Random Movie Recommendations: Teen Rom-Coms

June 27, 2018June 18, 2018 Kat Impossible37 Comments

Last week I talked about some of my recent favourite Rom-Coms, but I know that the age of my audience is very varied, so I didn’t want to hold off on you about teen rom-coms I watched! Although I want to note that both movies technically also fall into the drama genre … just saying. When I was growing up, which makes me sound much older than I am, I feel like there were just tons and tons of amazing and more importantly fun teen movies

Candy Jar

There’s not a lot of movies on debate clubs out there. At least none that I really know of, so to get that glimpse into a world I am vastly unfamiliar with was really interesting (and from what I heard it also seems to be an accurate depiction of that scene). Also, I am always here for a good old enemies-to-lovers trope!

This isn’t just some cutesy romantic story in a quirky setting though, it packs quite the punch. It deals with the uncertainty of life and loss, the fact that you can never be prepared for everything. In many ways, this movie reflected all my doubts and struggles when I was about to graduate high school and I can always appreciate relatable content like that.

Alex Strangelove

I think with Love, Simon being a success in cinemas, it was evident we needed more stories like that. Coming out stories that may not be perfect and all happy, but stories that aren’t just doom and gloom either. In many ways, it seems like Alex Strangelove is Netflix’ answer to that.

I am not sure the title was the best choice for this movie, but the content is definitely worth a watch. It aptly depicts the struggles of not just having to come out, but first of all realising that your sexual preferences may be different than what you believed them to be. During all of this, Alex Strangelove never forgets to show both sides and the people who are involved in the process. The characters make mistakes but remain very lovable and give the movie an authentic vibe even with crazy imaginary sequences inbetween.

While watching this movie, it is evident that the viewer knows more about where this is going than Alex does. It is kind of endearing to watch him figure things out. I am sure this movie does not represent everyone’s experience, but at the same time I also don’t doubt that there are people who can identify with his journey.

What are some teen movies you have enjoyed lately? Let’s talk about it!

Mini Reviews: Beastly Bones, The Song of Achilles, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

June 26, 2018 Kat Impossible34 Comments

I love telling you guys how I feel about books! That is pretty much why this whole blog exists, so that I can rant and rave about all the things I am passionate about. However, sometimes I don’t have that strong of an opinion about my last read, or I simply don’t think it warrants a full review. That is why I took a page out of my good friend Marie’s book and am introducing mini reviews on the blog! That in no way means that there won’t be any more full length ones in the future, but every now and then I am just going to do a cumulative post of some of my recent reads with only a short summary of my thoughts.

Click on the covers to get redirected to Goodreads!

Beastly Bones by William Ritter

Beastly Bones is the sequel to Jackaby, which I read and loved not very long ago. I legit ordered this one right after I finished the first book and have no regrets. This time around I enjoyed the mystery of the case a little more, as it seemed less predictable. We are now getting farther into the characters’ backgrounds and are starting to uncover some secrets as well as an overarching plotline for the rest of the series. As much as book-to-book cases would work for this format, I am kind of glad there’s also something more than the people connecting the story throughout the series.

The only reason I am docking one star is because I was frustrated with how little faith or interest Jackaby and Rook showed in each other’s investigation techniques. It took them forever to solve something they might have realised far quicker if they had listened to one another. They do acknowledge that mistake by the end, so I feel like it shouldn’t happen as much in future parts.

Fazit: 4/5 stars! A worthy sequel and … dragons!

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Folks, I have to be real with you, I feel bad because I didn’t love this as much as apparently everyone else in my immediate friend circle did. I adore Greek Mythology, I like a good slow-burn gay romance, I am ALL for books that make the unreal seem real, but still … the book didn’t click with me the way I hoped it would.

First of all, it took me forever to really get into the story. I felt it was too slow, until it finally picked up some pace around the halfway point. Then I wasn’t too happy with a certain cheating plotline … but ultimately, while I know this is mainly a love story and rightly so, I felt like this would have just been utterly confusing in terms of names, places and events for people who are unfamiliar with Greek Mythology beforehand.

Having said that, The Song of Achilles is definitely quality content and a beautifully devastating story that will hit you right in the heart! I understand every single person who was emotionally distraught by the end of it, because so was I.

Fazit: 4/5 stars! Takes you right to Ancient Greece!

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

This is another book everyone kept screaming at me to read and I actually had a signed copy for a while (that traveled with me through all of Canada), so I have no idea what took me so long. The only thing I do know is that the trailer was the thing that finally got me to pick it up for real and I am so grateful for that! To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before just made me all mushy and soft inside.

