BOOK REVIEW | Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren

Title: Sweet Filthy Boy
Author: Christina Lauren
Series? Yes, the first in a companion series named Wild Seasons.
Pages: 385
Publication Date: May 13, 2014
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: I read Sweet Filthy Boy on Scribd!

One-night stands are supposed to be with someone convenient, or wickedly persuasive, or regrettable. They aren’t supposed to be with someone like him.

But after a crazy Vegas weekend celebrating her college graduation—and terrified of the future path she knows is a cop-out—Mia Holland makes the wildest decision of her life: follow Ansel Guillaume—her sweet, filthy fling—to France for the summer and just…play.

When feelings begin to develop behind the provocative roles they take on, and their temporary masquerade adventures begin to feel real, Mia will have to decide if she belongs in the life she left because it was all wrong, or in the strange new one that seems worlds away.

BOOK REVIEW | Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Player
Author: Christina Lauren
Series? Yes, the third in the Beautiful series (companion novels)
Pages: 432
Publication Date: October 29, 2013
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: I read this on Scribd!

A bombshell bookworm. A chronic Casanova. And a lesson in chemistry too scandalous for school.

When Hanna Bergstrom receives a lecture from her overprotective brother about neglecting her social life and burying herself in grad school, she’s determined to tackle his implied assignment: get out, make friends, start dating. And who better to turn her into the sultry siren every man wants than her brother’s gorgeous best friend, Will Sumner, venture capitalist and unapologetic playboy?

Will takes risks for a living, but he’s skeptical about this challenge of Hanna’s…until the wild night his innocently seductive pupil tempts him into bed- and teaches him a thing or two about being with a woman he can’t forget. Now that Hanna’s discovered the power of her own sex appeal, it’s up to Will to prove he’s the only man she’ll ever need.

Goodreads

TTT | Books on My Fall TBR!

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'm participating in Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Today's topic is "books on my fall TBR!" I always associate fall with school, so for me, fall has already begun! Nevertheless, here are ten books that I hope to read! Most of these are ARCs, simply because I focus on them during school!

10) The Raging Ones by Krista and Becca Ritchie

 

Goodreads 

I have an ARC of this, and I haven't started it yet! I haven't read sci-fi in a while, and I'm looking forward to getting back into the genre. To be honest, I don't know much about the book, but it has gotten pretty good reviews! The 4.12 average rating on goodreads is promising. 

9) Mirage by Somaiya Daud

Goodreads

I am determined to finish Mirage. I was about 60 percent of the way through before I moved into university. Mirage moves a bit slower than I'm accustomed, so I already wasn't making quick progress. when I moved in, I wanted quick reads, like romance novels, so I put this one on pause. I've really loved what I have read though, so I want to acutally finish it! 

BOOK REVIEW | Life on the Leash by Victoria Schade

Title: Life on the Leash
Author: Victoria Schade
Series? No, Life on the Leash is a standalone novel.
Pages: 352
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: September 18, 2018
Source: I received Life on the Leash via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own! Thank you to Gallery Books for providing the ARC.

Must Love Dogs meets My Not So Perfect Life in this hilarious romantic comedy about a dog trainer who’s a master at managing her four-legged friends, but when it comes to her love life...let’s just say she still has a lot to learn.

Cora Bellamy is a woman who thrives on organization. She’s successfully run her own dog training business for years, perfectly content with her beloved rescue pitbull as the main man in her life. She’s given everything to her business, and her lack of social life (or slobber-free clothes) has been completely worth it.

But all that changes when she meets Charlie Gill, the hottest client she’s ever had. The only problem? Charlie’s taken. Luckily, Cora has a new friend—the sweet, lovably geeky Eli Crawford. More loyal than a retriever, he’s always there to help Cora with her problems, including her love life. That’s why she’s shocked to realize that even as things start heating up with Charlie, there might just be a more-than-friends spark between her and Eli, too.

As Cora’s life gets more tangled up than a dogwalker’s leashes—and as she prepares to audition for a dog-training TV show that may irrevocably change her entire life—she has to figure things out before it all goes straight to the dogs.

Charming, witty, and warm-hearted, Life on the Leash inspires you to cheer for every underdog looking for love.

