Love And First Sight by Josh Sundquist

Love And First Sight ARC Review

Shoutout to HBG Canada for providing me this ARC copy in return for an honest review!

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary:

     On his first day at a new school, blind sixteen-year-old Will Porter accidentally groped a girl on the stairs, sat on another student in the cafeteria, and somehow drove a classmate to tears. High school can only go up from here, right?

As Will starts to find his footing, he develops a crush on a charming, quiet girl named Cecily. Then an unprecedented opportunity arises: an experimental surgery that could give Will eyesight for the first time in his life. But learning to see is more difficult than Will ever imagined, and he soon discovers that the sighted world has been keeping secrets. It turns out Cecily doesn't meet traditional definitions of beauty--in fact, everything he'd heard about her appearance was a lie engineered by their so-called friends to get the two of them together. Does it matter what Cecily looks like? No, not really. But then why does Will feel so betrayed?

Told with humor and breathtaking poignancy, Love and First Sight is a story about how we related to each other and the world around us.

Thoughts:

     Before asking for a review copy of this book, I honestly thought the title was Love At First Sight, but it was actually Love And First Sight. Ergo, when I was reading the summary, I don't know where my mind was at but apparently it was in lala-land. So when I started reading, I got really confused at first, and I had to go back and reread the summary. So that was a great start. 

     This wasn't what I expected the book to be. It's a refreshing book for me because the POV is new and I haven't read a book quite like it. Yes it's contemporary and it's bound to be romance, but it was really cool being able to have a bit of knowledge about what it's like to be visually impared. I think that Mr Sundquist did a good job in interpreting it and it made it easier to understand. While reading this book, it really changed my perspective on things and it made the wheels on my head spin and more aware. Throughout the book, I was able to know what it's like to be in Will's head. I think that this is an important piece of the book that made it all come together. 

     I love Will's brain. I really do. He has a great sense of humour and despite his situation, he makes the best of it. His relationship with Cecily started in the wrong foot, but the more they spent time together getting to know what it's like in each other's minds and understanding one another, it just got better and better. The pace was going well and it paid off especially when he was able to see for the very first time and it was just so emotional (for me at least) and it felt like I was able to experience being able to see for the first time as well. Although I'm contempt with the ending, I really want more insight to what happens next in Will's life. Still, I enjoyed reading it and I want to be able to read more books like this in the future, because it is interesting, educating (if the author does it very well) and it gives importance to friendship, trust and the sense of belonging and having that connection with someone. 

Ugly Love, by Colleen Hoover Review

Ugly Love, Colleen Hoover 

Rate: 5/5
Summary:

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.
Never ask about the past.

Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.

Promises get broken.

Rules get shattered.

Love gets ugly.

Thoughts:

     Everyone knows my love for Colleen Hoover book, if not, then I'm letting you know now. This book did not disappoint. It went straight to the point and into my heart... Then it broke my heart, and fixed it, then broke it again. I felt so many emotions all at once I didn't even know it was possible. Miles Freaking Archer is a whole new category of book boyfriend. My emotions were so mixed up because I was really happy with him and rooting for him, then he does something that completely makes me mad that I almost feel like he did it to me rather than to Tate. 

     Tate and Miles' relationship started off as that typical relationship in books where the MCs make a deal where they sleep together and somehow not get attached (well we all know that that never really works out). Basically, Tate is staying with her brother Corbin, for a short amount of just enough to have enough saved up to buy her own apartment while attending school and doing her residency. That is when she meets one of her brother's pilot friend, Miles. They obviously become attracted together, but they never really acted on it until Miles joined Tate's family for Thanksgiving. Things go up and down from here but they eventually end up together (no surprise here).

     The book is told through both Tate and Miles' POV. This usually isn't something to make a big deal out of because some books do it as well, but it's a different case for this story. This is  because while Tate is telling her part of the story, the format of the text is written normally, compared to when Miles writes 

        his part of the story does 

       the writing style and

       format change.

     Just like
      this.

     In addition, Tate's POV focuses on the present and what's currently happening between her and Miles, meanwhile his is about his past with Rachel.
     Before everything with Tate, Miles fell in love with a girl named Rachel. However, their relationship was an odd one. They met at the school office and from the moment Miles saw Rachel, he knew she was special. But all that was crushed when they found out that their parents were also seeing each other, making them step siblings of sort. Still, the attraction between them won and they ended up together. Obviously their parents had a hard time with this, but somehow still supported them (this part kind of weirded me out but Colleen made it somewhat acceptable in a way). Rachel got pregnant and Miles was over the moon about it even though it scared him. They had the baby, but on the way home, they got into the accident and they fell over the bridge. Miles couldn't save both the baby and Rachel, so the baby ended up dying. This event broke Miles and Rachel moved away after this. Miles has a very complicated past which is why it was hard for him to take the leap with Tate since he truly did start to develop feelings for her enough to actually want her, but he had lost so much that he was scared to lose Tate too. I understood where he was coming from. He was scared that if he did let himself truly love Tate, she would disappear just like his first child did.
     Tate is a tough girl, I don't think I would've stayed with someone like Miles, especially if I end up being burned over and over again. I couldn't decide whether she was stupid, brave or just madly in love with miles, maybe all of the above. When they had the deal, Tate was just letting Miles use her as a distraction, and she was well aware of that but didn't do anything about it. It pissed me off because she was spineless and she deserved better, but then when she realised that he won't return her feelings until he gets over his problem, she moved on. I think that that was the tipping point for the both of them. Despite the fact that it was hard, she still did it. I also found myself feeling for her, because those moments when Miles just completely shut off took a hit on her. 

