pages: 226
read: 11/7-10/2019
book: 63 in 2019
When George first met her, she was an eighteen-year-old college freshman from Sweetgum, Florida. She and George became inseparable in their first fall semester, so George was devastated when he got the news that she had committed suicide over Christmas break. But, as he stood in the living room of the girl's grieving parents, he realized the girl in the photo on their mantelpiece - the one who had committed suicide - was not his girlfriend. Later, he discovered the true identity of the girl he had loved - and of the things she may have done to escape her past.
Now, twenty years later, she's back, and she's telling George that he's the only one who can help her...
MY THOUGHTS
well, you gotta give it to the man.
the title was very well fitting. i was wondering how that was going to work and i gotta say, i like what he did with it.
now,...
this book. i don't know man.
there was something about this book. like, i liked it but i wanted to hate it but that fucking ending man.
i don't know.
i usually love his open to interpretation endings but this was one was, i don't know. too much? not enough? too inconclusive? i want to know how it was done!
George was such a doofus. you cant really blame him but there were several times i wanted to smack this man over the head with anything readily available to me just to snap him the fuck out of whatever dumb shit he was thinking at the moment.
i was fighting this story for some reason. and now that I'm done i think it was because i somehow knew that i wasn't going to be TOO crazy about it.
also! i didn't look for spoilers. so i really did not know what to expect. and if you know me by now, you know i LOVE spoilers. love them!!!!
i did good for a while, anyway. and then i did look and i could not find anything about it!
gah! maybe because this is back from 2014? i don't know. this is his first book so maybe it wasnt a big hit? compared to his newer books (my fave!) i feel like this one could have been polished and sealed a little bit better.
but anyway, i didn't hate the book. i can tell you that i definitely wont be re-reading this one. at least that's how i feel about it now. i don't hate it but it just, uuuh!!! it irks me.
like all other people have said before me, you can tell this was his first book. he's only gotten better since. but this book! there is just something off about it.
i don't know.
ill leave it at this because i don't really know what else to say....other than after this read and the one coming out next year, I'm basically all caught up and that makes me sad.
jump on over for spoilers!
thanks for reading!
#bookslesreads on IG
pages: 286
read: 10/29 to 11/5/2019
book: 62 in 2019
On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner. Sharing one too many martinis, the strangers begin to play a game of truth, revealing very intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his marriage that’s going stale and his wife Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. Ted and his wife were a mismatch from the start—he the rich businessman, she the artistic free spirit—a contrast that once inflamed their passion, but has now become a cliché.
But their game turns a little darker when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done. Lily, without missing a beat, says calmly, “I’d like to help.” After all, some people are the kind worth killing, like a lying, stinking, cheating spouse. . . .
Back in Boston, Ted and Lily’s twisted bond grows stronger as they begin to plot Miranda's demise. But there are a few things about Lily’s past that she hasn’t shared with Ted, namely her experience in the art and craft of murder, a journey that began in her very precocious youth.
Suddenly these co-conspirators are embroiled in a chilling game of cat-and-mouse, one they both cannot survive . . . with a shrewd and very determined detective on their tail.
But their game turns a little darker when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done. Lily, without missing a beat, says calmly, “I’d like to help.” After all, some people are the kind worth killing, like a lying, stinking, cheating spouse. . . .
Back in Boston, Ted and Lily’s twisted bond grows stronger as they begin to plot Miranda's demise. But there are a few things about Lily’s past that she hasn’t shared with Ted, namely her experience in the art and craft of murder, a journey that began in her very precocious youth.
Suddenly these co-conspirators are embroiled in a chilling game of cat-and-mouse, one they both cannot survive . . . with a shrewd and very determined detective on their tail.
MY THOUGHTS
ooooh man.
Peter has easily become one of my favorite authors.
THIS MAN!!!
this story!!
those twists!!!!!!!!
this book is split into three sections. i wont say on here how they're split up because i feel that might be a bit of a spoiler.
i decided NOT to look for spoilers and did good.
until i didn't.
the second twist: i kinda knew that was going to be the case. but when it happened, it happened in a completely different way. i was like W O A H !!!
same result, different trip to get there. i was not expecting it to be like that.
the first twist. now that one! that one shocked me. this was the one i cheated and read but i still couldn't believe it happened. i couldn't believe i didn't even think about that possibly happening. how did i miss that one!??!!! because Swanson is that good. ...or possibly because i was so focused on the second twist that i didn't even think it possible to have another one. i was just so focused on the outcome of Ted & Lily's plan that i didn't even think about any other one thing happening.
once it gets going, i kinda guess the other things that were happening and i was right for the most part and i even thought to myself "really?" but of course, just as i was getting comfortable, BOOM!
