#Review: The Secret History of Us - Jessi Kirby

Rating:          

                                  3/5 Book Emojis

A post shared by Ａｒｊｕｎ　Ｒａｎｄｈａｗａ (@bookreviewtemple) on Sep 9, 2017 at 11:41am PDT

Format Used:

- Paperback

Publisher- HarperCollins India

Imprint - HarperTeen

Pages- 288

Review:

*Note: A physical copy of this book was sent to me by HarperCollins India  for an unbiased review. The views expressed below are solely my own. Thanks to the publisher for the copy!

"I died for a few moments and came back missing years of my life. That there are years of my life I've lived that I do not remember. Years that still feel like they're ahead of me. Days I was looking forward to. Big moments I've already had. They're gone. Like they were never mine."

The Secret History of Us is a book about a teen girl named Olivia who wakes up in a hospital after a near-fatal drowning accident with absolutely no memory of the past four years. The most important high school years. 

Liv has to piece whatever information she gets about her past self that has shaped her into the person she sees in the mirror, while understanding that there's nothing she can do to change it. Then, there is Walker. The guy who saved her but now has suspiciously distanced himself from her. The more she tries to investigate, more the image gets blurry. 

The book is a quick read with no significant quotable lines which is a major drawback. However, not once during the course of my reading did I feel the need to give up. That's only because the reader has that undying thirst to find out why things are they way they are. The characters are good and strong in their importance in the story. But, they're unfortunately not that greatly written. From the blurb, anyone would've bet that this story would be phenomenal but is let down by the time they reach the back cover.

The ending is also not that amazing, per se, but provides enough closure to the reader. Writing style is a major aspect of a good story which lacks behind with great margins in this case. 

CONCLUSION: Being a short read, this qualifies as an ideal book for someone looking for a contemporary Young-Adult for some lite-reading... But, I suggest you to not have great expectations from the blurb.

A post shared by Ａｒｊｕｎ　Ｒａｎｄｈａｗａ (@bookreviewtemple) on Sep 4, 2017 at 9:31am PDT

#Review: They Both Die at the End - Adam Silvera

Rating:

4/5 Book Emojis!

A post shared by Ａｒｊｕｎ　Ｒａｎｄｈａｗａ (@bookreviewtemple) on Aug 20, 2017 at 6:27am PDT

Format Used:

- Ebook

Publisher- HarperCollins US
Advance Reader's Edition
Pages- 384

Review:

*Note: An e-copy of this book was sent to me by HarperTeen (via Edelweiss) for an unbiased review. The views expressed below are solely my own. Thanks to the publisher for the copy!

"It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." - Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor

They Both Die at the End is the story set in a world where you are alerted by 'Death-Cast' on the day you're going to die. It, however, can't tell how you're going to meet your end. The book is narrated by two boys - Mateo and Rufus who've been alerted on September 5 at midnight that at any point within 24 hours, they're going to die.

Mateo is an eighteen year old who lives with his dad and spends most his time in his bedroom. On the other hand, there's Rufus, who is a bisexual seventeen year old living in a foster home with his friends to a tough upbringing. Their worlds collide through the Last Friend App they both seek to find someone to give them company on their final day alive.


Being a super-fan of Adam Silvera, getting to read anything he writes- from his books to even Instagram captions, is a pure pleasure. They Both... is no exception. The book is written with so much love and from such a pure place of the author's heart, that it reflects with each chapter. The special traits, likes, dislikes, back stories etc of each character is so well-thought and lovingly detailed that it is almost impossible to not get instantly attached to each of them. The plot takes place on a single day, but still Adam has managed to make it progress appropriately fast or slow wherever required. The concept of this book is absolutely brilliant and there's no way anyone who reads the blurb wouldn't feel the need to get a copy of this book.



For me, the writing style seemed pretty well, but not as poetic and perfectly worded as I expected from an Adam Silvera novel. The book started off with a perfect pace that was enough to keep me hooked for long. The character development is brilliant and commendable. I expected this story to be told alternatively by the protagonists, but to my delight, there were chapters revolving around other characters. Each and every character leaves an important mark in the story. The timing of every important event in the book is perfect and leads the story to it's poignant end.


By the end of the book, we understand the importance of each character and their respective depths in the story. As for the bigger picture, a reader understands how we're not fortunate enough to get as many perfect moments with loved ones and how unreliable time is. When I finished the book, I could feel what message the author wanted me to get - loud and clear. The ending of the book isn't as thrilling or soul-crushing as I would've wanted it to be. But still, it is powerful.

CONCLUSION: There's absolutely no way that you should miss out on reading a book about a world like this, especially when it is written by my bookish husband/ruler of the kingdom of broken hearts. :)

A post shared by Ａｒｊｕｎ　Ｒａｎｄｈａｗａ (@bookreviewtemple) on Sep 5, 2017 at 10:39am PDT

#Review: We Are Okay - Nina LaCour

Rating:                       3.5/5 Book Emojis!

 

A post shared by Arjun Randhawa (@bookreviewtemple) on Jun 3, 2017 at 3:22am PDT

Format(s) Used:

- Paperback

Publisher- Dutton Books (Penguin)
International Edition
Pages- 234

- Ebook

Publisher- Dutton Books
Pages- 240

Review:

*Note: A copy of this book was sent to me by Penguin Random House (US International) for an unbiased review. The views expressed below are solely my own. Thanks to the publisher for the copy!

"These are all the things that change a person. If we endure them and we aren't changed, then something is wrong."

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour is the story of a teenage California girl named Marin who lived with her Gramps, after her only parent - her mother- drowned when Marin was very little, until something happened that changed everything and turned her life upside down. She's forced to leave everything behind except her phone, wallet and a photo of her mother, without even letting her only best friend - Mabel - know the gory details.


Through the course of the book, the reader gets to know how badly Marin has been hit by the haunting of her tragic past that she always seemed to pretend to be absolutely normal until she's faced with the reality of her absolute loneliness. After her entire college leaves her behind for winter break, Marin tries to finds out ways to escape the slow-killing solitude. Months after ignoring the hard efforts of Mabel trying to contact her best friend, she's finally coming to visit whatever's left of Marin after the incidents. Now, she's forced to reveal everything.


The story of Marin's past runs parallel with the one of her present but not exactly - as they are not alternatively placed as chapters in the book- which is a negative point. The writing style is very good but not quite exceptional which seems like injustice to such a wonderful story. But, it doesn't change the fact that Marin's state is something that very strongly gets to the reader. Certain elements of the story are quite personal and very appealing. These are perfect enough to get you hooked.


This book gives a very important message too, that loneliness isn't all that glamorous as the media shows it to be. The way poets describe it, isn't too accurate either. Loneliness is a state of mind triggered by various other events like the ones Marin reveals in the book. This is followed by the constant tiredness, hopelessness and guilt that she is inevitably come to terms with. I'm absolutely sure that any reader who's sensitive enough to understand this, will appreciate the book just as much as I did, or hopefully even more.


CONCLUSION: We Are Okay is a very good story which could've been written a bit better but what it also is, is an important story, as a result of its realistic nature. I know that somewhere down the lane, I'll be reading it again with the exact same hole in my heart that it left the first time.

A post shared by Arjun Randhawa (@bookreviewtemple) on May 26, 2017 at 4:29am PDT