Kat @abookiesbooks, Author at A Bookie's Books

Movie Review: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

“At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore (Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.” -Rotten Tomatoes

Two weeks ago I went to see The Crimes of Grindlewald.

And OH MY GOODNESS

WAS

AMAZING!!!

It was all boom boom BAM!

I loved it. This movie was absolutely amazing. I loved it so much and I thought it was one of the best movies.

The scenery, the cast, the action, the magic…

It was all just so spectacular. Starting with Newt (Eddie Redmayne), he was so beautiful. Scamander is a “magizoologist” is you haven’t heard and the animals he takes care of are extremely cute creatures, obviously fake, but I wish they were real. The beginning of the movie Newt is unable to leave the country because of the events in the last movie. In true Newt fashion he breaks that rule due to orders from Dumbledore, an unrecognizable Dumbledore because he was very young. I love Newt so much.

I really suck at doing movie reviews. But I believe I must review this movie because I reviewed the last one and this is a part of the franchise that I cherish deeply in my soul.

Now, looking at other reviews like Rotten Tomatoes I understand that not everyone likes it. But, I think that they are going into it as lobby old people with out the joy and wonder that they had when they watched the Harry Potter movies as young adults or even children. Expecting the same childhood joy and thrill to come from these movies are unreasonable for two reasons. First, we are all older than we were when the Potter movies came out and feelings change. The older the are the more you become like Umbridge and less like Harry. Secondly, IT IS NOT THE SAME FRANCHISE. It is not the same people, same setting, or same plot. Voldemort does not even exist in these movies. Nothing is the same. This is a pre-Harry world. Going into the theater and expecting to see Hogwarts and the magic of the school (although does make an appearance) is completely absurd. The stories obviously follows around adults so already the story is in a completely different mind set than the books/movies of Harry Potter.

To enjoy the movie you cannot go into it hoping for the same feeling and that same interaction you got from Harry Potter.

While yes, a little disappointing, you cannot expect Rowling and Yates to stay in that world forever. They need to move on some day. You cannot just trash their masterpiece because it is not like the other masterpiece they created and you are not ready to accept it.

I thought the movie was very well done. I love who they casted for every part. Everyone is exceptional in their job. I am amazed at how each and every character fits with he actors that plays them. I thought everyone conveyed their role well.

The one disappointing thing for me was the lack of beasts. For a Fantastic Beasts movie, there were only a couple. I loved the first movie because it showed you many new creatures almost throughout the whole film. This one just seemed a little too focused on the people and their love lives then the focus on the animals which the series is named after.

But other than that it was a fantastic movie. I loved it. I cannot wait for it to be out on DVD so I can add it to my Harry Potter marathons.

I hope everyone gets to see it. As I am posting this it is almost out of theaters so I hope everyone sees it soon or if you missed your chance and don’t want to commit to it just yet, go get a Redbox. I seriously HIGHLY recommend.

Thanks for reading!

-Kat

Star Rating: 4.5

New Year, New Blog

Hey there fellow bloggers!

It has been a LONG time since I have done an update blog.

But I just want to help ring in the new year with you all. I had a bland year on this blog in 2018. I had taken this time to study, work, and be social. I hardly read a thing. I have books that I am still reading from 2017 on my nightstand. All in all it just wasn’t the best year for me literature wise.

I believe I pulled through in the end by reading quite a few books but only because they were required from school. But I did finish a book that was not an assignment. I read to All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han and let me just say, it was amazing. I think it was one of the only books I actually read this year.

But now for the serious stuff. I am going to be on this blog more. I know I said that last year after the break I took a year ago, then flung myself into another huge long break, but this time I am here. I am all in. I am ready. I am going to become the Rory Gilmore of reading and read everything in sight. I have also decided that I need this blog to not be a chore. I want to make the blog more appealing and it cannot be appealing if I am writing things I do not want to write. So, I am not going to write a review on every book I read anymore. While this is a book blog and normally people review the books they read, I am sure the review about Sense and Sensibility or To Kill a Mockingbird is not needed. I am sure more entertaining novels such as new releases and book tags while be better hits. And while I started this blog not to become popular, I do not want it to be boring to myself. I remember how motivated I was to write reviews about the hottest release and to participate in the weekly book memes. But I began to focus to much on the book reviews for books that weren’t needed like my A Seperate Peace review that I got rather bored. They were just books for school that I am sure almost EVERYONE has read because they had to. So what was the point?

