Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [07]

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We’re back with another Sundays In Bed With… meme, which dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme 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!

I’ve spent this Sunday in bed with The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I remember seeing this book on Kindle Unlimited a few years ago, but although it sounded interesting, I never got around to reading it. Then I joined bookstagram and saw this book receive so much hype, and as often happens, I felt a little wary about picking it up. I don’t think I would have picked this up yet if not for the buddy read I’ve joined for it. Unsurprisingly, I’m really enjoying it and have sped through it; mostly because I needed to get the reading done for our discussion of the first half tonight, but because it’s pretty easy to read. I’m a big fan of historical fictions, especially about WWII, the holocaust and the Nazi’s invasion and occupation of many countries in Europe. This is the first time I’ve read their occupation in France though so it’s been an interesting read. My mind boggles at how these people were so cruel, so fixated on their idea of purity and the need to cleanse society of millions of people just because of their ethnicity and religion. Obviously, it wasn’t just Jews that were targeted though. I’m thinking this one is going to at least be a 4-4.5 star read, but I have a feeling the really heart-wrenching stuff is coming up in the second half of the book. I can feel my tears gearing themselves up for release 😂

What book are you currently reading?

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In Indonesia, the holidays have already begun for everyone as Idul Fitri/Eid is coming up next week. Unfortunately though, my office is only closed on Wednesday & Thursday, and I’m taking Friday off, which means that it’s back to work for the next two days. Oh Monday, I really thought you were still a day away! There’s a lot of family visiting right now, and I’m gutted that they’re all relaxing and I have to think about getting up early for work. The long weekend honestly can’t come soon enough! June is going to be a very busy month but I’ve got two buddy reads planned (one of which is for The Nightingale) and I’m hoping to read a lot more ARCs, and to read more LGBTQIA+ reads for Pride month! Despite my ridiculous work schedule, I have a feeling June is going to be a really great reading month! But for now, here’s a wrap up of the posts I made this week:

My May Monthly Wrap Up!
ARC Review: The Women by S.E. Lynes
Friday Favorites: Classics
Review: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
#WWWWednesday: 29 May
Top Ten Tuesday: Books Released in the Last 10 Years
Review: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

How has your reading and blogging week been? Come let me know in the comments 🙂

May 2019 Monthly Wrap Up!

Dini @ dinipandareads5 Comments

Friends, May is over and the only thing going through my mind is: how is it possible?! I have no idea where the days went in May. It was ridiculously busy at work and I took that week off for my best friends and my birthday. I can’t believe my birthday has come and gone already too and I’m another year older. I feel like this year is just flying by… Despite the work struggles and feeling more restless than ever this month, May was actually a pretty good month overall. For some reason I feel like I didn’t read much but when I checked on Goodreads, I saw I read 12 books. I also read one webcomic, but since it’s only the first season of the comic, I won’t officially add it to my tally. Here’s what I read by order of date:

  • ★★☆☆☆
  • ★★★★½☆
  • ★★★½☆☆
  • ★★☆☆☆
  • ★★★★½☆
  • ★★★★½☆
  • ★★★★☆
  • ★★☆☆☆
  • ★★★★☆
  • ★★★★★
  • ★★★★☆
  • ★★★★★

The majority of these were e-books and I managed to read and review 4 ARCs. I’m honestly so behind on my NetGalley reads, and I feel so guilty about it, but I’m hoping to make up for it in June. I really need to get better organized because my head has been so all over the place lately, it’s a miracle I manage to get anything done at all! May was also AAPI month and I attempted to read more books by Asian authors; however, being a mood reader, I only managed to get three books in by AAPI authors. It did make me realize that although I do have quite a few books by Asian authors on my shelf, I tend to read the latest releases and other popular books because of FOMO. I need to make more of a conscious effort to read these other books, so I will be working on that throughout the rest of the year!

