2016 Reading Challenge: Sway

via

I don't know why I have a penchant for books only a few (define 'few,' haha) love. I liked Sway more than most books I've read (hence, the 4-star rating on Goodreads) but it wasn't like-at-the-first-few-chapters.

Jesse possesses this unique ability of persuasion which I don't actually understand. I mean, how does he get things done? Cos I think if you're good at persuading other people to do things for you, you must have superb interpersonal skills which Jesse doesn't actually have. Does he know hypnotize people a lá budol-budol gang? Cos if it's just blackmail, I don't think he has the 411 on everyone. So he's a good manipulator, btu how does he actually do it? That aspect I don't really get but sige, okay, he gets things done, ano man ang pamamaraan niya.

Ken pays Jesse to get Bridget to date him. Jesse does the background research for Ken but in the process finds himself falling for the girl. And the girl likes him, too. My kind of story. Haha.

But it's not only Ken who is in the way. Jesse thinks he is not good for Bridget. He feels someone much better deserves to get the girl. Of course there's also that factor that he has built walls, that he doesn't want to become vulnerable and allow to feel emotions, in his case- loving Bridget, cos that would mean to let let his guard down. But we all know that the walls have cracked when he let Pete in.

The only thing Lola Prude (that's me!) doesn't approve of is Jesse peddling drugs and I feel that's much worse than being a user because by peddling drugs, he is responsible for destroying the lives of those he peddles to. At ngayon ko lang narealize that that part of Jesse, Bridget still doesn't know of.

I liked the book although I found it a bit slow. Four stars ☺

2016 Reading Challenge: 99 Days

via Goodreads

I don't care if I'm being judgmental but in this case, I guess Molly deserved it.

She already caused trouble the first time and the second time around, she should've been more careful, more mindful of people's feelings. Double standards ek-ek, I know, but still I believe she knows what she should've done. And man, especially not when they're brothers. I sort of knew that she'd still end up with Gabe (although technically she didn't end up with him but there were context clues that they might be together soon) but jeez, can you just imagine how awkward their family reunions would be?

Also, I understand why Julia hated her so much. Molly caused a rift in their family... even if that rift was already there prior to everything that happened, the thing is she made it worse. Eh who would be happy with what she did? Alright so she's not solely to blame but still she caught the bait. She should've thought about it a hundred times before acting on it.

And let me just say my opinion regarding what Molly's author-mom did. It was foul, Sobrang foul. I mean, she could've used her daughter's love life as an inspiration but telling the whole world that the book is based on her relationship with two brothers? Gahd.

I enjoyed the book. It was okay but I didn't like- liked it. If you were the girl, hindi ba you'd know better than to get tangled in such a complicated relationship? Cos this love triangle? It'a kinda sick. That's my opinion when it comes to love triangles involving siblings. That's how I felt with Belly-Jeremiah- Conrad triangle. Also with Molly-Gabe- Patrick.

Gahd. I suck at doing these nonreviews.

2016 Reading Challenge: Golden

As you can see I'm on a roll. Hahaha. Nako two years in a row na akong hindi naka-meet ng Goodreads goal ko and I did much worse this 2015 than 2014. Not good. So now that I have more free time, I should read as much as I can. I am determined to read 50 books this year. So without further ado, this year's second book, Golden by Jessi Kirby.

I liked it but not liked it liked it, if you know what I mean. You know my issue with these YA heroines, they always think they've got it figured out and blame the adults why everything is messed up (well, most probably it's the adults fault that these kids are messed up) but really, when you're 17, 18 or 20, you have a very limited point-of-view. And no, love is not the answer to everything.

So Parker is up for a full scholarship which will pay for her four-year Stanford schooling. She just needs to write her speech for the scholarship dinner where the panel will decide to whom they will award it. But during one of her extra-curricular activities, she encounters the journal of one of the students that has been missing and presumed to be dead. The students were supposed to answer the question, What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? She finds out things which I think sort of inspired her to go all carpe diem and let go of the scholarship she worked hard almost all her life. At that moment, gusto ko siyang kalbuhin, krompalin at hindi pa ako ang nanay niya sa lagay na yan. Can you just imagine how her mother felt at that time? So maybe she realized she doesn't really want to be a doctor but can't she, like, use that scholarship on a different course? So I liked the book except for that little shocker.

