Pretty Little Liars - Sara Shepard

Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in. Are they being betrayed by some one in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back?

Spencer Hastings

Let's start with my favorite Liar in the tv show. Spencer is a huge nerd. She doesn't whine too much, and is pretty chill. She's a bit masculine in the way she dresses and behaves, but can still be very fragile and love-longing at some times. Even though I loved how down-to-earth she was, almost having sex and being in love with your sister's lover was a dick move. Like, it was so wrong. She was the only one with an actually passionate and/or legal relationship though.

I hated her parents so much, her parents obviously prefer Melissa (her sister) over her. When she finally did something great, she got their attention, and was way too happy with that. I hope her bond with her parents grows in the future.

Aria Montgomery

My second favorite Liar in the tv show. She's a little more dramatic in the book. She is so desperate for boys it actually made me cringe. I mean, starting a relationship with your teacher? Only having talked/kissed with him once and knowing he's "the one"?(her actual words). She didn't have any problems with her parents at all, and had a sibling-relationship with her brother. I didn't think she had much to whine, but she still did. 

I love her style: cowboy boots with fringes,  colorful tops and a lot of colors overall. She has gone through many phases, and is still trying to find herself.

Emily Fields

Even though she's my least favorite Liar in the tv show, I preferred her in the books. She's the typical shy girl that never rebels, until she befriends Maya, a girl living in Alison's house. Maya makes her feel and do things she's never done before. Because she wants to impress Maya, she smokes weed and jumps in a river. She also realised she didn't even like her boyfriend. 

After a few moments with Maya, she realises she's falling in love with her. I have never been in love with a girl, but I'm bisexual, so this actually made me like her way more. When she kissed Maya and Ben (her boyfriend) found out and called her things, I couldn't help but feel so bad for her. Her parents are racist and homophobic (Maya is black), and while she hasn't come out yet, when she does, I hope all goes well. I'm really looking forward to reading about a lesbian couple, cause LGBTQ+ isn't mentioned in a lot of books, and if it's mentioned, it's sometimes as an insult.

Hanna Marin

My least favorite Liar in the book. She thinks she can get away with everything, and doesn't even realise that her decisions have consequences. She steals just for the adrenalin, and steals her boyfriend's car when he says that he doesn't want to lose his virginity to her. Like, how stupid is that? 

I get that she has some serious mental issues, that she's had Bulimia (and it's slowly coming back? I'm not really sure). And she has this obsession with being "perfect", that's actually gotten in her head way too deep. Her mother isn't like any mother should be, she's okay with her daughter stealing and even sleeps with the policeman for her. Even though her mom thinks she's doing her job right, she is far from that. Her bond with her father also isn't that tight, I hope that improves in the future and we'll see more of Kate.

Alison DiLaurentis

What a bitch. She didn't treat her friends right. I'm guessing this is an act to be cool, cause everyone has that (I did too, let's not talk about that). But I just thought: 'What if she had treated them well?' Would Emily have been more accepting over the fact that she was in love with Alison? Would Hanna have not felt like a "fat pig"? Would Aria have delt with her father's secret better? I know she returns in the TV show, and I'm hoping she does too in the books. She's really something special, and I'm so excited to read her backstory.

Preferring one Liar over the other

This book switches it's point of view. And because the Liars aren't great friends in the beginning, I started to prefer one Liar's story over the other's really soon. Because of the small cliffhangers every chapter, it suddenly got really boring to not be able to read further and having to read 3 more chapters. I hope as their friendship grows, it will become less frustrating.

Title: Pretty Little Liars

Author: Sara Shepard

Series: Pretty Little Liars (book 1)

Even though I already know who book-A is, and I don't think I'm up for 16 books, I'll still read further to see how the story unfolds. For now, it's a 3/5 stars from me. 

Dominique

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...
But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

Simon Snow

Simon Snow is basically the protagonist in some ways. 50 pages in, I already thought Simon was this universe's Harry Potter. But when Cath was reading Levi fanfiction, Levi said something that made me question it: 'That's like saying Harry Potter was gay'. Does that mean they have two big franchises in this universe? Or is Harry Potter not even our Harry Potter, but something completely different? I'm kind of wondering, but I guess we won't find out very soon.

Cath

Okay, so Cath's a nerd. She writes fanfiction (gay style), spends her night at home and is obsessed with everything Simon Snow. She's also a giant control freak. Throughout the book, she loosened up a bit and wanted to do more and more. Going to parties, even. For some, she must have felt like a whiny child, but for me, I completely understood. She always stood in the shadow of her twin sister, Wren, and never got to be herself. I felt really bad for her.

Cath's dad

Well, a few moments in I already realised Cath's dad wasn't just a normal dad. He forgot things, even forgot to take care of himself. I later on realised her dad was bipolar, but this wasn't explained very well. It could be that I didn't really read that one piece it was explained in, but I realised so late into the book that I practically hit myself for being so stupid. Cath is very sweet to her dad and helps him in every way she can, even moving back home.

Laura, Cath's mom (?)

What a horrible bitch this was. Did she really expect her child to want to bond with her after leaving her at 8 years old? Cath literally hadn't seen her for 10 years when she comes back into Cath/Wren's life expecting everything to be fine. And while Wren wants to bond, Cath still hates her. Laura made her father (and them) go insane. I completely understood why Cath hated her so much. Now I know she never wanted any children at her age, but then, go on birth control and use a freaking condom. Don't just leave your kids.