Of the books I read, I think Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren was my favorite. While I only had two five star reads this month, the majority were 4.5 stars, so it made it quite difficult to choose, but Josh and Hazel was the lighthearted romantic comedy that I didn’t know I needed. These characters really lifted my mood and made me feel giddy with happiness and hope, and I know I won’t be forgetting them anytime soon! Thank you CLo for writing stories that sucker punch me in the feels and for writing characters that make me laugh uncontrollably!

As with May, there are quite a few books I’m looking forward to adding to my shelves in June. But all I’ll be doing until I manage to cut down my highly unmanageable giant of a TBR list by a lot. I’ll be posting about the books I’m most excited for, plus a list of all the books that I’ve acquired this month in the coming days!

How was your reading month? What was your favorite read?
Come drop me a comment below 🙂

ARC Review: The Women by S.E. Lynes

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Goodreads: The Women
Publisher: Bookouture
Publish date: 22 May 2019
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery

Panda Rating:


The night she moves in with Peter, she’s so happy, so exhilarated, so in love. Later, she will remember a much smaller feeling, a tiny one percent in her gut. And she will remember pushing that feeling aside…Samantha Frayn doesn’t know why Peter Bridges picks her – a nobody with bitten fingernails and a troubled childhood behind her – but she falls quickly. He’s older, charming, likes fine wine and French films, and his beautiful home has real art on its walls. Peter transforms Samantha’s life in an instant. He sees the better version of herself – the one she’s always wanted to be. It’s only normal that there’s a little friction, when she moves in, over domestic matters like where things are kept, or the proper times to eat, sleep and shower. She’s lucky to be with someone who can help her find a new job, move on from childish friends, and speak with greater sophistication. But as Samantha notices, more and more, Peter’s temper, she starts to wonder if there might be consequences to breaking the rules of the world he has so quickly built around her. And then she receives an anonymous note that makes her ask: is she the first woman to feel trapped by Peter? Is she being paranoid, manipulated, or could she be in danger? You can tell the truth about your life, but someone needs to be listening. Someone needs to trust you. And someone needs to save you from the man you thought you loved.

This was a fascinating, slow-burn psychological thriller that packed a powerful punch and tackled a very important issue. The author illustrates well the power of charm and sophistication, and how abusers can manipulate you, get under your skin and into your head before you even know it’s happened.

The story starts off at the end, so we already know that something bad is going to happen. Through the characters’ words and actions, we also know that there’s a deep underlying current of tension, anger and guilt. Peter’s ugly character already begins to shine through in this first chapter, and I knew right off that he’d be the worst kind of character. But on the surface, Peter wasn’t seen as a “bad guy”, which made him one of the most dangerous types of people out there. The ones that can charm and disarm. The ones with a seemingly thick layer of sophistication and perfection that only just masks the teeming ugliness that’s slick under the surface.

The characters were well developed. As we got further into the story, more and more layers of Samantha’s and Peter’s characters are peeled back like layers. When they first meet, Peter is a charming, handsome, and intelligent history professor that has a reputation as a ladies man, but surprises Samantha with how courteous and respectful he is. Their “relationship” moves very quickly; from Samantha visiting his house that first night, to sleeping with him the next, and then moving in with him very soon after that. Peter is persuasive and showers Samantha in compliments and assurances that he has never met someone like her and that she’s his one. However, Peter’s actions slowly become more manipulative and controlling, and I was shocked at the ease in which it happened. Samantha unknowingly relinquishes her autonomy to him and very quickly lets him dictate all aspects of her life. I particularly enjoyed how Samantha’s character grew–going from this naive young woman, to someone dogged by paranoia, anger and shock, and then she takes all that emotion and strengthens herself with it to undertake the “final act”. Her empowerment and determination after meeting “the women” who survived Peter’s abuse, made me feel somewhat giddy, just as much as it made her feel excited and emotionally high in the novel. There were many twists and turns as more of Peter’s past is revealed, and although it wasn’t very unpredictable, I was hooked and wanted to speed through to find out what happens to lead them to that final scene.

