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boezaaah's reviews
273 reviews
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
4.0
“We are liars. We are beautiful and privileged. We are cracked and broken.”
I'm just going to start this review by saying that, first of all, I'm not a huge contemporary fan. I often struggle to find the positives in a contemporary novel other than how easy to read and fast-paced they are. Amazingly, this very well could have been a 4.5 or even a 5 star read for me, if I didn't predict the ending. I think the 'twist' was quite obvious from around the 50 page mark. It's been done before, it will continue to be done in the future. But nonetheless, the reading experience was one to remember.
This book was great. It could have been incredible. The characters were full of life, the plot was action-packed and the family dynamic was full of political intrigue. The setting of a private island owned by a privileged, white family with wealth was SUCH an interesting aspect to the story and I think it really set up the entire novel.
I loved the characters, however flawed they may be. Johnny was an ass, but I couldn't help enjoy reading about his overflowing testosterone. Mirren was a sweetheart, who was kind-hearted and had nothing but love to give, even if she was a little self conscious. Gat was headstrong, and was able to formulate opinions based on experience and heartache. And Cadence. Who suffered in ways she may have, and may not have deserved (depending how YOU choose to see their situation).
I LOVED the discussion about race and class in this book. The way Gat compared himself to Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte was SO GOOD. I think that conversation really needed to happen. I admired the way Lockhard wrote Gat's character.
The thing that sucked the most for me was that I knew Summer 17 never existed the way Cadence saw it. You know when you get an inkling whilst reading that sits in the back of your mind throughout the entire time, where you just know something is off, but you just don't have all the details to piece it together? Well, that was how this was for me. I knew the whole 'memory loss' issue with Cadence's accident would prove to have her remembering the wrong
things. For example, believing that the Liars were still alive. Although I think the twist was vital (obviously), I just found it to be unfortunate that I figured it out so early on in the novel.
I know everyone has read this novel already, and I know I'm late to the party, but if you're a contemporary fan, you're almost guaranteed to love this. And even if you're not (like me), you may even like it too! I think this book really is diverse in the fact that it caters to the reading tastes of many different people and I'd definitely recommend picking this up if you haven't!
I'm just going to start this review by saying that, first of all, I'm not a huge contemporary fan. I often struggle to find the positives in a contemporary novel other than how easy to read and fast-paced they are. Amazingly, this very well could have been a 4.5 or even a 5 star read for me, if I didn't predict the ending. I think the 'twist' was quite obvious from around the 50 page mark. It's been done before, it will continue to be done in the future. But nonetheless, the reading experience was one to remember.
This book was great. It could have been incredible. The characters were full of life, the plot was action-packed and the family dynamic was full of political intrigue. The setting of a private island owned by a privileged, white family with wealth was SUCH an interesting aspect to the story and I think it really set up the entire novel.
I LOVED the discussion about race and class in this book. The way Gat compared himself to Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte was SO GOOD. I think that conversation really needed to happen. I admired the way Lockhard wrote Gat's character.
The thing that sucked the most for me was that I knew Summer 17 never existed the way Cadence saw it. You know when you get an inkling whilst reading that sits in the back of your mind throughout the entire time, where you just know something is off, but you just don't have all the details to piece it together? Well, that was how this was for me. I knew the whole 'memory loss' issue with Cadence's accident would prove to have her remembering the wrong
things. For example, believing that the Liars were still alive. Although I think the twist was vital (obviously), I just found it to be unfortunate that I figured it out so early on in the novel.
I know everyone has read this novel already, and I know I'm late to the party, but if you're a contemporary fan, you're almost guaranteed to love this. And even if you're not (like me), you may even like it too! I think this book really is diverse in the fact that it caters to the reading tastes of many different people and I'd definitely recommend picking this up if you haven't!
Looking for Alaska by John Green
3.0
“But a lot of times, people die how they live. And so last words tell me a lot about who people were, and why they became the sort of people biographies get written about.”
