ShayKay's Review of The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Rhiannon Hunter may have revolutionized romance in the digital world, but in real life, she only swipes right on her career - and the occasional hookup. The cynical dating app creator controls her love life with a few key rules: Nude pics are by invitations only, if someone stands you up, block them with extreme prejudice, protect your heart. Only there aren't any rules to govern her attraction to her newest match, former pro-football player Samson Lima. The sexy seemingly sweet hunk woos her one magical night.....and disappears. Rhi thought she'd buried her hurt over Samson ghosting her until he suddenly surfaces months later, still big, still beautiful - and in league with a business rival. He says he won't fumble their second chance, but she's wary. A temporary physical partnership is one thing, but a merger of hearts? Surely that's too high a risk....

Thoughts Before Reading

This really sounds perfect right now! I think it is going to be a fast and easy read, which is definitely what I need in my life right now. I'll be the first to admit that it is nice to read things that you don't have to put much thought into it because it is easy to just escape reality and I can bounce in and out of the book with no issues. I've actually already read the first couple of pages and I love it! I'm at the part where she just learned about Samson being apart of the competitor's company and let me tell you it is already getting so interesting! I can't wait to see how it goes. The synopsis makes it seems like she does give him another chance but I wonder if he works for that because Rhi sounds like a person who doesn't just let a guy walk right back into her life since he stood her up so I'm hoping for some resistance. I usually don't like it when the synopsis gives everything away so I'm really curious to see just how much has been given away within the synopsis because right now it seems like pretty much everything has been sold in it.

Half-Way Through Thoughts

I'm not technically a full 50% into the book yet but I think I'm at the perfect spot to stop and reflect on everything that has happened. First, let me say I knew this was one of the rom-com-y books but I didn't know how much in the romance genre it was and let me tell you there are some scenes in this book that will definitely push you off your feet if you aren't used to reading intimate scenes. I'm not a prude I've read books that have sex scenes but these ones are intense you guys and there have been quite a few and I'm not even 50% through the book yet. That being said I would say that they are semi-important to the story because that's all Samson and Rhi's relationship is. But if you read the book you'll see that there are a lot of undertones of both of these character's backgrounds. I really love how the book doesn't just throw all of the backstories right at you and you as the reader slowly read the undertones along with their backstories. I'm living for this drama though and I love both Samson and Rhi so much! I feel like at this point we kind of learned everything about Samson's backstory but only snippets of Rhi's and it just started to implode a little bit. I want to know what happened between her and Peter from Swype, all we know so far is that she left the company on very bad terms which led to everyone in this tech field to think horrible things about Rhi. Rhi does put on a very hard exterior but she seems like once you get to know her or even her close friends and family really see the true side of her and the public only knows the drama from the fallout with Swype so I think we are about to get more into her history with Peter and I'm very curious!

I haven't talked about Samson much but I love his character so much! His story just comes out a lot easier than Rhi's. Even though he says a lot about himself. Both of these two main characters are both likable people that have baggage, which everyone has baggage. Samson has a lot of different things going for him and I think I love them both but they are both guarded, definitely Rhi more than Samson. I want to rush through this book just to see how it goes but just all romance books they are going to end up together but how are they and when are they kind of thing. It's just intense right now.

After Thoughts

I just finished the book and Ohmylanta! I loved this book so much! There were never any down moments throughout the whole entire book. There are some pretty sexy scenes so people who complained about 50 Shades should probably stay away from this one. But it was overall so cute and a fun read! I loved Rai's writing style too, I really need to look into her other writings! This is the first book in a series and there are a lot of things left unanswered such as does Rhi ever end up working with Belle? Does this relationship work out in the end? I don't think the book itself really ended in a cliff hanger but there were unanswered questions. Even though there were unanswered questions that literally pop up in the last couple of chapters I still gave the book a 5 out of 5 stars because I literally could not put this book down! It was so good! 

I really hope the next book follows these two because I love them as the main characters. I think it would be cool to follow Katrina a little bit because I want to know how she ended up being so anxious because it sounded like she lived a pretty interesting life up until her husband died. I don't know, I think I will definitely pick up the next book even if it follows some of the side characters. I think the next book, Girl Gone Viral, follows Katrina so I'll definitely pick it up. I want to learn more about her for sure. It doesn't sound like Rhiannon and Samson are going to be in the book, or they'll just make flash appearances since she's roommates with Katrina but we'll just have to find out in April 2020. I can't believe I already have a book on my 2020 watch list! I usually only do backlog books with a few exceptions here and there.

ShayKay's 2020 Reading Goals

I don't usually make new year goals in my life, especially not in reading. Mostly because I'm such a mood reader, and my books change so much throughout the year. But I think a few reading goals for the year will be beneficial and something to help structure my reading a little bit.

One of the biggest things I want to do is finish some of my current series that I have going on right now such as Me Before You trilogy by Jojo Moyes and To All of the Boys I Loved Before Trilogy by Jenny Han, both of which I only have the last books. A more adventurous one is the In Death series, I would've loved to have been caught up in time for the 50th book in February but that is clearly not going to happen since I'm only book 25 out of 50 and the 50th one comes out in just a couple of months. Also on that note, I would love to get a book signed by Nora Roberts at one of her book signings, she usually has a signing at her husband's bookstore for all of her new releases and that is only about 3-4 hours away. 

I would love to try Seanan McGuire's books, the Wayward Children series I think that's what it is called. They sound cute and their short reads. I think I've been staying away from them because their expensive and since their so expensive I've wanted to get the physical books but I can never find them in my bookstore either. So maybe 2020 will be the year for that.

Most of the books I read are older books or books that aren't very public. Lately, I've been reading some newer books thanks to Book of the Month and I would love to continue that trend a little more. I like being able to have an opinion in books that everyone is talking about instead of hearing about these books and think they would be fun to read but never actually pick them up for years. So it would be nice to continue on reading books as they come out.

That being said I would love to get caught up with my Book of the Month books and continue to read them during the months that I've ordered them. I have a pretty decent pile of backlogged books and I need to get caught up on them. Eventually, I would love to have my crate bookshelf filled with Book of the Month books, which is more of a long term goal.

It would be nice to get some more arcs, I don't know why I just think it is cool to have. I got my first one this year and I'm just now picking it up. There is definitely more pressure reading a book when it is an arc, but I usually only try to get ones I'm genuinely curious about.

As for my blogging experience, I would like to upload more regularly which I definitely go through spurts where I'm uploaded like crazy and then dead silence for a few weeks than back at it hardcore. As for the content I still love my reviews I think I finally got a layout I like the most and in my head makes the most sense. I think it would be fun to sprinkle in some book tags here and there. I thought about doing one every week but I think it gets too repetitious. Another thing I think would be fun and a little more spice to it is uploading pictures within my reading experience, which definitely ties into my Bookstagram I have started. I haven't really gotten the picture side down yet but I really want to try and keep up with that. Another idea I've been playing around with is reviews that are more comparisons. I want to read books that have movies, maybe even TV shows, coming out and read the book first, make the book review, and then go back and make a comparison between the book and movie where. I've been really captivated by movie comparisons and I definitely get my inner geek showing because I love taking notes and comparing the movie to the book is one my favorite past times. Another thing within my reviews is that I definitely want to go back to have pros and cons. I think at least three in each is perfect and I feel like I get better at explaining why I loved this part but hated that part. I try to stay spoiler-free and through that, I feel like I lose some of the details I should have in a review. 

So those are my bookish new year goals for 2020 and we'll see how it goes keeping up with these this year.

