Tag Archives: contemporary

2016, meme, top ten tuesday

The Thinker Awards: 2016 Edition (Best in 2016 Fiction)

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The Thinker Awards is posted under the umbrella of Top Ten Tuesday, an original weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. 

2016-12-27-thinker-awards-banner-final

This Week’s Theme:
The Thinker Awards
(Best in 2016 Fiction)

Initial Thoughts:

Welcome to The 2016 Thinker Awards wherein the “Best Of” 2016 books are featured. This year, I have enlisted six panelists to join me in showcasing their faves.

The 2016 Thinker Award Panelists:

Maria @ Big City Bookworm
Jesse @ Books at Dawn
Jenna @ Reading with Jenna
Ambur @ Burning Impossibly Bright
Patty @ Bookish Wander Love
…and yours truly.

At the end of all this, please do let me know: which book do you think deserves the “Best Overall” title!

Continue reading The Thinker Awards: 2016 Edition (Best in 2016 Fiction) →

2016, ARC review, Book Review

[Review] Last Seen Leaving – Caleb Roehrig

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last-seen-leaving-caleb-roehrig

Book Title: Last Seen Leaving (Standalone)
Author:     Caleb Roehrig
Number of pages:  272

Synopsis:

last seen leaving - caleb roehrig - book coverFlynn’s girlfriend has disappeared. How can he uncover her secrets without revealing his own?

Flynn’s girlfriend, January, is missing. The cops are asking questions he can’t answer, and her friends are telling stories that don’t add up. All eyes are on Flynn—as January’s boyfriend, he must know something.

But Flynn has a secret of his own. And as he struggles to uncover the truth about January’s disappearance, he must also face the truth about himself.

(re: Goodreads @ Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr review:

– Premise feels like YA Gone Girl
– Character driven novel mainly as it concerns the protagonist; can be considered more of a contemporary LGBTQIA+ centric story
– Secondary characters and their development doesn’t really exist (re: best friend), also the police are completely useless
– Even if you read with skepticism, the expectation versus reality of the resolution may not be one every reader will enjoy

Initial Thoughts

I forgot to review this in a timely matter.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of LAST SEEN LEAVING from Raincoast Books.

Continue reading [Review] Last Seen Leaving – Caleb Roehrig →

2016, ARC review, Book Review

[Review] Tell Us Something True — Dana Reinhardt

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tell-us-something-true-dana-reinhardt-review-scorecard

Book Title: Tell Us Something True
Author:     Dana Reinhardt
Number of pages:  208

Synopsis:

Tell Us Something True - Dana Reinhardt - book cover Seventeen-year-old River doesn’t know what to do with himself when Penny, the girl he adores, breaks up with him. He lives in LA, where nobody walks anywhere, and Penny was his ride; he never bothered getting a license. He’s stuck. He’s desperate. Okay . . . he’s got to learn to drive.

But first, he does the unthinkable—he starts walking. He stumbles upon a support group for teens with various addictions. He fakes his way into the meetings, and begins to connect with the other kids, especially an amazing girl. River wants to tell the truth, but he can’t stop lying, and his tangle of deception may unravel before he learns how to handle the most potent drug of all: true love.

(re: Goodreads @ Tell Us Something True by Dana Reinhardt)

Should this book be picked up? the tl;dr review:

– A story about the human connection and second chances
– Marked a humour but has only sparse moments of wit
– Male protagonist is annoying AF. Half of the plot is him trying to win his girlfriend back while juggling a new Manic Pixie love interest
– The end can be seen as abrupt and unsatisfactory re: the protagonist’s overall growth

Initial Thoughts

I’ll wave my Canadian flag and say “at least I tried…”

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of True Letters from a Fictional Life from Indigo.

Continue reading [Review] Tell Us Something True — Dana Reinhardt →