saarahnina's reviews
539 reviews

Sweet

You have the sweet, shy girl who is drawn in by the big bad guy- except, she doesn't know he's bad. He's the charming, sweet-talking guy who doesn't stick around. He tells her this, just as she tells him that she'll only be sticking around for as long as her internship.

They're too different individuals, with their own separate burdens...Can they find love, and will the big bad guy recognise it when it comes along?

With this book, I had no problem with the writing- the dialogue was smart, sweet and sometimes quite humourous. A book where Robin hood meets Snow white- can they make it work? But, this book is no fairy tale- it's just two people who are lucky in love, and learn to accept it, and discover it in the most unlikely of places.

The only trouble I had was believing that a woman deprived of human touch, for so long, could find herself in bed with a man (within hours of having met him). That and there was lot of sex: if they weren't having it they were thinking about it. I'm no prude but too much of something is not usually good. It made the book repetitive.

A blessing in disguise.
Anti romance finished at 13%, the next page advertises the sequel "Pro-love", and then we get five, apparently bestselling bonus stories. This isn't terrible, I wouldn't mind it- were it not for the fact that Anti-Romance didn't actually finish. There was a cliff hanger, not a huge one and not enough to have me read the second book. But that's my opinion, I'll let you decide for yourself: Laney is a young woman with daddy issues, who doesn't believe in love. She's cynical, and spends her days writing a blog to prove that romance doesn't exist. With the guys she meets, her life's work couldn't be easier. That's until, she suffers a huge heartbreak which has her falling into the arms of her neighbour, Kade. He's hot, and charming and has her thinking that her blog might be nearing its end- this is within minutes of their first date. Talk about a whirlwind romance! Wait, I thought she didn't believe in romance? Ugh-who knows, or cares?

You see, Laney Hill is a self-absorbed idiot, she strings men around and then writes about them when the relationship ends. A Taylor Swift copy-cat? Believe me, I'd say the same were she a male character. And I have nothing against Taylor, her music is good- but Laney is not Taylor. And why would she go out of her way to prove to the world that romance is dead- if she believes it, so be it. But, she's obviously unstable- I have no idea what she believes by the end. Anyway, on with the story, she has a bunch of friends who care for her- her best friend, George, is a hell of a man. He declared his undying love for her- and informed her that he had been in love with her for over two years. She gets mad, says he's deceived her- he tells her it was because he was afraid of her and the loss of their friendship. Who wouldn't be afraid? Here is a woman, who kills relationships just so she has something to write about. Or, it seems that way.

Let's not forget to mention that Kade is still in the picture, he's the hot rock-star musician, she goes on a date with him- has fun- and, shortly after she sets off to London with George (the only guy in the book who claimed he loved her). So what does she do with them? Duh- she strings them along, without the other knowing of course (she has become quite the expert). This was rich coming from the woman who had hated on her ex for having been married-or was it for not having told her he was married? I just can't tolerate cheating. So...I will not be reading this sequel, though from the title I'm guessing she'll find love. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Does she deserve love?

In some ways, this cliff-hanger book was a blessing in disguise: I can create my own end: Laney realises the only guy who was right for her is her cheating ex, Kade moves on, and George finds himself with a woman who deserves him. The end. Needless to say, I will not be reading the bonus stories. I imagine the main characters will be awful. But here are the titles: Forever Ours; Relentless; Pieces of You; Parallel Spirits; The Way We Fall

Love in its simplest form.

Clara is a barren woman who is blessed with the responsibility of looking after, and raising a child. The child of her dead friend. If it wasn't difficult to find an eligible man, for marriage, before...It certainly is now. A barren woman of her age (26), and with another's child, is not an ideal choice for any young man. At least, not ideal in times past. So, when she sees a mail-order bride ad, she figures it may just be her best option. She is wise to be honest right from the beginning and fortunately, she is rewarded for her honesty, George is open to her situation and willing to help. But he is just a bachelor, so will he be able to survive an instant marriage and instant fatherhood? I'll leave you to read the book to find that out. I did have a slight problem though, with believing that rhe first guy she's ever been with was a good guy. How can anyone be that lucky in love?

