Ohhh, what is this I see? A conglomeration of some EXCEEDINGLY HIGHLY ANTICIPATED book reviews?!
Excellent.
As you know, I read a lot and never have enough blogging room for all my reviews. AKA you should be following me on Goodreads. And considering I mentioned most of these in various “books I’m so desperate for in 2017 I may eat a wall” lists, I thought it’d be nice to review some on the blog and not just on Goodreads!
And also, ahem, because I’m super behind on my physical ARCs so here have some ebook ones while I sob in the corner because what is my TBR. Why is it on top of me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Edelweiss for the e-galley ARCs!
ROYAL BASTARDS
Published May 2017
★★★★☆
Royal Bastards was one of my TOP most anticipated books this year! Did it live up to it? CAN I GET A HECKIN’ YEAH. There is sass and blood and love/hate friendships. So basically the ultimate Cait-Book.
SMOL LIST OF THINGS I’M OBSESSING OVER:
- Sass levels are A+, which is everything I need in a book.
- Brother / sister relationship which includes making fun of each other and then saving each other. <3
- Huge cast of characters, but they’re all interesting and complex! Tilla is badass and sassy. Jax, her half-brother, is an adorkable darling. Zell is Closed Off And Emotionless™ but secretly a big squish. Miles is a nerdy bookworm. Lyriana is a POC princess who grows plants and slays things epically.
- THERE IS EPIC MAGIC.
- AND BETRAYAL AND MURDER AND STUFF.
- The writing style is actually quite modern. So Tilla literally says “woah that was freaking badass” but it’s still a medieval setting. And I loved it?!? It made the story so relatable and fun.
- Much blood. Much death. And I think I got stabbed in the feels. I say “think” bECAUSE I’M STILL IN SHOCK. WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME.
My only dislikes were that it was a bit predictable, there’s a lowkey triangle, and as much FUN as the story was…it did involve a lot of travelling which tends to make me nap.
But still SO SO GOOD. I loooooved the characters and how much nonsense shennanigans and banter went down.
TASH HEARTS TOLSTOY
Published June 2017
★★★★☆
This was such a cutely great book about internet fame! Of course obviously I read it in order to glean tips so I, too, can get like 50,000 followers over night. Did I get any good tips? HAHAHA HHAHA HAHAHA. No. But the book was still sweet and nerdy, so that saves things. It also features an asexual protagonist! And also a lot of Russian literature which I have no clue about. #Nice
I’m not super into Youtube?? I watch iiSuperwomanii and Liza Koshy and I loved the Lizzie Bennet Diaries! But otherwise, eh. But I still think the book is enjoyable if you’re not a youtube fan.
WHAT I LIKED:
- Internet appreciation!
- It showed the internet is not ALL loveliness. Hahaha…which we know. A good reminder to be kind online, though!
- Friendships are SO SO EXCELLENT.
- Tash’s childhood friends are Jack and Paul. Tash and Paul are THE most unrequited deluded and oblivious ship to each other I have ever seen and I shipped them so so hard.
- Plus Jack and Paul are #siblinggoals.
- Paul is like an adorable puppy whom I loved.
- I loved the easy and relatable writing style! Bit o’ wit. A bit o’ introspection. A lot o’ food.
- Lovely parents! MIND BLOWN.
- Always always in need of more ace representation! (It is not aromatic though.)
WHAT I LIKED NOT SO MUCH:
- I was such a fan of Tash by the end. She’s a bit selfish/controlling and it gets called out but urughguhg.
- The triangle was just annoying.
- There are a LOT of characters and I got all their names confused 9 times ever 4.2 seconds.
