Author: Als

I love books. Mystery books are my favorite.

As Good As Dead

Featured

Hi guys! I am here to review the novel “As Good As Dead” by Holly Jackson. It is book #3 and the last book in the “A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder” series. It is about Pip finding herself in one last simple case involving a serial killer. 

Warning: SPOILERS UP AHEAD! (IF YOU’VE READ IT, GREAT! BUT IF NOT THEN DON’T SCROLL UP OR IF YOU JUST WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR YOURSELF THEN GO AHEAD)

⚠️TRIGGER WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF BLOOD, KIDNAPPING, VIOLENCE, DRUGS ETC, ⚠️ 

My book review:

Book itself:

  • Love the duct tape on the book cover

Characters:

  • Pip and Ravi are everything in this book. They love each other so much. 
  • Ravi, as always, is an amazing boyfriend. He just wants to protect Pip. 
  • Pip loves Ravi so much that she doesn’t want him to go to jail or be involved in her mess. She just wants him to have a normal life. 
  • Poor Andie. She’s been through so much. Becca too. 
  • Max is evil. I felt happy when Pip drugged him for her master plan. 
  • Cara and Steph are cute. 
  • I love Pip’s friends and how they all help and support her, no questions asked, during her master plan.

Plot:

  • I knew Jason Bell was sick. I just knew it. 
  • But damn. Jason Bell as the duct tape killer. Chills. 😳
  • Pip being wrapped up in all that duct tape was terrifying. I could feel the claustrophobia creeping up on me. 
  • Pip carrying out her master plan was suspenseful. I couldn’t breathe. 
  • Reading the whole escape sequence was nerve-inducing. But I love how it was written. Ravi written as her light in the darkness was perfect. 
  • I felt bad for the mother whose son was accused and in prison for being the duct tape killer. I’m glad they were reunited at the end. 
  • I laughed when Pip thought Daniel Da Silva was the duct tape killer. Boy was she in for a shock.
  • Going from online death threats on her podcast to getting kidnapped by a serial killer to planning how to get away with murder are some big leaps. 
  • The constant death threat ‘Who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears?’ is kinda poetic in a sinister way.
  • It was really satisfying reading about Pip killing Jason Bell repeatedly with a hammer 🔨.
  • Loving Ravi coming over to help Pip with disposing of Jason’s body and helping with the crime scene. 

Moments:

  • When Pip got kidnapped I was shocked. I was turning those pages. 
  • I felt bad for Josh being woken up by the stereo in the middle of the night. 
  • I really hated how Pip still felt guilty about Stanley’s death and imagining the blood every time. However, I do love how it was written. 
  • That “Hey Sarge, remember me?” text 💬. Beautiful ending. 
  • Jason killing Barney and thinking it was Becca’s dog, not Pips is cruel.
  • That scene with Pip flushing her clothes down the toilet 🚽 . So. Much. Suspense. 

Overall this was an amazing book!!

So many good, frustrating, terrifying moments!

Comment down below which part of the book was your favourite!

Also, comment below any parts, characters and plotlines I missed!

Good Girl, Bad Blood

Featured

Hi guys! It has been a while but I am back to review the novel “Good Girl, Bad Blood” by Holly Jackson. It is book #2 in the “A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder” series. It is about Pip having a new case again, this time it’s the disappearance of Jamie Reynolds, her friend Connor Reynolds’s brother. 

. 

Warning: SPOILERS UP AHEAD! (IF YOU’VE READ IT, GREAT! BUT IF NOT THEN DON’T SCROLL UP OR IF YOU JUST WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR YOURSELF THEN GO AHEAD)

⚠️TRIGGER WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF BLOOD ETC, ⚠️ 

My book review:

Book itself:

  • Love the duct tape on the book cover 📕

Characters:

  • Loving the relationship between Pip and Ravi, especially the nicknames
  • DI Hawkins is a complicated character let’s say.
  • Stanley is an interesting, complex character. I wished he stayed alive at the end. 

Plot:

  • I did not expect Stanley Forbes to be Child Brunswick. That was a plot twist I didn’t see coming. 
  • Charlie Green. Another plot twist I didn’t see coming. I thought he was just Pip’s friendly neighbour. Instead, he had revenge on his mind against Stanley, which I get in a way. However, he could have gotten justice differently. 
  • It was nice reading all of Pip’s friends and family having a peaceful barbeque 🍖 at the end, even though Pip herself wasn’t feeling at peace at all. However, it was intriguing to read what was going on inside her mind 🧠 after Stanley’s death. The repeating sounds of the bullet were well described too. 

Moments:

  • The moment Charlie shot 🔫 Stanley and Pip couldn’t do anything but watch was so painful. I could feel the shock from her. 
  • Also, when she was trying to save Stanley, I was rooting for her. I wanted her to save Stanley too. I felt her pain when she couldn’t save him and he was losing a lot of blood🩸. It was torture. I hated that moment but the way it was shown was so good. 
  • I didn’t like Ant in this book. At all. It felt good reading Pip punch 🤜 Ant in the face. He deserved it. 
  • I was happy when Jamie was reunited with Connor again. 
  • I was so angry when the protesters were there at Stanley’s funeral ⚰️. I felt Pip’s anger too. It was palpable and I also wanted to come at them like Pip wanted to as well. 

