"People were complicated. They weren't math problems; they were collections of feelings and decisions and dumb luck. The world was complicated too, not a beautifully hazy French film, but a disastrous, horrible mess, speckled with brilliance and love and meaning." 

This is an incredible read. Honestly, while it's a cute title, I think the title of "Beach Read" does this novel an injustice. "Beach Read" sounds like it's just some cute, lighthearted romance that you'll read and enjoy, but won't necessarily stick with you once it's over. While this novel does have a cute romance, it's certainly not one that you'll be forgetting about anytime soon. Beach Read delves so much deeper than your typical beach read (confusing sentence, I know). It's not just a romance. While romance is an aspect of the book, it certainly isn't all of it. 

I dove into this book fully expecting what the title said I'd get-- a simple beach read. I was pleasantly surprised the deeper I delved into the pages to discover that it's so much more than that. This book is love. It's loss. It's discovery, and realizing that people aren't perfect, and that's okay. Don't let this turn you off if you're not looking for a particularly deep, dense and heavy novel. The deep, emotional side of this novel is somehow masked with the light, sunny tone of the story. So yes, it's deep. It's emotional, you can really feel and emphasize with the characters. But it reads like a light and warm contemporary novel. While there are deeper and more emotional ideas and scenes in this, don't worry. There's still plenty of sassy, laugh out loud or giggle moments. The romance is amazing-- it's built up at just the right pace and the two leads have magnetic chemistry. The added depth just makes the book all the more better because it makes the characters feel so much more real and relatable. They're imperfect, they have issues-- just like the rest of us.  Honestly, I was disappointed when I finished, and then I just turned the book over and started again. That's how much I loved reading this. 

The book follows January Andrews, a romance writer who has recently been disillusioned with life. The death of her father, and the realization that he wasn't the man she'd thought he was knocks the rose-colored glasses off her face, making her realize that the world isn't nearly as perfect and beautiful as she'd thought. 

Throw in Augustus Everett, January's ultimate rival since college and polar opposite. He's dark and a bit brooding. Someone mentioned this in another review that I read and I thought it was worth mentioning: while he's a dark and a little bit mysterious, he manages not to be a total asshole as the typical dark male lead usually is. He's actually a big sweetheart and I adore him with all my heart and soul. 

The two make a bet-- try to write in the other's genre. January will write more 'literary' novels, and Gus will write romance. Every week they take each other on "field trips" to help the other get in the mindset of their writing. And let's be real here, these are basically dates but am I so down for them? YES I AM. Like I mentioned earlier, the pacing of this romance is perfect. From the beginning there's chemistry between the two main characters. Their teasing and banter is enough to put a goofy grin on anyone's face. 


I'd give this book 9/10 stars, the writing is beautiful, the relationships are amazing, the plot is perfect and the characters are imperfect in ways that make them even more perfect. It was a stellar read and I honestly just want to sit down and read it again, again and again. If you're looking for a book that will melt your heart and hit you right in the feels while simultaneously making you giggle and grin? This is the book for you. 

Here's the actual synopsis: (Again, like the title, I don't think the synopsis does this book justice-- it just makes the story sound like a rom-com, when it's SO much more than that, but, you know, the romance element is quite nice too...) 

A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.

Here are two that I've read recently and utterly fell in love with! Meaning I really wish more people have read them and would talk about them! 

Looking for a cute, rom-com-esque novel that will put a smile on your face? Look no further. As the title would indicate, Emma Lord's debut novel Tweet Cute is equally as adorable and hilarious as you might expect. 
This is a light, quick read. It follows two characters: Jack and Pepper, who have a rivalry both in school and out of it. Yet, somehow they manage to be falling for each other in both setting as well, even if they don't realize it. Both their families own restaurants, and when their family businesses' social media accounts get into a Twitter war, little to Jack and Pepper realize it's each other they're battling behind the screens. 
It's the kind of ridiculous, fun set up you'd expect to see in a rom-com. And this book supplies all the smiles and laughter you'd expect from it. It's not overly deep, so if you're looking for a novel to move you... Sorry this isn't the place, but if you just want to smile and read some happy fluff, Tweet Cute has your back. 
I'd give this novel a solid 7/10 stars. It was a really fun read, not necessarily one that will stick with you for a long while after, but it accomplishes its purpose and I really couldn't ask for more than that. 

Synopsis: 

A fresh, irresistible rom-com from debut author Emma Lord about the chances we take, the paths life can lead us on, and how love can be found in the opposite place you expected.

Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming ― mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account.

Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time.

All’s fair in love and cheese ― that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life ― on an anonymous chat app Jack built.

As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate ― people on the internet are shipping them?? ― their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected. 

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to what may very well be my favorite read thus far in 2020. Anyone who's actually interacted with me in the past several months has been subject to my spiel about this novel so I figured I might as well put it on line too. I read You Deserve Each Other for the first time back in early April. Yeah, the first time. See, despite having midterms and a plethora of other schoolwork I needed to get done, as soon I finished this book I flipped it over and started again. That's how much I absolutely loved it. Since then, I can't even tell you how many times I've dived back into this one. It's just that good. 
You Deserve Each Other has quite the rom-com premise. It follows Nicholas and Naomi. They're engaged, but they don't exactly want to be. At least, not anymore. See, over the past year of their engagement, the two have fallen out of love with each other. The only issue is, there's still this expensive wedding that needs to be paid for. Whoever calls off the wedding has to pay the price. Thus, the two enter into a game of chicken, trying to push the other into calling the marriage off. 
Very rom-com sounding. And yeah, the novel starts off pretty normal, not too extraordinary, but the deeper you get, the more you realize that this novel is so much more than just a rom-com. 
You Deserve Each Other falls into the trope of re-falling in love with each other. And honestly I'm convinced that needs to be a more popular trope, because I don't see it often, but whenever I do the book leaves an imprint on me and I can't seem to get it off my mind. (I.e. Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren). So many romance books end when the chase is up, when they're finally together, like the chase is the most interesting part and being together is just boring. But this trope proves that's definitely not the case. Because it's not smooth sailing after falling in love, you have to keep working at it-- which is something our protagonists failed to do. 
There's something so beautiful about watching Nicholas and Naomi re-fall back in love. They have to re-learn everything about the other, and learn to appreciate the things they may not have noticed before. I'd argue it's even more beautiful than falling in love the first time, because it's harder. Falling in love sometimes is the easy part, sometimes it's the stuff that comes after that becomes harder. 
This book is the perfect combination of that beauty of watching a pair find each other again with the whole rom-com setting. Seriously, this book had me grinning and downright laughing out loud more times than I could count. It's just the perfect blend of things, and I couldn't give it any higher praise. I love the characters. I love the story. I love everything, except Deborah. I'm not a big fan of Deborah, but if you read the book, it's pretty easy to understand why. 
Anyway, if you're not convinced to read this book yet, I don't know what else to say. It's amazing. It's beautiful. It's funny. 9.5/10 stars. I'll be keeping a close eye on Sarah Hogle, because I love her writing and can't wait to see what she comes up with next. 

Synopsis: 

Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They're preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves--and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.

When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut. (less)GET A COPY

I always start these out by saying something along the lines of a lot of books... and this is no different. A lot of books make me happy. It would be impossible to fit all of those books into this one blog post. A good book is one that makes me happy, and as we all know, I have no shortage of good books to talk about. Nevertheless, I will restrain myself and try to keep this post short and sweet so here we go. While a lot of different types of books make me happy, I'm going to stick to two adorably fluffy contemporary romance novels for this post, since those are the very typical "happy" books. 

