Book Review! Girls I've Run Away With

I LOVED this book. I was totally hooked from the beginning and couldn't put it down. I read it in two short sittings.

I can relate to Lo because she went through a period of such deep denial that she had meaningless sex with boys, even though it was only the touch of a girl that could light her soul on fire. Been there, done that.

I also loved the grungy 90s world because that's the era I grew up in, too, albeit I was slightly younger.

Girls I've Run Away With gives me Kerouac-esque vibes and Lo is kind of a female Holden Caulfield.

Cannot recommend highly enough.

August Wrap-Up!

Hey bookbugs!

I know I missed out on July, but honestly the only thing I have accomplished lately in terms of reading is The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix, so there was really nothing to report. Anyway, this is my wrap-up for August:

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling ★★★★★
• My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness by Nagata Kabi ★★★★
• My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier ★★★
• Marxism and Sociology: Views from Eastern Europe ★★1/2
• Political Choice and Social Structure ★★
• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling ★★★★★
• Valencia by Michelle Tea ★★★★★

August was a much better reading month than July, I managed to read seven books. Two of which I skim-read for uni (have a guess which two those might be!) but I still count them. There were a lot of assignments to do in August so I did not read as much as perhaps I could have. Still, I am pleased with how much I read. The two Harry Potter books are 600+ pages each, so all up I read quite a lot.

What have you guys been reading? Let's chat about it. :)

Rhi

VERY BELATED June Reading Wrap-Up!

• The Babysitters Club Super Special #2: Babysitters' Summer Vacation by Ann M Martin ★★1/2 (2.5)
• Lily Love manga ★★★ (3)
• The Babysitters Club #1: Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M Martin ★★1/2 (2.5)
• School Rumble manga, Volume 1 ★★★ (3)
• School Rumble manga, Volume 2 ★★★ (3)
• Far From You by Tess Sharpe ★★★★★ (5)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone- illustrated edition by JK Rowling ★★★★★(5)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- illustrated edition by JK Rowling ★★★★★(5)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling ★★★★★(5)

Book Review! Far From You

Hi bookbugs!

Today I'm bringing you a review of the book Far From You by Tess Sharpe.

This book is absolutely amazing. I give it 5/5 stars.

Far From You is about Sophie, whose best friend Mina was shot by a man in a ski mask four months prior to the opening of the novel and everyone thinks it's her fault. Sophie is a recovering drug addict and the man who killed Mina left a bag of pills in Sophie's jacket, to frame her. When the story opens, Sophie is on her last day of a three-month stint in rehab for a drug addiction she has already beaten. She is ten months clean, but nobody believes her. The story follows Sophie as she tries to catch Mina's killer.

First of all, without giving too much away, there is some interesting sexuality diversity in this book. It is handled beautifully and poetically; and I loved it. The way Tess Sharpe handles addiction is equally as heartbreakingly beautiful. She has an incredible writing style and I devoured the book within 24 hours. I absolutely could not put it down.

At no point did the story seem slow or boring; and while the twist was not the most concealed, it was still a very enjoyable read. I particularly liked the fact that Sophie's hobby is gardening, which is not a hobby that YA protagonists often have. In fact, most YA protagonists have hobbies which are almost exclusively sedentary, so I appreciated this diversity very much.

Another thing to note about Sophie is that she identifies as having a physical impairment, the result of a car crash with Mina's older brother Trev when the girls were fourteen (Sophie is seventeen in the present telling of the story). This is also the reason she started taking oxycodone in the first place and was the catalyst for her developing her addiction. Obvious trigger warnings are disability, trauma, addiction, drugs and homicide. Approach with caution. 

I really felt for Sophie. At no point did I want to shake her or smack her, as I so often do with YA protagonists. She knows who and what she is; and she owns it. She doesn't relapse, she doesn't fuck up. She pushes away her parents which made me sad, but she does it not cruelly or with malice, she does it out of need for her own space- which I get.

All in all, I felt that this story was told beautifully and I wish there were more than 330 pages because I was not ready for the book to be over. I highly recommend this book- 10/10!


Until next time, happy reading!

Rhi

Book Review! A Court of Wings and Ruin (Spoilers)

Hello bookbugs!

So, let's talk about Sarah J Maas...

Why, Sarah? Just why?

What, you ask, is my problem? Let me tell you a thing.

Last year, I picked up A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury; and I binge-read them. I devoured them. I loved them. And then I waited a year for the final book in the trilogy. I waited. I waited some more. I pre-ordered it the minute it went up on Book Depository. I waited by the letter box every day until my copy arrived.

