Kat Reviews Books

This is one of the best books I’ve read in awhile. I really enjoyed it, despite the lower reading level. (Let me clarify, this is a juvenile fiction book. Not a kid’s book, but more written for 3rd graders.) I liked the ups and downs, the predictable unpredictability, how you were always on edge, but massively content with where you were sitting in the book at the same time.  I read this just a few weeks ago, but I still think about it a lot. Books designed for younger kids have a larger theme, or more outstanding moral story, than books written for adults. This book changed the way I think solely because of that. I think we should all pick up a juvenile fiction book once and while, we might learn something. (Or we might not, who are we kidding?) I fully recommend this book and I might read some other books of his, but let’s be honest I read so many Gordon Korman books while in elementary, it’s funny that I haven’t read this one until now. 

This is a blatant Twilight knockoff, and I have deeply mixed feelings about it. For starters, I didn’t like the writing style; I felt it didn’t match the main character's personality. Once I got past that, I was confronted with the first half of this book. The first half is completely different from the second half, in my opinion, so I’m going to tackle them one at a time. In the beginning half of this book, the main character was annoying, clueless, and to be quite frank, dumb. She was clearly missing obvious red flags that were waving around right beneath her nose, and it ticked me off that she was that deep in denial. I mean, c’mon, even the boys I go to school with aren’t that stupid.  Anyway, moving on to the second half of this book. I gotta say, the second half blew my mind. It’s so dynamic, action packed, the perfect balance of everything. I could not put this book down once I read the second half.  Balancing it out, the first half got one star and the secon...

  I cannot begin to properly convey how cute this book is. It had me smiling and giggling, I absolutely loved it. The characters were loveable, and I really felt connected with them, like I’d slowly gotten to know them better over the course of the book.  However, I felt like some of the parts were unnecessary and confusing. The ending tripped me up because it kind of went from being a romance to a mystery novel? It seemed like the author started with this really great concept, but laid down some really weird, completely unrealistic plot points, and then went back and tried to fix it. For example, something weird would happen, and then the author kind of used that to fix something else, then used that to fix the original weirdness. It was a bit stressful trying to connect the dots. But, all in all, this is a good book. I liked the play on meet-cute that the author cut into the title. That made me smile a little. I recommend it to anyone looking for a really adorable book...

            This book was so much better than expected. I’m not gonna lie, I picked this one up because I thought it wasn’t a romance (What? Not a romance? Are you feeling okay?), but the reason one is because when I looked back on all the reviews I’ve written, every single one, except for The Book Thief, are all romances. I mean, what can I say? To quote Chloe from Pitch Perfect, ”I love love.” How cliché of me. Anyway, since this is a romance, I haven’t broken my streak yet. Onto the actual review though, I loved this book. I, the master of predicting the ending of books, was surprised at this ending. Sometimes I don’t like an unpredictable ending, but the twist ending was awesome, unexpected, and had me reeling. I loved the mix of realistic fiction and fantasy. I feel like the author got the balance just right.  I loved all the characters in this book and I recommend this book. I can’t wait to read the next one.

I absolutely loved this book. I might be a bit biased considering it’s historical fiction, romance AND a mystery, but either way I fully recommend it. I was so in the mood for a mystery too, and this one was really great. The twist ending was unpredictable and exciting. You never really knew what was going to happen next.  While this isn’t the most exciting mystery I’ve read, it was definitely up there in terms of quality. It was really well written, and I thought it had the perfect amount of characters. Not too many characters that you don’t remember who everyone is, but not so few characters that the story isn’t interesting. And credit to the author, because she introduced the new characters at just the right time to make them memorable.  Some of the scenes I found tedious to get through, but I know that they were there to show traits and symbolize a few things, along with adding clues to the plot. I enjoyed how the author gave the reader all the clues that the main ch...

  So, I was checking out P.S. I Like You from the library when next to it I saw this book. Since I’d read Kasie West in the past, I decided to take a chance and check this one out too. I was extremely disappointed in Kasie West. My expectations weren’t even that high to begin with, but this was the worst of her books that I’ve read. The characters were inconsistent and confusing, and the new take on the classic layout of a love story was choppy and unpredictable. While most things in this book weren’t to my taste, I still found that I was invested in it. I wanted to ditch it, but I needed to know what happened. Sadly, the ending did not redeem the book, it was slow to play out and confusing.   This book had some (and by some I mean a shockingly small amount) good parts, but it was mostly bad and annoying. It was hard to gauge exactly what was happening at any given point or what any of the characters were thinking or feeling. If you enjoy strongly mediocre books, bo...

