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?

 

A Disappointment // ARC Review: As She Fades by Abbi Glines

Title: As She Fades
Author: Abbi Glines
Publication Date: April 3rd 2018
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan INTL (Thank You!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || Wordery || Foyles || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: On the night of her high school graduation, Vale McKinley and her boyfriend Crawford are in a terrible car accident that leaves Crawford in a coma. They were supposed to spend the summer planning for college, for a bright future full of possibility. Together. Instead, Vale spends long days in the hospital, hoping Crawford will awaken.
Slate Allen, a college friend of Vale's brother, has been visiting his dying uncle at the same hospital. When he and Vale meet, she can't deny the flutter of an illicit attraction. She tries to ignore her feelings, but she's not immune to Slate's charm. Slowly, they form a cautious friendship.
Then, Crawford wakes up . . . with no memory of Vale or their relationship. Heartbroken, Vale opts to leave for college and move on with her life. Except now, she's in Slate's territory, and their story is about to take a very strange turn.

DISCLAIMER: I read from an ARC and as I have no access to a finished copy, I'm unable to check if any of the quotes from below have changed.  

*THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*

THIS BOOK LET ME DOWN.

No, let me correct that statement – this book MORE THAN LET ME DOWN.

In all honestly, As She Fades MADE ME ANGRY, and BORED ME ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Angry because these characters were NOT well developed, the writing was SO AWKWARD AND STILTED AND UNBELIEVABLE and also BORED me because the story was predictable, the characters felt 2-d and unrealistic and THIS JUST WAS NOT A BOOK I ENDED UP ENJOYING.

In fact, it got SO BAD that by the time I was at around page 180, I just flipped to the end and read the last chapter, just to be done with it all.

THINGS I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK:

1.       THE WRITING:

“I watched as he walked out of the room. He really did have his own special swagger. It was hard not to watch. The bad-boy persona fit him well. But now I had been given a peer into his heart. And apparently it was pretty big. Not self-centred like I had thought."

IT JUST DOESN’T READ WELL, YOU KNOW? The writing made me not like the plot and the characters (BOTH OF WHICH I WILL GET TO LATER)

It was like the concept of commas, semicolons or hyphens were LOST on this book. It might have changed in the finished copy, but I simply couldn’t get into this stilted writing.

2.       THE CHARACTERS (The Vale Edition):

This story is told from ‘GOOD GIRL’ Vale and ‘BAD BOY’ Slate’s points of view. And, quite honestly, I couldn’t like either of them.

Even when things were told from Vale’s point of view, I just couldn’t connect with her. She made major life decisions within one page, and they held almost no emotion. She was jealous, petty and when the plot twist came to life, I JUST DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.

HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLE BE A “CHANGED” PERSON WHEN YOU’VE SPENT OVER A MONTH IN A COMA, LITERALLY UNCONSCIOUS? It just felt like such a cop-out story, the way the narrative changed purely for the ‘shock’ factor even though it didn’t make any sense.

3.       THE BAD BOY TROPE (The Slade Edition):

If I read this book six to eight years ago, I probably would’ve liked it. But, as my feminist side has evolved. HORRIBLE TROPES LIKE THE ALMOST EMOTIONALLY ABUSIVE BAD BOY TROPE are things I’ve come to HATE.

SLATE: “I didn’t need a verbal answer. Your eyes told me. Now I’m asking you why.”

?? EYES DO NOT GIVE OUT ANSWERS, RIGHT??

SLATE: “…Vale asked. She had a really good voice. The sadness in her eyes was hard not to look at. It bothered me. A girl like her should be protected. Not have to face hard shit.”

I CANNOT EVEN EXPLAIN ALL THE THINGS WRONG WITH THAT LINE. So BOYS can face “hard shit” but girls are delicate princesses that just need to sit on their feather beds all day? WHAT EVEN.

In my honest opinion, I don’t think this book is worth it. I can see how some people MIGHT think it is romantic, and I would’ve thought so too, almost a decade ago, but it’s JUST NOT. TREAT GIRLS EQUALLY. CONSENT AND VERBAL CONSENT ARE IMPORTANT.

I didn’t have a good time reading this book. 1.75 Stars. 

