3. Literally by Lucy Keating - 3.36 Rating on Goodreads Brief Synopsis: A girl realizes her life is being written for her in this unique, smart love story that is Stranger Than Fiction for fans of Stephanie Perkins. Genre: Young-adult Fiction Where I Got It: BookOutlet.com for around $2.50 Why I Got It: It honestly sounded so interesting and unique to me. I loved the idea of the main character in a book being lucid and aware of being a character and also communicating with her writer. I saw the bad reviews before buying. I did not care. |
My rating: 2/5 Stars
My mini review: This book was extremely mediocre. I didn't really end up enjoying it as much as I hoped I would. I feel like if I were much younger, and didn't know as much about what makes a book good or bad, I might have had fun with this one. It was pretty weak. If it were a cup of tea, instead of letting the bag steep for 3-5 minutes like it says to do on the tag, this tea bag would only have been dunked into the water for half a millisecond. I wouldn't recommend it.
Overall thoughts/lessons learned: Sometimes the ratings are low for good reason. I'm not saying that should keep you from reading it if you're really interested, but I am saying that the low ratings can be a fair warning that you should keep in mind while reading. Like, don't expect a gem. Maybe you'll get one, but don't get your hopes up.
2. Althea & Oliver by Cristina Moracho - 3.32 Rating on Goodreads Brief Synopsis: What if you live for the moment when life goes off the rails—and then one day there’s no one left to help you get it back on track? Genre: Contemporary Young-adult Fiction Where I Got It: Ollie's Bargain Outlet for $1.99 Why I Got It: I was randomly browsing through their amazing book section one day and I found this in brand new, hardcover condition for $2. I had seen it before but literally heard nothing about it whatsoever. I decided to take a chance and bought it, only to go home and look it up on Goodreads, and find that it was one of the lowest rated books I owned. It has now been sitting untouched on my TBR for a solid two years. |
My rating: 4/5 Stars
My mini review: This was a REALLY GOOD book. The writing was beautiful and gritty and just real. I grew really attached to the two main characters and I genuinely enjoyed my time reading this book. I can see why some people rated it low though, as there is an instance of rape in the book. However, I personally think that the author handled it well. She painted a realistic picture of life. Sometimes it isn't always pretty.
Overall thoughts/lessons learned: I thought I would like this one least of all and I liked it the best. In this case, I learned that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Judge it by it's first chapter. In this book's case, the first chapter was incredibly strong. If I would have taken the time to read it, this book would not have been sitting on my TBR for two years.
1. Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne - 3.23 Rating on Goodreads Brief Synopsis: Plagued by waking visions and nightmares, inexplicably drawn to the bones of dead animals, Faye thinks she's going crazy. Fast. Her parents believe Holbrook Academy might just be the solution. Dr. Mordoch tells her it's the only answer. But Faye knows that something's not quite right about Dr. Mordoch and her creepy, prisonlike school for disturbed teenagers. Genre: Young-adult Fantasy Where I Got It: Ollie's Bargain Outlet for $2.19 Why I Got It: This one was mainly a cover buy for me. You may not agree, but I thought this cover was beautiful and intriguing. I had seen it at Ollie's quite a few times before finally deciding to buy it. Plus, on the back it said great for fans of the tv show LOST, which is my all-time favorite show. |
My rating: 1/5 Stars
My mini review: Yes, this really is the worst book I own. I'll be unhauling it as soon as humanly possible. There's a good chance that this will be the worst book I read all year and it's only January. The book was overwritten, under-edited and just all over the place. I honestly couldn't make it past chapter 5.
Overall thoughts/lessons learned: I thought I would like this most the most. My inner 12-year-old Twihard was screaming at me that day to buy this book because I liked the cover. That is not a good reason to buy a book. I'm learning this, guys. However, it's hard to tell what books you're going to end up liking when you know nothing about it. Sometimes, it's a risk you just gotta take. At least I only wasted $2.
That's all for today, guys.
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