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The Other Sister
The Other Sister
Rowan Coleman | 2016 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Did you read the description of this book? Did it leave you intrigued and curious? It definitely did to me. This book is about Willow, talent agents PA who struggles with her love life, but when one day her ex stepdaughter shows up by her door, her life turns around making her realise what she wants from life.
Willow is very interesting character, who has messed up mind, great confusion in her life and very low self esteem. Surprisingly that makes her quite relatable to common person. There were always secret mentioned which influenced why Willow is the way she is , but it was very well kept till the end of the book, and let me tell you one thing, that secret got me really disturbed, I was not expecting that. Other characters are quite interesting as well, but the book mainly concentrates about Willow and her problems. The book was written only from Willow’s perspective and did not portray the feelings and thoughts of other characters, which is a bit of a bummer, because I would not mind knowing what was going on in the stepdaughter’s and the men’s in her life minds.
 The story of this book is very well thought through and very interesting to read. There are lots of twists and turns with a hint of magic (or was it not?). One thing to point out though, the ending of the book is quite predictable, but it did not disappoint me. I think this book is a real treat and I would strongly recommend it. It is witty, beautiful, compelling but at the same time sorrowful. There are a lot of things going on in this book so it will not bore you.
  
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ClareR (5906 KP) rated Monogamy in Books

Sep 13, 2020  
Monogamy
Monogamy
Sue Miller | 2020 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Monogamy is just the kind of book that I’ve come to learn that I really enjoy. It’s a beautifully written novel about marriage, and what happens to people in the marriage as well as those on the periphery. It’s not all action, it’s not hugely exciting, but it IS compelling and full of characters that you want to get to know.

The main characters, Graham and Annie, are written as real people: not everything they do is particularly likeable. Graham owns a bookshop, Annie is a photographer. They have a daughter together, and a son from Graham’s first marriage. His ex-wife is very much present in their lives, which may seem odd at first, but they all seem to get on well, with no-one feeling threatened by the arrangement.

This is a story mainly about grief. Graham dies and Annie is left to grieve his loss. Then at his funeral, Annie makes a discovery which then causes her to grieve more than just the loss of Graham.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I really did love how the feelings expressed in this book all seemed so relatable (even if you haven’t experienced what the main characters have experienced), and that Annie didn’t feel the need to ruin her daughters or stepsons memories of their father. It was nice just to read a reasoned reaction to Annie’s discovery.

I’ve probably said too much, but it’s tricky writing about this book without disclosing too much of the storyline!

Anyway, many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book. It’s not one that I would have known about without their serialisation, and that would have been a great shame. It’s a wonderful novel.
  
Read my original review on my blog: https://bookmarkedreading.wordpress.com/2015/10/01/book-review-geekhood/

Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind is a greatly humorous, relatable book about the struggles of a 14-year-old Geek.

Archie, a true Geek to his core, has a lot going on in his life. His parents are divorced, his step-dad is a Tosser, the only thing his friends are good at is the Game, and, to top it all off, he is struck by surprise by a Close Encounter with a Beautiful Goth.

After Sarah tries to help him battle his problems and insecurities, Archie replaces his snarky interior monologue with the voice of his psychic self, trudging alone along the path to psychic alignment. But things don't go quite as he hopes, and he soon makes a serious mess of things. How has it all gone so wrong?!

When he no longer wants to be associated with the Geeks he once called friends, he starts to realise that maybe this isn't what he wants after all. After so long of trying to fit in and fly under the radar, it turns out that maybe doing what you love is enough to keep you truly happy.

Geekhood: Close Encounters of the Girl Kind is a hilarious book, following Archie's combat with problems that are well-known among us teens. I love the script of the interior monologue, and I think a lot of people can appreciate Archie's attempts to mask his true feelings and use of his interior monologue to express himself without others hearing. Definitely a good book, which I enjoyed far more than I expected! A strong 4 stars from me.
  
Luuv - Single by Broken Hearts Club
Luuv - Single by Broken Hearts Club
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Broken Hearts Club (Richie Aquino and Bradly Baldwin) is a dream-pop duo from Orange County, California. Not too long ago, they released their debut single, entitled, “Luuv”.