....and that ending!
the reviewer (where i cheated and looked for spoilers) wasn't a fan of the ending but i loved it.
because for a quick second you think ********** is fuuuucked. and then you learn that maybe they're not and then its left open ended and so you definitely do not know whats going to happen to said person.
i loved the shit out of it.
in the page before you can see ******* grinning thinking they're golden and then as i read the very last paragraph, i could just picture the smirk falling of their face. IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!
i will admit, in the middle, it kinda just fell for me which is why i think it took me so long to read it but it does pick up and it does pay off.....even if the 3rd part of the book felt...not rushed but out of character? Kimball was, idk, he irked me. i do agree with the reader in the link above that it felt kind of like "well, how do i finish this story?" and then he gave us Kimball. BUT the ending, i loved it!
i feel that its a 100% up to the reader to think of it what they want and i loved it!....even if it does seem a bit far fetched because ....well that's sorta spoiler-y so i wont say it on here but yea......this was another good Swanson book. I've had it for a while so i cant wait to read some other ones that i have of his waiting. this guys is seriously a good writer.
jump on over for spoilers!
thanks for reading!
published: 2019
pages: 417
read: 10/23-29/2019
book: 61 in 2019
to this day i have no inkling as to what i care about the most. i care about everything equally until i care about so many things that i get overwhelmed and i care about nothing at all. when it comes to the single thing i want to focus the rest of my life on, its a muscle i dont know how to flex. - Pab (pg. 20)
After a year of college, Pablo is working at his local twenty-four-hour deli, selling overpriced snacks to brownstone yuppies. He’s dodging calls from the student loan office and he has no idea what his next move is.
Leanna Smart’s life so far has been nothing but success. Age eight: Disney Mouseketeer; Age fifteen: first #1 single on the US pop chart; Age seventeen, *tenth* #1 single; and now, at Age nineteen…life is a queasy blur of private planes, weird hotel rooms, and strangers asking for selfies on the street.
When Leanna and Pab randomly meet at 4:00 a.m. in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn, they both know they can’t be together forever. So, they keep things on the down-low and off Instagram for as long as they can. But it takes about three seconds before the world finds out…
Leanna Smart’s life so far has been nothing but success. Age eight: Disney Mouseketeer; Age fifteen: first #1 single on the US pop chart; Age seventeen, *tenth* #1 single; and now, at Age nineteen…life is a queasy blur of private planes, weird hotel rooms, and strangers asking for selfies on the street.
When Leanna and Pab randomly meet at 4:00 a.m. in the middle of a snowstorm in Brooklyn, they both know they can’t be together forever. So, they keep things on the down-low and off Instagram for as long as they can. But it takes about three seconds before the world finds out…
Honestly, it scares me the way I end up living the aftermath of decisions I don't remember making. -Pab (pg 17)
MY THOUGHTS
first and foremost, that synopsis is lyin'.
3 seconds it does NOT take for ANYONE to find out they're dating.
3 seconds it does NOT take for ANYONE to find out they're dating.
no one knows for a good while and even beyond his circle friends and her chief of whatever the fuck, no one ever finds out. so that's a lie.
second, do they know that they can't be together forever? well, i mean, we all know that but i can definitely say that maybe she knew and Pab would have done anything to stay with her prior to getting his shit together.
thiiiiird, off instagram? well, it could never be IG official...so, i mean...its a bit misleading. the world can't know they're together so why would it ever make it onto IG?
she does "accidentally" follow him and of course her fans notice like a second later and blow him up but he has a "sneakers with snacks" account so there wasn't really anything about him on there to identify him anyway. it could have been any account Leena was following. it wasn't obvious AT ALL that it was the account of a dude she was "dating". if anything, this little slip up just sets him up for how the story ends....
this one was weird.
i did like this book.
B U T
well, i don't know. i feel like even though it took me several days to read, there were still some parts where i feel like i just breezed over and i did find myself re-reading the same paragraph several times over and over that i even think i still don't get what i was reading.
