Tag: contemporary

Book Review: FROM TWINKLE, WITH LOVE by Sandhya Menon (OwlCrate Book June 2018)

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From Twinkle, with Love

by Sandhya Menon

Nikki’s Rating: 7 out of 10

Summary: With her heart set on Neil Roy and wanting to win her best friend Maddie back, Twinkle Mehra sets off to win her peers and go from “loser” to popular. As an aspiring filmmaker, Twinkle decides her chance at glory is making a film for Midsummer Night. Teaming up with other misfits, Twinkle begins a journey that leads to love, friendship, and an understanding that she doesn’t need to change or be popular in order to tell a story that matters and one that others want to hear.

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7 Fantastic Things about FROM TWINKLE, WITH LOVE by Sandhya Menon (OwlCrate Book June 2018)

(May Contain Spoilers)

1. Format

From Twinkle, with Love is written mostly from the perspective of Twinkle in diary format, which is not entirely unique but we also get to see scattered texts between Sahil and his friends as well as notes written between Twinkle and other characters. I loved this! It was a fun way to see the inner thoughts and concerns of Twinkle and Sahil while being totally contemporary.

2. Losers

The drive to be cool and popular in high school is so universal and so unbearably painful. We all get trapped in this need to fit in and be validated. The “losers” strive to be noticed and join the “in” crowd while those that are popular are terrified of losing their standings and are under immense pressure to conform. Both scenarios are terrible and really enforce the “I’m not good enough” attitude, which leads many to frantically find ways to change themselves or do something that will make them stand out instead of being authentic. It was so relatable to see Twinkle struggle with this throughout the novel.

3. Dadi

Twinkle’s grandmother is just amazing! She was an endless source of laughter and joy but more importantly, a constant support in Twinkle’s life. Dadi had countless wisdom and provided Twinkle with unconditional love, no matter what. We all could be so lucky to have such a wonderful grandmother who took on additional roles of teacher, mentor, mother, father, and friend.

4. Parents

While Twinkle has an amazing grandmother, there are some negatives in relation to her parents. This was so important to touch upon as no parent is perfect and many children/teenagers can internalize that they are not good enough or not lovable. This is so far from the truth. Parents are only human, will never be perfect, and may really drop the ball in terms of being a healthy available parent to their child. It usually has nothing to do with their children, it is their own issues that get in the way of them truly being present loving parents.

5. Friendship

Another great aspect of real life that From Twinkle, with Love touches upon is that of friendship. Specifically on how friends can grow apart, as seen with Twinkle and Maddie, but that doesn’t mean that there is anyone at fault or a need to “force” the friendship. Relationships may grow or may wither naturally as we change and take on different priorities in our lives. But just like some friendships can fizzle out unexpectedly, we can make friends with the most unlikely of people, such as when Twinkle found an unexpected friend in Victoria.

6. Love

Menon obviously won some serious points with me because Twinkle and Sahil end up having a heartwarming romance but Menon’s beautiful take on love and relationships is what really resonated with me.

“She upended the two bowls into the center of the larger container, and the powders came together. They were mixed somewhat, but still in their separate piles for the most part—red on the left and orange on the right. ‘Then,’ Dadi continued, “with each interaction with another soul, we begin to change.’ She put a finger into the pile of powders and began to stir gently. The powders mixed more the longer she stirred, red mingling with orange, losing its distinct form. ‘We take pieces of them, and they take pieces of us. It’s not bad. It’s not good. If just is.’ By now the powders were completely mixed together, indistinguishable from each other.”

(Menon 297)

7. Twinkle

Twinkle Mehra was an overall likable and relatable protagonist. Quirky and a total fangirl, she had big dreams and the courage to work toward them. What I loved most though was her ability to grow, learn what was important to her, and decide to be authentic to herself, damn whatever the world thought. You go girl!

As always, thank you for reading. I would love to hear from you so feel free to contact me or comment below. If you would like to support this blog and/or my paintings please become my patron.

Be Authentic. Be Unique. Be You.

Book Review: 5 Likable Things about THE LUCKY ONE by Nicholas Sparks

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The Lucky One

by Nicholas Sparks

Nikki’s Rating: 5 out of 10

Summary: U.S. Marine Logan Thibault takes off cross-country in search of the woman in a photograph he found on his tour in Iraq. Simply hoping to pay back his debt to her as the photograph became his lucky charm, Logan was unprepared to fall in love with the divorced single mother Elizabeth. But he hasn’t told her the whole truth and as they get closer, Elizabeth’s ex-husband is determined to use that to tear them apart.

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5 Likable Things about THE LUCKY ONE by Nicholas Sparks

(May Contain Spoilers)

1. The Premise

The Lucky One has a very unique premise in that a marine finds a photograph of a woman while on tour. It ends up that the photograph belonged to another marine and was a picture of his sister. Since obtaining the photograph, Logan experiences overall good luck, winning poker games but most importantly, surviving missions that many of his comrades did not. Logan then searches for the woman in the photograph, Elizabeth, and falls in love.