It has all the things I love in a YA contemporary, from pretend relationships to letters to adorable love interests to a strong focus on family – I honestly couldn’t have asked for anything more! I adored the characters and was excited to read a book with an Korean-American MC.

I don’t know what to say other than I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book and once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. I literally finished it in one swoop and stayed up until 2 AM to do so. Very few books have managed to make me want to miss out on precious sleep.

Fazit: 5/5 stars! A perfect YA contemporary with a more than promising Netflix adaptation that I cannot wait for!

So, how are you all feeling about the mini reviews? Do you like them or do you prefer the longer format? (Again, I am not giving up on regular reviews!) Have you read any of these books and have thoughts on them? Let’s talk!

Random Movie Recommendations: Rom-Coms

June 20, 2018June 20, 2018 Kat Impossible44 Comments

So, I don’t know who all remembers this feature, but it pops up pretty rarely since I am more of a TV rather than movie person. Anyway, it’s fairly simple, I pick a theme and then recommend two or more movies that I recently watched and thought the world should know about. There is no in depth analysis, but really just a short and sweet paragraph or so to let you know why people should watch it.

Here we go! This time I really want to showcase some great Rom-Coms (short for Romantic Comedies). Despite a lot of critics complaining about them, I KNOW that people have been craving a comeback of that genre. There is nothing wrong with some formulaic love story every now and then, because that in no way means it cannot be entertaining and memorable. These are my picks:

Set It Up

I have been screaming about this movie for what feels like weeks now. First of all, the casting is more than stellar, I adore every single person on this movie and would have watched it if it had been a potato sack commercial. Luckily, it was not and instead I got one of the best romantic comedies in recent years. I know, I know, that is high praise, but here’s some reasons why it works so well.

While it does play into certain stereotypes, it simultaneously fights against them. Women aren’t given an expiration date or are made to choose between love and a career. There are no double standards for gender roles and friendships are shown how they are supposed to be – supportive with that kick in the butt when necessary. People struggle with what they want in life and make mistakes and there are consequences, all the while this movie is highly entertaining with both hilarious and relatable dialogue and quotes that I’ll probably reference to friends for years to come.

And on a side note, if you are a writer, this movie gives some really good advice. Never thought I’d take advice from a Netflix flick either, but here we are!

Ibiza

Okay, fine! I only watched this because Richard Madden was in it and I haven’t really seen him in a movie or show since Game of Thrones. Not going to lie, I don’t hold Ibiza in the same high regard as Set It Up, but it was still a lot more fun than I thought it would be.

Granted, this isn’t exactly my kind of humour, so that’s probably part of why I wasn’t head over heels into it, but if you are looking for some women who aren’t afraid to have a fun time and an adorkable love interest – Ibiza delivers. Gillian Jacobs and Richard Madden were just the right amount of awkward and cute, their scenes were the best part for me. It gives you that total vibe of a summer romance that could be more if you are brave enough to try.

When We First Met

Before starting this movie, I messaged my friend how I thought the movie would end I was 100% right. As I mentioned in the opening of this post, I don’t think there is anything wrong with movies, especially in this genre, being a little predictable and it didn’t bother me here either. It doesn’t change the fact that When We First Met is a feel-good movie and exactly the right thing if you just want to be entertained.

Overall, it’s a little like Groundhog Day with a twist, a movie with ideas that may have been executed before and in better ways also, but that’s still enjoyable. It stays down to earth and has a cast you will surely recognise from other shows and movies. I always like when you have those worlds-collide-moments.

Have you watched either one of those movies? Would you be interested in getting some rom-com type movie recommendations with teen characters as well? Let me know in the comments below!

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (Book Review)

June 19, 2018April 1, 2021 Kat Impossible23 Comments

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Page Count: 352

CW: death, graphic sex scenes, suicide, animal cruelty

I was so looking forward to this book. The premise, as strange and gloomy as it may sound, really captivated me and I was ready to dive into it immediately. I quite enjoy family-centric books that focus on the bonds that are built, strained and possibly destroyed over time, which made the whole aspect of the story spanning over several decades even more endearing. After actually reading the book though, I was rather torn. I debated whether I could actually find the words to write this review, but here we are and I am trying.

“She’d tell herself that what she really wanted was not to live forever, but to stop worrying.”

