You Need To Read Radio Silence!

Summary:What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?

Frances has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside.

But when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken.

Caught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances’ dreams come crashing down. Suffocating with guilt, she knows that she has to confront her past…
She has to confess why Carys disappeared…

Meanwhile at uni, Aled is alone, fighting even darker secrets.

It’s only by facing up to your fears that you can overcome them. And it’s only by being your true self that you can find happiness.

Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has

My Rating:5/5 Stars

So I read this about a year ago, but it’s just being released in the U.S/Canada today and I know some people don’t use book depository so therefore might not have had the chance to read this so this review is basically just to gush about the amazingness that is Radio Silence and maybe convince you to read this amazing book I’m going to be talking in bullet points just because it’s going to be simpler.

• The Diversity!:This book is so diverse and wonderful,our Mc is bi-racial and bisexual,there’s a demisexual character,a korean character, basically all the characters are diverse and it’s wonderful. And I’m pretty sure it’s kind of OwnVoices?
• The Characters:Frances and Aled are precious cinnamon rolls and I just love them so much. Literally all the characters are amazing, the development is A+
• The Friendship:There’s no romance!!!!!It’s just a great friendship between two friends and I love it
• Fandom:One thing I love about Alice Oseman’s books are the references to fandom. They give me life and just more books need to  make references. It just makes a book so much more funner.
• School: I love how the book discusses how not everyone has to go to university and shows the negative aspects of school. It’s so refreshing and hella relatable.
• Demisexuality: I know I already talked about it but it was so amazing to see ace-spectrum rep on the page,just having a character like that made me more happier than anything in the entire world
• Discusses abuse:This book is really great because it shows that abuse is no less valid just because it’s not physical.
• Perfect combo of serious and fluff:They’re some really heavy topics discussed but it’s also really cute and great.

I hope some of you guys pick this up, it’s so amazing. Highly recommend.

Harry Potter Tag

So I haven’t really posted anything lately because the book I’m reading is taking forever to finish and I can’t think of any other posts to make(suggestions would be extremely welcome) and then I remembered that the lovely Maya  has tagged me in like 3 tags that I have still not done because I’m stupid so I thought it’d be fun to do one!

Flagrate:A  Book whose theme you found interesting but would like to rewrite.

Get it Together Delilah by Erin Gough.I recently read this book and it was good and I liked everything about it, the problem was that everything was super underdeveloped and a lot of issues need a lot of things to be expanded on, so I definitely didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked to.Here’s my review if you’re interested

Alohomora:A First Book That Got You Hooked

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. I love this series with all my heart, and the first book was just stellar.  These books are so easy to fly through and just everything about them is amazing.I do feel kind of bad supporting because apparently there’s some pretty racist shit in the last book. I’m definitely going to  view it with a critical eye when I do get around to reading it, and while I do love Maggie Stiefvater I’m not going to support her upcoming book because it’s super harmful to the Latinx community.

Accio:A Book You Wish You Could Have Right Now

This is such a hard question, there are like a million new releases I want right now. I’m really excited for Girl out Of Water by Laura Silverman or Alice Oseman’s new release which is supposed to come out in like the summer. So yeah either of those.

Ava Kedavra:A Killer Book

The Red rising series by Pierce Brown is both a killer book and a book where a lot of people die so yeah. I absolutely love this series, it’s so great and intricate and amazing and the characters are A+. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a good sci-fi trilogy

Confundo:A Book You Find Confusing

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia. That book is such a mess. It’s super gross and an inaccurate portrayal of Schizophrenia as well as it just being super confusing and making like no sense whatsoever. I hate this book with a burning passion.

Expecto Patronum:Your Spirt Animal Book(how about we don’t use that phrase since its cultural appropriation)

I guess my Patronus in book form would be  umm Harry Potter? Idk I don’t really know how to answer this question.

SectumSempa:A Dark Book

The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes. I mean her hands get chopped off, I’d call that pretty dark. It’s such a great book tho, highly recommend

Aparacium:A Book That You Surprised You in A great Way

Meg and Linus by Hanna Nowinski, I really didn’t expect to like it as much as I did but I ended up giving it five stars. It was super gay and super cute.Here’s my review

Okay so I tag

Jess

Danielle

and

Lia

 

 

 

Beauty and The Beast Movie Review

So I went to see this movie with my sister and our friend on opening night and let me tell you:it was amazing.I have been anxiously anticipating this movie for the longest of the times, and it didn’t disappoint in the slightest. I have a lot of things I want to talk about it, so I’m going.