In fairness to her, it wasn't because of a boy.

Speaking of the boy, I liked that little diversion. Bitin but I guess their story wasn't the main angle in all this. Although all the time I was thinking that even if get together towards the end of the book, they'll be off doing their own thing when the new school year starts and they'll be apart. For me, sayang lang those six years that they could've been together because apparently, the feeling is mutual.

So yeah I liked it but, again, I'm not very crazy with Parker's decision.

2015 Reading Challenge: The Elite

It's been a while since I last posted a book (non) review. I've been busy with "production" and my handy dandy Kendall is not salvageable anymore so even in my downtime, I can't do any reading done. Well, sometimes I use my phone when I'm on the train but it's just not the same. Plus, the ereader app drains my phone's juice quickly. So anyway, for this I'm thankful for audiobooks :) I finished two audiobooks the past week HUZZAH! Now I'm only 13 books behind my goal.

I liked Kiera Cass's first book of The Selection series, The Selection and I thought well, I would definitely love the second book as well cos, love triangles. Haha. So I had my hopes up which I should have known better not to do.

The gist is from 35 "contestants," the number has been whittled down to six. Originally, America was only in it for the money and she also successfully formed an alliance with Prince Maxon being his "insider." Of course at that first meeting medyo gets ko na type ni Prince Maxon si America. She'd feed him information regarding the girls which made her sort of spend a lot of time with him which sort of made her eventually fall for the prince. America's now a member of The Elite.

To make things exciting, Aspen, America's boyfriend before the entered The Selection entered the army and is now stationed in the castle (castle nga ba?) and *surprise! surprise!* sometimes, outside America's room. How convenient.

So here's why I sort of didn't like The Elite as much as the first book. Everyone's so indecisive. America went into this thing all reluctant and just after a few months, she begins to fall for Maxon. Well that happens when you're cooped up inside a space without much interaction from anyone else- think PBB. When she's with Maxon, she feels she wants to spend the rest of her life with him; but, when she's with Aspen, she feels the exact same way with him. Anubeh.

The same goes with Aspen. He broke off with America so she'd enter The Selection, knowing fully well that means if ever America's wins the thing, they can never be together. So now here he is a member of the king's army, within the king's walls, near America, he decides to pursue her. Tapos ngayon magseselos- selos siya?

And Prince Maxon. Isa pang pabebe. Haha. I mean, if he likes America, why not choose her? He knows she also sort of likes her and while the poor prince doesn't know his rival is just around the corner (parang Christmas lang), he gets the upper hand in this situation. Why not decide, once and for all, to choose America so they can live happily ever after? It's so easy for Aspen to fade into the background once he chooses America. America only remembers Aspen when she's with him. Eh kung bakuran na ni Maxon, wala na yun.

So I'm frustrated. Lahat sila urong-sulong. Nevertheless, I still will read The One. Tingnan nga natin ano ba talagang pinaglalaban nila.

2015 Reading Challenge: Kiss Me Again

Just a thought before I start with the book (non) review: I just watched Something Borrowed again and I just realized I wanted Rachel to end up with Ethan. I forget what happened in the book, if Ethan was really into Rachel or if that was just in the movie version. Ngayon ko lang nakita yung pinaka-ending, the scene after the rolling of the credits- Darcy was in London calling after Ethan and then to be continued... The thing is, they never really made a movie adaptation of Something Blue. Wala lang. Sayang.

So, now back to what I was here for, a (non) review on Rachel Vail's Kiss Me Again. From what I remember, I enjoyed this book's prequel, If We Kiss. Ngunit subalit datapwat... the circumstances following the marriage of Charlie's mom and Kevin's dad. SEE?!?!?! Even if they're technically not blood-related, it still feels incestuous and their parents' marriage made their landian more convenient for these teenagers. Kalurks.

Charlie and Kevin's flirtationship reminds me of Cher and Josh in Clueless, but everything happened after Cher's dad was already separated from Josh's mom and Josh was in college the duration of that relationship so there were no creepy feel to it. In Charlie and Kevin's case, they're living under one roof, with rooms just next to each other's.

I wonder if there's a third book in this series because that ending was pretty open-ended. Chaka. I was thinking that somewhere along the book, they'd be caught by their parents or even if they decide by themselves that they should stop whatever it is they have, there's still that creepy memory that they made out with each other once upon a time- ang awkward diba? But the book ended with there two teenagers playing everything by ear, seeing where things would lead them. Ay, afraid.

