Goodreads Monday – 04 November

November 4, 2019November 4, 2019 Dini @ dinipandareads2 Comments

We’re back with another Goodreads Monday, a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners. This meme invites you to pick a book from your TBR and explain why you want to read it. Easy enough, right? Feel free to join in if you want to! I’ll be using a random number generator to pick my books from my insanely long GR Want-to-read list.

This week’s book is The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. I remember seeing this book mentioned on bookstagram once or twice, but I don’t remember adding it to my shelf in March 2019. The Sympathizer is Nguyen’s debut novel and it was also the winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It has an incredible 4.00 rating with 59,400+ ratings and 6,808 reviews! Impressive 😲

It is April 1975, and Saigon is in chaos. At his villa, a general of the South Vietnamese army is drinking whiskey and, with the help of his trusted captain, drawing up a list of those who will be given passage aboard the last flights out of the country. The general and his compatriots start a new life in Los Angeles, unaware that one among their number, the captain, is secretly observing and reporting on the group to a higher-up in the Viet Cong. The Sympathizer is the story of this captain: a man brought up by an absent French father and a poor Vietnamese mother, a man who went to university in America, but returned to Vietnam to fight for the Communist cause. A gripping spy novel, an astute exploration of extreme politics, and a moving love story, The Sympathizer explores a life between two worlds and examines the legacy of the Vietnam War in literature, film, and the wars we fight today.

Why do I want to read it?

I’m slightly embarrassed to admit it but I actually don’t read a wide variety of diverse books, especially those written about and by Asian authors. This isn’t for any particular reason other than I don’t always make a conscious decision to broaden my reading scope and not because I don’t enjoy diverse books/stories. I lived in Vietnam for around three months several years ago and I’ve visited the country often, so it’s not as if I’m ignorant of the country’s history. That said, sometimes I feel like I take that experience for granted by not pushing myself to learn more and it also applies to my own knowledge and experience relating to other countries in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. I’m determined to making a more conscious effort to diversify my reads and this book sounds like a gripping and fascinating story that I look forward to trying!

Have you read The Sympathizer or is it on your TBR too? Let’s chat!

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [28]

November 3, 2019December 4, 2022 Dini @ dinipandareads4 Comments

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

This Sunday I would’ve liked to spend the day in bed with Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy #1) by Emily A. Duncan. I’m about 100+ pages into the story and while I’ve found it interesting while reading it, it’s taking a bit more time than I anticipated to get into it. The one “complaint” that many have mentioned about this book are the names and I have to agree that it can be quite confusing/trying. I thought there would be a glossary for how to say the names but apparently not… To be honest, I find myself going over the names repeatedly trying to sound them out in my head which sidetracks me from the actual story 😂 I do like it so far though, but hopefully I’ll get more into it tonight! I have a feeling once the action really picks up I won’t be able to put it down! Let’s see if my gut proves right on this… I really hope I like it because I got granted the second book as an e-ARC last month! 🙈

A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.
A prince in danger must decide who to trust.
A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings.

Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war. In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light.

Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy..

What are you currently reading?

Holy wow, it’s the first Sunday of November already! I feel like I’ve been sounding like a broken record every time I say this, but it’s absolutely true. I can’t believe the whole year has gone so quickly–where has the time all gone?! I can already feel all the October energy draining out of me and so I’m hoping that means I’ll be able to really settle into my routine from this week onwards. I’ve spent a portion of this weekend working (unfortunately) since the week had been frustrating with my brand new laptop breaking down (again) and pissing me right off. I regret moving on from my old laptop, which despite slowing down after 6 years of use, never actually gave me much trouble. Unlike this new one 🙄 I know it seems so trivial but I need a fast, functioning laptop for work as I design materials and the office laptops just can’t handle the design programs. *Le Super Sigh* but… not going to dwell on that. It is what it is, right?!

I went to watch Joker today and wow, friends. The movie doesn’t have the best ratings on Rotten Tomatoes but I still really enjoyed it! I thought Joaquin Phoenix gave such an incredible performance and (once again), I can’t imagine the impact getting into a role such as this would have on someone’s psyche. It was such a dark movie. But what can you expect when it’s a movie about how the Joker becomes the Joker? It was pretty heartbreaking? I mean, he’s definitely a psychopath but the system (and everyone in his life) really failed him and while I obviously don’t jam with all the killing, I really sympathized with his character. If you’re up for watching a movie that focuses more on character development and a little less on plot, and of course a story that’s psychologically dark, then I’d recommend it!

