bibliophilekid

*images are from Pinterest*

Title: The Start of Me and You # 1

Author: Emery Lord

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ISBN: 1619639386 (ISBN13: 9781619639386)

Synopsis:

It's been one year since it happened...

When Paige Hancock's first boyfriend died in a swimming accident, she shut out almost everyone. Now Paige has decided it's finally time to rejoin the world, and she has a plan. First on the list: go out with Ryan Chase, her longtime and newly single crush. And last on the list: swim. Terrifying, yet possible?

But when Ryan's sweet, nerdy cousin Max moves to town and recruits Paige for the QuizBowl team (of all things!), her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Starting over isn't easy, but Paige knows the scariest things are usually the most difficult. Can she face her fears and open herself up to life and love again?

Source: Goodreads

In books, sometimes the foreshadowing is so obvious that you know what’s going to happen. But knowing what happens isn’t the same as knowing how it happens. Getting there is the best part.

To be honest, I had low expectations for this book. I was expecting that this will be a typical contemporary romance plot with cliche scenes, but Emery Lord proved me so wrong. The Start of Me and You is the kind of book that I will read whenever I feel down. It has all the elements that I wanted on a plot, a friendship, family, trust, and romance. It is a whole packaged book that I did not expect I’ll have an obsession with!

The Start of Me and You is about a girl, Paige Hancock who’s boyfriend drowned in which the rest of town looks at her as The Girl Who’s Boyfriend Drown. Everyone shows a deep empathy to Paige, it felt like everyone treats her as a broken glass that will be fragile in a very long while. The plot thickens with Paige’s journey on leaping herself to the things that she wanted to change and the fear she wanted to overcome.

Guys, this is the book is not only lovable but it is also filled with the friendship that keeps me up on turning the pages. You see, this is my first Emery Lord book, I never thought I’ve been missing a lot on this author. This book is more than a gem to me.

Starting off with her friends, Tessa, Kayleigh, and Morgan. Having a longterm friendship indeed requires a lot of trusts and sometimes, argument arise, but in the end, when someone is in need, they all comfort each other and make jokes around it. I find it as one of the greatest plot devices of this book, the friendship that she had clearly made my reading more enjoyable than I ever imagined.

Secondly, Max Watson, I MEAN COME ON IT IS MAX WATSON. This is the right guy that everyone should definitely fall in love with. Captain of Quiz Bowl team, extremely attractive and a quirky kind of man. He’s one of the characters that I immensely fall in love with. Throughout the book, Paige and Max developed a romance they haven’t expected to blossom. Emery Lord interprets their feelings very brightly. You can see the doubt in Paige’s mind but her heart tells the opposite. And Max, he is such an honest and caring type of man.

Start of Me and You is the perfect book for you when you need to experience an unbreakable friendship, a fateful love the-second-time-around, and an unexpected romance. Now I am actually on my journey to marathon all of Emery Lord’s books. I still cannot believe how oblivious I was not to notice her!

*images are from Pinterest*

Title: All of This is True

Author: Lygia Day Peñaflor

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Published: May 15, 2018

ISBN13: 9780062673671

Miri Tan loved the book Undertow like it was a living being. So when she and her friends went to a book signing to meet the author, Fatima Ro, they concocted a plan to get close to her, even if her friends won’t admit it now. As for Jonah, well—Miri knows none of that was Fatima’s fault.

Soleil Johnston wanted to be a writer herself one day. When she and her friends started hanging out with her favorite author, Fatima Ro, she couldn’t believe their luck—especially when Jonah Nicholls started hanging out with them, too. Now, looking back, Soleil can’t believe she let Fatima manipulate her and Jonah like that. She can’t believe that she got used for a book.

Penny Panzarella was more than the materialistic party girl everyone at the Graham School thought she was. She desperately wanted Fatima Ro to see that, and she saw her chance when Fatima asked the girls to be transparent with her. If only she’d known what would happen when Fatima learned Jonah’s secret. If only she’d known that the line between fiction and truth was more complicated than any of them imagined. . . .

Source: Goodreads

Writer say things that other people are afraid of saying. And if you think about it, the written word is like, the cheapest, most convenient, most fulfilling kind of entertainment

Book Review

Lygia Day's latest book All of This is True embarks a dark side of friendship, love and literature. Every part of it chills me up, like it could almost be real to anyone. The books premise from the start is a bliss. Who wouldn't want to be the best friend of one your favorite author? Imagine your just one chat away to Leigh Bardugo, Tahereh Mafi or even Lygia Day herself?!?! Well, sign me up on that kind of life!

