A Love Story Told By Love (IT WAS ADORABLE) // REVIEW: The Romantics by Leah Konen

Title: The Romantics
Author: Leah Konen
Publication Date: October 17th 2017
Publisher: Harry N Abrams (Amulet Books)
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Abrams & Chronicle Books Ltd (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Perfect for fans of Lauren Myracle and Rainbow Rowell, The Romantics will charm readers of all ages. Gael Brennan is about to have his heart broken when his first big relationship crumbles on the heels of his parents’ painful separation. Love intervenes with the intention of setting things right—but she doesn’t anticipate the intrusion of her dreaded nemesis: the Rebound. Love’s plans for Gael are sidetracked by Cara, Gael’s hot sauce–wielding “dream girl.” And the more Love meddles, the further Gael drifts from the one girl who can help him mend his heart. Soon, Love starts breaking all her own rules—and in order to set Gael’s fate back on course, she has to make some tough decisions about what it means to truly care.

THIS BOOK IS ADORABLE.

And by ADORABLE I mean that it had me laughing at the funny moments (there was a scavenger hunt in a zoo), cringing at the awkward parts as we all tend to do in a romantic comedy and going “aww” (a word I almost NEVER use) when everything was cute and fluffy.

The one liner on the cover sold me on reading this book – ‘A rom-com about love. Told by Love’ – and I loved every second of it.

Let’s break it down:

WRITING:

One of my favourite parts about this book was that it was ACTUALLY told from Love’s perspective, but we got to saw Gael’s thoughts with commentary from Love on what he was thinking. It was ADORABLE, with all these sidenotes about the different types of people who fall in love including Dreamers, Loyalists, Serial Monogamists, Romantics and Cynics, and it was such fun to read that I honestly didn’t want the book to end.

PLOT:

Just like your typical romantic comedy, this book is about a Grade A Romantic who gets cheated on his girlfriend and his best friend and is then on the search to find The One, and all this mishaps that happen along the way. 

The fact that Love was narrating this book made this SO MUCH MORE FUN because you constantly got to see the small things that Love did to set Gael on the right path including small signs, rain (because when do rom-coms NOT have a scene in the pouring rain) and even THE AIRPORT SCENE.

CHARACTERS:

One of my other favourite parts about this book was HOW MUCH it concentrated on family. As Gael’s got cheated on and dumped, his parents were also separating. There was a lot of anger and lashing out, but I LOVED THAT parental control and influence were such a big part of the story. More than ANYTHING, I loved Gael’s baby sister, Piper with her Scavenger hunt skills, French phrases and the optimism only an eight year old can have.

I also loved Mason, Gael’s best friend despite what he did. He is one of the ONLY fictional best friends I’ve found it in me to forgive for cheating because this guy was ADORABLE in his own right and strangely loyal.

I loved Sammy Sutton, Cara and all the other characters in this book too but MOST OF ALL, I LOVED LOVE. The narration and mishaps were what brought this book to life and made it one I will definitely remember.

CONCLUSION:

One of the most hilarious and adorable love stories I’ve read in a while – told by Love itself!

If you’re looking for a read that will have you laughing and rooting for everyone involved, PICK UP The Romantics. 4.5 stars. 

Leah Konen grew up in a two-stoplight farming town in Washington State before moving to suburban North Carolina, where there were many more stoplights and lots of sweet tea. After studying journalism at the University of North Carolina, she headed to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. When she’s not working on novels and articles or writing for fashion brands, she enjoys devouring new books, spoiling her dog, Farley, biking around Brooklyn, checking out live music, and binge-watching TV. 

Find her online at www.leahkonen.com.

What are some of the cutest contemporary novel that you've read?

Have you had the chance to read The Romantics? What did you think of it?

Have you read another book that is told from Love's perspective?

I can't wait to hear from you!

 

REVIEW: The Bad Guys: Episode 2: Mission Unpluckable by Aaron Blabey

Title: The Bad Guys: Episode 2: Mission Unpluckable
Author: Aaron Blabey
Publication Date: November 1st 2015
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 2 of the Bad Guys series
I Got A Copy Through: Scholastic India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery ||  Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith ||

Blurb Description: They sound like the Bad Guys, they look like the Bad Guys... and they even smell like the Bad Guys. But Mr Wolf, Mr Piranha, Mr Snake and Mr Shark are about to change all of that! 
Mr Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys first good mission. The gang are going to break 200 dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound.

