Review | The Hating Game

The Hating Game // Sally Throne

Disappointment is not the word. This book was explicit without having to say the words. In the effort to stave off explicit language, there is some confusion in place of sexiness. But don’t get me wrong this book was a trip. I enjoyed it, even though I hated that I did. Unlike Sophia Kinsella books that I know I love despite myself because of their syrupy sweetness, this book was marketed to me as a new kind of romcom. But it was exactly the same in every way, the stony, muscly man is an asshole to everyone but softens for the ingenue. 

I enjoyed it for what it was: a quick read with no substance. The characters were little more than two dimensional and towards the end, it looked the author ran out of time and just ended it. 

As for it being new and different?

Rant beginning in 3…2…1…
I did appreciate the question that was posed about halfway through the book to her mother, “did you regret giving up your dream?” And in a way, her mother did. There is something there that could have been explored but it is dropped and never spoken about again. 

The tropes were endless. The cute short girl with the tall gruff guy. The tiny quirky girl with a weird obsession. The tiny girl who eats like a hippo and doesn’t gain weight. The ridiculously beautiful girl who doesn’t think she’s beautiful. The gruff guy with a bad attitude whose hardened heart is melted by the beauty. The fawning that Lucinda does over his body is ridiculous. Why are you acting like you’ve never seen a muscled man before? The hating that turns into love. We all knew that it was going to happen, but the way Lucinda tarted herself to finally get his attention, to get him to act was absolutely the wrong message to send. She was so desperate that he was holding her off of him. She was smelling him.

If the roles were reversed, this would be a horror or psychological thriller book. I was waiting for the whole book for her to gain a backbone and then when she did, it was in defense of him. Did she not have a battle to fight before? Why did she say he was going to be better at the COO position if it was something she really wanted? We are never given any resolution which makes me feel cheated out of 4 hours of my life. We don’t know why she doesn’t visit her parents. We don’t know if she gets the job or not. You could argue that the job is not the point of the book, but it is because that is the freaking catalyst. Then he just gets another job, because he wanted another one anyway and kept his job so he could be around her. It’s only not insanely weird because he’s attractive. The fact that he bows out solidifies my thought that he didn’t think she would beat him out for the job. 

Overall for a book that was so highly praised, the traps were right in there and the author fell right into them. The last seven pages were so painful for me to read because they were utterly cheesy and felt so out of a place in a book that just spent the last 350 pages trying to convince me that it was different. I guess 3 stars. I wouldn’t recommend for a good read but it’s good if you are at the airport and want to fill the time with the same formulaic rom com nonsense. Again enjoy it for what it is, not what is hyped to be, because it’s not. 

2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – A book that includes a wedding
2019 ATY Challenge – A book about reading, books or an author/writer

Rant Review | Where She Went (If I Stay, #2) by Gayle Forman

“I had to regain my Y chromosome.” 

That’s what Adam said when he was trying to stop crying. Are we being serious right now? We have to stop saying that crying and expressing emotion is not manly. 

I’m not sure what I expected from this. I would say that it’s a waste of 6 hours but I listened to it double speed so it was around 3. 

Let’s talk about this as a stand alone book because I watched the movie but didn’t read the book. This is also not a sequel but a companion book. As a standalone book, I don’t like it. But I don’t like because I am not understanding we keep doing this. He is thrown into depression and self sabotage when the girl he’s dating just vanishes. Why do we keep thinking it’s romantic when people can’t let go?

I understand that this is a very serious topic, but Adam just came off as needy, whiny and ungrateful. He’s supposed to be in his late twenties, but it’s only been three years…Wasn’t he 19 when the first book happened? I’m confused. Moreover, I don’t understand why he won’t go solo. If he’s writing all of the songs and they don’t like him, why is he putting himself through that? Maybe afraid of being alone? 

The insecurity in this book is astounding. Adam, get a therapist. He doesn’t deal with his issues and then put it on Mia to fix his awful ego. That’s what was damaged with her leaving him high and dry and no, you don’t owe anyone an explanation after your entire family dies. We have to stop that too, the implication here is that he is owed something just because he was by her side at the hospital. He said he would let her go and then doesn’t. 

Mia hating him should have been the end. If I could rewrite the ending of the book, I would have Adam working on another album with the help of a therapist, who would hopefully let him know that the world doesn’t stop just because he’s sad. When he lost his temper with Mia and is yelling at her on the ferry? I was not okay with that. Why are we teaching young girls that it’s good to stay with people who don’t do the right thing?

