Good evening! So I know it’s been a while since my last book review, and I’m very sorry for that! The end of the year is always crazy for me! But don’t worry, I was still reading! I read four books, Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier, Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon, Let It Snow by John Green, Mauren Johnson, and Lauren Myracle, and finally, I read What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold. Let’s start with Castle in the Clouds!
Castle in the Clouds was such a fun, easy read, and a mystery I just had to solve! A young girl, Sophia Spark works as an intern at a grand European hotel. She encounters rude guests and their mischievous children, as well as handsome young men, all while dealing with the busy and bustle of the holidays. She helps to prepare for their annual celebration, the famous New Year’s Eve ball. Many issues arise, and she learns that some of the guests are not who they pretend to be. The reader follows her journey as she attempts to solve the mystery, keep her job, and keep her heart.
This is one of the best book I have read in a while! I loved the humor, the thrill, and of course the romance. I immediately connected with the characters and the setting. The hotel reminded me of a resort my family and I have stayed at several times, and I enjoyed picturing the book set there! I rate this book a 5/5! A must-read!
Instructions for Dancing was so authentic, heartfelt, and full of adventure! Evie Thomas looses sight of love when she experiences her parents’ separation. Suddenly, one afternoon she spots a couple kissing, and their entire story unfolds before her eyes. She sees how they first met, and how the break up, with a few romantic moments in between. Evie tries to figure out what is happening and why, when a note in a book leads her to Le Brea Dance Studio. She is paired with a young man named X, as they learn to waltz, fox-trot, and tango. Immediately she falls for him, and they become more than just dance partners. But does Evie even believe in love? And how will their relationship end up?
You all know how much I love romance, and this was romance at its best! I loved the plot and all of the dance components too. It was a truly magical book I couldn’t stop reading! I’m pretty sure I read it in like three days! I give it a 5/5.
Let It Snow was a book I had been waiting to read for a while because I felt like I just had to read it around the holiday season! And, it was definitely worth waiting for. It follows three romances, each written by a different author. The reader sees how one ill-timed storm can affect so many people’s holidays, so much so that the events that followed changed their lives.
The characters caught my eye from the beginning, and I just had to find out what would happen to them next! It was the perfect read for the holiday season, full of love, humor, charm, and lots of snow. I ended up reading most of it backstage when I wasn’t performing in the Nutcracker! I then watched the movie on Netflix after, and I have to say the movie was good, but not even close to how good the book was. And I don’t know if you all know, but I have a rule that I always read the book before I watch the movie! I rate this book 4.5/5.
And finally, I read What Girls Are Made Of. I had never read anything like it before, and I’m going to say that I didn’t really see the point of the book until the very end. That definitely made it harder to get through, but I did it! The reader follows the journey of sixteen-year-old Nina as she lives through a shameful breakup to a boy she worshipped. She spends most of her time either at school or volunteering at a local dog shelter. She is determined to fix her mistakes and move on, so she decides to uncover the stories her mother told her as a child, stories about womanhood, distorted with violence and sacrifice. She falls so deep into these stories and lessons that it causes her to do something unspeakable to a fellow classmate. As she drowns in regret, we see her raw emotion, pain, and drive.
I cannot say that I enjoyed every minute of this book, but it left me with many valuable thoughts and ideas that came to me as I was reading. I do believe that this book is full of real, authentic writing discussing issues that have occurred since the beginning of time. I would recommend it, but it is not an easy read. I give it a 3.5/5.
So that’s it for now, Happy Reading!
xoxo, Joanna