Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 

This book is probably one of my favorites yet. The dystopian feel, the dialogue, the enemies to lovers romance, UGH. I absolutely adored this book and I personally think this should win a prize. I’m not even joking. This book is basically a mix of “Divergent” meets “How to Train Your Dragon.” The romance between the two characters, Violet Sorrengail and Xaden Riorson, makes anyone giggle and kick their feet like a little girl. I know I did. Shamelessly. Besides the romance, the political and war issues were super interesting and, I kid you not, made me question whether our own government was corrupt. The quote, “Lies are comforting. Truths are painful.” really made me think about how lies are told to keep your feelings and thoughts at ease and away from reality, whereas truths unfold every dirty and grimy part of reality, whether you like it or not. In the end, this book made me cry, laugh, gasp and blush in every possible way. 

5/5 stars

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears 

I’m honestly quite impressed. This book has some parts that are kinda horrific that made me cover my mouth in shock. Britney Spears tells her story in the most reality-checking way ever. I’ve never read something as deep and heartbreaking as her story. What she went through, and how she explains it as if it’s just another day, is insane. The quote, “I wanted to hide, but I also wanted to be seen.” was low-key relatable. However, the book seems a little fabricated. It felt as though Britney Spears had a ghost writer and things were made up. Some snippets in her book made me pause and question if this really happened. Yes, most things she said were talked about on the news and allegedly happened, however those clips were all over the place and made me wonder if this is fake or not. On a happier note, Britney Spears impressed me a lot with her recollection of her childhood, since not a lot of people remember their early childhood. There’s also a part at the beginning of the book that has some Maltese representation, which made me really happy because I’m Maltese and you rarely hear about Malta. Overall, I’m not that impressed with this book. I’ve been looking forward to it for quite some time now and I’m happy I got to read it, but, if I’m being honest, I didn’t really enjoy reading it. It felt more of a chore to read her book. 

3/5 stars

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

“Tears” is the one word I would describe myself when I was reading this book. Nicola Yoon wrote such a great representation of racial discrimination and how people can overcome it and power through it, all while sprinkling some cheesy rom-com to even it out. Natasha Kingsley and Daniel Bae meet each other in the most cliche yet adorable way possible: a record store. If that isn’t adorable, seek help. Taking a 180 degree turn to the darker and more realistic side of the book, Natasha and Daniel both face racial discrimination. This is their story of how two different people face the same challenges with different racial and cultural backgrounds. This book made me ugly cry at the end. My reasoning for putting a four out of five is because I was not expecting to be gasping for air while crying. I swear to you, you will 100% be thanking me later if you read this book. 

4/5 stars

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard 

OH MY GOD. Let me put y’all on something real quick because holy moly. This book made me shocked at every page flip. I was on the edge of my seat at the end of every chapter. The romance, the political war, the social hierarchy, everything fits perfectly. It honestly almost brings me to tears. The main character, Mare Barrow, however, was low-key a ‘pick-me’ and whenever she had to make a big decision, I had to close the book and take a lap. If you had put me in this book, I would have slapped her so hard, I swear. Besides the aggravating main character, I loved this book. The quote, “Anyone can betray anyone.” gave me shivers. The foreshadowing was so good. My mouth dropped each time a twist came up; that’s how well it was executed. Overall though, this book was written perfectly, besides Mare, to fit into the dystopian-romance genre. 

3.5/5 stars