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nadineeeeeee's reviews
79 reviews
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
4.5
this was good! the plot twists didn’t throw me off as much as others for some reason, but i had fun reading it and lovedd the small details that was laced in and out throughout this book. like the amount of details!!!!! also the ending was so sweet, i was really scared holly going to make us suffer again help 😭 (17/4/24)
The Djinn's Apple by Djamila Morani
like woah!!!!
and from then on, all i found was a sentence, a paragraph, a passage, to annotate, because it truly BLEW my mind. it was a short book, but so concise and beautifully put that you just can’t help but be immersed in it.
our main character, Nardeen, was hard headed and strong-willed. i love seeing her grow and how she navigated her new circumstances after the tragedy, both under the influence of her new teacher, Muallim Ishaq, and through her own way. though we didn’t really get into much details of it, for it is again a really short book, we still got enough glimpses of it to know how she developed, with grief and anger still rooted deep inside her.
i loved how we got to know more about Baghdad in the past too. i loved how they put a glossary and also a reader’s guide at the end to put more context in the historical figure and place that were mentioned in the story.
i’m going to be honest, if there’s one thing i least expected to be in this book was that there would be a romance story. BUT THERE IS. and i actually loved it. i lost all of my annotations because i stupidly deleted the netgalley app before thinking twice, but there is a simple fleeting moment there that still sticks in my mind. simply written, but said a ton.
like. ALL THIS. “the magnitude of the crime that we committed against Suhaib” and it’s literally just him losing his smile 😔😔😔😔
well i actually did lose my mind, thank you very much.
my only complaint about this book, the only reason why it didn’t touch 5 stars for me (though i’m very tempted), it’s just that it’s waayyyy too short.
it wasn’t much of a problem at the beginning nor the middle part, but the ending just ended up feeling so rushed. like it was suddenly just finished. a bit anticlimactic. i just wish we didn’t toppled all at once into the ending but instead went through the revelation slowly and with more tension in the air.
i loved this book though, that’s why i didn’t want to end it so fast and so suddenly!
all things aside, this is a story about family and grief and loss. and, as a consequence of that, it’s also a story about avenge and revenge. and the way the author described nardeen’s feelings around it, and overtime as it stayed and disappeared, was just sublime.
to me, the part in which this book lacked a bit (tension), was made up for the delivery of the lyrical writing and the easy flow of the story.
if you want something short, and yet also something that would also leave a mark, something that’s beautifully written and filled with sentences after sentences to take with you, then i would DEFINITELY recommend this book! in fact, i could not recommend it enough!! GO READ IT ‼️
4.75 stars! (★ ★ ★ ★.75)
15.04.24
4.75
thank you to netgalley and publisher for the arc!
to be honest, i went into this totally blind and with no expectations AT ALL. i barely knew what this was about, besides the summary that was provided in the netgalley website. i had never heard of the author, Djamila Morani, nor the translator, Sawad Hussain, at all, so i didn’t really know what to expect in terms of the writing either.
but. i was so so SO pleasantly surprised. it was incredibly well written, i was hooked right from the beginning. i saw this one passage on politics at the start, and i just knew this was going to be good.
to be honest, i went into this totally blind and with no expectations AT ALL. i barely knew what this was about, besides the summary that was provided in the netgalley website. i had never heard of the author, Djamila Morani, nor the translator, Sawad Hussain, at all, so i didn’t really know what to expect in terms of the writing either.
but. i was so so SO pleasantly surprised. it was incredibly well written, i was hooked right from the beginning. i saw this one passage on politics at the start, and i just knew this was going to be good.
‘Politics has beautiful side that charms men who fall into her clutches and worship her, giving her everything they have. But she's also a woman with secrets too holy to divulge, desires too ugly to speak aloud, promises like sandcastles crumbling under the waves of her fury. If she showed them her true face with all its adornment, their souls would be the sacrifice.’
like woah!!!!
and from then on, all i found was a sentence, a paragraph, a passage, to annotate, because it truly BLEW my mind. it was a short book, but so concise and beautifully put that you just can’t help but be immersed in it.
our main character, Nardeen, was hard headed and strong-willed. i love seeing her grow and how she navigated her new circumstances after the tragedy, both under the influence of her new teacher, Muallim Ishaq, and through her own way. though we didn’t really get into much details of it, for it is again a really short book, we still got enough glimpses of it to know how she developed, with grief and anger still rooted deep inside her.
i loved how we got to know more about Baghdad in the past too. i loved how they put a glossary and also a reader’s guide at the end to put more context in the historical figure and place that were mentioned in the story.
i’m going to be honest, if there’s one thing i least expected to be in this book was that there would be a romance story. BUT THERE IS. and i actually loved it. i lost all of my annotations because i stupidly deleted the netgalley app before thinking twice, but there is a simple fleeting moment there that still sticks in my mind. simply written, but said a ton.