• The Faithful adaptation: It was very similar to the original one but not in a way that made me feel as though I was just watching a live action repeat of it. It had it’s unique traits while keeping  the  things that made it the beauty and the beast I know and love.
• Emma Watson: I know a lot of people really don’t like her but I personally found  her to be a great Belle  and also wow I had no idea she could sing
• The realism of it:One thing that I really appreciated was how the outfits and a lot of aspects were realistic. While they could’ve went with aesthetic of the movie, they kind of went the more realistic route, and showed costumes that were realistic to the area.And while I’m sad that there was no sliding ladder, I appreciate the realistic aspect of them not having a lot of books.
• The music:That soundtrack tho!!!!So on point and so catchy, I loved all the songs and they were all really great.I especially loved the song where the Beast was singing by himself.
• The aesthetic:I love the france aesthetic in the 1700s, the buildings, and furniture is so nice and the entire movie was so beautiful.
• The Beast: I absolutely loved the Beast and he’s like my favorite character ever and he was just really great in this movie.A+
• LeFou:I know a lot of people were pissed because Lefou shouldn’t be the first gay representation we get in Disney and while I do  agree that it’s not the best, I did enjoy the little part we did get. He did get a redemption Arc which was great and also HIM DANCING WITH A GUY. I died, it was great, I wish they  showed it for more than 2 seconds, I wish it  was less subtle. I can’t believe countries are cutting it out.

 

Have You watched it?Did you like it?

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig Book Review

 Goodreads Summary:Nix has spent her entire life aboard her father’s ship, sailing across the centuries, across the world, across myth and imagination.

As long as her father has a map for it, he can sail to any time, any place, real or imagined: nineteenth-century China, the land from One Thousand and One Nights, a mythic version of Africa. Along the way they have found crewmates and friends, and even a disarming thief who could come to mean much more to Nix.

But the end to it all looms closer every day.

Her father is obsessed with obtaining the one map, 1868 Honolulu, that could take him back to his lost love, Nix’s mother. Even though getting it—and going there—could erase Nix’s very existence.

For the first time, Nix is entering unknown waters.

She could find herself, find her family, find her own fantastical ability, her own epic love.

Or she could disappear.

My rating:4.5/5 stars

Plot:

I am basically obsessed  with all things time-travel so when I found out that this book was a time travel novel on a boat with maps and wonderfully diverse characters I just knew that I had to read it, and I was not disappointed. So basically how time travel works in this story is that they can go anywhere as long as they have a hand drawn map of it  and once they use it, they can never use it again. Nix’s dad has been trying to find a map that will bring him back to Hawaii where his wife died and save her and while Nix wants to  help her dad she is also conflicted as saving her mom could possibly erase her entire existence.This book was seriously amazing and really interesting and had me enraptured the entire time. It really reminded me of like a better and more YA version of Inkheart. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set in Hawaii so that was really interesting and I would’ve liked to learn a little more about the culture because what  we did get was very enjoyable. One thing that I think could’ve been addressed a little more, is the way people treated the Natives.They called them heathens and savages and it wasn’t really explored that much or even talked about or seen as wrong.Other than it was really unique and interesting and though it was a little slow paced at time , I personally really liked the pace and found it fitting to the type of novel it was.I honestly don’t get why this has such bad ratings on goodreads.

Characters:

The characters in this were really great and diverse, Nix is Chinese and Kashmir,who like travels with them, is persian so it was really nice to have an awesome time travel book with diverse characters. Kashmir was such a great character, and he was so sweet and nice and just such a great friend to Nix and just a really solid character. Nix was also really great and she was really strong and her values never really faltered and  I thought she was a very enjoyable character. Nx’s dad, Slate, while he did have his faults was at the end of the day a good father. I liked the complex relationship  between Nix and Slate and i think that more books should have father-daughter  relationships like that. I wasn’t a huge fan of the love interest, Blake, he was  kind of rally boring and a little too one-dimensional for my taste.

