curiousity killed the cat

Life and Death comparing with Twilight – Stephanie Meyer 

Vampires, werewolves, romance. YA, fantasy, fiction. 

No Rating

I was curious and decided to read this novel as well as the other Twilight series books that are out. It became popular once again since Stephanie Meyer made Midnight Sun as of recently and currently working on a novel spin-off that takes place after Breaking Dawn staring Renesmee and Jacob. I will be comparing both this with the original work. Just know this is my opinion and everyone is entitled to have their views towards this franchise. I’m just critiquing the two works side by side. I will also reread the entire saga plus Midnight Sun. In no shape or form is this to harm the author. Just as a disclaimer. And spoilers ahead… Anyways… 

This was marketed as the gender-bent Twilight version but the character is Edith as Edward’s female counterpart and Bella’s male counterpart is Beaufort. Not all characters were gender-swapped which is lazy work honestly. Edward’s parents were gender-swapped but Bella’s parents weren’t which was odd. This new form made Edith look like a mean girl with her attitude towards Beaufort. In the original version Edward came off as a douche bag but with the female counterpart, this didn’t make the novel any better. 

As far as the events go, most events happen just like the original novel except for the endings. The gender-swapped one was vastly different than the original which is cheating and being ultimately lazy and a little misogynistic. Beaufort had the decision and was given it whereas Bella wasn’t allowed to choose. Basically whether or not the bite from James or whatever the female version of him turned the main character into a vampire or not. This could be the author trying to establish that men can freely choose and women can’t with this work. Either way, I was disappointed with the ending. That did bother me slightly because I was suspecting that Meyer kept the original ending but I do see the understanding to create a standalone work. 

Overall, both novels weren’t my favorite since the love interest was a complete douche bag towards the main character, and the main character still chose the douche bag love interest that is a vampire. That is just how I see it because both Edith and Edward had gaslight Bella and Beaufort plus acted towards them in an unfavoring way. I still plan to read all the other works minus Twilight because I read that to do this comparison. 

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eyes on you

Watching You – Lisa Jewell

Contemporary women, family life, suspense, fiction.

Rating 9/10

Joey and her husband move into a new neighborhood after getting secretly married at a beach and had a glorious honeymoon. As Joey explores the new town, her eyes are drawn to Tom, a man who was very physically attractive. She grows close to him to the point of obsession. That obsession led to him being a murder victim and everyone in town is a suspect, including her.

This is a classic who did it with a twist. I loved the plot that led up to the climax and the transcripts of the police reports makes the novel feel so realistic. Even though they wouldn’t be publicized, I loved the chilling aspect. I couldn’t get enough of the plot nor the characters. There are some plot twists but overall, pretty suspenseful as promised from the synopsis and after reading. I suspected the novel to produce another chilling suspense fictional novel. Jewell has a knack for interesting suspense fiction. I do recommend this novel or any of her novels. I’ve read three of her works and found myself loving her work and her writing.

marriage counseling to the rescue!

Love Her or Lose Her – Tessa Bailey

Romance, marriage, life, fiction.

Rating 9/10

The couple, Rosie and Dominic, had been lovers for a long time, married, and living a wonderful life together. Or so they thought after their romance began to fade away into a schedule that felt meaningless. One night, Rosie had enough of this and felt that their marriage was falling apart. She had such big dreams and realized that none came true. Dominic sees that his wife is unhappy and feels that he’s the blame. She signs them up to do marriage counseling. At first, he didn’t want to but as their sessions went on, they both found themselves feeling like their teenage selves. They learned so much and continue to learn more about each other and themselves. Each of them putting into a dream they both desire.

I liked the title of the novel and was expecting this novel to go a different path of storytelling but instead I got something way better than I expected. Never judge a book by its cover nor synopsis. I learned that lesson with this novel. This was so good and well-paced. There wasn’t any rushing as some romance novels have that element. I felt as if I was in their relationship and I tried to pace myself when reading this novel. I couldn’t help it at all. I have to say I love some romances now. This one wasn’t as cheesy as the mainstream ones usually are, which, I prefer my romance straightforward and fresh. Yes, there is a theme of a marriage falling apart but Tessa Bailey took it and freshened it up by adding more to the narrative, making the narrative complex but not so much that the reader is left behind.

falling apart, coming together

My Ex-Life – Stephen McCauley

LGBTQ+, relationships, family life, divorce, Fiction.

Rating 8/10

David’s life starts falling apart as well as his ex-wife, Julie, is falling apart as well. Julie calls him to come help her with not only her life but with her daughter’s educational life and future. Her to be ex-husband wants her to sell the house, but she wants the house. David settles his business and flies out to assist her. As time flies, they reconnect like the best friends they were, even reminiscing the good days. Julie’s daughter, Mandy, was fired from her job and her acquaintance who keeps offering her a job gives her an opportunity. Except Mandy thinks that this opportunity wasn’t any better than her previous job. All of them must face life and take one day at a time.