 Goodreads

BOOK TAG | Avatar: The Last Airbender

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be dong the Avatar: The Last Airbender tag! I saw this on Kelly's blog, but it was originally done by A Clockwork Reader on her youtube channel!

If I'm being honest, I was a casual fan of  the show. If it was on tv, I would watch it, but I never actually followed the plot! One of these days I want to restart the series and really take it in, since so many people seem to love it! Now, onto the tag!

1) Katara and Sokka | The Best Sibling Relationship

Kitty, Margot, and Lara Jean!

How can I not say the Song sisters from To all the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han?! I mean, it is seriously just the best. I love how constant their sisterhood is, and that Lara Jean's relationship with her family takes precedent over her relationship with Peter, or any other guys. 

What I'll Be Reading This Fall Semester!

Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be talking about all the books I know (for certain) that I'm going to be reading this fall semester. Some of you might not be in school, but I am! I attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and my school year is now in full swing!

If you don't know, I'm a double major! I study both English and Women and Gender Studies. This semester, I'm finishing up some of my gen eds. I'm taking my last math class - yay!- and taking my required fitness class, which I'm really looking forward to. Other than those two classes, I'm taking some classes that really pique my interest. With all those classes, comes textbooks and required reading.

Today I'll be sharing the books I'll be reading this upcoming semester!

1. EVERYTHING by Jane Austen

   

   Our Lady Jane!

1.  okay, okay, maybe not everything but I am reading a ton of Austen this semester! I'm taking class solely focused on Jane Austen. The list includes...
1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Sense and Sensibility
3. Emma
4. Mansfield Park
5. Persuasion
6. Love and Friendship
7. Lady Susan 
2. When it comes to required reading, I have a bad habit of skimming near the end or my attention wavering. I know if I really take my time and pay attention, I'll enjoy the books and get much more out of the class! 
2. EVERYTHING by Shakespeare

   

   check out Will's earring!

1. now you're thinking, "really Genni, everything by Shakespeare??" Like obviously not everything under the sun that Shakespeare has written, but a good chunk of it! 
2. On the syllabus we're reading:
1.   A Midsummer Night's Dream
2.  Much Ado About Nothing
3.  Measure for Measure
4.  The First Part of Henry the Fourth
5.  The Life of King Henry the Fifth
6.  Romeo and Juliet
7.  Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
8.  Macbeth 
3. I am happy that we are focusing on Shakespeare's plays instead of sonnets. I just studies his sonnets last year, so I didn't want to do it all over again! 
4. I have already read some of these during my schooling. I've read Romeo and Juliet in 7th grade, and then again as a freshman at high school. I also read A Midsummer Night's Dream in middle school, and Hamlet and Macbeth senior year of high school. I am looking forward to reading the others ones, though!
3. Latinx Literature
   

• I'm taking a class this semester named "Latino/Latina Literature," which is pretty self explanatory. I haven't delved into Latinx literature, so I think it'll be great to read about another culture! Some of the books include:

• Fefu and Her Friends 
• Cup of Water Under My Bed: A Memoir
• The Cha Cha Files: A Chapina Poetica
• When the Ground Turns in Its Sleep
• Before We Were Free 

Besides those books, plays, etc., that I've listed, there are of course...textbooks! I'm reading two for a poli class I'm taking, one for my fitness class, and two for a class focused on gender and sexuality in Africa. In the first three weeks of university, I've already read A Midsummer Night's Dream, Love and Firendship, Lady Susan, Sense and Sensibility, and the majoirty of the Cha Cha Files! 

I do love reading, but all of this assigned reading has meant by "fun" reading has been on the back burner. I've been able to find a good balance by reading the books when I need a break from homework, but I have yet to regularly incorporate blogging into the day! I think I'll figure it out this September though. :)  

Are you in school this year? What books are you reading? What have been some of your favorite required reaidngs?

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

BOOK REVIEW | Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

Title: Beautiful Bastard
Author: Christina Lauren
Series? Yes, the first in a series of 5 books that follow different main characters for each novel.
Pages: 320
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: I read Beautiful Bastard during my first free month of Scribd, an online book service.

An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling.

Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office.

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other.

Originally only available online as The Office by tby789 — and garnering over 2 million reads on fanfiction sites — Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.

