Review: Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I decided to read this book after watching the Netflix adaptation. The start of the novel was just as charming and it was wonderful to see Anne transition from a young orphan without meaningful relationships to a graduate of Queen’s college with supportive friends and family around her to support her.

My only criticism of this book is that I wish there was more to it. A lot of time was spent on Anne’s journey to Green Gables and her initial time in Avonlea, but as the book progressed, there was less and less time spent on each part of Anne’s life and it’s something that I would have really loved to read more about, especially her time at Queen’s. I’m just glad she’s still fairly young at the end of this novel so there’s still a lot of her story to be told in the other books.

[Goodreads parallel]

Review: You by Caroline Kepnes

This book had a terrifying air to it. Joe’s obsession was clearly highlighted by his lack of description of much other than Beck and this is where the choice of first person was key. The lack of time spent on Benji’s death really struck me and made me realise properly how messed up Joe was.

I must admit that I watched the Netflix adaptation first and there was a time when the book was a let down in comparison to this. The series seemed to take it’s time from when Joe enters therapy till Beck’s death but in the book it seemed rushed. I feel like the book could have had another fifty or a hundred pages and I would have loved to have an extended version of that time.

(Goodreads parallel) 

Review: Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

The realness of this book was what struck me most about it. I could so easily see Elio as a real seventeen-year-old boy with all of the emotion and lust and confusion that comes with that. It also meant that when he did things that I didn’t particularly like, or agree with, I wasn’t as upset or as disappointed as I would have been if he had been portrayed as a falsely understanding or knowledgeable character.

Another point of realness is that this book is not a fantasy love story. A lot of such stories have obstacles that keep the characters apart, which this book does have, but then they shift to the characters being together forever and dealing with all the problems that face their relationship together. This book doesn’t have that element; Elio and Oliver are together for two weeks and they end and it’s heart-breaking, but it’s also real. You don’t end up with everyone that you fall in love with and you’re denied time together with such people, but that’s life. An important message that this novel puts across is that someone can be very definitive in your life and play a huge role in shaping your future, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll be a part of your future.

This book is Elio looking back at the time that he and Oliver were together, and the novel reads really well as that. In our memories, some things stick out more than most and usually I would be annoyed with a lack of certain descriptions, which could have easily added another hundred or so pages to this book, but in this case, I wasn’t because that’s not what this book is.

This book managed to make me happy, sad, disgusted, angry and most other emotions in between. Still, a week after I finished it, I find myself continuing to go back and reading the final few paragraphs again; that’s the impact it has.

(Goodreads parallel)

Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Having already seen the film adaptation of this book before reading it, I did know what the general gist of the book would be before reading it. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of detail and the level of insight into Louisa's personal journey that taking care of Will took her on. I have to admit though, this book failed to make me cry.

(Goodreads parallel)

Review: Every Day by David Levithan

This was certainly one of the most interesting contemporary style books I've read. I enjoyed the switching of perspectives with each new day and finding out how A would deal with it. It was also good at highlighting the stigmas against certain body types. The main disappointment this book had was its hinting about the reason for A switching bodies, but never going into that much detail. With the lack of insight provided I would have preferred for it not to have been covered at all because it left what I would think of as a good stand-alone novel too open ended.

(Goodreads parallel)

Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

This book was, overall, disappointing. There was very little exploration to anything beyond the selection process, such as into the rebels, the writing was far too much telling and not showing and, above all, America was annoying. This book was definitely easy to read, but I quickly lost interest in the love triangle and though I do want to find out what happens, I won't be rushing out to buy the third book.

(Goodreads parallel)

Review: Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

An action-packed, fast-paced tale filled with characters you can quickly come to love. Sanderson shows off his incredible world-building skills, plus adds in twists and turns where you would least expect them, this novel sets the bar on how dystopian-fantasy should be done.

(Goodreads parallel)