Review- I Love You To Death by Natalie Ward

Summary-

When Ash loses her boyfriend, she is consumed by grief, loneliness and an overwhelming sense of guilt for her role in not only his death, but the deaths of everyone she has ever loved. Refusing to let anyone in for fear of losing them too, she becomes withdrawn, spending her days reliving the nightmares from her past. 

Until she meets Luke. 

Initially scared by his intensity and interest in her, Ash tries to push him away. But as Luke slowly starts to chip away at the walls she’s built, Ash finds herself doing the one thing she swore she’d never do again — falling in love. 

When the familiar feelings Ash had hoped were long buried with her past begin to resurface, she is forced to ask herself if falling in love again is really worth the risk.


Review-

I picked up I Love You To Death on a complete whim. I went in without any expectations or preconceived notions and I'm so glad to have found this gem of a book. It took me completely by surprise how good the book actually was and how uncommon the whole theory behind the book is.

Ash is a girl who by the age of 25 has lost 12 people closest to her. She doesn't know if its just some cruel twist of fate or if something's wrong with her which causes the people she loves to die. In one way or another all of their deaths somehow link back to being her fault and she is left to bear the devastating pain and loss with the guilt. Having already been through so much she decides to keep to herself and just get through her life without love or affection.

Then comes in Luke, with his patience and kindness. He is so completely smitten by Ash and yet he gives her space and time. He never gives up, respecting her needs. He never pushes her. He sees the struggle  and pain inside of Asha and does all he can to help her heal and believe in herself and them. Luke was a genuinely good character whom I won't be forgetting anytime soon. The romance was slow burn, which I loved.

The book moves from Ash's point of view from the present to her having flashbacks of each of the deaths in her life. I loved the scenes between Luke and Ash. Their love story was beautifully portrayed. It was sensual without being graphic. You actually start feeling protective of Ash while rooting for Luke to make her his. Ash's story breaks your heart while giving you hope and you can feel yourself going through a wide range of emotions.

Natalie's Ward's writing style was extremely unique. Ash's voice is filled with melancholy but you understand and connect with her perfectly. The story is simple but it still completely manages to enthrall  and captivate you. I loved that each chapter number was in the form of a quote. Also, each chapter had its own playlist so I found a number of new for me artists which I shall be looking into. This book was deeply entwined with music. It was intense and simply I devoured this book.

 X5

Janhvi

Book Quotes- Hushed by Kelley York

Kelley York's Hushed is an emotionally powerful and absolutely beautiful read. Even though I said that I have a love-hate relationship with the book, I lean more towards the love part of it. 

Read Sarika's review of Hushed by Kelley York.

Goodreads Summary:

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn't protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he's never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn't matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another-Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.Then along comes Evan, the only person who's ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer's committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn't get what she wants... And what she wants is Evan's death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

Favourite quotes from Hushed:

There were some really beautiful lines in the book that I am jotting down here! 

~What was he without her? What was she without him?

~He wanted to reach out and grab hold of whatever this was between them. This feeling he couldn't put a name to that his mind whispered of desperately. 

~"No, I'm asking you to choose between slowly killing yourself, and someone who loves you."- Evan

~He was the monster. No one would miss him. Wasn't he just as unworthy of life as the people whose lives he'd taken?

~Alone had to be better than this. Terrifying, but better. 

~"Everyone's had shit in their lives. Some people have it worse than others. But no one can turn you into a bad person, just like no one can turn you into a good one. We're all dealt our hands in life, and how we choose to react is entirely up to us. That's free will."- Evan

Evan has said some of the most beautiful lines! 

The last quote about free will is my favourite. 

Sarika

Review- A Reason To Stay by L.S. Murphy

Goodreads Summary:

Within minutes of arriving in her hometown after an eight year absence, Julianna Markum runs into Pace Carter, the last person she expected to see. Pace was her best friend during high school, but she left town without telling him, knowingly breaking his heart. Now that she’s back to help care for her ailing aunt, Julianna wants to make things right with Pace. If she could only find the words to explain why she left and why she didn't tell him goodbye.

REVIEW:

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of A Reason To Stay from author L.S. Murphy in exchange for an honest review. We thank Linda for the book! 