‘i studied the corner of his mouth turning downwards. it hit me, the magnitude of the crime that we committed against Suhaib— me and Al-Aesafi— I bowed my head in sorrow and walked silently’
like. ALL THIS. “the magnitude of the crime that we committed against Suhaib” and it’s literally just him losing his smile 😔😔😔😔
well i actually did lose my mind, thank you very much.
my only complaint about this book, the only reason why it didn’t touch 5 stars for me (though i’m very tempted), it’s just that it’s waayyyy too short.
it wasn’t much of a problem at the beginning nor the middle part, but the ending just ended up feeling so rushed. like it was suddenly just finished. a bit anticlimactic. i just wish we didn’t toppled all at once into the ending but instead went through the revelation slowly and with more tension in the air.
i loved this book though, that’s why i didn’t want to end it so fast and so suddenly!
all things aside, this is a story about family and grief and loss. and, as a consequence of that, it’s also a story about avenge and revenge. and the way the author described nardeen’s feelings around it, and overtime as it stayed and disappeared, was just sublime.
to me, the part in which this book lacked a bit (tension), was made up for the delivery of the lyrical writing and the easy flow of the story.
if you want something short, and yet also something that would also leave a mark, something that’s beautifully written and filled with sentences after sentences to take with you, then i would DEFINITELY recommend this book! in fact, i could not recommend it enough!! GO READ IT ‼️
4.75 stars! (★ ★ ★ ★.75)
15.04.24
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
4.75
minus 0.15 points for the love triangle. seriously i would’ve loved this book so much more if there hadn’t been any.
especially because the mystery part, the ending, the backstory between toby and hannah was enough to cover it all IM BEING SO SERIOUS. i do end up loving jameson and avery though (we had a love hate relationship at the beginning but then i caved because okayy they’re kinda cute) so at least i didn’t suffer as much <3
really wish i had brought the third book to the trip, i just didn’t think i would actually finish this and liked it so much i wanted to start the next one right away 😔😔😔
also. now im contemplating whether i should get the brothers hawthorne book like…. hmmm. at first i wasn’t interested because i didn’t really like the first book but hmmmmmm. maybe i should.
(i just searched it up and OH???? it was released on my birthday??????????? would’ve been amazing if i had been a fan of this series last year ngl)
14.04.24
really wish i had brought the third book to the trip, i just didn’t think i would actually finish this and liked it so much i wanted to start the next one right away 😔😔😔
also. now im contemplating whether i should get the brothers hawthorne book like…. hmmm. at first i wasn’t interested because i didn’t really like the first book but hmmmmmm. maybe i should.
(i just searched it up and OH???? it was released on my birthday??????????? would’ve been amazing if i had been a fan of this series last year ngl)
14.04.24
Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens
4.0
thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc! rtc!
3.4.24 -> changing it from 4 to 4.25 stars because I just realized how much i actually love this book while writing the review 😁
3.4.24 -> changing it from 4 to 4.25 stars because I just realized how much i actually love this book while writing the review 😁
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
3.0
tahereh mafi i was so ready to be your biggest fan 😔
it was okay. the mid part was soooooo eugh, but the ending ended up being tons of fun. kenji was fun too. aaron though…. wouldnt touch him with a long pole. for now.
pls tell me this gets better 😭
it was okay. the mid part was soooooo eugh, but the ending ended up being tons of fun. kenji was fun too. aaron though…. wouldnt touch him with a long pole. for now.
pls tell me this gets better 😭
Circe by Madeline Miller
5.0
how did we pivot to motherhood but at the same time i’m so glad we did 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 crying sobbing throwing up blood the last 100 pages was sooo much better. i did not expect to cry but i did because 😭😭😭😭😭 letting go 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
truly i don’t get how the highlight of the this book’s summary (at least in my copy) is “the mortal odysseus, for whom circe will risk everything.” i was so ready to watch him leave.
contemplating rounding this up to five stars simply because of the last 133 pages or so hmmm (and because i cried).
20/3/24
truly i don’t get how the highlight of the this book’s summary (at least in my copy) is “the mortal odysseus, for whom circe will risk everything.” i was so ready to watch him leave.
contemplating rounding this up to five stars simply because of the last 133 pages or so hmmm (and because i cried).
20/3/24
What's Eating Jackie Oh? by Patricia Park
4.0
round up to 4 stars! (just wished we’ll get more of the endinggg)
rtc!
rtc!
a special thank you to netgalley and publisher for the arc! rtc
------------------------
this book just truly reminds me why i love the ya contemporary genre so much. it’s vibrant, yet honest. simple premise, but backed with so many voices and a rich cultural background to tell its audience. it’s funny and can be a little cringe at times, but not afraid to talk about the serious social injustices most (western) media ignores.
jackie oh’s character was great. her passion for food was infectious, and her creativity goes beyond. i’ve never dwelled much on the culinary world besides watching masterchef kids when i was younger, and seeing that world through her lenses has me awed. the description of each dishes, how her mind worked its way to invent one, and also how one has to prepare and reuse the things in the kitchen.
i really enjoyed getting to know her in this book and how she navigated, especially as a korean american teenager just surviving, through everything there was. the competition was great and entertaining, but i mostly treasured the dynamics that were shared and grew throughout.