Waaah!! I am seven books behind my reading goal. Boo! And it looks like it'll be harder for me to meet my goal as we approach bazaar season. But I'm still going to try... and maybe lessen time spent playing Farm Heroes Saga and Candy Crush Soda.

2015 Reading Challenge: Girl Online

Umm.. so I was expecting a lot from this book judging from what I read from its blurb.

In the beginning, the book has promise. I thought the premise was interesting- there's this girl, Penny, who has this blog that has a pretty big following, only she runs the blog anonymously. I also find her crush on Ollie and her "friendship" with Megan interesting.

I really thought there's more to Ollie than meets the eye. I honestly thought that Ollie and Penny had a chance so I was very disappointed when Ollie wasn't really part of the main story. After Penny's embarrassing moment was when everything turned from possible to incredible.

First, I highly doubt that there are people who would fly four people to another country, all-expenses paid just to style their wedding venue. Aaaaaand.... two of those people aren't really helping with the set-up. So maybe they're filthy rich but filthy rich people are actually very stingy, mind you. Or maybe they're actors or rappers, the ones you see in MTV's My Super Sweet Sixteen. Ang saya naman nila masyado.

But wait, there's more! Not only does Penny go to the US without having to do anything but she meets this incredibly good-looking guy who turns out to be a popular musician. After just a day or so together, they fall in love.

I really, really hate these books (or movies) where a girl and a boy "fall in love" in a span of one day. I mean, seriously, you don't even know if he's a serial killer, 'no! And in this case, Penny doesn't even know Noah's last name. So hindi lang pala sa pelikula ni KC at Richard Gutierrez naiin-love sa loob ng isang araw at pagkatapos ay parang gumuho na ang mga mundo nila.

Anyway, after reading the book, I found out that the book's author, Zoe Sugg, is actually a YouTube celebrity. I now get where she got her idea of a famous blogger falling in love with a musician- it's basically her life- also, debunking my comment that plots like this one is incredible.

Hindi ko pa rin gusto. Bleh. 2 out of 5 stars.

Apparently, there's a sequel to this book. It definitely won't be in my To Read list.

2015 Reading Challenge: P.S. I Still Love You

via 

One of my most-awaited releases this year, Jenny Han's P.S. I Still Love You. I love love love To All The Boys I've Loved Before, like five-stars love, and with that super bitin ending, I've been always on the look out for the sequel and now here it is ☺ I think this book was the main reason I hurried up and finished reading The Girl On The Train.

I loved PS but not as much as To All The Boys. I initially gave it three stars on Goodreads but then I had a change of heart and have it four stars because three stars is what I give those books na okay lang, it was a nice story but I'm not so crazy about and PS deserved more than that, hence the upgrade.

Out of all Jenny Han books I've read, Lara Jean is my favorite. I can't remember if I have made the comparison between Belly and Lara Jean, but what I remember is Belly was annoying and there wasn't a time I got annoyed at Lara Jean, even if it seemed she was a little too sweet-sweetan. Actually, it seemed as if she was really sweet and it wasn't just an act. But then again, how Lara Jean talks and moves and how she thinks (at least, how I think I see her talk and move in my mind), it's as of she's only a year older than Kitty.

Speaking of sweet, is it just me or was there too much mention of cakes in this book? Haha. Pero seryoso, andami masyadong mention ng cakes and cookies. Naumay ako ng unti.

And so the big question is- Peter Kavinsky or John Ambrose?

[cue Sana Dalawa Ang Puso Ko music]

Umm, yes this was my favorite part of the book- the kilig parts ☺ Even if Johnny seemed to be the better man, of course I still rooted for Kavinsky. What was frustrating was that he wouldn't tell LJ what really was going in between him and Gen. If it would give LJ some peace of mind, then I think he should've told her. I believe Lara Jean wouldn't tell anyone, not even Chris if Peter would make her promise not to tell anyone. Well, maybe she'd tell Margot but who would she tell? She's over yonder in Scotland. So yeah, I'm still for Peter Kavinsky. Haay, we always go for the "bad boys," don't we? Plus, LJ didn't have that much chemistry with John, but we welcomed his character because we knew he'd make Peter jealous. Ahhh, yessss.