What made this book frightening was how realistic the situation is. The relationship between Samantha and Peter sady isn’t uncommon. There were times that I found myself frustrated that Samantha was defending Peter and seemed unwilling to open her eyes to his scumbag ways; but then I realized that in real life, this is the dynamic that exists in these relationships. The abused have their views so warped by the abuser, that they’re unable and sometimes unwilling (for their own sanity) to believe that something so perfect from the start could actually be the worst thing to happen to them. I thought this book was well-written and covered the topic well. Although until recently people haven’t openly spoken about the issue (at least to my knowledge living in Asia), that’s even more reason why it needs to be given greater attention. Especially with the current “Me Too” movement. I was very pleasantly surprised by this story, and I’m looking forward to reading other books by S.E. Lynes!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Have you read The Women or is it on your TBR?

Friday Favourites: Classics

Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

TGI-freaking-F, book lovers! Although I’ve also had a shorter week, as have many others, this work week felt particularly long and draining. Do you find that happens with you too, despite only working four days instead of five? I still can’t believe it’s already the last day of May though. Holy wow, time is flying! I quite like that May ends on a Friday though. I think the weekend is the perfect way to ease into a new month, don’t you think? And since it’s Friday, it’s time for another Friday Favourites is hosted by Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favourites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: favourite classics.

Since it’s been a long day and I’m halfway to falling asleep, I’m going to keep this short and sweet. I’ve narrowed my list down to five favorite classics. Some of these left me swooning with the romance, crying with the raw deal the characters suffered and experienced, and basically sucker punched me in all my emotions at the end.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I’ve mentioned this one countless times on my blog already, so it’s really no surprise that it’s at the top of my favorite classics list 🙂

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. I wasn’t expecting to love this one when I picked it up but I remember being immediately hooked and unable to put it down. It was nothing at all like what I expected and my mind was blown.

Persuasion by Jane Austen. Another Austen that I’ve also mentioned countless times on here. This one got me through a particularly rough period of time and filled me with so much hope. I’m an Austen girl for life!

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. This was one of the required readings at school that I absolutely loved. Lennie broke my heart! I’m pretty sure that I “forgot to give back” and “lost” the classroom and library copies because I didn’t want to give them back. Oops 🙊 #badpanda

The Color Purple by Alice Walker. If I’m not mistaken, this was also a book that we read in our humanities class at school. Celie’s is a powerful, haunting, and heartbreaking story. The movie wrecked me just as much as the book did.

Have you read any of these classics? What are your favourite classics?

Book Review: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

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Goodreads: The Bride Test
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit
Panda Rating:


Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions — like grief. And love. He thinks he’s defective. His family knows better— that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride. As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can’t turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn’t go as planned. Esme’s lessons in love seem to be working… but only on herself. She’s hopelessly smitten with a man who’s convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme’s time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he’s been wrong all along. And there’s more than one way to love…

I started this book for a group read with @travelingfriendsreads on Instagram. If I had no plans on the day I started this, I would’ve undoubtedly stayed poolside all day to finish reading it. As it was, I had to put it down and do things, but I was counting down the hours until I could pick it up again the whole time! This was such a fast, fun and sexy read. As an Asian, I find it so great to be able to read romances about Asians/Asian-Americans. Although I initially found the thought of Esme being a mail-order-bride not only stereotypical but intensely cringeworthy, I should have known that Helen Hoang would never have let it stoop to that level, so fear not book friends, this one is definitely a goodie! This wasn’t as sexy as Hoang’s debut novel, The Kiss Quotient, but I still found it fairly steamy (in the best way, obviously)!

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I really enjoyed the characters and the chemistry between Khai and Esme was seriously electric! Like, it was palpable and it was really fun to see how their relationship evolved. It doesn’t happen overnight, but considering the time limitation of Esme’s visa, it happened faster than would probably be realistic. Although the speed in which they fall for each other is balanced out quite nicely by the ending! I thought their character development was done well. As someone on the spectrum, who “doesn’t feel and think the same way as others do”, Khai doesn’t believe he deserves love or is capable of giving love. He experienced the loss of someone he was very close to when he was young and since then he has been ‘stuck’ in that zone of no feelings. I can’t speak to the accuracy of how Hoang wrote Khai’s character, but I did find it interesting to read a romance from this perspective, and to see how Khai interacts with others and how he views and experiences romantic relationships. It was really heartwarming and satisfying to watch him slowly open up and learn to accept that he can love and be loved in return.

