Review: Admission (Julie Buxbaum)

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: December 1st 2020
Format: Paperback
Source: Times Reads
Page Count: 337

Blurb from Goodreads:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things comes an of-the-moment novel that peeks inside the private lives of the hypercompetitive and the hyperprivileged and takes on the college admissions bribery scandal that rocked the country.

It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer. She’s headed off to the college of her dreams. She’s going to prom with the boy she’s had a crush on since middle school. Her best friend always has her back, and her mom, a B-list Hollywood celebrity, may finally be on her way to the B+ list. It’s good to be Chloe Wynn Berringer–at least, it was, until the FBI came knocking on her front door, guns at the ready, and her future went up in smoke. Now her mother is under arrest in a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Chloe, too, might be facing charges, and even time behind bars. The public is furious, the press is rabid, and the US attorney is out for blood.

As she loses everything she’s long taken for granted, Chloe must reckon not only with the truth of what happened, but also with the examination of her own guilt. Why did her parents think the only way for her to succeed was to cheat for her? What did she know, and when did she know it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it mean to be complicit?

REVIEW

3 STARS

HERE’S MY THOUGHTS!

The first time I saw this book, I thought to myself, what the hell was this book about? Little did I know, this book was inspired from the biggest college admission scandal in the United States. I thought this was such an interesting and thought-provoking read to discuss with friends. I craved for different and unique YA stories like this one.

The book was written in alternate chapters between Then and Now. I was definitely intrigued in reading the Now section as I wanted to know what happened after they have been caught. I didn’t pay much attention to the Then sections because the chapters were cliché and predictable. The predictable part in the book was when the main character, Chloe fell in love with a cute guy and all of the feud with the best friend thing. I found myself mesmerized by Chloe’s life as the daughter of a celebrity where everything is prepared and polished for her in a silver platter. She didn’t have to worry a single thing about her college education and life because her parents worked so hard to prepare a good and comfortable life for her and her sister.

However, with all of her parents attention didn’t seem to help with her college application and SAT exam. She kept on scoring low marks for her exams till her parents did what normal parents would do. They hired a college admission coach and all was settled. She scored high marks and got into the college of her dreams.

In my point of view, Admission was all about how hard it is for some people to pass their test. Not everyone is deemed to pass even though you have prepared beforehand and hired high skilled tutors. It’s just about luck. In every other YA books we read, we always see how genius and gifted our main characters are, like they will surely get an A even though they don’t study for a test. What I meant to say is how unreflective the generic YA stories are compared to real life.

While digesting the story, I found myself empathizing with Chloe because of what her parents did to her but at the same time I was furious about her parents’ crime. Her parents have destroyed Chloe’s future by damaging her name and reputation. It would be harder for colleges to accept Chloe because of the scandal.

Apart from that, I found myself dissatisfied with the characters. Chloe even though has a hardworking scholarship student who is Black, failed to understand how privilege and race play an important role in college admission and tertiary education as a whole. That shows how insensitive and underdeveloped Chloe was. With all the wealth and sources she had, she could easily Google how to understand and be more thoughtful about the issue. I just couldn’t stand this rich girl living in the bubble trope. I also hated the parents. I understand parents have their dreams but it doesn’t mean that the rule is above you. The problem with rich people is money gives them absolute power to do anything they think they deserve. By cheating the education system, they have denied many people chances to get into their college choices.

Thank you Times Reads for sending me Admission in exchange of honest review.

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Sabrina

Ringing in the New Year Book Tag – 2021

Happy New Year guys!

We are now in the new year, so we must have new resolutions that we want to achieve. For me, it is definitely to read more quality books!

I want to thank the original creator of this tag, Bookmark Chronicles.

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Best book/series that you’ve read in 2020?

I have a top #4 favorite books of the year:

• Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
• Breathless by Jennifer Niven
• Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

Authors that you’ve recently found and would like to read more of in the new year?

I’ve recently discovered Brit Bennett as I read The Vanishing Half this year. I am excited to read The Mothers soon.

Best book turned movie/tv show in 2020?

I wanna say The Queen’s Gambit because I love the show so much.

Midnight Kiss: favorite ship of the year?

This is no surprise to anyone that my book couple of the year is Claudine and Jeremiah from Breathless. I fell in love with their friend turned to lover relationship so much.