My boyfriend and I were book shopping and came across this book in the “exceptional value” section at our local Barnes and Nobles bookstore. He found it first and read the synopsis and he told me about it. I had my attention turned to the novel. I was intrigued to read and wanted to get the book, so I did. After reading I found myself feeling that this book was going to be slow and boring, but I was half wrong. It’s slow but a good read. I love the interrelationships between all the characters as well as a meaningful plot. I found myself smiling and tearing up throughout the novel. However, I was expecting one plot, but instead, got another which I don’t mind. This novel shows how daily life challenges us and we must persist. I do recommend this novel for those who are looking for a slow yet intriguing book. This novel is great if one is wanting a quick read or wanting to slowly enjoy a novel before bed.

Passing Down The Family Business

Life and Other Inconveniences – Kristin Higgins

Fiction.

Rating 6/10

Emma was kicked out after confessing to her grandmother she was pregnant and deciding to keep the child. Genevieve London wanted all the best for her granddaughter despite finding out her mother killed herself. Gen didn’t want to coddle Emma and kicked her out. Years later, Gen feels like she is dying and wanted to pass down the family business to her great granddaughter but the task of bringing her to the estate is an issue. Gen created a white lie to bring Emma and Riley to her home. Emma became disappointed in that lie. Riley wanted to know the disappearance of her great grandmother’s firstborn’s death. As the truth is unveiled, life throws them all curveballs.

This was an acceptable novel. It was a slow read and was predictable in the most boring fashion. Either way, I expected this novel to have more than just a mystery and family drama. I don’t really have a strong opinion nor enough to say besides that. I preferred the other book this author wrote. I feel like this was rushed or the author didn’t know what direction she wanted to go in.

Innocents lost in LINGO

Everlost: Book 1 of SkinJacker Trilogy – Neal Shusterman

Traffic accidents, death, future life, spirit possession, young adult, fiction.

Rating 9/10

Allie and Nick got into a car crash. Neither of them survives and they don’t grasp what happened to them immediately. Up until a boy their age tells them what and where they are. They are in a world between heaven and hell, trapped in a limbo called Everlost. Nick adjusts to this new life in the afterlife. Sadly, Allie is not satisfied and wants to be alive again. Allie does whatever it takes to rejoin the living even if she must take another body.

I read this novel when I was younger and was intrigued with the plotline and the contrasting characters. I found myself finishing the novel quickly as it was a small novel but there is a lot of plot. Later on I decided to reread the novel recently and found myself enjoying the novel more and more.

Life Changing Journey

The Perfect Predator: A Scientists Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Disease – Steffanie Strathdee and Thomas Patterson

Disease, life altering, life threatening, survival, nonfiction.

Rating 9/10

While on vacation, Steffanie and her husband Thomas, were having a great time and enjoying themselves. Unluckily her husband had contracted a disease that was not easily treatable at first. Further into the story, they go to hospitals and this disease that was contracted was untreatable and this was going to end with her husband possibly dying. All was a race to survive this disease but along the way, Steffanie never felt less of her husband nor left his side. She stayed by his side through thick and thin.

I found this nonfiction book to be very compelling as well as a page turner. My heart swelled and I had gotten goosebumps throughout reading this work. I thought, at first, that this was going to be bland and boring. I was happy I was wrong about my speculations of this work. I do recommend to read this nonfiction work if one is intrigued to hear survival stories and other accounts of survival told through other’s perspectives. This helped gained some knowledge but as a warning, do not self-diagnose and go see a doctor, no matter what the condition may be.

Hidden Evil

Then She Was Gone – Lisa Jewell

Contemporary women, suspense, family life, fiction

Rating 8/10

Laurel Mack loved her daughter, Ellie, who was bright and smart. Suddenly one day, she becomes missing. Laurel had the police keep an ongoing investigation to look for any evidence to see if Ellie was alive. Numerous incidences give hints to her daughter being alive and or presumed dead. The police contact Laurel and tell her that they found remains of her daughter, signs of a horrific death. This news puts Laurel into shock and depression of the worst kind. Laurel slowly moves on by dating this guy she met, Floyd, at the coffee shop. Both chat and he told her about his kids, and she tells him about her kids. When she comes over to his house, Laurel sees Poppy, who looks like her daughter who was gone. After some consideration and sudden realization, she sees the dark and ugly truth.

I grabbed this book from the shelf because I saw online that this novel was popular. I see a little why this novel was popular or is popular. Horror and suspense are always a good read but throw in some mad women and kidnapping, it’s a bestseller. Not that I hated this book, I enjoyed the novel. I personally thought the novel’s length could be longer and more in-depth with each character’s backgrounds. Yes, this was Laurel’s tale, but the author included other points of view that, at first, didn’t make sense of whom was telling the story until there was contextual clues that the perspective changed. Otherwise, this was a great book and I would recommend to anyone who is interested in the suspense fiction genre.