     On to the good parts of the book that made me cry so much. First of all, Miles confused me ( I'm practically repeating myself here .. oops)  because 80% of the book, I was rooting for him, then the 20% was me crying because he broke my heart so many times because he was being a jerk. I couldn't even imagine what it must've felt like to have those events happen to you. His first love was kind of out of the ordinary, but dang he would've been a perfect father, no matter the circumstances. But then there were times where his actions were just unacceptable. No matter what his reasons were, Tate did not deserve it. I am talking about THE SCENE WHERE THEY (Tate and Miles) WERE DOING IT AND HE WAS LIKE "OH MY GOSH, RACHEL" IN FRONT OF TATE!!!!! THAT SCENE KILLED ME. NO MATTER HOW MUCH I TRIED TO HOLD THE DAMN WATERFALLS BACK I COULDN'T SO I WAS LITERALLY A HUGE SOBBING MESS. And then there was that other time where HE FINISHED AND HE JUST LEFT HER THERE IN THE COUNTER AND WALKED IN HIS ROOM WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING TO HER AND SLAMMED THE DOOR. I was so mad at him during this time too. But then he redeemed himself in the end by showing up at Tate's new apartment right after getting punched by Corbin :') .
     One of my favorite parts of the book was Cap. He's so wise and clever that I wish he was my grandpa. I have a weakness with old people, they just seem so precious and fragile.
     I also liked the part where Miles's style of writing changed when his POV also changed to the present and normal format and how it changed again to how it used to be every time he talked about Rachel when their kid (Sam) was born. It shows that he was finally in love all over again ( even though he was already in love with Tate, but in an even higher level).  

                          Overall, I loved this book and I
                                  Totally encourage you 
                                                          To read it because
                                  It is AMAZING
          And I know that you 
          Will fall 
IN      
        LOVE

7 Contemporary books you should read

Books I Highly Recommend

Okay, so I've decided to do something different today. Instead of a review, I have decided to list my top 7 contemporary books (this was a tough decision because I've mostly been recently reading contemporaries and I've loved every single one of them) and I highly urge you to read them! *These are not in any particular order.*

Books and More's list of recommendation:

• Colleen Hoover Books

   Okay, so basically, if you have not read or heard any of Colleen Hoover's books, YOU.ARE.MISSING.OUT. Each of her books are amazing. As you may or may not know [those who follow me on instagram should ! Ha, shamelessly advertising my instagram.. What can you do, a girl's gotta try. Amirite? ;)] I went on a binge read with all her books in the past week and I honestly cried throughout majority of her books. The first book I've ever read that she wrote, was Slammed. Basically a story about two people who wants to be together but can't because life gets in the way, life just kept getting in the damn way [ winking at people who've read the book and saw what I just did ;)) ] I really liked the poetry in it. Then a friend of mine asked me if I've read any of her other books, and since I liked Slammed, I decided why the heck not. So I went on to my little adventure and after reading Ugly Love, I was on a reading slump because it emotionally drained me. I think I drained out my well of tears. But then I read November 9 and well ... was on another reading slump because the same thing happened. The same routine happened until I've decided to take a break because I don't think I could go through any more of torture ( because liking books and hating them for making you like it so much should be a crime). I think what made me like the books even more is the songs that went along with it. In case you didn't know, I'm now letting you know (because I don't think it's okay that you've been in the dark about songs from books that make you feel feels) Colleen Hoover teamed up with Griffin Peterson who's been singing songs from her books and sort of like a soundtrack. LET ME JUST TELL YOU, THEY ARE AMAZING AND THE TUNES ARE VERY CATCHY. IT MAKES THE BOOK MORE SPECIAL BECAUSE IT HAS A SONG MADE FOR IT. AND YOU CAN PEACEFULLY (NOT REALLY PEACEFUL BECAUSE YOUR HEART STARTS GOING CRAZY) LISTEN TO IT AND START CRYING BECAUSE YOU ARE HUMAN AND YOUR EMOTIONS GET THE BEST OF YOU!!! I really didn't mean this "little blurb" to be long, but the bottom line is, READ HER BOOKS.

• Every Last Word, by Tamara Ireland Stone

Every Last Word is a book about a girl named Sam who has OCD. She has to continually put on a façade around her popular friends. That is until she discovers a place called the "Poet's Corner". She makes a lot of friends including Caroline. And the rest is yours to find out. There was a plot twist that I didn't see coming and it kind of just caught me off guard but that made my emotions go crazier. The book contained poems and I loved every single one of them. I will never be able to write an amazing piece, but I still love them no matter what. It's such a good read, it's about friends and finding friendship in places you wouldn't usually find them. She befriends people who she's seen around school and didn't pay much attention to, until now. It's easy to relate with the book, especially the part where Sam hangs out with the wrong people and their mindset is kind of closed off, whereas Sam's amazing brain has spread their own wings [what a crappy analogy, but you get the point] and discovered a lot of new things. I also want you to give this book a try, because you're missing out. Another note: there's a book boyfriend worthy character in here that you'll love.

