Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman – Review

Title: Funny You Should Ask

Author: Elissa Sussman

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Then. Twentysomething writer Chani Horowitz is stuck. While her former MFA classmates are nabbing book deals, she’s in the trenches writing puff pieces. Then she’s hired to write a profile of movie star Gabe Parker. The Gabe Parker–her forever celebrity crush, the object of her fantasies, the background photo on her phone–who’s also just been cast as the new James Bond. It’s terrifying and thrilling all at once… yet if she can keep her cool and nail the piece, it could be a huge win. Gabe will get good press, and her career will skyrocket. But what comes next proves to be life-changing in ways Chani never saw coming, as the interview turns into a whirlwind weekend that has the tabloids buzzing.
Now. Ten years later, after a brutal divorce and a heavy dose of therapy, Chani is back in Los Angeles, laser-focused on one thing: her work. But she’s still spent the better part of the last decade getting asked about her deeply personal Gabe Parker profile at every turn. No matter what new essay collection or viral editorial she’s promoting, it always comes back to Gabe. So when his PR team requests that they reunite for a second interview, she wants to say no. She wants to pretend that she’s forgotten about the time they spent together, years ago. But the truth is that those seventy-two hours are still crystal clear, etched in her memory. And so… he says yes.
Chani knows that facing Gabe again also means facing feelings she’s tried so hard to push away. Alternating between their first meeting and their reunion a decade later, this deliciously irresistible novel will have you hanging on until the last word.

Rating: 3/5 stars

This review is completely spoiler-free!

It was about time I finally read this book. It was starting to collect so much dust on my bookshelf that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get to it, but, luckily, here we are with the review! I have to admit that I was intrigued by the plot because many people suggested it if you loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. If you know me, you are already aware that Evelyn Hugo is one of my all-time favourite books and I get why it is compared to it, the vibes are similar, but, in the end, it didn’t live up to my expectations. Let’s see why.

The plot was really interesting and the premises seemed very good. The timeline is divided in two: the past and the present. Throughout the book we keep switching between them and we get to see how Chani felt during her first interview with famous actor Gabe Parker and how, nowadays, things have changed for both of them during a second interview.
My main problem with these timelines was that I was more interested in the parts that took place in the past than in the present days. I felt like there was not so much chemistry between Chani and Gabe nowadays. Chani was grumpy all the time and I didn’t really tolerate her. And Gabe was so submissive, there is almost no reaction on his side if not in the final part of the novel. On the other hand, I really loved seeing the various interactions among Chani, Gabe and Olly, Gabe’s best friend, when they took place in the past. I was captivated all the time by every single thing they were doing.
Another thing that I liked about this book was how every chapter ended with an article or a review that gave the reader a wider perspective of what was happening, like how a certain action was perceived by the world or other magazines. In my opinion, it gave a more insightful vision of what actors have to go through all the time. This was something that I appreciated in Evelyn Hugo as well.
Going back to the present timeline, I still think that it was more boring and there were few things that caught my attention. Not to mention the ending. I won’t spoil anything, but I’ll just say that I didn’t like it: too rushed, too inconclusive and also a bit anticlimactic.
Anyway, I still think that this book is a good and entertaining reading, so if you do want something that can match the Evelyn Hugo vibes, I think this could be a nice choice.

So, these were my opinions about Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman, hope you enjoyed reading about them! If you would like to let me know your own thoughts or you would like to talk about what I said in this review, leave a comment down below! Thanks for reading.

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson – Review

Title: The Final Empire (Mistborn 1)

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Synopsis (from Goodreads): For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the “Sliver of Infinity,” reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler’s most hellish prison. Kelsier “snapped” and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.
Kelsier recruited the underworld’s elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Then Kelsier reveals his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.
But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel’s plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she’s a half-Skaa orphan, but she’s lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets. She will have to learn trust if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.
Brandon Sanderson, fantasy’s newest master tale-spinner and author of the acclaimed debut Elantris, dares to turn a genre on its head by asking a simple question: What if the prophesied hero failed to defeat the Dark Lord? The answer will be found in the Mistborn Trilogy, a saga of surprises that begins with the book in your hands. Fantasy will never be the same again.  out

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This review is completely spoiler-free!

