4 stars

Review: Landline

17:25

Landline
By Rainbow Rowell

 Source: Personal purchase, paperback
Genres: Adult, Romance, Contemporary, 

Goodreads Synopsis:

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems besides the point now.

Maybe that was always besides the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

My review:

Rainbow Rowell is one of my favourite authors, so I knew I was going to absolutely adore this book. The cover is so cute and the concept seems right up my street, so I was saving this for when I really needed it. Though reading this during school, I enjoyed it so much! There were ups and downs (some points I thought I was about to properly cry!), but I finished this smiling and feeling so happy. I’d definitely recommend to everybody!
The characters were all so likeable. I think this really made the book for me because of how invested I was in everything. I cared about Georgie and Neal’s relationship (which is unusual for me - normally I’m not a huge fan of books completely centered around romance), so wanted to read on to find out what was going to happen.
I adored every single side character too. There was no real ‘baddie’ in the book, so everyone was written to be likeable; obviously, I loved everyone. I was laughing so much at the banter between Georgie and Seth - their friendship was perfect and just so real. My favourite side character was (probably) Heather because she had so much depth. She was in so many great scenes, and I loved reading about her so much. I would definitely want to read a novella based on this.
In contemporaries, I usually find that there isn’t much going on, and sometimes complain of a lack of plot. This completely wasn’t the case with Landline - my emotions were being ripped to shreds so often, and in every chapter there was another heart-wrenching scene. Things were happening all the time so I never felt bored, and it was the perfect length (if even a bit short) for me to be gripped for the whole book.

The ending was perfect. Even though some people might find it a little predictable, I didn’t think this at all. I’ve read all of Rowell’s other books, so I knew how different her endings can be from each other. I really didn’t know what was going to happen, but things ended up the way I wanted them to. I was really satisfied with what happened, and I think the ending gave us full closure. I miss the characters, but everything was resolved perfectly.

This is one I’d really recommend; if you’ve read Rainbow’s other books, I think you will love this one too, but if you’ve never read a Rainbow Rowell book before (what have you been doing with your life?!), I know you’ll adore this. I’d recommend to fans of easy romance and feel good contemporaries, but also, I think this would make a great book to read at Christmas time. I read this in the autumn, so it was quite seasonal, but it’s set in the days around Christmas, so it might be a nice one to save. Though, I know I would have loved it all year round!

 Rating:

5 to 1

Top Five Friday #9: Books I'm Dying to Read

21:21


Top Five Friday is a meme hosted at Katieemay which lists my top 5 choices based on a bookish theme of my choice

*****

So when I saw this topic come up, I was so excited! I always have loads of books that I’m dying to read, so these are some of my favourites at the moment.

1. 5 to 1 by Holly Bodger

I first found out about this book when I was browsing Netgalley - the cover is so beautiful, and really struck my attention. When I went to see what it was about, it really caught my attention, and I have been wanting to read it ever since (and it’s a feminist book which I always love to see!).

Synopsis:
In the year 2054, after decades of gender selection, India now has a ratio of five boys for every girl, making women an incredibly valuable commodity. Tired of marrying off their daughters to the highest bidder and determined to finally make marriage fair, the women who form the country of Koyanagar have instituted a series of tests so that every boy has the chance to win a wife.

Sudasa, though, doesn't want to be a wife, and Kiran, a boy forced to compete in the test to become her husband, has other plans as well. As the tests advance, Sudasa and Kiran thwart each other at every turn until they slowly realize that they just might want the same thing.

2. Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I can’t believe I haven’t read this already! I’ve been hunting for it for what seems like years because it’s by one of my favourite authors, and the cover is just so pretty, especially the grey and pink spine.

Synopsis:
Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now. Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts...

Is that what she’s supposed to do?
Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

3. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

I originally found out about this book through booktube, and ever since I’ve been dying to read it. The idea sounds really original - it’s about a girl trying to be published, which really appeals to me. Although I have heard a few bad reviews, I’m really optimistic about it.

Synopsis:
Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings…

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

4. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

I have wanted this book for so long! It sounds so good, and exactly like the thing I love. I have been hunting for it forever, yet it never seems to be on sale in bookshops *sad face*. Hopefully I will get round to reading it some time soon!

Synopsis:
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

5. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

So many people have loved this book! There have been so many good things circulating, and I know I just need to read this. It seems right up my street, as it is exactly the sort of book I absolutely love.

Synopsis:
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.
Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

Which books are you dying to read? Let me know below!