But, I wrote them and I hated them. I hated forcing myself to write terrible posts and to try and discuss a book I hardly remembered. I remembered the feeling I had when I finished Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas at 11 o’clock at night and rushed to my computer to write out all of my feelings about the book. I wanted to feel that rush again but I couldn’t find it when I was struggling to finish the other posts first. So now I am here to say that is over. I am going to start a new system where instead of making a review, I will simply add the name of the book into my Review ToC and add a star count to the end. That will be all and that will make me happy.

I also changed the theme of my page but of course that is subject to change all the time. I love messing around with new themes and new colors all the time, but this time I really like this one. I think I will keep it for awhile just until I get sick of it.

Anyways, let us talk about something not blog related, my life. Quick overview of my life so far. I am nearing the end of my last year of high school. Senior year has been extremely fun and rewarding. I am awaiting news from my dream university and I will update you guys on that when it comes. I also have been obsessing about the college, looking up dorms, fee schedules, etc. I also have a new puppy in the house. She is very cute but not quite potty trained so that is kind of gross. But, that is my families duties.

I have big plans and big changes coming this year. It will be exciting!

I am excited for this New Year. It comes with many new adventures and lots of hard work. I am ready for everything that is going to come my way.

Happy New Year everyone!

To All the Boy’s I’ve Loved Before

Author: Jenny Han

Series: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #1

Published Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 355

“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.” -Goodreads

Review:

Dear Peter,

Hi you do not know me but I love you. I have now read the book and seen the movie and I am your soulmate. Will you marry me?

-Kat

Okay, that was my letter. Short but to the point, right?

Alrighty then craziness aside, how freaking adorable was this story. I mean first lets start with the look of the book. Cute and appealing. Great model for the front. (Yes I judge books by their cover very throughly)

Then Lara Jean was such a role model. I need to start dressing, acting, and eating like her. I really wanna try those Korean smoothies she is always talking about so if anyone knows where to get them, slide that info! Lara is such a clever character and I love the diversity of the book. I love the way her culture is brought out into the book and is expressed in the movie (also this review will be about both he review and the movie) which made me happy. She is the perfect person. I just wish she had been less stubborn because so much less drama would have happened, and oh wait, I love drama so why would I care? Haha, I don’t. I do thought think she should have been less stubborn because my poor Peter bear wanted her so desperately but she was so in her head that she just did not get it.

Now onto Peter. He is likes the world’s favorite idiot. Like he really did not handle everything perfectly but his hair was gorgeous while doing it. He should have let Get go the minute she dumped him and realized who his true love was, (ME) Lara Jean! But instead he creates a fake relationship so he can have basically both the girls. But alas that is such a dumb jock move. It is a good thing he was a dream boat or I would not have understood why Lara Jean put up with that from him.

I think Kitty is my spirit animal. She was so spritely and I loved her sass. She did a bad thing by sending out those private letter but in the end it all worked out just fine.

I did not really like Margot at all. She just kind of seemed so matter-of-fact and followed her mother’s rules way too seriously. Now, Josh and her were never meant to be and that is clear to see y his confusion on his feelings with Lara Jean but she shouldn’t have just dumped him. What Lara Jean finds out about them later in the novel does not constitute a reason for her to break up with him. Even though her mother did ask her not to go to college with a boyfriend. It just seems cruel to have broken Josh’s heart, then be able to escape to Scotland while he is stuck living next to Margot’s family.

The plot of the story was cute. There was not any huge action except for the big fallout near the end. Basically, the story just consisted of Peter and Lara Jean fighting then making up. Fighting then making up. Over and over again in this “fake” relationship. And Lara Jean being very stupid about many things.

But I loved the ridiculousness of this book and it went really well. I loved the movie to. I loved the cinematography. I thought both were really good. I cannot wait to read the next one!

Thanks for reading!

