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Drama, YA |
Do you believe in the Murphy’s Law that says ‘there is no perfect plan‘? I do. And I do it with such vigor that I dread making plans. And reading about Type A personalities that have all their plans fail does no good to me at all. Yet the things we do for the love of reading. Read about one such summer plan in The Unexpected Everything and find how it turns out.
About The Unexpected Everything
Book Name: The Unexpected Everything
Author: Morgan Matson
Genre: Fiction – Young Adult, Drama
Characters: Alexandra Walker (Andie), Palmer Alden, Sabrina Choudhury (Bri), Tobyhanna Mlynarczyk (Toby), Alexander Walker.
Setting: Connecticut, The USA
Plot Summary of The Unexpected Everything
Andie is the type A daughter of the Congressman, Alexander Walker. She has been told what to talk, when to smile and how to live. She has a close knit group of friends who are supposed to be together forever. Her love life is designed to last for three weeks and without much heart break. This summer everything changes.
Her father takes a leave from his office due to some political scandal and her pre- pre -med internship falls through and all the good spots are taken. Her on-off relationship with Topher is getting dangerous and even he has an internship at his father’s office. And to make matters worse her friends are fighting over a boy.
But there are a few good things as well. First she meets a very cute and nerdy guy, Clark. Then she get to be a dig walker (Trust me it is good). And her relationship with her father improves or they at least try to. You need to read the book to know more.
Book review of The Unexpected Everything
I had seen The Unexpected Everything being raved by so many of my favorite bloggers for a while now, so I was excited to read it for my A-Z 2018 reading challenge. So I knew I was not going to disappointed by this one. And I wasn’t.
On the positive side, it has all the ingredients of a perfect read – a group of smart girls who are best friends, a lot of dogs, and a super nerdy male lead, who is an author. Sounds perfect right? Sadly, it took me a lot longer than I thought it would take and I don’t think it is a good thing.
Things that worked for me
- I loved Morgan Matson’s writing. The dialogues are witty yet very realistic.
- Andie’s friends are super normal (and that is a rare thing these days) and the author makes sure we are engrossed by their tale right on.
- The chemistry between Clark and Tom was just perfect. They are “cool guy friends” and it didn’t feel forced. Usually I hate how forced the friendship is between the boyfriends of besties.
- I also liked that Andie and Clark were not all consumed with love. I mean I liked the romance but it is just part of the whole story.
- The scavenger hunt theme was awesome. Why are my friends not having one?
Things that didn’t work for me
- The book is sooooo long. It is a YA contemporary, it need not be over 400 pages. At times I just wanted to give up.
- There were places where the pace of the story fell and I just couldn’t keep myself awake. And then all of a sudden it ends. Sigh.
- The story line is super predictable and there is nothing that you have not read elsewhere.
- I never got how the father – daughter dynamic improved. I mean they did have years of strained relationship, and a couple of dinners made it all good? Hmm. maybe I am over thinking this.
Bottom – line
Despite its flaws, The Unexpected Everything is definitely a cool YA contemporary that glorifies friendship and is perfect for a summer beach read or a snuggled up read on a rainy afternoon. I will definitely read Morgan Matson’s other books, if they were a tad shorter than this one.
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Book Lists, Quotable quotes |
As a liberal bookworm, it is quite natural for me to have an affinity towards banned books (not banning books) and collecting quotes from banned books. Here are some that I love and cherish.
Banned Book Week
The American Library Association celebrates the Banned Book week 2018 between September 23 to 29. Of course everyone knows that, it has been the talk of the book blogger world for the past few weeks. Why am I, someone who doesn’t live in the USA , posting about it, right?
I am an Indian, who lives at Dubai and I think banning books are more relevant to me than anyone else. In India books get banned for the weirdest reasons and as a country that has just decriminalized same sex relationship mere days ago, it may not be really surprising. More often than not, random books get challenged for religious reason, so much for being a secular country.
So my enthusiasm to give a voice against banning of books and the banned book week is quite understandable.
TEN QUOTES FROM BANNED BOOKS
I am sharing the quotes I love from the books that were banned in any given point of time in the USA. Let us get on with it.
they say that time heals all things,
they say you can always forget;
but the smiles and the tears across the years
they twist my heart strings yet!
― George Orwell, 1984
I like it when somebody gets excited about something. It’s nice.
― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye
Obscenity only comes in when the mind despises and fears the body, and the body hates and resists the mind.
― D.H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover
I can’t change where I come from or what I’ve been through, so why should I be ashamed of what makes me, me?
― Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
I want anything that breaks the monotony, subverts the perceived respectable order of things.
― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn’t.
― Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
He Who Marches Out Of Step Hears Another Drum
― Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.
― John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men
When people don’t express themselves, they die one piece at a time.
Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak
I had given up some youth for knowledge, but my gain was more valuable than the loss
― Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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review, Thriller, YA |
Do you know who is up to date on all book trends and posts reviews as soon as they finish a book? Not me. Even when I rarely catch up with trend and read something that everyone likes and raves about, everything doesn’t go as smoothly as planned. Let us take the example of One of us is lying by Karen M McManus, a YA ‘whodunnit thriller that rocked the Twitter and blogs last, read on to know more.
Almost a year ago, everyone I knew and followed read and spoke about One of us is lying. After a tedious hunt I found the book and read it as fast as could. You see, I do try to keep up. But I never posted a review because I am generally forgetful and I forgot about the book. Read further to know why the book was so forgetful.
