November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Genre: romance, new-adult, contemporary, young-adult

Published: November 10th 2015 

Pages: 310 

Publisher: Atria Books

Synopsis 

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist. (source) 

Thoughts 

I have been wanting to read this book for quite sometime now solely because people have been raving and talking about this author non-stop. This book personally was the most intriguing to me plot wise, so that's why I wanted to give this book a read. So out of curiosity, I decided to give this book and author a go. This book was so addicting and it was very difficult to put down. Colleen's writing style was what made me keep reading. It was so easy to read and it was fast paced. The characters were also entertaining and I liked them a lot. I thought they were pretty realistic however, Ben seemed to come off as unrealistic at times because no guy who's 18-23 would ever think the way he does unless they were some kind of creepy stalker type. But that didn't take away my love for this book. I will definitely be reading more of Colleen's work in the future. And if you haven't read any of her books (or this one), I highly recommend you do. 

Thought number one: I really enjoyed reading about both characters and seeing how different their circumstances were. And I really enjoyed how realistic Fallon was towards the issues that she faced in the story. I thought it was very authentic for the story and how she reacted towards Ben in the end was also very real. I will say that even though I really loved Ben, I found him to be slightly unrealistic at times because (like I previously just mentioned) there is no way any guy ages 18-23 would be thinking the way that Ben does in this book. So in that sense, Ben was not the most realistic character I've read. But that still didn't take away my enjoyment of the book. 

Thought number two: This book was so addicting and gripping. It was so hard to put down, but when I did I just wanted to pick it back up again and keep reading. Her writing style was so easy to read and it was very fast paced I also thought this book was really intense and full of angst (like its supposed to be). I loved the inspiration behind this story, as it being based off the plot from One Day by David Nichols. In that book, there was a lot of heartbreak with a mix of happiness in between, which is exactly what I got from this book. It was amazing in so many ways, and I definitely want to read more of her work. 

Rate 

4/5

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

Genre: young-adult, science fiction, fantasy, romance 

Published: November 3rd 2015 

Pages: 426

Publisher: HarperTeen 

Synopsis 

Marguerite Caine has done the impossible, traveling to alternate dimensions with the Firebird—the brilliant invention of her parents, her boyfriend, Paul, and their friend Theo. But she has also caught the attention of enemies willing to kidnap, blackmail, and even kill to use the Firebird for themselves. 

When Paul’s soul is splintered into four pieces—pieces that are trapped within Pauls in other dimensions—Marguerite will do anything, and travel anywhere, to save him. But the price of his safe return is steep. If she doesn’t sabotage her parents in multiple universes, Paul will be lost forever.

Unwilling to sacrifice her family, Marguerite enlists the brilliant Theo to help. The two forge a plan to save Paul and the Firebird, but succeeding means outsmarting a genius and risking not only their lives but also the lives of their counterparts in every other dimension.

Their mission takes them to the most dangerous universes yet: a war-torn San Francisco, the criminal underworld of New York City, and a glittering Paris where another Marguerite hides a shocking secret. Each leap brings Marguerite closer to saving Paul—but her journey reveals dark truths that lead her to doubt the one constant she’s found between worlds: their love for each other. (source) 

Thoughts 

I just want to address that this book is literally one of the best books I've read in a really long time (besides Three Dark Crowns of course). There was so much drama, romance and it was very action-packed. If anything I enjoyed it way more than the first book, which I highly recommend you guys go check out as well. I loved how I got see different sides to each of the characters, as well as the different places they went throughout the story (like Paris, one of my favourite cities ever!). There were so also some amazing and intense plot twists that I really enjoyed. I could go on and on about how amazing this book is, but of course this is just the intro so I'm going through my thoughts vaguely. Anyways, I highly recommend you guys go read this book, and might as well read the rest of the series. 

Now on to the more detailed points. Like I previously mentioned, this is one of the best I've best books I've read in a long time. Here's why: 

My first thought is that the romances with the three main characters was very well done. I enjoyed the little romantic development going on between Marguerite and Theo. In this book you could kind of see a possible romance between the two, and I actually like them together. To be honest, if they ever were an actual thing, I wouldn't be too upset. Anyways, I also thought the romance with Marguerite and Paul was also developed well. Even though their apart for most of the book, it was nice to see that their romance was still going strong before everything got complicated. I honestly don't know who I ship with Marguerite more, but I do like both of the male characters. So yes, romances were on point! 

