September 8, 2015

{Blog Tour: Review} Lost and Found by Elle Casey


Welcome to Day 2 of the Lost and Found Blog Tour! Today, I'll share with you my review on this phenomenally crazy and hilarious book. (Superlatives everywhere, I know!) Thanks to Giselle at Xpresso Book Tours and of course to Elle Casey.



Lost and Found by Elle Casey
(Love in New York #1)
Publication Date: December 25, 2014
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance





Sometimes engagement rings can get lost and then found. Sometimes people can too. All it takes is a heavy-duty dose of karma and the magic of Manhattan to make it all come together.

Leah is a financially destitute new age hippy. James is a wealthy surgeon with a trust fund. She’s awkward, he’s poised. She’s completely crazy, he’s way too sane. People might say they have nothing in common, but they’d be wrong. They both live in Manhattan, they both have no idea how to change a baby diaper, and they’re both lost … until they find one another.




I lost count how many times this book left me giggling while reading in a public place. It's that funny. So, okay. Leah is super crazy. She works in a shop that sells all these hippy oils and fragrances. She hasn't paid rent in a long time and her landlord offers to sleep with him and her debt would be paid of. She's friends with a homeless man named Mac. She meets James, the handsome doctor.

Leah believes in karma and the effect it does to people. The minute she bumped into James, she felt that from then on, it won't be a really good day. A series of mishaps later and she found herself as the owner of a five hundred grand Cartier engagement ring. She found crazy ways to give it back to the owner. It involved her dressing up as a fake rapper to giving it back to the charity just so her life can be normal again. James, on the other hand, played along with her. He didn't want that ring back because it was a sign of everything that went wrong with his life lately: his girlfriend (who is such a total bitch) slept with his brother, his lovely niece is suddenly without loving parents. Both of them have dealt with something horrible and lost some in the process and in the end they found each other.

The ring was what connected them together. The ring brought them all sorts of misfortunes but it was what ultimately led to their happy ending. I definitely recommend this book for those who are looking for something lighthearted to read after reading heavy plots. This one is for you.


Get a chance to win an ebook of Cabin Fever (Love in New York #2)!




Elle Casey is a prolific, NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling American writer who lives in Southern France with her husband, three kids, and several furry friends. She writes in several genres and publishes an average of one full-length novel per month.









Follow the Tour here!





September 2, 2015

Wicked Review: Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella


Published: May 13, 2014
Publisher: Dial Press
Acquired: Paperback

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17910611-wedding-night?ac=1




Lottie just knows that her boyfriend is going to propose, but then his big question involves a trip abroad — not a trip down the aisle. Completely crushed, Lottie reconnects with an old flame, and they decide to take drastic action. No dates, no moving in together, they’ll just get married . . . right now. Her sister, Fliss, thinks Lottie is making a terrible mistake, and will do anything to stop her. But Lottie is determined to say “I do,” for better, or for worse.




First things first, this book is quite hilarious and crazy. Like, really crazy. Lottie thought that Richard, her boyfriend, would propose to her. She even bought a ring! It was all cringe worthy, though. The way Lottie thought about Richard's "hints" was enough to keep me laughing. I don't think I will ever live that down. It's like a scene from Disaster Dates only ten times worse!

Fliss, Lottie's sister, has always been there for her. She listens to every whim; the crazy, crazier and the craziest. Even if Fliss has enough on her plate already. She's a career woman going through a bad divorce. She keeps a dossier on her ex-husband Daniel even if her lawyer tells her not to. She hated the divorce. On top of that, Lottie decides to marry Ben, Lottie's gap year boyfriend.

Ben and Lottie made a pact, that if neither of them were married by the time they are thirty, they will marry each other. I was shaking my head and smiling at the same time because I knew from the start that this thing wouldn't last and it would end in a disaster.

Lottie, so caught up with lust (not love) for Ben, agreed to marry Ben in the registry office and go straight to there honeymoon in Ikonos, where they met. Fliss and Lorcan, Ben's best friend, team up to stop them from consummating their marriage.

