Top 5 Bromances

I am completely cheating with this list, three of the five probably shouldn't even be on this list, but I'm keeping them because it's my list and I can do what I want.

5. Fear Me

My first cheat: The "bromance" in this book is actually between three characters, Dash, Kieran, and Keenan. They are a trio of awesomeness and I couldn't just pick two of them, it would be wrong.

4. Corrupt 

My second cheat: This is between four characters, their chemistry is as a friend group is unmatched. I want to be a part of it. 

3. Arin and Roshar

This one isn't a cheat! The witty banter between these two simultaneously brought life to the story and lightened the harsh mood. It was one of the greater aspects of the series.

2. Chandler and Joey 

This is probably my biggest cheat, but I don't even care. If you didn't know, Chandler and Joey are from the TV show Friends and they are the epitome of "bromance". I just couldn't make this list without putting them on it, the fact that they are from a  show and not a book is the reason that I didn't put them down as number one. 

1. Will and Jem

Who else would be number one on this list? These two friends are more like brothers and would gladly die to protect the other. Honestly, in comparison everyone else on this list look like very distant relatives that have never even met. Heronstairs for life.

What book bromances are your favorites?

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Top 10 Books I Wasn't Amazed By

By that I mean these are some books I pretended to like a lot more than I actually did when I first read them. My life is a lie. Some of these I have openly talked about not liking them as much as they had been hyped, others I lied about because I didn't want to be flayed alive by my friends. I finally feel the need to come clean with some books I wasn't entirely impressed by. Honestly, I don't even know how to rank these books because I feel very guilty about every single one of them, so it's up for your interpretation.

1. Cinder

I've talked about being unimpressed by this one before, this is nothing new. I do remember giving it a higher rating than I thought it deserved when I originally read it because back then I hated giving out low star ratings and I didn't want people to come for me because everyone is so die hard about this series. I liked it, but it wasn't love.

2. The Darkest Minds

I don't know if I've ever even mentioned not caring for this book, or even if I've ever mentioned this book on my blog at all, but here I am, saying I could give zero fucks about anything that happened in this book. I don't even really remember what happened other than there were powers and I think characters were grouped by colors or something and I think the protagonist stowed away in a car or something? Maybe? I don't know, all I know is I don't think it was worth the hype.

3. Red Queen

My two friends who are readers, I trust there opinions about books so much, so I figured, if the two of them were raving about this book so much, then it must be a holy grail of a book. It was okay. I'm not really that overcome with love for it. I'll probably read the rest of the series eventually, not soon, but someday.

4. Divergent

I read this the around 7th grade. I liked it, it was pretty good I had recently read the Hunger Games and it had a lot of similarities, so I was content. Then, what struck me was all the other little seventh graders who all fell in love with the book. They were going on like it was the greatest thing to ever have existed and I just didn't care that much. I would have liked the book a lot more if everyone wasn't shoving it in my face all the time.

5. Anna and the French Kiss

Even back when I read this book, the element of cheating made me very uncomfortable. I did not have a good time reading this book at all because I was so anxious about Anna and her terrible decision making skills. It was cute and did have some good moments, but at the same time I also felt intense pressure to like this book because everyone and their mother loved this book. This is my sister's favorite book of all time. I'm in a corner with this one.

6. Pride and Prejudice

Usually when talking about favorite classics this comes to the forefront of everyones minds. Which is why when I started it there were heavy pressures for me to enjoy it. I liked it, but i think there are lots of better classics out there, Jane Eyre for one.

7. The Geography of You and Me

I actually hated this book and I just didn't want to admit it at the time because my friends loved it so much. Jennifer E. Smith's writing style just isn't for me. I can say that without a shadow of a doubt.

8. Since You’ve Been Gone

Another books where the main love interest is in a relationship with someone else. I also thought this book would be a lot wilder than it ended up being. I don't think it was really worth the pedestal it was placed on.

9. Shiver

This was one of the books I read early on in my reading career and while I wasn't that impressed, I still really enjoyed it. Now with more experience with Maggie Stiefvater's writing I can honestly say that it definitely wasn't her best book. Back in the day this book was hyped up so much, I can't even begin to explain it. I liked it, but it didn't change me in any way.

10. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

This is the one I feared talking about the most. This book wasn't the greatest book I had ever read. It probably isn't even in my top 200 favorite books. But I did like it. I liked the premise and I liked it's uniqueness. I think this story is getting better with each book, this first book just didn't do it for me the way it seems to be doing it for everyone else.

I actually had another one in mind that I really wanted to mention, but I forgot it the moment I went to write it down. So maybe one day I will make another list, if I ever remember what that book was.

What books were you guys not entirely in love with? Comment down below!

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Waiting On Wednesday

Smoke and Sin
by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

Release Date: September 26th, 2017

Synopsis:

More than a decade ago, Roman Calder had a scorching affair with the sister of one of his best friends. Augustine Spencer drove him so crazy he thought of nothing but her. The only thing they did more often than heat the sheets was fight. Unprepared for the intensity of their relationship, Roman broke things off and concentrated on the things that made sense to him: his career and putting his best friend, Zack Hayes, in the White House. 

Gus Spencer is known to Washington insiders as the president’s secret weapon. Gorgeous and brilliant, Gus runs the press pool with the determination of a shark. No one dares to cross her, not when she’s known for having a spine of steel. But long ago one man melted her down. Despite the fact that she’ll never forgive Roman for breaking her heart, now that they work together she can’t get him off her mind. 

When a dangerous investigation leads both Roman and Gus to London, the heat between them becomes unbearable. As they begin to unravel an international conspiracy, they find themselves falling all over again. But when a killer threatens their world, can they fight to stay together or will the sins of their past keep them forever apart?

My Thoughts:

I read the first three books in this series so fast, I am honestly so excited to get to this one and find out more about what's happening. It's like one big conspiracy theory with romance mixed in. I'm completely obsessed with it. I need to know if my theories are right, I need to know what's happening behind the scenes, I just want to have all the answers which i hope will be revealed in this book.

Breaking the Rules of Revenge Spoiler Free Review

Breaking the Rules of Revenge
by Samantha Bohrman

Release Date: September 11th, 2017

Synopsis:

Mallory Jones is tired of being the girl who stays home and practices French horn while her identical twin, Blake, is crowned homecoming queen. So when she has the opportunity to pretend to be Blake, she takes it. At Camp Pine Ridge, she will spread her wings and emerge a butterfly. Or at least someone who finally gets kissed by a cute guy. That is, until bad boy Ben Iron Cloud shows up, ready to get revenge on Blake—aka Mallory.

If it weren’t for that infuriating girl, Ben wouldn’t even be at camp. Luckily, he now has six weeks to soak up some rays and get even with his nemesis. But the more time he spends with Blake, the more he realizes she’s nothing like the girl he thought she was—she’s kind and innocent and suddenly way too tempting. And soon enough, revenge is the last thing on his mind. Unfortunately, the girl he’s falling for is keeping a major secret…

Disclaimer: This book contains a super-hot bad boy out for revenge, all sorts of camp hijinks, and a girl who realized she’s been a butterfly all along. 

My Thoughts:

***I received an ARC through Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review***

I gave this book 4 stars. It was fun and diabolical, I loved every moment of it. I'm a sucker for anything with revenge and fake personas. There's always the reveal moment to look forward to. While it is a bit predictable, it doesn't lessen my enjoyment at all. And as of now I am officially back on a contemporary kick.


I loved how Mallory's book lined up with her real life and how she would compare real life events to events in her book. I found it funny because that''s a lot like how I think and do things. She was a very relatable character that I couldn't hate or even dislike. She's a very shy and quiet girl, she never gets into trouble or is even noticed most of the time, all because her sister is a bit oppressive. I know there's more to it than that, but a large part is because of her sister, and considering we meet said sister, it's understandable.

When this book first started out I was a bit worried about the third person. I'm not the biggest fan of third person unless it's a fantasy novel. I feel like I connect to the characters better if it's in first person, I sometimes get the feeling that I'm not getting all of them, someone else is telling me how the protagonist is feeling, they aren't telling me their thoughts and feelings themselves. Anyway, I didn't mind it too much while reading this book, the author did a great job of conveying the thoughts and feelings that I needed to know without a wall building up between me and the characters.

