Review: My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma

Release date: May 15th 2018
Publisher: Crown BFYR | Penguin Random House
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Winnie Mehta was never really convinced that Raj was her soulmate, but their love was written in the stars. Literally, a pandit predicted Winnie would find the love of her life before her 18th birthday, and Raj meets all of the qualifications. Which is why Winnie is shocked to return from her summer at film camp to find her boyfriend of three years hooking up with Jenny Dickens. Worse, Raj is crowned chair of the student film festival, a spot Winnie was counting on for her film school applications. As a self-proclaimed Bollywood expert, Winnie knows this is not how her perfect ending is scripted.

Then there’s Dev, a fellow film geek, and one of the few people Winnie can count on to help her reclaim control of her story. Dev is smart charming, and challenges Winnie to look beyond her horoscope to find someone she’d pick for herself. But does falling for Dev mean giving up on her prophecy, and her chance to live happily ever after? To get her Bollywood-like life on track, Winnie will need a little bit of help from fate, family, and of course, a Bollywood movie star. 

Like an expertly choreographed Bollywood dance scene, Nisha Sharma’s off-beat love story dazzles in the lime light.

*Publisher provided physical ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My So-Called Bollywood Life certainly lived up to its title. This is a really cute, light, and entertaining story that you may enjoy if you're not bothered by a lot of Bollywood movie references, astrology, and prophecies, or some high school drama. In my case, I went in expecting these things from reading the blurb, but I just felt that some of the drama (especially toward the end) could have been left out. And I did have to slow down my reading pace quite often when movies and actors came up. Those things aside, I still liked the story.

Winnie's character is one you could describe as passionate, not only about her culture and the incredible collection of movies she owns, but she genuinely loves the arts and already has an idea of what she wants in life. But when it comes to her romantic life, she's unsure as to whether she should trust in this prophesied destiny or make her own path based solely on her heart. She spends the majority of the story trying not to completely dwell on this prediction, and while I strongly feel that we all make our destiny in life and shouldn't rely on astrology, you can't tell people to disregard their beliefs no matter how you feel about it. Winnie's friends encouraged her to trust in her feelings and not consider the prophecy too much, and even though she tried, in the end, she just couldn't rid herself of something she believed in since she was a child. 

What I like most about the story is how celebrated the Indian culture is within this community and the different types of food mentioned. Some are familiar to me and some new. Either way, it made me drool whenever Winnie and her family ate together. Her parents were interesting characters in their own way too, and it was enlightening seeing how they were with Winnie and how much they valued their culture and traditions. 

I also like Dev and the fact that Winnie didn't linger on Raj. She stuck to her decision to staying apart and she never went back on that. Loved that she gave things a shot with Dev and encouraged him to take things slow with her. It irked me at times whenever she brought up the prophecy around him, but again, her feelings were understandable because it's her belief. And even though I'd already figured out that part long before it came up, I still would have liked for Dev to be honest from the get-go, especially knowing who Winnie was and how she spent her whole life thinking about the Pandit's prediction. Then again, I could understand his reasons behind it.

Overall, I like the writing, the characters, and how light and easy the story is. Again, not a fan of the bit of drama that happened toward the end, but it still made for an entertaining read. 

About the Author

Nisha Sharma grew up on Bollywood movies, eighties classics, and romance novels, so it comes as no surprise that her first novel, My So-Called Bollywood Life, features all three. 

Nisha credits her father for her multiple graduate degrees, and her mother for her love of Shah Rukh Khan and Jane Austen. She lives in Pennsylvania with her cat Lizzie Bennett and her dog Nancey Drew. 

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Review: A Poison Dark and Drowning by Jessica Cluess

Series: Kingdom on Fire #2
Release date: September 19th 2017
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository{Affiliate Link}

Synopsis via Goodreads:

The magicians want her to lead. The sorcerers want her to lie. The demons want her blood. Henrietta wants to save the one she loves. But will his dark magic be her undoing?

Henrietta doesn’t need a prophecy to know that she’s in danger. She came to London to be named the chosen one, the first female sorcerer in centuries, the one who would defeat the bloodthirsty Ancients. Instead, she discovered a city ruled by secrets. And the biggest secret of all: Henrietta is not the chosen one.

Still, she must play the role in order to keep herself and Rook, her best friend and childhood love, safe. But can she truly save him? The poison in Rook’s system is transforming him into something monstrous as he begins to master dark powers of his own.

So when Henrietta finds a clue to the Ancients’ past that could turn the tide of the war, she persuades Blackwood, the mysterious Earl of Sorrow-Fell, to travel up the coast to seek out strange new weapons. And Magnus, the brave, reckless flirt who wants to win back her favor, is assigned to their mission. Together, they will face monsters, meet powerful new allies, and uncover the most devastating weapon of all: the truth.