Hi all! How's the quarantining going? The basic consensus that I've gathered from my communications is that most people are lonely and bored out of their minds. Well guess what? I've got the solution for you. Now's the perfect time to try out a new book! Why would I be a good person to trust on this? Well, not only do I read a lot more than the average human being, but as my sister says, "quarantining isn't an issue for Anji. She just does this every day." Well, you know, that's a little embarrassing to be putting online how much of a life that I apparently lack, but I can't exactly totally deny the statement either. The truth of the matter is, I do spend a lot of time at home, often hanging out with the one and only me. How do I endure such isolation? I could answer that in a lot of ways because yes, I do more than just read, but you know what? This is a book blog, so I'm going to pitch some good books for you to try out with all the newfound freetime we all seem to have. Even if you don't like reading, why not try picking up a book? If you're so bored, you might as well, right? It's my personal belief that everyone is a reader/book lover, some people just haven't found the right book yet, so maybe this is your chance to find that book.
There are a lot of advantages to reading, but right now I'll just point out that if you find the right book, it will take up some time (depending on how fast of a reader you are) and also decrease that boredom and lack of usefulness most people seem to be complaining about. 
While I do read a lot across many different genres, I will admit there are some genres that I tend to orbit around. My all time favorites are fantasy and romance-- which are made even better when mixed together, but I have read plenty outside those genres and I will mention some of my favorites below. However, I will admit that the books I enjoy the most are fiction, so if you're a nonfiction lover, I'm sorry, this is not the book recommendations post for you. I'm going to split the recommendations into these different groups, though not all of the books that are going to be listed today exactly fit perfectly with said groups, so even if you don't necessarily enjoy one of the groups feel free to still read over the synopsis of the books under the category. I'm trying my best to divy them up, but they're not all going to fit perfectly with the big category name that they are given, and I don't want you to miss anything you could potentially really enjoy! 

Fantasy 
Urban Fantasy (using this term very loosely. By using urban fantasy I mean something with magic that is set in our own contemporary world.) 
Romance (Like, contemporary romance) 
Dystopian (I know everyone is sick of dystopians like the Hunger Games, but trust me, you can get a lot deeper and have more interesting set ups than the chosen one trope and such. Dystopian is just a setting, it doesn't necessarily follow the Hunger Games type set up that so many other movies tried to follow up after the massive success those movies had.) 
Childhood/Nostalgic Books (Yes, books I associate with my childhood that I still praise as fantastic reads. Anyone can read them, doesn't matter what age you are.) 

Again I would like to say: THESE BOOKS DO NOT FIT PERFECTLY INTO THESE CATEGORIES. I was just looking for something broader to fit the different novels into. There is almost definitely romance in every single one of these, or at least connections and friendships being built and developed-- what good book doesn't have that? I would highly recommend all of these books, obviously, they're all some of my favorite books. That means that they all have good plots, characters etc. Even if I highlight good character development in one overview, that doesn't mean the rest of the books don't have it. It just means that the one book's character development particularly stood out to me.
I'm going to split this post into a couple different ones seeing as I have a lot of recommendations and it could get quite long! Honestly it's hard just giving short thoughts because I could talk about books for ages :) The first post (this one) will be Fantasy and Romance genre books, and then the next one will be the Urban Fantasy, Dystopian and Childhood book recommendations. 
Anyway, let's get into the recommendations, shall we? 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) 
Series rating: 10/10 
Definitely plenty of action, romance and humor as well as a stellar plot line and intriguing characters 
​
This recommendation probably comes as a shock to no one who knows me. I never stop talking about how much I adore Maas and all of her books. Seriously, I've read every single one of them and they've all found places on my favorites shelf. Maas does a particularly good job in creating characters and making their struggles seem very realistic and relatable. For instance, in this series one of the characters seriously struggles with PTSD and Maas does a very good job portraying that as well as the character's healing process. 
This series is one of my all-time favorites, and the second book (A Court of Mist and Fury) happens to be my favorite book of all time (and that's saying something, because I've read a lot and I've read a lot of great books). 
As seems to be currently popular, A Court of Thorns and Roses is a loose, loose, loose and did I mention loose? retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It starts out with that idea, and then the rest of the books continue to expand the world and just... Wow. I cannot recommend this series or this author more. Her writing, her characters, her world, her plots, everything she does is absolutely fantastic. I will admit I felt that it took a little bit to really get into the first book in this series, but once you're in it, you're never going to want to go back. Again, READ THE SECOND BOOK. IT'S THE BEST THING TO HAVE EVER GRACED HUMANKIND. 

Synopsis: 
​
Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass #1) 
Series Rating: 10/10 
​Definitely plenty of action, romance and humor as well as a stellar plot line and intriguing characters 

Yes, Sarah J. Maas shows up a lot. Like I said before, she's my favorite author. While the series above has my favorite book of all time, this has to be my favorite series as a whole. Like many good fantasy series, the first book is the the worst book and they only continue to get better and better as the series goes on. That is to say, the first book is not bad. In fact, I really enjoyed reading it. It's only when you look back after reading more of the series when you realize how much better it gets. The series starts out good, but it only gets better from there until it's just utterly phenomenal. Maas expands the world in each book, so when you look back at the first book it feels so small and trivial compared to its successors-- which is exactly what you probably would want from a good fantasy series. 
Throne of Glass is full of magic and action, with high stakes and great characters. This is one of the series that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. I can't praise it enough. I don't want to say anything that would spoil it, but if you like the epic-stakes fantasy story with a lot of intertwining plot lines, this is the series for you. It starts small, but you'll be amazed as you watch the world grow before your eyes. 

Synopsis: 
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her ... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead ... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Cruel Prince by Holly Black (The Folk of the Air #1) 
Series Rating: 7.5/10 
Lots of court intrigue, plotting & betrayal with a dash of romance sprinkled in with ever increasing stakes 

Cruel Prince is an enigma. It's a combination of so many things that you'd think it could never possibly work... but somehow it manages to not only work, but mingle all the tropes brilliantly. The highlight and biggest draw of this series is court intrigue, so if you're into that sort of thing, this is definitely going to be right down your alley. Trust me when I say there is still action and a smidgen of romance for sure, in fact the "ship" of this series is one for the books, but it's just not necessarily the main focus of it. 
I cannot put into words how truly intriguing this series is. You never really know what's going to come next, and when you do? Guess what? You're wrong. There are so many twists and turns-- this series truly is a delight. 

Synopsis: 
Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself. 

Stain by AG Howard 
Book Rating: 8.5/10 stars 
A fairytale retelling that maintains the magical tone of a fairytale while adding in lovable characters and a riveting storyline 

This is actually one of the more new additions to my big recommendations list, as I only actually read this book last summer. It was the first book I'd read from AG Howard so I went in with no expectations-- yet here I am, still utterly in love with the entire thing. Fairytale retellings have become quite common lately, but Stain uses an uncommon tale: Princess and the Pea. Have you ever read a retelling of Princess and the Pea? This one is set in an epic fantasy world where day and night have been separated for longer than anyone can remember. There are definitely some fun and exciting twists thrown in that you'll not come across in the original fairytale. Honestly, this book is just such a fun and refreshing take. I love it. If you like retellings, this is one of the best. 

Synopsis: 
​
"Once upon a nightmare, her fairy tale begins...

This high-fantasy gothic fairytale, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea, is set in an alternative medieval world split apart by magic. To win back her kingdom of perpetual day, save her night prince, and reunite the sun with the moon, a princess incapable of speech or sound must prove herself everything a traditional princess is not: tough enough to sleep on a bed of nails, and loud enough to be heard without a voice."