ShayKay's Review of Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

GoodReads: Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Synopsis from the Book

Eighteen-year-old auto mechanic Sawyer Taft did not expect her estranged grandmother to show up at her apartment door and offer her a six-figure contract to participate in the debutante season. And she definitely never imagined she would accept. But when she realizes that immersing herself in her grandmother's "society" might mean discovering the answer to the biggest mystery of her life - her father's identity - she signs on the dotted line and braces herself for a year of makeovers, big dresses, bigger egos, and a whole lot of bless your heart. The one thing she doesn't expect to find is friendship, but as she's drawn into a group of debutantes with scandalous, dangerous secrets of their own, Sawyer quickly discovers that her family isn't the only mainstay of high society with skeletons in their closet. There are people in her grandmother's glittering world who are not what they appear, and no one wants Sawyer poking her nose into the past. As she navigates the twisted relationship between her new friends and their powerful parents, Sawyer's search for the truth about her own origins is just the beginning.

Set in the world of debutante balls, grand estates, and rolling green hills, Little White Lies combines a charming setting, a classic fish-out-of-water story, and the sort of layered mystery only author Jennifer Lynn Barnes can pull off.

Thoughts Before Reading

Just reading this synopsis makes me think this book is going to be right up my ally. It sounds like it is going to be funny and follow a girl who doesn't know much about her past or where she comes from. I'm curious if she knew her grandmother or if she just found her, and if she just found her then how does she that this is her granddaughter? I wonder how this story is going to go? It sounds like it is going to be one of those short and sweet books but it is a series. I can't wait to find out how it goes.

Halfway Through Check-In

I know this book is taking me a minute to read through it but it's really because I've been busy. I feel like I start this section this way every single time, but it's really true. Reading books instead of listening to them will always take me longer, especially right now while I'm working and going to school. The book itself is pretty good, a solid three stars right now. The story itself is actually pretty good so far, and it is pretty expected from what the synopsis gives us, and it's one of those books you don't have to think about to get it, and I like it so far. But the thing that is really driving me nuts about the book so far? Well it is something that shouldn't bother me but it really aggravates me, and that is the freaking pictures! Every chapter ends with pictures and don't get me wrong I can get behind illustrations that goes with the story and make sense to what I just read, and usually want it. But before they were explained to me I kept looking at them and it was so annoying because they make no sense whatsoever. Even now that it's somewhat explained I'm still left confused and aggravated by them. Are they supposed to set up the next chapter? Their at the end of ever chapter, and it takes about the first fifteen chapters or so to even learn what they are supposed to be but even the explanation doesn't fit the pictures. So I'm not sure what I'm supposed to take away from them. Maybe by the time I finish this book it will be fully explained but for now they just really aggravate me. I try not to even look at them anymore since they are so aggravating to me.

Final Thoughts

I just realized that I never finished my final thoughts on this book and I've read it over a month ago! This just shows how much school brain effects the rest of my life. Anyways this book ended up being 3 out of 5 stars for me. I think the most aggravating part of the book was the pictures! They had nothing to do with the book whatsoever and it took the book forever to explain what the pictures even were. I think the pictures ended up being a blog but the explanation of the pictures and the pictures themselves didn't really match because the pictures were supposed to be written on a person and if I'm remembering correctly (my copy is at home) nothing about the pictures matched! They were pretty much just thrown into the book at the end of the chapter and even there they didn't go along with what just happened in the chapter! Me saying this is crazy because I love having some mixed media thrown into the story because I think it usually helps the book but in this case it just didn't go along with it. As the book goes on the pictures do fade away.

The story itself wasn't really bad it was just your typical YA book. I liked the idea of it and it had a few things that were interesting to me but overall the book was just in the middle for me. I'm at the point where if I continue on with the series, and that's a big if, it will have to be a really good sale to buy it or maybe pick up as an audiobook. I liked the premise of the story but I think it was more on the younger side of YA and I just wanted more from it. I think if middle or even high school me read this book I would've loved it but for me today it just didn't click that well. 

ShayKay's November 2019 Audiobooks

I love this author but this book was tough to get through. It had its ups and downs but I always felt that I would love it as an audiobook, so when I saw it on OverDrive I just had to borrow it! So far I do enjoy it more, especially since it is a full cast doing the reading instead of just one person. It is better listening to it in an interview-style versus reading it, but I think I still like Evelyn more so far, but I've never listened to Evelyn through the audiobook. This book wasn't bad to go through and it was better through audiobook but overall the book wasn't my favorite. I definitely enjoyed Evelyn Hugo more. I think I want to try to read more of her books.

ShayKay's November 2019 Book Haul

A New Series?

Since I have all this new empty shelf space in my life I've decided to do something a little bit different on how I organize my books. I've decided to move around the books on my crate shelf and make the second crate mt new books I've bought. This is great because I can see how many I buy each month and I'm also going to use it as a budget thing, so if I fill the crate up then I'm not allowed to buy more books in that month. I really haven't been that bad going overboard on buying books anymore, especially since I can see my books I have all the time. I don't love my bookshelf yet I think I need to rearrange the rest of the bookcase but for now, it's not looking too bad. There is definitely no organization to this bookcase right now other than the first crate is my read BOTM books and the second crate is the book haul books for the month. I don't know if I want to rearrange it into alphabetical order or just leave it a mess because there are three crates that I just love how they are (their even somewhat in order), two that are just thrown in there, and then there is just an empty one. It's definitely a work in progress. But the book haul crate hast to be the second one because I didn't want it on the floor and I want it to be a stacked crate, not a row crate so it just made sense to me. So without any further ado let's get into this book haul for the month.

Books! :)

The first two books I got this month are Save the Date and Us Against You. I was lucky enough to take my baby brother shopping this weekend and we had to stop at the bookstore. But I can't leave that store without getting me something so I got two books and a new mug. I've been wanting to read Save the Date for a little while now when I see a book that is on my TBR pile in the clearance section it is so hard to pass them up! Us Against You was definitely a splurge buy cause look at this cover! It is insanely beautiful and I haven't read the first book, Beartown, yet. I just feel like I have to love this author because there is so much hype between them.

 

My next set of books I got came from the Book of the Month! The actual Book of the Month book that I picked for November was Get a Life, Chloe Brown. I swear every month when I see the spoilers for the month I think I'm going to skip it for the month but then they are launched on the website and I actually look into them and I always find one that I think will be interesting. This is how I found Things You Save in a Fire, The Wife Between Us, Well Met, and even A Woman is No Man. All of these were 4 out of 5 or 5 out of 5 stars! The next one I have been wanting to read for a little while now and it is relatively new still, and that is Frankly in Love. Let me tell you guys the day after I placed my order I saw this book at Walmart and I was so freaking bummed that I didn't buy it in-store because it had sprayed edges!!!! This is my new obsession and I love this trend so much! Anyways I think this book is going to be right up my ally because this trope just seems like my genre at the moment. Then my final book, yes I splurged this month and got three books, was a rebuy sort of. I had a copy of Ready Player One but I gave it to my cousin, I read it and it was the movie cover and I just didn't want it anymore. But as soon as I got rid of it I pretty much kept telling myself I would get the BOTM version every month I but I never did it. Well, I finally did it and I'm so glad! This is another one that is my favorite book and I reread it all the time. It's also one of those rare books that I love the movie just as much as I love the book and I think that's because their completely different yet have a lot of the same scenes tied in. I think this is another thing that I want to do with my blog is comparing the movies to the books which I know is an old thing but I really like this and one of my all-time favorite things to do is point out these differences. Anyways this being only the fourth day into the month I think I'm doing pretty good with books but bad with my money! 