It’s been a while since I read the first instalment of the Bay Guys series. I remember being hesitant because it wasn’t a genre I read anymore (I left behind Children’s and MG books a long time ago) but the book actually seemed quite funny so I decided to give it a try.

And to my own surprise, I LOVED THE BOOK.

The illustrations were hilarious, and the story was simple and yet it made me smile. It was a fun, different book and so when the lovely publicists and Scholastic India sent me the second, third and fourth episodes in this series, I was VERY excited.

I decided to binge all three of them because they really take me about fifteen minutes to finish each of them and write reviews in the middle.

Bad Guys 2: Mission Unpluckable maintains the hilarity of text and illustrations that I fell in love with in episode one.

In this instalment, the “Good Guys” (these are a bunch of traditional Bad Guys including a Big Bad Wolf, a flesh eating piranha, a huge shark and a cunning snake who FOR ONCE want to be called Heroes and Good Guys) decide to rescue 10,000 chickens who have been cruelly imprisoned with the help of another bad guy, Mr. Tarantula.

What ensures is a live piranha in a sandwich, a shark dressed as a mother chicken, a chicken parade and meeting the Big Bad Villain who will come back in book three.

There’s not much to say but WOW is this series funny. It’s such a simple concept that makes even me, a nineteen year old teenager laugh because even though it’s targeted at kids, it’s PERFECT for anyone looking for a simple book guaranteed to make you laugh. 4 stars. 

Aaron is an Australian author of children's books and artist who until the mid-2000s was also an actor. His award winning picture books include Pearl Barley and Charlie Parsley, The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon and the best-selling Pig the Pug.

In the field of acting, he is probably best known for his lead roles in two television dramedies, 1994's The Damnation of Harvey McHugh, for which he won an Australian Film Institute Award, and 2003's CrashBurn, before retiring from performance in 2005.

Have you read any books from the Bad Guys series? What did you think of them?

What were some of your favourite books as a child? Do you still read any of them?

I can't wait to hear from all of you! <3!

A Laugh, Cry and Love Guarantee // REVIEW: Once And For All by Sarah Dessen

Title: Once and For All
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publication Date: June 8th 2017
Publisher: PUFFIN Books
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Penguin Random House India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Flipkart || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: As bubbly as champagne and delectable as wedding cake, Once and for All, is set in the world of wedding planning, where crises are routine.
Louna spends her summers helping brides plan their perfect day and handling every kind of crises: missing brides, scene-stealing bridesmaids and controlling grooms. Not surprising then, that she's deeply cynical about happy-ever-afters, especially since her own first love ended in tragedy.
When handsome girl magnet Ambrose enters her life, Louna won't take him seriously. But Ambrose hates not getting what he wants and Louna is the girl he's been waiting for.
Maybe it's not too late for a happy ending after all?
'When I read a Sarah Dessen novel, I'm sixteen again, in the flush of first love.' Jodi Picoult

I read my first Sarah Dessen book when I was twelve years old. A friend gifted me Along for the Ride for my birthday and the very next morning I was halfway into it. From twelve to almost nineteen, Sarah Dessen’s books are ones I’ve cried over and laughed and fallen in love with as I got to know, time and again, Auden, Eli, Remy, Dexter, Annabel, Owen, Macy, Wes, Ruby and all these other couples that taught me so much.

I remember myself over the last seven years through Sarah Dessen’s book, and it’s truly a magical feeling. Which is why, among the BOX FULL OF BOOKS that Penguin India sent me last week, the one I was most excited for was Once and for All.

To Sum It Up: Once and for All was the heart wrenching journey of a girl brought up by cynics who are waiting to be proven wrong and trying to figure out if putting your heart out there is worth the risk while managing chaotic weddings and bad first dates.

Long Story Short: I LOVED IT. This was definitely one of my top five Sarah Dessen books!

Let’s break it Down:

WRITING:

Sarah has this distinctive, subtle form of writing that I’ve loved since book one that all of a sudden throws these beautiful and true lines at you. I’ve loved this BRILLIANT author’s BRILLIANT writing since I was 12 and I don’t think it’ll ever change.

