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[ BOOK REVIEW : VERITY ]

GOODREAD'S SUMMARY

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died. Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

REVIEW

I have read TWO Colleen Hoover books in less than a week, while I'm starting to become a little concerned with my well-being, I am not disappointed, and I can't say that I regret it. Verity was nothing short of a chilling mind-trip, with a taste of mystery, and more than a hint of suspense in every turn of the page. Scratch that, in every paragraph break.

“Death by routine.”

More like death by Colleen. I am honestly struggling to string my initial thoughts on this book into coherent sentences because I have been rendered speechless. But I won't drag this out. The book was amazing. You never know how little you truly know until you experience something that makes you feel as though you know nothing. I don't even trust myself at this point.

Colleen's writing style is nothing short of brilliant. her way with words had my heart, mind and soul interconnected with the experiences Lowen, the main character of this piece, is subjected to. My heart just races at the recollection of what lies within those pages. A tale so disturbing, unnerving, captivating and thrilling, I would have finished the book in a single sitting if my better sense didn't remind me it was a Tuesday night at 2:30 A.M and I had things to do the next day.

The characters of this book were hard to stay away from, the situations they found themselves in were even harder. And, the style of this piece, I have never been so glad to have an autobiography within a book, such a clever device to further deepen conflict and drive the plot. The whole book felt like a ticking time bomb, every word a moment closer to blowing up. The set up, the follow through and pay off just makes my heart happy.

“One should only walk away from an autobiography with, at best, an uncomfortable distaste for its author.”

You think you know things until you don't. You question your own sanity, your own life choices, your environment, anything and everything that so much raises an eyebrow. Is our mind our greatest enemy? Do our demons come out at night or rise from the page because in reality we're truly scared of our own selves? So many questions. No answers. I think when it comes down to it, that's one of the key things it comes down to. We don't know what true is, we don't know Verity. The truth is merely what we tell ourselves to make each other feel better for whatever we have to atone for.

“I stretch truths where I see fit. I’m a writer.”

If there is anything I could critique from the whole piece is that at times it became repetitive. Certain thought processes were drilled on us on several occasions. Whether to build suspense or more realistic characterization, the amount of times we went over some ideas was somewhat pesky. Clearly not enough to make me put the book down.

Who can you trust when you can't even trust yourself? This is the question that keeps reeling in my mind, this is what I keep asking myself after finishing this book. If you are not ready to answer this question, read this book anyway, because perhaps it'll give you an opportunity to solidify your thoughts. Or maybe it'll leave you a complete mess for a day or two, like it has done me. Either way, it'll be worth it.

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[ SERIES REVIEW : GINNY AND GEORGIA SEASON 1 ] 

NETFLIX’S PREMISE 

Free-spirited Georgia and her two kids, Ginny and Austin, move north in search of a fresh start but find that the road to new beginnings can be bumpy. 

REVIEW 

Ginny and Georgia is unapologetic in every sense of the word. From its characters to the themes explored in the series, this show provides an interesting lens in what family, friendship, power and race truly mean. The story follows a small family unit of three who constantly move around and never quite settle in any given place. After the death of her husband, Georgia uproots her family once more in hopes of making Wellsbury, Massachusetts, their new home. 

Upon arrival, Ginny is met with the moving parts that make for a white, suburban, affluent town. From judgmental neighbors to a school with a racist curriculum and pretty much non-existent minority student body, Ginny doesn’t quite fit in. Yet, she is taken under the wing of a group of three close friends, MAN (Maxine, Abby and Nora) who guide Ginny through the discrepancies of their high school experience. 

Ginny and Georgia raises interesting questions of what it means to be bi-racial. Ginny, being the daughter of a Black man and a White woman, struggles with her sense of identity, code-switching at every turn in attempts to find her true self. The fact of the matter is that the more she tries to fit into a certain mold, the farther away she gets from figuring out who she truly is. With the ups and downs of high school, friendship and love, Ginny constantly has to question what is her role in all of her relationships and how can she feel herself in a sea of peer pressure and doubt. 

“If they can see where your makeup ends and your face begins, you’ve done it wrong.”

There are a series of elements that make this show truly compelling, but two that truly strike me is the ease with which we move back in time and unravel the intricacies of the narrative and how we experience characters peeling their layers right before our eyes. The more you feel like you know these characters, the more you are exposed to about their past. Georgia, who is a master of beauty and deception, is the most invigorating of all. There’s so much she hides, so much for us to uncover. 

