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My Favorite Half-Night Stand
My Favorite Half-Night Stand
Christina Lauren | 2018 | Romance
6
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
You can also find this review on my blog: bookingwayreads.wordpress.com

Trigger Warnings: catfishing, loss of a loved one, talk of cancer and diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, questionable comments on physical appearance

Review:
When I first read this back in July, I rated it 5 out of 5 stars. But after much thinking, I’m dropping my rating down to 3 out of 5 stars. I don’t really remember much of it but after rereading the synopsis, I realized that there were things that I didn’t like. I found the story to be a bit of a bore and extremely unbelievable at most parts.

The whole premise of the book follows a group of close-knit friends that work together, trying to find dates for an event. They all download a dating app and make accounts. But the four men of the group had a bit of trouble making their accounts so Millie, the main character, rewrites them.

First off, the event that this group of friends were trying to find dates for never even happened. So that was a bit of a let down! The internet lingo use was also really weird. It was like these characters didn’t know how to use the lingo even though they are only supposed to be 30 something, which isn’t much older than I am currently.

Millie also makes an account and the men think it’s a bore. So Millie makes a fake account that is a bit more realistic to who she is. But, she doesn’t put her real name on the account. When she ends up getting matched with Reid, she decides to send him a message that basically was catfishing herself. This goes on through the entirety of the novel.

Reading Millie’s actions seem apologetically at first due to her troublesome past, which she doesn’t ever talk about to her friends. But on her fake account, she thinks it’s okay to talk about it with Reid. “Because it’s not like it’s her.” This was really disgusting to read through the entire book. She’s basically lying to one of her best friends even though everything she says is the truth, it’s just under a different name. Overall, Reid was the only redeeming character of the entire book and the rest was just meh.
  
GG
Gamer Girl
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was in the process of getting another book entirely at the library when I noticed Mari Mancusi's Gamer Girl peeking out from its hiding place between two other books. Being the occasional gamer myself (though currently I'm being a little too scholarly to even focus on gaming), I could definitely relate to the title (not so much the synopsis).

There's much to love about Gamer Girl: the synopsis made the book sound like a very happy book – something that I've been on the hunt for awhile. The cover is simplistic and gorgeous – it definitely puts down the entire idea of the book with the drawing of the main character, Maddy, and the avatar she uses in a game (Fields of Fantasy) she gets for her birthday shortly after her parents divorce. The interior is just as gorgeous as the cover – the chapter headings depict Maddy's main emotions she's feeling by the end of the chapter.

Mancusi's writing style and use of Maddy's voice is great as well – Maddy is a very relatable character and she has an attitude that isn't annoying, making the book feel perfectly paced as Maddy gets to know SirLeo in Fields of Fantasy and falls in love with him. For awhile it probably feels as though Maddy will find out SirLeo is really an online predator.

Much as I really loved Gamer Girl and Mancusi's writing style, the book feels as though it's aimed more toward middle grade than a high schooler my age. The book is stereotypical with Maddy being bullied by the "Royal Court" as soon as she starts a new school and Maddy tries to escape from the troubles of her reality by entering the gaming world and playing Fields of Fantasy with an elfin character named Allora, someone she would rather be. It all leads to a very cute and adorable ending with the popular guy falling for the outcast – very happy and light-hearted, and certainly not something you're likely to come across in real life, compared to the realistic drama of Margo Kelly's Who R U Really.
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Review originally posted at <a href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2015/01/review-gamer-girl-by-mari-mancusi.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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<b><i>Have you ever wanted a steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling? You might not get the Disney fantasy, but you will get the true love part. Or will you?</i></b>

Charlotte is a nanny and she goes in a rich family to take care of a little boy. His mother is demanding and his father stays in his room at all times.

Mr. King survived a fire accident and half of his face is covered with a golden mask, to hide the sad memories. He almost never goes out and his son is scared of him. Also,he only visits him at night.
He always talks to his son’s nannies through the intercom, to ask about his day. But with this nanny, it feels different. He can’t wait to hear her voice.

