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Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett Book Review

‘Sometimes the best adventures happen under the moonlight.

Eighteen-year-old Birdie hasn’t seen anything of the world. Raised and home-schooled by her grandparents, she experiences life through her favourite mystery novels.

Then she takes a summer job watching the night shift at a historic Seattle hotel and everything changes. There she meets Daniel Aoki, the hotel’s distractingly good-looking driver, and soon they find themselves caught up in a real-life mystery of their own. A reclusive writer is secretly meeting someone at the hotel, and Birdie is determined to get to the bottom of it.

But before she can uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must confront the most confounding mystery of all – her growing feelings for Daniel…’

 Book Review: no spoilers

I was so excited to read this book because I have really liked all of Jenn Bennett's other works and this was her latest book. I decided to pick it up whilst I was in this reading slump, however I feel like this book contributed to my reading slump, so that's why I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. But also I really enjoyed Starry Eyes so I had a greater expectation when I came to read this book which let me down.

What I disliked the most was the lack of an enticing plot. There was two plots; the romance and the identity of the mystery author. The romance is not gripping to read. I liked the romance but if this book was only the romance then it would be a boring plot. Then there was the identity of the mystery author which was used as a way to facilitate the romance, but the down side what that as the reader, I didn't really care about that plot line. I think if the mystery plot line was more interesting and gripping then I would have liked the book more.

I loved the Asian representation of the love interest Daniel being Japanese. He was my favourite character in this book because I could connect with him. I struggled to connect with Birdie because of how she was written as a character. I think Birdie is written well as a teenager but some of the choices she makes about her health and her noncommittal relationships make me and her have completely different views, so I struggled to see things from her point of view.

Overall, I gave this book 3/5, I didn't mind this book. I prefer Starry Eyes and that would be the book which I would recommend reading more.

Love Lou xx

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Most of us are just living our lives, trying the best we can.

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

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Judging other people unfairly doesn't define them; it defines you.

Serious Moonlight by Jenn Bennett

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Jackpot by Nic Stone Book Review

‘Seventeen-year-old Rico splits her time outside school between looking after her younger brother and working in the local gas station to help her mum pay the bills.

So when she sells a jackpot-winning lotto ticket and the money goes unclaimed, Rico thinks maybe her luck has changed. If she can find the ticket holder and reunite them with the cash, hopefully she will get a cut of the winnings. . . That is if she can avoid falling for the annoyingly handsome (and filthy rich) boy she roped into helping her with the hunt.’

 Book Review: no spoilers

I received an advanced reader copy by the publisher at YALC in July 2019. They had like a spin wheel and if you landed on a certain colour then you would win an ARC. I had no idea what I would win when I participated in the game but I was happy that I received it. On my ARC it says that it's out on the 26th December 2019, but the date must have been forward to October because it's already out so my advance reader copy just became a reader copy. I found this out after I had started reading it but I decided to continue because I knew that I probably wouldn't get around to reading it for years otherwise.

I don't particularly like lottery stories. I think it's because it's so far outside my reality that I can't relate to those stories. In addition, I'm anti-gambling, and I feel like the lottery and gambling are just a tax on the less fortunate, because they are the majority who would partake in those activities, and it's a system where the house always wins. With this book, I did enjoy the fact that the search for the lottery ticket was the main goal as opposed to Rico winning the lottery ticket and spending loads of money, but I also didn't like the fact that Rico went on this journey to find the lottery ticket. I understand that she is desperate and gets more desperate as the story continues, but I felt like Rico was chasing a pipe dream.

In terms of the characters, I think my favourite ones were Jax and Zan. I didn't mind Rico but I just found her to be so stubborn and had too much dignity. If I was in her situation where I was one of the providers to my family, and I was living on the poverty line, I would have had a lot less pride and done anything to get money. Rico has pride and I think that's her downfall. She doesn't ask for help, and the one time she did she was desperate. If I was in her shoes, I'd be less hesitant to ask for help, especially in the serious situations Rico and her family get into. I loved Jax because he was the cute child of the family that gets spoiled and is loved by everyone, and I liked Zan because he seemed like an authentic character. My only reservation about Zan's character is that I don't quite believe that his friendship with Rico would have started out the way that it did.

Also, the way that this story is told is a bit weird. You have the normal story line with Rico narrating in first person present, but then you also have like inanimate objects POVS and some flash forwards and flash backwards. I didn't like the way that part was told. It just didn't make much sense but I also understand that it's an attempt to give the story more depth and increase the pacing if you have a short chapter from the winning lottery ticket for example.

