I've read Little Women at two different stages of my life: the first one when I was 12, and the second one when I finished university. In both of them, I was on the edge of the end and the beginning of important parts of my life and somehow the book was there as a companion but more important as a catalyst of changes in the way I saw life. But there were a lot of things that were different in each reading so here are my experiences with Little Women:

A parent of one of my classmates donated several classic books, so our sixth-grade teacher assigned us to read one book each month and make a report of it. Though the initiative of it was amazing, I have to admit I'd find most of them difficult to understand and I wasn't interested in their themes so I didn't like most of them¯\_(ツ)_/¯. However, as soon as I started Little Women it was a completely different feeling because it made me excited instead of miserable.

It was one of the first books I felt I could relate to the protagonists and their conflicts despite living at different times because they were flawed (as any other real human) but learned from their mistakes. 

From all the sisters the one I felt more identified with was Jo and wanted to be even more like her. I loved her passion for writing and just like her, I was at that age when girls become teenagers and I kept wondering why everyone around me seemed so eager to grow up.  

Ten years later, the experience was so different, it felt like reading it with new eyes. I only became aware of the second part after watching the movie (the one with Winona Ryder, Christian Bale, and baby Kirsten Dunst) so it was a good opportunity to make the complete read when I finally got a beautiful copy of my own.

This time I realized I could identify with not just Jo, but with all the sisters: I've had doubts about my art like Amy,  I'm an introvert who loves her home like Beth, and like Meg, I've come to realize how much I value to stay humble. I had dreams like them, but I was also facing how difficult it is to achieve them in reality and how adult life is so different and way more complex than what you think when you are younger *cries*.

I loved the relationship Jo and Laurie had. When I was a kid I obviously just saw their sweet friendship but as a 22-year I was so sad knowing my ship not only was deep underwater but the reasons behind it.

After reading each chapter, I was left with this feeling of inspiration for becoming a better person and that made me realize how books can transcend into the lives of their readers. Just like them, I was learning to be a sister, a woman and let's just face it, a decent human being. Little Women has become a precious book to me, one that I can reread and watch in movies over and over again (with a good cup of chocolate preferably).

There's no better book to read when you are feeling lonely than Fangirl. Reading about Cath Avery makes me feel like I'm in a familiar place (even when where I live the closest you'll get to snow is the fake one from the mall). I also grew up with an epical book series I adored and I am an introvert that prefers staying at her room.

Choosing a favorite scene from Fangirl is too hard since there are so many I love to re-read over and over again, so instead I´ve chosen one that is good to remember in real life. When something crappy happens to you and there are too many emotions you need to let out, one healthy way of doing it is like the Avery's family: you call an Emergency Kanye Party (or just any other artist you want works too).

If Wren were here, she’d call an Emergency Kanye Party. 

First she’d stand on the bed. That was the protocol back home. When things were getting too intense—when Wren found out that Jesse Sandoz was cheating on her, when Cath got fired because her boss at the bookstore didn’t think she smiled enough, when their dad was acting like a zombie and wouldn’t stop... one of them would stand on her bed and pretend to pull an imaginary lever, a giant switch set in the air, and shout, “Emergency Kanye Party!” 

And then it was the other person’s job to run to the computer and start the Emergency Kanye playlist. And then they’d both jump around and dance and shout Kanye West lyrics until they felt better. Sometimes it would take a while.…

Listening the audiobook of Daughter of smoke and bone made the experience even better because of the beautiful way Laini writes, I’m telling you, it was mesmerizing. Her words are definitely meant to be listened (and is great to hear the correct pronunciation of all those strange names because seriously I don’t think I would have got most of them right on my own).

It felt so fresh and different from a lot of YA urban fantasy (especially the ones that were being published back then). So this are my thoughts about the whole trilogy.

Let's discuss it! (Beware Spoilers)


THE GOOD STUFF

• I fell in love with the characters. Each of them are so peculiar and well developed. I can’t pick a favorite one, is too hard. 
• I knew it was about Chimaeras. But I barely knew what the heck a Chimaera was, so it was fascinating specially reading on Laini’s version of them (and picture them in my head). 
• It had an interesting take on the theme of angels and beast and our general preconception of good and bad. 
• I liked it was set in Prague and Morocco. I always enjoy traveling and learning about new places through books and we all know YA books are too often set only in the US (there’s a whole world out there friends, ready to be discovered). It made the book more unique. 
• I didn’t knew what would happen next. It was unpredictable and I like it so much when the story takes me to unexpected places. Until the very end it got me hooked.

