Book Review - Not Your Valentine by Jackie Lau

Not Your Valentine by Jackie Lau
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Synopsis:  Helen Tsang is tired of the pitying looks. From her parents, her friends, and even the bubble tea shop guy, who recognized her from the video. Almost one year ago, some loser couldn’t mind their own damn business and filmed an unsuspecting Helen's very public break-up during what was supposed to be a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner. A video of her ex-boyfriend saying, "It's not me, it's you. You're holding me back" went viral.

Desperate to give everyone something else to talk about and with Valentine’s Day approaching once again, she asks her long-time friend Taylor Li to be her fake boyfriend, just to prove that she's moved on and hasn’t sworn off love. (Spoiler alert: She's totally sworn off love.) Taylor is the perfect option—single for once, and for some godforsaken reason, he loves Valentine’s Day.

But Helen didn't expect was how easy it would be to get Taylor on board, fitting right into the boyfriend-shaped hole in her life. All she wanted was a couple sickeningly sweet dates to fill her social feeds, not corny text messages of silly heart-shaped cakes, and bouquets of flowers that harbor hidden meanings. Wanting to be around his sunshine attitude and delicious forearms all the time? That definitely wasn't expected.

With February 14 quickly approaching, it's getting increasingly difficult to ignore her feelings, especially when she starts wishing it wasn’t all an act.

Oh God. What has she done?

My Thoughts: 3.5 - So short and sweet! But not heart shaped cake sweet because Helen our main character doesn't like those heart shaped!

Sometimes you just need something a little light and fluffy and this fit the bill for that. I adored the relationship between Helen and Taylor. There was never much of a surprise as to what was going to happen but this is one of those stories that you just go on for the sake of going..... a soft cushy ride and a nice breather between heavier reads like thrillers and such.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this copy for my honest opinion.

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Book Review - Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:  Sadomasochism. Obsession. Death.

A whirlpool of darkness churns at the heart of a macabre ballet between two lonely young women in an internet chat room in the early 2000s—a darkness that threatens to forever transform them once they finally succumb to their most horrific desires.

What have you done today to deserve your eyes?

My Thoughts: Totally disgusting but I couldn't help myself! Told completely in emails and instant messenger posts a relationship between two women unfold from buying an apple peeler to well......Ewww just ewww. Not what I was expecting but....

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Book Review - The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

The Test by Sylvain Neuvel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Synopsis: Award-winning author Sylvain Neuvel explores an immigration dystopia in The Test.
 

Britain, the not-too-distant future.

Idir is sitting the British Citizenship Test.

He wants his family to belong.

Twenty-five questions to determine their fate. Twenty-five chances to impress.

When the test takes an unexpected and tragic turn, Idir is handed the power of life and death.
How do you value a life when all you have is multiple choice?


My Thoughts: This is a really short book but it will have you hanging onto the edge of your seat till the final page! WOW is the first word that comes to mind as I begin to reflect on The Test. I can't even imagine how I would have reacted had I been in Idir's shoes. All he was trying to do was take a test....a very important citizenship test and before he gets but a few questions answered all heck breaks lose and he is forced to make some life or death decisions.

It's one of those stories that you'd be better to go into not knowing too much so I'm really not going to say much more.

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