 

Under The Painted Sky by Stacy Lee Book Review

Goodreads Summary:

Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be a professional musician—not an easy thing if you’re a girl, and harder still if you’re Chinese. But a tragic accident dashes any hopes of fulfilling her dream, and instead, leaves her fearing for her life. With the help of a runaway slave named Annamae, Samantha flees town for the unknown frontier. But life on the Oregon Trail is unsafe for two girls, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy, two boys headed for the California gold rush. Sammy and Andy forge a powerful bond as they each search for a link to their past, and struggle to avoid any unwanted attention. But when they cross paths with a band of cowboys, the light-hearted troupe turn out to be unexpected allies. With the law closing in on them and new setbacks coming each day, the girls quickly learn that there are not many places to hide on the open trail.

My Rating:4/5 Stars

 

Plot:

Under A Painted Sky is the story of Samantha and Annamae a Chinese American girl and African American who through unexpected circumstances must escape together along the Oregon trail disguised as boys. This book was wonderful and a really enjoyable historical fiction novel.I honestly cannot think of another historical fiction YA which features PoC so it was really refreshing to read. There was a lot of interesting comments about race and gender, and while I am usually not the biggest fan of  historical fiction where girls dress up as boys, I definitely think this was an interesting take on it.I did have a little trouble following what was going on times but that was probably because they were talking about horses and herding them and so that kind of confused me but other than that it was really quickly paced and just an overall fast read.One thing I would’ve liked to see more of is like more a historical feel? I don’t really know if that makes I would’ve liked the time period and setting to be utilized a little more rather than it just being the backdrop.

 

Characters:

The characters in this story were amazing, I loved every single one of them and they were all just really precious. I really enjoyed Samantha and Annamae’s friendship and I liked how Samantha realized that though she was oppressed for her skin color, she still was more privileged  My favorite part of the story were the boys they crossed paths with and began to travel with. They were all really great characters, and  the friendship between the five of them was so great and very well crafted.

One of the things I’m not really sure if I liked was the romance. I feel that with any story like this, there’s always bound to be a romance, and honestly it kind of annoys me.This may have not been the book to do this but the way I see it is that these type of stories really confirms that ones sexuality is very fluid and is never set in stone. He thought she was a boy, and I feel like the justification behind this is that he just knew that she was actually a girl but to me I feel that who you love isn’t based upon one’s gender but based on who they are and I think that there’s a subconcious part of us that knows this. Idk it’s just something that I’ve thought about a lot but it may just be really stupid. I’d like to see a book discuss it though.

 

 

Get It Together Delilah By Erin Gough Book Review

Goodreads Summary:Seventeen-year-old Delilah Green wouldn’t have chosen to do her last year of school this way, but she figures it’s working fine. While her dad goes on a trip to fix his broken heart after her mom left him for another man, Del manages the family cafe. Easy, she thinks. But what about homework? Or the nasty posse of mean girls making her life hell? Or her best friend who won’t stop guilt-tripping her? Or her other best friend who might go to jail for love if Del doesn’t do something? But really, who cares about any of that when all Del can think about is beautiful Rosa who dances every night across the street. . . . Until one day Rosa comes in the cafe door. And if Rosa starts thinking about Del, too, then how in the name of caramel milkshakes will Del get the rest of it together?

My Rating:3.5/5 Stars

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Just to clarify:this book was previously titled The FlyWheel and released in Australia and is now being rereleased under this title in the U.S and Canada

My Thoughts:

Plot:

Get It Together Delilah tells the story of Delilah an Australian girl who has to take care of her Dad’s cafe,The Fly Wheel, while he’s gone. Her dad is still in a huge funk ever since her mom left them, so Delilah encourages her dad to go travel. She thinks that it will be a piece of cake but then her main staff leaves and she’s left with having to manage the cafe by herself. To add to the stress she has to worry about her best friend problems,problems at school and  she is constantly thinking about her crush:Rosa.

For the most part I found this book to be an overall enjoyable read.It was fun and a fast read. Unfortunately  this is a tough book to review/rate because the more I think about it, the more problems I have with the overall execution of it and just the feeling of it all.