Esme was such a smart, strong and independent young woman and I was rooting for her the whole time! Although she and Khai were in many ways completely different, they were also wonderfully compatible and complementary. I was so pleased to see her stand up for herself and to go after what she wanted to improve her life by learning a new language and pursuing a degree; especially when things with Khai looked rocky AF. There’s a key aspect of her character that might be considered a spoiler, although you basically learn about it in the first few pages, so I won’t mention it specifically here, except to say that I wish this relationship in her life played a bigger role in the story. Especially considering how it was one of Esme’s main motivations. Probably the most unrealistic parts of this book occurred at the end — when huge life-changing secrets were revealed in the most casual manner and so readily accepted without thought. Literally no one batted an eye and it was eye-roll worthy.

If there’s one thing that I wished was discussed more was the perception of autism within Asian circles. In many Asian countries, you don’t ever hear people talking about the spectrum. It’s not exactly a taboo topic, but it’s something that many don’t understand or want to understand because it’s something to be pitied or just ignored completely. This was kind of demonstrated by Esme, who had no idea what autism was, when Quan mentioned it for the first time. I hoped that she would take active steps to learn about it and to understand more about Khai in light of her new knowledge, but I was disappointed when that didn’t happen.

That said, this book had me breaking out in continuous laughter with the character’s random quirks and funny and endearing interactions. Michael (from TKQ) also makes a small appearance in the story and it was such a cute little scene between Khai, Michael and Quan. And SPEAKING OF, can we talk about how much I LOVED Quan?! I’m hoping that Helen Hoang is writing his story next coz I’m sure he’s won the hearts of all the readers with this book and honestly, I just want more of him! IMO, there was very little to dislike about this one. It definitely lived up to the hype for me! If you’re saving this for the summer, I’ll say there’s no better time to read it; it’s definitely the perfect beachside or poolside companion. I’m so looking forward to reading what Hoang comes out with next (**cough**Quan’s story!**cough**)! 😉

Have you read The Bride Test (or The Kiss Quotient)? Is it on your TBR? Would love to your thoughts on it! Happy reading, book friends 🙂

#WWWWednesday: 29 May 2019

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Friends, we’ve come to the end of yet another month. I realize this is what happens when each day and week ends, but my head’s spinning at the fact we’re already moving into JUNE. What have I done with all these months that have passed?! Damn. So it’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be talking about:

  1. What did you read last?
  2. What are you currently reading?
  3. What will you read next?

What did you read last?

In the last week I finished Final Girls by Riley Sager, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren and I Spy the Boy Next Door (ARC) by Samantha Armstrong (read my review). I absolutely ADORED Josh and Hazel–they were adorable and their story of friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite kinds. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book as fast as I did theirs. You can read my full review here. I’m so excited to read more Riley Sager because I really enjoyed Final Girls. The twists and that ending was completely different to what I expected to happen and it blew my mind (and everyone at that Starbucks on Sunday morning can attest to how shocked, as I started swearing out loud–oops)! 🤦🏻‍♀️ My review for this one will be coming soon.

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi. This is another one from my #APICelebrAsian list and I’m hoping that I can finish it soon, although it’s the kind of book that I don’t feel like rushing through right now. I’m loving the characters and their stories–I honestly just want to give Sam the biggest hug in the world, and then stick him in a room with Penny SO THEY CAN TALK. This was admittedly a cover buy because I couldn’t resist this gorgeous millennial cover, but I’m happy to say that I can enjoy the content as well. I’m embarrassed to say that I’m still pretty behind on reading my galleys, but I am determined to slowly make my way through them! I started The Women by S.E. Lynes and it’s been interesting so far, but I think because I can anticipate this one making me pretty anxious, I’m not racing to pick it up again.

