DNF Rant-Review: The Accidental Bad Girl by Mazine Kaplan

Title: The Accidental Bad Girl
Author: Maxine Kaplan
Publication Date: May 15th 2018
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams Books
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: A&CB International
Buy Links: Amazon || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Foyles || Waterstones || WHSmith || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: After getting caught hooking up with her best friend’s ex on the last day of junior year, Kendall starts senior year friendless and ostracized. She plans to keep her head down until she graduates. But after discovering her online identity has been hacked and she’s being framed for stealing from a dealer, Kendall is drawn into a tenuous partnership with the mastermind of a drug ring lurking in the shadows of her Brooklyn private school. If she wants to repair her tattered reputation and save her neck, she’ll have to decide who she really is—and own it. The longer she plays the role of “bad girl,” the more she becomes her new reputation. Friends and enemies, detectives and drug dealers—no one is who they appear to be. Least of all Kendall. 

DNF on page 163 (49%)

When I initially read the synopsis for this book, I thought it sounded like The Accidental Bad Girl would be a really interesting read. A good girl turning bad and… liking it? After she slept with her best friend’s boyfriend? It seemed like a fun, different read and I was all for it

.

It took me a while to pick it up from my TBR, but when I did, I immediately took a disliking to it.

It was a lot of small reasons that added themselves together, and suddenly, I found me forcing myself to read on just BECAUSE it was a review copy, which just seemed so silly to me when I realised – what is the point in attempting to recommend a book that I was forcing myself to read? – that I put it down. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

1.       The Main Character, Kendall: I mean. She was sad, but not about her friend and betraying her friend’s trust, but about being ostracized. The whole concept was so strange. If the trigger to all the bad events in Kendall’s life was her BEST FRIEND, and then she didn’t really CARE about the best friend, what was the plot even?

ARCs from the Author's Twitter

2.       AUDREY: This is the best friend, by the way, and I ABSOLUTELY HATED HER GUTS. She was rude, RUDE and even the even ruder. I didn’t understand the things she was trying to do, from the perspective of a friend.

I guess, more than the both of them individually, I HATED WHO THEY WERE AS FRIENDS TO EACH OTHER. In fact, using the word friend to describe them is probably stretching it. For Kendall, there was no remorse. Also, WHY WOULD YOU GO AFTER YOUR BEST FRIEND’S EX-BOYFRIEND? Haven’t you heard of the GIRL CODE// THE BEST FRIEND CODE? And for Audrey, she was pissed off with Kendall just because Kendall had stolen something – not someone – that she used to have. That’s it.

3.       THE PARENTING: The interactions and reactions between Kendall and her parents were so incredulous and unbelievable that I cringed EVERY TIME. THIS IS NOT HOW PARENTS TALK TO CHILDREN. Also, if you never returned homw because you’d passed out DRUNK of the school steps (or that’s what your parents knew) ARE YOUR PARENTS FIRST REACTION GOING TO BE ‘You are not expelling my daughter, she’s done nothing wrong.’ Or actually PARENT THE CHILD and not call her a day later saying ‘I think you’re grounded.’

Honestly, I was forcing myself to read this so much, I flipped to the end to see if there was any point in continuing and HONESTLY, I WAS SO ANNOYED AT THE WAY EVERYTHING ENDED.

Would I recommend this book? No. I couldn’t even bring myself to finish it. 1 star. 

Maxine Kaplan was born in Washington, DC. She and her twin sister spent their early childhoods trotting behind their journalist parents as they traveled around the world, eventually settling in Brooklyn, NY. Maxine graduated from Oberlin College in 2007. Following a long stint in the world of publishing, she has worked as a private investigator since 2009. She lives in her adopted hometown of Brooklyn, NY, with her lovely husband and complex cat. THE ACCIDENTAL BAD GIRL is her debut novel. Follow Maxine on Twitter @MaxineGKaplan

What was the last book you thought you'd like, but didn't?

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

 

Sharp, Bold Writing That Will Have You Hooked // REVIEW: Goodbye Freddie Mercury by Nadia Akbar

Title: Goodybe Freddie Mercury
Author: Nadia Akbar
Publication Date: June 2018
Publisher: Penguin Random House India
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: PRH India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Flipkart || Infibeam || Google Books

Blurb Description: Play the game,everybody play the game . . . 
Lahore is burning. General elections are right around the corner. The summer city rages with the drug-fuelled parties of the oblivious, the rich and famous, while campaign posters and rally cries dominate the airwaves.
Bugsy, rock RJ and host of the nation's top English radio show, is young and fabulous. Seeking more than wealth, fame and prestige, he performs a dangerous for old friend that plunges him into the dark recesses of desi politics. Nida, a young student desperate to escape the oppressive atmosphere of her traditional family home and her conservative college, and still mourning the death of her brother, throws herself recklessly into the drug-addled arms of Omer Ali, son of the prime minister's right-hand man. As Nida spirals in decadence and Bugsy descends into darkness, their paths cross and sparks begin to fly.
Nadia Akbar's audacious debut has all the makings of a cult novel-parties, drugs, mysteries, love triangles, political intrigue and power struggles - but its lush, sexy writing has the assuredness and precision of the most acute style of our time. Told in alternating voices and brimming with sharp observation, Goodbye Freddie Mercury hits the rocks and trails atwist.