My second thought is the character development. The character development with all the characters was so fantastic. I really enjoyed getting to see the different sides to Theo, Paul and also Marguerite. With Theo, I got to see more of an vulnerable and gentle side to him that I didn't get to see in the first book. And with Paul, I saw more of an angry and dark side to him. While with Marguerite, she is a slightly different person than she was in the first book. So that really signifies her character development. Going back to Theo, I definitely liked him better in this book than in the previous. He was much more kinder and (for lack of better terms) sweet. I found that in the first book, he was very cocky and ignorant. And that very much turned me off from his character. But yes, the three main characters were incredible and I can't wait to read more about them in the final book soon. 

 My third thought is the unpredictable plot twists. There were moments in the book where I just didn't expect for them to happen and I was left confused asking myself: "Why did this happen? What is happening?!" But I felt like these plot twists were necessary for the book and for the rest of the series going forward. Personally, I thought they were played out very well and it made me even more excited to read the final book. (If you guys couldn't tell already, I'm very excited to read this last book). *Note: I won't reveal what these plot twists are because of spoilers, but go read the book to find out what they are.* Anyways, there's nothing more to say on this topic so let's just move on to my last thought. 

My last and final thought is the incredible world building. Again, Claudia Gray has done a fantastic job on the world building and constantly keeping it fresh and unique. This is definitely a different world that I don't believe anyone else can create better than she can. It was just so fantastic and it made the overall book more entertaining. 

Rate 

5/5

October Wrap Up

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson and this is my October wrap up. In terms of reading, this was a pretty good reading month for me. I really enjoyed a lot of the books I read, but only one was mostly a disappointment. I read a total of six books this month, which is great. Hopefully I'll read a little more next month, but I don't know we'll see. Let's get into this months wrap up. 

The first book I read was Messenger by Lois Lowry. This is the third book in the Givers quartet. I read Gathering Blue in September, but I was really disappointed with the book and I thought this one would be better. As it turns out, it was a lot better than I thought. I enjoyed this one a lot more than the previous one, but I still wouldn't say this book was better than The Giver. This book would have to be my second favourite out of the quartet (The Giver being my most fave). I enjoyed reading more about Matty's life and the world building was great. I also like how it was a short book, so I flew threw this one pretty quickly. I have a full review on this blog if you want read more about my thoughts. I rated this a 3/5 stars. 

The second book I read was American Born Chinese by Gene Leun Yang. This is a graphic novel that I had to read for one of my classes. I had heard awesome things about this book, but I never would have picked it up on my own. I'm so glad I read it because I really enjoyed this one. It's about fitting in and figuring out your identity (coming of age). And there is a lot of religious meaning behind this book (which is probably why my prof thought it would be a good idea to read this). Since it's a graphic novel, and it's pretty short I flew threw this book as well. I highly recommend it. And I'm also interested in reading some of his other books as well. I rated this a 4/5 stars.  

The third book I read this month was As I Descended by Robin Talley. This is a modern LGBT+ retelling of the Shakespearean play Macbeth. I absolutely loved this book, and it is one of my favourite books this year so far. I thought the author did a good job with incorporating the play with some modern twists, making the story her own. I have a full review of this book on my blog if you want to read more of my thoughts. I rated this book a 5/5 stars. 

The fourth book I read was Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. This was my most anticipated release for this year, and I was so excited to finally getting my hands on it. I have read other books by this author and they were so amazing. I loved the premise of the story and I thought this would be the perfect book to read in the fall. I really enjoyed this book, but my only issue was the pacing. The pacing for the first 100 pages or so were very slow. But I think it was really slow because it was introducing me to the characters and the world. Once I got past 100 pages, the book just flew by quickly, and it is worth the read. I can't wait to read the second book. If you want to hear more of my thoughts, then I have a full review on this blog. I rated this a 4.5/5 stars. 

The fifth book I read was Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten. I thought this book was the perfect fall read as it is a mystery/thriller type of story. However, I didn't really enjoy the book and I was disappointed with how it was executed. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the first half of the book where June (protagonist) was asking question about her best friends death and finding out the truth. But once the huge plot twist was revealed, I didn't love it as much. I thought it was unnecessary for the book. If it was just the first half all the way through, then I would of like the story as a whole. I have a full review if you to know more of my thoughts. I rated this a 3/5 stars. 