MAYBE IN PARIS
Published June 2017
★☆☆☆☆
This is the kind of book that makes me SUPER ANGRY. And since literally every review on goodreads (except mine) is 4 or 5 stars, I did want to review it here to bring a bit of awareness: this book has a horrible and derogatory and inaccurate portrayal of Autism. It’s harmful, folks. The entire plot centres around an 18-year-old sister, Kiera, talking her 16-year-old brother to Paris on a holiday…only a FEW WEEKS after he’s had a suicide attempt and been diagnosed with schizophrenia and Autism. Not only is it dangerous to mix something like schizophrenia and ASD together in a book because they are HUGE things and it’s very easy to confuse people about them — the book just used them as a tragic plot device. All the trials and problems in this book came about because of her mentally ill/disabled brother. IT’S INFURIATING AND DEGRADING. Plus the book doesn’t explore either condition, PROBABLY BECAUSE IT DOESN’T HAVE A HECKIN’ CLUE ABOUT EITHER.
It’s a frighteningly ableist book.
And leaving an 18yo who has no idea how to care for a person with a disability with her brother on a trip to Paris??? ARE U DUMB.
OTHER THINGS I COULD NOT FATHOM:
- Kiera’s #1 goal is to just find a boy to kiss her.
- Any will do.
- Literally any.
- She literally blows her entire life savings on a trip to Paris to. find. a. romance.
- Kiera is VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY anti-medication. She spends the whole book talking about how medication ruins people and turns them into drooling mindless zombies. She never retakes this. Also fyi medication can save people’s lives.
- It features “professional” doctors who don’t have a cLUE.
- Featuring…*drumroll*….
- INSTALOVE!
- WEIRD WRITING! (Lines like “He’s awkwardly silent, but his eyes are alive…” Wow. The living boy has living eyes. I’m super relieved about this.)
- ABLEISM with lines like this: “I wish I could tell everyone “he has Autism or something” but I don’t want to write him off with one word, like he isn’t a full person.”
- Because GOD FORBID we think someone with AUTISM could be a WONDERFUL, HAPPY, AND FULFILLED PERSON.
- And a climax at the end that just fully centres around saying “people with disabilities are destined to screw things up”.
- How about you stop.
WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI
Published June 2017
★★★★☆
All I can say is that this is one of the CUTEST BOOKS OF EVER. It’s totally nerdy and full of adorkable socially awkward characters and so. much. delicious. food and features the absolute best romance. Plus it’s #ownvoices featuring an almost entire Indian cast! You want it. Okay? You just do.
Both Dimple and Rishi are HUGE nerds. Dimple is into coding and computers and Rishi is (in denial though) a huge comic book artist. Like excuse me while they are the perfect pair. Their parents have arranged their marriage and Dimple is 5000% opposed while Rishi is more traditional and is happy to let his parents choose. So it’s a really positive arranged-marriage book and has a LOT of twists and it’s unique and cute and loveable. Plus so so much banter and wit!
Rishi is the so pure, so perfect, so kind. And Dimple is just so relatable and intelligent and skeptical of everything including your face and I love her.
I thoroughly enjoyed it!! Even though some of Dimple’s decisions really riled me at the end and I was #confused #so #much. But SQUISHY HAPPY FEELS. I don’t even know what this happiness feels like. Ugh get it off me. I must return to my darkness.
I am excited to read Royal Bastards.I just got a copy few days ago.I am very much looking forward to the sass levels 🙂 Tash Hearts Talstoy is something that I have heard so much from twitter and since it has lovely parents, sign me up.
I was going to read When Dimple Met Rishi but I am going to wait until it’s published in India though.I don’t know but I have a omnious feeling about this book.
Eeeep, I hope you enjoy Royal Bastards when you get to it! SASS LEVELS ARE SO AWESOME. And aw I’m sad you have a bad feeling about When Dimple Met Rishi? I’ve heard from many South Asian readers how much they adore it though and it’s #ownvoices, if that helps?
When Dimple met Rishi was so cute, I can’t even. I just want to cuddle it forever and give it an equally squishy cuddlebuddy, because it should never ever feel alone on my bookshelf.
Also, THAT book. Just reading your comments made me want to throw something. Thank you forever for warning me not to ever ever ever read that book, so my new strawberry bowl will survive the summer <3
IT IS SO CUTE. IT IS THE ACTUAL CUTEST. 😍 I so so hope the author writes more because she is FAB at storytelling.