• The Problem With Forever, by Jennifer L. Armentrout

You've probably heard of her famous Lux series [ if not that's okay because I haven't read it either, nor did I know that it was the same author.. I got to work on these things *sigh*]. Anyways, this book, The Problem With Forever is also by her. It's a contemporary book [ gee thanks captain obvious ] about a girl named Mallory, aka Mouse, who hasn't really been verbal the last couple of years. She's went through some rough times during her childhood, which is what her therapist believes to be the reason why she is silent and does not talk. Even though she may not be able to speak out loud, she is actually very bright on the inside. She can carve things out of soap, and her thoughts and opinions are well thought out. She then gets adopted by a loving family and was home schooled, that is until she decides to take the next step and spend her senior year at a public high school. She runs into her childhood friend, Rider Stark, and things between them begin to spark [pun intended]. Something happens in the book that transforms our MC from being Mouse, to Mallory. It's a really fun read, there were parts in the book where I was just like "Same, Mallory, I feel you" and start laughing at her inexperiences because it literally is me in real life. Rider, is also a sweet and says things at the right time it's kinda hard not to fall in love with him too.

• Beautiful Disaster [Beautiful Series], by Jamie McGuire

This book is about Abby Abernathy and Travis Maddox. Travis joins fights and that's how he makes money, he is also undeniably hot and is known for his status for sleeping with a lot of girls. They meet during one of his fights and thus begins his nickname for Abby; Pidge. They have a bet where if Travis loses, he must remain abstinent for a month, and if she loses, she has to stay in his apartment for a month. This is how their love story begins. This is such a good book, I read it a while back and I loved it so much. There have been a lot of ups and downs about their relationship, but they still manage too stay strong and stay together. Travis and his family is so adorable, that right after I finished this series, I had to read the rest o the Maddox's story [which you should also definitely read]. Beautiful disaster is all through Abby's POV and Walking Disaster (second book) is through Travis's POV, including the third book (more like a novella) called Beautiful Wedding. I cried so much when reading this novella because the wedding was truly beautiful and Travis was being a great boyfriend goals I couldn't handle it. There are quite a lot of things going on in here, but it's soooo addictive and very compelling. Abby is so smart and she isn't like most of the MCs where they are completely clueless. I had no problems with her and her character. I can't wait for the next part of the series, it's called Beautiful Funeral, and I can't wait because I love each and everyone of  them so much. If you are currently in a reading slump, read this, because it will bring you over and out [been watching too much of Stranger Things] that slump

• To All The Boys I've Loved Before, by Jenny Han

I will be very surprised if you have not read this book yet. So basically, the story of this book is about our main character Lara Jean and her love letters. Every time she gets over her crush, she writes them a love letter telling them about her feelings for them and why she liked them. These letters are only for her, sort of like a proof that she got over them and writing it out makes it feel official so she never really ends up sending them. She keeps them on this shoe box that I believe is from her mom or was given to her by her mom [ read the book to find out *wink* ]. That is until one of the people she wrote the letter to approaches her about it. And there goes the story of the book. Lara-Jean was hilarious through out the book. She reacted the way I would've reacted if it was me in her place. Not to mention Peter Kavinsky. He is such a sweetie. He's one of those characters who looks like he doesn't care, but he actually does. The way they come together was crazy even from the very beginning, but I love it. This is a unique contemporary book.

• Rainbow Rowell Books

Another book(s) on my list would be books written by Rainbow Rowell. She is an amazing author and her books are very relatable. The first ever book I have read by her was Eleanor & Park. It was such a great book and it meant a lot to me. The story is both through both Eleanor and Park's POV. Eleanor just moved in with her mom and her step dad, she didn't like it there because she had to go to a new school and her stepdad was rude and didn't even treat her mom right. Meanwhile, Park's family is the opposite. They first meet on the first day of school at the bus since Eleanor did not know where to sit and therefore Park offered her to sit beside him. They bonded through music and comic books. I fell in love with this book because even though it was a love story, it wasn't the typical popular guy meets unpopular-girl-but-is-really-pretty-so-it-cancells-the-not-popular-part kind of story. There is a twist in it and it broke my heart because it was crappy and I would be scared and out of my mind if it happened to me. I've also read Fangirl and it kinda reminds me of right now. Blogging. [even though Cath's way of blogging is better than this]. I recommend you to read Rainbow Rowell's books because they are so relatable [that's not even a word, but it makes sense] and are realistic. They aren't the typical romance contemporary books [as great as they are, we all know how that trope can get too tiring and predictable] It's really easy to get into them and I hope that you would give it a try. 

• All The Bright Places, by Jennifer Niven

This is one of my favourite reads this summer. I really enjoyed it and I cried because Finch was such a great character it was hard not to fall in love with him. This book talks about depression and mental illness. It's through Theodore Finch and Violet Markey's POV. Finch knows that he's not like other people, but he still accepted and embraced that and even went out of his way to be as "weird" as he possibly can. Violet and Finch met at an unusual place, they met at the school's bell tower [ I believe it was the bell tower, I can't remember].What were they doing there? I guess you'd have to read to find out. *wink* .They end up working together for a school project where they have to go around the state to look for "natural wonders" and write a report about it. They go on an adventure and it made me want to go explore my province too because I haven't really gone anywhere nor have I seen all the places it has to offer. This book is unique because they go through the same things, but their POV of the situation is very different. This book is loaded with serious and heart to heart moments, funny moments, what it's like to have mental illness, meeting people who will change you, and falling in love. The characters are great and they are the kind of people you wish you had in your life, especially Finch. I really don't want to say more, but if you do decide on reading it, I advice you now, have some kleenex near you just in case. 

