The Bookish Fairy

Young adult, magical realism, and every book in between infused with fairy dust...

The Sky is Everywhere

The Sky is EverywhereThe Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Published by Dial Books on January 1st 1970
Genres: YA Contemporary
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five-stars

Adrift after her sister Bailey's sudden death, Lennie finds herself torn between quiet, seductive Toby—Bailey's boyfriend who shares her grief—and Joe, the new boy in town who bursts with life and musical genius. Each offers Lennie something she desperately needs... though she knows if the two of them collide her whole world will explode.

Join Lennie on this heartbreaking and hilarious journey of profound sorrow and mad love, as she makes colossal mistakes and colossal discoveries, as she traipses through band rooms and forest bedrooms and ultimately right into your heart.

As much a celebration of love as a poignant portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often uproarious, and absolutely unforgettable.

The Sky Is Everywhere

“But what if music is what escapes when a heart breaks?”

After reading this book I was absolutely rendered SPEECHLESS! My favorite author is Francesca Lia Block and I have always been enamored with her lyrical and beautifully poetic language. I have never been able to compare Ms. Block to any author that I have read until I picked up a book by the Ms. Jandy Nelson. Her words are so unique, touching and full of heartbreak that I wanted to burst inside! This author just absolutely TOOK MY BREATH AWAY. Even though this novel is tagged as a young adult novel I believe this novel could be read by anyone that has lost a close loved one in their lives and can completely relate to the profound loss it can make in your life. Jandy Nelson has such a way of getting into the head of the character that it automatically comes to life in your head. Even though this book is an inherently sad story it will lift you up and make one look at life in a way that it will make your heart soar. Through this book, one can see the beauty that life really brings.

Meet Lennie Walker by Chloe Grace Moretz

Lennie is at a crossroads in her life and she is still figuring out who she is without her sister. So much of her identity was wrapped around her sister and when she was gone she lost herself in the process.

Meet Bailey Walker played by Selena Gomez

Bailey is depicted as bigger than life in Lennie’s life. Her sister was everything to her. Bailey was the kind of person that Lennie looked up too. She was the kind of person that lived in the moment and pushed Lennie to take chances.

Meet Toby Shaw played by Shia LaBeouf (circa Transformers before he went cray)

Toby is described by Lennie as “part cowboy, park skaterat.” Toby is the boyfriend of Lennie’s deceased sister. Once easygoing and carefree his world fell apart when Bailey passed. Now he leans on Lennie but maybe leans on her a little bit too much…

And finally the infamous Joe Fontaine…played by Jared Leto (circa My-So-Called-Life)

Joe Fontaine is supreme top-notch book boyfriend material. He is dreamy, cultured, and has a gift for music. He is the kind of guy that will just stop in your tracks. He is the guy that you admire from afar. He seems unapproachable but once you get to know him you realize that you realize that he is the easiest person to be yourself with. He is the guy you live and breathe and the one you cannot live without him. He is the guy behind all those tortured love poems and unrequited love mixtapes. Joe Fontaine is the guy you will never forget until your very last breath.   

Catfairy’s Final Thoughts

My heart will always belong to Jandy Nelson’s unforgettable words! I will always be a huge fan of Jandy Nelson and will now pick up any book that she writes. This author is very underrated and I think she needs to get more recognition for her amazing writing. I will always consider Jandy Nelson as one of my favorite authors because it’s hard to find the poetic and soulful writing that Jandy Nelson has. This book will touch and illuminate your soul. 

 

five-stars

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our StarsThe Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Published by Dutton Books on January 10, 2012
Genres: YA Contemporary, YA Romance
Pages: 313
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five-stars

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once."

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

 

Catfairy’s Booktape

Enjoy my angsty playlist inspired by The Fault in Our Stars!

...”There is always a hamartia.”

Catfairy’s Thoughts

This book has literally broken my heart and it was definitely a “privilege” in the words of the ever so eloquent/thought-provoking/unique/utterly charming Augustus Waters. (I just love that name. I will name my future child after Augustus.) It’s rare for me to find a book with such unique, witty and smart teenage characters who live their lives with such self-awareness that it’s a bit scary. If only there were more teenagers like Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace…it would definitely make the world a more interesting place.

