After starting college up again reading has become more of a challenge to fit into my schedule. I read 3 books this month and absolutely loved 2 out of 3 of them. All 3 of them are fiction and one of them has even made me want to explore more into what other novels the author has produced. I’ve had the book ‘Bright Shiny Morning’ sitting in my bookshelf since last year and only now got around to reading it, and I was not disappointed. One of them I wanted to stop reading immediately but had to finish because that’s always the way with me, I’m always honest with my reviews so if I don’t like something I’ll tell you guys and I did NOT like this book. With that said let’s get straight into it:
The Date To Save by Stephanie Kate Storm
Okay so this was the least enjoyable book I’ve ever read. It felt like it took forever to get through despite the fact it didn’t have as many pages as I’m used too (it had just under 300) and I felt myself not looking forward to opening it up every time I was on a bus journey and waiting impatiently to start the next book. The book is written in the form of a script, which I didn’t think I’d mind since I enjoyed reading Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and that was exactly the same, but for some reason the constant change with who’s talking got thoroughly annoying and with the wide variety of character I kept forgetting who’s who.
Apart from my feelings towards it, the story is about a school reporter named Angelica Hutcherson who discovers secrets about the high school and has mysteries to uncover in order to ‘save the school’. The homecoming game, class president election and the school quiz have all been arranged for the same Friday which would make it impossible for people to attend every single one. Angelica figures out why the school have been sabotaged and has to figure out a way to make a story out of it to get her own column in the school newspaper.
Personally I felt it was a little too childish for me and I didn’t really enjoy reading it at all. The story line was good but the way it was wrote just didn’t do it for me and I always dreaded reading on. If this does sound like a story you’d like then maybe you’d enjoy it a lot more than me but it definitely isn’t one of my favourites.
Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey
This is the first book I’ve read by James Frey and jheeezz it was good. This was actually the latest book I’ve read so I remember it clearly but in no doubt will it be remembered for a while. It’s well written, not like any novel I’ve ever read before and although it was long (500+ pages) I enjoyed every page of it and didn’t find myself ever getting bored of it.
It constantly switches from peoples life stories who are living in LA. The main stories are about a homeless man called ‘Old man Joe’, a Mexican teenager called Esperanza, a couple called Maddie and Dylan and a movie star named Amberton. As you can tell the range of characters are very diverse and we get an insight into each of their different lives in the story. As the story goes on, more characters and families are introduced but not for more than a page or a paragraph. It never gets confusing and each page makes you want to read more. The story focuses on how LA is nothing like it seems. People from all over the world come to move there expecting their dreams to come true but end up being broke. Included for added effect are multiple lists at times showing who came to LA, what they came here for (most of the time it was to do with acting) and what they ended up doing. The facts and statistics were really interesting.
It explores the problems with gangs and shows facts about the number of gang related crimes LA see’s and who the gangs are. It explores rape between two men and how men can also be sexually assaulted by other men and how easily movie stars can buy their way out of jail time. It shows what it’s like to be homeless on the streets of LA, poor but still with a house, and how different nationalities are treated. Honestly I did really love it. Although I’m not one of those girls who loves LA and has an interest in it in general, I really enjoyed this novel and found it very interesting, I will 100% be buying more of James Frey’s books and I really recommend you guys read this.
Secret of the Tides by Hannah Richell
I actually really enjoyed this novel also. It was a little slow to begin with but once I got into it I was reading it nonstop. It flicks between the past and the present day showing how their horrific past has effected them and how they’re still recovering years later. It’s very well written and shows the perspective from each of the main characters on the crucial day which you have to read to find out what took place.
It’s a family drama with a huge twist. The family have secrets and misfortune that will all be revealed. There’s themes of betrayal in relationships, hidden truths and effects one thing has on the whole family. The tragedy that took place, everybody is partly to blame for but some take it heavier than others. It’s a good mystery book that’s entertaining and gets you really involved with the characters. I read it in a matter of days and didn’t want it to end. The main characters are easily lovable and I enjoyed reading things from the two daughters perspective as they are my age and easier to relate too. I felt that aspects like this make me really enjoy a story a lot more and I would definitely recommend this enjoyable easy-reading book to you guys.
Thank you for reading I hope you guys enjoyed. Let me know in the comments which books you’ve read this month? and I hope you all have a lovely week.
TJ BLOGS 