"But like you said, anything worth having is worth the risk."
The Distance Between Us was my second book of Kasie West. The first, The Fill-In Boyfriend, was simple and lighthearted which I loved! This one though, I have mixed feelings since I hated that Caymen was too sarcastic about everything. Sure it was funny but then I guess there are times when you have to be serious about some things.
The story centers around Caymen Meyers, a senior in high school who lives with her mother above their creepy doll shop. Initially, I didn't know what to make of her because she was just too sarcastic so I waited it out. She doesn't really like to inherit her mother's creepy business but having no choice and being less fortunate than the others, and because she loves her mother too much, she keeps her objection to herself. She and her mother also have issues regarding rich people, mocking and making fun of them, and Caymen's rich father who left them has something to do with it. So when Xander Spence walks into their shop, Caymen already knew what kind of a guy he is and immediately puts her walls up. But as Xander continues to show up in their shop, with a pre-sipped hot chocolate and his handsome face, Caymen starts to realize that maybe her mother's and her views of rich people could be different after all.
“Is that your subtle way of saying you missed me last week?" "I've
missed my hot chocolate. I just think of you as the guy who brings it
to me. Sometimes I forget your name and call you hot chocolate guy.”
I've read, and seen a lot of movies, about poor-girl-rich-boy so this wasn't new to me. And I hate that Xander is rich AND handsome! (He's definitely a book boyfriend!) But isn't that's how it's supposed to be?A rich boy who's going to prove a poor girl that he loves her despite their social standing? That he doesn't care what other people thinks because HE loves HER? Oh, how I wish I have a love story like that! :)
But anyway, back to Caymen. Even though she has doubt towards Xander, thinking he's just using her to rebel against his parents, she still gives him a chance to prove her wrong. She goes along Xander's plan of doing a career day where they would each prepare something that would determine each other's possible career in the future. So they start hanging out, doing career days and having fun at the same time until Caymen sees a photo of Xander and some model-like girl in front of a magazine. And that's when Caymen realizes she's starting to like Xander. “I hope I'm not turning into that girl, the one who daydreams about a guy she can never have.”
I guess the reason why Caymen and Xander just clicked was because they both felt like their lives were not their own. Caymen felt obliged to run her mother's store (and to stop her studies for a year or two because of their status) even though she wanted to study science. Xander always had to follow his father's orders and eventually inherit their family business of chain hotels. And despite the difference in their social status, their little similarities have helped them open up and get to know each other better.
I'm giving this only 3 stars because like I said, I hated that Caymen was always sarcastic. She was actually funny, very, but I guess her sarcasm was too much for me. That and the plot was too average. And Xander? Too good to be true! But still, there are actual people like him so why not?
If you want a light and easy (and cheesy) read, give this one a try. :)
It was the second day of summer I saw you there
A book on one hand and a drink on the other
You looked so happy, you were smiling
You were so handsome that I was falling…
I remember it was the fifth when you call my name
From then I knew I would never be the same
Because that ‘hello’ changed me forever
And I knew it would be a summer to remember…
And for the first time I was falling
I was happy and I can’t stop the feeling
Coz you were holding my hand as we ran
We were laughing as we chased the sun…
"She's nothing I've ever wanted in a girl. And absolutely everything I need."
Colleen Hoover is a really good author and her books are on the top of my favorites. My top three from her are Maybe Someday, Slammed and Confess! Oh, I loved those books! :)
Now let's talk about her novella Maybe Not.
It's the story of Warren and Bridgette's strange, hilarious and sexy relationship. I actually loved them because they were both exhausting and sweet at the same time. They started off hating each other but ended up falling in love with each other.
Bridgette was Warren's new roommate. Warren didn't like a new roommate at first but seeing and experiencing more of Bridgette's rudeness and sexiness made him want her eventually. It was actually funny how Bridgette flipped Warren off everytime but it was sweet of Warren to still want her after all. It was like Warren was made to endure Bridgette's bitchy attitude. Lol. Bridgette was a hard girl to crack but for Warren it just took patience, and the right push. And that shower scene was love.