So, here we are with a new review of one of the books of my Reading Challenge! This was (finally) the time to read the first book in the well-known and beloved series of Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. And now I know what the fuss is all about. Let’s talk about it better.
First of all, as usual, the writing style. I have to admit that it was very good. It was always fluent and my eyes kept reading without any problem. Sometimes I felt it to be a bit slow, but it gave the right pace to the reading experience and to what was happening in that moment.
What I really enjoyed about the writing style of this author is that everything has its place. I knew that Sanderson is a master in creating stories, but I didn’t expect them to be crafted with such attention to the detail. Everything happens for a reason and is explained why it happened or why it didn’t happen. Every single thing is explained and all the pieces work together because they can. There is nothing left to chance or without a reason. And that’s what I really admired all the time. I felt like I was embraced all the time, and safe, because I knew I could trust the author and be led all the way through the plot.
Now, the plot is something that really kept me glued to the pages. Every now and then there is a new discovery that makes you even more curious about what will happen next and I was so happy with that. Even in some slow parts I never felt bored and for me this is one of the greatest qualities a book should have.
Talking about the cast of characters, I must say that I have created a special place in my heart for all of them. My favourite two were Vin and Kelsier, the true engines of this novel. I really loved reading about their points of view, the relationship that grew between them and how both of them learned from the other. It was such a breath of fresh air and now I’m so eager to read more about Vin and what will await her in the next installments!
You might wonder why I gave this book a 4.5 star rating instead of a full 5 stars. The only reason is that I expect so much from the future two installments of this trilogy that I want to reserve the highest rating for one of them. Consider me sold, I’m obsessed with Vin’s story.

So, these were my opinions about The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, hope you enjoyed reading about them! If you would like to let me know your own thoughts or you would like to talk about what I said in this review, leave a comment down below! Thanks for reading.

Books I’d Like to Read in 2024

Hey Readers! How are your TBRs going? I’m doing pretty good so far and I’m so glad about that. I’m currently reading Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson and I’m so enjoying it. This novel is part of my 2024 Reading Challenge and I was wondering what other book(s) I should read this month as soon as I finish reading it. So, I started taking a look at my bookshelves and I saw a couple of books that I’d like to get to by the end of this year. For this reason, I thought it would be a great idea to choose 3 novels to read and here they are.

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

I’ve tried to put it in my TBR like 20 times but I never had a real chance to get to it for real, so I think it’s finally time to read it. I heard many great things about this story and I’m very curious to see what the fuss is all about. Many suggest to read this book if you have loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid and since it is one of my all-time favourite books, I won’t miss the chance! And, in fact, I think it could be the perfect candidate for the final weeks of April.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

This is another book I heard so many great things about (from one of our admins too) and I’ve always been curious about this story. I already read something by this author but it was an OK read, so I think it’s finally time to give her a second chance. I have a dream for this novel: to actually read it only while I’m at the beach, so I guess it will keep me company during the hot summer days when I’m at the seaside.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

How can I leave this novel behind? As you may already know from my review (that you can find at this LINK) I read Fourth Wing a couple of months ago and now I’m very curious and excited to know better how the story will unravel in this new installment. The stakes are high and even though I know that there are mixed feelings about this story, I’m still so ready to see what the future holds for Violet and Xaden. Not to mention that the author announced that next January the third novel is coming out, so what better occasion to read Iron Flame than this year. I’d like to read it this summer, because it is the best time for me to read big books.

So, here are three novels I’d like to read in 2024, I hope you enjoyed! Have you already planned or decided which books you would like to read this year? Let me know in a comment down below! Thanks fo reading.

A Bunch of Bookish Reviews #10

Hey Readers! Since I read a couple of novels in the past few days, I thought it would be a great idea to give you some personal opinions about them! Here you will find the reviews of The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul and Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson. Hope you’ll enjoy reading about them!