I both liked and very much disliked this book. Don’t get me wrong, there were many powerful and enchanting moments in the Immortalists but something about the execution irked me. I was prepared for sadness and difficult scenes, after all, this book is about death. However, the read stayed kind of illusive to me until the end and therefore made some of the more hard-hitting moments difficult to grasp. I was confused by several passages, never quite sure if it could be classified as magical or if this was supposed to just be reality. I understand that there isn’t always a need to explain everything, but if you are indicating there was e.g. a mental illness at play and you make it look like magic instead, I will definitely be confused. Also, even though the topic of the book is supposedly about fate vs. self-fulfilling prophecies, I don’t actually know where it stands on that subject by the end of it. Maybe it’s good to question that. Maybe it was designed that way to make the reader think, but I would have liked to explore the intricacies of that concept a little more.

“Character is fate—that’s what he said. They’re bound up, those two, like brothers and sisters. You wanna know the future?” She points at Varya with her free hand. “Look in the mirror.”

Overall, the Immortalists reads a lot like historical fiction. Since we start in the late 60s and go all the way to the mid 2000s, they cover a lot of ground and events during that time. That was also the reason why I let them get away with language I would not have liked to read in a book set in contemporary times.

“She knows that stories have the power to change things: the past and the future, even the present.”

Lastly, I don’t need my characters to be likable. We aren’t all likable humans, but these four siblings really didn’t make it easy to root for them sometimes. And the way some of their bodily changes were described just felt unnecessary to me. Do you really have to introduce a 13 year-old in the second sentence of a book by mentioning her pubic hair? I am not trying to say there’s anything wrong about pubic hair, but what was the point of that description?

This may be an odd way to end the review, but this was also an odd read for me. From what I understand, a lot of people really enjoyed this book and therefore it could just be a me-problem here. I cannot put into words what it was lacking for me, but there definitely was something missing that could have elevated The Immortalists by a couple stars.

Fazit: 3/5 stars! While it had some great moments, it ultimately wasn’t the kind of book I wanted it to be.

Have you read The Immortalists? Is it a story you can see yourself enjoying? Let’s talk about it!

Mid Year Freak Out Tag (2018 Version)

June 12, 2018June 12, 2018 Kat Impossible65 Comments

I guess it’s already that time of the year again where I get to freak out over books because, well … it’s June and months have passed and I have tried to read a bunch. So, thank you to The Orang-utan Librarian for tagging me to do the Mid Year Freak Out Tag!

BEST BOOK YOU’VE READ YET IN 2018

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo I hate picking favourites so much! I just always feel like I forget something, but I looked at all the books I read on Goodreads and To Kill a Kingdom caught my eye. I really liked reading about sirens and adventure at sea, therefore it is ONE of my favourites of the year so far.

BEST SEQUEL YOU’VE READ SO FAR IN 2018

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown Hands down, Iron Gold! I feel like I had to wait for this book forever and then I finally got it, had a super fun buddy read and am beyond excited that we most likely get the next book this year as well!? I cannot get enough of that world and the intensity that comes with it.

NEW RELEASE YOU HAVEN’T READ YET BUT WANT TO

Only Human is the finale of the Themis Files and I cannot wait to finally read how it all ends. I have it on my shelf and it’s staring at me like it’s trying to seduce me to read it sooner.

Only Human: Themis Files Book 3

MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

As mentioned above, there’s another book coming in the Red Rising saga and it would be very strange to not say that Dark Age is the one I am most anticipating. But also, I am just not as up to date with new releases as I used to be, I am all about (or at least mostly) the backlist this year.

Dark Age (Red Rising Saga, #5)

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler I don’t even want to think back to reading Sweetbitter. I was so excited to read about a main character who works as a server and does not just use that as a means to get by until they get their dream job, but then it was just terribly toxic.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer Hmmm … that’s a tough one. I think I might not have expected to love Annihilation as much as I did. Seen as it is more on the creepy side, it didn’t seem like an obvious choice for me. Usually I also don’t like detached writing, but this one worked perfectly.

FAVOURITE NEW AUTHOR

I fell a little bit in love with Nic Stone‘s writing when I read Dear Martin. I can’t really describe the why or anything like that, but it just flows super nicely and made Dear Martin such an addictive read. I am already looking forward to her next book!

NEWEST FICTIONAL CRUSH

Hands down, Dawsey Adams from the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society! He is kind, smart and patient, supported women and their independence at a time that wasn’t a sure thing and is good with kids. Where is my Dawsey??

