Reviews

Mists of the Serengeti by Leylah Attar

Only show reviews with written explanations

timitra's review against another edition

5.0

Mists of the Serengeti was an amazingly brilliant and beautiful story. It was also very painful to read at times not only because parts of it was sad but also because of there were some downright ugly parts that highlighted the worst that humanity has to offer. It was also light hearted, funny and one of the best romances I have had the pleasure of reading.

The characters were well drawn, both main and secondary. I loved that Jack was grumpy and surly. I love those types of heroes. I loved that Rodel was strong and stood up for herself in the face of Jack's initial behaviour towards her. I really enjoyed the evolution that took place within these characters as the book progressed but what I loved the most was watching them fall for each other.

As for the secondary characters I loved Goma the most, I loved how feisty, fierce and ballsy she was. She wasn't afraid of anyone or anything, I loved, loved, loved that about her.

I don't how Leylah Attar does it but she always seems to craft stories (or maybe weaves magic is a better way of putting it) that suck me in from the very first word and doesn't let me until the very last one. I'm not ashamed to say that I neglected quite a few things to devour this book within a few hours, nope not ashamed at all. I have zero regrets about it too. I HIGHLY recommend this book, it's enchanting, it's magical and so very beautiful.

ARC provided by author in exchange for a honest review

F(BR) with my shhlut sisters

romancebookaddict's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Where to even start with writing a review for this book. I am never good at writing reviews especially when I loved it so much. It's easier to be negative and say the thing I didn't like. But I am not going to do either I've decided that I'm just going to show you all my favorite quotes and show you how beautiful the writing is and you can decide if you like it from that.

This book was breathtakingly beautiful, and I am glad I was able to experienced such a thought provoking story. It's a story about life, love, and picking up the pieces of your shattered heart and life after such a great loss. This will be one of those stories I will never forget.

"He'll come in when he's done. And he'll keep doing it, until one day, he doesn't need to anymore. It's what you're doing too, aren't you? Miles from home. Mourning you sister in your own way. You've got to let it run it course. Give in until it's spent and quiet, until you've learned to breathe through the loss."

"We don't always understand the things we do. We just do them and hope we'll feel better."

"The world will screw you over. It's a given. Once you accept that, it get's easier."

"Sometimes we need to be jarred out of our own reality. We base so much of ourselves on other people's perceptions of us. We live for the compliments, the approval, the applause. But what we really need is a grand, spine-chilling encounter with ourselves to believe we're freaking magical. And that's the best kind of believing, because no one can unsay it or take it away from you."

Losing someone you love tunes you in to the fragility of life-of moments and memories and music. It makes you want to embrace all the foolish, inarticulate longings that pull at your heart. It makes you want to grasp un-played notes of un-played symphonies.

Whenever Jack spoke of Lily, his entire profile softened. In those moments, his innately captivating presence was like a flame, kindled from within. For a second, I was completely jealous, because I had never lived in someone's heart like that. And I wanted to. I wanted to make someone, someday, glow like that when they thought of me.

"All we really want is to feel that we matter - that we're seen, that we're heard."

"Fear is a liar. Don't let it whisper in your ear. Turn that shit off. Do what scares you. Over and over again. And one day, your fear will become so small, you'll be able to laugh at it."

I witnessed, for the first time, how someone can radiate pure strength from a place of pure pain. Sometimes the most heroic thing we can do is fight the battle within and just emerge on the other side. Because it's not just one battle, one time. We do it over and over again, as long as we breathe, as long as we live.

The most profound, most memorable moments of life are the ones that make you feel.

I knew that whenever I thought of love, it would have a face, a name, a voice. And I would hear its heart beating from inside a tent in the wild of Africa.

I had always thought of home as a place, where you put down your roots, unpack your collection of mugs with snarky quotes, put up all the bookshelves you want, and watch the rain splash down your windows on wet, gray afternoons. But I was realizing that home was a feeling of being, of belonging a feeling that swirled through my veins every time I was with Jack.