Title: The House of Hidden Meanings

Author: RuPaul

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Central to RuPaul’s success has been his chameleonic adaptability. From drag icon to powerhouse producer of one of the world’s largest television franchises, RuPaul’s ever-shifting nature has always been part of his brand as both supermodel and supermogul.
Yet that adaptability has made him enigmatic to the public. In this memoir, his most intimate and detailed book yet, RuPaul makes himself truly known.
Stripping away all artifice, RuPaul recounts the story of his life with breathtaking clarity and tenderness, bringing his signature wisdom and wit to his own biography. From his early years growing up as a queer Black kid in San Diego navigating complex relationships with his absent father and temperamental mother, to forging an identity in the punk and drag scenes of Atlanta and New York, to finding enduring love with his husband Georges LeBar and self-acceptance in sobriety, RuPaul excavates his own biography, uncovering new truths and insights in his personal history.
Here in RuPaul’s singular and extraordinary story is a manual for living—a personal philosophy that testifies to the value of chosen family, the importance of harnessing what makes you different, and the transformational power of facing yourself fearlessly.
If we’re all born naked and the rest is drag, then this is RuPaul totally out of drag. This is RuPaul stripped bare.

Rating: 4/5 stars

As I already said in my previous article, I was very curious to read this memoir! Since I found the audiobook version of it and it’s told by RuPaul himself, how could I miss the chance?
It was really interesting to get to know more about the Queen of Drag’s past and all that happened to him from the very beginning. I didn’t know anything about his early years and his family and I have been fascinated (and concerned too) all the time. The story is full of ups and downs and I was really sorry seeing RuPaul putting a lot of effort in his dreams that sometimes lead to a disappointment, like the various music group he was in or when at some point he felt lost with no real direction. It is a heartwarming book too, because it teaches the art of re-inventing yourself every time life gives you an obstacle and RuPaul has been really great in that aspect, it’s really inspirational.
Listening to this audiobook was pure entertainment and I strongly suggest you this version, because hearing RuPaul himself reading his memoir and getting emotional in certain parts, makes it even more personal, like a private monologue.
My only complaint is that I would have liked to get closer to our days, or at least to see until the beginning of the Drag Race franchise. But, apart from that, I still think it’s a great story to get into and will definitely give you much food for thought.

Title: Good Girl, Bad Blood

Author: Holly Jackson

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Pip is not a detective anymore.
With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.
But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.
The police won’t do anything about it. And if they won’t look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town’s dark secrets along the way… and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it’s too late?

Rating: 4/5 stars

So, after reading A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder last year and seeing that another admin of this page was reading the entire series, I decided that it was finally time to satisfy my mind and read the second installment of this trilogy by Holly Jackson. And I must say that I wasn’t disappointed. The story itself was interesting and well-constructed, even though I found the first half more captivating than the second part. I don’t know why, but the second part, even with the various revelations, seemed slower and with few things to discover. In my opinion, the first book was much more captivating and until the final pages it kept me glued and curious. Not to mention that in AGGGTM there were more diversified files inside the book that made the story even more realistic. Despite that, I think this book was really entertaining and I really loved seeing how Jackson already put some seeds of this story in her previous book, I was very pleased by that.
I’m both curious and afraid to start reading the third and final installment of this series, because I’ve read mixed opinions about it. In any case, I can’t really wait to see how everything will wrap up in the end.

So, these were my opinions about these two books! If you would like to let me know your own thoughts about what I said or you would like to talk about these novels, just leave a comment down below! Thanks for reading.

WWWednesday #22

Hey Readers, welcome back to the first WWWednesday of 2024! I’m so happy with how my TBR is going, I’ve read a lot of books since the beginning of January and this month I’m also trying to read multiple books (by different genres) simultaneously, just to experiment a little bit. I don’t know why, but I feel more attracted to books this year! So, without further ado, let’s start!

What are you currently reading?