PLOT:

The one thing I love about Dessen’s books is that NONE of them are JUST Boy Meets Girl. There is always more to the story that just one romance, often involving a heart breaking personal journey from the girl’s side and it’s ALWAYS SO REAL. It makes me connect with all of her characters in a way I usually don’t and I love it.

CHARACTERS:

I loved Louna from chapter one. I’m probably like her, a cynic until proven otherwise, scared to let what I’m feeling show. I loved her narration, her story and her fears. I felt, by the first quarter of this book, like I really knew this girl. I also ADORED Jilly, Louna’s best friend, and her whole family. I feel like she deserves her own book.

Her story with Ethan broke my heart. It was this romance that just doesn’t happen anymore and BUT IT DID and it was so perfect while not being unreal and GOSH I ALMOST CRIED.

My one problem with this book was the romance between Ambrose and Louna. I LOVED THEM AS FRIENDS and also as people but their romance and the “love” between them seemed SO FORCED.

CONCLUSION:

This book is about Louna moving on from a broken heart and finding a way to give it to someone else AND it’s set with a wedding planning business in the background which gives off its own form of hilarity.

I LOVED THIS BOOK YOU GUYS. It will make you laugh and cry and fall in love like only Sarah Dessen can. 4 stars.

 Sarah Dessen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen novels for teens, which have received numerous awards and rave reviews. Her books have been published in over thirty countries and have sold millions of copies worldwide. She is the recipient of the 2017 Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for outstanding contribution to young adult literature for her novels: Keeping the Moon, Dreamland, This Lullaby, The Truth about Forever, Just Listen, Along for the Ride, and What Happened to Goodbye. Her newest novel, Once and for All, will be released in June 2017. An NC native, she currently lives in Chapel Hill with her family.

Have you read any Sarah Dessen books? Which was the first one you read? 

Which protagonist do you most relate with and which one is your favourite? 

I can't wait to hear your Sarah Dessen thoughts. 

The World Needs This // REVIEW: What's A Girl Gotta Do? by Holly Bourne

Title: What's A Girl Gotta Do? (The Spinster Club #3)

Author: Holly Bourne
Publication Date: August 1st 2016
Publisher: Usbourne Publishing Ltd
Part of a Series?: Yes, Book 3/3 of the Spinster Club Series
I Got A Copy Through: Usbourne (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || The Book Depository || Wordery || Snapdeal || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Google Books

Blurb Description: HOW TO START A FEMINIST REVOLUTION:
1. Call out anything that is unfair on one gender
2. Don't call out the same thing twice (so you can sleep and breathe)
3. Always try to keep it funny
4. Don't let anything slide. Even when you start to break...
Lottie's determined to change the world with her #Vagilante vlog. Shame the trolls have other ideas...

I cried HAPPY TEARS at the end of this book – HAPPY. TEARS.

Why? Well, it’s because What’s A Girl Gotta Do? is THE BOOK that teenagers all over the world need to be reading. It’s THE BOOK that will make you feel like everything you’ve ever felt is normal and justified; it’s THE BOOK that will have you saying, “This happens to me too, and it’s NOT OKAY”

It’s THE BOOK that will have you waking up, walking out and blowing your own loudspeakers at the small sexist things you see every day because WE HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE, RIGHT?

If you’re a teenager, a feminist or even just a person living here, you need to read this honest, spunky, powerful book about why this world needs to treat everybody equally and that we need to start demanding just that.

I live in India. I’m not going to talk about how I’ve been catcalled, abused, objectified or body-shamed. It happens. To every girl around the world, it happens. Instead, let’s talk about why this book took on EVERY HELPLESS THING all girls feel and replay in their heads constantly and turned it into something powerful:

THINGS I LOVED, LAUGHED AT AND HAPPY CRIED OVER:

    1.       #VAGILANTE: This was the hashtag for Lottie’s project. DOESN’T IT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HOW ABSOLUTELY AMAZING THIS BOOK IS and how empowering it was? I was sold on this book before I even flipped it open purely because of this one word. #Vagilante

    2.       WILL + LOTTIE: Not only was this book powerful, it also beat the common stereotype (that I have never understood) that feminists are man haters. Will, our documentary maker, resident cynic and equalist who also happens to be a very good kisser was the PERFECT guy to balance Lottie out. All their arguments about each other, double standards and feminism were utterly hilarious and honestly, they had some of the best chemistry I’ve seen in a while.

