Hey there ✨
I don’t think anyone noticed but I’ve actually been inactive here last month. So I decided to share to you guys what I have been up to by giving all the updates. The last time I did this was way back December last year and now it’s already halfway through 2017. I don’t even know how we got here so fast.
Anyways, let’s start with my reading update where I’ll tell you about how I barely got to read anything in the month of May.
Girl on the Verge by Pintip DunnAmazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
My Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Synopsis from Goodreads:
From the author of The Darkest Lie comes a compelling, provocative story for fans of I Was Here and Vanishing Girls, about a high school senior straddling two worlds, unsure how she fits in either—and the journey of self-discovery that leads her to surprising truths.
In her small Kansas town, at her predominantly white school, Kanchana doesn’t look like anyone else. But at home, her Thai grandmother chides her for being too westernized. Only through the clothing Kan designs in secret can she find a way to fuse both cultures into something distinctly her own.
When her mother agrees to provide a home for a teenage girl named Shelly, Kan sees a chance to prove herself useful. Making Shelly feel comfortable is easy at first—her new friend is eager to please, embraces the family’s Thai traditions, and clearly looks up to Kan. Perhaps too much. Shelly seems to want everything Kanchana has, even the blond, blue-eyed boy she has a crush on. As Kan’s growing discomfort compels her to investigate Shelly’s past, she’s shocked to find how much it intersects with her own—and just how far Shelly will go to belong…
I signed-up for this book tour simply because it’s an #ownvoices and I thought that it’ll be a nice contemporary to read. Well I was wrong because this is actually a thriller so it had this creepy vibe all throughout that had me…on the verge.
I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene GooMy Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Desi Lee knows how carburetors work. She learned CPR at the age of five. As a high school senior, she has never missed a day of school and has never had a B in her entire life. She’s for sure going to Stanford. But—she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation-magnet whose botched attempts at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied to everything else in her life. She finds her answer in the Korean dramas her father has been obsessively watching for years—where the hapless heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode ten. It’s a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her “K Drama Rules for True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist Luca Drakos—and boat rescues, love triangles, and fake car crashes ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out that real love is about way more than just drama.
I gave this book 5 stars and I would give it all the finger-hearts if I could! THIS BOOK IS EVERYTHING. I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START BUT OMG YOU JUST NEED TO GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS BOOK ASAP. Okay, so I’ll try my best to write a coherent review for this. (But I really wish I could just shout at you to read this book until you do haha)
The Go-Between by Veronica ChambersMy Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Fans of Jane the Virgin will find much to love about this coming-of-age novel from bestselling author Veronica Chambers, who with humor and humanity explores issues of identity and belonging in a world that is ever-changing.
She is the envy of every teenage girl in Mexico City. Her mother is a glamorous telenovela actress. Her father is the go-to voice-over talent for blockbuster films. Hers is a world of private planes, chauffeurs, paparazzi and gossip columnists. Meet Camilla del Valle—Cammi to those who know her best.
When Cammi’s mom gets cast in an American television show and the family moves to LA, things change, and quickly. Her mom’s first role is playing a not-so-glamorous maid in a sitcom. Her dad tries to find work but dreams about returning to Mexico. And at the posh, private Polestar Academy, Cammi’s new friends assume she’s a scholarship kid, the daughter of a domestic.
At first Cammi thinks playing along with the stereotypes will be her way of teaching her new friends a lesson. But the more she lies, the more she wonders: Is she only fooling herself?
Believe me, I’m also surprised how much I didn’t like this book. I’m not a fan of Jane the Virgin, I haven’t seen it yet, but my friend loves that series so I had hopes for this book. I read the plot of Jane the Virgin and this is nowhere near it! I’m so sorry but I feel robbed because I wasted my time reading this one.
It has been exactly a year ever since I published my first post. It has been exactly a year ever since I decided to pursue this crazy idea to start a book blog.It has been exactly a year and OH MY GOD I’M STILL HERE.
Hey there! ✨✨✨
As you can tell today geniereads is celebrating its very first blogiversary! I know so exciting right? Such a milestone! Lol, but seriously I would have never thought that I’ll make it this far. I don’t know if my “blogging journey” or basically my experience is that interesting but that’s what I’m going to share to you today.
So here’s some virtual cookies 🍪🍪🍪, sit back and let’s start this story from…
Girl Out of Water by Laura SilvermanMy Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Anise Sawyer plans to spend every minute of summer with her friends: surfing, chowing down on fish tacos drizzled with wasabi balsamic vinegar, and throwing bonfires that blaze until dawn. But when a serious car wreck leaves her aunt, a single mother of three, with two broken legs, it forces Anise to say goodbye for the first time to Santa Cruz, the waves, her friends, and even a kindling romance, and fly with her dad to Nebraska for the entire summer. Living in Nebraska isn’t easy. Anise spends her days caring for her three younger cousins in the childhood home of her runaway mom, a wild figure who’s been flickering in and out of her life since birth, appearing for weeks at a time and then disappearing again for months, or even years, without a word.
Complicating matters is Lincoln, a one-armed, charismatic skater who pushes Anise to trade her surfboard for a skateboard. As Anise draws closer to Lincoln and takes on the full burden and joy of her cousins, she loses touch with her friends back home – leading her to one terrifying question: will she turn out just like her mom and spend her life leaving behind the ones she loves
I feel kind of shy going into this review because I know a lot of people really loved it. Well I didn’t hate it and I enjoyed parts of it but overall, it’s an okay book for me. It has a great concept with interesting characters.
Hey there ✨
If you didn’t know, I’m a huge fan of the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before Series. It’s one of my most favorite books, I’m in love with Jenny Han’s writing, and Lara Jean is my spirit animal. And since the last book in the series, Always and Forever Lara Jean, is going to come out on May 2—I decided to re-read the first two books.
The Auctor Trilogy by T.R. WolfMy Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Synopsis from Goodreads:
When seventeen-year-old Addie Auctor’s mother is murdered by her father, she must confront many secrets that her family has hidden from her. The worst of these secrets is that Addie’s father, Donovan Hawthorne, is still hunting Addie because of an ancient blood feud between her mother’s family, the Auctors, and her father’s family, the House of Hawthorne. In order to be protected from the House of Hawthorne, Addie and her brother, Augustus, are sent to Initiation at an exclusive University, the Wicked Cabal.
Initiation is nothing like Addie expects. She is immediately separated from Augustus and thrown in with four complete strangers – Fallon, Maddox, Liam, and Tempe. Addie must try to forge friendships with her fellow Initiates while they solve clues, battle mystical creatures, and explore increasingly dangerous places.
Readers of all ages will love this adventure filled with suspense, treachery, and romance.
When the author contacted me to review this book, I was ecstatic! Finally, a fantasy book that is up my alley. Nonetheless, I had no expectations going into this book and I didn’t even know what was it about so I was really surprised on how much I enjoyed reading it.
(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.
Better At Weddings Than You by Mina V. EsguerraAmazon | 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.
