2014 Book Challenge: Love and Other Foreign Words

Almost 20 days, that's how long it took me to finish this book. Ergo, I am 11 books behind my target.

So... Love and Other Foreign Words, how did I find you? It was boring. I've read, like, a bunch of similar stories of a boy and a girl being just friends but the other has more-than-a-friend feelings towards the other and while some were more interesting than the others, there were some which are pretty blah. And this book belongs to the blah category.

Umpisa pa lang, I pretty much knew how this would end and I wasn't wrong. Yun lang, I hope they included more "moments" between Josie and Stu. Should I deduce from the fact that Stu can't keep a girlfriend and has never said 'I love you' to any of them that he is in love with his best friend? Umm, that could be the case but it could also be that he's really just a jerk. And Josie... Josie who couldn't keep one because no one's at par with her superiority.

Now that we're on the topic of Josie (OMG, if Josie were a real person, she'd love that we're talking about her), I think she's one annoying stuck-up brat. She thinks she's all high and mighty just because she has superior IQ. She frowns upon her friends and schoolmates who speak "ohmig*d." Ikaw na, Josie, ikaw na ang may perfect command of the English grammar at vocabulary. She also tried to sabotage her sister Kate's wedding which is cute if she's eight but she's almost sixteen and she's not amusing anymore. Good thing she realized that the reason why she hated Geoff so much was because he's too similar to her- because as a reader, I can see that, that's she annoyed with him but she doesn't realize (yet) that they're both know-it-all snobs. And oh, Josie thinks she's very, very intelligent but not like the other nerds who aren't cool cos she's cool as shizz, y'all!

I'm not a regular nerd. I'm a cool nerd.

There's nothing wrong with being smart but Josie qualified it a bazillion times in the book that's she's not the typical smart girl, even college football guy thinks she's the bomb.

whatevs, Josie

So finally Josie and Stu got their shit together during Kate's wedding. They kissed and that was it. Yaaaawn.

Gave it two stars. I was going to give it three stars but Josie's attitude was such a turn off so minus one star for all the sass talk.

I was saving up Rainbow Rowell's Landline after crazy production season but I need a good book to read. I hope Rowell doesn't disappoint.

2014 Book Challenge: Fifty Shades Freed

Wow at last I finished the book (and at last I have gotten myself to write this review of sorts) after so many attempts. The first book, Fifty Shades of Grey, I did enjoy mainly because of the "chase" and of course, the kilig. However, during the second book I think I already got tired of their game and tired of Anastasia's inconsistencies and her inner goddess. I was thisclose to putting the book on DNF status when A said that there was a chapter told from Christian Grey's point-of-view.

If I remember correctly, the book begins with Christian and Anastasia on their honeymoon and helluva plenty of sexy times. I don't know why but it's always the girl characters who annoy me. In Twilight, I hated Bella with a passion which was growing with every book which made me stop at book 3, New Moon. And now, Anastasia. She says she doesn't want Christian "lifestyle" but then again she wants to make him happy so sometimes, she does give him what he wants. Eh diba nga sabi dapat consistent ka, ate? Ika nga ni Yoda, "Do or do not. There is no try." So ya, that's what's been eating me about this book since Book 1.

Fifty Shades trilogy was born out of a reader's frustration with the lack of sexy times in the Twilight series. So she made a story very similar to it but with sexy time in every chapter, but if she's really horny, two. Haha. Fifty Shades and Twilight are very, very similar- the story line, the characters, the premise. And at that last chapter which was told from Christian's POV, eerily similar to when Edward was contemplating on why she liked Bella so much- why the interest on this plain-looking girl? Yung kay Edward gets ko pa kasi delicious ang amoy ng blood ni Bella. Pero si Christian? Kadiri naman kung naaamoy niya rin yung dugo ni Anastasia. Gaaahd, gross! Ang gross ko. Haha! But then again, they explained that Ana does look like all of Christian's ex-subs which explain the initial attraction.

Another show I feel is somewhat similar to Fifty Shades is Dexter. Both Christian and Dexter were adopted. They both came from abusive backgrounds and both watched as their mothers died (hmm.. now I'm not so sure if Christian also saw his mother die). Both had "secrets." And both had brother/foster brother who wanted to get back at them for getting adopted into the better life.

Fifty Shades of Grey is actually a mash-up of Twilight and Dexter.

And oh, I still can't wrap my head around the fact that Jack was able to breach all Grey securities.

And to end this post, here's the official trailer~

Sad to say, he is not my Christian Grey. However, I a giving him a chance. Naks, as if my opinion matters, no? But seriously, when Twilight's trailer was first shown, didn't we all have the same disapproval of Robert Pattinson? So I will be reserving my impression about this guy being Christian Grey after watching the movie. But still I feel Charlie Hunnam would have made a better Mr. Grey. But alas, that wasn't for me to decide. 

Ayan, may closure na ako. Pero gusto mo pa rin hampasin ang inner goddess ni Anastasia ng chaise lounge na hinihigaan niya.

2014 Book Challenge: The Sea of Tranquility

First up, I just want to say something about the cover. I never really paid attention and I thought this was just a silhouette of a woman in a long gown. It's just recently that I realized that it was a spilled ice cream and only today (as in now lang, mainit-init pa) that I noticed the two face silhouettes.  If I had noticed the ice cream on the cover before I read the book, I wouldn't get the significance but of course, now I do. But still, I think this is an ugly book cover.

I needed a really good book because I am three books behind. This book was included in the 30 Contemporary YA Romance Reads and ratings on Goodreads are high and I'm a sucker for frustrating stories about love. Although I hesitated at first cos although I like frustrating, I don't like "too much baggage," and both Nastya and Josh have plenty of baggage- overweight pa.