I read this book for the first time when I was around 12. And back then, I considered it my favourite book ever. But looking back... I realise that everything about this book would have totally flown over my head. I think I just loved the idea of having an attitude like Alaska's. Kind of didn't give a shit about anything, but also gave a lot of shit about everything. And I can definitely see how this book played a part in my personality. In a way, I resemble Alaska a lot. My intention is not to romanticise this book at all, but I tend to unintentionally be extremely self-destructive, which is a trait of mine I feel was heavily influenced by this book. What I'm trying to get at is I don't think 12 year old me should have read this. I was impressionable and took everything as it came. So in a way, I'm very glad I reread this. I see a lot of myself in Alaska (although that may not be the greatest thing), and it was somewhat comforting to read about someone so much like myself. But I can definitely see the faults in this novel.
Firstly, I do think a lot of Alaska's character was romanticised in a way it shouldn't have been. This book is targeted towards teenagers, and a lot of us are terribly impressionable. I'm 16, and if I wasn't an avid reader, I probably would have romanticised Alaska too. Hell, I was a reader at 12 and still romanticised Alaska because I didn't know better, and Pudge and the Colonel viewed her as somewhat of a God, and I thought that was how she was supposed to be viewed as. I think I know what John Green was trying to get across with this book, but I don't think it was completely effective.
I'll admit, I love the idea of memorising famous last words. I think that aspect of the novel was interesting. And not to mention the endless amount of literature references (to mostly books I haven't read, but it still made my nerdy heart sing). ALSO... THE STRIPPER AT THE END OF THE BOOK. HE DANCED TO GETT OFF BY PRINCE. LITERALLY THE MOST SEXUAL SONG OF ALL TIME (and one of my favourite Prince songs). DO YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND HOW BAD I GEEKED OUT OVER THIS? Holy shit. Huge props to you Green, you really killed it with that.
I thought I had more to say about this book, but I do think it's a valuable read if you're not as impressionable as 12 year old me and if you're a YA reader. I think it's the best book out of John Green's works (the works I've read being TFIOS and Paper Towns) and I'm really glad I reread this, even if it did take a bit of effort to get into. Nonetheless, I've read 3 YA contemporaries in the last little while and I think I'll be taking a break because I really struggle with them... So back to my fantasies and fiction for the time being.
I read this book for the first time when I was around 12. And back then, I considered it my favourite book ever. But looking back... I realise that everything about this book would have totally flown over my head. I think I just loved the idea of having an attitude like Alaska's. Kind of didn't give a shit about anything, but also gave a lot of shit about everything. And I can definitely see how this book played a part in my personality. In a way, I resemble Alaska a lot. My intention is not to romanticise this book at all, but I tend to unintentionally be extremely self-destructive, which is a trait of mine I feel was heavily influenced by this book. What I'm trying to get at is I don't think 12 year old me should have read this. I was impressionable and took everything as it came. So in a way, I'm very glad I reread this. I see a lot of myself in Alaska (although that may not be the greatest thing), and it was somewhat comforting to read about someone so much like myself. But I can definitely see the faults in this novel.
I'll admit, I love the idea of memorising famous last words. I think that aspect of the novel was interesting. And not to mention the endless amount of literature references (to mostly books I haven't read, but it still made my nerdy heart sing). ALSO... THE STRIPPER AT THE END OF THE BOOK. HE DANCED TO GETT OFF BY PRINCE. LITERALLY THE MOST SEXUAL SONG OF ALL TIME (and one of my favourite Prince songs). DO YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND HOW BAD I GEEKED OUT OVER THIS? Holy shit. Huge props to you Green, you really killed it with that.
I thought I had more to say about this book, but I do think it's a valuable read if you're not as impressionable as 12 year old me and if you're a YA reader. I think it's the best book out of John Green's works (the works I've read being TFIOS and Paper Towns) and I'm really glad I reread this, even if it did take a bit of effort to get into. Nonetheless, I've read 3 YA contemporaries in the last little while and I think I'll be taking a break because I really struggle with them... So back to my fantasies and fiction for the time being.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
1.0
“If after reading this book you come to my home and brutally murder me, I do not blame you.”