What’s on your TBR for 2021?

I have so many, but these my top ones:

• A Promised Land by Barrack Obama
• His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie
• Trancendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
• And many more that I cannot remember!! :))

How many books do you hope to read in 2021?

Hopefully 40, but if I can’t manage, 30 is a great number as well.

Will you participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge or any others (PopSugar, Down the TBR Hole, etc.?)

I will always join Goodreads Reading Challenge!

Any New Year’s Resolutions? (Bookish, blogging, vlogging, and otherwise)

• To post more bookish content on Instagram and WordPress
• To get a stable job that I love
• To save and buy a property

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Thank you for reading and have a Happy New Year!

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Sabrina

End of the Year Book Tag – 2020

Hey guys!

I know, it has been a while since I posted a tag. I have been so focused on posting book reviews this year that I didn’t really invest that much time in thinking to do bookish tags anymore. So, I take the time to finally post a favorite tag of mine that I’ve been doing since the last three years, which is End of the Year Book Tag!

Let’s dive in!

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Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

No because this year I don’t really receive many books from publishers. Nevertheless, I am still grateful for the opportunity to receive books to receive as there are some great titles published this year.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

This year, I don’t have a transition, I just read books based on my TBR lists and choose them based on the hype around social media and reviews on Goodreads.

However, for the past few years, I did read Harry Potter during the winter season just to get the holiday vibes.

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

I am patiently waiting for my Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi and His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie in the mail! I really hope that I’ll receive them by the end of the year.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

I want to finish reading The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan. I am both excited and sad to read this as it is the end of The Trials of Apollo series.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2021?

I wish to read more fiction because there are so many great fictions that I have not read yet. I feel like I am so left behind in reading fiction so I want to step up my game next year.

I am also setting up my goal to my usual number which is 40. I dare not put higher goals because I’m afraid that I will not reach it.

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So that’s that. If you haven’t done this tag, consider yourself tagged by me!

Happy New Year and may 2021 bring us joy, happiness and health always!

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Sabrina

Review: The Tower of Nero (Rick Riordan)

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Puffin
Publication Date: October 6th 2020
Format: Paperback
Source: Times Reads
Page Count: 434

Blurb from Goodreads:

It’s time to face the final trial . . .

The battle for Camp Jupiter is over. New Rome is safe. Tarquin and his army of the undead have been defeated. Somehow Apollo has made it out alive, with a little bit of help from the Hunters of Artemis.

But though the battle may have been won, the war is far from over.

Now Apollo and Meg must get ready for the final – and, let’s face it, probably fatal – adventure. They must face the last emperor, the terrifying Nero, and destroy him once and for all.

Can Apollo find his godly form again? Will Meg be able to face up to her troubled past? Destiny awaits . . .

RATING

4 STARS

HERE’S MY REVIEW!

It is finally the last book of the series. After three series, 15 books and hundreds of characters, we finally reach the end of an era. I was sad to start reading it because it means this is the last time we’re meeting Apollo, Meg and the crew.

I read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series in 2016 and I never look back. I continued to crave for more content to read. Luckily, there was the Heroes of Olympus series. I found that the series also lived up to my expectation. After finishing it, I craved for even more. That was when I started reading The Trials of Apollo in 2018. At first I thought, oh Apollo is so funny and kinda a douche. But after reading more, I found him to be endearing and affectionate. I’m gonna save my appreciation for you later, Apollo.

Even though the series and books are formulaic, Rick Riordan always have something new in his sleeve and tries to make the readers intrigued and interested as he possibly could. My favorite moments are always about Apollo and Meg’s relationship as they tried to solve problems and protect each other. Apollo’s commentary and narration always made me smile and laugh even though he was facing dangerous threats from the villains and when everything else was in shambles. That’s how loveable he is.

The most noticeable thing about The Trials of Apollo is about Apollo’s character development. In the first book, he started as a selfish, arrogant and self-centered god who doesn’t care to the peasants, which all changed when he was cast down to become a mortal. After witnessing everything humans face, he changed himself to the better. He is longer the cocky god but he is an affectionate person with much more empathy in himself now. It is always contradicting and funny that he is the servant to this tough and harsh Meg McCaffrey because their personalities are totally the opposite. It’s understandable Meg is built to be tough because of the abused she received from his stepfather, Nero. Apollo learned a lot during his months of becoming mortal and it is uplifting to see how he becomes a much more down to earth god.