With the ending, I didn't enjoy it. It was a clear ending but I felt like I didn't get complete satisfaction from reading it. It felt a bit like the last 10 pages or more was cut off. It's an anti-climatic ending and I felt like it ended in a way the characters wouldn't have acted. I can't really say more without spoiling it, but I don't know if the characters would have said what they said.

Overall, I gave this book 3/5 stars. I felt like this story was an average book. I think the people who would enjoy this story the most are people who feel represented with stories with interracial relationships, and with characters living on the poverty line in America. I completely understand living in the UK provides me and the entire country with an enormous privilege which is normal for us. With have universal free healthcare no matter your income or employment or nationality. There's also a system in place for those who cannot work or are on the poverty line where you get assistance from the government, with money and access to food banks. In addition, things like living accommodation, dental care, opticians can be subsidised or even free depending on your circumstances as well. So with me it was slightly harder to relate to the story, but that does not mean that I didn't appreciate it. I would recommend it to people who want a more diverse read for representation and if they want to see themselves in the characters, but I wouldn't recommend it based on the story alone.

Love Lou xx

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#Junkie by Cambria Herbert Book Review

‘His high of choice? Cars.

The faster, the better.

He’s been making waves in Maryland’s underground racing circuit since he crossed the state line, and after speaking with him, we know he’s not hitting the brakes anytime soon.

So what exactly does it take to burn rubber and make a name for yourself in a world where the only rule is there are no rules?’

 Book Review: no spoilers

I had two problems when reading this book. The first was that this book solely focuses on the SLOW romance of Trent and Drew, so I felt like I could put this book down... which I did... a lot. The second was that because of that, other books were far more tempting, so I started and finished them whilst still 'reading' this one. I didn't mind the plot of this book. It was just incredibly slow. Once the romance stops being slow, the book picks up a lot. The ending is also really good, but it felt a bit too rushed and too much of a forceful, "What will happen next?" Because of the cliffhanger. I'm glad that I read this book, and I am tempted to buy the sequel... but I don't know if I will actually read the sequel... Especially considering how long it took me to read this book. I liked the characters of Trent and Drew. I felt like whilst this book was meant to be Drew's story or their story, it was really Trent's story because he was the one that faced the most hardship and became the most developed. Overall, I gave this story 3/5 stars. I liked the story, but I didn't love it. I don't know if I will remember this story though...

Love Lou xx

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The agony of being near him was sweet compared to that of keeping myself away.

#Junkie by Cambria Herbert

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Hope was a dangerous emotion. It made a man believe in possibilities.

#Junkie by Cambria Hebert

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Kimi Ni Todoke Vol 12 by Karuho Shiina

‘Sawako “Sadako” Kuronuma is the perfect heroine… for a horror movie. With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanor, she’s always had trouble fitting in. But her whole life changes when she befriends the most popular boy in class, Shota Kazehaya.

Sawako and Kazehaya are now dating! Sawako’s worried that she hasn’t told her parents about it, though. Will her father freak out that his little girl has a boyfriend?’

 Book Review: no spoilers

This manga series continues to be really cute and sweet. This volume is a massive step for Kuronuma and Kazehaya's relationship. Not only do they hold hands, but Kazehaya meets Kuronuma's family which is a massive step seeing as they have JUST started to go out. But this volume was filled with such sweet moments. The hand holding scene made me want to jump with joy (you also know that this is a shojo manga when the characters ONLY hold hands at volume 12 haha), and I really liked seeing the awkward dynamic between Kuronuma and Kazehaya now that they are a romantic couple. They don't really know how to act and I think it is a realistic interpretation when friends become lovers.

I also really loved seeing now Chizu and Yano became friends. The series is really starting to develop the secondary characters and I can't wait for the focus to shift towards these characters more!

Overall, I gave this volume 4/5 or 8/10. I loved reading this volume (even though it did put me in a bit of a reading slump because I had read so many books from the same series). I think I will take a break from this series though for now. In the future I'll come back to it and love it again with a massive passion!

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Kimi Ni Todoke Vol. 11 by Karuho Shiina

‘Sawako “Sadako” Kuronuma is the perfect heroine… for a horror movie. With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanour, she’s always had trouble fitting in. But her whole life changes when she befriends the most popular boy in class Shota Kazehaya.