Reading & Blogging Recap

Although this week was a lot more chill compared to the previous weeks, I still only managed to finish two books during the week. I haven’t been doing much book reading this week but I have become obsessed with Webtoons. Some of these webtoons are damn amazing and whenever I discover a new one, I always get sucked right in and don’t stop reading until I find that I’ve devoured over 100 episodes in about two nights? Yeah, I definitely got sucked down the Webtoons Vortex this week and I have no regrets! Do any of you read Webtoons? Any favorites I should check out ASAP?

I think I’ve been doing better on the blogging front this week although I still ended up skipping two fo my weekly memes on Friday and Saturday. I was just not feeling inspired and knew I would struggle too much to write something so I just passed on them, but maybe I will catch up in the future! I’m still trying to get back into engaging more with other bloggers. Damn, that one week really sent me tripping huh? I’m sorry that I haven’t been as active with likes and comments on here as I was before. I don’t know what’s wrong with me–my brain just feels extra fried at the end of every work day and I don’t have the energy to spend more time behind the screen. I’ve definitely felt the loss to my blog though (and honestly I do feel a small part of me has fallen flat from not engaging) but I’m really trying my best to get back into the groove! For now, in case you missed any of my posts from this week, you can check them out below!

Review: Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas
November Possibility Pile
October Monthly Wrap Up
First Lines Friday: 01 November
Review: The Dugout (Brentwood Baseball #2) by Meghan Quinn
The Book Blogger Memory Tag
Review: Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
#WWWWednesday: 30 October
#TopTenTuesday: Spooky Books I’d Read If I Wasn’t A Chicken (Halloween Freebie)
Down the TBR Hole – 05
Goodreads Monday: 28 October

I’m leaving you with one of my favorite songs of the moment: Graveyard by Halsey. Serious girl crush.

How has your week been? Hope everyone has/had a great weekend!
Let me know how you’re doing in the comments and let’s chat, friends 🙂

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas – #BookReview

November 3, 2019November 3, 2019 Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

Goodreads: Birthday Girl
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Romance
Panda Rating:

JORDAN
He took me in when I had nowhere else to go.
He doesn’t use me, hurt me, or forget about me. He doesn’t treat me like I’m nothing, take me for granted, or make me feel unsafe.
He remembers me, laughs with me, and looks at me. He listens to me, protects me, and sees me. I can feel his eyes on me over the breakfast table, and my heart pumps so hard when I hear him pull in the driveway after work.
I have to stop this. It can’t happen.
My sister once told me there are no good men, and if you find one, he’s probably unavailable.
Only Pike Lawson isn’t the unavailable one.
I am.

PIKE
I took her in, because I thought I was helping.
She’d cook a few meals and clean up a little. It was an easy arrangement.
As the days go by, though, it’s becoming anything but easy. I have to stop my mind from drifting to her and stop holding my breath every time I bump into her in the house. I can’t touch her, and I shouldn’t want to.
The more I find my path crossing hers, though, the more she’s becoming a part of me.
But we’re not free to give into this. She’s nineteen, and I’m thirty-eight.
And her boyfriend’s father.
Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.

*BIRTHDAY GIRL is a stand-alone, contemporary romance suitable for ages 18+.

This isn’t the type of romance that I often read and I don’t know what pushed me to pick it up since I had never heard of this author or book beforehand, but pick it up I did and … Yeah, it just wasn’t my jam. I liked that it was a slow-burn romance. I admit that the chemistry between Pike and Jordan was fire and the steamy scenes between them were all pretty hot and explosive. If my rating would be based on those scenes alone, I’d probably give this a 4-star rating.

But unfortunately, most of the story was just a little… meh and unbelievable? The majority of the characters were plot devices and I didn’t want to do anything but slap them for being truly awful people (especially Cole and his mother–I could not have rolled my eyes harder at these two characters. Just plain old disgusting). It was really hard for me to have any sympathy for a lot of these characters. One thing I’m glad of is that there was really no ‘love triangle’ aspect to this story because I honestly would’ve DNF’d it if it did (that’s really how much I hate love triangles because you know this panda does not DNF books lol). But there’s actually none of that in this book because Cole is the ultimate douchebag from page one and his hot/cold I-care-and-then-don’t-care attitude was just shitty and shady throughout. I would never cheat on someone but… Damn, Cole did not deserve half the respect that Jordan, and I’d even go so far as to also say Pike, gave him. I didn’t even care about his “redemption arc” at the end and I don’t feel it added anything at all. 🤷🏻‍♀️

