Review Dollhouse

Dollhouse-Kardashian

Dollhouse adalah novel yang sangat menghibur mengenai kehidupan cinta sebuah keluarga yang menarik dan sangat terkenal. Ditulis oleh Kourtney, Kim, dan Khloé Kardashian, Dollhouse adalah gambaran dunia gemerlap di balik popularitas tiga kakak-beradik yang sangat menyayangi satu sama lain serta keluarga mereka. Kourtney, Kim, dan Khloé menggabungkan imajinasi mereka yang sangat liar dengan rahasia-rahasia yang mereka ketahui tentang hidup dengan tuturan khas mereka. Buku ini tidak seperti buku lain yang pernah Anda baca sebelumnya!

Kamille, Kassidy, dan Kyle Romero adalah tiga kakak-beradik yang cantik, penuh kasih sayang, dan sangat loyal terhadap keluarga mereka. Ibu mereka telah menikah lagi dan ayah tiri mereka, seorang pemain bisbol all-star terkenal di dunia, datang membawa dua orang saudara tiri. Suatu hari semuanya berubah. Dalam semalam, salah satu Romero bersaudara menjadi terkenal—masuk sampul majalah, menjadi ikon fesyen, dan masuk berita! Dikuntit oleh paparazzi dan diundang ke semua acara karpet merah.Tidak berarti seluruh kehidupan gemerlap dan glamor itu akan membuat hidup menjadi mudah. 

Kehidupan mereka bertiga tidaklah seindah yang dipikirkan orang. Masalah datang bertubi-tubi. Siapa sangka memiliki saudari yang terkenal membawa banyak sekali masalah: rasa iri, teman-teman yang menikam dari belakang, operasi plastik, dan perdebatan dengan paparazzi baru sebagian saja. Ketika menghadapi hidup baru mereka, lengkap dengan pernikahan yang diabadikan melalui televisi, pesta gila-gilaan di klub malam, dan ketertarikan antarsaudara tiri yang terlarang, ada rahasia besar yang mengancam akan memecah ikatan kekeluargaan mereka.