The last book I read in the month of October was Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray. This is the second book to the Firebird trilogy. This was one of my favourite reads this month and it was so perfect. For me, this was definitely better than the first book. There was more romance, drama and it was action-packed. And I also got to see a different side to all the characters, especially Theo. I will have a review up soon discussing more of my thoughts in detail. I'm very excited to read the last book in November. I rated this a 5/5 stars. 




That is it for my monthly wrap up, I hope you all enjoyed reading it. Let me know what books you read this month in the comments below. Happy reading and until my next post, goodbye for now.  

The Halloween Book Tag 🎃

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here, and in honour of Halloween today, I thought I would do this short little tag called The Halloween Book Tag. This tag was created by book-tuber, Naomi TheBooklover. I've seen other book tubers do this, so I thought it would be fun to do this quick tag. So, without any further ado, lets get into the tag. 

1. Carving pumpkins--What book would you carve up and light on fire? 

I haven't read too many books that have made me want to burn books on fire. But there is one that I can think of in particular and that book is The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life by Tara Altebrando. I read this book recently, and I despised it. I hated the main characters so much that I grew frustrated with them halfway threw the book. I couldn't wait for this book to be finished because I just wanted to be done with it. So yes, I would actually burn this book. 

2. Trick or Treat--What character is a trick, what character is a treat? 

The character who is a treat is Paige from The Start of Me of You by Emery Lord. Paige is just a sweet, and wonderful character to read about. And I felt such a deep connection with her, which I haven't truly felt with any other character in a long time. The character who is a trick would be Theo from the Firebird trilogy by Claudia Gray. Now, Theo is not a bad person, but there are qualities to him that I didn't like so because of that, he is a trick. 

3. Candy Corn--What book is always sweet? 

Pretty much any book by Morgan Matson. All of her books are so sweet and entertaining. I highly recommend her books to read. 

4. Ghosts--What character would you love to visit you as a ghost? 

Probably Brandon from As I Descended by Robin Talley. Brandon is such an awesome character, and I really liked reading about him. *spoiler alert* Brandon does die halfway through the book, and Brandon is based off of Banquo from Macbeth, so it makes sense that he would be a ghost. Anyways, I just thought that he would a great ghost to pick. 

5. Dressing up in costume--What character would you want to be for a day? 

This one was kind of hard to decide. But if I were to ever dress up as any character for a day it would probably be Arsinoe from Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. She is such a bad ass character, who wasn't afraid to speak her mind, and be a little rebellious at times. She was my favourite character in the book, and I can't wait to read more about her in the next one. 

6. Wizards and Witches--What is your favourite Harry Potter moment? 

I haven't actually read Harry Potter so I don't have a favourite moment. 

7. Blood and Gore--What book was so creepy that you had to take a break from it for awhile? 

The one book I would choose for this one would have to be The Accident Season by Moria Fowley-Doyle. This book got really creepy at times that I had to take a second to put the book down, and take a small break from it. I really liked this book for its gripping and suspenseful qualities, but the characters were what turned me off slightly from giving it a five stars. 

So that is it for The Halloween Book Tag I hope you all enjoyed. If you want to do this tag, then I tag you to do it in the comments below. Happy reading and until my next post goodbye for now. And Happy Halloween everyone! 👻🎃

Currently Reading Thoughts

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here and I'm currently reading Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray. I just want to write about my thoughts with all of you, because I have a lot that I feel needs to be expressed. 

First of all, can we just talk about the cover and how beautiful it is?! Her covers for this trilogy are so gorgeous and they match my aesthetics in life. They are just so artistic and they really present all the dimensions the characters go to very well. And watercolour is one of my favourite kinds of art, so that's a plus. 

My thoughts on the book however, are just the same. I personally think this book is better than the first one by far. There is more that happens, if not, a lot more happens. Tons more drama, romance, and action-packed. It is the perfect combination of all of the things previously mentioned. I am actually starting to like Theo a lot more, because I really get to see his vulnerability deep down his cocky, and sometimes arrogant exterior. So, I really understand that he is in fact a great person. I got to see different sides to all the characters, especially with Paul (but I can't admit why because of spoilers). But I feel like I have gotten to know a lot more of the characters in this book, and I will continue to get to know them for one last time in the final book when it comes out in November, which I am so ready for BTW. 

In terms of a synopsis, I don't want to write too much about it because of spoilers. But I will write that instead of trying to murder Paul, Marguerite is trying to save him. Paul's soul get splintered into 4 different dimensions and it's up to Marguerite (with the help of Theo) to save him. 