“The truth – I’m asking for trouble. Trouble is too damn interesting. Trouble is an integral part of the desi lifestyle. It’s what we do.”

Reading Goodbye Freddie Mercury was this experience that is, quite honestly, hard to describe. It started off like this normal, everyday book. Interesting and intriguing, but nothing spectacular. And then, at some point, I looked up and I was hooked, invested and in love.

What I mean to say (in non-rambling terms) is that this book GREW ON IMMESNELY. Reading Nadia Akbar’s sharp, earnest writing felt I was right in the middle of a storm, enjoying the rain and trying to hold on to my sense of self as well, instead of being pulled completely into Nida and Bugsy’s story.

MY THOUGHTS:

1.       Let’s PLEASE talk about that cover, because it. Is. Beautiful. The minute I saw it, I knew I would HAVE to have this book as a part of my collection because it is STUNNING.

 

2.       I finished this book three days ago, and I’m STILL REELING AT THAT ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING ENDING. I did not see it coming, not even from a million miles away and I honestly don’t know what to make of it. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FUCTION WITH NO CLOSURE ON ONE OF MY FAVOURITE (FICTIONAL) PEOPLE?

3.       Goodbye Freddie Mercury is told from the point of view of two people – Nida, a girl grieving the death of her brother and desperate to get away from home and her family, and Bugsy, Pakistan’s star rock RJ, who gets in deep with two warring sides of a political struggle. I loved who they were individually, how they interacted and just their bone deep pain than emanated off the page.

4.       Nadia Akbar’s writing, like I mentioned above is truly exceptional. It was sharp and filled with observations of the everyday desi citizen’s life, and about politics, family and life. It shook me to my core, made me think and had me INVESTED in the lives of people I’d never met.

5.       I loved the portrayal of Pakistan and its elite in Akbar’s Goodbye Freddie Mercury. Set in Lahore, a major Pakistani city, Goodbye Freddie Mercury brings to life a country on the precipice of decadence, looking only towards the spiral downwards. Whether it was politics, the partying culture or just the general decadent lives, the story and the writing was JUST SO BOLD and I can’t recommend diving in enough.

Would I recommend this book? HECK YES. Go and pick up a copy already.

A sharp and bold tale set in contemporary Pakistan with stunning writing that is a must read!

Nadia Akbar is a Pakistani-American novelist. She was born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan. She holds degrees from Cornell University and the graduate creative-writing programme at the University of Arizona.

What was the last book you read that completely BLEW your expectations?

What are some of the books you read with such a twist ending, you didn't know what to do for days after?

I'd LOVE to hear from you!

 

A Realistic Read // REVIEW: Pushing Perfect by Michelle Falkoff

Title: Pushing Perfect
Author: Michelle Falkos
Publication Date: January 2017
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Harper Collins India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Infibeam || Amazon US || Amazon UK || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || The Book Depository || Kobo || BooksAMillion 

Blurb Description: Kara Winters is always striving for perfection. But when her anxiety takes over, the price of perfection spirals out of control… 'Perfect' Kara Winters has always hated her nickname. Especially now that she no longer lives up to it. She used to have normal friends, she used to be normal. Now all she wants is to get into Harvard and leave high school behind. 
So when the pressure to ace her exams finally gets to her, Kara does one tiny bad thing, just to help out, to ease the stress. If it will help Kara get a perfect exam score and one step closer to a new life, it’s a price she’s willing to pay. 
But she never expects to get caught out. Or that Alex, Raj and her other not-so-perfect new friends might get embroiled in a horrible mess that could ruin all of their futures. Sometimes perfection isn't what it's cracked up to be.

I finished speed reading this book about half an hour ago in class, and I'm struck by how easy it was to actually fall into the world. 

Michelle Falkos created this easily relatable main character, and a world that was just the right amount of complicated for someone to slip in and enjoy. 

Kara Winters has always been the perfect girl. Ever since she scored perfect marks in all her grade school tests, and her teacher call her perfect, the name stuck. She used to have two best friends, a shot on the swim team and a good social life until her skin problem hit her out of nowhere. 

