Cheeky Review of All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Click the book to be redirected to the Goodreads page.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

First off, sorry I haven't been posting much. I've been in a reading slump. This book kind of made it worse/better. To make up for it, I've been "summer cleaning," getting ready for my senior year. *gasp* Anyway, onto my review!

So I finished this yesterday and I was a jumble of emotions so I took a day to calm down and collect my thoughts.

I have no idea what I expected going into this book (I think I thought there could be a happily ever after?) and I was SO crushed by the ending. The story itself was quite interesting- I loved Violet and Finch's dynamic and journey. I did find myself skimming towards the end though... I found Finch's thoughts sometimes to be so out of the world and unrelatable... it made me question a little whether anyone could think so many things that deeply (I'm sure there are, I'm just underestimating teenage boys.) 

Jennifer Niven definitely handled the subject of suicide well; she helps you understand more of the possible reasons and justifications a person might have in wanting to commit suicide and you really do learn to sympathize with the victim and the victim's family. I do believe that it isn't right to shame a person who has chosen to commit suicide; (s)he is a victim too. She just addressed this issue so tactfully while being very informative; I'm in awe.

Overall, it's such a great read that will kick you in the guts. I finished the book and got into that "existential crisis" moment where I questioned life after death... (watch danisnotonfire's video on that, it's great and relatable) If a book can get me that far, it's doing something right.

I'll definitely get a book up to you all soon and I might make a post about senior year: expectations vs reality, responsibilities, stress, clubs, schoolwork, college apps... comment below what YOU want.

I love you all so much,

xx Jennifer

Some Movie Reviews (Insurgent, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Cinderella, Guardians of the Galaxy...)

HEY people of the interwebs.

It's Jennifer. (I just did someone's YT intro.)

As some of you may know, I just went on a cruise and on the cruise, I got the opportunity to see many of the most recent films that I haven't gotten the chance to see. And so, I'm going to do a condensed mini review of each.

Insurgent: 8/10 

I heard good and bad things about this so I came in with reasonably average expectations and the movie turned out to be great! I honestly don't remember much about the book so I can't say that it closely aligned with the book but what I can say that it ended the same way the book did (it probably took different paths to get there though). I know many were outraged that they placed the sex scene in this book but I thought they made the timing very fitting and it was tastefully done. There were really nice visual effects regarding the sims and an okay plot that managed to get us through the movie.

Avengers: Age of Ultron: 9/10

Having taken computer science, I know the struggle when it comes to animation. And oh my goodness, I was blown away by the effects in this movie. Sure the plot of this movie was sub-par- I couldn't care! Everything felt so epic and I was just rooting for the heroes. Looking back now, I actually do wish there was more of a cohesive, thought-out plot but I won't fault them for it. It's clearly an action movie and action we got!

Guardians of the Galaxy: 5/10

Admittedly, I watched this at 10-12 at night so that might be the reason I kept falling asleep?? The plot was better than Avengers but I just found myself bored out of my mind and not invested at all in the protagonists. I was falling asleep during the action scenes!!! Yes, the raccoon (Bradley Cooper) was funny but the cartoon element just wasn't hitting it for me. The film was a little too childish for my tastes. I just can't give a movie that had me nodding throughout higher than a 5. Kind of a disappointment due to the acclaim it got.

Cinderella: 4/10

It was literally what you expect from any movie like this. I missed the intro (I don't know how long it was) but I came in when she was at the first ball. I felt like the movie was too short (in regards to the time of the first ball to her marriage with the prince) and nothing eventful happened. Maybe the intro had some deep stuff but from what I watched, it felt insufficient.

Unbroken: 7/10

This really wasn't my type of movie. I had no idea what it was going into it. I came in about 30 mins late so I was at the raft scene. It was so gripping though and I found myself just on Louis' side and praying they made it to safety. I left the movie at the POW camp (because my cousins wanted me to) but now that I know it was produced/directed by Angelina Jolie, I wish I could have finished it to give you all a more accurate review. From the 20 minutes I watched, it seemed to be an accurate portrayal and very stark and grim.

The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS): 9/10

I got to watch this again! I disliked the book (forgive me, I think it's just the way John Green writes) but I enjoyed the movie! It does seem to align well with the book and it has every element that a movie should have. A good plot, script, and message. And a great cast. I don't know... this movie just gives me fuzzies, yanno?

