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A Fairy Godmother's Redemption (The Magicals #4)
A Fairy Godmother's Redemption (The Magicals #4)
Maya Tyler | 2021 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A pleasure to read from start to finish.

For a young adult plus audience as there are sexual scenes.

Faye is relatable, she's sensitive, has a need to help others and like the rest of us, feels she could/should have done better. I think she more than redeems herself with the help she's able to give to Drew.
    Eighteen year old Drew hasn't had the easiest of lives and it's about to get a whole lot more complicated. He's a lovely character that I found quite endearing, I had my fingers crossed for a happy ending for him.

Enter Seraphina, eighteen year old pop princess with her own troubles. Beautiful, talented and a sweetheart, with her own Fairy Godmother lending a helping bibbity bobbity boo.

A Fairy Godmother's Redemption is fun, cheeky and has its sad moments. I'm thrilled to say it's part of a series though it could easily be read as a standalone.....but you wouldn't want to miss out!!

 @Merissa
  
The Upside of Unrequited
The Upside of Unrequited
Becky Albertalli | 2017 | Young Adult (YA)
9
8.2 (25 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book was such a quick and easy read. The book is told entirely from Molly’s point of view, she is very relatable and has a distinct and developed voice. I soon felt like I knew her and really related to her as a main character. One of the things that I really loved about The Upside of Unrequited is the importance of the relationship between Molly and her twin sister Cassie, and the strong relationships she has with the rest of her family. There are so many important elements woven in to this story, and I felt like it was really well done. There is a lot of diversity, and it feels totally natural, and none of the characters are reduced to their diverse characteristic, they all read like real people, and I really liked all the different relationship dynamics.

*This book was kindly provided to me for honest review by the Publisher via Netgalley. This has not impacted on the content of this review, which it my own honest opinion.


A full review is available on my blog: https://readingsanctuaryblog.wordpress.com/2017/04/14/review-the-upside-of-unrequited-by-becky-albertalli/
  
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger | 2016 | Essays
8
6.8 (85 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
I honestly really enjoyed reading this book in my junior year of high school. My teacher let everyone in my class pick a classic and I decided to read this by chance. At first, I was annoyed with how Holden was acting and was truly confused on how this book became a classic. He basically hires a prostitute to just talk to her? It made no sense to me, he was just in some kind of haze. But then, everything clicked for me and Holden became extremely relatable. In high school, I suffered from depression but didn't realize until much later that that was indeed the reason I was acting so off, much like Holden during the book. He definitely was on a downward spiral and he didn't himself understand why he was the way he was. I think this is a good book for kids to read in school because it's honest and it's interesting. It's one of the only classics I've read that I can get through without yawning! This was always be a book that holds a deep meaning to me!
  
SS
Summer Secrets
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Cat is a journalist in London, divorced, and raising her daughter. Earlier, her mother had revealed a secret about Cat's past -- the identity of her true father. When Cat journeyed to Nantucket to meet him - and her two half sisters - something bad happened, and it traumatized her. Now she's a recovering alcoholic and wondering if she can right the wrongs from her long ago meeting with her estranged family.

This was an enjoyable read - the story goes back and forth with flashbacks, which helps build up the suspense. Some of the plot is a little outlandish, but it's a fast read and fun. It's a little painful to read sometimes; Cat can certainly be a frustrating character at times, and you just want to shake her. (Also, I don't recommend reading this if you're triggered by reading alcoholism scenes.) However, present day Cat is a relatable character, for the most part, and fun to root for. Her two half sisters, Julia and Ellie, are pieces of work in themselves, and the book presents a fairly realistic look at modern day family and sisterhood. Overall, probably 3.5 stars.
  
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Reiko LJ (126 KP) rated Artemis in Books

Aug 2, 2018  
Artemis
Artemis
Andy Weir | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
7.7 (34 Ratings)
Book Rating
Fast paced plot, hard to put down (0 more)
Tropey OP main character (0 more)
Much like Weir's first book, I absolutely devoured this one. I haven't read a book this fast in a while. His style of writing makes for easy and relatable reading and despite having a lot of scientific concepts it doesn't make the reader feel dumb, nor catered to. It's a style few seem to manage.

Jazz's inner monologues were interesting and funny. The only thing that bothered me sometimes was the repeated 'she's a total genius' moments all the way through. That gave it a bit of a YA novel vibe when they came up. Especially at one point where she monologues something about having an amazing memory. The comment just felt unnecessary and was just chucking it on the laundry list of feats she is capable of.

I see other reviews taking great umbrage with his portrayal of a female character but I didn't have any issues with that. Anyone expecting a woman to act or think in a certain way is missing the point a little bit. There is no one way for a woman to be. Everyone is different. This is Jazz Bashara.
  
Love...Under Different Skies
Love...Under Different Skies
Nick Spalding | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Another fun instalment
As ive said before, Nick Spalding will never win any literary prizes for this series of books, he really does well to sum up real life situations and emotions. The writing is good but what really makes this story entertaining is the characters. Laura and Jamie are a very relatable couple and their diary/blog entries are so down to earth and realistic. I doubt anyone could read this book (or any others in the series) and not find a handful of comments, thoughts or situations that they’ve experienced in their own life. This story is also pretty funny and I found myself laughing out loud on many occasions.

It may not be the most thought provoking or insightful of reads, but this is a great fun and lighthearted story that is refreshingly short. There are parts in this book that are a little far fetched and scepticism does sink in at times, but I that’s really what you expect from a work of fiction. This kept me highly entertained when I had to get public transport into work this week, although I did have to restrain my laughter at times!
  
Kings of the Wyld
Kings of the Wyld
Nicholas Eames | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I can't emphasize enough how much I love this book! From the minute I read the synopsis a couple months ago I absolutely could not wait to read it. Having just finished it, I can't come up with any sort of criticism for the purpose of this review lol it was truly a superb fantasy adventure. The author went above and beyond creating a world so richly detailed and immersive that I half expected to see some of the creatures running around outside any time I was forced to put the book down. The characters were all well developed and relatable. The writing style was great, it had me hooked from the start and was detailed without being bogged down with unnecessary information and had me laughing out loud numerous times. The story develops at a nice pace, everything falls into place without feeling rushed or drawn out and the action never lets up. Kings of the Wyld is definitely one of my all time favorite fantasy adventure stories! I would love to see it as a tv series. Super excited to read the next book in the series!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!*
  
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Tarkin (14 KP) rated Surprise Me in Books

Oct 27, 2018  
Surprise Me
Surprise Me
Sophie Kinsella | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
9
7.6 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Funny (2 more)
Relatable
Gripping
Took a while to get into the swing of it. (0 more)
Slow acceleration, but gripping once you get into it.
So started this book full of optimism, after all, I have loved every Sophie kinsella book I've read so far so why wouldn't I like this one? Took a while to get going, and I was starting to get bored and lose faith ,until about half way through when the plot and pace finally started to pick up. As soon as it got into the swing of it, I couldn't put the book down! Started reading while waiting for my hair dye to work, next thing I know 3 hours have gone by and I should have washed the dye out hours ago! (Its ok, it was non chemical dye, I'm good!) The ending of the book was also not a disappointment. Finished it feeling maybe a little wiser and much better about my own relationship, after relating to some of the thoughts of the main character. Anyway, this book kinda hits home once you've finished it, so if you do get bored, stick with it and you won't be able to put it down!!