Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Last year, when Fangirl came out, it was very popular among young adult readers. The fact that the book has a four-point-something rating on goodreads and a lot of good reviews made me rush to the bookstore and buy a copy even though it meant burning a hole in my pocket.

I was really excited to start this work of Rainbow Rowell, but because I promised myself that I won't unwrap new books until I read my old ones in my tbr, it was only this year that I managed to devour myself in a book by Rowell. But it breaks my heart to tell you that I'm not sure if my first experience was good.

I had very very high expectations for Fangirl, and it's sad that they were not met. I think this book was too light and too contemporary for me, because I didn't appreciate much of it. The story was too simple and there weren't a lot of things happening: it's always Cath inside her dorm, writing fanfiction about Simon and Baz (I know it really was the main point of the plot: Cath doesn't socialize much with people and prefers most of the time to be alone with the fictional characters inside her head). Even Cath and Levi's love story was so fast. Levi just said he liked her and that's that. They're officially on. There wasn't even much conflict except for the time when Wren was rushed to the hospital and when Cath and Levi fought because she didn't want to do her Fiction Writing project. And that was just a small fight.

And the ending. Ugh. I finished reading Fangirl as an e-book, and I had to check my physical copy just to be sure it doesn't have missing pages. Rainbow probably rushed the last parts, because the ending didn't turn out that good. It was like what she wrote somewhere in the book: Cath didn't want to rush writing because she wants to the characters to get the ending they deserved--the ending that would satisfy the readers. I just think it's kinda ironic that the author herself did the opposite.

Fangirl is okay and though I didn't like it that much I would recommend it to those who read and write fanfiction. I think you'll appreciate the book more and you'll be able relate to the main character.

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is my first time to read a Colleen Hoover book. And after reading this novel, I can say that all the hype over this one is doubtlessly worth it. The plot having a deaf person for a main character is unique, and I love it how all the characters in the story felt so real.

The start of the book captivated me. I loved the part when they were still in the balcony, Ridge playing his guitar and Sydney watching and listening to him. It was like watching the music video of Taylor Swift's You Belong with Me, only that this balcony part of Ridge and Sydney seems more likely to make you feel giddy (Did I use the right word? I was supposed to say nakakakilig, but it seems that there is no exact Engish translation for that.) I also like the times when they are writing music.

Also, Hoover writes like a boss; her words are as perfect and powerful as they were beautifully written that I can't stop myself from highlighting almost the whole page. They aren't those that were written just to fill up a paper; they are the kind of words that can pierce through your heart and leave a mark there.

The book was great all through out, though I'll admit that my feelings toward it started to lessen as I came closer to the end. I don't know, maybe it's just because the conflict was close to being resolved, and with that I felt the excitement decreasing. But I still like the book and I love the author's writing so much-- and I'm definitely going to read her other books.





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City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Actual rating: 3.5

After I finished this book, it was then I realized that reading The Mortal Instruments is like riding a roller coaster ride. At first it goes up, higher and higher, then it suddenly goes down and makes you feel that your heart might jump out of your chest at any moment.

Sadly, City of Fallen Angels was the 'down' part of that roller coaster, except for that shocked part--there wasn't any plot twist in this book that blew me away, which is a disappointment in my part. For me, it was not that bad but I had to admit that I didn't enjoy reading it as much as I did the first three books. The previous installments of the series were a crescendo so it was no doubt that I had high expectations when I started this one. But I kinda felt disappointed.

What I didn't like:
1. The slow pacing of the book
2. The story seemed to focus more on Simon and most of the time the readers are reading from his point of view. (I like Simon a lot, but don't you think it's a bit tiring when most parts of the book are centered on just one person?)
3. Jace and Clary's scenes. Ugh. I used to love it when I read about them but it was very much different in this book. I found their romantic scenes too forced and boring that I wanted to skip the pages and read Malec's or Sizzy's moments instead.
4. Not so many things happened.

What I liked:
MAGNUS AND ALEC
SIMON AND ISABELLE
MAGNUS AND ALEC
SIMON AND ISABELLE
MAGNUS AND ALEC
SIMON AND ISABELLE
MAGNUS AND ALEC
SIMON AND ISABELLE
MAGNUS AND ALEC
SIMON AND ISABELLE

AHHHHH I SHIP THEM A LOT!! I REALLY LOVE THE SIZZY SCENE ON THE LAST PART OF THE BOOK. AND OF COURSE, MALEC. I FIND IT REALLY CUTE WHEN ALEC GETS JEALOUS OF CAMILLE OR WILL!!

PS I just wish City of Lost Souls would be better and make up for what City of Fallen Angels lacked.