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deluluaruna's reviews
11 reviews
Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Good pick if u want a spicy smut , less drama yet interesting to keep u hooked read.
After / After We Collided / After We Fell / After Ever Happy / Before by Anna Todd
4.0
okay, so this is gonna be a long ass review because i’ve read the After series twice and honestly, there’s SO much to unpack. don’t judge me okay, i liked the steamy scenes and weirdly, even the chaos. but let’s start from the beginning. before everyone jumps in to hate on hardin, let’s talk about tessa for a sec. yeah, she had a rough childhood and a toxic mom, but she also had noah – a loyal, stable guy. even if their relationship lacked chemistry and it wasn’t love, she still cheated. and that was a choice. no excuses. and in the second and third books, she did feel kinda unreasonable sometimes. like she didn’t even try to see how much hardin had changed, or let him explain himself properly. she wasn’t a saint and hardin wasn’t just a villain. that being said, tessa was still wayyy less toxic than hardin. now coming to hardin – he was hot, period. and hero fiennes tiffin playing him? made it worse (or better lol). like yeah, if a guy like that came with that attitude in real life, i’d run the other way. but that’s the thing about fiction, right? it lets you live a reality you wouldn’t survive in real life. as a teen, i romanticized it. wanted to be tessa, wanted to be the center of someone’s universe like that. but now, looking back, it feels kinda stupid. hardin had a messed up childhood, sure. but i never understood why he chose to become the same alcoholic mess he hated in his dad. i hated how it took a girl like tessa – pure, calm, different – to make him want to change. or maybe not change, but try. he knew he was messed up. and still he hurt her, deliberately, sometimes. it crushed me. made me wanna scream. but then you read his POV and you get it. he was scared. insecure. he thought he wasn’t enough. and maybe he wasn’t. but he still tried. he was insanely possessive, yes, but i weirdly understood it when it came to zed and trevor. like, he just knew. but he never acted that way with landon. maybe because landon never had those intentions, and hardin could see that. it wasn’t just jealousy. it was this deep-rooted inferiority complex that came out as anger. still not okay, but yeah, i got it. one thing i did love – after he fell for tessa, it was only ever her. tessa kissed two other boys but for hardin, it was always only her. even at his worst, he stayed loyal. he had flaws, but he genuinely tried to fix them. in london, things were actually going good before the vance-mom drama blew up. he was trying to let go, to give tessa the space to grow – even if it meant without him.
and tessa – she was this scared, unsure girl in the beginning. didn’t even know who she was. she was always trying to please everyone – her mom, noah, society. and then comes hardin – chaotic, passionate, unpredictable – and he completely blows up the fake little box she was living in. yeah, she lost herself in the process. but she also found herself eventually. found the courage to choose for herself. she stayed kind, but also learned to be strong. and god, i loved hardin’s redemption arc. he was a walking contradiction. so broken, so guarded, but still so vulnerable. he grew more than tessa did, honestly – because he had to. he got control over his anger, his addictions, and that whole “i don’t care” attitude. he messed up a lot. but he kept trying. he loved her enough to let her go, but also enough to be better. and that – that’s love to me. not just flowers and sweet words. it’s putting in the damn work. changing. falling, failing, and still showing up.
in the end, i think we all make adjustments and bend our morals when we love someone. and yeah, there’s always a point where you should walk away. but for everyone, that point looks different. tessa, after knowing hardin, wanted him. wanted the freedom he made her feel. she tried being with others, but it never worked. and same with hardin. no one else compared. they were toxic, sure. but they loved. deeply. messily. in a way that made them grow, even if it broke them a little in the process. they gave up a million times, but they also kept coming back. and that kind of love – the kind that makes you fight yourself to become someone better – that’s rare. so yeah, maybe he didn’t deserve her. but he earned her. through pain, through growth, through effort. and maybe that’s what makes this series so powerful. it’s messy and chaotic and full of red flags, but it’s also real in a way most stories aren’t.
then again, it’s just a story. we all have our own lines. our own thresholds. and sometimes, even when the love is real, it ends. but damn, what a story.
and tessa – she was this scared, unsure girl in the beginning. didn’t even know who she was. she was always trying to please everyone – her mom, noah, society. and then comes hardin – chaotic, passionate, unpredictable – and he completely blows up the fake little box she was living in. yeah, she lost herself in the process. but she also found herself eventually. found the courage to choose for herself. she stayed kind, but also learned to be strong. and god, i loved hardin’s redemption arc. he was a walking contradiction. so broken, so guarded, but still so vulnerable. he grew more than tessa did, honestly – because he had to. he got control over his anger, his addictions, and that whole “i don’t care” attitude. he messed up a lot. but he kept trying. he loved her enough to let her go, but also enough to be better. and that – that’s love to me. not just flowers and sweet words. it’s putting in the damn work. changing. falling, failing, and still showing up.
in the end, i think we all make adjustments and bend our morals when we love someone. and yeah, there’s always a point where you should walk away. but for everyone, that point looks different. tessa, after knowing hardin, wanted him. wanted the freedom he made her feel. she tried being with others, but it never worked. and same with hardin. no one else compared. they were toxic, sure. but they loved. deeply. messily. in a way that made them grow, even if it broke them a little in the process. they gave up a million times, but they also kept coming back. and that kind of love – the kind that makes you fight yourself to become someone better – that’s rare. so yeah, maybe he didn’t deserve her. but he earned her. through pain, through growth, through effort. and maybe that’s what makes this series so powerful. it’s messy and chaotic and full of red flags, but it’s also real in a way most stories aren’t.
then again, it’s just a story. we all have our own lines. our own thresholds. and sometimes, even when the love is real, it ends. but damn, what a story.