Compared to ‘’Nanny and the Beast’’, The Man in the Mirror is not as steamy, and the love relationship feels a bit more realistic. However, the story is still under developed for my tastes.
The nannies in Georgia’s books are represented in a bit of an unrealistic way. As a nanny, I think you will always influence the child you spend time with. Bear in mind, you spend all day, every day with them. But there are rules and boundaries set by the parents, and you do not cross those. The author somehow forgot about this part, it seems.

The Man in the Mirror opens up plenty of topics for discussion and in the end, it is a quick and enjoyable read. Georgia’s books are the ones that you pick up, wanting to have a quick read moment and relax.

If this book sounds intriguing, go and grab your copy, and let me know in the comments whether you enjoyed it.

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Dreamland
Dreamland
Sarah Dessen | 2000 | Fiction & Poetry
8
6.6 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
"Dreamland" by Sarah Dessen tells the story of Caitlin O'Koren as she navigates her first love with a boy named Rogerson as her family is going through the crisis of her older sister Cass running away. Caitlin finds a home in Rogerson when her parents start to treat Caitlin like Cass, putting her schedule on the refrigerator, going to every game Caitlin cheers at, packing snacks for the team. But when Caitlin discovers that Rogerson isn't the man she met in the parking lot that night, she starts to pull away from those closest to her - ditching school, avoiding her best friend, missing cheer practice, smoking weed, pushing her parents away. Caitlin then has to figure out what's more important, her relationship with Rogerson or her relationship with her friends and family.

I loved this novel. I think it was beautifully written. When the ball drops about Rogerson and Caitlin's relationship, you don't expect it at all. You are so involved in the book and the characters, rooting for the relationship, wondering if Cass is going to come home, questioning Caitlin's parent's motives, that when it all happens, it feels like it's not only happening to Caitlin, but to you too. I think that Sarah Dessen did a wonderful job of putting this type of relationship on paper and having it be relatable while still being realistic.

In contrast, I didn't like how rushed the ending was. There's this point of 2 to 3 pages being a couple weeks to a month long and it just feels rushed. I wish I could've gotten a little more development when it came to the end of the novel, but I don't think it injured the story or the plotline in any way. Secondly, I wish there was more character development on Rogerson. I think that for someone that Caitlin is supposedly in love with, we don't really know much about him. And maybe that's because he just naturally wasn't very open with Caitlin, or if that was the author's choice. Either way, I wish there was a little more.

I would 1000% recommend this book to young adults as well as adults. I think that this novel does a wonderful job of giving you an insight into unhealthy relationships and shows how hard they are to get out of. Without revealing too much, I think that this book could really start a conversation.
  
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Ali A (82 KP) rated The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly in Books

Mar 3, 2020 (Updated Mar 4, 2020)  
The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly
The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly
Meredith Tate | 2020 | Young Adult (YA)
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sisters Ivy and Autumn couldn’t be any more different. Ivy is a band-geek with a tight knit group of friends she loves to play board games with. Autumn is the school’s drug dealer and hasn’t trusted anyone, even Ivy, in years.

After a drug deal gone wrong, Autumn is beaten, bound, and hidden away. Tittering between life and death, Autumn leaves her body trying to find help - the problem is the only one who can really sense her is Ivy.

When Autumn doesn’t come home, Ivy knows her sister is in trouble, even though she’s done this before, this time is different. Following chills and intuitions she can’t explain, Ivy follows clues that bring her closer to Autumn’s dangerous location. But soon, dots are connected that lead to the truth - both where Autumn is being kept and what secrets Autumn has been keeping.

This book was so much more than I originally thought it would be. I read it in a day and a half and that was only because I had work in between. The book has a bit of everything… coming of age, sister relationships, broken families, suspense, and mystery… something for anyone who likes something heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. I’m not someone who reads a lot of mysteries, but this novel grabbed me within the first few pages and I couldn’t let go until I knew what happened.

