Month: July 2021

Teen reviewer – Gwenyth I.

Beach Read (2020)

Author: Emily Henry

Total Pages: 358

Personal Rating: ⅘ 

Beach Read by Emily Henry is a contemporary romance novel that follows January Andrews as she trudges through summer in hopes of publishing a romance book by the end of the season. After her father’s secrets were exposed following his death, January has had a hard time writing a book that entails the joy of life. Subsequently, her college nemesis, Augustus Everett lives in a neighboring beach house, with the same syndrome of writer’s block. Unlike January, Augustus is an avid writer of dark horror and tragedy. After days of bickering, one thing leads to another and both individuals agree to take a shot at writing the other’s preferred genre. They make a promise not to fall in love by the end of their writing journeys.

This book is super cute and the plotline follows a typical friends-to-lovers trope, which is always an enjoyable read. The ups and downs of a relationship really keep this book moving at a constant pace. The entirety of the book is narrated from January’s point of view and usually, I am not a fan of a single-sided romance book, but in this case, it really works. Since Augustus is such a closed-off individual, in January’s narration you feel as if you are uncovering his backstory with her. I also enjoyed that both January and Augustus are going through real-life struggles, which are uncommon in romance books because most authors tend to lean on a predictable problem that the character can develop from. I guess the only thing that lost me was the title of the book. When the book is titled Beach Read, I would expect the beach to be the main setting that the reader always returns back to. And yes, while they are located on the beach, it only gets mentioned a couple times throughout the book. It was not like both Augustus and January were looking to craft the perfect beach read, but instead, craft a book that would be accepted by their publishing companies. But besides that, this book is really fun and I’d highly recommend it as a must-read for summer.

Thanks again! Mrs. Long

Sam’s Movie Mania: Donnie Darko

Donnie Darko (2001)

I absolutely loved this movie. The cult classic Donnie Darko directed by Richard Kelly is now one of my top 10 favorite movies of all time. It’s weird, it’s confusing but it is an incredibly rewarding and satisfying story if you are willing to think a little to understand the plot. 


Donnie Darko, played by a young Jake Gyllenhaal, is a deeply disturbed and troubled teen. His therapist diagnoses him with schizophrenia and his parents become increasingly worried about his mental health. Meanwhile, Darko befriends an imaginary 6 foot tall bunny named Frank who tells him the world will end in 28 days. Over the next 28 days, Darko dives deep into the mystery of Frank, time travel and the end of the world all while his sanity slips away.


I’m a sucker for psychological thrillers and smart, thought provoking sci-fi movies. This film perfectly takes the best parts of each genre and mixes them into a 2 hour long masterpiece. You have Donnie who is a mentally ill teen who is kind of an unreliable narrator. We see the movie through Donnie’s eyes which adds a sense of distrust for what we are being showed on screen. Mix in a well thought out concept of meaningful time travel and you have one of the most gripping and interesting films of the 21st century. 


There isn’t really anything I didn’t like about this 2001 flick, but I will say it’s not for everyone. It is super weird and it may be a little bit too far out there for people who like more grounded stories. Another thing that I like but others may not is that the story is very ambiguous. You can interpret this movie in many different ways and there isn’t really one correct or linear way to look at this beloved cult classic.


I would definitely recommend this movie to teens. In the first half it has a good amount of dark humor. Donnie is a pretty funny character and he’s honestly a relatable teen. Just a disclaimer though, be prepared to think and analyze this film if you want to fully understand the story. 

Thanks again, Sam! – Mrs. Long

Teen reviewer – Gwenyth I.

Note from Mrs. Long – this is an adult book, not a teen book, with sensitive subject matter.

A Little Life (2015)

Author: Hanya Yanagihara

Total Pages: 814

Rating: 3.5 /5

Review:

Wow… this book was the dictionary definition of an emotional rollercoaster. I’ve never read a book with this much complexity ever in my life. Written by Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life follows the lives of four college classmates as they take their steps into adulthood and endure the hardships that come with responsibility.

 I’m going to say it now because this must be stressed: PLEASE search the trigger warnings before reading this book! I can’t stress this point enough. With this amount of deepness fit into a book, there are so many sensitive factors that allow for a plot like this to be developed.