...and i while I'm not 1000 years old, it does have some lingo in there that i was like wtf does this mean?
i liked it because just like Pablo, i still don't know what the fuck i want to go to school for....and I'm about to be 32.
his goal was just to get into NYU and he did and then he has no idea where to go from there. he legit did not know what he wanted to do once he was admitted in.
i like it because he gets all in his feels and i think a lot of people can relate to him being in his feels. i think more people feel a bit lost more than there are those that don't.
BUT i also feel like this is something that happened to him because his mother was good at laying down the ABC's of life and what she expected of him but not good at discussing with him the repercussions of his actions and the whole not thinking them through. how do you let your son go to NYU and not question how he was going to pay for it? especially knowing YOU couldn't afford it and that he didn't have any type of grants? you make doctor money and you cant afford it!!!!!!!!!
i feel like she knew what was going to happen but didn't care to discuss it with him. maybe 'not care' is the wrong way to phrase it but....you know what i mean? she didn't know how to explain to him why it was a bad idea. i feel like maybe she got mad that shit didn't go her way that she shut down about it.
i feel like she knew what was going to happen but didn't care to discuss it with him. maybe 'not care' is the wrong way to phrase it but....you know what i mean? she didn't know how to explain to him why it was a bad idea. i feel like maybe she got mad that shit didn't go her way that she shut down about it.
pab's personal life is complete shit basically. he's in debt for school and with credit cards and behind on rent and stuck at what his mother calls a first generation job.
its not until he meets Leena and starts dating her that he becomes "happy".
happy however is a relative term however because when he is with her or talking to her he is happy but when she is gone, he's not.
overall, to me, she just adds to the sadness and depression that is his life.
she does let him in and they do get to know each other but as much as Leena praises open honesty, she wasn't even about that. not in a bad way but i feel like she was being open in a way that benefited her and gave him enough to go off on without him questioning her about any more of it.
also, how did Pab NOT THINK that they wouldn't background check his ass?
i mean come on. she's a big ass star. did he really think they were just going to let some rando hang out with her without seeing if he was a stable person?
i feel like he was smart in some moves but then completely blind in others.
YES!
there we go.
through out the story you can see Pablo start to get his marbles in order but for every 3 good steps he took, he went back 5.
you can see where he's starting to do good but also where he also goes back to fucking it all up. you see his brain working. you see him acknowledging what he needs to do. HE KNOWS IT....but then decides to do the opposite of the "right" thing.
in the end, he does get it together and well, since we all know, they don't end up together.
and after they break up (in the shittiest way possible) he definitely goes through a dark period but what comes after, well, I'm glad that he got it together.
I'm glad that he was able to figure his shit out and learn his value as a person to himself and what he brings to the table with Leena.
once Pab & Leena break up, she disappears and it's all about him. i liked the story a bit more and i even found myself being glad that she was gone. i did not miss her at all. ....and it got me wondering, could this have been a story without her at all? could it have been simply about Pab just discovering his life? his friends and own dad provided enough to idk, maybe shock him into realizing that life is more than what is causing him pain at that moment.
OVERALL!,
this one was a good one in the sense that this book explores what it means to be a teen going into adulthood and feeling completely lost.
it explores emotions; love and depression and the feeling of being lost and not knowing how to swim upstream into positivity. or how to get your shit together.
it goes into all sorts of feels. and i think for that, this was great. i still feel like that sometimes. we don't all have it all together.
i liked this one. i think part of me might love it. another part of me might be like WTF did i just read but i am glad i read this. and i do think i will eventually re-read this one laaaaaaater on in the distant future. maybe.
it was good but it was one of those weird good ones.
i didn't hate it, i liked it but i didn't love it but i might have some love for this one overall.
anyway,
jump over for basics!
this one was a good one in the sense that this book explores what it means to be a teen going into adulthood and feeling completely lost.
it explores emotions; love and depression and the feeling of being lost and not knowing how to swim upstream into positivity. or how to get your shit together.
it goes into all sorts of feels. and i think for that, this was great. i still feel like that sometimes. we don't all have it all together.
i liked this one. i think part of me might love it. another part of me might be like WTF did i just read but i am glad i read this. and i do think i will eventually re-read this one laaaaaaater on in the distant future. maybe.
it was good but it was one of those weird good ones.
i didn't hate it, i liked it but i didn't love it but i might have some love for this one overall.
anyway,
jump over for basics!
