Book review: Give It Back by Danielle Esplin

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Goodreads Synopsis :

"This novel follows three characters: Lorraine, Lexy, and Ella.

Lorraine:

Not long ago, Lorraine lost her husband to another woman. She thought that was the worst thing that could happen to her, but soon she realizes it’s just the beginning of an everlasting nightmare. 

Lexy:

Lexy, an au pair from London, moves to Seattle to help Lorraine with her infant son. But she didn’t come for the child…she came for something else. 

Ella:

When Ella receives a call from her sister, Lorraine, who begs her to leave San Diego to spend time with her, she decides to take a few days off from work to visit her. Frightened to see how much Lorraine has weakened since her diagnosis eight months ago, she packs a bag and heads to Seattle with a foreboding feeling that this might be the last time she sees Lorraine. 

But on her way to the airport, she learns that something shocking has happened since she last spoke with Lorraine and now. To make matters worse, once Ella arrives in Seattle, Lorraine’s story keeps changing, making Ella question how reliable her sister really is. 

Soon Ella is entangled in a mysterious investigation, and more so, in the lives of everyone involved. She realizes not only that she won’t go home anytime soon but also that she’ll never look at others the same way she did before.

Pitch Perfect Pick Winner April 2016.May 2016 Go Indie Now! Literary Award Winner. "

Published: 7th of April, 2016

No. of pages: 302


First of all, I would like to let everyone know, I won this book on a goodreads giveaway, and this is my honest review for the book!

I don't like to compare novels. But while I was reading this book, I just couldn't stop think about The Girl on the Train. (which I read before this book) . So yes, there will spoilers including this book and The Girl on the Train. (TGotT)

I will just start of with the characters, and I will come back to the story.

-We have one character who has problem remembering to certain things
-We have a babysitter who cheats on his boyfriend (with more men), she disappears and on the top of that it turns out, she is pregnant!
- It turns out , that the same character already had a child in the past, but something happened with the baby.
- There's a divorced woman obsessed with her ex-husband

And yes, both of the books has these characters. All their story a slightly different, for example Rachel can't remember things because she's alcoholic, but Lorraine can't remember things because she has a brain cancer.

Otherwise I was quite okay with the characters, but I didn't have any favourite one. They were, okay.

So the first half of the book these things are really bothered me, and made me annoyed, but after I would say from the second half of the book I started to enjoy it.

As you can see, the story has written in 3 POV's , all includes the date and the time of day ....
The story starts of really quick, many things are happening at the same time, the middle part slows down a bit, but not in a bad way, and the book has a great ending! I really liked the end of the book. I was happy that twist was different, you could suspect who is behind all the things, but it was quite surprising for me. And I loved how the very end left you in a bit of a uncomfortable situation, as it's not a full ending, and makes you think hat "what could happen after this!?"

The writing style wasn't really my cup of tea, I'm sure others would enjoy it more.

I would recommend this book for those people who liked TGotT , the book received many great reviews

my rating:  2.75/5 ★

Book review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

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Goodreads Synopsis:

" A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows. "

Book review: The Vegetarian by Han Kang

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Goodreads Synopsis:
"Before the nightmare, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary life. But when splintering, blood-soaked images start haunting her thoughts, Yeong-hye decides to purge her mind and renounce eating meat. In a country where societal mores are strictly obeyed, Yeong-hye's decision to embrace a more “plant-like” existence is a shocking act of subversion. And as her passive rebellion manifests in ever more extreme and frightening forms, scandal, abuse, and estrangement begin to send Yeong-hye spiraling deep into the spaces of her fantasy. In a complete metamorphosis of both mind and body, her now dangerous endeavor will take Yeong-hye—impossibly, ecstatically, tragically—far from her once-known self altogether. "


Publishing: Originally published in Korean : 30th of Ocotber, 2007
Published in English 2nd of February, 2016

No. of pages (for my edition): 188


First of all, I just want to say, wow. The book is really complex, hidden with lots of messages and metaphors. I think there are many different opinions and views for this book, and also different messages will get to you.

The book it split up in 3 POV's the first POV is Yeong-Hye's husband, the second is her borther-in-law and third is her sister and all of them set in the different time.
These stories were originally published as 3 different but somehow linked stories, and just after that has been put together as 1 Novel. this couls explain some disconnection in the story, like between the first and second story.