 THE BAD STUFF

• The second book suffers from the second books’ disease: a.k.a. lack of important plot. Most of it is unnecessary, and feels like going in circles.
•  Secondary point of views. Ok, so I did like some of them, they are interesting, you know, they are complementary and let you see the world from different perspectives. But some of them were just filling. Instead of being a way of telling the story, they slow it down, making the rhythm heavy. There were characters showing up here and there that had nothing important to do with the story and that completely disappeared afterward (I’m looking at you random guards, soldiers, and citizens whose name I've already forgotten). It was hard enough following with the amount of characters and their strange names to add a bunch of useless more. My brain couldn’t take it! 
• An instant love in the first book and then in the next two books nothing...until the very end. Are you serious? I feel betrayed. I don’t like either one. The first one is always hard to believe and the second one is just excruciating as a fan. 
• THAT ENDING. I’m cool with the not so happily ever after ending but man, what a way to make things more complicated. It was so weird and tangled and is so hard to wrap my head around it even when I’ve read it twice already! I can’t even describe it, that’s how hard it is!

 MY FINAL VEREDICT 

There was once upon a time an amazing writer called Lainy Taylor who wrote an epic story of love and magic...

She is definitely an amazing writer hands down, these book have everything, a beautiful writing style, an epic world building and vibrant characters. And speaking of characters here's a character guide with the main characters (and the animal features each have), you're welcome.

I choose this scene in The Siren because it encapsulates so well why I love Kiera Cass's books. She is great at writing sweet, lovable scenes that make my teenager soul jump with happiness (shh I still have it and it will never go away). And in this book, that's an accomplishment even bigger since the protagonist, Kahlen, is a siren who can't talk with her love interest, Akinli, because her voice is deadly to humans so she needs to communicate through her body and her expressions.

This scene has everything, a cute scenario of a dream date (I mean I'm terrible at baking but a cake is a cake and who doesn't want some in a date yummy!), Kahlen trying to come up with a career for him turns out to be deep and thoughtful and let us see the characters' personalities and the great chemistry between them.

[...] I stared at this boy who I admittedly hardly knew. Yet I felt as if I'd learned so much about him, like, if anyone asked, I could outline his entire personality. He was so warm, so open, so full of simple joy. What had I done to catch his attention, to have him interested in not just my looks, but my thoughts?

I could tell he was actually eager to hear my opinion, so I focused on his question. I could imagine him as an advocate for an abused child or an aide for someone with mental illness, the only person in their whirlwind lives with the capacity to hold them down to the earth. I wrote on the whiteboard again.

"Social work?" he asked. I applauded.

He laughed, a sound more like music than anything I made. "I'm intrigued. Okay Kahlen, I will research this field and get back to you."

He glanced down at the cake batter, then raised the whisk and held it out to me, dripping. "Does this look right?" I touched the whisk, then licked the batter off my finger.

Akinli's warm blue eyes held mine as sweetness spread across my tongue. It was perfect I gave an enthusiastic nod, and he reached to taste it himself. "Hey, not bad for my first cake, yeah?" [...]

Watching one of your favorite books turn into a movie is always both exciting and nervewracking because you never know what to expect, a complete fiasco or a sucess. With To all the boys I loved before I'm glad to say is the latter. They catched all the main points from the book and put some little easter eggs for the readers here and there. The cast was on point with each character and the changes at the end made sense to get a whole story. I enjoyed so much the film an the only thing that would have made it better is MORE COOKIES! but I'm happy they at least include a nice touch with them.

And at the end, all those precious little details that make this story special can always be found in the book, and I've made a list of them for you to enjoy all the sweetness of Lara Jean!

My edition of the book made everyone think I was reading a thriller/terror story. Why? Well because the cover in spanish is quite creepy, pretty but definitely creepy because you have a flouting girl with an old dress and her face covered in shadows. In shaky font it reads "When the gost that dwells your house follows everyone one of your moves...". Yes, there is a ghost in the story but is not the kind of ghost that will scare anyone. This is a terror free story.

What I knew about it at the beggining:

•  I don't understand why she didn't followed a bit more the story about the serial killer at the end.  I think she could have gotten more of it and make it more exciting. I get the author wanted to take us to an unexpected part but the ending feels kind of short after all the tension she had been building up.
• And speaking about the ending, what kind of ending is that? I was so angry when I realize who the ghost was. They don't really reconcile for what happened at the end so I can't believe that her death is a way of forgiving them. Just no. They treated her so badly so I can't accept it. It feels  unfinnished because of that.

The only book I had read of the Fallen series was the first one. Honestly I didn’t like it enough to continue with the series. But my cousin loved the books so I bought this one for her... and I ended up reading it as well (but shhh is a secret, although since I haven’t giving it to her yet probably she suspects it) and… I liked it! I knew how the Fallen series generally ended so I never felt lost or like I was missing something important since the story centers around Cam (the second lead in Fallen).

Let's discuss it! (Beware Spoilers)

THE GOOD STUFF

• The chapters alternates between Cam and Lilith, so we actually know what is going on (unlike Fallen where I didn’t understand what was happening the entire book and I was so frustrated when I finished the book and I still couldn’t know what had happened) 
• Also, as far as we know, is a standalone, hurray! 
•  •Cam is an awesome character, he is so interesting and I’m glad he got his own story. 
• I liked the idea of Lilith living in her personal hell over and over again (now that would have been enough to make me angry at him). From the first page we can see everything always going wrong for her. 
• Is great to find a story where the girl isn’t constantly lost into the hotness of the guy (seriously, in some books every time the girl sees him, she can’t stop babbling about his looks like it is the only reason she likes him). And that isn’t just because Cam is losing his beauty as the story progresses. Is that Lilith doesn´t even notices it! 
• Lilith’s brother is just so adorable. I loved all his scenes with her but mostly with Cam. Probably my favorite part of the book is when he is sick at the hospital and Cam gives him a bit of his blood.  

