Reviews

Sylvia Aguilar-Zéleny And Meghan Rienks // 2-In-1 Book Review

- Bunny Leave a comment

Hi Friends,
There are some books that I read, but don’t have enough thoughts to dedicate a whole review to. I decided that, in those cases, I would do mini review posts. So, I will be doing shorter reviews for multiple books in this post. Here, I will be reviewing a middle-grade and and a sort-of-memoir. I hope you enjoy!

“The Everything I Have Lost” by Sylvia Aguilar-Zéleny
2.5/5.0 Stars
*I received an ARC of the audiobook from Netgalley*
This is a hard-hitting contemporary middle-grade, told through a young girl’s diary entries. I found this to be a very impactful story that deals with some serious topics. The narrator did a wonderful job bringing the main character to life, and I felt all of her emotions. I knew going into the story that it would be sad and touching. It gave a look at the differences between living in Juarez, as compared to El Paso, which was interesting to hear about.

However, there were some plot points that left me feeling uneasy. There was an incest incident that was unsettling and glossed-over. Also, one of the characters was shamed for being plus-sized, called Fat Nelly. However, the book is told from the perspective of a 12-year-old, so I tried to ignore the stereotyping. I wouldn’t exactly call this a middle-grade read, since the subject matter is heavy. But if you are looking for a bridge between tween and young adult, you might want to give this one a try.

“You’re Not Special” by Meghan Rienks
2.5/5.0 Stars
A person has to be pretty awesome for me to want to pick up their memoir. The life of YouTuber Meghan Rienks wouldn’t exactly be one I would usually care to read. However, I heard a rumor that it talked about her falling out with her mother, so it piqued my interest. This is mainly because I used to see her mom in her vlogmas videos, and they seemed to have a good relationship. First, I want to note that I never really watched Meghan’s YouTube channel, but I have seen some of her vlogs. No shade to her, I just always found her personality to be over-the-top and unauthentic. I think she overacts in her videos.

Anyhow, the book is tagged as sort-of-memoir, where she tells stories and gives real advice. I found the deeper parts of the book engaging and interesting. Learning about her struggles with alcohol and strained parental relationship were the best parts of the book. They were the most honest and unfiltered chapters as well. However, most of the book was filled with random, silly anecdotes with pop-culture references. This could be her inner YouTuber coming forth. In my opinion, much of the book could have been a story-time video. I got the impression that she was trying too hard to keep the reader engaged with her tips and witty one-liners. My biggest issues with the book was that it blurred the lines between memoir and self-help book. It was too all-over-the-place for me to truly enjoy.

I can’t wait to do more of these 2-in-1 mini book reviews. Don’t worry, though – I will still be doing solo reviews as well. I would love to know if any of you have read either on these books. If you have, leave your thoughts in the comments. Please like and share this post with all your bookish friends.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

What’s Not To Love // Book Review

- Bunny 2 Comments

Title: What’s Not To Love
Author: Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Published: 2021
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary

Since high school began, Alison Sanger and Ethan Molloy have competed on almost everything. AP classes, the school paper, community service, it never ends. If Alison could avoid Ethan until graduation, she would. Except, naturally, for two over-achieving seniors with their sights on valedictorian and Harvard, they share all the same classes and extracurriculars. So when their school’s principal assigns them the task of co-planning a previous class’s ten-year reunion, with the promise of a recommendation for Harvard if they do, Ethan and Alison are willing to endure one more activity together if it means beating the other out of the lead.
Source: GoodReads

I love a good enemies-to-lovers story, if it’s done right. Unfortunately, this one fell short for me. The lead characters argued all the time, and had no chemistry. For the first half of the book, they bickered the whole time, which annoyed everyone around them. Honestly, there wasn’t a point where I, as the reader, could see them becoming more than rivals. It was irritating that these two had absolutely no reason to dislike each other, except for the fact that they wanted to out-do the other. The whole meaning behind their rivalry was very juvenile.

The lead male, Ethan, isn’t a horrible character, but he was trying to find himself in this feud he has going on. As for the female lead, Alison, she was one of the major downfalls of this book. I understand not wanting to be treated like a child, but she was immature, snobbish, and self-centered. The way she treated her friends was one thing, but how she acted towards her family was unbelievable. She was downright rude and offensive to her older sister because her life wasn’t they way Alison thought it should be. She had no right to judge her or talk the way she did to her family. Honestly, for someone that wanted to be seen as a grown-up, her attitude was very immature.