It was a quick read. I’m not mad at it…

Okay I am but I’ll still give it 2 stars. 

2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge – A book about a hobby 
2019 ATY Challenge – A book with one of the 5 W’s in the title 

REVIEW | THE ACCIDENTAL BEAUTY QUEEN by Teri Wilson

The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson is about twins who couldn’t be more different. One Twin is obsessed with her appearance and wants to compete in a beauty pageant. The other is a bookworm (I have a love-hate relationship with this trope) who only accompanying her sister because the pageant is in Orlando and you know what else is in Orlando, The wizarding world of Harry Potter.

The central conflict revolves about a guy but I love the twin dynamic. Their differences and their perspectives of each other make for a lot of fun. What cinched it for me was the conflict between the sisters that one sister didn’t even know what there. It was a great lesson in communication and forgiveness and how resentment can corrode a relationship.

One of the things that I didn’t like was the number of pop culture references that will date the novel for future reading. Charlotte talks about Ms. Congenialty, Harry Potter, etc. Ms. Congeniality came out 19 years ago. So most of the younger audience for this book won’t know what Wilson is talking about.

Overall the book had some heartwarming moments and was a tad cliche but that’s to be expected in some of this kind of romance novel. I would say that it’s a great read for the airport or a layover situation because it is well written, easy to read and has some complex family dynamic issues that, when resolved, will warm your heart.

Rave Review | The Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Last Letter from Your Lover is a multigenerational love story where Jennifer has fallen for a man while married to another, facing the decision of whether to stay in her marriage or to follow her heart. Almost 50 years later, unlucky-in-live Ellie finds the letters Jennifer wrote back and forth with her lover and goes on a quest to find out who wrote the letters.

I have so much to say about this book. Most of it good. I want to preface this by saying that after reading the second book in the Me Before You series, After You, I was going to give up on JoJo Moyes.

But this book seemed like it had a good premise, and I was right, Jojo came through.

Let’s start with my dislikes because it’s a shorter list: 

Dislikes: 
– Ellie’s character was weak and pitiful. I understand that she is supposed to be under the spell of love but having her be older (early 30s) and still mistaking lust for love, doesn’t just seem like a flaw in her actions, but an inherent flaw that she needs therapy for. 

– It reminded me a lot of The Notebook, which i didn’t care for. 

Likes: 
+ Literally everything else. This was the one time that I didn’t already guess what was going to happen before it did. I mean, it was almost like I was being taken on this ride and it was dark and my body was just being jostled around from the spins and turns. Anthony’s character was well rounded and lovable; it was so nice to see a man portrayed to have emotions and not be regarded as weak. 

+Jennifer’s character was so interesting because she had this internal struggle that I think women still face, no matter how much time has passed and how modern we are, there will always be a question lingering about whether or not we are to do the “right thing” or the thing that makes us happy. 

+I loved the fact that I couldn’t figure out what was happening next. The formatting was magnificent. I think it did a very good job of pulling me back and forth and making me gasp and shriek in delight and horror. 

Overall/ Final thoughts: 
I’m glad that I gave her another chance because I was not disappointed. However, I’m not going to give it five stars because of the Ellie story line. Her weakness took me out of the action and had me feeling like I needed to skip pages.

2019 PopSugar Reading Challenge – A book with “love” in the title
2019 ATY Challenge – A book that includes a journey

Review | Vox by Christina Dalcher

Vox is about a woman who finds herself in a society where women’s speech is limited. She must find a way to cope with the new restrictions. When the president’s brother has a medical emergency that only her former specialty can fix, she is catapulted back to her former life with restrictions.

One of the things that I noticed right away were the parallels between the political climate of today and the book’s narrative. Jean was one of those women who didn’t vote, didn’t march and just believed that the worst could never happen, scoffing at the women who protested and predicted the worst would come to pass. Steven, Jean’s son, finally says “Evil thrives when good men do nothing.”

There were a number of plot holes one being:

If the women aren’t taught to read, how would they be able to read the proclamations on the sheet of paper into their wrist bands?

Jean is cheating on her husband with Lorenzo, her lab partner. She is totally fine with not communicating with her husband and falling in the arms of someone else. And that’s what we get for the majority of the book. Her going on and on about Lorenzo and his Italian hands and scuff and voice. The constant comparisons between him and her husband are tiring because they seem like justification for her bad behavior.

