CHADD JAVIER

“I hated him until I didn't”

This book has all the tropes (almost). Fake dating, enemies to lovers, and only one bed!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Their banter had me smiling. Even though they hate each other, they obviously have good chemistry! It's a fun and easy read. Perfect if you are on a holiday.

I hate to say it but I don't like Olive, I can't point a finger at it but I didn't enjoy reading from her point of view. Also, for someone who hates a guy, she sure can't stop thinking about him. He keeps admiring his body and his face which made me doubt if she really hated him in the first place.

I liked that there are other things going on as well, not just their love story per se. There was drama not just with them, but with the other characters as well.

I read The Layover before this, and they have the same tropes, except for fake dating, and can I just say that I enjoyed them both. Although they sound the same, they are different.

I just found another new favourite! I felt a lot of emotions while reading this. I laughed, I cried, I was curious, I was excited. I was putting off reading this books because I thought I would be bored, but I was wrong! I'm so sad that I borrowed this from my library and not bought my own copy as I would have enjoyed highlighting quotable quotes on this book! This was masterfully written, I was on the edge of my seat, not because the plot was particularly thrilling but because I was so invested in the lives of the characters! I wanted to know what would happen to each and every one of them! If there was one book I wish I could experience reading again for the first time, this would be it.

The trope in this book is one of my favourites, which is stuck in space. I thought I would love this more than I actually did. The beginning was quite slow, I felt like some of the scenes before going to Mars was not needed, and when they got to Mars, it just got a bit repetitive for me.

I thought it would be more exciting, but I think the technical terms got a bit too much for me. This book turned out to be more of a murder mystery but in space. The build-up to all the murders and who did it was just not really interesting to read for me. The characters were meant to be criminals, but they actually didn't give off that vibe, which I thought was a let down because it could have such better potential.

The book ended on a cliff-hanger, even though I am curious about what happens next, I'm not intirgued enough to pick up the second book.

Fi just got back from a short break, when she gets home, there is a couple taking ownership of her house. This book is told from the point of view of Bram and Fi, the two main characters. The narration is unique as it it told through a podcast and a word document.

There is a lot of layers to this story, there were a lot of subplots explored. But the thing is, it got really boring and repetitive in the middle. The book could have been more enjoyable if it was 100 pages shorter. Buddy reading this, made me want to finish it, if it wasn't a buddy read I might have DNFed this so shout out to the 2 ladies I read this with.

The ending though! I loved it and hated it at the same time! So much room for speculation, we know what will probably happen next but I want to read more, the extra 100 pages in the middle should have been added to the ending. 

BOOK REVIEW 5/5

What is the book about?
Eddie Flynn, a defense attorney, was hired to defend Bobby, a rising actor who is accused of brutally murdering his wife and his head of security. Little did they know, the real murderer is part of the jury.

What did I think of the book?
I used to read a lot of courtroom fiction, it's something that fascinates me, but I stopped reading them when I started finding them too predictable. I'm glad I read this one because I was mind blown! I really enjoyed the action and the intellectual part of this book! This is a fast paced, thrilling book! You just want to keep turning the pages because you want to find out how it ends but also you don't want it to end because it's such a fun ride. Please pick this up!

“The thing you have to understand is that being a good person isn't about singing hymns, or praying to some mythical god. It isn't about
wearing a cross or going to church every Sunday. Being a good person is about how you treat others. A good person doesn't need a religion, because they are content within themselves that they are doing the right thing.”

This story wasn't particularly compelling to me. Or maybe I had such high expectations because I heard such good things about this book. Fun fact: I bought this thrifted, the volunteer at the till said that they read it in their book club and she said that it's good.

It's not that it's a bad book but I just didn't connect with the characters and the story much. There were a few times when I felt a bit creeped out, especially the last scene but that was it, the rest of the book was meh.

It was written well, I actually highlighted a couple of lines, considering the genre of this book, I didn't particularly think that I would do much annotating.

Oh and the plot twist, hmmm I could say I didn't see that coming but who would see that coming.

“But sometimes remembering isn't for yourself, sometimes you do it just to make someone else smile. Those lies were allowed.”

I love that this book is written in mixed media. There's photos, interviews, text messages and just plain old paragraphs.

It's refreshing to read a mystery novel from the point of view of a young girl. I always read stories like this but from the perspective of a police or a private investigator.

I enjoyed the main character, Pippa. She is smart and passionate and she isn't embarrassed about being a geek. The plot is exciting, makes you want to keep reading more. I was happy with the twist, it wasn't too unbelievable that it's ridiculous but it was still surprising enough.

This is the first book of a trilogy, I would happily continue on with the series!

The first half of this book dragged and then BAM! Everything happened all at once! I enjoyed the latter part of the book even though I could tell who the killer was from a mile away. But, there are so many layers to this story that it still ended up surprising me.

Is it just me or did anyone else notice, the first half of the book, the author kept incorporating the word flicker. Maybe it's just a coincidence or maybe it was their favourite word, after all the book is titled A Flicker in the Dark.

“But I'm starting to understand how sadness and happiness can live side by side within a heart. And how that heart can keep on beating.”

I cannot believe that not a lot of people are talking about this book!

I am hard to please when it comes to reading romance because I normally find them too cheesy or too unrealistic but this one I loved!

This is about Anna who sets sail on a solo trip after her husband, Ben, passed away from suicide. She was trying to complete the trip that Ben planned for the two of them. The story talked about death, grieving and moving on so well. 