3.       THE SPINSTER CLUB: Again, YAY for strong female friendships that don’t get tossed aside when boys come alone. I love the different things all three of these girls bring into their Friendship and The Spinster Club. I know them so well too, each book being told from a different girl’s POV. I love all of them and their kind spirits and need for the world to be a better place.

4.       THE POWER OF THE MESSAGE: If the whole first part of this review didn’t tell you already, the message What’s A Girl Gotta Do throws at your face is POWERFUL, it’s like a wakeup call everybody who’s been sitting back waiting for things to change that YOU have to start that chance. It is THE BOOK this generation needs.

5.       COGNITIVE DISSONANCE: More than make me feel empowered, this book TAUGHT ME SO MUCH. If you don’t know what Cognitive Dissonance is and you consider yourself a feminist, it’s when you have two contradicting opinions. For example, you think body shaming is wrong but want to be fit or thin anyway. I loved that I could learn from and love a book at the same time.

What’s A Girl Gotta Do? is pure feministic genius and it’s the book our generation needs to read. 

 Holly Bourne writes YA novels and blogs about feminist issues. Her favourite things to complain loudly about are: the stigma of mental health, women's rights, and the under-appreciation of Keanu Reeves' acting ability.

Holly's first two books, Soulmates and The Manifesto on How to be Interesting, have been critically acclaimed and translated into six languages. The first book in the 'Normal' series, Am I Normal Yet?, has been chosen as a World Book Night book for 2016 and has inspired the formation of Spinster Clubs around the country.

Before becoming a full-time author, Holly was editor and relationship advisor for a charity website.

Follow her on Twitter to stay updated!

What are some of the best feminist books you've ever read? 

Have you read The Spinster Club Series yet? What did you think of it?

Which book contain some of the BEST teenage friendships in your opinion? 

I can't wait to read your recommendations and hear from you!

One In A Million // REVIEW: Windfall by Jennifer E Smith

Title: Windfall
Author: Jennifer E Smith
Publication Date: May 4th 2017
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Pan Macmillan India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Flipkart || Snapdeal || Infibeam || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: Alice doesn’t believe in luck—at least, not the good kind. But she does believe in love, and for some time now, she’s been pining for her best friend, Teddy. On his eighteenth birthday—just when it seems they might be on the brink of something—she buys him a lottery ticket on a lark. To their astonishment, he wins $140 million, and in an instant, everything changes. 
At first, it seems like a dream come true, especially since the two of them are no strangers to misfortune. As a kid, Alice won the worst kind of lottery possible when her parents died just over a year apart from each other. And Teddy’s father abandoned his family not long after that, leaving them to grapple with his gambling debts. Through it all, Teddy and Alice have leaned on each other. But now, as they negotiate the ripple effects of Teddy’s newfound wealth, a gulf opens between them. And soon, the money starts to feel like more of a curse than a windfall. 
As they try to find their way back to each other, Alice learns more about herself than she ever could have imagined . . . and about the unexpected ways in which luck and love sometimes intersect.

This book’s summary in a nutshell:

     a)      Best Friend Romance (AKA – MY ACHILLES HEEL OF ALL CONTEMPORARY  PLOTS)

    b)      WINNING OVER A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS IN THE LOTTERY.

c)       Lives  have been changed forever

The minute I read Windfall’s summary, I knew I WANTED IT. Which is why, after having binge read this book in 1.5 days, I’m sitting on my bed, typing out this review, slightly in love I’m unable to open another one because IT WAS JUST THAT GOOD.

My Thoughts:

1.        Like I said, I love the idea behind this book. Who doesn’t win the lottery with the hope that they will WIN ALL THAT MONEY and live the life they’ve always dreamed of? Almost NOBODY. Add a best friend romance in the mix and I’m SOLD.

2.       One of the first things that struck me about this book after I actually began reading was how grounded a character Alice was. I always like these kinds of fictional girls better and I instantly connected with her. Also, TELL ME ABOUT UNREQUIETED FEELINGS!

3.       Another things I LOVED SO SO MUCH about this book was the presence of strong, sturdy parents. Alice’s aunt and uncle and such amazing people that only want the best for their son and orphan niece who they’ve taken in as their own. They were the PERFECT PARENTS AND I LOVED THAT YA is finally getting some.

4.       I should mention that they Harry Potter reference almost had me in tears. SERIOUSLY. It warmed my heart and YOU NEED TO READ THIS.