… “I liked that he was a tenured professor in the Department of Slightly Crooked Smiles with a dual appointment in the Department of Having a Voice That Made My Skin Feel More Like Skin.”

…”Oh I wouldn’t mind Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.” 

Catnopsis

This starry-eyed/teary-eyed book is about two teenagers who have lived with cancer for most of their lives. The narrator of the story Hazel Grace has terminal thyroid cancer that has completely destroyed her lungs and she has to lug an oxygen tank around to be able to breathe. She goes to school and has an obsession with re-reading Peter Van Houton’s book a million times and terrible reality shows. She goes to a cancer support group that she is dragged into even though she prefers to watch endless marathons of America’s Next Top Model and who can blame her? Fortunately, missing marathon episodes of models in stage cat fights weren’t so bad when she met the “metaphorical cigarette hanging” Augustus Waters in the support group. Augustus Waters leg was claimed by a malignant bone tumor. Before he had the tumor he used to play basketball but now resents his past. He also goes to school as well and has a penchant for “Call of Duty” style video games and The Price of Dawn sci-fi series. Augustus is basically your classic geek with hunka hunka good looks and body. 

…”What a slut time is. She screws everybody.”

Catfairy’s Pop Culture Time Warp

If you loved The Fault in Our Stars and you want to cry some more I highly recommend you give A Walk to Remember a go! For anyone that has seen A Walk to Remember didn’t it kill you a little bit inside when Mandy Moore said…”You have to promise you won’t fall in love with me…”

SHE IS EVIL!

Catfairy’s Final Thoughts

This story is not your stereotypical story about two cancer kids that fall in love. It’s about these two amazing characters that view the world in such a completely and devastatingly honest way than any of their peers. They embrace life for what it is…the good and the bad. They don’t sugarcoat their cancer at all. Hazel even calls herself the side-effect when it comes to her cancer at all. They live their lives with wild abandon and if that means having their first kiss in Amsterdam on a tour of the Anne Frank house then so be it! Although at the same time these characters are aware of what their fates are. It’s the kind of story that will make you appreciate the simplest things such as breathing without relying on Phalanxifor (which is fake by the way) and being nostalgic about running around a playground which sadly these characters didn’t have the luxury to do. These are one of the few books where I read the ending about 10 times till I was satisfied and realized that I still wasn’t. Isn’t that like life?

“Ok…bye.”
…”You gave me forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.”

Five Charlie Chuchi Stars!

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Have you read The Fault in Our Stars and what book just made you ugly cry after reading it?
five-stars

Lucky in Love

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Lucky in LoveLucky in Love by Kasie West
Published by Point on July 25, 2017
Genres: YA Contemporary, YA Romance
Pages: 333
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Goodreads
three-stars

In this new contemporary from YA star Kasie West, a girl who wins the lottery learns that money can cause more problems than it solves, especially when love comes into the picture.

Maddie doesn't believe in luck. She's all about hard work and planning ahead. But one night, on a whim, she buys a lottery ticket. And then, to her astonishment --

She wins!

In a flash, Maddie's life is unrecognizable. No more stressing about college scholarships. Suddenly, she's talking about renting a yacht. And being in the spotlight at school is fun... until rumors start flying, and random people ask her for loans. Now, Maddie isn't sure who she can trust.

Except for Seth Nguyen, her funny, charming coworker at the local zoo. Seth doesn't seem aware of Maddie's big news. And, for some reason, she doesn't want to tell him. But what will happen if he learns her secret?

With tons of humor and heart, Kasie West delivers a million-dollar tale of winning, losing, and falling in love.

Catfairy’s Mixtape 

When I think of a Kasie West playlist it is filled with songs that are fun, light, and with a youthful spirit! Here is my millennial-inspired poppy Spotify playlist with some lottery inspired songs peppered in there!

 

Catfairy’s Thoughts

Kasie West has been an author that I have been hearing about many times lately in the book vlogging community and this is my first introduction to the contemporary queen known as Kasie West!

Now I started out with mixed feelings about this novel. At first, I was expecting this novel to be more of a contemporary young adult novel but I felt that the writing of the novel is more appropriate for middle-grade readers. The writing is very simplistic and the characters were written in a very one-dimensional fashion but I have to say the story is a fun read overall.