First: We will be introduced to Yeon-Hye's and her husband by his eyes. This is the time when Yeong-Hye has the dream, and turns into Vegetarian (vegan), and this is when her surroundings starts seriously consider that she has some serious issues (not only mentally but physically ), and by the end everything  turns into chaos.

Second: This has been viewed by the brother-in-law's point, including In-hye (the sister). I felt like it was too sexual for me, but the ending was quite surprising.

Third: In-Hye's view while she's visiting Yeong-Hye  in the Psychiatric Hospital, watching back to both of their lives.


Characters:

(Spoilers!)

Yeong-Hye's husband is an absolute jerk, he only follows his own comfort, and he uses his wife whenever and however he wants. He has not feelings towards her, He really doesn't give a damn about Yeong-Hye's feeling, not even when she tries to commit suicide.

The bother-in-law has an almost unhealthy/sexual obsession towards Yeong-Hye, and the way he acts (at least for me) is not acceptable.

The dad (and the family in general). they are clearly not supporting Yeong-Hye in any sort of way. When she turns vegan, her own dad tries to push (literally) meat down in her throat. He is violent and abusive since their childhood. As soon as Yeong-Hye gets into the hospital, they just leave her, like she doesn't exist.

In-Hye (the sister) the only one who actually tries to help, and the third story we can a part of a really deep, emotional story.


My opinion:

First, I really liked the writing style, it was slightly different form Human Acts, but I absolutely understand why. (However the Sister's story line was very similar)
As you may know, and as I mentioned the story has 3 POV with different timelines, which I am absolutely okay with, my slightest problem was , that the first has been told in first person , and second and the third part told the story in third person.

I really didn't know how to start with review, that's why , as you can see, I wrote so many sections here. It was hard to start.
The book is very layered. So many things happening, and you have so many different emotions. Yeong-Hye is described as an ordinary girl up until she turns vegan. Turning vegan wasn't the only problem here, it was mainly the change of her behaviour. And to be honest, she was not ordinary before either, she was a bit different than other people, and not because of a mental health issue. This issue comes with all the negative effect she had in her life. A husband who uses her, a dad/family who doesn't show his love towards her and the nightmare she had. All of these were a big effect on her life, and she was just running away from this world, from these people, to find peace. Peace like the nature, trees, flowers.

The book includes mental health issues , eating disorder, abusive behaviour both mentally and physically so if you are sensitive for these topics I would not recommend it, also the book includes sexual content, so I wouldn't not recommend for younger  readers.

I might rewrite this review for  1000 times. I will definitely reread it too and probably write a new review. It is a very interesting book, however, I think I still prefer Human Acts.

4/5 ★  for now .... I might change it too

(oh, and just let you, there's a movie adaptation of this book)

Book review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

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Goodreads Synopsis:

"In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the  OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape. "

First Published: 16th of November, 2011


No. of pages of this copy: 374


I have to admit, I read this book because of the hype, but also my friend recommended to me and that was the main reason, so I was like "yeeeah, why not, let's give it a try, and I'm really glad I did.

Let's start with the world building: It is absolutely amazing! I loved all the details, how exact the description was, I felt I'm actually part of the OASIS universe. Every planet with sectors was written with careful details. However this is also one of weakest part of the book. Sometimes you feel like, there are way too many descriptions, and you just want to carry on with the story.

And if I already mentioned the story, lets talk about it. It is great and simple, it just felt like a superhero hero story but with just a normal ordinary kid. I mean, just imagine. You are a normal, slightly overweight kid in a real world, who turns into this super famous gunter in a virtual world, and you save the day by defeating the bad guys. Super hero story ...
I loved the first part of the book, the first half of the secind part slowed down a bit, but third was good again. The last battle was epic, a real boss fight , and my favourite references were all the Japanese geeky stuff, but some of the computer games gave me some nostalgia feeling too. However I have to admit again, sometimes it was too much of the references. I felt like, the the writer really wanted to make this appealing for everyone, with all the music, series, movies, video games and even animes and mangas. ( Plus I don't know how could they memorize almost every single detail of the 80's. )

Oh, And I liked the romance aspect of the book. I know some people disagree with this part, but I found it cute and realistic. Especially in these days, it's so easy to fall in love with someone online (which can be also very dangerous) , and also making friends. But to be honest, I just remembered the good old days when I was chating with my boyfriend in msn messenger :3 (oh well....)

Of course there were some part where I could a few questions, but I just let it go. I will not mention, and I will not ask. Just enjoy it!

Book rating:  4.5/5 ★ 

Book review: Misery by Stephen King

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