kthxbyye!
#bookslesreads on IG
published: 2020
pages: 304
readd: 3/10-11/2020
book: 22 in 2020
pages: 304
readd: 3/10-11/2020
book: 22 in 2020
"An important part of growing up is letting yourself see the world around you as it truly is, even if you don’t like what you see or your own complicity in it.”
SYNOPSIS
It's good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer. She's headed off to the college of her dreams. She's going to prom with the boy she's had a crush on since middle school. Her best friend always has her back, and her mom, a B-list Hollywood celebrity, may finally be on her way to the B+ list. 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.
As she loses everything she's long taken for granted, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat for her? What did she know, and when did she know it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to be complicit?
THOUGHTS
I was surprised at how funny this book was at parts. not because I thought it wouldn't be, but because of the subjects. I also wasn't expecting it to be a bit heavy at times (deportation and "privilege" due to money but also white privilege) even giving the fact that it has to do with a real life, on going, current event.
I couldn't eat this book up fast enough!
I read it in 2 days at work and I kept telling myself to stop so I could enjoy it at home and get some work done but nope, I just kept going.
and the subtle shaaaade. aaahhhh. I loved the fuck out of it.
That being said, this was not my favorite JB book.
I don't know. I just didn't care for this story. (that sounds harsh cus I did care for it but i guess I'm just trying to say is that it didn't resonate with me).
It was....off for me.
Even though I ate it up it just didn't work for me in the end. I have no emotional connection to this book. but to be honest, I think it has to do with how it ends, how it resolves. all of that for...that? I don't know....I can't put my finger on it but it just wasn't for me.
....
this book is brought to you by the word: culpability.
for someone who can't score "good" on her own, on her own SAT after like 3 different tries, she sure is using words that had me reading this side by side with my dictionary. It kinda takes away from her whole "not being able to get a good score on the SAT because she doesnt get it" deal. I can chalk it up to her studying all the time so okay, maybe then, but still! phew.
the last time I had a dictionary next to me while reading a book was when I read Chelsea Handler's newest book.
I'm choosing to believe that she's just lazy because she's coming off smarter than what she's leading us to believe otherwise. I've never even heard of half the words she's using. and not only that but her position in the whole narrative...i think homegirl is just lazy as fuck. and there's nothing wrong with that, we don't all need to go to Harvard. I know. this story, along with the real life one, just shows what it means for parents to have kids who are getting the best of the world just because they can.
Privilege.
....
Characters:
I was sad over the end of a relationship in this story, I won't say whose because I don't want to spoil it for y'all and I understand why it ends the way it ends because the issues are bigger than the relationship itself but part of me wishes that they would have found a way back to each other because it could've been a huge teaching/learning moment for those involved.
Isla!: Tbh in the beginning I wanted to choke her out a little bit. she was kinda annoying. but in the end, homegirl comes through and if I'm ever in any kind of trouble, i want her on my side all the way. I also understand her feelings throughout the story.
100% valid.
Hudson: i feel like maybe it felt like the story wasn't going to have enough umph if it was based only on the admissions scandal so they threw his ass in but honestly, i would've preferred if they left his ass out.
I get his role towards the end buuuuuut nah. I didn't care for this dude at all. I wouldve been 100% okay if he was never in the story.
There are others but, again, I don't want to spoil it.
....
Overall, I think what doesnt work for me is the end.
I think maybe I'm overthinking it and not allowing myself to take it for what it is. especially because the real life trial is still going on. but that's 100% completely on me.
It was interesting to see how Chloe had no idea about what her parents were doing and how that whole issue develops as the story progresses.
If you take everything away from this story and just focus on how it's her parents that want this, it makes you think deeper about the pressures that you can put on your child just because its what you want and what you think you deserve because of your place in the world...
anyway, I'm glad I scored an ARC.
this isn't out until May so i'll just do the most basic spoiler ever because really, this follows the real life story so its not like you're missing much.
if ya end up reading it, let me know what you think!
kthxbyye!
#bookslesreads on IG
published: 2020
pages: 3377read: 3/3-6/2020
book: 21 in 2020
Sometimes people cant help but make poor choices & hurt the ones they love, I guess pg.51
SYNOPSIS
Meet Anna K. At seventeen, she is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and Newfoundland dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather an sexting scandal; Lolly’s little sister, Kimmie, is struggling to recalibrate to normal life after an injury derails her ice dancing career; and Steven’s best friend, Dustin, is madly (and one-sidedly) in love with Kimmie.