It was clever of the author to not divulge right away the reason of Nastya's silence. All the while I thought that she was raped or that she was in some witness protection program and the mystery of it somehow kept me glued to my e-reader. But you know, real life gets in the way so it took me longer to finish reading.

At first, I found Nastya annoying. Maybe because I didn't know what was eating her and actually even after I found out why she did what she did, I still couldn't understand it. I know I shouldn't be judgmental because people cope in different ways and she, after all, went through a very traumatic experience. She may have not been sexually assaulted but what happened to her was as equally horrendous and in the process, she also lost her identity as The Brighton Piano Girl. But what I found very frustrating about her is that she's pushing away and shutting out people who love her. Her parents may not know how to exactly deal with her ordeal as well but I'm sure they mean well and if they could take all of Nastya's pain instead, they would in a heartbeat. Josh, on the other hand, is another sulky character. He lost his family members one after the other and I think it's but normal to sulk after losing everyone. Individually, they're annoying characters but together, they just work.

I loved Nastya and Josh together. Obviously, Nastya chose to speak to Josh because she found him attractive. I am not sure if Josh was already attracted to her at the start but even then, the chemistry between them is undeniable.

Aside from Nastya and Josh, another favorite is Drew. He's Josh's best friend and although Josh wasn't really one of the cool kids, he wasn't afraid to be associated with him. I thought he'd be one of those jocks we'd love to hate in YA books but he's different.

Loved this book. I loved how the characters evolved, most especially Nastya. Now I believe that two broken people can make each other whole. Naks. Haha. Pero kasi before I didn't understand the deal with these "broken" people, but when I talked to two of my friends who were both broken (separately) and then they found each other and found solace in one another. It's very easy to say that happiness is a decision but hard to put into practice.

I liked how the book ended- nothing too dramatic.

2014 Book Challenge: What I Thought Was True

{source}

Because I enjoyed My Life Next Door, I decided to read What I Thought Was True after a series of so-so books. Well, The Beginning of Everything wasn't so bad but I found it a little slow and I need something exciting, something to pick up the pace since I am three books behind. But this backlog I blame on Finding June. Man, finishing that book was a struggle. Napaka-boring ng mga characters.

Anyway, back to WITWS. I find it amazing that the lead character here is also named Cassidy, only this time Cassidy is a he. And not only that, there is also a character here whose surname is Thorpe. Amazing, right? Coincidence? I think not. It was written in the stars that I were to read these two books in succession. Ha. Right.

So back na talaga to WITWS. It really amazes me (wow, amazed na amazed ang mood ko today) that the langit-ka-lupa-ako theme is not only common here in the Philippines. Akala ko napa-patent na ng Sharon Cuneta movies circa 1980s ang mga movies na may ganung theme. Gwen is the daughter of a cleaning lady. Cass is your typical trust fund baby who used to go to a private school for boys. Cass had heard of Gwen's reputation (Which is not just a reputation. She lived up to it.) Gwen had Cass stereotyped as one of the rich jerks who play her.

In defense of Cass, he really was attracted to Gwen and he didn't really mean to take advantage of the girl. In my opinion, all of these confusion/ mix-up was due Gwen's impetuousness.

Actually, Cass didn't take advantage of Gwen. It was Gwen who took advantage of the situation. It's just people talk, boys kiss (and other things) and tell. And she can't exactly get mad that people are branding her that because she's kind of guilty of the crime, so to speak. She can't blame people for thinking such of her when she's doing the exactly what the people expected her to do. Because of her hang-ups, she almost ruined whatever that was she has with Cass. Not that Cass was the be-all and end-all of her existence but that he was a good catch, which we wouldn't know until the latter part of the book. We all thought, at the start, that he was just like all his other rich, snotty friends.

Speaking of Cass, he is too good to be true. Well, maybe the fact that he's not so smart makes him human. Haha. But aside from lacking super intelligence, he's good-looking, has abs [I used to not care about abs, but I've recently grown to "appreciate" them. I've officially stepped into ahjumma territory], rich but still very nice and is very polite. And nope, he doesn't have a sense of entitlement at all. Yep, he's too good to be true.

It was a pretty good and interesting read. Nothing excites me more than a will-they-or-won't-they story. Four stars because I love this author and because reading this one was like a breath of fresh air after reading the past few books I've read.

2014 Book Challenge: The Beginning of Everything

After the reading slump (which I blame on Finding June), I am actually thankful for the power outage last week because finally I had time to catch up with my reading. It was also a good thing that I got to charge my Kindle just a day before the three-day blackout.

Cassidy Thorpe reminds me of that broken girl in one of Katie McGarry's novels, Eleanor from Eleanor & Park and Summer in the movie 500 Days of Summer. She's this quirky, pretty girl who's in a world of her own. She's described as redheaded so I don't what is it with these red-headed girls and why are most of them seem like broken? Is being "damaged" a stereotype on redheads, just like blondes are being stereotyped as ditzy.

The story, however, reminds me of that Julia Montes movie- A Moment in Time. [SPOILER ALERT] Boy meets girl. They fall in-like. One character discovers that this one tragic event in his/her life was caused by the object of his/her affection. Enters existential crisis/ guilty mode phase. Only the book and the movie had different endings. The movie had a happy ending (as what is typical of a local love story movie), while the book didn't. Well, we could say that in the book we could apply the ol' cliché "Everything happens for a reason" because if it weren't for Cassidy, Ezra would still be sulking in his room and feeling sorry for himself.

If I were to judge American teens based on this book (and other YA books I've read), I think I can deduce that high school is one big act. I can't quite relate because in my experience, friends I have since high school are some of the best ones I have until now. Well, Ezra's experience helped him know who his real friends are and I think he remained friends with them even until after graduation. But you know what I mean, why hang out with people you don't really jive with? In fairness to Ezra, he wouldn't know that his jock friends and cheerleader girlfriend were the of fair-weather kind.