As for characters, there are four main characters: JB, Malcolm, Willem, and Jude. Although the book follows the group as a whole, there is a prominent focus on Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma that contributes to the deterioration of both his mental and physical health. Because there is a “mysterious aura” to Jude, the only thing that kept me from quitting this book was Jude’s plotline and story. Everytime I felt like putting down the book, Jude’s story somehow captivated my attention to keep me going.  The things that Jude has had experienced throughout his lifetime has led to his personality and development as an adult, which sometimes impairs his judgment and morality. Although he is my favorite character, I found myself hating him for his actions that eventually led to his poor physical state. 

So why did I rate this book a 3.5 / 5? It’s absolutely not the book’s fault!! It’s because ultimately I think that I’m just too young to understand the complexity of this book. There are so many concepts throughout this book that I simply plowed through because I didn’t find importance in them. After I experience adulthood and college, I will most definitely revisit this book, as it has made a huge impact on making me realize topics that I should be more aware about.

Thank you, Mrs. Long

Teen reviewer – Gwenyth I.

The UnHoneyMooners (2019)

Author: Christina Lauren

Total Pages: 395

Rating: 4 / 5

Review:

Who doesn’t love a rom-com enemies to lovers book? Because I most certainly do. The UnHoneyMooners is a fluffy book that is a really quick read (I actually finished the novel in one day). The plot is a little hard to explain but I’ll do my best at providing a brief synopsis. To tell it short, Olive Torres believes that she has been cursed as unlucky, while her twin, Ami Torres, lives a life of being an eternal champion, winning a slew of raffles and contests. On Ami’s wedding day, almost every person gets ciguatera, which happens when one eats fish contaminated with certain toxins. Fortunately for Olive, she is left safe but she’s also left with her nemesis, Ethan Thomas. Both individuals are offered an all exclusive honeymoon trip after her sister is too ill to travel. Although both have a notion of hatred towards each other, they somehow end up taking a romantic trip of a lifetime to Maui.

Finding this book off BookTok, I was really excited to read it and my expectations were met! Although this isn’t a deep or sentimental book, sometimes you just need a light read to keep you out of a reading slump. I didn’t really love the characters but the storyline was enough to keep the book going. So.. what led me to rating this a ⅘?I must admit that some parts were a bit predictable, with the book following a typical enemies to lovers plot (a bunch of breakups and eventually a reunion) and towards the end of the book I found myself just reading words, not anything that had anything sentimental meaning. Overall, I just really enjoyed how realistic Ethan and Olive’s relationship was and I felt as if the communication within their relationship was very accurate to how couples communicate these days. Overall, this is a nice beach read and can be easily finished in a day. It’s a typical love story that somehow sets itself different from others and I’m looking forward to reading more books by Christina Lauren.

Great Booktok pick! – Mrs. Long

Teen reviewer – Gwenyth I.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017)

Author: Taylor Jenkkins Reid

Total Pages: 385

Personal Rating: 4.5 /5

Review:

It is rare that I enjoy a historical book but in this case, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo proved me wrong. In an interview with infamous Hollywood actress, Evelyn Hugo, sits down with an unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant, finally ready to expose the whirlwind that she has experienced from being a prominent figure in the entertainment industry. Monique finds it odd that Evelyn Hugo chose her out of all the reporters in the world and as Evelyn moves through her story, Monique gets closer to discovering her secret.

This novel is so well written and each page was filled with detail that exploded off the pages. Taylor Jenkins Reid does a great job at tying in a historical genre while unspooling a tale of forbidden love and friendship. One thing I really loved about Reid’s writing is the way she develops character traits and personalities. By the end of the novel, I felt as if I knew each character personally and their path to development. But by far, the best thing I loved from this book was the romance plot that unfolds throughout the course of the book. It was shocking to find out that Evelyn’s sexuality was different from what was considered conventional during the time and the lengths that she took to conceal her sexuality. Instead of going along the typical plot of a man and woman love story, Reid writes the book with each section regarding Evelyn’s method in her approach towards the Hollywood spotlight. There really isn’t anything that is bad about this book because I never found myself bored or unentertained because I was so intrigued with each turn that Evelyn Hugo’s life took. If this novel was turned into a movie adaptation, I wouldn’t be surprised because it definitely deserves the potential of being visualized in the cinema world.

I agree! Would make a great movie. Thanks, Mrs. Long

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