As I already said, I’m currently reading three books. The first book I started reading in March is an essay called “Per una rivoluzione degli affetti” (For a Revolution of Affections) by Brigitte Vasallo. It’s an interesting book in which the author deconstructs the idea of monogamy that is deeply rooted (and taught) in our society and I’m finding it really interesting. It’s giving so much food for thought.
The second book I started listening to yesterday is the audiobook version of The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul. If you know me, you are already aware of my huge love for the Drag Race franchise and I have always admired RuPaul’s hard work in this sector. Since I found this morning the audiobook on Storytel I couldn’t miss the chance to know more about his past.
Finally, I also decided to start reading Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson. After loving the first book of this series, and since another admin of our group has recently read it, I felt the need and the curiosity to give it a chance and see what happens in this new installment. I can’t wait to see what the author has in store this time.

What did you recently finish reading?

The latest book I’ve read was our book club pick for this month, An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson. Saying that it was a letdown for me is an understatement. I think a couple of factors played a crucial role in my opinion: firstly, the previous book by this author, A Dowry of Blood, was my favourite book of 2022, so I was probably expecting something as good ad that; secondly, and connected to the previous point, I probably had high expectations before diving into this novel. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if you want to know more about our opinion, you will find a full review on this blog near the end of the month. All I can say is that, unfortunately, it didn’t turn out very well for me and that I didn’t like this story. It’s such a shame.

What do you think you’ll read next?

Okay, well, I still don’t know what I’m going to read next because, as you can see from my current readings, it’s a chaotic period for me. I don’t know if I’ll have enough space and time to fit another book by the end of the month. One thing I’m sure is that I’ll definitely go on with my reading challenge in April and I will finally start reading The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson. If by the end of March I’ll be done with my current readings, I think I’ll start reading Sanderson with a little advance. But we will see.

So, this was my WWWednesday, hope you enjoyed it! If you would like to let me know your answers to the questions, please leave them in a comment down below. Thanks for reading!

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros – Review

Title: Fourth Wing

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.
But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.
With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.
She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.
Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.
Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die

Rating: 4/5 stars

This review is spoiler free.

After hearing so many things about this novel and seeing so many tiktoks that told me how amazing this story was, I couldn’t miss the chance to read this new popular bestselling book. And I have to tell you that I even liked it and I can understand why everyone keeps talking about it. Let’s see why!

First, as usual, I’d like to talk about the writing style. It was exquisite, so fluent and never heavy or boring, I really appreciated it. It was probably my favourite thing out of this book, every time I decided to pick up this novel I couldn’t put it down, it was very well written and it captivated me every chapter. I felt really drawn to this book, I wanted to know more about what was going to happen next all the time.
Moving on to the plot, I have to say that it was well structured as well, everything was put here and there for a reason and it definitely helped me being more curious about Violet’s story and her surroundings. My main complaint is that, despite everything I said, it wasn’t the most original plot of all time. I can see where things were inspired from and other things were definitely influenced by other popular works, but still I think it was an entertaining read and I have appreciated it all the same.
Talking about the cast of characters, I really loved and rooted for them all the time. Both Violet and Xaden were very very interesting to read. They felt three-dimensional and I was so curious all the time to know more about them and their past. Not to mention the side characters, they were unique and useful to the plot as well. Another thing that I liked was how Violet and her behaviour were constructed and portrayed. I was a bit afraid that, even with her physical difficulties, she would end up being too perfect, too good, too great to easily overcome every obstacle and so on, but instead the author kept her character real and believable. She is far from perfect and she failed like any other person (or even worse than the others); if she wasn’t able to be good at her first or second try, she would keep practicing until she succeeded, and that’s what made me feel her more real. I was so fond of her story ark and how she fought hard just to be as good as the others and how she worked out every problem when she was in disadvantage. It was always a pleasure to read her POV and I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for her in the following installments.
The ending was, to my pleasure, very fast-paced but not rushed. I think the author did an amazing job with it and I was very happy with how this was well-constructed too. On the other hand, I wasn’t completely blown away by what happened. It wasn’t predictable (both because I didn’t expect it and because I’m too dumb to predict some plot twists) but it wasn’t very original either. I’m still happy and curious with what the author presented and how things will move forward, but I still think that it was not something that made me gasp.