One of the main reasons why this because wasn’t as good as it could’ve been is because it chose to focus on some things while neglecting to expand certain aspects that I found to be more interesting.I definitely would’ve like more of an exploration on family because the issue was touched upon and the storyline kind of just dropped and there was so resolution in the end.Another thing that I would’ve liked more of a focus on is the romance, while I did enjoy the love interest Rosa, I found there to be little to no chemistry between them which I think could’ve been easily resolved if there was more interactions between the two of them.Also I feel as though  there definitely should’ve been more of a focus on the bullying she suffered because she was gay, because it just felt like not that an important part of the storyline when it really should’ve been. All of the elements were there to be a really great book but there was a lack of expansion that could’ve been fixed had the book been longer or had certain plotlines been dropped

Characters:

I think basically really the only problem I had with this book is that fact that the author just didn’t focus on the right things. The same applies to the characters. Delilah personality definitely could’ve been developed a lot more, perhaps focusing on her interests such as Geography. The same goes for her friends who I found to be really interesting, and yet they got little page-time. The one character that I really appreciated was her best friend:Charlie. He was a great friend, and just really funny and he was definitely my favorite characters.

 

I’m just feeling really conflicted and I really did enjoy it, and I liked the whole story and it was interesting and unique, it just didn’t feel as fleshed out as I would’ve liked it to be.

 

 

Moana and Moonlight-Mini Film Reviews

  

 

So I know these two movies have really nothing in common expect for the fact that one was nominated for an Oscar, and one won an Oscar.But I’ve watched both of these movies,in the past few days and I really enjoyed both of them, so I thought I’d just write down my thoughts and talk about the movies.

Moana:

I was actually really surprised with Moana, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like since Disney movies these days have really been hit or miss for me,but this was actually really good! It might be even one of my favorites. It was such a fun, amusing movie with a lots of great jokes and characters. I absolutely loved Moana, and thought she was a great  Disney Princess and  I was just really impressed with the whole thing. Plus the soundtrack was really great and catchy but I mean what do you expect when Lin Manuel Miranda wrote some of the songs. How far I go is an A+ song, and it’s been in my head ever since I finished watching it. I definitely think it either deserved to win at least one Oscar, and Lin should’ve won over La-La Land. Auli’i  Cravalho is an amazing singer, and  I really can’t wait to see what she does next. The new show she’s going to be in sounds cool and I’m excited to watch it.

 

Moonlight:

I just watched Moonlight last night and it was really good! I love Indie movies so this was just great. I know a lot of people complain about it not having a plot but I personally find that those are the best type of movies? Anyway, it was  filled with emotion and the music choice was A+. Honestly I wish it could’ve been longer, because I felt like some things could’ve been developed lot more. I know it was like 2 hours but an extra hour might’ve been nice. The actors were really great and it was really cool how not a single actor was white, like not even the extras which was so refreshing. I’m really happy that Mahershala has finally gotten the recognition he deserved. He’s in one of my fave shows:the 4400, which is so underrated, so its really nice to see him getting an Oscar and all that. I feel like a lot of people won’t appreciate it as much as it should but I think that you really need to realize how much this movie means and while yes it’s a really good movie, the connotation behind it is equally as important. I think it definitely deserved the Oscar and I highly recommend that you check it out.

 

Have You watched either of these movies?If not,what are some movies that you’ve recently watched?

 

 

Meg and Linus by Hannah Nowinski Book Review

Goodreads Summary:Meg and Linus are best friends bound by a shared love of school, a coffee obsession, and being queer. It’s not always easy to be the nerdy lesbian or gay kid in a suburban town. But they have each other. And a few Star Trek boxed sets. They’re pretty happy.

But then Sophia, Meg’s longtime girlfriend, breaks up with Meg. Linus starts tutoring the totally dreamy new kid, Danny—and Meg thinks setting them up is the perfect project to distract herself from her own heartbreak. But Linus isn’t so sure Danny even likes guys, and maybe Sophia isn’t quite as out of the picture as Meg thought she was. . . .

My Rating:5/5 Stars

Disclaimer:I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

My Thoughts

Plot:

Meg and Linus is a dual perspective novel following two best friends:Meg and Linus. Meg and Linus have always bonded over the fact that they both love coffee, are total geeks and that they’re both gay. Meg has just broken up with her two year girlfriend, and is trying to find some way to distract herself when Linus begins to tutor a new kid. Meg knows that this would be the perfect distraction and makes it her new mission to try to get Linus and the guy he’s tutoring,Daniel, together.

