Rachel

“There have been so many of you who have supported me through my entire career and there have been those who have not. But this is not for you. This is just for people who are curious about me. I am hoping with this book you get to know me a little bit as a person, a little bit more than the headlines you read about me.” Priyanka Chopra Jonas being a first time author, chose a rather straightforward and relaxed writing style. It was almost conversational - as though she, the author, is having a chat with you whilst recollecting memories of her past. I honestly enjoyed this approach. Unfinished takes the reader through the author’s childhood, her teenage years, on to her multiple careers and touches on all things in between. To say this author is an overachiever, would be a pretty big understatement. In between her long list of successes and achievements, the author opens up about the battles she has faced, specifically in relation to sexism, racism and even a period of depression. I wish she had given us a little more insight into her thought process and what drove her to achieve everything she did. The author really dug deep for one chapter in particular, entitled Grief and laid it all on the line - her thoughts, feelings and emotions. My take from this memoir is being able to perceive and appreciate Priyanka, the true nature of her person through her own voice. From the events shared to the words chosen to form sentences, I see an adventurous, funny, valiant and inspiring individual. All of which can be traced back to the love and resolute support she received from both her parents. For me, this memoir was a lovely insight into her life. It will always be easy to judge another person’s effort or in this case, another person’s memoir. However, if any reader truly reads these pages of Unfinished, one would know that this memoir has been written to the best of the author’s ability. That said, I do not wish to place a rating on anyone’s life story - hence, this read will not be rated. Instead, I am obliged to be grateful for the journey this author has taken me through this memoir of hers. Book reviews on Instagram: @readbookswithrach

Rating: 3.8 / 5.0 As with any romance novel I presume, the plot was rather predictable. That said, the foundation of this book is built on the love and unbreakable bond of the Bridgerton Family. Julia Quinn took her time to equip each of the Bridgertons with strong personalities and traits. That, I believe, is why every reader will immediately fall in love with this family. This first book in the series, centres around the fourth child, Daphne Bridgerton and her second season out in London’s marriage market. It takes place during the Regency era. The first three quarters of the book were great with an eloquent writing style from Quinn. I thoroughly enjoyed the fluent and quick-witted banter that was complemented with subtle hints of cheekiness. A brilliant addition by Julia Quinn was the inclusion of a gossip column in the society papers with the author’s identity only known as Lady Whistledown. This added additional intrigue with readers attempting to deduce Lady Whistledown’s identity - I too have a couple of guesses up my sleeve. Now, the last quarter was a slight let-down. The author’s writing changed, with it feeling jaded and stretched with unnecessary drama created to prolong the end. Also, there is a pejorative scene that pretty much stripped the main character of all class, growth and nobility which has also been the cause of much debate among readers. Nevertheless, I am glad Daphne's story has come to an end. Still intrigued with the identity of Lady Whistledown, I will be looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Book reviews on Instagram: @readbookswithrach

Rating: 3.8 / 5.0 Being a fan of the Twilight Saga during my teenage years, I jumped at the chance to get my copy of Midnight Sun. Quick side note: I hold Meyer's book dedication in high regard - it is the perfect welcome back after the 15 year gap since Twilight was first published. The same regard can be said for her end acknowledgements. Review The plot remains unchanged as the entire book focuses solely on the events that took place within the first book itself (Twilight). The storyline has also been written in the exact same chronological order as Twilight, hence, there is barely any room for surprises. Numerous dialogues between Bella and Edward overlap which was a little disappointing. On the upside, Meyer provides the reader with privilege into the thoughts of other characters like Charlie, Bella’s friends, the vampires and even the wolves. Meyer uses Edwards’ special telepathic skills to picturesquely pen this. I discovered a great deal about Edward in this book. The Edward I had read about in Twilight was a completely different character in Midnight Sun. Bella portrayed Edward as a confident, astute, selfless and controlled individual. Instead, Midnight Sun exposes him as being emotional, vacillating, egoistic and at times even extreme. Through Midnight Sun, I am finally able to grasp Edward's continuous need to warn Bella to stay away from him. Slight spoiler; if I had known the first time around (from Twilight) about the desideratum faced by Edward to kill Bella for her blood, I doubt I would have been a fan to begin with. Edward’s persona also exhibited stalkerish and pathological behaviour. There were times when Edward's cogitations gravitated into rambling, making the pace of the book move too slow and at times even laborious to read. To me, the highlight of the book was gaining a deeper insight into the Cullen Family. It was the perfect opportunity for Meyer to open up their backstory and reveal their special abilities to captivate the reader and she did just that. Meyer showed us why Carlisle is deemed perspicacious while Esme carries herself with benevolence and compassion. Alice and especially Jasper, held the most intriguing characters. I will leave that for you to find out for yourself. Also, for the first time, I am able to comprehend and side with Rosalie whenever she displays her exasperation with Bella. The saddest part for me is that I can finally say goodbye to the Twilight Saga. Understanding Edward's viewpoint on all that had transpired in the past and the events that would unfold in the future, I do believe Bella should have stayed away. There are just some things one cannot unread and Midnight Sun has somewhat cast a shade on an otherwise quintessential love story between a vampire and a human. On a side note, I would definitely be interested in reading a book on any one of the other Cullen members. Book reviews on Instagram: @readbookswithrach

Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 A beautiful read. This story follows friendships and suffering, love and agony as well as the cruelty of a disease. The main aim of this book is to create awareness towards the cystic fibrosis (CF) disease. CF is an inherited disorder found in children that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs of the body. This book was everything I was expecting it to be and more. It is exceptionally well written and the story flows perfectly. The writing is articulate, chatty and vivid. I found myself re-reading sentences and paragraphs - you know that feeling when you read a line that is so well written that you just need to take a minute to appreciate it. I loved everything about each and every character. The conversational repartee is top notch. The writers knew precisely when to give a little more and exactly when to hold back. I have no negative comments - I would not change a thing. Five Feet Apart is practically perfect and yet imperfect in it’s own way. Book reviews on Instagram: @readbookswithrach

RATING: 4.7 / 5.0 Acclaimed bestselling novelist Kunihiko Hidaka is found brutally murdered in his home on the night before he was scheduled to leave Japan and relocate to Canada. His body is found in his office, in a locked room, within his locked house, by his wife and his best friend, both of whom have rock solid alibis. Akui (Malice) was published in 1996 by the Japanese author, Keigo Higashino. It was translated into English in 2014 by Alexander O.Smith. Kiego Higashino has won major Japanese awards for his mystery books with many of them being turned into movies. This was an excellent read! Every author has their own modus operandi and Kiego Higashino takes on a divergent approach with this mystery novel; focusing on the psychological element rather than pure suspense. As the story is set in 1996, its framework comes down to intricate old fashioned detective work. The narrative is exceptional and the characters are fascinating. The quality of the translation to english made this a quick read as it was simple and straightforward. Nonetheless, it is a testament to both the author and translator that the story kept me intrigued, engaged and engrossed throughout the entire book. I only wish I could have read this book in Japanese.