Overall this was another good book! 

It was a rollercoaster 🎢 . It had moments where you were devastated, angry, happy, and every other emotion you could think of. 

Comment down below which part of the book was your favourite!

Also, comment below any parts, characters and plotlines I missed!

The School For Good And Evil #2

Featured

Hi guys! It has been a while but I am back to review the novel “The School For Good And Evil: A World Without Princes” by Soman Chainani. It is book #2 in the “The School For Good And Evil” series. It is about Sophie and Agatha who return to Gavaldon after their adventure in the School For Good And Evil only for Agatha to wish for Tedros and they are whisked to The School For Good And Evil again, only this time it’s very different as it is now rebranded as The School For Girls 👩‍🦰 and Boys. 👦🏻

Warning: SPOILERS UP AHEAD! (IF YOU’VE READ IT, GREAT! BUT IF NOT THEN DON’T SCROLL UP OR IF YOU JUST WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR YOURSELF THEN GO AHEAD)

⚠️TRIGGER WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF BLOOD ETC, ⚠️ 

My book review:

Book itself:

  • The title gives you an idea of what’s happening in The Woods 🌲 and how it’s changed since Sophie and Agatha left it. 

Characters:

  • I really hate it when one character is content with current day-to-day life and the other is wishing for something more. 
  • It’s kinda funny that Agatha is berating herself for wishing for Tedros when in the last book, she didn’t care for princes 🫅, especially Tedros himself.  
  • It is nice that Sophie is now loyal to Agatha for a change. 

Plot:

  • Now we have Agatha trying to figure out if Sophie’s still a witch, 🧙 which isn’t good at all. 
  • A lot happens. That’s it. 

Moments:

  • I felt really bad that Sophie had this secret loneliness as her father was with his sons and his new wife and getting ready for the wedding. But it was nice to see her vulnerable this time around and hear what happened to her mother when she was still around. 

Overall this was another good book!

Comment down below which part of the book was your favourite!

Also, comment below any parts, characters and plotlines I missed!

The School For Good And Evil

Featured

Hi guys! It has been a long time but I am back to review the novel “The School For Good And Evil” by Soman Chainani. It is book #1 in the “The School For Good And Evil” series. It is about 2 girls, Agatha and Sophie, different in appearance and personality, who are taken to the School For Good and Evil. Sophie wants to go to the school for a chance to be a princess and Agatha has other ideas instead. During the book, they go on a rollercoaster of an adventure.

Warning: SPOILERS UP AHEAD! (IF YOU’VE READ IT, GREAT! BUT IF NOT THEN DON’T SCROLL UP OR IF YOU JUST WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR YOURSELF THEN GO AHEAD)

My book review:

Book itself:

  • The cover 📕 looked really interesting and I like how it subverts the trope right away e.g. Agatha near The School 🏫 For Good and Sophie near The School 🏫 For Evil and it won’t be how you imagine it.

Characters:

  • Right away, I can see how different the 2 girls 👭 are. Sophie has her head in the clouds ☁️, she’s blonde, she’s beautiful ✨, and she wants a fairytale, specifically her fairytale, her Prince Charming. Agatha, on the other hand, is blunter, a brunette, resourceful and just wants a friend i.e. Sophie.
  • It’s so upsetting that Agatha can’t see herself as beautiful ✨.
  • I really like how the story delves deep into Sophie’s mentality and she thinks that what a princess should care about is appearance, being with a prince, and fashion 👗. Mostly superficial features.
  • Whereas Agatha cares more about friendship, compassion, loyalty, and more of the stuff within a person like their personality, values, and morals and she embodies those traits strongly throughout the novel.
  • It was quite interesting to read Tedros’s mindset, we can see there is so much pressure on him to succeed and he wants his father to be proud of him and end up not like him. I would like to see more about that as an emotional arc for him throughout the series.
  • Beatrix is interesting, to say the least. She goes out of her way to insult Sophie and ridicule Agatha and when there’s an opportunity for her to redeem herself she doesn’t take it. For example, near the end, when they’re fighting each other, there is a chance for her to stand up and do what’s right but instead, she hides and runs away. I kinda want her to have a redemption arc throughout the series but I don’t know if that’s gonna happen. I feel like she has the potential.
  • Dot is adorable. I love that she continues to eat chocolate 🍫 at any given time. I would do the same.

Plot:

  • I like how they turned around the fairytale trope: Agatha whose stereotyped as a witch becomes a princess 👸 and Sophie who always wanted to be a princess 👸 becomes a witch.
  • I love the moment when everyone is in the Theater 🎭 of Tales and they’ve all done their talents and Tedros has just done his and Sophie isn’t there for hers. It looks like the crown 👑 is immediately his and Agatha is just admiring him and it all comes crashing down when there’s a sudden knock at the door 🚪…It gave me the chills 🥶.
  • I really like how Agatha gave Sophie the kiss 💋 of life…it was so intimate.