The Problem with Forever, by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Problem with Forever Review

Rating: 4/5
Summary:

For some people, silence is a weapon. For Mallory “Mouse” Dodge, it’s a shield. Growing up, she learned that the best way to survive was to say nothing. And even though it’s been four years since her nightmare ended, she’s beginning to worry that the fear that holds her back will last a lifetime.

Now, after years of homeschooling with loving adoptive parents, Mallory must face a new milestone—spending her senior year at public high school. But of all the terrifying and exhilarating scenarios she’s imagined, there’s one she never dreamed of—that she’d run into Rider Stark, the friend and protector she hasn’t seen since childhood, on her very first day.

It doesn’t take long for Mallory to realize that the connection she shared with Rider never really faded. Yet the deeper their bond grows, the more it becomes apparent that she’s not the only one grappling with the lingering scars from the past. And as she watches Rider’s life spiral out of control, Mallory faces a choice between staying silent and speaking out—for the people she loves, the life she wants, and the truths that need to be heard.

Thoughts:
     Basically, I really really liked this book. Admittedly, it had taken me longer to read this book than my usual time. I was just a bit busy and I didn't really want to start it because I never liked to read a book unless I read it in one sitting. Nevertheless, I ended up reading it and I'm glad I did. It wasn't a cliché YA contemporary book. Yes there is some romance in it, but it didn't really focus on that. It was more on the importance of friendship and trying. This book contains a lot of thoughts and objectives, so I'm going to try my best to convey my thoughts through here.

     The book is through Mallory's POV. After years of being home schooled by her adoptive parents, Carl and Rosa, she's decided to take the step of spending senior year in the local public school. This was a big deal to her because she didn't talk. She didn't talk because it's how she's been "programmed" that way according to her therapist. Before her life with the Rivas, she grew up in a foster home with Rider Stark, her one and only childhood friend. She had a tough time in the foster home because the foster parents didn't pay much attention to them and they were usually drunk and having parties. Her foster parents were very abusive and got really violent easily. That is until one unfortunate afternoon when Mallory got really hurt which led her to the hospital. The Rivas were her doctors and they were fond of her so they decided to adopt her. That was the last time she's ever seen or heard from Rider... Until the first day of senior year.
   
     This was a different read because there's a lot going on and it was filled with different streams and ideas that still went together perfectly. In the beginning of the book, Rider called Mallory "Mouse". This was his nickname for her because she was really quiet. From that point to the half of the book, she's been fine with him calling her Mouse. But then her character started growing and understanding her surroundings. She begins to transform to Mallory. Usually when a character goes through that change and level of maturation, most readers wouldn't be able to notice it. It was a different situation for this book. Our MC went from being "Mouse" to "Mallory" and the transformation was smooth but recognisable at the same time. I think that the fact that I was able to notice this is one of the reasons that I liked this book. It's usually rare when that happens, so I was glad that I was able to pick up on it.

     On the other hand, everything was going well for both Rider and Mallory, up to the part where they were at a party and something horribly happens to one of the minor characters. This event impacted both Rider and Mallory. Once again, this is where J. Armentrout sets up that change in focus. The focus of the book goes from Mallory to Rider. This change was kind of an ironic one. This was because Rider has been the one encouraging her to get out of her comfort zone, but then she becomes the one who begins to yell at Rider because of the way he looks at himself. It took me a while to wrap my head around this because wasn't she the one who had a low self esteem? The one who needed pushing? So really, she shouldn't be mad at Rider because he has chosen to give up on himself a long time ago [note the sarcasm]. But things worked out the way it did because thanks to Rider and the events that happened around her, Mallory was able to recognize her strength as an individual and her ability to see the best in people which in the end is what saved Rider from his demise. Like I said, very ironic.

     While we're on the topic, I want to talk about Rider. His personality throughout the book was loving and selfless towards Mallory. He said the right things at the right time and did things at the right moment. He was a perfect character - he didn't cheat, didn't do anything horrible, or even the typical mistakes that most fictional guys did. Which was my problem... He was too perfect that he almost seemed fake. Prior to the part where Mallory took note of what was actually going through him that made him real. In addition, I also liked that J. Armentrout included the fact that he's a virgin. Most people wouldn't care about this but to me, this was something that I was kind of happy to see because it goes against most stereotypes in books. Most contemporary/romance books, the guy is always the "skilled one" and is expert in that kind of stuff meanwhile the girl is the one who is a virgin. I've been reading a lot of contemporary books lately and it's the same trope; girl is a virgin, boy is not. Details like this drive me mad because it's so frustrating that this is the way how the story is. Girls can be the experienced ones and guys can be the clueless ones when it comes to sex. I need to see more of this because it's been something that's bothering me every time I stumble upon it.

