Month: December 2019

Review: The Reckoning of Noah Shaw

Title: The Reckoning of Noah Shaw
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Canada
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: November 13, 2018
Rating: ★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Noah Shaw confesses all in this second novel of a chilling new companion series to Michelle Hodkin’s New York Timesbestselling Mara Dyer trilogy!

Noah Shaw doesn’t think he needs his father’s inheritance.
He does.

Noah believes there’s something off about the suicides in his visions.
There is.

Noah is convinced that he still knows the real Mara Dyer.
He does not. 

Everyone thought the nightmare had ended with Mara Dyer’s memoirs, but it was only the beginning. As old skeletons are laid bare, alliances will be tested, hearts will be broken, and no one will be left unscarred.

Review:

I was looking forward to this book after the cliffhanger of the previous one, but it was so disappointing.

The main problem with this story was that it didn’t progress the plot. There were some interesting flashbacks to what happened when Noah was in the hospital, which was in the Mara Dyer series. However, there were also flashbacks to Noah’s ancestors, which could have been explained in a couple of sentences, rather than multiple chapters.

I had a hard time keeping track of the characters by the end. There were some new people, but they all seemed the same. They had long drawn-out conversations about the same things over and over. There wasn’t much that actually happened in the story, other than many conversations.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t live up to my expectations. I expected a lot more from the book.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Shatter Me (Shatter
Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) Maggie Stiefvater

Other Books in the Series:

Have you read The Reckoning of Noah Shaw? What did you think of it?

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Best Books of 2019

I’ve chosen my favourite books of 2019! This year, I picked one book from each genre that was published in 2019, that I loved! I used the Goodreads Choice Awards as the basis for these genre categories.

Fiction

The Rosie Result (Don Tillman #3) by Graeme Simsion

Review

Mystery/Thriller

The Last Resort by Marissa Stapley

Review

Historical Fiction

The Temptation of Gracie by Santa Montefiore

Review

Fantasy

Ninth House (Alex Stern #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Review

Romance

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Review

Women’s Fiction

Christmas Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Review

Nonfiction

The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe by Angela Kelly

Review

Graphic Novel

Harley Quinn, Vol. 2: Harley Destroys the Universe by Sam Humphries

Review

Poetry

When You Ask Me Where I’m Going by Jasmin Kaur

Review

Debut Novel

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford

Review

Young Adult Contemporary

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Review

Young Adult Thriller

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

Review

Young Adult Graphic Novel

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki, Steve Pugh

Review

Young Adult Fantasy

The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #3) by Holly Black

Review

Middle Grade

Tunnel of Bones (Cassidy Blake #2) by Victoria Shwab

Review

Middle Grade Graphic Novel

Guts by Raina Telgemeier

Review

Picture Book

Ho’onani: Hula Warrior by Heather Gale, Mika Song

Review

(All images from Goodreads)

What are your Best Books of 2019?

Blog Tour Review: Husband Material

Title: Husband Material
Author: Emily Belden
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Contemporary
Publisher: Graydon House
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: December 30, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Sometimes love is unpredictable…

Twenty-nine-year-old Charlotte Rosen has a secret: she’s a widow. Ever since the fateful day that leveled her world, Charlotte has worked hard to move forward. Great job at a hot social media analytics company? Check. Roommate with no knowledge of her past? Check. Adorable dog? Check. All the while, she’s faithfully data-crunched her way through life, calculating the probability of risk—so she can avoid it.

Yet Charlotte’s algorithms could never have predicted that her late husband’s ashes would land squarely on her doorstep five years later. Stunned but determined, Charlotte sets out to find meaning in this sudden twist of fate, even if that includes facing her perfectly coiffed, and perfectly difficult, ex-mother-in-law—and her husband’s best friend, who seems to become a fixture at her side whether she likes it or not.

But soon a shocking secret surfaces, forcing Charlotte to answer questions she never knew to ask and to consider the possibility of forgiveness. And when a chance at new love arises, she’ll have to decide once and for all whether to follow the numbers or trust her heart.

Review:

This story started out as a romantic comedy, but turned into a suspenseful story.

There were so many twists that kept me guessing. Just when I thought I had things figured out, there would be another unexpected twist. I liked that so many surprising elements were slowly revealed, such as how Decker died and what had happened in the past between Charlotte and Brian.

I don’t think the title or cover of the book really matched it. From the title and cover, it looks like a fun romance, but there were some dark parts to the story, including Decker’s death.

I really enjoyed this book! I was glued to it until the end.

Thank you HarperCollins for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway

The Love Solution by Ashley Croft

Author Info:

EMILY BELDEN is a journalist, social media marketer, and storyteller. She is the author of the novel Hot Mess and Eightysixed: A Memoir about Unforgettable Men, Mistakes, and Meals. She lives in Chicago. Visit her website at http://www.emilybelden.com or follow her on Twitter and Instagram, @emilybelden.

