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moonofpages_'s reviews
219 reviews
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
4.0
4,5/5 stars
This was so good and well written, the story and the characters felt so real to me, I’m really emotional right now and I don’t actually have the right words to describe how I feel at this moment
This was so good and well written, the story and the characters felt so real to me, I’m really emotional right now and I don’t actually have the right words to describe how I feel at this moment
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
4.0
4/5 stars
“Another secret of the universe: Sometimes pain was like a storm that came out of nowhere. The clearest summer could end in a downpour. Could end in lightning and thunder.”
This book was so cute and beautiful and I absolutely adored it. I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as everyone else seems to do because of the huge hype around it but I’m so delighted that I truly loved it.
The writing was simple and beautiful at the same time, it didn’t feel rushed and I enjoyed every word written by Benjamin Alire Saenz. What I really admired were the magnificent quotes in this book.
“To be careful with people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing.”
Let’s talk about the characters now, starting with Ari, I really connected with this character. I understood his anger, his loneliness, and sadness. He felt real. Life is just not simple. He was fighting his own, personal war and I really felt for him and his struggle with life. I also really connected to the part of him who kept everything inside, I’ve never been an easy talker and I always want to hide my emotions. I just deal with it on my own.
Dante felt like a very sweet boy to me, who was so pure and caring and would do anything to save literally anything, even a little bird. He was so honest with himself and towards Ari and I really admired that about him.
The friendship between Ari and Dante was so special and I wish I could have a friendship like that myself. They trust each other, care so much about each other and do the craziest things together (like smoking pot and walking around naked in a desert, I mean, who does that kind of shit? :D)
I felt like both Ari and Dante really grew throughout the story and I liked how they were transitioning from boys to men. Discovering sexuality, beer, drugs, going out to parties and stuff like that. It made them feel real, experimenting with life and growing up.
I liked how in this book, the characters were strongly connected with their parents. The bond between Ari and his mom was really funny and beautiful and I loved how he and his father went from almost not speaking to each other to really opening up. I loved how the family grows towards each other and how his parents really supported Ari and shared more with him. I also liked the fact that Ari & Dantes parents became friends and hang out together.
Let me talk about Legs next, I really liked how she got into the story and how she got her name. I loved how she connected so strongly with Ari and Dante. Also, the moment when Ari and Dante started talking about how they loved dogs I was instantly sold 😀 I’m just so obsessed about dogs and I really enjoy it when people have a unique bond with a dog in a book because I really do believe dogs can cure you in some kind of way.
“Do you like dogs, Ari?”
“I love dogs.”
“Me too. They don’t have to wear shoes.”
I mean how can you not fall in love? And how funny is Dantes problem with shoes?
I like how we got to guess throughout the book what happened to Ari’s brother. I came up with a lot of theories in my head why he got into prison and why his parents deleted him out of their lives. Let me tell you I was wrong with all my theories but I’m glad we got to know what really happened with him.
This book was so great and lovable and I’m so glad I finally got to read this. Dante and Ari have a special place in my heart now.
“We all fight our own private wars.”
Link to the review on my blog: https://whisperingstoriesdotblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/03/book-review-aristotle-and-dante-discover-the-secrets-of-the-universe-by-benjamin-alire-saenz/
“Another secret of the universe: Sometimes pain was like a storm that came out of nowhere. The clearest summer could end in a downpour. Could end in lightning and thunder.”
This book was so cute and beautiful and I absolutely adored it. I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as everyone else seems to do because of the huge hype around it but I’m so delighted that I truly loved it.
The writing was simple and beautiful at the same time, it didn’t feel rushed and I enjoyed every word written by Benjamin Alire Saenz. What I really admired were the magnificent quotes in this book.
“To be careful with people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing.”
Let’s talk about the characters now, starting with Ari, I really connected with this character. I understood his anger, his loneliness, and sadness. He felt real. Life is just not simple. He was fighting his own, personal war and I really felt for him and his struggle with life. I also really connected to the part of him who kept everything inside, I’ve never been an easy talker and I always want to hide my emotions. I just deal with it on my own.
Dante felt like a very sweet boy to me, who was so pure and caring and would do anything to save literally anything, even a little bird. He was so honest with himself and towards Ari and I really admired that about him.
The friendship between Ari and Dante was so special and I wish I could have a friendship like that myself. They trust each other, care so much about each other and do the craziest things together (like smoking pot and walking around naked in a desert, I mean, who does that kind of shit? :D)
I felt like both Ari and Dante really grew throughout the story and I liked how they were transitioning from boys to men. Discovering sexuality, beer, drugs, going out to parties and stuff like that. It made them feel real, experimenting with life and growing up.