     Overall, this book was a refreshing book because it isn't like how most contemporary books go. I love reading books that show different perspectives and ideas. The characters showed a lot of developments and took action, the plot was constant and the plot twists occurred at the appropriate moment.  This book has opened another perspective of life for me. Reading what Mallory has been through as a child was a lot for me to take in because I've never been in that position and the fact that this is the reality of most people is something that my mind cannot wrap around. The idea that it can be anyone around you is something we should keep in mind as well. I highly recommend this book.

It's Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini

It's Kind of a Funny Story

Rating: 4/5

Summary

Ambitious teen Craig Gilner is determined to succeed at life, which means getting into the right school to get into the right college to get the right job. He accomplishes this by getting into Manhattan's extremely selective Executive Pre-Professional High School. And that's when things start to get crazy. 

At Craig's new school, the pressure is unbearable. There, he's just average and maybe not even that. He sees his once-perfect future crumbling way. Craig stops eating and sleeping until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbours include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and a recovering garbage-head named Bobby who needs his help. There, isolated fro the crushing stresses of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

Plot:
     Basically, Craig Gilner is a very talented since he was a kid. He used to spend his time under the table that he soon created into his mini fort containing his encyclopedias. He liked to draw maps and was very familiar with Manhattan. This was his hobby. Most people would consider him smart and a fast learner.
     Everything was going very well for Craig, he got accepted to the prestigious Executive Pre-Professional High School. Unfortunately for him, this is how he slowly developed depression. He was aware that he had depression, he felt a "Shift" that happened inside of him, where he felt that something was missing. His parent are very supportive of him, especially his younger sister. They had him sign up for several psychiatrists. He still went on with his personal life, hung out with his best friend Aaron and his girl friend Nia (who Craig has a crush on). He still smokes pot, drinks and attends parties. Until one night when he was about to commit suicide, he ended up calling the local suicide hotline he stumbled on in yellow pages.
     There, he got checked in to the psychiatric care of the hospital. He wasn't allowed to leave unless a doctor permits him to. He got placed with the older people. During his time in the psychiatric care, he begins drawing maps like he used to do when he was younger. He begins to learn things from the people around him, especially Bobby. He even develops an interest in one of the girls, Noella, who is admitted there as well. He then learns that he's not alone in whatever he is going through, and that you need the people around you to help you be better. In the course of Craig's stay in the hospital, he is inspired to start living.

Brief Comment:
     Before I give my thoughts on this book, I want to pay tribute to Ned Vizzini. I had not known that he has passed away a couple years ago. I haven't really heard about any of his work, but I wish I did, because It's Kind of a Funny Story was such an inspiring read. His work continues to touch a lot of people, including me, and more in the future. I think what makes a book more lovable and tangible, in a way, is when you can feel the author's emotions and what they're trying to tell you through the characters or the way certain phrases are placed. Ned Vizzini went over and beyond that, which is why I think that he is an amazing writer. It is sad that he was taken way too soon, but his work will forever live on. By just reading one of his books, I was able to relate to the characters and understand where they're coming from.

Thoughts:
     Mental illness is something that most people don't even bother to talk or to pay attention to. Lately I've realized how important it actually is to raise awareness. While reading this book, I was able to understand Craig - the grades, having to be perfect at everything, having friends who you can talk about the real stuff and not just what's on the surface - about what it's like to be human. When Craig was describing the expectations of school, I could relate to him because that's what I've been feeling as well. So overwhelmed about the idea of being the best of the best. It's not that I was competitive, I just want to be great at something, to the point where I was raising the bar too high.
     When Craig began his stay at the hospital, he was so bent on trying to be okay and act as if nothing happened, which is why I think it was a rough start for him. That was until he started hanging out with Bobby and everyone else, observing how they lived and acted. Which leads me to the other reason why I enjoyed this book. The characters were based on real people that Ned Vizzini met during his time on one of his stays in a psychiatric care and that the events in the books were 85% true, according to him. The fact that they were funny, easy to love and smarter than what people gave them credit for is something that I took to notice. Yes, they were in a hospital seeking for psychiatric care, but they were people. The characters were still them. They were written just as what a person with mental illness would act; great sense of humour and an all around great personality.
     What most people don't realize is that anyone can have mental illness, some people hide it better and some are more intense that others. Craig learnt a lot from Bobby, and they were easily friends. He started to get inspired by the people around him that he started drawing his mind maps again. He even developed feelings for Noella, a girl who had intentionally placed scars on her face because she wanted to prove to people that she wasn't just pretty, that she was more than that. This was when they both agreed what their actually going through to each other, how hard it is to be playing the smart and pretty game. Which is why it pissed me off when Nia came to visit Craig only to make out with him because she hasn't made out in a hospital bed before, and just to check it off her list. But then I couldn't stop myself from laughing when Muqtada ( Craig's roommate) walked in and started yelling frantically about kids having sex in his room. It was one of the highlights of the book.
     Seeing Craig's character growth was exciting. I say exciting because, he realized that it's okay to let go about being perfect, and that he was able to root out his real friends from those who are there just for show *cough cough Nia & Aaron cough cough* . I enjoyed it when he asked his dad to find Egyptian music so he could bring Muqtada out of bed. Bobby, President Armelio, and Smitty inspired him to start enjoying everything around him. Now he's doing the same to Muqtada, which shows how much he's grown in those short days. I was very happy for him when "the Shift" finally happened because he deserved it.
     This book really inspired me and I encourage you to read it. My favourite quote(s) from the book are:

 "That's it. It happens in my brain once the rest of my body has moved. I don't know where my brain went. It got knocked off-kilter somewhere. It got caught up in some crap it couldn't deal with. But now it's back - connected to my spine and ready to take charge...