It was all rainbows and butterflies for Miri, Soleil, Penny and maybe just a bit on Jonah as well. Lygia Day introduced the characters through a series of interviews on their perspective. Looking out on their insights and admiration to Fatima Ro, you can clearly see everyone of them wants the attention of their idolized author. But aside from that, that's where the tragedy arises.

This is when Fatima Ro comes along, she has this aura that slowly controls the teens. From the book club up to having party to Fatima Ro's home, the teenagers definitely lived up to their dreams. Fatima Ro became their obsession. She knows the weak and strong points of them and lure them to her literary work. What is amazing on this book is that the point of view of Fatima Ro herself was not part of the book, which definitely build a lot of tension and mystery to solve how Fatima Ro was able to made it all possible.

The book that Fatima Ro written from the replicated stories of the teenagers are seamless. No details were missed. The emotions they had when they were telling it to Fatima Ro at that time mirrored so much in her book. And this is what amazes me on All of This is True, Lygia Day mirrored the wild and innocent emotions of her characters so beautiful and tragic. Once you reached the climax of the book, all the things you have felt on these teenagers will turn upside down. You see, no one is innocent on All of This is True, this is what I can tell you. So that's why this book is so freaking addicting!!!

I promise to you guys, All of This is True is a breath of fresh air to me when all I was reading were all romance, fantasy and contemporary genre. This book leaves you with such an awe. Every interview and even actual chapters of the book, The Absolution of Brady Stevenson will keep you with a lot of questions in your head. And when you face the truth behind these characters, your heart will literally beat so fast. Everything felt real, the scream, the anguish and bitterness they all felt to Fatima Ro reflects so much throughout of the book. All of This is True is definitely a book you should read if you want to dive in to this roller coaster tragedy of literature. You will love this book in every piece!

*Images are from Pinterest*

Title: Restore Me (Shatter Me #4)

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Rating: 5 STARS!

Published March 6th 2018 by HarperCollins

ISBN 0062676369 (ISBN13: 9780062676368)

Source: Goodreads

I'd woken up in the middle of the night seized by a violent terror I could not articulate, convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was dying.

Book Review

Just when I thought Juliette's problem are all gone, Restore me came along. It was a great thing to come back to the trilogy that I've been obsessed with for such a long time. The feelings that I had when I read the first 3 books came back to me. It was nostalgic. And I'm really happy that I felt that once more.

Restore Me continues about Juliette being the Supreme Commander of Sector 45. Becoming a leader is a tough job, yes, everyone fear her abilities but there are far more danger in store for Juliette.

The book follows with alternate POV's of Juliette and Warner. Both characters have a lot of issues to deal with. With Juliette being doubtful with her leaderships skills and Warner's shortcomings with his father's death. But mind you, even though they have issues in their minds, ahem, there is a lot of hot scenes. Remember Chapter 62? Oh, Restore Me will restore all of that for you!

Restore Me is a game changer from the trilogy. Every readers thought it is a happy ending, but it was just actually the beginning. Juliette and Warner faced their own fights. They suddenly created walls between them but it shattered all over the places. Innocent lives are at stake and Supreme Commanders from the rest of the Sectors wanted more to Juliette. It was something I did not expect. And it surprised me more than ever.

One of the things that kept me entertained in Restore Me is Kenji. Damn how I missed this character. He was an ice breaker from all the tensions in the book. But the major plot twist surprised me the most. This widened up the dystopian world itself and it all came in a full blast. I loved how Tahereh Mafi executed the characters decision that made the story very interesting. Restore Me is a book you won't want to miss!

*images are from Pinterest*

Hey guys! I'm back! After spending time for the Christmas holiday, I'm now back to blogging! Yayyy!! I recently joined the #NightwalkerPH hosted by JM @ Book Freak Revelations and in partnership with Penguin Random House, we are posting our book reviews for the much anticipated second book of the DC Comics, Batman Nightwalker.

I just read Wonderwoman Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo and Diana's character definitely put a lot of a mystery and bravery into the book. I enjoyed it a lot. In Batman Nightwalker, it is a whole different picture which is clearly another fun part to read!

Title: Batman Nightwalker (DC Icons #2)

Author: Marie Lu

Rating: 5 STARS!!!

Expected publication: January 2nd 2018 by Random House Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 0399549781 (ISBN13: 9780399549786)

Synopsis:

Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy.

The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list.

One by one, the city's elites are being executed as their mansions' security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is turning eighteen and about to inherit his family's fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Enterprises and all the tech gadgetry his heart could ever desire. But after a run-in with the police, he's forced to do community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city's most brutal criminals.

Madeleine Wallace is a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce's only hope.