i loved how her relationship with her grandparents (halmoni and haraboji) was highlighted and i loved how her and her umma’s was developed. and of course, even though they got less screen time on the book, i love how we could still clearly see the bond between her and her brother (oppa), and how her dad actually was even in a fraction of moment. the generational trauma also. brrrr. this book just absolutely nailed itt.
i love the friendship, both the main one with KT and the others she made along the way in her competition. oh! and i especially loved how we got to see more of each competitors, past the masks they put on tv. it was so so great every time.
this book was a love letter to many things, just as lots of jackie’s dishes were, but it was still so brutally honest with what society has given and i applaud it for that.
it talks a lot about covid and how affected the asian-american community especially was and still is for it. from the economic standpoint and of course social, on top of the already ongoing racism existed in the country. this book was also a story about the struggles of that, how the remnants and reminders were still following her steps even after everything was receding. it raises awareness and presents another view of this world's ugly society that most of us probably wouldn't have known, let alone understood, because we weren't given the shoes to try to fit our feet in. because the general media never told us and was constantly whitewashed. this book was a stand against it and it was just so so good.
and also the fact that the author, patricia park, also includes an article she wrote on asian-american hate crimes at the end of the book? chef’s kiss.
to be honest, my only complaints for this book were the “romance” and the ending. the romance, if you could even call it that, felt unnecessary and flat. i think it was fine without it, but i guess good for her!!!! and as for the ending. it was just too short! i need more 😭 i need to know 😭
(okay woah this is very long. i do not expect it to be this long it’s literally 2 am but okay!!!!)
but anyways. to conclude, i’d say if you enjoy ya contemporary in general, i’d definitely recommend you to read it! you would not be disappointed and at the very least, you would be entertained. TRUST. there are definitely more things about this book i haven’t talked about, but well guess you’ll have to find out yourself 😁😁😁<3
4 stars (★ ★ ★ ★ )! 21.3.24
------------------------
this book just truly reminds me why i love the ya contemporary genre so much. it’s vibrant, yet honest. simple premise, but backed with so many voices and a rich cultural background to tell its audience. it’s funny and can be a little cringe at times, but not afraid to talk about the serious social injustices most (western) media ignores.
jackie oh’s character was great. her passion for food was infectious, and her creativity goes beyond. i’ve never dwelled much on the culinary world besides watching masterchef kids when i was younger, and seeing that world through her lenses has me awed. the description of each dishes, how her mind worked its way to invent one, and also how one has to prepare and reuse the things in the kitchen.
i really enjoyed getting to know her in this book and how she navigated, especially as a korean american teenager just surviving, through everything there was. the competition was great and entertaining, but i mostly treasured the dynamics that were shared and grew throughout.
i loved how her relationship with her grandparents (halmoni and haraboji) was highlighted and i loved how her and her umma’s was developed. and of course, even though they got less screen time on the book, i love how we could still clearly see the bond between her and her brother (oppa), and how her dad actually was even in a fraction of moment. the generational trauma also. brrrr. this book just absolutely nailed itt.
i love the friendship, both the main one with KT and the others she made along the way in her competition. oh! and i especially loved how we got to see more of each competitors, past the masks they put on tv. it was so so great every time.
this book was a love letter to many things, just as lots of jackie’s dishes were, but it was still so brutally honest with what society has given and i applaud it for that.
it talks a lot about covid and how affected the asian-american community especially was and still is for it. from the economic standpoint and of course social, on top of the already ongoing racism existed in the country. this book was also a story about the struggles of that, how the remnants and reminders were still following her steps even after everything was receding. it raises awareness and presents another view of this world's ugly society that most of us probably wouldn't have known, let alone understood, because we weren't given the shoes to try to fit our feet in. because the general media never told us and was constantly whitewashed. this book was a stand against it and it was just so so good.
and also the fact that the author, patricia park, also includes an article she wrote on asian-american hate crimes at the end of the book? chef’s kiss.
to be honest, my only complaints for this book were the “romance” and the ending. the romance, if you could even call it that, felt unnecessary and flat. i think it was fine without it, but i guess good for her!!!! and as for the ending. it was just too short! i need more 😭 i need to know 😭
(okay woah this is very long. i do not expect it to be this long it’s literally 2 am but okay!!!!)
but anyways. to conclude, i’d say if you enjoy ya contemporary in general, i’d definitely recommend you to read it! you would not be disappointed and at the very least, you would be entertained. TRUST. there are definitely more things about this book i haven’t talked about, but well guess you’ll have to find out yourself 😁😁😁<3
4 stars (★ ★ ★ ★ )! 21.3.24
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
3.0
it was SO GOOD, but the passive detachment my soul have with the characters and their dynamic as a whole by the end of the book is more than anything over three stars can bear so.
i'd admit, i've grown some sort of fondness for francis (especially francis not going to lie), camilla, and henry (am i being hypocritical by admitting this), but for the rest. goodbye richard and edmund and charles, safe to say you won't haunt my dreams <3 (3/3/24)
i'd admit, i've grown some sort of fondness for francis (especially francis not going to lie), camilla, and henry (am i being hypocritical by admitting this), but for the rest. goodbye richard and edmund and charles, safe to say you won't haunt my dreams <3 (3/3/24)