Sawako and Kazehaya have confessed their feelings to each other! But now Sawako is worried about her rival, Kurumi. In the past, Kurumi vowed to hate any girl who went out with Kazehaya. So how’s she going to react to the news that Sawako and Kazehaya are dating?’

 Book review: no spoilers

This manga series follows a girl called Kuronuma and she has the looks that would be perfect for a ghost in a horror movie, but everyone has her misunderstood. Through her friendship with the popular boy in class, Kazehaya, her classmates start to realise that she's not this feared figure that she is thought to be.

This volume is especially cute because of a number of reasons. 1) You get to see the main characters to start to interact as a couple, and it's really cute and innocent. 2) One of the chapters you get to see the main story so far from Kazehaya's perspective which made me love the story that much more. 3) Most of Kuronuma's gifts to Kazehaya were for Maru-chan and that made me smile.

I gave this volume 5/5 or 10/10. I love this manga series, so you all have to check it out!

Love Lou xx

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Kimi Ni Todoke Vol 10 by Karuho Shiina

‘Sawako “Sadako” Kuronuma is the perfect heroine… for a horror movie. With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanour, she’s always had trouble fitting in. But her whole life changes when she befriends the most popular boy in class Shota Kazehaya.

A misunderstanding causes Sawako and Kazehaya to distance themselves from each other. Unable to stand the tension, Sawako decides she needs to reveal her true feelings to him. Will this awkward girl and well-liked guy become a couple?!’

 Book Review: no spoilers

This manga series follows a girl called Kuronuma and she has the looks that would be perfect for a ghost in a horror movie, but everyone has her misunderstood. Through her friendship with the popular boy in class, Kazehaya, her classmates start to realise that she's not this feared figure that she is thought to be. Kuronuma has just realised her feelings for Kazehaya and is learning to deal with them and still maintain the friendship that she has with Kazehaya.

THIS VOLUME IS SO CUTE! It marks the changing point in the relationship between Kazehaya and Kuronuma because they try to correctly convey their feelings to each other. Add to that the school knowing their business and Kurumi, and you could possibly see the future conflicts the couple could have. But even though this volume presents everything that the reader could want, it doesn't feel as sweet as it could be... so I feel like trouble will be brewing soon.

I gave this volume a 10/10 or 5/5. I loved this volume, this series and everything. I can't wait to read what happens next! After volume 11, I have no idea what is going to happen next because the anime stops there and I am so excited to see what the future holds for my favourite characters!

Love Lou xx

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Kimi Ni Todoke Vol. 9 by Karuho Shiina

‘Sawako “Sadako” Kuronuma is the perfect heroine… for a horror movie. With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanour, she’s always had trouble fitting in. But her whole life changes when she befriends the most popular boy in class, Shota Kazehaya.

Kento, a new classmate, takes an interest in Kazehaya and Sawako’s relationship, but his interference confuses Sawako even more. When Kazehaya tries to tell Sawako he has feelings for her, she completely misinterprets him. Will Sawako over muster the confidence to confess her own feelings and resolve the misunderstanding?’

 Book Review: no spoilers

This manga series follows a girl called Kuronuma and she has the looks that would be perfect for a ghost in a horror movie, but everyone has her misunderstood. Through her friendship with the popular boy in class, Kazehaya, her classmates start to realise that she's not this feared figure that she is thought to be. Kuronuma has just realised her feelings for Kazehaya and is learning to deal with them and still maintain the friendship that she has with Kazehaya.

In this volume you see SO MANY misunderstandings between the characters. But it is the build up to the climax to the possibility of Kazehaya and Kuronuma admitting their feelings for each other/becoming a couple. You still see a jealous Kazehaya, but you also see him get into a conflict with Kento. I ended up liking Kento by the end of this volume because of how supportive he becomes to Kuronuma. You also see how strong the friendships have become between Kuronuma, Ayane and Chizu, and how they support Kuronuma. This volume should be renamed to misunderstandings and friendships because that was the main themes. I gave this volume a 10/10 or a 5/5. I liked this volume because of how fast paced it was, and how excited it makes me to read the next one. I can't wait to get my hands on volume 10!

Love Lou xx

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Kimi Ni Todoke Vol 8 by Karuho Shiina

‘Sawako “Sadako” Kuronuma is the perfect heroine… for a horror movie. With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanour, she’s always had trouble fitting in. But her whole life changes when she befriends the most popular boy in class.

A new school year begins happily when Sawako and her friends Chizu and Ayane – as well as her crush, Kazehaya – are all in the same homeroom. But when another popular guy on the class shows an interest in Sawako, will it push Kazehaya and Sawako apart?’

 Book review: no spoilers

This manga series follows a girl called Kuronuma and she has the looks that would be perfect for a ghost in a horror movie, but everyone has her misunderstood. Through her friendship with the popular boy in class, Kazehaya, her classmates start to realise that she's not this feared figure that she is thought to be. Kuronuma has just realised her feelings for Kazehaya and is learning to deal with them and still maintain the friendship that she has with Kazehaya.

In this volume you see a 'love rival' for Kazehaya for Kuronuma. I quoted the word love rival because Kento is more so causing trouble for the main couple then actively trying to be with Kuronuma. I absolutely love seeing a jealous Kazehaya. The only annoying thing about Kazehaya being jealous is that he feels like he can't voice his concerns to Kuronuma because he feels like she can't handle it. I wish that he would just tell her, but then the series would be a lot shorter if he did that. I can’t wait to see what happens next. I feel sorry for the people who had to wait for the next volume when it came out!

I gave this volume a 10/10 or a 5/5. I love this series, and I would recommend everybody to read it!

Love Lou xx

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Kimi Ni Todoke Vol. 7 by Karuho Shiina

‘Sawako “Sadako” Kuronuma is the perfect heroine… for a horror movie. With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanour, she’s always had trouble fitting in. But her whole life changes when she befriends the most popular boy in class.

After an eventful Christmas with her classmates, Sawako is super excited when Chizu and Ayane invite her to come with them to the shrine on New Year’s Eve, which happens to be her birthday. But what she doesn’t count on is her friends’ birthday surprise – to get her to go alone with Kazehaya-kun!’

 Book Review: no spoilers

This volume has to be one of the cutest so far. It focuses on the main couple of Kuronuma and Kazehaya so much. It is the first volume that you could imagine them to be a couple. In all the other volumes it’s just them crushing on each other. This makes this volume really cute and special. However with every cute moment in literature a storm brews, so the last chapter was a set up to the next problem the main couple will end up facing.

I gave this volume a 10/10 or 5/5. It’s one of my favourite manga series and has lots of my favourite scenes from the anime, so I can’t not give it any lower. I would highly recommend this series if you haven’t read it before. I guarantee that you’ll end up falling for either Kuronuma or Kazehaya, if not both!

Love Lou xx

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Kimi Ni Todoke Vol. 6 by Karuho Shiina

‘Sawako “Sadako” Kuronuma is the perfect heroine… for a horror movie. With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanour, she’s always had trouble fitting in. But her whole life changes when she befriends the most popular boy in class.

Chizu is surprised by the sudden homecoming of Toru, Ryu’s older brother and her childhood crush. But old habits die hard when Chizu can’t seem to get enough courage to declare her love. But this is the one time Chizu won’t be able to count on Ryu to be supportive of her – not when he wants her for himself!’

 Book Review: No spoilers

This manga series follows a girl called Kuronuma and she has the looks that would be perfect for a ghost in a horror movie, but everyone has her misunderstood. Through her friendship with the popular boy in class, Kazehaya, her classmates start to realise that she's not this feared figure that she is thought to be. Kuronuma has just realised her feelings for Kazehaya and is learning to adjust to them.

This volume concludes Chizu's side story and shows the end of the school year. This volume probably has the most emotional impact so far. I laughed out loud on page 2, and there where a few moments that I wanted to cry. It gave me both heart and wrist flutters. Chizu's side story ended bitter sweetly and it broke my heart a bit. But then you had the end chapter which focused on Christmas, and it was the cutest scene ever between Kuronuma and Kazehaya. The ending scene in this volume also happens to be one of my favourite's from the anime.

Overall, I give this volume 4/5 or 8/10. I can't wait to read on and see these characters and relationships develop further!

Love Lou xx

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Kimi Ni Tokode Vol. 5 by Karuho Shiina

‘Sawako “Sadako” Kuronuma is the perfect heroine... for a horror movie. With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanour, she’s always had trouble fitting in. But her whole life changes when she befriends the most popular boy in class.

Sawako finally realizes that her feelings for Kazehaya are more than just admiration. But this novice in love has a lot to learn about romance. Not that Chizu can help her out any – she’s got enough worries of her own to deal with! Can either of these shy girls take the next step toward a real relationship?’