So yeah, it was indeed the beginning of everything that was real in his life- at least for the moment. He he he. I give it three stars.

2014 Book Challenge: Finding June

Chose this book just because it is the month of June and it has June in its title. Which is somewhat befitting since it's almost the only book I was able to read this month. I started June 10 and finished only today.

Honestly, I don't know why it has high ratings on Goodreads- almost four stars. For me it lacks chemistry between the two main characters, June and Joseph. And not because it is a "clean teen" book, meaning the absence of pre-marital sexy times. I like kilig and I didn't find/feel it here.

Everything in this book was predictable. We kinda knew right from the beginning that these two are going to end up together at the end of the book. We also knew that Lukas would be exactly what we originally thought he would be. I guess it took me 20+ days to finish because I found it boring as hell. Partida pa na wala naman akong masyadong ginagawa ngayon. I would always attempt to read before going to sleep but I always end up asleep without even finishing one (ONE!) page. It was that blah.

One of the reviews that gave Finding June just one star said that June is self-absorbed and I totally agree. Majority of the book she talks about her make-up, her clothes and the feathers in her skirt. Everything here is about her. Well, is is about finding June after all. Whatever that means.

Because I spent two weeks on this book, I am now two books behind my goal. I give thee: two stars.

2014 Book Challenge: Rock Chick Renegade

{via Goodreads}

Most reviews on Goodreads say that Rock Chick Renegade is their favorite out of the series (I assume out of the first four books), but personally it is my least liked out of the first four and I think that is because I am getting tired of the same old story, going on and on ever since Book 1 and there are, like, five more books in this series.

Seriously, I skipped a lot of paragraphs and pages! And seriously, these guys should be charged for illegal detention and/or sexual assault. It would always start off with the guy and the girl hot for each other but girl decides to make pakipot but guy wouldn't have any of it so he takes things into his own hands, breaks into girl's home, forces himself into her, girl refuses (at first) and pushes him away, guy doesn't listen and kisses her (and much more) anyway, girl finally gets into it and stops resisting. After doing the deed, girl wants to break off whatever kind of relationship it is she has with the guy for many reasons that are too many but not because he forced himself on her. And girl would always say she'd move somewhere else to get away from guy but girl never really packs her stuff. Yeah, right. From Indy to Jet to Roxie and now, Jules, it's the same banana (not literally. ha!). Plus, Vance and Jules are lacking chemistry. I didn't get kilig over them.

I think the only "pro" from reading this fourth Rock Chick book is I actually stopped thinking of Dog and Beth while reading it and consequently (and gratefully), stopped "seeing" Dog and Beth "getting it on" on the sexy scenes. I have Goodreads reviewers to thank for that and also the fact that Vance is of American Indian descent and in no way would look like Dog.

And why do these girls call themselves the Rock Chicks? I'd totally get it if they're girlfriends of members of a rock band but they're girlfriends of bounty hunters and policemen. They should call themselves Bounty Chicks. Haha. Parang manok lang- Bounty Fresh. Well, yeah, they think they rock and I have this prejudice against groups (individuals, even) who would refer to themselves as cool or hot. How presumptuous.

I would have liked this book better had Jules died. Or even it was Roam who died so Sniff was actually having preconceived notions about being someone's pallbearer. Nang maiba naman.

I need to read Attachments again. I need kilig in my life right now. Hahaha.

2014 Book Challenge: Biggest Flirts

Okay here I am again going all-preachy about how these teenagers are so promiscuous. Biggest Flirts (Jennifer Echols) may have been one of the books with the fastest hook up that ever happened in a YA book. I think Tia and Will's hook up happened even faster than those characters in Trish Doller's Something Like Normal. But after reading a lot of these American YA books, I think I am slowly coming to terms with how fast things go in their part of the world. However, I think I still need someone to explain to me what exactly is a hook up. Is it everything, but...?

Tia and Will hook up within the first ten seconds upon getting acquainted with each other. Okay it wasn't that fast but they did hook up at the end of night and of course the prude in me was shocked at how these kids progress sexually. I get that this is fiction where everything is possible such as hooking up with a guy you just met and he doesn't lose his respect for you, but in real life, 'wag isuko ang Bataan, girls. Spoken like a true, blue prude. Ha.

that's right

I like Will. Tia, not so much. This is not a case of double standards and this is not based on their propensity to engage in certain "activities." Well, I sort of have this issue with girls who self-destruct and obviously, Tia is one of those girls. But then again Tia is not solely to blame with regard to her actions. Her family is pretty messed up and with an absentee father and she is just a teenager who does what she thinks will get her through life. Plus, Tia is smart and she has what it takes to rise above her situation so notwithstanding the circumstances of their first meeting, I reckon Will was the best thing to have ever happened to her.

But props to Tia for changing for the better not because of Will but because she wants to even if it was Will who made her realize that she wanted something better and that she is capable of being better.

Two stars for Biggest Flirts. Although there was some semblance of kilig, kulang pa din. Groping and other stuff that entail a hook up doesn't automatically equate to kilig. They should learn from Lara Jean. Hehehe.

2014 Book Challenge: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

I swear, the words "Don't you dare fall in love with me" is some kind of a reverse psychology technique. Sinabi yan ni Anne Curtis kay Derek Ramsay sa The Other Woman pero na-in love pa rin siya. And here in Jenny Han's latest release, To All the Boys I've Loved Before, the same happens in spite of the 'warning' given by one of the characters.

I never really thought of Jenny Han as one of my favorite authors. I thought The Summer I Turned Pretty was pretty lame that I almost didn't read the next two books of the series but it was a good thing I did because they turned to be waaaay much better than the first book. Deciding on what to read next is hard so I let my sister pick a number between 1 and 50 which led me to my 20th read for the year. I started reading without any expectations because Han, I think, is still a hit-or-miss type of author.