  

Guys let me tell you all something, and most of you might even know what I mean when I'm frustrated I like to buy things especially books! The bookstore is my happy place and I love going to it whenever I get the chance. I even use it as a motivation a lot for work because when I don't want to go to work and I really want to call in I compromise with myself by saying if I go to work then I can go to the bookstore on lunch. Well, last week I had some extra money from my last paycheck so of course, I had to! Plus I had a $5 off of $25 and I don't know why but these coupons always pull me in and also give me a limit to spend because I have to spend $25 to get the $5 off! This is just how my brain works, and I can't help it. This time at the bookstore I first picked up How to Walk Away by Katherine Center. Ever since I read Things to Save in a Fire by Center I wanted to pick her other book up too and I was really debating on getting it through BOTM for my December box because I just really wanted to try her other book out since I loved the other one so much! So when I was walking through the discounted books aisle and I saw this red book in the stacks that looked so similar I had to pick it up. I looked at it and I was like OMG! I was just about to spend my $10 add on for this book and this one was only $5. I was thrilled to find this one! Since this was a must buy and I had that coupon I needed to find something else to get my total to $25, even though I could've walked away with just this book and call this trip a success! My next stop in the store was the YA section. Since Christmas is coming and I'm going to start reading my Christmas books soon I thought about The Afterlife of Holly Chase, I figured this book should be about $10 since it came out the previous year and I never had the chance to get it last year. I ended up finding a hardback copy that was used in the stacks so it was only $4.50! I was so excited and I just had to get it! My last book was definitely a struggle for me. I had no clue what to get and the ones that I really wanted would be way too much. So I walked around a bit and I was carrying Part of Your World, something that I really wanted to get but I wasn't sure if I wanted to pay for it yet. I went and looked at the Kiss Quotient and I'm not gonna lie I stood there in aisle with both books and debated which one I wanted to get, the Kiss Quotient was $15 while Part of Your World was $17. So I started looking on Amazon to see what the two were on ebook because I wanted the best deal and I ended up getting Part of Your World because I wanted it more and the Kiss Quotient would be cheaper as an add on for BOTM! At least this is the conclusion that I came too while debating books.

  

***I'm so sorry this is late posting! Finals week had me in its clutches and I just escaped! Hopefully I can catch up on some reading during this Christmas break!

ShayKay's Review of Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

Goodreads: Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand

Synopsis from Book

Welcome to the most tumultuous summer of the twentieth century. It's 1969, and for the Levin family, the times they are a-changing. Every year the children have looked forward to spending the summer at their grandmother's historic home in downtown Nantucket. But like so much else in America, this year nothing is the same: Blaid, the eldest sister, is stranded in Boston, pregnant with twins and unable to travel. Middle sister Kirby, caught up in the thrilling vortex of civil rights protests and determined to be independent, takes a summer job on Martha's Vineyard. Beloved son Tiger is an infantry soldier, recently deployed to Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Jessie suddenly feels like an only child, marooned in the house with her out-of-touch grandmother and her worried mother, each of them hiding a troubling secret.

As summer heats up, Ted Kennedy sinks a car off Chappaquiddick, man lands on the moon, and Jessie and her family experience their own dramatic upheavals along with the rest of the country.

Elin Hilderbrand tells a page-turning story, rich with the details of an era that shaped both a nation and an island thirty miles out to sea.

Thoughts Before Reading

This is another Book of the Month books that I have sitting in my backlog of books, and it is another one that has been intimidating me over the past few months. This one was a pick from June, which was a month that I think I got multiple books. Unlike Dunmore's book, I haven't really heard that much talk about this read. I love Hilderbrand's books which I only figured out because of this subscription. However, the books I've read from Hilderbrand so far have been a series and it is insane but I don't know how this is a  standalone or just the beginning. I think that is another reason why I haven't picked this one up yet. I have a couple series that I'm waiting for sequels and I think I've hit my quota on these. But this book sounds so good and I'm so ready to jump into it.

Thoughts After Reading

I just finished this book last night, early this morning, and I was conflicted about how I wanted to rate it. I love Hilderbrand's writing and she is quickly becoming one of the authors on my instant buy list. just like Nora Roberts. That being said I did enjoy the book, at least the first 2/3 of it. I was hooked into and I loved it, but as I got closer to the end the book started feeling very rushed and started losing the aspects of the book that really drew me into it. I think there were just so many different perspectives in the book and so many different things going on that the author rushed to a conclusion and tying up all of the ends too fast. That being said it isn't a short book! It was over 400 pages long! I ended up rating the book 4 out of 5 stars but I still feel conflicted about it but since the first 2/3 was a 5 out of 5 for me and the last third was only 3 out of 5 for me. So I guess 4 is meeting in the middle of the two. I was just left wanting more from the book but at the same time, the book was huge! I think there was just too much going on throughout the pages causing the book to hurry and wrap up at the end of the book.

The 50 Bookish Questions Book Tag!

I feel like I haven't posted in a minute so I want to do a tag!

I found this tag on Peace and Love and Veggies blog and it looked pretty interesting. Hopefully, there are a few questions that are different than previous tags! I haven't read the questions yet so I have no clue what the questions are like yet! So let's get into it.

1. What was the last book you read?

The last book that I read completely was What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand. But the last book I finished was Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, I listened to this one through OverDrive and I physically read Hilderbrand.

    

2. Was it a good book?

They both were! Hilderbrand's book is a sequel and this series keeps leaving off on cliff hangers and they are driving me crazy. This one I think I gave it 4 out of 5 stars, my opinion of the characters sort of flip-flopped in this one though. Dear John was a reread for me. 

3. What made it good?

Paradise was amazing! I have characters I love and I have some that I can't stand but this second book really threw all of my opinions I had out the window. Some of the characters I liked I can't stand and then there were some that I couldn't stand that I actually got attached too. This one still left off on a cliff hanger but not as big as the first one. I think it really started tying up loose ends and I feel like the next book is going to finish off the series, I hope. I hate long waits. Dear John is just so intense and I've been wanting to reread it for a while now. It was crazy how many little details I forgot about but it was crazy. 

4. Would you recommend it to other people?

Dear John I definitely would recommend to everyone, but be prepared to have your heartbroken! What Happens in Paradise I wouldn't because it is the second book in a series and is definitely one of those series you need to read in order to understand what's going on. Plus there are a lot of readers who don't like series because sometimes the fizzle out or you have to wait forever for the next book to come out just to see what happens next.

5. How often do you read?

I'm definitely a mood reader! I have to read whenever I want too. But when I'm in a reading mood I'll have about three different books going, one on my Kindle, an audiobook going, and then a physical book. I love physical books the most because I can physically see how much I have left in the book and it motivates me to continue on with the book if it gets slow.

6. Do you like to read?

Well, duh! I actually started becoming an avid reader when I was in grade school because I used to be the kid that talked too much in class so my mother would make me take a book to school so whenever I was done with my work and felt like I needed to talk I could read my book instead. My family continued to nurture my reading whenever we would go out instead of begging for toys or candy-like most parents use to make their kids behave we would get to pick out a book. 

7. What was the last BAD book you read?

The last bad book I read was Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes. I think it was more disappointing for me because I really wanted to like. I was so interested in it that I bought a new copy when it first came out, which was on the expensive side. Then I was left disappointed. Everything in the synopsis should've been a perfect read for me, but it just wasn't. I don't think it was the author's writing style I feel like I would definitely try reading another book by her it's just the story took the wrong turns for me. 

8. What made you dislike it?

The transitions throughout the book are what really killed it for me. The story just jumped through time very choppy and random which made it hard for me to stay in the story and enjoy it. I think if it would've mentioned the time jumps or just slowed down the pacing throughout the time it would've been so much better. I loved the concept and the parts I could get into.

9. Do you wish to be a writer?

Sometimes I think it would be something to do, especially since I have this story stuck in my head since I was a kid. But when it comes to just sitting down and writing it out I don't think it will ever happen for me. I start and stop it so many different times.

10. Has any book ever influenced you greatly?

I think there are a lot of different books that have influenced me over the years but there are three that really jump out to me and mean the most. The first would be Harry Potter. It's the first true love of mine and I can remember reading it with my family, watching the movies, and truly living in this fandom, which was the first real fandom that I've ever been consumed by. I'm still huge in this series and reread it all of the time. This next book I think is the first book that I can remember that really made me think, "Man I just love reading!" This is The Frog Princess, this book is something that we had to read in fourth grade and this series was so special to me, I still have the first five books in the series. This last book is a new obsession for me, which is Naked in Death. This is the first series that really got me into adult books. I can remember me and my fiance going to the thrift store, yard sales, and flea markets to get all of the series. Eventually, my grandmother ended up buying me the rest of the books for Christmas last year. Robb/Roberts is still making books for this series and I hope to go to her book signing for the fiftieth book in the new year.