There are moments that remain frozen in time every sound, every color, every breath, crystallized into vivid shared of memory.

marureviere's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

5 UNFORGETTABLE STARS!

“Sometimes we need to be jarred out of our own reality. We base so much of ourselves on other people’s perceptions of us. We live for the compliments, the approval, the applause. But what we really need is a grand, spine-chilling encounter with ourselves to believe we’re freaking magical. And that’s the best kind of believing, because no one can unsay it or take it away from you."

Wow, this was a beautiful, beautiful book. A glorious experience that I would not forget any time soon.

The grief was palpable throughout the pages, especially in the beginning.

You can feel Jack's hopelessness, his sorrow.

"If torment could be grasped, it would be in the pauses between his words."

his anger, his disbelief, his all-encompassing grief.

"He fell apart slowly, his walls crumbling brick by brick, as if the house he’d been living in was being swept away by a mudslide. When he cried, there was a rawness to it, an agony that spoke of denial, of an open wound that had gone untended. The sobs were stifled at first, like he was trying to hold his grief at bay. How deep he’d buried it, I didn’t know, but it washed over him in waves. He hunched over the steering wheel, his hands clasping and unclasping, as if searching for something to hold on to, to keep from getting sucked into the next surge of pain."

But in grief, Jack finds comfort and solace in Rodel, who also lost a loved one. Thus, they are connected through their loss. They find healing in each other.

Sometimes the most heroic thing we can do is fight the battle within and just emerge on the other side. Because it’s not just one battle, one time. We do it over and over again, as long as we breathe, as long as we live."

This is a beautiful story of pain, desolation, hope, and love. About cherishing the moments that you have with the people that you care about. It's a story about found family, about daring to love and be loved again.

"Some circles never close, some wounds never heal. Love is like that. It leaves you forever open, forever vulnerable."

bibliophile90's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

**ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review**

description

"Once in Africa, I kissed a king..."

This book has ruined me. When I read the blurb for the first time, I knew it would be a very heartbreaking and tear-jerking book. But you know me, I love books that are very emotional. Also Leylah Attar is one of my favorite authors, so I just had to read this book. She did such a phenomenal job with Mists of the Serengeti. The way she described everything, it was like I was actually in Africa living everything the characters were living. I was a part of them and felt every emotion as strongly as they did. When they cried I cried, when they laughed I laughed, when they were angry I was angry as well. I was completely in sync with them. This book was perfection.

"I want to take you like I hate you. Fiercely. Completely. Because you resurrected me, only to relinquish me."

It wasn't an easy book to read. So I highly recommend you to keep some tissues close by. This book wasn't only heartbreaking but very heartwarming as well. The characters were one for one very important to the story. They played an huge role in creating such an amazing story. I don't know how Leylah does it but she has magical writing skills. I was under her spell and couldn't put the book down. She took me on a beautiful and dangerous adventure and I didn't want it to end. She shed light on some horrific things that are happening in the world, and even though I was already aware of them, it still broke my heart to read about it. However I do think it is important to educate people on what is going on in certain places in the world, because knowledge is power and we are not alone on the planet and we should care about what happens to each other. I am sure that a lot of you won't be able to read certain scenes without shedding some tears and having your heart broken.

"I could spend forever in the corners of her mind and never get bored. I could kiss her lips every morning and still not learn all the flavors of her soul."

I love that the book was inspired by true events. I would not change anything about this book expect wish it never ended. I think it will be very difficult for any book to top this one in my favorite book of the year. It is already become one of my all time favorite, and it will always have a very special place in my heart. Visiting Tanzania is now on my bucket list and I hope I will be able to visit and experience that beautiful country. This book is perfect and I hope you guys will pick it up and go on a beautiful but also heartbreaking journey.

lesleyharrison's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

This book was unlike anything I've read before. I absolutely loved the characters, the story, and the setting.

1_romance_reader's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

Beautiful

“How many ways are we tied to a stranger by fragile, invisible threads that bind us all together?”

Have you ever read a book that stays with you long after you’ve finished? This book right here!! Talk about all the feels.. My emotions are all over the right now lol Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about this book. I absolutely loved it ❤️

For me, this was about heartache and loss; about family and selflessness and being able to find love when you least expect it. It was so beautiful and brilliantly written. Probably one of the best epilogues I’ve ever read.

Mists of The Serengeti by
A definite 5 +⭐️ rating for me