Abbi Glines is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, Field Party and Existence series. She never cooks unless baking during the Christmas holiday counts. She believes in ghosts and has a habit of asking people if their house is haunted before she goes in it. She drinks afternoon tea because she wants to be British but alas she was born in Alabama. When asked how many books she has written she has to stop and count on her fingers. When she’s not locked away writing, she is reading, shopping (major shoe and purse addiction), sneaking off to the movies alone, and listening to the drama in her teenagers lives while making mental notes on the good stuff to use later. Don’t judge.

You can connect with Abbi online in several different ways. She uses social media to procrastinate.

Have you read any book by Abbi Glines?

What did you think of it?

 

Novella Review: Rafina by Shandana Minhas

Title: Rafina
Author: Shandana Minhas
Publication Date: May 23rd 2018
Publisher: Pan Macmillan India
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: PanMacmillan India (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon IN || Infibeam || Flipkart

Blurb Description: Rafina looks at the glamorous girl on the billboard outside her window in Karachi and thinks, It won’t be long before I'm up there. Too poor for college and dismissive of marriage, the clear-eyed young woman cajoles her mother's friend and Radiance beauty parlour masseuse, Rosie Khala, into taking her on as an apprentice. Thus begin her brave misadventures – from clumsy parlour assistant, to mostly dependable tea girl, till in a stroke of serendipity, she is ‘discovered’. Poised to have everything she thought she wanted, the only thing standing between Rafina and that billboard are the people who think she should still be using the service entrance.

ACTUAL RATING: 2.75 Stars

THOUGHTS BEFORE READING THE BOOK:

1.       This cover is pretty. AND, I mean VERY PRETTY.

2.       YAY for books set in the Desi/ Pakistani world. There can never be enough of them out there.

3.       I really hope this is a feminist journey.

THOUGHTS AFTER READING THIS BOOK:

1.       I’m just… not sure what I felt while reading it? It was sort of this mechanical read where I kept telling myself, ‘Oh, there’s only sixty three pages left. Let’s get to the end and formulate your thoughts.’ And then I reached the end, and I had felt and thought nothing of this book.

2.       Rafina is basically the story of this young, ambitious Pakistani girl who wants to make it big as she stares at a billboard next to her window, and I WOULD HAVE LIKED IT, except the actual making it big part, which we know happens from the blurb description, was all of three pages in the end and the REST WAS ALL ABOUT MAKING WAX, JUDGING WOMEN AND MAKING TEA. And, I was basically just confused.

3.       Also, there’s this last paragraph in the book that was just SO STRANGE AND DEGRADING, I honestly didn’t know what to make of it.

And that’s… all the thoughts I have on this book. It was strange, and basically felt like a lot of filler and judging poor women based on their body type, size and appearance, and I didn’t really like it much.

This could have been so much more, but it just wasn’t. 

Shandana Minhas, born on 26th October 1975 in Karachi, is an award-winning Pakistani writer. Her first novel, ‘Tunnel Vision’, a first person meditation on life as a woman in a man’s world (“In a coma, reduced to the sum of my biological function, I was the perfect woman. Pretty. Pliant. Docile. Accepting…”) was published in 2007 and shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. It was later translated into Italian as ‘Pakistan Graffiti’. Her second novel, ‘Survival Tips for Lunatics’, was published in 2014. A “bitingly funny” adventure in which a bickering couple accidentally leaves their two sons behind on a camping trip in Pakistan’s turbulent Balochistan province, it became the first children’s book to win a general fiction prize in the region, taking the Karachi Literature Festival fiction prize in 2015. Her third novel ‘Daddy’s Boy’ – an “amorality tale” - was published in 2016 by 4th Estate. Mohammed Hanif called it “heartbreaking and hilarious”. 

Ms Minhas has also written for stage, screen and opinion pages. Her short fiction has appeared in literary magazines, and been adapted for cinema. She is a college dropout, and a mother of three. She still lives in Karachi where she co-founded, in 2016, the indie press Mongrel Books. 

What was the last novella you read? What did you think of it?

What do you think of short stories/ novellas in general?

I'm not the biggest fan, but I'd love to hear your thoughts!