    

11. Do you read fan-fiction?

Not really, I don't really know where to find fanfiction to any of the books that I love. But I would give it a try if I found something I was interested in.

12. Do you write fan-fiction?

No, I don't write fan-fiction.

13. What is your favorite book?

I think we pretty much went over my favorite books with the ones that influenced me the most throughout my twenty-five years of life. But I can definitely add a couple more to this list. Ready Player One is one of those rare books that I love the movie and the book just as much and I really couldn't pick between the two which I love more. I would love to have a sequel or a prequel to this book but that's just me wanting more in this world. One of the first Book of the Month books that I ever fell in love with was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! I this book was so different compared to the other books I read and it is still one of those books I love reading, I want to reread it soon. A book that I read pretty much at the same as Evelyn Hugo was The Wife Between Us! This book shocked me so much! I don't read thrillers but I'm so glad that this one was my introduction to thrillers I just reread it a couple weeks ago. A new favorite would definitely be Things you Save in a Fire! This book is intense and amazing. Funny how a lot of my newer favorites are all from Book of the Month.

    

14. What is your least favorite book?

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child! The biggest disappointment in the whole entire world for me. I'm sure the play would be really interesting and probably a lot better than the book but the fact that Rowling says this book is canon within the series is completely insane! It contradicts the series so much or makes no sense whatsoever. I wanted so much from this book but then the fact that she didn't even work on it. It's the book we all wanted so much but then it just crashed and burned because of how it was written and the fact that it contradicts everything!

15. Do you prefer a physical book or ready on a device (like Kindle)?

I prefer whatever version is cheaper however I love physical books more. I think I read books faster in physical copy, but books are expensive so I take whatever version I can get cheapest unless it is a book I have to have right then and there or one I know I'm going to love so I'll splurge on.

16. When did you learn to read?

I feel like I always knew how to read, which I know isn't true but I honestly can't tell you a time where I couldn't read. I took books to school with me, I took them on vacations, I had books at my house and at my grandparents' house, and I always carry books with me. I knew I was reading before kindergarten so I had to be at least six or younger when I started reading on my own.

17. What is your favorite book you had to read in school?

The Frog Princess of course! Another book that I love so much that I took away from school with me would be Tuck Everlasting and Because of Winn-Dixie! I loved these so much. I think we also read Penelope for one year and this one was amazing too. I have all of these still today!

  

18. What is your favorite book series?

There are so many different series that I love now or loved growing up! I've already mentioned Harry Potter and In Death series which I love so much and mean so much to me. Another series that I love so much is The Lunar Chronicles, this series gets a lot of love and a lot of hate but it does everything for me. I love fairytale retellings. I don't know if you count this series as a series because they are counted as a series on GoodReads, but I also love Twisted Tales. Twisted Tales is another type of fairytale retellings but they have their own twists to them. Unlike the Lunar Chronicles the Twisted Tales aren't really connected to one another, by this I mean the stories don't flow from one to another, you can just pick up whatever one that seems interesting and read it.

 

19. Who is your favorite author?

As much hype as I give Harry Potter, you would think Rowling was my favorite author but in complete honesty, she isn't. Hands down my favorite author have to be Nora Roberts, her books are instantly on my buy list, I'll splurge on them, and I'll always love them at least so far. I've been trying to go to her book signings since they would be about a three-hour drive for me but I never know when one is happening until the week of. But I'm planning on going to her 50th In Death book signing in February and I'm beyond excited. She's the only author that I've been obsessed with enough to go to a signing.

20. What is your favorite genre?

Honestly, I read a little bit of everything I don't really know which genre is my complete favorite. I have definitely read mostly YA but at the same time, I'm just starting to branch into adult genres. I think I can do better listing of the genres I have trouble with versus my favorite ones.

21. Who is your favorite character in a book series?

Hands down Lieutenant Eve Dallas from the In Death series! She's amazing and I love her, Roarke isn't half bad either. 

22. Has a book ever transported you somewhere else?

Literally every single time I pick up a book! I love being sucked into another world, don't get me wrong I love to travel too but the way books are when you really get into the story is amazing. One of the best things ever.

23. Which book do you wish had a sequel?

I really already answered this but I would love it if Ready Player One had a sequel. Its the first one I always think of when I think of sequels but I really don't know how that would go. I miss this world and I think I would like to see how the team runs the Oasis. I think this is a book that pops into mind so much because there is a sequel listed on GoodReads BUT there is no information on it and it says it's projected to come out in 2025, but I really doubt it. I would love it though.

24. Which book do you wish didn't have a sequel?

 I think If I Stay didn't really need a sequel. The sequel really changed the characters, they regressed instead of growing and it was rough reading it. I think it would've been good being a stand-alone.

25. How long does it take you to read a book?

It really depends on the book. If the book is interesting and really pulls me into the story then I can fly through the story really fast. But if it a story I like but I'm not really interested in the story or it is a slow moment I'll struggle through it. I'm the type of person who feels like they have to read the book all the way through and if I DNF a book it is usually by accident. But I'm getting better at this philosophy and I'm even getting better at giving away the books I don't like.

26. Do you like when books become movies?

Heck yes! One of my all-time favorite things to do is to watch the movie adaptation of a book I've read and point out the things that are different than what really happened. The book is usually always better but there are exceptions to this. I always try to read the book before the movie, there are only a few that I will just watch the movie. Ready Player One, I wasn't interested in it at all and then I watched the movie all of a sudden I had to read this book! The book was even better! I love these moments so much.

27. Which book was ruined by its movie adaptation?

A lot of Sparks movie adaptations are nothing like the book and so many of them are a huge disappointment that can't even compare to the book. 

28. Which movie has done a book justice?

I don't know if this is a good enough answer because I hate that the broke the movie into two parts, and the fact that the first movie was pointless, but Breaking Dawn part two was so much better than the book. I think the book took so much time to build up this big battle but in all actuality, it was just so much talk about the marriage, the honeymoon, the baby, and then the battle. I think it would've been better if it wasn't so long. This pointless feeling definitely carries over to the first movie but the final movie in the franchise was so good! I think there should've only been one movie and the book should've followed this mashup. 

29. Do you read newspapers?

Nope, but I like the news.

30. Do you read magazines?

Not really, but I used to be obsessed when I was younger because of the posters. My walls were covered!

31. Do you prefer newspapers or magazines?

Neither

32. Do you read while in bed?

It's definitely where the most reading for me gets done is right before bed!

33. Do you read while on the toilet?

There's no shame in my reading game! It's sometimes the only downtime I get!

34. Do you read while in the car?

I used to read all the time in the car! But nowadays I tend to get sick after a while of reading in the car, but I still try!

35. Do you read while in the bath?

I really wish! But I don't have a bathtub at the moment.

36. Are you a fast reader?

I don't think so.

37. Are you a slow reader?

Definitely!

38. Where is your favorite place to read?

I love to read everywhere I get the chance. But my absolute favorite place to read is in the living room by sunlight with my dogs! Definitely guilty of reading out loud to them when it gets to quiet.

39. Is it hard for you to concentrate when you read?

Sometimes it can be hard to concentrate, and if I read the same line over and over I eventually just have to take a break from reading for a little bit.

40. Do you need room to be silent while you read?

Nope, I actually prefer for there to be noise when I read.

41. Who gave you your love for reading?

Already established it was my mother and my apparent need to be quiet while in class.