So, these were my opinions about Fourth Wing, hope you enjoyed reading about them! If you would like to let me know your own thoughts about what I said or you would like to talk about the book, just leave a comment down below! Thanks for reading.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis – Review – Part Two

Hey Readers! Welcome back to the second and final part of my review of The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. At the beginning of February, I finally had the chance to read the last four installments of the series and I have to admit that I ended up a bit disappointed. The first four books were just amazing, whereas the final three were not my cup of tea. I’d also like to say that at times these novels felt a bit heavy. I usually don’t like to talk about books in an anachronistic way, because I think that each book should reflect every aspect of their period (including the wrong ones), but these final books were difficult to read at times. There were plenty of misogynistic, fatphobic and racist opinions that I didn’t like and for this reason my reading experience felt heavier than usual. Despite that, I didn’t want to lower the rating of these books because, as I already said, I prefer to write a review while keeping in mind the period they were written in. So, after this long disclaimer (and warning) for those that would like to read this series nowadays, it’s time to begin this review!

Prince Caspian

So, this was the first novel of this series that I hadn’t previously read and I must say that I enjoyed reading it! I’ve never been a fan of the movie transposition but now I think I’ll try to re-watch it. The writing style was good as always but I wasn’t the biggest fan of how the plot was structured. There is a huge flashback in which we get to know what happened since the last time the Pevensie siblings where in Narnia, but spreading it for three chapters was too much. I would have liked to see a more linear plot. And another thing that I didn’t enjoy was the final duel. I don’t get why Edmund had to fight it instead of Caspian. In my opinion, this decision made Caspian look like a weak prince (and then king) to my eyes and I think he deserved his chance of vengeance. Apart from that, it was still an enjoyable reading.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

From this novel, until the final book, I started liking these books less and less. My main problem with this story was its length and at times I felt bored. In every chapter there was a new island, with its problem and its solution, but after reading about five or six islands I started to get bored, it was too repetitive. I get that Caspian was on a journey to find his father’s friends, but some islands were just boring.
Another thing that I didn’t enjoy was how Lewis treated Eustace. I get that he was annoying like no other and that he has a really brief redemption arc, but in the final 20% of the book he seems to disappear, he doesn’t speak a single word. It felt like Lewis completely forgot about him.
But the only thing that made me appreciate more this book was my favourite character: Reepicheep. He has a special place in my heart and I just love him so much.

The Silver Chair

I wasn’t the biggest fan even of this book. My main problem was how dumb and annoying Jill was. She had one single task to remember and she forgot it so many times that I started to get angry at her every time she opened her mouth. I also didn’t really like the main plot, it was not the most interesting one and the characters were all a bit lame. The only character I’m going to save is Puddleglum because he was funny like no others and he reminded me of the first books of the series, where I had so much fun. Apart from that, it was an okay read, the main problem was solved too easily for my taste and I don’t get why the main title of this novel is the Silver Chair if this object appears for like five pages. But this is probably on me, I guess.

The Last Battle

This was definitely the worst book among all. I didn’t really like it if not for the final part, but I’ll get to it later. My main problem was the change of tone since the first chapter, it was too dark and creepy for my taste and completely dissonant with all the previous installments. I get that this book is the conclusion of the series, but I still didn’t appreciate the change.
As soon as I started reading this story I thought “uh yes, religious war but make it for children” and, as I said at the beginning of this article, I had some difficulties reading all the things that were shown. I only started to appreciate it when (almost) all the main characters from the previous books appeared. But unfortunately, at the end Lewis had another plan in his mind and decided to throw a plot twist that I didn’t see coming and made me hate this book. I still think that it was an interesting and “””happy””” ending, but I also think that everyone deserved better. Even better than what they got.

So, here is what I think about the final four books of the Chronicles of Narnia, hope you liked reading about them! If you would like to let me know your own thoughts or you would like to talk about my opinions, leave them in a comment down below. Thanks for reading!

A Bunch of Bookish Reviews #9

Hey Readers! Since I read a couple of interesting novels in the past weeks, I thought it would be a great idea to give you some personal opinions about them! Here you will find the reviews of Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel and Radio Silence by Alice Oseman. Hope you will enjoy reading about them!