I appreciate Percy and Annabeth’s page time in this book because I have missed them so much since reading the first series. I was kinda disappointed that they didn’t have much page time but I understood that they have moved on with their lives as demigods and they would have want to start a new life together.

I am not sure there is going to be a new series or not in the same universe, but I feel like this is a perfect closure to all of the characters. I don’t want to this series to end up being like Harry Potter because look at what Harry Potter and the Cursed Child accomplished. Also, I am so excited to watch the new TV series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians soon.

Goodbye Apollo. It has been a great journey.

Thank you Times Reads for sending me The Tower of Nero in exchange of an honest review.

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Sabrina

Review: Super Fake Love Song (David Yoon)

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: November 19th 2020
Format: Paperback
Source: Times Reads
Page Count: 349

Blurb from Goodreads:

From the bestselling author of Frankly in Love comes a contemporary YA rom-com where a case of mistaken identity kicks off a string of (fake) events that just may lead to (real) love.

Praise for Frankly in Love:
A New York Times Bestseller and #1 Indie Bestseller
An Amazon.com Best Book of the Year – 2019
Five Starred Reviews

“Extraordinary . . a beautifully layered novel about first love, tribalism and that brief, magical period when kids have one foot in high school, one foot out the door. . . Yoon explores themes of racism, forgiveness and acceptance without getting earnest or preachy or letting anyone off the hook. And there’s a universality to the story that cuts across cultures.” –New York Times

“With echoes of John Green and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, it’s poised to be the biggest YA debut of the year.” –Entertainment Weekly

“Yoon’s fresh and nuanced approach to Frank’s struggle to navigate cultural tensions amplifies both the vulnerabilities and the strengths that can come with being a child of immigrants. . . Yoon underscores the value of honoring both who you are and where you come from.” –TIME Magazine

“Yoon’s stellar debut expertly and authentically tackles racism, privilege, and characters who are trying to navigate their Korean-American identity.” –BuzzFeed

RATING

3 STARS

HERE’S MY REVIEW!

This is my first time reading David Yoon’s book. So, at first I was genuinely intrigued to read it because of David Yoon’s success on Frankly in Love. Apparently, critics has been naming him the new John Green.

The plot seems intriguing as it is explained that the main character, Sunny Dae formed a fake rock band with his nerd friends to impress the new girl in school, Cirrus. The book doesn’t run from the “nerd bullied by jocks” trope and to be honest, it is tiresome to read about this trope all over again in so many YA contemporary books I read. Can’t authors create other kinds of tropes that exist in high school? I just want to read refreshing and enlightening new stories about young adults.

Apart from the plot, there is an important message about being yourself. In the book, Sunny changed his facade just to fit into Cirrus’ expectation. I am not sure faking yourself to impress someone is either improving or damaging but in this book’s context, it has done both good and bad to Sunny. In the positive side, it makes Sunny braver and more open to challenges like overcoming his stage fright and performing music with his friends. His social interactions in school has improved when he started the band. He also mended his relationship with his rock star brother. However, once Cirrus found out that all of it was a hoax, she stopped seeing Sunny. His life fell apart when his friends also dumped him after the incident.

It is certain that Sunny faked himself just to fit into the social norms. He is tired of being treated badly by his friends and wanted a new start. It is actually sad when you think about it. Sometimes I wish YA books can write about nerds or losers overcoming their obstacles and inner demons without changing any part of themselves. An authentic person is not fearless, but is willing to feel their fear.

The progression of the book was slow at places as I really pushed myself to finish this. My complaint was there were a lot of nerdy conversations between the main characters that I didn’t completely understand. I don’t know either I was too old to understand it but I am young enough to know that normal nerds in school don’t talk like them.

All in all, Super Fake Love Song manifests that you will truly happy and content when you are truthful to yourself.

Thank you Times Reads for sending me Super Fake Love Song in exchange of an honest review.

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Sabrina

Review: The Magpie Society: One for Sorrow (Zoe Sugg & Amy McCulloch)

Genre: Young Adult Thriller
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: October 29th 2020
Format: Paperback
Source: Times Reads
Page Count: 330

Blurb from Goodreads:

The brand-new fiction book from Zoe Sugg (aka Zoella)! Co-written with the acclaimed writer Amy McCulloch.

