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In Time With You by Kristin Dwyer [BOOK REVIEW] In Time With You by Kristin Dwyer [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

In Time With You by Kristin Dwyer [BOOK REVIEW]

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In Time With You by Kristin Dwyer [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

In Time With You by Kristin Dwyer [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 384

Genre: Romance, YA, Contemporary

Publisher: Rock The Boat

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★

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Nieve Monroe is devastated after her boyfriend Carter dies saving her from drowning. Even worse she blames herself for his death… and so does his best friend, Max. He was there with them on that fateful day, and he’s never liked Nieve.

Unable to pull herself from her grief and wanting to hide from the accusation in his eyes, Nieve goes to stay with her grandmother, who has always had strange stories to tell of uncanny happenings, of magic and make believe. The next morning, Nieve wakes up on the first day of college, the year before.

This time she plans to make sure Carter never follows her into that river. She’ll do everything in her power to keep him safe, even if it means losing him in other ways. But the more distance she puts between her and Carter, the closer she gets to Max, drawn to him in ways she never expected.

But is she betraying Carter if the only way she can save him is to move on? And can she ever forget her past to embrace her future?

My Thoughts:

“Time is like these colors. It changes and bleeds and blends. Don’t let today’s color seep into tomorrow.”

“In Time With You” by Kristin Dwyer is one of those books that brings you peace whilst reading it, and leaves you with a warm smile after you’ve finished it.

Nieve is devastated after her boyfriend, Carter, dies trying to save her from drowning. Filled with grief, she goes to her grandma’s house and the next morning she wakes up, and it’s the first day of college… again.

She has a chance to make things right this time around, but the more she tries to avoid Carter in order to keep him safe, she realises there is a boy that she has not been paying attention to at all.

I am not usually a fan of the “time loop / Groundhog day” dynamics in a book, but this one managed to execute this very well.

I felt for Nieve and I instantly started rooting for her and Max. Their chemistry was amazing and I loved the passion they both shared for art.

But the most important thing that stuck with me was the story about Nieve herself. Her struggling with grief and PTSD from a moment that is no longer a reality for the rest of the group must have felt so lonely! Her knowing she needs to do something to fix what she knows is about to happen, but every choice backfiring had a toll on her as well. Watching Nieve trying to navigate through all of this, all whilst catching feelings for Max was a very raw and emotional story, but filled with a lot of maturity and without any unnecessary drama.

I really devoured this book and enjoyed the beautiful and emotional journey that Nieve and Max were going through. It is one of those books that will always linger in your mind when you wish you could turn back time in your own life. Definitely recommend!

“Time, my love, takes what it wants. Even when we try to stop it.”

About the Author:

In Time With You by Kristin Dwyer [BOOK REVIEW]

Kristin Dwyer grew up under the California sun and still prays every day for a cloudy sky. When she’s not writing books about people kissing, she and her spouse can be found encouraging their four mischief makers to get into trouble. Kristin is a part-time hair model and wants you to know she is full-time TSA PRECHECK, and one time a credible news outlet asked for her opinion on K-pop (it was the best day of her life). Please do not talk to her about your fandom, she will try to join.

Website

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Silver by Olivia Levez [BOOK REVIEW] Silver by Olivia Levez [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

Silver by Olivia Levez [BOOK REVIEW]

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Silver by Olivia Levez [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

Silver by Olivia Levez [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 419

Genre: Young Adult, YA, Fiction, Science Fiction

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Format I read it in: Uncorrected Proof

Rating: ★★★


Silver has been trained since birth for her collect data on the humans to test if Earth is viable for her home ship, Charybdis, to colonise. The only rules are that she must feed back the data she collects to the ship, and at all times follow the To touch is agony. To feel is pain.

So when Silver inhabits the body of a young woman and infiltrates the house she is staying in, she must learn to pass as a human without revealing her true identity. But she isn’t prepared for how the humans will get under her skin. And she definitely isn’t prepared for Finch, the boy she starts to fall for. Especially when he touches her – and it doesn’t hurt.

It is not how Charybdis said it would be.

Have they been lying all along?

Conflicted by the war between her growing feelings for Finch and her allegiance to her ship, Silver must decide who to stand by and who to betray.

My Thoughts:

I was very intrigued by the story of Silver. She is an alien and is sent to Earth for a mission – to collect data on humans and test if Earth is viable for her mother ship, Charybdis, to colonise. All her life, she has been taught that she must follow the Mantra, a set of rules that her ship stands by. To stay away from humans. To not touch them, for touch is agony, and to feel is pain. 

When Silver joins a family as a pet-sitter, she has to inherit the body of the young Polish girl to do so. The more time she spends with the family, the more human she becomes. The book is also set around Christmas time, so she feels extra included and excited about all the festivities. She starts to develop a crush for Finch, and when they touch by accident, she expects to feel pain. But instead, all she can feel is warmth and funny feelings about this boy, which is extremely confusing to her.

