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![A Harmless Little Game (Harmless #1) by [Raine, Meli]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51bBHb0t2LL.jpg)
Title: A Harmless Little Game
Author: Meli Raine
Page Count: 227
Series: Harmless
Publishing Date/Publisher: 2016, looks like self-published
Format: eBook
Review: The plot was horrible, the writing was horrible, I want the few hours it took to read this back.
Reader: Kymberly
Rating:
Title: Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Author: Becky Albertalli
Performer: Michael Crouch
Length: 6 hr, 45 min, 6 sec
Series: Creekwood, Book 1
Publishing Date/Publisher: 2015 by Harper Audio
Format: eAudiobook
Review: This love story is adorable. Simon is adorable. Everything about this book is adorable.
In all seriousness though, this is an excellent coming-of-age/teen romance. It’s angsty and endearing and you just want to reach through the pages and give Simon a big hug. It is hard for me to relate directly to his experiences coming out to his family and friends, but many of Simon’s struggles to accept himself are universal. The supporting characters in this story are, for the most part, also very likable. Simon’s friends and family are so accepting of who he is, that at first it seemed silly to me that he is so reluctant to come out to them. As the story progresses, however, I really got a better grasp of how scary this step is to a teen, regardless of whether or not they have a strong support network.
I enjoyed this story in audiobook format. I have listened to other audiobooks performed by Michael Crouch, and his voice is very well suited to books told from the perspective of a teenage boy. It’s a very generic “young man” voice, and his even cadence makes his performances very easy to listen to.
After reading this book, I was very excited to rent the movie adaptation Love, Simon. My expectations for book-turned-movie adaptations are always low, but the movie was extremely well cast, and they captured the feel of the book very well. This can be difficult to do, especially when so much of the book is introspective.
Both the book and the film were very heart-warming, and I highly recommend both to fans of this genre.
Reader: Bekah
Rating:
Title: At Any Price
Author: Brenna Aubrey
Page Count: 391
Series: Gaming the System
Publishing Date/Publisher: 2013, Silver Griffon Associates
Format: eBook
Review: I read this on the plane to Boston after my trip home for the holidays earlier this year, and let me just say that that was an awkward experience. Ever tried reading a romance novel on a plane, where people can see your screen? I don’t recommend it. But I do recommend this book/series. I continued the rest of them while holed up in my hotel room (Boston is super cold in January- who knew?) and it was the perfect break from all the research I was doing during the day. It let me relax my mind and not think about anything but the life of the two lovebirds.
I have to admit one more thing before I go onto the rest of the review: I bought the book because I read the synopsis and thought it would be hilariously bad. I was very pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t! I think that while the synopsis was accurate, it really lets the book down. I can’t be the only one that laughed at it, and not everyone enjoys reading hilariously bad books like I do and wouldn’t give it a chance.
I found it really hard to put down, and therefore read through it very quickly. One plane ride across the country was plenty of time to slip into the world of Mia Strong and Adam Drake and the auction for her virginity (I told you sounds absurd). Both characters are strong and independent and very lovable, despite their flaws. I also loved the nerdy sub-plot of video game quests and the friendships formed from online gaming.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get tied up in someone else’s problems for a little bit. The series follows Mia and Adam for a few books, then moves onto their friends. I have only read the Mia and Adam ones so far, but if I have time in the future, I would like to read the rest.
Reader: Kymberly
Rating:
Title: Cowboy Pride
Author: Lacy Williams
Page Count: 252
Series: Wild Wyoming Hearts, Book 3
Publishing Date/Publisher: July 28, 2017 by Lacy Williams Book LLC
Format: eBook
Review: This book was terrible. The only reason it was not a DNF for me was because it was selected as the Big Library Read by my library. I finished it through pure will and determination.
Although a Pride & Prejudice fan, this book did not translate well as a Western. I don’t know if this is because of the author’s writing style, or because the setting just didn’t work.
I really do not have much to say about this one, except I would never recommend it to anyone, especially not a diehard Jane Austen fan.
Reader: Bekah
Rating:
Title: The Bird and the Blade
Author: Megan Bannen
Performer: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 10 hr, 17 min, 3 sec
Series: N/A
Publishing Date/Publisher: 2018 by Harper Audio
Format: eAudiobook
Review: This book surprised me. I checked it out on my OverDrive app on a whim because it was available. I gave the brief synopsis attached to it only a cursory glance, so I knew very little diving into it. Very quickly into the reading, I knew that the story sounded vaguely familiar. As I listened a bit longer, I realized that it was an adaptation of a story I had heard before. Although I had some inkling of how it would end, I was intrigued to hear the story from the point of view of a slave girl.
What immediately drew me into the story was how cleverly the author organized it. Each part of the tale peeled back a new layer, and details that had at first seemed minor carried greater significance as more back story was revealed. By the end my heart was pounding and although I knew the outcome, I was still eager to see exactly how it played out.