            5 stars. 100% one of the cutest, sweetest romances I have ever read. I have no criticism to offer, this book was literally perfect.  This was the second book in a series and while I liked the first book, this one was even better. I read the first one first (obviously) and I already posted a review for it, go check it out (Royals). The storyline was delightful and I found myself more invested in it.  I’m definitely putting other books by this author on my list. I whole-heartedly recommend this book, and I will reread it in the near future.

  This book was better than expected. I only picked it up because I wanted to read the second book in the series (Her Royal Highness), and I figured reading the first one first seemed like the reasonable thing to do. Expectations were low, I fully expected this book to get 2-3 stars. The blurb made Royals sound really bad but I read this book despite that. I’m so glad I did because this book was amazing; it not only exceeded my low expectations but made me want to reread it.  If I had to find a criticism, the writing style seemed to clash with the main character’s personality. I would like a book told from Miles’s point of view but I think that’s a bit much to ask of this author.  The final verdict is this is a genuinely cute, make-you-feel good romance that I 100% recommend. I’m going to be rereading this book, reading the next one, and I’m giving the full 5 stars.

     This book was great and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The spin on the basic love triangle was interesting, especially when not a lot of romance books have a love triangle these days. The pace was quick enough that you weren’t falling asleep, but slow enough that you weren’t scrambling to keep up. I also appreciated that the author didn't go overboard with the dystopia setting.      I liked the characters a lot, however, I wish the author had dug a little deeper into their personalities, which is why I took off the star. Other than that though, I don't have a lot of criticisms regarding this book. I'd definitely recommend it and will be reading the next book.

     5 stars. I loved, loved, loved the characters. So much. The main character especially, I loved her. Her perseverance and spitefulness was so fun and relatable. I could keep rambling about how amazing the characters were, but I think you get it.     If I’m nitpicking, I didn't like how oblivious the main character was to the affections of the two men after her though. I feel like if she had acknowledged it a bit more, then this book would've been even more of a home run. The dystopian theme wasn’t overwhelming, and I loved how the author let the fantasy aspect of the story shine.     Anyway, great book, great characters. And I mean it, this is a very good book if you want something simple that you don't have to get really into and  it leaves you just satisfied enough. I won’t be reading the next one, but I would still 100% recommend this book.

                 This was a great book; I thoroughly enjoyed every part of it. I would reread it in a heartbeat and the next books in the series are on my to-do list. I’ve always had a soft spot for historical-fiction romances, especially ones set in old England, and this one topped all. The attention to detail was amazing, and while I’m not sure how historically accurate it is, it certainly seemed like it was written straight from the 1880’s.  I loved how we got to dig further into the characters’ personalities as the book progressed. The characters were so deep and I loved how everything played out. Certain twists and turns in the plot were unexpected and it was fun to be surprised. I admit, I wish that the main character was a bit more vengeful and had gone back to wrong those who’d wronged her because that would’ve been satisfying, but alas, a life well lived will always be the best kind of revenge I suppose.  I also love...

     This book is amazing. I was a little worried going in that the reputation pumped it up to be more than it's worth, but I did a total 180 when I got into it. At first, the setting seemed to be a bit bland, not really matching the rest of the story. Once you get deeper though, it's the perfect setting and I really can't picture this story taking place anywhere else.     I was really looking forward to reading this story, and the ending made me wish that I had checked the rest of the series from the library. I love how the fantasy didn't overtake the book and really let the romance aspect of the book shine. My only problem is that I felt like they declared their true love for each other a bit early in the book. It caught me off guard, but I'm so happy that they found each other and are in love. Also, at times I wished I knew what Edward was thinking, and I’m super disappointed that they didn't add some chapters that were from his perspectiv...

  I picked this book up because it won an award on Goodreads, so my expectations were high and it absolutely exceeded expectations. This book was so funny and the character development was the best I've ever seen, especially coming from a new author. I wonder if it would've been even better if it were written in first person because sometimes the third person got a bit confusing. It was fun to compare the characters at the end to themselves from the beginning. So much changed about them that they seemed like real people. The characters made mistakes, had feelings, changed for the better, reflected on who they were, and did things normal humans do that you rarely see characters do in books. They felt like real people and I am seriously disappointed this is not based on a true story. I'm not going to lie, most of the political stuff went over my head. If I understood more I'm sure it would've added a new dimension to the book, especially considering how deep the...