42. What book is next on your list to read?

I'm a mood reader and I have so many different books that I want to read right now. I have an arc of the God Game that I need to read soon but there are also so many Book of the Month books that I need to read right now because my pile has gotten a little bit out of control. So I'm just going to list out a few that I think I will pick up next. My oldest Book of the Month book I have right now is Goodbye, Paris, but I don't know. Pretty soon I'm going to need to start pulling out the Christmas books too. 

   

43. When did you start to read chapter books?

I really couldn't tell you, the first one I remember is the Princess Frog in fourth grade through. I remember reading one of the babysitter club books for a book report when I was younger and I feel like it was in fourth grade or third grade.

44. Who is your favorite children's book author?

I was obsessed with Lisi Harrison's Clique series, Claudia Gray's Evernight series, and Kate Brian's series Private! There were so many summers I would read, reread, and beg for these books! I don't know if Private counts as a children's book though. Dr. Suess was always a go too when I was younger though.

  

45. Which author would you most want to interview?

Nora Roberts/JD Robb. But I think it would be more of a conversation than an interview though.

46. Which author do you think would be friends with?

I'm not really sure.

47. What book have you reread the most?

Definitely the Harry Potter series, and within that series, it would be Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. But Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is my favorite within the series.

48. Which books do you consider 'classic?'

When I think of classics I immediately think of the original fairytales, Grimms Brothers, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and L. Frank Baum. But more modern classics I think of Ready Player One, Star Wars.

49. Which books do you think should be taught in every school?

I think the books in school should be things that would be interesting to all kids, especially the ones that don't normally read because it might pull them into thinking that books are interesting. 

50. Which books should be banned from all schools?

I really think there shouldn't be any books that are banned within schools, and really banning books just bring more attention to them then there would've been if you just let it be. 

Bookstagram?!?!

Well, I finally just took the jump and made a bookstagram. I feel like this is the next step for me because I've thought about BookTube but in all honesty, I don't even know where to begin with this and I don't want to be on camera. I used to be extremely bullied because of my voice and it's sad to admit that it has affected me a little bit more than I care to admit too. Another reason I felt like it was time to make a bookstagram was because I've been trying to get back into my creative side and I've been posting more pictures on my personal one but that's set to private and I really have little to no friends that read so I want to start getting more into the community that reads a lot like I do. So with that in mind, there aren't many pictures on here and their nowhere near how I want them to be yet but here it is if you want to check out my hot mess and the work in progress my IG is shaykays_books

October's Audiobooks

I'm trying to keep a little log of the books I read through the audiobook, which audiobooks are my favorite way to reread books! I can get through them so fast and I just love being able to listen to them while I work. I really try to leave spoilers out of these and just talk about why I'm rereading them.

I only listened to two this month and honestly, I have a love/hate relationship with audiobooks because I can get into the people narrating them I fly through them even if I can't get into the story. But at the same time, there are books that I can get into reading but I can't get into because of the narrator. So this month there are only two audiobooks because I just wasn't in the mood to listen to books until the last week of the month. Let's see how many I can get into next month.

This was one of my favorite books last year! I love the twists and turns in this book and I really cannot tell you why I picked it up because thrillers aren't my normal genre. But I'm so glad that I did. This is the first time I'm rereading it and it's crazy rereading it and knowing the twists and turns! Let me tell you it is insane! A lot of people either love it or they hate it, I haven't seen much that is in the middle of the lane for it. I think a lot of people who read thrillers kind of get bored with this one but let me tell you it is crazy for the ones who don't normally read it. Now seeing other people review this book or talk about it makes me so proud because I can have my input and talk about how much I love this book. These authors wrote another book together that came out this year and it was okay but nowhere near as amazing as this beauty was.

I'm so glad that I read this book! Guys this book does something that is so incredible, at least to me! It takes every loose end to every part of this story and they are tied up by the end! I love the twists and turn, even in the epilogue you get hit with one final whammy that you honestly weren't even expecting. Even re-reading it now and knowing all of these things, the book is still so amazing! I'm so glad I reread this book. Guys check this thing out!

One thing I've been really wanting to do lately when it comes to reading is to reread some of my old favs, especially Nicholas Sparks books. I keep gravitating back to Dear John! This story was so intense when I first read it and I loved everything! It was one of the first books that I ever made me cry! I can't wait to get back into this book!

I'm so glad that I picked this up! I read it so long ago and I loved listening to the audiobook. It was fast and easy to get through it and there was so many little details to this story that I really didn't remember! So glad that I picked this one up in Overdrive this month.

ShayKay's Review of What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

Goodreads: What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand

Synopsis (From Cover)

Irene Steele is still recovering from the shock of her life: her loving husband, the father to their frown sons and successful businessman, was killed in a helicopter crash. But that wasn't Irene's only shattering news: he'd also been leading a double life on the island of St. John, where another woman loved him, too.

Now Irene and her sons are on St. John, determined to learn the truth about the mysterious death - and life - of a man they thought they knew. Along the way, they're about to discover some surprising truths about their own lives and their futures.

Lush with tropical details, romance, and drama, What Happens in Paradise is another immensely satisfying page-turner from one of America's most believed storytellers.

Thoughts Before Reading

It's been a minute since I've actually had a chance to do a little thought before reading the book. So let's jump into it. I've been dying to jump into this book as soon as I finished the first book! Last year I got the first book through the Book of the Month, and I'm so glad that I picked it up! This book was intense, so when the second book popped up on Book of the Month for October I just had to get it! I need to know where the book goes after that last cliff hanger! Plus with everything going on with work and school I love being able to just sit down and read a book whenever I get a little quiet time. Let's see how long it takes me to read it.

Midway Check-In

I'm almost in the middle of the book now and guys I'm so hooked, which is so great! My goal is to finish this book this weekend, but I have some homework to do too so I don't know if I will have time. But doggy class is canceled this weekend and we aren't really planning to go anywhere so it is still somewhat doable! So I believe that my biggest annoyance in the first book was definitely Baker and even though I haven't read that much of his excerpts yet he already annoys the crap out me, you guys! I love Cash and I will always vote for him over Baker, but Baker is literally the most selfish human being! He is definitely one of those characters you are supposed to be annoyed with and let me tell ya I hate him. Even the parts that are supposed to make me feel bad for him I have no emotion because that's how much I dislike this guy! If Ayers doesn't see this and doesn't stop thinking about him it is going to drive me nuts! Cash seems like the sweetest he deserves so much more! I think I would totally ship Irene and Huck together though, I think I want that to happen. I'm not sure yet, I love how during his parts he just thinks about her randomly but she is more reserved about it.

After Thoughts

I really hope this book has another one in the series. Just like with the first one in this series the book ended in a cliff hanger, I just don't think it was as huge of a cliff hanger as the last book did. I really want to see how everything is tied up. I think with this one I actually started to care for Baker which is huge cause I really hate his character! I'm in love with Irene, Cash, and Huck's stories and I cannot read them fast enough. But I'll admit that I don't think this is the same Irene that we had in the first book, she seemed more hesitant and I just wanted more for her character. I felt so bad for Huck as the story went on, he was my favorite character in this one for sure! Cash's character also expanded in this story and I loved how it went. I just feel like there is so much that there has to be done that there just has to be another book, I just have no clue how it is going to end. I think it would be interesting if Rosie and Russ just shows up in order to save their families, but there isn't much that can be done right now for Irene.

I love this series so much! I just don't know how the next book is going to go I assume it is going to start tying up more of the loose ends that didn't get straightened out in this book but I don't know if there is going to be another book.

Goodreads Rant

Okay, guys let me just get this off my chest now. My crazy OCD cannot handle Goodreads right now. I've decided that I need to have a shelf on Goodreads that consists of the books I own, this will mean I will have books I want to read, books I've read, and then another list of books that I currently own. Well, I've just about finished my bookshelf so I started going through my GoodReads books. So I have to go through every book on my shelves and add them to this list. While I started doing this I started thinking about making another one just for Kindle books and another one for audiobooks. These would be convenient. But it's a lot of work going through all of these. I also think this is spamming everyone that follows me on there because it is posting them as if I'm just now starting to 'want to read them,' because they are rearranging that 'want to read' shelf to go in order with the ones I just marked as Book I Own. 