The viewpoint shifts between Ivy and Autumn and it allows you to see more in depth of each sisters’ side of the story, allowing you to dig deeper into the layers of Autumn’s past. I connected with both Ivy (her Nerd Herd is something I would have called my group of friends back in the day) and Autumn (the chip on her shoulder she has after her mother died is one I also had after my father died). Meredith Tate has such an amazing writing style that even the side characters are realistic and have so much depth that it makes you care for them as well. Tate is definitely an author that I will have on my ‘To Read’ list for any future releases.
The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly is a book I would recommend to those of all ages who like suspense but also something heartwarming as well.

I was given an advance copy of this book through BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review.
  
The Vanishing Deep
The Vanishing Deep
Astrid Scholte | 2020 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Great Wave destroyed the planet five hundred years ago and since then, the surface has been covered in water. Tempest was born into a world of water. Tempest’s sister Elysea drowned holding the secret to their parents’ death and Tempest wants answers. A research facility on the island of Palindromena can revive the dead for 24 hours and Tempest saved every Note she possibly could for two years to do so.

The reunion isn’t what Tempest thought it would be and instead, Elysea insists she’s innocent and convinces her sister to break her out of the facility so they together can find the answers about their parents. But it won’t be an easy journey, especially since they have the Warren, the person in charge of Elysea’s revival, on their trail to return her back before the 24 hours are up.

The Vanishing Deep’s cover is what drew me in to begin with as well as the world the author created. Astrid Scholte does an amazing job at creating this world of water and the floating islands that people live in. A part of me wishes we were able to see more of the day to day life instead of small glimpses here and there simply because the world sounds so interesting.

Scholte has a unique ability to create multi-dimensional, realistic characters that you can’t help but care for. My heart ached for Tempest and Lor throughout the whole book and I kept reading to find out if they get their happy endings or not. Having the chapters be in both Lor’s and Tempest’s points of view gives the reader a more in depth knowledge as to what’s happening, especially since during some parts, a character might be viewing things slightly differently due to grief or past experiences.

I thoroughly enjoyed the twists, turns, and thrills this book had. There were so many surprises that it made it hard for me to put down once I got to reading it. This novel is full of plot twists, both big and small that will have you turning pages upon pages until there is no more left. I would recommend this book to any fantasy lover out there. I am absolutely going to check out more of Astrid Scholte’s other novels.

*Thank you BookishFirst and Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
  
Love, Death &amp; Robots - Season 1
Love, Death & Robots - Season 1
2019 | Animation, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
The beauty of Love, Death and Robots is it's format. An eclectic collection of animated short films, some genuinely brilliant, with a handful of duds, truly gives something for everyone.

There are 18 films on show here, all with something different to offer.
Firstly there were 3 that failed to really resonate with me - Sucker of Souls, When the Yoghurt Took Over, and Alternate Histories. I found these three either slightly boring, or silly for the sake of being silly. There were 2 that sort of floated in the middle - The Dump, and Blind Spot, not bad by any means (none of the shorts are truly bad) but just were sort of there.
Leaving a grand total of 13 shorts that I thought were really really great.

A handful of these realistic CGI entries - namely, Sonnie's Edge, Three Robots, Beyond the Aquila Rift, Shape Shifters (one of the highlights for me), Helping Hand (reminded me of Gravity, in a great way), Lucky 13, and The Secret War.
These lot are lengthier offerings, and boast some good looking CGI animation, bordering on photo realism at times. The run time gives an opportunity for some decent fleshed out stories.
The Secret War in particular is nothing short of breath taking, and may well be my top pick of the whole season.
Elsewhere, we have more cartoony offerings - Suits, a loud animation that features farmers in mech suits fighting aliens. Zima Blue, a beautifully touching story of how a simple robot transcends existence itself - another highlight of the season. Fish Night, a short desert based drama bursting with colour. The animation of this one reminded me of A Scanner Darkly. Good Hunting, a collision of Ancient Chinese stories and a Bioshock style steampunk future. Hard to watch at times, but stunning also - easily would have been my top pick if The Secret War wasn't included.
Rounding it off we have The Witness, and animation that looks like a moving oil painting and reminded me of Mirror's Edge, and Ice Age, a fun short that's the only live action inclusion with CGI flourishes about a civilisation growing in a couple freezer.