Buy the Book:

Have you read Husband Material? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – December 30

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished Husband Material by Emily Belden.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading The Reckoning of Noah Shaw (The Shaw Confessions #2) by Michelle Hodkin.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – December 29

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 8 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?

Sundays in Bed With… Husband Material

The meme that dares to ask what book has been in your bed this morning? Come share what book you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed, or which book you wish you had time to read today! This meme is hosted by Midnight Book Girl.

This Sunday I’m reading Husband Material by Emily Belden.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sometimes love is unpredictable…

Twenty-nine-year-old Charlotte Rosen has a secret: she’s a widow. Ever since the fateful day that leveled her world, Charlotte has worked hard to move forward. Great job at a hot social media analytics company? Check. Roommate with no knowledge of her past? Check. Adorable dog? Check. All the while, she’s faithfully data-crunched her way through life, calculating the probability of risk—so she can avoid it.

Yet Charlotte’s algorithms could never have predicted that her late husband’s ashes would land squarely on her doorstep five years later. Stunned but determined, Charlotte sets out to find meaning in this sudden twist of fate, even if that includes facing her perfectly coiffed, and perfectly difficult, ex-mother-in-law—and her husband’s best friend, who seems to become a fixture at her side whether she likes it or not.

But soon a shocking secret surfaces, forcing Charlotte to answer questions she never knew to ask and to consider the possibility of forgiveness. And when a chance at new love arises, she’ll have to decide once and for all whether to follow the numbers or trust her heart.

What book are you in bed with today?

Six for Sunday – New Year, New Books

This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.

This week’s prompt is Books With New in the Title. Here’s my list:

1. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery

2. Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor, Vol. 1: A New Beginning by Jody Houser, Rachael Stott

3. New Boy by Tracy Chevalier

4. New Moon (Twilight #2) by Stephanie Meyer

5. Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

6. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

(All book cover images from Goodreads)

Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of New Year, New Books?

Review: On the Come Up

Title: On the Come Up
Author: Angie Thomas
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.

Review:

This is another amazing book from Angie Thomas! I read it in one day because I couldn’t put it down.

There were some elements of this story that reminded me of The Hate U Give. It is set in the same community, though the characters don’t know each other. They do mention the shooting that happened in THUG a year previously.

Bri goes viral with a rap song she wrote, but it gives people the wrong impression of her. It’s compared to an incident that’s she had in school where the security guards threw her down when she was entering the school. Bri has the conflict of being who she is, versus becoming famous for something she didn’t do.

Even though this book is similar to The Hate U Give, Bri and Starr come from different backgrounds. Starr comes from a middle class family, and she goes to a predominantly white private school. Bri’s father was shot when she was a child, and her mother is a former drug addict. Though they have different backgrounds, they come from the same community and fight for social justice.

I loved this book! I can’t wait to read what Angie writes next!

What to read next:

Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson

Jackpot by Nic Stone

Have you read On the Come Up? What did you think of it?

Stacking the Shelves – December 28

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I received three books from HarperCollins Canada:

Thorn by Intisar Khanani

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno

I was approved for two books on NetGalley from Oni Press:

Gudetama: Love for the Lazy by Wook-Jin Clark

Dew Drop by Katie O’Neill

Thank you HarperCollins Canada and Oni Press for this book!

What books did you get this week?

Review: Northanger Abbey

Title: Northanger Abbey
Author: Jane Austen
Genre: Fiction, Classics
Publisher: Sweet Cherry Publishing
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: September 12, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Catherine Morland longs to be as interesting as the gothic heroines she reads about in novels. When she is invited on her first trip away from home, she leaps at the chance. New friendships and flirting lead her to the imposing Northanger Abbey, where Catherine discovers that a little imagination can be a dangerous thing. 

Review:

The first time I read this book, I had a hard time getting through it. After reading it again, I really enjoyed it.

There are some problems with a lot of the story. It is called Northanger Abbey, but they don’t actually go there until the last third of the book. Also, the mystery of the Tilney family and what happened to their mother is a small part of the story. It would have made more sense if it was supposed to be about their time spent in Bath, which takes up a lot of the story. I also didn’t like that a lot of the dialogue was described, rather than actually spoken by the characters. It was confusing to figure out who was speaking when the conversations were described, rather than actually written out in dialogue.

Most of the other books I’ve read from this publisher are simplified versions of classic stories, which are intended for children. I like the cover of this book, and I think it would appeal to kids, but the story was the same as the original. If it had been simplified, it would have been a better book for kids.

This is a good story.

Thank you Sweet Cherry Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Northanger Abbey by Val McDermid

Have you read Northanger Abbey? What did you think of it?