There are also a number of times where she refers to Poe’s size and his blackness. Towards the end of the book, when Poe is escorting a small woman and Jean describes the scene as “King Kong”. It felt completely unnecessary and extremely rude because of the presence of primates in the previous scene.
Sharon, the only other POC in the book, is used primarily as a helper. She only appears in two scenes in the book to fulfill her assigned trope: wise sassy black friend.

This book had a lot of promise. It was like an updated Handmaid’s Tale. However, Jean is utterly unlikeable. Her problem lies with her selfishness. When the police come, she assumes that it’s because of her because she is utterly incapable of seeing anyone else and their pain.

The book explores politics, women’s rights, education and segregation, however the perspective of other characters would have served that purpose better.

Overall, the book is interesting but reading The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments would be a better use of your time.

Rave Review | STRANGER SHE KNOWS BY CHRISTINA DODD

⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you had told me three years ago that I would be anxiously awaiting the next book in a series, ANY series, I would have told you that you were crazy and yet here we are. Christina Dodd has written the Cape Charade series with such heart and thrill that I find myself in awe every time I read about Kellen, Max and their many misadventures. 

The genre of romantic thrillers is not something that I have seen done well. The balancing act for most is difficult. There is a lack of trust amongst the players that make it seem like it is every person for themselves. However, in this series and this book, in particular, there is a tight bond that we get to explore. The bonding of a mother to her child, in a very unique situation, the revitalization of a marriage marred with tragedy and pain. These situations though rare or maybe more common than I know, are exactly the kind of thing that I find we need to read about. 

One thing I loved about this book was the cycling of perspectives, as Rae has grown, her voice matures but still oscillates between the child that she is and the woman she is becoming. Kellen has taken on a more motherly role and as such starts to dismiss some of the things that Rae says. Even though that annoyed me, it made sense in the context of a mother trying to ease the worry of her 12-year-old child. 

One thing that I didn’t love was the wrap-up. Her other two books did the same thing. It was almost as though there was a page limit that Dodd had to adhere to because the ending wrapped up so quickly that it was like whiplash. 

The book is set on an island, the locale was both tropical and haunting. Like all of the books in this series, Dodd does a great job of describing the house ( I mean mansion) and the arceage that surrounds it. The backstory created for the island and the family who lived there before the DeLuca’s bought it was so extensive that I wanted to Google it to see if it was real. 

Because this is the third book in the series, I would definitely suggest reading the first two, but Dodd does an amazing job of reminding the reader of what happened in the previous books without over explaining. 

If you are looking for a book that does romantic thrillers well, or a new series to tuck into, this is a great choice. 

4 Stars.

Review | The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

⭐️⭐️⭐️

In typical YA fashion, we find our heroine down and out, with money problems and daddy issues to boot, Manning a store of porcelain dolls. She helps out her mother to the detriment of her social life and schooling. Then she meets a dashing young rich lad and then we are off to the races. 

Dislikes:

~Her name is ridiculous and it’s a trope in and of itself, because these YA novels always seem to have some special girl with a weird name. 

~She doesn’t seem to make her own decisions or run anything in her life. At times, I found myself getting upset with her because she was allowing her friends to force her into situations that she categorically refused. 

~She is the queen of jumping to conclusions and assuming way more than I would think a normal person would. 

~She consistently thinks of witty remarks, remarks that would reveal her true feelings and instead says nothing. Being passive and letting life just happen. 

~I hated Skye and Henry and Mason. They were this Greek chorus of misfits that didn’t contribute anything to the story. 

Likes:

~In the beginning of the book, I was predicting things but towards the end, I didn’t know what the hell was going on. Which was great. 

~Xander’s character started off as this woe is me rich boy, but started to become someone who was genuinely trying. 

~The twists were genuinely well done. 

~It was slow in the beginning but then it got really good fast pacing. 

Overall/Final Thoughts: 

3 stars. I would recommend it for a light cheeky read but don’t expect Shakespeare. This is a read the whole thing in 4 hours during a layover kind of book. 

2019 ATY Challenge – A book from one of the top 5 money making genres

Let me know in the comments if you have read anything from this author before or if you have any recommendations for YA romance!

Rave Review | All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover

⭐⭐⭐⭐

All Your Perfects is about a married couple who can’t conceive a child. This book handles the aftermath of that, and the beginnings of a relationship predicated on the hope of future children.

After reading Confess, I was swearing off reading Colleen Hoover books because I hated that book. But then I started watching this Booktuber named Jacqueline and she reviewed the book so I really felt like I had to read it and I was very surprised at how much this book straight up broke me. 