In Arkham, Bruce meets Madeleine, a brilliant girl with ties to the Nightwalkers. What is she hiding? And why will she speak only to Bruce? Madeleine is the mystery Bruce must unravel. But is he getting her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees? Bruce will walk the dark line between trust and betrayal as the Nightwalkers circle closer.

Source: Goodreads

"You hold back. Poor bleeding heart, always wanting to give a second chance."

Marie Lu’s Batman Nightwalker is a hot damn, wicked and enticingly a good book. Mainly because holy-freaking-hot Bruce Wayne gave an immeasurable amount of action within the book. Being young and multi-billionaire is a rare combination that a person usually gets, but Bruce Wayne’s action has indeed put a lot of spice within it.

Roaming to the streets of Gotham, Bruce Wayne took me into the mysterious and scary Arkham Asylum. From the deepest corner up until to its notorious inmates, Marie Lu magnificently brought a lot of menacing details within it. Gotham almost became an open book on me which gripped me a lot on reading the book. Batman Nightwalker never missed a single detail of Bruce Wayne’s constant battle to himself. How is he supposed to act when Gotham is in danger? How can be that a lady in distress suddenly captures his encaged heart? It was a wonderful and addicting to read knowing those type of questions are gradually being solved.

One thing that I loved is Madeleine Wallace. God, I googled her name everywhere just to know if she’s somehow included in the original DC comics. But unfortunately, she was created only as a character dedicated only to Batman Nightwalker. A combination of a wicked guy and a mysterious lady is the perfect recipe for me! Their stolen time and interactions are the best part of the book. Well, on my end that’s what it is. Their endless cat and mouse chase are addicting. It made the book a lot more action-packed when their minds are battling with each other.

I truly loved Marie Lu’s Batman Nightwalker. It has a series of undermining one’s opponent through unexpected tactics. And it was enjoyable to see Bruce Wayne’s vulnerable heart you know. Seeing a rough guy opening up to someone is the most romantic that I could ever feel in this action-packed and thrilling book. This is a kind of book you seriously wouldn’t like to miss!

National Bookstore made another wonderful book signing event this month and their guests are Jennifer Smith, the author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, This Is What Happy Looks Like, Geography of You and Me, Hello Goodbye and Everything and her new release book Windfall, Jasmine Warga the author or My Heart and Other Black Holes and her new release book as well, Here We Are Now.

The event spread over Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. As a Young Adult reader like me, events like this are such a huge deal! Plus, it is Jennifer Smith second time around in the Philippines, how great is that?!?!?

Last Saturday was their Cebu Event and the day after is the Manila Event. There are a lot of great posts on Instagram mostly. There are a huge amount of readers who went to the signing to see Jennifer and Jasmine.

Fortunately, we had our chance to have a chat with Jennifer and Jasmine last Sunday. And I can already tell you that they are so enthusiastic and enjoyable to be with. They've answered a lot of our questions which mainly about their new books, writing process, and advice.

Jasmine Warga:

At the time of writing My Heart and Other Black Holes, she didn't realize that she was writing about depression and suicide which by the time thought as a taboo kind of topic to talk about. She feels really grateful to initiate the book about the topic that needs to talk more and raise awareness with.

Here We Are Now is really difficult to write and one of the hardest. She came up with the idea of a girl of why would she write letters to a rock star who doesn't even know her and what does it mean to be a fan of someone else's work. Because of the internet, fans usually get to watch and read interviews about them and somehow, they already feel the connection with them. She has fallen in love with that line of idolization that what if they failed you on a personal level, would you still love them?

For her, a novel start to a character that has a question on them. Also, it is about specificity. The more specific you are on pertaining the book you wanted to write, the more it will add a lot of feel and structure to the book.

Jennifer Smith:

She once wrote a middle-grade fantasy book and it was really fun to try something new, but her heart has always been to contemporary romance. She would like to try other middle-grade genres and screenplay as well, but since there's enough drama to reality, she'd like to explore more on contemporary.

Jennifer likes to write about fates and timings and it is where it ends up since there will always be a finite item to continue to answer in a different situation. The lottery is an example of that. One day she was standing in a line and there's a guy that lined up and it sparked her about a kid who wanted to take chance for a fortune of money.

Windfall has a lot of fate and romance as well. It talks about a lot of misfortune like if something happens for a reason and how to explore those questions and she's a believes that it is true, that things really did happen for a reason.

The writing advice she loves is just to write the book you wanted to write. It is basically a simple advice but it really works. Whether your fans or publishers wanted you to write a specific book, it won't feel right as much as writing that thing that you love the most. Enjoying the work is the heart of loving what you do and figuring out your path.

Overall, I was really overjoyed with this experience of getting to know them more. And as a reader, talking with one of your favorite authors is the best thing to have.