Title: Sea of Tranquility

Author: Emily St. John Mandel

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal–an experience that shocks him to his core.
Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She’s traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive’s best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.
When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This book was so amazing and I so enjoyed reading it! It was gifted to me by a friend and I decided to give it a try some days before the end of 2023. Little I knew it would end up in my Top 10 of my favourite books of that year and here I’ll tell you why.
First thing first, the plot was structured in a very cool way. Each story started from the beginning and then it was interrupted at some point so the next one could begin. It reminded me so much of one of my all-time favourite novels: Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, that has a structure of a Russian doll (and if you haven’t read it I strongly suggest it to you). I felt really captivated while reading it and this structure gives the perfect pace to enjoy every single chapter. I also enjoyed the characters and their stories, it was interesting reading about their different points of view and how they experienced the main event that surrounds their lives.
The writing style was very fluent and it made me enjoy the book even more. Everything was explained very easily and the author made me understand all that happened. And what blew my mind was how every single piece fell into place in the end. How it was done was amazing and even if I saw it coming, I still loved it.
The only complaint I have regards a single thing that I didn’t appreciate because in my opinion it could have been developed better, but since it is part of a huge spoiler of the book, I prefer to not talk about it. Anyway, apart from that, I really suggest you this book because it deserves everything.

Title: Radio Silence

Author: Alice Oseman

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Frances Janvier spends most of her time studying. Everyone knows Aled Last as that quiet boy who gets straight As. You probably think that they are going to fall in love or something. Since he is a boy and she is a girl. They don’t. They make a podcast. In a world determined to shut them up, knock them down, and set them on a cookie cutter life path, Frances and Aled struggle to find their voices over the course of one life-changing year.
Will they have the courage to show everyone who they really are? Or will they be met with radio silence?

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Before I started reading this book I knew it was still part of the Heartstopper universe (because, duh, Aled is everywhere in the comics) but I didn’t know it would be full of references and allusions from Solitaire. And that’s probably one of the main reasons why I really enjoyed reading this book.
Another main reason why I liked it is for sure Alice Oseman’s writing style. The writing style is definitely one of my favourites, it’s never heavy or boring and every aspect of life and its dark sides is explored with such respect and delicacy that it makes my eyes tear up. Aled’s story is not an easy one and the topics that Oseman decides to deal with are important ones and I wish I had read this book sooner. Don’t get me wrong, I went to Uni, I enjoyed that period of time, but before going there I wished I had the chance to read this story because it would have made me realise many things.
Going back to Aled and Frances’ stories, I really enjoyed reading about these characters and finally understanding more about Aled’s life. I had never met Frances and it was a pleasure to get to know her and I really hope that Oseman will find a way to make her appear in the last volume of the comic.
I think this book has a lot of food for thought and definitely a lot of important messages for all the young people out there and that’s why this story has become one of my favourites by this author. If you still haven’t picked it up, please do yourself a favour and give it a try.

So these were my opinions about these two books! If you would like to let me know your own thoughts about what I said or you would like to talk about these novels, just leave a comment down below! Thanks for reading.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis – Review – Part One

Hey Readers! As you already know, I decided to do a new Reading Challenge for this year and I’m ready to talk about the first book I had the chance to read this month. I decided to read The Chronicles of Narnia and since it seems a long series, I thought that it would be a great idea to split it between January and February. So, here we are with the first part of my review.
As you may know, The Chronicles of Narnia is composed by 7 books and since I had the chance to read the first three of them a long long time ago, I decided to re-read them in January, so I could leave the new-to-me novels for next month and enjoy them better. Without further ado, I think it’s time to talk about these books, one by one.