My favorite part about the novel was how carefully the relationships were developed. The story is told from the point of view of Jinghua, a slave girl with a mysterious past. Jinghua is plain in appearance, but others value her for her intellect and spirit. She is beautiful on the inside, if not on the outside, and her actions throughout the story reflect that.
If I were to read this book again, I would probably read it in a different format. The performer had a tendency to exaggerate the waviness of her voice during dramatic scenes. I found this distracting, so I think I would have enjoyed the story even more if I had been reading it in a physical format.
I was so impressed with this book. It is a story of loss and love and sacrifice. It contained all the elements of a great story, and it was beautifully written. It is hard for me to believe that this was a debut novel. I look forward to whatever else the author has in store.
Reader: Bekah
Rating:
Title: One Small Thing
Author: Erin Watt
Page Count: 299
Series: N/A
Publishing Date/Publisher: June 26, 2018 by Harlequin Teen
Format: Hardcover
Review: For me, books written by Erin Watt fall under the category of guilty pleasures. I was hooked after Paper Princess and will probably read just about anything written by them, for better or for worse.
I certainly enjoyed this read, but I would not go shouting from the rooftops about it. It was better than some of their other more recent publications, and I was invested until the end, but at times it just seemed repetitive. Even so, the authors touched upon some very relevant themes.
The main character, Beth, is struggling with the loss of someone important in her life, and I think it is really admirable how the authors handle her coming to terms with that loss. The underlying message I received from the story is that everyone grieves differently and at their own pace. You should never assume you understand how someone is coping by the way their grief is outwardly manifested. This book also touches upon the damaging effects of mob mentality. People make their own assumptions about a situation and are quick to jump on the hate bandwagon driven by a few toxic people. Sadly, I think this happens all too commonly, and people are quick to mete out punishment to satisfy their own sense of self-righteousness. This prevents people from moving forward and traps them in a cycle of bitterness and pain.
Ultimately, this is a story about forgiveness, and I wish we could see more of that in real life.
Reader: Bekah
Rating:
Title: Alex, Approximately
Author: Jenn Bennett
Performer: Amy Melissa Bentley
Length: 10 hr, 4 min, 45 sec
Series: N/A
Publishing Date/Publisher: 2017 by Tantor Audio
Format: eAudiobook
Review: When I first read reviews about this book I was ecstatic. A YA novel retelling of one of my all time favorite rom coms?!! YES PLEASE. Perhaps I am at fault for building it up too much in my head, but I was rather disappointed by this adaptation. For some reason, I just really did not care for the character of Bailey, and it is hard to articulate why. Perhaps the best way I can describe it is, if I met her in real life, I do not think we would be friends. She just has one of those personalities that I find completely bland, and even as a reader, I had no desire to get to know her. The character of Porter was a bit more likable, but still a little flat. He constantly made comments to Bailey about having baggage, but when his “baggage” was revealed, it was highly anticlimactic and hardly what I would consider to be baggage at all.
Another thing to note is that I listened to this book in eAudiobook format, and I was not a fan of the performer. I personally found the voices she created for the characters to be annoying, and at times she sounded robotic, especially at the beginning of the book.
The one thing I did appreciate about this book is how the author responsibly handled the love scenes. It’s all about that consent, baby!
In summary, I didn’t love it, I didn’t like it, I didn’t hate it. If you are pining for an archenemies turned lovers plot, just save yourself some time and watch You’ve Got Mail.
Reader: Bekah
Rating:
Title: The Kiss Quotient
Author: Helen Hoang
Page Count: 336
Series: N/A
Publishing Date/Publisher: June 5, 2018 by Berkley
Format: Paperback
Review: Fifty Shades of Wow…this book was everything I hyped it up in my head to be and more. I love a good romance, and I have read many, but it is rare to come across a book that really makes my heart pitter patter. Not only that, but it has a very diverse set of lovers. The heroine, Stella, has Asperger’s Syndrome (a high functioning form of autism) and the hero, Michael, is biracial (Vietnamese/Caucasian).
I was never a particularly big fan of the Julia Roberts/Richard Gere film Pretty Woman, but this gender bent retelling was both believable and heartwarming. It’s a slow build romance, and even though the outcome seems inevitable, it is still tremendously gratifying to see it come to fruition.
What I particularly enjoy about the book is how the author develops the character of Stella. The author is herself autistic, and the authenticity of her experiences really shines through Stella’s inner dialogue. Stella is both quirky and lovable, and at times the pain and frustration she feels is so raw, you feel it to your very core. You can’t help but root for her and her budding romance with the sensitive, yet studly male escort with a heart of gold.
As a side note, I grew up near the city where the story takes place, so it was very interesting as a reader to experience familiar places in a new and fun way.
Reader: Bekah
Rating:
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