But I agree with what one book blogger said- that the ending was a little too hurried. John Ambrose gave up Lara Jean just like that? Parang mas madami pang pages dedicated to the cakes and cookies. Hahaha.

I was expecting that PS was just the second part of yet another trilogy but looks like this is where the story ends.

2015 Reading Challenge: Second Chance Summer

Be careful what you wish for cos you just might get it. I enjoyed Morgan Matson's Since You've Been Gone so much, I decided to read another one of her books, plus reviews said this one's going to give you (the reader) a good ugly-cry, which I reckon I needed right now. But you see, I was still a little skeptical. I didn't know I was going to get my wish. Kaya ayan... I am now nursing a headache from all the ugly-crying I did.

The story starts with Taylor not wanting to go with the family back to Poconos for the summer vacation. The last time she's been there was five years ago and how she left things there back then were a little unresolved. She was dreading going back not only because of the possibility of running into Henry and Lucy again, but also in facing the real reason why the family's going back there again.

It was a beautiful story of second chances, rekindling relationships with friends and also our family. In a world so fast-paced, it's easy to forget about the things that really matter. It was just unfortunate that for the Edwards, it had to be a situation like this to bring them all back together and be a family in the truest sense of the word.

My favorite part would have to be when Taylor begged his dad's nurse to bring his dad outside so he could see the meteor shower and she told him, 'I love you daddy,' to which he replied, 'I knew that. Always knew that.' I was already bawling at this point.

I was going to give it five stars but minus one star for giving me a terrible headache so, four stars.

"Sometimes my grandfather was awake, and would sit with me while I looked

up at the stars, needing to see something fixed and permanent while everything

else in my life seemed to be breaking apart."

2015 Reading Challenge: Since You've Been Gone

It took me a while to finish the book because of, you know, real world stuff. I've been busy with the NS relocation among other grown-up things that it took me two weeks to finish this- absolutely not an indication that the book sucked because it totally rocked my socks, dude!

...And we have Frank to thank for that. It's been a while since I've encountered swoonable fictional boyfriends and now here's one when I was totally not expecting him. He's every bit a gentleman- nice, proper and smart! But honestly, Frank had me at the mention of his 'abs.' Yuuuh, I'm an ahjumma like dut.

Plus, I also liked Emily. She's not as angsty like most of YA heroines and what she felt at the start when she found out her best friend, Sloane, just left town with no word of goodbye or whatsoever. And I understand how she felt lost without friend. They used to do everything together, they spent almost every waking hour together and just like that Sloane's gone. Ni ha, ni ho.

So the gist of the story is Sloane and her family left town and Emily's dumbfounded as to where her bestfriend could be and why she would leave without saying anything. Sloane just left without a word. She just left Emily a list of bucket-list-ish things to do. Emily does the things on the list, believing that they'd lead her to Sloane. Well, they did alright but also it led her to so much more.

Ahhhh basta loved the book and if you're into kilig reads, I highly recommend this.

2015 Reading Challenge: The Art of Lainey

Much better read than Transcendence. Thank God. Although hindi kasing-level ng favorite books ko and not worthy of a 4-star rating, I liked it nevertheless.

To cut the story short, popular high school soccer-star, Lainey Mitchell was dumped by equally hot and popular soccer-star boyfriend, Jason. Upon the suggestion of her best friend, Bianca, she uses Sun Tzu's The Art of War to win ze boyfriend back. They sought Micah's participation. While Micah wasn't exactly Lainey's type, we all kinda knew where this pretend stuff's leading to, yes? So yes, I enjoyed it. Thanks to Micah but not so much to Lainey. Why, you ask? Lainey comes off across as someone who's very self-assured bordering on narcissism, but to be fair to her she kind of calls herself on it towards the end.

The book's theme is somewhat appropriate to my situation now but alas, not in the "love" department. We're moving locations again and I'm considering this as a new business venture and The Art of War may also be used in the business setting and those little Sun Tzu snippets sort of reminded me that I am not prepared for the move. Guess I have to go read my copy and win the battle I'm fighting.

Soooo... my favorite character in the book is, obviously, Micah. Of course, mohawk boy has his own issues but deep down, he's a real softy.