Lara Jean has a crush on her sister's boyfriend. At first I was thinking, "here she (Han) goes again with siblings fighting over the same person," and although I liked It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer, I still feel that it's SO WRONG to be the girlfriend of two brothers (somehow I knew Belly would end up with Conrad because she never did it with Jeremiah and in YA world, that sort of thing almost never happens and they were already in college at the time, soooo.. puede ;)). So anyway... Lara Jean claims that she liked Josh first, but when Josh and her sister Margot became girlfriend- boyfriend, she immediately wrote a goodbye letter to her crush which is also a farewell of sorts to the feeling. She does this letter-writing thing to banish any feelings of "love" for the guy she once liked. But these letters were never meant to be sent, so when Peter Kavinsky approached her asking her about a love letter she sent to him, she was mortified.

The thing is, not only Peter Kavinsky's got sent. Josh also got his. Lara Jean was doubly mortified but since she figured that the lesser of two evils is Peter, she got into a pretend relationship with him. The time was right since Peter just got dumped by his long-time girlfriend, Gen, and he wanted to make her jealous and then maybe, want him back. Peter and Lara Jean pretends they're a thing but I knew eventually they're going to like each other for real. They're so cute together and so wholesome. The Prude In Me approves. Haha.

this is exactly how i feel the whole time i was reading the book

In the end, Peter admits to liking Lara Jean for real and I want that to happen but seriously, what is going on with him and Gen? And that ending...

Dear Peter,

Oh come on, don't leave me hanging like this. And yes, Han is gonna milk it for what it's worth- there is a sequel to this. But I am not complaining. It's always good to have something to look forward to. Just don't make me wait too long.

Albeit starting the book a few days ago, I only got the time to really read it today. Technically there were things that needed to be done but after a few chapters into it, I reckon I could never put it down. I have Peter Kavinsky to blame for today's non-productivity. I give this book five stars because I really, really liked it and this one by Miss Han is a 'hit' with me.

2014 Book Challenge: Bossypants

{source}

Ten years ago when I watched Mean Girls in the cinema after that horrendous day at work, I didn't have any clue whatsoever that it was Tina Fey who wrote script. Ten years ago I didn't even know who Tina Fey is. So when I found out that it was her who wrote the script to one of my favorite movies, I knew I had to watch or read whatever this lady throws out there, although I never really tried watching SNL because I swear I do not get American humor. When Bossypants came out three years ago, I got hold of an audiobook but since I refused to get a decent stand-alone mp3 player and the player would jumble up the chapters, I just stopped reading listening. Note that this was pre-Kindle days.

So three weeks ago I decided to pick up and read this book again because I wanted to be well-rounded when it comes to the reading books. After a slew of YA books, I reckon it's time for other genres.

This book is genius. I admit I enjoyed listening to the audiobook more but nevertheless, this was one awesome read. There were a lot of topics with which I can relate to in spite of the age gap. Here are some snippets from the book (no copyright infringement intended, okay? I just want to share the good ☺ Who knows someone might buy this book because of it):

On her father...
"I only hope that one day I can frighten my daughter this much... How can I give her what Don Fey gave me? The gift of anxiety. The fear of getting in trouble. The knowledge that while you are loved, you are not above the law. The Worldwide Parental Anxiety System is failing if this many of us have made sex tapes."

On expectations...
"I think this is what Jesse Jackson calls the 'subtle genius of lowered expectations,' but I may be misquoting."

On feet exposure...
"I'm a firm believer in our constitutional right to wear shoes, and I believe more people should take advantage of it... I know what you're thinking and no, I don't have messed-up feet. Maybe my feet are so amazing that I want to shelter them so they can live a normal life. I don't want them to be the Suri Cruise of feet."

On getting her picture taken...
"Know your weaknesses. For example, I have what can be described as "dead shark eyes." But if I try too hard to look alert, I look batshit crazy, like the runaway bride. If a bout of "creepy face" sets in, the trick is to look away from the camera between shots and turn back only when necessary. This also limits how much of your soul the camera can steal."

On driving (and animals)...
"My husband drives the whole seven hours because I don't have a driver's license. It's just one of the many ways in which I am developmentally stunted. I don't drive.  I can't cook meat correctly. And I have no affinity for animals. I don't hate animals and I would never hurt an animal; I just don't actively care about them."

I so agree with the abovementioned and can identify with her although, unlike her, I do have messed-up feet and I just recently learned how to drive (although I still can't drive all by myself and still need to be accompanied by a driver). I love Tina Fey. I feel we could be BFFs. Ha.

2014 Book Challenge: On The Island

Ohmagaaaahd. I haven't written anything for a month now and that is we don't have Internet for four weeks now (and counting). Now I'm back to broadband sticks and prepaid cards with no wi-fi features. Ze horror! But seriously, I think I can do without the Internet if not for my weekly TV series and the emails and social networking sites I maintain for my business. PLDT owes me at least a month's worth of free service fee in addition to the rebate they should be giving us. Hay. 

Anyhoo, this is a book (non)review about my latest read- On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves. Well, my April book theme is books that has 'summer' on its title and I have read four (Jenny Han's It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer, Leah Rae Miller's The Summer I Became a Nerd and Emery Lord's Open Road Summer). For the last week of April, I meant to read Dessen's That Summer, but I guess it was a very slow start and I'm trying to pick up pace here and I can't be with a book I'm struggling to finish. Maybe next time. So this was my pick because at the time of selection, we were Boracay-bound ;) 

School's out and it's summer vacation for Anna Emerson. Needing to sort out personal issues and also some time away from long-time boyfriend, John. The opportunity presented itself when she lands a job tutoring TJ Callahan. In Maldives. On a private seaplane en route to the family's summer rental, the pilot suffers a heart attack and the plane crashes on sea. Anna and TJ survive the crash and make it to a deserted island.