There are two things that I absolutely love reading about. One is past. Things left undone, words left unsaid, doing things without explaining why you did them and doing what feels like the right thing to do at a certain time. And two is best friends becoming lovers. I love reading about such relationships. It makes sense and gives you hope. A Reason To Stay has both . It is a wonderful, moving, mild and simple story about family, friends, love and relationships. Also, another awesome thing about the story is that it is set in a small town which makes it homely, believable and intimate. 
Julianna and Pace have been best friends since the time Pace's grandmother babysat the two kids who were also neighbours. They went to school together, spend their free time together, basically they grew up together. They were the kind of best friends who shared everything with each other, be it thoughts, views, hopes, dreams, aspirations or even their respective relationship statuses. The two were inseparable until there came a time when Julianna had to suffer the tragic loss of her parents, after which she decides to find out more about their disappearance and leaves everything behind to begin her search. 
After her parent's death, Aunt Helen takes Julianna into her own home and takes care of her. Aunt Helen's health is getting worse day by and day and Julianna is forced to return to her hometown to give to her aunt all the love and care that she had received. She meets Pace again and it's like the two were never really apart. 
Julianna was a great protagonist. She was brave and smart. I liked how she didn't give in to everything and thought about the consequences of all her actions. She did what she felt was right and had her own understandable reasons for it. Pace was such a sweet-heart. He was the simple, sweet, patient and down-to-earth guy who we all love. Julianna and Pace share a lovely relationship. Julianna's family formed a major part of the story. Be it aunt Helen or her cousin Stacey, they were all very kind hearted and warm people. 
Author L.S. Murphy's writing has a really nice flow to it. I loved how Julianna and Pace's childhood memories were put in here and there to show how strong a bond they share. A short read that can be finished in one sitting, A Reason To Stay is a cute and emotional story, the end of which will leave you smiling. 

RATING:

X 4

Sarika

Feature & Follow #13

Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Today's question is:

Books are turned into movies all the time! Turn it around. What movie would make a great book?

Answer: I love romance so any movies which are romantic comedies would make great reads for me. I loved watching The Proposal and The Back-Up Plan so those would be my picks.

What are your picks?

Follow us and we'll follow back!

Happy Friday everybody :)

Janhvi

Review- India Was One by An Indian

Goodreads Summary:

…Suddenly, he saw something shiny at the bottom of the abyss. He squinted his eyes to see what it was. He ran back to his binoculars and turned them to see what it was. Sharp barbed wires that separated the two mountains came into focus. He had come as far as he could in his country. But she was standing in another country.

He was in South India and she was in North India…

Have you ever imagined India being divided into two countries? What happens to the millions of Indians who are from South India but are now residing in North India? Kaahi & Jai were two such people who got trapped in this situation. Everything was going smoothly for them and suddenly, their world turned upside down.

How will they get together? Will India become one again?

Take an exciting journey with them from their college days in Mumbai to their life in the US and back to India when they find out that India is divided.

REVIEW:

I was intrigued by the title "India Was One" the moment I saw the book online. Being a student of Political Science, I knew this was one book I had to read. Before reading the summary, I had assumed that the book would be about Indian history before partition. But India Was One was not even close to what I thought it would be. I was trying my best to lay my hands on this book when the author very kindly gave me a copy of it in exchange for an honest review. 