It's an ambitious collection of shorts for sure, but like I said, there's something here for everyone. Even the ones that I liked the least are a 6/10 at worst. If you like sci-fi or animation in any shape or form, then check this series out.
  
Cars 2 (2011)
Cars 2 (2011)
2011 | Action, Animation, Comedy
9
6.8 (26 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Producer Brad Lewis (Ratatouille)steps into the director’s chair for this sequel that follows racing legend Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and his trusty sidekick, Mater (Larry the Cable Guy).

Passports are secured and ready to take part in the biggest race on the planet, Lightning and his freinds prepare to take on the best racers in the world. As the first-ever World Grand Prix approaches, cars from every continent prepare for the ultimate competition. But who will have what it takes to become the fastest car on the planet? Just as Lightning McQueen edges up to the starting line, however, his old pal Mater gets sidetracked on a top-secret spy mission that takes him from Japan to Europe. Thankfully Mater’s friends are always willing to lend a helping wheel, and as the race gets under way, everyone shifts into high gear to help out an old friend.

“Cars 2” It’s James Bond meets “Fast and the Furious” and Full of ACTION! None of the characters from the first film are forgotten Of course Tow Mater stands out the most for his hilarious ways of a small town country tow truck who isn’t afraid to do or say anything! Mater is as FUNNY as can be and shares a range of emotions with Lightning . The bond between Lightning McQueen and Tow mater “Mater” are classic as for Mater he encounters a reality check when he’s able to understand how others view him for the first time out of Radiator Springs. When Mater is mistaken for someone else a whole new world of adventure is opened up for him which causes him to grow.

I saw the film with an all ages group in the theater and I observed that everybody was enjoying it as well.

Watching this movie in 3D really made you feel like you were there! It’s funny when computer graphics of animation are realistic enough to make you become part of the story. It is amazing how much technology has changed from when I first encountered Disney animation in the 1970’s.

If you enjoyed the first Cars movie your sure to enjoy this one too! It is a must see! Never a dull moment. A Wonderful start to the Summer of family Movies.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Return in Books

Feb 19, 2020 (Updated Feb 21, 2020)  
The Return
The Return
Rachel Harrison | 2020 | Contemporary, Horror, Mystery
4
6.8 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
I had been looking forward to reading The Return by Rachel Harrison for awhile, so when I got the opportunity to review it, I jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, I was left feeling very disappointed.

The plot for The Return sounds promising. Elise's best friend Julie disappeared 2 years ago. No one had heard or seen her. Then one day, Julie showed up again claiming to have no memory of what happened. No one ever pressed her for answers. However, Julie isn't like she was before. She's acting much different, and the smell she gives off is terrible! What really happened to Julie during those two years she was missing?

The Return started out extremely slow. I kept reading thinking the pacing would pick up. However, it never did except for a tiny bit during the end where all the action happens, but even then, the pacing is still slow. This book really lacks any kind of action, in my opinion, and is instead more like watching three snobby and boring women on a vacation where they just stay in their hotel. I skimmed through a lot of this book waiting for something interesting to happen.

I couldn't connect to any of the characters. There is some backstory for each of the characters, but it feels forced and jagged and like it doesn't fit in very well with the book. The only semi-decent character is Elise. She's a tad bit relatable, but even she doesn't feel that realistic. She's too dependent on others especially when it comes to Julie. Putting her life in danger after finding out what really happened to Julie was just insane and didn't feel like something a real person would do. Mae and Molly were snobby rich women how seemed to not want to do much. Mae liked complaining all the time, and I don't really know what the point of Molly was.

Trigger warnings include profanity, drinking, violence, death, and murder.

Overall, The Return felt short of my expectations. The pacing was too slow, and the characters just felt too wooden. Unfortunately, I would not recommend The Return.
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A special thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eBook of The Return by Rachel Harrison in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
  
    Bugs and Bubbles

    Bugs and Bubbles

    Education and Games

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