The plot seemed random, since I don’t believe a high-school principal would care about two students’ petty feud. If it was such a big problem, you’d think it would have been dealt with sooner than their senior year. They could have put them in different classes, or set up a meeting with their parents. The whole main plot was just off. There was a nice throwback to “Time Of Our Lives” which is another novel by this duo. Two of the characters from the book did show up in this one, but since I wasn’t a fan of “Time Of Our Lives” it didn’t mean much to me.

I want to like this author duo, but I am starting to think that “If I’m Being Honest” was a fluke. I might pick up their next release, but go into it with low expectations. Please give this post a like and share, and follow my little book blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Unbirthday // Book Review

- Bunny Leave a comment

Title: Unbirthday
Author: Liz Braswell
Published: 2020
Genre: Middle Grade/Retelling


2.5/5 Stars


Returning to the place of nonsense from her childhood, Alice finds herself on a mission to stop the Queen of Hearts’ tyrannical rule and to find her place in both worlds. But will she able to do so . . . before the End of Time?
Source: GoodReads.com


Writing a bad review is one of the worst parts of being a book blogger. I never want to offend the author or other readers, but not everybody will enjoy the same story. I went to this book with an open mind while excepting much. I read, and reviewed a different book in the “Twisted Tales” series, so I sort of new what to except. Going into this book, I knew it was going to be a fresh take on the Wonderland story, and hope it would instantly capture me. Unfortunately, nothing about this story worked. The writing style was geared towards a much younger audience, which being a middle grade is to be suspected. But there are some pretty spectacular middle-grade books that work for all ages.

The biggest issue I had with the story was that it was slow. I don’t mean slow for the first half of the book, and then it picks up. It was slow and boring throughout the entire book. I kept getting distracted, and tuning out while reading. I had to go back and reread pages multiple times. Truthfully, I wanted to DNF the book, but I felt like I had to see it through to the end. I’m not mad that I stuck with it, but I did want more from it.

I didn’t get the connection between Alice’s real-life and wonderland life. Speaking of Alice, she acted just as bratty and sure of herself as she did in the original story. But being 18 years old, you would think she’d grown up. It seemed that even the Wonderland characters didn’t enjoy her company. The plot of Alice having to save Wonderland from the Queen of Hearts could have been interesting if the villain was an actual part of the story. During Alice’s journey through Wonderland, the Queen didn’t appear until the final few chapters. She didn’t even say much or acknowledge Alice’s presence.

I wanted a whimsical re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland, and that wasn’t the case. The book didn’t hold up to Lewis Carroll original work, nor the classic Disney animated film. Honestly, Tim Burton did a better job retelling the story. One final thing to note this book is nearly 500 pages long—too long for most books, especially middle-grade reads.

If you would like to send me an inquiry about reviewing a book or product please email me at narges.errandi@gmail.com. Please keep in mind that all my reviews are 100% honest.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Road To Christmas // Movie Review

- Bunny Leave a comment

Title: Road To Christmas
Network: Hallmark
Released: 2018


Los Angeles television producer Maggie Baker unwittingly falls for Danny Wise, the son and former producer of his mother’s popular annual Christmas special Julia Wise Lifestyle. When Maggie’s secret plan to reunite Danny and his two brothers with Julia during the live broadcast in Vermont goes awry, Maggie is reminded that above all, it is the love for family and friends that makes the merriest of Christmas.
Source: Hallmark.com


Let’s face it, most Hallmark movies have some cheesy and predictability factors. But, this one was a sweet Christmas movie, where the romance takes a backseat. This movie feature is a workaholic character, like many Hallmark movies do, that never makes time for romance but discovers that you can always make time for the things that are important, especially love. I enjoyed the character tremendously, and thought that all the actors had great chemistry.

Most of the time, we get workaholics that are cold and uptight. But this movie takes a new approach to the stereotype, which was refreshing. She loved her job and was willing to skip Christmas with her family for work. Still, she loved the holiday, and missed her loved ones dearly. It was nice that her love interest wasn’t some unfeeling jerk coming to take over her job. He was a genuine guy, doing a favor for his mom and trying to show that Christmas traditions are important.

I will say that as the producer of the Christmas special who has been working at the company for five years, they should have had a little more faith in her ability to put on a good show. On the flip side, I understand that most of us trust our families opinions more than other people. I loved the plot of reuniting the brother to surprise their mom, live on TV. It was a wholesome idea that showed how spending the holiday with family is all that matters. I did find the fact that they were known as the “Three Wise Men” a little silly and too on-the-nose Christmas for me.

I thought the brothers interacted well together, and you could get a feel of their different personalities. Even though the movie was only an hour and a half long, the love story wasn’t rushed. They fell for each other naturally, despite their contrasting personalities. The plot was fun and creative, while still being a typical Hallmark movie. I don’t think this movie is super original, but it is one I would watch again.