There were some aspects of the book that I really liked while there were some that didn't sit quite well with me. Honestly, I don't really know how to review India Was One without giving away too much and without taking prejudices into consideration. 
India Was One is the story of Vijay (Jai) and Kahani (Kahi), college sweethearts who, after getting married, move to the US and all hell brakes loose when, just as they are settling in and getting used to thier new lives, CNN flashes news that the country of India has been divided into two parts, North India and South India. 
One of the best aspects of the book for me was that I could connect to it emotionally. The college scenes with Jai, Kahi and their friends, Bunty, Subra and Punk were exactly like any normal college scenes. The family scenes, anxiety in times of cricket matches, sipping chai (tea) endlessly, food, parties, dance, drama are also easy to relate to. Being an Indian myself, I could easily understand why someone did something in some way. The author has nailed the art of explaining a simply complicated Indian scenario with simplicity and extravagance simultaneously. All Indian concepts and histories that non-Indians might not be aware of have been clearly elucidated. These concepts and histories are clear in my head, but reading about them was an altogether different learning experience. 
When Jai and Kahi move to the US, they walk into a new world. They learn to live life in a new way. Not just me, but so many Indians have relatives in the US and we've all heard stories about their experience when they first went there. Another facet that I could relate to. We have all teased NRIs (Non- Residential Indians) by calling them Non- Required Indians. We have all, in a teasing manner of course, made fun of them saying that they leave India and don't care about the country at all after that. We have all heard them complain about India when they occasionally revisit and we've all curiously listened to their US-India comparisons. 
We have all been there and done that and India Was One is just a reflection of that. 
Jai and Kahi's return to India was what made the book emotionally powerful. Just the fact that they come all the way back to India only to see if their parents are okay is what makes an Indian, an Indian. 
This part is where you get to see how India, the largest democracy in the world, is in a chaotic state and nothing can be done. I would have loved to read an elaboration of the division of India. How it all happened, why did it happen... Instead, it was just said that India was divided due to national unrest. Radio stations and TV channels are turned off. The Indian economy is in shackles and even cricket (which is more of a religion than a sport in India) is out of the picture. It would have been enlightening to read about the what's, how's and why's of it.
The ending was extremely heart wrenching. The 26/11 terrorist attacks on Mumbai were referred to and everyone has their personal opinion on it. I do too, but I do not how to share them without having to pick over either sides of the story. Even though the attacks happened in Mumbai and it was important to give significance to Mumbai residents or Mumbaikars, I thought the stress on Mumbaikars was heavy, keeping aside the others. Nonetheless, it was beautiful and I loved how the author stresses on unity among Indians during times of trouble and how, in the end of the day, no matter which of the 28 states of India we come from, we are all the same- Indians. 
The book took me back to Chetan Bhagat's The 3 Mistakes Of My Life and 2 States, two books that I absolutely adore and I really liked how India Was One reminded me of them. A resplendent read, India Was One made me smile at times, laugh at times, and feel tearful sometimes. It is a book that respects India, is proud of India, but above all, it is a book that will remain close to the heart of Indians and will be a knowledgeable and beautiful experience for others as well. 

RATING:

X 3.5

LINK: 

Those of you who'd like to further check out the book, you can visit the India Was One Official Website. 

Sarika

Waiting On Wednesday #13

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

                                                    Salvation by Anne Osterlund

                                                              January 2013

Goodreads Summary-

Salva (aka Salvador) Resendez is a god at Liberty High School. Quarterback. ASB President. National Honor Society Member. His Mexican immigrant parents have high expectations, and Salva is prepared to fulfill them. Mostly. But what he really wants is to blend in with his friends and enjoy his senior year. A goal bound for destruction when an asinine requirement forces him into AP English with the teacher from hell. And with walking disaster area, Beth Courant. Who may be his salvation. But what neither Salva nor Beth knows is that the cost of salvation is mortality

This book sounds exactly like my cup of tea. I am super excited for it :)

What are you waiting on?

Janhvi

Review- The Navy Seal's Promise by Soraya Lane

 Summary-

 With only 48 hours back on home soil for Christmas, United States Army Corporal Saskia Cullen is desperate to spend every minute with her young son. So when heavy snowfall closes JFK airport and she misses her connecting flight, she’s devastated. Until Navy SEAL Luke Gray offers to keep her company… and then personally finds a way to get her home. 

Luke is back in the US on leave, waiting to hear the details of his next mission, and Saskia proves to be a pleasant distraction. And when he hears that she needs to get home to see her son, he’s prepared to do anything to help the sexy single mom. Trouble is, he hadn’t planned on falling for anyone, let alone a beautiful soldier about to return overseas.



Review-

The Navy Seal's promise was a cute and heartwarming read. It was the first novel I'd read by Soraya Lane. It was quick paced and flowed smoothly. It was a short read and still it left me with a smile on my face.

The story is about Luke Gray, a Navy SEAL who meets United States Army Corporal Saskia Cullen on a flight. Saskia is headed home for Christmas on 48 hours leave hoping to see her son. But unfortunately she finds herself stranded on JFK due to a snowstorm. This is when Luke decides to help the beautiful woman he met on the flight by making sure she reaches home to her son for Christmas.

Luke and Saskia both have unfavorable pasts with Luke losing his wife three years ago to Cancer and Saskia hurting due to the fact that their son's father wants nothing to do with them. It was amazing to see how both of them managed to know and understand each other so well in such a shot span of time. It never once made me feel like it was unreal.

I loved the conversations between Luke and Saskia. The epilogue was just so sweet. I enjoyed seeing their happy ending. Soraya Lane's writing style is to the point while delivering characters to whom we can instantly relate to. If you're looking for a sweet quick contemporary romance The Navy Seal's Promise is definitely the book for you.

 X 4

    Janhvi