Catnopsis 

Lucky in Love is about a character named Maddie who is your play by the rules senior in high school who adores Reese Pieces candy, study dates with her best friends Blair and Elise, and most of all her family. She lives in a small town in Tustin, California. Maddie is having problems on the home front. Her parents are facing foreclosure of their home and her mom is the only one working in the family while her father is unemployed. Her brother Beau is also struggling financially because he is facing mounting student loan debt.

Maddie is someone who never believed in the lottery and would always tell people that they have a better chance of being struck by lightning than winning the lottery. Until one day on her birthday, she bought a lottery ticket on a whim because of the coaxing of the gas station clerk Maxine (Who is an extremely annoying and judgmental character btw!) and her world was never the same again…

 

Meet Maddie (Played by Dove Cameron) 

“Was learning a hobby?” –Maddie

Maddie is someone that is always doing what other people expect of her and wants to be in control. She is very focused on getting into a university and winning a scholarship until she wins 50 million dollars and she definitely has no scholarship worries at all!

I feel that Maddie is still a lost soul and she is trying to figure out what she wants in her life. She works for the zoo and she has a passion for animals. She wants to be a vet one day which is amazing but throughout the whole story Maddie is mostly described as someone who loves animals and is extremely (Maybe a little bit too much.) studious. That’s it. The character was very one note for me. I wanted more from the character. I felt that there isn’t many dimensions or much character development to her story. She is always underestimating herself and taking the safe route instead of trying to find herself.

 

Meet Seth (Played by Ross Butler)

“Magic cannot be explained. It can only be experienced.”

Seth is Maddie’s love interest and co-worker at the zoo. He is a really sweet and genuine guy who has a passion for filmmaking. Although I have to say that he has some terrible filmmaking ideas. Anyone interested in seeing a rabbit thriller? I think not!

Seth is an Asian-American and he lives in Tustin, California where the Asian population is few and far between. He hates it when people try to categorize him and assume that he wasn’t born in the United States. I felt that Seth was an interesting character and that Kasie West should have developed him a bit more. I wanted Seth to have more depth to him but it just wasn’t there.

The chemistry between Seth and Maddie is awkward throughout most of the story, that is until they go on the first date. I felt that the dialogue between Seth and Maddie felt very stilted. It felt like they were reading from a script.

Although Seth gets some huge brownie points for creating the best date ever! I don’t want to give it all away but it involves a carousel ride and an E.T. movie! (And please tell me why Maddie has never seen the movie E.T. Freaking millennials!) Honestly, the date melted my heart and gave me a toothache from eating too many of Maddie’s Reese’s Pieces candy!

 

Catfairy’s Final Thoughts

Even though, Maddie is described as being a smart girl with a 4.2 something GPA she is definitely lacking in the street smart department. After her lottery win, she was taken advantage of so many times throughout the book that I wanted to shake her silly! For example, what the heck possessed her to give $1,000 to a high school band to play in her yacht party?! And why would she throw away her money on a yacht?! Where are her parents?!?!

Her parents kept telling her to schedule an appointment with a financial advisor and that just dragged on toooo long! I felt that she was just giving away her money to the whole world and it frankly drove me insane!

The way that Maddie was throwing away her money on absolute crap was like a Preston Waters from Blank Check only he was an 11-year old child!

via GIPHY

In the story, Maddie is stuck between her choice of two universities. She doesn’t know whether she wants to go to UCLA which is closer to her family or Stanford which is farther away from her family. She is always worried about her family’s financial issues and wants to be with them during their times of crises.

 

“She tilted her head in a “poor naïve” girl” expression.” –Blair (The only person that calls her out on being naïve and stupid when it comes to giving away her money.)

 

One of Maddie’s best friends Blair (Who is really the main voice of reason in this book.) tells Maddie that she is being stupid and that she needs to focus on her goals and that she has no control over her family. Not only did Maddie get taken advantage by her friends after winning the lottery, her family took major advantage too! Her family was more excited about her winning the lottery and how it would benefit them instead of herself! Her brother was also a piece of work. I just couldn’t stand that while Maddie was worried about leaving her family to go to college, her family didn’t seem to care too much about her welfare! It’s her money damn it!

