here, I felt like everything was drawn out so much and not just the recurring day but also the way the characters interacted and the problems Noelle would think about all felt very repetitive. Aside from Noelle, I also didn't feel like we really got to know any of the other characters, not even the love interest. On top of that, I wasn't vibing with the humour, and all of this just led to me waiting for something to happen and for the book to actually become fun. I know this makes it sound like I had a bad time with it, but I did actually think it had a lot of potential and I thought Noelle was an interesting character. It just didn't fully live up to my expectations....more
I've read YA from Lyla Lee, and middlegrade/children's fiction too, and it turns out they're also excellent at writing for adults?? What really stood I've read YA from Lyla Lee, and middlegrade/children's fiction too, and it turns out they're also excellent at writing for adults?? What really stood out to me is how, while the books in all these age ranges feel distinctly different, her writing style is always recognizable. I find her books super cute and comforting, so I was glad to find I felt the same way about their adult romance debut. I would definitely consider this a comfort read, even though there's plenty of angst and emotions. Gemma and Celeste's romance was just so lovely, and I was really rooting for them to get back together, but at the same time thorougly entertained by the will-they-won't-they of it all.
One choice I wasn't too convinced by, were the chapters from Celeste's POV. These were less frequent than Gemma's chapters, and where Gemma's chapters were written in first person POV, Celeste's were in third person. This felt jarring to me while reading, so I would have either preferred dual first person POVs or simply Gemma's single POV....more
While it was great to be back with Vanja and Emeric, I ended up enjoying this less than the previous two books. Those were very much favourites for meWhile it was great to be back with Vanja and Emeric, I ended up enjoying this less than the previous two books. Those were very much favourites for me, and this one simply didn't live up to it. The character dynamics and the humour were once again so entertaining, but I wasn't as into the plot this time. I felt like everything was drawn out unnecessarily, and the longer the book went on, the more confusing everything became....more
Many thanks to PRH International for the digital review copy!
Just as the cover promises, this makes for the perfect springtime romance!
At first, this Many thanks to PRH International for the digital review copy!
Just as the cover promises, this makes for the perfect springtime romance!
At first, this book stressed me out quite a lot, because Dani experienced some setbacks. These aren't all immediately solved, but once she reconnects with Wouter, the story started to become more fun. It was so lovely seeing them reconnect at an older age after having been in love as teens when Wouter came to live with Dani's family as an exchange student. Second chance romance tends to work really well for me, and it was fun to see the trope combined with a marriage of convenience.
My favourite part of this book wasn't the romance, though, but rather Dani's storyline. It felt so relatable to read about someone who's a latebloomer and doesn't have everything figured out yet. Following her journey of accepting this and opening herself up to new dreams and new experiences felt inspiring and empowering.
As a Dutch person, it felt a little strange at times to read from Dani's perspective, though not as strange as I expected. I think the author did a good job, I was just always going to feel a little weird about it....more
I haven't read nearly enough middlegrade yet this year, but I'm glad I did at least pick up this one. I love a spooky middlegrade, because they're notI haven't read nearly enough middlegrade yet this year, but I'm glad I did at least pick up this one. I love a spooky middlegrade, because they're not usually outright scary and I tend to love the vibes. I've always loved the idea of a ghost companion, so that worked really well for me, although I would have liked to spend a little more time with Arlo to establish his character and his connection with Nero before the story got started. I still really enjoyed this though, as everything felt fast-paced but still fleshed out enough and I liked the characters. The mystery was very interesting to me, and I loved seeing it resolved....more
It's taken me way too long to actually finish this duology, even though I loved Godly Heathens, but I'm so glad I finally did. It's definitely a new fIt's taken me way too long to actually finish this duology, even though I loved Godly Heathens, but I'm so glad I finally did. It's definitely a new favourite duology for me. Merciless Saviors added so much depth and emotion to the story, and I could not put it down. This duology is so unique, and I know it will stay with me for a long time....more
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