-Kat

P.S I hope you guys liked my A1 gif usage. I wanted to include some very nice moments of Peter and Lara Jean.

Star Rating: 4.7

The Vagina Monologues

Author: Eve Ensler, Gloria Steinem (Foreword)

Published May 3rd 2001 by Virago Press Ltd.

Genre: Feminism, Nonfiction, Drama

Pages: 185

“I decided to talk to women about their vaginas, to do vagina interviews, which became vagina monologues…At first women were reluctant to talk. They were a little shy. But once they got going, you couldn’t stop them. Women secretly love to talk about their vaginas. They get very excited, mainly because no one’s ever asked them before.” -Goodreads

Review:

A book of feminism and glory.

I loved the vagina talk. It was very empowering and the friend I read it with agreed with me.

It is an important book. It is important to hear these women’s stories and to understand the depths of the women’s body.

I wish I could go see this performed. It would be quite entertaining to see.

I am reading this growing up in a non-“down there” era but still with some struggles with people embracing the word and I think this book does well to try and make vagina not seem like such a “nasty”word.

I thought the stories were really nice and sort of inspiring. They mostly discussed how they viewed their vaginas and others and showed people journey through vagina discovery.

This blog is really short and I am sorry about that but I do not have much to say. The book is short which means a short blog. Especially one where I believe everyone should read it and see the amazing stories. I don’t want to give away anything to much. I want people to experience the book for themselves.

Anyways, thank you for reading. Let me know down below if you have read it an your opinions on it.

Star Rating: 4.5

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

Authors: Stephanie Perkins, Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de la Pena, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link , Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Kiersten White

Published October 14th 2014 by St. Martin’s Griffen

Genre: Young Adult, Christmas

Pages: 321

“If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year’s there’s something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.” -Goodreads

Review:

Okay guys, so this little story set is just 12 little sweet stories about love in the wintertime. And if you have been here long, you know how much I love love stories.

This was beautiful. I usually am not a big fan of short stories because of the inability to create a long story line and have great development. I also get very sad when books are over so short stories make the sadness come sooner.

But these blew me out of the water. I have yet to read it’s other half about summer love but I plan on getting to it one day.

Anyways I am going to do a short little review of each one of these short stories. Here we go:

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell:

Huge Rainbow fan. She will never let me down. This was by far the sweetest and most romantic story in the book. I loved it so much and thought Mags and Noah were so cute. I love seeing things progress over time. Set the bar really high for the rest.

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link:

I honestly don’t remember much about this one, only that it wasn’t fantastic. I’m sure it was good but coming right after Rainbow Rowell can sure be hard for an author.

Angels in the Snow by Matt De La Pena:

The book severely improved with this touching little story of Shy and Haley in a snowstorm. I loved it a lot and really want more. I also loved the Hispanic influences in the story. I think diversity is fantastic and glad we got some of that in here.

Polaris is Where You’ll Find Me by Jenny Han:

It was good. That’s all I can say. It wasn’t wowing and it wasn’t bad. Right in the middle at good. The story had a good premise but it was kind of short (maybe because it is a short story) and predictable. It was also very straight to the point.

It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins:

This story was pretty good. A little predictable and cliche but I dig that stuff. Also I really relate to Marigold a lot. She buys a Christmas tree just to talk to a boy. I do that sometimes.

Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan:

This was SUPER short and SUPER boring. I love Levithan but this was kind of lackluster and not all to romantic. Just kinda of there. I wish it had more scenes and more character development.

Krampuslauf by Holly Black:

Okay here we go. This has some fantasy in it which I love, love, love but all in all it was pretty predictable and nothing really happened that I wasn’t expecting. There wasn’t much like description wise but the story was still there. It was really cliche and basically the end was very obvious from the beginning.

What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman:

Honestly I do not remember this one very much. I read this during my break so this has completely slipped my mind.

I did some digging and this is a story about a Jewish girl who feels like an outsider in a Christian town who meets a black guy who feels like an outsider as well. I remember it more clearly and I really just found it dull. It didn’t focus on love, mostly just the racial and religious stereotypes. I expected more romance.

