Literally Lenny

Book Count: 5
Pages Count: 1,897

Star Count: 21/25

Overall, a decent reading month for me! Collectively, I read 5 books, all yielding a total of 21/25 Stars.

First up, I read Right Behind You, a murder mystery involving two siblings who were separated after a massive family abuse case. Except now, the older brother is on the loose after murdering two people at the town's gas station, with the intention of finding his long-lost little sister.

I gave this 5-Stars. It's a must read!

Next up, I read Midnight at the Electric, a historical/futuristic novel about the ties between three women across three time periods.

I gave this 5-Stars for being like nothing i've ever read before!

Third, I read Once and For All, a highly anticipated Sarah Dessen novel about a teenage girl finding herself again after a bad breakup. Through her mother's wedding planning business, she meets a boy who tests her and opens her eyes to the world.

I gave this 4-Stars because Sarah Dessen is a goddess and knows how to pull all of the feel cords.

Then there was Our Dark Duet, the sequel to This Savage Song, a book that I gave 4-Stars. This series is about monsters attempting to live among humans. It works for a while with a business tyrant, but quickly falls apart when two teens meet; ones a monster, ones the business tyrant's daughter. This concept could have been executed incredibly, but sadly the sequel to this was awful. I couldn't wait for it to be over. It lacked excitement, character development, and the plot was just lacking substance.

Overall, I gave this book 2-Stars.

Finally, I read Bad Romance, a contemporary romance turned drama. This book was fantastic because it started off seeming like a nice love story, but things soon turned dark. In what became an abusive relationship, we see what it's like to be the abusee; a perspective that I think is highly needed in society today. I feel that this is a book that everyone needs to read, to at least understand difficult situations such as these, and how to help these people. Because sometimes, the obvious choice is not the easiest.

Overall, I gave this 5-Stars because it's an essential book that everyone needs to read. Now.

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Overall:

Do not go into reading this book expecting it to be as a heartwarming as I'll Meet You There.This book is going to challenge you with difficult topics of abuse, depression, and suicide. But that being said, I feel like this is one of the very few books that has altered my way of thinking about relationships and given me a whole new perspective on life.

Everyone should read this book. Not just because from a literary standpoint it’s a great book, which it is, but because I feel that it’s something every reader can benefit from.

I, unfortunately, had friends who were in mentally and physically abusive relationships who I was quick to judge for not leaving their significant other sooner. “It’s so simple!” I thought. But no; after reading this, I understand how impossible it may be to leave someone like that. So please: read this book and let it change your perspective on abusive relationships and depression.

I became so emotionally invested, I found myself actively worrying and hating the characters while I was driving to work. I completely forgot that they are all fictional characters.

Storyline:

This book was beautifully written. I never once doubted Heather Demetrios’ writing skills, but this book just proved to me how incredibly talented she really is.

We first meet Grace, the love sick teen who is desperately in love with the ultra cool guy, Gavin Davis. Grace is a big dreamer with a hard work ethic. The only thing in her way is her family. Grace’s stepfather abuses her and her mother. Her mother takes the abuse and redirects it to Grace. Grace is desperate for a way out of this life and she believes Gavin is it. But she is dead wrong.

Grace and Gavin end up dating and become inseparable - until Gavin becomes insufferable. Gavin has a grip on Grace’s life and he won’t let go. He becomes abusive and she has no way out.

Grace is not weak; that is important to note. If anything, she is one hell of a teenager. The life that she was dealt was not fair, but she took it with stride and never once complained. She put up with abuse from her family and from her personal relationships, but nevertheless, she persisted.

This book will take you through Grace’s relationship with Gavin, which is at first romantic, but then becomes dreadful. This is an important story on abusive relationships, something rarely touched upon.

The overall takeaway from this book is not necessarily how to deal with abusive relationships, it is more so allowing yourself to realize how much you matter in this world and how no one should ever come before you: Love yourself first.

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My Thoughts:

I’m not even quite sure HOW to summarize such an epic story into a very small paragraph, but i’ll give it a whirl:

Basically, Feyre and The Night Court have to round up troops to save their lands against an evil King, but everyone is being difficult as hell to deal with, so there’s that. New bonds are formed, old ones are broken. People die and people live.

How was that?

This book was absolutely fantastic, as expected. I mean, there's a billion pages of Feyre and her friends...what's not to love? Sarah J. Maas still has yet to disappoint me. She is one of those writers who can seamlessly create a world that can whisk you away from all your problems.

Storyline:

I will say that I did not love this book as much as I did ACOMAF. That being said though, ACOMAF was a difficult book to follow. I think Maas was under a lot of pressure to make it even better than ACOMAF but also to write the conclusion to the series and wrap up the entire story of Feyre.

I just don't think there was enough "umf" in ACOWAR. It was a lot of fighting, a lot of war, and not enough interaction between characters. I love books where there's significant character development throughout the book, and the only characters who actually evolved here was Elaine and Nesta.

