Solo by Kwame Alexander

Synopsis:

When the heart gets lost, let the music find you.

Blade never asked for a life of the rich and famous. In fact, he’d give anything not to be the son of Rutherford Morrison, a washed-up rock star and drug addict with delusions of a comeback. Or to no longer be part of a family known most for lost potential, failure, and tragedy. The one true light is his girlfriend, Chapel, but her parents have forbidden their relationship, assuming—like many—that Blade will become just like his father.

In reality, the only thing Blade has in common with Rutherford is the music that lives inside them. But not even the songs that flow through Blade’s soul are enough when he’s faced with two unimaginable realities: the threat of losing Chapel forever, and the revelation of a long-held family secret, one that leaves him questioning everything he thought was true. All that remains is a letter and a ticket to Ghana—both of which could bring Blade the freedom and love he’s been searching for, or leave him feeling even more adrift.

Publishing Co.: Blink
Release Date: July 25, 2017
Rating:★★★

Reveiw:

I received this book from Netgalley and Blink Publishing in exchange for my honest review. 

First, I just loved that this was written in verse because one, it definitely made me feel like I was breezing through the book, and two, being in verse made the writing seem so beautiful. Although, there were two parts where the same words were repeated over and over, adding one word every line until it made a sentence and I hated that the most. ( Ex: After the, After the rain, After the rain comes, After the rain comes a, After the rain comes a rainbow.) It was just really annoying!

I thought the characters were delightfully obnoxious, which is a plus seeing that is how they were meant to be perceived. I immediately hated Chapel, Blade's girlfriend, and picked her out as a gold digger upon meeting her and immediately wanted him to see it too, and drop her ass. There was also a part where Blade said he started thinking about how dangerous it felt to love someone so much when they can't be with you and the whole time I'm reading this I'm thinking about how dangerous it is to love someone who loves what you can do for them more than you care to admit seeing.

His father was just as unbelievable as it gets to the point where you're asking, who raised him? But I did enjoy the piece of karma that was received by a very worthy recipient. I hate that Blade was the "hopeless romantic" type. For me, it really tarnished his character and I took it as a shot at him for being "young", since the stereotype is young people don't hold common sense and lack restraint and/or good judgement. 

I felt like Blade was in a ticking time bomb situation because he was surrounded by toxic relationships. I really liked the big family secret but I'm mad and a little disappointed we didn't get to see it fully play out. Also, I didn't really care for the song bios and I gradually started to feel like it weighed the pages down.

I only thought the book was alright so I can't really say if I would or wouldn't recommend this but of course the choice is all yours. 

Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella

Synopsis:
After being together for ten years, Sylvie and Dan have all the trimmings of a happy life and marriage; they have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, beautiful twin girls, and communicate so seamlessly, they finish each other's sentences. However, a trip to the doctor projects they will live another 68 years together and panic sets in. They never expected "until death do us part" to mean seven decades.

In the name of marriage survival, they quickly concoct a plan to keep their relationship fresh and exciting: they will create little surprises for each other so that their (extended) years together will never become boring. But in their pursuit to execute Project Surprises, mishaps arise and secrets are uncovered that start to threaten the very foundation of their unshakable bond. When a scandal from the past is revealed that question some important untold truths, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other after all.

With a colorful, eccentric cast of characters, razor-sharp observations, and her signature wit and charm, Sophie Kinsella crafts a humorous, yet thoughtful portrait of a marriage and shines a light on the danger of not looking past the many layers of the ones you love to discover how infinitely fascinating--and surprising--they truly are.

Publishing C.O.: The Dial Press

Release Date: Feb. 13, 2018

Rating: ★★(2.8)

Review:

I received this book from Netgalley and The Dial Press in exchange for my honest review & my first thoughts were, "Damn! They are a boring ass couple!" I honestly expected more out of this based on the synopsis and the author being the Sophie Kinsella, and I do mean the, not the, there's a difference.

Sophie Kinsella has a way of making you feel what the characters are feeling. For instance, all of the awkwardness, BOREDOM, & fear. However, I hate that I was not pulled into this story or really captivated at all during this story. And it was very disappointing seeing that I loved my first Sophie Kinsella book, My Not So Perfect Life, so much.

The parts that I guess were supposed to be shocking, surprising, or funny just felt really corny as compared to how I reacted to other books where I actually laughed out loud 😆😆. Also, the big secret, compared to what I thought was going on, really sucked and didn't do it for me. I was better off living in my fantasy land. 

To sum this all up, I seriously can't reiterate how disappointed I am with this book. I'm sorry Sophie, but this was a turn off for me and I know you could do better and I can't recommend this book to anyone unless you don't mind corny reads.

Her Alien Doctors(Captive Brides #2) by Sara Fields

Synopsis:

After nineteen-year-old Jenny Monroe is caught stealing from the home of a powerful politician, she is sent to a special prison in deep space to be trained for her future role as an alien's bride.

Despite the public bare-bottom spanking she receives upon her arrival at the detention center, Jenny remains defiant, and before long she earns herself a trip to the notorious medical wing of the facility. Once there, Jenny quickly discovers that a sore bottom will now be the least of her worries, and soon enough she is naked, restrained, and shamefully on display as three stern, handsome alien doctors examine and correct her in the most humiliating ways imaginable.