And ugh yes I want to throw things too. 😭 I don’t often get so angry at a book, but Maybe In Paris was problematic as heck and so disgustingly ableist to the Autism community.
I’m excited to read When Dimple Met Rishi! I’m saving it to read on holiday in Spain because I know I will adore it! It looks like the perfect summer read! Royal Bastards sounds good as well! Have a great week and happy reading!
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It SO cute and the perfect holiday read honestly because it’s super fun. And Royal Bastards is just hilarious and exciting too. <3 I hope you like them!
HELL YEAH ROYAL BASTARDS GETS FOUR STARS!!! I cannot wait to get my hands on that book. It’s the only book on this entire list that I’m super interested in haha
I HOPE YOU LOVE IT SO MUCH!! IT WAS SO FUN!!
Maybe in Paris sounds like a terrible book. I would be very upset reading it (I’m not planning to). It’s so important autism is represented accurately, and by the sounds of the book, it so didn’t. It’s hard enough finding books that have a character with autism in them, we don’t need books that feature such a horrible, inaccurate portrayal and make things worse! It makes me mad.
I liked reading your reviews, I’m glad the other books were much more enjoyable.
Absolutely! It actually seemed like it wanted to underline how anyone who “puts up with an Autistic person” is like doing the ASD person a huge favour and arughugh I’m so mad and disgusted it exists. ASD is such a complex spectrum that if someone doesn’t know about it, they shouldn’t be writing it at all!! 😭😭
Ohh great reviews, Cait, as always! I just finished reading When Dimple Met Rishi and this book was SO ADORABLE. I didn’t get some of Dimple’s decisions either, but I’d marry Rishi right this second, he was just SO ADORABLE. I’m sorry, that’s the only word I can think of at the moment, when I think of him.
Maybe In Paris sounds so, so….WRONG. Thank you so much for speaking up about this book,I’ll make sure to stay away, far, faaaaaaaaaar away from it. Ugh, that’s such a shame :/
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DIMPLE AND RISHI IS JUST THE CUTEST BOOK OF THIS WORLD. 😍 And banter was excellent ahhhh! RISHI THOUGH. I tried to understand Dimple at the end but I didn’t? It felt like if life wasn’t going her way, she wasn’t going to invest in other people, which seems a little selfish. But I still reeeeally liked it!!
And I’m so sad Maybe In Paris exists.😭 I am literally the ONLY low-starred review on Goodreads and it makes me a bit sick that people think this is an “adorable romance and sibling story” when it’s problematic as heck.
I don’t know any of these books, but your reviews are quite enjoyable to read.
Translation: THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU.
N’aww, thank YOU for reading and being so kind.🎉
I don’t like modern banter in epic fantasy. I’ve DNFed a book for that reason. It’s just so jarring, and it knocks me right out of the world. If you want your characters to sound like 21st-century teenagers, then maybe you should… I don’t know… set your book in the 21st century? (To me, it almost seems a little lazy. People in another world wouldn’t talk like us. They’d have different expressions. I want to read those!)
Aww, sadness! But fair. 😂 I like it when it’s consistent. I don’t like it when they’re all historically-speaking and then suddenly someone is talking modernly. It needs to be consistent. haha. I don’t think it’s lazy! It’s fun. 😀
I read the summary for “Maybe in Paris” when I was looking through Goodreads Giveaway books and it immediately made me leery. I wasn’t sure, but I really felt like it would be a negative portrayal of people with autism. Exaggerated, insensitive, or just incorrect. And reading your review for it makes me sure of my initial feelings. Also, the “And like, why? And like, don’t.” meme you used with it is so perfect. 😀
Saaaame. Like I was worried but I’m apparently an idiot and thought “nah it’ll just be a badly written blurb”…BUT NO. THE BOOK IS WORSE THAN THE BLURB. It just makes me feel like the author hates people with Autism and it’s disgusting that this kind of agenda can be published. #rage
I want to read all of these (except Maybe in Paris) SO SO BAD!!! Royal Bastards sounds AMAZING. I think I appeal to certain types of fantasies and Royal Bastards seems like one of them! And EEK When Dimple Met Rishi I’ve heard is cute and fluffy and I am SO SO READY FOR THIS. Sometimes we need a little fluff in our life. And happy squealish feels.