The thing about secrets, however, is that they eventually rear their ugly heads. The thing about family is that we don’t get to pick who they are. The thing about secrets and family is that you don’t get to choose how the things that you try to hide affect those you love most. Georgia has a lot of secrets, secrets that time after time affect Ginny and Austin. Secrets and power have one thing is common: they both lack yet need control. There’s just so much one can do to keep these two in check, to make sure that everything goes your way and that not one thing falls out of place. There’s just so much you can do, until there’s nothing left to do.  

“My mom deals with her problems by ignoring them. Bundling them up in a neat little box and packing it away. Leaving the past in the past.”

Ginny has been forced to grow up quickly, to make sense of the messes Georgia keeps bringing into their lives. Ginny feels as though she has to take care of her mother, not the other way around. But the truth is, as we come to find, is that they both take care of one another in different ways. Georgia has made a million and one sacrifices, crossed certain lines, in order to provide her kids the best life she has to offer, because she did not have any of that. Ginny, on the other hand, tries to save Georgia from herself, bringing the much needed grounding and reality checks she needs to keep her from drifting too far. After all, they are family and they do what family does, look out for each other. 

“She did what she did so she can be the best mom that she can be.”

If anything, Ginny and Georgia is a tale about a mother’s daughter. Ginny tries with all her might to be nothing like her mom, she doesn’t want to be like her. But if there is one thing we can’t control, is the fact that we are a product of our environment. We are mirror reflections of the love we receive, of the faces and souls that we keep close and dear to our hearts. We pick up just as many of their bad traits as we do their good ones. The more we run away from them, the faster they seem to catch up to us. But when running is all you seem to know in your life, what else is there to do but that, to keep running.  

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[ FILM REVIEW : THE MAP OF TINY PERFECT THINGS]

AMAZON’S PREMISE

Quick-witted teen Mark (Kyle Allen) is contentedly living the same day in an endless loop when his world is turned upside-down by the mysterious Margaret (Kathryn Newton), also stuck in the same loop. What follows a love story with a fantastical twist, as the two struggle to figure out how – and whether – to escape their never-ending day.

REVIEW

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things is a warm, cozy hug that will wash your worries away and paint a smile on your face for an hour and half. Mark is feeling like a lot of us do, trapped in a constant cycle with no knowledge of how to break free. The difference between ourselves and Mark is that he is literally trapped, with no knowledge of how to break free. He has been reliving the same day for who knows how long, to the point where he knows the tiniest, most insignificant life events, that usually pass us by as minor inconveniences or rays of sunshine, all around town. 

Mark has become complacent with his situation, wondering why this is happening but with no clue of how to begin to get out of this day. That’s until he meets Margaret, a girl who like him is trapped in this temporal anomaly. Mark and Margaret are nothing alike, to the extent that one is trying to make the most of every single day, discovering new quirky, perfect life moments while the other is simply existing. I’ll let you take a guess on who’s who. 

All that to say that Mark and Margaret quickly develop an unlikely friendship and like any movie that features two seemingly attractive, young cast members, Mark begins developing feelings for Margaret. Mark proposes that they develop an alliance and try to find all the tiny, perfect things that make life interesting and beautiful, in hopes that that is the answer to ending this temporal anomaly. While Margaret isn’t too thrilled to begin with, she humors him anyway. And so they embark on their adventure. 

“Most of life is just junk. It’s filler. And then, there’s these moments, when all the randomness turns into something perfect.”

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things is a reminder of how precious life truly is. The idea of slowing down and drinking in every small, beautiful moment that makes life what it is is not lost on me. It is amazing the amount of tiny, perfect moments we tend to miss because we are caught up in our own world. One moment, they happen, and the next, they are gone, as though they never did.

I do have to say that the fact that the same day kept repeating wore itself out by the first half of the movie. Each act provided just enough new information to keep the audience engaged, and the dynamics between the characters were compelling enough for us to root for them and want to know how their story ends. Yet, I have to admit that at points I was hoping for something new to happen in their world or for an unexpected avenue to be taken. The film’s plot, after a little while, became predictable. But that’s okay, because the characters were enough to make me want to keep watching. Plus, it was really beautiful to see the small things in life we tend to miss.