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo 
Book Rating: 7/10 stars 
Another fairytale retelling, this one is also a lot of fun with lots of banter, entertaining characters and an interesting plot 

Like Stain, To Kill A Kingdom is a standalone novel, which, at times, can be a refreshing breath of air in the midst of reading so many series and having to impatiently wait for the next release. Yes, I love series, but sometimes it's nice to just have a full story arc in one book. This novel is one the surprised me the first time I read it. It was an impulse buy, and boy, am I so glad I got it, because I reread this one from time to time, it's so good. To Kill A Kingdom is a retelling of the Little Mermaid-- with a lot more sass and banter. The main characters-- the Little Mermaid and her Prince-- are actually trying to kill each other, so that's always fun. 

Synopsis: 
​
Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

Caraval by Stephanie Garber (Caraval #1) 
Series Rating: 8/10 
Full of magic and illusions, Caraval will be playing with your mind all the way until the end. What is real and what is an act? You'll just have to read it to find out. Strong characters, a plethora of banter, and an intriguing plot, what more could you possibly want? 

Like all books on this list, this series is a fun ride. And it'll definitely mess with your mind, because as the main characters are trying to figure out what is real and what is not, so are you as the reader. See, Caraval is a game that takes place every year, where a certain number of people are invited to play and whoever wins is granted any wish that they could ask for. But the thing is with this game is that no one can ever really discern what is real and what is fake. There are a lot of tricks and illusions over the days that the game is being played, and there are also actors implanted. So in book one, as our main character, Scarlett, plays Caraval in an attempt to save her sister, we get to play along with her. But the mysteries don't stop in the first book... Honestly the second book in this series absolutely blew me away and it's one of my favorites to this day. 

Synopsis: 

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #1) 
Series Rating: 7.5/10 Stars 
Action, cute romances, fun plot-- especially seeing all the characters come together 

As seems to be wildly popular as of late, here's another loose retelling of popular fairytales... and you guessed it! The first book is a loose retelling of the one and only Cinderella. 

This series is a lot of fun. Each book is a fast and easy read-- you'll be on the back cover before you even realize it. The writing just flows well. The Lunar Chronicles are different fairytale retellings all combined into one world and one overarching plot line set in s sci-fi world. Now I know a lot of people might get a little freaked out by the sci-fi aspect-- trust me, I did too. See, the main character of the first book-- Cinder-- is a cyborg. That word freaks me out, but the thing is, she's more like a human with some robotic parts because she was badly hurt when she was younger. Don't avoid this series if the cyborg idea freaks you out-- it freaked me out and I didn't read it for years YEARS. Then once I finally did pick it up, I couldn't put it down until I was done the whole series in a few days. The series is absolutely riveting, and I couldn't praise it more. It's a lot of fun. Just give it a chance, you won't regret it. 

Synopsis: 

​Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder's brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it "a matter of national security," but Cinder suspects it's more serious than he's letting on.

Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder's intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister, and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that's been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter's illness, Cinder's stepmother volunteers her body for plague research, an "honor" that no one has survived.

But it doesn't take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.

Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin (Wolf by Wolf #1)
Series Rating: 9/10 Stars 
Lots of action and thrilling moments, fun romance & character relationships, there's a race involved, which is always a good time 

Yeah, so this book is more historical fiction than fantasy, but it does have an element of fantasy in it so I'm going to shoehorn it into this group anyway.  Before I really get into talking about what exactly this story is about, let me just start this with a little anecdote of my own. I read this book while on a vacation that had a lot of travel time. Before leaving, I downloaded three books and this was the last of those three that I decided to break into. I only even downloaded it in the first place because it had a 4.26/5 stars on goodreads which means it's really good since even a 3.8 signifies a pretty stellar novel. Why was I so reluctant to read this novel you may be wondering... Well, the synopsis sounded really, really dumb to me. Plus the tagline was absolutely ridiculous. Yet here I am, so utterly glad that I read this book and recommending it out to all of you. Why am I telling this anecdote? Incase you're like me. You think the synopsis is dumb, and you dismiss this one as being dumb. DON'T. Honestly, you don't know what you're missing out on. 
Let me try and warm you into the whole premise of the novel better than I ever was. This is set in a world where the Axis Powers won World War II. So, the Axis Powers, especially the Nazi Germans put a lot of pride into the strength of their youth. Thus, in this world, every year they show off the strength and promise of their youth by hosting a giant motorcycle race across their conquered countries. It's a 20,000 km race, and the victors are said show all the promise and values of the reigning Axis Powers. 
Last year, a girl entered the race under the name of her brother and won. She was the first female to have done this, and because of that she opened the race up for other girls to enter as well. Not only that, but at the Victors' Ball, Hitler himself danced with her on live television. A feat, since he had not appeared on live television in a number of years due to an assassination attempt last time. 
The rebellion sees this as an opportunity-- if the leader of the Nazi regime were shot on live television it would be a sign to all of the rebels spread out across the countries, igniting the rebellion. 
Enter Yael, a rebel who was once imprisoned in the concentration camps. Here's where the fantasy element comes in. Due to the testing done on her, she is able to change her appearance. She is to enter the race as the last year's victor and win. Then, when at the Victor's Ball she will ignite the rebellion through Hitler's death. 
Okay, so that was my attempt to warm you into the whole premise of this novel. See, what I saw is the synopsis I will post below along with the dumbest tagline in the world: One girl's mission to win the race and kill Hitler. Seriously, that sounds utterly ridiculous, but let me tell you, this book is anything but that. It's riveting, with compelling characters and a thrilling plot. See, a wrench or two is thrown into Yael's plans when two other boys enter into the race with her. One, another victor hoping to be the first to win twice, seems to have a complicated past with the girl that Yael knows nothing about, while the second is the girl's own brother. There are things that cannot be gathered from information in a file. Watching Yael try and unravel the relationship she's supposed to have with these boys is fascinating add in the race and you get a whole lot of fun. Not only that, but if you enjoy books with some deeper meanings, this book has plenty. It will definitely resonate deeper than surface level. I don't know what else to say other than this one is a must read! 

Synopsis: 
​
Her story begins on a train.

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball in Tokyo.

Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move.

But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

From the author of The Walled City comes a fast-paced and innovative novel that will leave you breathless.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren 
8/10 stars 
Age of characters: adults

You know those really fun rom-com movies with the completely absurd inciting incident that ensures with hilarity along with that heart melting romance? That's exactly what the Unhoneymooners is-- a rom-com in book form. It's fun, it'll have you laughing out loud, and you'll also be ooooh-ing and aww-ing with heart eyes because it's also quite cute. If you want a fun romance, this is definitely one to try out. 

Synopsis: 

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.

Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky.

Love & Other Words by Christina Lauren 
10/10 stars 
Character age: adults 

Another Christina Lauren book makes it onto this list because these women are goddesses when it comes to writing good romances. While this book is just as enjoyable as the Unhoneymooners, it hits on a deeper level. Like there's no better way to describe it, but when reading this book, it just hits, like you feel it in such a different way from most books. It's just that good.

The story takes place in two time periods: the present, and the past, leading up to the big blow up. So you literally get to watch the two main characters meet, and you get to see their relationship build from innocent friendship to something more. I think that really helps in making the book hit on a deeper level because you fully understand and see their relationship, and not only that, but you get to see and feel them falling in love with each other. It's beautiful. The writing is beautiful, the characters are beautiful, the story is beautiful. I cannot give higher praise to this book. I couldn't tell you the amount of times I've reread it, I love it just that much. 

Synopsis: 
​
The story of the heart can never be unwritten.

Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new pediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away.

But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos—the first and only love of her life—the careful bubble she’s constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy’s entire world—growing from her gangly bookish friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother...only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.

Told in alternating timelines between Then and Now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more—spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside of San Francisco devouring books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy’s decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love.

Love, loss, friendship, and the betrayals of the past all collide in this first fiction novel from New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Autoboyography, Dating You / Hating You).

