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pencilknot's reviews
260 reviews
Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston
4.0
I've always been a big fan of retellings and I when I read the synopsis for this book, I instantly put it on my to-read list. The other books in the series were pretty good, so I had high expectations. However, this book didn't completely live up to it. Sure, I enjoyed the modern twist on Beauty and the Beast, but the romance moved too fast for my taste. In one chapter, Vance suddenly realizes that he has a massive crush. Rosie realizes the same thing a chapter later, and then KABOOM! they kiss and fall in love. Not really my thing and that's where the 1 star goes. Overall, I loved the concept and how it revolved around a fandom, but in the end, it fell flat on the romance.
My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life by Rachel Cohn
3.0
When I read the synopsis for this book, I was pretty excited. A story about rich, privileged kids in one of the coolest countries in the world? Count me in! However, the story really fell flat. Most of the book was just Elle adapting to Tokyo, learning about the customs and visiting places. Not much story. The climax didn't really feel like one, and the romance felt very quick and forced. For example, when Elle and Ryuu are talking about when they first liked each other, I felt that the reasons they gave weren't explained much and didn't add the credibility of the relationship. Another reason why this book is 3 stars is because of one loose end. At the start, Elle talks about her relationship with Reggie and the importance of it to her. But after Reggie gets a girlfriend and decides to stop talking to her, we don't hear of him again. I would really have liked it if we could tie up that loose end. In the end, My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life was a book that didn't live up to my expectations.
Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira
2.0
Well, that was a pain to finish. I was pretty excited to read this book as it combines two things I like: books and romance stories. But to me, the bookishness (is that even a word?) was too much. I tried, but I felt like Phoebe trying to follow the book characters' action word for word was really just ridiculous. Adding to Phoebe’s pure stupidity, the book had all the stereotypical characters: the hot guy that couldn't possibly like the main character, the nerdy bookworm, the matchmaker best friend and the cheerleader. The book felt way too long and many parts seemed unnecessary. The only highlights were the little quotes and excerpts from Phoebe’s romance books. In fact, I actually enjoyed those stories more than the actual novel. If the author were to publish those series, I would definitely read them.