 

One of the things I loved about the story is how they don’t only focus on Maddie winning the lottery. They focus on how it affects the entire family. Throughout the story, her parents face a lot of marital issues and I felt that the dialogue and the way that the parents would interact with one another was very raw and realistic. You can feel the tension and how uncomfortable it was for Maddie and her brother Beau.

 

Even though there were some really frustrating aspects about this story and the characters were underdeveloped I was entertained by the concept of the story. This story teaches you to let go and learn to live your life for yourself and not for others. When I finished reading Lucky in Love I wanted to initially give the book 2 stars but then I decided on 3 stars because I thoroughly enjoyed the story as a whole and thought it was a cute contemporary novel! This will not be my last Kasie West novel!

3 Meowsweet Stars!

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Now if you won 50 million dollars what would you do with it? Comment below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

three-stars

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

To All the Boys I’ve Loved BeforeTo All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1) by Jenny Han
Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1
Published by Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH & Co. KG on July 25th 2016
Genres: YA Contemporary, YA Romance
Pages: 352
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five-stars

five-stars

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Here is my motown Spotify list inspired by Lara Jean…

Catfairy’s First Thoughts

Presently at this moment, I am writing this review and swaying to my Lara Jean Motown playlist on Spotify and eating an oatmeal raisin cookie. (I know…I know…Lara Jean…could make much more creative cookies…such as those cowgirl cookies and don’t forget those snickerdoodles!)

If I could sum up my feelings for this book in one word, I would simply use a word that isn’t listed in the Cambridge English Dictionary and that word would be…adorbs!

To all the boys I’ve loved before made me want to be the fourth Song sister and I just loved all the things about the main character of Lara Jean! I want to live in the world of Lara Jean and raid her adorable vintage outfits and use her heart hole puncher! After all, how can you not love a girl who has a heart hole puncher?

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“Because after I write my letter, I’m no longer consumed by my all-consuming love. I can eat my cereal and not wonder if he likes bananas over his Cherrios too: I can sing along to love songs and not be singing them to him. If love is like a possession, maybe my letters are like my exorcisms. My letters set me free. Or at least they’re supposed to.”-Lara Jean 

Catnopsis

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To all the boys I’ve loved before is the first contemporary romance book of a trilogy who introduces the dainty character of Lara Jean. Lara Jean lives with her father and two other sisters named Margot and Kitty. The sisters call themselves the Song girls because their mother’s maiden name is Song and the sisters have a strong connection to their mother. Their mother died at an early age and they also share more of their mother’s physical features which is Korean and their father is Caucasion.

“We are the three Song girls. There use to be four. My mom, Eve Song. Evie to my dad, Mommy to us, Eve to everyone else. Song is, was, my mom’s last name. Our last name is Covey-Covey like lovey, not like cove. But the reason we are the Song girls and not the Covey girls is my mom used to say that she was a Song girl for life, and Margot said then we should be too. We all have Song for our middle name, and we look more Song than Covey anyway, more Korean than white.”

The Song girls are an absolute trip! Margot is the responsible and smart sister who plays mom to the whole family. Kitty is the baby sister in the family who is always causing trouble and is way too smart and spunky for her own good! They have so much fun together and have so many cute traditions that they share like the CHRISTMAS COOKIE BONANZA!

When Lara Jean falls in love with a boy she writes them a love letter professing her adoration and that’s how she gets these boys out of her system. After she finishes writing the love letter she methodically hides them in a charming teal vintage hatbox that her mother bought her. Until one day the letters are gone and all the five boys “she has loved before” receive her love letters and this is the one moment where all the boys of her past come out of the woodwork and Lara has to make a choice to either hide in her world of love letters or face the truth of her emotions, and finally live her life.

Meet Lara Jean played by Tiffany Hwang

Lara Jean is your proverbial dreamy eyed teenager who is in love with love but is terrified of it at the same time. Although she has a dramatic and individualistic style down to her vintage clothes and her innate attention to detail.

The character of Lara Jean is someone who fantasizes about love and sees it through rose colored glasses more than the real reality of it. She would rather love the boys from afar and obsess over them but never fully commit to them.

