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hollymaynisbet's reviews
62 reviews
One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus
4.0
Second book for my book a day for a week!
If this got turned into a tv series, I would binge watch it in a day.
I had seen this book all around Youtube and TikTok, so I bought it a while back. It was described to me as "Pretty Little Liars meets Breakfast Club" and I knew then that I had to read it. However, only yesterday did I actually read it and I so understand the hype. The writing was so detailed and thorough that it felt as though I was the one trying to figure out who killed Simon.
The different 'secrets' that each person was trying to conceal was so fitting for their character (I won't reveal said secrets, go read it yourself). I loved the different perspectives we have through each chapter and how each point of view ends with a hint towards what that person is hiding or their own thoughts during a situation. This really helped 'Karen M. McManus' carry this mysterious tone throughout the entire book.
The book was split into 3 parts, which I found to be quite smart. Part 1: Simon Says, is the death and revealing of secrets. Part 2: Hide and seek, the aftermath of the secrets and how they're dealing with the investigation. And finally, Part 3: Truth or dare, the resolution of the entire event. Being split not only gave the book this really simple yet effective structure, it also helped the audience feel as though it was an investigation that we were apart of.
The bond that the characters made because of this event was really sweet and the conclusion just made me feel very happy, I didn't stop smiling for a while.
The only reason I didn't give it the 5/5 was because towards the end, I could see where it was going. But it was still a tremendous read and I recommend this to anyone. If Netflix ever saw this review (I highly doubt it), please make this a movie or tv show!
Happy reading!
If this got turned into a tv series, I would binge watch it in a day.
I had seen this book all around Youtube and TikTok, so I bought it a while back. It was described to me as "Pretty Little Liars meets Breakfast Club" and I knew then that I had to read it. However, only yesterday did I actually read it and I so understand the hype. The writing was so detailed and thorough that it felt as though I was the one trying to figure out who killed Simon.
The different 'secrets' that each person was trying to conceal was so fitting for their character (I won't reveal said secrets, go read it yourself). I loved the different perspectives we have through each chapter and how each point of view ends with a hint towards what that person is hiding or their own thoughts during a situation. This really helped 'Karen M. McManus' carry this mysterious tone throughout the entire book.
The book was split into 3 parts, which I found to be quite smart. Part 1: Simon Says, is the death and revealing of secrets. Part 2: Hide and seek, the aftermath of the secrets and how they're dealing with the investigation. And finally, Part 3: Truth or dare, the resolution of the entire event. Being split not only gave the book this really simple yet effective structure, it also helped the audience feel as though it was an investigation that we were apart of.
The bond that the characters made because of this event was really sweet and the conclusion just made me feel very happy, I didn't stop smiling for a while.
The only reason I didn't give it the 5/5 was because towards the end, I could see where it was going. But it was still a tremendous read and I recommend this to anyone. If Netflix ever saw this review (I highly doubt it), please make this a movie or tv show!
Happy reading!
You Have a Match by Emma Lord
4.0
!Sort of contains spoilers, but none major! Read at your own risk!
This is the first book of my 1 Book a day - for a week - and it was a good start. A carefree, wholesome read!
I've decided to spend the time I have off of school catching up with my reading, that's why for the next 7 days - Wednesday to Wednesday - I'll be reading a book a day. I popped onto the website 'How Long to Read', which in my opinion is one of the greatest websites to ever exist, and it said it should take 4 hours and 30 minutes to read. The 302 pages took me about 7 hours with the constant distraction of parents, siblings, and of course food.
The reason I didn't give it the full 5 stars, was because at certain times I was a little confused on what was happening. For example, "Not trying to spoil!", when Abby (the main character) was arguing with her parents in the camp parking lot, it felt a bit chaotic. Which I can understand may have been intentional to capture how Abby was feeling in that moment, if this is the case, Emma Lord did a tremendous job at representing this emotion.
The writing was really carefree and made me feel comfortable when reading. At the start I wondered if it would become like Parent Trap - sisters meet at camp, yada yada - but it in fact was the opposite, with layers and depth. The characters all had a unique something about them that the audience could relate to in some way.
Mickey with her creative parents and interesting growing collection of temporary tattoos. Leo with his love of cooking - makes me want to try and put cinnamon into everything I cook. Savvy with her controlling personality and love of Instagram. Finn with his family issues. And Abby with her boy troubles, failing grades! Abby I can definitely relate to.
I would say, if you want a book that makes you feel warm, or a book for summer, this is your book! I'll leave this review with my favourite quotes that gave me butterflies.
"Told you. Stick with me this summer Bubbles, and I’ll get you the best views this place has to offer"
Happy reading!
This is the first book of my 1 Book a day - for a week - and it was a good start. A carefree, wholesome read!
I've decided to spend the time I have off of school catching up with my reading, that's why for the next 7 days - Wednesday to Wednesday - I'll be reading a book a day. I popped onto the website 'How Long to Read', which in my opinion is one of the greatest websites to ever exist, and it said it should take 4 hours and 30 minutes to read. The 302 pages took me about 7 hours with the constant distraction of parents, siblings, and of course food.
