Again, but Better by Christine Riccio

"Lamppost."

I'm back! I've been stuck in the worst reading slump ever, but this book finally FINALLY got me out of it, and I have LOTS OF FEELINGS, so let's go!

(Spoilers ahead)

This book was extremely beautiful for me because I've been a fan of Christine's for years and years. She's the first booktuber I ever started watching and she's the one I tend to agree the most with in terms of the kind of books she likes so I can't even explain how excited I was for this book to come out. That being said, there are so many little things throughout the book that are so very Christine and it just made me so happy and they felt like inside jokes with her viewers that I was so excited about. One of the main things I absolutely loved was all of the Taylor Swift (I'll get back to that) and the chapter titles featuring Hamilton, Taylor, and even One Direction (woop!) were amazing. My favorite, by far, though, was this gem: 

"I expel the giant breath I've been very aware of holding for the past thirty seconds" (28). I cackled at the hilarious spin on the classic trope of letting out a breath they apparently didn't even realize they were holding. LOVED IT. 

I think the concept of this book was so refreshing and fun. It took me a bit to catch onto the fact that they were going to be thrown back in time for a do-over. I absolutely love that Shane and Pilot got to be all lovey-dovey for a while, but even more so, that they both got to do what they really wanted with their lives and mend other relationships that had been strained because of decisions made the first time around. The travel aspect was also super fun, especially with reliving a few of the trips over again and seeing the differences was so amusing. 

Speaking of Pilot and Shane being lovey-dovey, OH MY GOODNESS, THEY ARE SO CUTE, I WAS ABSOLUTELY SWOONING. The move-off was my favorite thing ever! Seriously, they were so cute, I don't even know what to say except that Pilot twirling Shane around in the house of mirrors even though he doesn't even like to dance made my heart beat twice as fast as normal and I couldn't handle it. Also, all of the Taylor Swift moments were amazing, but Pilot singing "Stay Stay Stay" DESTROYED ME in the best way, and I'll never hear the song the same way. AHH.

I. love. Shane. I am Shane. Seriously, I don't think I have ever seen so much of myself in a protagonist, and it was really kind of incredible. She tried so hard to not let fear stop her from doing what she wanted to do, but a lot of times before the do-over, she still let fear win. And that's exactly how I feel a lot of the time. But then she got to go back and do what she really wanted to do! And she learned from the first time, and she grew because of it, and that's my goal in life, I think, to not let the fear win as much. I actually got pretty emotional over this because it felt like someone else got it. Someone else who ended up finding a big epic true love and her dream job, even though she was like me. 

Going off of that, Christine's Author's Note in the beginning made me cry. Here's my favorite part: 

“This is for all the teens/young adults/adults who feel like they’ve been left behind. You’re not behind. You have time to find yourself and love and adventure. It’s all out there, and when you’re ready to push yourself out of your comfort zone and look for it, you’ll find it."

Thanks, Christine. Thanks for writing this book and showing me that I wasn't left behind. I needed it. 

Overall, this book was super fun and it means a lot to me. I give it 5 stars! 

^^ Shane and her shawarma 

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

"Spoiler Alert: Love is worth everything. Everything."

I'd been meaning to pick this one up for a while, and recently I was in the mood for a cutesy contemporary and BY GOLLY, that's what I got! Spoilers ahead. 

First of all though, this ended up being a lot darker than I had anticipated. Umm.. SHE WASN'T EVEN SICK? THAT WHOLE TIME? WHAAAT?! I genuinely didn't see that one coming, even though I guess maybe I should have. But just the twist that it was really her mom that was sick the entire time was crazy and I felt so bad for everyone involved in the whole mess. But Maddy gets to live her life now so it's good, right? Right?! 

Anyway, let's talk about Madeline. I like her. I like that she doesn't feel sorry for herself and that she thinks the meaning of life can be found in a book, because GIRL, SAME. She's funny and cute and bold and I like her a lot. 

Can we talk about Olly? I LOVE HIM. He's so cute and he's intrigued by her right away which I found super cute, I guess, I don't know, I'm hopeless. Anyway, the e-mails and IM's that we get to see between them always made me smile. And I just think they are literally so cute for reasons that I can't quite place. This book just gave me the happy feelings. Also, he calls her a princess a few times, so he gets extra points for that in my book. 

Also, I loved Carla a lot. She made me happy with her hesitant support of their relationship. EEP. And she just LET MADDY GO TO HAWAII SO SHE COULD LIVE HER LIFE? WOW, WHAT A LADY.

So, I got my hands on the movie like two days after I finished the book, and I just want to talk about that for a second. It was okay, but it ruined my favorite parts of the book! AGH. So, one of my favorite things about these two is that Olly is the only one who EVER calls her Maddy, Mads, Mad, etc. It's ADORABLE and I love it! Yeah, they ruined that in the movie. She tells her that her name is Maddy and he's like "oh okay." NO! It's supposed to be special that he calls her that!

I really liked the ending of the book. We find out in the beginning that she writes in every one of her books a reward for if a stranger were to find it. Olly finds her book and the reward is her, and AWWW. I LOVED IT. The movie didn't do that. At all. It was weird and stupid and I'm upset about it. 