What will you read next?

Besides the MANY MANY ARCs that I will be reading, I’m really looking forward to starting Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I won my first ever giveaway on Instagram at the end of April, and the book I requested was Crawdads. Y’all have no idea how happy I am that this book is finally in my hands! As I’m sure many of you know, the hype for this book has been unreal and even months after its release, it’s still getting hyped. So you know it’s bound to be a great read, right? I’ve heard some say that they really didn’t like it, but mostly because they’re not fans of historical fiction, so I think it’s safe to say that I won’t find myself relating to them because I love historical fiction!

What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these books?
Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂

#TopTenTuesday: Books Released in the Last 10 Years

Dini @ dinipandareads9 Comments

We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme was suggested by Anne @ Head Full of Books and is about favorite books released in the last 10 years (one book for each year). I think choosing one book for each year will be so tough because I normally don’t pay attention to publication years–at least, not until this year–so I’m probably forgetting a slew of backlist books that I’ve read and loved only because I’m not sure of their publication dates 🙂 That said, I’m excited to give this one a go! Without further ado…

2009: Under the Dome by Stephen King. This was first published in November 2009, but I got the edition that was published in 2010, but I’m counting it! This was my first King novel and I remember loving it so much that I was convinced King would be one of my all-time favorites and an auto-buy author. Hodder & Stoughton had these really cool alternate cover editions with different characters and I got this guy, who I assumed was Dale Barbara.

2010: Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy #1)by Ken Follett. The Century Trilogy is probably one of my all time favorite series. A friend got really excited when she saw the third book of the series in the store one day and she immediately recommended him to me and I absolutely loved it. It’s historical fiction but told through various family lenses, there’s drama, romance, politics and mystery. I honestly loved this series much more than The Pillars of the Earth (which Follett is known for). Don’t come for me, but that one was a fair struggle to get through.

2011: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. Miller’s lyrical prose combined with the mystifying, love story between Patroclus and Achilles left me a complete wreck by the end of this book. Miller’s ability to humanize one of the most famous Greek Gods blew me away. This was honestly the Greek myth retelling that I never knew I needed in my life, but I’m so glad that I picked it up because it’s now one of my favorites.

2012: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. This is actually a hard year to pick from because there are quite a few books that were published this year that I’ve absolutely loved! I actually didn’t realize that this was published in 2012, but I remember stumbling across it at the Norwich Public Library that same year, and thought it sounded like a cute read. I was not prepared for how emotionally drained it would leave me feeling.

2013: The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) by Graeme Simsion. This book surprised me with how much I loved it. Don is such a character and Rosie is so bad ass. They’re such opposites but they work so beautifully together. This is a funny and touching story that I think everyone should read at least once.

2014: The Girl with All The Gifts (The Girl with All The Gifts #1) by M.R. Carey. This was a tie with All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer. I loved both equally but I thought TGWATG was particularly unique. I’m not at all a fan of horror, but this one reeled me in very quickly and  I remember being equally grossed out, scared, and incredibly fascinated by the characters, setting and overall premise. I haven’t seen the movie yet and I’m not sure I want to… But I definitely want to reread this at some point.

2015: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab because I simply refuse to choose between these two books that are some of my all-time favorites. I can’t even begin to say how much A Little Life affected me while reading. This one gave me the biggest book hangover of my life. And ADSOM is very high on my favorite series list. Schwab has a way of pulling me in with her magical worlds and complex characters, and this solidified her as an absolute fave.

Side note: Seriously though, 2015 had some hella good books. It was so hard to choose and I know it’s not going to get any easier!

2016: The Dry by Jane Harper. I only read The Dry this year but it has hands-down been one of my favorite reads so far. Harper’s writing is deeply atmospheric and it’s almost like you can feel yourself standing in the middle of the dry heat of the outback, while you’re reading this book. It’s a slow burn mystery, but it’s undoubtedly worth it. I honestly can’t recommend this one enough! You can read my full review here.