Night of the Museum: Secret of the Tomb: 7/10

I had no idea there was a sequel. I really didn't want to watch but my cousins dragged me into it. I had a rough time getting into it (perhaps because I had grown out of it) and it had a weird plot that I sometimes couldn't follow but it managed to pull me in with its humor and charm and I left with a smile on my face.

Into the Woods: 8/10

This movie/musical was really great! I only watched about 20-30 minutes of it so I'm speaking off of that short snippet but I found the portrayals of the different tales accurate and creative and the connections between all of the storylines were epic! I am not a fan of musicals (I couldn't survive Les Miserables) so I thought this movie would disappoint but actually the songs were decent! Overall, I'm impressed and if I ever am really, really bored, I will finish this movie (although the ending seems obvious).




Should I do more movie reviews? Comment below what you want!
xx Jennifer

Review of Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Click the book to be redirected to the Goodreads page.

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

Ah this book was good; it definitely hooked me in and didn't let me go until the very end.

This book definitely had its ups and downs for me. The MAJOR down for me was the main character herself and her decisions. I felt like the MC was the complete opposite of me and made so many stupid decisions that I just "couldn't." I would almost abandon the book because of her but then Sarah Dessen with her oh so amazing writing would just make her relatable and I could then see the rationale behind all of her choices- which is pretty amazing considering her decisions were all really poor...

This book definitely centers on the friendship between Halley and Scarlett; she portrays their friendship well. The romance definitely took a backseat which was kind of a shame, since I was looking for a romance... and this romance was definitely not one of Sarah Dessen's typical ones... Macon had me squealing in the beginning and then it all went downhill...

Oh, I almost forgot her relationship with her parents. I think Sarah Dessen did an amazing job with the parents; she managed to portray them in a way from Halley's perspective where you can see how teens disagree so much with their parents but when you take a break from the book and think in your own perspective, you see the love and care the parents had for Halley and how wise Halley's mom was. You really do see the love (sometimes overbearing) a mom has for her child.

Overall, the story and writing was great; I just had a problem with a few of the characters and relating to them fully. Not one of Sarah Dessen's best but definitely not her worst!

xx Jennifer

Review of The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Click the book to be redirected to the Goodreads page.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Ahhh this book...

I'm disappointed by a book again. I had really high hopes because of the high rating but if anything, that made this book that much more painful.

Up to this point, I've read so much dystopian novels that this one seemed like a poor attempt at it. The ideas were not that original, especially with the camps. I found the whole situation very false and off- the whole world was basically like ours but just suddenly the children had these inexplicable powers- the author failed to clarify if these powers were inherent in humans this whole time or explain how they suddenly manifested. The whole failed experiment seemed improbable- I truly couldn't see how society could degenerate to it...

Once again, the romance seemed quite forced and present for the sake of having romance. I felt little sparks between Liam and Ruby...

However, the plot was pretty good, especially the end!! The book had a pretty clear direction up until Slip Kid and afterward... only downhill. The plot/story was the only thing that salvaged this book besides 3 characters that I loved/hated: Chubs, Zu, and Clancy. Each were unique in their own ways and in the end, I found myself loving all 3 (Clancy in a different way...). Chubs is #friendgoals and Zu is the cutest angel alive!

And the writing was pretty good. Nothing to really say on that front.

Overall, I mean... it was good, not great. 3.5 stars.

Next book will be good!! I have hope!! Will probably read Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen... while filling in the gaps with Hannibal! Leave your comments about how you feel about this book and Hannibal- would love to know!

Until next time,
xx Jennifer

Short and Simple: Alienated by Melissa Landers

Click the book to be redirected to the Goodreads page.

Alienated by Melissa Landers

Aw, this book disappointed me. I kind of had high expectations since my friend recommended it to me but fell short.

I felt like the supernatural alien aspect of it was too forced because all this book was at the end of the day was a romance. Plain and simple. To be honest, the whole intergalactic idea running through this book was a joke with too many coincidences (like the ease of learning language, same DNA but improved, mind reading)- Landers tried to make up some weird differences like four toes and no belly button which really didn't distinguish much from Aelyx and Cara.

Even the romance wasn't great! It was kind of too insta-love and I had a hard time believing that Aelyx would just dump his plans like that so soon for her. The romance just didn't feel right.

In the end, everything felt really forced. It's such a shame because I really wanted this book to be great. I mean, I read this in a day so it was an easy read (which is why it's 3 stars!). This book might be good for someone who doesn't want to think- just read.

I most likely won't read the sequel. :/

Hopefully my next read will be better! Thinking it will be The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken...

xx Jennifer