If you would like to send me an inquiry about reviewing a book or product, please email me at narges.errandi@gmail.com. Please keep in mind that all my reviews are 100% honest.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Conceal, Don’t Feel // Book Review

- Bunny Leave a comment

Title: Conceal, Don’t Feel
Author: Jen Calonita
Published: 2019
Genre: Middle Grade/Retellings


When a magical accident erases Anna and Elsa’s memories not only of magic, but of each other the sisters are separated for protection. But when Elsa unexpectedly finds herself as a young queen mysterious magic begins to happen and questions of her past start to form. Will the sisters ever be reunited?
Source: GoodReads.com


I pictured this book to be a new take on the Frozen story. However, it was the same basic story with slight changes. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Frozen movie, so I don’t know why I was excepting to enjoy this book. When I think of retellings, I envision a whole new tale that takes inspiration from it’s origin story. Unfortunately that was not the author’s plan for this novel.

I was curious to see who Elsa and Anna would become without one another. The answer the same exact people they were in the film. There were minor changes to their personalities, but unless you were looking you wouldn’t be able to notice these differences. I think the biggest change was Elsa and Hans’ relationship. Although, he is scum the book and movie writes him in a charming almost likable way. As someone that loved his and Anna’s duet from the animated film it would have been great to have him be a good guy this go around.

This is probably an unpopular opinion but I find Olaf to be annoying. He is too much for me in the movie. However, I liked the change to his personality in the book. The author kept his lovable and clueless charm while reining in his over-the-top persona. Also, I found his forgetfulness kind of adorable. One character change I wasn’t a fan of was Kristoff. Now I enjoyed his interactions with Sven, yet he seemed cold and irritated with Anna. I didn’t see them development from friends to lovers, or in this case enemies to lovers.

Overall, this book was an average, quick middle grade. While being a good choice for Disney fans, if you’re looking for a reimagined take on the story, skip this one. This is my first “Twisted Tale” and despite it not being my favorite, it hasn’t totally prevented me from giving others in the series a fair chance. Still, here’s hoping the rest are a bit of a fresher take on the classic tales we all know and love.

If you would like to send me an inquiry about reviewing a book or product please email me at narges.errandi@gmail.com. Please keep in mind that all my reviews are 100% honest.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Book Review: The Project by Courtney Summers

- Bunny Leave a comment

*This review might include information that some might see as a spoiler.*

Title: The Project
Author: Courtney Summers
Published: 2021
Rating: 4.0/5.0 Stars

Synopsis: It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer–at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood.
Source: GoodReads

I feel at a lost for words to describe my thoughts on this book. I went into this book expecting a dark mystery thriller, but this story was much more. I would classify this as a psychological thriller that shines a light on cult lives and their leaders. The story kept me guessing at every turn, and although I didn’t love the plot Courtney Summers still managed to make me invested in story. At times, I was angry at Lo for how naïve she was, but I was also upset with her sister Bea for abandoning love for the The Unity Project.

There were times that I understood Lo’s frustration and need for love. I understood Bea’s need to find something, anything to believe in. As Lo and Bea both fell in love with Lev, I too fell for Lev’s charm and wanted to believe in his kindness. Make no mistake he is the villain of this story, but the author does a wonderful job of portraying him in such away that you want to believe in what he is selling. However, that is the thing about sociopathic sadist they no how to manipulate people and the narrative to their liking. They prey on the wounded, lonely, and the weak.

“For that brief period when everything ugly is covered under the sparkle of something so new, the world almost feels like it’s living up to its potential.”

Some of the chapters where a bit painful to read and heartbreaking. This story doesn’t wrap-up into a happy little bow. Their isn’t a true happy ending. I feel sadness for Lo and Bea. This is a story that cannot be explained and isn’t for everyone. It isn’t much of a mystery, but does keep you guessing. I wouldn’t call it a new favorite, but it is memorable. The book is categorized as young adult genre, yet I would say that it is more new adult. I would be interested in picking up other works from this author in the future.