Things I liked: 

The dual timeline – there was something so beautiful about the reading about the beginning and end of something, especially something as special as a marriage. A lot of romance novels focus on the good times and most of the time focus on the getting together part of the relationship but never on what happens when your hopes and dreams don’t come true. This was a very important story to tell and I think it was done well. I was crying at the end. 
I enjoyed the mother-daughter relationship and how that was talked about. It felt real. 

Things I didn’t like: 

SPOILERS AHEAD

I didn’t like the way that the cheating was explained away. Their lack of communication was astonishingly bad. I’ve never dealt with something like this personally but her inability to talk about her feelings with her HUSBAND means that their relationship is not built on solid ground. They did talk about how they got together but there was just something in the fact that the sex was primary in the relationship even if they didn’t do it when they first met. But instead of talking through anything, they just had sex and then when she couldn’t do that without the pain of not being able to conceive, she just physically withdrew herself.

I would have to give this a 4. There were too many things that I couldn’t look over, but overall, it needed to be told, even if it was dysfunctional. 

2019 ATY Challenge – A book from the 2018 Goodreads choice awards 

Rant Review | The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Proposal is about Carlos from the Wedding Date and a new character named Nikole. Fisher, her hipster wannabe actor boyfriend, proposes to her on a jumbotron at a La Dodgers game. After it all goes wrong, Carlos and his sister Angela save Nikole from the media who are trying to swarm in for an interview. Then Carlos and Nik hit it off. Casual sex might turn into more?

Spoiler: It totally does. But not in the way that you think.

This book is okay. It’s disappointing after reading the wedding date. Carlos was not the greatest character. I felt like he was a little overbearing at times and it felt like a very one sided romance. We learned about Nik’s friends but not in any meaningful way. It also felt like Carlos did the bare minimum, like cooking at home and letting her come by to eat something and reading her articles. A lot of the family drama that Carlos was experiencing was very reminiscent of the Kiss Quotient where Michael feels like he has to fill the void for his family and that is stopping him from developing a meaningful relationship. There are also several instances when Carlos is extremely domineering and stubborn. 

As for Nik, we won’t learn a lot about her. In some ways, it feels as though her character is a foil for other smaller characters. She has the same old prototypical romantic comedy job, a journalist and the book tries to be meta by making a point to say she and her friends are an LA stereotype, a writer, an actor and a baker, but there is a lot of telling and not showing. Nik is wrapped in herself so much that at one point, she doesn’t even know what is going on with them. And it’s not small stuff. We learn about her past relationships but nothing about her family and nothing about her background before dating. In that way, it seems like her character is unfinished.

As for me thinking that this was about Alexa and Drew. I didn’t realize this wasn’t a sequel but a companion book and I was actually upset about that. A lot of authors do this and as much as I can appreciate, the same universe in which these stories take place, the marketing for them makes it seem like they are sequels.

Overall, I’m very disappointed in the book. Not because of what it is necessarily, but that it was a let down following the first one.

3 stars. 

Book Review | The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Wedding Date is a book about a professional black woman who gets stuck in an elevator with a hot white guy who needs a date to a wedding. Sparks will fly. (I bring up their races because it’s important) 

I’m going to keep the summary that simple and this review without spoilers because I really want you all to read it. 

I’m serious. This book meant so much to me.

I say that because I’m in an interracial relationship myself and this is the first book that I read that didn’t treat that as a plot point or the central point of the book. Two professionals finding their way through life and hopefully to each other. And that’s it. There were parts where race was discussed as something to be understood (Am I going to be the only black person at this party? Not a problem. Just wanted to know.) but it was not a rallying cry for black women to lower their standards (ahem Tyler Perry) or that white men are the enemy. It simply wasn’t brought up. 

It was cute and had me squealing for joy in certain parts. I was taken by how quickly I sped through the book and how much I didn’t want it to end.

They faced realistic challenges, and they weren’t outlandish. It was like I was reading about a couple of friends of mine. It was like I was reading about me. 

Alexa is a complex woman, who has doubts and insecurities, deep beliefs and a job she loves. At no point was Drew the savior of her or the story. Because she didn’t need saving. I feel like that’s why these books are so popular. In real relationships, stable ones anyway, two people come together and find common ground, make each other’s lives easier, happier, better. 

This book had me crying tears of joy. I am not a crier. 

I will be picking up anything Jasmine Guillory decides to pen in the future. 

Am I about to give a contemporary romance five stars? 

You betcha!