"I press my lips to hers with such delicacy; I want her to feel everything she’s ever deserved to feel at the hands of someone else. She deserves to feel beautiful. She deserves to feel important. She deserves to feel cared for. She deserves to feel respected. She deserves to feel like there’s at least one other person in this world who accepts her for exactly who she is."
This novella surely was sexy, funny, and somewhat heartbreaking. Bridgette has her reasons for being a bitch and I think everyone of us is entitle to be one once in a while especially when life has been so hard to us. And I think Bridgette had her fair share of having her life on the downside and it was nice that somehow she found home, and love, in Warren.
"It's hard to fall in love with assholes, Warren."
"Maybe you just haven't met the right asshole yet."
The movie is basically about R.L. Stine's books and the horror they bring not only to children but to everyone. I admit I haven't read a single book of him and I don't intend to because I'm not a fan of horror but the movie was awesome. Goosebumps came out October last year which instantly became a box office hit!
So the movie tells the story of Zach and his mother moving to Madison, Delaware where Zack meet Hannah, the daughter of their mysterious neighbor, Mr. Shivers. Mr. Shivers warns Zack to stay away from them but Hannah and Zach quickly became friends. The next night, Zach hears Hannah and Mr. Shivers arguing and Hannah's scream makes him call the police. When the police comes, Mr. Shivers assures them that he and Hannah are not arguing but Zach doesn't believe him. So to make sure, Zach tricks Mr. Shivers by calling and making him go to he police station for further questioning and he also tricks Champ, his new friend at his new school, who reluctantly helps him break into Mr. Shivers' house. They look for Hannah but instead found Goosebumps manuscripts, all of which are locked. And to their luck, they accidentally open one when Hannah appears, startling them all. When the books opens, it releases the Abominable Snowman of Pasadena which they pursue to a skating rink and thankfully put back inside the book with the help of Mr. Shivers.
On their way back to the house, Mr. Shivers is crazy mad and doesn't have a choice but to reveal that he's actually R.L. Stine. He's also determined to move away again with his books now that Zach and Champ already know his secret. But when they arrive at their house, Slappy is waiting for them and it's when the real horror begins.
Slappy, mad for being imprisoned inside the book, releases the other monsters and wages war with Stine. Slappy also burns the books so there's no way Stine could trap them again inside. Now fearing for their life, R.L. Stine, Zach, Hannah and Champ escape to get away from the monsters. Zach then suggests Stine to write a new book that will trap all the monsters inside but Stine says he can only write with his special typewriter which is in the high school where a formal dance is happening. So they head to the high school and on their way meet different monsters like the invisible boy, giant praying mantis and the Werewolf of Fever Swamp.As they cut through the cemetery, Zach notices that Hannah shines in the moonlight. She glows blue which surprises Zach and a crazy thought enters his mind. To make sure it's not what he thinks, Zach privately talks to Stine about Hannah. Here, Stine reveals that Hannah is not really his daughter and he only created her because he was lonely.
When Stine finds the typewriter, he begins writing a new story based on what's happening around them. But Slappy and the others are closing in the high school too so Zach and the other students have to buy Stine some time so he can finish writing. Slappy then confronts Stine and breaks his fingers with the typewriter case before he can finish the story.
With the help of the students, Stine, Zach, Hannah and Champ are able to escape and head to the abandoned amusement park where Hannah brought Zach earlier. Here, Slappy releases the Blob that Ate Everyone causing Stine to hand over the typewriter to Zach, telling him to finish the story. Zach finally finishes the book but reluctantly opens it because he knows that once he opens it, Hannah will be sucked inside the book too. But Hannah tells him that's it's okay and that she knew about her true nature. So she opens the book herself, sucking every monster, and before getting sucked she and Zach kiss.
Hannah: You have to let go, Zach.
Sometime later, Stine starts teaching at Zach's school and one day after class, he calls Zach to give him a present. To his surprise, Zach see Hannah. Stine then tells him that he wrote another book with Hannah in it. Zach and Hannah share another kiss and we see Stine burning the book making Hannah permanently real.
