Manga Classics: Sense and Sensibility by Stacy King | Book Review #161

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
Please Send Help by Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin

Are there spoilers?

Nope.

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Disclaimer:

This book was sent to me by the publishing company (St. Martins Press) through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Sense and Sensibility ( Manga Classics)

English Script and Story Adaptation by Stacy King

Original Author: Jane Austen

Artist: Po Tse

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Pages: 308

Published: 2016

Publisher: Udon Entertainment

Genre: Classics, Manga

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Date Read: March 17 > March 18, 2019

Rating: ★★★★☆

Impulsive Marianne Dashwood and cautious Elinor are as different as two sisters could be, yet both are shattered by their father's sudden Death. Elinor's attachment to the reserved Edward Ferrars is torn asunder by family opposition and his own dark secret, while Marianne's brilliant romance with the dashing John Willoughby comes to a tumultuous end in a devastating public betrayal. Can the two sisters overcome these trials to find true, lasting happiness?

Jane Austen's beloved first novel, filled with romance, redemption and social critique, is brought to life for a modern audience in this gorgeous manga-style adaptation!

The Rating:

My Review:

I actually read Sense and Sensibility after I read Jane Eyre so it was something I was excited about.

Not only was the art good but the way the characters were portrayed made me relate and understand everything that was going on so much more than if I were to read it in text only. I think that this way I got to see all the things that I wouldn't have been able to picture otherwise.

Marianne and Elinor were such good characters. They were the complete opposite of each other when it came to love and they both went in different routes but their goal was always true and strong and healthy love. Which is admirable and made me relate to both of them.

Though let's be honest I would have pushed Willoughby aside (hand on face pushing) and went to Colonel Brandon's arms. Cause that man was dashing.

And in the end, I was left with the feeling of wanting to drop everything and watching the movie and whatever other adaptations exist.



Image found in google

Like the 1995 adaptation with Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson. Which I've ever seen.

But I have seen From Prada to Nada and loved it so I will be adding that as the next movie I see as well.

Although I did watch Material Girls a long time ago. Mostly because I was a fan of anything Hilary Duff did. But it wasn't as good as I thought it was gonna be so not watching that again. Or maybe I will?

The question now is.
Do you think there should be a new modern adaptation to Sense and Sensibility like From Prada to Nada and something better than Material Girls? Or do you want another period drama?

Goodreads

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Please Send Help by Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin | Book Review #159

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
Please Send Help by Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin

Are there spoilers?

Nope.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclaimer:

This book was sent to me by the publishing company (St. Martins Press) through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Please Send Help

Author: Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin

Series: I Hate Everyone But You #2

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Pages: 320

Published: July 2019

Publisher:  Wednesday Books 

Genre: Young Adult, New Adult

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Date Read: March 31, 2019

Rating: ★★★☆☆

In this hilarious follow-up novel to the New York Times bestseller I Hate Everyone But You, long distance best friends Ava and Gen have finally made it to the same time zone (although they’re still over a thousand miles apart).

Through their hilarious, sometimes emotional, but always relatable conversations, Ava and Gen are each other’s support systems through internships, relationship troubles, questionable roommates, undercover reporting, and whether or not it’s a good idea to take in a feral cat. Please Send Help perfectly captures the voice of young adults looking to find their place in the world and how no matter how desperate things seem, you always have your best friend to tell it like it is and pick you back up. 

The Rating:

My Review:

Please Send Help is the Sequel to I Hate Everybody But You which I read a while back. And although its the sequel it didn't have the same themes throughout it. And I'm not mad at it. But I'm also not thrilled.

It was good to see that the friendship between Ava and Gen was still going. Despite them now being in two different (and far away states) they still kept texting and emailing each other. Which is also the format of the book.

And through those texts and emails, you could see how they dealt with a lot of things and still managed to stay in constant communication and care about one another. Despite how needy and childish they were to each other at times.
They also contradicted each other in the way they treated each other.

One of the things that bothered me with this story is that nothing really seemed to happen. The hurdles they were thrown in got patched up quick and it didn't seem to leave an effect on the two. Some of the things they did should have had bigger consequences than they got. And it left me not understanding their choices and issues.

I'm not saying that I didn't like the characters and the way they interacted with each other or how the two "worlds" Ava and Gen were living in were created and utilized. What I'm saying is that it seemed to have a lot of little climaxes that had equally little resolutions that didn't really fix anything because some of the situations they were in didn't make that much sense.
And like I wrote above they were not the sort of problems that left the characters changed. Yeah, they seemed to grow as new adults now that they had graduated from college (since in the first book they were freshmen in college [which was a huge leap between the two books]) and were starting their jobs,  but nothing else. They were in the same situations as the first book just a little bit different.