*Received a physical ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

After falling into this dark and magical world in book one, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequel. I loved the characters and wanted to see how they would grow and where the author would take us next. And while I enjoyed the story once again, I must say I'm a bit disappointed with the situation of Henrietta and Magnus. I absolutely loved the latter in the previous and wanted so much more for his character, sadly it seemed he was ignored for the most part of the book, even though he was still very much present. 

Yes, I know readers don't always get what they want, but I could have sworn things would have taken a different turn in this book. I definitely did not expect how it went with Blackwood. Maybe I missed something previously but his character had me confused, and I just couldn't understand why Henrietta would react in that way toward him. But anyway, we'll see how it goes in the third book because there were certain revelations that became clear about Blackwood's character and I'd like to see how he develops further. 

Speaking of development, I think Henrietta has grown somewhat, but still has ways to go. After all, she's a teen. They're all young adults who have to put up a strong front and take on a horrible situation such as fighting horrific creatures. Henrietta did have naive ways about her but like I said, she's still a teen girl figuring things out. And the whole thing with her childhood best friend is quite sad, but I honestly never felt like it was the type of love you feel in a relationship. Not in the way Rook or Henrietta believed. I think it's because both grew up together leaning on each other and had developed this sense of reliance. Indeed, they had a special bond. But as for being in love, I don't think either truly felt that or even understood what that was.  

The topic of love and character growth aside, I liked how there was some more inclusion of adventure, finding powerful weapons, learning more about the ancients and Henrietta's ties to one in particular, and also the introduction of Maria. She's a lovely character. I figured her out right away so it wasn't a surprised for me when the truth was unveiled, but I still loved her presence throughout the story and the blossoming friendship between her and Henrietta. Maria is another one I'm looking forward to learning more about in the next book. 

In conclusion, A Poison Dark and Drowning continued the intrigue and reinforced my interest in the story. Once again, great writing from Jessica Cluess. She had my emotions all over the place. I liked how she kept it dark and twisted, but still gave a few moments of vulnerability and lightheartedness. It is a series I'm not sure I want to end, and with Henrietta facing such turmoil, I'm anxious to find out how she will overcome. What will happen next with her and the other characters, especially Magnus? I'm hoping he will return because he definitely has a sweet spot in my heart. If you haven't started this series I highly recommend you do asap. You'll enjoy it!  

About the Author
Jessica Cluess is a graduate of Northwestern University and an unapologetic nerd. After college, she moved to Los Angeles, where she served coffee to the rich and famous while working on her first novel. When she’s not writing books, she’s an instructor at Writopia Lab, helping kids and teens tell their own stories.

www.jessicacluess.com | twitter.com/JessCluess 

Behind the Pages #31: Tamara Bundy talks her debut novel 'Walking with Miss Millie' + Giveaway

Hey, guys! I'm finally back with another Behind the Pages feature, and I'm pleased that it is a debut author this time around, which also happens to be the first interview on the blog since the start of 2017. Tamara Bundy has recently debuted her middle-grade novel, Walking with Miss Millie (a book that I liked by the way), and I'm happy that I had the opportunity to discuss the book and more with her. Not only that, Penguin Random House is contributing a copy of the book to one lucky winner from the U.S. So continue below for the interview and giveaway.

Thanks for taking the time, Tamara. Where are you from and at what point in your life did you realize you wanted to become an author.

I grew up in Hilliard, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus-the same place my main character, Alice, wants to return to). I fell in love with the play of words from Dr. Seuss by the age of seven. I loved rhythm and rhyme and began to write poetry.  The first time someone said I was a good writer, I was hooked and wanted to write ever since. 

Who are some of your biggest influences in literature?

Of course, I loved Dr. Seuss, who taught me words can be both fun and meaningful. As I grew, I enjoyed Judy Blume who could tell a story like she was your best friend, Madeleine L’ Engle whose imagination both scared and entertained me and Shel Silverstein whose poetry made me laugh and cry. But I also won’t underestimate the impact my Archie comic books had on my desire to tell a story. 

How has being an English teacher and former columnist for the Cincinnati Post affected your writing?

Writing a weekly column was great discipline for just writing.  It didn’t matter if you felt inspired or not –if your column was due on Monday, you’d better have it written by Sunday. It was great practice for not choking under deadlines. As a teacher, I get to see the impact good books have on students. I see the light bulb of understanding go off, I hear the big football playing tough guy sniffling at the end of Of Mice and Men. It never gets old. And when I think of students getting my own books in a classroom, it makes me so happy. But I also know how diverse students are, how complicated their lives are. I always want to honor that –to really make it worth their time to read my books. 

Congratulations on your debut, ‘Walking with Miss Millie’. What inspired the story and why set it in the 1960’s? 

When my own daughter was in middle school, and feeling like she had no friends, she began walking the elderly neighbor’s dog. However, the dog refused to walk with just my daughter, so the neighbor lady went along too. It stayed that way and became a unique and lovely friendship. I knew I wanted to tell that story, but seeing what was going on in the world with matters of race, I wanted to write something that might help students understand each other. I wanted people to see how far we’ve come –and how far we need to go. That’s when I decided it would be a richer story if it took place in the 60’s and the two characters were different races.