Moments:

  • I didn’t like that Hester and Anadil excluded Dot out since they were friends before Sophie came along and she was exiled from her room.
  • Dot is such an underrated character.
  • Hort is just Hort. He’s quite funny too.
  • Adding on, it was interesting to see that Agatha made it a habit to avoid every mirror 🪞 at the school, but it’s immediately heartbreaking when you find out why – it’s because she’s been conditioned by everyone to think she’s ugly. She’s going to stay like that forever. Also when Professor Dovey tries to make her look into the mirror, to confront her fear, and she breaks it, it makes me so sad that this fear of being ugly still sticks to her and it’s hard for her to confront it.
  • As for Sophie, it was intriguing to see that she is so fervent to be a princess and have her fairytale because her family life is devastating as she is isolated by herself – her father is with another woman since her mother died, and her brothers don’t seem to care or acknowledge her at the beginning of the book. Also, her father doesn’t care as much for her as opposed to her brothers.
  • It was nice that Kiko and Agatha became friends during her time at The School 🏫 For Good. She was one of the less judgy girls.
  • I gotta admit, Hester has a really cool power.

Overall this was an interesting book and I’m really excited to read the rest!

Comment down below which part of the book was your favourite!

Also, comment below any parts, characters and plotlines I missed!

#FREE PALESTINE 🍉

Featured

EDUCATIONAL POST

It all started on 7th October, 2023 when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel. According to Israeli Media, the attack led to at least 250 people killed and 1,500 injured in Israel, making it the deadliest attack in the country in decades. On the other hand, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 232 people in the Gaza Strip were killed and 1,700 were wounded in the Israeli strikes. 

Hamas’s military leader, Mohammed Deif, said the group enacted the attack, as a result of Israel’s long-running blockade of Gaza, its occupation of Palestinian lands, and its crimes against Muslims, including the destruction of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Israel. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by announcing that Israel was at war with Hamas. In several decades, this marks the most significant escalation of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

However, this isn’t a Palestinian-Israel War anymore. 

It’s a PALESTINIAN GENOCIDE BY ISRAEL.

PROTESTS

There have been worldwide rallies in solidarity with Palestine, condemning Israel’s war or rather genocide on Palestine. Protests were held to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Demonstrators around the world have rallied to condemn Israel’s war on Gaza and call for a permanent ceasefire. Protests were held on Wednesday in Manila, Tunis, Tehran, Karachi, Beirut, Harare, Tokyo, Stockholm, London, Johannesburg, Quezon City, Milan and more. 

The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed on 29th November. This is to mark the anniversary of Resolution 181 when the UN General Assembly on this day in 1947 adopted a resolution to partition Palestine into 2 states. 

RESPONSE TO THE GENOCIDE

People have been responding by spreading awareness of Israel’s true intentions on social media and by spreading the hashtags, #FREEPALESTINE and #FROMTHERIVERTOTHESEAPALESTINEWILLBEFREE. 

People are also posting watermelon pictures in solidarity with the Palestinian people as a watermelon has similar colours to the Palestine flag. In addition, people have been highlighting hate crime incidents on social media, raising awareness and asking everyone to look out for their Palestinian family, friends and neighbours. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THE COMMUNITY

Tackling personal prejudices

An unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge.

It is OKAY to admit to these opinions you may have. It is not OKAY to continue to display these negative and unjustified opinions after noticing them. 

WHERE DO I START?

  • Educate yourself: Education is one of the most valuable things you can do, there are various websites and organisations online that will explain to you why it’s so important and what you can do to help. 
  • Know your history: Educate yourself and the role you and your communities play.
  • Make your voice heard: Staying silent in times of injustice is just as bad as opposing justice. Use your platform to educate others and share what is going on!
  • Stay updated: Stay updated on what’s happening around you, and follow accounts on social media, so you are updated on the continuing action.
  • Normalise changing your opinion: Normalise changing your opinion, once you have educated yourself on this topic it is okay to change your opinion!

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

Injustice will never be justice if it is unheard, don’t stay silent! No matter where you come from, this is a global issue and is something we clearly should not be facing in 2023 or 2024. Please make sure you are not a part of this problem. If you are unsure of what is happening, educate yourself!

YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, THAT SOME OF YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS LIKE, BUT YOU HAVE TO STAND WITH THIS MOVEMENT AND SHOW YOUR UTTERMOST RESPECT.

HOW HAVE PEOPLE HELPED TO STOP THIS

There have been many organisations that have helped and are still helping the Palestinian people. One example is the website arab.org. This website was started and is owned by The Olive Tree S.A.L. a social enterprise startup group from Lebanon. It is making an impact for the common good, particularly to improve the status and welfare of the people in the Arab world. 

Arab.org helps by allowing people from all over the world to give free donations, costing people nothing but a few seconds of their time. 

HOW CAN I CREATE CHANGE?