Wren 

A few chapters in, I already realised Wren was the "cool one" out of the twins. She likes to go to parties, likes to drink and has had loads of boyfriends (and sex). She does, however, appreciate and accept Cath's personality. While she does want her to loosen up, she doesn't push and loves Simon Snow almost as much as her. Their sister bon was so cute and while they did fight, they found each other again in the end.

Levi

He was so sweet. He tried to make everyone feel good and smiled at everyone. I was so in love with him. He accepted Cath for who she was and wasn't scared off by her fanfiction. He waited for her and didn't push her. He was also very funny and just great. Cath and Levi were like opposites, but they still managed to make it work, despite their differences.

Raegan

Oh my god, she was so great. Sarcasm on point, and she indirectly helped Cath get a boyfriend and be more open. She was like anyone not familiar with "fandoms" and kind of judged her for her Simon Snow addiction, but throughout the book had actually started to like it. She was her 'best' friend and it was really amazing. She's like the typical "party girl": make up, parties, smoking, sex. But still, she stood up for Cath.

Writing Style

I love Rainbow's writing style. It's so detailed and so pure. I could picture everything so well. After Eleanor & Park I had to read more of her. Eleanor & Park was true beauty in a book, but this got me feeling less. Don't get me wrong, it was still beautiful, but not as breath-taking as Eleanor & Park was.

Storyline

Well, how to start. I didn't feel like the book had a beginning. You know, when all the good things start and the introduction is over. It was kind of like loads of things thrown into one big book. It didn't really have a storyline. Maybe because I'm used to Fantasy, which almost always does have a storyline.

Overall, it was a great book with nice characters and very detailed, but it isn't on my recommendation list. Carry On (Cath's fanfiction which is also a book by Rowell) is definitely on my TBR list though. 3/5 stars.

Dominique
(for anyone wondering why I didn't post this Tuesday, I want to go back to my Sunday-schedule :))

Shatter Me: Ignite Me - Tahereh Mafi

With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn't know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won't keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that's not all he wants with her.

Cover

What a beautiful cover. This is -in my opinion- the best cover in the series. There's so many details. When you look closely, you can see a raven in the pupil. The blue made it really powerful, and the font fits the Dytsopian theme.

Juliette Ferrars 

Man, wow, that growth. In the first 2 books she was a pathetic, weak, shy girl needing love. But damn, after this book I was convinced she's not anymore. She was finally ready to make her own decisions, and to fight. She wanted revenge, and oh she got it. She starting using her powers, and learned how to control it. She's not afraid of anything anymore. It was really weird to read, like she was an entirely different person. I LOVED IT. I have a thing for badass female characters, and the weak ones who cry all day don't really catch my attention.

Warner a.k.a fuck yEs?

Oh my, HOW DO I LOVE WARNER. I know I've said before that I was team Adam, but like, Warner? WARNER. That stupid wrench I despised, was actually my favorite person  ever. Because you see everything in Juliette's perspective, she made everyone think he was an asshole, but when she got to know him and because he saved her, she slowly realised he was different, and wasn't behind all the things she thought he did. You won't believe me when I tell you this, but one day, you'll be completely and utterly IN LOVE WITH WARNER, and Team Adam? Not anymore.

Kenji's humor

Kenji's humor was probably the second best thing about this book (with Warner+Juliette being first), his relationship with Juliette really warms my heart. While it's not at all romantic, there's something about it that makes them so close, maybe even closer than she is to Warner. Kenji and his stupid jokes make it even better. I never knew a Dystopian could actually make me laugh.

Adam Kent is a stupid asshole

Adam needs to get a hold of himself. Even after Juliette broke up with him, he still tried to get her back, and in a not-so-right way too. He said things to her he should never have said. And while Kenji was there to back her up, he still needed to get some sense in his head. 

He'll do everything for James, his little brother, even losing his pride. That is literally the only thing I still liked about him.

Intimate scenes 

Wow, so passionate, they actually made me blush. The way Warner kissed and made sexual jokes and such kind of made me really uncomfortable,  especially after that one part (people who have read the book will know EXACTLY what I'm talking about)., but I also liked it (if I can confess that whoOps). It was like a pure heavy romance. And while it was cheesy, it was also really wonderful to read. These romances rarely happen in real life, that's why this book made me so happy. If you're not a big fan of all this cheesiness though, I don't think this is something for you.

Storyline

Hate to break it to you, this book series doesn't have many action until the end of the books. The first 300 pages were them preparing for the fight, and a lot of romance. It was not at all boring though. I read this book in two days. Probably the fastest I've ever read a book. Some people will hate this book for it's romance, but I really loved it. There hasn't been many action in this book series, apart from the climax. This climax was the best. The way she managed to stay strong through all those things. The ending was really powerful I almost cried cause this is the last book.

In my opinion, this is the best book in the series, the first book being the runner-up. It was so nice to read (come on, 400 pages in two days?). I recommend this book series so much. While they're not that underrated, many people don't know about it. I'm so glad I picked this book series up cause they gave me so much joy. I'm really sad there isn't another book, but I'll definitely read some more books of Tahereh Mafi. 5/5 stars *fangirls*

Dominique