My thoughts:

• It was a very good read (although I should have picked another better time, not when I'm just a few days away from boarding an airplane) and very much a page-turner. It was interesting to know how they were able to make it, to survive without even the barest of essentials. For two city-dwellers, I give them props for surviving three years. Who knew breadfruit was edible? 
• One man's misery is another man's gain. If it not for the 2006 tsunami, Anna and TJ would have not been saved from that island. Even if thousands suffered and died from the tragedy, it was what, technically, saved them from being trapped in a deserted island. 
• After being saved from the island, people gave them flak, most especially Anna, for being in a relationship with someone ten years her junior. Some say there was some sort of sexual harassment that happened as Anna, being older and TJ's teacher/tutor, she has moral ascendancy over him. But you see, this was bound to happen. Kung sa PBB House nga, nagkakadevelopan ang mga housemates after one or two weeks, what more in an island with only that one person? Either you kill each other or you 'do' each other. Haha. I'm even surprised that it didn't happen sooner. I guess the author purposely made it so to avoid legal issues. And actually, it was TJ who already had the hots for Anna even before they were stranded in an island. 
• Good karma. Well, Anna (and TJ) is already lucky to begin with for surviving the plane crash. And in addition to that, after being rescued, Anna received a hefty sum from TJ's parents then a from a settlement case that she didn't need to work another day in her life. But if it were up to her, she still wants to teach but because of accusations of sexual harassment (and, maybe, insinuations of statutory rape), no school would want to hire her. 

Love love love this book. I totally get this book and I understand the bond between Anna and TJ. After being through so much, it's just understandable that these two have bonded so well. I think I gave it five stars. Although I don't think TJ belongs to the best book boyfriend category. Ha. 

This review sucks. Haha. 

2014 Book Challenge: Pivot Point and Split Second

Never in my wildest thoughts had I imagined that I would love reading. I tried to read when I was younger but I never really had the focus and will to finish a book unless I am super digging the story. Maybe at that time I just hadn't met my genre-soulmate. 

I read a book series right after one another which I usually don't do because I want to give other books a chance. Maybe with the exception of the Jessica Darling series because it's just too awesome and I was madly smitten with Marcus Flutie. So anyway, the first Kasie West novel I read was The Distance Between Us. I liked it because there weren't overly dramatic characters. In Goldilock's terms, everything was "just right." Although I liked her first book, I was a little skeptical because I was never a fan of fantaseryes, so to speak, hehe. For a wee bit, I was into vampires because of Edward Cullen, until Bella ruined everything for me (kaya I didn't even bother reading the last book in the series), but after that I think I never read anything vampire or paranormal and Pivot Point was sort of a fantaserye. But many were recommending it on Goodreads and my first experience with the author was positive so I did pick it up.

Addie is a Paranormal (Para, for short). Paras are people with fully-developed brains with mental abilities. They live in a Compound with all the other Paras, separate from the "Norms" or those without super mental abilities. Addie is a Searcher and her ability is being able to see two  futures. This book actually reminds me of a Gwyneth Paltrow movie, Sliding Doors. 

In this book, I have confirmed that I am really a bad judge of character. During the first few chapters, I was very pro- Duke. I guess it was because I thought Duke sincerely liked Addie and Trevor seemed a bit uninterested in her. I was rooting for Duke until I found out that he was just using Addie. Actually, I was still rooting for him even after I found that out and I wanted Addie to give him a second chance. Although I still maintain that I liked Addie's father than her mother ☺ 

Absolutely enjoyed this one even if it took me longer than usual to finish. I really liked Addie's character- not too angsty even with her parents' divorce. And you know me and my penchant for love triangles ☺ I thought the choice she'd make was between Trevor and Duke. I never thought that the choice she has to make would be between her life or Laila's.

In Book 2, Split Second, the story is told in two POVs- Addie's and Laila's. It was really disappointing that Duke didn't turn out to be what I wanted him to be but I guess it's alright since Trevor kind of grew on me. 

In Laila's corner, a relationship is also brewing. Well, we kind of knew where their bickering would lead to. Laila was made into a main character in this book alongside Addie which I think was needed because we already knew what happens with Addie and Trevor. Connor reminded me a bit of Emilio of Ockler's The Book of Broken Hearts, with the tough exterior and the motorcycle part. Initially I thought she'd end up with Duke but then again that would be oh so awkward and what Duke did was a little douche-y, so buti na lang they introduced a new character as her love interest. 

However, the ending was hard to believe because these teenagers were able to dupe three Compound agents who I think were equivalent of the CIA or NSA. Supposedly, those guys were trained and cannot be easily outwitted by a group of teenagers. But you see all's well that ends well. Plus, Trevor can play football again, huzzah!

If there's one thing I learned from this work of fiction, it is that things that are bound to happen, happen. Well, that seems to be the recurring theme for this week, eh? In The Walking Dead, there's "Everything will work out the way it's supposed to" and in HIMYM, it was also sort of the same thing when Ted still ended up with Robin. So does this mean that our life is just one big flowchart with if-then-else statements? We would never know. 

Because an illusion is an illusion.

Reality always exists despite the facade.

2014 Book Challenge: Divergent

I never really liked dystopian-themed but I guess it was unfair to generalize when I've only read two books of the said theme- Delirium and Hunger Games. I know many loves the Hunger Games trilogy, but I think not liking the book that much I contribute to the fact that I saw the movie trailer before reading it and mababaw na kung mababaw ang reason but I hated the actor who portrayed Peeta. Just to clarify, I didn't hate the book. I just think it's not that good though. So anyway another dystopian-themed YA book, Divergent, is showing now on theaters and although at first I wasn't too excited to see it in the cinema but this changed my mind~

{image credits}
calientito, no?

So after reading the book I was reading then, I immediately started on Divergent. Must finish the book before I watch the movie. Seriously, I do not get the point of watching the movie then reading the books where it was adapted/based from. What's the point if you already know the story.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the book. I liked it because it was engaging, it was a good story plot and of course, my favorite, it has a swoon-worthy love angle (not to mention swoon-worthy fictional crush, Four). Maybe I was expecting for it to be somewhat similar to Delirium and HG and although it was similar in a way, there were also twists that I didn't see coming such as Tris's mom's identity.

And oh, the tension between Tris and Four- giddiness to the max. Ever since that moment in training when Four held Tris to steady her, omgeezers, I am a fangirl. I'm super excited to see it already.

Out of dystopian societies from the three books I read, Delirium, Hunger Games and Divergent, I think I would rather belong to Divergent's dystopian world. Because I still have a choice. Only, it's limited to five factions but still, I can choose where I want to belong.

I guess I would have to give dystopian-themed books another chance- I would just have to stick to low or no expectations at all.

True dat.

Because I like Four, I'd give it five stars ☺

2014 Book Challenge: If We Kiss

I'm on a roll! I just finished another book today, also a book from the list, If We Kiss by Rachel Vail. It's really good to have a list to follow so I get to read books that I may have not chosen as it's not as popular as the other ones. I had If We Kiss in my library for quite some time now but I chose to read the books that were most recommended by my Goodreads friends.

It was a cute story and I liked it very much. Obviously. I was able to finish the book in a day and a half. But of course, that was all I did- read the book (kaya mejo nag-guilt trip na naman ako).

Charlotte, Charles to her friends, a self-confessed prude, has never been kissed. That is until one morning when, without any warning, Kevin Lazarus kissed her. So she has a huge crush on Kevin and now that he was her first kiss, she sort of plans to tell her best friend, Tess. But before she gets the chance, Tess sees Kevin kissing Tess. So even if, technically, she liked him first, she kept mum to Tess about kissing Kevin.

It was a very easy read for me. I loved reading Charles's thoughts, it's so relatable. I mean, we were all teenagers once and we all have experienced the feeling of having butterflies in our stomachs. Also that love-hate relationship with the object of our obsession, yung tipong "andito siya!!!! weee!!" one moment, then "ang kapal ng mukha niya, nauna ako sa kanya dito" the next. Isa lang msasabi ko sa mga ganyang statements- Guilty. Haha.

Charles and Kevin definitely have chemistry but Kevin is sort of in a relationship with her best friend. It's complicated, in other words. In my opinion, Kevin also likes Charles but he really does, why the hell did he kiss, of all people, her best friend? He reminds me of Alex of The Trouble With Flirting. Alex likes both girls and he can't decide which of the two he likes better and wants to keep both. Maybe Kevin is like him. But before all the bukingan happened, I was rooting for him. Just like Charles, I took George for granted.

The book has a follow-up novel, Kiss Me Again, which will be much more complicated. Kids nowadays, tsk tsk. So tempted to read this right after but Divergent will be showing already theaters next week so yun muna.

2014 Book Challenge: The Trouble with Flirting

{via Goodreads}

I enjoyed this book. My expectations for this book wasn't really that high since its title is The Trouble with Flirting, ya? What I got from the title that this would be a book about, you guessed it, flirting. There were lots of flirting, actually, but not coming from our lead character, Franny.

Okay, before I proceed with my non-review...

{via Goodreads}

Are these the same people? Oo, no? As I was perusing the YA shelves of National Bookstore, napa-second look talaga ako when I saw cover of The Trouble with Flirting because I thought it was familiar. I actually thought they just changed The Kissing Booth's title. Well, hindi. Aliw lang.

So back to regular programming... what I liked about this book- a love triangle! You know how much I love love triangles, no? So anyway, Franny gets a summer job, working as her aunt's assistant in a summer acting program's wardrobe department. At first Fanny thought her summer would suck as it would mean spending lots and lots of time spent with her cranky auntie, hemming skirts and sewing on buttons. And it would doubly suck because these kids in the program are her age and she can't join in on the fun. But in the world of fiction, everything is possible. So fate permits her to meet the participants and becomes good friends with them. She even evaded some work, hanging out with friends. But then again she's working for her aunt which made playing hooky easier.

Back to the love triangle. Franny sees Julia who she used to go to school with back in middle school. Julia's twin brother, Alex, is also in the program, who just happens to be Franny's crush way back in middle grade. Isabella and Harry, best friends and equally gorgeous, are also participants in this acting program. Harry is the crush ng bayan of the program and he knows it and flirts with just about anyone. Isabella, on the other hand, has her sights set on Alex. Harry likes Franny for realzzz but Franny thinks he's just playing her like he flirts with all the other girls and she's just waiting for Alex to give her the time of day.

ang gulo ano?

So yeah, I'm just really incoherent like dut. Anyway, I initially wanted Alex for Franny. I thought she was the good guy. Franny thought so, too. But towards the end, I started to like Harry also, maybe not more than Alex, but I was thinking that Franny would definitely have a hard time choosing between the two. Although at that time, it was Alex she really, really likes and thinks that Harry isn't serious at all. Only, Harry is. And Alex is also a little conflicted.

In the end, Franny chooses Harry. What makes Harry swoon-worthy? Well maybe we presume that he is the bad boy, so to speak, and bad boys are difficult to tie down. But we find out that Harry can change (or his flirting is just that, flirting, and nothing more) and that Alex isn't really what we thought he was. Not that Alex is a bad boy, he just can't make a decision and it is possible to like two things at a time. But who's to know if Franny and Harry were able to make their LDR work? For all we know their relationship might have remained just a summer fling. Okay, I will stop being a wet blanket here.