2017: How do I choose between Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid? Tell me, how? I can’t (see, I told you I was really bad at choosing favorites). So… I won’t! The first two are non-fiction and I normally have a lot of trouble reading NF because of my very short attention span. But I had no trouble devouring these two; they are both so well-written! I only read Evelyn Hugo this year but so far it’s staying strong in my Top 5 for 2019.

2018: The Lost Man by Jane Harper. Yes, that’s right. Jane Harper has made it twice onto my list. I admit that I haven’t read many books published in the last two years, but after reading both The Dry and The Lost Man, I can’t wait to read more of her books. Her character driven stories full of murder, mystery, and family drama are so compelling and unputdownable. She makes me long for a place that I once called home (Australia) and makes me wish I never left in the first place. I highly recommend her!

Oh, wow. I knew choosing this list was going to be tough, but it was even harder than I expected! I’ve read so many amazing books since becoming part of the book community, both via bookstagram and my blog. Like many others who’ve recently joined the book gang, I’ve read so much more in the last two years than I have in at least eight years combined. To say that this book community has changed my life would be a massive understatement! If I could list all the books that have become my favorites, the books that have left its mark on me, and the authors that I’ve discovered who can transport me to new worlds, I think you’d be reading on forever. But I’m sure that many of you can relate to that, right? 😉

What are some of your favorite books published in the last 10 years? If you’ve done a Top Ten Tuesday post for today’s prompt, leave your link in the comments below 🙂

Book Review: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

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Goodreads: Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, New Adult, Humour
Rating: ★★★★★

Just friends. Just friends. JUST FRIENDS. If they repeat it enough, maybe it’ll be true . . . Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take – and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and taste for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter and tendency to say exactly the wrong thing will. Their loss. Not everyone can handle a Hazel.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college. From the first night they met – when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes – to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them . . . right?

Oh, this book… Was there anything that I didn’t love about this book?! The only regret I have is not picking this up sooner! This was a super fun, super cute, and super sexy read. To be honest, the sexy bits actually kind read a bit like “soft-core porn” but the chemistry between Josh and Hazel was absolutely fire! It was honestly so good. 😂 The friends-to-lovers trope is one of my all time favorites and this book did not fail to deliver! All the main characters were extremely lovable—from Hazel and Josh, Emily and David, and even side characters like Hazel’s mum, and Umma. To be honest, when I picked this up last night, not only had I forgotten what this book was about, but I had zero clue that Josh was Korean-American. It was such a pleasant surprise!

“The way Emily describes it: when I meet someone I love, I become an octopus and wind my tentacles around their heart, tighter and tighter until they can’t deny they love me just the same.” 

Hazel was the brightest, quirkiest, funniest and most genuine character I’ve read in a long time. Her chapters had me constantly laughing out loud and exclaiming in shock (the good kind) at all the hilariously awkward things that she’d think, say and do. Her manic energy was so infectious! She recognized just how out there she is, but she made no excuses and no exceptions for anyone. Yes, she had her insecurities, mostly related to her personality, but she was also fiercely confident in herself and enviably comfortable in her own skin. Hazel was honestly just the best and Josh was honestly the perfect complement to her character. He was sweet, calm, thoughtful and extremely loyal, but not a pushover in any way. I loved the vulnerability of his character, and how he was the one who accepted and openly admitted to his feelings.

Josh and Hazel’s relationship was definitely an adventure and I shipped them so hard from the start of their very awkward and hilarious encounters. Their friendship was so genuine. It was clear they truly enjoyed each other’s company and were really appreciative of each other; plus, you could see that their chemistry was insane! As I mentioned above, and I’ll say it again now, this one has quite a few pretty steamy sexy scenes! So if you’re not into that, this might not be for you.

“Your face is fine.” She pushes up to stand and holds out a hand. I let her help me up, and she pats my chest. “But how’s your heart?”