 Book Review: no spoilers

This manga focuses more on the side characters of Ayane, Chizu, Ryu and Kurumi, almost to the detriment to the main plot. The main plot focuses on the development of the relationship between Kuronuma and Kazehaya, but in this volume they acted more as the audience’s guide to the side plots, by finding out things at the same time as us, which is why I slightly enjoyed it a bit less. But it was still a great instalment in a brilliant series! Two of my favourite scenes from the anime was in this volume, and I even laughed out loud at one point!

Even though I did feel like the focus on the side characters was a bit too strong, I loved seeing the development of those characters. They did start to feel more a part of the story because they had their own plotlines. I liked seeing the start of the frenemy relationship between Kuronuma and Kurumi, and Kazehaya getting jealous because of Pin.

Overall, I gave this volume 4/5 or 8/10. Even though I enjoyed this one slightly less than the rest, I still really love this series and it is still going to be one of my favourite books because of that. I would highly recommend this series if you love a good high school romance with a sweet, sensitive romantic male lead!

Love Lou xx

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Kimi Ni Todoke Vol. 4 by Karuho Shiina

‘Sawako “Sadako” Kuronuma is the perfect heroine… for a horror movie. With her jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanour, she’s always had trouble fitting in. But her whole life changes when she befriends the most popular boy in class.

Kurumi’s got it all – looks, popularity and friends. But underneath Kurumi’s friendly exterior is a manipulative girl who’ll do anything to get what she wants! And she wants Kazehaya! Will Kurumi’s plotting drive Kazehaya and Sawako apart, or will it instead draw them even closer together?

 Book Review: no spoilers

Because I've been struggling to read recently, so I decided to pick up some of the mangas that I've been collecting. I find them the easiest to read so I'm hoping that this will push me out of my reading slump. Plus, even if I am super tired I can still get through quite a bit of a manga before I have to put it down. I can imagine that until the end of October a lot of my read books will end up being mangas.

Volume 4 of Kimi Ni Todoke continues right off from Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 3. Kurumi plots and plans against Kuronuma for Kazehaya, and in this volume you see if it works or not.

This volume has one of my favourite scenes, and I absolutely loved watching it in the anime. I really like the development of the friendships in this volume, and I can't wait to continue on with the series. I'm so glad that I have another 16 more volumes to read of this series, and I can't wait to collect the rest of the series. Even though I'm like 20+ volumes away from the end the thought of this series having an ending really saddens me.

I gave this volume a 5/5 or a 10/10. I highly recommend this series if you love high school romances. It's such a cute manga, and it has a sensitive male lead. I love it so much!

Love Lou xx

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To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

‘Lara Jean’s love life is about to go from imaginary to out of control.

Lara Jean Song keeps love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her – one for every boy she’s ever loved. She can say anything she wants, because the letters are for her eyes only. Until the day they’re sent out…’

Book Review: no spoilers

I live tweeted my reactions whilst reading this book so check out this thread here if you're interested: https://twitter.com/louandbooks/status/1029830186093764618

I MANAGED TO FINISH THIS BOOK BEFORE THE MOVIE COMES OUT! It's probably my greatest achievement since graduating!

This book is really cute. Believe everyone when they say that. This book was slightly more dramatic than I thought that it was going to be, but that was more because of Lara Jean's character than the plot itself. I really liked Lara Jean. She reminded me a lot of myself when I was 16/17. The only difference is that she was a bit more carefree than I was.

It terms of the plot, I really liked it. The only thing that I have qualms with is the whole fake relationship aspect. I want to know if there genuinely are people out there that have gotten into fake relationships, or if it is just a book/movie plot device. But other than that, I really like the book. It felt like it could have been real whilst being exaggerated for the sake of it being a novel. The romance between Peter and Lara was really cute, but there were times where I was getting second lead syndrome. I can't wait to see what happens in the Netflix adaption!

In terms of the characters, I liked pretty much everyone. The only person that annoyed me was Margot, and that was because she asked Lara Jean to send her Oreos from Scotland. I'm 99.99% sure that you can get Oreos in Scotland Margot! If not, it would be easier for you to get it shipped from England than America! My favourite character had to be Lara Jean. She was cute, and dorky, whilst being super cool. She reminds me a lot of myself so I related to her a lot. I also really liked Kitty, but at the same time I would not want her to be my sister.

Overall, I give this book a 4/5 or 8/10. I would highly recommend this book if you haven't read it. It was really cute and there is Harry Potter and Game Of Thrones references! This book has everything you could want in a cute rom/com book!

Love Lou xx