As her friends struggle with the pitfalls of ordinary teenage life, Anna always seems to be able to sail gracefully above it all. That is…until the night she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky at Grand Central. A notorious playboy who has bounced around boarding schools and who lives for his own pleasure, Alexia is everything Anna is not. But he has never been in love until he meets Anna, and maybe she hasn’t, either. As Alexia and Anna are pulled irresistibly together, she has to decide how much of her life she is willing to let go for the chance to be with him. And when a shocking revelation threatens to shatter their relationship, she is forced to question if she has ever known herself at all.
Dazzlingly opulent and emotionally riveting, Anna K.: A Love Story is a brilliant reimagining of Leo Tolstoy's timeless love story, Anna Karenina―but above all, it is a novel about the dizzying, glorious, heart-stopping experience of first love and first heartbreak.
IT JUST DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT THAT IT WAS SO FUCKING HARD TO BE GOOD. pg 37
THOUGHTS
SHORT VERSION:
holy fuck!
holy fuck!
but yes!!!
LIFE BROUGHT TRAGEDY WITH THE SAME HAND THAT IT BROUGHT JOY. pg 364
LONG VERSION
phew. all i keep thinking about is "how the fuck am i going to write the spoilers for this one" cause this one is loaded.
what a wild ride.
phew. all i keep thinking about is "how the fuck am i going to write the spoilers for this one" cause this one is loaded.
what a wild ride.
this was a February pick for BOTM. it wasn't my original pick but after some maneuvering, i was able to score it for $5. something about it was calling me to read it (even though it wasnt my first choice) but whatever it was worked because i have other BOTM books i gotta read that i haven't gotten too and out of all of those, this one won out.
i have never read Anna Karenina so other than what i googled, i really had no idea what to expect but i gotta say what i got was more than what i was expecting.
as someone who is insanely introverted (unless i really know you and even then) i was:
a) glad AF that i am no longer a teenager because wow
b) that social media was not a thing when i was in high school because wow and that
c) even though i'd rather stay home at any given time, i really wish i had had the chance to party it up at the likes of a party thrown by someone like Steven or Beatrice (minus all of the drugs but maybe even the drugs) because wow!
...and before i start rambling, i have to say that one of my most favorite things about this book was the first page that gives you a breakdown of all the characters that are in the story and how they are all connected. i have never seen that before and i wish it was thing in all of the books. it was a huge help when i was first starting this book and i kept going back to reference.
I know I'm supposed to suspend disbelief while reading this but you knooooowwww theres some teenagers out there who legit party this hard.
especially those that have "fuck you money" just as Lolly put it.
(dont think so? Drew Barrymore. and she was like 9!!!!)
wow.
I know its titled Anna K and obvs it was going to be about her but I liked that there were several other characters that added to the/her story (I'm assuming that's how the original story was too?).
I couldn't believe all the shit these kids got into. all the money they spent, all the sex they were having, the drugs they were doing, THE LIVES THEY WERE LIVING!
I also couldn't believe some of these parents!
oh my goodness.
you have one set of parents being hard ass fuck on their kids because they want to save face with society and here you have another parent telling their child to go be a hoe because said parent doesn't want to share their child's love. I was like whaaaatt!!??
....and all the connections between all the kids....
I couldn't believe Anna had to go clean up her older brothers shit but in the end, I really truly did love their relationship. I like the way they looked out for each other. Steven was there when he needed to be.
& then Lolly & Kimmie. ooof. but once again, by the end you see they have more sustenance.
I think the only character I was truly saddened by was Beatrice. the ending, she broke my teeny tiny little itty bitty heart a bit more. she was, ahm, well, fun. but her action in the end made me a bit sad. (yes, action. cause it was just the one thing).
as far as the ending, well, I don't wanna say because I don't spoil it for those that wanna read the book (and even those that have read the original) but it's a bit of an eye opener in how you shouldn't let others dictate your life. yea, they're young kids but I'm a huuuuge believer in love is love and if you love someone with all your heart, you shouldn't let anything get in the way. its a lesson Anna learns just a tad bit too late.
....its a lesson I learned a bit too late myself.
anyway, uh yea. this one takes you for a ride.
it took me a bit because I kept coming home and passing out right after work but on Thursday (3/5) when I picked it up at page 150, I did not put it down until I hit the very last page and I was emotionally everywhere on that ride.
I dont really wanna say anymore because I don't want to spoil anything here but pick it up.
I'm glad I did.
I'm glad I did.
jump over for some spoilers!....just some cause this one packed a lot.
pages: 331
read: 2/27-28/2020
book: 20 in 2020
When's the last time someone wondered if i was okay?
SYNOPSIS
another long one so read on over here.