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne 
8/10 stars 
Character Age: Adults

From my understanding, for those who enjoy contemporary romance books, this one is a bit of a cult classic, and I can't say I blame anyone for that because The Hating Game is magnificent. It's so much fun from start to finish. I don't think I could love the characters or the story more. It's one of those classic hate-to-love tropes, but hey, I'm a sucker for the classics. 

Synopsis: 

Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.
2) A person’s undoing
3) Joshua Templeman

Lucy Hutton has always been certain that the nice girl can get the corner office. She’s charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone except for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual.

Trapped in a shared office together 40 (OK, 50 or 60) hours a week, they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous never-ending game of one-upmanship. There’s the Staring Game. The Mirror Game. The HR Game. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything—especially when a huge new promotion goes up for the taking.

If Lucy wins this game, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. So why is she suddenly having steamy dreams about Joshua, and dressing for work like she’s got a hot date? After a perfectly innocent elevator ride ends with an earth-shattering kiss, Lucy starts to wonder whether she’s got Joshua Templeman all wrong.

Maybe Lucy Hutton doesn’t hate Joshua Templeman. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

From Lukov with Love by Marianna Zapata 
Rating: 8/10 stars 
Character Age: Adults 

Another ridiculously fun novel that will melt your heart. Another hate-to-love romance, like I said, it may be a classic trope but it's one of my favorites. So much fun with all the banter, and it's also fun to get to watch these characters warm up and start to open up to each other. It's great watching this relationship blossom, because it's so much more than just romance-- the friendship has to build first, and both are fun to watch grow. (Also, also I just want to mention about how much fun the BANTER is).  
Also the story is about professional athletes, so it's also a lot of fun to read about their love and passion for the sport, as well as seeing them practice and work at it. 


Synopsis: 

If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one.

After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.

But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.

Including Ivan Lukov. ​

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle 
Rating: 9.5/10 Stars 
Character Age: Adults 

Here's a trope that isn't very popular but I think definitely should be: falling back in love. Not only is it equally as enchanting and fun as a first time falling in love romance, but there's just something so beautiful and tender about the refalling back in love with each other trope. You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle is everything you could want form a romance novel. It's fun, funny, cute and the romance really hits you in the feels. 
It starts off like a rom-com-- with a silly sounding premise and fun antics. Naomi and Nicholas are kind of tired of each other and not even close to head-over-heels in love as fiancees should be. Yet, neither of them will call off the marriage because whoever calls it off has to pay for it. The solution? Pranking and pushing the other to call it off. Yeah, it sounds ridiculous, and it does actually lead the story to being a lot of fun. But what makes this novel stand out from so many others is in fact the romance. It's sad, as you read the book and grow more attached to the relationship to see how it slowly started to fall apart in the first place, yet watching them grow back together and remember why exactly they loved each other in the first place is so beautiful and heartwarming. Like I said, this is the perfect combination for a romance book. There are plenty of moments that will have you laughing out loud, but also plenty that will just hit you in the heart. I can't emphasize just how much I love this one. I read it very recently, and then reread it again 3 times in the next week just because of how much I loved it and wanted to revisit the characters and scenes. 

Synopsis: 
​
Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They're preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves--and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.

When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.

Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg 
Rating: 7/10 stars 
Character Age: teenagers 

This is another rom-com in a book. Here we get to see the two main characters from when they meet and become friends in 7th Grade all the way up through Senior Year. It's a lot of fun. I don't know what else to say without spoiling the story! But let me tell you its one to fall in love with. :) 

(Side note: yes, I know the girl's name is weird. I didn't read this book for AGES because of that. Ignore the name, the content is so much better than a strange name!) 

Synopsis: 
For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins 
Rating: 7/10 stars 
Character age: teenagers 

This book is absolutely adorable. If you're looking for just a cutesy romance that'll give you those warm fuzzies this is the one for you. I mean look at that gorgeous cover! How could it not be a completely adorable and happy read? 

And guess what? If you like this book, there are two more equally adorable companion novels in the series where you can see the characters from this book reappear :) 

Synopsis: 
​Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Books by Emma Mills: Foolish Hearts, First & Then, This Adventure Ends 
Rating 7.5/10 stars 
Character Age: Teenagers 

These books are so adorable. I know I say that a lot in this section, but hey, these are some of the best of the best romances that I've read so OF COURSE they're adorable. All of Emma Mills' books are absolutely adorable, sweet romances that feel all too real. What's more, they always have some other important theme/relationship building other than romance, whether it be friendship or family, so not only do these books give the warm fuzzies from a cute romance, but they also make you feel happy and fulfilled from the other relationships depicted as well. I guess what I'm trying to say is that each story goes a bit deeper than just a cute romance. (Also, side note, but can we appreciate how gorgeous these covers are?!)
There's not a lot to say about romance books that won't spoil the fun of them. I always look forward to Emma Mills' releasing and read them almost as soon as they come out-- she has more books too, so if you like these go check out her other works. These are just my favorites of what she has done, but I've enjoyed them all. Let me just say this, for every single one of these books I wasn't exactly pulled in by the synopsis, but then once I actually started the book I was up into the early hours finishing them. These are just so cute, but they also feel so feel and sweet... I don't know what else to say other than definitely check them out! 

First & Then Synopsis: 

Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them: first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

This Adventure Ends Synopsis:
​
Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.

Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.

Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.

Foolish Hearts Synopsis: 

When Claudia accidentally eavesdrops on the epic breakup of Paige and Iris, the it-couple at her school, she finds herself in hot water with prickly, difficult Iris. Thrown together against their will in the class production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, along with the goofiest, cutest boy Claudia has ever known, Iris and Claudia are in for an eye-opening senior year.

Smart, funny, and thoroughly, wonderfully flawed, Claudia navigates a world of intense friendships and tentative romance in Foolish Hearts, a YA novel about expanding your horizons, allowing yourself to be vulnerable, and accepting--and loving--people for who they really are.

A contemporary young adult novel by Emma Mills about a girl whose high school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream leads her to new friends--and maybe even new love.

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han 
Rating: 10/10 stars 
Ages: Teenagers 

Okay, okay, I know what you must be thinking. You're either on the lines of OH MY GOD I LOVE THESE MOVIES or ugh overrated. Yeah, well let me just say this first: the books are always vastly superior to the movie. Also, yeah, I'm just gonna say it: the second movie sucked. The first one wasn't great, but at least it was cute, the second one just lost all its magic if it had any to begin with. I will also say this: I read To All The Boys I've Loved Before wayyyy before there was even a movie in the works I read the first book before the author was even considering a second one. So yes, I've been a fan of this series for a long time and I'm not just recommending it because it is a semi-popular romcom on Netflix these days. Even the first movie didn't have half and magic of the first book. Here's the thing about movies: they always have to cut corners. It's just about the time constraint. The book though? That can show as many little things as it wants. Part of what made the first book so much better than the first movie (other than the fact that the book is always better, after all, it's what the movie is based on) is that the book is able to show all these cute little scenes and tidbits that build towards the relationship, whereas the movie just doesn't have enough time to show everything. The book you really get to fall in love with the relationships right along with Lara Jean. 
The books are so real, so cute, so touching--- so everything. They're absolutely adorable. I find Lara Jean to be an adorably relatable main character, if not a little naive at times. I also adore the family dynamic depicted in these books, especially watching as it evolves throughout the series. Then there's also the romance, which, not to beat a dead horse but IS SO MUCH BETTER IN THE BOOKS. The romances are depicted much better in the books, they're so much sweeter, you get those little scenes that build the relationships, but also somehow the movie sorta twisted the romantic interests into being boring and sometimes annoying dicks. That is not the case in books, I can promise you that. If you want a cutesy romance that will have you squealing in delight, this book is the one for you. 
Plus, if you love it even half as much as I do, then guess what?! There are two more books that are just as real and adorable as the first. A lot of times with romance books if they continue on in the series they only get worse, but these books remain steadily amazing throughout. I can't express more love for this series, and the movies have nothing on them.So don't let your feelings about the movies scare you away from these books. 