(Goodreads)

~~~ 

Tidak butuh waktu lama untuk melahap buku yang ditulis dengan empat sudut pandang yang berbeda. Karena Dollhouse memang menyajikan cerita yang ringan dan mengalir. Jadi tidak perlu mengerutkan dahi untuk mengerti bagaimana kisah Kamille, Kassidy, Kyle setelah ditinggalkan oleh mendiang ayahnya,  dan tidak ketinggalan Kat, ibu mereka, yang memutuskan untuk melanjutkan hidup dengan menikah lagi setelah bertemu sahabat lamanya. Asyiknya lagi tidak ada cerita yang berulang, seperti yang biasa terjadi di buku-buku yang ditulis dengan gaya yang sama. Percakapan antar karakter juga menyenangkan untuk dilahap.

Berbicara masalah karakter, dari awal dibuat dengan ciri tersendiri. Tidak ada kesulitan untuk membedakan setiap karakter. Lihat saja bagaimana Kamille, yang tetap berusaha untuk mempertahankan gaya hidup mewah, sedangkan Kass memilih untuk menyibukkan diri dengan tumpukan buku-buku kuliahnya, tidak  ketinggalan Kyle dengan sikap pembangkangnya.Seiring berjalannya cerita, perubahan juga terjadi pada mereka. Sayangnya hubungan antara karakter tidak digali lebih dalam. Banyak emosi para karakter yang tidak terasa. Misalnya saja untuk beberapa bab yang menceritakan bagaimana dekatnya Kamille dan Kass. Ataupun betapa sedihnya Kyle karena kepergian ayahnya. Karena masalah itu, tidak satu pun dari Kakak Beradik Romero yang menjadi karakter favorit saya. Bahkan ketika konflik yang ada semakin rumit. Tetap saja, semuanya datar.

Mengenai akhir cerita, saya suka bagaimana Kardashian memilih bagaimana jalan yang terbaik untuk keempat tokoh.

Untuk  terjemahan, tidak ada masalah. Tidak ada kesulitan untuk memahami setiap kalimat yang ada. Buku ini juga bersih dari typo. Rasanya nggak nemu satupun kesalahan dalam penulisan.  

Secara keseluruhan, kalau ingin bacaan ringan, Dollhouse bisa jadi pilihan.

Penulis

Kalau bukan karena buku ini, mungkin nggak bakalan pernah tahu siapa  Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, ataupun Khloe Kardashian.Mereka ternyata punya acara realitas sendiri. Mereka juga bergelut di dunia bisnis. Dari pakaian yang dirancang sendiri sampai parfum.

Dollhouse adalah buku pertama mereka, yang sepertinya diangkat dari kehidupan sendiri. Kourtney, Kim dan Khloe  masing-masing mewakili Kamille, Kassidy, dan Kyle. Kalau baca artikel Kim Kardashian yang ada di Wikipedia, yang mereka tulis di Dollhouse itu nggak jauh beda dengan yang ada di kehidupan nyata. Tentang ibu mereka yang menikah lagi ataupun ayah tiri mereka yang juga seorang atlet.  Kalau dari segi cerita, entah apakah memang ada yang nyata atau fiksi belaka.

Cover

Beneran nggak ngerti kenapa sampul seperti itu yang dipilih, bahkan setelah googling sekalipun. Dari trailer buku di youtube, sampul depan tuh mirip motif baju yang dikenakan salah satu Kardashian bersaudara. 

Yang tidak biasa dari buku ini adalah sampul belakangnya. Tidak terdapat satu katapun sebagai sinopsis ataupun endorsement, Esensi malah memilih untuk menampilkan foto tiga wanita. Dari hasil googling juga, akhirnya misteri terpecahkan. Sempat terpikir itu adalah ilustrasi dari Kamille, Kass dan Kyle.Haha.

Menampilkan foto penulis buku menurutku tidak masalah, setidaknya jadi tahu bagaimana rupa sang penulis. Namun meletakannya di sampul belakang dan tidak menyisakan sedikitpun tempat untuk sinopsi,  membuat buku itu jadi aneh. Rasanya ada yang kurang.

3/5

Dollhouse 

Penulis:  Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian

Penerjemah: Inosensus Rotorua

Penerbit: Esensi

Cetakan: I, 2012

Tebal: 328 hlm

Review: Flipped - Wendelin van Draanen

Juli: Pertama kali bertemu Bryce Loski, aku jungkir balik. Sungguh, seperti orang gila. Pasti karena matanya. Ada sesuatu di matanya. 
Bryce: Apa ya cara yang tepat mengusir Juli? Bagaimana cara terbaik mengatakan padanya, “Juli, kamu tuh bukan tipeku?” 

***

Juli Baker sangat yakin akan tiga hal: keajaiban pohon—terutama pohon sikamor kesayangannya, kebaikan telur ayam, dan suatu saat ia dapat mencuri hati Bryce Loski. Sayangnya, Bryce tidak memiliki perasaan yang sama. Baginya, Juli adalah gadis yang aneh. Kalau bukan aneh, gadis macam apakah yang sangat gemar memelihara ayam dan duduk berlama-lama di atas pohon? 

Namun, keadaan terbalik saat mereka menapak remaja. Bryce mulai melihat keanehan dan kebanggaan Juli terhadap keluarganya sebagai hal yang hebat. Sebaliknya, Juli berpikir mata Bryce yang dikaguminya itu kosong dan tak berarti apapun lagi. 

Flipped bukan sekadar kisah cinta yang manis, tapi juga kisah tentang memandang orang dari sisi siapa mereka sesungguhnya, bukan dari sisi bagaimana penampilan mereka. (Goodreads)

~~~

Kalau bukan karena rating dan review di Goodreads, saya tidak akan pernah membaca buku ini. Alasannya sederhana, saya nggak suka dengan desain covernya. Namun setelah melahap habis buku ini sampai halaman terakhir, untuk kesekian kalinya saya harus merapal mantera lama "Don't judge book by its cover". Karena kisah yang ditulis Wendelin van Draanen ini bukan cerita biasa. 

Flipped ditulis dengan dua sudut pandang Juli Baker dan Bryce Loski. Mereka menceritakan banyak hal secara bergantian. Jadi terdapat dua versi yang berbeda untuk satu kejadian.  Mulai hari pertama mereka bertemu yang kemudian berpindah ke masa-masa mereka di SMP. Walaupun adegannya berulang, ceritanya tetap seru untuk diikuti. Setidaknya jadi tahu bagaimana pikiran dan perasaan Juli dan Bryce. 

