BOOK REVIEW | The Love Hypothesis by Laura Steven

I really enjoyed this book! It was such a lovely cute read. The aspects of physics made it so interesting and gave it much more depth. I could definitely tell that a lot of research had gone into this book and I actually learned a thing or two about some scientific theory ha! The representation in this book is also a really good thing about it. The main character was so fun and well written and the innuendos added so much more humour. I also liked how the book had some good emotional elements and was a story showing a young girls journey to self discovery and sexuality. I really adored both her dads especially Vati he was a hilarious character! A book that I read with ease and thoroughly enjoyed. 3.5 stars!

Rating: ★ ★ ★.5 

Thank you for reading, 

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Physics genius Caro Kerber-Murphy knows she’s smart. With straight As and a college scholarship already in the bag, she’s meeting her two dads’ colossal expectations and then some. But there’s one test she’s never quite been able to ace: love. And when, in a particularly desperate moment, Caro discovers a (definitely questionable) scientific breakthrough that promises to make you irresistible to everyone around you, she wonders if this could be the key. What happens next will change everything Caro thought she knew chemistry – in the lab and in love.

Is her long-time crush Haruki with her of his own free will? Are her feelings for her best girl friend some sort of side-effect? Will her dog, Sirius, ever stop humping her leg?

2020 Reading Goals

It's 2020. A new year ahead with new reads, re-reads, one star reads & five star reads. I AM EXCITED. I have super high ambitons when it comes to reading this year and I am determined to make this year my best reading year yet. My Goodreads goal is 50 books. So get yourself prepared because this may be a long read. I'd advise a cup of tea, a yummy snack and a comfy spot to prepare you for the reading ahead.

So, what are my reading goals for this year?

For one I think it's about damn time I read a classic! Yep that's right, I haven't actually read a classic in my entire 22 years of being a bookworm. Why you may ask? because classics intimidate the hell out of me. The writing style is obviously a lot different to modern writing along with the flow and plot. Classics can often reflect certain societies and values in a particular time which is what intrigues me but also discourages me; the story may be un-relatable or possibly even difficult to comprehend if not understanding the principles and social circumstances within that time period. For example a lot of Jane Austen novels are set within her own time and are loosely structured around life as a woman within that time. Soooo, back to my original goal; STOP BEING INTIMIDATED AND PICK UP A BLOODY CLASSIC ALREADY. I want to read at least five classics this year. Realistic? probably not. But there is hope yet.

What five classics do I want to read?
- Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Secondly I would like to read more adult fantasy. I bloody love ya fantasy and when I've ventured into adult fantasy in the past I have really enjoyed it thus leading me to this goal. I think this year should be the year for more Tolkien, Sanderson, Kristoff & Sapkowski. 

Fantasy books at the top of the list for 2020:
-The Priory of The Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
-The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
-Skyward & Starsight by Brandon Sanderson
- The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
-Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
-Blood Heir by Amelie Wen Zhao
-Game of Thrones by George. R. Martin

Some chunky books amongst the list but by discovery of audio books shall guide the way!

Could 2020 be the year of Manga?

Manga is a genre I have never had any real interest in up until now. Being a lover of graphic novels I think naturally branching out to manga is a must. I think it'll be a bit of a difficult goal for me as getting used to the format and finding a story I'll like will be the hard part. But if I can read at least one manga this year I'll be happy. And who knows, I might even enjoy it.

Manga I'm considering: 
-The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare (manga edition)
-Deathnote by Tsugumi Ohba
-Orange by Ichigo Takano
-Blackbird by Kanoko Sakurakoji

Graphic Novels; a comeback. 
So a couple of years ago I was comic book obsessed. I still am even though my graphic novel reading has massively reduced. I was particularly fond of Marvel comics and making my way through a lot of the 616 universe. I even produced a 'master list' of which I'd tried to figure out a bunch of comics from a variety of characters who's events chronologically happened within the same universe; the marvel universe we see in the films. I gave up a tiny portion of the way through. There are far too many comics to keep up with so after buying a good portion of them I then decided to buy which ever 616 comics I wanted and read them in whatever order I wanted too. I have a huge comic book collection most of which is unread. So my goal for this year is to make my way through all of them as well as branching out into DC and the rest of the Monstress series. 

Another neglected genre: Thrillers. 
Believe it or not I really do love a good thriller. Yet, for some reason I mostly tend to read them in the summer but particularly when on holiday. This is definitely some weird habit I need to get out of as I miss reading an engrossing thriller. I received lots of thriller books for Christmas so I have a large supply on my shelf. 

Thrillers I want to read:
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
The Woman In The Window by A. J. Finn 
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn 
She Lies In Wait by Gytha Lodge 
Then She was Gone by Lisa Jewell
The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup 

So that pretty much wraps up my super duper big list of things I'll probably honestly never read this year but maybe putting it into a blogpost will give me the motivation to at least try? who knows but I enjoyed writing this no matter how stupidly ambitious it may be. Uploaded rather late into the year as I randomly decided to finish writing this in the middle of march. 

Thank you for reading, 

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BOOK REVIEW | The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

'They never found the body of the first and only boy who broke my heart. And they never will.'

Our protagonist Alessandra's heart was broken by her first love and since then has turned cold when it comes to love; seducing lovers who give her expensive things and using them for her own needs until she discards them when she no longer has a use for them. Eventually she tires of this same routine and comes up with a new plan. When her farther comes to inform her that her sister has had no luck of winning the affections of the Shadow King, Alessandra see's this as an opportunity to acquire all that she desires; power. She will win the King's heart, make him fall hopelessly in love with her, marry him, become queen and and then kill the king; taking the kingdom for herself. But theres a catch, it is the law that you cannot be within 5 feet of the King and his shadows. Alessandra must find a way past this to win his heart and take the kingdom. 

I ultimately enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. It was a super easy read and I actually read it within a day. The plot was super interesting and I was always wondering where the story would go. The reason it was a three star for me was simply because I struggled to really like or empathise with the main characters. They are very selfish and there is also a lot of classism and dislike towards the poor in this book which kind of took away my enjoyment at times as I had issues with it. It's not the most action packed book but the romance aspect was really fun and I really liked it overall! 

Rating: ★ ★ ★ 

Thank you for reading, 

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:

1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?