I'm coming to your home and brutally murdering you.
This was disappointing. I bought this book a few years ago, and I'm sure 13 year old me would have loved this, but I'm also glad I didn't read this back then. It really was not good. I've already forgotten the dying girl's name and by tomorrow I'll have forgotten the entire plot. The only plus is the fact that it's a fast read, but that's hardly exclusive to this contemporary specifically. I wouldn't recommend this.
First of all, who wants to read from the perspective of a 17 year old boy (in general), who is a complete brat and has no sympathy for a girl that is DYING. Throughout this entire book, our main character Greg complained that she was 'ruining his life' for being diagnosed with CANCER. He only realised how severe this was when she was diagnosed with pneumonia before she died. I hate Greg. And Earl... homophobic fuck.
Using gay people as a comic relief? The amount of gay jokes from straight kids was so excessive, and not only were they horrible in general... there was not one gay character in this book.
With reference to pages 206 and 207:
"So you can be a heterosexual, or a homosexual, and I feel like I understand that, like you're a woman in a man's body or some shit, but I been thinking about it and how the fuck can somebody call theyself a bisexual."
"If you're seriously like, "For real, I'm bisexual, any person can get me hard," man, you must get a hard-on from all kinds of freaky shit."
"Dog taking a dump: hard-on. Wendy's double cheeseburger: hard-on. Computer virus that destroys all your shit: hard-on."
What the fuck? Transphobia? Being transgender is nowhere near the same being gay. Gender and sexuality are two completely different concepts. And the amount of biphobia on these two pages was unbelievable. If little 13 year old me had read this, I would probably still be denying my sexuality. I've never felt so invalidated reading a book before. I hated this with every ounce of my being. I'm surprised I didn't put it down
If I go any further with this review I'll end up causing Goodreads to crash. But anyway. If you didn't read the spoiler section, just know I hated all the characters, the plot was boring and not only was there no representation whatsoever, I've never read such horrible things about the LGBTQIA+ community. I would never recommend this to anyone. If you want a good contemporary, read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.
I'm coming to your home and brutally murdering you.
This was disappointing. I bought this book a few years ago, and I'm sure 13 year old me would have loved this, but I'm also glad I didn't read this back then. It really was not good. I've already forgotten the dying girl's name and by tomorrow I'll have forgotten the entire plot. The only plus is the fact that it's a fast read, but that's hardly exclusive to this contemporary specifically. I wouldn't recommend this.
Using gay people as a comic relief? The amount of gay jokes from straight kids was so excessive, and not only were they horrible in general... there was not one gay character in this book.
With reference to pages 206 and 207:
"So you can be a heterosexual, or a homosexual, and I feel like I understand that, like you're a woman in a man's body or some shit, but I been thinking about it and how the fuck can somebody call theyself a bisexual."
"If you're seriously like, "For real, I'm bisexual, any person can get me hard," man, you must get a hard-on from all kinds of freaky shit."
"Dog taking a dump: hard-on. Wendy's double cheeseburger: hard-on. Computer virus that destroys all your shit: hard-on."
What the fuck? Transphobia? Being transgender is nowhere near the same being gay. Gender and sexuality are two completely different concepts. And the amount of biphobia on these two pages was unbelievable. If little 13 year old me had read this, I would probably still be denying my sexuality. I've never felt so invalidated reading a book before. I hated this with every ounce of my being. I'm surprised I didn't put it down
If I go any further with this review I'll end up causing Goodreads to crash. But anyway. If you didn't read the spoiler section, just know I hated all the characters, the plot was boring and not only was there no representation whatsoever, I've never read such horrible things about the LGBTQIA+ community. I would never recommend this to anyone. If you want a good contemporary, read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
3.0
“Whenever I saw the sun, I reminded myself that I was looking at a star. One of over a hundred billion in our galaxy. A galaxy that was just one of billions of other galaxies in the observable universe. This helped me keep things in perspective.”