The relationships between the family members was also so wonderful. Hazel and her mum had the quirkiest and most open relationship. It’s the kind of relationship that I always wished to have with my own mum, and I’m lucky that I do have that to an extent, though not as wildly open as theirs. Although her mum only made minor appearances, you could tell that their relationship was the feel-good, supportive and comforting kind. I also really appreciated how Christina Lauren integrated Josh’s Korean heritage in the storyline, and made it an important part of his character. His relationship with Umma was sweet, and I loved how he really embraced the Korean traditions—such as how his parents would move in with him once they got older. As an Asian, I get that cultural obligation/expectation, so I thought it just added to the authenticity of his character and their story.

Perhaps the only point that had me feeling a bit iffy was how this book ended–with a key development between Josh and Hazel that was a little bit… Disappointing? I can’t say what it is without spoiling it for others who haven’t read this, so this is going to be intentionally vague. It’s not that I’m a stickler for the “traditional” way of doing things, but I just wondered if it was really necessary for that to happen between the two of them, when readers probably could’ve predicted it would eventually happen anyway. That said, while this obviously wasn’t an unexpected HEA, it didn’t make me love their story any less. CLo strikes again with their brilliant writing, characters and storylines. They really know how to write characters that you feel so invested in, and who also feel like real friends by the end. They also really know how to make me feel all the feels. I think they’ve basically spoiled me for relationships IRL (but hey, book boyfriends are always better anyway, right?)! 😉 I’m so excited to read The Unhoneymooners now. Give me all the CLo!

Are you a CLo fan? Have you read Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating or is it on your TBR? What did you think of it?

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [06]

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We’re back with another Sundays In Bed With… meme, which dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning! This meme 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 finally finished reading Final Girls by Riley Sager! I’ve noticed for months now that Sager’s books have been quite hyped on bookstagram and so when I found this book in the store two weeks ago, I scooped it up immediately knowing it would be the perfect thrilling poolside read for my staycation. This was a perfectly fast paced thriller, although it admittedly took me longer than usual to finish this because I was also reading four other books at the same time for group reads and had deadlines… 😬 I’m so glad I took the time to finish it today. I had so many theories, especially about the main protagonist, Quincy. I was so sure she was a ‘baddy’ but I kept questioning myself throughout and Sager kept me guessing up until the very end. I didn’t expect the twists at all and I was actually appalled with the ending because it involved a character that I really liked and I was just totally shook. But in the absolute best way! I can’t wait to read something else by Sager–I think he’s potentially an autobuy author.

Have you read Final Girls? What are you currently reading?

I feel like a lot has been happening over the last week-and-a-half since my bestie came to visit me for my birthday. I can’t believe that May is now already four-days from being over and my birthday has already passed! (BOO 😭) I’ve always used my birthday as a kind of “mid-way” counter for my year, since technically we’re now half-way through the year. I missed quite a few blogging days over the last week, but I think I came back fairly strong with all the posts this week? Writing out all these reviews made me feel hella productive! 😂 Also feeling productive today because I finished sorting out my books to place in the new bright yellow Billy bookcase my parents got me for my birthday. I’m so pleased with how my shelves are looking right now! How are your May reads coming along? May has been a fairly weird and slow reading month for me as so much has been happening with life and work. I don’t think I’ve got through half of what I wanted to read, but life happens, so I’m not too mad about it! Just in case you missed it, here are the posts I’ve made this week:

ARC Review: I Spy the Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong
Friday Favorites: Diverse Books
Review: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
ARC Review: Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea
#WWWWednesday: 22 May
Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Are Off Limits (to others, of course)

How has your reading and blogging week been?
Hope everyone is having a great weekend 🙂

ARC Review: I Spy the Boy Next Door by Samantha Armstrong

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Goodreads: I Spy the Boy Next Door
Publish date: 25 May 2019
Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Four p.m. spy sessions are the highlight of Mallory Taylor’s day. Observing the boy next door—one with a body and an attitude to match—has her perched beside her window so often it can’t be healthy.