Aside from that, this was definitely a good book, good characters (surprisingly they were all good, a story free from corruption and villains). But I really appreciated this book for how it didn't reflect on a character's past, it was all about the present moment. I've read so many long books which could actually be cut down to a few pages: the books where writers ramble, or describe in heavy detail the experience of a character making love with another character, or even just a distant, irrelevant memory. With Katie Wyatt, that is never a problem. This is a clean, short, book.

Had me smiling- Insane

A book for introverts, but anyone can relate. For Ted it's just a normal day until he encounters Carl, a walking-talking extrovert. Carl is supposedly a friend of Ted's, but Ted can't seem to get rid of him. His constant unending stream of conversations is driving him up the wall, until he takes EXTREME action. Talk about introverts having overactive imaginations! Ted is crazy funny!

The animations were simple: stick figure and a stick figure with glasses. But the scenes were much better.

Compelling and terrifying

We meet a curious man, strangely paranoid, he is at a hospital-a mental asylum- investigating patients. He looks for patterns and discrepancies, obsessively, and he has all these ideas. Everything is connected, he believes. His patients are innocently dangerous, but not crazy. He wants their stories so he can better understand what is happening-so he can understand the greater force at play. The Opponent.

He's not going crazy, he assures himself. Insanity is not contagious. But the stories are getting to him. He is only acting out of goodwill, within reason, his actions are fully justified. But, isn't that what the patients were thinking?

I had the book all figured out until he is allowed to escape. How is that possible? But aside from that, the writing was amazing. Such stories were thrilling, I longed to understand what was happening. The patients they intrigued me, just as they intrigued the main character. I, too, wanted to figure out what was happening. I would definitely read this book again.

Chilling

I'm no child so this book did not have the intended affect on me: but in spite of this, it did sort off trigger some sort of paranoia. I'm not sure if I should be amused or really, freaked. Anyway, on a lighter note, it is worth mentioning that this book was written in a poetic, rhyming couplet, form. This was a nice change and-no doubt-if I ever find the opportunity, I'll be reading this to my younger siblings.

For what it's worth, this book is good

This book is a collection of short stories, each story is powerfully enlightening. It serves as an collection of episodes from life's grandest moments, life's disasters, brief encounters and journeys. I will say that journeys is the constant theme flowing through each story: everyone is seeking something.

The stories are memories: destroying a barbecued meal, but turning it into a fantastic memory, running from home only to find there's no place better, being stranded at an airport, taking a chance with the most unlikely of people, and visiting parents who don't quite know what happiness is anymore.

This book offers you the opportunity to immerse myself into another's journey. I enjoyed the read.

Intelligent

Have you ever read a book that made you question yourself? That made you think about things a different way? For the longest time, I've wanted to have someone to have deep and meaningful conversations with. But it's incredibly difficult to find someone willing- to give me the opportunity to play and mess with their mind.

But that's what this book does. I was an insomniac for quite some time- I have, since, overcome it. But these thoughts and ramblings are unlike any I have entertained- I especially enjoyed the Individualist vs. Collectivist debate.

Crazy!

It had me chuckling until she decided to kill someone. Genius! A woman who doesn't know she's demented, and a family who believes her innocent. Ha! If only they knew...

What?

I have no way of making sense of this book. But I'll try: Milton is a sixty-something year old. He is getting older, and is slowly losing his mind. He suffers dementia and hallucinations, there are days when he no longer remembers his dead wife. Other days, when he worries about her long absence, unaware that she has passed away.

All the while, he is obsessively fascinated by a Trinket Box, but not just any box. This box holds something over him. It is the missing piece to a memory, the sort of thing you cannot place so it plays in the back of your mind-forcing and pushing you to remember. I always find myself forgetting something or the other, so this was comforting. Milton's frustrations resonated well with me.

But he is one of those people who just can't let it go, the box eventually consumes him: he wants to solve the puzzle. So, he actively seeks it out, but he may not like what he finds....An ominous end, I'm uncertain of Milton's fate-what happened to the poor guy?

This book was written very intelligently: I fell in love with Milton, the old grump and I sympathised with him during his dementia-afflicted episodes. Yet, quite surprisingly, even after the revelation if the box' origins and the tale behind it, I felt moved. I wanted to hug the guy, in spite of his crime. Am I maybe losing my mind?

This book is so moving. It just goes to show that what we think we know, and what we care to remember, only skim the surface of who we really are. That, sometimes, what we deny and the secrets we have kept hidden, are more powerful in what they tell us.