I truly don't think I've ever read a bad review about this book. Since it's been released, it's been endlessly praised and hyped, so naturally, I was extremely excited to read it... and it disappointed me. I'm SO upset that I didn't like this. I picked it up so I could watch the movie and now I don't even want to watch the movie. The only reason this got 3 stars is because of the last 100 pages, but other than that, it's probably closer to a 2 star read for me.
I'm not exactly sure why I thought I would enjoy this, considering it's a science fiction novel, and I don't like science fiction, but I had hope. Well... false hope. Firstly, pop culture in books for me personally is a huge turn off, and literally all this book is, is one huge pop culture reference. God. It drove me nuts. A lot of the references went straight over my head and it made me feel STUPID. I can definitely understand why someone who loves science fiction and pop culture in books would LOVE this book. But 2 things which I don't like... being put together... it just doesn't work.
I had absolutely no attachment to any of the characters. At best, they annoyed me. At worst, I put the book down for almost a month. I didn't feel as though the characters were well developed, and our main character Wade had ZERO depth. He didn't have a VOICE. It's so hard to read from the point of view of a character who has no personality. I think the only character who I liked was Aech, and that was because they actually HAD some sort of personality.
The concept of this book is fantastic, and I definitely think it would work better on the big screen compared to being written as a novel. Something about trying to read the descriptions of everything made me want to cry out of frustration. I DON'T WANT TO READ AN ENTIRE PAGE ABOUT HOW YOU SET UP YOUR COMPUTER! Some things are better shown than told, and that phrase definitely applies to the world building in this book. I would have loved to have seen the world. Not read about it. It just dragged on way too much.
Now, despite my rather negative review, I didn't hate this book (I know... what?). Even though I felt it lacked action and character development and everything else I love about fiction, I did enjoy some parts of it, but I quickly got distracted every time I was reading because I wasn't at all engaged in the story. When the sequel comes out, I won't be picking it up (unless I find it in a thrift store in perfect condition for less than $4).
In saying all of that negative stuff, and realising I really don't have anything good to say about this book, I do recommend it. It's just not what I was looking for.
I truly don't think I've ever read a bad review about this book. Since it's been released, it's been endlessly praised and hyped, so naturally, I was extremely excited to read it... and it disappointed me. I'm SO upset that I didn't like this. I picked it up so I could watch the movie and now I don't even want to watch the movie. The only reason this got 3 stars is because of the last 100 pages, but other than that, it's probably closer to a 2 star read for me.
I'm not exactly sure why I thought I would enjoy this, considering it's a science fiction novel, and I don't like science fiction, but I had hope. Well... false hope. Firstly, pop culture in books for me personally is a huge turn off, and literally all this book is, is one huge pop culture reference. God. It drove me nuts. A lot of the references went straight over my head and it made me feel STUPID. I can definitely understand why someone who loves science fiction and pop culture in books would LOVE this book. But 2 things which I don't like... being put together... it just doesn't work.
I had absolutely no attachment to any of the characters. At best, they annoyed me. At worst, I put the book down for almost a month. I didn't feel as though the characters were well developed, and our main character Wade had ZERO depth. He didn't have a VOICE. It's so hard to read from the point of view of a character who has no personality. I think the only character who I liked was Aech, and that was because they actually HAD some sort of personality.
The concept of this book is fantastic, and I definitely think it would work better on the big screen compared to being written as a novel. Something about trying to read the descriptions of everything made me want to cry out of frustration. I DON'T WANT TO READ AN ENTIRE PAGE ABOUT HOW YOU SET UP YOUR COMPUTER! Some things are better shown than told, and that phrase definitely applies to the world building in this book. I would have loved to have seen the world. Not read about it. It just dragged on way too much.
Now, despite my rather negative review, I didn't hate this book (I know... what?). Even though I felt it lacked action and character development and everything else I love about fiction, I did enjoy some parts of it, but I quickly got distracted every time I was reading because I wasn't at all engaged in the story. When the sequel comes out, I won't be picking it up (unless I find it in a thrift store in perfect condition for less than $4).