Synopsis: 

​To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed.

But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh.

As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West 
Rating: 8/10 Stars 
Character Ages: Teenagers 

This is one of my happy reads. It's what can only be described as cute and fuzzy. The kind of read that will put a smile on your face. Sure, it's not deep and moving, but that's not the purpose of this novel. It's light, fun and cute. And I absolutely love it. This is one of the few books I took along with me to college despite the lack of space. I reread this one all the time, it's not a long read, and it's just so cute and warm. I love it. Anyway, there's not much more I can say about it without giving away spoilers, so take my word on the cuteness factor and here's the synopsis. 

Synopsis: 

Signed, sealed, delivered…

While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…

Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you found something, or a couple somethings that piqued your interest! If you didn't, first off, sad, but second stay tuned for the part II post with the other genres! 
​-Anj 

If you know anything about me, you know that I am a sucker for cutesy romances that make your heart flutter. So when I came across this book with its cute cover and promising synopsis in the bookstore, I knew I had to get it. 

It's been a while since I actually read this book, so I'm not exactly clear on specific details but I can tell you the one big looming feeling I have left about this novel several months after reading it is DISAPPOINTMENT. I guess I was looking forward to a sort of Anna and the French Kiss vibe where you learn to grow fond of the city along with everything else. Everything else including falling in love with an adorable boy. 
Sure, the boy is cute, but the romance wasn't exactly something to fall head over heels over. Neither was the story arc with the main character. Without going too deep into my own personal life, let me just say that I am shocking familiar with the situation the main character has gone through. While I know that everyone handles their emotions differently, I found Lina's whole attitude in general to be extremely grating on my nerves. 
I don't remember much about Ren, so he's definitely not a main character that I fell head over heels for. I don't exactly remember really disliking him all that much either. He was more a steady neutral I guess. The whole romance though... It just felt extremely rushed. Not in terms of anything happening, but in terms of when one decides they're in LOVE with the other. I mean seriously, how in love can you be about a week in? 
The more I think about it, the more I think this novel has a lot of parallels with Anna and the French Kiss in terms of the love interest plotline. A LOT in common actually. The setting is pretty similar as well, as they're both thrown into school and life in a foreign country and are forced to make new connections and find their own way in a new friend group. Honestly, I may be biased saying this but if you want that sort of slow burn friends to lovers romance thing along with falling in love with a European city-- go for Anna and the French Kiss. It is infinitely better in every way. 
The one thing that could separate Love and Gelato from Anna and the French Kiss is its main storyline about family and finding it. (Though I suppose a big theme of Anna IS family). Dealing with the loss of a loved one and learning to incorporate a new figure into your life. While this plot line was probably the most interesting of the book, it fell flat. And was also extremely predictable.
Overall I'd give this novel 6/10 stars. It did have some cute and fuzzy moments but overall it felt rushed and there were a lot of annoying moments to outweigh the good ones. 

SYNOPSIS: 
​
A New York Times bestseller

A summer in Italy turns into a road trip across Tuscany in this sweeping debut novel filled with romance, mystery, and adventure.

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything Lina knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

Kirkus Reviews called Love & Gelato “a sure bet for fans of romance fiction,” while VOYA said readers “will find it difficult to put this book down.” Readers are about to discover a new place, a new romance, and a new talent.

SPOILER 

Ugh. Howard was obviously not her father / X from the start. And wow, the amount of ungrateful this girl is to be living in ITALY is shocking. And finally here's one of my notes that just speaks for itself "just finish the journal before making assumptions." 

Thanks for reading, 
Anj 

​I am hanging my head in shame as I write this. Seriously, I am so very far behind on reviews. There are just too many to catch up on. Too many to even put in the title. Here are the mini reviews provided in this post: 
Part 1
Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Catwoman by Sarah J. Maas
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan 
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Manis Calco 
Foolish Hearts & Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills 
​
Part 2
It Ends with Us & Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
The Diviners, Lair of Dreams & Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray 
An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson 

Yes. It's a lot of books, but not a lot of books when you think of the time period I've read them over. This is between August and January, you guys (with a few books I'm going to try my hardest to give full reviews to in-between. Those include: Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas, Queen of Air & Darkness by Cassandra Clare & Wicked King by Holly Black.) I really haven't been reading all that much lately. Not because I don't want to, but because my life has been crowded in every sense imaginable. Here's me making an effort to get back on things. (I did just read two books in the span of the last day, so that seems rather promising.) 
WARNING It's been a very long time since I've read some of these, and I did not take excellent notes so.... These may not be the most passionate reviews. I apologize. 
Here we go. 

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
After reading It Ends With Us, I was a little hesitant going into this novel as I wasn't sure I would get what I was expecting. Well, I didn't get what I was expecting but in a different way. I haven't read enough of Hoover's books to make this a definitive statement, but after this one I began wondering if she write light and cute romance books? Because it seems like her romances are more heavy handed. I was especially in need of a light romance after finishing It Ends With Us, and this was not exactly the cure I needed. 
While Maybe Someday is more romantically oriented, it's by no means a light, fun story. It's far more serious, and realistic, in a depressing way-- light rom coms can also be realistic.  
So yes, it was not what I needed in the moment, and also just not the book for me in general. I was expecting some sort of turmoil about the whole best friend and boyfriend being caught cheating thing (not a spoiler, literally part of the synopsis), but instead that's only mentioned a few times. It's much less about a scorned/hurt girl and circulates more around the relationship between Sydney and Ridge. I will admit their relationship is quite interesting, and it was an experience to get to see it progress, and I enjoyed the honesty between the two of them, but altogether not what I was looking for in a novel at the moment. 
At the start of the novel Sydney is moving into Ridge's apartment, as the apartment she had was shared with her best friend... who was sleeping with her boyfriend. Sydney and Ridge then begin to bond over a shared love of music, and feelings begin to stir. Only, Ridge has a long term girlfriend. 
It's an interesting set up, and an interesting story. Just, as I feel like I've said a number of times, not what I was expecting and not what I was wanting. 
The two things I liked the most about this novel are that a. Ridge is deaf, so it's interesting to see how that works into the plot and b. Colleen Hoover worked with a musician on the book, so when Sydney and Ridge write songs together you can literally LOOK THESE SONGS UP and listen to them. That adds an extremely unique and fun experience to reading. All together, not my favorite romance book, but still an interesting read. Sorry to all the hardcore Colleen Hoover fans I'm offending. 6.5/10 stars. 

Synopsis: 

Contains exclusive content: songs from Griffin Peterson 

Sydney is living in an idyllic bubble—she's a dedicated student with a steady job on the side. She lives with her best friend, has a great boyfriend, and the music coming from the balcony opposite hers is fast becoming the soundtrack to her life. But when Sydney finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious and attractive man behind the music, Ridge, gives Sydney hope that she can move on and they begin to write songs together. But moving on is harder than she expects, Sydney can only hope…. 