Anxiety grows on her as does pressure when she reaches senior year, and just the thought of taking her SAT's causes panic attacks.

So, with the help of her new friends, she takes some “study aids” to help her focus and gain her some confidence to make new friends.

Until, that is, an anonymous person begins to blackmail her; asking for her to buy more drugs and drop them off, and then the game is afoot.

Thinking about it now, the only thing I can think off is how EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER in this book got off scot-free. There were NO CONSEQUENCES Portrayed in the novel – AT ALL – for the illegal online gambling, the fake prescriptions, the possession and sale of drugs and the countless other characters in the blackmail ring. NONE AT ALL.

Which made it feel only a little unbelievable.

If I’m being totally honest, I didn’t understand the characters much either. I have best friends that have STUCK WITH ME through awkward puberty stages, three strikes and more and well, it all just seemed a little immature that Kara’s BEST FRIENDS didn’t care that she was a) having a panic attack b) miraculously transformed to high school divas and c) DIDN’T BOTHER TO CONTACT HER AFTER THEY KNEW ABOUT HER PROBLEM.

While I did have a few problems with the book, there were certainly some plus points as well.

Alex and Raj were definite plus points in the book! I loved how they were brought in, I loved their vibrant personalities and even their problems. They were easy to get to know and easy to relate to, and I REALLY liked them!

I also loved how UNPREDICTABLE the ending was. I seriously did not see that coming.

All in all, this was a book that I definitely recommend – it’s easy to slip into, handles the pressure of school and friendship and it a GREAT way to pass the time! 3.5 stars.

Michelle Falkoff is also the author of Playlist for the Dead. Her fiction and reviews have been published in ZYZZYVA, DoubleTake, and the Harvard Review, among other places. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and currently serves as director of communication and legal reasoning at Northwestern University School of Law. Visit her online at www.michellefalkoff.com.

Have you read Michelle Falkoff's Playlist For The Dead? What did you think of it?

What are some of your best reads on teen drug abuse?

Don't forget to leave me your links so I can visit your lovely blogs!

A Deep, Different Novel // Mornings After by Tharun James Jimani

Title: Mornings After

Author: Tharun James Jimani
Publication Date: August 23rd 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury India
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Bloomsbury India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Flipkart || Infibeam || 

Blurb Description: On the morning India woke up to the news of the gruesome assault on Nirbhaya, Sonya lay awake coming to terms with a nightmare of her own: If you place your safety in the hands of another, who is to blame for its consequences? Incited by the media post mortem of Nirbhaya that followed, Sonya gives up the security of corporate life and starts a feminist webzine instead. 
When a Bollywood matinee idol –‘Bhai’ to his devotees, and simply ‘The Torso’ to the media – expresses interest in promoting the launch of Sonya’s publication in exchange for a little whitewashing of his latest misogynist transgression, she is faced with the age-old question of just how far can one go till the end stops justifying the means? Thomas, her lover of a mere couple of months, suddenly burdened with contributing to food and lodging and Sonya, unable to apply her political stand to their abusive relationship, negotiate the fluidity and chaos of contemporary urban relationships in ways both familiar and unique. 

It’s really hard to find the right words to describe something out of the box.

It’s also really hard to describe something in a couple hundred words, when you needed to pause on every section of that something to soak it all in.

And by really hard, I mean I’m not sure I can quite capture the essence of Mornings After and deliver it to you, but I’m going to try.

I could give you just three words to describe this novel: intricate, intimate and highly introspective. 

Mornings After is a beautiful piece of literature that takes you deep into the minds of a couple in love, and helps you unravel the threads of thought and the mess of emotions in a highly modernized, free spirited world.

Truth be told, I was already sold when I heard this book was about sexual fluidity, rape and navigating modern relationships, I just didn’t expect Mornings After to also be a journey of two souls, learning to grow up and grow together, to fall in and out of love and most of all, to discover themselves.

Mornings After is a documentation of two souls in Bombay, India, that happened to run into each other. Sonya is a Business School graduate working a standard nine to five job, while Thomas is looking for inspiration. They’re different, and yet, it’s the Potential that attracts them to one another.

As they get to know each other, their relationship becomes something more meaningful and something more toxic, as only the people closest to us have the power to tear us down. They try and see if one will fit in the other’s pre-existing world and also if they can create a new one of their own together.

Then, the rape case that shook India, the Nirbhaya rape case, where a young medical student was brutally gang raped in a moving bus in New Delhi, and her friend severely beaten up as well, just as Sonya has a similar incident of her own sets in motion the need to quit her day job, and just Make a Difference.