I hope you liked this review, and want to mention that the book does deal with abuse, abandonment and tragedy. You can visit booktriggerwarnings.com to see warnings for many other books. Please like and share this post with other books lovers. Don’t forget to follow the blog to get notified when I post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Book Review: Time Of Our Lives by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

- Bunny Leave a comment
  1. Title: Time Of Our Lives
    Author: Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
    Published: 2020
    Rating: 2.5/5.0 Stars

Synopsis: Time Of Our LivesWhen Fitz and Juniper cross paths on their first college tour in Boston, they’re at odds from the moment they meet– while Juniper’s dying to start a new life apart for her family, Fitz faces the sacrifices he must make for his. Their relationship sparks a deep connection–in each other’s eyes, they glimpse alternate possibilities regarding the first big decision of their adult lives.
Source: GoodReads

I was dreading writing this review, because not to long ago I was singing the author duos prayers. I was very unhappy with this book, and couldn’t get behind the plot. I was hoping for a cute boy meets girl type of story, but that is not really the premise. Are two leads are both college seniors, Fitz and Juniper, who cross path during their multiple college tours. The characters are different, yet similar. Fitz is very dedicated to taking care of his ill mother and has a strained relationship with his older brother. Juniper wants nothing more than to get space from her tight-knit family and has her college life mapped out.

When various chance meetings draw them together they start to develop feelings that become hard to ignore. This sound like a cute opposites attract book in which they both end up learning something from one another, right? Wrong! Well, kind of. Here is the kicker and a major faux-pas within the plot, Juniper has a boyfriend. Yep, they had been going strong for about a year and started the college road trip together. This was a twisted I never saw coming, and didn’t enjoy.

For me, Juniper was a very unlikable character determined to runaway from her family, because they were overbearing. I wanted to shake her and tell her that you don’t need to push your family away to live your dreams. However, I might be projecting, since I have a close-knit family. She was very stubborn at times, and always tried to push her ideas, opinions and the way she lived her life on to other. It got frustrating quickly. Needless to say, I didn’t enjoy reading her dialog.

“It’s extraordinarily freeing.”

Fritz on the other hand was hands down the redeeming part of this book. He was quirky, thoughtful and awkward. I loved that he was willing to give up all his dreams for his mom, and make new goals for her sake. I enjoyed the moments between him and his brother, and you could see the distance between them. However, you could tell that they did love each other even if at times they tried not to care.

I didn’t find Fritz and Juniper a believable couple at all. I couldn’t get over the fact that Juniper kept pushing her wants on the Fritz and essentially peer-pressuring him to-be like her. Maybe, I interrupted her wrong, but her personality was a bit abrasive. I felt like Juniper didn’t learned anything from Fritz, or change throughout the book. Their were small moments that you could see her personality shifting, yet they didn’t last long.

As for Fritz, his character growth was amazing! He discovered that he could live his life for himself while still caring about and for his mom. He learned that his brother cared just as much, maybe even more, than him about their family, but tried to play it cool. During the story, they came together as brothers and it was very touching. Is it sad that I would rather have had a strained brother road trip story instead of the one we got.

This book fell middle of the road for me, which isn’t bad but isn’t great either. I will continue to read whatever these two publish next, yet I might be keeping my expectations low. I want to add that there might be an epilogue in this book, but it isn’t in the e-book or audiobook versions, so I’m confused. I didn’t get a chance to read the epilogue, since I primarily read the formats I mentioned that didn’t contain it. Let me know your thoughts on this book in the comments.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Book Review: Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston

- Bunny Leave a comment

Title: Bookish and the Beast
Author: Ashley Poston
Published: 2020
Rating: 3.0/5.0 Stars

Synopsis: When Rosie and Vance’s paths collide and a rare book is accidentally destroyed, Rosie finds herself working to repay the debt. And while most Starfield superfans would jump at the chance to work in close proximity to the Vance Reigns, Rosie has discovered something about Vance: he’s a jerk, and she can’t stand him. The feeling is mutual. But as Vance and Rosie begrudgingly get to know each other, their careful masks come off—and they may just find that there’s more risk in shutting each other out than in opening their hearts.
Source: GoodReads

I am happy to-be done with this series of companion novels but Ashley Poston. I started this series on a high note with Greekerella, but than it slowly went down hill. I wasn’t a fan of the second book in the series, and I’m sad to say this one fell short for me as well. I am a Beauty and the Beast fangirl and delighted to see a version of the story in the Once Upon a Con world. Unfortunately, I soon realized that I had too high of hopes for this book.

Rosie and Vance barely had any interaction, and no chemistry. Honestly, I would much have preferred to see their first meeting and watch their relationship build from their on. They would both talk about their first meeting and the instant connection they had, but during their present interactions I didn’t buy it. Also, Vance’s nobody understands me act was quite off-putting. He was seeking action by acting out, which was immature.

As for Rosie, she was the typical I’m “not like other girls” female lead. Her mother had passed away and they both shared a love of book, mainly the Starfield novels. I want to point out that I don’t think Rosie was a horrible character, but I am not a fan of that character type in books. The book did have character that were part of the LGBTQ community, which I love to see. However, the side characters played a very small part in the story.