Micah in my mind
{image credits}

O diba ang cute niya? But guys with mohawks, piercings and tattoos aren't really my type and even if one shouldn't judge books by its covers, we judge anyway. I judge them anyway. So, Micah I like and if he does look like that mohawk boy above, bongga si Lainey. Cos if Lainey looks like that girl on the cover of the book, lugi si Micah. Hahaha.

Anyhoo, just found out that this book actually has a prequel, Infinite Repeat, told from Micah's POV and I'm dying to read it. Micah said Lainey's totally not his type but I hope a little Lainey-crush is hiding somewhere there during his Amber days.

So three stars for the book. I hope to encounter more of these stories. Ang babaw ko talaga.

2015 Reading Challenge: Winger

Because I've been struggling with Ann Brashares' My Name is Memory which is taking me forever to finish- ang baaaaagaaaal kasi ng story. I thought I needed a light, mababaw story which led me to Winger.

Umm.. it was an okay read. I found it a little boring and super babaw naman. Well, whaddya expect from a life of a fourteen-year-old boy?

My favorite character is Joey and it was sad that he died, which I think was a last-ditch effort to shock the readers. It was a tragic turn from the book's earlier feel- which deals mostly with petty teenage stuff. The author should've let Joey live.

But this has a sequel so maybe Joey's death has a purpose. I don't know if I'd want to read it though.

2015 Reading Challenge: Isla and the Happily Ever After

sa right naman nang maiba
via Goodreads

The last book of the romance trilogy by Stephanie Perkins. I was expecting something more from this book because of the good reviews but I should've known better than to let my expectations spoil a good book. But don't get me wrong ha. I did enojy it and I actually like Isla (better than Lola). It's just I think things moved too fast. Yes, this is Lola Prude talking, ay, writing pala.

Okay. Given that Isla has liked Josh ever since their Freshman year so that makes it a total of four long years, I still think it's just too fast when everything happens within one month. And these, people, are seventeen-year-olds. Masyado pa silang baby, IMHO. And this actually reminds me not to let my future daughters read YA books- masyadong mapusok- and I don't want to give them any ideas. Haha.

Out of the series, my favorite still is Anna and the French Kiss and the most swoon-worthy boyfriend is still St. Clair. I think I liked Cricket pero pinakanakakakilig is Etienne. Well, I do think his character is really malandi. And out of all the female leads, my favorite is still Anna; the least, Lola. Isla, umm, Isla's okay. I think I liked her during the first half of the book when she was getting all giddy over Josh to which anyone who has had a crush can relate to.

Josh: So... you were serious? You wouldn't mind if I sketched you?
Isla: Yeah, I'd love that. I love youuuuuuuuu. What should I do?

Ang cute, no? But of course, sweet, "innocent" Isla isn't so innocent after all. Which was a little disappointing to Lola Prude aka me.

We've been only together for a month. How has it only been a month?

I also wonder about that, Isla. How has it only been a month yet in that span of time naisuko mo na sa kanya ang Bataan- sa España pa!

Literally

Three stars. And I thought the "rabbit rabbit" part was hilarious. Yes, I'm weird that way.

2015 Reading Challenge: We Were Liars

Gaaaahd that was sad. I didn't see that one coming and usually I am spot on when I second guess book endings. But this one- oh Lord, I can't even.

Cadence, Johnny, Mirren and Gat. They called themselves the Liars. The Liars' friendship began Summer Eight when Gat first came with Aunt Carrie and Johnny in Beechwood. Before that, Cady, Johnny and Mirren were just cousins. Beechwood was just a summer thing. After the summer vacation, everyone goes back to as they were, back to their normal everyday lives. It was Summer Fifteen when everything changed. The Liars were old enough to understand what's going on around them and it ain't pretty. They decided to do something about it and the rest, as they say, is history.

History that Cadence has no memory of.

She comes back to Beechwood two years after her accident. Still she can't remember anything of the accident or what happened prior to that. As each day passes, bits and pieces, snippets of what happened that fateful night of Summer Fifteen comes back to her.

Now I know they were liars. Ang saklap.

Actually I find it already masaklap when the aunts were fighting over who gets what. The Sinclairs were trust-fund rich but what the daughters failed to realize was that money also runs out. Not one daughter became successful, everyone just rested on their laurels. Each one wants to get the lion share. And this thing happens in real life. You grow up with your siblings sharing everything but you all grow up, have your own families and everyone's priorities shift. Your loyalty now belongs to your new family- to your husband and to your children (if any). You want to provide the best for them. Now everyone wants to get the lion share. Things get ugly. Well I just hope that no one in my family is too greedy to want everything for herself.