 

REVIEW RANT: Winner Take All by Laurie Devroe

Title: Winner Take All
Author: Laurie Devroe
Publication Date: January 30th 2018
Publisher: Imprint (Macmillan)
Part of a Series?: No, A Standalone
I Got A Copy Through: Macmillan International (THANK YOU!)
Buy Links: Amazon US || Barnes and Noble || The Book Depository || Wordery || Kobo || Books A Million || Chapters Indigo || Google Books

Blurb Description: For Nell Becker, life is a competition she needs to win.For Jackson Hart, everyone is a pawn in his own game.They both have everything to lose.
Nell wants to succeed at everything—school, sports, life. And victory is sweeter when it means beating Jackson Hart, the rich, privileged, undisputed king of Cedar Woods Prep Academy. Yet no matter how hard she tries, Jackson is somehow one step ahead. They’re a match made in hell, but opposites do attract.
Drawn to each other by their rivalry, Nell and Jackson fall into a whirlwind romance that consumes everything in their lives. But when a devastating secret exposes their relationship as just another game, how far will Nell go to win?
Visceral and whip-smart, Laurie Devore’s Winner Take All paints an unflinching portrait of obsessive love, toxic competition, and the drive for perfection. 

Actual Rating 1.5 Stars

I FEEL LIKE WE SHOULD OFFICIALLY RENAME THIS BOOK TO “THE CHRONICLES OF THE MOST MESSED UP CHARACTERS IN LITERATURE.”

Not lying, I was FAIRLY EXCITED when I dove into this book. It sounded like a light and yet adorable high school read that I was quite looking forward to. I even had Laurie Devroe on my blog a little while ago and she is SUCH a nice human and I was looking forward to her second book.

SPOILER: I DID NOT LIKE THIS BOOK. AT ALL. I WANTED TO SHAKE THE CHARACTERS HARD TO ALLOW SOME SENSE TO PASS INTO THEIR SILLY HEADS BECAUSE I DID NOT GET THIS BOOK.

In fact, I was SO SO CLOSE to DNF’ing it that the only ONLY reason I kept reading was because I LIKE THE AUTHOR and I WAS HOPING HER BOOK WOULD TAKE A TURN FOR THE BETTER. (It did not.)

My Thoughts:

1.       About 50 pages into the book, I WAS (STILL) WAITING TO FEEL THE CHEMSTRY between Jackson and Nell. I LOVE the enemies to lovers trope but from the very get go // first scene between them, I STRUGGLED TO FEEL EVEN AN OUNCE of chemistry. They were both headstrong and complicated and unwilling to see things outside of their own perspective and sometimes that works, BUT IT DID NOT WITH THESE TWO and instead they came off as selfish, self-obsessed teenagers with egos the size of a large country.

2.       I get that this book tried to portray the double standards is gives men and women and I WOULD have liked that had I liked the character who was trying to send across that message. Nell Becker was a petty human being who was running The Nell Show and there wasn’t a single time in the book that I liked her as a person. She ran around claiming she had to work twice as hard because she wasn’t filthy rich (but she WAS upper middle class) and because she was a girl (YES, SO AM I) and really, I HATED EVERY SECOND OF IT. This book was a 400 page PITY PARTY AND REVENGE PLOT (sex scenes included) and I AM SO MAD RIGHT NOW.

3.       NELL BECKER FAKED A PREGNANCY AND LIED ABOUT THE POSITIVE ON THE TEST BECAUSE SHE WANTED JACKSON TO BEG AND APOLOGIZE AND PLEAD AND WHAT EVEN IS THAT. I DID NOT UNDERSTAND THIS GIRL OR HER SELFISH AS FUCK MOTIVATIONS. Even as she FAKED A DAMN PREGNANCY FOR SYMPATHY, she had the most HOLIER THAN THOU ATTITUDE AND HONESTLY, SHE NEEDED A REALITY CHECK.

4.       Jackson Hart was NO BETTER EITHER. He knew some pretty messed up drama between Nell’s family and his own and ALL THROUGH THE BOOK HE WAS TRYING TO WIN SOME GAME I COULDN’T BEGIN TO FATHOM.