Di bab awal, tergambar jelas bagaimana Juli sangat memuja Bryce. Bisa dibilang anak perempuan yang suka banget manjat pohon sikamor saat menunggu bus sekolah datang ini terobsesi dengan sosok Bryce. Dua tahun tahun pertama, Juli selalu membuntutinya. Di kelas empat dan tahun-tahun berikutnya, Juli bisa belajar untuk mengendalikan diri namun tetap memperhatikan Bryce dari jauh sambil berkhayal. Juli memutuskan  menyimpan semua perasaannya dan tetap berharap suatu hari Bryce akan merasakan hal yang sama. Sayangnya, bagi Bryce, Juli adalah tamu yang tak diinginkan sekaligus bahaya yang tak bisa dihindarinya. Sejauh dan sekuat apapun dia berusaha untuk menjauh, Juli selalu ada di sana. Karena itu juga Bryce selalu merasa jengah dan terganggu dengan kehadiran dan tingkah Juli. Anehnya, Bryce tak pernah punya keberanian untuk mengatakan semua hal tersebut.

Semua tetap berjalan seperti itu, sampai insiden pohon sikamor dan telur-telur yang berakhir di tempat sampah membalikkan keadaan. Baik Juli dan Bryce masing-masing menyadari satu hal penting yang akhirnya mengubah semua pemikiran mereka selama enam tahun belakangan.

Cerita yang ringan namun tetap syarat dengan pesan yang mengena di hati. Nggak nyesel belinya. Lihat saja  semua bab saat Juli bercakap-cakap dengan ayahnya, termasuk bab yang membahas insiden pohon sikamor. Satu bab tentang ayah Juli cukup untuk memutuskan bahwa karakter yang sangat bijak ini paling banyak meninggalkan kesan. Hubungan ayah yang anak yang membuat saya jadi iri. Tidak hanya Ayah, Ibu Juli pun sama menyenangkannya. Walau terlihat sangat sempurna namun kedua karakter tersebut dibuat sangat hidup. Setelah Juli, Mr dan Mrs Baker adalah karakter yang saya sukai Saya pikir  Van Draanen sungguh berhasil menciptakan semua karakter yang ada. Bahkan ayah Bryce yang dangkal itu. Tingkahnya benar-benar mengesalkan. Bahkan ketika cerita baru saja dimulai dalam beberapa halaman. 

Mengenai terjemahan, saya rasa tidak ada masalah. Walau awalnya agak aneh dengan kalimat-kalimatnya yang terasa penuh dengan partikel lho dan sih. Namun setidaknya bisa saya pahami. Sampai akhirnya terbiasa dengan gaya bahasa yang digunakan, saya mulai menikmatinya. 

Kutipan-kutipan yang dihasil terjemahan pun banyak menarik. Salah satunya adalah kalimat yang diucapkan oleh Kakek Bryce saat membantu Juli memperbaiki halaman depan rumahnya.  

" ...banyak orang yang melihat permukaannya saja hingga akhirnya semua sudah terlambat."

Untuk cerita yang keren, tidak heran kalau Flipped mendapat 4 penghargaan. Saya pikir tidak perlu ragu lagi untuk baca buku ini, lihat saja bagaimana cerita ringan ini di tahun 2010 diadaptasi jadi film dengan judul yang sama . Dengan durasi 90 menit itu, setiap adegan film nggak kalah keren. Total rating dari para reviewer di IMDB sendiri 7.6/10. Kalau ngebandingin dengan bukunya, tidak ada bagian penting yang terlewatkan. Lihat sendiri deh trailernya. Lihat trailernya deh. Pemeran Juli kecil imut banget. 

Cover

Beneran kecewa banget dengan sampul depannya. Padahal kisah Jill dan Bryce keren banget. Pertama kali lihat di toko buku jelas nggak tertarik. Walau cover asli yang menjadikan anak ayam terbalik juga tidak menjadi pilihan. Dari Goodreads, aku nemu buku yang covernya diambil dari poster film. Aku pilih yang ini.

5/5

Flipped
Penulis: Wendelin van Draanen
Penerjemah: Sylvia L'Namira
Penerbit: Orange Books
Cetakan: I, Agustus 2011
Tebal: 272 hlm

Book Review: The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

 

How do you get over someone who was never really yours to begin with?