I liked how in this book, the characters were strongly connected with their parents. The bond between Ari and his mom was really funny and beautiful and I loved how he and his father went from almost not speaking to each other to really opening up. I loved how the family grows towards each other and how his parents really supported Ari and shared more with him. I also liked the fact that Ari & Dantes parents became friends and hang out together.
Let me talk about Legs next, I really liked how she got into the story and how she got her name. I loved how she connected so strongly with Ari and Dante. Also, the moment when Ari and Dante started talking about how they loved dogs I was instantly sold 😀 I’m just so obsessed about dogs and I really enjoy it when people have a unique bond with a dog in a book because I really do believe dogs can cure you in some kind of way.
“Do you like dogs, Ari?”
“I love dogs.”
“Me too. They don’t have to wear shoes.”
I mean how can you not fall in love? And how funny is Dantes problem with shoes?
I like how we got to guess throughout the book what happened to Ari’s brother. I came up with a lot of theories in my head why he got into prison and why his parents deleted him out of their lives. Let me tell you I was wrong with all my theories but I’m glad we got to know what really happened with him.
This book was so great and lovable and I’m so glad I finally got to read this. Dante and Ari have a special place in my heart now.
“We all fight our own private wars.”
Link to the review on my blog: https://whisperingstoriesdotblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/03/book-review-aristotle-and-dante-discover-the-secrets-of-the-universe-by-benjamin-alire-saenz/
The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed
4.0
4/5 stars
This book really took me by surprise, it wasn't even on my tbr, I just stumbled upon it and started reading it, and I am so happy I did that!
It was such an inspiring story that everybody should read, I've never read a book about rape culture before and it's a very hard topic but it was somehow represented in a beautiful way.
I also really liked that in the story, the girls stick together, no matter how different they are from each other, they all stand together and face the same fear as one team.
“Silence does not mean yes. No can be thought and felt but never said. It can be screamed silently on the inside. It can be in the wordless stone of a clenched fist, fingernails digging into palm. Her lips sealed. Her eyes closed. His body just taking, never asking, never taught to question silence”
This book also made me hate men a little more than I already did before but oh well :D The guys in this book were just horrible in every way of the definition. I did like Otis and Jesse and I was happy that they didn't make all the boys in this story douchebags.
The characters were so amazing in this book, I really felt for them and I liked that they were so diverse and unique in their own kind of way. I think I liked Erin the most, I also like her bond with her dog spot, and how he can really calm her down. I also think she grew so much throughout the story, I felt really proud of her that she felt confident to talk about everything at the end.
I liked that Rosina was both a very strong, independent woman but also very sensitive and sometimes afraid of what would happen. Grace was very fierce and brave and I adored that she wouldn't give up until she accomplished what she wanted.
When I was reading this book it went so fast, I was never able to put it down and I never felt like I had to push myself to continue.
I did want to see a little bit more of Erin and Otis and I really wanted to know who the two of them would grow more to each other, but besides that, this book really did something with me and I would recommend this to anyone, it has such an important message and it is really really good!
“You save yourself or you remain unsaved.”
This book really took me by surprise, it wasn't even on my tbr, I just stumbled upon it and started reading it, and I am so happy I did that!
It was such an inspiring story that everybody should read, I've never read a book about rape culture before and it's a very hard topic but it was somehow represented in a beautiful way.
I also really liked that in the story, the girls stick together, no matter how different they are from each other, they all stand together and face the same fear as one team.
“Silence does not mean yes. No can be thought and felt but never said. It can be screamed silently on the inside. It can be in the wordless stone of a clenched fist, fingernails digging into palm. Her lips sealed. Her eyes closed. His body just taking, never asking, never taught to question silence”
This book also made me hate men a little more than I already did before but oh well :D The guys in this book were just horrible in every way of the definition. I did like Otis and Jesse and I was happy that they didn't make all the boys in this story douchebags.
The characters were so amazing in this book, I really felt for them and I liked that they were so diverse and unique in their own kind of way. I think I liked Erin the most, I also like her bond with her dog spot, and how he can really calm her down. I also think she grew so much throughout the story, I felt really proud of her that she felt confident to talk about everything at the end.
I liked that Rosina was both a very strong, independent woman but also very sensitive and sometimes afraid of what would happen. Grace was very fierce and brave and I adored that she wouldn't give up until she accomplished what she wanted.