5.       Really, WHAT WAS EVEN HAPPENING? I was disgusted at the ridiculousness of the characters in the book and the PRIVELIDGE that Nell had but CLAIMED SHE NEVER DID. She was ignorant, rude and playing life in a way I couldn’t understand.

I apologize for the rant, but I am simply mentally EXHAUSTED. If you didn’t get it, I did not like this book. At all. 1.5 stars. 

Laurie Devore was born and raised in small town South Carolina and graduated from Clemson University. She now lives and works in Chicago, where she misses the charms and contradictions of the south every day. In her spare time, she reluctantly runs marathons, watches too much TV,  and works a “y’all” into every conversation. 

How to Break a Boy is her first novel, followed by Winner Take All.

Have you read either of Laurie Devroe's books? What do you think of them?

What was the last book you read that you didn't like at all?

What are some of the book I should stay AWAY from?

I'd absolutely love to hear from you!

 

Audiobook Review: The Crown's Game (The Crown's Game #1) by Evelyn Skye

Title: The Crown's Game

Author: Evelyn Skye

Publication Date: May 17th 2016

Publisher:  Blazer + Bray (Harper Collins)

Part of a Series?: Yes, Book One in a planned Duology

I Got A Copy Through: I bought it via Audible

Buy Links: Amazon US

Blurb Description: Vika Andreyev can summon the snow and turn ash into gold. Nikolai Karimov can see through walls and conjure bridges out of thin air. They are enchanters—the only two in Russia—and with the Ottoman Empire and the Kazakhs threatening, the Tsar needs a powerful enchanter by his side.
And so he initiates the Crown’s Game, an ancient duel of magical skill—the greatest test an enchanter will ever know. The victor becomes the Imperial Enchanter and the Tsar’s most respected adviser. The defeated is sentenced to death.
Raised on tiny Ovchinin Island her whole life, Vika is eager for the chance to show off her talent in the grand capital of Saint Petersburg. But can she kill another enchanter—even when his magic calls to her like nothing else ever has?
For Nikolai, an orphan, the Crown’s Game is the chance of a lifetime. But his deadly opponent is a force to be reckoned with—beautiful, whip smart, imaginative—and he can’t stop thinking about her.
And when Pasha, Nikolai’s best friend and heir to the throne, also starts to fall for the mysterious enchantress, Nikolai must defeat the girl they both love . . . or be killed himself.
As long-buried secrets emerge, threatening the future of the empire, it becomes dangerously clear . . . the Crown’s Game is not one to lose.

Long story short? This book was over hyped, not nearly ruthless enough, it had a love triangle based entirely on insta-love and cool magic that wasn't capitalised on.

I should go into the long story, but, first, what is The Crown’s Game you might ask?

Long ago, in Russia, magic was rampant. The people believed and you could find magic under every rock. There were fairies and nymphs and all sorts of magical creatures, but now nobody believes. If magic hit them in the face, they'd probably write it off as somethings their rational brains could comprehend.

Basically, Russia’s magic pool has depleted and only a very few amount of people ever get magic anymore.

Vika Andreyev is one of these people with magical abilities - an enchanter, for use of a better word. And her father, Sergei, is training her to be the imperial enchanter, to help the Tsar and all of Russia. She can summon storms from the sky, she can freeze people, but what Avika doesn't know is that there's another enchanter. Another enchanter, with the other half of Russia’s magic pool. And for her to live, he needs to die.

These rules are dictated by an ancient game called The Crown’s Game. The rules are simple: each enchanter has five turns, and at the end, if the Tsar hasn't decided who his Imperial Enchanter will be, the Game itself will decide, obliterating one so that other can achieve their true potential.

Which is all you need to know. Now, what I didn't like about this audiobook:

1.    The Insta-Love: Yes, love triangles are tedious and overdone, but most of the time, if the rest of the story is intriguing enough, they don't affect me. What did affect me, though, was the RIDICULOUS Instant Love. All it took for Nikolai (the other enchanter) was the fact that his MAGIC called to her MAGIC (Hello? Vika is not her magic) and Pasha to fall in love with her was a couple of glances. I hated it. WHERE’s THE CHEMISTRY, PEOPLE?