I mean, Rhys and Feyre are finally married! Yet we see very little of their married life...(yes, granted they are at war, but still.) Let's all be honest here, that's what we all came for. Rhys and Feyre.

It's important to note that even though there were these little complaints, I still give this book a 5/5 star review, because how can you not? This world is everything and Sarah J. Maas knows exactly what her readers want.

But regardless, it was fantastic. I am more than devastated to see this series come to an end because this world brought me so much happiness. Feyre and her whirlwind of a life is everything I could dream of.

I cannot wait for her next series.

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What's it about?:

"In this irresistible story, Kasie West explores the timeless question of what to do when you fall for the person you least expect. Witty and romantic, this paperback original from a fan favorite is perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Morgan Matson.
When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.
Only he doesn’t come. No one does.
Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side?" - Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts:

Storyline:

I went into this thinking it was just going to be another contemporary romance with the same conflict, same resolution, and same ending. But amazingly, I was proven wrong. Although this book does have a little bit of that “I’ve definitely read a million of these books” feeling, but it also addressed mental health. Mental health is something very personal to me, so when it’s brought up in a book, a platform that could spread so much awareness, I am instantly hooked on the book.

The only thing that frustrated me was the fact that Autumn never thought to try to break a window. I get that after she discovered Dax in the library, things changed, but that would’ve been my first go-to if I discovered I was locked in a library with no phones, food, or heat. I feel like when it comes to survival of the fittest, Autumn would not do well.

Characters:

Autumn: Autumn at the beginning was that prissy girl that I hated in high school. But slowly but surely, her true character started to show and you realize that she actually has really bad anxiety, something I can personally relate to.

Dax: Obnoxiously “bad boy” in the beginning with not a care for anyone else in the world. Maybe I didn’t like Dax too much because to me he never “opened up” to Autumn about basically anything and that really irked me. Like, I get that he was a nice guy, but I didn’t really find any other qualities that were endearing. But maybe that’s just me being picky.

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What's it about?:

"Gunslinger Amani al'Hiza fled her dead-end hometown on the back of a mythical horse with the mysterious foreigner Jin, seeking only her own freedom. Now she’s fighting to liberate the entire desert nation of Miraji from a bloodthirsty sultan who slew his own father to capture the throne.
When Amani finds herself thrust into the epicenter of the regime—the Sultan’s palace—she’s determined to bring the tyrant down. Desperate to uncover the Sultan’s secrets by spying on his court, she tries to forget that Jin disappeared just as she was getting closest to him, and that she’s a prisoner of the enemy. But the longer she remains, the more she questions whether the Sultan is really the villain she’s been told he is, and who’s the real traitor to her sun-bleached, magic-filled homeland.
Forget everything you thought you knew about Miraji, about the rebellion, about Djinn and Jin and the Blue-Eyed Bandit. In Traitor to the Throne, the only certainty is that everything will change." - Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts:

I wanted to love this book so much more than I did. I generally have a really hard time accepting sequels to books that I absolutely adored, and this definitely is one of them. I loved the adventure and unknown in the first novel, and this sequel just made it seem like every other fantasy novel, which really disappointed me. It was still a good book, don’t get me wrong! It definitely does not deserve anything less than a 3 star review, but I wish I could give it 5.

Storyline:

I wanted more Amani and Jin, plain and simple. But instead, I got Amani and the Sultan and Sam. While it did make for a more “dynamic” book, it wasn’t exactly the adventure I was hoping for. I wanted another adventure with Amani and Jin together, and instead we got just Amani. The two of them together make for a better story, in my opinion, so when I realized this was going to be centered around mainly Amani with a little bit of Jin, I was quickly disappointed.

Characters:

Amani: A badass with a gun. Basically. Even when the entire world was against her, she didn’t give up. She has a big heart and an incredible brain. There’s no one like her. However. I found her to become boring and monotonous after a while. I absolutely adored her in the first book because she defied all odds set against her. We got to know her and her story, which I enjoyed much more than being introduced to a whole slew of new characters and their own backstories.

Jin: My favorite character in the entire book, which is probably why I didn’t LOVE this book because he made very small appearances and I really just wanted to see him and Amani be the dynamic duo again.

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What's it about?

"Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life." - Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts:

This book is so insanely important to read, especially in this day in age. This book is relevant to everything that our society has been facing for the past couple years.

Storyline:

Absolute perfection. All you really hear when these tragedies happen are what the news outlets have to say about the story, but you never hear from the actual people it directly affected. I found that it was also important to see not only the short term effects it had on society, but also the long term effects. Many people forget about these tragedies because they were not involved, but what we don’t realize is that people continue to struggle day-to-day with the memories of what happened, and that’s important to acknowledge. Tragedies don’t just vaporize as if they never happened. They’re still there, having an everlasting effect on people’s lives that the rest of society likes to just ignore or forget about.

Characters:

I like that Angie Thomas was able to write about so many diverse characters in such a realistic way, without it seeming forced.

Starr: The girl who saw it all. Strongest and bravest girl to have ever fictionally existed. Probably one of my favorite fictional characters of all time as well. She was so REAL. Angie Thomas nailed the mindset of a teenage girl going through a tragedy.