Ben, where to start with Ben. What I love about Ben is he is genuinely a nice guy, he didn't try to mess with "Blake" until after she had spent an entire year doing terrible things to him. Which is why I understand why he needed to get revenge. I wish we had gotten a bit more information about his Native American side. I know it's because he didn't know much about it himself, but it still would have been nice to get more about it.

Mallory and Ben have such great chemistry, they get along so well. Every moment of them together had me on the edge of my seat. I just wanted them to kiss the whole time. It became a sort of chant in my mind.

Mallory went through so much character development throughout this book and it was good to see. Her character development wasn't centered around a man. I mean there was a man amidst the chaos, but she figured out where she belonged on her own.

Overall, another cute contemporary romance. If you like cute contemporary romances then this is definitely for you. If you prefer things a little more hard core, then I wouldn't really suggest this one for you, this one is fluff.

My Life in Books Tag

I was not tagged for this, I never am, but I'm going to do it anyway because I enjoy doing tags. Also I'm not 100% sure that is the name of the tag, but I'm about 99% sure, so that's good enough for me. 

1) Find a book for each of your initials

J - Just for Now by Abbi Glines

S - Shadowkiss by Richelle Mead

S- Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

2) Count your age along your book shelf- which book is it?

Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I'm keeping my age a secret because a lady never reveals her age;)

3) Pick a book set in your city/state/country.

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong. This book briefly takes place in Vancouver and I live in the Greater Vancouver Area, so that was the closest I could find for this one. Also probably the only book I've read that has taken place here. 

4) Pick a book that represents a destination you would love to travel to.

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young. I would love to go to Ireland. It's number one on the list of places I want to go.

5) Pick a book that's your favourite colour.

Crooked Kingdom. I know the dust jacket on the hardcover isn't red, but under the dust jacket, it's red along with the pages. It's completely red and completely my aesthetic.

6) Which book do you have the fondest memories of?

The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker. I read this book before I liked reading. I had checked it out of the library before and barely gotten a chapter in before I stopped. But the second time I decided to give it a go, I stayed up way past my bedtime, if I'm not mistaken it was one in the morning and I'm surprised my parents let me stay up that late, and I finished it. It was the very first chapter book I ever read in one sitting.

7) Which book did you have the most difficulty reading?

The Lord of the Flies. I could not for the life of me get through this book. I wanted to love it so much but it was honestly like chewing cardboard. I had to read it for school, but I ended up just using sparks notes.

8) Which book in your TBR pile will give you the biggest sense of accomplishment when you finish it?

Under the Dome by Stephen King. I've had it on my shelf for so long, plus the book itself is fricken huge. I will be so proud of myself when I finally get through it.

This was a really fun tag to do, so if you also want to do it you definitely should. 

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Bloglovin

I've been seeing this thing called Bloglovin around for a while and I finally decided to go figure out what it was. It's this really cool site where you can follow a whole bunch of blogs from one account, it's like the Instagram for blogs. From what I've gathered, it's just another way to follow a blog, like there's the Follow by Email option, and since I'm on Blogger there is a follow by Blogger option. It's basically a way to keep everything in one place.

I've decided to make an account and link up my blog with it. So there is now that option if you want to follow me through Bloglovin! There is a button down at the end of this post and there is also a button in the sidebar!


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Lucian Graymark/Luke Garroway Appreciation Post

If you haven't read the Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare, then I would not suggest reading this post because it will contain SPOILERS.

No one ever seems to talk about how amazing Luke is. He's a genuinely nice guy who has overcome a lot. Being turned into a werewolf, one of his best friends turning on him, being told he is a monster because of what was done to him, being cast out from the only life he has ever known, his own sister turning him away because he's a "monster, his other best friend and the woman he loves falling in love with the first mentioned best friend. Luke has been through some things and it would be completely understandable if he was bitter.

But instead of being incredibly bitter and terrible, he was there for Jocelyn when she needed him after escaping Valentine. He helped her keep the Shadowhunter world a secret from Clary her whole life to protect her.