Still, I'm glad I got to read this book. Because I got to see how strong Ava and Gen's friendship is and to see how they are still figuring things out as they go. And didn't magically know how the world work. It was enjoyable although frustrating at times.

Goodreads

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The Bookish Island
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Devilish Lord, Mysterious Miss by Annie Burrows | Book Review #149

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
Devilish Lord, Mysterious Miss by Annie Burrows

Are there spoilers?

Yes, there are some spoilers.

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Disclaimer:

This book was sent to me by the publishing company (Harlequin) in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Devilish Lord, Mysterious Miss

Author: Annie Burrows

Illustrated by: Naoko Moto
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Pages: 160

Published: 2018

Publisher:  Harlequin / SB Creative

Genre: Romance, Manga

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Date Read: March 3, 2018

Rating: ★★★★☆

Mary has been working as a seamstress ever since she came to London six years ago. The dresses that she embroiders have become very popular in socialite circles, but she doesn’t receive any compensation for her work because her employer rescued her after she lost her memory and had nowhere to go. One day, Mary is pursued by a man in black on her way home. Several days later, that same mysterious aristocrat confronts Mary demanding to know why she ran away from their engagement!

The Rating:

My Review:

Devilish Lord, Mysterious Miss managed to be one thing in the beginning and a whole different thing in the end and I liked it a lot. The was a great mystery weaved in and out of the story and the plot was great too.

I loved the historical setting. It wasn't too obvious what time the story takes place in history which works for me since I don't know a lot about that era in the past. So the historical aspects of this story were great. Even the illustrations made everything look good. From the architecture to the costume design. And every character looked and acted different which is always good.

This is also about a grieving young lord who has been pining over the loss of his love. And keeps seeing her ghost. And a young seamstress who has amnesia who the young lord mistakes as his lost love.
I loved how he treated her. With such respect and adoration and in turn she loved him fierce. Truly a great romance.

Everything about this manga is great. I have nothing bad to say about it.

When I found out that Harlequin made manga I was shocked. So I requested some through NetGalley not expecting to get approved since my percentage is low. But I did get approved. And after I read it I was so into it that I wanted to read more of it. It's such a cool concept.
I have read manga before. My favorites being Josei and Shoujo manga (super faves are School Life ones) but its a Harlequin book adapted into a manga and for some reason that is cooler. Now I'm curious to know if the original story is exactly the same. I'm not going to read it but I'm just curious.

Goodreads

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A High Stakes Seduction by Jennifer Lewis | Book Review #148

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
A High Stakes Seduction by Jennifer Lewis

Are there spoilers?

Yes, there are some spoilers.

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Disclaimer:

This book was sent to me by the publishing company (Harlequin) in exchange for an honest review.

Title: A High Stakes Seduction

Author: Jennifer Lewis

Illustrated by: Motoyo Fujiwara

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Pages: 128

Published: 2019

Publisher:  Harlequin / SB Creative

Genre: Manga, Romance

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Date Read: March 1, 2019

Rating: ★★★★☆

I know I’d lose everything if I fell in love with you.
Meet Constance, a scrupulous and by-the-book accountant. When she's assigned to investigate a casino's finances, she visits the casino with the bad reputation. If there are any illegal activities afoot, she’s confident she’ll uncover them. Then, she meets John Fairweather, the CEO of the casino. Flashing an irresistible smile, he compliments her and plants his lips on hers! Is this the game he’ll play to undermine her work? Bewildered by John’s uninhibited behavior, Constance can’t entirely suppress her desire for him…though she’s acutely aware that she’d lose everything if she ever got involved with him.

The Rating:

My Review:

I am going to mention again that this is a book I received through NetGalley by the publisher. 

I was scrolling through the page when I saw that they had manga available. And then I saw that some of the titles were Harlequin books adapted into the manga format. I nearly lost my mind because I didn't know they did that and found it so cool. 

Then I requested two and was happy to get approved. One of them was this book. A High Stakes Seduction. A book about a businesswoman who is not looking for love or any kind of relationship, she just wants to do her job and do it right. It just so happens that her new assignment at a casino leads her to meet the very handsome playboy owner of said casino. And although this is a romance so obviously their relationship will go through changes.