Chris: The white boyfriend who saw no difference between black and white. An outlook that I think the entire world could benefit from. He was that typical preppy high school boy who had absolutely nothing wrong in his life, but that never stopped him from wanted to be 100% involved in Starr's life.

Khalil: The boy whose life ended too soon. The alleged “drug dealer” and “gang banger” who supposedly “deserved” what was coming to him.

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What's it about?

"Seventeen-year-old Delilah Green wouldn't have chosen to do her last year of school this way, but she figures it's working fine. While her dad goes on a trip to fix his broken heart after her mom left him for another man, Del manages the family cafe. Easy, she thinks. But what about homework? Or the nasty posse of mean girls making her life hell? Or her best friend who won't stop guilt-tripping her? Or her other best friend who might go to jail for love if Del doesn't do something? But really, who cares about any of that when all Del can think about is beautiful Rosa who dances every night across the street. . . . Until one day Rosa comes in the cafe door. And if Rosa starts thinking about Del, too, then how in the name of caramel milkshakes will Del get the rest of it together?"-Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts:

I really wanted to love this book, solely because it was a diverse book and the world can never have too many of those. However, I really did not like this book. The plot was good, but the details and characters were awful.

Storyline:

First off, the writing was confusing... Explanation of where her father was in beginning was unclear. Was he home or was he abroad? And why would he willingly leave his 17 year old daughter alone for months at a time? That literally would never happen with any parent who actually cares for their child.

The background of her mother was just left alone. We got no information for why she really left, when she left, or why she is just so damn rude. They make it seem like her father is “all of the sudden” depressed, but it seems like Delilah’s mother has been gone for a WHILE.

Also. What lawyer gives legal documents to a 17 year old and trusts an entire business in their hands? This is so implausible! It drove me mad!

The entire “cast” of characters acted as if they were all adults completely capable of taking care of themselves, even though they were still in high school. I’m sorry, but i’m 23 and still trying to figure out how to take care of myself without my parents help. Come on.

Then there was this quote: "He could always break the lease if he really wanted to. Or start a cafe somewhere else. You're the kid! You need to think about what you want as well."

Wait, what? No. You’re the child. You can’t freaking rent away your father’s cafe without telling him anything! And don’t freaking encourage someone to break a legal document. Seriously? Delilah wasn’t even on the lease, and I doubt even in Australia that’s legal to have a 17 year old sell away her father’s property. Come on.

Characters:

I really, really disliked Delilah.

She's literally going on a destructive spree...Ruining everything she has in her life. And now it just seems like it's on purpose and it's driving me mad.

Delilah's thought process towards Rosa is so incredibly naive and selfish. Like I get that rejection sucks but she also should understand that some people are not comfortable yet with their sexuality. She's upset with Rosa because she isn't comfortable with her family knowing that she is gay and that's perfectly okay because this is not a subject to be handled gently. I wish that it was easy for people to be open about but the fact of the matter is is that it's not even with increasing acceptance across the globe.

Oh. And June's a bitch. That is all.

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What's it about?

"Mare Barrow is a prisoner, powerless without her lightning, tormented by her lethal mistakes. She lives at the mercy of a boy she once loved, a boy made of lies and betrayal. Now a king, Maven Calore continues weaving his dead mother's web in an attempt to maintain control over his country—and his prisoner."

My Thoughts:

I'm going to start by saying that this was one of my most anticipated books of 2017. And while it was a good book (I gave it 3.5 stars), it did not live up to my (probably too high) expectations. Here's why:

In the previous two books, there was always so much going on that it was nearly impossible to get bored with the book. This one however just did not deliver that. I actually got bored reading this...It's more than likely because each event was dragged out too much, or because Mare had nearly no interaction with any other characters until the very end.

I'm really disappointed that I wasn't blown away by this book. It was great plot and characters as usual, but it just had SO much filler I feel....I don't know. Not to mention the ending was awful...I get Cal's intentions, but if that's actually how he feels and those are his priorities, mare deserves so much more.

Okay. Enough negativity. Now here's what I DID like:

Characters:

The characters. I bloody love how the author developed each one. I really enjoyed being able to see into Evangeline's mind and see what she was really thinking. She might have been my favorite actually because she's known for being evil, but she is just severely oppressed by every man in her life. And for that, I do not blame her one bit.

As for Mare, she's kickass, yes. But she also bothers me because she's very stubborn and headstrong...She doesn't admit to her own weaknesses and I feel like things would go A LOT SMOOTHER if she just had a bit more humility.

Then there's Cal. I love Cal. But I hate Cal. I think he's confused with what he actually wants in life and that causes his thinking to be faulty. He loves Mare, quite clearly, but he also still loves his family and kingdom, despite all of their flaws. If he could just figure his own shit out, thatd be awesome.

Overall, I have this book a 3.5 stars...it was a great book, but like I said, I really wish I liked it more. It was just another book in the series to me, and it had a lot more potential.

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