The doctors are experts in the treatment of naughty young women, and as Jenny is brought ever closer to the edge of a shattering climax only to be denied again and again, she finds herself begging to be taken in any way they please. But will her captors be content to give Jenny up once her punishment is over, or will they decide to make her their own and master her completely?

Rating: ★★★

Review:

Before I get started I want to say I did not read the first book and I think that was perfectly fine because it didn't feel like a continuation or me understanding what was going on was based on me reading the first book. I love reading erotica and steamy romances but I wasn't really into this one. 

I'm not into the whole BDSM, dominant & submissive, type of scene in my personal life but I don't mind reading about it at all. My issue with this was the whole punishment aspect of this and the fact that Jenny gave into the idea of punishments so easily, without a fight, even though she is supposed to be seen as this head strong defiant character. Her character obviously needs to be reevaluated. I also wish I had more of a background story on the three doctors because at the end of the day I don't know them from a bag of oranges.

Also, I wish I had more effort put into the plot of the story. About every two pages was a sex scene and every sex scene was very detailed and handled amazingly but everything in between the sex scenes didn't seem like as much effort was put into them as the sex scenes did. I am one of those people that like to have an actual story even if you were to take the sex scenes out and this book just doesn't have it.

I do admit the sex scenes were very spicy and what I was in the mood for but the rest of the plot, including the characters, needs work. What's a porno with out good actors & actresses and a good role/story to follow??

I Don't Belong to You: Quiet the Noise and Find Your Voice by Keke Palmer

Synopsis:

A sometimes serious, often hilarious, and always inspiring guide that encourages young women to live a life full of ownership, confidence, and freedom from singer and popular Scream Queensand Grease Live! actress Keke Palmer, delightfully illustrated in four color with Keke’s favorite inspirational quotes, journal entries, and memes.

As a successful music artist, actress, and talk show host, from inner city Chicago, Keke has always used her social media following and platform for real talk about the issues that matter most to her generation, but now she is speaking out candidly and for the first time about the secrets, struggles, and practices that have guided her to succeed. On the surface, it may appear that Keke has it made, but under the success, she has grappled with the same issues all young women wrestle with—identity, pressure, self-worth, love, sexuality, heartbreak, and family.

With this in mind, she created I Don’t Belong To You—an inspirational guide that encourages young people to change their mindset and live with more freedom, confidence, and love as they navigate the rough terrain of the twenty-first century. Full of revealing stories from Keke’s personal and professional life, this book tackles twelve topics—sexuality, race, anxiety, success, bullying, and body image to name a few—with refreshing honesty.

Within each chapter are quotes, texts, song lyrics, and funny memes that have inspired her; and practices that can help you stay on a path of always growing, never grown. With a voice of empathy, tough love, and determination, Keke speaks about the challenges and triumphs she has experienced on her journey to finding her own voice and creating a beautiful life. I Don’t Belong To You is the motivation you need to move past pain and fear to lead a life full of creativity, spirituality, passion, and unlimited success.

Rating:★★★★★

Review:

I can't even explain in words how excited I was to read this from Keke so I'll just jump right into it. The thing I loved most about this book is that while reading it, you know it's Keke that wrote it and not just some editor. If you know Keke in any way, shape, or form while reading this you unmistakably hear her voice in your head, like a personalized audiobook, and that to me just made this so much more personal to read.

This was my first read in the self-help genre and I was a little bit hesitant because I thought it was going to be very generic and just telling me what I wanted to hear, but it was far from any of that. I really appreciated, and I think others as well will appreciate that she isn't acting like she has all of the answers to this crazy thing called life by telling us what we NEED to do. But she's without a doubt telling us what SHE did in whatever situations she found herself in and how SHE let HER experiences shape HER life. It's your life, do with it what you will but make it count!

I enjoyed reading about how she came to realize certain things about herself (getting to know herself) and how she grew and learned from her mistakes. I loved how blatantly honest she was about her ups and downs in all aspects of her career, all of the good and bad she's experienced getting in the industry and staying in the industry. She basically shows us that just because something didn't go as planned the first time doesn't mean we should give up all hope and quit. #Empowerment 

That brings me to the fact that I think ladies around 13 or 14 would also really benefit form reading this because I feel like it's just very uplifting and empowering to girls that are coming into their own and changing into the future adults their going to be for the rest of their lives. 

This was just a very beautiful book all around! I loved all of the emoji's, hashtags, and quotes, this was just very fun to read and I definitely recommend this.

One of my favorite quotes from the book: "Remember, the caterpillar doesn't ask, 'When am I going to become a butterfly?' It just waits patiently until it is transformed"-Keke Palmer

The Attribute of Poetry by Elisa Galgut

Synopsis:

These deeply felt poems are at once plain-speaking and alive with complexity; Galgut's elegant response to both pain and loveliness is inspiring. Elisa Galgut teaches in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Cape Town. She has a PhD in Philosophy from Rutgers University and a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town. Her poetry has appeared in local literary journals and anthologies. She lives in Cape Town.