Also, because I barely mentioned it, I'd just like to say that Hawaii was cute and it made me happy. 

I think that's all I've got. The book was pretty good, but despite the fact that I just fangirled a ton over it, it wasn't my favorite thing, you know? Like 3.5 stars maybe? It was chill.

^^ the FREAKING ADORABLE E-MAILS, MAN

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

"I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right." 

I finally, finally, FINALLY read this book and I have LOTS OF FEELINGS. I'm gonna go ahead and talk about spoilery things because the book has been out for 10 years and I feel like it's safe to talk about it. 

I'm gonna talk mostly about the characters because they are always my favorite part of books. Liesel is the freaking best, honestly. We really get to see her grow up, but even from a young age she was very mature, because she was forced to be. I love her intellect and her quest for knowledge- she has to work so hard to learn how to read and she keeps going because she wants it so badly, and I admire that a lot. I also love that she's tougher than most of the boys her age, and she gets off of stealing things, which I guess isn't a great thing, but it makes sense given her circumstances and it was really interesting to see. It breaks my heart that she had to go through everything that she did at such a young age, and there aren't many people who could go on to live a happy life the way that she did. 

Papa! Papa's the sweetest, greatest guy around. I love him. It amazes me that he stayed up with Liesel every night for so long to make her feel safe after her nightmares. The patience he has when teaching Liesel to read when he isn't the best at it himself was great to see. He was exactly what Liesel needed when she came to Himmel Street, and I love that. Also, obviously, he took in this Jew that he did not know at all, risking his life and his family's for this stranger that he sort of kind of indirectly owed a favor, and I think it's safe to say what he did for Max was more than just a favor. 

MAX. MAX, MY LOVE. Honestly, the only good part about the ending of this book is that HE'S OKAY AND HE WAS REUNITED WITH LIESEL, AHHH, MY HEART. I love how he really becomes a part of the Hubermann family, and I just love everything about him, oh my gosh. Honestly, my favorite thing is that the relationship between him and Liesel is so mutually uplifting. One would think that he would help her more than she helps him because of the age gap but they really do both need each other and I love that. They bond so well because of their shared experiences and they can really understand each other like nobody else can. I love the books that he makes for Liesel! I thought it was so sweet, and I LOVE the imagery of him literally painting over Hitler's words and writing his own story over it to give to the girl who is saving him, OH MY GOSH. When he had to leave I cried and when he was whipped in front of Liesel I cried and when he found her all those years later after she lost everything and they fell to the ground and hugged each other I CRIED. I LOVE MAX SO MUCH, OKAY?

Then there's Rudy. FREAKING RUDY. I want to share a quote that Death says about Rudy that literally describes my life at the moment: "He does something to me, that boy. Every time. It's his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry."

ME TOO, DEATH. ME FREAKING TOO. I loved Rudy so much right away and I was over here hoping that him and Liesel were going to grow up and get married but NOPE he didn't get to do either of those things. IT'S FINE, I'M FINE. Anyway, Rudy is best friend goals and I got so worked up and sad every time he got beat up because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. I love when he jumped in the lake to get Liesel's book and went book stealing with her and all of the other moments that I can't think of right now because I'm gonna start crying again. I just love him a lot and I wish he could feel Liesel's kiss because he loved her so much but IT'S FINE, I'M FINE. 

The writing style was super unique and interesting and I loved it for the most part. I love that we got to see the story from Death's perspective, because it's something that makes perfect sense once you see it, but I would have never thought of it! He drove me crazy when he kept telling me that Rudy was going to die, though. Like, Death! Dude, I don't want to hear that my boy's gonna die, STOP TALKING ABOUT IT, AGHHH. 

This book ripped my heart out and crushed my soul and I kind of hated the ending, but I do feel like it's a really beautiful and important book about an awful time in history. I did really end up liking it even though I cried for the last 30 pages, and I'm going to give it 5 stars because I can't stop thinking about it. 

^^ Max and Liesel being reunited after everyone is safe

A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller

"the curse of feeling everything,

is that you're painfully aware when you feel nothing."

Alright folks, this book blew me away, but before I jump into anything, let me just say that since this book has been out for like two weeks and there are a lot of people who haven't read it yet, I'm going to stay away from spoilers. So, if you haven't read it yet, keep reading so I can convince you to read it. 😊

(Disclaimer: I might be slightly biased because I've been a big fan of the author for like 6 years but I promise I'm not too biased... this book is just really freaking good, okay? Okay.)


A Lite Too Bright is a debut novel about Arthur Louis Pullman the Third. He's eighteen and everything about his life has just changed, and not for the better. His grandfather, Arthur Louis Pullman, was a very famous author who suffered from Alzheimer's during the end of his life. Five years ago, Arthur's super famous and super mysterious grandfather turned up dead in Ohio after disappearing from his home in California. How did that happen? Nobody knows and nobody but our buddy Arthur III seems to care. After Arthur finds a poem that his grandfather wrote, he takes a road trip (if it's by train, is it a train trip?) throughout the country trying to find answers about his grandfather's past. 