In saying all of that negative stuff, and realising I really don't have anything good to say about this book, I do recommend it. It's just not what I was looking for.
The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
2.0
*2.5
“Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else.”
I had really high hopes for this book. I had been recommended this countless amounts of time and I still haven't seen a bad review of it. But unfortunately I fall into the minority of people who didn't quite enjoy The Five People You Meet In Heaven. Although I can see how and why so many adore this book, it most definitely was not for me.
Personally, I think the concept of this book is great. But the execution not so much. I found the characters to be flat, and our main character Eddie's personality not interesting at all (which I feel is quite important in a book about said character's life). I think I would have enjoyed this much more if it were told in first person narrative rather than third person narrative. I feel it would have given the audience more of an idea of Eddie's feelings towards his OWN death, rather than reading ABOUT his death.
Everyone that I've seen review this book says it taught them 'life lessons' or really made them 'think'. This book for me, left no impact whatsoever... I'm surprised I can even remember who all 5 of Eddie's 'people' were. Sure, there were some nice quotes that I'll without a doubt revisit, but nothing life changing or worth remembering, because it just reads like glorified advice my mother would give to me.
Overall, if you're into books that discuss life and death in another light or that have some really pretty quotes, you'll probably love this. But it just wasn't for me, and I doubt I'll be picking up any of Mitch Albom's other books.
“Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else.”
I had really high hopes for this book. I had been recommended this countless amounts of time and I still haven't seen a bad review of it. But unfortunately I fall into the minority of people who didn't quite enjoy The Five People You Meet In Heaven. Although I can see how and why so many adore this book, it most definitely was not for me.
Personally, I think the concept of this book is great. But the execution not so much. I found the characters to be flat, and our main character Eddie's personality not interesting at all (which I feel is quite important in a book about said character's life). I think I would have enjoyed this much more if it were told in first person narrative rather than third person narrative. I feel it would have given the audience more of an idea of Eddie's feelings towards his OWN death, rather than reading ABOUT his death.
Everyone that I've seen review this book says it taught them 'life lessons' or really made them 'think'. This book for me, left no impact whatsoever... I'm surprised I can even remember who all 5 of Eddie's 'people' were. Sure, there were some nice quotes that I'll without a doubt revisit, but nothing life changing or worth remembering, because it just reads like glorified advice my mother would give to me.
Overall, if you're into books that discuss life and death in another light or that have some really pretty quotes, you'll probably love this. But it just wasn't for me, and I doubt I'll be picking up any of Mitch Albom's other books.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
4.0
“To hurt is as human as to breathe.”
The thing I love most about these stories is that they possess just as much magic in them as the rest of the Harry Potter series. These 5 little fables were such a delight to (re)read and I think they're a great addition to the world of Harry Potter. I was thinking about which of the 5 was my favourite, but I think I love them all equally, and all for different reasons. Definitely a valuable addition to the series!
The thing I love most about these stories is that they possess just as much magic in them as the rest of the Harry Potter series. These 5 little fables were such a delight to (re)read and I think they're a great addition to the world of Harry Potter. I was thinking about which of the 5 was my favourite, but I think I love them all equally, and all for different reasons. Definitely a valuable addition to the series!
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
3.0
*3.5
“To the blessed darkness from which we are born, and to which we return.”
I know loads of people thought this novella was completely pointless, and although I do agree to a certain extent, I think it was really enjoyable! I absolutely adored getting to see all of our characters doing canonically mundane things in preparation for the Winter Solstice. I honestly think that this could have been shorter and just inserted into either one of the previous books, or in one of the upcoming ones, rather than being published as it's own $25 hardcover, but what can you do?
You guys know Ms. Perky from 10 Things I Hate About You? The principle who sits in her office writing smut? That's literally Sarah J. Maas and nothing you say could convince me otherwise.
“To the blessed darkness from which we are born, and to which we return.”