Told with a beautiful writing style that I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing before, Mornings After is all about modern relationships, and modern people – how they think, how they live, how they survive – and is also all about getting to know another person intimately. It’s about having the courage to do your own thing, to show the world who you really are, are learning every time you fall.

A Deep, Different Novel that you should be reading.

4 stars.

What was the last contemporary book you read? 

Do you have any recommendations for me that explore the themes that Mornings After does? I would LOVE to check them out. 

If you're looking for something YA, not Adult, I would recommend Louise O'Neill's Asking For It! 

BLOG TOUR: Half In Love With Death by Emily Ross - Review, Favourite Quotes and Giveaway

Half in Love with Death by Emily Ross
Publisher: Merit Press
Release Date: December 18th 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Rate: 4 STARS 

Synopsis: It's the era of peace and love in the 1960s, but nothing is peaceful in Caroline's life. Since her beautiful older sister disappeared, fifteen-year-old Caroline might as well have disappeared too. She's invisible to her parents, who can't stop blaming each other. The police keep following up on leads even Caroline knows are foolish. The only one who seems to care about her is Tony, her sister's older boyfriend, who soothes Caroline's desperate heart every time he turns his magical blue eyes on her. 

Tony is convinced that the answer to Jess's disappearance is in California, the land of endless summer, among the runaways and flower children. Come with me, Tony says to Caroline, and we'll find her together. Tony is so loving, and all he cares about is bringing Jess home. And so Caroline follows, and closes a door behind her that may never open again.

Inspired by the disturbing case of Charles Schmid, ‘the Pied Piper of Tucson’, Half in Love with Death is a heartfelt thriller that never lets up.

While the title - Half in Love with Death - is extremely misleading (this is a straight up contemporary, not anything paranormal) there's something about this book that tends to strike that naive, childlike nature hidden in each of us, where we just want to believe something, even though all the evidence points in the opposite direction.

I know pretty much nothing about the 1960's, not on a social basis at least. What was the status of women? What was life like in general? And yet, despite not knowing, the very thing that stood out to me in Half in Love With Death, is the same thing that annoyed me at times. 

"We all die." She stared at me. "You can't believe everything everyone tells you."

"I don't," I said, though I wanted to believe in things like that."

Jess was the bad sister and Caroline was the good one. Jess got thrown out of boarding school in three months because she stole liquor. Jess dyed her hair blonde with no ones permission. Jess smoked, Jess drank, Jess snuck out and now, Jess is missing.

With not even a goodbye to anyone, or even a note left lying around somewhere, The rumours are that Jess got into a red car with a boy and drove away. That's it. Poof.

Caroline's life is falling apart. Her mother seems to be having an affair. Her father turns to the bottle every time things get even a little hard. Her friends are fake - tattling to her parents and copying her poems. The only person who understands her is Tony. Tony, who everybody tells her is nothing but bad news and that she should stay away from him. Tony, who Caroline has been in love with since he first started dating her missing sister. 

And together, with the boy who can apparently defy death, Caroline starts looking for clues that will lead her to her sister. That is, if her sister even wants to be found...

As I said before, while I commend Emily Ross for giving me such an authentic feel of a young, naive girl's mind, I'm not exactly in a position to judge was lifestyles were like in the 1960's, I just don't know if it should offend me, or amaze me that people were so brazen and yet not back then.

Caroline's voice is only I can only assume is authentic, and it moved me. I completely bought that she believed what she was thinking, even if it at times, I couldn't believe she was thinking it. 

At the end of the day, it's a book I would definitely recommend. 4 stars.

QUOTES: 

"You said he was boring."

"I did, but things changed. It's complicated for us. You can't expect me to not feel what I feel just because of what you feel. That wouldn't be fair, would it?"

Reaction: Um, Wow. Do you say that to your friends. Really?

"Remember I told you that the you were as pretty as May?" he finally said. "The only thing she has over you is her hair." he leaned close. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret. If you dye your hair blonde, you'll get Billy back."

"Tony's an expert at hair dyeing," she said. "He likes his girls to look a certain way."

Reaction: Just a slight comment to you, Tony: We girls aren't here to 'look a certain way' for you. Suck it up. What you want doesn't really matter, so don't go around changing what girls look like just so you can jack off more.

"The thing is, once you don't fear death, it loses its power over you. You live life differently."

Reaction: I guess...

Follow the Half In Love With Death by Emily Ross Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Emily Ross's YA mystery/thriller HALF IN LOVE WITH DEATH is forthcoming from Merit Press(12/2015). She received a 2014 MCC Artist Fellowship finalist award for fiction, and is a graduate of Grub Street's Novel Incubator program. When not writing she works as a web developer and is the mother of two millennials. Find out more at http://www.emilyrosswrites.com/ or https://twitter.com/emilyross816.

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