Maybe someday… 

Colleen Hoover draws you in to this passionate tale of music, love and betrayal…

The Diviners by Libba Bray 
I'm not usually an audiobook kind of girl. See, I'm a fast reader, and can absorb novels far, far faster than can be comfortably listened to. But here's the thing, as I am a seventeen year old girl with the heart of a grandmother, I recently got obsessed with knitting and crocheting, and I can't very well read while doing such hobbies. So I decided to try the audiobook for the Diviners, since it's a book that been waiting on my shelf for a very long time. 
At first I found the voices and the pace a bit annoying, but as I got into it more, I found myself constantly listening to the audiobook, and getting through the absurdly long audiobook in a couple days. Not only did I listen to the book when I was crocheting, I would also listen to it while brushing my teeth, getting ready for school in the morning, while driving to the store to buy more yarn, and even while reading other school books (I'm surprisingly good at multitasking.) This was both due to the combination of an excellent novel and also because after getting used to being read to instead of reading, I really got into the whole audiobook format. I would set the sleep timer and go to sleep listening to the book. Really, there was never a quiet moment. If you're too busy to read, I would highly recommend trying the audiobook (or any audiobook)! It's actually quite useful and enjoyable. 
Now on to the actual novel. The Diviners was nothing like I was expecting. The story mainly follows Evie O'Neill, a girl who goes to live with her uncle in New York City in the 1920s after causing a little too much trouble at home. I thought this would be a very serious story with a serious investigation into murder and an Avengers-like come together moment,  it was nothing like that. I don't even know how to describe this book, it's so unique. There's a definite element of horror, like sometimes I deeply regretted listening to this as I was falling asleep. The murder scenes are creepy as what, made creepier by the audiobook since the narrator actual whistles and sings the songs as the murderer approaches. There's also just teen drama going on. Evie's a party girl, she's a flapper after all, and doesn't like to take things too seriously. It's such a strange combination, and yet... somehow it all works. If you're tired of the same old tropes and whatnot, definitely check this book out, because there's nothing like it. 
Evie is truly her own person, I can't think of any other protagonists to compare her to. She's extroverted, stubborn and possesses an overabundance of confidence. She has the special ability to read any object she puts her hands on, which, while some other protagonists might keep their talent a secret, she literally uses it as a party trick. Yeah, Evie is definitely different from any protagonist you might read, but she's not one you'll be likely to forget anytime soon. At first she may come off as frivolous and a bit annoying, but as you get deeper in the novel, you can't help but fall in love with her. 
This is one of those novels that has a whole giant cast of characters with a plethora of POVs. I found that Evie's POV and those around Evie were the most interesting. Meaning that every single time we got to a Memphis chapter, I got a little bored. Sorry everyone who likes Memphis, he's just not all that interesting to me. 
Here's a brief overview of all the characters you'll be meeting

Mabel Rose-- she's Evie's best friend, and her polar opposite. She's meek, quiet and introverted, quite happy to just follow Evie around and live under the shelter of her helicopter parents and silently pine after Jericho Jones. I'll be honest, Mabel is not my favorite character, never has been. In the first book she's okay, but as the series progressed, she became my least favorite and at times I was ready to throw some punches at her. 

Sam Lloyd-- Let's just introduce this beautiful boy as my one true love. Sam is by far my favorite character in the entire series, with Evie coming in as a close second. He's a thief and skilled liar, yet he is also extremely charismatic and his banter with Evie is something I live for. He gets on her last nerve and will poke at her to get a rise just for fun. If that isn't #perfect, I don't know what is. Oh, and he may have a mission and goal of his own along with some surprising secrets... 
​
Will Fitzgerald-- Evie's uncle who she comes to live with. He runs The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition and the Occult-- more commonly known as The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies, which isn't doing so hot lately. Like almost all the characters in this story, he's basically filled past the brim with secrets and backstory, many of which have yet to be revealed. Will is friends with a detective, which is why, when a ton of strange murders occur, Will is brought in to consult. (And then Evie tags along, much to her uncle's annoyance. ) 

Jericho Jones-- this is Will's sort of adopted son / employee. He's a stoic young man of giant stature yet quiet nature who is hiding (shocker) a big secret. Jericho is not my favorite character. He's sweet but when the book is filled with some much more colorful characters, Jericho falls behind in the race for my love. (also I will mention things later in other reviews of the later books). 

Theta Knight-- She's a strong minded woman who doesn't mind causing a bit of scandal-- not nearly as much as Evie does, though. At first when she was introduced, I expected Theta to be your typical mean girl, but instead she and Evie become fast friends. I loved that element of the novel. And yes, she's also hiding a deep dark secret. Theta lives with her best friend, Henry, and I have to say I adore their relationship and wish it was explored to greater depths. 

Henry DuBois-- Not much is revealed about Henry in book 1, other than he plays piano and is gay. He's funny for the tiny bits of time that you see him, and well, he's hiding something too. Shocker. You get to find out a whole bunch more about Henry in book two. I love this guy, can't t really say much more than that, sorry! 

Memphis Campbell-- yup. This is the guy whose chapters I found to be boring. He used to have power, but he lost it after a tragic event in his past. Perhaps one of the reasons I was so bored by his storyline was because it was so detached from the others who I already loved and whose fates were quite intertwined (and I'd argue their storyline was more intriguing as well.) He lives in Harlem with his little brother and their highly religious aunt. He's black, which adds an interesting and sometimes sad dynamic as you see how racist many people were back in the 20s. 

Remember how I mentioned earlier about that dash of horror? More like a heaping of horror. The story starts with some sort of spirit named Naughty John being released, and oh boy, do I wish those dumb kids had left that Ouija Board alone, because Naughty John created some creepyass scenes that will probably haunt my dreams for a long time. The creep factor of this story... Wow. If you get the opportunity, I would seriously suggest audiobooking this one because it elevates the spookiness by so much. Here's something to think about, cheerful singing whilst committing brutal murder... 

Overall, I just highly recommend this book. It's nothing like you're expecting, with a unique and interesting cast of characters and an even more unique story. Still, there were some things that just felt like they were missing. Like there were a ton of satisfying moments and scenes I would've liked to have seen, but they happened without actually being written, like they're mentioned, but we never actually get to be in the scene. The relationships are just assumed, too. Like pivotal moments between characters and just the characters getting to know each other and whatnot is more mentioned than what we actually see. I think the story's strong points are its setting and plot, while its characters' relationships and developing them is a bit of a weakness. (This becomes more prominent in later books.) See, I'm the type of person who wants to be IN the action, not hearing mention of it later! And I also love watching relationships build and seeing dynamic between characters instead of just assuming something happened "off-screen," and that a lot of what these books want you to do. 

7/10 stars. The first book is nothing AMAZING, but it's a really fun read. I was left wanting to see more moments from the "side characters" aka everyone other than Evie, as some of them (Memphis) seemed pointless to the story arc. The novel definitely had a slow side, but it also created an enchanting world. 

Synopsis: 

​Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.

Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray 
Somehow this book is able to take on a completely different tone from the first, yet still be absolutely riveting and sufficiently scary, in its own manner. And dare I say it? I do, I think that Lair of Dreams is even better than its predecessor. Again, I audiobooked this one as I am unfortunately unable to physically read whilst crocheting, which is my latest obsession. 
Going to be real honest here-- I'm writing this part of the review in May when I audiobooked it in November.... Which means it's most definitely not fresh in my mind. 
I don't want to say much, especially because it's been so long that my feelings and thoughts are not completely accurate, but THIS IS A FANTASTIC NOVEL. It was a lot of fun to read, especially if you're curious about the seemingly side characters-- they're main, but were pretty off to the side in book one, meaning Henry, Theta, Mabel etc. Really, Henry's storyline is what drives the book. You get to find out so much more about him, and even get introduced to a new main character-- Ling Chan. She took a bit of getting used to for me, but now I like her-- I'm just not good at adjusting to new things, haha. 
While Henry's storyline really drove the plot, there were plenty of other things going on with the other characters to keep the reader entertained and intrigued.  You dig a lot deeper into Theta's backstory, follow Mabel as her life is completely turned on its head... sorry, not a big fan of her, and MOST IMPORTANTLY get caught up in a whirlwind fake romance between my true love and my fave. Aka Sam and Evie get stuck in creating a fake romance, which is positutely the best thing that could've occurred. Fake romances are cliche, but they're legit one of my favorite things, especially when being run by one of my SHIPS! Seriously, this fake romance was SO much fun because Sam and Evie's banter never fails to entertain. I mean, also they're both perfect, so they perfectly belong together, am I right or am I right? 
Anyway, sorry for the shitty review. Read this book if you liked the first one, but be aware the the tone is very different than that of the first (which still works!) Again, same as with the first book, my biggest issue is the lack of the "people" moments, really seeing a lot of vital moments in relationships and whatnot. It's not insta-stuff seeing as there's a lot going on in the background that you just don't get to see, but I want to see it! 7.5/10 

Synopsis: 
​
The longing of dreams draws the dead, and this city holds many dreams.