I felt dumb when the main character's serious personality and passion for her work went out the window when the owner f the casino made a move. It bothered me because she could have kept her seriousness and get affected by the guy. It's possible. But not for Constance.

Although Im not gonna lie their interations were cute and I was rooting for them to end up tgether. Also, I dont know if its just me but was I the only one who suspected the uncle right away. Or have I been reading too many mysteries.

In the end, I felt that it was a quick and easy read, that had good characters and an intriguing ending. I'm just gonna say that they tied things up at the end like they do in telenovelas.

Goodreads

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The Bookish Island
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The Serial Dater's Shopping List by Morgen Bailey | Book Review #132

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
The Serial Dater's Shopping List by Morgen Bailey

Are there spoilers?
There are some.

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Disclaimer: This book was sent to me from the publishing company through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Serial Dater's Shopping List

Author: Morgen Bailey

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Pages: 334

Publisher: Bloodhound Books

Published: 2018

Genre: Women's Fiction, Romance

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Date Read: July 24 > July 25, 2018

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

31 dates in 31 days – what could possibly go wrong?

Isobel MacFarlane is a recently-turned-40 journalist who usually writes a technology column for a newspaper based in Northampton, England, but her somewhat-intimidating boss, William, has set her the task of meeting 31 men, via a local internet dating site, all within a month.

Having an active, though fruitless, social life with her friend and ‘Health & Beauty’ colleague Donna, she knows what she wants in a man, so creates a shopping list of dos and don’ts, and starts ticking them off as she meets Mr Could Be Right Except For, Mr Not Bad, Mr Oh My Goodness and Mr Oh So Very Wrong.

Follow the ups (there are a few) and downs (there are many) of the dating process and intertwined with her experiences, get to know her colleague and family, including her niece Lola who, apart from being an amazing storyteller, can eat ambidextrously whilst wearing a Princess glove puppet on her right hand, and Baby, William’s non-too-healthy African Grey parrot.

The Rating:

My Review:

The Serial Dater's Shopping List is about Isobel who is tasked to write articles about her experience going out with 31 guys on 31 dates.

It read more like an article the entire way than a fictional novel in the romance genre. Though I guess the romance aspect is Izzy going on those random dates with the guys.

I didn't understand what was happening most of the time as I was reading this. I kept trying to find someone Izzy would have matched up with by the end. I thought something was going to happen to her and her boss. And something sort of happened but I didn't get it. Because it happened in the last 100 pages.

Izzy's life in this was super simple. She would work and gossip with her co-worker/friends. Then she would go home and spend just enough time either watching a movie, a series or read a book before she gets dressed and goes out. During the night she goes and meets up with the guys she had chosen and they talk and stuff. Usually, it doesn't go smoothly and I think that's when the interesting bit was supposed to happen but I just found them meh. Not boring but not entirely entertaining. Then again it was probably just me and the time I was reading this book.

Goodreads    

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The Bookish Island
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Kens by Raziel Reid | Book Review #123

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
Kens by Raziel Reid

Are there spoilers?

Yes, there are spoilers.

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Disclaimer: This book was sent to me from the publishing company through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review. 

Title: Kens

Author: Raziel Reid

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Pages: 272

Publisher: Penguin Teen

Publication: September 2018

Genre: Young Adult

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Date Read: July 8 > July 14, 2018

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Heterosexuality is so last season: Kens is the gay Heathers meets Mean Girls, a shocking parody for a whole new generation.

Every high school has the archetypical Queen B and her minions. In Kens, the high school hierarchy has been reimagined. Willows High is led by Ken Hilton, and he makes Regina George from Mean Girls look like a saint. Ken Hilton rules Willows High with his carbon-copies, Ken Roberts and Ken Carson, standing next to his throne. It can be hard to tell the Kens apart. There are minor differences in each edition, but all Kens are created from the same mold, straight out of Satan's doll factory. Soul sold separately.

Tommy Rawlins can't help but compare himself to these shimmering images of perfection that glide through the halls. He's desperate to fit in, but in a school where the Kens are queens who are treated like Queens, Tommy is the uncool gay kid. A once-in-a-lifetime chance at becoming a Ken changes everything for Tommy, just as his eye is caught by the tall, dark, handsome new boy, Blaine. Has Blaine arrived in time to save him from the Kens? Tommy has high hopes for their future together, but when their shared desire to overthrow Ken Hilton takes a shocking turn, Tommy must decide how willing he is to reinvent himself -- inside and out. Is this new version of Tommy everything he's always wanted to be, or has he become an unknowing and submissive puppet in a sadistic plan?