And then, I read it. And I have a lot of feelings.

I have nicknamed A Court of Wings and Ruin, "A Court of Pointless and Disappointed." I feel like it's justified.

Where do I even begin with this book?

Well, for starters, let's talk about the prologue. Was there a point to it? I was getting all prepared to read half of the book from Rhys' perspective, but all I got was confused. I don't understand the point of the prologue. What was it? Somebody, please, tell me.

Then let's talk about Feyre. Feyre has become this arrogant High Lady who needs to have several seats.

Feyre. Shut the fuck up. Please.

Then, can we just take a moment for the ridiculousness of both Nesta and Elain? First of all, why are we acting like Feyre is the reason Nesta and Elain have become Fae? Like she really had so much to do with it that we both need to NOT SPEAK AT ALL until halfway through the book. Okay.

I wanted to rip off Elain's head and keep it on a spike. Fucking move. Speak. Do something other than sit and stare into space. And then, at the end? Let's not spoil this for people who have yet to read this monstrosity, but come on. AS IF THAT WOULD EVER HAPPEN.

Lucien.... Ah, my son. I enjoyed his redemption. He is one of the only characters I can even deal with. But can we talk about how NOTHING TO DO WITH LUCIEN WAS EVER WRAPPED UP. Why?! Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?! The first bombshell, which Feyre discovers? NEVER SPOKEN OF AGAIN. And the mating bond between him and Elain? NO FUCKING RESOLUTION. None!

And then, we come to Morrigan. Mor. My sweet angel face. Are you a lesbian? Are you bisexual? Are you human, or are you dancer? (Clue: She's not) I did not understand why, at the very end of the book, this bombshell is suddenly dropped but NOTHING COMES OF IT and it is NEVER SPOKEN OF AGAIN. Why are we cramming in tiny drops of diversity but never continuing it throughout the story? Sarah J Maas, plz respond.

I waited a long time for this book, only to find that it didn't get good until page 550.

And then it wasn't even that good. 

I will never get back the days of my life that I spent reading this 700+ page book of lies and broken dreams. I hope you guys enjoyed it more than I did!

Until next time, happy reading!

Rhi xo

May Reading Wrap-Up!

Hey bookbugs!

It's that time again, time to share all the books I read in May!

• Ash by Malinda Lo ★★★★ (4)
• Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Brown ★★★★★ (5)
• White Girl Problems by Babe Walker ★★★★ 1/2 (4.5)
• A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas ★★★ 1/2 (3.5)
• The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle ★★ 1/2 (2.5)

First off, I read Ash. This is a Cinderella re-telling with a lesbian romance instead of a prince charming. I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and I loved the plot twist and how naturally it came off. There was no freaking out, no "oh my gosh am I gay?" It was just natural and easy and wonderful to read.

Then I read Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit. This was my favourite book that I read in May. It was funny, raw, powerful and lovely. I loved it.

White Girl Problems takes the prize for funniest book I have read in 2017 so far. It had me in stitches, cracking up laughing on almost every page. Definitely recommended!

A Court of Wings and Ruin... Or, as I call it, A Court of Pointless and Disappointment. I waited over a year for this book. I pre-ordered it from The Book Depository. I waited by the letter box every day until it arrived... And then I read it. Sigh. Stay tuned for the review.

The final book I read in May was The Infinite Moment of Us. It was okay... Kind of cheesy, a bit far-fetched... But it was okay. I read it in one day, but that was more because I had a whole free day and the text was huge and there were only 315 or so pages. Not the greatest.

So, those are the books I read in May. What did you read this month? Have you read any of these books? Let's start a chat in the comments!

Rhi xo

Booktube Made Me Do It

Hey bookbugs!

Today, I'm going to do something a little bit different. I'm going to talk about the books that I bought because of Booktube. For better or for worse, I have bought many books as a result of watching Booktube videos, so here goes!


To All the Boys I've Loved Before

God, I hate this book. I actually do. It is awful. So many people rave about this book and I just don't know why.


Heartless

This one was a huge win for me. I adored Heartless! Ironically, not as many people rave about this book, which is surprising and really reminds me that popularity does not equal quality.

The Lux Series

Yet another gag-worthy book. I don't even have words for it. Just, blegh.


TigerLily

I really enjoyed TigerLily. I've only heard it mentioned once or twice but I'm really glad that I found this book via Booktube. Win!



These are some of the books I bought because of Booktube, what are some of yours? I'd love to know so leave me a comment and I'll see you next time!

Rhi xo