The Magician’s Nephew

I have to put a big disclaimer here because my review of this novel will be a bit biased. This is one of my all-time favourite novels and I just love it with all my heart. The first time I read it I fell deeply in love with the story and the main concept behind the rings and how the various worlds are organized. Parallel Universe is one of my favourite theories ever and, even though here it’s just outlined very approximately, I think it worked very well with this plot. Not to mention the entire story about the origin of Narnia and the story behind the streetlamp, I’ve always been fascinated with them. They are some of my favourite anecdotes about Narnia.
The only tiny concern I have about this novel is that it has some plot holes when we read the following installment. But apart from that, I just love it with all my heart.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

I know this story like the back of my hand, and still I always enjoy it like it is the first time. Not to mention the many times I watched the movie adaptation.
This novel is just lovely and cozy, despite talking about a battle and the sacrifice of Aslan, but I cannot help myself but feel like being at home. From the moment Lucy steps into the wardrobe, until all four siblings fall outside of it, I just feel like being under a warm blanket. I so love how Lewis describes and narrates the things that happen inside the house of the beavers, everything feels so safe and homey.
My only complaint for this novel is about its length and the final battle. The story is very very short and the battle could have been described a little more. Also, I have always hated Edmund in this story, I’ve tried to understand him, but I’m unable to.

The Horse and His Boy

So, talking about this story, I have to explain you a couple of things. The first time I read it I didn’t like it at all and I probably DNFed it because I couldn’t remember a single thing about the second half of the plot. But now that I finally had the chance to re-read it with different eyes and mind, I have to admit that I quite enjoyed it. It’s not my favourite among the three, but I wouldn’t say that it was a bad story.
Even though the ending was very predictable, I still had a great time while I was reading it. This is probably the book in which I felt the Christian influence the most. At some point it was a bit too much for my taste but nothing that could ruin my reading experience.

So, these were my opinions about the first three books of The Chronicles of Narnia, hope you enjoyed reading about them. And if you don’t want to miss the second part of it, stay tuned, because it will arrive in February! Thanks for reading.

My 2024 Reading Challenge

Hey Readers! Welcome to the first article of the year, and what’s better than talking about the new challenge I decided to set myself for 2024? If you have followed our Instagram page you may have already seen which series I wanted to read this year, but here I’ll tell you more about my decisions. So, let’s go!

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The first series I’m going to read is the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. When I was younger I had the chance to read the first three books but unfortunately I never had the chance to finish it. For this reason, I decided that it was finally time to know the entire story and see how everything comes to an end. Not to mention that the first book, The Magician’s Nephew, is one of my all-time favourite books. It was my first introduction to the parallel worlds theory and I have always been in awe of this novel and I really hope I won’t be disappointed with this re-read.
So, I decided to read all 7 books between January and February, simply because they are very short and I remember the writing style was extremely fluent and simple, so I know I’ll be able to read all of them within the 29^th of Feburary. After that, I’ll take a break during the month of March and then, I will start reading another series.

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Everyone keeps talking about this trilogy and the Cosmere in general and I think it’s finally time for me to understand why everyone is so obsessed with this series and this author. I never read anything by Sanderson, but I know he is well beloved in the bookish community because of his amazing writing style and his theories behind the creation of the magic system and the fictional world in general. I’m super hyped for this trilogy and I really hope to love it because I would so like to enter the fandom and the entire Cosmere universe (even though I’m a bit afraid of the Stormlight Archive series, these novels are huge AF).
I will read this series from April to June, one book per month, since they are pretty long. I decided to read this series during these month because I know myself and during summertime I’m able to read much more than any other period of the year. After that, I’ll take another break for the month of July, and then I’ll start reading the last series of 2024.

The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir

I have heard so many great things about this crazy and mad series and I’m so curious to know what the fuss is all about. I’ve wanted to read these books since Gideon the Ninth came out some years ago and since then I’ve been obsessed with it. It seemed impossible for me to find the right moment to read them, so I thought “what better occasion than 2024, since the fourth and final book is scheduled to be released in this year?”. And with that I knew I was ready to take this journey. The main thing is that I need to read series in a short amount of time because otherwise I can’t remember what happened in the previous installments, and I just hope that Alecto the Ninth will be released this year, or at least in the first months of 2025.
I’m going to read this series between August and hopefully November, one book per month (if everything goes to plan). I can’t really wait!

So, here’s my 2024 Reading Challenge, I hope you enjoyed reading about my choices. Have you already planned what you are going to read this year? Let me know in the comments!