“Don’t want to be here. Now I can’t see clear. This party’s starting to suck. Then you walked in slow like something magical and started changing my mind. Now every time I dream about you, you’re turning me on. But every time I think about you, it feels so wrong.” – lyrics

‘Luuv’ tells a bittersweet tale of a young guy who falls head-over-heels in love with a desirable female.

Apparently, in the beginning, all is good and well with them. He always wants to feel her lips, steal a long kiss, and see her eyes in the morning light.
But unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end, and he experiences an emotional heartbreak. Now that she’s gone, he dreams about her all of the time and can’t seem to get her out of his mind.

‘Luuv’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and groovy instrumentation scented with an emo-indie-alternative aroma.

Also, the likable tune will be featured on Broken Hearts Club’s upcoming EP, entitled, “Make Out Music”.

“This song is about being so wrapped up in someone that you clearly know is not right for you. That you would rather be miserable having pieces of them than being happy having never known them at all.” – Broken Hearts Club

Broken Hearts Club came to life in 2019, when they bonded over their recent breakups, near-death experience, and their love of Rachael Leigh Cook and 90’s RomComs.

But instead of sulking in their pain, the duo turned their inspiration into a dream-pop world filled with songs about love and heartbreaks.
  
No Expectations - Single by Jillian Steele
No Expectations - Single by Jillian Steele
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Jillian Steele is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter from New York. Not too long ago, she released a lovely pop tune, entitled, “No Expectations”.

“Maybe I’m talking myself out of love. But I don’t believe that the stars just line up. When you know then you know but I don’t think I’ll ever know. When it’s right, is it right second guessing every time. Yeah, making sure I won’t ever let myself down.” – lyrics

‘No Expectations’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who decides to let nature take its course instead of always trying to control things.

Apparently, she concludes that everything happens for a reason, and if she allows things to flow naturally, everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.

Later, she admits that it would be best if she became less controlling, stayed out of her own way, and let the pieces fall where they may.

‘No Expectations’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and warm acoustic guitar-driven instrumentation flavored with a modern-pop fragrance.

The likable tune was co-written by Michel Heyaca and James Shelley (American Authors) during a period of uncertainty and confusion.

“Life was happening around me and I was just in it without any control and through this song I gained insight that I do deserve things and I should have expectations of what I want.” – Julia Steele

Jillian Steele’s musical influences include Maggie Rogers, Sasha Sloan, Julia Michaels, and other strong female musicians.

She uses her music to emphasize the importance of self-love and empowerment. A running theme throughout her music is reflection and she hopes her use of thought-provoking lyrics will help others gain insight in times of need.
  
Audience/ Reading Level: 18+

Interests: Kidnapping, Sexual Assault, Heartbreak, Depression, and Murder.

Point of View: Third Person

Insights: When I first picked this eBook up, I was surprised by the style of read this was. It honestly wasn’t anything like I expected it to be. I was expecting a more romance/erotica feel of things, but this read more as a thriller. There were quite a few grammatical errors and the overall story was alright, but I wouldn’t reread it again and actually deleted it off my kindle once I finished it. It was fast-paced for me, almost too fast-paced. Causing parts of this series to be written in a very juvenile way and in turn, that made it just plain hard to read.

Will I reread? No. But that’s just because it wasn’t an appealing storyline worth a reread. Do I recommend? I mean, if you like cheesy written thriller’s that are just average. Then sure, read it.

Favorite Quotes: “He was supposed to shoot for the stars, not me…”

“Have you ever felt so carefree about something that you just forget that time affects your every action and you feel okay with losing all of it.”

○ interested in its physical book
○/● a continuous read / page-turner
○ diverse in any way
● something’s lacking
○ took me a long time to finish
○ an LMAO read
○ I laughed more than a few times
● it’s j u s t awkward
○ gave me goosebumps
○ one of the best books I’ve read
○ painful & sad
○ tear-jerker
○ a roller-coaster of emotions
○ thrilling
● confusing
○ sooo relatable
● it is kind of annoying
○ it has a lot of flashbacks
○ it moved me
○ would recommend!
○ great even for a reread
○ definitely a YAY
○ I’m sorry it’s a NAY
● it’s between YAY and NAY
  
Audience/ Reading Level: 18+

Interests: Erotica, Romance, BDSM, Virginity, High School, Internet Dating, Money for Sex.