It's a huge thing this Shift, just as big as I imagined. My brain doesn't want to think anymore; all of a sudden it wants to do...

Ski. Sled. Play basketball. Jog. Run. Run. Run. Run home. Run home and enjoy. Enjoy. Take  these verbs and enjoy them. They're yours Craig. You deserve them because you chose them. You could have left them all behind but you chose to stay here. So now life for real Craig. Live. Live. Live. Live.

Live."

P.S.

If you need to talk, you can contact us through email or anywhere else in social media. If you need a prayer, feel free to reach out to us. You are loved, and I would more than likely want to know you! 

Benefits of Reading!

1. Knowledge

It's true, reading gives you more knowledge! For each book you read, whether it's contemporary, fantasy, non-fiction etc. you have to have learned something from the book. Besides, knowledge can help you survive many challenges, the more knowledge you have, the better you are at solving problems. It  helps you recognise that some of the events happening in these book apply in your life and in doing that you're actually being more aware of your surroundings and taking in things that you usually would not notice or keep in mind of. It can also help you have an idea on how to act around people, like when you read a books where the MC (main character) is  consoling a friend, you can do the same thing to the people around you. 

                     

 2. Better Vocabulary

Yes, your vocabulary increases. I was not born in a full English speaking country, English was my second language. When I moved to Canada I had a very limited English experience. I have lived long enough in Canada to adopt my speaking skills, (Fun Fact: I hated reading most my life until last summer where I basically fell in love with books once my cousin kept nagging me to read them) I started to speak fluently in English but based on academic, English was always my lowest grade, kind of like an outlier. After last summer when I started to read massive about of books, as my vocabulary increased so did my grades... by a lot! It also helps when you're playing scrabble (pretty much how my family spends Friday nights). This kind of ties in with knowledge as well. The words you stumble upon on will start showing up on your daily vocabulary and just the way you usually talk that it will come off so naturally you wouldn't have to think twice. 

3. Connecting with others                  

Reading books can give you a reason to talk to other people about something. It's a conversation starter as much as any other topics; sports, weather, shows, music etc. After two months of starting my bookstagram account, I've been able to interact with other book lovers who share the same interest in the books I've read. Some people share the same views and opinions as I do, and some doesn't. That's totally okay with me because I am able to see things from different a perspective and notice things I may not have noticed until someone points it out. You meet people who share the same likes and dislikes in books and being able to discuss and talk about books is pretty cool. It gives you a chance to connect and understand people. It's really exciting because they're from different places of the world and that we are able to communicate through the internet. 

So basically, reading has its own benefits. Each person gets something different out of it. Reading books could be a way for people to be a part of something, religious beliefs are also in play, a way to learn about a person; bibliographies, to know about how certain things work; manuals, and researches about topics that they show interest in. Really, books are pretty much a life line. 

Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss Review

About the book: Anna and the french kiss 
Stars: 4/5

Quick Recap: 

Anna Oliphant is not happy when her father sends her to France to live and study in SOAP aka School of American in Paris. She longed to return back home where she had her best friend, Bridge, her brother, Seany and everyone she knows.When she bumps into Etienne, who was hot, cute and has an adorable an accent, that's when her Paris experience started getting juicier. 

Review: 

Anna Oliphant just arrived in Paris in her new boarding school and she's not very excited despite the fact that she's in Paris. On the very first day she cried, prompting her next door neighbour Meredith to invite herself in her room and comfort her. Mer tells Anna about their friend "group" who consists of Rashmi and Josh, who are a couple and St. Claire who she secretly likes but unfortunately he has a girlfriend. She then meets a gorgeous boy who introduced himself as Etienne. He's the type of boy who wouldn't just leave a girls memory but then she realizes that Ettienne is actually St. Claire; one of Mer's friends. Anna continues to tag along with Mer and her friends and soon becomes part of the group as she builds relationships with everyone; especially with Etienne (ya know it *wink*)

It all started when Etienne would help Anna order because she couldn't speak french. One day, the gorgeous Etienne takes Anna out to explore Paris to terminate her longing to go back home. Etienne takes her to Point Zero where she makes a wish, as they were arriving home they find two movie theatres. Etienne learns how Anna admires films and was so trilled to see her so happy. They were both building a connection with each other without even realizing it. They were close to returning when Ellie, Etienne's girlfriend, comes along and takes him away. At least she was acting casual despite seeing his boyfriend with a girl, it was that or be a complete mean girl (she took the high road).

Anna knows to stay back from Etienne because he's taken, but he has also been so kind to her that it makes it hard to stay back in the friend zone lane. She keeps telling her that he is taken because Etienne just keeps treating her special and it's getting harder to resist him each time they are together. They go to a couple of films over the course of several months, but some days, her other friends would tag along. They have been spending a lot of time with each other and they gradually become inseparable.