2.    The Anti Ruthless Policy: I swear, through half of the book, I felt like I could be more ruthless than these CHILDREN playing games with magic and thrones. Russia seems like a cutthroat world, and these three were in the middle of its future with no ruthlessness or regard for anything except their own whiny feelings!

3.    The Predictability: I FUCKING CALLED EVERYTHING IN THIS BOOK. Well, except for one plot twist that I'm being accommodating and giving it a star for, but other than that, I predicted everything and I HATE it when that happens.

What I liked?

The enchantments in the game were very cool, and I love magic with almost no limits. But while there was an awesome amount of imagination out into these tricks, I didn't see how these tricks were showing the Tsar how his Imperial Enchanter could give him advice - POLITICAL ADVICE - that would help him rule Russia.

I also ADORED the Narration! Steve West has brilliant oratory skills, and an even better Russian accent and I felt like I was getting the whole deal!

Overall, a 3 star book that was just overhyped.

Which was the last over-hyped book you read? Which book, in your opinion, has the coolest magic? Have you read The Crown's Game? What did you think?

I can't wait to talk magic with y'all!

ARC Review: Not Okay, Cupid by Heidi Kling

Title: Not Okay, Cupid
Author: Heidi Kling
Publisher: Entangled Crush
Publication Date: January 11th 2016
Part of A Series?: No.
I Got A Copy Through: ARC via NetGalley

Blurb Description: Her wicked revenge, or his wicked heart...

Hazel McCallister loves her life. Perfect grades. Perfect best friend. Perfect boyfriend. Until her perfect boyfriend cheats on her with her perfect best friend. Now Hazel’s in free fall—until her best friend’s brother, Felix, gives her the perfect idea. Reclaim her power by taking revenge on her cheating ex.

Felix James loves his life. Casual relationships. Loads of surfing. He’s as drama-free as they come. But he can’t stand by when his sister steals her best friend’s boyfriend, and the dude insists it was Hazel’s fault. So Felix vows to help turn Hazel into a girl her ex can’t resist—so then she can break his heart.

With an alliance in place, Hazel’s revenge is all but assured. But with each piece of payback, she feels a stronger attraction to Felix, even though revenge will turn her into a girl Felix could never be with. And soon Hazel has to make an impossible choice: revenge...or Felix, the boy who’s stolen her heart.

WARNING! This book contains betrayal, revenge, and that most tempting vice of all, the bad boy you know you can't have

**MY REVIEW**

For reals, I’m conflicted about how I feel about Not Okay, Cupid.

Let me elaborate. I’m a high school senior, and despite me reading an awful ton, I’m Indian, which means the world I live in isn’t as socially liberal as the West. And yet, I’m a free thinker out here compared to previous generations. So, since I’m the same age as the characters in this book, I expect most people at seventeen to have grown up past the point of all of the ‘like OMG!’ and the ‘for reals.’

And for whatever reason, even though the characters were sixteen or seventeen, I’m not entirely sure which, they seems to me like they were just tweens. All of them. With their cupid and psyche obsession, where the guy where a DIAPER (?) and the bad boy who sleeps around can’t get over how cute this girl is. I’m all for the girl that tames the bad guy – the worse the guy is the better – but come on, at least make me believe he is who you say he is.

For the first half of the book, I was rather dumbfounded at how it was reading like something twelve year old me would have read. How her boyfriend and her best friend were hands down each other’s pants in the CAFETERIA and yet nobody notices, what a terrible best friend her best friend was with ‘but your boyfriend and I have something special’ and how she herself was ready to get MARRIED and have KIDS with her high school boyfriend who was a complete ASSHAT.

I tried to garner sympathy for this silly main character, I really did, but I just couldn’t. She was whiny, she didn’t know what she wanted out of life, or how to do anything when life got even a little hard. She somehow always needed a guy by her side, and then there was this bad guy (yes, I’m going to say this again) that she could be sarcastic with (not really though, that was all just silly, not sarcasm) and that made her feel like herself. He even called her Basil. UM. UHM.

Anyway, I kept hoping that this book would get better, but it simply did not.

I guess I’m quite disappointed. 2 stars.