2. Love Story

Of course, being a Nicholas Sparks novel, this is a love story and the reason why I picked up the novel. But what I appreciated about this novel also was that it was a love story involving a divorced woman with a child. Single mothers are not typically featured in love stories but they are just as deserving of relationships as anyone else.

3. Zeus

The true hero of The Lucky One is Zeus, Logan’s faithful loving German shepherd. Probably the best character, Zeus is a focal point throughout the novel. He was the means that allowed Logan to establish a relationship with Elizabeth’s son, which then caused Elizabeth to come out of her shell and get to know Logan. Zeus was also the reason why Clayton was more careful and less aggressive about getting rid of Logan.

4. The “Bad Guy”

Nicholas Sparks created a villain that was both extremely repulsive and totally believable. Clayton is an absolute sleaze, taking pictures of women sunbathing without their knowledge or consent, interfering with his ex’s relationships, and wanting women around simply to “unwind.” Just gross! And unfortunately, there are men who are like that in the real world.

5. Happy Ending

Overall, even with the “tragedy” in the end of the book, The Lucky One had a happy ending which was a bit unexpected for me but much needed. The book ends on a positive note leaving the reader feeling satisfied that Logan and Elizabeth will be able to continue their relationship and live happily ever after.

As always, thank you for reading. I would love to hear from you so feel free to contact me or comment below. If you would like to support this blog and/or my paintings please become my patron.

Be Authentic. Be Unique. Be You.

July 2021 Book Reviews

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Book Review: 8 Stalwart Things about SHARP OBJECTS by Gillian Flynn

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Sharp Objects

by Gillian Flynn

Nikki’s Rating: 8 out of 10

Summary: Reporter Camille Preaker goes back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. Fresh out of the psychiatric hospital, Camille must face the demons of her family while trying not to relapse. As she uncovers the disturbing truth that the victims share a lot of similarities with herself, Camille realizes that these murders could involve someone in her own family.

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8 Stalwart Things about SHARP OBJECTS by Gillian Flynn

(May Contain Spoilers)

1. Writing

As always with Gillian Flynn, she delivers compelling stories that are hard to put down and Sharp Objects is no exception. Sharp Objects is dark, disturbing, and yet intriguing with complex characters, good pacing, and shocking twists.

2. Characters

Characters in Sharp Objects are interesting, realistic, and intricate. Background stories provided depth and understanding of the characters’ motives, beliefs, and actions seen throughout the novel. And all the main characters were fucked up in their own ways. Really felt like a real family.

3. Journalists

Camille is seen as a competent, perfectionist journalist who is actually uncomfortable prying and asking questions. It allows for readers to understand that many journalists may feel just as uncomfortable with asking questions as we all are in answering them. Really helped to drive home the idea that journalists aren’t there to pry or gossip but rather to do their job and report the news.

4. Trauma

Sharp Objects touches on some of the darker aspects of humanity and how the sickness in our society can manifest in different ways. One area that this novel clearly shows is the cycle of trauma in regards to how generational trauma plays out. Camille’s grandmother was abusive and negligent to Camille’s mother, therefore Camille’s mother was abusive to her children, and now Camille and her sister have some major psychological issues that need to be treated professionally. Vicious cycle of someone being traumatized and then traumatizing another.

5. Acting Out

One thing that was briefly touched upon in Sharp Objects is that many individuals act out sexually due to experiencing trauma. While not a focal point in the novel, I appreciated that it was brought up because it is absolutely true.

6. Cutting

Cutting is a tough subject to write and talk about and is especially difficult for non-cutters to understand. I’m unsure if Flynn ever struggled with cutting in her past or interviewed people who had but I feel like she captured the drive, need, and compulsion to cut fairly well. Flynn also did a good job of showing the stigma, blame and shame that comes with being a cutter, Richard took one look at Camille’s scars and never spoke to her again.

7. Munchausen by Proxy

Gillian Flynn also did an amazing job of portraying Munchausen by proxy in Sharp Objects. Flynn captured the difficulty for it to be recognized not just by professionals but by friends and family and even the victims. She captured the way the victims are manipulated into believing they are being helped and that they shouldn’t be difficult but rather passive, unquestioning patients. And lastly, Flynn really showed how dangerous this mental illness is, that it can cause a parent to kill their own child.

8. Twists

The ending to Sharp Objects was shocking! Once Camille put the pieces together and an arrest was made, there was a feeling of satisfaction and closure. But then another dead girl is found and you are like “what the fuck?!” Flynn, thank you for messing with our heads and keeping us on our toes! Look forward to reading another of your novels soon.

As always, thank you for reading. I would love to hear from you so feel free to contact me or comment below. If you would like to support this blog and/or my paintings please become my patron.

Be Authentic. Be Unique. Be You.

Book Review: I HOPE YOU GET THIS MESSAGE by Farah Naz Rishi (OwlCrate Book October 2019)

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I Hope You Get This Message

by Farah Naz Rishi

Nikki’s Rating: 8 out of 10

Summary: As Earth is put on trial for their crimes, humans face possible extinction in just a few days. As their days are counting down, everyone begins to question what is important to them and how they would like to spend their last days. Jesse continues on with his life of crime and conning but comes to realize that love is worth more than money. Following her mother’s wishes, Cate takes off in search of her father but finds herself instead. And Adeem tracks down his sister and truly comes to realize the importance of family.

