Tag: book review

Books, Non Fiction

Book Review: Anyone Can Get An A+ by Geetanjali Mukherjee

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Anyone Can Get An A+ by Geetanjali Mukherjee

25794353you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble (Unavailable)
Author’s twitter

my review:
Rating: ★★★★☆

Anyone Can Get An A+: How To Beat Procrastination, Reduce Stress and Improve Your Grades is a self-help book aimed at college students. Mukherjee uses her own experience alongside research to create a series of tips which one can use to improve their grades and study skills.

As someone who’s currently in the middle of her A-levels, this was extremely helpful in reminding me to rethink my revision strategy. In this book, there’s various ways in which anyone can improve their study skills such as planning your study breaks, creating weekly plans and how to get something out of procrastination. This book really condenses everything teachers tell us but in a more practical and easy way to read and without going into so much detail  and leaving you’re overwhelmed.

I should note that this book is very US-centric which is probably why I didn’t connect to it as much but the tips and information given still stands and Geetanjali definitely knows her stuff. It’s a helpful read that can help you reconsider revision habits, and turn them into more positive strategies.

Kindle Edition, 195 pages
Published September 2nd 2015 (first published August 2nd 2015)
ASIN: B0144W7X4A

 

Books, LGBTQIA, Young Adult/ Teen

The King’s Men (All for the Game #3) by Nora Sakavic

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on The King’s Men (All for the Game #3) by Nora Sakavic

23667559you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Author website

my review:
Rating:★★★★★

“Pull out all the stops and lay it all on the line. Fight because you don’t know how to die quietly. Win because you don’t know how to lose. This king’s ruled long enough—it’s time to tear his castle down.”

I can’t believe it was only fifteen days ago where I didn’t even know what the hell The Foxcourt Hole was. And it’s been almost a week since I finished The King’s Men and I’ve just been scouring Nora’s Tumblr, reading everyone she’s written about post-TKM.

I genuinely thought I was never going to make it to the final book. Because I’m a realistic reader and there were times in this series where it’s so bizarrely unrealistic and none of their behaviours would be acceptable in real life. (for example, in book 1, I don’t think the NCAA would ever permit Andrew to play Exy on the condition he would be on drugs, and allow him to play with knives hidden under his clothing). You don’t understand how hard it was to read this without wanting to yell ‘HOW WOULD THAT EVEN BE PERMITTED???’

But putting that aside, The King’s Men was a really gripping read and I think it’s my favourite out of the trilogy. The action of the story keeps you on the edge with every turn of a page. It’s been a week since finishing this and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Nora takes the story and makes it even more brutal and heartbreaking than its predecessors.

I’m just going make a small mention of the relationships within this- small because I know I’ll never shut up about them. The interactions between the characters are so cute, and I loved each and every single one of them, especially Neil, Dan, Renee, Alison, and, never forget my ultimate fave, Nicky. And despite the description heavily emphasising this book is about romance, it was subtle and doesn’t overpower the main plot of the team. I loved the way the Foxes went from this dysfunctional team that had no hopes of even scratching the list for the championship to working together and growing together as a group. And this tumblr post sums up everything that is pure and good about the USC Trojans, but has huge spoilers, just to warn you.  (Yeah, small mention she said, well done Zaheerah.)

Overall, I might not have had the best beginnings with this series but the ending swept me away and I know I’ll most definitely be reading more from Nora Sakavic in the future.

Kindle Edition, 370 pages
Published December 2nd 2014
ASIN: B00QHMU0PU
Books, LGBTQIA, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: The Foxhole Court (All for the Game #1) by Nora Sakavic

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: The Foxhole Court (All for the Game #1) by Nora Sakavic

18874651you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Author website

my review:
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Having just finished this, I must say that I’m not exactly sure what to say about this book. I didn’t like certain aspects of the novel, but overall plotline interested me enough to actually want to continue the series.

The Foxhole Court focuses on a fictional sport called Exy, which seems like a mix of lacrosse, hockey, and some other sports I can’t quite remember. It’s extremely popular and the only thing that makes Neil happy. But Neil is on the run from his father, an abusive man in the mob, and signing a contract with the PSU Foxes should be the last thing Neil should ever do. The lie that has kept him living for five years begins to break under the pressure of his new teammates and the truth about him could get him killed.

To be honest, it’s hard to explain this whole book because so much happens and would spoil the book immensely. I enjoyed the plot, but I had bigger problems with issues like rape jokes and homophobic slurs within the book that made it uncomfortable to read. I originally gave this book 1 star but it was like 12 at night when I finished it so I slept on it and decided a 3 rating was more suitable. The concept of Exy was interesting to read and despite the weirdness of the plot, I liked how realistic the characters were. (I have the biggest soft spot for Nicky and Kevin) Each character has a fascinating backstory which captivates the reader and makes you love the minor characters even more.

Kindle Edition, 230 pages
Published July 30th 2013 by Smashwords Edition/ Self-published
ASIN: B00E9BLRUI

 

Books, Contemporary, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

28453981you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Author website

my review:

Rating: ★★★☆☆

~ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review~

Parker Grant lives by her own set of die-hard rules which she developed over the years, after losing her mother and sight at age 7, and refuses to let anyone treat her differently because of that. But when Scott, otherwise known as Parker Enemy Number One for breaking the most important rule, reappears into her life, Parker is forced to wonder if she was too quick to judge Scott while attempting to handle her new way of life after the death of her father three months prior.

I’m not going to lie, I was going into this book expecting it to be bad but, honestly, I thought it was pretty good.

Continue reading “Book Review: Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom” →

Books, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: Chasing Thunderclap by Kaylie Caswell

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Chasing Thunderclap by Kaylie Caswell

28462769you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Author website

my review:

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

~Copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review~

Chasing Thunderclap haven’t had the best of luck when it comes to their band. With the death of  a former band mate and on the edge of losing their new lead guitar player to an Ivy League college, could Chasing Thunderclap be no more by the end of summer? Hell-bent on keeping Bryan, their lead guitarist, in the band, the remaining members will do anything to turn his mind away from college. But as their plans crumbles away, each member begins to question whether this dream is worth following?

I’m not going to lie: I hated this book for the first 75% of this book. The behaviour of these boys actually disgusted me and they were so irritating. But I had to give the Caswell some props for making some distinction between the boys. I literally thought I was going to be stuck with five POVs with no idea who was speaking when. But the story of each boy was clear and different, and when weaved together, the novel was enjoyable to an extent. I liked the storyline but hated the characters. Haha, is that even possible? I really liked how the band had different meanings to each member. And how important the band was to their fans and that fuelled the boys to keep going. There’s a scene where a fan comes up to Bryan and tells him how their music saved their life, and that scene was so cute!

I was actually going to not even finish this book but I’m glad I kept reading because the ending was good. I don’t say that often but I liked how realistic it was. And it was good to see each boy finally decide what their position was in the band, and I agreed with each decision they made.

Kindle Edition, 315 pages
Published December 30th 2015 by Berried Alive, LLC
ASIN: B01A1BSGHG

 

 

Books, Young Adult/ Teen

Book Review: Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout

by ZaheerahLeave a Comment on Book Review: Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout

23961611you can find the book at:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Author website

my review:

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

In an attempt to escape her music royalty family, Grace Wilde transfers into a Korean boarding school and finds herself falling for a K-Pop star.

If you want a novel with proper representation of Korean culture mixed with likeable characters, I suggest you don’t even bother putting this book on your TBR list. Why? Because this has none of that.
Continue reading “Book Review: Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout” →