"There is something animalistic about the way the middle-aged adults size each other up while feigning friendliness in the backyard of the most expensive house on the street."

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

An average teen summer read. I do not think there's anything special about this one.
Teenage girl from a somewhat broken family, going through a “break,“ meets a new cool guy, life changes, and now gotta choose between the two.

I think there are too many good books out there to take out time for this one.
2/5🌟

Dystopia - The women are allowed only 100 words a day. And if they don't comply, it could be FATAL.

Having read “The handmaid's tale,“ I think it's difficult to beat that. But it's wrong to compare too. I still feel Vox is well written and interesting too. It made me think, it made me angry, just what the author wanted and what an amazing closing line it was!
Definitely a pick, although there was a lot that could have been done.
4/5🌟

Disappointment is all I feel after finishing this. The book had it all, great plot, good characters, a serial killer at loose, gory MO, double digit victims, and it still ended being such a disappointment. There was so much scope and it just had to end bad.
Also, the author takes sooo much time to actually build it up. I feel the book could have easily been 100-150 pages shorter.
3/5🌟
Feel free to recommend anything by Karin Slaughter?

About 20% through and it already got so dull. I decided to go and check the recent reviews and they convinced me in a minute to just DNF it.

"Two hearts are beating inside me.
One is dying slowly, the other is learning to breathe.
Thousands of worlds I'll bring, thousands I'll kill,
And all those times you couldn't live,
I'll live!"

Drop in your Goodreads account handles.?
PS: Add me on Goodreads: Anshika Goyal

Eliza Caine is haphazardly recruited as a governess to two children after her father dies. However, she discovers that she is the sixth governess in a row within the year. What went wrong?

I anyday prefer psychological horror more than the in-your-face horror. Interesting plot but too obvious for me by the end. However, I really enjoyed the writing style. A quick page turner and an engrossing read.
4/5🌟

Rosemary died a year ago but her husband George thinks she was murdered and it wasn't a suicide. There are 6 people thinking about Rosemary for different reasons and one of them could be the murderer.

I'm a huge Agatha fan but I didn't particularly enjoy this one. I am yet to understand what exactly was the issue, but it is what it is. To better murders and better books hopefully.
2.5/5🌟
PS - Good thriller recommendations, please?🤭

Imagine a coffee shop that lets you go back in time with a few (read many) rules to follow.

As interesting as the premise was, the book was pretty bland. I understand some essence being lost because of this being a translation. Expected a bit too much I guess, DNFing after the second story.

The holocaust and the events through the POV of a tattooist working in Auschwitz. It's a tale of survival, of hope, of courage, of loss and above all, of love.

I have read and watched a lot of content related to the holocaust in general. I think I expected too much, so for me personally, the book isn't the best out there but still it's a great book. It's nicely paced, good story and decent characters. Do give it a try.
4/5🌟

Four friends. Two couples. One missing husband.
Something happened. No one knows.

The premise was strong as the book started, became too stretched out in the middle and towards the end it just became silly. The twist in the end was decent but I guessed it long long back, if only it was done better. It became more about the characters' monologues, than the actual plot.
Any good recommendations by the author?
2.5/5🌟

What if the virtual home assistant designed to help you turns against you and is on to something very sinister?
'Electra' the home assistant is after Jo, or is this all her imagination?
As interesting as the synopsis was, the book was pretty average to read actually. Will definitely creep you out about the technology and the ease it comes with.
3/5🌟
Any other suggestions by the author?

"If you want to know how poor somebody was growing up, ask them how many windows they had."

@ShyBookOwl
#FirstLineFridays

Probably my first picture here on litsy.
Major updates:
1. Have been in a major reading slump after I finished 'A little life.'
2. Getting back my reading pace finally, and hopefully.
3. Settling into a new job (read: first job).
4. Trying to add a little more personalized touch here.
Thank you for reading through my updates.

Three women. One man.
Three dates. One occasion.
Siobhan. Miranda. Jane. And Joseph Carter.
A romantically confusing and confusingly romantic story about Joseph Carter who apparently stood up three women on a single day. Is everything as complicated as it seems or is just super simple?
My second book by Beth. Quick paced, simple, yet an interesting story about how particular events shape our entire lives. A short and sweet no brainer book.
4/5🌟

When writing a book, it's hard to top a book that's so well written. The writer has done such a brilliant job at every aspect of it. Clearly one of my favourites, and a must must read.
It continues exactly where the first part ended, and brings us to the end of Vladek and Anja's sad sad story.
5/5🌟

For my first graphic book ever, it was wonderful. It has been on my TBR for so long and I just happened to pick it up after watching some stuff on the holocaust.
Coming to the book it has amazing illustrations, loved that the writer used different animals to depict the hierarchy of people involved. I can't even begin to describe the atrocities, but I'd like to mention how good are the minute details, which are easily missed in a sec.
↩️

For all the people who've read it -
I finished this book like an hour back and I didn't even wonder about how sad can this book make me?
But, then I realise something super freakin' weird.
It is 12th June today.