Goodreads 

Thoughts While Listening To... | Contagion by Erin Bowman

Title: Contagion

Author: Erin Bowman

Series? Yes, a duology

Pages: The hardcover edition has 432 pages. The audiobook is 9 hours and 37 minutes long.

Publication Date: July 24, 2018

Source: I listened to the auidobook of Contagion via my online local library!

Perfect for fans of Madeleine Roux, Jonathan Maberry, and horror films like 28 Days Later and Resident Evil, this pulse-pounding, hair-raising, utterly terrifying novel is the first in a duology from the critically acclaimed author of the Taken trilogy.

After receiving a distress call from a drill team on a distant planet, a skeleton crew is sent into deep space to perform a standard search-and-rescue mission.

When they arrive, they find the planet littered with the remains of the project—including its members’ dead bodies. As they try to piece together what could have possibly decimated an entire project, they discover that some things are best left buried—and some monsters are only too ready to awaken.

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR CONTAGION:

“Gripping, thrilling and terrifying in equal measures, Contagion is the perfect intersection of science fiction and horror—I couldn’t look away.”—Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of Illuminae and Unearthed

“Few understand the true horror that lies in the empty unknown of space, but Erin Bowman nails it in Contagion. Read this one with the lights on!”—Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of the Across the Universe series and Star Wars: Rebel Rising

“Erin Bowman’s Contagion is everything I want in my science fiction: a cast of smart characters on a desperate rescue mission forced to confront an elusive and unstoppable enemy. I absolutely loved this layered and thrilling adventure and can’t wait to dive back into this world again.”—Veronica Rossi, New York Times bestselling author of the Under the Never Sky series

Goodreads

BOOK REVIEW | Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Title: Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
Author: Christina Lauren
Series? No
Pages: 320
Publication Date: September 4, 2018
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: I received an e-arc of Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books!

Most men can’t handle Hazel. With the energy of a toddler and the mouth of a sailor, they’re often too timid to recognize her heart of gold. New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren (Roomies, Beautiful Bastard) tells the story of two people who are definitely not dating, no matter how often they end up in bed together.

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun.

Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air.

Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?

Goodreads 

August Wrap Up!

Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be looking at what I read in August! August was a time of getting reading for university, so I didn't read as much as these past couple months.

Now onto the 13 books I read in August!

1) Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Review

Stars Above is a compilation of short stories set in the Lunar Chronicles universe. The last time I read something by Marissa Meyer or part of the world was when Winter released, so I loved going back into the world and reading more from Meyer. There were stories that I liked, loved, and others I felt indifferent towards. Check out my review here! 

2) Come for Me, Darling by Alexis Anne

I received Come for Me, Darling via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. As of now, that review hasn't been posted, simply because I didn't enjoy it that much. I always feel a bit bad if I don't enjoy an ARC that I requested. I'm thinking that I'll be doing a mini review post and include Come for Me, Darling in that. Basically, the romance was cheesy and the book read like countless of other romances. 

3) Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Review

Oof...I did not like this one. I read Red Queen for the #MakeMeRead readathon, which I also didn't do that well in, haha! I thought the characters and world needed more complexities. Red Queen was a formulaic entry into the dystopian subgenre. I've heard mixed things from the other books, and I probably won't be continuing with series. I do, however, own the second boo in the series, so I might read it anyways just to see what happens. 

4) I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Thoughts While Listening To...

I've Got Your Number was the only audiobook I read this month. I thought it was wonderful! I didn't love the book, but Poppy had such a distinct voice and I thought her story was a great mix of endearing, comedic, embarrassing, and heartfelt. I'm definitely interested in reading more from Sophie Kinsella.

5) Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

After a stressful day of moving into university and walking everywhere, I really needed to relax and not think. Beautiful Bastard was the perfect solution. I've really enjoyed other books by Christina Lauren, so I imagined I would have the same experience. However, I didn't love Beautiful Bastard! The romance was lackluster, to be honest. I'm writing my review now, and expect to see it within a week!

6) Nuts by Alice Clayton

After the (unfortunate) disappointment of Beautiful Bastard, I decided to try out a new-to-me author, Alice Clayton! I have heard wonderful things about Nuts, and the series in general, and decided to pick them up. Honestly, this was a little bit of a disappointment as well. I simply didn't care for the characters that much, and thought that the plot points were predictable. However, the sex scenes were written wonderfully, and for that reason, I am planning on continuing with the series. 