Seven for a secret, never to be told . . .

Illumen Hall is a boarding school of tradition and achievement. But tragedy strikes when the body of a girl, a student, is discovered – on her back is an elaborate tattoo of a magpie.

For new student Audrey, it is just another unsettling thing about her new surroundings. And for her roommate Ivy, well, she’s just annoyed she has to share with the new girl from America.

As an unlikely friendship develops, the two are drawn deeper into the mystery of this strange and terrible murder. They will discover that something dangerous is at the heart of their school.

Welcome to The Magpie Society.

Told from two alternating view-points, this is the first book in a modern gothic thriller series that will have you gripped like no other book this year. Get ready for your new YA obsession.

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RATING

3 STARS

HERE’S MY REVIEW!

I am always a fan of murder and mystery so I was excited to be sent a copy of The Magpie Society. I have never read anything from Zoe Sugg and Amy McCulloch before so I was kinda interested in reading their book.

I was always curious to read books written by two authors because it is not always easy to align thoughts and narration in a story. At a first glance, I assumed that each of the authors wrote each character. For instance, Audrey was written by Zoe and Ivy was written by Amy. It was only after halfway reading the book that I read at Zoe’s Instagram saying that two characters were written by Zoe and Amy respectively. It was a great decision as they got to maintain the tone of story without making it too obvious that it was written by two completely different people. I can say that the author dynamic work well in this book.

Overall, I kinda enjoyed reading stories about high school drama. Illumen Hall truly reminded me of Hogwarts because of it’s locality which was located in England and the school system such as dormitory, house sport, weather and uniform. Anyone who reads Harry Potter will definitely scan the resemblance in the book. I assumed that the authors took inspirations from the series.

The book also touched on serious issues like anxiety, bullying, and mental health. I’m interested to see them delve into more serious issues in the next book.

I was honestly expecting more revelations to be revealed at the end of the book. However, the ending was disappointing. It ended abruptly with no intense cliffhanger like other great thrillers. It also felt rushed and unsatisfying that it gives the author a reason to continue writing a sequel. I would totally prefer if the book is a standalone rather than a series.

All in all, I would definitely read the second book and see how the story progresses.

Thanks Times Reads for sending me The Magpie Society in exchange of an honest review.

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Sabrina

Review: Love Your Life (Sophie Kinsella)

Genre: Romance
Publisher: Bantam Press
Publication Date: October 29th 2020
Format: Paperback
Source: Times Reads
Page Count: 356

Blurb from Goodreads:

I love you . . . but what if I can’t love your life?

Ava is sick of online dating. She’s always trusted her own instincts over an algorithm, anyway, and she wants a break from it all. So when she signs up to a semi-silent, anonymous writing retreat in glorious Italy, love is the last thing on her mind.

Until she meets a handsome stranger. . . All she knows is that he’s funny, he’s kind and – she soon learns – he’s great in bed. He’s equally smitten, and after a whirlwind, intoxicating affair, they pledge their love without even knowing each other’s real names.

But when they return home, reality hits. They’re both driven mad by each other’s weird quirks and annoying habits, from his eccentric, naked-sauna-loving family to her terribly behaved, shirt-shredding dog. As disaster follows disaster, it seems that while they love each other, they just can’t love each other’s lives. Can they overcome their differences to find one life, together?

RATING

3 STARS

HERE’S MY REVIEW

This is my second time reading Sophie Kinsella’s book and I couldn’t deny that I was excited to read this one. My first book by her was I Owe You One and I loved it.

Love Your Life is a quirky and funny rom-com novel which her main character, Ava meets her love of her life, Matt at a writing retreat in Italy. They are not supposed to reveal their life to each other at the retreat, but somehow without exposing themselves, they have created this unexplainable bond and chemistry. All are fun and games until they go back to London and that’s where everything begins.

The most part of the book shows us about their ups and downs of their relationship after they have known each other’s name and life. We have seen plenty of differences between the two main characters as if they have changed to a different person entirely especially Matt. They quickly find out that their real life selves are not anything like what they expected. Matt during the retreat was this perfect and sweet gentleman but after that he is too plain, boring and grim. Like he doesn’t have a great personality at all. Absolutely zero chemistry between the two. The more pages I read, the harder it seems to read about their relationship. I honestly struggle to read about their relationship progress.