Every so often, Silver has to go back to the mothership to “shield”. When she shields, the founders gather all the data she has collected. They are not impressed with her, as she has gotten too close to the humans and she is also starting to defy them by visiting much less frequently.

The story of Silver is very fast paced and addictive.

I read it in two days. But I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. There were a lot of discrepancies with the characters. Stella, for example, kept coming in and out of the picture. It felt convinient, when it was needed to fit the story and plot. Silver’s character had many flaws too. She showed empathy, but then was brutal the next second. For example the scene where she tells Finch the truth about his dad.

Also, there are some things that didn’t add up with her powers. On page 94, she scanned “Brave New World” in a second, and in the next chapters she does that with other books too. But on page 122, it takes her “seventy-seven minutes” to watch some cooking videos. Surely, if she had an ability to inhabit humans, scan books in seconds, morph into anything, she can also process cooking videos at a crazy speed?

For some reason, I couldn’t relax enough to enjoy the book. As a whole, I really loved the idea behind it and the story about the world/the ship/Vortex/Founders. But personally feel that it may have been slightly poorly executed. I would still recommend it if you are after a unique alien story with a romance twist to it. 

About the Author:

Silver by Olivia Levez [BOOK REVIEW]

Olivia Levez divides her time between teaching English and binge-writing in her caravan by the sea. Olivia likes hula-hooping, yoga and real ale, but not at the same time. She lives in Worcestershire with her husband, two sons and her real life Dog, Basil.

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The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis [BOOK REVIEW] The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis [BOOK REVIEW]

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The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 206

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Classic

Publisher: Harper Collins

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★★

Narnia… the land beyond the wardrobe door, a secret place frozen in eternal winter, a magical country waiting to be set free.

Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor’s mysterious old house. At first her brothers and sister don’t believe her when she tells of her visit to the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund, then Peter and Susan step through the wardrobe themselves. In Narnia they find a country buried under the evil enchantment of the White Witch. When they meet the Lion Aslan, they realize they’ve been called to a great adventure and bravely join the battle to free Narnia from the Witch’s sinister spell.

My Thoughts:

It feels like forever since I first read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. And yet, when I recall that moment, it still feels like yesterday. I am sitting on the porch of my house in Macedonia, with my now late grandma sitting next to me. The weather is boiling hot, and she’s drinking her coffee and talking about the neighbours. I start reading the book, and before I realise, the sun has hid itself behind the clouds and it’s time for my afternoon karate practice… 

Years later, I picked this book up again. This time, it’s an English edition. I have them both now, so I can compare the translations. And as soon as I start reading the author note, I start to cry. Because I realise how relative, and also how irreversible – time really is. 

“My Dear Lucy,

I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realised that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand, a word you say, but I shall still be

Your affectionate Godfather.”

C.S. Lewis

“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is incredible and will always have a special place in my heart. It brings four siblings together, it introduces us to a secret world covered in snow. It’s a special story about honesty, bravery and following your heart.

I have never read the other books in the series, because I felt like this one is perfect on its own, just as it is. But re-reading it has prompted me to come back to this world again, and I would like to revisit Narnia again soon. 

About The Author:

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis [BOOK REVIEW]

Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.

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It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover [BOOK REVIEW] It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover [BOOK REVIEW]

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It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover [BOOK REVIEW]

Oh, Colleen Hoover! You only went and did it again with “It Ends With Us”. Took my heart, squeezed it gently, and then proceeded to shatter it into a thousand pieces. And I love you for it! 

About The Book:

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 386

Genre: Romance, YA, Young Adult

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★

SOMETIMES THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU IS THE ONE WHO HURTS YOU THE MOST

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up – she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily, but Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan – her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

My Thoughts:

“It Ends With Us” is not a light-hearted romance novel. It’s a dark romance tale, with a domestic abuse theme, but it’s ultimately a story about a woman breaking the cycle and being free.

Lily is a floral designer and a survivor of domestic abuse. During her childhood, her father was abusive and her mother never left. Now, she falls in love with Ryle, and after a few blissful months, discovers that Ryle has a dark side to him. The story follows Lily dealing with everything and reuniting with her old love, Atlas, who will help her get free and break the cycle.

During the first half of the book, we read a few chapters of young Lily and Atlas and understand their story better. He was homeless and Lily helped him during the difficult period. He was also aware of the abuse Lily suffered from her father.

“He pulls back to look down at me and when he sees my tears, he brings his hands up to my cheeks. “In the future… if by some miracle you ever find yourself in the position to fall in love again… fall in love with me.”

The story is raw, emotional and feels very real. We saw a beautiful love story between Lily and Atlas, until time and circumstances, and Lily’s father pulled them apart. We were also part a beautiful love story between Lily and Ryle, before he started showing his true colours and all the reg flags. It’s very well shown how quickly a situation can escalate, and see Lily’s fears, doubts and dilemmas. It’s very easy for her to take the blame and think she caused it all, but the reality is very different! 