Rating:★★★

Review:

This actually started off pretty strong for me but it quickly went down hill from there, then I found myself on this weird roller coaster ride between love & hate. I just found myself in an unusual position while reading this, which was confusion. I've never had the problem reading poetry so it was a little unnerving to say the least. Most of the poems were enjoyable and the use of nature was very beautiful, but the others were just confusing. I can't in good conscience recommend this seeing that I was fairly confused during this book but you may see something that I didn't. May the force be with you!

Rat Queens Vol. 1: Sass & Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe

Synopsis:

Collects RAT QUEENS #1-5
Who are the Rat Queens? A pack of booze-guzzling, death-dealing battle maidens-for-hire, and they're in the business of killing all god's creatures for profit. It's also a darkly comedic sass-and-sorcery series starring Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric and Betty the Hippy Smidgen Thief. This modern spin on an old school genre is a violent monster-killing epic that is like Buffy meets Tank Girl in a Lord of the Rings world on crack!

Rating: ★★★★★

Review:

Ladies and gentlemen can we say band wagon?? I surprisingly loved this!!! I feared that this was going to fall victim to "the hype" but instead it actually lived up to it. I was shocked but pleased to find out that this was an adult/mature content graphic novel, instead of teenager content.

I loved the short but self explanatory introductions of each member of the Rat Queens. Also, I liked how we got little glimpses into their past lives before they were a group throughout the book. In my opinion it makes you feel closer and more sympathetic towards the characters this way. (P.S. Sawyer was pretty fine for a fictional character😍😍💦)

 The graphics blew me away from the beginning and the conversations between the characters took me to a completely new level. I had laughs, awe moments, wtf moments, and omg moments so it goes without saying that I recommend this. I leave you for the night with one final phrase, "Shut the fuck up Gary!" 😂 (If you don't pick this up you'll never know what I'm talking about.)

Allerleirauh by Chantal Gadoury

Synopsis:

In the kingdom of Tranen, a king makes a promise to his dying wife that he'll only remarry a woman who possesses her golden hair. In time, the king's eyes are turned by his daughter. Realizing her father’s intentions, Princess Aurelia tries to trick him by requesting impossible gifts: dresses created by the sun, moon and stars, and a coat made of a thousand furs. But when he is successful, Aurelia sacrifices her privileged life and flees her kingdom, disguised by the cloak and a new name, Allerleirauh. 

She enters the safe haven of Saarland der Licht, where the handsome and gentle Prince Klaus takes her under his care. Hoping not to be discovered by her father’s courtiers, Allerleirauh tries to remain hidden under her new identity when she finds unexpected love with Prince Klaus, even though his arranged marriage to the princess of a neighboring kingdom approaches. Risking everything, Allerleirauh must face her troubled past and her fears of the future along her journey to self-acceptance in this triumphant retelling of the classic Grimm Fairy Tale.

Publishing Co.: The Parliament House
Release Date: August 22, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Review:

I was sent an eARC copy of this book from the author, Chantal Gadoury, and Parliament House publishing company in exchange for my honest review. I waited to read this book until December because it seemed like good 'wintery' type read to get me in the winter spirit.

I loved some many things about this book but there were a few things that I didn't like. I loved all of the rising action leading up to the climax of the story and I mean you could really see the build up to the big bang. I really feel like the amount of imagery used in this was very well done because I could close my eyes and visualize just about everything I was reading.

I genuinely caught feelings for the characters, good for some & bad for others. Chantal did a good job of making you want to get involved in the story, just to slap some sense into some of the characters. I got pretty emotional for some parts, especially the rape scene because it was a quite graphic and brutal scene. *Which brings me to warn those of you who may have rape triggers, even though there's only one scene I wouldn't feel right not mentioning it* I really appreciated the fact that Allerleirauh didn't open up right away to prince Klaus instead she actually was relatable and struggled with the fear of revealing herself and her past. 

Now lets get into what I didn't like about this book. I just find it really hard to believe that no one recognized her once she was out of the coat, it was just too much naiveness for me to handle. I also started to grow tiresome and bored of Klaus and Allerleirauh's courtship of sorts, it started to drag on in some places and it felt a bit dry. But at the same time I'm glad it was not love at first sight and there was no love triangle, which I was expecting to happen. 

I was expecting more of a search party from Tranen once Allerleirauh disappeared, seeing that she was only in the next town over, but it's almost like she was forgotten by the kingdom until it was convenient for the story. I stared to feel like I was reading almost an entirely different book once Allerleirauh escaped from what I was reading when she was still in Tranen. I also wish I got more of that feeling of urgency to actually hide from Allerleirauh, mind you it had only been a few days, not months, before she decided to do away with the coat.

Thankfully, by the end of the book I was grinning from ear to ear at 2:30 in the morning. Also, the ending reminded me a lot of One Night With the King. 

To sum everything up, this was savage yet swoon worth, and sorry but a little of the story was expected(but it didn't really bother me). I think the good of this story outweigh's the bad, or at least balances it out, so I definitely recommend this wonderful retelling.