THOUGHTS
ooof.
i really, really liked this read.
liked it so much that its currently in my amazon basket waiting for me to complete the purchase of the physical book which says a lot cause i've never really thought about buying any of her other books.
finally. i think hands down this is my fave RS Grey book ever! i finally found the one (of hers).
i have never worked in a construction site and she really didn't do anything wrong trying to get the job but parts of this were a bit unbelievable...especially the sleeping arrangements.
i feel like in the real world that would NEVER fly. HR would be up someones ass SO HARD!
but still.
i really liked this read.
and if i'm being honest, i think it has to do with the fact that i was dying from being on my period and dealing with going through a break up and so just all the fighting and the final reconciliation between Taylor and Ethan when they both finally get over their shit and decide to do this shit was just the best!
oof, they fight. but once they decide they are going to do this, it was the best.
and i think i love this even more because i love how much Ethan cares for Taylor even if he wants to get payback. its not who he is so it's all the more *swoon* ahhh!!!
he's just angry, i get it. but gah! he loves her.
i love this book!
(but also, did Taylor ever get back her $800!!!???)
anyway, it was a good read.
so good that i read 48% of it the first time i picked it up (i went to be at 230 am) and finished it right away as soon as i got home from work.
i couldn't get through this one fast enough and im already hoping to do a re-read soon.
ahhh! i loved this one.
(but please note that i can definitely see where some things were questionable. its just that finally that didnt bug me for once. the freaking love took over and it was good enough that everything else fell to the side!)
finally. i think hands down this is my fave RS Grey book ever! i finally found the one (of hers).
i have never worked in a construction site and she really didn't do anything wrong trying to get the job but parts of this were a bit unbelievable...especially the sleeping arrangements.
i feel like in the real world that would NEVER fly. HR would be up someones ass SO HARD!
but still.
i really liked this read.
and if i'm being honest, i think it has to do with the fact that i was dying from being on my period and dealing with going through a break up and so just all the fighting and the final reconciliation between Taylor and Ethan when they both finally get over their shit and decide to do this shit was just the best!
oof, they fight. but once they decide they are going to do this, it was the best.
and i think i love this even more because i love how much Ethan cares for Taylor even if he wants to get payback. its not who he is so it's all the more *swoon* ahhh!!!
he's just angry, i get it. but gah! he loves her.
i love this book!
(but also, did Taylor ever get back her $800!!!???)
anyway, it was a good read.
so good that i read 48% of it the first time i picked it up (i went to be at 230 am) and finished it right away as soon as i got home from work.
i couldn't get through this one fast enough and im already hoping to do a re-read soon.
ahhh! i loved this one.
(but please note that i can definitely see where some things were questionable. its just that finally that didnt bug me for once. the freaking love took over and it was good enough that everything else fell to the side!)
jump over for some spoilers!
published: 2019
pages: 326
read: 2/23-25/2020
book: 19 in 2020
SYNOPSIS
read here cause its long.
THOUGHTS
finally, an RS Grey book I'm not mad at. I feel like the last few were kinda.... ugh!
that's not to say this one didn't have its faults because it did, but it clicked unlike the last few have. Even if Whitney was acting like a dumb *insert your own word here* half the fucking time. I also think it has to do with the fact that the dude in the story FINALLY sorta matches the dude on the cover. some of the last few (Doctor Dearest / Make Me Bad) just didn't work for me. This read was also pretty funny at points. And it even made me tear up a bit...but probably not at any of the cheesy parts you'd expect.
WHAT I LIKED:
it was a funny read: I feel like I highlighted a lot of sections just to make notes that said LOOOOOOL!
from Ryan being a tough ass to fangirling over Derek once he realized who he was, to the way Carrie & Whit carried their relationship to when Carrie finally gets with Thomas and they throw that Halloween party and Whitney keeps boinking that one poor guy. LOL!
Speaking of Carrie. There is a scene where Whitney goes back to her place. Carrie is brushing her teeth and Whit just goes into the bathroom, lays her head in between her shoulder blades and the starts crying.
THAT'S the part i teared over. Just the pure friendship between them both. From how they met to these many years later. It's only been 8 years but it feels like forever. I wish we would've gotten more of them two together but I absolutely LOVED that friendship. everything about it.
The characters...well, mostly Carrie & Ryan & Thomas & Ava. I thought they were the sweetest.
Once Thomas becomes more fluent in the story, I feel like he shines. especially with Carrie around. AND Ryan! That guy! He was so...nice. I'm sad he got strung along but I liked how he wasn't made to be a jerk after Whit was being a complete bitch about him (in the way she dragged him along).
WHAT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME:
homegirl on the cover. LOL. das just me being dumb.
Whitney. Oooh where to get started?
WTF is up with these last few read where the female lead has a shitty relationship with her parents? I hated that aspect. I get the back story behind it all and it makes "sense" or whatever but I just hated that. i feel that she could've had that relationship with Cal without her parents being made out to be dicks. especially because it would have meant Whit wouldn't have been so bitter.