  • Educate people in our community: Once you have educated yourself on this issue, educate others in your community don’t be afraid to speak out!
  • Speak up and speak out: SPEAK YOUR OPINION!! Don’t stay silent, spread awareness, and make sure everyone knows!
  • Donate and Sign petitions
  • Support Advocates: Support fellow advocates, making sure you are being respectful and understanding!

YOU CANNOT EXCUSE THIS GENOCIDE.

SIGN, DONATE, EDUCATE.

A NON-COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF ARTICLES AND WEBSITES WITH A LIST OF RESOURCES IN IT TO LOOK AT TO STOP THE GENOCIDE IN PALESTINE 

Resources to support Palestinian liberation
Resources

https://afsc.org/news/6-ways-you-can-support-palestinians-gaza

Resources

https://www.amaliah.com/post/67235/resource-list-advocacy-guide-palestine

https://asianamericanadvocacyfund.org/resources-for-palestine

References:

https://world101.cfr.org/understanding-international-system/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict-timeline

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/11/30/photos-people-around-the-world-rally-in-solidarity-with-palestinians

https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Nations-Resolution-181

https://www.wpr.org/why-watermelons-are-symbol-palestinian-solidarity#:~:text=In%20response%20to%20the%20ongoing,colors%20match%20the%20Palestinian%20flag.

Who we are

One Of Us Is Lying

Featured

Hi guys! It has been a while but I am back to review the novel “One Of Us Is Lying” by Karen M. McManus. It is book #1 in the “One Of Us Is Lying” series. It is about 5 students who get into detention but only 4 come out alive. It also shows the events that ensue from it. 

Warning: SPOILERS UP AHEAD! (IF YOU’VE READ IT, GREAT! BUT IF NOT THEN DON’T SCROLL UP OR IF YOU JUST WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR YOURSELF THEN GO AHEAD)

⚠️TRIGGER WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF THEMES RELATING TO SUICIDE, DEPRESSION, ETC ⚠️ 

My book review:

Book itself:

  • The title does give you a sense of suspense as to who could have possibly caused the death of the deceased student…
  • I liked the bold red heading of the title as it draws your attention towards the book and I like the little subheadings beneath each bolded heading. It’s short and snappy.  
  • I also liked the 4 illustrations of the characters shown in the book. Simple but effective. 

Characters:

  • I liked reading each character’s point of view (POV) as it fleshes them out more and gives you an idea of their hidden thoughts. 
  • The back of the book gives you a very simplistic idea of who each person is but the book gives you more insight into how the characters are shaped that way and how it develops further when reading the book. 
  • First up is Bronwyn, a nerd 🤓 who plays by the rules but as we get closer to the climax at the beginning of the book, we see that she’s not as innocent as she seems and has secrets of her own. One of them was that she cheated on her chemistry 🧪 tests by looking for other tests that the teacher 👩‍🏫 had. 
  • Next up is Adelaide ‘Addy’ Prentiss. She’s one of Bayview High’s cheerleaders 📣 and a renowned prom queen 👑. Like Bronwyn, she has a secret of her own: she slept with her boyfriend Jake’s best friend TJ and never told him for a long time, (which was during the summer, I think). 
  • Cooper Clay is a baseball ⚾ player and a great one. Initially his “secret” was that he used steroids to enhance his sports performance. However, this wasn’t true. His real secret is that he is gay and in a secret relationship with a German 🇩🇪 underwear 🩲 model named Kris. The first secret was untrue because Jake, who was an accomplice to Simon, didn’t want to say that he had a gay friend. 
  • We then meet Nate Macaulay. A loner and an ex-drug dealer. His secret was that he got charged or arrested for dealing drugs and was put on probation. (I might be wrong on this though).
  • We meet Bronwyn’s sister Maeve who I liked. She was a cool hacker 💻 and helped Bronwyn a lot during the whole murder situation. 
  • I love Cooper’s grandma 👵🏿 Nonny. She noticed that he wasn’t interested in having a relationship with Keeley and encouraged him to pursue the one that he loves ♥️. I also liked that when he came out to his family, his grandma still supported him. 
  • Addy’s mom was complicated, to say the least. She insisted that Addy dress 👗 and be a certain way so that Jake would still be interested in having a relationship with her. 
  • It was heartbreaking 💔 reading about Nate’s situation with his dad and mum. I’m glad he has Stan 🦎. 
  • I did feel bad for Janae. She didn’t deserve the huge spotlight from the press on Simon’s murder/suicide. It was too much for her and she really did like him. 
  • Simon was a really complicated person, being on disturbing chat forums and all. But honestly, if people took the time to really understand him like Janae did and help him with his mental health, he wouldn’t have to resort to suicide in the 1st place. 