But wait, there's more. When Stine is about to leave the school, he sees the typewriter writing by itself. And to his horror, the invisible boy wasn't sucked by the book and is now writing a new story.
THE END I really enjoyed this movie and Jack Black was really fitted for the role. Hannah was lovely and it was nice that she and Zach had a happy ending. :)
I didn't expect much from this drama but surprisingly I loved and enjoyed it. I'm a fan of Lee Seung gi and Ahn Jae hyun and I wasn't used to seeing them both in the same drama. I've seen Blood prior to this so I was used to seeing Ahn Jae hyun as the male lead but in this drama, Lee Seung gi was the male lead. But anyway, it was good seeing them both in the same drama.
So the story is about four 20+ year-old rookie detectives that are assigned to Seo Pan seok, the captain of Team 3 of Violent Crimes Unit. All four, Dae gu, Soo sun, Tae il and Ji gook, never dreamed of becoming detectives but as they do their job together, solving crimes and catching criminals, they slowly begin to love what they do. And while Soo sun, Tae il and Ji gook have different reasons why they decided to become a detective, Dae gu has his own reason. It is to catch whoever killed his mother 11 years ago. Knowing that Seo Pan seok was the one who handled his mother's murder case and believing that Seo Pan seok was associated with the killer, he decided to work under him to find out what really happened and why his mother was killed. Back then, Pan seok reached out to Dae gu but Dae gu was just a child and he thought Pan seok was also trying to kill him so he ran away.
Running away and letting everyone believed he was dead, Dae gu came to an orphanage and changed his identity. His real name was Ji yong but changed it to Dae gu so no one will recognize him. In the orphanage, someone had sponsored him and helped him with his studies and to become a detective. This benefactor also works in the police force and is someone Dae gu respects with all his life.
[Ji gook, Dae gu, Pan seok, Soo sun, Tae il]
Another reason why I loved this drama was because it's a mixture of action, comedy, drama, thriller and romance. Most of the times we were laughing but there were also times when we were tearing up. Some of the scenes had touched our hearts and some had cracked us up so hard. Each story also warmed our hearts because we can somehow relate to it. Nonetheless, the characters were all good and I give them all a round of applause! :)
***
And of course, what's a drama without a little romance?
I loved that despite being tough and cold at first, Dae gu eventually learned how to soften and open up to his co-detectives especially to Soo sun. I know it was hard for him to get attached but still, he trusted these people and sure enough, they can be trusted because they treated him like a family. And to think of it, the moment they decided to work together, they've already became a family.
Dae gu's relationship with Pan seok was also a highlight in the drama. From the beginning we all wondered what Seo Pan seok's relationship with the killer was. We didn't find it out until the latter part of the drama but when we did, we all felt relieved because Seo Pan seok just can't be the bad guy!
Aside from being the captain of his team, Pan seok was also once a husband and a father. But unfortunately he lost his child 11 years ago, the same time Dae gu lost his mother. Kim Sa kyung, the head detective of Missing Persons Unit, was his ex-wife. After losing their child, Sa kyung divorced Pan seok and since then their relationship was tainted. But now that they were working together again, they found time to talk again after a long time.
Now let's go back to Dae gu and Soo sun. Dae gu actually knew Soo sun from before but Soo sun hadn't realized it until the latter part of the drama. They went to the same middle school and they didn't actually get along well.
Soo sun also happened to possess the necklace that could help Dae gu identify the killer of his mother but Soo sun didn't know about it.
At first I didn't like Soo sun but eventually I started to like her. Especially when she didn't ask Dae gu about his past when he told her not to. It was thoughtful of her and it was kinda cute when they talk about Ji yong like he wasn't Dae gu at all.
This scene was when Soo sun first realized the Dae gu actually looked like Ji yong with his eye glasses on. She just can't stop talking about Ji yong and of all the moments, Pan seok has chosen that moment to show up. Dae gu sees him first and not wanting to reveal his real identity, he has no choice but to shut Soo sun up by kissing her. Smooth, Dae gu, smooth. Tsk!