Meg and Linus has exactly the type of book I was looking for, it was funny, cute, super gay and the whole thing had tons of  Nerdy references.It was a great book  that featured gay characters but it wasn’t about them being gay. Their sexuality was something that they were both totally comfortable with  and it was just part of who they were. It was a super fluffy contemporary featuring theatre, coffee and Star-Trek watching sessions and I honestly couldn’t recommend it enough.

Characters:

As with most contemporary books, this one was a character central one with of course the two main characters being Meg and Linus. As I mentioned before, these two characters were such nerds and it was honestly so much fun to read  each of their perspectives. I loved both of the characters, and their stories and I really don’t have any complaints. I’m not sure if a dual perspective novel was necessary but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I loved seeing the romance blossom between Daniel and Linus and it was honestly just the cutest thing ever, and I might’ve liked just a little bit more just to see more development in that area. Meg was also starting to develop a crush on someone in the later pages,and so I definitely think  that there could’ve been another fifty pages or so, because this book was definitely on the shorter side.

One of the things I loved about this book was the friendship between Meg and Linus and while they did have some rough patches throughout the book they managed to get through it all, and really come out as stronger friends. Both Meg and Linus did some questionable things but in the end they recognized that what they had done was wrong and it definitely made them better friends. I really think that YA needs more books with opposite gender best friends that don’t turn in romances.

February Wrap-up

All diverse books will be marked with an asteriks

1. Golden Son by Silipi Somaya Gowda *indian MCs and author

Rating:4/5 Stars

Goodreads

Review

What I liked: The non-western setting! I absolutely adore books set in places in India  and this book was amazing, plus all the characters were precious.

What I disliked: I would’ve liked  a bigger development with regards to the two MCs friendship

2.Slated  by Terry Terri

Rating:4/5 Stars

Goodreads

What I liked: The intrigue and how quickly paced it was.

What I disliked: This is a book that I would’ve enjoyed a lot more had I been younger,it’s definitely for a younger audience.

3.Find Her  by Lisa Gardner

Rating:3/5 stars

What I liked: It was an interesting plot, and I wanted to know how it was going to end

What I disliked: The content was  a little too much for me, it was a little too graphic for my taste.

4. Morning Star by Pierce Brown

My Rating:4/5 stars

What I liked: It was an epic conclusion and I really enjoyed every bit of it. There were so many twists and turns and lots of sad moments.

What I disliked:Again I just had a little bit of trouble getting it into, but that’s really a personal thing

5. The Sun is Also A Star  by Nicola Yoon * Korean-American and Jamaican Main Characters and Jamaican Author

Rating:5/5 stars

(Review To Come)

What I liked:This book was beautiful and enrapturing and honestly I loved it to bits. It was such a pure book and I couldn’t recommend it enough

What I disliked:The insta-love was a little unrealistic, but it’s okay.

6. The Cruelty by Scott Bergstorm.

Goodreads

Review

Rating:2.5/5 stars

What I liked: It was mildly enjoyable and it was pretty easy to read.

What I  disliked:It wasn’t anything great, and I don’t think an author should claim that their book is the best thing when it’s not. Plus the character was super pretentious.

7. Fractured by Terry Terri

My Rating:4/5 stars

Goodreads

What I liked:As I said with the first book, it was very intriguing and quickly paced. It’s definitely a fun series.

What I disliked:The Mc made some annoyingly rash decisions.

8. Tales from Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brenman, Maureen Johnson and Robin Wasserman.

My Rating:4/5 stars

Goodreads

What I liked:This was surprisingly really good! I think this may be one of my favorites of hers.  I loved Simon, and there  was some great flashbacks, and awesome Malec and Sizzy moments,and it was an overall a great book! Plus the ending was really heartbreaking.

What I disliked:  I would never feel comfortable giving Cassandra Clare a five stars just because I feel as though she doesn’t deserve it, but it was really good!

9. The Survival Kit by Donna  Freitas

My Rating:4/5 stars

Goodreads

What I liked: This was really just a great classic  contemporary, complete with a swoony love interest, great friends and an awesome family.Nothing special but still nonetheless great.

What I disliked: There was some second hand embarrassment moments as to be expected with books like these but it’s okay.

10. Beyond The Wild River by Sarah Maine

Goodreads

What I liked: This was an intriguing books set on a river in 1893. The setting was very unique as was the plot, and it was a very enjoyable read.

What I liked:It dragged at times, and it could’ve been longer.

 

What Did you Read Last Month?