And I thought Tash Hearts Tolstoy was like a historical fiction book and I was like #NOPE. (But then my friend told me about the blurb and I was like oops didn’t read that…)
May @ Forever and Everly recently posted…Diversity in Books // Why We Need it But Also How it’s “Wrong” (I’m Not Crazy, I Promise)
Royal Bastards is SUPER AMAZING. DEFINITELY TRY IT. *shrieks from the hilltops* And Dimple and Rishi is absolutely gorgeously adorable. 😍 I’m not even that much into contemporaries generally but it was SO GOOD.
Bahah, no Tash Hearts Tolstoy is like the opposite of historical.😂
Ooh so glad you enjoyed Royal Bastards! I’ve had that on my must-read list for ages and I can’t wait! 😀 Maybe in Paris sounds incredibly frustrating, so I think I’ll be sure to stay clear of that one…
I love all your mini-reviews, they’re wonderful – thanks for sharing all of your awesome thoughts. 🙂
Yessss, I hope you get to try Royal Bastards. IT IS ALL SORTS OF LEVELS OF FANTASTIC! (And omg thank you os much for reading my reviews.💕)
Books like Maybe in Paris make me incredibly angry as well, so I’ll be sure to steer clear of that one. And no, I don’t think I would like modern banter in epic fantasy, in my head it just doesn’t work. I stress a lot about historical accuracy and I figure that if you’re setting your novel in a medieval period they should speak like they live in a medieval period. However, I do love brother/sister relationships and bantering, so I might be able to cope with it.
That’s fair! I generally like things to be historically accurate too, but if it’s consistently modern then I liiiike it so much.😂 SASS IS FUN.
ahh, yes, yes, yes to all of these!!
royal bastards was a ton of fun and i’m so happy i was able to read an e-arc of it. definitely agree with you about the traveling thing though. like, it’s nice for like a chapter?? but there’s only so many ways trees and hills can be described before i start dozing off. the writing style kind of turned me off at the beginning but i LOVED it by the end. it made reading go so much quicker and tHE SASS. SO GOOD.
WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI WAS. THE. ABSOLUTE. CUTEST. i hardly ever like fluffy contemporaries but i couldn’t read when dimple met rishi fast enough. and rishi was so pure?? where do i get someone like him???
tash hearts tolstoy is one of my absolute favorites of the year. it’s so damn hard to find books with ace rep, let alone GOOD asexual representation, and it was so nice to finally find a book that not only had that + i was actually able to relate to, but appealed to my inner film/directing nerd, too. ^-^
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Haha, EXACTLY! I loved Royal Bastards but not really keen on roadtrips.😂 But the sass made it worth it so I’m not too down on it. And the ending was fjdksladj I am really frustrated I NEED MORE BOOKS IMMEDIATELY.😂
I never even read fluffy books either! But Dimple & Rishi was SO CUTE.
I’m really glad you liked Tash Hearts Tolstoy too! I think I’ve only read two books with ace characters? So disappointing. We need mooooore.
I just recently bought both Royal Bastards and When Dimple Met Rishi. I haven’t gotten to read them yet but they sound so good and I’m super excited about them.
Julie @ Happily Ever Chapter recently posted…Best Books I’ve Read In 2017 So Far
OOOH, YOU ARE IN FOR A GOOD TIME, CLEARLY. *flails*
Oooh, I definitely want to put some of these on my reading list. I’ve been most interested in hearing about Tash Hearts Tolstoy, because it is the most eye-catching title, methinks. (I’m an English major, at any rate, so famous folk like that attract me more than not.) I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it! I haven’t actually heard of Royal Bastards, but I’d be interested in checking it out, at least. 🙂 Thanks for the recommendations!