Julia  and Colt were together for a year, but nobody knew of their secret love. Then Julia dies, and Colt's life spirals out of control. He is haunted by her memory, and things only intensify when her journal falls into his hands. Can Colt bring himself to read Julia's diary. Or will he live without answers to his burning questions about a romance that changed him forever? 

~~~

" How do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place ?"

Those words above were the first reason why I was dying to read this book. It was written in the synopsis of hardcover version. It did not take hours to grab my attention. They had such charms.

The story was told from Colt's point of view. It was nice to have a boy as the main character. I was kinda excited in the beginning. I liked the way he told the story. It was easy for me to distinguish the characters that he mentioned, except his male friends. There are too many of them. The description about the school, the flat, Black Mountain, the river were clear enough. I also liked how Colt told me the situation in his family.  I could follow the line that he drew from the beginning till the last page. The whole pictures could be captured.

I enjoyed the words options. They were combined became beautiful passages. I also found some nice quotes.

Nevertheless, Colt was not my favorite character. I hated him for being so cool. Whereas he was burnt inside. Julia did not have right to play such games. He deserved better. Unfortunately his eyes were closed. Colt could not see anything but Julia. 

I also got the problem with his emotional state. In the book, they were well-explained. From the first meeting till their fights and how they got back together. But I did not sense them all. I could not feel how sad Colt was when he knew about the accident. I barely knew what Colt felt when he got the journal.  But one thing for sure, I was tickled when I knew he let Julia treated him that way. 

Julia, a rich girl who made Colt's life like a roller coaster. Colt might like her  but not me. Julia was just another selfish character. She made thousand promises but fulfill none of them. I just did not understand all things that crossed her mind. One thing that I liked from Julia was  her journal. 

  

Although The Secret Year is not my favorite book, I still want to read another book of Jennifer R. Hubbart.

3/5 

 

Author: Jennifer R. Hubbart

Paperback: 192 pages;

Published Date: February 17th 2011

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0670011533

Review: Please Look After Mom - Kyung Sook Shin

Sepasang suami-istri berangkat ke kota untuk mengunjungi anak-anak mereka yang telah dewasa. Sang suami bergegas naik ke gerbong kereta bawah tanah dan mengira istrinya mengikuti di belakangnya. Setelah melewati beberapa stasiun, barulah dia menyadari bahwa istrinya tak ada. Istrinya tertinggal di Stasiun Seoul.

Perempuan yang hilang itu tak kunjung ditemukan, dan keluarga yang kehilangan ibu/istri/ipar itu mesti mengatasi trauma akibat kejadian tersebut. Satu per satu mereka teringat hal-hal di masa lampau yang kini membuat mereka tersadar betapa pentingnya peran sang ibu bagi mereka; dan betapa sedikitnya mereka mengenal sosok sang ibu selama ini, perasaan-perasaannya, harapan-harapannya, dan mimpi-mimpinya.(Goodreads)

~~~

That you don't know what you've got til it's gone.
~Counting Crows~

Tidak perlu membaca sinopsis di belakang buku untuk tahu tema apa yang diusung buku ini. Dari judul yang tertera di sampul depan, saya dengan mudah bisa menebaknya. Dan tidak perlu berpikir lama untuk membawa pulang buku ini dan menjadikannya salah satu penghuni rak buku di rumah. Yah, semua buku yang mengisahkan perjuangan dan pengorbanan seorang ibu untuk anak-anaknya seperti For One More Day yang ditulis Mitch Albom, memang selalu punya tempat khusus. Seperti halnya fantasi dan fiksi sejarah, mereka punya daya tarik tersendiri.

Park So-Nyo, wanita berusia 69 tahun, hilang. Terakhir ia terlihat di stasiun kereta Seoul. Ibu, istri sekaligus adiki ipar ini tak dapat ditemukan di mana pun. Ratusan selebaran telah dicetak dan  disebar. Beberapa orang yang mengaku telah melihat wanita paruh baya tersebut. Namun hasilnya nihil. Park So-Nyo tak juga ditemukan. Tak ada yang tahu pasti apakah mereka benar-benar melihat wanita, dengan baju warna biru, jaket putih, dan rok lipit krem, ataukah hanya mengincar imbalan yang dijanjikan.

