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[aimeeannbooks]

After reading UNDER THE SURFACE, I read Diana Urban's blog post about her book. In her post, she called it a "thriller romance" genre. She stated her publishers weren't too fond of the "romance" tag, that they didn't want Sean's perspective to pause the chapters of Ruby's. Urban pushed, and I'm so glad she did. Giving Ruby a reason to keep pushing, to survive was really the only way to go.

At first, as I read, I was unsure about a couple of the characters. Olivia feels like such a throwaway character in the beginning. But as I continued to read, it became evident Urban knew exactly what she was doing with her characters. Olivia is not a throwaway. She's there for very specific reasons. I can't get into such reasons without spoiling the entire story line, but I'm so glad for Urban's reason. I'm so glad for Urban's story. UNDER THE SURFACE is the first 5-star read I've come across in a long while, and I'm so so glad for it.

[aimeeannbooks]

I almost gave this one 2 stars because of how back and forth the story is, the characters are. I ended up giving it 3 stars because the last 75 pages finally pulled me into the story when it revealed it's big twist. I saw part of it coming, but not all of it. And that's what made it end up pulling me in! The story ended up slowing down again, going back in it's game of back and forth. It seems the book ends in the back. We get a sneak peek of a forth in the upcoming sequel. I'm not too excited about it, because I'm not too sure I want to read anymore back and forth. If the sequel can maintain it's forth, I might be interested in reading it. I like 1/2 of the MCs, after all. Even if the other 1/2 got me angry throughout most of the book. The supporting characters and the antagonist are all likeable (or dislikable in the case of the antagonist). It is only the 1/2 that isn't likeable to me.

[aimeeannbooks]

I first wrote this fan letter to Jennifer Lawrence over ten years ago, and I still get notes on it from time to time. I still love Jennifer Lawrence. She really has brought so much light into my life.

My fan letter to Jennifer Lawrence. I didn’t think it needs any embellishment.

[aimeeannbooks]

LIKE HAPPINESS

I do not need to finish this one to know it's a five-star read. Of course, I will be finishing this one, because it's a five star read. I am pulled in immediately by the narration, by the protagonist narrating her story to another character as opposed to us readers. She needs her story to be heard by him. She needs her story to be told to us.

Tatum's story is the kind that people need. Not just the character to whom she's narrating, but to the real people too. There are just some stories out there that radiate with humans, and this is one that will be radiating with me for a very long time. It isn't just they way the story is told, it is what the story is about. Being a woman. But more than that. Being a human. We're all humans in this world, and we're all fighting to survive. Some of us go through the same kinds of stories. I believe this is the kind of story I have gone through before.

[aimeeannbooks]

GORGEOUS GRUESOME FACES

This young adult debut is listed as a thriller, but I would most definitely categorize it as a horror. A pretty good horror at that!

Linda Cheng beautifully combines the modern world of East Asian pop-dom with a history of her own making, in this horrific world. She introduces readers backstage to the world of raising children into Idols, into all the expectations the parents, the industry, and the fans place on these children, into all the pressure placed on their shoulders. We get to go behind the scenes of all the glam we see, to be revealed to the real horrors of the children entertainment industry. It is no different than former child stars coming forward now with all the abuse they've gone through. These girls trying to be idols go through that same abuse.

But they go through an entirely different world too, full of celestial beings, ghosts, and true horror they never could imagine before.

It's hard enough trying to be an Idol. It's impossible trying to be an idol when your best friend is blessed by a deity.

[aimeeannbooks]

Thirteen years ago, this blog changed my life. I joined a girl I had met on here to share the blog with her, a girl whose life I'd wanted to save. But she ended up rejecting my kindness, as many people on this corner of the universe ended up doing down the years. And she let me have the blog on my own. I created it in my image, a safe space to help as many young people as I could. But I was young myself. And I didn't know how much of a toll it could take.

I used to post on here every single day, interacting with many people. Now it's luck if I post more than three times a year. This corner of the universe is so different now, and so is my life and the people I've decided to keep in it.

I'd wanted to start using this blog for my writing updates instead of my book quotes instead of my inspirational quotes. And maybe one day I still will.