When I was reading this book it went so fast, I was never able to put it down and I never felt like I had to push myself to continue.
I did want to see a little bit more of Erin and Otis and I really wanted to know who the two of them would grow more to each other, but besides that, this book really did something with me and I would recommend this to anyone, it has such an important message and it is really really good!
“You save yourself or you remain unsaved.”
All American Boys by Brendan Kiely, Jason Reynolds
3.0
3,7/5 stars
This story felt very honest. It’s breathtaking and it really made me think about a lot of things in life. It’s a very powerful story and it has such an important message.
I liked how we both got a perspective of the victim and a witness, and they don’t even really get in touch with each other in this book but that didn’t really bother me. I felt bad for Rashad, being accused of doing nothing, just because of the way he looks and for his race. It’s just something that can’t be denied. It’s something that happens in our lives. People get judged by their looks and races, and stereotypes still have a too powerful part of our society. And most of the time, people ignore it, they feel bad for a little time but that’s it. Before I read this book I never really thought deeply about it, but oh man, after reading this book I just won’t be able to put this out of my mind.
“Had our hearts really become so numb that we needed dead bodies in order to feel the beat of compassion in our chests? Who am I if I need to be shocked back into my best self?”
Quinn was such an inspiring character, I really adored how he ACTUALLY DID something about it. He had to turn his back towards his best friends older brother Paul, who beat Rashad, even though Paul has always been there for him and he always felt like an older brother for him too. It must have been so hard for him to do that, but he stood strong and did something about the situation. At the beginning it frustrated me that he just stood by Paul’s side without even knowing the truth, but how he develops throughout the story really amazed me.
What I really liked, is that they went in depth about Rashad’s drawings and what he was feeling and thinking when he was drawing it. I just really loved that we got to see how he was expressing his strong feelings and how he put it out on paper.
I hated Rashad’s dad throughout the book but I liked that towards the ending he kind of felt a little less like a caring less dad and he shows he actually does care about what happened to his son.
There were a lot of scenes involving basketball, which in some way I kind of liked, but in other ways, I did find a little less interesting because I don’t really know that much of it.
The ending felt very powerful and I was satisfied with it.
This book really did something for me, it definitely changed me in some kind of way. And when a book can do that, you know it’s a great one.
“Nobody says the words anymore, but somehow the violence still remains.”
Link to the review on my blog: https://whisperingstoriesdotblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/28/book-review-all-american-boys-by-jason-reynolds-and-brendan-kiely/
This story felt very honest. It’s breathtaking and it really made me think about a lot of things in life. It’s a very powerful story and it has such an important message.
I liked how we both got a perspective of the victim and a witness, and they don’t even really get in touch with each other in this book but that didn’t really bother me. I felt bad for Rashad, being accused of doing nothing, just because of the way he looks and for his race. It’s just something that can’t be denied. It’s something that happens in our lives. People get judged by their looks and races, and stereotypes still have a too powerful part of our society. And most of the time, people ignore it, they feel bad for a little time but that’s it. Before I read this book I never really thought deeply about it, but oh man, after reading this book I just won’t be able to put this out of my mind.
“Had our hearts really become so numb that we needed dead bodies in order to feel the beat of compassion in our chests? Who am I if I need to be shocked back into my best self?”
Quinn was such an inspiring character, I really adored how he ACTUALLY DID something about it. He had to turn his back towards his best friends older brother Paul, who beat Rashad, even though Paul has always been there for him and he always felt like an older brother for him too. It must have been so hard for him to do that, but he stood strong and did something about the situation. At the beginning it frustrated me that he just stood by Paul’s side without even knowing the truth, but how he develops throughout the story really amazed me.
What I really liked, is that they went in depth about Rashad’s drawings and what he was feeling and thinking when he was drawing it. I just really loved that we got to see how he was expressing his strong feelings and how he put it out on paper.
I hated Rashad’s dad throughout the book but I liked that towards the ending he kind of felt a little less like a caring less dad and he shows he actually does care about what happened to his son.
There were a lot of scenes involving basketball, which in some way I kind of liked, but in other ways, I did find a little less interesting because I don’t really know that much of it.
The ending felt very powerful and I was satisfied with it.
This book really did something for me, it definitely changed me in some kind of way. And when a book can do that, you know it’s a great one.
“Nobody says the words anymore, but somehow the violence still remains.”
Link to the review on my blog: https://whisperingstoriesdotblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/28/book-review-all-american-boys-by-jason-reynolds-and-brendan-kiely/