I liked it. I give it four stars. Actually, more like 3.5 stars because it wasn't boring and I'm tired of giving every book I read three-star ratings.

2014 Book Challenge: The Book of Broken Hearts

Because I want to read everything on the list, I picked up The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler. Although I didn't really enjoy Twenty Boy Summer, the first book I read written by Ockler, I still gave it a try because it has an almost 4-star rating in Goodreads and it is on the list. By hook or by crook, I will read everything in that list.

{source}

It was Jude Hernandez's last summer of being a kid without worries, before she starts college and assumes being an adult living by herself. Supposedly. But Jude's dad is sick with a degenerative disease of the brain- Alzheimer's, so she somehow takes on the role of an adult a few months earlier than intended. 

I loved this book (waaay better than Twenty Boy Summer) because: 

1. I sort of can relate, having four sisters (three who are older than me just like Jude) and not in the love department (Ha).

I felt warm and safe in a way I hadn't with my sisters in a long time, and nothing would be easier than to stay here. To let them figure it all out, tell me what to do. To follow their rules.

I love my sisters and I do love the fact that I have four sisters, because there's always someone to make sumbong to. Haha. Pag inis ka dun sa isa, meron kang mapagbunbuntunan nang inis. And having sisters means I can live off their wardrobe, cosmetic leftovers, mooch off their shampoo and conditioner and depend on them in the absence of our parents. I think the reason why my mental growth is stunted is because I still consider myself the 'baby' of the family. Kahit hindi naman ako bunso. Feeling bunso. Retarded pa.

2. I loved Jude's relationship with her father. I consider myself as a daddy's girl and I sort of can feel her pain. It's not that my dad is in a similar situation ( I hope not and never will that happen), but I feel her sadness when I put myself in her shoes. I often say that I hope I die earlier than my parents do cos I don't think I can go through that. I liked how Jude took care of her father and not feeling like it was a chore, she willingly did it. She understood how very limited her time with her father is, that eventually all memories of her would be erased from his mind. I think I need to watch A Moment to Remember. I need a good cry.

3. Oh this is supposed to be mainly about the Vargas boys, right? So another thing I liked about this book is that Jude wasn't too excited to ride off to the horizon with the boy. She was really tempted but her love and concern for her father stumped the need for kilig. And after reading a handful of YA novels, these teenagers tend to make decisions using their hearts (and other body parts) over their heads. I also liked how Emiliio was very understanding of the situation. Well, I may have disliked him this one time when he told Jude to stop listening to her sisters and be her own person and to come with him on his trip. She didn't and I was very glad with her decision. I thought after that Emilio was gone for good. Apparently not. In fair, patience is one of Emilio's virtue. 

So yeah it was a nice read but then again maybe there's something about Ockler's writing style I don't really like because I must have spent, like, eleven days reading it. Parang I was not too excited to read about what's going to happen next? Eh I just picked up another book right after I finished reading this and I'm already done with it. I give it three stars. 

When you're young, you think you have so much time,

and then life comes and tomorrow turns into tomorrow,

and before you know it...

2014 Book Challenge: Wait For You

{via Goodreads}

I'm only two books behind schedule, huzzah! Anyway, this book, Wait For You, falls under the New Adult (NA) genre and not YA. Which I do not get, actually. What does New Adult exactly mean? With the proliferation of sexed-up YA books they have finally come up with a genre for it? Haha. I feel it that's it though. Goodreads defines New Adult as:

"New Adult fiction bridges the gap between Young Adult and Adult genres. It typically features protagonists between the ages of 18 and 26."

Oh okay. But what is Adult genre, actually? Initially, I thought it's those type of books a lá Fifty Shades of Grey, but Pride & Prejudice and To Kill a Mockingbird also fall under the category. Whatever.

Seriously, why are these book protagonists always good-looking and sexy, male and female alike? Take for example, Cameron. He's tall, handsome and has an amazing body. Almost all guys in these books are like that. But real life is a different story. I don't see tall, handsome, well-built guys around here. But then again, this is fiction. Haha. And Avery. She's equally as hot as Cam is and she's totally oblivious to it. Every YA and in this case, NA, book has protagonists like that. It gets old, sometimes. But you know what doesn't, the kilig moments.

Cam is definitely swoon-worthy. Every girl's ideal guy, I suppose- good-looking, nice, a reformed bad boy. Don't we all want that guy? And what actually makes him more attractive is his loyalty to Avery. If girls are practically throwing themselves at him and he shrugs them off for you, the guy is a keeper.

 

(Maybe reading these books is bad as it taints my view of reality. Ha.) But when it comes to fictional boyfriends, Cam maybe there in the list of the best but he's not the best. The best fictional boyfriends are, in my opinion, Marcus Flutie (Jessica Darling series), Park (Eleanor & Park) and Nick (This is a Love Story). Hmm.. this gives me an idea- to add another category in my Goodreads page: Swoon-worthy Book Boyfriends.

The book's title is Wait For You. Okay, I give props to Avery for holding off until she has sorted her issues out and also props to Cam for waiting until Avery has sorted her issues. And in Fiction/YA Land where teenage girls lose their virginity at a drop of a hat, six months is a long time. But what I find funny is these two have done EVERYTHING except that. So technically, there wasn't much waiting that happened. But then again, this is your Lola Prude talking. 

2014 Book Challenge: Stealing Heaven

{via Goodreads}

Stumbled upon this book while looking for another title by the same author. The book is Something, Maybe and I've been wanting to read it for quite some time now but surprisingly, I read this one first. But I do not regret picking up this one because although it wasn't really a fun read (because, seriously, the girl's got some serious issues) but I guess the kilig factor made up for it.