7) The Deal by Elle Kennedy

This is where my luck started going up with romance novels! The Deal is a very popular NA romance novel, and when I saw it was on Scribd, I had to pick it up. There were some instances where I thought the language and underlying sexism was troubling. Though the romance was written well, and I my heart was hurting for the characters, the language left me a bit unsettled. 

8) The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

After The Deal, I decided to read its companion novel, The Mistake. Basically, I had the same experience with The Mistake as I had with The Deal. I loved the romance, but there was sexist language throughout the book. I understand if there is a douchebag saying these things, because it's presented as wrong, but it was from the main characters, who we are supposed to agree with. *sigh*

9) Love and Friendship by Jane Austen

And this is when you can tell I started reading because of school! It's been YEARS since I've read something by Jane Austen, and now that I'm taking a class centered around her works, I'm reading much more of her and seeing many movie adaptations. Love and Friendship was simply put, entertaining. Written when Jane Austen was around 15 years of age, her adolescence shines through. Love and Friendship doesn't have much social commentary. Instead, it's just a fun little novella to read if you want to be humored. 

10) We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"We Should All Be Feminists" is a reread for me. This time, I read it for a class. I liked reading this for a second time, because I think I got more out of it. However, I don't think that the essay is pure perfection, as I did when I first read it. Still, I recommend it! 

11) A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

I also read this for class as well! I'm taking a Shakespeare class, and this is the first play we read. I read this play around six years ago and didn't remember much. Now that I've had more reading experience, I understood the appreciated the text much more than I did when I was 13 years old. 

12) The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

This is, no question, my favorite book of the month. I was reading this while reading the last three books, and it was a great reprieve from all my required reading. The Kiss Quotient was sexy, funny, and most importantly, diverse! The author is own-voices for both Asian and high-functioning autism, and pushed the book to another level for me. Expect a review soon!! 

13) The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

The Unspoken Rule was my last book of August, but not my least favorite of the month. I didn't love it, but I am a sucker for the whole "falling in love with my best friend's boyfriend" trope, even though it is troubling and I would never want that to happen in real life. Nonetheless, the book was entertaining and a pleasant distraction from the plethora of readings I did for school.

Updates!

Currently Reading

I moved into university, and once school started, I needed to read romance. After critically thinking all day, I need a break and just indulge in some romance. I got Scribd for a free monthly trial, and have read several romance books from there. I just finished reading Beautiful Stranger by Christina Lauren yesterday, and I'm thinking of starting Stray by Rachel Vincent. I also just finished the audiobook of Contagion by Erin Bowman The next books for me are Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen and Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh.

Goodreads Challenge! 

Now that school has started, I've really gotten my shit together when it comes to the goodreads challenge. I used to be 5-7 books behind, and now I'm five books ahead! This semester has already demanded that I read more than I was during the summer. I'm reading plays by Shakespeare and novels by Jane Austen quite regularly because of my classes, and I'm also reading for fun to get some of that stress out of my life. So far, I've been able to find a balance between reading for school and reading for fun! Now I just need to figure how to add blogging into the mix, as I've been pretty absent since the semester started. 

Life Update! 

 Whew, life has been hectic. I moved into my dorm, and the academic year is tarting off strong. Right now, I'm not loving any of my classes (which is a little disappointing), but I'm not hating them either. I'm a sophomore this year, and I've been having such a better time than last year! Last month, my goal was to be more social and I'm happy to announce that I have been! I've made a couple friends from my hall and some others from my classes!

This month I also interviewed for an internship at a publishing house that has a branch near my university. They did a trial run for me, where I read an unpublished manuscript and then gave a report to them recommending that they buy it or not. I loved doing it, but realized that I struggled balancing my 6 classes with the internship. Luckily enough, they offered the internship (yay!!) to me, but for next semester! This works out better for me, because I won't be taking as many classes and I can come into the office more.

 So that was my August! Pretty hectic, but I'm loving the busy pace and having something to do everyday. My main goal for September is to plan ahead my posts so I'm still blogging regularly! 

How was your August? What did you read?

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!