Mini Book Reviews: June

Hey guys!


I've been off uni for one month now! Wow, time has gone by fast! I've managed to read FIVE book since my last exam! TBH, I did start two in May, so I've only really read three whole books, but still, that is quite a lot of reading for a short amount of time! To make life easier, I will review all five books in one post, like I did back in April.


1. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

(Goodreads link)

I was planning to watch the film version of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants sometime over summer, so I thought I'd read the book first. With its pink cover, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is clearly aimed at a young female audience, though I think it could appeal to women in their twenties too. The book is about four best friends who are spending their first summer apart. Lena is jetting off to the Greek island of Santorini to see her family, while Bridget has gone to soccer camp in Mexico. At the same time, Carmen is spending the summer with her father, and Tibby is working at a shop in the girls' hometown. Before their adventures begin, the four girls find a pair of jeans which seem to fit all of them, despite their different body sizes. These jeans soon become known as the 'Traveling Pants' and Lena, Bridget, Carmen and Tibby promise to wear them for a certain amount of time during their holidays and then send them on to the next girl.

I quite enjoyed The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. It was different to what I expected. As I said in my review on Goodreads, I thought that the characterisation in this book was great - I could really connect with the girls, particularly Carmen. Overall, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a lovely book about friendship. At just over 300 pages, it makes a quick and easy holiday read.


2. Lola and the Boy Next Door

(Goodreads link)

I read Anna and the French Kiss a while ago and really enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to reading Lola and the Boy Next Door. However, this book unfortunately failed to live up to my expectations. I wanted to hear more about Anna and Etienne, but Lola and the Boy Next Door focused on an entirely different character - Lola - and her crush on childhood friend, and neighbour, Cricket. Lola didn't really feature much in Anna and the French Kiss, if at all (I vaguely remember her name being mentioned one or twice). I was disappointed to find out that Lola and the Boy Next Door wasn't even set in Paris. Having said all the above, I think that I would've enjoyed Lola and the Boy Next Door more if it had absolutely nothing to do with Anna and the French Kiss. I'll probably read Isla and the Happily Ever After at some point, though not any time soon.


3. Stolen: A Letter To My Captor

(Goodreads link)

I can't believe it took me so long before reading this book! It's brilliant! Although I wasn't so keen on the use of the second person at first, it actually made the story more vivid and captivating. I ended up feeling sorry for not only Gemma, but Ty too. It seemed that he'd had a really tough life and just wanted to escape to the middle of nowhere with only one other person - he just went about it the wrong way. I would recommend Stolen 100 per cent - it's a unique book that will captivate you from the very first line and take you on an emotional rollercoaster for the next 300-odd pages.


4. Bright Young Things

(Goodreads link)

I was drawn to Bright Young Things for two reasons: firstly, I enjoyed The Luxe by Anna Godbersen, and secondly, I loved the cover of the book. In Bright Young Things, Anna Godbersen has successfully captured what it was like to live in New York during the 1920s. The reader is drawn into a world of parties and flappers. Bright Young Things is a great historical novel for fans of Gossip Girl.


5. The Host

(Goodreads link)

Hm...I don't really know what to say about this book. I mean, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't very good either. And does a book seriously need to be over 600 pages long? It's just so unnecessary! The premise is kind of strange too - an alien who inhibits the body of a human girl? Erm, ok...Perhaps it's because I don't usually read sci fi, but still...I think The Host would be so much better if it were 200 or so pages shorter. The story is dragged out when it doesn't need to be. As a fan of Twilight, I was expecting more from Stephenie Meyer, and this turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.



Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?


Hasta luego!


Serena