But for people who love to read on a large scale like this or even like to look for something to read you don't have much choice in what system you do this with. I had an excel spreadsheet of all my books, and it helped so much in the moving process, but if I'm in a bookstore I can't just look at my spreadsheet and see what I have and not have. At least on GoodReads, I can type in the book and pull up this specific book I want and it will tell me how I have it listed. But this is just a lot of time-consuming work. I hope it doesn't annoy anyone as much as it annoys me.

I started doing this on Monday and guys I just finished today! I really wanted to start tracking books I owned and this is literally the best way to do it. I know it pops every book up in the feed as 'wanting to read' or 'read' and I'm sorry but I'm so freaking happy to have this as accurate as I do. I might still be missing a couple of books, and I know I haven't added my nook books because I haven't been on nook for years I don't even think I have access to those books anymore. Plus I'm on a Kindle now so if I want to read those books I have to read them on my phone which sucks! I really wish I could read them on my Kindle! Guys combine your app stores for your customers' sake, heck I would even pay for a nook app on my Kindle at this point. My next step would be to get an iPad and be done with both Kindle and Nook in order to have book systems. I just don't want to sink the money into one right now.

So yeah this was totally worth doing, it was just very time-consuming. I would vote for anyone who has a huge collection like mine to do it. Even if you have been on GoodReads forever it is awesome to be able to pull it up. I still want to look at the books I want to read and take some of the really old ones off but as of now every book I own is marked as want to read or read. I kind of want to go back through and mark what is on my Kindle and the ones on my Audible because guys I love torturing myself apparently!

ShayKay's Review of Unpregnant by Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan

Goodreads: Unpregnant by Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplsn

***I just want to throw out there that I feel like the synopsis is really spoily and pretty much just tells you the whole entire book! I actually only read the first paragraph before reading this book and I'm so glad that I did it this way because I started writing this review after I'm already halfway through the book and I just noticed how the book literally follows the whole entire synopsis! So read at your own discretion.

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

Seventeen-year-old Veronica Clarke never thought she would wish she'd failed a test until she finds herself holding a thick piece of plastic in her hands and staring at two solid pink lines. Even the most consistent use of condoms won't prevent pregnancy when your boyfriend secretly pokes holes in them to keep you from going out-of-state for college.

Veronica needs an abortion, but the closest place she can legally get one is over nine hundred miles away - and Veronica doesn't have a car. Too ashamed to ask her friends or family for help, Veronica turns to the one person she believes won't judge her: Bailey Butler, Jefferson High's own little black cloud of anger and snark - and Veronica's ex-best friend. Once on the road, Veronica quickly remembers nothing with Bailey is ever simple and that means two days of stolen cars, shotguns, crazed ex-boyfriends, truck stop strippers with pro-life agendas, and a limo driver named Bob. But the pain and betrayal of their broken friendship can't be outrun. When their fighting leads to a brutal moment of truth, Bailey abandons Veronica/ Now Veronica must risk everything in order to repair the hurt she's caused.

Middle of the Book Check-In

Let me start off by saying this is definitely a YA book! But I've been in such a reading slump I feel like this is literally just what I needed! I have not been able to put this book down! Another crazy thing I never buy books on my Kindle unless they're on sale, but this one I just had to read and I'm so glad I splurged on it. I feel like this might become one of those controversial books and I'm so glad to get my own opinions before it starts blowing up.

I think Veronica's back story really helps add to the story, she lives in this very conservative community and you really see this when you are introduced to her sister's family. I can't decide if I like Veronica or not though. There are moments where I feel bad for her and I'm rooting for her. But then I feel like she's just being selfish about everything. I keep flipping back and forth. But you definitely get reminded of it being a YA book because of how Veronica is, she's obsessed with what her friends think of her, social media, and being the most popular person in the school. Which this trope itself I can't decide if I like it or not. If it is done well then I can love it but it can definitely get annoying and old really fast for me too. Right now it is really clicking for me. I really don't know if she is going to actually go through with the abortion or not. I feel like even though Bailey gives her a really hard time here and there I think she really cares and is actually being more realistic than Veronica is being. So I'm really curious about how this stripper scene goes down because that's where I am at so far. But also what happens between Veronica and Bailey?! This whole book you know they don't have the best relationship but what makes it implode so much?? 

As of now, this book is about 3.5-4 stars for me it can go in either direction right now since I'm only in the middle of the book now. So let's see how this thing goes. If I keep up this pace I will definitely be done with it by this weekend! Which is crazy not just because I've been in this reading slump but also because of work and school I never have the time to read anymore.

After Thoughts

So I was right I finished this book last night! I really hate using half stars to rate books so I just never do it and I honestly ever had a book that I had to use it with. But this book I can finally understand the feeling of having to use half stars. I loved this book but I don't think it is a 4-star book. However, it is definitely not a 3-star book so 3.5 for it!  I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this book. So I think we should start doing 5 things list so let's start with this one!

Pros

1. I loved Bailey's story! It was amazing and she was so quirky.
2. The spin on that freaking stripper! OMG, that was one of the craziest parts of this story.
3. This book is so fast-paced that I had no time to get bored with it, and we all know how easy it is for me to wander away from a book if it gets boring.
4. There were so many funny scenes in this book and I lived for them! I couldn't read it fast enough.
5. I don't know if this should be a pro because I'm not for or against abortion, I have no thoughts of it. But I loved how the book was about abortion because even the procedure was the main thing for the character the book itself didn't just stay on the subject the whole time. Throughout the book, it focused on people for abortion, people against it, and then you had the comedy in the book so I didn't feel like the book was either for it or against it, and it wasn't really just focused on it.

Cons

1. The synopsis! I want to be able to read the synopsis to see if I want to read the book but I don't want it to tell me everything that is going to happen throughout the book! Pull me but don't spoil the read for me!
2. Veronica! To be honest I had a big love/hate relationship with her. I felt bad for her and the situation she was shoved into but the decisions she made drove me nuts! But to be fair it is a YA book.
3. Just like how I said the book wasn't just about the abortion but I wish there was more of Veronica deciding through the options. I get that she knew abortion was the choice she wanted but the book didn't really show her think about other options. It seems like that was the only choice she had and I get that it was but it would've been nice for this book to at least show her think through the different options there are for her.
4. The ending of the book was a huge downfall for me. I wanted more resolution between Veronica and her school friends. Heck, I wanted more between her and Bailey. Good news the book seems to be apart of a series, but I really don't know what is going to happen in the next book. I hope it follows Veronica and Bailey because I want more in this story. But if it is the same kind of scenario but with different people, I think it is going to get old fast. I don't want to just read about people getting abortions I want to see more of Bailey, plus I think it would be interesting to see how Veronica moves on after this. 
5. The ex. I get his part in the story and he did add to the story. But for me personally, I had a hard time reading about the stalking side of his story. Plus he was just a garbage human, to begin with.

Bailey ended up staying my favorite character in the book! I loved her as a character and I had a love/hate relationship with Veronica. This story took some really crazy twists and turns, GUYS THERE'S A STRIPPER! I think the only thing that I would really wish was in the book was maybe a prologue, because I would love to see what happens to Veronica and Bailey after they got back to school. You kind of get a glimpse of the choices Veronica makes but I would just love to see how their relationship ends at least up until graduation. Plus maybe leave out some of Veronica's need to be the best scenes, they got annoying real fast. This book looks like it is going to be a series and I don't know if they are going to follow this dynamic duo or if they will follow another girl in this scenario. If it follows these two I think I would read it because I just mentioned how I need more of these two, mostly Bailey. But I don't know if I would read it if it follows another person in this scenario because I hate when series follows different people. You just got me attached to these characters, so give me those characters!

