Review: The Girl on the Train

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh my goodness! This book was so crazy good that I was able to finish it in one sitting (and in between watching Olympic competitions). First of all, I honestly had no idea was to expect when I first started reading this. When the characters were first introduced, I thought all of them were horrible people. This actually made it easier for me to feel completely indifferent when all these terrible things start happening to them (what goes around comes around, I guess).

The story is told from three different women's points of view, all extremely untrustworthy as the reader will understand as the plot unfolds:
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Rachel: the alcoholic and crazy stalker that thinks what she saw on the train in one of her early morning rides can help the police find a missing woman
Megan: the missing woman who was also involved in multiple affairs
Anna: actually probably one of the most decently normal ones in this plot; mother of a newborn; new wife to Rachel's ex-husband

These three women all have one thing in common: their obsession with being liked and garnering the attention of men around them. Rachel is still in love with her ex-husband of over two years who cheated on her and constantly stalks around their house. In order to keep herself from "being lonely", Rachel turns to alcohol and blacks out almost every single night. This makes it hard for the detectives in the case to believe her testimonies because she was deemed as an unreliable source. Megan was first introduced as a woman who was unsatisfied with the current state of her life. But as you learn more about her, you discover that she also has some serious mental and psychological issues. For example, she has a loving (and paranoid) husband who she cheats on with multiple men and eventually becomes pregnant. Anna is similar to Megan in that she also feels the need to be wanted by men; additionally, she also lies to the police about Rachel in order to put herself above her throughout the case.

Oh and the best part of the story? They all entangle themselves with the same man who later ended up murdering Megan.
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Why this book is a must-read:
1. It will literally change your perspective on how people interact and their true intentions. This book definitely did not hold back. It provides very dark and realistic thoughts that haunt the minds of insecure people. (view spoiler)[ "Is he cheating on me with his ex? How dare he compare me with Fat Rachel!" (hide spoiler)]
2. I loved the pace of this novel! Like Gone Girl, this was one of those books where it almost became impossible to put down until you got to the end. The writing was gripping and each chapter and POV changed kept me wanting to find out what the hell happened to Megan.

Why this book got four instead of five stars:
(view spoiler)[ Uncovering Tom's murder was very thrilling and pretty satisfying. However, I didn't like how he basically decided to blab his entire plan and his confirmation in Megan murder right in front of Rachel and Anna. I mean, for a lying murderer, he's pretty stupid. It just felt completely out-of-character just so the author can find a good way to end the book. (hide spoiler)]

I recommend this book to all mystery and thriller fans, especially if you enjoy Gillian Flynn's works.

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Review: Dark Places

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Again, Flynn was on par with this mystery and thriller. The structure of the book was written so that the murders in Libby's childhood was slowly uncovered from her own present investigation and from Ben's past. Personally, I didn't think this book lived up to the hyped and it wasn't as good as Gone Girl, which still remains one of my favorite thrillers of all time.

My main reason for the three-star rating is mainly because I felt like the pace of the story was too slow. I didn't personally like how Libby was introduced as the main character in the beginning of the novel so I really didn't bother to sympathize with her. That aside, the story was gripping and really, really creepy, but the ending definitely fell flat. (view spoiler)[ At a certain point in the story, it is basically confirmed that Ben didn't murder his family and unfortunately got caught up in the wrong crowd of people. The plot was pretty conventional for me and it didn't surprise me that Ben's crazy girlfriend ended up killing his sister. The murderer that was hired to slaughter Patty for life insurance was a surprise but came off as very anticlimactic compared to Ben and Diondra's story. (hide spoiler)]

Despite the (lower than average) ratings from me for a Flynn book, people have recommended me to read Sharp Objects and I definitely still plan on doing so. Even though this book didn't meet my expectations, I would still recommend it to Gillian Flynn fans (she is so creepy) and all who are looking for a short, thrilling read.

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Review: The Gap of Time

The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was so incredibly disappointing because it could have been such a great story. So I originally picked this book to read because I have always loved Shakespeare in high school, but this book fell so flat compared to the original works. This beginning of the story had a very promising start. I was intrigued by Xeno and Leo's friendship and I loved how the author didn't start the story from Tony and Perdita's perspective. And...that was probably the end of the best part of the book.

Here were my major problems with this book:
1. The characters were outlandish. I know Shakespeare has crazy plot twists and ridiculous characters, but as a contemporary retelling, there needs to be a bridge to gap the two worlds. This book did a horrible job to make the story feel contemporary and realistic. Do we really go around finding people named Xeno? (view spoiler)[ And Milo's death at the airport? I almost laughed because it was so stupid. (hide spoiler)]
2. The writing was very amateur. I was wondering half the time throughout the book whether anyone even bothered to proof-read the final product. For example, the name Xeno changed on one page to Zeno and then changed back. When you were first introduced to Roni, his name was spelled Ronnie instead. These mistakes are found in fifth-grade essays, not a published work.
3. The ending was horrible. As I mentioned before, the beginning of the book was very promising. I was intrigued by the plot, but parts 2 and 3 were so dull that I basically fell asleep reading EVERY SINGLE TIME. And the ending was super rushed and extremely anticlimactic. It felt like the story ended because the author ran out of paper to write on or something and decided that everyone should fall in love and live happily ever after in three pages. Horrible.

