friends – Book Dust Magic

The best book I read this year so far: It Sounded Better in my Head by Nina Kentwood #booklovers #romance #teens #anxiety

GIFTED / Today I want to talk about one special book I read few days ago and fell in love with it completely. I loved it so much that it’s now my favourite read of 2020.

It Sounded Better in my Head has 272 pages and is already out.

I received this novel via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review. I want to thank to Text Publishing.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / From debut author Nina Kenwood comes a tender, funny, and compulsively readable novel about first love and its confusions, and all of the awkwardness of teen romance.

When her parents announce their impending divorce, Natalie can’t understand why no one is fighting, or at least mildly upset. Then Zach and Lucy, her two best friends, hook up, leaving her feeling slightly miffed and decidedly awkward. She’d always imagined she would end up with Zach one day―in the version of her life that played out like a TV show, with just the right amount of banter, pining, and meaningful looks. Now everything has changed, and nothing is quite making sense. Until an unexpected romance comes along and shakes things up even further.

It Sounded Better in My Head is a compulsively readable love letter to teenage romance in all of its awkward glory, perfect for fans To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Emergency Contact.

Review:

This book was AH-MAZING!!

I mean it, everything about it was just right! Almost perfect.
From the writing style to the story itself, and it’s characters.

I can’t believe this is a debut novel!
Sign me up for next Nina Kentwood’s novels, because I want to read all of them!
Her writing style is amazing, and from her acknowledgments where she thanked to authors who’s books she read in her lifetime, is obvious she reads and loves books a lot.

The story was great. Entertaining and realistic, and just what I craved at time.
I was hungry for good ya contemporary and It Sounded Better in my Head is just what I needed.

The characters were likeable and they felt real.
Even though I am older then Natalie, I could relate to her.
I also don’t like to be seen (but it has nothing to do with my look) and I feel like my mind works similar to hers. However, she did go on my nerves sometimes.
With lifelike friends and good family dynamics, plus “not so perfect for each other” love interesting, this book has the best cast.

I love how believable It Sounded Better in my Head turned out to be, and the was it wrapped up.

I know I said it many times this year, but I think this is my favourite read of 2020.

Because I loved it so much, I now want to read as many ya contemporaries as I can.

I recommend this novel to everyone who’s looking for something quick, easy, and entertaining.

The one about toxic friends: Faking Friends by Jane Fallon @MichaelJBooks @JaneFallon #booklovers #FakingFriends #Friends

GIFTED / Today I bring you my review for one blacklist title by one of my favourite authors.

Faking Friends is standalone published by Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House UK on January 11th 2018 and it has 448 pages.

I received this novel via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review, and I want to thank to the publisher.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / Best friend, soulmate, confidante . . . backstabber.

Amy thought she knew everything there was to know about her best friend Melissa. Then again, Amy also thought she was on the verge of the wedding of her dreams to her long-distance fiancé.

Until she pays a surprise trip home to London. Jack is out, but it’s clear another woman has been making herself at home in their flat.

There’s something about her stuff that feels oddly familiar . . . and then it hits Amy. The Other Woman is Melissa.

Amy has lost her home, her fiancé and her best friend in one disastrous weekend – but instead of falling apart, she’s determined to get her own back.

Piecing her life back together won’t be half as fun as dismantling theirs, after all.

Review:

I’ve read several books written by Jane Fallon and now I 100% stand behind my state that her books are perfect pick for book clubs.
There’s so many things that can be discussed and interpreted in different way, based on one’s look at life, and Faking Friends is no exception.

Out of all Fallon’s books, this one was my favourite.

The story pulled me in immediately, and it didn’t let go until the very end.
The main reason for that is beside the interesting things that happened the whole time, amazing writing style.
Since Fallon is well known and respected author for years now, it didn’t surprise me.

It is written in first person, from Amy’s POV, with some parts narrated by her frenemy Mel.

This book explores the topic of toxic friendships and I like how it gives perspective from which the reader can see signs of one being fake friend from the very beginning.
I’d like to believe that it will help some readers recognize toxic people around themselves.

This novel is women’s fiction in all it’s glory.
It talks about relationships, old ones and new ones, friendships, toxic and healthy ones, and one’s strength within herself.
This is not a love story or romance novel, so keep that in mind.

Overall, I really, really enjoyed reading Faking Friends and I can’t wait to see what else Jane Fallon has in store for us.
I highly, highly recommend it!

