Tag Archives: review

[Review] Last Seen Leaving – Caleb Roehrig

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

[Alternatives] – Movie Review – Nerve (2016)

Alternatives is the tagline to discuss entertainment outside of literature. It may encompass television, movies, games, and music.


Alternatives
Movie Review – Nerve (2016)

Genre: Contemporary, Thriller, Crime, Teens
Duration: 96 Minutes
Directed By: Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost

Screenplay By: Jessica Sharzer
Starring: Emma Roberts, Dave Franco

A high school senior finds herself immersed in an online game of truth or dare, where her every move starts to become manipulated by an anonymous community of “watchers.”

Continue reading [Alternatives] – Movie Review – Nerve (2016)

[Review] A Darkly Beating Heart – Lindsay Smith

a-darkly-beating-heart-lindsay-smith

Book Title: A Darkly Beating Heart (Standalone)
Author:     Lindsay Smith
Number of pages:  272

Synopsis:

a-darkly-beating-heart-book-coverNo one knows what to do with Reiko. She is full of hatred. All she can think about is how to best hurt herself and the people closest to her. After a failed suicide attempt, Reiko’s parents send her from their Seattle home to spend the summer with family in Japan to learn to control her emotions. But while visiting Kuramagi, a historic village preserved to reflect the nineteenth-century Edo period, Reiko finds herself slipping back in time into the life of Miyu, a young woman even more bent on revenge than Reiko herself. Reiko loves being Miyu, until she discovers the secret of Kuramagi village, and must face down Miyu’s demons as well as her own.

(re: Goodreads @ A Darkly Beating Heart by Lindsay Smith)


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

– Fluid transitions between contemporary/historical Japan.
– First person narrative feels as though information is withheld from the reader
– Cultural inclusion include English romanization of Japanese phrases and popular items that you would typically see through the eyes of Westerners who are interested in all things “Japanese”

Initial Thoughts

I read up to 60% before marking this book as DNF.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of A DARKLY BEATING HEART from Raincoast Books.


Continue reading [Review] A Darkly Beating Heart – Lindsay Smith