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8 Interesting Things about I HOPE YOU GET THIS MESSAGE by Farah Naz Rishi

1. Minorities

I Hope You Get This Message focuses on 3 different characters, all from different situations, backgrounds, and areas but all 3 of them are part of a minority group. Jesse is part of the LGBTQ community. While the book does not explore whether Cate has any mental illness, she is part of that community being the caretaker of her mother who is mentally ill. And then Adeem is a Pakistani-American Muslim boy. Throughout the book there is mention of the difficulties that each of them experience due to being part of their minority such as Adeem often having people start speaking spanish to him due to his complexion.

2. Earth

Earth in I Hope You Get This Message is actually our world with a twist. It is revealed to be the location of an experiment, the experiment being us, the human race. We were created by the Almaens to test the viability of using planet Earth as a new home. I Hope You Get This Message opens with the Almaens debating whether to shut the experiment down and kill all the humans or to allow the experiment to continue and risk the humans possibly destroying planet Earth.

3. Crimes Committed

Essentially, humans are put on trial for the crimes of destruction of environmental resources, abuses of its own people, neglect of preservation and sustainability for future generations, armed attack and devastation without provocation, subjugation and slavery of free-thinking organisms, disruption of the peace, and elimination of a people’s right to self-determination. We would be found guilty without a doubt. This is a neat way for a novel to bring up our current issues of global-warming, war, waste, etc.

4. Mental Illness

Rishi touched upon so many important problems in our society and one of those is the stigma and isolation that people experience with mental illness. And it is not just those that directly experience mental illness but also their caretakers. As Rishi showed in I Hope You Get This Message, caretakers may be ashamed to share and process with others what they are dealing with and contribute to their own sense of isolation and shame, which could negatively affect their own mental health.

5. LGBTQ

Another societal problem that Rishi touched upon in I Hope You Get This Message is that of the acceptance of those within the LGBTQ community. So many who identify as LGBTQ are ostracized, bullied, threatened, harmed, and/or killed in their communities simply for being who they are. While Rishi does not go too deep into the darkness surrounding this issue, she does show how crucial it is for the family of origin to accept any family member who does identify as LGBTQ and how painful it can be if it is perceived as unacceptable.

6. Children Taking On Responsibility

Through the 3 main characters, Rishi shows the negative outcomes that may arise in children who end up having to take care of their parents while they are still children. The best example in I Hope You Get This Message is of course Cate who is seen trying to convince her mother to take her pills, explaining her mother’s bizarre behavior to neighbors, and lying to the police to cover up how ill her mother actually is. This of course causes Cate to feel guilt and shame when she isn’t at her mother’s side all the time, selfish if she wants to do something for herself separate from her mother, and overall anxiety about life and the future. Not at all healthy.

7. Connected

One of my favorite things about I Hope You Get This Message is that the 3 main characters were connected in the end. While it appeared that the only connection was going to be them crossing paths in Roswell, their connections to each other went deeper than that.

8. Hope

Thankfully each character got their own version of “happily ever after.” While it may not have been what they set out to find, it is what they needed in the end. Having the book end without showing the outcome of the Almaens decision allows the book to end positively with the reader hoping that the light remains and their world continues.

As always, thank you for reading. I would love to hear from you so feel free to contact me or comment below. If you would like to support this blog and/or my paintings please become my patron.

Be Authentic. Be Unique. Be You.

Book Review: 4 Swell Things about SWEET SURRENDER by Maya Banks

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“Sweet Surrender”

Sweet #1

by Maya Banks

Nikki’s Rating: 4 out of 10

Summary: Looking for a man to dominate her, Faith, is caught at a kinky sex club by her new colleague, Gray Montgomery, a previous Dallas cop. As Gray tries to deny their mutual attraction, he continues searching for the murderer of his partner. But then Faith is threatened and Gray will stop at nothing to protect and take care of her.

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4 Swell Things about SWEET SURRENDER by Maya Banks

(May Contain Spoilers)

1. Gray Montgomery

Strong, alpha male, who is dominate but also thoughtful, protective, and kind. While also being a sexy cop. Instant win!

2. Sub & Dom Relationship

Maya Banks’s “Sweet Surrender” focuses on a true sub and dom relationship, not just kinky sex in the bedroom but a relationship in which one partner is blatantly submissive to the other partner who is dominant in a manner that extends past the bedroom. A healthy sub and dom relationship is based on mutual respect and trust and can be deeply satisfying to both parties.

3. Hawt

Erotic scenes in “Sweet Surrender” were kinky, passionate, and hot, hot, hot! A third player sometimes was featured too.

4. Sweet Persuasion

While “Sweet Surrender” happily concludes Gray and Faith’s story, Maya Banks continues her erotic stories in “Sweet Persuasion.”

As always, thank you for reading. I would love to hear from you so feel free to contact me or comment below. If you would like to support this blog and/or my paintings please become my patron.

Be Authentic. Be Unique. Be You.