“Books are not really just books at all, but doorways. They are portals into places I’ve never been and people I’ll never be.”

Frankly, I feel like she tossed these characters in, so that she could say the book diverse. I believe at one point they mentioned in passing that her father was bisexual and he was obviously developing a crush on Vance’s manager, he might not have been his manager, but I digress. I feel like her father being a bisexual was completely out of the blue, and a random add in. However, I would love a book on her father and possible falling in love with a woman and man, or a trans character.

Overall, I didn’t think that the love story was believable, the main characters were irritating to say the least and I could scream about what she did to Darien and Elle’s relationship. Also, only two other characters from the earlier books showed up in this one, which was lame in my opinion. I bet you can tell that this book wasn’t for me. In total, I would give the entire series a 3.5 start, but save yourself the time and read only “Geekerella.

I will note that there is a novella in the series, which I have yet to read. A safe bet is that I probably won’t be reading. Please share and like this post all your book loving friends. Follow the blog to get notified when I post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

If I’m Being Honest // Book Review

- Bunny Leave a comment

Title: If I’m Being Honest
Author: Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley
Published: 2019
Rating: 5.0/5.0 Stars

Synopsis: When she puts her foot in her mouth in front of her crush, Andrew, she fears she may have lost him for good. In an attempt to win him over, Cameron resolves to “tame” herself, much like Katherine in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. First, she’ll have to make amends with those she’s wronged, which leads her to Brendan, the guy she labelled with an unfortunate nickname back in the sixth grade.
Source: GoodReads

When I read the synopsis of this book, I pictured a slow-burn enemies to lovers story. I imagined a Regina George type character who would become reformed. However, you know the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” well this book proves that you shouldn’t judge a book by the first few chapters.

I was going to dnf this book around 30 pages in, but I stuck it out, and I am glad. This book is much more than a love story. It is about change and forgiveness. I loved that throughout the story Cameron was focused on changing her ways for a guy, yet learned that self-perception is more important. She realized that honesty isn’t always the best policy, and being truthful could do more damage than good.

“I know the truth can hurt, even when you need to hear it.”

The love story was adorable and devolved in a very natural way. It was less enemies-to-lovers, but instead opposites attract. However, my favorite part of the story was Cameron’s home life and relationship with her parents. She sees her mother as weak and broken, while she paints this image of her dad as successful and strong. While she hates the way her absent father treats and talks to her and her mother. His negative outlook has clouded her opinion on her mother.

At the end, Cameron learns of her mothers love and strength. I think that it is the start of an amazing mother, daughter bond. To give a weird, yet accurate description of the novel. It is like an onion, there were many layers that unfold throughout the story. I am very happy to give this a five-star rating. Please share and like this post, and follow the blog.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Book Review: Admission by Julie Buxbaum

- Bunny Leave a comment

Title: Admission
Author: Julie Buxbaum
Published: 2020
Rating: 3.0/5.0 Stars

Synopsis: It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer–at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood.
Source: GoodReads

When I saw this book on display at my local Wal-Mart I thought the concept was very intriguing. I, like many people, have heard about the college admissions scandal that rocked the media back in 2019. When the events of the scandal unfolded I knew that it was only a matter of time before their was some form of fiction about the affair. However, a YA book wasn’t my first thought. I went into this book with very low expectations, and knowing it would be very cliché.

The characters in the book don’t have much depth to them, and we are seeing the entire misconduct through the eyes of the main protagonist, Chloe. There were many jabs and similarities to the original scandal, which was fun to see. A good subject that the book touched on was how people are so quick to turn their backs on one another. Chloe’s friends and crush didn’t think twice before writing her off as a liar and cheater. They never once asked to hear her side of the story. What her family did was wrong nobody is denying that fact. However, their lack of loyalty to their so-called friend said a lot about them. I think it was a very honest portrait of friendship.

“I think about all the things money can and cannot buy.”

I did get slightly annoyed with many of the characters and how clueless they acted. It was as if they thought everyone got into college this way. In a majority of the book Chloe played dumb, which was frustrating but proved that she was not ready for college. The overall ending message about throwing money at your problems was very real. The author made it clear that yes money can buy you a lot even admissions to college, but that doesn’t make it right. Just because you can have something doesn’t mean you should. Most things in life should be earned, and not taken.

I am glad that I picked this book up, but it isn’t anything to write home about. I probably won’t read it again, still it was a very fast easy read. I would be interested to see a TV movie version of this book. If you have read this book please leave me your thoughts in the comments below. Also, follow the blog to get notified when I post.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny