Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

Began Reading: 19.2.2015
Completed Reading: 24.2.2015
Overall Rating: 4 stars

Cath and her twin sister, Wren, have enrolled at university and are eager to begin their studies. Cath and Wren are total opposites: Wren’s interests revolve around boys and parties, while Cath prefers to spend her time at home, writing fan fiction. Cath considers herself abandoned when Wren reveals that she does not want to be roommates with Cath and wants to spend time with her new best friend. Cath and Wren must learn to overcome difficulties together, including family issues, assessments and boys, despite their differences. Cath has to understand how to live apart from her closest friend, and deal with her emotional past, whilst avoiding being hurt another time.

There were so many reasons for me to love Fangirl. Firstly, Cath is very relatable! Like her, I prefer to be at home, on my computer, instead of going out. My favourite quote from Cath is:

It’s just that… I don’t like new places. New situations. There’ll be all those people, and I won’t know where to sit — I don’t want to go (p. 39).

Yep, that’s my excuse for wanting to stay home. Cath is also passive and introverted, which is definitely me. Other readers have stated that Cath’s passiveness is irritating, but I think that it adds to her overall personality.

Another reason why I love this book is the humour. Humour plays a recurring role throughout the novel. I love that Levi is like ‘the other half’ of Cath. For me, Wren and Levi make the story more interesting because they are Cath’s opposites, personality-wise. My favourite quote from Levi:

*talking about Wren, and Wren’s boyfriend* "Maybe we should go on lots of double dates," Cath said, "and then we can get married on the same day in a double ceremony, in matching dresses, and the four of us will light the unity candle all at the same time."

"Pfft," Levi said, "I'm picking out my own dress" (p. 409).

(My humour is terrible, I know!)

Speaking of Levi, Rainbow Rowell has made the protagonist fall for a guy who doesn’t meet the expectations of many readers. Usually, the protagonist falls for the most attractive guy/girl on campus (or whatever). In Fangirl, Cath doesn’t replicate the romantic expectations that appear in other books, which is very refreshing.

At first, I didn't enjoy the excerpts from Cath’s fan fiction and Simon Snow books. I felt that they were ‘out of place’. As the story went on, I began to understand the relationship between Cath’s story and Simon Snow’s. It reminded me so much of Harry Potter!

Finally, the descriptions of characters and places are very detailed, which makes me very happy, haha! As I've mentioned before, the amount of detail (or lack thereof) a character or place has been described impacts on how much I enjoy the book. I want to be able to see the characters or situation as clearly as the author does. Rainbow Rowell has done a very impressive job with describing her characters. For example: “His eyes were set so deep, it made everything he said more intense” (p. 65). I really liked the way Cath described Levi’s eyes: “His eyes were warm and baby blue. They made you feel like he liked you better than other people” (p. 233).

Sometimes, I lost the motivation to continue reading. I think it was because something would happen in the story that I didn’t want to happen. For example, the arguments between Cath and Wren. Also, one argument between Cath and Levi seemed a bit unnecessary. I don’t want to spoil the book, so I won’t explain further.

I would have loved to know what happened with the characters. For example, does Cath reunite with her mum? What happens to Nick? What does Levi’s family think of Cath? I think that there could have been a page or two at the end, explaining a bit about what had happened to certain characters in the two months or so of the Fall semester.

My favourite character in this book would definitely have to be Cath! She’s so damn relatable! As I mentioned before, Cath is very introverted and prefers to stay at home, writing fan fiction. I wish my dad could be more like Cath’s. He’s so open and carefree, which makes everyone love him. He would have to be my second favourite character in the book. This book is very good with plot twists! I won’t give it away, but let me just say, Nick’s a jerk!

Recommendation time! I recommend Fangirl to anyone who likes The Fault In Our Stars, as it is a coming-of-age novel. Also, if you like books by Nicholas Sparks or Jodi Picoult, this book is for you.

Happy reading!

Buy the book: http://www.bookdepository.com/Fangirl-Rainbow-Rowell/9781447263227

Trust Me, I'm Lying - Mary Elizabeth Summer

Began Reading: 14.2.2015
Completed Reading 18.2.2015
Overall Rating: 3 stars 

Julep Dupree is a second generation grifter, or con artist, studying at St. Agatha’s. The private school costs the students of prestigious families a large amount of money; money in which Julep cannot afford. Julep uses her grifter skills to earn her tuition by charging her clients for her business, as well as calling in favours. When Julep returns from school one day, she finds her apartment ransacked and her father missing. With a gun and a note, Julep seeks the help of her friends to find clues that her father has left for her. Her grifter abilities come into use when she attempts to find her father, and uncover a dark secret about her father’s kidnapper.

Trust Me, I’m Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer is a novel with traces of mystery, action and a hint of romance. Personally, I was excited about reading this book. I love the intensity of the blurb:

I reach in and grab the envelope. As I rip it open, I have this strange sense of doom. I ignore the feeling, but when I pull out the contents, I’m even more unnerved. In one hand, I hold a note: Beware the field of miracles. In the other, I hold a gun.

I’m in love with the theme of espionage, action and drama. I enjoyed reading this book; however, there were some problems with parts of the book that bugged me. Julep had mentioned numerous times that her dad was the best grifter, and he taught her the art of being a grifter. Since Julep is a second generation grifter, I had expected her to be better at the job. However, she had trusted Tyler Richland and some other individuals too soon. Tyler Richland had not seemed to notice Julep before he began spending time with her and this confuses me. Throughout the story, Julep questions herself as to why she includes Tyler in her secret tasks. Therefore, repetition was also an issue for me.

The descriptions of characters were not in detail, which made it difficult for me to stay focused on the novel. For example, Tyler’s appearance was not described until almost halfway through the book. I tend to enjoy books a lot more if descriptions of people and places were in more detail.

Romance is not a focal point in the book, which I was disappointed with. I adore stories about spies which have been mixed with a bit of romance. I suppose that the small amount of romance in this novel creates a sense of emotion towards the end, which worked for me.

I really liked that there was no time lapse between chapters. Most books don’t continue the story immediately at the beginning of a chapter. Usually, there is a certain amount of time that passes before the narrative continues. This usually irritates me, as I don’t have any idea about how much time has passed, or what has happened between each chapter.

The novel was very creative, which kept the plot interesting enough for me to continue reading. There were various plot twists, secrets, lies and betrayals that made the story a whole lot more entertaining. It created mixed feelings, which is what I take pleasure in.

Finally, I really enjoyed the writing itself. There were many quotes that had summarised the emotion in a particular scenario. For example, “Anger is almost always based on fear, and fear is the easiest emotion to manipulate” (p. 267). I had taken a rather motivational quote from the book, which I hope to use in everyday life: “You can’t do anything about what’s already happened. Adapt” (p. 257). It may already be a widely used quote, but I had never heard of it before now. I love it a lot!

Dani was definitely my favourite character! I thought that Julep would be my favourite character, as I usually like the protagonist. I found that Dani was the type of woman I would love to become. She is fiercely protective and loyal, as well as a total badass, haha! In the beginning of the book, she did not seem to be respectable or decent as other characters. Because of this, I think she may be overlooked by other characters, such as Julep’s best friend, Sam. When I came across the GIF below, it somehow reminded me of Dani. Total badass!

Now, it’s time for recommendations! Unfortunately, I haven’t read many books that contain espionage, but I have seen other readers recommend Ally Carter’s Heist Society series. I think I’ll need to read this series, haha. I recommend this book to anyone who likes action and deception with a hint of romance. If you liked Ocean’s Eleven, James Bond or Deceptive Innocence, you will love this book!

Overall, I give Trust Me, I'm Lying a rating of 3 stars. While the book was entertaining in some areas, the majority of the book was a bit of a disappointment. However, I'll be looking out for book #2 Trust Me, I'm Trouble, and hopefully, I'll be able to review that one too! 

Happy reading!

Buy the book: http://www.bookdepository.com/Trust-Me-Im-Lying-Mary-Elizabeth-Summer/9780385744133