theengineerisreading's reviews
780 reviews

For my second read of the year, I decided to dive into the non-fiction genre and luckily, I have a copy of The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris which I bought last year.

The 'thing' that got my interest for this book is the romance incorporated in what is considered the most gruesome event in human history, the Nazi reign over the Europe continent.

What I felt after reading this book is how different people in the 1940s compared to today. But I am still in awe at how some of the inhumane treatment remains prevalent (and undeclared) in some parts of the world. I guess we never learn from our past mistakes, and there are people who will question our faith in humanity.

Lale and Gita's relationship was never easy. And that's not an understatement. They literally fight against all odds to make it out of the Nazi concentration camps alive and to continue their promise to each other. It was horrible to read most of the parts of this book but I braved every word as what is written in this book is what happened in Germany eighty years ago.

However, the writing was not that impressive. It felt like the author is just directly writing every action of the main characters, without flavor and without sass. I felt bored on most chapters but decided to end the book as I was curious if Lale and Gita will make it out of Auschwitz alive.

RATING: 3stars

For my sixth read of the year, I decided to pick a random book from my TBR pile and 10 Things I Can See From Here is the one I unconsciously decided to devour.

Fortunately, this book is a click. With queer character and mental health representation, this book delivered and the mood set is so easy to vibe with.

Maeve Glover is diagnosed with anxiety which means she worry almost all the time. And her worry is different from the normal people's worry. She overthinks a lot of things (which most of the time lead to morbid thoughts) supported with insanely accurate statistics. She also tends to do obituaries on her head after worrying the worst of what's to come.

10 Things I Love about this book?

Maeve.
Salix.
The twins, Corbin and Owen.
Alice Lake.
Mr. Heidelman.
Alice December.
The cute date at the the park.
The home birth at the lake.
The song dedication.
The development.

The very first chapter of the book established that I will surely love it. And though the ending did not post what happened with her Mom in Haiti and even the closure scene with her dad is not enough, I enjoyed this read overall. It's funny how sometimes you just find good reads.

RATING: 4stars

Yep, I read a novel written by a true-blooded Mexican author Erika Sanchez and now I know the essence of authenticity.

I was amazed when I read that '2020 novel' because that was the first time I came across a book that featured the journey of los migrantes. It appealed to me because I know I love dystopia as a theme and the whole book spoke to me as if it was a world set in that theme. Little did I know that there was a controversy underlying on that '2020 novel' and I was too late to make an erasure.

I love POC authors and I support #ownvoices and I'm not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is a great depiction of how it feels to be a Latina growing up in America.

The book tackles the notion of growing up in an environment with a different setup of what your parents are accustomed to and it was to break out when your in Julia's situation.

Julie, our MC, is stubborn. But she has the right to be. Her inquisitiveness and keen for exploration is truly admirable; I wish I read this when I was just a teenager.

Anyway, the entire premise was appealing but the storyline did not connect with me in a personal level. Overall, I enjoyed the book and it is highly recommended to people who wants to see the view of growing up with a different perspective.

RATING: 3.5stars

Okay, first romance read for the month of February and Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett delivered the swoon.

Who wouldn't love this book? Bestfriends to enemies to lovers??? pitched as modern Romeo and Julie for the quarrelling family. Wow! I wonder why I put off this book for a long time.

Anyways, Zorie Everhart is an astrophysics geek who has been bestfriends with Lennon Mackenzie until they suddenly ignore each other for more than a year. This was after the two decided to have an experiment and agreed to attend homecoming together but Lennon ditched the events for unknown reasons. But fate decided to turn the table and a series of events led to the two backpacking across King National Forest to attend Zorie's star party at Condor Peak. With all the starry nights and wilderness surrounding them, will the two find their way back together or this adventure will just prove that they are never fit for each other?

I love everything. I finished this in a weekend and I'm glad that my romance reads for the month kicked off with high colors. Everything about this book was at its perfect angle. The backstory, the present scene, the swoonworthy mountain moments. Ugh. I think my heart fluttered over and over while devouring this gem. The only thing I hate about this? Dan Everhart. A f*cking cheating bastard which can be put in Eric Effiong's word as YOU DETTY PIG.

RATING: 4.5stars

As much as I want to love this book because it was pitched with Crazy Rich Asian vibes, Iris Wang, as a main character, is TOO annoying.

I know that the purpose of the author in creating her is to show how a self-centered teenager acts in her everyday life but everything Iris does is just too much for me too handle. She is too selfish and never thinks of the repercussions of her action before actually doing it.

I did enjoy her stay at Beijing though. The food, the culture, and the travel were all perfectly presented I can picture the food Iris is eating all the time.

However, this did not conceal the fact that the center of this universe is an annoyance in human form. She makes these mistakes and then turns to her childish reasoning when caught.

If that is the main goal of the book, then good job. However, the storyline did not vibe with me at all.

Six years and two movies later, I finally had the time to delve into Lara Jean Song Covey's world. My ultimate goal in reading this book is to have a personal comparison on how the adaptation give justice considering the proximity of how the book scenes were translated to the big screen.

And I think the movie delivered most of the goods. The Song sisters are on-point with the book descriptions. Yep. Margot as the mature one, Lara Jean as the quiet middle child, and Kitty as the cute father look-alike. The casting was great though I prefer a real Korean teen to star in a book about a Korean-American high school romance.

However, this did not conceal the fact that one of the sub-plot that is Lara Jean crushing on Josh even when the latter is in a relationship with her sister is a bit cringy. I think honest communication really is a must in whatever type of relationship you're involved in.