“Fifteen seconds. That’s all it takes to completely change everything about a person. Fifteen.”

I was always team Atlas, but I was warming up to Ryle in the beginning before everything kicked off. That’s how good Colleen’s writing is. I will need to grab the second book, “It Starts With Us” soon and find out how the story continues. I cannot help but recommend this book, because for all the sadness it brings, it also brings happiness, healing and one woman standing up to abuse and breaking the cycle.

“You can stop swimming now, Lily. We finally reached the shore.”

Side note: Yes, I did see the movie. No, it didn’t do justice to the book. Yes, I will see a sequel if it comes, but I doubt it, with all the drama surrounding it. 🙂 

About The Author:

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover [BOOK REVIEW]

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty four novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thriller. 

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Author Website

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I Wish You Would by Eva Des Louriers [BOOK REVIEW] I Wish You Would by Eva Des Louriers [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

I Wish You Would by Eva Des Louriers [BOOK REVIEW]

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I Wish You Would by Eva Des Louriers [BOOK REVIEW]

“I Wish You Would” was the perfect teenage love angst romance with a friends to lovers trope, that I didn’t know I needed.

About The Book:

I Wish You Would by Eva Des Louriers [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 273

Genre: Romance, YA, Young Adult

Publisher: Hot Key Books

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★★

In this drama-filled love story, private confessions are scattered on the beach during a senior class overnight and explosive secrets threaten to tear everyone apart, including best friends (or maybe more?), Natalia and Ethan.

It’s Senior Sunrise, the epic overnight at the beach that kicks off senior year. But for Natalia and Ethan, it’s the first time seeing each other after what happened at junior prom―when they almost crossed the line from best friends to something more and ruined everything. After ghosting each other all summer, Natalia is desperate to pretend she doesn’t care and Ethan is desperate to fix his mistake.

When the senior class carries out their tradition of writing private letters to themselves―what they wish they would do this year if they were braver―Natalia pours her heart out. So does Ethan. So does everyone in their entire class. But in Natalia’s panicked attempt to retrieve her heartfelt confession, the wind scatters seven of the notes across the beach. Now, Ethan and Natalia are forced to work together to find the lost letters before any secrets are revealed―especially their own.

Seven private confessions. Seven time bombs loose for anyone to find. And one last chance before the sun rises for these two to fall in love.

“Fame is proof that the people are gullible.”

My Thoughts:

Firstly, I have to admit, the cover was what made me start the book. I had other books I started reading and I immediately dropped them to make room for this one. And I am glad I did, because I devoured it in days! There is so much tension from the very start from both sides. I loved the double POV, so we knew how both Ethan and Natalia felt. But there were so many times where I shouted at the book: “Will you two just bloody talk to each other!” 🙂

“I try not to stare at her, but it’s an effort. The moody sky brings out the dark blue of her eyes, and the wind keeps lifting the tumble of her long hair away from her face. I realise with a significant gut drop that I could look at her forever and never get bored.”

The other part that really annoyed me was when Natalia would believe everything Claire says… 

“Thank you for helping me understand that no matter how good the education, some people are doomed to be ignorant. You’re such a lost cause, I bet your parents change the subject when their friends ask about you.”

I really liked the idea of the ritual for kicking off senior year. Pouring your heart out into a piece of paper and letting it go. The whole message of the book was bravery, and it made me think of what I would do if I was braver.

“I don’t want to be the kind of person who has to live up to everyone else’s opinions of me. Who even are you, then, if you’re constantly giving pieces of yourself away.”

Very short and sweet, it was a lovely novel to read. It has a great potential to be made into a movie, and I hope to one day see it on the big screen, and take credit for the idea. (just kidding) 🙂

“Akira Kurosawa was the first director to use slow motion as a turning point in his movie Seven Samurai. Somehow, he figured out before anyone else that there are moments in life when time slows down just long enough for you to realise that nothing will be the same once it speeds up again.”

It gave me a Nicholas Sparks vibe from “The Last Song”. I would definitely recommend it if you are a teen/YA romance fan, and especially if you are a fan of the “friends to lovers” trope.

About The Author:

I Wish You Would by Eva Des Louriers [BOOK REVIEW]

Eva Des Lauriers is a California girl who became a diehard romantic when she married her best friend, the boy she sat next to in eleventh grade Calculus. She holds both an MSW and BA in Psychology. As a clinical social worker, she had the privilege of working with the vibrant and complicated teens for whom she now writes. When she isn’t writing, you can find her wandering through the redwoods, staring at the sea, or pretending she’s in a music video. She lives with her husband, their two children, and her collection of kissing books in Northern California.

Author Website

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