It’s totally worth searching out and devouring! 😀 I’m such a fan, haah. Even if I have never read anything by Tolstoy myself. 😛
Tash, Royal, and Dimple are all on my list. I remember that Paris one coming across my feed and thinking it sounded downright horrible, especially that MC. Glad to know I made the right choice in writing it off. :/
Tash is amazing so far and I love it because it’s one of the first books that has had a character that I identify with in a certain way. Tash is asexual, an identity I think I’m coming to terms with and I love that we’re getting more characters like that in novels.
Dimple is a hilarious character. I’ve got the book and audio so far and switching back and forth between the two is so much fun. The narrator is getting all the nuances right, especially with the parents. 🙂
Royal isn’t HIGH on my list but it is there, if that makes sense. The TBR is, as you know Cait, a monster that is no small thing and there are just so MANY BOOKS!!
Seafood? Oh hell yeah! I love it! I wish I could eat more of it, but it is a bit pricey, even though I live in a state that has a proper coast. I like scallops quite a lot as well as crab and lobsters dishes. Do you have a favorite seafood dish? Oh, ahi tuna is amazing too! <3
I don't know that reading stuff about Internet people should rub off on us, but I think they can. It's similar to what happens when we're watching a movie. For a bit of time after watching it I feel like I'm still in that world, still a character in that plot, and it's kind of weird coming back to reality. I think we have to be careful about what we allow to become an actual part of ourselves.
You made a better choice than I did about the Maybe I Paris book! I was iffy of the blurb but though “eh I’ll try anyway”. BAD DECISION CAIT OMG GO SIT DOWN. *cries* It made me so angry and still does tbh.
And YES! I’m so glad books about asexual characters are coming and I hope we get much much more of them soon.
And I totally understand. The TBR is a monster that we just try to survive tbh.
I’ve heard so many wonderful things about When Dimple Met Rishi and I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it so much as well. 🙂 (Because we all know that means I’m even more likely to enjoy it. xD) It sounds like such a cute and wonderful book. Maybe in Paris though? Not so much… *cringes* Definitely going to avoid that one after reading your review. I can definitely see where you’re coming from, and I feel like it would irritate me as well. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous reviews! <3
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I hope you like it!! EEEEEP. I mean, I think you would?! It’s quite nerdy but very romance centric, just so you know.😂
I have read Royal Bastards and Tash, and YEP so much agreement! I think I liked RB a wee bit more, but I also love a trip- I never get sick of them (and now I just jinxed myself, yay). But WOW, that third book. Yikes. I just removed it from my shelves because NO. I worked with a kid with autism for almost 4 years and am trained to do so, so I feel like I am pretty knowledgeable, and just NO. I am so angry, especially because she doesn’t reverse her completely ignorant and unreasonable thoughts. Nothing about that is okay. And i really want to read Dimple, but I am waiting til I need a nice, fluffy situation haha. Great reviews!!
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I’m glad you like roadtrips!!😂I mean, I am just a fusspot these days bahah. I NEED ACTION! And sass. But Royal Bastards pretty solidly delivered on all of them. :’)
Agh I’m glad you’re really angry about that ASD book too. I’m so angry. 😒😒 And just how everyone on Goodreads is like “this is such a beautiful book” and I’m like this is ableist crap. *shakes fist* It nearly felt like the author hated disabilities. Which maybe isn’t the intention, but IT WAS SO INSULTING.
When Dimple met Rishi has the cutest cover, she has such an amazing smile, the kind that really invites you to read what’s inside!! Thanks for sharing!
It is!! SUCH a beautiful smile and such a beautiful book to go with it. <3
“This was such a cutely great book about internet fame! Of course obviously I read it in order to glean tips so I, too, can get like 50,000 followers overnight.” HAHAHAHA! This is EXACTLY what I thought when I read the first line of your review. #BrainTwins
I have read When Dimple Met Rishi and I agree with you 500%. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed? Hence my 4.5 stars for it. It spoke to every fibre of my being though and I developed feelings for Rishi because boys in books are the best ever, right?