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire:

The story wasn’t a show stopper and surrounded the Christmas pageant. I found it funny and good but nothing extraordinary.

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White:

I thought it was sweet and quirky. The characters a little dull. Not much else to say.

Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter:

By this point I began getting bored. I had seen some great stories and I just couldn’t get into these ones near the end. This one was alright and was better then few.

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor:

At this story I thought it twas quite pretty. It was a little magical and a little mysterious. I thought it was sweet and a good end to the twelvelogy of stories.

So that was my review of each. I know that was kind of boring but hey I am still trying to get back into this. I have read new books and new reviews are gonna be coming soon. Just wait for it.

Thank you so much for reading. Let me know which were your favorites and which weren’t in the comments below.

Star Rating: 4

A Work in Progress

Author: Connor Franta

Published April 21st 2015 by Atria/Keywords Press

Genre: Memoir

Pages: 212

“In this intimate memoir of life beyond the camera, Connor Franta shares the lessons he has learned on his journey from small-town boy to Internet sensation so far.

Here, Connor offers a look at his Midwestern upbringing as one of four children in the home and one of five in the classroom; his struggles with identity, body image, and sexuality in his teen years; and his decision to finally pursue his creative and artistic passions in his early twenties, setting up his thrilling career as a YouTube personality, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and tastemaker.

Exploring his past with insight and humor, his present with humility, and his future with hope, Connor reveals his private struggles while providing heartfelt words of wisdom for young adults. His words will resonate with anyone coming of age in the digital era, but at the core is a timeless message for people of all ages: don’t be afraid to be yourself and to go after what you truly want.

This full-color collection includes photography and childhood clippings provided by Connor and is a must-have for anyone inspired by his journey.” -Goodreads

Review:

Since I was about 12, I have been watching Connor Franta. I haven’t watched recently but I used to be a huge supporter. I liked every video, left comment, tweeted like crazy. But eventually I began to chill and now I barely watch his videos. But I have now read his book. I know its been years since it came out but I finally downloaded the audio book and listened.

and holy poop it is good.

I love it so much.

But let me just say I am a little biased. I love Connor and I liked the book a lot because of his personality. As I write this I am reading reviews for points to hit and inspiration and quite a few are saying something like “his journey isn’t inspiring because he comes from normal no hardship life like many other middle class children and he surely cannot be giving advice to anyone” which yes I agree. He doesn’t really have that heart-clenching, sob story many other people write about. But I think that is a bit refreshing. If his story was similar to all the other stories of squalor and setbacks, it would just fall into the pile of those stories.

That being said, yes, I agree to you Goodreads bloggers saying it isn’t inspiring. Because it isn’t. Yes, he gives good advice and yes we all should take his advice. And yes he started low and crawled his way up there. But for me personally, I never really ever listen to those stories and do what they say anyways. I just read them for the story. And his story was good.

Basically all the book talks about is his teens years to when he began YouTube. He doesn’t have anything to shocking. It honestly get quite boring and not very interesting if you live a normal white, middle-class life, or if you live anything less than that.

Connor is a good writer though. He knows how to write good words. But I really only read this book because it was him and I could get it on my Overdrive right then.

Thank you so much for reading! I know this was short but I am really trying to bust out the reviews I need to finish from my hiatus. I read this one a long time ago so I don’t have much to say. Again, thank you for reading and see you next time.

Star Rating: 3.2

-A Bookie

The Secret Life of Bees

Author: Sue Monk Kidd

Published January 28th 2003 by Penguin Books

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 336

“Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily’s fierce-hearted black “stand-in mother,” Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina–a town that holds the secret to her mother’s past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female power, a story women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.” -Goodreads

Review:

To begin, thank you to one of my best friends, Maggie, for showing me this book.

Anyways time to sit back with some Coke and peanuts and write his review.

Now, I don’t like books like this. Historical fiction is not my friend. We will never really get along. I don’t like stuff that’s old because I get bored. But the book was my friends and it was only 336 pages so I decided fine, why not?

Well let me just tell you something. Those 336 pages were the longest 336 I have ever read. It took me, probably, about three months. Granted this was apart of my year long break I have been taking and it was a part of the whole me not really being into reading last year. On top of that you put the whole historical fiction into it and I was a snail reading it. But you know what? I finished it!

