Genre: Contemporary

#BookReview: GOODBYE, PERFECT by Sara Barnard

Several years ago, a 15-year-old girl and her 30-year-old teacher ran away together. I can remember seeing it show up in news stories, but other than to think “that’s gross!”, I didn’t really give it much thought. It wasn’t happening to anyone in my life, nor was it happening anywhere near me, so what could I do? I’m betting Sara Barnard didn’t stop thinking about that story and how it must have felt to be caught up in the realness of it all, as that’s almost exactly what happens in Goodbye, Perfect. But instead of writing in third person, or […]

Posted February 8th 2018 in Contemporary, Reviews, Young Adult / / 0 Comments

Go on...

#BookReview: DEAR DWAYNE, WITH LOVE

I laughed and I laughed. Review done. Ok, but seriously, after a bit of a wobbly start for me, I really enjoyed this. It’s just as fun as the cover suggests! Dani is an aspiring actress and reluctant health insurance professional, stuck in Portland as the least successful daughter of “Mommy”. She’s obsessed with the Rock and sees him as the “perfect man”, a useful stand-in for the father that abandoned them and the less-than-perfect semi-boyfriend she’s got because she has no other prospects. She loves pastries and burgers and all sorts of things her Amazing Big Sister – a […]

Posted February 5th 2018 in Blog Tours, Comedy, Contemporary, Reviews, Romance / / 1 Comment

Go on...

#BookReview: WHERE I FOUND YOU by Heidi R. Kling

In 2004, I was a resident of China, attending an American school. Like many of my teachers and classmates, I spent Christmas in South East Asia. (It was closer and therefore cheaper to go to a tropical destination than home to South Africa.) My family was lucky. We met up with my aunt, uncle, and cousins in Singapore, then headed down to an island off of El Nido, Philippines. On the 27th of December, we left, taking a boat, and then a rickety plane, and then another plane back to Singapore. It was only then that I discovered what had […]

Posted December 15th 2017 in Blog Tours, Contemporary, Reviews, Romance, Young Adult / / 1 Comment

Go on...

#BookReview: THE SWEETHEART SHAM by Danielle Ellison

There’s a certain movie I love and can watch again and again. It starts with two Southern kids growing up together, drifting apart, then reuniting thanks to a wedding. It’s filled with sexy accents and charm and dancing. It just so happens to have a very attractive man in it, too. Of course, I’m talking about Sweet Home Alabama, starring the amazing Reese Witherspoon. That film is one of my go-to heartwarmers. The Sweetheart Sham might not be set in Alabama, but it has all the same winning ingredients: spunky girl, charming guy, a reunion, plenty of chemistry, and a wedding […]

Posted December 11th 2017 in Blog Tours, Contemporary, Reviews, Romance, Young Adult / / 0 Comments

Go on...

#BookReview: WONDER by R.J. Palacio

Long story short, everyone should read Wonder. There. Review done. Ok, but seriously, this book was incredible. While it’s has been out for a while, I didn’t really notice it until I saw the trailer for the movie by accident (which I’ve included at the end of the review, FYI). I immediately knew I needed to read the book before seeing the film. And then Katherine from Paperback Dreamer reached out wanting to buddy read with me, and we realised we both had the same goal. (I was a terribly buddy, though, as travelling and poor planning on my part meant I had […]

Posted December 8th 2017 in Contemporary, Middle Grade, Reviews / / 2 Comments

Go on...

#BookReview: THE HEARTBREAK CURE by Amanda Ashby

Trigger warnings: drug abuse, grief (loss of family) Oh guys. That was so adorable. After being humiliated on Youtube during the summer, Cat doesn’t want to go back to school. To control the message and keep her spot on the school newspaper, she enlists loner Alex into being her fake boyfriend. But alas, these two secret friends have far too much chemistry for the charade to last. Here are just a few things that I loved about this book: Brownies are a feature. Brownies are glorious. Give me brownies. Cat reviews books on Goodreads. Way to know your target audience, […]

Posted December 4th 2017 in Blog Tours, Contemporary, Reviews, Romance, Young Adult / / 0 Comments

Go on...

#BookReview: THE FIRST KISS HYPOTHESIS by Christina Mandelski

I love the friends-to-more trope. A romantic relationship built on friendship just seems so much more stable than one built on lust. Plus, there’s that whole ‘meant to be‘ aspect to it, with everyone around knowing that two people will end up together before they do. The First Kiss Hypothesis had all this, but it also did something different. Usually, this trope involves either neither character realising they like the other, or one character pining over the other while watching them go for other people until realising they liked their friend all along. While they didn’t know the extent of their feelings […]

Posted November 7th 2017 in Blog Tours, Contemporary, Reviews, Romance, Young Adult / / 1 Comment

Go on...