Honestly, this book is two stars. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

NOTE: I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Rose & the Dagger

The Rose & the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Honestly, this book did not match up to my expectations after reading The Wrath & the Dawn. I loved the first book because of the developing romance between Khalid and Shazi in the most unexpected circumstances. Instead, this book focuses primarily on breaking the curse placed on Khalid by a crazy maniac.

Why this book disappointed me:
1. The beginning was really hard for me to get into for some reason. As I mentioned in my previous review, the ending to The Wrath and the Dawn was extremely anticlimactic for me. This probably left me in a poor state of mind going into the second book because I found the first third of the book to be incredibly boring.
2. This book takes such a long time building up to the dreadful curse destroying Khalid and the country. Lo and behold, this said curse was broken within a couple of pages. I almost laughed because it was so hyped and so ridiculous. Even Shazi's so-called powers seem to be scattered throughout the book just to drive the plot. Ahdieh is a great romantic author, but her fantasy writing is very lacking in this case.
3. I love Khalid; I really do. And it was kinda disappointing that there wasn't more of him in this book. His relationship with Shazi is



Overall, great quick read, but it wasn't a strong follow-up to the first book.

Overall duology rating: 3.5 Stars

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Review: Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book has been on my to-read list for over 6 years when I first played Sayuri's Theme in my high school orchestra. After all this time, I finally decided that I was finally ready to read it (and so now I can watch the movie afterward). I heard from many people that it is a phenomenal book, but I had my doubts because I didn't especially like the cover. After reading it, I honestly have nothing bad I can say about this book. Every single page was absolutely thrilling to read and I especially admired the poetic beauty of Golden's writing.

The story follows Chiyo Sakamoto who is sold during the harsh times of the Great Depression in Japan to a house in Gion to train to become a geisha. Later on, she falls in love with the Chairman who displayed great kindness to her even at a time when she was emotionally and mentally unstable to continue her training. Chiyo becomes determine to become one of the best geishas in Gion to "find her way back to the Chairman.

Upon picking up this book, I knew that it explore some dark themes that involve using sex as a form of currency rather than an emotional connection. (view spoiler)[ This is capitalized when wealth males bid on an apprentice geisha's virginity and senior geishas are funded by patrons in exchange for sex. In Sayuri's (Chiyo) case, it was heartwarming to see how she stood adamant in her belief of true love. (hide spoiler)]

While reading this, you almost really felt like you were having tea with Sayuri as she told her life story. Overall, this has definitely been one of my favorite classic novels and it's no doubt that it's one of those books that everyone needs to read at least once.

(Now it's time to watch the movie!!!)

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Review: Yes Please

Yes Please by Amy Poehler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amy Poehler has always been one of my favorite female comedians (aside from Tina Fey), so after reading Bossypants, I knew I had to also read this book. And I wasn't disappointed. Amy was funny, realistic, and blatant in how she views the world, which is what I expected memoirs to be. She mentions growing up in her family, suffering through post-modem depression, and living the life of a druggie. Occasionally, she will also throw in some comedic relief and feminist advocacy to help characterize her life. My all-time favorite chapter of the book was when she talked about her experience working on SNL and Parks and Rec (one of my favorite comedies). I binge watched all of Parks and Rec in 2 weeks a couple of months ago, so her favorite scene picks were a delight to enjoy reading.

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Surprisingly, this book also gave me some great advice for my own life. Some of my favorites include:
1. "Good for her, not for me." I think this is an important phrase that women need to reiterate to themselves. It is not necessary for you to mold your life in accordance to someone else's when you are clearly uncomfortable to be put under such circumstances. Live your own life; find your own path.
2. “I think we should stop asking people in their twenties what they “want to do” and start asking them what they don’t want to do.” OMG...I love this! I love her! I am currently in my early twenties and I HATE it when people ask me this. The hell I know what I want to do...that's what I'm still trying to figure out, isn't it? So leave me alone!
3. “The only way we will survive is by being kind. The only way we can get by in this world is through the help we receive from others. No one can do it alone, no matter how great the machines are.” So...not only is she a comedy goddess, but she also gives great self-help advice. Amy put this in the final chapter of her book which dealt with the rise of the internet and new technology movement. However, this was incredibly moving; despite everything that we own materialistically, we still depend on each other to live a fulfilling live.
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Overall, I would recommend this book for everyone to read at least once. Feminists, buy it!

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