Her friends talked her into going to a party and that's when she finds Josh and Etienne drunk. Etienne was very angry with his dad. He ended up in Anna's room when Etienne spills out his feeling for her, this made things a lot more confusing. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or if it was true. Anna decides to pretend she never it and acted normal, until Christmas break when they spent time together mainly because they were the only ones left and their connection grew.

Another break and this time, Anna and Etienne were back home (America). Anna was Shocked to learn that Troph, who she had a 'thing' with, was dating her best friend, Bridge! This resulted in Anna pouring out her problems to Etienne through text. They mostly kept in touch the whole time by texting each other whenever they can. Unfortunately, it wasn't a pleasant visit back home for Anna. When they finally return to Paris, things got even more intense between them, until they couldn't take it any longer, one thing led to another until they were making up. Up until  Mer saw them! (oh my gosh, I felt so bad for her.) That's when things got even more frustrating, Etienne had run after Mer (keep in mind Mer also has a crush on Etienne and Anna is one of her friends ... ouch) but Anna finds out he also went to Ellie's that night.

Anna was angry and didn't understand why he was still with Ellie even after their "make-out,", they were pretty distant with each other for a couple of weeks. Anna ruined her relationship with Mer and everyone hates her. Everything was in the wrong place and she didn't have anyone.

She finally goes to Etienne and that's when Etienne was able to explain his feeling for her and that he had broken up with Ellie for her. They instantly forgave each other and it was time for Anna to go to Mer. It took her a while to realize how to open up to others, Anna finally apologized to Mer and they both got along. This also resulted in Anna understanding Bridge and also forgives her.

The biggest thing I learned was that we should let people explain before we assume anything that happened because had Anna let Etienne explain why he was at Ellie's, she would have understood his intentions and saved weeks of loneliness.

Thoughts: 

First, let me just tell you that I love this cover. I couldn't buy and I was too eager to read it so I borrowed it in the library, luckily I was first in line.

Okay, so this book! First, I Love PETER KAVINSKY, I mean, ETIENNE ST. CLAIRE! alright, I don't understand why I love most of the guys in books I read ( well aside from their perfect word choices and their impeccable sense of humour). I just wish I could meet people like them! WHY?! There is so much boyfriend characters I love so much that I might have to make you guys a list. *awkwardly coughs*, anyways, back to my thoughts.

Anna: Alright, so Anna, my first question to her is "Why are you moping when you're in Paris??"  You're in France for crying out loud! There's a supply of croissants available!!  My parents don't even let me get the mail alone so I'm very sorry that I feel a tinge jealousy. Admittedly so, I understand her struggles going into a new school, let alone a new country especially when not knowing anyone (thanks to her dad of course). I admire Anna's personality, she knows when to keep things to herself just to save other people's feelings. 

Cons: Don't get me wrong, I like Anna but to be honest, I was a bit irritated with Anna when she got upset with Etienne when he didn't break up with his girlfriend, Ellie (I mean, not everything revolves around you ya know!). Especially the times where she didn't let Bridge explain the whole Troph situation and when she didn't let Etienne explain why he went to Ellie's house right after they made out. Fortunately, towards the end, I was happy when she got over herself and let Etienne clarify the whole situation.   

Etienne: I love Etienne's french name, Etienne. He's such a sweet character, I think I fell in love with him myself, I mean, who wouldn't. I love how he is so kind to everyone and how sweet he treats Anna. 


Overall I was happy with the ending! I was glad Anna and Etienne made up and grateful that Etienne had his happy ever after as well.

November 9 Review

November 9, by Colleen Hoover
Book Review

Rating: 5/5

Summary:

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year on November 9. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist for his novel.

For the past two weeks, I've been binge reading Colleen Hoover's books. I don't know why I chose to, but I'm glad I did because it's the best idea I've had since ... a while.
Going into this book, I was expecting tears and heart break, mostly because I previously read Ugly Love by CoHo and because CoHo wrote the book, it's pretty much guaranteed that there'll be tears included.

There were a couple things I noticed about the book and my thoughts about it.

1. The instant attraction Ben and Fallon had

• Usually, it would bother me when this happens because really? EVERY SINGLE ROMANCE BOOKS HAVE THIS PLOT. Even though I noticed this, I didn't really mind because they're gonna see each other every year so might as well feel all those emotions if you'll only be with them a day out of the 365 days of the year.

2. Fallon's great idea of moving all the way to New York

• I'm not great at US geography (or geography in general) but I'm going to imagine that's a huge distance between LA to New York. Keep in mind that she's going by herself especially since her father won't even support her decision. I admire that of her because I don't think I'll be able to do that. Heck I don't even know how to take the bus (mostly because I stay home and because I'm scared to).

3. Fallon's obedience to her mom's advice

• I loved how Fallon was taking her mom's advice to heart. Personally, I agree with her mom's lesson because it is easy to get lost and carried away especially if there's a lot of things to distract you with. So props for her.

4. BEN

• Benton James Kessler. What's there not to love? The way he made Fallon feel good and those compliments. Where can I get my own Ben?? He was so nice and sweet and just perfect.