Kesedihan membayangi setiap anggota keluarga. Satu demi satu kenangan akan sosok Park So-Nya pun berkelebat di benak mereka. Perasaan bersalah mulai menghantui dan pada akhirnya menyisakan rasa kehilangan dan penyesalan yang mendalam. Dari penggalan ingatan mereka,  sosok Park So-Nyo menjadi semakin jelas. Tidak hanya sifat dan kebiasaan namun bagaimana keinginan dan mimpinya terungkap dengan jelas.

Dari Chi-hon, Hyong-chol dan anak perempuan yang tak disebut namanya, Park So-Nyo adalah ibu yang kuat dan tak pernah mengenal kata lelah.  Pekerjaan rumah yang seakan tak ada habisnya tidak membuatnya mengeluh. Dari dua bab pertama, tergambar dengan jelas betapa besar kasih sayang yang diberikan Park So-Nyo kepada semua anak-anaknya. Bahkan ketika mereka semua telah meninggalkan rumah. Perhatian yang diberikan sama sekali tidak berkurang. Suami, kakak dan adik ipar pun mendapatkan hal yang sama walau dengan cara yang berbeda. Seakan tak peduli apa yang telah dan tengah terjadi. 

Dari semua potongan kisah itu, bagian yang paling saya sukai adalah bagian yang menceritakan bagaimana kedekatan Park So-Nyo dengan adik ipar yang seakan dianggap sebagai anaknya sendiri. Bab yang menceritakan sisi lain dari Park So-Nyo yang tidak mengejutkan suami dan anak-anaknya, namun saya sebagai pembaca,  juga menjadi salah satu bagian yang terbaik dari buku ini.

Awalnya saya sempat bingung dari sudut pandang siapa buku ini bercerita. Terutama di bab satu dan dua. Namun ketika beralih ke bab tiga dan seterusnya, semakin jelas siapa sang narator. Salut atas kepiawaian Kyung Sook Shin, sang penulis. Tidak hanya cara ia menyusun  semua cerita, tapi juga bagaimana menciptakan dan menghidupkan karakter demi karakter dan yang paling penting adalah ia mampu menyisipkan emosi demi emosi di setiap babnya. Walau telah menyelesaikan buku ini beberapa hari yang lalu, buku ini masih menyisakan banyak kesan.  Saya masih ingat bagaimana kecemasan dan keputusaaan Hyong-chol ataupun rasa bersalah Chi-hon. Untuk sebuah buku fiksi - drama keluarga, buku ini benar-benar menguras emosi.

Tidak perlu khawatir untuk masalah terjemahan. Saya sama sekali tidak merasa kesulitan untuk memahami setiap kalimat. Kalau buku ini bebas typo, pasti akan  lebih menyenangkan membacanya.

Cover

Di Goodreads, saya menemukan beragam sampul. Desain cover yang dipilih pihak Gramedia tidak kalah dengan yang diterbitkan di negara-negara lain. Namun dari semua cover yang ada, saya paling suka cover yang diterbitkan di China.

5/5

Judul Indonesia: Ibu Tercinta

Penulis: Kyung Sook Shin
Penerjemah: Tanti Lesmana
Penerbit: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Cetakan: I, September 2011
Tebal: 296 hlm

Review: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.

Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive 'ship of fools'. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.(Goodreads)

~~~

My Thought

Water for Elephants was one of books in my wishlist. I was so excited when this historical fiction book finally arrived. Big thanks to Bukumoo Satu Dua Tiga. Since I saw the rating and read many good things about it, I could not wait any longer to read it on my own. Most of my friends said that Water for Elephants was one of the best book ever. Unfortunately, same words did not come out of my mouth.

To my surprise, it was not as great as I thought. I was little bit disappointed with what I got. I think I expect too much.  There was nothing wrong with the book actually. It was well written. But It was hard for me to find the ties with the plot, setting nor the characters. All of them were flat for me.

Jacob Jankowski is the main character and narrator. In his nineties, he stayed in nursing home. He could barely remember things. But when it was about  circus, he was able to summon it into mind with its details. Jacob was just twenty three when he left final exams in Cornell University and joined Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. In this place, the new chapter of his life began.

I liked the old Jacob. He became one reason why I finished reading its last page. From all the chapters, my favorite was his part. Althought he was not a nice old man, but he got his own charm.  I liked the way he talked and communicated to Rosemary,the nurse who took care of him. I enjoyed all their chit chats. Unfortunately, there was only few of them.

About the young Jacob and other characters, there was almost no emotional bond. Although Jacob in circus was lovely and kind-hearted, but I could not get him. His relationship with Marlene was not interesting enough to hook me. The antagonist character such August and Uncle Al also did not leave any impression. Even when I have given more chances by reading it till the last pages, I felt nothing for them.

Before reading Water for Elephants, I have read some books which took circus as its setting. But through Jacob's eyes, I found many new things about circus life in the past. All those things make me wonder which one that really happened in the past and the one that was just added by Sara Gruen, the author. I was also curios about the "red-lighted" and stampede.

Cover
I am not really interested with that kind of cover. I like the color choice. 

3/5

Author: Sara Gruen
Paperback: 355 pages
Publisher: Algonquin Books (April 9, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1565125606
ISBN-13: 978-1565125605
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches

Review: Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives—and the way they understand each other so completely—has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.(Goodreads)

My Thought
Forbidden is a contemporary book. It was written with two different points of view, Lochan and Maya. They are brother and sister. Since their father left and her mother did not take care the house hold, they were the one who handled and responsibled for everything. Preparing the meal, paying the bill, baby-sitting their three younger siblings were things that they did in their young age. Sharing this kind of situation and feelings made their bond getting tighter. For Maya, Lochan was not only her brother, but also best friend and soulmate. Same thought was also kept in Lochan mind and heart. They fell in love with each other. If Maya did not mind to show and talk about it, Lochan kept hiding and neglecting all those feelings.He knew for sure it was illegal. But one thing for sure, he just could not resist it.

I have never read this kind of story.. I was little bit surprised when I found out what happened between Lochan and Maya and everything they did. It was hard for me to believe. For me incest issued is intolerable. Call me naive when I thought that incest in a family no longer exists. But then I realized with all that kind of family, many terrible things could happened.

There was lots of emotion running through in each chapter. From Lochan till his dysfunctional mother have played a great role to make me feel different after done with one chapter. I hated their mother. I got annoyed with Kit. I loved all those breakfast or dinner session. I enjoyed all Maya’s thought. I liked when she shared everything especially about her little sister. I loved Willa. She was my favorite character. I liked when she started talking. Something weird from her chapters was when she talked about her feeling to Lochan. None of them made me feel gross. For sometimes, I felt there was nothing wrong with them. They were just like another normal couple. But different things happened when it was Lochan’s part. I was up and down with him. In his first chapter, it was hard for me to get what he said. The words that Tabitha chose for Lochan were out of my dictionary. His social problem was also confused me. How I hated when he kept lying to himself and denying everything while he realized the feeling for Maya was there. He made me thought that he was just not trying hard enough. Then in the end, he succeeded with his words. My eyes were full with tears.

I wish I got a different ending. Not the one which breaks my heart.

Forbidden is one of five books that written by Tabitha Suzuma. I have not checked the others. But for this hard topic, she wrote it well.

Cover

There is two colour for the cover of this book. The red one is for the Hardcover and the black for paperback. If they ask me to choose, I prefer the black one. It's suitable with the story inside.

4/5

Author: Tabitha Suzuma | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse; Reprint edition (June 28, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1442419954
ISBN-13: 978-1442419957
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
Source: Galley Grab
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Review: The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

 

Amber’s life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.

Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he’s also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.

The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she’s drawn to him. And the more she’s troubled by his darkness. Because Cade’s not just living in the now—he’s living each moment like it’s his last.(Goodreads)

My Thought