When she finally convinces her mom to let her go to public school, Mallory comes face to face with her neighbor, Troy Parker. And he makes it clear he wants nothing to do with her. His rejection awakens a newfound tenacity and maybe even a touch of recklessness. But when Troy starts to show up when she needs him the most, Mallory can’t help but wonder if there’s more to him than he’s let on.

Taking chances, breaking rules, and following her heart is all new to Mallory. And no one warned her just how fickle hearts can be. When she discovers that Troy isn’t at all the guy she imagined him to be, secrets rise to the surface that will change her life forever.

When I first read the synopsis, I thought that it sounded like the perfect summer read. What’s not to love about a cute, young adult romance with a good girl and seemingly tough bad guy? It’s cheesy, cliched and sometimes, you just need a little ‘mindless’ fun to cleanse your palate after endless thrillers and heavier contemporary fiction reads. I was also intrigued that this was classified as both a mature young adult/new adult read. If I read this when I was in high school then maybe I would have loved it. As it is, I unfortunately didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped to. The plot felt all over the place and a key twist introduced towards the end surprised me but also left me feeling a little baffled/confused. There was so much going on here and I honestly don’t know where to start my review… The writing style, a mix of chat messages in between text, was easy and fun. This was a very light summer read that I think would be perfect for more mature young adults, probably in high school.

Having been homeschooled all her life, Mallory has led a sheltered life. After a kidnapping incident when she was a child, her parents become overprotective, so Mallory doesn’t have friends and is pretty naive. As a result of this incident, Mallory also frequently suffers from anxiety attacks. The highlight of the last five years has been getting to spy on her hot neighbour, Troy Parker. He rides a Harley, is completely tatted up, and has a body to thirst for, and Mallory basically lives for the moment she gets to watch him. When she’s in her last year of school, she manages to easily convinces her parents to let her go to public school so she can experience a normal student life. At school, she meets brooding Evie and exuberantly gay Jamie, and finally comes face-to-face with Troy, who is extremely hot/cold around her. Mallory also very quickly starts to become a wild child: sneaking out at night to go to illegal boxing matches, and wild house parties and getting completely wasted.

This is where things started to get really frustrating for me because it basically ended up being a book about Mallory’s obsession with Troy. I mean, I get it. I’ve been there too. I was a raging hormonal teenager who had all-consuming crushes that I couldn’t stop thinking about, and made me lose the ability to speak when they walked by; but I felt that this was next level cliche. I’m all for the cheese, but when Mallory describes how “Troy’s gaze pierces her and fills her soul with life”, it just got a bit too much for me. This was definitely steamier than most of the YA novels I’ve read (with the exception of SJM books) but the sexy scenes, and Mallory’s openly sexual thoughts, are the only reason this book could be qualified as NA. Otherwise, the characters were definitely way too YA.

I thought the characters also lacked depth–I wanted to know more about Jamie and Evie, and even about Mallory (beside her obsession). Her parents’ care and support was very sweet, although with how overprotective they were supposed to be, they very easily let her go and do her own thing, no questions asked. I got no hint of their overprotectiveness and paranoia, especially when Mallory was able to sneak out of her house the week of her first day of school? I also thought that the ‘plot twist’ really came from out of the blue. While I was pleasantly surprised by it, I was equally baffled about how this all made sense.

SPOILERS: one minute we’re deep into a love-story-obsession, and the next minute we get the FBI, witness protection, the Colombian drug cartel, a murderous rage born of jealousy, hundreds of thousands in hidden cash, and a shoot out. What?!

It was a little too far-fetched to be realistic, and I felt Armstrong really rushed the ending, trying to resolve everything in a very short amount of time. I personally thought that this book could have been much shorter than it was. There wasn’t much going on in the storyline until the end, and then it was like everything all at once. Overall, I had high hopes for this novel, but in the end it just wasn’t for me. Samantha Armstrong’s writing isn’t bad though, so I would maybe be interested to see what else she comes out with.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Does this sound like something you might be interested in reading? It was published 25 May, so keep an eye out for it in stores/online!