Book Blog #239: To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
# of Pages: 369 (ebook)
Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.
Review: The best thing I can say about this book is that the rating might not be a solid 1 star; it might be between 1 and 2 stars.

I thought I knew what I was getting into. With that kind of title and the top genres being "young adult" and "romance," I knew it was going to be extremely cliché and shallow. However, it is much worse than I thought.

The biggest problem is Lara Jean. Her narrative sounds like an 8 year-old girl instead of the sixteen old she is suppose to be (reading this didn't feel too much different from reading Junie B. Jones). Han attempts to make her seem mature since she plays a crucial part in keeping the family functioning, but the way she handles her emotional issues is more similar to how I would expect Kitty (her younger sister) to be dealing with these things.

Since Lara Jean, Margot, and Kitty are suppose to have a strong sisterly bond, I was hoping for some underlying message of familial love. Although there are several attempts to show how much the sisters care about each other, the challenges they overcome are so trivial and petty that the message does not hit home.

The romance aspect of this book is a mess and many of the romantic conflicts seem to be left unresolved. Worst of all, the central problem of the book is ridiculous; if you are writing letters to the boys you've loved before so you can get over them, why would you actually address the correctly so they can easily be sent out? It seems like the cause of this conflict could have easily be avoided (and since it's the modern age, it might've been more believable if her EMAILS were accidentally sent).

I wanted to read it before I watched it, but I probably shouldn't have. I'm pretty sure the hype around this story is not because of the book.

Book Blog #238: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Crooked Kingdoms
Author: Leigh Bardugo
# of Pages: 536 (ebook)
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Adventure
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: Welcome to the world of the Grisha. Kaz Brekker and his crew of deadly outcasts have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and badly weakened, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets - a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of the Grisha world.
Review: I wouldn't have read the second book if it wasn't highly recommended to me.

Sure, I liked Six of Crows well enough, but I didn't feel any urgency to find out what happens to all of the characters. However, with a recommendation and the fact that this book is the last book in the duology, I thought I might as well give it a read.

I liked this book about the same amount as I liked Six of Crows (perhaps a little less, perhaps a little more). I enjoyed reading how Kaz's complicated plans unfolded and seeing the relationships within the gang deepen over time.

I'm really, really sad Matthias died. There are three couples in the book: Kaz+Inej, Jesper+Wylan, and Matthias+Nina. Even though I always views Matthias and Nina as the secondary couple, I feel like they were cheated of a proper conclusion in this book. I'm not complaining about that fact that Matthias is killed off (although that does make me sad). The problem it how every couple seemed to get their own ending chapter (Wylan and Jesper are living in Wylan's father's mansion, Inej and Kaz are going to work on defeating slavers and other greedy/evil people in power together) but it's only briefly mention that Nina is going to bury Matthias in his homeland. If every other character has closure, the least Bardugo could have done is give the reader a little bit more on Nina; was her voyage to bury Matthias's body successful? Is she prepared to live her life without him or is she going to be crippled with the loss. There is just a little too much left up to the reader's imagination.

If you enjoyed Six of Crows, you will definitely enjoy this book. I recommend this to anyone who has read and loved Six of Crows.

Book Blog #237: Diary of an AssCan by Andy Weir

Title: Diary of an AssCan: A Mark Watney Short Story
Author: Andy Weir
# of Pages: 4 (ebook)
Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Stories
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Synopsis: This short story gives us a glimpse into Mark Watney’s world just before taking off on his mission for Mars. Read on for more from this exceptional character.
Review: Since I just finished reading The Martian, I was really excited to see there was a free prequel (read it yourself here: https://blog.whsmith.co.uk/andy-weir-the-short-story-prequel-to-the-martian/).

I knew it was going to be a short story, but I didn't realize it was going to be THIS short. Even when I saw that it was about 4 pages long, I was expecting a dense set of 4 pages containing the unknown part of Mark story leading up to his mission on Mars. However, these three short entries reveal nothing the reader doesn't already know.

It will literally take a couple minutes tops to read it, but there's pretty much nothing to this story. If you're interested, I'd say go for it because you're not wasting a lot of time. But afterward you'll understand that what is labelled as a short story is actually no story at all.

Book Blog #236: The Martian by Andy Weir

Title: The Martian
Author: Andy Weir
# of Pages: 369 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction, Science Fiction, Adventure
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit — he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
Review: I was very surprised by how much I was able to enjoy this book.