There were moments that I found the relationship between Pike and Jordan a little weird because he’d act all reprimanding like her dad would and then obviously, there were the many other times when he’d have indecent very-not-fatherly thoughts about/towards her. I also found Pike annoyingly immature at times. Like, mate, you should be acting well above this immaturity right now. Some of his monologues also came off as sexist and fairly condescending towards Jordan/Jordan’s sister, and it just wasn’t a good look. For the most part, I did like Jordan’s character. She was strong, pretty mature (for her age and in comparison to the others), hard-working and wasn’t overly annoying or had unrealistic expectations about her life and relationships. Unsurprisingly for someone going through a tumultuous time in her early twenties, there were moments where she did get on my nerves, but I think Pike’s character managed to irritate me more.

I will say though that this was oddly addictive because I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. It was like another “The Stopover” moment for me where I was thinking “what the hell am I doing reading this book?!” and then at the same time being unable to stop reading it. 🤦🏻‍♀️ So I guess there’s that going for it?

Have you read Birthday Girl? How do you feel about love triangles?
Let me know in the comments and let’s chat!

November Possibility Pile

November 2, 2019November 2, 2019 Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

It’s the start of another month so that means it’s time for another monthly possibility pile! This November I’m hoping to also step out of my comfort zone (again) but this time with Non-Fiction November!

It’s not that I don’t like NF books, it’s just that a lot of the time the facts, figures and ‘plain’ writing makes it hard to concentrate. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s like reading a textbook but I usually find myself reading the same paragraph countless times and my attention strays very easily! But I’m hoping to give NF November a go because I’ve actually added a few NF books to my physical shelf and I’m keen to get them read (so they don’t linger untouched forever lol). November isn’t going to be as hectic for me compared to October but I’m not going to be too ambitious with my pile, plus I’m definitely planning to read other books to break up the NF reads too! So without further ado, here are the books that I’m hoping to read this month:

Have you read any of these NF books or are they also on your TBR? Which one do you recommend I start out with?

October Monthly Wrap Up!

November 1, 2019November 1, 2019 Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

Friends! Can you believe? Two months until 2019 is over and I honestly still can’t believe it. I have no idea where this year has gone but it’s definitely gone in a blink! October was such a hectic month that I don’t even know where the days went because time moved so quickly. That said, I’m surprised that I managed to read 19 books this month, which brings my Goodreads reading challenge up to 175/90.

⁍ The Wall of Winnipeg and Me (review coming)
⁍ Serpent & Dove (review coming)

⁍ Last Time I Lied (review)
⁍ The Dugout (review)
⁍ Wait for It (review coming)

⁍ The Bookish Life of Nina Hill (review)
⁍ House of Salt and Sorrows (review coming)
⁍ Rules for Vanishing (review)
⁍ Frankly In Love (review coming)

⁍ These Witches Don’t Burn (review coming)

⁍ (eARC Graphic Novel) Fair Lady Vol. 1 (review coming)
⁍ Dear Aaron (review coming)
⁍ Faker (review coming)
⁍ (eARC) The Sea of Lost Girls (review coming)

⁍ (eARC) My Life as Marlee (review)
⁍ Birthday Girl (review coming)

⁍ Falling for My Brother’s Best Friend (review coming)
⁍ Park Avenue Player (review coming)
⁍ To Have and Hate (review coming)

Thinking about it again, I’m not surprised I read 19 books this month because I read a ton of romances which I always speed through (at most it takes me 2 days to read one). While I took a little step outside of my comfort zone this month with Rules for Vanishing, I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t read any other spooky read, although being a mood reader I know that forcing myself to read something I’m not feeling just wouldn’t work.

I’m clearly still very much on that romance vibe, although I can also start to feel myself becoming a little jaded with some of these romances (maybe as evidenced by the lower ratings because I just wanted to roll-my-eyes-so-hard). But I think I’ve been hitting the romance so hard because my brain is just… TIRED? Like… I have no mental energy left on most days and that means I love reading romances that not only give me swoony feelings but I also don’t have to think very hard about. Let’s see if the romancing mood will continue in November!