I was little bit surprise when I read the first page. I thought it was just the prologue. But when I move to few next pages, I realized that the format of this book is different. It is written in verse.  I got no problem with this kind of book. But the verse made me almost miss the important part. That was way, In the beginning, I got confused a little bit. I have no idea what Amber was trying to said. But when I read the first letter, I started getting the red line. Especially when Cade appeared. I think I could get the track. So I decided to reread it.

 

The Day Before brought me to Amber, a girl who ran away from her family and one thing that troubled her for almost three years. After letting me get the picture of Amber's life, It took me to Cade. It did not take hours for them to get connected. For some books I would say it was just too fast. But this time, I did not feel the same. It might because the relationship between them was bonded naturally. Although I was not into both of them, but I did enjoy their conversation. Especially with those Heads and Tails or when they talked about the movie. I also liked when they finally shared anything. I loved how Lisa determined the ending for them.

One thing that I was also looking forward in this book was the letters. It helped me a lot in getting the story line. I was happy when the ending was attached with it, not the verse.

Even if I did not fancy the verse format, but I admit it was written well. I still enjoy the book however the emotions were not floating on the surface. 

This is the first book of Lisa Schroeder that I read. I hope there will be a chance to read the other book of hers. I am curious about I Heart You, You Haunt Me and Chasing Brooklyn. From her Goodreads page, I know that she also wrote Middle Grade book. I am looking forward to read it. For those of you who love a contemporary book, I am pretty sure you don’t wanna miss this one. If you are looking a face-paced and light book, I recommend The Day Before to you.

Cover

I like the color choice. But I wish it was not grass but the sand on the beach.

4/5

Author: Lisa Schroeder | Website | Twitter

Reading level: Young Adult

Hardcover: 320 pages

Publisher: Simon Pulse (June 28, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1442417439

ISBN-13: 978-1442417434

Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches

Buy The Day Before at Amazon

Review: Incredibly Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Get ready to start your own incredible, amazing life…right?

Alice McKinley is standing on the edge of something new—and half afraid she might fall off. Graduation is a big deal—that gauntlet of growing up that requires everyone she’s known since forever to make huge decisions that will fling them here and there and far from home. But what if Alice wants to be that little dandelion seed that doesn't scatter? What if she doesn’t have the heart to fly off into the horizon on the next big breeze? And what if that starts to make her feel like staying close to home means she’s a little less incredible than her friends—and her boyfriend Patrick?

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is be honest with yourself—and sometimes the most incredible thing you can do is sneak a little fun into all this soul-searching.

My Thought

I am a big fan of Alice books. I have read many of them. From The Agony of Alice until Including Alice. Thanks to Gramedia Pustaka Utama, the local publisher, who has published and translated the series. However they did not publish all books and skip some number but I still could keep the track. There was nothing missing. But when they finally decided to stop publish the next book, I was so sad. I still want to read all about her. So that was why I was so thrilled when I saw Incredibly Alice was available in March Grab Galley.

However, at first I was little bit afraid that I missed many part. Because the last book that I read, Alice was in her first semester of 10th grade. From Wikipedia, I found about six books between them. But when I jumped into the chapters, I could catch up. I did not miss many things. Some stuff were retold here. Although many things has happened to Alice and the other characters, I still recognized them. Let's say Elizabeth and Pamela - her best friend, Patrick-her boyfriend, Lester - her gorgeous brother, even Mr McKinley- her father and Silvia. There were still some characters that I did not mention.All characters were developed well. It was nice to see all of them appeared one by one. And all

In Incredible Alice, she was already in second semester of senior year. It was also her last year in high school. Many things happened in this semester. I liked all those various events. The plan to spend summer holiday, School's Drama,Graduation party till the college application announcement that almost drove her emotions. From all of them, my favorite was her story about his brother, Lester.There was not many changing in Lester. He was still sweet. I enjoyed all time that Alice spent with him. I could see Alice and Lester took care of each other. Something that surprised me was her relation with Patrick. They have moved to the next level.

When I was in the last page, all I wanted was reading the next book. Unfortunately this is the newest series so I have to wait till Ms. Phyllis write the next one.

For the one who have not read any book of Alice series, they might find it difficult to blend with the story.

Cover
I did not get used to with this kind of cover of Alice. Because all of her book that published in Indonesia was drawn. But I still like it.

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• Reading level: Young Adult
• Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor | Blog
• Hardcover; 288 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (May 10, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416975535
• ISBN-13: 978-1416975533
• Source: Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

Buy Incredibly Alice at Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday: But I Love Him by Amanda Grace

Tonight was so much worse than anything before it. Tonight he didn't stop after the first slap.

At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved — and needed. Ann can't recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor's rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything — and everyone — in its path.

This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.

Since I read Stay by Deb Caletti, I want to read heartbreaking book more and more. It's not difficult to imagine about this dysfunctional relationship between Ann and Connor. I could feel how hard it is for Ann to take the decision. I wish I could read this book. 

Paperback, 264 pages

Expected publication: May 8th 2011 by Flux

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"Waiting" On Wednesday is a weekly meme that hosted by Breaking The Spine