Danielle, our protagonist, is in the family business, only it is one business one cannot be proud of. Her mother steals silverware from rich people's houses and all her life it's what she has known to do. She has never gone to school. She and her mother hop from one town to another, taking on one identity after another. Danielle wanted more but she reckons she doesn't know how to be and have more than she is right now, plus she just can't leave her mother alone, that they are a team.

But things changed when they came to Heaven- she became friends with Allison and she's genuinely into this guy, Greg, who turns out to be a cop. But to be successful in their plan of laying low, she must not have both but the desire is so strong and she does maintain both the friend and the love interest, unknown to her mother. Of course I wanted things to come up roses- for her mother to truly fall in love with a nice guy and decide to stop stealing silver from rich people and the plan to steal from Allison's family doesn't push through because of it, then Dani and her mom stays in Heaven and then they live happily ever after. But that wasn't the case.

They got busted and both relationships that Danielle gained from their stay in Heaven was compromised. The one with Allison was irreparable (but still you've got to give the girl props for not turning in Danielle), but the one with Greg, well, it was a good thing he finally came around. Understandable that he'd be hurt because of the lies but of course, true love wins. Ha. Sige na, huwag na tayong kontra-bulate.

My like for Danielle is reversely proportional to my dislike for her mother. Even until the end, I am unsure if she truly, genuinely loved Danielle. Maybe she's just doing the stealing because she wants to be able to provide for her daughter and stealing is what she knows how to do and what she does best. It's just that I hope she didn't involve her daughter in it.

But we still got out happily ever after, just not the way I wanted it though. Mom gets cancer, which I think is for all the bad juju just coming back to her for stealing from other people. Greg stays by Danielle's side and preferred to see what she wants to be and not for what she was. But what I liked most was that Danielle has risen above her past and turn into something better. Well, she was able to do it with the help of ill-gotten wealth but still, she chose to use it for her betterment, so she doesn't have to do what her mother did for a living.

Ang serious naman ng "review" na 'to.

2014 Book Challenge: Wallbanger

Funny how I breezed through this one but finding it difficult to finish the third and last installment of the Fifty Shades trilogy.

First reason is this is actually a fun read. In fair ha, there was no "action" until near the end and I guess I found the "chase" amusing and interesting. In comparison to Fifty Shades, the main characters had more than lust going on between them. Well maybe there was attraction (and lust, sige na nga) but they didn't act on it right away- in fernez, they did take the friendship route first before going there. And nothing beats the anticipation, right? Right? RIGHT??? We know that he likes her and she likes him but they're sort of taking it "slow."

We think Simon is your regular man-whore (a la Nate Achibald), well actually he was until he met Caroline. Which was sweet, by the way, that he was willing to drop all the other girls because of her. And I think that was what endeared me to him. Of course, kasama na yung description na he's good-looking and has, get this, not six but eight-pack abs. Who has that? I guess hot, fictional characters. Ha ha.

I feel you, Jenna

You know, these books always ALWAYS have good-looking characters. And not only good-looking, but drop-dead gorgeous and sexy girls and these beautiful, hot girls are usually unaware of their gorgeousness. This makes me want to quit reality, pack up and move to the land of fiction.

Caroline is likable. Unlike Anastasia Steele and Bella Swan, she is her own woman. She didn't have to quit her work or quit life (yes, I am mean you, Bella) to get her man. And she refused to succumb to the call of the flesh (in Tagalog, tawag ng laman, har dee har har). The woman has restraint, y'all!

And like what I have said earlier, this couple is not only about that. Well, we know it eventually leads to that but unlike Christian Grey and Ana Steele, they do other things such as go out with friends, watch movies and cook. And that is why I think I am not yet done with Fifty Shades Freed- it gets old eventually. Remember, the anticipation is half the fun!

I gave it three stars. Yes I did like it but you see this Goodreads rating system is a bit tricky. I hope they have, like, ten stars. Cos personally, I only give five stars (the perfect score) to books I truly, madly and deeply loved, books I can't get over of even after n number of days, books that make me gush to no end. Four stars I give to books which I enjoyed so much but didn't really leave a lasting impression on me. And most books, I give three stars. So anyway, three stars for this book and definitely would pick up another book from the author.

2014 Book Challenge: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Can you believe it we're frickin' halfway done with February? I can't and I am still in denial. I am seriously way, way behind my to-do list but in fernez to me, I already enrolled myself in driving school. Finally 'no? After a bizillion light years I finally did it. Hooray for me! So anyway, I finally got myself on a roll with my books and even if I'm six books behind, I think I can make habol. Larios, isdatchu?

So ze second book for the year is.. Dash & Lily's Book of Dares. High ratings/reviews on Goodreads and I think a book about dares is fun.

It took me 15 days to finish the book- FIFTEEN DAYS! Kung dati mabilis na sakin ang 15 days, well now I consider that mabagal and that means either I'm busy or the book isn't very interesting to me and I am not very busy these days; ergo, it failed to tickle my fancy. It was a collab between David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, who by the way is the author of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. The book did sound/feel/seem similar to Nick & Norah's, although I haven't read the book yet, only saw the movie because I adore Kat Dennings (and Michael Cera, for a teensy bit).

A book about two strangers daring one another to do things that are, honestly, not too daring. Haha. Not that I am for the scandalous ones. I remember watching a French movie about dares and I was not a bit amused. So Dash and Lily's dares were tame and age-appropriate. If this was a movie, I'd say na mejo lacking ang chemistry between Dash and Lily. You could say it's because they haven't met but Lincoln and Beth (Attachments) were all chemistry even if they haven't seen nor spoken to each other. Well, actually they've seen each other but at the time, they did not know that it was the other person.

Verdict: 3 out of 5 stars. Tinimbang ka ngunit kulang ☺