My synopsis skills aren't the best, but the point is Arthur goes on an epic adventure, and along the way he meets a ton of cool people who help him piece together things about his grandfather's past, while the reader simultaneously tries to figure out Arthur's own past that he seems to be running from. 


ALRIGHT, now I get to fangirl. I can't believe this is a debut novel, because it does not feel like one at all. I was reading a lot of reviews on Goodreads before I actually read the book, and everyone kept calling it "ambitious," which I didn't really understand until I picked up. Oh MAN, I get it now! It is, in fact, ridiculously ambitious, and it is executed extremely well. First of all, every character we meet feels very three-dimensional and developed, which is hard to do when we know so many of the characters for such a short amount of time. And our protagonist, Arthur, is so complicated and intricate, and you just want to know everything about him. I loved unraveling mysteries piece by piece by getting to know these characters, and there's still so much about them that I haven't unpacked yet! AGH, the characters are great. 

Something that continued to blow me away was throughout the novel, there were poems, journal entries, and newspaper clippings that were found along the way as clues to the next stop of Arthur's journey. The use of these things and the way they were woven into the narrative is honestly so genius and it adds so much to the story, and also, all of the poems were just so freaking beautiful and important and I love them. 

The entire novel is just so intricate, and the voice of the author really comes out. His writing style is so distinct and poetic and lovely and I'm obsessed with it, oh my goodness. 

ALSO, THE END IS JUST WONDERFUL. IT MADE MY HEART WARM AND HAPPY. AND I FELT LIKE THERE WAS A MIC DROP WHEN I CLOSED THE BACK COVER. 

I think that's all I've got for now. Seriously, read this book, it won't disappoint you. If it does, let me know why and we can duel it out or something. 😄
This was phenomenal, I'm giving it 5 stars. 

^^ Arthur (and also me) trying to figure out all of the clues about his grandfather 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I thought this would be the perfect book to start my blog with because it is the first book I really fell in love with! I haven't read it in years, and I just reread it for a class and WOW, THE NOSTALGIA. 

There's a bunch of things that I want to point out, so here we go! (Spoilers ahead, obviously.)

First of all, this book is SCARY. It sounds weird, but I kind of forgot that this book is about KIDS KILLING EACH OTHER. And people cheering them on. AGH. Reading the reaping scene for the first time in years, putting myself in the shoes of these kids... it was heart breaking and horrifying. For anyone but maybe the kids from Districts 1 and 2, getting your name picked is a death sentence. And most of the other tributes are portrayed as villains, which makes sense, but they're still just kids that were (for the most part) forced to be there and ahhh, I'm sad. And they only got a few minutes to say bye to their families. And the poor parents that have to watch their kids die! Okay, this is getting sad, I'm gonna move on. 

The characters in this book are great. First of all, obviously PEETA IS WONDERFUL. 😍 I now remember why I loved him so much. He is so caring, selfless, and funny and AHH, I LOVE HIM. And he's smart! He plays everyone in the Games so he can keep Katniss safe (and fights Cato so she can get away, aww) and he figured out how to kill Cato in the end when Katniss couldn't, which was pretty awesome. (And also very sad, because it was like the worst death in the book, but anyway...)

Katniss can be annoying because she gets annoyed with Peeta, which upsets me, but, given the circumstances, it does makes sense. I love Katniss, though, because she is UNBELIEVABLY smart. Everyone talks about how she outsmarts the Capitol in the end, which, of course, is awesome, but she is able to catch Haymitch's signals throughout the Games to get more sponsors, which I LOVED. Also, though there isn't a long list of people she truly loves, when she loves someone, she LOVES them and will do anything for them, which is a great thing to see. And yeah, obviously she's a great hunter and she's super kick-butt and she takes no crap which is also awesome. 

The dynamic between Effie and Haymitch is so fun to watch and I low-key ship it, it's fine. I love their character development, even through just the first book, and it's just great how much they end up caring about Katniss and Peeta. AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON CINNA, WOW, WHAT A GUY. I love him. He's great. 

Also, I just feel so bad for Peeta because he's liked Katniss for literally forever and he starts the star-crossed lovers act thing for the Games but LIKE. Katniss knows that she needs to keep up the act to get sponsors so she does all the lovey dovey stuff for the cameras (also she's starting to think that maybe she likes him but she's not exactly sure?) and PEETA DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS ALL FAKE UNTIL LATER, MY POOR BABY. 

Anyway, those are my stream of consciousness thoughts about the characters in The Hunger Games. It was great, I give it 5 stars. 

^^ Katniss looking for Peeta by the river after the announcement is made that there can be two victors

An Introduction

Hello, welcome to my blog!

I have always been quite the reader and my favorite thing to do is discuss books, so I thought I would create a platform to do that with anyone who wants to join me. 

I will be posting my opinions and feelings about all kinds of books that I'm reading. I'll probably post more about books that I like, but we'll see how it goes! 

Thanks for joining me on my reading journey!