Apart from their messy relationship, it is refreshing to read about Matt’s family and their family business. Having a family business looks very glamorous, but deep down everything is exhausting and nerve-racking, at least according to Matt. In the book, work is the thing that makes Ava and Matt argue for the most part of the book. I don’t understand why Ava couldn’t have just be supportive of her boyfriend instead of being a brat about it. Matt is also a secretive person who doesn’t share personal stuff with Ava so the relationship even becomes worse.

The redeeming factor of the book is definitely the friendships. I enjoy reading about their shenanigans and dynamics of the group and I love how at the end both of the group unite together against all odds. It really contributed to the entertaining elements of the story.

All in all, a comfort read suitable for Sophie Kinsella’s fans.

Thanks Times Reads for sending me Love Your Life in exchange of an honest review.

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Sabrina

Review: Just Like You (Nick Hornby)

Genre: Adult Fiction
Publisher: Viking UK
Publication Date: September 17th 2020
Format: Paperback
Source: Times Reads
Page Count: 310

Blurb from Goodreads:

The person you are with is just like you: same background, same age, same interests. The perfect match. And it is a disaster.

Then, when and where you least expect it, you meet someone new. You seem to have nothing in common and yet, somehow, it feels totally right.

Nick Hornby’s brilliantly observed, tender but also brutally funny new novel gets to the heart of what it means to fall surprisingly and headlong in love with the best possible person – someone who is not just like you at all.

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RATING

3 STARS

HERE’S MY REVIEW

I was curious to read Nick Hornby’s books since the existence of High Fidelity TV show on Hulu. Since Just Like You is a story about interracial relationship, I straight away requested this book out of curiosity.

The theme is mainly about the challenges of interracial relationship. In this case, how does a twenty year old age gap and their different political and economical background affects the relationship and their respective families. This romance novel with an unusual setup lays out Joseph and Lucy’s story through their conversations together during their relationship. You can observe how they don’t really have the chemistry as they have different point of views regarding politics and race in general, however they both make it through the relationship at the end.

In my point of view, I don’t think that the author explores their relationship in a convincing and reassuring way at all. For instance, I am not sure why Joseph stays with Lucy till the end because Joseph always has his doubts about dating an older women and he always thinks the possibilities of what would happen if they stay and marry each other. To be honest, I think Joseph only stays for the sex with Lucy because based on the book, they had tonnes of it. Besides, there are no definite story to their relationship. The chapters after they both meet each other are so dull that anything barely happens in the book. There is no sign of Lucy’s ex husband wanting to repair the relationship at all. Fortunately, the story does get better at the end with the meeting between Lucy and Joseph’s mother as at the beginning, Joseph is reluctant for them to meet. From start, we see awkward meet ups and conversations but at the end, both parties understood and respect each other’s decisions.

Sure, race relations are a spot on topic in 2020, but the way the author puts it that you can date a black person and still be racist makes me want to gag.

One of the good things is the Brexit commentary as it shows how people from different kinds of race and economic backgrounds act and react to referendum.

This book is not a bad book, it is just a great read for me. I expect more story behind the relationship, not just the superficial kind of relationship.

Thanks Times Reads for sending me Just Like You in exchange of an honest review.

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Sabrina

Review: Before the Ever After (Jacqueline Woodson)

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Publication Date: September 1st 2020
Format: Paperback
Source: Times Reads
Page Count: 176

Blurb from Goodreads:

National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson’s stirring novel-in-verse explores how a family moves forward when their glory days have passed and the cost of professional sports on Black bodies.

For as long as ZJ can remember, his dad has been everyone’s hero. As a charming, talented pro football star, he’s as beloved to the neighborhood kids he plays with as he is to his millions of adoring sports fans. But lately life at ZJ’s house is anything but charming. His dad is having trouble remembering things and seems to be angry all the time. ZJ’s mom explains it’s because of all the head injuries his dad sustained during his career. ZJ can understand that–but it doesn’t make the sting any less real when his own father forgets his name. As ZJ contemplates his new reality, he has to figure out how to hold on tight to family traditions and recollections of the glory days, all the while wondering what their past amounts to if his father can’t remember it. And most importantly, can those happy feelings ever be reclaimed when they are all so busy aching for the past?

