Scan barcode
miyeko7183's reviews
309 reviews
The Light of the Fireflies by Paul Pen
1.0
I had to stop reading this. It was a little too much for me. Not really my taste.
The Upside of Falling Down by Rebekah Crane
5.0
I'd like to thank Skyscape and Two Lions, NetGalley, and Rebekah Crane for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Excerpt:
PROLOGUE
I was born twice. The first time was on July 9 to Paul and Mimi Haas in Cleveland, Ohio. My mother died six years later. My parents hadn't conceived another child, and my father never remarried. I was born with brown eyes and brown hair, and for eighteen years, I was, for the most part, healthy.
I was delivered again on June 18, just weeks before my nineteenth birthday. The nurses said I was born unconscious with ash tangled in the burned ends of my hair. Rescue workers pulled me from the belly of an airplane, where I was stuck between two seats, like a cushioned sandwich. There was no mother to gaze down at me in amazement or cradle me if I cried, but according to my nurse, Stephen, there were a plethora of camera crews and flashing lights.
Out of the wreckage of that day, which included thirty dead bodies, I was a miracle. Amid so much death and destruction, I was born.
............................
Imagine waking up in a hospital having no idea how you got there. Even worse, having no idea who you are. This is what happens to Clementine Haas. Only, she has no idea who Clementine is supposed to be. A native of Cleveland, Ohio (just a few hours from me!) she wakes up in a hospital bed in Ireland surrounded by doctors and nurses only to learn she is the sole survivor of a plane crash. She remembers nothing about her old life. And when her father arrives to take her home, she panics and convinces a stranger, Kieran, to help her escape the hospital. She tells him her name is Jane and that she was mugged and everything was stolen from her. He takes her to where he lives in Waterville and allows her to stay with him and his twin sister, Siobhan, who seems to really hate her.
I loved all of the characters. Each one had a different personality that you couldn't help but love. Even Siobhan. I hated when it ended. I wanted more. I want to know how everything turns out in the long run for everyone. I'm really hoping Rebekah Crane will consider a sequel of sorts. Maybe in the style of "Something Borrowed" and "Something Blue" by Emily Giffin. The second book was told from the viewpoint of a different character. But you got to see how everything turned out in the end.
I highly recommend this to everyone. It was a great read.
Excerpt:
PROLOGUE
I was born twice. The first time was on July 9 to Paul and Mimi Haas in Cleveland, Ohio. My mother died six years later. My parents hadn't conceived another child, and my father never remarried. I was born with brown eyes and brown hair, and for eighteen years, I was, for the most part, healthy.
I was delivered again on June 18, just weeks before my nineteenth birthday. The nurses said I was born unconscious with ash tangled in the burned ends of my hair. Rescue workers pulled me from the belly of an airplane, where I was stuck between two seats, like a cushioned sandwich. There was no mother to gaze down at me in amazement or cradle me if I cried, but according to my nurse, Stephen, there were a plethora of camera crews and flashing lights.
Out of the wreckage of that day, which included thirty dead bodies, I was a miracle. Amid so much death and destruction, I was born.
............................
Imagine waking up in a hospital having no idea how you got there. Even worse, having no idea who you are. This is what happens to Clementine Haas. Only, she has no idea who Clementine is supposed to be. A native of Cleveland, Ohio (just a few hours from me!) she wakes up in a hospital bed in Ireland surrounded by doctors and nurses only to learn she is the sole survivor of a plane crash. She remembers nothing about her old life. And when her father arrives to take her home, she panics and convinces a stranger, Kieran, to help her escape the hospital. She tells him her name is Jane and that she was mugged and everything was stolen from her. He takes her to where he lives in Waterville and allows her to stay with him and his twin sister, Siobhan, who seems to really hate her.
I loved all of the characters. Each one had a different personality that you couldn't help but love. Even Siobhan. I hated when it ended. I wanted more. I want to know how everything turns out in the long run for everyone. I'm really hoping Rebekah Crane will consider a sequel of sorts. Maybe in the style of "Something Borrowed" and "Something Blue" by Emily Giffin. The second book was told from the viewpoint of a different character. But you got to see how everything turned out in the end.
I highly recommend this to everyone. It was a great read.
The Office Christmas Party by Aimee Duffy
4.0
This is currently a "Read Now" on NetGalley.
Natalie and Dean, who are done with serious relationships forever (each for different reasons), spend the end of every year Christmas party crashing to get them through the holiday season. Free food, free booze, lots of single lonely people. Dean's usual wing man is his brother, Jeffrey. Natalie had her BFF and roommate Rose. This year however, both sidekicks are recently engaged (not to each other) so Dean and Natalie both decide to crash solo this year. Once they meet and decide it's too risky to have two separate crashers at each party, the prank war begins.
I really enjoyed this one. I even laughed out loud a few times. "Dean stood over the brass torture device, his jaw clenched with determination. There was no way this thing was going to get a chance at it again. He was an adult. Thirty years old. This was not going to beat him. The hot water tap groaned a protest when he turned it on and the cold one did the same. He dropped in a cupcake thing that one of the maids had assured him was better than a bubble bath and cursed to himself when he saw it dissolve, turning the water pale pink and glitter. He had to do something manly after this...like go out hunting or wrestle a bear. He couldn't think of anything more emasculating than a glittery bubble bath..." I was laughing this entire scene because the way he was thinking is probably completely accurate of a male mind as far as bubble baths go.
There was a plot revealed toward the end of the book that I figured out pretty early on. I was hoping I'd be wrong, but I wasn't. So it wasn't very original I suppose. But other than that the story flowed well. The romance seemed pretty realistic and it didn't feel rushed like Christmas romance books sometimes tend to be. I think I will check out more stuff by Aimee Duffy.
Natalie and Dean, who are done with serious relationships forever (each for different reasons), spend the end of every year Christmas party crashing to get them through the holiday season. Free food, free booze, lots of single lonely people. Dean's usual wing man is his brother, Jeffrey. Natalie had her BFF and roommate Rose. This year however, both sidekicks are recently engaged (not to each other) so Dean and Natalie both decide to crash solo this year. Once they meet and decide it's too risky to have two separate crashers at each party, the prank war begins.
I really enjoyed this one. I even laughed out loud a few times. "Dean stood over the brass torture device, his jaw clenched with determination. There was no way this thing was going to get a chance at it again. He was an adult. Thirty years old. This was not going to beat him. The hot water tap groaned a protest when he turned it on and the cold one did the same. He dropped in a cupcake thing that one of the maids had assured him was better than a bubble bath and cursed to himself when he saw it dissolve, turning the water pale pink and glitter. He had to do something manly after this...like go out hunting or wrestle a bear. He couldn't think of anything more emasculating than a glittery bubble bath..." I was laughing this entire scene because the way he was thinking is probably completely accurate of a male mind as far as bubble baths go.
There was a plot revealed toward the end of the book that I figured out pretty early on. I was hoping I'd be wrong, but I wasn't. So it wasn't very original I suppose. But other than that the story flowed well. The romance seemed pretty realistic and it didn't feel rushed like Christmas romance books sometimes tend to be. I think I will check out more stuff by Aimee Duffy.