So yes, those are all my thoughts for my current read I hope you all enjoyed. If you have read this book then let me know your thoughts in the comments so we could discuss it. I hope to have a full review on this in a few days. Happy reading and until next post, goodbye for now. 

Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten

Genre: young-adult, mystery, contemporary, thriller 

Published: July 5th 2016 (first published: July 7th 2015)

Pages: 336 

Publisher: Simon Pulse 

Synopsis 

They say Delia burned herself to death in her stepfather’s shed. They say it was suicide.

But June doesn’t believe it.

June and Delia used to be closer than anything. Best friends in that way that comes before everyone else—before guys, before family. It was like being in love, but more. They had a billion secrets, binding them together like thin silk cords.

But one night a year ago, everything changed. June, Delia, and June’s boyfriend Ryan were just having a little fun. Their good time got out of hand. And in the cold blue light of morning, June knew only this—things would never be the same again.

And now, a year later, Delia is dead. June is certain she was murdered. And she owes it to her to find out the truth…which is far more complicated than she ever could have imagined. (source) 

Thoughts 

I bought this book in the summer because I was very intrigued by the premise and I needed new books in the thriller/mystery genre for fall and Halloween. And it was in fact the perfect book for this time. I really enjoyed this book because of its fast pacing and flowing writing style. What I didn't like about it was how it changed perspectives once I found out about the plot twist (which I didn't see coming). I also didn't enjoy the direction the book took towards the end. I didn't think it was completely necessary for a story like this. And it got strangely dark at times and I was just like: What. Is. Happening!? Other than those issues, I really liked the story for what it was (in the beginning) and I would still recommend it to you guys. 

Another thought that I wanted to discuss was the characters. First off, I really liked June as character and I personally believe that her thoughts and reactions to the situation were realistic. I didn't connect with her and relate to her emotionally, but I still enjoyed reading her perspective. And I didn't like the rest of the characters to much. There was just something about them that I couldn't trust (which is what I think the author was trying to go for). But still to me, they were just odd characters and some had really f***ed up backgrounds. I tried to like some of the characters (I don't want to say their names because it might be a spoiler from the plot twist), but I couldn't. 

The last thing I wanted to write about was the plot twist. That plot twist though!? I didn't see it coming at all. I was extremely shocked to find out what really happened, but I didn't love the rest of the overall story after that as much as I did in the beginning. I really enjoyed the start of the book when June is trying to find out answers to what went on. It was really a  mystery to me. But then the plot twist came and I unfortunately didn't enjoy the second half of the book. I was disappointed with the outcome, and because of that I have to give a lower rating. 

Despite my issues with the story, I still enjoyed the pacing and I really like the authors writing style. I definitely want to check out more of her books, to see what there like. And hopefully there good. I still recommend this book if you're still interested in reading it, and it is a great book for this time of year. 

Rate 

3/5 

Currently Reading

Hello everyone it's Nicole Henderson here. I know that there is a currently reading section on this blog (to your right), but I wanted to make these because I still want to share my thoughts with all of you about what I'm currently reading. So yes, this is the book I'm reading right now. I'm almost done with it and I'm surprised by how intense it is. To me, it's more than just mystery   book, but it's also about the value of friendship as well. I honestly didn't expect the book to go the way it did, and right now, I'm not really sure I like the direction that the author went with it. I am surprised with the plot twist towards the middle, but it somehow works with the story, but I'm still questioning the motive for it. My point is, is that I expected the book to go one way, but it ended up being completely different. I feel similarly with Away We Go (review on my blog, go check it out). 

I still am enjoying the book, it's gripping, thrilling, intense, dark, and entertaining. It is one book that I would recommend you guys to read during this time of year. This book is also something that you can sink your teeth into in one sitting if you wanted. It is such a great book, I recommend it. 

The main synopsis is about best friends Delia and June. They've been friends forever, and practically inseparable. But a year before the book starts, Delia commits suicide in her step father's shed, June is grieving about the loss and isn't sure how she can live without her. However, June doesn't believe that Delia committed suicide, but that she was murdered. So, June goes to the extents of finding out the truth of what really happened that night. 

So yeah, I hope that makes sense. That is it for this blog I hope you all enjoyed. I will have a review posted maybe tomorrow or the day after. I hope to get this book done later tonight. Anyways, happy reading and until my next post. Goodbye for now.