By no means am I a science fiction buff (the opposite actually, aside from a brief obsession with dystopian YA books). However, since this book was so popular, and there was even a movie based on it, I decided to give it a shot.

Weir does a great job making a likable protagonist; his log entries are fun, so the reader actually wants him to survive. The biggest drag on the story is how much science there is. While I appreciate a well researched book, even the dumbed down science in Mark's log entries force readers to slow down to understand what exactly is going on.

This story is told in first person (the log entries) with the occasional section of third person narration and third person POV from the people at NASA. In this case, jumping between log entries and NASA is fine since there is a clear distinction between these two perspectives and they give a clear picture of what is going on at that moment. However, there still was some overlap between NASA's perspective and Mark's log entries that could have been eliminated to make the way the story was told perfect.

I enjoyed the read and would recommend it to those interested in the book. If you are scared of there being too much science, trying reading an excerpt and see how you fare; it doesn't get much more technical than it is in the beginning.

Book Blog #235: Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

Title: Into the Water
Author: Paula Hawkins
# of Pages: 386 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: In the last days before her death, Nel called her sister. Jules didn’t pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help. Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules has been dragged back to the one place she hoped she had escaped for good, to care for the teenage girl her sister left behind. But Jules is afraid. So afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of knowing that Nel would never have jumped. And most of all she’s afraid of the water, and the place they call the Drowning Pool...
Review:

 “She just wanted the truth. The truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth” (314).

 I'll start out with what I enjoyed about the book. I loved trying to puzzle out the truth behind the deaths that occurred at in the river. However, this may be attributed to my interest in the mystery/thriller genre. Regardless, I was gripped by the suspense of the story.

That being said, there were a lot of issues with the story. There's my biggest pet peeve: first person POV switching. I understand why it was done this way; each character had to tell their version of the truth. Every character believes their side of the story is the real side of the story, and through these different perspectives, the reader is suppose to piece together what really happened to the girls who died in the river. However, this means there's A LOT of overlap between perspectives on the same parts of the story, which is the biggest pitfall of POV switching.

But if first person POV switching isn't confusing enough, there are way too many characters. Although some characters played crucial roles in piecing together this puzzle, others were morel like extras in the story (where their perspective isn't necessary). This book could have benefited from less POVs.

While I was reading, I thought a lot about a book I read a long time ago called Nothing But the Truth which was named after the sworn oath a person would take before testifying (see the second sentence in the quote at the top of this review). Both books observe a situation from different perspectives (and as a result leave major plot holes in their wake), but one is meant for adults and one is meant for younger readers. Nothing But the Truth received a lot of criticism, but part of me wonders whether Into the Water would have received similar treatment if it had to be dumbed down to a children's book.

Suspense novels kind of scare me, and this book was no exception which is why I won't be rereading this book anytime soon. I do admit it was an enthralling read, but it definitely had major issues. I wouldn't put it at the top of your to-read list, but if you are interested in the genre and aren't bothered by POV switching and some mysteries being left unsolved, be my guest.

Book Blog #234: Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Title: Dumplin'
Author: Julie Murphy
# of Pages: 400 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: Dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom, Willowdean has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked...until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back. Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.
Review: I'm actually rating this book higher than I thought I would.

This is mostly because it was exactly what I was expecting; a simple young adult novel revolving around a high schooler with high school level issues. I knew it wasn't going to be a masterpiece like All the Lights We Cannot See, but I hoped it would be better than the YA-mess The Enchanter Heir.

I loved read about Willowdean as she struggles with her weight, something that affects her relationships and her self-confidence throughout the story. It also is rich with southern culture (love for iced tea, southern hospitality, and, most of all, beauty pageants).

Will is definitely not perfect (I've seen others complain about her personality and/or her messy romantic life), but these things don't bother me for some reason. Her romantic life wasn't unrealistic to me, and the conflicts she has with her friends are all the types of fights I would expect of someone in high school.

While I do enjoy the book's message to love yourself (no matter what size you are), it just wasn't my cup of tea overall. For what it is and what I was expecting, I rank it relatively high. However, as far as how interested I was in the story, it'd be closer to three stars. The story is told in a very slice-of-life manner than was boring to me. Will doesn't even decide to enter the pageant until a good portion into the book which just goes to show how much this story drags.

I wouldn't read this book again (I only read it because of the hype over the movie that came out last month). I'm not really interested in reading these YA that are clearly meant for pre-teens/teens (too shallow, too fluffy). However, if you tend to like this type of book (think TFIOS but blander and less tearjerking), I'd recommend it.