Their relationship eventually grows and they're actually cute! :)
The Girl on the Train was one of those books I expected to enjoy and love. But finishing the book left me disappointed. I don't understand what all the hype was about but I think this book is overrated. While it was gripping and intriguing, the characters were frustrating and depressing. I didn't like Rachel at all.
But now that it was made into a movie and Emily Blunt is starring, I decided to give it another chance. Maybe the movie is going to be better than the book.
Release date: October 7, 2016
“I have lost control over everything, even the places in my head.”
Read my full review of The Girl on the Train here.
"Sons aren't their fathers. Not the good, not the bad. Sons get second chances. You don't have to be what your dad is."
I always enjoy thriller and this one I enjoyed so much. I loved it! Jasper "Jazz" Dent is not your typical boy next door and believe me when I say that you wouldn't want him to be the boy next door. Well, he's not a killer, his father is, but that's the point. Just because his father is a killer, everybody thinks he is, too.
What drew me in (aside from reading a good review from a friend's blog) was Jazz's situation, being the son of a serial killer. Of course, it was given that everyone else would think "he's like his father" but he wanted to prove them all wrong. He wanted everyone to see that he can be different, that he can be good even though his father was evil. But growing up with a father like Billy Dent, the world's worst serial killer, Jazz has seen and heard and learned everything a serial killer can do. Billy has taught him things a normal kid mustn't learn. And now that his Dear Old Dad was locked up and a new serial killer was in town, Jazz told himself that he would catch this killer using what his Dear Old Dad has taught him. Because Jazz believed that he wasn't the monster his father think he was. Or what he thought he was.
"He made me what I am," Jazz said. "Bad and good alike. You can't deny that, Con."
"And
my parents made me what I am. So what? We get stuff from our parents,
but we also get stuff from the world around us. From the people around
us. And at the end of the day, we're us."
It broke my heart whenever Jazz thoughtthat he was like his father. That he can kill everyone and that it would be okay. That he can manipulate people and he can easily kill them. He could, but everytime he stopped himself because there was still a part of him that didn't want to be like his father. His father might have nurtured him to be a killer but a part of him still fought to be otherwise. And that's what made me love him even more. Because he chose to fight despite everything his father has taught him.
"People matter. People are real."
Another thing I love about this book was reading how the mind of a serial killer works. I actually learned a thing or two (and I'm not sure if it was a good or bad thing). The details of the murders were also disturbing and it kinda scared me thinking that there were people who could actually think of doing those things. But nonetheless, I loved the book!
The plot, the characters and everything else was written perfectly. I can't think of a way it could have been better!
I was disappointed when I heard that Snow White and the Huntsman wouldn't have its sequel because of the scandal between Kristen Stewart and the director Rupert Sanders.Though I hate Kristen Stewart,I loved the film and hearing that they were making a spin-off film instead of a sequel somehow made me happy.
As a war between rival queen sisters Ravenna and Freya escalates, Eric
and fellow warrior Sara, members of the Huntsmen army raised to protect
Freya, try to conceal their forbidden love as they combat Ravenna's
wicked intentions.
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The Huntsman: Winter's War focuses on the story of Eric and Sara as they try to conceal their forbidden love under Freya, the Ice Queen, who only has one rule: Do not love. But who could really stop the heart from loving someone?
The story started when Freya lost her child and then abandoned her sister, Ravenna, the evil Queen, in their kingdom. She traveled North where she built a kingdom of her own and amassed children and trained them to become warriors. Later, her two best warriors, Eric and Sara, fell in love and planned to elope. Knowing what the two were planning, she stopped them by creating an ice wall separating them. On the other side, Eric saw when one of the other warriors killed Sara before his vision blacked out.
Some years after, Eric was already living in the kingdom of Snow White, believing that Sara was really dead. But it was later revealed that Freya didn't really kill Sara only to send her after Eric in search for her sister's Magic Mirror. It was when Eric and Sara met again.
What I loved in the movie: Chris Hemsworth, the action, Ravenna's wickedness, Chris Hemsworth, Sara, and Chris Hemsworth. Gahd, I love Chris Hemsworth! Overall it was a good film and we enjoyed it.
I've seen the movie last week with my sister all thanks to Mellow 94.7.