Plot:

  • The beginning is interesting. Bronwyn starts by giving us an insight into the atmosphere in the high school 🏫 and the presence of Simon’s gossip blog 🧑‍💻 About That. Everyone is terrified about what Simon could post about them, yet they are still glued to his blog, waiting for what he is going to post next. 
  • It was amusing reading Simon’s little speech on how they are all stereotypical high school archetypes: Bronwyn the Brains 🧠, Cooper the Jock ⚾, Addy the Princess/Beauty 👑, and Nate the Rebel 😒. Aka the characters from “The Breakfast Club” 
  • It was true though. They were all in labelled boxes 🏷️📦. 
  • However, it was interesting that Simon regarded himself as the ‘Omnipresent Narrator’ watching 👀 all of them. 
  • It’s fascinating seeing all of them breaking out of their shells 🐚 throughout the book:
    • Bronwyn slowly begins a relationship with Nate and starts their late-night calls 🌃📱 and movie 🎬 nights. 
    • Cooper becomes more comfortable with himself and his sexuality e.g. going out with Kris in public and being affectionate with him
    • Nate starts hanging out with them as they band together to try and find out who the murderer is. 
    • Addy changes her appearance and becomes true to herself, not caring what Jake or anyone else says and putting herself first. 
  • The fact that no one was the murderer and Simon died by killing himself was really sad. He was depressed because he was ostracised by people at his high school and he got revenge by posting his gossip and planning an elaborate death to try and pin it on his classmates. 
  • I liked at the end that Addy and Ashton live together in Ashton’s apartment 🏘️ in San Diego and Addy is free from her mother and able to live her life her way. 
  • I felt bad for Nate when he was falsely charged with the murder of Simon and Bronwyn spent all her time ⏳and energy 🔋🪫 trying to get Nate acquitted. 

Moments:

  • I liked that Addy, throughout the book, became fiercer, assertive and became her own person, and shredded her label 🏷️ of just being ‘Jake’s girlfriend’ who didn’t have her own opinion 💭. 
  • I also liked that Addy and her sister Ashton became closer during the book. 
  • It was cute and funny that Nate had a pet lizard 🦎 named Stan. 
  • I didn’t like Jake at the beginning because he was controlling what Addy wore and controlled different aspects of their relationship but I hated Jake more when we discovered that he was in on Simon’s plans and he was about to kill Addy before Cooper knocked 😵 him out fortunately. 
  • It was kinda cute when Ashton started flirting with Eli and they ended up dating each other 👩‍❤️‍👨. 
  • It was also cute when all of them started hanging out with Kris, Maeve and Ashton being involved as well. 
  • When Cooper was in the cafeteria and being taunted by people in the cafeteria, Nate stood up for him and it was really sweet when all 4 started to sit together and dubbed themselves “The Murder Club”
  • It was shocking when Nate’s mom came back all of a sudden and read them rebuilding their relationship again albeit it was rocky at first. 

Overall this was an intriguing book and I’m really excited to read the rest!

Comment down below which part of the book was your favourite!

Also, comment below any parts, characters and plotlines I missed!

The Pocket Wife

Featured

Hi guys! I am back after quite a while to review the novel “The Pocket Wife” by Susan Crawford. It is about a housewife named Dana Catrell who gets caught up in the murder of her neighbour Celia Steinhauser. The problem is she doesn’t remember what happened that afternoon as she was drinking and fears that she had killed her neighbour.

Warning: SPOILERS UP AHEAD! (IF YOU’VE READ IT, GREAT! BUT IF NOT THEN DON’T SCROLL UP OR IF YOU JUST WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR YOURSELF THEN GO AHEAD)

My book review:

Book itself:

  • The cover 📕 looked intriguing and the question in between the title.
  • The title itself was interesting and when I saw what it means, it made what Dana stated in the novel 📕 more interesting. 
  • It was interesting to see how the author/book tackled mental health issues such as Dana’s bipolar disorder and how it portrayed her highs (mania) and her lows (depression).

Characters:

  • I felt bad for Dana. She didn’t deserve what Peter did to her. 
  • Celia Steinhauser felt like an enigma to me. On the one hand, she helped people by teaching languages, but on the other, she had an affair with Peter behind her husband’s back and betrayed Dana as her ‘supposed’ friend.
  • I did not like Peter. At all. He wasn’t supportive of Dana and her mental health struggles, her qualities and her likes and dislikes. And I did not like the fact that he was disgusted by Spot. I mean, from how Spot is described, he/she sounded adorable. 
  • I mean he did want her to go get help, but he should’ve done it in a more supportive way. 
  • Ronald, on the other hand, was ok. I felt sorry for him though. Although I didn’t like that he lied about the picture 🖼️ and made Dana spiral. 
  • Detective 🕵️ Jack was an interesting character. He had a tough past with his divorces like Margie and Ann, his son Joey’s death and now his other son Kyle ignoring him.
  • I really liked the waitress friend of Dana. She was really supportive as well as being a voice of reason. I wish we saw more of her interactions with Dana. 
  • I really liked Jamie. He was nice. 
  • I also liked her neighbourhood friends. 

Plot:

  • I was pretty shocked when it was revealed that Lenora was the killer 🩸
  • Ok, I just gotta ask, what is it about Peter that made him so appealing ✨ to Lenora and Celia?
  • It was fascinating to see how Lenora planned her trap to make Dana seem like the killer
  • I was also worried that Kyle was the killer since he was going to have the baby 👶 with his girlfriend. 