            Let me start by saying that I love the cover of this book. It’s absolutely adorable. This book is fully deserving of the 5 stars, and I was impressed with the quality of the writing, especially coming from a newer author. As far as criticism goes, I have very little. I think the characters were super awesome and I loved them both. My only thing is sometimes some of the scenes were a bit more cheesy than necessary. I felt the characters’ personalities were a bit too similar at times, but I think that’s what made the relationship work, so it wasn’t a huge deal. At the end of the day, this is a really, really great book. I thought it was super cute and I would 100% recommend this book to anyone looking for a chill relaxed romance. I’ll definitely be rereading this one. 

    I think this book deserves 4.5 stars. I would give it 5 but my hesitation comes from me thinking the book would get 3 stars while I was reading it. There were lulls in the book that had me filled with doubt and therefore I don’t think it deserves the full 5 stars. The only reason the rating was upped so much is because the ending wrapped up so perfectly.  As a disclaimer, I found that many of the scenes I was picturing were insanely close to scenes in Avatar and Star Wars. So if you haven’t seen those movies, I wonder if some of the scenes would be hard to picture. Or maybe it’d be better if you haven’t seen those movies because I found the sci-fi and fantasy conflicted with one another. I wasn’t sure if it was intentional, but at times the flip-flopping of genres got a bit choppy. In addition to sci-fi and fantasy, this is also a really cute romance. If you usually don’t like romance, I would still recommend this book because the romance isn’t an overpowering fac...

     This book gets 4.75 stars and it was all around a great book. The characters were relevant and reflective of modern lifestyles, which was refreshing. The determined mindset of the main character is a wonderful model for the kind of confidence everyone hopes to achieve.      Be warned, this book has some incredibly cheesy moments; I physically cringed at some parts. But this was done in such a funny manner that I still enjoyed those moments.       That being said, I still took off the .25 star because some of the scenes were unnecessary and  described in annoyingly vivid detail.  I kept thinking that these scenes would have symbolism of some sort, but I really couldn't find any. (But I've always done poorly during the symbolism unit in literacy, so maybe I'm not the right person to refer to on that front.)     That's really my only problem with the book. I would say this book is ...

    Overall, this was not a great book. I liked the storyline and the writing style individually but the two did not mesh well together. The storyline was very dark and dismal while the writing style was lighthearted and fun.      I think the main character had an unrealistic and inconsistent lack of self-preservation which I believe the author added only to increase drama but it actually distracted from the storyline. I also found some scenes to be a bit wordy which made it hard to picture and understand what was going on. Since this is the first book out of a series, I expected somewhat of a cliffhanger ending. The author instead droned on and on towards the end of the book, tying up all loose ends and removing any motivation to read the next book.      So, I don't think I'll be reading the next book, and I don't think I'll be recommending this book to anyone. I'm disappointed to give this book such a drowsy review, especially because I real...

  I loved this book, all around. Everything was perfectly planted; everything had a reason for being included. It was fun to predict what was going to happen and when major plot-changing bombs were dropped, you were either shocked out of your mind, or smug because you knew it was going to happen. Coming up with theories on how the ending was going to play out was the best, similar to a mystery. But it’s not a mystery, it’s just mysterious.  Trying to describe the genre is hard. It’s definitely a romance, but it’s not just a romance. I get that its also realistic fiction, but it feels like there should be more to it than that. But like I said, it’s not mystery, not horror or thriller, it’s nowhere near being a fantasy or sci-fi. If revenge is a genre, that would fit. It’s a romance-revenge. It’s also kind of a finding-yourself book.  I think the concept is genius and perfectly executed. It had the right balance between sweet romance filled moments and crazy, revenge ...

  I gave this book 4 stars because some of the plot points were so out there, I felt it needed to get reigned in a bit. I know it’s fiction, but it bordered so hard between realistic fiction and science fiction and the outcome was a bit wishy washy. The plot needed to make up its mind and decide between full-blown sci-fi and realistic fiction.            Despite a few lulls, this book is actually really funny. The awkward, quirky personas the characters possessed made it hilarious. I wished it went on a little more, not just because the writing style and character development were amazing, but because the ending left me unsatisfied. I’m not sure if this is purposeful or not, but why the ending was wrapped up so quickly when there were some problems the author left unsolved confused me. The author is new and this is one of her first published books, so I decided it wasn’t a big deal. Other than that, it’s a good book. It’s a romance, but it’s n...