The lengths Fliss went though just to stop Lottie and Ben from shagging (I like the British term better!) was insane. You would think that Fliss was mean. I mean, imagine your sister or your brother, bribing a hotel manager to ruin your wedding night, where you and your spouse should spend some quality time together? That hurts! And pretty annoying as well! But in Fliss' defense, she did it because she doesn't want her sister to end up like her, regretting major life decisions such as marriage. Lottie and Ben have nothing in common really. Literally nothing. They were a disaster! Ben wasn't a dream boat. He was a wackjob!

What I love the most in this book? Lorcan and Fliss. They have lots in common. For one, they are both divorced. Two, the people they love are crazy. Three, they have chemistry. I love it! I love them! I love Lorcan more! (Okay now I'm rambling. But I really love Lorcan. I love his name too! Ahhhhh!)

All in all, Wedding Night was such a delightful read. Sophie Kinsella does not disappoint!





Madeleine Wickham (born 12 December 1969) is a bestselling British author under her pseudonym, Sophie Kinsella. Educated at New College, Oxford, she worked as a financial journalist before turning to fiction. She is best known for writing a popular series of chick-lit novels. The Shopaholic novels series focuses on the misadventures of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who cannot manage her own finances. The books follows her life from when her credit card debt first become overwhelming ("The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic") to the latest book on being married and having a child ("Shopaholic & Baby"). Throughout the entire series, her obsession with shopping and the complications that imparts on her life are central themes.




August 31, 2015

Wicked Photo Diary: August 2015

Hello, everyone! Wicked Photo Diary is a monthly feature where I share what has happened in my life through my Instagram photos. Think of it as an organize photo dump...only wicked!


Another month has gone and we're slowly inching towards the end of this year...I spoke too soon! But it's been a great couple of months. Here's what happened!


August 1, 2015






Gloomy skies make way for much needed rain because it felt like summer all over again.


August 3, 2015





I don't like planning what to read for the month but I decided to give it try.


August 13, 2015





In the four years I stayed in my uni, this is the first time I ever borrowed something from the library. I paid a week's worth of overdue fine for this but it was worth it! Check out my review here.


August 19, 2015





Much needed me time in my favorite, mainstream coffee shop!


August 20, 2015




 Guess who paid me a visit? Gayle, my college bff!


 I got this from National Bookstore for only P75!!!


August 22, 2015



I do love the city but I love the countryside more!


August 23, 2015



I participated in the first ever book tag on Instagram! Black covers rule!


August 24, 2015



Because I need it. And you need it


August 28, 2015






I read this two years ago on my iPad. I don't know what possessed me to buy this book and read it again.


August 30, 2015


 
Bookhaul after 123456789 years! So excited to read all of them. Have you read some of them? Be sure to catch the Powerbooks Sale until September 13! Manila International Book Fair is just around the corner and I am this close to losing it because duh, more books, more discounts too!



What Else Happened?

I joined two book tours over at Xpresso Book Tours! Check 'em out here!







August 25, 2015

{Blog Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway} Alexa Crushed by T.R Cupak



Hello everyone and welcome to Day 2 of the Alexa Crushed Blog Tour. Today I'm going to share an excerpt of T.R Cupak's debut novel.



Alexa Crushed by T.R Cupak
Series: Alexa Crushed #1
Publication Date: May 20, 2015
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult Romance





Alexa Morgan lost her mother when she was two. At eighteen, her father and stepmother died when a devastating earthquake hit the Bay Area. Only one person has remained a constant in her life: Devin.

Devin has been Alexa’s best friend since childhood. The two are inseparable—or they were until Devin declared his love for her at sixteen. When Alexa can offer him only friendship in return, Devin retreats, brokenhearted.
Alexa, on the other hand, longs for Ethan, the boy next door. Four years older than her, and with an ever-changing roster of girlfriends, Ethan is everything Devin isn’t: wild, sensual, and unpredictable.