The Rating:

My Review:

Kens was something else. I don't know how I read till the last page. Whether it was to torture myself or because I felt bad and felt I had to read the whole book. I seriously don't know but I did.

Here is how I tortured myself by reading this book:

At around page 6 or 8, I knew I wasn't going to like this book.

And at around page 50 I wanted to DNF this book and forget about it.

At around page 120 something I really really wanted to DNF this and never think about it again.

Page 170 something. This is one of the most UGH!!!. I hate this book!

Page 189. At this point, I'm only going to finish this as punishment for not properly reading the synopsis or available reviews for this book. Cause after I read half I went back and read the reviews and they weren't good either.

Page 214. I got so much worse. Who thought this was a good book to publish?

I finished it and not surprisingly I expected what happened.

*takes off imaginary glasses, stands up from a comfy sofa and walks over to the window.*
*a book is seen flying from the window through the skies all the way to the Atlantic ocean where it drops and sinks all the way down*
*a dark ominous fish opens its jaws and eats the book, only to spit it out and keep going* 

Kens is a parody of Heathers and Mean Girls but with gay teens. So its supposed to have an edgy comedic style to it. And its also supposed to parody a bunch of bad things. But no matter how much I kept reading I never found myself laughing or even chuckling. To me, it was just not funny. At all. I actually found this super troubling and offensive in all kinds of ways.

The characters were literally plastic and had zero personality except dumb and vicious. I couldn't see myself rooting for these characters. I didn't even understand who was the good guys or the bad guys. Or if there were any.

I also feel like I should make a list of all of the bad things that this book has. Because if you don't like any of the things I will mention then you probably won't like this book because it has a lot of these things going on. So here is my warning (cause it needs one) for anyone who is thinking of giving it a chance.

This book parodies the following things:
Fat Shaming
Rape Culture
Suicide
Copycat suicide
Underage use of Drugs and Alcohol
Bringing Guns to School (it was fake but still)
School Shootings
Black Lives Matter
Satanism
Plastic Surgery
Peer Pressure
Murder
Catfishing
Slut Shaming
Cyberbullying
Real Life Bullying
...And other stuff too.

Most importantly, it's also not a good representation of LGBT+


And on top of it all. The e-arc copy I had been given by Netgalley had a huge watermark across the entire page which confused me when I was reading it. It just ended up mixing the words as I read them and I already have dyslexia so that just made it worse.

I want to say that I am at fault because like I wrote above I should have read the synopsis and thought it through before asking for it. I should have also read the available reviews and thought it through before making the decision. But I just saw the cover and asked for it. Big mistake.

I also want to add that maybe this was all from my experience reading this book and that others may think differently. But I found the humor to be insulting and too much. And that the plot was all over the place with the author trying to take on too many themes at once.

Goodreads  

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Broken Dolls by Sarah Flint | Book Review #117

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
Broken Dolls by Sarah Flint

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Disclaimer: This book was sent to me from the publishing company through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review. 

Title: Broken Dolls 

Author: Sarah Flint

Series: DC Charlotte Stafford #4

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Pages: ?

Publisher: Aria

Published: August 7, 2018

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Adult Fiction

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Date Read: June 28, 2018

Rating: ★★★

The all NEW heart-stopping, un-put-downable serial killer thriller from the bestselling author of Mummy's Favourite. Perfect for the fans of Angela Marsons.

A baby lies abandoned amongst the rubbish; her tiny face as white as alabaster, her body as stiff as a miniature doll. A young prostitute lies beaten, her figure lying like a mannequin on the frozen concrete, her blood spilt, her life ebbing away. 

As DC 'Charlie' Stafford and her boss DI Hunter struggle to identify the victim from the violator their hunt brings them to the crack houses of Lambeth, littered with damaged people, their lives scarred by tragedy and violence, most broken beyond repair. As further lives hang in the balance Charlie must empower the weak to speak out against those who seek to cause harm. 

But can a broken doll ever truly be mended; or will the wounds of the past, fashion the events of the future?

The Rating:

My Review:

While I haven't read the other books in this series I can honestly say that this book was something else. It started strong which is always a good sign for what's ahead. And the ending really made me question what I thought was happening in the story. I thought I understood what was happening but when I read the ending I had to rethink everything. 

So Broken Dolls is an exciting thriller with good twists and turns. That left me in deep thought about what just happened at the end of the book. 