After a supernatural showdown with a serial killer, Evie O’Neill has outed herself as a Diviner. With her uncanny ability to read people’s secrets, she’s become a media darling, earning the title “America’s Sweetheart Seer.” Everyone’s in love with the city’s newest It Girl…everyone except the other Diviners.

Piano-playing Henry DuBois and Chinatown resident Ling Chan are two Diviners struggling to keep their powers a secret—for they can walk in dreams. And while Evie is living the high life, victims of a mysterious sleeping sickness are turning up across New York City.

As Henry searches for a lost love and Ling strives to succeed in a world that shuns her, a malevolent force infects their dreams. And at the edges of it all lurks a man in a stovepipe hat who has plans that extend farther than anyone can guess…As the sickness spreads, can the Diviners descend into the dreamworld to save the city?

In this heart-stopping sequel to The Diviners, Printz Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray takes readers deeper into the mystical underbelly of New York City.

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson 
Gonna be real honest, the first time I saw  this book I was attracted to it because I recognized the cover art's artist. It's the same artist who does Sarah J. Maas works, I think it's Charlie Bowater? But I'm not exactly sure. Then I looked up the synopsis and wasn't exactly hooked, so I continued scrolling.
I actually forget what finally convinced me to order this book, possibly all of the amazing ratings I'd been seeing. For example, one of the reviews I read said that Rogerson was BORN to write, so I figured I shouldn't miss out on the hype and go ahead and try it out. 
Overall thoughts is yeah, it's a fun, light read. Especially if you're a fan of fae, which I am. (fan is a bit of a soft word for how obsessed I am with the fae lol.)  One of the problems with the story is just how short it is-- I literally read it in one sitting. Due to the lack of length, it felt a little lacking in the building of certain aspects. Reading this book was an odd combination of pieces that felt too fast and others that felt way too slow.  The ending especially felt rather rushed-- the magnitude of big threats wasn't felt all that much with how quickly the story wrapped up. 
I absolutely adored the descriptions in this novel, they were very vivid and illustrated. I could really see the world and its characters in my mind's eye. I also found myself laughing A LOT whilst reading this one. I loved all of the intricacies with the fae, like if you're polite to them they HAVE to be polite back. Also, the fae we get to know best throughout the novel-- Rook, is hilarious because of his childish tendencies. Seriously, he just thinks he can has what he wants and throws temper tantrums when he doesn't get them, and while that sounds unattractive, it's adorable and hilarious the way it's shown in the novel. Basically, Rook doesn't know any better when it comes to interacting with humans. Actually, all the fae are very childhish in ways, haha. One of my notes is literally "lol, all the fae are children." 
Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book was Rogerson's take on the Fae, and how, despite all the amazing things in their lives, they're empty inside. They have no emotions, which is something they envy the humans for. They're all not the glamorous beings portrayed in many other fae novels. Instead, they're all vain and glamoured beings-- not nearly as beautiful as they show themselves to be. In fact, these Fae glamour everything, including their food to make their lives seem as perfect as possible. Since they're empty inside, Fae are unable to create, which is why they are so fascinated by humans, and their dabbling in the arts. 
The romance in the book was borderline instalove, which I hate-- because then you get no time to really get attached or root for the relationship. Borderline, not totally. See, the attraction and connection springs up real quick, but the romance such doesn't happen for a long while, so I was pretty excited when the romance kicked in. 
​Again, my biggest issue with the novel was how short it is. I think most of the other issues I have with it come with its length. Like there's this whole larger set up in the background about an issue with the world that I expected to be somehow resolved, but it wasn't, which left me feeling a little disappointed any empty. Also, the plot was rather predicable for me-- all the big twists I saw coming from about 200 pages away (which is about the length of the book. 
All in all, a very enjoyable, light read 7/10 stars. There's a fun romance, and interesting and exciting plot. However, I'd advise not to expect too much depth going into the novel. It's there to tell one story, and it does that job well. It brushes on ideas that hint at greater depth in the world, but those are never truly resolved or used to their greatest potential. 

Synopsis: 
A skilled painter must stand up to the ancient power of the faerie courts—even as she falls in love with a faerie prince—in this gorgeous debut novel.

Isobel is a prodigy portrait artist with a dangerous set of clients: the sinister fair folk, immortal creatures who cannot bake bread, weave cloth, or put a pen to paper without crumbling to dust. They crave human Craft with a terrible thirst, and Isobel’s paintings are highly prized. But when she receives her first royal patron—Rook, the autumn prince—she makes a terrible mistake. She paints mortal sorrow in his eyes—a weakness that could cost him his life.

Furious and devastated, Rook spirits her away to the autumnlands to stand trial for her crime. Waylaid by the Wild Hunt’s ghostly hounds, the tainted influence of the Alder King, and hideous monsters risen from barrow mounds, Isobel and Rook depend on one another for survival. Their alliance blossoms into trust, then love—and that love violates the fair folks’ ruthless laws. Now both of their lives are forfeit, unless Isobel can use her skill as an artist to fight the fairy courts. Because secretly, her Craft represents a threat the fair folk have never faced in all the millennia of their unchanging lives: for the first time, her portraits have the power to make them feel.