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
4.0
huh.. right. so where do I start? I was in search of a cute rom-com which made me feel like I was a part of the story, like I was the character and that I too felt like blushing and this book was IT. one of my favvv scenes has to be the first time Wes and Libby talk on the phone while watching each other from their windows. then maybe the Burger scene and finally the confession scene. I also liked the little flirty stuff like when they were reading a book together in the car. This book was like a comfort read without too much drama and just the right amount of spice. I related too much with libby because like her, I have a playlist for each occasion and am a music buff. I found myself identified and seen through her character who over-romanticizes everything and loves LOVE! but man, Wes's love did take me a little back. like the way he liked her for so long.. and yet wasn't really imposing. hmm.. nice. anyways here are a few of my favourite lines. also damn, the kissing scene... superbly written!
"My inheritance was the knowledge that love is always in the air, always a possibility, and always worth it."
" Yeah—I have a nerd-level fascination with movie soundtracks...My favorite thing about music— when you played it loud enough through good headphones (and I had the best)—was that it softened the edges of the world."
"My inheritance was the knowledge that love is always in the air, always a possibility, and always worth it."
" Yeah—I have a nerd-level fascination with movie soundtracks...My favorite thing about music— when you played it loud enough through good headphones (and I had the best)—was that it softened the edges of the world."
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
3.0
Pulitzer Prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri's 'The Namesake' is a story of an immigrant Bengali family living in the US- the Gangulies. One of my favorite moments in this book was when Gogol asked his father whether he had been named after the writer because of the near death accident he had experienced. His father's response, "You remind me of everything that followed," hit hard! Fittingly, I finished reading it while on a train to my homeland.
Lallan Sweets by Srishti Chaudhary
3.0
I had desperately wanted to get out of my reading slump, and this book did just that! Completely devoured in a day, and i loved it! It's a slow burn Indian romance revolving around the quest for a secret.however, the ending (though a happy one) left a few open ends. The narrative was well structured but seemed Bollywood-ish at times. But hey, it engrossed me totally, and that was precisely what i look for in a book when i pick it up. This book should be on your TBR list if:
a) You want to read a romance but not one with too many dramas.
b) You want a breezy stay-in read that might even make you listen to old favorite songs.
c) You are a fan of SRK and wish to be nostalgic about the 90s
a) You want to read a romance but not one with too many dramas.
b) You want a breezy stay-in read that might even make you listen to old favorite songs.
c) You are a fan of SRK and wish to be nostalgic about the 90s
The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi
3.0
After being there in my TBR list for 4 years, this book finally got ticked off! When one wishes to read Indian mythology, most of the books are either too fictionalized or are adaptations of the actual texts. Very few of them are able to relate the present to our mythology, but this book does it well. What starts with the murder of Anil Varshneya genius archeologist turns into a deep dive of Indian mythology's grey and unexplonsi arrus. The plot involves four different pieons of a seal that must be brought together to solve the puzzle. Each part of the seal is in the possession of different people who are the descendants of the ancient. Yadava tribe. Along with a narrative of Krishna's life from his POV, the author leads us on a trail to search the most "philosopher's stone" (not the Harry Potter one, sorry).It began at a good pace, but towards the end, the reader is bombarded with loade of information and revelations that one loses track. But 10/10 for the amazingly curated research done and one key takraway from this book was the perspective i have gained. At a time when one fails to relate westernized concepts with the history of India, this book brings to light such amazing facts that makes you believe how India was always a very integral part of the world centuries before as well. The perfect combination of History, Maths. Mythology and Science, this was my first novel by this author, and i would recommend it to all those who are history buffs and love to know some mindblowing facts about our mythology! However, I must warn you that it might be a bit of an overdrive of info. Apart from that, it was a good read.
मसाला चाय by Divya Prakash Dubey
5.0
चाय एक तरह सोशल नेटवर्क है जिससे बहुत सारे ऐसे रिश्ते जुड़ते हैं जिनको हम दोस्ती यारी बोल देते हैं। जोड़ती हमें बातें ही हैं लेकिन चाय वो जुड़ने का 'माहौल' तैयार कर देती है। इसी उम्मीद के साथ 'मसाला चाय को लिखा गया है कि ये आपको अपने-आप से, अपने बीते हुए कल से कुछ दो के लिए ही सही जोड़ने का 'माहौल' तैयार कर पाए।
सर्दी में रविवर की धूप, हाथ में एक कप चाय और ये किताब... must recommend!
सर्दी में रविवर की धूप, हाथ में एक कप चाय और ये किताब... must recommend!
Meet Me at Midnight by Max Monroe
4.0
if sinking back sometimes into the pit of addictively devouring teen-romances was a crime, then your honour, i'm guilty. no reviews, except that this book lasted me 1 train ride. Steamy, butterflies in the tummy, flirty, cute, all check. perfect escape! will probably get back to reading some mature novels from next week. till then, ciao!