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RATING

4 STARS

HERE’S MY REVIEW!

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story about a relationship between a father and his son which the father happens to be a popular football player. Before the Ever After is such a short novel and written in verses but boy, this book does punch you in the gut. The book is separated into two parts, which are before and after his father was diagnosed with this unexplainable disease.

What I love about this book is Jacqueline Woodson took the opportunity to show the readers the situation that happened to football players who suffer from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and how it affects the family members and close friends. It is so heartbreaking to see how a child process and witness the deterioration of the human’s mind such as behavioral and personality changes with thinking and memory problems. For instance when you forget your son’s name or forget to do simple tasks like going to the bathroom.

In real life, football players are also always prone to concussions to a point where there are a lot of football players who face the same problems like ZJ’s father does. Even once upon a time ago doctors don’t have a definite answer and present a suitable treatment for them. Up until Dr Bennet Omalu discovered a new name for the disease and published it in 2011.

This story is such an eye-opener and emotional as it deals with grief and hardship. Such an outstanding book. I look forward to read more books from Jacqueline Woodson.

Special thanks to Times Reads for sending me Before The Ever After in exchange of an honest review.

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Sabrina

Review: Breathless (Jennifer Niven)

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: September 29th 2020
Format: Paperback
Source: Times Reads
Page Count: 400

Blurb from Goodreads:

The much anticipated new novel from international bestselling author Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places.

You were my first. Not just sex, although that was part of it, but the first to look past everything else into me. Some of the names and places have been changed, but the story is true. It’s all here because one day this will be the past, and I don’t want to forget what I went through, what I thought, what I felt, who I was. I don’t want to forget you. But most of all, I don’t want to forget me.

For her last summer before college, Claudine Henry and her mother head to a remote island off the Georgia coast. There, amidst the wild beauty of the place, she meets the free spirited Jeremiah Crew. Their chemistry is immediate and irresistible, and even though they both know that whatever they have can only last the summer, maybe one summer is enough . . . 

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RATING

4.25 STARS

HERE’S MY REVIEW!

Wow, what a read. This is my first time reading a book written by Jennifer Niven and I can conclude that she’s a great writer. I was truly captivated by the story that I just had to stop reading because I didn’t want it to end very soon. It’s one of the books that will ruin you at the end of the book, but it will still give you a sense of hope and happiness.

I love everything about the story especially the themes discussed in the book. There are not so many YA books that discuss about sex and virginity because it is a taboo issue and people are not comfortable enough to talk about it publicly. The theme of sex is explored in a truly exceptional way, a way that I have never seen in any other YA books. There are a lot of sex talks discussed by the characters in the book that can be a conversation starter for people to talk about their experience without being judged. The book also breaks down the misconceptions of virginity and debunking myths about hymen where a person’s value is not based on their virginity. Breathless truly crosses the barrier of YA literature. 

Breathless also talks about handling grief and trauma. The main character, Claudine deals with an enormous grief where her parents are in the midst of having a divorce. One day she would be fine, but the other day she’d be so moody. I guess that how teenagers deal with their problems. It’s not always comfortable to read about them, but that’s how human act and react to many kinds of emotions.

My favorite part of the book is definitely the romance between Claudine and Jeremiah. I don’t usually read romance, but when I do, I always get to read beautifully written romance like this story.  Their relationship are truly fleshed out from the start where we see these two characters cross their path. They have such a healthy relationship as they talk and discuss everything that had happened in their lives. They also had a great time on that island during the summer and it is so exciting to read about their adventure. When they are sad to leave each, I also feel devastated for them as we don’t know what could happen after summer ends. The future is full of uncertainty. 

I was kinda frustrated to read the anticlimactic ending because I am desperate to know what happened to both of them and between Claudine’s parents. I really hope there will be sequel to Breathless because I would love to read about Claudine and Jeremiah all over again.

This has got to be one of the best YA books for 2020. Breathless will definitely be on my best books spot for this year.

Thank you so much Jennifer Niven for your beautiful story. 

Special thanks for Times Reads for sending me Breathless in exchange of an honest review.

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Sabrina