In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake, Ethan makes his move on Alexa, who reciprocates in a confused whirl of grief and desire. When Ethan leaves town shortly after, Devin comes back into Alexa’s life, offering support and expecting nothing in return.

Alexa begins to see the advantages of Devin’s quiet, stable love. But just as her feelings for her old friend begin to blossom, Ethan returns. Now Alexa must choose—the perfect boyfriend or the wild, thrilling bad boy. It’s a choice that changes her life forever.




I get up out of bed, go brush my teeth, run downstairs to grab a sugar-free Red Bull from the refrigerator, and come back up to my room to sit out on my balcony, as I do most mornings that I don’t have school. I grab my laptop to check Facebook, Twitter, and my e-mails. Out of habit, I glance down and see Ethan’s car in his driveway. He must be taking some time off if he’s still home right now. I’m not sure why he would when he should be close to graduating college.
         As I’m scrolling through Facebook and liking random pages and pictures, I hear the front door to Ethan’s house open and see a leggy blonde leaving with her heels in hand, doing the walk of shame. Ethan has his arms stretched above his head with his hands placed on the doorjamb, showing off his tight washboard abs and the sexy V where his sweats hang low on his hips. All I could think is, Yum. The blonde turns to kiss him, but just as she tries, he turns his head so she ends up kissing his cheek instead of his lips. All the while, his eyes are fixated on me. A ping of embarrassment followed by jealousy washes through me as I watch this soap opera unfold.
         The blonde yells, “Call me!” over her shoulder as she walks down the driveway to her car, which is parked on the street. I swear I hear Ethan laugh a “hell, no” kind of laugh. Soon, the blonde is driving away in her perfectly suited Porsche Boxter.
         Ethan is still standing in his doorway, now with his arms crossed over his chest when he acknowledges me in his luscious voice, which makes my toes curl. “Good morning, Lexi.”
         “I’m sure it is, Ethan,” I snap back. My voice sounds a little too irritated for my liking. I don’t want him to think the blonde bothers me, even though she most certainly does.
         “I’ll see you later, Lexi,” he says, smirking as he turns to go into his house.
         He is so frustrating, but even with that being said, watching his last conquest leave made me wish I was the one doing the walk of shame instead of her. Oh, who am I kidding? I’m a sophomore in high school who has kissed one boy in my entire sixteen years of existence. It was a horrible first kiss, too. It was one that scared me enough to not want to do it again anytime soon.


Get a chance to win a can-be-signed paperback second edition copies of Alexa Crushed (US only) or an ebook copy w/ $5 Amazon Gift Card (INTL).






T.R. Cupak was born and raised in the suburbs of a Bay Area city in California. She was the closet nerd who hid her love of reading and writing short stories and poetry when she was younger. Back then it wasn’t considered cool to be into those types of activities for pleasure, whereas today you have TV shows, movies and books that glamourize that being a nerd is actually cool.

T. lives in a quiet, little, country town south of where she grew up. She is happily married to an amazing man who supports her in everything she does and spoils her rotten. They have a crazy little Shih Tzu named Harley. He's their fur-baby and even though he’s a pain in the arse most days, they love the little guy. She has an obsession with cars, especially fast ones. She enjoys her music louder than anyone should. Admittedly it’s to drown out hearing her own singing voice, or lack thereof. When she’s not at work or busy writing you can find her curled up reading a book on her Kindle with a glass of wine or Dirty Shirley.

T. lost touch with her creative side and stepped off the path of all things written in her early twenties. Six years ago, her passion for reading was rekindled. She began to utilize reading as a way to escape everyday chaos. Late 2013 she began journal writing. After a couple of months of journaling T. realized that this form of writing wasn't keeping her interest nor was it helping her to relax. After that realization settled in she changed the direction of her writing. Her creative aspirations were flowing once again and she happily embraced it. As her fingers started to dance across her keyboard she began to see her fictional characters begin to breathe life. Writing was only supposed to be a way for the new author to relax, but a story was born and T.R. Cupak is excited to be releasing her self-published debut novel, Alexa Crushed.



Follow the Tour here!