And even though Luke was in love with Jocelyn probably his whole life, he was never bitter about being "friend zoned". He understood where Jocelyn stood with everything and didn't try to push her, or tell her that she had to choose or do any other boneheaded move that could have been done. Luke was just a decent man.

He also loved her child like that child was his own. When Jocelyn was in a coma and couldn't be around to see how Clary was being treated by Luke, Luke treated her like a decent human being would. You're probably wondering why I'm complimenting him for such basic things, but honestly, most people real and fictional aren't always the greatest. A lot seem like good people but the moment your back is turned they do things. I just wanted to say that I appreciate Luke because he was the one constant in the series. The one person who was always there for them, even in the first book when Clary thought he didn't care about her.

I love Luke so much and I'm glad he got his happy ending with Jocelyn. I'm glad she came to her senses and realized how great he is and married him. I need me a Luke.

Why I Love Booktube

Since I run a blog this is a bit ironic, but one of my favorite things is in fact Booktube. If you don't know what Booktube it's basically book bloggers on Youtube. Mostly the same stuff except you can actually see them while they tell you things. I would have loved to do Booktube, but honestly, I don't think I'm that entertaining to watch and I'm way too self-conscious to put myself out there like that, therefore I stick with my blog. Don't take that to mean that I don't love my blog, because I really do, this blog has pretty much taken over my life.

What I love so much about Booktube is that you get a face to go with the words. It feels a lot more genuine when you can actually see the person saying it and if you're good at reading people, you can tell whether or not they're being genuine. It's also nice to have someone tell you. I love blogs as much as the next person, but I also like to listen to things. I like seeing people getting excited about things they love, it gives me personally some really good feelings.

It's like making a new friend. You see this person so much that it's like you know them on a personal level. You want to talk to them all the time and wonder what they would think about a certain book because their input also matters to you. They aren't some faceless person adding in their two cents, they are someone you have gotten to know from their videos.

There is a bit more freedom with videos. You can watch several Booktubers get together and play games, talk about things in general. Even when they interview authors, I generally enjoy watching interviews more than I like to read them. There are just so many things you can do with a video that is so much harder to do if you're just writing it and using pictures.

Sentimental value, it's what got me into the whole book blogging scene. I don't know how I came across Booktube, I think some videos just sort of showed up on my Youtube recommended videos list, but the moment I watched my first Booktube video was the beginning of the end. I didn't know that people could do that and it blew my mind that there were all these amazing books out there that I had never even heard of before. The more of it I watched the more I wanted to be a part of this whole bookish community, thus inspiring me to start my own book blog.

There is also the tiny fact that I find Booktube videos to be completely entertaining. I've gotten so many good book recommendations from Booktube and have just been completely immersed in people talking about my passion.

Do you guys watch Booktube? Who are some of your favorite Booktubers?

Rules of Persuasion Spoiler Free Review

The Rules of Persuasion
by Amity Hope

Release Date: August 14th, 2017

Synopsis:

1) Take things slow (her rule)

2) Make it believable (his rule)

After tragedy hit her family, Meg Matthews officially crossed the line from “good girl” to “bad girl.” Motorcycle? Check. Graffiti? Check. The only thing Meg hadn’t planned on was blackmail. Too bad now a certain infuriating boy holds Meg’s future in his hands…

When Luke Prescott—star pitcher and town golden boy—catches Meg vandalizing the school, she’s given two choices: face the consequences or enter into a fake relationship with him to get his parents and his ex off his back.

But as Meg and Luke grow closer, they both realize they’ve been keeping secrets from each other. Their fake relationship might be doomed from the start—if they can’t learn to open up to the one person they never thought they’d trust.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains late-night graffiti sessions, flirty baseball lessons, and a never-ending list of relationship rules just made to be broken. 

My Thoughts:

***I received an ARC from Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review***

I gave this book 4 stars. I flew through this book so quickly, mostly because it wasn't very long to begin with, but also because it was a very character driven book. What I love about contemporary novels is that the books are always about the people, so if you don't like the people, you won't like the book. I'm happy to say that I loved the main characters in this book, meaning I really enjoyed this book.

