‎‧₊˚✧ Olivia ✧˚₊‧’s Comments (group member since Dec 04, 2023)

‎‧₊˚✧ Olivia ✧˚₊‧’s comments from the Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges (Formerly GXO) group.

Key, Word, Challenge, Love, Like, Hate, Fake, Enemy, Grump, Devil, Demon, Text, Fall, Best, Worst, Billionaire, Stuck, Who, What, Where, When, Why, How, Wedding, Vampire, Witch, Valentine, Date, Book, Puck, Skate, Next, Right, Wrong, Number, Make, Class, After, Friend, Brother, Sister, Husband, Wife, Perfect, Cake, Kiss, Hot, Play, Rule, Break, But, Boss, With, Wild, Going, Only, Game, Out, First, Last, Good, Bad, Hard, Prince, Princess, High, Royal, Potion, Curse, Tale, Want, Between, Midnight, Horror, Fiction, Once, Fire, Luck

My last one! Despite all the doubts and slumps throughout the year, I pushed through and I’m very proud of myself for completing this challenge!

Key Word:
Ice

Book:
Fire and Ice: From Enemies to Lovers by Jayde White

Thoughts:
I was initially nervous about reading this book as it had no reviews or ratings on Kindle, no reviews or ratings on Goodreads, and barely anything popped up when you googled it.

It was good. I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers and this book did it well, thankfully not ending the enemy phase early. I just feel like it could’ve been longer with more character background and development. It also needs to be heavily edited as there was too many incomplete sentences, repeating sentences, misspellings, missing words, and randomly added letters/symbols/numbers.

Key Word:
Life

Book:
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber

Thoughts:
I thought it was a good book. Loved how Thurber normalized to daydream and pretend into adulthood. Some view the moral of the story as escapism (which the movie heavily portrays), but I just see it as a story of keeping your imagination strong and alive.

Key Word:
One

Book:
One Pucking Wish by Ellie Wade

Thoughts:
It was okay to me. I throughly enjoyed the first half of the book, but then the main characters got together in the middle, leaving the second half to drag on. It was an enemies to lovers book, so I wish the book focused more on the enemies part and the build up, and less on the repetitive filler chapters towards the end. 3 stars

Key Word:
Man

Book:
The Vanishing Man by Alma Katsu

Thoughts:
Although it’s a short three book Amazon series, this first book has me hooked. I’ve had my eye on this action/thriller/spy series for a while now, and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. I can’t wait to read the next books! 4 stars!

Key Word:
Cut

Book:
Making the Cut by Veronica Peartree

Thoughts:
It was an okay book. I’m kinda going through a slump this month, so that doesn’t help. I didn’t hate the book; there were many witty moments and dialogues, but at some points, I felt it was a bit cringy, and that the enemy part of this enemies to lovers wasn’t long enough. Overall though, it is a unique sports romance with the FMC as the main athlete this time. 3 Stars

Key Word:
Paradise

Book:
Strangers in Paradise, Volume 1

Thoughts:
It was a kind of bizarre love triangle graphic novel from the 90s, but it was actually really good for the first volume. I also think the designs and cover art are absolutely beautiful. If I can find the rest of the volumes, I’ll definitely continue reading them. 4 stars!

Key Word:
Ink

Book:
INK. by Sean Patrick Traver

Thoughts:
I accidentally found this book on KU and I’m very glad I did. It gave off Matrix, Strange Days, Cyberpunk vibes, and I was living for it. While the ending was a little weird, I really enjoyed reading this book. 4 stars!

Key Word:
Love

Book:
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Thoughts:
Initially, I was very excited to read every book in this trilogy. I saw many good reviews, and I’m also a big fan of the fake dating trope, so I had high hopes. However, I ended up giving this book two stars.

Besides the “got-old-real-quick” personalities from the MCs, I felt that there was no actual growth and chemistry between them at all. Comparing it to other fake dating pieces I’ve read in the past, I didn’t feel there was any underlying passion; not much internal fighting and confusion of wondering what’s real and what’s not. I also found the super short fake dates they went on for coffee boring, empty, and repetitive. Even the plot itself seemed to be lacking weight, as well as dragging at points, which probably would’ve been more captivating if there was, like I said, more passion.

I’m not gonna judge the fact that this was based off a Star Wars fanfic (especially cause I myself have read Star Wars fanfics in the past… what can I say, Anakin Skywalker is hot lmao), but I really don’t like Ali Hazelwood’s overall style of writing, which frightens me as I have heard all her books follow the same flow. Nonetheless, I’ll give the rest of the books in the trilogy a chance.

Key Word:
Meet

Book:
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Thoughts:
This book has been highly recommended to me by several people, and it’s been on my TBR for a long time. I cried several times while reading it. It was a very sweet, sad, short book; definitely one everyone should read in their lifetime. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend.

Key Word:
You

Book:
Anything You Can Do by R.S. Grey

Thoughts:
I could not put this book down (except to go eat dinner for a bit lol). It was funny, sweet, spicy, and I just love contemporary enemies to lovers books; 5 stars

Key Word:
Bride

Book:
The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Thoughts:
Before you gasp, this is one of the only times I’ll ever say this, and I’m sure many people who have read this book will wholeheartedly agree… the movie is better than the book.

While I do appreciate how the book gave a stronger backstory on all the characters (especially Fezzik and Inigo; it even helped explain some of the jokes in the movie), the “non-story parts,” like all the abridgment explanations and “narrator/main character” parts took away from the actual story, and also made it so depressing at points with the loveless marriage/family.

The movie takes the actual story, adds onto the humor and action with a spectacular cast, and is overall more heartwarming, especially with using the sick grandson being read to by his loving grandfather storyline. Perhaps it’s just Rob Reiner’s lovable filmmaking “je ne sais quoi.”

While I gave the book 3 stars, I give the 1987 film 5, and I highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it.

Hi Everyone!

- I’m Olivia and I’m from New York🗽
- I mostly read romances (ESPECIALLY contemporary enemies to lovers😈), however I do love to branch out into other genres like horror and other sub-genres of fiction. Once in a blue moon, I’ll try non-fiction, but only if it’s about crime or music. I’m always looking for new recs if you got ‘em!
- I found this group this past December when my buddy Samantha and I were looking for reading challenges to get us to read more. We ended up falling in love with the key word challenge, being able to have a variety to choose from, as well as knocking some books off our TBR lists
- My reading goal was originally 24 as I’m doing this group’s 2024 key word monthly challenge, as well as Marin Johnson’s 2024 TBR monthly reading challenge. But I thought I should challenge myself more after I breezed through both of January’s books, so it’s now 50
- I’m pretty much always on here, updating my reading progress, as well as looking for more books. I always love making new friends and am open to friend requests😁

Key Word:
Secret

Book:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Thoughts:
I unfortunately got into Harry Potter later than most, also starting off with the films… however, I throughly enjoyed the franchise enough to want to immerse myself more deeply into it by diving into where it all began. I really enjoyed the first book (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone) and I enjoyed this one just as much, both receiving five stars. I’m looking forward to continuing through the entire novel series as well.