#bookslesreads on IG
i had to borrow this pic from the author because i don't have a kindle and i don't have another phone to take a picture of my phone. (lol)
published: 2019
pages: 328
read: 10/20-22/2019
book: 60 in 2019
SYNOPSIS
kinda long, so see here!
MY THOUGHTS
i found this book through instagram on RS Grey's page. the author, Julie Olivia was letting her know that thanks to her she was able to start, finish and is about to publish her first book so then i was like maybe there's an ARC! and there was and i asked for it and i was lucky enough to get a copy so thaaaanks, JO!
i have no idea why I'm asking for books when i have a mountain of library books to read but i was able to get one and i jumped in right away and i absolutely loved it!
i loved it so much I'm not even mad its part of a series. I'm so not mad that i cannot wait for book 2! I'm so not mad that i hope book 3 is somehow about Ramona & Wes and their love story!
do not judge a book by its cover!!!!
...i mean, i didn't. but i think we can all admit that book covers like these always get judged as a liiiiittttle bit corny BUT man, am i so happy that i read this book.
yes you know there is chemistry and yes, you know they are going to hook up and end up together but its all the in between that makes the story and this one was so good!
i loved it!
i loved all the strong dislikes at first, how feisty she was (and still is) and how she wasn't, for lack of a better phrase, a dumb damsel in distress who lost all her wits about herself once she scored the dude she's been wanting to hook up with.
Grace had been in a dead end relationship prior to this but i love that she realizes her worth and that no one is going to do the work her if its forward that she wants to move.
and i love even more that as much as she does want to be with Cam, she knows that she needs to look out for herself.
i love the friendship with Ramona. i love Ramona and her husband Wes' relationship.
i love Cam & Ian' friendship. i loved Ian's playful whatever you want to call it with Nia.
basically i loved everything about this story and almost a month out i still find myself sometimes thinking about this crew.
by this point, y'all know i HATE picking up series or trilogies or whatever because i haaaate waiting for the next one to come out but in this case, I'm so excited that we get to get more of this gang and I'm excited just in general that there is more!
when has that ever happened!?
eeek!
jump over for spoilers!
Grace had been in a dead end relationship prior to this but i love that she realizes her worth and that no one is going to do the work her if its forward that she wants to move.
and i love even more that as much as she does want to be with Cam, she knows that she needs to look out for herself.
i love the friendship with Ramona. i love Ramona and her husband Wes' relationship.
i love Cam & Ian' friendship. i loved Ian's playful whatever you want to call it with Nia.
basically i loved everything about this story and almost a month out i still find myself sometimes thinking about this crew.
by this point, y'all know i HATE picking up series or trilogies or whatever because i haaaate waiting for the next one to come out but in this case, I'm so excited that we get to get more of this gang and I'm excited just in general that there is more!
when has that ever happened!?
eeek!
jump over for spoilers!
thanks for reading!
published: 2019
pages: 160
read: 10/19-20/2019
book: 59 in 2019
Why My Cat Is More Impressive Than Your Baby is chockfull of comics about cats, babies, dogs, lasers, selfies, and pigeons! This book contains a vast wealth of never-before-seen comics, including informative guides, such as:
How to comfortably sleep next to your cat
10 ways to befriend a misanthropic cat
How to hold a baby when you are not used to holding babies
A dog’s guide to walking a human being
How to cuddle like you mean it.
How to comfortably sleep next to your cat
10 ways to befriend a misanthropic cat
How to hold a baby when you are not used to holding babies
A dog’s guide to walking a human being
How to cuddle like you mean it.
MY THOUGHTS
i picked this up because it was in the new release section of my library. I'd never heard of the author or his previous books.
its a funny book in comic book style talking about cats, dogs, farts and babies.
nothing too crazy but if you have time, its a fun quick read.
my favorite comic had to be the one where he illustrates the difference between leaving a dog vs a cat at home. the music he chose for the 'background' of the strip was funny.
Simon Garfunkel's hello darkness my old friend VS Drowning Pool's let the bodies hit the floor. ill let you decided what song belongs to what animal. lol
if i found this on sale, id buy it to have it as like a coffee book table or a bathroom read. lol.
published: 2019
pages: 306
read: 10/9-10/2019
book: 58 in 2019
Just as Aven starts to feel comfortable in Stagecoach Pass, with her friends and schoolmates accustomed to her lack of “armage,” everything changes once again. She’s about to begin high school . . . with 2,300 new kids to stare at her. And no matter how much Aven tries to play it cool, nothing prepares her for the reality. In a year filled with confusion, humiliation, fears, loss, and just maybe love, can Aven manage to stay true to herself?