The age difference.
Personally, I would have liked it better if Whitney would have been written as being in the last year of her college career AND THAAAAATS when she gets a mentor instead of in the first 2 seconds of her college career.
Their age difference bugged the fuck out of me.
sure, I've been 18. I can completely 100% see how you can fall "in love" at first sight or whatever. but Derek was 28! It just felt fucking weird. she had grown woman feelings for a man two sneezes away from being 30. had it been the last year of college, shed at least be 21; a little closer to 28. to me, better than 18. i can definitely see how i'm being a dick here but its just the way she acted.18 to Derek's 28 just didn't sit well with me. or fuck it why couldn't have Derek been 25?
anyway, all that which leads to Derek's feelings towards Whitney.
HOW?
Dude dealt with her all of 3 hrs total in their entire meet up history before he leaves to London. in between the spilled coffee and elevator run in (after 8 years apart) when the fuuuck did he realize he loved her? They're paired together (you saw what was coming right? because i saw it...and I NEVER SEE IT), she acts mean towards him then nice then mean then nice and then this entire circle for the whole story until shit hits the fan.....when did he decide that he did like her?
when he was 28 and he took off to London?
AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
I HATE THE AGE DIFFERENCE!!!!!
overall this book was problematic in a hundred different ways but i still really enjoyed it. it was funny and i loved the friendships between the girls. and even the twist in the beginning. i seriously thought she was going to end up with Ryan....that just shows to you that i do not read the synopsis. lol
im glad i got to this before my free unlimited kindle thing runs out.
and i'll leave it at this cause i feel like i've gone on forever and i want to get another book in before my UK does run out!
jump over for some spoilers!
published: 2020
pages: 106
read: 2/19/2020book: 15 in 2020
Night brings the unexpected, and I did not expect him.
Hello, my name is Sadie, and I’m a workaholic. Social life? Forget it. Relationships? I’m currently mourning the death of orgasms. But sixteen-hour working days? Just another Friday night. As a manager at a hotel, the overnight shift just comes with the job. Normally, it’s uneventful—that is, until I meet Aiden.
Here one minute, gone the next; he’s the mysterious businessman more silver-tongued than I can take, and he’s haunting me month-to-month. I wouldn’t call it serendipitous; we have hotel regulars all the time. But destiny has a weird way of bringing two sleepless people together. Not like I believe in that fairytale kind of stuff. I shouldn’t even be flirting with hotel guests as it is. But with Aiden Wrenn? All bets are off.
Hello, my name is Sadie, and I’m a workaholic. Social life? Forget it. Relationships? I’m currently mourning the death of orgasms. But sixteen-hour working days? Just another Friday night. As a manager at a hotel, the overnight shift just comes with the job. Normally, it’s uneventful—that is, until I meet Aiden.
Here one minute, gone the next; he’s the mysterious businessman more silver-tongued than I can take, and he’s haunting me month-to-month. I wouldn’t call it serendipitous; we have hotel regulars all the time. But destiny has a weird way of bringing two sleepless people together. Not like I believe in that fairytale kind of stuff. I shouldn’t even be flirting with hotel guests as it is. But with Aiden Wrenn? All bets are off.
THOUGHTS
nothing better than a surprise book release from a brand new author you just found out about not that long ago whom you just can't get enough of!
while i was mourning the fact that we have to wait (who knows how long) for the next book in the Into You series (book 1 / book 2), here comes JO surprising us all with a quick little novella
and
i
loved
it!
nothing beats a surprise release from a new fave author!
this story is about Sadie And Aiden who meet at her job on a random night check in to then how he continues to make it a constant thing to then having it blossom into something more.
the beginning with Jill was super funny even more so because Aiden has a funny sense of humor about it. i just couldn't with Jill. especially because even if she's not 18 yet, you definitely know that's how kids currently talk right now so that made it even more funnier for me. she was so funny at points and then in other's i wanted to yell at her a bit. but overall, she's a good kid. i loved her role in this story. even if she "cock blocks" a bit at the end, she means good...and it all works out.
from Aiden's funny sense of humor, to the way that he doesn't give up and Sadie's attitude. i loved the role reversal that goes on here. i liked that it wasn't easy but he didn't give up.
and MIKE!!!!!!!!
i loved Mike for what he does and what he says in the end.
i love that he was not bitter about anything. what he says in the end made me so happy i legit cried. lol.
its a super quick read, i read it in about 2 hours, and i loved everything about it.
this is another hit for Julie and i cannot wait to see what else she blesses us all with.
if you're looking for a quick, spicy read (at points i was telling myself "daaaaamn Sadie, you GO girl!"), this is for you!
i definitely recommend.
jump over for spoilers!
kthxbyye
#bookslesreads on IG
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