Moments:

  • It was quite cute to see those non-hostile moments between Jack and Kyle like passing his GED, and his child 👶 being born with his girlfriend Maryanne.
  • Good thing someone caught Dana before she jumped off the bridge 🌉 or it would’ve been really bad
  • It was intriguing to see Dana interacting with her St Christopher medal 🏅 and, after looking it up, it means always being closer to their faith and giving them protection, which makes sense why Detective 🕵️ Jack gave it to Dana in the hospital 🏥
  • Oh my god, I love Spot 🐈‍⬛ so much!! 
  • For some reason, I thought Dana and Detective Jack were going to be a thing in the middle of the novel 📕 but I think they were just friends at the end. 
  • I would have liked to see some scenes between Dana and her group in the hospital 🏥. 

Overall this was an interesting book and it was fascinating to see the bipolar disorder aspect explored in the book.

Comment down below which part of the book was your favourite!

Also, comment below any parts, characters and plotlines I missed!

A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder

Featured

Hi guys. I am back with a new book review. Today I will review the book A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson. It is about a girl named Pippa who investigates a closed case of a girl named Andie Bell that is deemed solved by the town of Little Kilton she lives in. However, she chooses to reopen it again for her school project and starts to uncover secrets from the people and see if the supposed killer Sal Singh was really guilty or innocent.

Warning: SPOILERS UP AHEAD! ( IF YOU’VE READ IT, GREAT! BUT IF NOT THEN DON’T SCROLL UP OR IF YOU JUST WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR YOURSELF THEN GO AHEAD) 

My book review:

Book itself:

  • Love the cover, the murder board look and the red yarn 🧶 and pins📍in places. 
  • I liked that the title itself was below the red yarn. 
  • I also liked that when you turned it over, you can see drawings of what seemed to be pieces of paper 📄 with Andie Bell and Sal Singh written on it.

Characters

  • Pip is the sort of person that I would love to be friends with and solve a crime with.
  • I love how she is really organised with everything.
  • Her random knowledge quirk is cute and educational as well. 
  • It was sad when her dad died when she was ten months old but it’s nice that her stepdad Victor came along. I like how they get along real nice and have a close, tight bond and he has a nickname for her. It’s refreshing to see that stepfather-daughter dynamic be so nice and calm and without so much tension like you see in other books. 
  • I love how she is so close with her whole family as well as the dog 🐕
  • It would be nice to know more about her friendship with Lauren although they weren’t as close as Pip was to Cara.
  • Ravi sounds like a really nice guy to be around and to be a partner in a crime with.
  • It was really sad that we didn’t get to know Sal more. He sounds like he would be a really fun character. 
  • I agreed with Pip: Stanley seemed like a racist jerk.
  • Andie Bell is quite an enigma as Pip put it. She had layers: she was a bully to some, a shoulder to cry on for others and she had insecurities of her own, which stemmed from her dad Jason Bell. 
  • Jason Bell seemed strange to me too. His behaviour with his wife and his 2 daughters was disturbing. 

Plot

  • I wish I could do a crime for a school project. Make the murder board, question suspects… etc
  • I can’t believe it was Elliot Ward, but as they say, it’s the ones you never expect. 
  • He seemed like such a nice person and father to Cara and Naomi. But everyone has their limits. 
  • It was unfortunate that he ran down that path with Andie after his wife died. 
  • I felt bad for Cara and Naomi. They lost their mum and now they lost their dad. 
  • Becca didn’t mean to hurt her sister but I mean I get the fight with Andie. She was someone that she could confide in but she just brushed it off and it really hurt Becca.
  • To be honest, I felt bad for Becca. She didn’t deserve to be drugged and taken advantage of like that by Max. And thank god he was arrested too. 
  • Why did Barney have to die?? Why? I hate animals dying in books, tv and movies. 
  • I’m glad that Howie Bowers got arrested too.
  • I knew something was gonna happen to Pip when she drank her tea 🫖 from Becca.

Moments

  • It was interesting when we got to see Nat’s brother but his wife’s behaviour was really interesting. 
  • Max Hastings gave me that ‘rich 💵 white kid’ vibes. 
  • I liked the friendship scenes given even if there were a few.
  • I liked the slowburn romance 👩‍❤️‍👨 between Ravi and Pippa. His nickname for her was so cute.
  • The way she could talk to an audience full of people… Me and my social anxiety 😰 could never 
  • It was interesting to see a moment where it was explained to the audience that Pip’s and Ravi’s privilege were different and in her relationship with her dad Victor too and we seem to forget that. I liked that the book mentioned that. 
  • It was sweet to see that Cara never left Pip’s side in the hospital 🏥after her attack, even with her dad’s arrest. 
  • It’s nice that Andie’s friends got some distance from her after high school 🏫 and living good lives. 
  • Natalie was hostile but I get it. I feel bad that she was tormented by Andie in high school. She did not deserve it. 
  • It was painful watching Pip smash her laptop 💻
  • I feel bad for Isla getting kidnapped by Elliot and having to be Andie to soothe his guilt. 

Overall it was such a good book. Loved the twists and turns. Can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the trilogy!! 