But today is simply a post to say happy birthday to my blog. Thirteen years ago, Tumblr, you saved my life.

[aimeeannbooks]

I don't use Tumblr so much anymore. I used to make book page posts and share tons of my writing. I'm a little more private with my writing now and the book pages took too much work to post. I completely refreshed my Tumblr two years ago in the hopes that I could use it for my writing journey. But Tumblr still holds many painful memories for me. I lost many people, many things.

One of these lost people introduced me to this book series. The Mortal Instruments. And immediately I was hooked. This book series became my whole personality. For years, it was nothing but Jace and Clary. And then, slowly, Tumblr started showing me the truth about this book series. Things I didn't want to know. I won't go into the details here, but my heart was ripped asunder by these things, and I gave up the world of the Shadowhunters. My heart put them to bed.

Yet, I hung onto the books I owned. After all, I spent a lot of money on that box set. But money is nowhere near as important as healing. And in healing, I had to let the books go too. I kept the one book that always meant the most to me, and I let the rest be adopted by somebody whose heart wanted to love them too.

This is my final goodbye to The Mortal Instruments and the world of the Shadowhunters.

[aimeeannbooks]

I just finished THE HEADMASTER'S LIST by Melissa de la Cruz, and I give it 2/5 stars. I enjoyed the story. Four kids get into a car crash, and only one makes it out alive. I didn't see the plot twist coming. The larger plot twist was easier to see. An enjoyable plot line altogether. It's de la Cruz's writing of her characters that deserve the book such a low rating. She's trying to appeal so much to minorities that she goes a little too far. She wrote a non-binary character, and then spent half the book shining them as the villian, then completely forgot about them for the remainder of the book. She misgendered Tabby twice, even. Spencer, the protagonist, is a POC. And that's amazing! But towards the end of the book, she is confronted by a character who tells her she's jealous of her "minority perks".Hailey cheated with Spencer's boyfriend because he didn't want to break up with her and look racist. It's an insult to POC who work hard for what they deserve. Maybe I'm just too sensitive. Or maybe these characters specifically were just a fluke. But this one made me want to shelf Melissa de la Cruz altogether.

[aimeeannbooks]

Here’s a life update:

I did NaNoWriMo again this year! I didn’t complete it like I did last year. However, I finished the three chapters I aimed to do at the beginning of the months. I’m working on a series of duologies, and this is my second one, the third and fourth books of the series. My goal is to self publish these, eventually, as traditional publishing may no longer be an option for me. I find joy in writing. Magic and miracles. I’m doing other things with my life right now, but writing will always be at the forefront. And I can’t wait to see how my stories turn out.

[aimeeannbooks]

Jenette McCurdy I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED: A Personal Essay (with spoilers)

You know that moment when you take something in that reveals parts of who you are? You watch a movie, and you realize that what he did to you really was assault. You binge a show and discover that what you went through was grooming. I read Jenette McCurdy's I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED, and discovered a whole entire part of me. Jenette McCurdy's mom was possessive and clingy. I've never seen a mom hold her daughter so close. She treated her daughter like something she owned. My mom didn't shower me as a teenager or sleep in my bed with me as a young adult. But I was a possession of my mom's. And sometimes I still am. I had a panic attack because my aunt found my Tik Tok and I just knew she would tell my mom the content isn't always "wholesome". I had to block her. That's the grip my mom still has on me, even though I'm 30 and live with my partner. Debra McCurdy abused her daughter. She forced Jenette into a career she didn't want at the age of six. She didn't support her desire to write. Just as my mom never did with me. My mom wanted "more" for me than she had. Even though I was always sick, she tried to push me. My mom refused to talk about eating disorders with me. I would ask her questions about how eating disorders come into place and she wouldn't tell me because she didn't want me to copy any ED tactics. It was unhealthy for her to keep these things from me. If we had talked about them, maybe I wouldn't have a bad relationship with food. I was made to feel like I have to deserve food. My mom's tactics didn't work. I'm Anorexic. While my mom pushed me into an eating disorder by not telling me about it, Jenette's mom pushed her into an eating disorder by telling her how. I still remember some of the awful things my mom has called me. Selfish rings in my ear all day. I remember the time I was yelled at in the front yard because I barely grazed a fence with the car. Debra called Jenette awful things in her late days. It doesn't compare to what my mom called me. But I know it compares to what my mom thinks of me. Debra McCurdy had a control over her daughter's life that I always thought my mom would have over me. We both got out, though. One through death, the other through love. Our moms are narcissists. And through reading 'I’M GLAD MY MOM DIED, I discovered something about myself. I was abused as a child.

