wuthrinheights's reviews
202 reviews

I had to skip so many books in between this and the last one, since I'm only reading the ones I have on my shelf. I missed so many new things!

Liz and Conner are finally dating, Maria and Ken are also dating, Melissa and Will are back together and stronger than ever, there's a new character, Jade and she's dating Jeremy but also cheated on him? And Jessica cheated on him to be with Will(kinda saw that coming but come on)?? Jade works at House of Java along with Jeremy and Jessica, Conner's mum got into rehab and is doing better but now Conner is the alcoholic?? Will got a football scholarship, Ken's dad is ashamed of him cause he isn't a star athlete anymore, Andy is GAY?! I'm so sad I missed so much.

I'm not sure if it's because I'm so invested which causes me to read too fast or the books are too short but I feel like these books are getting shorter and shorter! Not much happened here, but the ones that did happen were huge and I just love that there's never a dull moment in Sweet Valley. 

I expected too much since the last book's cliffhanger cause this follow up wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. But there were a lot of moments that made me feel deeply satisfied. 

Jessica standing up for herself, Will getting trashed, Jeremy having a good day.. I am glad it happened that way.

Again, I love the mini journal entries in the series. You can take a peek into their thoughts, feelings, humour/personality, and their past. It's fascinating. 

It's confirmed: I am hooked. The first two books, I had lots of pauses in between reading but this one was a breeze to get through. I'm a lot more familiar with the characters now, and I'm as invested as if I'm watching a soap opera on TV. 

The love triangles, the relationship and friendship dramas, the family problems, school, work, everything. There are so many things going on and I am not bored one second. 

I actually love how different the twins are in this series. Jessica isn't wild and snooty and obnoxious anymore. She feels more down to earth and like a real person now. Elizabeth isn't boring, predictable, Mary Sue. She's breaking rules left and right, and she's finally having a real life. Good for her.

I don't really care much for Will and Melissa, I think they're kind of the most awful couple in the series but the ending has me gripped. I need to read the next book immediately!

This series reminded me of her other mini series, The Orphans. Where each book was centered about a certain character in a group of girls with troubled past. I wanted to like this book more, but I felt like it kept building the anticipation, only for it to be somewhat disappointing. 

I don't have the first book, so I'm not really sure what Misty had gone through, but it's quite obvious that Star had it more rough than she did. Especially with her poverty, broken family, and all sorts of abuse. 

Like I said, Star kept talking as if things got worse and worse but the ending felt a little flat. Her earlier traumas were worse than the ending, so it didn't live up to my expectations. It was definitely sad, of course. But after the Casteel book, this one didn't feel too bad.

I do, however, enjoyed seeing the dynamics between the girls. How they all have their own problems and coming from different backgrounds, it was interesting to see how vastly different they are. You can see snippets of their past by their reaction to the stories shared, through looking at art or food or nature. They were like pleasant little Easter eggs. I do wish I could read about Jade and Cat. I think they seem the most interesting.

Once again, I am impressed with how different the vibes are from this new series compared to the older SVH series. This one feels a lot more emotional, dark, and heavy. The older series was more lighthearted and naive, and would only skim briefly through difficult topics. This newer one isn't afraid to get down and dirty. And ironically, it feels like a breath of fresh air. 

I don't have the book between this (SVH:SY #4) and the first (SVH:SY #2) book I read, so I missed out on some details but not much has happened, because most of their stresses and worries are similar or on-going. There are a few more characters having their own POV this time, which was great to read up on. I'm starting to love Jeremy and I hope things get better for him (and poor Jessica!). I'm psyched for more!

I had time to kill, so I grabbed this kids version of The Odyssey. With my back against the window, the cool breeze flowing in my room to mark the start of a storm, I felt like I was on the boat with Odysseus himself as he started his voyage with his men. 

With additional details from Virgil, Hyginus, and Apollodorus, this retelling of Homer's second epic was even more full fledged than the original Odyssey. It gave it more emotional depth and vibrant story-telling. I also love the illustrations throughout the whole book. 

This book was like a soothing ointment to my bitter disappointment of reading The Odyssey from the night before. I no longer have that awful taste in my mouth regarding the boredom and letdown, because this one did a much, much better job at recounting Odysseus' adventures. I am so glad I can finally have a better memory to hold on to regarding this epic.

How can a summarised version of an epic (with explanations and critical analyses) be better than the full fledged original book? If I had known this version was better, I would never have picked up the actual Odyssey.

It was short and concise, it highlighted all the best parts and you didn't even have to read through the boring, unnecessary parts by Homer. 

Stanley P. Baldwin made the book sound a lot more interesting, and it was written in a language so simple and fun, I wish he'd written a translated version of the book. 

This was a really great companion and I am thankful I have a copy in hand.

This long, arduous book entailing 20 years of Odysseus's life felt like it took me two decades to finish it too, despite being read within a month. My life force is depleted, I am crawling on the floor in exhaustion and insanity. An epic? I'm afraid not. 

From the start, the book was unbelievably slow. From CliffsNotes, I was expecting it to jump into a crazed adventure once Odysseus was introduced. But again, it fell flat. The interesting parts of his Odyssey were briefly mentioned, while the boring parts were stretched on for so long, my eyes kept threatening to shut itself. 