NEWEST FAVOURITE CHARACTER

Just because I had so much fun reading Jackaby and I already mentioned To Kill a Kingdom before (cause Lira is freaking awesome), I am going with Abigail Rook. She is intelligent, great at deductions, always out for adventure and just as flustered as everyone else when she has a crush. (Seriously hoping to pick up Beastly Bones in the coming days to see where that all goes!)

Beastly Bones (Jackaby, #2)

BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Uhm … good question. I think I cried while reading The Hate U Give. Injustice just always gets to me hard and Angie Thomas did such an amazing job at making you feel really close to the characters and feeling as if you were right there with them. Tears were shed for sure.

BOOK THAT MADE YOU HAPPY

The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee I remember laughing a lot while reading The Epic Crush of Genie Lo, so I am pretty sure it’s fair to say that it made me happy?

FAVOURITE BOOK TO FILM ADAPTATION

You would guess that I have an answer to this right away, but I am actually having a really hard time coming up with one. My most anticipated book to film adaptation would probably be Love, Simon, but it’s still not released anywhere in my country (two more weeks!!) and that just means I haven’t watched it. I also think that Crazy Rich Asians is going to be awesome, but I haven’t read or watched that one yet either. I keep trying to wrap my head around the fact that I don’t think I have seen that many movies this year so far??

FAVOURITE POST YOU HAVE DONE THIS YEAR

I guess that it wasn’t really such a noteworthy post for most people, but I am so glad I did a more or less comprehensive post about my WIP titled “Let’s Talk About Arcadia“. It has been a massive help as a referral post for me whenever I talked about writing and updates of the story or did tags that related to my characters. Even if someone completely new joins the blog now, I will have a place to send them to for details on my story. Thus far, I was really always worried that my posts about Arcadia would get annoying, especially for people who didn’t have a clue what I was talking about and that’s why it’s one of my favourite posts this year.

MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK YOU’VE BOUGHT THIS YEAR

Probably Obsidio? All the Illuminae Files books, especially since I was able to afford the hardcovers, are just gorgeous to look at.

Obsidio (The Illuminae Files, #3)

WHAT BOOKS DO YOU NEED TO READ BY THE END OF THE YEAR

I am pretty sure I have around 20 unread books on my shelf? I am such a massive mood reader, that it has really become an issue for me to have that many books at home. I will try to get to at least half of those if not all of them by the end of the year, but I am not actually going to rattle them off.

I TAG THEE

I tag whoever wants to do this tag!

What did you think about my mid year freak out? Can you relate? Do you have any questions or different answers? Let’s talk!

Jackaby by William Ritter (Book Review)

June 6, 2018 Kat Impossible45 Comments

Publisher: Algonquin
Page Count: 299

Something very simple drew me towards this book – the cover! I swear, this entire series is so freaking beautiful and I love the colors, the person in profile with another one in movement. It’s a reoccurring theme for all the books and I cannot wait to have them all on my shelf (and yes, book two is already waiting to be devoured next). But aside from its beauty, Jackaby is a mix of Elementary, Doctor Who and Teen Wolf set in the 19th century and I couldn’t be here more for it.

Jackaby was a fun book to read. I am not the biggest fan of detective stories usually, because for some reason I find most of them too predictable, but I didn’t mind it too much here. I saw this book more as a way of getting to know the characters and setting the scene and parameters than an intriguing and unsolvable case study. Jackaby seems like Eleven (from Doctor Who not Stranger Things) meets Sherlock with his funny, child-like quirks yet his complete misunderstanding of basic human interactions sometimes. At the same time Abigail Rook makes for a formidable and independent Watson-like associate. I loved that she didn’t buy into the stigma of how women were supposed to be at the time and the way she knew how to use that knowledge to her advantage. The two immediately clicked as a team and offered some hilarious conversations. My heart was captured by the one and only Detective Charlie Cane though. I think I may have found my latest literary crush and hope he will continue to be a fixture in books to come as well.

“Monsters are easy, Miss Rook. They’re monsters. But a monster in a suit? That’s basically just a wicked man, and a wicked man is a more dangerous thing by far.”

Again, the actual case wasn’t all too interesting for me. I was far more intrigued by the variety of supernatural creatures that were introduced, opening up a whole universe of possibilities for future stories. My inner know-it-all rejoiced whenever I guessed the type of supernatural being correctly and was equally amazed when I heard about something I didn’t know much or anything about before.

Overall, I really liked the book and am looking forward to what the future holds for Jackaby and Rook and all the other characters! I can’t wait to see where some relationships will be taken in the upcoming installments and am sure that there is far more supernatural stuff to discover.