Lara Jean truly walks to the beat of her own drum and that’s what makes her full of awesomeness!

“I think I see the difference now, between loving someone from afar and loving someone up close. When you see them up close, you see the real them, but they also get to see the real you. And Peter does. He seems me, and I see him.” -Lara Jean

Meet Peter Kavinsky played by Harry Styles

“That’s when I see him. Peter Kavinsky, walking down the hallway. Like magic. Beautiful, dark-haired Peter. He deserves background music, he looks so good.” -Lara Jean

Peter Kavinsky’s is one of the five boys that Lara Jean professed her undying love to.

Peter is that quintessential guy in school that one loves to hate and hates to love at the same time. He is a popular jock who everyone is friends with and who everyone wants to be friends with. Peter has such a self-assurance about himself that it can make anyone feel that all is good and right with the world.

“I think you’re cute. In a quirky way.” –Peter Kavinsky

If I was in high school Peter would be one of my fictional high school boyfriends! He is just the most appealing, irresistible, and infuriating character that I have ever read about! Peter is someone you want to kiss and slap across the face at the same time! The back and forth banter between Lara Jean and Peter is just priceless and he brings out the feisty side of Lara Jean. Peter brings Lara Jean out of her shell and makes her realize that love is not a sugar-coated fantasy and in order to love someone you need to first be honest with yourself.

Meet Josh played by Skyler Astin

Josh is part of the love letter debacle as well and also part of a love triangle between Lara Jean, Peter, and Josh.

Josh dated Lara Jean’s sister Margot and when they suddenly broke up Josh receives Lara Jean’s love letter. Lara Jean is horrified by the fact that he received this love letter because she would never admit her feelings to Josh since he dated her sister. In order to avoid conflict, she pretends to date Peter Kavinsky. This also benefits Peter because he is currently breaking up with Lara Jean’s ex-friend mean girl Genevieve for the millionth time and wants to get her jealous. And so the plot thickens…

Josh is your typical do-gooder guy that is always there for you when you need it. Josh is like the Dawson Leery in your life that is always there to lend a shoulder to cry on and yada, yada, yada…Honestly, the character of Josh didn’t really get my attention. He seemed to be a very dry and humdrum character to me. I felt like I didn’t know enough about Josh for me to genuinely like him as a character. There just wasn’t enough depth to the character of Josh which leads me to definitely be Team Peter.

Now Lara Jean has a choice. Does she want the bad boy Peter (aka Pacey Witter) or the do-gooder Josh (aka Dawson Leery)?

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Jenny Han’s Writing

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Catfairy and Jenny Han Book Signing

Overall, it’s great to see that YA novels are representing more diversity than ever before. The author Jenny Han who is herself Korean perfectly exemplifies the Korean culture. She also beautifully describes the struggle that Lara Jean goes through with being half Korean and Half-Caucasian.

This book is written in the first person and it’s a very character-driven novel and it’s what makes this book come alive! To all the boys I’ve loved before would not have been the same book if it wasn’t for the unique characters that she had in this novel! It is easy to get lost in the world of the Song sisters! When I read this book, I felt like I was personally invited to the home of the Song sisters and I got to know them so well, that I grew attached to each of them.

Catfairy Final Thoughts

“When someone’s been gone a long time, at first you save up all the things you want to tell them. You try to keep track of everything in your head. But it’s like trying to hold on to a fistful of sand: all the little bits slip out of your hands, and then you’re just like clutching air and grit. That’s why you can’t save it all up like that.” -Lara Jean 

Each of the Song sisters will have a peace of my heart and I am so happy that there are two other books in this series so I don’t have to say goodbye just yet!

Even though, I love all the Song sisters it is “obvi” that Lara Jean is my favorite of them all! I love how she is an individual and doesn’t change for anyone or anything! Most teenagers have the pressure to conform to what is cool and what is not cool. Lara Jean is her own person and she doesn’t care about that which is an inspiration for all teenage girls. Being yourself is the coolest thing you can be!

This book is the kind of book that makes you reminisce on what it is like to truly fall in love for the first time, how you romanticize it in your head, how scary it is, and how amazing it is all at once!

Charlie Chuchi says five meow stars!

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five-stars