Once again Emma Mills proves her outstanding ability to write an absolutely adorable romance and story in her novel This Adventure Ends. Mills previously displayed her prowess in her debut novel, First & Then, which was an equally adorable and quirky adventure that I highly recommend if you're in the mood for a cutesy romance. 
Like First & Then, This Adventure Ends isn't solely a romance book. While First & Then concentrated on the idea of family, This Adventure Ends expands its boundaries out to friendships as well. And boy, do I love the relationships in all of Mills' novels. She sets them up in such a compelling and realistic way that it's impossible not to get attached to the relationships, both romantic and platonic. 
While there was a romantic undertone to this novel, it was a undertone. There, but definitely not the most important highlight of the novel. The most important being the friendships made throughout the book. It was very enjoyable watching Sloane, the book's slightly lonerish protagonist, make friends and then watching those relationships build. 
The characters are so genuine and real that it feels almost as if they might step out of the book at any moment. The entire novel, actually, felt very realistic, while also being entirely too cute and adorable to handle-- it's definitely not stereotypical. 
Sloane isn't your typical loaner, at least, she's not the image that pops into my head when the word "loaner" is mentioned. What I mean when I say that Sloane is a bit of a loaner is that she's never really had any close friends. She had friends, but none of them close enough to even make her want to stay in her hometown (city?) of New York when her parents wanted to move right before her senior year. Sloane is funny in a sarcastic, deadpan manner that I appreciate. While she's not exactly the expert on relationships, it's fun to watch her stumble through actually forming real bonds of friendship in her new town. 
Meet Vera and Gabe, two twins who couldn't be more different. Vera is a vivacious, effervescent girl who everyone can't help but love. Meanwhile, the book at first describes Gabe as being "serious." Something that made me a bit nervous because I don't like a very serious guy. Luckily, it wasn't the sort of serious that I was thinking. It actually makes whenever Gabe actually does crack a joke or laugh all the more rewarding. He's a bit socially awkward, which I love. While I love a confidant guy, I also love my socially awkward boys. Really, I guess it's not all that hard to impress me when it comes to book boys, haha. I love these twins, because of their relationships with Sloane as well as their presence throughout the book. Like I said before, the characters are very well fleshed out, and they feel so real... It's hard not to fall in love with any and all of them. 
I'll be completely honest with you, I've had this book sitting on my shelf for longer than I'd like to admit. I actually had it the day it came out (thanks, Amazon prime pre-orders), but did I read it? No. Why? Because well, I didn't really feel compelled to do so. I was worried Mills' magic from First & Then would be lacking in this novel, and also the idea of hunting down a portrait just didn't hook me. Sometimes I just really hate myself, and this is one of those times. Similar to me avoiding reading Better Off Friends, it was really just a dumb mistake. I could've experienced the joy and happiness This Adventure Ends had to share years ago! But I waited until now because... Because I just didn't feel like reading it. Ugh. Why, Anji? Why? I will not make that mistake again and have already bought Mills' most recent release and plan to read it ASAP. 
Anyway, getting off track, I'm giving this book 8/10 stars because I absolutely loved it. It had me cringing at the embarrassing moments, laughing at the funny ones and grinning like a maniac most of the time I was having the pleasure of reading it. (Also side comment-- can we just appreciate how cute and aesthetically pleasing all of the covers for Mills' novels are??) I highly recommend this one, and hope you all enjoying reading it as much as I did! 

Synopsis: 

Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.

Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.

Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.

SPOILERS BELOW

I love how realistic the ending is. While you would want them to get their painting back... Most of the time, that wouldn't happen. That would've been the "fairytale" ending, and, given how realistic the rest of the novel is, that wouldn't seem right. Also, the painting isn't the point! It's the motivation for finding the painting. 
I also would like to comment on OH MY GOD. Gabe and Sloane. Love their relationship and the slow burn of it. I mean, I knew he was asking her out, but clearly Sloane didn't catch on the first time. And the tucking in part? I was dying from the cuteness there. 

This story seems to be taking the world by storm, due to its recent adaption by Netflix. The story of a girl's first kiss... and the havoc followed by it. What do you do when you start dating your best friend's brother? Well, certainly not what Elle Evans does... 
The Kissing Booth follows Elle Evans, who, up to her junior year, has never kissed a boy. Ever since she was born, she's been best friends with Lee Flynn, they're practically twins. The issue is that she's always had a crush on Lee's bad boy older brother, Noah, and she can never act on that crush because a. it's her best friend's brother and b. he only sees her as his little brother's best friend-- or does he? When Elle and Lee come up with the idea of hosting a Kissing Booth for their school fair, little do they know that very same booth will change their lives. 
Okay, yeah, that was a little dramatic. Let's just say that drama ensures after the kissing booth. 
My usual policy is READ THE BOOK FIRST. Why? Because it's a universally known fact among readers that the book is better than the movie. 
Unfortunately, I did not follow my usual policy for this movie. I was bored, and in the mood for a cute rom-com movie. Plus, I was working on a very, very long project for school and therefore didn't have time to read a book, just needed something in the background. (And I also didn't have the book.) 
I'm not sure if the movie impacted my view of the book, perhaps it set forth a few expectations from me, but for the most part, I think my view of the book was fairly unimpacted. And to just get these words out of the way, I was not a huge fan of the book. I would give it 5/10 stars. There were parts of the book that yes, I enjoyed, but the biggest part of the book-- the romance, was something I just could not get behind. 
The relationship between Elle and Noah in the book was not healthy. Whenever they got into an argument, it was never resolved. Noah would just kiss her and BOOM everything was okay, even when yes, what they were arguing about was perfectly legit and really needed to be discussed. I don't want to be overly "extra" when saying their relationship made me uncomfortable, but, well, their relationship made me uncomfortable. I was waiting for something to be redeeming about it, but I couldn't find anything. Noah is possessive, and while I guess that could seem romantic... It's really not, especially not the lengths he'll go to to protect what's "his." Seriously (slight spoiler here) there's a moment in the book where he may have broken someone's rib. And does he feel regret? None. Why? Because he was "protecting" Elle. (spoiler over.) 
There are plenty of examples of how violent Noah is throughout the book. I guess that also is supposed to make Noah seem dreamy due to his manliness, but really it makes him less attractive in my eyes. He gets rather frightening when angry and is very, very violent. It's discussed in the book that Noah realizes this and thinks he's messed up, but that still doesn't make his actions okay. 
The movie actually toned Noah's violence and anger down, but still, in the movie there are some very clear signs of the relationship being unhealthy. It's really romanticizing violence, and possessiveness. I'm glad they were able to tone it down in the movie, though, because the sad fact of life is that more people will always see the movie as opposed to reading the book.
When comparing the two, it would appear that the story is out of the ordinary in terms of the movie is better than the book. The book just ran all over the place, while the movie (tried to) cut out the extra moments and keep the plot straight. The book's plot is like a roller coaster, just going up and down, up and down. There's so much extra stuff in it that feels unneeded, it felt too long. There's just too much extra stuff in there to add more drama to the story instead of just telling a good story. I think the whole "list" kept the movie more structured, while the book desperately needed some structure.
Between the book and the movie, I actually think the movie was able to improve most aspects of the book. I think the plot was better constructed, and Noah was definitely better in the movie than in the book. Elle's character remained about the same between both. The only thing that was definitely better in the book was Lee's character. 
In the move I found Lee's character to be annoying, and quite frankly, a very, very bad friend. (spoiler for the movie) For instance, he allows Elle to strip on the table. Instead of getting her down, he just looks away, wincing. That's a bad friend move. And then the way he reacts upon finding out about Elle and Noah? Horrible. In the book, he handles it better-- the way you'd expect a good friend would. (spoiler over). 
Book Lee is a much better character in terms of his friendship with Elle in the book. 
My overall thoughts about the movie, it was okay. Good for if you're bored and in the mood for a rom-com. If you don't think about it too much, the movie was enjoyable. But when you think about it, you'd probably realize that the movie is not spaced out well. It's very little build up to the romance, so that it can leave a large chunk of time for drama, and then no time for the resolution so its ending feels rushed. I'd give the movie 6/10 stars, it wasn't great, but it was good for the mood that I was in while watching (or listening) to it. 
Anyway, the Kissing Booth is definitely not my strongest recommendation for a cute romance book. If you're looking for an adorable romance, I would recommend Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins or To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (Which is also being made into a Netflix movie!!!!). 
Never the less, here's the synopsis: 

Meet Rochelle Evans: pretty, popular--and never been kissed. Meet Noah Flynn: badass, volatile--and a total player. And also Elle's best friend's older brother... 

When Elle decides to run a kissing booth for the school's Spring Carnival, she locks lips with Noah and her life is turned upside down. Her head says to keep away, but her heart wants to draw closer--this romance seems far from fairy tale and headed for heartbreak. 

But will Elle get her happily ever after?

SPOILER

OKAY SO LIKE, ELLE LYING TO LEE WHEN SHE GOES TO PROM WITH NOAH PISSED ME OFF SO MUCH. LIKE DID YOU NOT FEEL ENOUGH PAIN FROM THE FIRST TIME YOU LIED? AND LEE FORGAVE YOU! she didn't learn her lesson and UGH. Don't lie to your friends. 

Anyway, thanks for reading, 
​Anj