Point of View: Third Person

Insights: Okay, I’m going to be a little salty about this series. But, there were grammatical errors littered throughout the entirety of the novels. THIS MAKES IT SO HARD TO READ. The characters were developed very poorly and the ending just came abruptly. Like it was legit the stupidest and most horrific ending you could ever think of. As a reader, it almost seemed like the author (no offense Jacey) just got too busy to really put any care into the ending. It. Literally. Ended. Like. This. Not the greatest and nothing really special that’s different from other writers.

Will I reread? I think not satan. Honestly, the story seems either like it shouldn’t have been written or that it should have had an entirely different plotline. Do I recommend? This is a hard one because I want too. To help an author out. But I just can’t.

Favorite Quotes: “She was the hundred thousand dollar girl, and she was untouchable.”

“Because I don’t want to be one of those sorts of girls.”

○ interested in its physical book
○ a continuous read / page-turner
○ diverse in any way
● something’s lacking
○ took me a long time to finish
○ an LMAO read
○ I laughed more than a few times
● it’s j u s t awkward
○ gave me goosebumps
○ one of the best books I’ve read
○ painful & sad
○ tear-jerker
○ a roller-coaster of emotions
○ thrilling
● confusing
○ sooo relatable
● it is kind of annoying
○ it has a lot of flashbacks
○ it moved me
○ would recommend!
○ great even for a reread
○ definitely a YAY
● I’m sorry it’s a NAY
○ it’s between YAY and NAY
  
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Kate (493 KP) rated Until We Collide in Books

Jul 27, 2020 (Updated Jul 27, 2020)  
Until We Collide
Until We Collide
Charlotte Fallowfield | 2016 | Contemporary, Humor & Comedy, Romance
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Feel good book (0 more)
Some paragraphs not put in (0 more)
I really enjoyed this book and was just what I needed. I wanted a feel good book and this was definitely one of these. It made me smile, chuckle and get frustrated at the bad timing. I was frustrated but in a good way.
I read a lot of crime so love reading a heart warming book every now and again.
I got straight into the book and was hooked. I couldn't put this down.
There was one thing about the book that I didn't like and I realised this happens in other books by this author. The writer doesn't put a space into a new paragraph in some sections. For example: Alec and Paige are eating a meal and having a conversation. The meal has just arrived. She asks him if he is staying at the hotel and I realised after a few lines that they had finished eating and were back at the hotel but this wasn't clear as there was no break. There was just a new line but it looked like they were still talking. This happened a few times and did make it confusing when you realised it was at a different time or day.
As previously mentioned the story was so heart warming but both frustrating. Paige is hilarious and you cannot imagine someone having such bad luck. I felt embarrassed for her like a friend would.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good romance book with a bit on comedy. This gives it a really feel and relatable aspect to the book.
Despite the writing style, no clear paragraphs when the time has moved, I would purchase other books by this author.
  
Blinded (Club Indigo #5)
Blinded (Club Indigo #5)
Karen Nappa | 2020 | Contemporary, Erotica, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Blinded is the fifth book in the Club Indigo series and we start off with our main male character having to have PT due to a climbing accident. Sandra, our PT, is determined to help this grumpy patient and then have absolutely nothing to do with him. The only trouble is, he's a member of the Club Indigo, the same as she is, and he is a master of the ropes, which is something she wants to do more. Sandra has her baggage to contend with and GT has more than few walls to knock down.

This was a great addition to the series. Like with the others, I would say you could read it as a standalone but to get the most out of it, I would recommend reading them in order. Characters from previous books are mentioned so I found it helpful to have read their story first.

I loved how Karen Nappa managed to intertwine Sandra's relationship with her mother (dysfunctional, people!!!) with her budding relationship with GT. I found her fears and concerns completely relatable and, as someone who also shuts down and runs away rather than have a confrontation, I found her reactions to be completely realistic. The Colour Run sounded like so much fun but I would have killed GT for his "little surprise." 🤣

This was a brilliant addition to the series that I loved reading and I can't wait to see who comes next. Absolutely recommended by me.

(P.S. - please let me find out who was the first Top on the Blind Date night!! PLEASE!!!!)

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!