And it honestly wasn’t that bad. I had a good time reading it. It was well written and stuff. I didn’t particularly think it was the best book out there but I certainly would recommend it to certain (very few) people. Maybe my Grandma or my 30+ year old friends. It just isn’t a modern book and I am not sure many people my age would like it.

The book takes place in the 60’s during the height of the civil rights movement. The second main character, “Lily’s fierce-hearted black “stand-in mother, Rosaleen gets caught up in some things and Lily and her decide to flee. Lily wants to learn more about her mother and her untimely death. The plot of the story is good but kind of basic. Like there isn’t much excitement and adventure. There is not too much racial things happening which I would believe would’ve be more prevalent in the book. But the story is focused more on Lily and her mother and the time she has at the bee farm.

It also is kind of heartbreaking and just has the reality of real life. It doesn’t sugar coat things. It doesn’t fantasize an experience. It doesn’t make something seem unreal. Lots of the events are unfair and cruel. Lily goes through heartbreak and so do the other characters. It shows real life and not fake, fruity bull-crap. I appreciate that in this story.

It was a good read. If you like these kinds of historical, non-adventurous stories you will love it. It was really well written. I know if you are a middle aged woman you might dig this because a lot of the people who have read/reviewed the book and say they love it are more women who are older and mothers. But no matter who you are it is still worth the read. You just might not be as other books.

I loved the characters. I think June, one of the calendar sisters, was my favorite. Second would be Rosaleen or August. They all are some pretty strong women roles. They make the story super appealing. I feel like if I dive into characters I will begin to spoil things and that just ain’t what we do here on this blog. So I will keep it short and simple. All the characters keep it real. The “mothers” of the story play their motherly role to Lily and Lily plays a good searching girl. Characters are well developed and well structured in the story.

One things I do have to say is the cliches are there. Abusive father, angst, coming of age bull, etc. But you guys know that is what I love. I want that stuff. I L-O-V-E it. Other people hate it and if you do, don’t worry the story isn’t riddled with the cliches. Just beware.

Anyways thank you so much for reading this. I hope your enjoyed this. If you want a good motherly book and female empowerment read set in the 60’s go check this out. It is a great read. I didn’t go head over heels for the book but it was still a good book; well written and good storyline. Go check it out!

Star Rating: 3

Turtles All the Way Down

Author: John Green

Genre: Young Adult

Pages: 288

“Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.” -Goodreads

Review:

In risking of sounding like a 12 year old:

YAAAAAAAAASSSSSS

What the heck was this book?

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G

What do I want?

M-O-R-E

Now John Green has always been great. I read all of his books in a month after I finished TFIOS. I loved them. Paper Towns was my ultimate favorite. Okay let me stop here.

Back to the review…

Okay so this book, like many of Green’s book, was amazing. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I think the entirety of the book is spectacular.

It was probably just another YA, John Green, spectacular love, difficult circumstances book, but it was still really good. The book was well-written as always. Great detail, well thought out. I do gotta say it was really predictable and very cliche but what John Green book isn’t. That’s what I love most about his books.

The main character, Aza has mental health problems and lots of anxiety. My favorite thing is that Green doesn’t shy away from topics like that and fully focuses on them. IT shows the real way those problems exist in people. The book shows her struggles and make you want to comfort her. I loved also that in the end she still had the problems. Not saying I am glad she had problems, I am saying I’m glad Green showed the reality that it doesn’t go away easily. Sometimes the pain in people never does.

I also loved how the book was real. It was about a real teenagers life and talked about everything teens are actually concerned about. I guess the only fantastical thing was the missing persons case Aza and Daisy investigate, but without action the story would be bland.

I am extremely pleased with this book. I have been waiting for John to put out new stuff an when this came out I grabbed it as soon as I saw it and read it. I devoured it. I think everyone should read it because it is a real book of the times and it clearly shows the life and minds of teenagers everywhere minus the whole missing persons case.

This book was fantastic. Thank you so much for reading this blog. GO check this book out. It is worth the read.