Just like last time, you can find all my weekly memes in my menu bar since I’ve organized that a bit more. You can find the rest of the posts that I’ve made this month below. I actually didn’t write a whole lot of reviews this month, I’ve just been ‘too busy reading’ and that’s okay because I know I’m not obligated to write a review for every book I read (unless it’s an eARC) but I’ve come to realize just how much writing reviews really helps my memory! So… I’m on a mission (maybe tomorrow) to sit down and write some reviews before I forget even more than I already have!

ALSO I’ve been toying with the idea of giving my blog a bit of revamped look but I don’t know if I should do it right now (it’s not even been a year but playing with blog layouts has always been a fun time for me! LOL 😅). Might give it a go this weekend but will play it by ear! What do you think? Do you like changing up your (blog) look or is that just confusing?

Reviews

⁍ eARC Graphic Novel Review: The Black Mage by Daniel Barnes & DJ Kirkland
⁍ eARC Review: On The Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (The Wingfeather Saga #1) by Andrew Petersen
⁍ Cover Reveal: His Royal Highness by R.S. Grey
⁍ eARC Graphic Novel Review: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Wu

I hope you all had a great reading month in October and I hope that November continues to be awesome! What was your favorite read this month? Come let me know in the comments & let’s chat!

First Lines Friday – 01 November

November 1, 2019November 1, 2019 Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

Yayaya, HAPPY FRIYAY and HAPPY FIRST OF THE MONTH, book lovers and friends 😍We’re back with another First Lines Friday! This is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are THE RULES:

Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

We must, by law, keep a record of the innocents we kill.
And as I see it, they’re all innocents. Even the guilty. Everyone is guilty of something, and everyone still harbors a memory of childhood innocence, no matter how many layers of life wrap around it. Humanity is innocent; humanity is guilty, and both states are undeniably true.

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

Okay, okay, calm yourself Loki, mate...

*drumroll please!*

The book is: Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1) by Neal Shusterman

Thou shalt kill.

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.

Have you read Scythe or is it on your TBR? Can’t wait for The Toll!
Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂

The Dugout (Brentwood Baseball #2) by Meghan Quinn – #BookReview

October 31, 2019October 31, 2019 Dini @ dinipandareads5 Comments

Goodreads: The Dugout (Brentwood Baseball #2)
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance, New Adult
Panda Rating:

Let me ask you a question:
If someone is vying for your spot on a team and just so happens to injure you during practice, would you believe it was on purpose?
Word around campus is . . . it was no accident.

That injury has cost me everything; my starting position, my junior year—and the draft. Now, I’m a senior fresh off recovery, struggling to find my groove, until the day I run into a nervous, fidgety, girl with freckles, in the dining hall.

They call Milly Potter The Baseball Whisperer, The Diamond Wizard, and The Epitome of All Knowledge. She believes in baseball. She breathes it. She’s the queen of an infamous dynasty, but no one actually knows who she really is, and she plans to keep it that way.

One mishap in the panini line, one miscommunication in the weight room, and many failed attempts at an apology equal up to one solid truth — Milly Potter never wants to speak to me again — no matter how good my forearms look. Little do we both know, she’s about to become more than just my fairy ballmother.

I’m not that big of a sports fan IRL (except for when it comes to tennis and footy) and I know maybe next to nothing about baseball but that didn’t stop me from really enjoying The Dugout! I found myself swooning and laughing my way through this story.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it because Carson comes off as an entitled asswipe from page one and I didn’t like how he was so unnecessarily rude and abrasive. I get that he had a chip on his shoulder but it’s just not a good look, mate! That said, he really grew on me as the story went on and I’m positive a lot of that had to do with the introduction of Milly into his life. Milly is AWESOME. She’s a little bit nerdy, down-to-earth, and insanely smart and talented at coaching baseball! Want to know a random/fun fact about baseball? Milly can supply. Having trouble getting your shit together on the field and need coaching? Milly is your girl. I was worried that there would be one of those “She’s All That” moments where the nerdy girl suddenly transforms into this stunner by shedding the baggy clothing and stepping out in “sexy clothes”, but she sticks true to herself and I was here for it! I really enjoyed seeing Milly and Carson’s relationship grow from friendship to love and their banter was spot on. I like that she continued to be straight up with him, but that his softer and more mature side was brought out more because of her. They had great chemistry and I’m glad Quinn built that up well. I’d probably give the heat factor a four in this book. I think there were more steamy scenes in this one (and it was definitely hotter) than the other Quinn books I’ve read. Ain’t mad about it either 🤷🏻‍♀️ lol