I know loads of people thought this novella was completely pointless, and although I do agree to a certain extent, I think it was really enjoyable! I absolutely adored getting to see all of our characters doing canonically mundane things in preparation for the Winter Solstice. I honestly think that this could have been shorter and just inserted into either one of the previous books, or in one of the upcoming ones, rather than being published as it's own $25 hardcover, but what can you do?
You guys know Ms. Perky from 10 Things I Hate About You? The principle who sits in her office writing smut? That's literally Sarah J. Maas and nothing you say could convince me otherwise.
The Girl with the Dogs by Anna Funder
4.0
"He looks up and smiles again and in that instant he is a man with no past, who wishes only to love his wife, standing there in front of him."
This book has always sat in my favourite section of my local bookstore. I was always fascinated by the title, but never intended on picking it up. Until the day I had a mere $10 in my pocket, with every other book in that bookstore well and truly over $20, and I decided to pick it up. This book is only 57 pages, so naturally, I assumed it could either be the greatest 57 pages ever or that it would fall completely flat and I'd regret wasting $10 on it. Thankfully, it was engaging and I think it spoke of a valuable topic. What would have come of my life if I had chosen to go down that path? What could have been?
This was a quick read which I'm glad to have read, and I would recommend picking it up if you've got 20 minutes to spare!
This book has always sat in my favourite section of my local bookstore. I was always fascinated by the title, but never intended on picking it up. Until the day I had a mere $10 in my pocket, with every other book in that bookstore well and truly over $20, and I decided to pick it up. This book is only 57 pages, so naturally, I assumed it could either be the greatest 57 pages ever or that it would fall completely flat and I'd regret wasting $10 on it. Thankfully, it was engaging and I think it spoke of a valuable topic. What would have come of my life if I had chosen to go down that path? What could have been?
This was a quick read which I'm glad to have read, and I would recommend picking it up if you've got 20 minutes to spare!
The Giver by Lois Lowry
5.0
“Even trained for years as they all had been in precision of language, what words could you use which would give another the experience of sunshine?”
I wish I could tell you how many times I've read this book... (minimum of 5 with a maximum of 125 times). I'm not sure whether it's the nostalgia I feel when I reread this that earns this book its 5 stars or the fact that it truly deserves 5 stars, but nonetheless, this book has been one of my absolute favourites for many years now, and I don't think I'll ever get tired of rereading it. The way Lois Lowry depicts human emotion is so beautiful and it never ceases to amaze me. I'd be surprised if anyone on this website hasn't yet read this book, but if you've been putting it off or have never thought about reading it, please pick it up. You won't be disappointed!
I wish I could tell you how many times I've read this book... (minimum of 5 with a maximum of 125 times). I'm not sure whether it's the nostalgia I feel when I reread this that earns this book its 5 stars or the fact that it truly deserves 5 stars, but nonetheless, this book has been one of my absolute favourites for many years now, and I don't think I'll ever get tired of rereading it. The way Lois Lowry depicts human emotion is so beautiful and it never ceases to amaze me. I'd be surprised if anyone on this website hasn't yet read this book, but if you've been putting it off or have never thought about reading it, please pick it up. You won't be disappointed!
My Purple Scented Novel by Ian McEwan
4.0
"Time can be ruthless with reputation."
Despite how little this story was, it was so clever. With only 36 tiny pages and humongous text, this story managed to tick all my boxes. There's really not much for me to say about this since a 36 page book can't possibly have too big of a synopsis, but I will say that it was a brilliant account of plagiarism and competitive friendship which was handled so well by McEwan. This being my first Ian McEwan read definitely set high expectations and I really can't wait to pick up a full length novel by him! If you're interested in reading this, I think it's 100% worth 20 minutes of your time!
Despite how little this story was, it was so clever. With only 36 tiny pages and humongous text, this story managed to tick all my boxes. There's really not much for me to say about this since a 36 page book can't possibly have too big of a synopsis, but I will say that it was a brilliant account of plagiarism and competitive friendship which was handled so well by McEwan. This being my first Ian McEwan read definitely set high expectations and I really can't wait to pick up a full length novel by him! If you're interested in reading this, I think it's 100% worth 20 minutes of your time!