The one about friends who don’t act like friends: The Friends We Keep by Jane Green (Book Review) @PRHGlobal #partner #Books

GIFTED / Today I decided to speak about one book that came out few months ago, that I wasn’t too fascinated by. In other words, it left me disappointed.
It’s the story about friendship and forgiveness.
I want to thank the team from Penguin Random House Global for sending me an e-galley of this novel (in an exchange for an honest review).
The Friends We Keep came out on June 4th 2019 and it has 384 pages.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / Evvie, Maggie, and Topher have known each other since university. Their friendship was something they swore would last forever. Now years have passed, the friends have drifted apart, and none of them ever found the lives they wanted – the lives they dreamed of when they were young and everything seemed possible.

Evvie starved herself to become a supermodel but derailed her career by sleeping with a married man.

Maggie married Ben, the boy she fell in love with at university, never imagining the heartbreak his drinking would cause.

Topher became a successful actor but the shame of a childhood secret shut him off from real intimacy.

By their thirtieth reunion, these old friends have lost touch with each other and with the people they dreamed of becoming. Together again, they have a second chance at happiness… until a dark secret is revealed that changes everything.

The Friends We Keep is about how despite disappointments we’ve had or mistakes we’ve made, it’s never too late to find a place to call home.

Review:

If I could use only one word to describe The Friends We Keep by Jane Green, it would be boring.
Even though the story takes place in time period of 30 years, and so many things happened during that time, it still felt like the story was dragging and dragging.
This novel has 384 pages, but it felt like I was reading 600 pages long book. It took me 4 days to finish it, even though I really do have time for reading on my hands at this point in my life.

The story follows three people, Evvie, Maggie and Topher who met in collage and started their friendship there.
Through the story they keep and lose contact with each other, but their lives are always intertwined in some way.

I usually love novels that explore human relationships, and I don’t mind when the story takes time, but this time I just couldn’t wait for it to be already over.

I think my main problem was with characters. Two of four main characters (yes, four, because one side character is very significant) were very superficial, one was alcoholic and I feel like person who knew about him only tried to find excuses for his behaviour, and one only made bad choices in her life.

The worst of them all was Evvie. I think with a friend like that you really don’t need enemies.

This is the story about forgiveness, and although I am aware that forgiveness is important for one to move on with his life, I also think that some actions are unforgivable and even if you do forgive with time, it’s better to move on with your life without a person who wronged you in it.

Jane Green is very popular author and I have to admit that, even though I haven’t read her work before, I was pretty disappointed with The Friends We Keep.

Rivalry, Revenge and Bitches: Tell Me a Secret by Jane Fallon (Book Review) #BookReview #WomensFiction #Revenge #TellMeASecret

Title: Tell Me a Secret

Author: Jane Fallon

Publisher: Penguin, Michael Joseph

Date: January 10th, 2019

Pages: 404

Format: eARC

Source: from Publisher for a review

Review:

Two years ago I read Jane Fallon’s My Sweet Revenge and I really liked it. You can read my review here. I loved how it was a perfect read for book clubs, because there was so many things people could discuss about, and I am happy to say that with Tell Me a Secret the case is the same.

This book would make a perfect book club pick. There are so many small details and clues readers could pick up, and also characters’ actions they could debate on.

What I liked the most about this novel were it’s characters. Almost all of them had strong personalities and they felt real.
I was always character driven reader, so it is really important for me to have opinions about characters, whether that be positive or negative opinions. There is nothing worse then flat heroes, and this book is full of impressive people.

The story follows Holly who just got a promotion in the company she works at. She is a screen writer, and now is in charge of others writers for the teen soap opera they work on.
After her promotion, strange things start to happen to her. Her scripts are all messed up, her colleagues get personal emails from her, that she hadn’t sent, and even her boss gets one.
Someone is trying to sabotage her, so she wouldn’t keep her work position.

Tell Me a Secret is mainly focused on friendships and rivalry. It talks about real friends and fake ones, and how far people would go when it comes to relationships with others.
It’s second focus is family and importance of people that are close to us.

There is no love story, which was kind of surprising to me, but I also have to stress out that it wasn’t missing at all. I think that this novel was complete and amazing without romance.
So if you’re not a fan of romance, here’s the book for you!

This book made me think and question why people lie to make themselves look better in others’ eyes.
I hate lies and don’t like people who tell them. I almost never lie, so reading about pathological liar in this book was kind of interesting. Still, I rolled my eyes at that character so much and thought she was just pathetic.

The end was so much different then the one I would chose to have in my real life, if I was in Holly’s shoes. I guess that just proves that Holly is bigger person then me.

In the end, I just want to mention that Fallon’s voice is so good that it was a pleasure to read this story.
Some parts were dragged, and maybe the novel could have been a bit shorter, but still, I appreciate every single chapter of this book.

And the cover… OmG, Jane Fallon always has these awesome book covers with food or drink on them, that are simple but attractive. You can not notice her book with those covers!

Overall, I would recommend this book to readers who like to read about friends and enemies, family and lots of drama.
If you like to discuss about books you read, this one is a perfect choice!