I felt nothing for the characters (apart from the mini cameos of Achilles/Patroclus in the Underworld), and I couldn't even root for the hero(es). Odysseus, so charming and intelligent in The Iliad, was bland, aggravating, and promiscuous in his own book. I was excited to love him but I certainly did not the longer I spent time with him. 

Athena was endlessly devoted to Odysseus, fluttering by his side, encouraging him, using her godly powers to do makeovers (I told my reading buddy that there should be a drinking game because of her. To take a shot every time she did a makeover in this book). Was she trying to be Aphrodite? 

I expected a book full of action and adventure, a tale of cunning and brave heroes, a love story so strong, it never wavered for decades. But instead it was dull, foolish, and disloyal. I can't even rate it 2 stars. 

Truly disappointing work with an even dumber ending that felt like a high school girl putting herself in between brawling boys fighting over her attention. I am so glad I finished this so I never again have to wonder about Homer's sequel.

I picked up this random book at a thrift store, thinking faintly that it sounded interesting--despite having a sport (which I'm almost never interested in) as a major part of the plot. But it sounded promising; about people's lives being changed. I was curious. I've always liked reading books about normal people having their lives thrown up in the air and them having to scramble to fix it and change it indefinitely. It inspires me to want to change my life too. Grab it by the reins or horns--whatever floats your boat. 

First we meet Henry: a scrawny baseball prodigy. His untainted innocence reminded me a lot of Charlie from "The Perks of Being a Wallflower". How his life doesn't start until someone older or wiser picks him by the scruff and drag him along for the ride. And he's just happy to be there and to participate. Otherwise he's just drinking in everything from the sidewalk. Sweet, innocent Henry who is always saying yes to anything that comes his way. But when tragedy struck, he's losing his lucky streak. His descent into darkness is making him lose everything--and he's forced to face the real Henry, the rising legend. 

Next, there's the Westish College President: Guert Affenlight. A classic literature lover, intelligent 60 year old man whose life has always been about work and his daughter (which recently had a strain on), is secretly developing a crush. A girly, awkward crush on someone no would ever expect. But when it developed into something bigger, he's risking everything just to live a new life, dipping his toes into unknown territory that could end very, very badly. 

Then we have Mike Schwartz. The burly, smart, broke law student who first spotted Henry's talent and brought him to Westish College. His knee injury kept him from furthering his career in baseball. His dreams of being a lawyer is dangling from a thread from all his focus on prepping Henry. Suddenly his dreams are way out of reach, just to carry Henry on his back. 

We also get to meet Pella Affenlight, the daughter of President Guert. Growing up, the two were as similar as carbon copies. But when she dropped out of Yale to marry an academic lecturer who was twice her age, she no longer talk to her dad. Until now--once the marriage fell off and she's trying to get back into the world of academia with nothing more than a bag of items brought for a swim when she ran away from her husband. 

And lastly, we have Owen Dunne. He didn't have his own POV, but his character is equally important as the previous four. He's the gifted kid with the expansive book collection, neatly potted plants, and tasteful paintings hung in a room shared with Henry. His calm, erudite self is like the glue bringing the others closer and closer, until they're inescapably tangled in one another. But beneath his cool, quiet presence, he's harbouring a secret so heavy and dangerous, it could jeopardise everything he's planned for. 

These five characters, where once were five different coloured blots on paper are now strewn and mashed together into one swirly rainbow--must navigate their less-than-desired lives together. Will they ever come clean and live their true, honest lives and reach their dreams?

With nearly 5 stars, this book was pleasant from the start till the end. It was cute and innocent in the beginning but once the characters became more full fledged and are starting to entwine with one another, I find it harder to put down each time. I loved that by the end of the book, it felt like a full circle. The story introduced by Guert that inspired Mike became a foreshadowing, and the ending (although the characters have changed internally and externally) went right back to where it first started. Incredibly satisfying. It's like starting their lives all over again. 

The Art of Fielding felt like the first friend you made when you just started college. Fresh, awkward, not knowing one another. But when you're paired up for an assignment, you begin to spend more time together and suddenly you're taking up each other's time more and more, and in the end you two have made a project so good together, you feel incredibly proud of it. The reason why I didn't give full stars was because it didn't feel very life-altering as I thought it would be. Perhaps I just didn't feel very connected to the characters or find them relatable. But for a debut novel, it was pretty good. Not once did I feel bored or regret picking this up. 

Just when my last review of Sweet Valley High was me saying I'm outgrowing it, this new series is definitely the answer to my prayers. New characters, new plots, new writing style. It's so fresh, it's like reading a spin-off series. 

First impression: I was surprised that it had more mature content. The older series felt more innocent and childlike, and this being the second book, already started off with a more sexual tone and handling heavy topics like substance abuse and strained relationships with parents. 

It was a little odd to read about all these new characters but after some time, they grew on me and I'm definitely intrigued to learn more about them and see how their characters will become more full fledged along the way. 

I am absolutely digging the diary entries in between the chapters to show what the characters are like, and what stories they each hold. It made the book even more enjoyable and I liked how everyone had their own distinct voice (along with different handwritings to showcase their personality type).

I didn't think much of this new series before, thinking I'll favour the older ones more but now that I'm done with this book, I'm excited to see what else Pascal has in store for me.