29 April 2015

Buqo YA Bundle 1: Taking Chances (Review + Giveaway)







Huge thanks to Oops! I Read Again Tours for organizing this blog tour!


Whether looking for closure, proving their worth, or wondering what happens after a moonlit night, the characters from these stories will invite you to take a chance for love. Will they find what they’re looking for? Or will their hearts get broken? Step into their shoes and find out.

Review:

First, let me tell you that buying this bundle would really be worth it:  it has six short stories, and it's only for like 45 PHP (0.99 USD)! You can buy it in Buqo. (It's an app, iOS/Android :))

I took many screenshots while reading the bundle. And I'm telling you: when I take screenshots, it's either there's a quote or that part woah-ed me.

I enjoyed all the stories and all the love in them. Family was involved in most of the stories, so plus points! The family-factor is important, you know. :)

I smiled a lot while reading A Portrait of Jade. To be honest, (I'm not sure how to sentencify this, so yeah) I kinda shipped Joven and Jade at first, even though I knew that Joven's a minor character, even though I knew that it was Alex. Yeah. So Jade and Alex fell in love with each other in a way that looked natural to me, and I really felt the love. He made her realize her importance.

WHEN A KISS FALLS MADE ME CRY. Seriously. It's sort-of hard for stories or books to make me cry, but THIS. I felt all the emotions, all the love. The concept is good, since the strong one is finally a girl (yes, knight-in-shining-skirt!). I didn't expect most of the things that happened. When I thought that I got the story figured out, I was totally wrong. The only con of this story is that the names can be complicated (to be honest, I thought that Stef was the girl and Nash was the boy). But yeah, I can say that this story is my favorite part of the bundle.



RATING: 4.5/5




Buqo is giving away a POWERBANK to a lucky Filipino! :)


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26 April 2015

ARC Review: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl by Paige McKenzie




Title: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl
Author: Paige McKenzie
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

Goodreads Summary:

Based on the wildly popular YouTube channel, The Haunting of Sunshine Girl has been described as “ Gilmore Girls meets Paranormal Activity for the new media age.” YA fans new and old will learn the secrets behind Sunshine—the adorkable girl living in a haunted house—a story that is much bigger, and runs much deeper, than even the most devoted viewer can imagine…



Special thanks to Bibliophile Soprano for lending me her copy! :)


Review:

This book surprised me. When I was reading the first few parts of the book, I thought that this wasn't the sort of "horror" that would really scare me. This even made me want to play Monopoly! I've never seen the channel or the videos, but after reading this book, I think I might watch them for creeps.

Thrill intensifies gradually in this book. The first few parts were okay, the happenings were creepy, and the characters liked saying creepy a lot (Sunshine's fabulous mother preferred creeptastic). Nolan and Sunshine's bits of cutesy romance excite me, making me want to read more! So I read on, and the next parts got creepier and creepier, until it was already scary.


There was a time when our faucet looked like it was glitching for a second then the water started to get warmer and I was scared, thinking "What if the water gets all rusty?". I rushed; I wanted to get out of our bathroom ASAP.


The story focuses more on Sunshine's life and destiny than the ghosts and devils and horror.  It had more depth than I expected, so plus points! Victoria is my favorite part of the story, and it's like I can feel her warmth as Sunshine narrated it.

Nolan is unreasonably kind, and it makes him cool (I don't want to spoil, but there's actually a reason why he's like that). I couldn't really relate to Sunshine, but I understand her and why she does what she does, though I think that it would be better if the temperature wasn't redundantly mentioned. I love the sprinkles of Insidious from the photographs (though it's a different matter). Their friendship is cute, but I still ship them. Their love story seems so natural. And Nolan's sacrifice made me smile!

Overall, this is a great book, and I wanna know what happens next to the story. I recommend this book to readers who want to experience something with creepiness and mild horror.


RATING: 3.75/5



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20 April 2015

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han



Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Google Books Summary:

Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control in this heartfelt novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series.

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once?

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/Reaction:

THIS BOOK IS SO WOW.

The title and the way it was written on the cover got my attention (I looooove handwritten stuff). I wanted to buy the book the moment I saw the cover. After months of waiting for a sealed stock in a very good condition, I finally got it...! :DD I didn't even read the summary properly before getting it, I just wanted it. And when I finally read the summary, I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE BOOK EVEN MORE.

The plot is reaaally interesting. "What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once?" JUST.BRILLIANT. The summary itself  was already interesting, but there was something sizzling inside the book waiting to give me all sorts of nice feelings! Plus, I'm a huuuge fan of KPop, so Lara Jean being half Korean is super awesome for me!


WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. You can skip his part and come back when you're ready and fangirl with me! :D (Or you can read these sizzling spoilers and-- (I don't really know what happens to you when you read spoilers but feel free to tell me anytime!))


I love Lara Jean and I think that the way she responds to stuff is cute. She can be very impulsive, but yeah, it's totally fine, I can relate. I felt a little yay-factor when Josh "fell for Lara Jean" but still, much heart for Lara Jean and Peter!

I can't go on without saying this: I FELL IN LOVE WITH PETER'S DONUTS! Speaking of Peter, I would also like to mention that Divergent movie's Peter starred as Peter in my imaginary To All the Boys I've Loved Before movie to accompany my reading experience (and girl in cover as Lara Jean). 



END OF SPOILERS :)



Jenny Han's way of writing won't get you bored, and all the things I needed for me to love this book were given to me. I'm more than satisfied!