But one of the biggest things I can say about the book that will be best for you as a reader is if you are curious about this book please do not read the synopsis it will literally give away everything that happens in the book. If you are on the fence and feel like you have to read the synopsis then just read the first paragraph!  

ShayKay's Review of Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Goodreads: Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Synopsis from Book

In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth "Evvie" Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband's death in a car crash. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn't correct them.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, a former Major League pitcher, and Andy's childhood best friend is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the "yips": he can't throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can't figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean's future.

When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie's house the two make a deal: Dean won't ask about Evvie's late husband, and Evvie won't ask about Dean's baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken - and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts - the friendships they've damaged, the secrets they've kept - but in life, as in baseball, there's always a chance - up until the last out.

Thoughts Before Reading

This was one of the books I picked up for my birthday, and I honestly found it by chance! I was just scrolling through books on Books-a-Million and this one popped up. After reading the synopsis and looking at the book reviews it sounded like the best thing to buy with my birthday money. The fact that I willing picked up a book with hearing so little about it and being from an author I've never even heard of before just proves that Book of the Month has really got me looking at things outside of the norm for me. I love it! 

I thought the book sounded hilarious and very interesting. I hope it has just as many laugh out loud moments as the reviews say. The book itself sounds like another great summer read and I'm trying to cram in as many books as I can before I start classes again this week. I wonder if the book will look into Evvie's life before the car crash and how much Andy plays into the story between Dean and Evvie. From the synopsis I assume Dean and Evvie are going to end up together, but I really hope it isn't an instalove scenario. 

Halfway Through Check-In

So I'm really having a love/hate relationship with this book! I really want to love it, not just cause it cost so much but also because the synopsis of the book sounds right up my ally. But the writing style keeps throwing me! I can usually get into the book even when the reading gets rough. The story itself is really good but the writing style is rough. I think the hardest part for me to follow is the transitions. The book feels really choppy, and when the time moves I have to read it for a little bit just to realize that we are all of the sudden in a different time and there are different situations going on. For example, Evvie and Dean are just hanging out just talking and then boom it's another day. I know I'm not doing a really good job at explaining this, just think about one those picture flip books. Once I get into it then all of the sudden there are different things happening. So its just a little rough to get into the book and then stay there. I'm not to the point where I want to DNF the book because I really enjoy the book, it's just rough getting there.

*****Spoilerish*****

It's mostly through Evvie's perspectives, but every now and again we get glimpses through Dean's. I love Dean, I think he's really interesting to read about and I don't know what I want for him. Do I want him to get over the yips and go back playing baseball? Do I want him to get over this and just be with Evvie? I'm not really sure yet. Evvie definitely has some secrets going on, when the book opens you see her getting ready to leave her husband and then he was killed in a car wreck. Her story has been slowly coming out as the book goes on. I like to think that this book is so choppy because the author didn't want Dean and Evvie to just instantly be in love which I prefer not having that instalove in it but I think the book is trying so hard that it makes everything feel so forced together, and some of the layers thrown into the book I think I would rather see it less to make the book feel so rushed. This is so crazy because I love seeing the layers, they make the book!

Guys! I cannot decide if I like Evvie or not! I love Dean! So far his story has been interesting and he has this thing that works for him. But I just feel like Evvie is going to be one of those untrustable characters, and what you think is going to happen is going to be way worse. I just feel like there is something more going on with the whole reason why she wanted to leave her husband than what she is starting to admit too. I don't know if the choppy transitions make her look like this or not. It just seems that her skeletons are coming out of the closet and with each one she has something dramatic happen. So she wanted to leave her husband on the same day he died but why does that matter so much to her best friend. Why couldn't she leave and stay friends? I just don't know what is going on. Even though this doesn't make sense to me yet I'm still reading it, it's still interesting! Just in an annoying way. I can't wait to see how it ends.

After Thoughts

Well I finished it. I don't really know if the book just didn't click with me or if I just didn't like it. I think I just kept waiting for something more to happen with Evvie's story and it left me wanting more. Normally I like it when the book leaves me wanting more but with this one I don't think it fulfilled the story. First, I couldn't get past how the book was written, and I don't mean the writing style I mean the actual story. It just felt choppy to me and that the transitions just happened without really transitioning from one scene to another. Second, while being in Evvie's perspective she was really annoying but kept eluding to the way her husband treated her, and don't get me wrong he sounded like a horrible person, but she kept making me think that there was more to their past. The story kept feeling over-dramatic and the build up led to nothing! This part aggravated me the most. I mean if you are going to spend so much time talking about something but then never even getting to it then why even play it at all? 

I loved Dean's story the most throughout the whole book. Then it just devolved when he ran away to New York. It was like the whole time Dean was being himself and then all of the sudden he turned into someone being pushed around by the person he loved instead of fighting for her. There was just so much that made me mad while reading this book that just drove me nuts. That all being said I still gave the book two out of five stars because there really were some parts that I really liked and enjoyed reading.Would I read more by this author? Yes, I the story sounded cool it was just the execution that didn't go over really well.

ShayKay's Review of Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Goodreads: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Synopsis from GoodReads

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow - and Reds like him - are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization agianst the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down enemies....even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Thoughts Before Reading

So I've tried reading this book a few times so far. My first attempt was right after I bought the book on my Kindle. However, I believe I was reading something else so I stopped, but I can't remember what I was in the middle of. At the time Red Rising was on sale in the Kindle Store, and I've heard a lot of people talking about the book and comparing it to Hunger Games. The synopsis even reminds me of Hunger Games, so I thought about giving it a real try. This second time I made it pretty far into the book. I've learned that it has its fast and slow parts. It has been very detailed. But during one of the slower parts I fell away from the book. If I had the book in a physical copy I think I would've gotten through it, but since it was on my Kindle it was really easy for me to walk away from it. This time I'm trying audiobook. I keep going back to the book because I don't think it is boring, and it has potential. I think it was just the format I was trying to read it on was making it worse for me. If I'm reading on my Kindle it really has to keep my attention, and if it doesn't I'll find something else to read. 

The audiobook sounds really good so far. I think the reader does different voices for different characters and I love that! It keeps me entertained with the story and I can't wait to see what happens with Darrow once he gets into the Gold Caste.

After Thoughts

Well I finished this book a while ago and guys this was a struggle! I was seriously so excited to read this book! Everything I heard about it was just so much hype for it! People were comparing it to an adult version of the Hunger Games, how does that not sound so cool!? So let me tell you guys when I saw this book on sale I picked it up (eBook). I tried reading it and I kept DNF. The first attempt wasn't really an attempt so I don't really count it. I just got it, I was in the middle of another book I was really enjoying so I just stopped going to to it to read it. So I stopped reading it. The second time I picked it up was very intentional. I read the first chapter and it took me forever. I do know that when I read on my Kindle if I'm not fully into it I do read it slowly. But this book dragged! So I stopped and picked up one of my Book of the Months book, every so often I will power read through my saved up Book of the Month pile. Eventually I tried picking it up again because I was determined! I made it about a third of the way through the book but then again I tapped out. I lost to this book like three times! The book was just slow. When the book is doing something it is so good, but when it lulls it seriously takes forever to get through. The slow parts definitely outweighs the other parts. In complete honest the book's slow moments were still good they were just very detailed and dragged.So it was rough to get through even though I really enjoyed the attention to details that were being thrown everywhere. I definitely see where the Hunger Games get tied to this one so much. There are so many things that are reminiscent of the Hunger Games. But the Hunger Games I think had more speed to the story. Red Rising probably had more action but it was definitely more adult version.

I had to use the audiobook to get through this book, and I was so relieved/disappointed that this book was just as hard to get through as an audiobook as it was on my Kindle. I enjoyed the story overall. The cliff hanger made me kind of want to pick up the second book to see how the story unfolds but this book definitely sent me into a huge book slump. I'm just now starting to pick up another book and I finished this one almost a month ago. So even though I want to pick up the second one just to see how the story goes but it was insanely rough to get through this one and I don't think I will. I definitely don't want to say I will never read the rest of this series but for now I don't see it happening. 

