Genie Shares: Killing the Request Button on Netgalley

(I’m bringing this back! Genie Shares is a feature of mine where I share some “personal book-related” stories, if you want to read my past posts just click here. But I decided to use this feature not only for sharing stories but also for discussing or just writing about any book and blog related topics that is important to me at the moment.)

It all begins when we pay a visit to Netgalley, either we’ll just submit a review/feedback or will casually look at the new releases. And then next we know is that we’ve already requested for like 38083438 books. I don’t know about you, but this happens to me ALL THE TIME.

Blog Tour Review: Better At Weddings Than You

Better At Weddings Than You by Mina V. Esguerra

Amazon | CreateSpace | Barnes & Noble | Print (Philippines)

My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Daphne Cardenas is the best wedding planner around, and everyone knows it. That’s why her friend Greg hired her as an emergency replacement one month before his wedding—because he fears his fiancée Helen is falling for the guy they first hired for the job.

Aaron Trinidad is new to the wedding industry but years of conference planning and loads of charm make him good at it. Really good at it. Planning the wedding of his friend Helen should be easy, and it is. To be unceremoniously fired isn’t good for his new career, but the chance to learn from the best might be the silver lining.

Aaron and Daphne have chemistry, but there’s history with Helen that at least one other person considers a threat. Who’s the planner who can fix this impending disaster?

(Part of the Chic Manila series, but can be read as a standalone.)

Yes, this isn’t a Young Adult book and it’s a bit out of my comfort zone but since I really enjoyed reading my first #romanceclass novel which is Keep The Faith by Ana Tejano (click here for my review) I signed-up for this tour. And surprisingly, I enjoyed reading this as well.

March Wrap-up + Favorites [2017]

Hey there! ✨

At this point, let’s just pretend that it isn’t already halfway through April and enjoy this March Wrap-up. (hehehe *winks*)

Welcome back to another Wrap-up post! Seriously the months are flying by, and yet the books are not being read. Sighs, March wasn’t the best reading month for me for various reasons. Like, you know… a certain musical may have distracted me from reading for the whole month.

Anyways, here’s my March 2017 in a nutshell or a post, or idk haha but you get it.

Review: The Upside of Unrequited

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

My Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love-she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness-except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny, flirtatious, and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back.

There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker, Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

I just want to throw all the heart-eyed emojis to this book because IT’S SO ADORABLE AND THE FEELS ARE #REAL. Though I liked Simon just a bit more compared to do this because of the whole crew and oreos and geeky and cute stuff there but this book still lived up to the author’s debut! It’s like the best friend that understands and will feed you cookie-dough to heal all your unrequited feelings.

Book Haul: February & March 2017

Hey there! ✨

YAAAAAS, this is my first and hopefully not the last book haul post! I don’t usually “haul” books because I don’t have the money to do that (I buy an average of 2-3 books a month) but now—I’m really not sure how but—I collected 13 books!

Review: Geekerella

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise. But when she disappears at midnight, will he ever be able to find her again?

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom.

It’s Cinderella’s story but it’s geeky, fluffy, modern, and magical in a realistic way! I love reading Retellings especially the ones about the classic fairy tales so I was so excited when I got approved of this eARC, and I was not disappointed because Geekerella is just AHHHHHHH *insert other fangirling sounds here*

Review: The Careful Undressing of Love

The Careful Undressing of Love by Corey Ann Haydu

My Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Everyone who really knows Brooklyn knows Devonairre Street girls are different. They’re the ones you shouldn’t fall in love with. The ones with the curse. The ones who can get you killed.

Lorna Ryder is a Devonairre Street girl, and for years, paying lip service to the curse has been the small price of living in a neighborhood full of memories of her father, one of the thousands killed five years earlier in the 2001 Times Square Bombing. Then her best friend’s boyfriend is killed, and suddenly a city paralyzed by dread of another terrorist attack is obsessed with Devonairre Street and the price of falling in love.

Set in an America where recent history has followed a different path.

Whenever I read books from the Magical Realism genre, I always get this weird and whimsical feeling from them. This book wasn’t an exception, the plot and characters were weirdly good and the writing was the best part! It was lyrical and beautiful, it kind of reminded me of another magical realism read—The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender.

February Wrap-up + Favorites [2017]

Hey there! ✨

I know, February ended like weeks ago and this wrap-up is way too late now but I committed on posting monthly so we will push through this post late or not! February was such a great month for me bookish-wise, I unlocked an achievement during its first week. So if you want to know just read-on to find out.

Review: Optimists Die First

Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen

My Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Petula has avoided friendship and happiness ever since tragedy struck her family and took her beloved younger sister Maxine. Worse, Petula blames herself. If only she’d kept an eye on her sister, if only she’d sewn the button Maxine choked on better, if only…

Now her anxiety is getting out of control, she is forced to attend the world’s most hopeless art therapy class. But one day, in walks the Bionic Man: a charming, amazingly tall newcomer called Jacob, who is also an amputee. Petula’s ready to freeze him out, just like she did with her former best friend, but when she’s paired with Jacob for a class project, there’s no denying they have brilliant ideas together – ideas like remaking Wuthering Heights with cats.

But Petula and Jacob each have desperately painful secrets in their pasts – and when the truth comes out, there’s no way Petula is ready for it.

When I read, “A love story for cynics,” at the cover I clicked the request button on Netgalley so fast. As someone who always sees a half-empty glass of water, I was really excited to read this one because cynics and pessimists are my kind of people. But did I got what I wanted? Well, not quite.

The Blogger Aesthetic Award

Hey there! ✨

It has been MONTHS since I did an Award post and that’s because I feel like most of the Awards/Tags are repetitive, don’t get me wrong I love reading these kind of posts because I feel like I know the blogger better after and I’m thankful for every time I get nominated but I just don’t feel like writing them most of the time.

But the other day, I saw this and immediately wanted to do it! Luckily, I was already nominated by two awesome bloggers—Katherine @ Fabled Haven and Lauren @ Wonderless Reviews—thank you so much for tagging me and sorry if it took forever. And of course let’s not forget the creator of this tag, Liam @ Hey Ashers!

Don’t forget to head over to their blogs and checkout their #Aesthetics plus Liam’s post includes some tips on how to make/build your own. Enough ramblings, let’s get started!