About One of us is lying
Book Name: One of us is lying
Author: Karen M. McManus
Genre: Fiction – Young Adult, Mystery
Characters: Bronwyn, Nate, Addy, Jake, Cooper, Simon
Setting: California, The USA
Plot Summary of One of us is lying
The story begins at detention with five students that fit the popular stereotypes – Bronwyn the class nerd, Nate the brooding bad boy, Addy the pretty and popular girl, Cooper the athlete, and Simon the outcast.
Simon holds a knife over everyone else’s head with help of the school’s gossip website and he knows a lot. Things go haywire when Simon dies of an allergic reaction right in front of them at the detention center.
The police suspect foul play and the four teens are brought under spotlight. Did the fact that Simon was going to publish their secrets the next day had anything to do with his death? You will have to read One of us is lying to know more.
Book review of One of us is lying
As someone who loves reading whodunnit, I sorta guessed the murderer easily. Well, my theory almost worked, though not completely. Karen M. McManus’s writing was fast at some places, especially around the murder, and then lagged in other places. I wish it had a consistent pace but it was not a deal breaker.
Things that worked for me
- It is definitely an easy to read book and I finished reading it in a few hours. And needless to say it was un-put-down-able.
- Kudos to the author for writing such a mostly fast paced story with typical characters and yet, make her mark.
- I liked Addy’s character growth, from an airhead to sort of empowered(?). It would have been great if there was such a character development for all the other characters as well.
- Though marketed as a thriller, it has much more of romance and drama from the other side plots, which kept the story moving, all though slowly.
Things that didn’t work for me
- The multiple POVs for various characters sounded pretty much the same to me.
- How many red herrings are too many? ‘One of us is lying’ many. Since I kinda already guessed it, I felt the clues were too many apparently misleading.
- The romance kinda felt forced and the book might have been more crisper without it.
- I think I keep repeating this on all my YA reviews. Where are the adults? And why is the police so incompetent?
Bottom line
Despite the cliched characters and events, One of us is lying held my attention for the few hours it took for me to finish it.If you like a YA mystery that is more on the side of YA, you might like One of us is lying. If you are looking for more solid mystery/thriller, there are better options.
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Thriller |
It is no secret that I love a serial killer and of course a good cop chase. specially when I receive a book from an author I already have read and loved who now promises an ‘impossible to catch’ psychopath. Well I had to grab the chance to read The Fourth Monkey Killer by J D Barker.
I know you all love my rant induced reviews and are dying to read more from me. Of course you do. (YOU DO, right???). But for once I thought I will let you guys read something from a friend who is not a book reviewer as he begged for a chance to write for my blog (one of these is a lie). So here we go.
Book Name: The Fourth Monkey Killer 
Author: J D Barker
Genre: Fiction – Thriller
Characters: Sam Porter
Setting: Chicago, The USA
Three years after the critically acclaimed and multiple award winning Forsaken, Barker comes up the first book of the series named after the central character of the plot; The Fourth Monkey Killer (4MK).
A major portion of the novel covers events across just a couple of days and the narration moves at a brisk pace. Even the flashback portion that runs parallel to the live narration pertains to a reasonably short period of time and keeps the plot on its toes.
Non-linear narration has been handled professionally and I wouldn’t be far from truth when I say that this does not come across as the work of an author penning just his second novel.
The setting up of the flashback narration, read as: diary entries, is a small dampener in what is a near-flawless price of work. There aren’t many places where unnecessary details or deliberate mis-directions drag the story which helps sustain one’s interest. The fact that Barker has been able to give us a fabulous view into the killer’s head despite the brevity deserves appreciation.
Bottomline:
4MK would appeal to you if you are a fan of detective novels, if you are into stories involving serial killers and to those that like fast paced thrillers.
Hey, it is me again. Do you like the psychopath and troubled cop trope? Do you miss me already? Are you interested in posting on my blog? Talk to me in the comments.
P.S Hint: I would be really glad if you did miss me!
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review, YA |
What would do if you get to know you have about 24 hours before you die? Would you make your peace with it and get on with it? Would you amend your ways and be the best version of yourself? Read ahead to see how They Both Die at the End turned out to be in my book review.
About They Both Die at the End
Book Name: They Both Die at the End
Author: Adam Silvera
Genre: Fiction – Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT
Characters: Mateo Torrez, Rufus Emeterio, Lidia Vargas, Aimee Dubois, Tagoe Hayes, Malcolm Anthony
Setting: New York, The USA
Plot Summary of They Both Die at the End
Mateo is an introvert and is worried about everything he never got to do in this life. Mateo decides that he will stay inside his house after saying his final good bye to his comatosed father. Rufus Emeterio is reckless and a survivor. He has a long list of people to say goodbye to but these things are never easy.
Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio have almost nothing common between them except that they both are going to die sometime during the following day. They have received the calls from the dreaded Deckers informing him of their imminent deaths, thanks to the Deathcasters.
They meet each other through an app called “Last Friend”, designed especially to help meeting of people who have received their ‘End Day’ calls from the Deckers. Together they seek their respective closures and bare their souls before they could say the final good bye. Yes, they both die at the end (at this point, it is not a spoiler, it is the freaking title!).
Book review of They Both Die at the End
Adam Silvera’s writing style is full of witty dialogues and more than everything, his YA characters talk like one. They don’t launch into lengthy monologues about nerdy things (I am looking at John Green’s teens). I loved the linear story arc and the alternate POVs worked so well.
Set in the near dystopian future, a company is capable of forecasting one’s death. I know the whole thought of learning about death beforehand is creepy and too much for me.
They are fun, hardly depressing (even though it talks about death – a lot), and has the right amount of heart break (dude, They Both Die at the End).
Bottom-line
They Both Die at the End is the first book of Adam Silvera I have read and I should say everything I have heard about his books is true. And I will definitely not shy away from reading his books hereon.
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