To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Posted on by LibrAriel Book Adventures
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This image was taken from the following site: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15749186-to-all-the-boys-i-ve-loved-before

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han is a Young Adult Romance novel that tells the story of Lara Jean and her family. It discusses love, loss, coming of age, and a little bit of bickering. Lara Jean faces a dilemma after the love letters she wrote were sent to all the boys she’s ever loved. She must face her fears of being in a relationship and depending on someone other than her family. This book is a part of a series of two other books titled P.S. I Love You; Always and Forever, Lara Jean.

This book is an excellent read if you are looking for a cute, fun, young adult, romance novel that also ties family into it. The books start off a little slow, but the author does provide background information on Lara Jean and her family. Lara Jean is mostly the “main” character of the book with her family of three, which includes her dad and two sisters. Her older sister has gone away to college in Scotland, which is a bit far-fetched. Margot is the older sister that leaves and she is protective and reserved. There are a lot of characters that interact with each other in the book, and there is a love triangle most of the book. There is a little bit of family drama, and the dad is the mediator and the peacekeeper of the house.

I am curious to see what happens between Lara Jean and her pretend/not-so-pretend boyfriend Peter. Overall I had high expectations for this book but I was a bit underwhelmed. I felt like the book was missing something, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. There were a lot of moments where I made an assumption of what would happen in the book and that exact thing happened. For example, the younger sister gets angry at Lara Jean for teasing her, so she decides to mail the secret love letters Lara Jean wrote to get over the people she loved. The reader does not know until later in the book that it was the younger sister Kitty that sent the letters. The book was pretty predictable. I have read books in the past that are predictable but then there is a plot twist, and I am surprised. This book was a predictable high school romance novel. I would recommend this book to others who are interested in this type of book.

I give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars because I felt like it could have been better. I am hoping the other items in this series get a higher rating from me.

The Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

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33385229They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera is a Young Adult Contemporary Fiction novel. The theme of the book is death. The gives away a lot of the story and essentially the ending of the book. The problem in this entire book is Death Cast and it aims to answer the question, what would you do if you knew you would die today? Would you do anything differently? The book follows the journey of Mateo. The author connects each character to Mateo somehow. The Death Cast worker is connected to Mateo, fellow Deckers, and friends on the Last Friend app. This book is tragically amazing with the way the author intermingles romance, death, finding yourself, and fear into one compelling novel.

I literally cried three times while listening to the audiobook. The narrator of the audiobook did a fantastic job of capturing the voices of the characters. This book has been on my “to be read” list since it’s release. I was a bit skeptical at first because I love happy endings and I thought this book would not have a happy ending. The book had a happy/tragic ending. I was happy for the characters but also sad for all the moments they will lose. I was however a bit disappointed with the closing scene. I was left wanting more and wanting to know more about what happened to the other Deckers in the story. How did their life end? What did they do on the rest of their End Day?

The book definitely makes you think about life and how precious it is to love every moment of it.

I give this book 4.8 out of 5 stars. I wanted a bit more.

*The image was taken from the following site:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33385229-they-both-die-at-the-end *

Warcross by Marie Lu

Posted on by LibrAriel Book Adventures
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Warcross by Marie Lu, http://marielubooks.tumblr.com/, is a Young Adult Fantasy Fiction novel. The book focuses on the game Warcross with the main character, Emika Chen, serving as a Bounty Hunter. Emika Chen is tasked with the challenge of catching a “criminal” in a virtual reality game setting. The book begins with giving a background history on Emika Chen and how she started her career as a bounty hunter.
I was a little skeptical about this book prior to reading it. I noticed that it has been a popular book since the release this year. I absolutely loved this book. I loved the virtual reality, the romance, and the plot twist at the end. I did not expect that and I did not expect that cliff hanger. I am hoping for the best for Emika and Hideo. I am hoping their romance flourishes into something great but for now I will have to make assumptions. I see there will be a second book releasing for this series some time next year, I hope.
I give this book 5 out of 5 star rating! I recommend it for others interested in YA Fantasy.
*This image was taken from the following site:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29385546-warcross *

Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton

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Worlds on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton is a Young Adult novel. The book aims to bring awareness to teens with mental illnesses by explaining the struggles of a teen with schizophrenia. Adam is the main character who has been tasked with the challenge of writing his thoughts down in a diary. This is a solution created by his therapist when Adam refuses to actually speak to his therapist during their sessions.

This was one of my favorite books. It’s challenging finding an author who actually does enough research to provide quality information regarding diseases. I just could not put this book down once I opened it. I normally do not like the diary format when it comes to books but this worked out well. I am hoping to find more books like this from this author and add it to my “to be read” pile. I stumbled across this book by accident but it fits perfectly with the types of books I enjoy reading. Thank you to the author for writing such a great novel that not only tells the story of Adam but provides insight on the disease that he faces. I loved seeing the world through Adams eyes and the diary style of the book. I almost cried at the end when he had a meltdown. He struggled so much to try to keep his facade up in front of Mary. I loved how Mary fought for him and accepted him for who he was. I am a sucker for a happy ending to a book. I would definitely recommend this book to others looking to read a coming of age story and accepting who you are.

I rate this book a 5 out of 5. I would recommend this book for others interested in coming of age YA novels. It is very informative.

 

*The image was taken from the following site: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25695640-words-on-bathroom-walls*