Books I Borrowed Because of the Hype

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is books I bought/borrowed because of the hype. I thought this week I would showcase all of the library books I have borrowed over the last year because they are so hyped. I have definitely been making a conscious decision to try and borrow the books instead of purchasing them in case I don’t actually end up liking them and wasting my money. 

So these are 10 books I have borrowed from my local library because of the hype:

Save the Date by Morgan Matson – this wasn’t exactly the book it was more so because of the author.

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If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio – not as well known as some other books but enough for me to pick this up!

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Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid – the most hyped book of 2019

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Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan – After the movie came out it seemed like everyone read the books so of course I had to as well

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The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang – I seen a lot of people reading this book at one point so I had to borrow and read it as well.

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Red Sister by Mark Lawrence – I needed a new fantasy series to get stuck into and this one was very hyped on book tube

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Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng – Another book that at one point it seemed like absolutely everyone read and loved

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The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary – this book was promoted everywhere at one stage and I heard a few good reviews so I thought why not

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The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern – when she announced The Starless Sea everyone seemed to lose their minds, I knew this style wouldn’t gel with me but I succumbed and had to give it a read

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The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow – same as previously, portal fantasy isn’t really a sub-genre I enjoy but the hype got to me

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Favourite Fictional Couples

*There may be some spoilers if you haven’t read these books yet!*

For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt I decided to do an updated favourite fictional couples list! I made one of these posts early last year so I thought I would go through all the books I had read since then and list my favs from them!

So my top 5 recent favourite fictional couples are:

1Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

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2Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

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Picture3Birthday by Meredith Russo

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Picture4One Day in December by Josie Silver

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Picture5Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

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June Wrap Up

I had a fantastic reading month, oh my goodness! Nothing below a 4 out of 5 stars. I don’t think that has happened to me since I started my blog so I am pretty stoked with my outcome for June! I think my not having a pre-established TBR was definitely a success and I feel I will be adopting that practice in the months to come because of how prolific my reading was. By far my best reading month I think ever… 

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray⭐️4/5 stars

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan⭐️4/5 stars

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendriks & Sarah Pekkanen⭐️4/5 stars

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline⭐️5/5 stars

Uprooted by Naomi Novik⭐️4/5 stars

Sawkill Girls by Clare Legrand⭐️4/5 stars

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren – ⭐️5/5 stars

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik⭐️4/5 stars

Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence ⭐️5/5 stars

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng⭐️4.5/5 stars

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead⭐️5/5 stars

Frost Bite by Richelle Mead⭐️4/5 stars

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead⭐️4/5 stars

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead⭐️4/5 stars

Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead⭐️5/5 stars

Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead⭐️5/5 stars

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey⭐️5/5 stars

Somewhere Only We Know by Maureen Goo⭐️4/5 stars

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📚 Book vs Movie 🎥

This month I thought I would catch up on the hype and pick Crazy Rich Asians.

I had seen the hype for the movie back when it was released last year and then it seemed like everyone was picking up the books and reading them as well but I didn’t know if I was going to like it so I put off buying the series for the longest time. That was until I seen that my local library had a copy of Crazy Rich Asians so I immediately went in and borrowed it, then I thought may as well see how the movie compares as well!

These were my thoughts on Crazy Rich Asians:

Pros: I was highly engaged throughout the course of the book. I loved the South East Asian influence of the book with the addendum’s as a great learning resource which helped to give the book more depth and realism. I loved how colourful the movie was and there was some gorgeous shots of Singapore in there as well (definitely made me want to visit). They pretty much stayed right along with the original storyline of the book which I appreciated as well.

Cons: There are a lot of characters in this book and at the start I had a little trouble keeping track of everyone and how they relate back to Nick; the family tree at the start really helped. With the movie the cut out some pretty important scenes or just merged a few scenes together which made me feel like the whole build up and eventual conflict was a little rushed. Some of the portrayals of the characters was a little skewed in my opinion as well. You didn’t really get in in depth look at any of the other family members either it just mostly about Rachel and Nick.

Overall thoughts: I was very entertained throughout the course of the book. I loved the plotting and the scheming of this one massive family and how they will stop at nothing to prevent ‘gold diggers’ from marrying into their dynasty. The movie was very entertaining as well, it just lacked a little depth in my opinion.  

My Recommendation: Although the movie was fun and entertaining I have to say I definitely preferred the book!

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Crazy Rich Asians Review

*Spoilers*

7144OITcNMLReally enjoyed this book!

This book follows a plethora of characters but mainly revolves around the relationship of Nick and Rachel. They have been together for 2 years now and Nick has finally invited Rachel to his childhood home in Singapore for his best friend’s wedding and to meet his extended family. What Nick failed to mention to Rachel was that his family is very, very rich. They are among the upper echelon of families in South-East Asia and they don’t take well to outsiders trying to marry their way in.

I actually really enjoyed Rachel as our main female protagonist. She isn’t naïve and unsure of herself and will actually call people out and face them head on. I think she behaved very realistically and adjusted to the situation well. Money was never a factor in her relationship with Nick and even when she found out he was wealthy it still didn’t change how she felt about him. We do see examples in the book where certain characters are only in these relationships for the money like Kitty and not for love and it contrast nicely to how Rachel and Nick really are.

I was a little annoyed with Nick for not telling Rachel beforehand and giving her time to prepare. I think he was really the naïve one for thinking his mother and grandmother would welcome Rachel with open arms and not think she was just a gold digger. Had he prepared both parties for the meet and actually explained to everyone the situation and how he felt a lot of the drama that unfolded wouldn’t have occurred.

This book was rich (lol) in culture! I loved learning about all of the food and the mannerisms of these families and how everyone is connected. The addendums were a great learning resource and helped to give the book more depth and realism.

There are multiple different storylines that are running concurrently and I loved the way that they all weaved together into one. It didn’t just focus on Rachel and Nick it went a lot more in depth with the other family members and their own personal issues that have to deal with. It really showcases that money doesn’t solve everything.

I was highly engaged throughout the course of the book. There are a lot of characters in this book and at the start I had a little trouble keeping track of everyone and how they relate back to Nick; the family tree at the start really helped. As the book progressed I did manage to get my head around everyone and enjoy the plotting and scheming of this family!

⭐️4/5 stars Trashy, entertaining, family drama!