August 19, 2015

Wicked Review: The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan


Published: September 21, 2006
Publisher: Penguin Books
Acquired: Borrowed Paperback





Winnie and Helen have kept each other's worst secrets for more than fifty years. Now, because she believes she is dying, Helen wants to expose everything. And Winnie angrily determines that she must be the one to tell her daughter, Pearl, about the past—including the terrible truth even Helen does not know. And so begins Winnie's story of her life on a small island outside Shanghai in the 1920s, and other places in China during World War II, and traces the happy and desperate events that led to Winnie's coming to America in 1949. 



This book is worth the overdue fee I paid for at the school library. I have never read a book that is both funny, intriguing, frustrating and painful.

The first three chapters started out in Pearl's point of view, Winnie's daughter. Pearl and her family was invited to the funeral of her Great Auntie Du and the wedding of his cousin Baobao. She and her mother, Winnie, has never had a really good relationship. They both differ in opinions mainly because Pearl is an ABC (American born Chinese) unlike her mother who is bound by the traditions and customs of China.

She has a secret. Pearl has multiple sclerosis, an incurable disease. She has only told a handful of people and now she's scared that if she tells her mom, she'll be devastated and angry at her. Little did Pearl know that Winnie has a secret of her own.

After those three chapters, I was taken back to the 1920s China. This is where Winnie's story starts. It's a bit dragging if you're not a big fan history. Winnie was born into a rich family. Her father was a rich businessman in Shanghai and her mother was educated. But then her mother disappeared and she was shipped to the island where she lived with her other relatives.

Growing up, Winnie grew wary of people. She didn't want to get hurt. She was like a shadow of her beautiful cousin, Peanut. Peanut and Winnie met Wen Fu, a charming young man in their small town. Peanut wanted Wen Fu's heart but ultimately Wen Fu and Winnie got married.

Their life as a couple was turbulent as the World War II started and Wen Fu became a soldier. They transferred from one base to another and that's when Winnie met her rather loony but really fun best friend Helen.

Helen was such a wackjob. And a good kind of wackjob. She's so crazy with her beliefs and her stories that it drove Winnie and everyone around them nuts. I think Helen was Winnie's rock. When Winnie's relationship turned turbulent with Wen Fu and she suffered a lot, Helen was there to pick her up. Winnie suffered a lot. She suffered several miscarriages. I lost count of how many times Winnie got pregnant and all of her children died. It was really painful.

Winnie then met Jimmy Louie, an American born Chinese. He was charming, smart, and loving; everything that isn't Wen Fu. Winnie fell in love with him but then divorcing Wen Fu proved to be difficult. I just really wanted to reach out and punch Wen Fu in the face but obviously I can't do that.

In the end, Winnie got her happily ever after. There was one setback though. She was pregnant with Wen Fu's child when she left China. That later on became Pearl.

The way Winnie's whole story was written was beautiful. It was as if I was Pearl and Winnie was just right there telling me her story, having a mother and daughter bond. Pearl didn't mind that she was Wen Fu's daughter. She was loved by her father and her mother and that's what's important for her. Winnie on the other hand, as soon as she found out that Pearl was sick, she did what mothers do best: she took care of Pearl.

This is probably my longest review ever but hey, there's a first for everyone. I truly, truly loved this story. It will open your eyes into why mothers are mothers.





Amy Tan  is an American writer whose works explore mother-daughter relationships and what it means to grow up as a first generation Asian American. In 1993, Tan's adaptation of her most popular fiction work, The Joy Luck Club, became a commercially successful film.

She has written several other books, including The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, and The Bonesetter's Daughter, and a collection of non-fiction essays entitled The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings. Her most recent book, Saving Fish From Drowning, explores the tribulations experienced by a group of people who disappear while on an art expedition into the jungles of Burma. In addition, Tan has written two children's books: The Moon Lady (1992) and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat (1994), which was turned into an animated series airing on PBS. She has also appeared on PBS in a short spot on encouraging children to write.

Currently, she is the literary editor for West, Los Angeles Times' Sunday magazine.