[aimeeannbooks]

🎶 This is not my home, my ho-o-ome! 🎶

reblog w the song lyrics in your head NOW. either stuck in yr head or what yr listening to

[aimeeannbooks]

I love him so much.

Nomitkon, Tajikistan — I’d never seen a bread eating cat before.  But this cat loved bread. He would practically sit down at the table and wait to be served.  The owners would throw him a few pieces and then throw him out of the house, but he would soon sneak back in and continue looking longingly at the loaves.

[aimeeannbooks]

I want somebody to do to my novel what I did to my absolute favorite book: The Fault in Our Stars. It became my art diary. It is so loved, and yet so abused. It's falling apart, but hope is keeping it together.

God, I want this for the novel of my heart so badly.

Imagine your novel.

Not in prestine condition, not on a bookshelf at the store.

The copy with tattered pages and an abused spine. The one with bookmarks and highlights and tear stains. The version of your book that’s lived under pillows and in bookbags and at the houses of friends that are trusted enough to borrow books.

Imagine your novel being the most beloved book on someone’s bookshelf.

[aimeeannbooks]

If y'all saw me delete a post, it's only because I just want posts that are either created by me or have a comment made by me on my blog. The post was very adorable and I enjoyed it, but I didn't meant to reblog it. I'm sorry, y'all 💞

[aimeeannbooks]

What are four no-context images summing up your current WIP? I’ll go first!

[aimeeannbooks]

Can't describe anything.

I'm often told my dialogue is beautiful.

Are you a “can’t write dialogue” writer or a “can’t describe anything” writer

[aimeeannbooks]

I've been thinking about this all night, because I really wanted to add some I like. I finally thought of three favorite first kiss tropes.

💞 Both characters are breathing heavily for whatever reason: physical exhertion, a heated debate. And then suddenly they're just kissing.

💞 Character B tries to kiss Character A, but they're awkward and clumsy and mess up. Character A doesn't let them just end it there, and kisses them full force.

💞 But my absolute favorite is when Character A is just rambling on and on and Character B kisses them as a polite way to ask them to shut up.

anyone feel like sharing their favorite first kiss tropes? some of mine are:

distraction kisses, wherein the two characters are trying to hide from pursuers and kiss to hide their faces

kisses where the two characters are sparring or something and both just stop to kiss each other, then pause to wonder wtf just happened, and then drop their swords to keep kissing

when the two characters are in a fake relationship and have to kiss to keep up the charade: if they’re engaged, everyone at the party or dinner or something begins chanting “kiss kiss kiss” until the two characters just peck each other on the lips until the other characters are like “pfft a real one!” so they kiss for Real, pull apart, and kinda just stare at each other bc they both realize they’re totally lost for each other

when Character A knows they like Character B but is too afraid to jeapordize their friendship bc Character B might not like them back...and then Character B surges forward to kiss Character A, abruptly apologizes and pulls away, and then Character A drags them back in

when something big is about to happen so one character just decides to throw caution to the wind and kiss the other character senseless and is majorly shook when they’re kissed back

if they’re cooking dinner together, Character B just very gently kisses Character A out of the blue bc Character A is laughing maniacally while chopping vegetables and Character B is just so totally fond of them they can’t help but kiss them right then and there

maybe it’s strange, but i have a particular love for kisses where Character A is sitting on a counter and Character B slots their hips between Character A’s knees to get close enough to kiss them

there’s definitely more but these are all i can think of off the top of my head. please do add on if you have any favorites!