So yes overall, I loved this book. There were parts of it where I totally lost it.
On the November 9 where Fallon surprised Ben by showing up on his front door when Kyle died. I was floored. I mean who does that?! And when Ben took her to his room and cried on her shoulder?? It was hard to hold back the dam. Then when they did the deed, I cried some more (yeah, it's kind of weird that I cried, but it was just so emotional) .. And when Ben was like asking if they could just stop meeting every November 9 and be together, but she said no, I couldn't even breathe anymore.

But then there was a short break where everything was okay (for now).

 And then SHE GOES BACK TO SEE BEN AND ABOUT TO TELL HIM SHE'S BACK FOR GOOD BUT THEN WE FIND OUT THAT HE'S WITH JORDYN. I. LITERALLY. THOUGHT. I. FELT. MY. HEART. BREAK!

Up to the moment where we find out that everything was connected and that everything Ben has been through was actually for nothing, but that it was too late because his emotions were clouded that night. Finally, when everything was explained in his book, it made everything else they've been through worth it because they were meant to be and that they deserve each other.

Overall, the plot was really good. It isn't like any books I've read (except for the whole love at first sight part). It has a lot of emotions and the characters were easy to love. This is an important key to a book because, it is really hard to love a book especially when you cannot understand where the character comes from or what their thoughts are about certain things. There were a lot of valuable advice in the book as well. I could not agree more about how important it is to finding yourself. It is important and seeing how this point is applied into the book, it was even better. Colleen Hoover is such an amazing author. I can't wait to see more of her works in the future.

In conclusion, if you somehow missed what I was saying due to my not-so-professional-review, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is currently on a reading stump because this will totally take you out of it.. But then be the reason for another reading stump because you're going to be on a post-CoHo hangover.

Also side note in reference to Ugly Love:
So when  Kyle died, people were coming to the house including Ian's friend and his wife. His friend's name is Miles and Miles' wife's name is Tate.. Yes as in Miles Archer the pilot from Ugly Love. In November 9, we find out that Ian is a pilot.. Meanwhile in Ugly Love, we also know that Miles is a pilot and his very close friend is Ian since they grew up together and they're both pilots. So that fact blew my mind and made me appreciate Colleen Hoover more bc that was very sneaky of her.

Dealing With School

Schools right around the corner again, and it’s the time where we all get stressed out of homework and different assignments that we’ll probably not even care about in the future. We all have different ways of dealing with school and the time we have to spend. Personally speaking, I am terrible when it comes to time management. However, there are some tips and reminders to myself whenever I feel too overwhelmed about a certain thing.

Get enough sleep and rest

• I say this because it’s true. Even though this is kind of hard to do, given that we usually sleep around midnight and get only a couple hours of sleep before the day begins, try your best to take a nap right after you get home from school. This helps your brain to relax and do the repairing it needs to do ( I assume that’s what it needs to do but I wouldn’t really know because I barely pay attention in biology!!) When you wake up, you’d feel more refreshed and can focus better on whatever you do.

Don’t think too much about the tasks you’re given

• From up close, you’d think that there are a lot of things you’d need to do and that it’ll overwhelm you, but not really. Admittedly, I do not know what situation you’re in. But give yourself a break. When you think about it ( I know, I know, totally contradicting myself here but just bear with me) you probably won’t even remember any of these things five years from now. It helps when you make a mental note about what you need to do and when they’re due and then saying them out loud. In doing this, it helps bring into perspective all these tasks and you’ll realize that it actually isn’t as hard as it seems. Take breaks every now and then, don’t burden yourself or worry too much about it!

Challenge yourself

• If you haven’t been joining any groups or extracurricular activities, you should. Start by joining groups that interest you the most. It’s nice to get out there and experience new things. If someone would’ve told me this sooner, I would’ve done it. I had to learn this the hard way. I’m going into junior year and I’ll be swamped with work (but I’ll still try my best to be active in school) , the thing I wish I did most during my freshman and sophomore years was that I wished I joined more groups. Joining clubs helped me develop a sense of confidence and talking to more people. I’m an introvert so it was hard at first, but I was able to conquer some fears. I still wouldn’t approach people or make small talks, but if I were introduced to people, I’d be comfortable enough to talk and get to know them.

Meet new people

• In most contemporary high school based books, the main character starts out with their typical friends.. Then they go on to meet new people who they usually wouldn’t hang around with, and then they find that they like them better than their old friends. Honestly, this happens to most of us. When it does happen, it’s simply an outcome of you growing as a person. There’s nothing wrong with making new friends, infact it’s pretty great when that happens. It’s good to surround yourself with people who will encourage you to become a better version of yourself. Invest your time into people who will help you widen your understanding and those who bring out the best in you, especially those who recognize the qualities that you have and bring them out in you. You only have 4 years in high school, do the most out of it. Don’t spend your time in one perspective of the world, widen your knowledge. You might surprise yourself and discover things you actually like to do.

As cliché as it sounds, be yourself

• There's nothing more I can offer. It's all up to you. You can surround yourself with as many positive people you want, but if you don't change your mindset, you're still at a lost. It starts from the inside and once you figure out who you are, you can do whatever you want because you know yourself and you know what you want and who you want to become. Your friends are only there for you as a reminder. Trust that the choices you make are the right ones. So just be the best version of who you are; be honest and true to yourself. If you find yourself having to put on an act when you're with the people around you, are they really worth your time? Would they help you grow or would they prevent you from maturing? Do you like the 'you' that you become when you're around them?