Star Rating: 4.2

Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination

Author: J.K. Rowling

Genre: Essay, Speech

Pages: 74

“When J.K. Rowling was invited to deliver the commencement address at Harvard University, she chose to speak to the graduating class about two topics very close to her heart: the benefits of failure and the importance of imagination. Having the courage to fail, she said, is as vital to a good life as any conventional measure of success; imagining ourselves into the place of another–particularly someone less fortunate than ourselves–is a uniquely human quality to be nurtured at all costs.

The stories Rowling shared and the provocative questions she asked of those young graduates have since inspired countless others to consider what it means to live a “good life.” Now in print for the first time, her words serve as both a comfort and a call to arms for anyone–of any age–who finds themselves at a turning point. In daring to take a risk, and perhaps fail, and by harnessing the power of our imaginations, we can all begin to live less cautiously and, in doing so, become more open to the opportunities life has to offer.” -Goodreads

Review:

So to start off, this isn’t a review, if you were hoping for my well crafted at 11 o’clock at night, sleep deprived, marvelous, train wrecks I call reviews then you will surely be disappointed. While I am calling it a review and am going to treat this paragraph like a review (and I still am writing this in the middle of the night), I am merely going to show you a few lines of the book that really spoke to me. It was a small book. And when I mean small book, I mean it was 5 inches tall, centimeter thick, barely the size of my hand. But, I don’t want to do a review because there is nothing to do a review on. It is a speech my favorite author wrote that was put into book form. I loved it and she gave good points/lines/words/idk. Also the illustrations are beautiful. I wanted to highlight the words that really spoke to me. It was a really inspiring read. Go check it out. It was AMAZING. I mean its J.K. Rowling, how could it not be good? Anyways this is the end of my paragraph review. Now sit back enjoy some quotes and go live your life well.

Quotes from the story:

“And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

“The moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.”

“But I feared at your age was not poverty, but failure…”

“You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.”

“As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.
I wish you all very good lives.”

Star rating: 4.0

Me Before You

Author: Jojo Moyes

Series: Me Before You #1

Published on December 31st 2012 by Pamela Dorman Books/Vikings

Genre: Romance, Fiction

Pages: 369

“Louisa Clark is an ordinary young woman living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex-Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair-bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A love story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?” -Goodreads

Review:

Whoa, whoa, whoa

Is a book allowed to make me cry this much?

I don’t think this is legal, Jojo.

After years and years of hearing raving reviews of this book, I have finally read the book.

And let me just say…

WOW

This book is amazing. It was heartbreaking. It was soul wrenching. It was an AMAZING audio book. I was crying huge tears in my car at the end. I showed up to school all puffy eyed and sad because of this book. It was amazing.

Not many books can kick me in my feelings but let me just say, this book did it. This is one of my all time favorite books now. I would recommend this to ANYONE.

This book is a romance story. As many of you all know it is about a quadriplegic man in a wheelchair and a girl who gets hired to take care of him. The love is doomed however when Lou, the girl, finds out a horrible secret. And even though I am sure most of you reading this have already read this book, I am a spoiler free blog so I will not spill any secrets. But I will say that their love story is to die for ;). Lou and Will deserved better. They were the best couple in the history of doomed romances.

The story was a great story. Beautifully told by the wonderful Jojo Moyes. She wrote a unique and amazingly detailed story. I love authors manipulating me and tugging my heart strings and this is what she did! She made the experience so vivid and so real. The book was so excellent that I was leaving places early and sitting outside just to listen to more of it. I had it in my overdrive app so I would walk around listening to it on my headphones. It was captivating.

For you un-romantics out there this book has way less romance then I would like. It is more of a focus on their lives and the way they have changed it for each other and how life changes unexpectedly. So if you hate romance don’t be afraid to read it because it isn’t always shoving the romance in your face. Then again there was enough for me to board the ship that is Lou and Will.

Anyways, I have not much else to say about this book. I apologize about it being short. Thank you for reading my blog. I am still trying to get back to my normal blogging self after this almost year long break so thank you for being patient. And if you are new please don’t judge, I swear I will get better. Just getting back into the swing of things.

Star rating: 4.5