THE BAD STUFF

• We know how it goes when there’s a school talent show/battle of bands. There’s always two ways, they either lose even when the crowd loved them and they so obviously should have won or they do win (because yes, the crowd loved them). How many movies have we seen with this story? And that’s the thing, this book is like your classical teen movie (but with angels). 
• Why does it seems like we take Lilith’s suicide so lightly? This is serious topic and it was not only uncomfortable to see it displayed this way. Is wrong, so wrong. I thought we had reached a good point in mental health in YA. But this book was all stereotyped suicide just so it could be used as plot device. NO NO NO! 
• I think that it had potential to be even better. It did had the elements to be better. But they weren’t developed enough. Instead it got stuck into a fighting-making up cycle. It keep it simple, easy and predictable instead of trying to take it further which is such a big shame. 
• Luke ugggh! I know we are supposed to hate him and is an interesting take on the devil, but seriously, doesn’t he have better things to do? 
• That ending was so rushed and abrupt. They won I get it, but what happens next? I need an epilogue with Lilith actually having a real life please! 

MY FINAL VERDICT

 Overall is a fun and fast read (I read it in two days because I had to sleep an also life). And I really enjoyed it. It played in my mind as a movie, since the story and the description were very visual. So yeah, I can see now why everyone loves Cam (even when in this book there’s not much bad boy vibe anymore), he is definitely a very cool and dimensional character.

Clementine moves to a dreamy new apartment in Paris that has inherited by chance. Now that she doesn't needs to worry about rent (lucky her), she can make true a dream she has have in mind: Reading to kids with problems. She is convinced that books can help them in a sort of bookterapy and as her apartment has an spectacular library (any book lover wished to have, as I said she is very lucky) now she can receive them. The story isn't really spectacular, but is very nice. The way it is told is just beautiful, pure poetry. Inside Clementine's story we have fragments of another story about a writer who has found a girl who he has fallen in love at first sight and if both stories are connected is a mistery ¡Basically a book around books, how beautiful!



THE GOOD STUFF

• It leaves you with a nice feeling after reading it
• It's all about BOOKS. 
• Is an ideal world (friendly neighbors, perfect and free apartment, movie-like love and have I mentioned books yet?) 
• You end up falling inlove with the secondary characters. They are so real because of the way they interact in the story.
• I love the idea of the telephone. I could not stop reading when that plot started. I wish there had been more of it.
• The way of seeing life that the writer puts in the book 

THE BAD STUFF

• The plot itself is very small
• As I said the secondary characters are great but each of them have their own backstory super long. It was like, can we please stop with every detail of the secondary character's life so we can actually have some of the, I don't know, protagonist's? It slows the rythm sooo muuuch, specially at the beginning I felt that it didn't actually started since there were only paragraphs and paragraphs about the secondary characters. And all those backstories are told by the narrator, when I think it would have been better to meet them in a organic way, through conversations between the characters (or the whole show don't tell rule).
• The protagonist's backstory, instead, wasn't as developed as with the other characters. Besides that, Clementine as character doesn't really have an arc. And that's because she is pretty much perfect. Even in the chapter were she is a kid she is alreadly that perfect, to the point she doesn't seems a kid. She just speaks/acts like a grown up. It was a dissapointment since the story has so many kids and they are well developed but Clementine is miss perfect since a little girl. I would have like to seeing her struggling after losing her brother at a young age.
  

MY FINAL VERDICT
It's a nice story to read, yes it's a beautiful fantasy (so much perfection can't be real), but a a book about books is always a real pleasure to read.

THE STORY

The story is really cute, simple, nice and is very well made. There aren't any loose points and has a good rhythm. Despite the fact that it has the classical theme of the angel that falls inlove with a human girl it's still interesting and unique. It is the setting of a town with a Scandinavian past, the coffee shop, and the problems that our main character, Katrina faces, what makes this story different from others.

THE CHARACTERS

We have a Katrina who is an orphan girl that, unlike her friends, has no clue what she is gonna do with her life even though she does have tried a lot of things. All she has is her job at her grandma coffee shop, which is going through hard times because of the new and cool organic coffee shop next door. She is also a good girl in the sense that she cares about other people which is why she gets involved into this whole angel situation. She is the kind of character that goes against the damsel in distress, she just takes control and even go to save others. Like every teenager she is not perfect but she really tries hard and through the story she grows up and learns a lot.

THE LOVE
MY FINAL VEREDICT

I recommend this story to the ones that are searching for a sweet love story, specially if you like angels and coffee in the holiday season :)