Goodreads 

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The Bookish Island
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She Be Damned by M. J. Tjia | Book Review #111

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
She Be Damned by M. J. Tjia

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Disclaimer:This book was sent to me from the publishing company through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review. 

Title: She Be Damned

Author: M. J. Tjia

Series: Heloise Chansey Mysteries #1

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Pages: 288

Publisher: Legend Times Group

Published: 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction

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Date Read: June 28, 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

London, 1863: prostitutes in the Waterloo area are turning up dead, their sexual organs mutilated and removed. When another girl goes missing, fears grow that the killer may have claimed their latest victim.
The police are at a loss and so it falls to courtesan and professional detective, Heloise Chancey, to investigate.
With the assistance of her trusty Chinese maid, Amah Li Leen, Heloise inches closer to the truth. But when Amah is implicated in the brutal plot, Heloise must reconsider who she can trust, before the killer strikes again.
Tjia brings us a pacey and exciting murder mystery set in Victorian London. This historical crime thriller sees a young female detective work with the police to evade a violent killer.

The Rating:

My Review:

I managed to read this book in one day. And I can say it really took me for a ride.

This book contains a series of very dark and adult themes. Like mutilation and the such (I'm not going to say more since I don't want to spoil it) and racism and sexism. Mostly because it was set in 1863's London.

It opened up with a strong prologue. Immediately telling you what to expect for the rest of the book. 

The murders that occurred in this book reminded me of Jack the Ripper.

I have to admit that the mystery was fantastic, gruesome, but good. I didn't know who the suspect was at all.

Heloise is such an interesting character in my opinion. I don't think I've read any other character like her.
She doesn't take no shit from no one. And isn't afraid to use her skills to her advantage.

I was reminded of Phryne from Miss Fisher's Murder Mystery with this book. Not that I have read the books so I don't know if they are similar to the show but Phryne from the show is similar to Heloise.
Not only are Heloise and Phryne similarly strong, independent women who just happen to surround themselves with people who are willing to protect and care deeply for them. They both wanted to escape the evils of their pasts and achieve the slightest slivers of happiness and peace wherever they could find it.

Goodreads    |    Book Depository

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The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg | Book Review

Book Review:
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

Spoilers?

I don't think so.

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Disclaimer:

This book was sent to me from NetGalley.com and the publishing company in exchange for an honest review. 

Title - The Story of Arthur Truluv
By - Elizabeth Berg
Publication - July 25th 2017 by Random House

Genre - Fiction

A beautiful, life-affirming novel about a remarkably loving man who creates for himself and others second chances at happiness.

A moving novel about three people who find their way back from loss and loneliness to a different kind of happiness. Arthur, a widow, meets Maddy, a troubled teenage girl who is avoiding school by hiding out at the cemetery, where Arthur goes every day for lunch to have imaginary conversations with his late wife, and think about the lives of others. The two strike up a friendship that draws them out of isolation. Maddy gives Arthur the name Truluv, for his loving and positive responses to every outrageous thing she says or does. With Arthur’s nosy neighbor Lucille, they create a loving and unconventional family, proving that life’s most precious moments are sweeter when shared.

The Rating :

My Review:

My review in a gif. Which equals 4 stars.

via GIPHY

The Cover:

Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.

I think the cover of this book is very pretty but there's nothing about it that I love. It's simple and it depicts the main character. Which is interesting.


The Story:
An older man makes a friend with a lost teenage girl in a cemetery where he talks to the gravestones and spends the day next to his wife's grave.



Overall:

I got this book trough NetGalley. I think I picked it because the summary sounded like it was going to be a nice book to read. Especially since I was having trouble with the books I was reading at the time. I enjoyed reading this book. I adored Truluv and Sunshine and Lucille. 

Arthur is such a kind-hearted man. He cares about the people around him so much. From a lonely high school girl who just found out she was pregnant to his neighbor who recently lost the love of her life, despite only being with him for a few days. He even let them into his home. Letting Maddy live with in exchange for cleaning and cooking and Lucille who felt that her house no longer made her happy.

And even if his wife had passed long ago he still managed to make the time every day to go and visit her grave and talk to her. Those scenes were so bittersweet.

I appreciated the writing style Elizabeth had in this book as well as her lovely well-rounded characters. For me, this book was such a fast read that even I was surprised with how fast I finished it. 

What I said on GoodReads:

This is the prettiest book I have read so far. It's the story of an old man and an 18-year-old and how their friendship gives them a new look on life.

Pre-Order the book on:
Barnes&Noble  

Or get it here using my affiliate link. Please:
Book Depository

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