PS - Will probably take some time before reviewing it here.

This is the most accurate description of me reading 'A little life' rn. There's so much that has happened, there's so much that's gonna happen. And it's a huge ass book. Also, wtf is wrong with Caleb!?😑

It has been on my TBR since so long, but I never knew this to be a non-fic. The writer follows the events (special focus on sex life) and life of three women namely Sloane, Maggie and Lina.
I expected so much more, considering the fact the author did 8yrs research for it. Also, I expected the book to be more feminist, but contradictory to the title their lives are majorly controlled by the men in their lives. An average read, sadly.
3/5🌟

A weird title to read in public, even weirder if your family reads the title.
I Iove me a slightly psychopathic protagonist, and it definitely has that. Simple language, page turner (I was gliding through them), decent plot, overall a super fun read.
It has some great twists, especially the biggest one towards the end. A bit disappointed by the ending though. I still have to make my mind about it, if it was utterly brilliant or silly.
4/5🌟

"When my mother was a young woman, a man used to follow her to work every morning and masturbate, in step behind her."

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
PS - Doing first line friday for the first time, on a friday. ?

Discussions about sex are a taboo in general in many societies, India being one of them. And I feel so happy and proud to say that times are changing.
A great attempt at sex education, with topics ranging from human anatomy to various contraceptives available and their pros/cons.
Simple language, decent medical insight by a professional and overall a quick read.
Great book for beginners as well as teens.
4/5🌟

A super rare occurrence for me, where the movie was actually done better than the book. Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Nolan, etc. What do you expect from a movie that has them all - you're right, absolute magic.
One of my all time favourite movies to watch and I've shamelessly done that quite a lot of times.
Coming to the book, everything was great, the premise, the characters, the rivalry, the secrets, ⬇️

Just focus on the above horizontal image. It reads:
'All 12 of our household were given now to live in two and a half small rooms.'
Behind it on the board:
'REWARD - For every unregistered Jew you find : 1 kilo of sugar'.
That was a single life's worth then. History has been through a lot of dark times and this surely has been one of the darkest.

I started this book yesterday before going to bed and literally had to force myself to sleep somewhere like 60% in. Otherwise I'd have had completed it then only. It had been in my TBR since so long.
PS - Quite ironic, came through this quote today. Beautiful analogy 😍
Gotta finish 'Maus I'.

It's a funny story how I got into this book. I really enjoyed the Amazon show 'Modern love', through that I got to know about the podcast, then the episode by Terri and then finally her book. Bipolar disorder has interested me for various reasons and honestly it's a really good account of her experience. A vivid and overwhelming account of something that is so common yet unknown to people.

As for the book, I definitely liked it.
4/5🌟

What's the rush?
A little something I like to remember myself on days that aren't great.
PS - also started this book about which I've read amazing reviews.

The sequel to 'Full tilt'. It's about how Kacey learns to love, to smile and basically to live after what happened in Full tilt. It's a beautiful conclusion to all the characters' lives. It's difficult to match the previous book, it isn't as heart wrenching as that, but the writer did her best.
A good full circle by the end. Quoting something I loved from the book.
“Love had no boundaries, no rules, no favorites. And no limits.”
4.5/5🌟

An absolute gem. I have no idea why so few people know about this. It absolutely sucked me in and I completely hogged it down as soon as I could. I immediately wanted to re-read it the moment I finished it. A beautiful book about love, loss and life. Beautiful characters with great character development. I had been craving a good romance book and it just came and hit me right in the face.
I love Jonah. Who wouldn't, actually?😭
4.5/5🌟
⬇️

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives and Wholesome Stories.
I think now the title seems complete. A short stories collection by an amazing writer, woman, social worker and business person above all. Very relatable if you're a fellow Indian. I love that the stories have deep thoughts and feelings behind, yet are so simply penned down by the writer. Loved each and every story.
4.5/5🌟
#indianauthor

#unpopularopinion
Have been hearing so much about this Litsy find. Too slow for my taste, didn't sit well with me. DNFing it for some other beauty.💞

I love me a story with a strong dysfunctional female protagonist. Follows Irina, a photographer with an eye for innocent (read feminine) looking men for her explicit looking photos.
The plot and pace were good, disliked some teeny tiny bits here and there. But, the ending covered for everything. Definitely an unexpected one. A must must read.😍
4.5/5🌟
I'd love to try more by Eliza Clark. Any recommendations?