During the trip, Anna learns what her strengths are (when it comes to sailing) and learning to love again. She falls in love with Keane, a man she met during her first stop.  It was such a mix of emotions as she learns to let go of the man she loved wholeheartedly but also finding a friend in Keane but eventually opening up her heart to him.

This is not only a romantic love story but also about the journey of finding love in yourself and becoming a strong woman who can overcome almost anything that's thrown at her.

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell: 4/5
The Lady and The Fox by Kelly Link: 2/5
Angels In The Snow by Matt de la Peña: 2/5
Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han: 5/5 (
It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins: 4/5
Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan: 3/5
Krampuslauf by Holly Black: 2/5
What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman: 2/5
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire: 2/5
Welcome To Christmas, CA by Kiersten White: 5/5
Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter: 4/5
The Girl Who Woke The Dreamer by Laini Taylor: 1/5

“... who wants to be reachable if you've managed to escape to a place far enough away to be un-reachable? That's half the magic of exploring other countries. Not being uncontactable,
but being in a different world, untethered and free.”

I didn't doubt that I would like this book, just because it's about travelling and flying, it's just the kind of book I knew I would enjoy.

This is an enemy to lovers trope. I haven't read a book like this for the longest time. I loved their banter in the beginning. It's not impossibly mean, just cute mean.

I loved the characters in this book! Gen, Pilot Paul, Eddie, Celeste, Ava, Jack and even Captain Ballinger.

When they got stuck it Belize, that's when the magic happened. I got all the feels. I enjoyed that no cheating was involved in the story. Just plain old, romance.

This was the perfect companion on our holiday to Maldives! It did take me 5 days to finish it, not because it's a horrible book, just because I got too distracted with the alcohol and the beach.

 “No one tells women that none of it is their fault. That the blame falls squarely on the awful men who do terrible things and the fucked-up society that raises them, molds them, makes excuses for them. People don't want to admit that there are monsters in their midst, so the monsters continue to roam free and the cycle of violence and blame continues.” 

I didn't like Charlie at all. There are two things that she doesn't stop talking about and the author made it her whole personality, she was so one dimensional that I just found her irritating to read from. I felt frustrated with all the stupid decisions she made, like come on! Your best friend got murdered and you don't even have any sense of survival. 

This mystery thriller wasn't all that mysterious to me as I knew who the killer was from the very beginning. I expected it already but now because I was smart enough to put two and two together, but because I predicted the book to be ridiculous enough to have such a plot twist. Riley Sager thought he did something there, but in reality, not really.

This is a middle-grade book about Clara who has lost her memories from summer of last year. She is trying to remember what has happened while enjoying the summertime with her friends.

 The setting is heart warming, it is set in a small town in Jamaica where all the neighbours knew each other. It seemed a safe and quiet neighbourhood, something that I only read about in books as I grew up in the city myself.
 
I thought it was just gonna be another summer book about young kids, enjoying the sun and being petty with their friends, but I was wrong! This book took me by surprise. I was expecting a light, fluffy read but then the ending took a 180 and I was completely surprised. Though I saw the trigger warning so I had a slight idea what would happen. 

They are loveable cast of characters, even the ~unlikeable~ ones! If you want a story about friendship with a bit of mystery to it, read this one! Plus, it's a short one too!

This was a meh book. I hated all the Hunting Wives but particularly the main character Sophie. I thought all the decisions she made were irrational and self destructive so she deserved the position she was in. 

There were a few twists but nothing mind blowing. I predicted who the killer was about halfway through. 

This is rich people drama at its finest. If you are into that kind of thing pick this up cause it was still an entertaining read overall, just didn't like the characters but I guess that was the point of the book. 

 “The world is full of painful stories. Sometimes it seems as though there aren't any other kind and yet I found myself thinking how beautiful that glint of water was through the trees.” 

This book started in 2025 and goes on to a few years later, it's a dystopian world that is not hard to believe at all. This is a an LA which is infested with disease, poverty and water shortage. Not hard to believe right? We could be looking at our near future and that's what makes it terrifying. 

Lauren is living inside the wall where the “fortunate” lives. She's been wanting to pack up and go for the longest time but some things are holding her back until she's forced to when something happens to her hometown.  I love how strong and caring Lauren is. She has helped several people who need it and tried to give people the benefit of the doubt. 

It's both heart breaking and horrifying what happens when there is no proper government ruling and when people are left to fend for themselves. I hope we never get to see that day.

I didn't enjoy reading the bit about religion. Didn't see the point of it that much. Lauren was really passionate about it though and could be quite preachy about Earthseed.

There is a second book to this and I'm not sure if I would like to continue. Thank you to @booksreadbyem for suggesting this for my 12/12 challenge.

“Dates only make us aware of how numbered our days are, how much closer to death we are for each one we cross off.”

This book almost put me in a reading slump. Took me awhile to read through because I was easily distracted with other things. I was bored throughout the book, it just couldn't keep my attention.

The last 50 pages though!!! I was originally gonna give it 1.5 stars but the ending!! Didn't see that coming. So I bumped it up to 2.5.

The premise was good but I think it just wasn't executed properly. The book is about a young girl who was taken by her father to live in a forest, he pretended that the world ended so he could keep here in the hut. Sounds like an interesting read right? I wished the book was written in a way that is easy to read but suspenseful at the same time.

It wasn't a bad book, I just didn't enjoy reading it. I wanted to DNF at first but decided to finish it ‘coz it's not a long book after all, it just dragged.