The Bookish Bookin Book Tag

Since I have a little bit of time let's do a tag! I found this one actually on the Lists of Tags over on Fandom, but then I found the questions over on Continue Reading Here..... blog so I thought why not do another tag, it's not like I've been reading much lately! Darn Sims! I do promise I have something in the works that is actually a review about a book so hopefully it comes out soon! 

1. What is a well loved book you hated?

Guys! This one was so hard for me to find because old Shayna put 4 or 5 stars on literally everything! Like I don't even know why! This book I picked for this question is something I still think I rated too high. I hated Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, but I still gave it 3 out of 5 stars, and even though I think I rated it too high I know why it's a 3. I loved the writing style and probably the first half of this book. But then the turns the book took I hated and it through me off. I was kind of interested in it but then everyone saying how great it is really pushed me over the edge but guys! It was rough to finish! I don't think I'm done with this author though, I think I would like to try a different book by this author one day.

2. What is a guilty pleasure book?

I think one of my biggest guilt pleasure books would be the Crazy Rich Asian series! Like give me more of those books and I would read them instantly! The first one was definitely my favorite of the series but I loved the whole set so much!

3. Have you ever spoiled a book for someone? If so, which book?

In the real world I don't really have many friends that read that I can really spoil books for, but one of my favorite things to do is point out differences between the books and movies. So I guess I try to spoil movies for whoever is watching it with me then the movie does something totally different then the book. I guess that's why I usually only watch movies by myself or with Tyler so it's fine for me to do it. 

4. What book made you ugly cry?

I don't really get that emotional over anything really. It's not that I don't get attached to the characters or the story I just don't like to cry so it takes a lot to make me cry. That being said the last book that made me really tear up was definitely Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson. This book follows three different point of views, which usually drives me nuts and makes it even harder to get that emotional connection. But this book really blended the three stories together so well. The three women the book follows are all students of West Point, a military university. So that right there already tell you its a military book and it was definitely outside of my usual reads, and it is a chunker of a book too! But the story is so beautiful and very touching. I really think it is going to be in the top ten for the year for me.

5. What is your latest DNF?

This answer is really going to make people mad but hear me out before you get upset! The most recent book I DNF, unintentionally, was the Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I added unintentionally because I was listening to it on audiobook through Overdrive and guys it wasn't that I didn't like the book I just wasn't in the mood for it. I've mentioned it a lot but I'm a mood a reader and I just finished Red Rising on audiobook and then Things You Save in a Fire in physical book, plus just started graduate school, so my mood to read books disappeared. I loved Things You Save in a Fire and that book hangover just made me not feel like reading. I'm still not really in a reading mood, and all of this happened about a week ago. Literally all I want to do right now is play Sims, but I have to work and stuff since that's what adults are supposed to do. I do plan to read this book for real, I just don't know when that will happen.

6. Which book have you read due to controversy?

Honestly I picked up Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James just because of the controversy, and guess what! I loved it, it isn't one of those books I can reread all of the time. I don't love it because of the racy bits I loved it because it reminded me of Beauty and the Beast, and I know your looking at this like I'm totally nuts but just think about it! The basic plot of the book is an innocent girl falling in love with a beast and by the end of the series the beast turns into her prince. Another unpopular opinion I loved the drama aspects in the second book more than the first book.

7. Have you read a book where you questioned the author's sanity?

Stephen King, hands down! How does he come up with these scary intense books?! Then the fact that the books are so long! They are all pretty much huge chunkers, and they are terrifying. It's just insane how he comes up with them so much.

8. The most cringe-worthy book you've ever read?

OMG! Modelland by Tyra Banks was definitely the most cringest book I've ever read in my whole life! I don't even know what happened to this book! But can you really expect anything different? I read it so long ago though I couldn't even tell you where it went down hill because I do remember liking the beginning of this book.

9. What book have you read solely due to the cover?

There aren't really many books that I pick up solely because of the cover. I do have to admit there are books that I have multiple copies of because I get a prettier version and I keep the original because of the sentimental values. For example, I have read A Game of Thrones through audiobook (so I technically listened to it) but when Books-a-Million had their buy a book by the page count sale a couple months ago I picked up this collector's edition of the book! Guys it is beautiful! Even though this book wasn't my favorite I had to have this thing. It is the 20th anniversary edition and it looks like the copy below, which from the cover it doesn't look all that special but it has those golden end pages along with illustrations. I love it! I guess a book that I got purely based off of the cover was Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincolt, I mean look at this cover guys! Even though I love this cover the reviews definitely pushed me over the edge and made me feel like I had to have this book! I think it even ended up being a 5 out of 5 star book for me too. It was a really good read.

 

10. Name a book you're embarrassed to admit you've read.

Hands down Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is definitely the only book that I've ever regretted reading! This series means so much to me and I would love to see more of the books because I would've loved to see how Harry's life went after the books. But guys this book was not it! I went in with a very open mind but it was so hard to get through it, so many different things contradicted the books! Even though I hate the book so much I did like seeing some of the kids after the books ended, I just wanted more of the world I love and even though this was apart of that world it wasn't the story we wanted. Would I watch the movie if they made one? Yes because I am a die hard Harry Potter fan and I can't get enough, plus a movie could be better than the screen play we got. I would even love a prequel where we follow James or Lilly, particularly Lilly's journey because she came from the muggle world like Harry did. I would just want more of this world and what we got was very disappointing.

11. Name an unknown book you wish more people know of.

There are so many different books that I love so much that I feel like no one even knows about! So I'm narrowing it down to just one is really hard so I'm just going to mention two! JD Robb/Nora Roberts writes one of my all time favorite series! I think a lot of people avoid the In Death series because it is such a huge series, she's actually about to release the 50th book in February and I cannot wait! Another book that I absolutely love that I never hear anyone talk about is Evernight by Claudia Gray. This is a series that I think might be too young for people my age to really know about but I was OBSESSED with this book growing up.

 

12. Name a favorite villain.

Even though my favorite book is detective series it's hard to find a favorite villain. I love to hate Umbridge because she comes off so sweet but she is seriously more evil than Voldemort. One of my favorite tropes is when the main character is their own villain. Another some what villain that I think would actually qualify as my favorite villain is the guy from Things to Save in a Fire. I think in this book there is definitely the unsuspected villain! There are so many guys in the book that you think is the villain but the actual bad guy has such a sad back story. Seriously not going to go into too much details because this book is so good and I do not want to spoil it!

13. Name a book you enjoyed that you read that is outside the norm of genre you usually read.

I feel like today's Shayna would definitely say Harry Potter is outside of my normal genre because I really do not read fantasy anymore. I used to love vampire books such as Twilight, Morganville Vampires, and Marked. But I think I read so much in this genre that I just burnt myself out. I haven't really picked up a book that is in this wheelhouse in a long time. Now I really enjoy reading about crime, drama, and romance. I think these really pull me in. I love the hard hitting stuff too. I like to think I'm a well rounded reader but I will definitely pick these types up first, and with Book of the Month help I do venture out of these specific types a lot. I would say that the book type I avoid the most is sci fi, it's the hardest for me to get into lately. But the In Death series is based in the future so I guess it is technically a little sci fi, but it has romance and the main story is following the police in New York City. If you can't tell already this is one of my favorite series. 

14. Name tropes you actually enjoy reading.

If a love triangle is done right and not just thrown into the book I love it. The detective troupe never gets old for me. I hate instalove! When the bad guy is actually the good guy will always be my weakness! But it has to be something I don't see coming, I hate how it eludes to it over and over so you just know it is going to happen that way. I don't know if this is a troupe, or if it is what it's called, but I love when the book goes different directions instead of how I expect it too. Books get so boring when you read it and just know how it is going to end, give me something that keep me on the edge of my seat the whole time.