I literally read the book in 2 days. Second by TJR, and I definitely enjoyed it. Interesting yet relatable characters, definite page turner, great plot, wholesome relationships, lots happening at once yet still manages to keep you hooked.
It's a story of losing family, of gaining support, of fame, of scandal, of past, of present, of marriage, of divorce, of infidelity, of love. Above all, of betrayal and yet loving until the very end.
4.5/5🌟

I'm like 70% through the book. Already loving it. There's so much happening in every chapter and still TJR seems to manage the overall pace. Had no idea that I'd enjoy it this much. Meanwhile did some mandala after so long.

The synopsis made the book sound really interesting. But, actually a mediocre use of a decent setup. Decent for an utmost beginner. Simple language, super average characters and many fillers. Just a book with lots and lots of bad decisions by every character. Nothing in particular stayed with me. There are better books with good plot and thrill. Any other recommendation by the author?
2/5🌟

Confused regarding my next read, 'Malibu Rising' or the tagged book. Or should just focus on my chai!😍

Definitely a psychopath, until the very end. Think of a book coming out of 150+ hours of interview with a serial killer. I was excited to read it. But it wasn't a good one. You get to see how his mind works, and what a weird place it is to be in.
I'd suggest the books on Bundy by Ann Rule and Elizabeth Kendall if you are looking for something insightful and interesting.
2/5🌟

Just me catching on some reading and chai (tea) on a lazy morning. Recharging my soul slowly and steadily.🥺😍

As a true crime junkie and fan, I was excited about the book. It's about a series of murders of little girls and whether they are related or not. And obviously, who did it? I was generally hooked but it was a lil bland here and there. Also, I felt that some details were missing. I liked Margot as a character. Definitely disappointed with the ending.
3.5/5🌟

For a debut novel, it's really good. An intergenerational family trauma, miscommunications, weird mother-daughter relationship and a bunch of trigger warnings. A definite page turner, gave me 'Baby teeth' vibes too. The flashbacks took a lil while to get used to, also the insufferable husband who just wouldn't listen. I felt pity for Blythe who was in the middle of it all. Also, I wanted little more from the ending. Must read.
4/5🌟

It's a bit difficult to review. Mostly I really enjoyed it. To be very honest, the ending disappointed me. The characters were really good, enjoyable and definitely relatable. I loved the writing style & it was very wholesome. Kate was just too much, the writer thought of all the talents and qualities in this world and decided to put into her. Overrated but worth reading. I think I expected too much.
PS- I love and adore Gus.
4/5🌟

I have no idea where the story is going, but it's so damn wholesome. And just when I thought it couldn't get better, Kate went and met Gabriel. I have really high hopes with this one. 🙈

I definitely enjoyed the book a lot. The Trinidad dialect took a few pages to get used to. I loved the amount of substance the book touched and how it was nicely paced out throughout the book. Tbh, I was a bit annoyed by the protagonist's tendency to justify everything in present for the mere sake of 'love'. Please read the trigger warnings before reading. The ending and the side characters made the book enjoyable. Definitely a pick.
4/5🌟

I read this in 2022. The synopsis interested me a lot but it wasn't the case with the actual book. I didn't like the protagonist and his thought process but the pace kept me going. I liked how all the stories were interrelated. Also, I really enjoyed a few quotes here and there. Overall, a quick read but not a must one.
2.5/5🌟

"This is how I does see the world: by reading books. I does go to London, Hong Kong, Siberia, even, when I read a book. I does meet all kind of people. Learn all kinds of words. Live all kinds of lives."
- Althea
PS - Ending the year with this lovely lovely quote.

Halfway through this book and I'm still waiting for it to get dark. Also, it has so many fillers which hamper the pace. I don't think it'll be a good one.😑

My 2nd book in satisfying the TB curiosity. After I knew Anne's pov in 'the stranger beside me', I moved to Liz's and Molly's. To say it was eerie would be an understatement. Anne really undermined Liz as a character. There were few really creepy facts and instances. And to top it all was Molly's POV at the end. It gave me chills, the whole creepiness of the person TB was and the life he led. A great insight and a good read.
4/5🌟

I found this book through a random pinterest post. I must say I had really high expectations from it but those didn't come out to be true at all. A decent read for absolute beginners. I loved a few scenes here and there. But, absolutely adored a couple of side characters.
3/5🌟

As much as I don't like this trope, I started reading the book with an open mind. 3 chapters in and I couldn't let it get off my mind. Boyfriend's father, seriously?
I like me some forbidden romances, but not this. DNF'd it after the 3rd chapter.🙈
Any other recommendation from the author?