Bite Sized Books is a feature which I use to review those books I’ve read recently but haven’t got a whole lot of words to say about them. The books I enjoyed and don’t want to let get forgotten because I am a lazy book reviewer.
Everything Everything – Nicola Yoon
Published: 3rd September 2015
Source: Bought
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
My Rating:
Madeline Whittier is allergic to the outside world. So allergic, in fact, that she has never left the house in all of her seventeen years. But when Olly moves in next door, and wants to talk to Maddie, tiny holes start to appear in the protective bubble her mother has built around her. Olly writes his IM address on a piece of paper, shows it at her window, and suddenly, a door opens. But does Maddie dare to step outside her comfort zone?
Everything, Everything is about the thrill and heartbreak that happens when we break out of our shell to do crazy, sometimes death-defying things for love.
This book was great, I found it really intersting and really enjoyed the various different formats in the book. I enjoyed reading Maddie’s struggle with not being able to go into the outside world along with her new temptation to experience life to it’s full, feeling as if she has been shut in and not experienced everything. It was fascinating seeing her transformation from not being tempted to go outside to her decisions in regards to whether the risk of leaving the house to experience will be worth it. I wasn’t sure where the story could possibly go and was worried I’d be bored, turns out that was stupid and I shouldn’t have even bothered having doubts/
I also loved the formatting of the book, the short book reviews, the IM conversations, the emails and the various different parts of the book that made it felt like I was reading someone's diary and following their life. It was unique and original and made this book even easier to read than it already was.
My only complaint? That ending. I enjoyed the ending, don’t get me wrong, I got an immense feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment from it, but at the same time I could take issue with it too. I am going to be careful with the words I use to explain why I was bothered with the ending, because that could lead to potential spoilers, but I will say that it appeared too convenient. It was both good and bad. I was still laughing and crying throughout this book and would highly recommend so definitely check it out.
Match Me If You Can – Michele GormanPublished: 14th January 2016
Source: Avon Books (NetGalley)
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
My Rating:
Ever thought about recycling your ex?
Best friends Catherine, Rachel & Sarah are fun, smart, successful and single – just like millions of women with a low tolerance for idiocy in their dates.
Mr. Right hasn't turned up yet, and Mr Right-Now isn't worth booking a wax appointment for. So when Catherine, London’s finest matchmaker, gets Rachel and Sarah to join her dating site where they can recycle their ex-boyfriends in exchange for an upgrade, they soon realise that anything could happen . . .
Three best friends, proving that sometimes it really isn't you… it's him.
This story is a bit different. There is only one other chick-lit book I can think of which involves a dating agency and that was a Lucy Diamond one. I liked the concept of trading in an ex for a new model. It was a fun and interesting story and more importantly featured a solid friendship between three women that didn’t revolve about their relationship status, that was just one element of the conversations they have. This book was a lot more than women trying to find ‘the one’ it was about women trying to reach those milestones in life and figuring out who they are and what they want.
I also didn’t realise this book was written by the same woman who wrote The Curvy Girls Club, which is still waiting on my Kindle for me to read. I loved the small reference to that book which was included, small things like that make me happy.
I did find myself worrying this book was going to be predictable when I began reading. I mean, they’re all bringing ex’s and they all appear to be hung up on something, it looked like an obvious read. Sadly, it did feel a bit predictable. I don’t mind predictability in my books, I am a romance reader, but it didn’t feel original. It felt a bit forced, I could see what was going to come next and I didn’t have a love of the characters to help me get over it. It’s not like I didn’t like Rachel, Sarah and Catherine, I just didn’t care enough about them to be absorbed in their stories. I found myself getting distracted as I read. THe romances and the characters were nice, but that was it.
Would I discourage you from reading? No, it was a decent book, maybe it was the wrong week for reading, maybe it was the wrong book for my mood. Whatever it was, we didn’t gel and it upset me because we had all the makings of a good book.
Source: Bought
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
My Rating:
Lizzie Brandt was valedictorian of her high school class, but at Radleigh University, all she's acing are partying and hooking up with the wrong guys. But all that changes when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, making her guardian to her two younger brothers. To keep them out of foster care, she'll have to fix up her image, her life, and her GPA—fast. Too bad the only person on campus she can go to for help is her humorless, pedantic Byzantine History TA, Connor Lawson, who isn't exactly Lizzie's biggest fan.
But Connor surprises her. Not only is he a great tutor, but he’s also a pretty great babysitter. And chauffeur. And listener. And he understands exactly what it’s like to be on your own before you're ready. Before long, Lizzie realizes having a responsible-adult type around has its perks... and that she'd like to do some rather irresponsible (but considerably adult) things with him as well. Good thing he's not the kind of guy who'd ever reciprocate.
Until he does.
Until they turn into far more than teacher and student.
Until the relationship that helped put their lives back together threatens everything they both have left.
I love a good NA romance, I am less fussy than most when it comes to this genre, but I had heard a lot of positive things all around for Last Will And Testament and wanted to give it a chance. That, and I’d discovered that there is a second book coming out in the Radleigh University series and I want to read it, which I can’t so until I’ve read this one.
This books is about a girl whose parents die and she’s left as their legal guardian whilst trying to get her college grades up. It was predictable and fun and unlike Mtch Me If You Can, I enjoyed the predictability because the characters were fun and the story just had a better feel to it. I mean, the story is a little bit far-fetched and ridiculous, but it managed to stay dramatic but fun without making me want to roll my eyes. It was just a really great reader.
There was one complaint about it all, though, the ending. I know, two books where the endings left me slightly fristrated as things were resolved a bit too easily. The ending made sense, I could see why the book went the way it did, but it did felt a bit like it was all tied up with a bow a bit too easily. It’s a stupid complaint to have, but there it is. It didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the story, it was just what I thought when I finished.
Basically, if you’re on the lookout for a fun romantic read with a bit of angst and drama but far more heavy on the romance, then this is the book for you.
Do you hate when books endings seem to be wrapped up far too perfectly, or am I just looking for something to complain about?
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