Aaaaaaaand back to the book- it was a pretty interesting read although I only give it 3 stars out of 5 because I didn't LOOOOOVE it with passion as I did the other books I gave 5/5. I recommend this book to all you YA lovers- a little deviation from our usual lovey-dovey storylines.

2015 Reading Challenge: This Song Will Save Your Life

via Goodreads

Elise was an outcast. In Hey! Arnold terms, back-of-the-bus material. The popular crowd loves to harass her and honestly, I think I know why.

Elise has always been unpopular in school. She tries to be one of them and by this I don't know if this means to be one of the popular kids or be "normal." And I think she's bait to these popular kids pranks because she's trying way too hard. I could be wrong but this is how I see her. She's trying too hard and she thinks highly of herself.

In what way, you ask me? Because it seems that Elise is insecure, so why you say do I think of her as someone who thinks highly of herself? Well, let's just say that she has longed to be noticed by the popular crowd and how she has felt superior to Sally and Chava. Why, before her suicide attempt, does she have no friends? Not even one? Because the friends she wanted were the popular ones and the likes of Sally and Chava who with their shallow interests are so beneath her as evidenced by: "You may wonder how I managed to make these friends. Well, I will tell you: making friends is actually not that hard when you drop every single one of your standards." Lakas. Ikaw na, Elise, ikaw na.

So that is why I don't like Elise Dembowski. She's so full of herself. She realizes that in the end- THANK GOD- but I think she still thinks highly of herself and now that she's Elise, DJ extraordinaire, her self-worth must have gone off the roof.

Oh, you think you're so great. You think you're so special.
You think you're so much better than everyone else.

And that's what's inside Elise's head. And that is why I give this book only two stars. Not because other people don't listen to The Smiths or Oasis or some other "cool" band, they're beneath you, Elise Dembowski.

2015 Reading Challenge: On The Fence

via Goodreads

2015's first read! Huzzah! I remember starting the past two years with relatively sad reads such as The Fault in Our Stars (2013) and Just One Day (2014), and well, books and movies sort of affect my mood and so 2013 and 2014 were like saaaad for most part and I want 2015 to be happy, upbeat and all unicorns and rainbows soooooo.... I started with Kasie West's On The Fence. Kasie West's one of my favorite authors when it comes to YA and these days all I read are YA. I love her characters and how they have their issues but they don't sulk tirelessly about it. I have read and liked all her novels and all her heroines were likable.

I should really write these (non)reviews right after I read the book cos I tend to forget "the feels" of it when I jump right into another read and the emotions get a little jumbled up. So anyway, I will try to recall.

Charlie grows up in an all-male household which in effect makes her sort of a tomboy who's into sports and ungirly stuff. She gets a speeding ticket and her cop father's not taking anymore of it and wants her to learn her lesson so he makes her get a summer job to pay for her ticket. She gets this job where in she sells, surprise surprise, girly stuff and makeup. But wait, there's more- she gets to be the canvas. At first she refuses but being that it pays a lot of moolah, she agrees to it anyway. That and Charlie also has these recurring nightmares and when she does she runs at night but there was this time when she and Braden, the neighbor and the honorary fourth brother, talk about their problems by the fence.

I think I already sort of knew how this was going to turn out but when Charlie came clean about it to Braden and he replied with a "that's not what this is about" and "is that what you thought I was trying to tell you," all my illusions of Charlie and Braden went flying out the window. Which left me all confused. What's this all about? I was sure then that Braden liked Charlie in that way and if he doesn't, is he gay and is actually in love with Gage instead? Dislike-frowning face here- I respect other people and their beliefs and inclinations but I am not yet ready for gay fiction.

So I was mej annoyed with Braden when Evan comes into the picture and he gets all jealous. Parang pre-Evan he wasn't interested in her but now that there's someone there, he suddenly decides he likes her in that way? Nakakainis, diba? So I finally get my answer in the end and while my heart still feels sorry for Evan, I'm happy for Braden and Charlie.

See, YA novels can work without too much angst and too much sex (ahem, Waiting For You) and it's much more kilig when it's pa-innocent effect. Haha.

4/5 stars

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: 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

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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.