Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Publication date: 1st March, 2012

My rating: 3.75/5 stars

Goodreads page

Summary:

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

My thoughts:

I read this book quite a while back but wanted to review and recommend it now to you guys before the movie came out. 

This. Book. Is. Hilarious.

Funniest one I've ever read without a doubt. From the summary you can deduce that it's got a The Fault In Our Stars vibe but I see it more like a TFIOS parody. Not that that was the intention of this book but it sure feels like it sometimes. They've got their similarities; girl with cancer, funny side character, weird main guy,have I mentioned cancer? yeah. 

This book is different though. It doesn't revolve around the disease which I really really appreciate. I don't actually have much to say about this book because every time I remember the scenes I burst out laughing. Jesse Andrews wrote a comical masterpiece. The swearing tho. *claps*

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Publication date: 1991

My rating: 5/5 (more like 5 billion)

Goodreads page

Summary:

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

My thoughts:

There are some books that you know you'll love before you even pick the damn thing up. It's not only that the summary intrigues you, it's almost like the book draws you towards itself and makes you restless to the point that unless you have successfully devoured the pages, you don't feel at peace. Needless to say, this book did just that. Why you ask?

Historical fiction - check.

Time travel aspect - check.

Hot Scot in a kilt - check.

Mindblowing steamy scenes - check.

Heartbreaking moments - check.

This book has it all. After finishing this book, I felt like my outlook on life itself had changed somehow. Maybe I'm exaggerating here but sue me. I was a bundle of nerves, ugly crying towards the end.

On having finished this book, I literally thanked Diana Gabaldon for being born and the universe for making this a longass series. I don't know about you but I need more Jamie. Even 8 books aren't enough. The TV show has done a fantastic job casting Sam Heughan. Let me demonstrate why.

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

Publication date: Nov 25th, 2014

My rating: 3.75/5 stars

Goodreads page

Summary:

Penny has a secret.

Under the alias GirlOnline, she blogs about school dramas, boys, her mad, whirlwind family - and the panic attacks she's suffered from lately. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets the gorgeous, guitar-strumming Noah. Suddenly Penny is falling in love - and capturing every moment of it on her blog.

But Noah has a secret too. One that threatens to ruin Penny's cover - and her closest friendship - forever.

My thoughts:

Let's just get the controversy out of the way, shall we? Ever since this book released last year, many have claimed that this is ghostwritten, i.e. it's been written in part by someone else. Now, I don't know whether that is true but I do know it's been highly edited at least. Am I surprised? Of course not. We need to keep in mind that Zoe is a beauty vlogger and fashion guru. She wanted to write a book and so she did, with some help. Personally, I don't mind it. At the end of the day i got to read a good book and that's all that matters to me. Not everyone who has an idea can put it into words as beautifully as some great writers who have the knack for it. So should we not express our thoughts or publish our story? We should and we will. I don't condone what Zoe has done if the result has contributed a good piece of work to the field of literature.  So keep your controversy to yourself!