While I liked both MCs, I think that my favorite thing about this story were the friendships. Milly’s best-friendship with Shane and Jeremy was hilarious and pure. They brought an extra little spark of fun and quirkiness that I really enjoyed. What I really loved though was the camaraderie between the whole baseball team. When Milly went over that night to get introduced to the boys, I don’t think I stopped laughing and swooning once! Seriously, from the minute the door opened I was bent over cracking up. I wanted to give them all hugs forever–they were SO CUTE I wanted to know more about all of them and I really hope that they all get stories. Seriously, I really hope so *hint hint Meghan Quinn!*

The reason I took off half a star is because I thought how some characters reacted in certain situations (especially during their monologues) was a little OTT. There were also moments where the narration would switch from first person to second person and back and it was a little annoying. Overall though, I had such a fun time reading this book and I can’t wait to go back to book 1 of this series because I’m definitely curious to know more about Carson’s BFF, Knox (you don’t need to read it to understand this book though).

Have you read The Dugout? Are you a fan of sports romances?
Let me know in the comments and let’s chat!

The Book Blogger Memory Tag

October 31, 2019October 31, 2019 Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

I wasn’t tagged by Emer @ A Little Haze to do this tag (lol) but I saw it on her page and knew that I wanted to hop right on it because not only did it look like fun but my memory sucks major suckage and I wanted to see how it would do in a challenge like this! So, without further ado, let’s do this.

The Rules

You must answer these questions without looking anything up on the internet and without looking at your bookshelves! (Pretty simple, right?)

1. NAME A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AUTHOR CALLED MICHAEL

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton.
I’m finding myself just a little pathetic for getting so excited about getting this one straight out the bat.

2. NAME A BOOK WITH A DRAGON ON THE COVER

GAME OF THRONES! I mean… Obviously? Lol

3. NAME A BOOK ABOUT A CHARACTER CALLED GEORGE

Curious George!
You know, the children’s book with the curious and entirely cheeky little monkey called George? I really don’t know how this was the first book that came to mind lol

4. NAME A BOOK WRITTEN BY AN AUTHOR WITH THE SURNAME SMITH

Welp, I spoke too soon. I cannot for the life of me recall any author with the last name Smith! *walks away grumbling in shame and defeat*

5. NAME A BOOK SET IN AUSTRALIA

IT’S THAT BOOK BY BILL BRYSON! Is it called Australia? Down Under? Does this count as a correct answer?! I hope so… I know he wrote a book about Australia…

6. NAME A BOOK WITH THE NAME OF A MONTH IN THE TITLE

The Ten Thousand Doors of January! Woot, I’m so glad that I literally just bought this book on BD not 10 minutes ago!

7. NAME A BOOK WITH A KNIFE ON THE COVER

My Lovely Wife!!
I know there are different covers for this one but I’m thinking about the white one where the wife is holding the knife and you see the reflection of hubbo in it. I have the other boring one on my Kindle lol

8. NAME A BOOK WITH THE WORD ‘ONE’ IN THE TITLE

One Day in December 😍 BAHA! I almost got stuck with this one. Thank you, brain!

9. NAME A BOOK WITH AN EPONYMOUS TITLE

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
Wow, I didn’t think this would be the first one to pop into my head because I haven’t read it yet but I’ve been meaning to read it for ages and *just* downloaded it onto my Kindle library!

10. NAME A BOOK TURNED INTO A MOVIE

The Shining by Stephen King
Yay for having just mentioned this book on my TTT this week! Good thing too because sadly I’m pretty sure my brain would’ve scrambled thinking too hard about this one and then blanking out lol

AAND THAT’S IT! I think I actually did OK? I missed two… But yeah, that’s better than I thought I would do 😅 That was totally fun! Feel free to do this tag too and link back to me so that I can see your answers!

Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager – #BookReview

October 30, 2019December 21, 2021 Dini @ dinipandareads13 Comments

Goodreads: Last Time I Lied
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction

Panda Rating:

Have you ever played two truths and a lie?

Emma has. Her first summer away from home, she learned how to play the game. And she learned how to lie.
Then three of her new friends went into the woods and never returned . . .
Now, years later, Emma has been asked to go back to the newly re-opened Camp Nightingale. She thinks she’s laying old ghosts to rest but really she’s returning to the scene of a crime. Because Emma’s innocence might be the biggest lie of all…

Holy wow, what a ride! Excuse me while I still try to scrape my jaw up off the floor. I was meant to read this as part of a group read organized by Mel @ My Nights Booked but in typical Dini fashion, I managed to forget that I signed up for it and missed the conversation 😅But I’m so glad I decided to pick it up anyway because once I did I absolutely couldn’t put it down! This is my second Sager book and it’s now clear to me that he likes to throw a jaw dropping twist at the very end of his stories!