This book is a fun and heartbreaking read that can make your heart fly sky high because of feels. This is such a heavenly read, and I definitely want more of this (and more Jenny Han books!).



RATING: 6/5
Yep, totally serious!



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14 April 2015

Alex as Well by Alyssa Brugman



Title: Alex as Well
Author: Alyssa Brugman
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Goodreads Summary:


Alex is ready for things to change, in a big way. Everyone seems to think she’s a boy, but for Alex the whole boy/girl thing isn’t as simple as either/or, and when she decides girl is closer to the truth, no one knows how to react, least of all her parents. Undeterred, Alex begins to create a new identity for herself: ditching one school, enrolling in another, and throwing out most of her clothes. But the other Alex—the boy Alex—has a lot to say about that. Heartbreaking and droll in equal measures, Alex As Well is a brilliantly told story of exploring gender and sexuality, navigating friendships, and finding a place to belong. 


Review:

"There are moments in life when something happens and it changes everything forever. You make one decision, and after that you can't go back. It doesn't even have to be a big thing."

When I read that, I was instantly like "Wow." Books just get more fabulous when there are quotes in them. This book is loaded with lessons. Plus, I didn't worry about boredom while reading Alex as Well because the chapters are short and well-divided. 

I wanted to read this book the moment I saw the cover. IT'S GORGEOUS! The huge pink lips attracted me. It’s simple, and it matches the plot.



NOTE: I'm not really sure what to use: he or she, but I'm going with she, since that's what Alex wants.

The story was told in Alex Stringfellow's point of view. What I liked about it is that it's like Alex is speaking to the reader. It's amazing how she's fully aware that I was getting some sort of confused with the whole two-Alexes thing. To show her mother's reactions and opinions and some other stuff, there was this motherhood forum which was extremely exciting to me, especially the comments (You'll understand once you read it)! The comments showed how other people saw the situation. It seemed like a real website to me.

Alex's parents didn't know how to react when she decided to be a girl. She has been taking testosterone for a long time, and then suddenly decided to stop. Aside from her parents, almost nobody even knew her situation. She had ovaries and a noodle. Her parents decided to make her a boy (someone has to decide on something), but she didn't feel like it. It looked like she was never happy with herself. 

Alex has a strong personality and it shows. She can be disrespectful, and I think that's one of the reasons why her parents get so stressed when it comes to dealing with her.
"I've always dreamed of having a little girl, and going clothes shopping with her, and this is some creepy perversion of that dream. It's horrifying, and I know I'm not dealing with it well at all."

I think that her parents want to be good ones, but they just don't get their daughter/son (and vise versa). Alex can be confusing. She actually became a girl that can actually be a boy who chose to be a girl but suddenly like-likes girls. 

The summary's right: Alex as Well is heartbreaking and droll in equal measures, and I'm satisfied with this read.



RATING: 4/5


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12 April 2015

Finding Mr. Brightside by Jay Clark





Title: Finding Mr. Brightside
Author: Jay Clark
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Goodreads Summary: 

Abram and Juliette know each other. They’ve lived down the street from each other their whole lives. But they don’t really know each other—at least, not until Juliette’s mom and Abram’s dad have a torrid affair that culminates in a deadly car crash. Sharing the same subdivision is uncomfortable, to say the least. They don’t speak.

Fast-forward to the neighborhood pharmacy, a few months later. Abram decides to say hello. Then he decides to invite her to Taco Bell. To her surprise as well as his, she agrees. And the real love story begins. 


Review:
"He's the best thing she happens to be avoiding."

Abram and Juliette fit together. They make each other better. I ship them!

Except for the fact that they're actually neighbors, their lives were connected by their parents. They've tried really hard to put their lives back to normal after the car crash and the revelations. After meeting at the neighborhood pharmacy (which was a coincidence), he decides to invite her to Taco Bell, then she agrees. Juliette soon realizes that Abram isn't really someone to avoid.

The plot actually looks like something that's some sort of cliche, but the characters cancel that out (especially Abram's mom!).

I can't find the right words for Abram, but all I can say is: he's a good person. And, for Juliette, what I can say is: she's fabulous! That was pretty shallow, but I really do think that it's the exact word to describe my opinions. She just seemed so real to me. She doesn't seem like some girl from a fantasy story.

After what they've been through, it's good that the story didn't become full of grief and bitterness and all.

Now, let's talk about their [living] parents.
Suzy, Abram's mom, was not like the typical-bitter-parent-like-the-ones-in-cliche-stories (when I talk about typical-bitter-parent-like-the-ones-in-cliche-stories, I'm talking about those moms that think that the like-mother-like-daughter or the like-father-like-son principle is true). Therefore, if Suzy's that kind of mom, she would go hating on Juliette and think that Juliette doesn't deserve Abram because she's totally like her mother. She's not like that, so I'm satisfied. She couldn't be better.

Ben, Juliette's father, has been writing The Dollhouse Killer for ages. Now, plus points for Juliette being the good daughter not slamming the fact that her father's story was "like a written version of a CSI episode he doesn't remember watching" on Ben's face. But sorry, I kind of think that he doesn't pay enough attention to Juliette and her life, but I guess it's a side effect of their loss.

This story is a well-written one narrated through two perspectives. The cover is such a masterpiece! It looks good and it fits the book as well. You'll know what I mean once you read it, so I want you to get your hands on the book right.now.


RATING: 4.5/5

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