“It’s true that we’re losing time every day, all the time, until one day it’s all gone. But you’re gaining it too. Every second. Perfect moments, one after the other, until, by the end, you have your whole life.”

It can’t go without mentioning, that one of the biggest takeaways from this film is to make the best of your life and the best of your time. Margaret, for reasons I will not disclose so to not ruin your movie-watching experience, wanted more than anything to stay in this same day forever. But the fact is, that we can’t stop time, we can’t just freeze moments and put them away in a bottle. We need to live every day and deal with all of the challenges that life throws our way. And, of course, we can take days off and put our lives on pause if we want to, but eventually, we’ll realize that there’s so much more for us out there if only we go out and find it.

“I think this is the moment, right now and I don’t want to miss it.”

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things shows us that there’s more to life. That it is okay to want to step back, to take a moment to yourself and just admire everything that is out there. It shows us that it is okay to hurt, but also, that it is okay to know when it is time to move on. That we can take things at our pace as long as we do it one step at a time. There are millions of tiny perfect things and each day, we can find at least one.

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[ BOOK REVIEW : HOPELESS ] 

GOODREAD’S SUMMARY

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies… That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried. Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

REVIEW

I joined a book club. It’s been a year since the pandemic started, my last quarter of college and I joined a book club that one of my friends started. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover was this month’s selection. The month started 4 days ago. I read the book in 2 but, if I had let myself, I could have finished it in one. I won’t drag it out any longer, the book is great. 

I won’t lie, the first half of the book had me thinking it would just pan out to be a very simple (in terms of plot and conflict) YA romance. You know the type: boy meets girl, they fall in love at first sight, live happily ever after with the here and there high school drama. And the first 70-80 pages read that way (there’s nothing wrong with YA romance by the way, it’s actually great), but you definitely don’t want to miss out on what follows. 

“Dean Holder? Messy brown hair? Smoldering blue eyes? A temper straight out of Fight Club?”

The start of the book is sweet. A sentiment that resonated in some other reviews, however, is the idea that Holder is this creepy guy that we should stay away from. And that his concerning nature is overlooked because surprise, surprise, he is good-looking. But the reality is that these actions, we come to find may not be justified per se but have a logical explanation. In short, he is not just some creepy dude. 

After meeting, Sky and Holder develop an undeniable connection and attraction. Their chemistry is off the charts, they can’t stay away from one another. Sky has never felt this way with anyone, Holder is the first guy ever that has made her FEEL. The way she interacts with other guys and the reasons why she enjoyed being kissed before are nothing short of heartbreaking. 

“The moment my lips touch yours, it will be your first kiss. Because if you've never felt anything when someone's kissed you, then no one's ever really kissed you. Not the way I plan on kissing you.”

Hopeless truly took me by surprise. The twists and turns that quickly unravel once we get past the beginnings of the relationship between Holder and Sky were not what I expected in the slightest. What I truly loved about this book is, however, that nothing seems to come out of the left-field. Every detail is set up and hints are dropped along the way that make the incidents that follow make sense. As I read along, I was able to infer what was going to happen, sometimes I was right and it wasn’t disappointing or predictable, it just felt like the right thing for the plot; other times, I was completely off, and these were exciting because they took the story to a whole new place I didn’t think it would go. 

Hopeless explores trauma, family, self-discovery and love in a refreshing way. Sky and Holder felt real, despite the countless times where it almost felt as though Colleen Hoover was breaking the fourth wall. I mean come on, 

“My lack of access to the real world has been replaced completely by books, and it can’t be healthy to live in a land of happily ever afters.”

Yet, Sky and Holder do not believe everything will turn out okay, because it probably won’t. They don’t try to pretend they have all the answers, because they don’t. They don’t even verbally comfort each other when things have gone downhill because they know words won’t fix anything. Instead they provide one another a great deal of emotional support and are just there for one another. 

“Not everything is going to go my way and not everyone gets a happily ever after. Life is real and sometimes it’s ugly and you just have to learn how to cope.”

This book had me hooked from the start. It taught me about pain and suffering and how the world isn’t always a perfect place. It made me feel fortunate for the things that I do have. It made me laugh out loud and had me reading excerpts over and over again just to feel the flutter in my heart once more. Hopeless, more than anything left me feeling hopeful.