I’ve been in a restless reading funk over the last few days, so the pacing of the story was a bit slow for me to start. I initially wasn’t sure that I could resist putting it down for something else, but I kept on and as the story progressed, I quickly found myself hooked and jumping from 20% to 49% to 80% in the blink of an eye! Last Time I Lied was deeply atmospheric–I definitely got all the creepy camp vibes with the many hidden clearings, the legends/myths of Lake Midnight and Camp Nightingale, and the cabins and woods. I did think that it would be more ghost-spooky than mystery-spooky but I’m so glad that it wasn’t because it would’ve taken me so much longer to get through it!

I usually find unreliable narrators really frustrating so I’m surprised that I never felt that about Emma, as she was a very unreliable narrator and her desperation to understand what happened and figure out what was wrong had me often itching with the need to know myself. I was questioning so much of what happened and what was happening as I read because I was constantly questioning Emma’s narrative. Was she actually schizophrenic and hallucinating everything that happened and was happening? Was she the one who actually made the girls disappear? Was everyone playing along with her by making believe that she was okay when she really wasn’t because of some misguided desire to protect her? But then was everyone else guilty as well? I mean I don’t think there was one moment in the story where I didn’t think everyone was guilty because in true Sager style, he makes you question everything and every character he puts before you! I couldn’t settle on whodunit up to the very end and even then it actually wasn’t who I expected.

And I mean, that ending though?! Talk about being completely thrown by it! I really thought I was going to be a bit disappointed with how everything was playing out but I actually barked out loud (with shocked laughter) when Sager threw that final twist because of course everything we learn at the very end had my jaw dropping even further! I really love how Sager is able to take his stories in such unexpected directions–it really makes the whole reading experience so much more exciting. Even though that ending still left me with questions and the strong need to know more, I’m actually pretty satisfied with it. Although I’ve only read two of Sager’s books, they’ve both really been a hit with me and I’m eager to read his others to see if I’ll feel the same way about them.

Have you read Last Time I Lied? What did you think?
Let me know in the comments and let’s chat!

#WWWWednesday: 30 October

October 30, 2019October 30, 2019 Dini @ dinipandareads7 Comments

It’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:

What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?

What did you read last?

I haven’t been able to read as much as I’ve wanted to over the last week because life was still incredibly hectic but I’m slowly getting back into the groove and was happy with what I did read. It’s pretty clear from the list that I’m still on that romance kick and unfortunately, a few of the ones I read this past week were not my jam. I still have TONS of reviews to do but I promise they’re coming!

Falling For My Brother’s Best Friend by Piper Rayne ★★☆☆☆
Not even an Alaska setting could save this one for me and we all know how much I love Alaska settings!
Park Avenue Player by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland ★★☆☆☆
Most misleading title ever and most disappointing Ward + Keeland book I’ve read to date.
The Dugout (Brentwood Baseball #2) by Meghan Quinn ★★★★½ (Yaas, gimme all that baseball!)
Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager ★★★★½
A chilling read that made me glad I never went to camp! My new favorite Sager.
To Have & Hate by Donna Alam ★★☆☆☆
I’m not gonna lie, I was objectifying the guy on the cover (he’s hot, please don’t judge me) and that’s why I decided to read this one. Welp, not my best decision 😅

What are you currently reading?

So I’m late for the buddy read because I totally forgot that I was also part of a Riley Sager buddy read and wow, bad organization panda! I’m about to finish up Frankly in Love tonight and… I’ve really been loving it and the fact that it’s more than just a love story. As a TCK I really relate to Frank’s cultural identity crisis and I was so ready to give five stars, but then Frank had to go and do something that made me so damn angry (I frankly don’t care what your damn ‘excuses’ are, Frank Li!) but let’s see how the rest of the story plays out.

What will you read next?

I want to give focus to Non-Fiction this November but I’m hoping to give Wicked Saints and Under Locke a read before diving into some non-fiction reads. I know me and I know that I won’t be able to stick to only non-fiction next month, so I’m definitely going to break it up with some more romances, maybe some SFF (THE TOLL!) and maybe even some thrillers. Also, eARCs need focus but we all know that 😅