5.       I also loved my boys, Leo and Sawyer. I love big brothers in any kind of setting and Leo was only slightly awesome. I wish we got to see more of Max, of that Leo and Max will have a book of their own because SWOON. Sawyer was also a fun, stand-up kind of guy and I loved his humour.

6.       Surprisingly, the one thing I thought I’d LOVE was the one thing I didn’t like about the book – and that was Teddy and Alice together. For starters, Teddy wasn’t my favourite person. I didn’t have a specific problem with him BUT with all the other great characters, he probably ranked last for me in this book (which is even more surprising because he’s exactly like my best friend IRL.) More than anything, I didn’t feel a spark between the two of them or anything but a forced romance.

Harry Potter references guaranteed to make your eyes shed a few tear drops, the lottery, family and brilliant characters – Windfall is one amazing book you should get your hands on!

 Jennifer E. Smith is the author of eight books for young adults, including WINDFALL and THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. She earned her master's degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and her writing has been translated into 33 languages.

You can visit her on her website or follow her on Twitter

 If you won a MILLION dollars in the lottery, what would be the first thing you did? 

Have you read Windfall or any of Jennifer Smith's Books? Which one is your favourite? 

I can't wait to hear from you lovely humans.

A Hollywood & Bollywood Would You Rather? with Sandhya Menon, Author of When Dimple Met Rishi + Giveaway

Hi Everyone, and welcome to day four of Meet The Authors! I an SO SO excited to have this particular author on my blog today because:

a) she wrote the MOST ADORABLE YA book with INDIAN AMERICAN teenagers,
b) we have plans to go live in this particular BOOKSTORE/ BAR in San Fran and I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT DAY and 
c)she's an all around, Starbucks and Samosa loving human being. 

Please welcome to the blog, playing a game of Hollywood and Bollywood Would You Rather the amazing New York Times Bestselling Debut Author, Sandhya Menon! 

Would you Rather Situations:

1. Would you rather Spend a night locked in a movie theatre watching all Shah Rukh Khan or all Amir Khan movies?

SRK FOREVER

2. Would you rather Pull Ranveer Singh or Ranbir Kapoor in full DDLJ style onto a train with you? 

Ranveer Singh!

3. Would you rather listen to Sheila Ki Jawani or Munni Badnam on repeat?

NOOOOO. I guess Munni Badnam...but I might not have any ears left at the end. :(

4. Which movie would you rather star/ be a part of the cast of: Three Idiots or PK? 

PK! Three Idiots just looks too...idiotic. 

5. If you had to pick who was hotter: Fawad Khan from Khoobsurat or Faran Akthar from Dil Dhadakne Do? 

Ooh, tough! I'd say Fawad Khan, probably?

Just to mix it up, all Hollywood Style:

6. Spend an elevator ride with Chris Pine, Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth:

ALL THREE. Okay, okay, if I haaaad to pick, Evans!

7. Would you give up Rom Com Movies forever or watch your fav one to the point of ruining it for yourself: 

Oh noooo! I'm gonna go with...probably watching my fave one. Because at least I get to watch something!

8. Be Locked in a Library for days until you catch up on your TBR or Have five minutes to grab everything you can for free in Barnes and Noble:

Oooh, being locked in a library sounds AMAAAAZING

9. Meet either Dimple or Rishi in real life, out of your book:

Aaahhh! This is an evil question! My answer is Drishi! Or Rimple! ;)

10. Give up either Twitter or Instagram forever: 

Twitter is life, so IG would have to go.

Title: When Dimple Met Rishi

Author: Sandhya Menon

Publication Date: May 30th 2017

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone

I Got A Copy Through: I won it!

Buy Links: Amazon IN || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: A laugh-out-loud, heartfelt YA romantic comedy, told in alternating perspectives, about two Indian-American teens whose parents have arranged for them to be married. 
Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right? 
Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself. 
The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not? 
Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

Hi, hi!

My name is Sandhya Menon, and I’m a New York Times and national Indie bestselling author. I write books for teens (and those who still feel like teens inside!). I currently live in Colorado, where I’m on a mission to (gently) coerce my husband, son, and daughter to watch all 3,221 Bollywood movies I claim as my favorite. Also, I love my pets a little too much, as you can probably tell.

My YA contemporary novel WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI is out now. Buy here or add it on Goodreads if you like!

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