The reason I didn't give it the full 5 stars, was because at certain times I was a little confused on what was happening. For example, "Not trying to spoil!", when Abby (the main character) was arguing with her parents in the camp parking lot, it felt a bit chaotic. Which I can understand may have been intentional to capture how Abby was feeling in that moment, if this is the case, Emma Lord did a tremendous job at representing this emotion.
The writing was really carefree and made me feel comfortable when reading. At the start I wondered if it would become like Parent Trap - sisters meet at camp, yada yada - but it in fact was the opposite, with layers and depth. The characters all had a unique something about them that the audience could relate to in some way.
Mickey with her creative parents and interesting growing collection of temporary tattoos. Leo with his love of cooking - makes me want to try and put cinnamon into everything I cook. Savvy with her controlling personality and love of Instagram. Finn with his family issues. And Abby with her boy troubles, failing grades! Abby I can definitely relate to.
I would say, if you want a book that makes you feel warm, or a book for summer, this is your book! I'll leave this review with my favourite quotes that gave me butterflies.
"Told you. Stick with me this summer Bubbles, and I’ll get you the best views this place has to offer"
Happy reading!
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
5.0
This is the first book I remember properly reading. I must've been around 10? 11? and it still remains to be one of my stables. The story of Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters is a rollercoaster of emotions; when reading you feel joy for their love and envy for their relationship but then comes the sadness and realisation that these two people can never be forever.
John Green is such a wonderful writer and 11 year old me was vibing with his content - I have a few of his books on my "to read" list which I can only expect to be as good as this one.
Today as I was flipping through his book I saw at the start he dedicated the book to 'Esther Earl', who was a book fanatic who John met at a Harry Potter fan conference in 2009. She sadly in 2010 passed away due to thyroid cancer. I feel like this adds something special to the book because it makes us - the audience - stop seeing this book as fiction but as something that people like Esther, go through in their lives.
Truly fantastic read, recommend to any book reader!!!!!
Also, the movie captured everything about this book in such a beautiful way so if you aren't sure about reading it, definitely go watch it.
John Green is such a wonderful writer and 11 year old me was vibing with his content - I have a few of his books on my "to read" list which I can only expect to be as good as this one.
Today as I was flipping through his book I saw at the start he dedicated the book to 'Esther Earl', who was a book fanatic who John met at a Harry Potter fan conference in 2009. She sadly in 2010 passed away due to thyroid cancer. I feel like this adds something special to the book because it makes us - the audience - stop seeing this book as fiction but as something that people like Esther, go through in their lives.
Truly fantastic read, recommend to any book reader!!!!!
Also, the movie captured everything about this book in such a beautiful way so if you aren't sure about reading it, definitely go watch it.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
4.0
Fourth book of the week! Read this in about 2 hours!
This is such a sweet book about growing up and being a child. I love the relationship between our narrator and the Little Prince - the constant questioning and the open-mindfulness - and how the Little Prince, represents the child within the narrator.
There was so many double meanings in each of his adventures to the neighbouring planets, which allowed me to stop and reflect on everything about growing up and what it means to be kid.
This 93 page story was short, simple, and a necessary read! I recommend this to anyone and everyone!
Happy reading!
This is such a sweet book about growing up and being a child. I love the relationship between our narrator and the Little Prince - the constant questioning and the open-mindfulness - and how the Little Prince, represents the child within the narrator.
There was so many double meanings in each of his adventures to the neighbouring planets, which allowed me to stop and reflect on everything about growing up and what it means to be kid.
This 93 page story was short, simple, and a necessary read! I recommend this to anyone and everyone!
Happy reading!
Night by Elie Wiesel
4.0
My 8th grade English teacher had us choose 2 books written about the Holocaust to help us gain a better understanding. I chose "Night" - obviously - and wasn't disappointed in my choice.
You have to read this! It's such an honest story about the horrors of the Holocaust and through the use of symbolism and imagery, it feels as though you're coming along on this journey. Worth every page!
You have to read this! It's such an honest story about the horrors of the Holocaust and through the use of symbolism and imagery, it feels as though you're coming along on this journey. Worth every page!
The Auction by LovesBitca8
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
Breath Mints / Battle Scars by Onyx_and_Elm
For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
4.0
Fun fact: I loved my friends copy of this book (it was really floppy so the pages were smooth) and she gave me her copy so that I could read it over the summer. Over the summer I found a different copy of the book (a lot stiffer) and bought it for myself. However, when the summer was over and I gave her the copy that was stiff because I wanted the other... Just confessed to a crime?
Anyway, this book was so powerful, the story was easy to read and made me feel so sad at the bullying Auggie went through as a young kid. But it was also really uplifting seeing how different people helped him along the way.
When the movie came out, I jumped at the opportunity to watch it and must say, I was not disappointed. I thought they followed the book really well and didn't notice any plot points missed.
Overall, a really beautiful story and recommend to anyone!
Anyway, this book was so powerful, the story was easy to read and made me feel so sad at the bullying Auggie went through as a young kid. But it was also really uplifting seeing how different people helped him along the way.
When the movie came out, I jumped at the opportunity to watch it and must say, I was not disappointed. I thought they followed the book really well and didn't notice any plot points missed.
Overall, a really beautiful story and recommend to anyone!