Often, I only review books I absolutely love. This time, I’m sharing books that I didn’t enjoy much for one reason or the other.
One of them is a psychological thriller. And the other is difficult to categorize because it has fantasy elements, but mostly it is contemporary YA fiction. If I must pick a genre for it, it would be general fiction. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy my reviews of both of these books.
Don’t forget to share your opinions and books you like/dislike in the comments.
3 of 5 Stars Read
This is my first Colleen Hoover novel and let’s just say my expectations were too high. The novel couldn’t meet them, which is kind of sad but it happens. Not a bad story, though. I listened to the audiobook and it’s well-narrated.
Many people have told me to read Colleen Hoover. Some of them even gifted me her books hoping I’d read them. And many of her books have been on my TBR for a long, long time now. Yet, for some reason, I was always reluctant to read her works. From all I have heard about her books, I thought they are too emotional and angsty for my taste. But no, that wasn’t the case. I didn’t mind the angst or the emotions. The story itself isn’t anything special and it was very, very predictable. That’s definitely not a good thing in a psychological thriller. The thrill is in making your reader second guessing everything. To make things worse, there was one thing about the ending that I found absolutely unbelievable even in the setting of this book, which has made it very difficult for me to give it more than 3 stars.
That doesn’t however mean that the book is all bad. It is not. It’s an average story with some interesting points and some boring parts. And some completely insane ones. I actually loved the female lead. She is entirely unlikeable and that automatically means I like her. The book is well-written, too. I also enjoyed the romantic side of the story. Certain things creeped me out, so those were done well. But in the bigger picture sort of way, the story is crap.
It is about an unknown author who is given a chance to co-write a book with a famous author. At first, reluctant she takes the job because the money is really good. Verity is well-known and her books sell like hotcakes. She has been sick and hasn’t written anything in a while. Now, her publisher wants to bring in someone new to write her book using her plans. Working on Verity’s book means that Lowen will get much-needed publicity. She will have to spend a few days at Verity’s house to go throw her notes and plan the book, though.
When Lowen arrives at the Crawford house, she has no idea how messy things are going to get. Aside from the fact that she finds Verity’s husband irresistible, she also finds a manuscript that will shake her to the core. What horrible story is hidden within the walls of this house and will Lowen leave her in one piece, with her heart intact?
That intrigues you, doesn’t it? I also picked the book because of this, but be cautious. It is no masterpiece. That is all I’m going to say. I don’t think I will read Colleen Hoover’s books again. If this is her usual type of story, it’s definitely not for me.
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
3.5 Stars Review
This book is a little hard for me to review because I loved it, but there is one detail that has sort of ruined it for me. Up until the very end, I thought it to be an excellent YA fantasy. I was loving the characters, the story was good and the setting was perfect. And then, the author forgot to explain what made the main character invisible in the first place. My question is, why? If there is a sequel, I would love it. But the way the story ended I don’t think that’s the case. I mean, even if the author has explained it as some psychological thing, I would have bought it. But not saying anything at all bothers me a lot. Or did I miss something?
Anyway, keeping that one annoying detail aside, the rest of the story is pretty good. Alice Sun is the only scholarship student at a prestigious international school in China. She always felt invisible, but it’s okay because her focus is on her education. The only thing she finds hard is sharing the first position with another student every semester. Then, her parents throw a bomb at her by telling her they can no longer afford to send her to this school and after her next semester, she will have to switch schools.
This is something that shakes her world. She has no idea what she will do next. Until, by some strange fate, she turns invisible. It’s not a permanent thing. She becomes invisible every now and then. That’s how she comes up with a brilliant plan of spying on others and making some money for her next fee installment. What happens next is a classic teenage drama that will make you laugh at times and cringe at others. Soon, Alice Sun will find herself crossing the lines of morality. What will happen when the truth comes out?
Overall, it’s a fun, angsty teenage story. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone who isn’t afraid of reading genre-benders.
Between The Pages Of A Book 