Comment down below which part of the book was your favourite!

Also, comment below any parts, characters and plotlines I missed!

Queen Of The Tiles

Featured

Hi guys. I am back with a new book review. Today I will review the book Queen Of The Tiles by Hanna Alkaf. It is about a girl named Najwa Bakri who tries to solve the mysterious murder of her best friend Trina Low, one year later, at a scrabble tournament.

Warning: SPOILERS UP AHEAD! ( IF YOU’VE READ IT, GREAT! BUT IF NOT THEN DON’T SCROLL UP OR IF YOU JUST WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR YOURSELF THEN GO AHEAD)

My book review:

Book itself:

  • I absolutely love that this is a book set in Malaysia 🇲🇾 and written by a Malaysian author. I definitely relate to most of the things she writes in this book. 
  • I love the book cover 📕 and that she added a visual representation of Najwa. Kudos to the person who made it!
  • I just realised she’s wearing the friendship bracelet on the cover. 

Characters

  • I kinda get Najwa and like that feeling when your best friend has another friend and now it’s 3 people instead of 2. It feels kinda awkward. Although having another person in your friend group is cool. Sometimes we can forget that. 
  • I liked that Najwa assigned a word to describe the personality of all the other characters. I wonder what mine would be. 
  • I definitely feel like Trina was one of those girls you would call popular in school but she herself wouldn’t think of herself as that. 
  • Alina was really funny in some of the chapters. 
  • I definitely felt that Josh was hiding something behind his cold facade like pressure from his parents or something but not a crush on Trina.
  • Mark was definitely a rollercoaster 🎢 in this book, with his charms, personality and his obvious anger 😠 issues. 
  • Ben was cool. And he also liked Trina.
  • Puteri was distant, but then she opened up to Najwa which was nice. Puteri deserves better. I kinda get why she did not like Trina. Like at all. 
  • Shuba was okay, although we didn’t see much of Shuba in the later chapters. 
  • I felt bad for Emily. Although she helped Yasmin in her revenge plan, she was allegedly cheating in the past and now it’s a stain on her reputation. But damn, she brought a lot of medicine. 💊
  • I liked the Tweedles. 
  • I felt like Najwa’s mum was a lot like the Malaysian mums you encounter but she wasn’t too bad. 
  • On a random note 🗒️, we didn’t see much of Najwa’s dad. 
  • Trina’s parents were interesting, to say the least. Although I do feel bad for Trina. One of the reasons she wanted attention was cause she didn’t get a lot from her parents. 
  • Damn a lot of people liked and hated Trina. Like Mark said she was ‘easy to love, easy to hate.’ 

Plot

  • Damn, it was Yasmin all along. 
  • I mean I feel for her – your best friend having another best friend and spending all their time with them, leaving you behind. It’s understandable, honestly. 
  • Well, the saying is true – it’s always the ones you don’t expect.
  • It wasn’t a murder 🔪🩸 but an accident- cardiac arrest. 
  • She has been plotting this for a year, like her determination and dedication. 
  • Her personality from the start to the end was chilling 🥶. Like she was so nice ☺️ and helpful and then at the end, she’s just like this evil 😈 mastermind, wanting to ruin Najwa’s reputation and life. 
  • I mean it was interesting to see how Yasmin used that perception that people had of her, that she couldn’t play Scrabble, she couldn’t be that smart and turned it against Najwa and the rest of the characters. Clever ngl. 
  • I liked how they managed to record 📹 her confession with the help of the ‘Tweedles’ aka Shanker and Diana. 
  • I liked how she used Scrabble 🧩clues with the Instagram posts and the overall theme in this book was Scrabble and getting that title of ‘Queen’ 👑 of the tiles or ‘Monarch’ 👑 of the tiles. 
  • But the way she caused Najwa to doubt teaming up with Mark by saying he seems dangerous because of the anger issues and making him look like he could be the ‘killer’ 🔪 was devious af. 
  • I liked the author’s note. It was real and raw and something for everyone to learn about. 
  • I liked that the author researched police investigations with the help of another writer, Scrabble tournaments and handling grief from experts. 

Moments

  • I like when Puteri and Najwa became unexpected friends at the end. It was nice. And Puteri sending Najwa a friend request on Instagram was cute. 
  • I mean I sort of suspected Yasmin like Najwa did at first but after she was supposedly attacked, I crossed ❌ her out although that wasn’t the case. 
  • The beginning and the climax were so good. 
  • I loved that Najwa didn’t tell the plan to the audience and kept it in suspense. 
  • I was kinda waiting for the reveal of what Najwa was planning and it was great. Her casual lecture on what ZYZZYVA means was so cool. Also, the way she called Yasmin ‘Min’, Trina’s nickname for her as a way to taunt her was great since Yasmin taunted her by calling her ‘Najjy’ Trina’s nickname for her. 
  • As a Riverdale fan, I loved Yasmin’s mention of the show 📺 in relation to a murder. Classic. 
  • Trina coming in with her fancy entrance to the Scrabble tournament. Although Josh could’ve been a bit more sensitive to her death. 
  • That ‘set-up’ with Yasmin was jaw-dropping like I didn’t expect that at all. And Emily slipping the tiles into Najwa’s jacket 🧥 was shocking 😲. I knew something bad was gonna happen at that point. 
  • Hopefully, Yasmin will get the help she will need after being banned from the tournament. 
  • I did feel bad for Emily being banned too. 
  • It was kinda cute that Mark and Puteri wanted to restart a relationship again. 
  • I liked how each chapter had a unique Scrabble word and its definition. Educational 🙂 

Overall it was a really good book. Loved the twists and turns!! I especially loved the diversity. Hoping to read more diverse books by more diverse authors. 