Were there moments where the story felt challenging for you to write or you felt nervous about creating these characters? 

Maybe I should have been nervous, since I eventually found out that it is tricky to write outside your race, but I felt my character, Miss Millie, whispering in my ear the whole time. The story unfolded so naturally, the only challenge was wanting so hard to do her justice –I needed the world to love her as much as I did.

What are you hoping readers will take from the friendship between Alice and Miss Millie, a young white girl and an elderly black woman? 

For one thing, I hope they realize that friendships come in many shapes, sizes and appearances. For another, I want them to understand that you can’t know what someone is going through until you walk in their shoes (or at least with them for a while).

Once you finished the story, how did you celebrate your debut?

This novel was a part of my writing life for so many years, I don’t think I fully understood what “finished” was. But I celebrated every step of it –getting an agent (the amazing Steven Chudney), getting a book deal (the legendary Nancy Paulsen), seeing the first ARC (Advanced Reader Copy), the first hardcover --I celebrated it all!

What’s next now that ‘Walking with Miss Millie’ is out in the world? 

I love the loving feedback I am getting. I swear it never ceases to touch me to read someone’s review who cried and laughed and felt the same love I felt for my characters. And while I am enjoying and celebrating that, I am also working on my second Middle Grade novel that Nancy Paulsen bought for a 2019 release.

Will you stick to Middle Grade or do you have plans on writing Coming of Age or Adult Fiction in the future? 

I loved teaching high school students and I might write YA someday, but I am crazy about the possibilities of Middle Grade historical fiction right now-there’s so many stories to tell. But remember how much I loved Dr. Seuss? You might just see some picture books from me one day…

Thanks again for the interview, Tamara. Any tips for aspiring writers? 

The best advice I have is to write because you love it. If you only write to get a book deal, you will spend so much time frustrated and feeling like a failure. But if you write because you have a story to tell, you will always be a success as long as you tell the story you are meant to tell. Make writer friends, follow writers you admire on social media and read their stories. Follow agents you are interested in. Read, read, read and write, write write. And never, never, never give up.

More About the Author

Tamara Bundy is a high school English teacher with a Master’s degree in writing, and is a former columnist for the Cincinnati Post (her regular column on being a mom also appeared on EWTN global Catholic radio). Walking Miss Millie is her debut novel. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

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Review: Antisocial by Jillian Blake

Release date: May 16th 2017
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Alexandria Prep is hacked in this exhilarating whodunit set in the age of social media and the cloud Pretty Little Liars meets WikiLeaks.

Senior spring at Alexandria Prep was supposed to be for sleeping through class and partying with friends. But for Anna Soler, it s going to be a lonely road. She's just been dumped by her gorgeous basketball star boyfriend with no explanation. Anna's closest friends, the real ones she abandoned while dating him, are ignoring her. The endearing boy she s always had a complicated friendship with is almost too sympathetic. 

But suddenly Anna isn t the only one whose life has been upended. Someone is determined to knock the kings and queens of the school off their thrones: one by one, their phones get hacked and their personal messages and photos are leaked. At first it's funny people love watching the dirty private lives of those they envy become all too public. 

Then the hacks escalate. Dark secrets are exposed, and lives are shattered. Chaos erupts at school. As Anna tries to save those she cares about most and to protect her own secrets, she begins to understand the reality of our always-connected lives: 

Sometimes we share too much.

*Received a free physical ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Antisocial has an important message in regards to what you put out there, whether in text messages or posting on social media. And while that is a great aspect of the story, for the most part, I felt detached. There were times the situation just didn't make much of an impact on me because I've read it so many times in other books with the same school setting. However, it is realistic and depicts what's happening now in this digital age we're living in. It's just that I feel like the story could have been stronger and some things weren't cleared up in the end. 

Initially, I was curious about the characters and what was taking place at this school. I could relate to Anna in the sense that she started seeing someone and neglected her close friends. It happens. Sometimes you go back and fix those relationships and sometimes it's best to let them go, especially if they weren't strong, to begin with. But in Anna's case, she got dumped, and that ignited the desire to go and make amends with her friends. But with the way one friend in particular was, I couldn't understand why she would even bother. This one character pressured another friend into making a stupid decision and was rather hurtful more times than once. 

My attention remained locked for the first few chapters, especially since the story is fast-paced and light. But after the hacking started, some crazy things began to happen as well and it became difficult to stay focused. For instance, there were times I was reading but wasn't really into it and couldn't recall what I'd just read. But that could just be me, because like I said there are great aspects of the story, and the writing is good. It's an interesting book but could have been...more. I still recommend it if you're looking for a quick read with the usual high school drama mixed with digital abuse.

About the Author
JILLIAN BLAKE grew up in New England, where she kept her deepest, darkest secrets password-protected. Antisocial is her first novel.