I’m stupid and I missed the publication date so I didn’t even start reading this book until the release date. I suppose better late than never, but I do like to have read my ARCs before they are released. I guess a couple days late isn’t too bad. 

I could have definitely used this book a few months ago when I was on a contemporary kick. This is exactly the sort of book I felt like reading. No worries though, because I still read it pretty quickly this time.

This book covered some serious topics while still managing not to be too heavy. These teens with their awful backstories managed to have fun together and find the freedom in being a teenager. 

What I thought was so cool was that Meg rode a motorcycle. I love motorcycles and I think one day I might want to get my motorcycle license, so I loved seeing a female protagonist with a motorcycle. I don't think I've seen a book where the female protagonist has had a motorcycle which is sad considering they are so cool. That little fact was what won me over onto Meg's side from the very beginning, she wasn't afraid to be a bit different, she wanted to do something she enjoyed despite all the terrible things going on in her life.

You know what trope I'm getting tired of? The mean girl ex girlfriend of the love interest who wants the guy back for her own sinister reasons. I have a hard time believing that there are this many people who know they're being shady but do it anyway. I'm tired of waiting for catfights to break out every time there is a character like this in the book. I guess I can live with it, and it hardly ruined the book for me, but I'm just growing a bit tired of the same static antagonistic character.

Overall, if you love contemporary novels this is definitely something you should read. I wouldn't really recommend this book to someone who doesn't really like contemporary, you probably wouldn't like it. 

Fallen Heir Spoiler Free Review

Fallen Heir
by Erin Watt

Release Date: August 28th 2017

Synopsis:

These Royals will ruin you.

Easton Royal has it all: looks, money, intelligence. His goal in life is to have as much fun as possible. He never thinks about the consequences because he doesn’t have to.

Until Hartley Wright appears, shaking up his easy life. She’s the one girl who’s said no, despite being attracted to him. Easton can’t figure her out and that makes her all the more irresistible.

Hartley doesn’t want him. She says he needs to grow up.

She might be right.

Rivals. Rules. Regrets. For the first time in Easton’s life, wearing a Royal crown isn’t enough. He’s about to learn that the higher you start, the harder you fall. 

My Thoughts:

***I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review***

I gave this book 4 stars. Still not quite as good as Paper Princess, which in my opinion is the best in the series, but it’s still a really good book. This book is full of so much new drama and shenanigans. It’s a perfect read if you loved the former Royals books. This book will leave you utterly dumbfounded.

This is the fourth book in the Royals Series by Erin Watt, and this is different from the first three because it’s about Reed’s brother Easton. Now, while I don’t think you actually have to read the other books in this series, I would highly recommend it, I think it adds a lot more depth to this book in particular because you do have more background information. A lot of the events in this book are caused by the first three books.

I love Easton Royal, but he can be such a spoiled brat sometimes. He’s so outrageous and irresponsible that it actually makes me laugh. He does not think things through. Something that I found very evident in this book was, I wish Easton was better at revenge. He really sucks at it, he has these opportunities but never uses them. Easton is just a very lovable yet frustrating character. He’s a bit cruel at times, mostly in his mind, but he does need to grow up a bit and I hope to see that in the next book.

As always I love the writing style and the characters. Their rich and ridiculous and get away with so much crap it’s unbelievable. I’ll keep reading books by Erin Watt forever. Even if I have to habitually reread them. What I would have liked from this book was to also get Hartley’s point of view. I would have loved to get to know her better from her thoughts and what she’s doing and going through. It would have added something else to this book.

Hartley’s family is absolutely terrible. I thought I had seen shitty families in books, but this takes it to a whole new level. I mean Parker, Hartley’s sister, puts her daughters pony over her own sister. How messed up is that? That’s only scratching the non spoiler surface. We don’t even find out much about the bad things her family has done but they are so terrible that I didn’t even need to hear all the things they had done before deciding I hated them.

What I didn’t like was that Ella felt a bit like the wet blanket friend. That may just be because it’s from Easton’s point of view and he’s a bit out of control, but I love Ella and this made me see her from a different light. Also I miss her and Reed, I hope we get more of those two in the next book.