Tash Hearts Tolstoy is one book I need to add to my TBR *glares at Cait for making it bigger* because I’ve only heard good things about it. But I somehow didn’t like the cover? #Sorry
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SEEE?!? We’re just here for tips, dear books, GIVE US TIPS ON HOW TO BE FAMOUS.😭😂😂
And YES! I think Dimple and Rishi was like aaaalmost perfect but not quite.😂 I just was a bit peeved at Dimple at the end (and also confused at the subplot thing with Rishi’s brother? Like that felt really random).
Yeah, that brother story came out of nowhere. Maybe if he had been introduced a bit earlier I’d have cared for him? I feel like it could be expanded a little bit so everything can be explained and wrapped up neatly. But I loved the Indian aspects and the author is super sweet (on Twitter because I don’t meet mortals in reality duh), so I’m excited for her other books. I believe she’s writing one on an Indian teen struggling with body weight issues and I’m so here for that. (Although I’m very skinny because who has the time to eat when there’s so much to be read, hmm?)
Ohhh I like the sounds of the magic and the betrayal and awesome characters in Royal Bastards! TBH I totally would not have been into that 2nd book because what is that cover really, but I’m glad you enjoyed it cos of the ace rep! omg Maybe in Paris sounds so problematic. I love, loved WDMR!
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I’d kind of forgotten about “Royal Bastards,” but have been seeing it around the blogosphere again this week, so now I’ve become curious again! Thanks for your fab review. This one sounds like a really fun read. And most the time I love the modern historical blending. Thanks for reminding me about this one!
Also, ‘Dimple’ is on my MUST READ ASAP list. Because that cover! The synopsis! The hype! All make this one sound like my kind of read. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these books, Cait.
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IT IS SO FUUUUN!! I’ve been hanging out for it for like AGES (back when it was called The Bastard Table tbh) so I’m really glad it lived up to expectations.😂
Just added 3/4 to my TBR! Damn you 😉
I am so pumped to see one features asexualism! Will just go ahead and bump that one to the very top of my list..
And the book that did not make the cut… thanks for the heads up. That sounds 100% like a book that would infuriate the heck out of me, and I don’t need that in my life….
I do enjoy modern banter in a fantasy setting… as long as the language style is consistent. I read a book once that was medieval setting and sometimes the characters talked very old english, sometimes they said very modern things, and that annoyed me. I don’t really have a preference for one or the other, but I have a preference for picking one and sticking with it!
I do like seafood! As soon as I finish this comment I really ought to be getting ready for a professional social event that includes a lobster supper, actually… (am at a conference. this is day 4. this happens every year on day 4. I am bloody well sick of people and now it is “social night”… uuuuugh.. would rather stay here in bed reading blogs 😛 being an introvert with hermit tendencies who also likes to be involved in her profession is a really exhausting way to be. )
Reading books with internet famous people should only rub off on us if it accurately portrays how much work and effort goes on behind the scenes 😉 I’m sure sometimes there’s some luck involved… but, like, I know a vet who is very internet famous and at times I envy his success… but I also know he is way more workaholic than me (which is saying a lot 😉 ) and I just could never dedicate myself the way he does!!
YOU’RE WELCOME, MAGGIE. I’M HERE TO CAUSE PAIN. 😂😂 (And there are WAY not enough books with asexual characters, right?!)
And agreed about the consistency! I like get SO thrown when everyone is doing medieval speak and then suddenly someone throws in “okay”…I mean what and no.😂😂 But if it’s ALWAYS modern I love it!!
(Ew. C’mon Maggie. I think you need to rearrange your priorities with the sea food.)
Not even NEARLY enough. Considering how abnormal all my coworkers and friends tend to make me feel, I need more books to soothe my weary soul with “you are not alone”ness…
Seafood is in my blood. The lobster was delicious. 😉 (And I left early to spend time with The Dream Thieves. Win win!)