MY THOUGHTS
MY THOUGHTS
SHORT VERSION
yes! loved it!!!
LONG VERSION
ahhh!!
talk about lucking out.
sorta.
i don't know why but i am a master at picking up series that i didn't even know were a series (or even trilogies) to begin with.
luckily, i got the first in this series right as the second was being released and i was able to get both of them from the library at the same time so, WIN!
i loved this book but let's just hope this is the last one in Aven's story.
guys!!!!
DB did it again.
i
loved
this
book
so
hard!!!!
as i wrapped it up, my thoughts were "how can i give this book all those unused stars that are just sitting there all sad not being used on all of the books I've read that are not 5 star reads!?" (did that make any sense? lol)
as i wrapped it up, my thoughts were "how can i give this book all those unused stars that are just sitting there all sad not being used on all of the books I've read that are not 5 star reads!?" (did that make any sense? lol)
in the first book we get happy, confident, got her shit together and done Aven.
and booooy was this book well, the opposite.
to have her end in a just "positive" note in book one would have been just great BUT this book takes all of that and makes her even more real. if she had it good in book 1, in this book she learns that she's had it easy prior to all of this but that it's ultimately in her own power to decide how its going to continue to go.
Don't ever let anyone think you are not good enough or smart enough or talented enough or brave enough.
of course, if you read the longer synopsis inside the jacket, you read that some kid plays a prank on her and once you start reading it, you know right away what it is as you are reading. i wont spoil it on here but if you do read it, its so painfully obvious and i honestly wasn't crazy about that part. internally, I'm still asking myself if it was worth it to even have it. but i mean, whateves. its a part of the story and its leads to well, her "downfall" sort of but it also solidifies her as a human to herself and shows her how she and only she has the power to make herself feel any type of way so i guess it makes sense.
other than that, i loved everything else about this book and it had me emotionally everywhere and i loooved it!
i loved Trilby. she was the best! i loved that DB introduces her into the story and for all that she did with her in the story. she wasn't around a lot but when she was, she was good! (trilby works with her parents in the smoothie shop that opened at Stage Coach. she's home schooled, punk rock and doesn't take shit from the man!)
i was sad that Connor had to move away to another school. i hated that they got broken up but i guess in order to make sure that the story solely focused on her, it makes sense.
oh! and Milford. love that man. what a little sweetheart!!!!
overall, it was a good read. I'm glad that i read this one, I'm glad that it was written.
I'm glad that Aven figures herself out once again. i am hoping that this is the last one in the series because i have horrible memory and while i would love to re-read it again, I'm not one to re-read so i don't want there to be more cause i don't want to go into it trying to remember what i read. ....i'm a complicated human being, i know.
anyway, for some reason i was anti writing out the spoilers for this one. i sat down and tried and started but i wouldn't. i have no idea why. (maybe i do want to re-read this story!) so ill do my best.....but....yea.
other than that, i loved everything else about this book and it had me emotionally everywhere and i loooved it!
i loved Trilby. she was the best! i loved that DB introduces her into the story and for all that she did with her in the story. she wasn't around a lot but when she was, she was good! (trilby works with her parents in the smoothie shop that opened at Stage Coach. she's home schooled, punk rock and doesn't take shit from the man!)
i was sad that Connor had to move away to another school. i hated that they got broken up but i guess in order to make sure that the story solely focused on her, it makes sense.
oh! and Milford. love that man. what a little sweetheart!!!!
overall, it was a good read. I'm glad that i read this one, I'm glad that it was written.
I'm glad that Aven figures herself out once again. i am hoping that this is the last one in the series because i have horrible memory and while i would love to re-read it again, I'm not one to re-read so i don't want there to be more cause i don't want to go into it trying to remember what i read. ....i'm a complicated human being, i know.
anyway, for some reason i was anti writing out the spoilers for this one. i sat down and tried and started but i wouldn't. i have no idea why. (maybe i do want to re-read this story!) so ill do my best.....but....yea.
jump on over for spoilers!
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