Comment down below which part of the book was your favourite!

Also, comment below any parts, characters and plotlines I missed!

Am I Normal Yet?

Featured

Hi guys. I am back with a new book review. Today I will review the book Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne. This book is the first book in a series called The Spinster Club. It is about a girl named Evie trying to be ‘normal’ after almost being taken off her meds. However, it is easier said than done.

Warning: SPOILERS UP AHEAD! ( IF YOU’VE READ IT, GREAT! BUT IF NOT THEN DON’T SCROLL UP OR IF YOU JUST WANT TO SPOIL IT FOR YOURSELF THEN GO AHEAD) 

My book review:

Book itself

  • Love the book title!!
  • I realised that when you tilt a book at different angles, you can see hidden text in the background that looks like her thoughts which are all over the place, like same…
  • I liked the images and diagrams in the book. Very cute. 
  • I liked the inclusion of the thoughts as being labeled ‘bad’ or ‘good’ or something completely different. 

Characters

  • Evie is very relatable, like so relatable.
  • I thought Ethan was going to be great but thanks to Evie’s spoilers, we know that’s not the case.
  • Jane was a very interesting character. I mean I didn’t like the way she kept ditching Evie for her boyfriend Joel. I mean I kinda suspected she was going to change when Evie said ‘She didn’t laugh,’ in Chapter 3.
  • But I’m glad it led her to her new friends, Amber and Lottie who appreciate, understand and are always by her side, no matter what. 
  • Oh my god, I really like Lottie and Amber. They are like the best friends you want to have in your life. 
  • I thought Oliver was really sweet and he was like Evie. 
  • I really do get the social anxiety. 😰
  • Lottie really makes you think a lot which you haven’t thought before and it gives you new ways at looking at the world around you.
  • Amber is really bold and I like that about her. She doesn’t care what other people think. 
  • I sympathise with Amber and Lottie and Evie. They all deserve better! 
  • I didn’t have much interest in Joel. He was just Jane’s boyfriend and part of a band.
  • Guy is an interesting character. Like Evie, thought he was nice and caring but definitely not the case.
  • Like Amber, I found the brother 🧒 to be annoying as hell.
  • I liked her therapist Sarah. 👩‍⚕️
  • I liked Rose 👧. She was so sweet and understanding.
  • The parents 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 were okay. 
  • If only I had the same discipline as Evie to clean 🧹 my room often 🤣

Plot

  • I really liked that the author ✍️researched a lot about OCD and other disorders to make it really authentic, but like she said in the Q & A it doesn’t represent everyone’s experiences. 
  • I really liked the creation of The Spinster Club.
  • I liked that Evie finally told Amber and Lottie about her condition at the end. 
  • I liked the interactions between Evie and Oliver, albeit it was short. I really liked them comparing their top fav movies list. 
  • The scene with Guy and Evie at his house near the end was quite uncomfortable ngl. I felt bad for Evie.
  • I really liked the banner Amber and Lottie made for Evie.
  • I hated that Evie had to go through that big moment where her OCD was blaring in her head during that battle of the bands scene but it also represented one of the many situations that people with that condition go through in their lives. 

Moments

  • It was insightful to read Evie discussing the misconceptions of people misdiagonising themselves saying ‘Oh they are OCD too’ etc and how mental health was this taboo thing but now its not and now everyone is super aware of it but they don’t truly understand it. And the way it’s ‘mainstream’ now. I think this is true today.
  • The way they made each girl have a Spinster Club meeting to discuss a different issue regarding feminism was really cool. I kinda wanna do that with my friends. 
  • Also, it was very interesting to read about different perspectives from Lottie, Amber and Evie on the topic at hand. 
  • I liked all of them, Amber’s topic on periods 🩸, Lotties on dating and Evie on mental health 🧠❤️‍🩹.
  • I liked the membership cards that Amber made for The Spinster Club.
  • I liked that at the end, Evie reached out to Oliver again. 
  • Damn, sociology and film 📽️ studies sound cool!
  • I liked that Sarah is a big feminist at the end. 
  • I’ve never heard of the conkers game until I read this book. Interesting game
  • I felt really bad for Lottie and her relationship with Tim. I’m glad that Amber and Evie were there to console and comfort her. 

Overall it was a nice and informational book. I loved the friendship between Amber, Lottie and Evie. I gotta go and read the others too! 

Comment down below which part of the book was your favourite!

Also, comment down below any parts, characters and plotlines that I missed!