But the fake dating trope? That's another hill I'm willing to die on. Sorry but I like this cliche trope especially with the slow burn romance between Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky. Though Peter K. is an asshole and has this toxic masculinity I hate a main character to have, I think Lara Jean fits with him because as she said it, Kavinsky "sees through her."

Anyway, I know that this is a bit premature because we still haven't met John Ambrose McClaren yet and maybe Kenny from camp? But I hope Lara Jean choose someone better than Kavinsky.

RATING: 3.5stars

This is the book that talks about life and the death that changes it. I love how this book feels, to simply put it, raw.

Here is my favorite line from this book:

No matter what choices we make - solo or together - our finish line remains the same. It doesn't matter how many times we look both ways. It doesn't matter if we don't go skydiving to play it safe, even though it means we'll never get to fly like my favorite superheroes do. It doesn't matter if we keep our heads low when passing a gang in a bad neighborhood. No matter how we choose to live, we both die at the end.

And the book pulls a lot of emotional strand in my heart as I go along the story of Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio. The journey these two Deckers made along the way is beyond the definition of life-changing.

I also love the concept of Death Cast. It's a double-edged blade that has its own pros and cons. For me, this death forecasting is helpful for those who wants to spend their End Day with the people we love. Think of all the goodbyes we'll say to the people we love.

Lastly, this book is the kind of book that will surely leave a mark on a reader's mind. The concept is simple yet really unique. I'm overjoyed that Mateo and Rufus lived their end day to the fullest.

RATING: 4stars

Saved this book in time for the month of romance reads and Ashley Poston's Geekerella did not disappoint.

A sweet and delightful retelling of a modern Cinderella featuring an orphaned superfan of intergalactic show Starfield, Danielle 'Elle' Wittimer and a rising actor announced to play the lead role of Star field's Federation Prince Carmindor, Darien Freeman, Geekerella is a feel-good, hit-in-the-right-spot read that will both suffice your need for a romantic adventure with a slow burn story and your want to live in a geek-dominated world.

The story was reimagined perfectly and Ashley Poston's writing style fits the modern adventure set within the story of Elle and Darien. The texting without knowing each other's true identity is a sure hit for me. Fight me but slowburn romance is a good plot to establish a love story between complete strangers. And this did not hinder the fact that the set-up was still all similar to our beloved fairy tale princess with a midnight curfew.

Also, I love the side characters and how they were developed. Sage may be a strange fellow at the start but her acumen with fashion design became Ellen's savior at that point when she needed help with her costume for the ExcelsiCon; Catherine, as wicked as she is, perfectly portrayed the stepmother role in this modern world with all her non-sense opinions and unnecessary errands; and Chloe and Calliope balanced the role as Elle's stepsisters with the former as the annoying queen bee and Cal as the shy type with the good heart. On Darien's end, his father-slash-manager Mark failed miserably in both roles while Lonny and Gail stepped up to their jobs and also acted as the soap opera leading man's parents. Also, Frank the Tank.

Lastly, reading the entirety of the storyline involving Starfield as the main setting with Elle's fascination and Darien's road to success made me believe as if the fandom and the show itself was real. I love the slogan, the ExcelsiCon, the cosplay contest, the ball, the Magic Pumpkin, the solidarity of the Stargunners, and Lilly and Robin Wittimer. In the end, the story made me realize that impossible is only impossible if you did not even try.

And always look to the stars. Aim. Ignite.

RATING: 4stars

This was a fresh read for me.

I'm glad that I'm trying to venture on the new adult genre as well and this book speaks maturity and adulthood on a high level.

Basically, the story revolved on our two main characters, Sarah and Molly, the through-thick-or-thin sisters who managed to stick together through all life obstacles even after their parents left them early due to car accident.

The story focused on their life as adults who are trying their best to make a mark on their own ways, Sarah with her passion on tiara-making and jewelries, and Molly with her adept fondness with scientific researches.

Also, what would adult life be without a ton of romantic sprinkles. So we have Niall, long-time boyfriend of Sarah, and Ewan, Molly's laboratory boss whom she have a huge crush on. Anyways, as they continue to trudge the busy roads of life, Molly and Sarah began to experience hardships that tested both their personal and romantic relationships. But in the end, the story broke the general fairy tale endings which is happy ending by stating the fact that sometimes it's better to have new beginnings than to end a story with someone.

RATING: 3.5 stars

OH MY GOD.

I stumble upon this book on one of my Facebook group discussion and its beautiful digital art cover got my eyes and the next thing I knew, I got a copy of the book in my e-reader.

The book is short, with 193 pages in total, but the chapters were all chunky.

Content Warning: for 18+ only because it has a LOT of adult stuff

Heidi Larson is a 25 year old single lady from Minnesota who was laid off from her teaching kindergarten job at Trinity Lutheran Elementary. Pressured by herself for her fear of her parents' dismay, she took a job at Eden Media, a company that produces audiobook format of renowned erotica novels. Though she was raised from a religious family, Heidi still accepted the role because she ain't a quitter. Unknown to her, this new job will lead her to new friends, better self-confidence, and courage to finally admit her feelings to her construction worker neighbor whom she's been secretly crushing on for months.

I like how spontaneous this book is. Every chapter is a hit and the lines are relatable in a sense I cannot make sense of. Heidi, though anxious most of the time, is also brave, and, like how Brent Miller described her, original. This is my first time to read something just like this and I really enjoyed it.

The character development is remarkable. It was not forced and we saw how Heidi bloomed from her shell into a straightforward woman that she is. Her first failed podcast that led to one of the many successful episodes fitted her personal growth. I just love Heidi and Brent.

Though the ending seemed to be a bit QUICK, the epilogue was NASTY AF and everything fell to its perfect angle at the end.

RATING: 4stars