Melina's Book Club #27

I swear I try to do these monthly. I've been doing so much reading, and haven't been doing so much reviewing. I'm falling behind. I was catching up over the summer, mainly cause I wasn't reading as much. Can't say the same thing now! I also want to make a quick mention that I created a book instagram, where I will be planning book club meetings (both available in person & online), so for anyone's interested, check out my new Instagram page! Grab a cup of coffee or tea and let's chat about this month's book club.

Currently Reading:

Zombie Cash Run in Las Vegas | Conquer Me | Siege and Storm

I honestly have moved on from Zombie Cash Run in Las Vegas. I believe that's like the 11th or 12th book in the series. While they're super fluffy and quick to read, they have seemed to bore me at the moment. After Reading the Six of Crows Duology over the past two weeks, I've been craving a bit more substance in my books. I'm currently loving Siege and Storm, which is the second book in the Shadow and Bone series. I've honestly fallen in love with Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse. I know for a fact that the moment I finish the Shadow and Bone series, I'll read the 3rd separate story written in this universe.

I also hear rumors that they are going to have a third book to the Six of Crows series, and I'm even more excited for that one! All the characters in that series are well written, even more so than the characters from the Shadow and Bone series.

What I’m Reviewing Today:

The Taming of the Shrew | Maybe Someone Like You | Call it What You Want | Save the Date

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare - ★★★

“My tongue will tell the anger of my heart, or else my heart concealing it will break.”

William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew

Now this was a book I wasn't exactly planning on reading. It's actually not a book at all, it's a play. Last March, I was planning on going to watch The Taming of the Shrew while I was in London. While I have heard of the play itself, I knew very little about what it was about.

Before going, I wanted to understand the play, so when I saw it in person, I would understand it. I ended up buying a Sparknotes edition with one side in the original text, and the other with a modern English translation. The Taming of the Shrew is supposed to be a comedy. After reading the play, there were a lot of parts that were really funny, more so when I saw it in the theater.

If you're into classics, this is a short read. While I usually don't read this type of literature in my spare time, I genuinely enjoyed it!

Maybe Someone Like You by Stacy Wise - ★★★★

"Thoughts are rose petals in my head, drifting and floating, but words stick like thorns in my throat."

Stacy Wise, Maybe Someone Like You

I'm going to say this for almost every book I read in this book club update, but this is another book I read while in London (I did a lot of reading when I had spare time! I love reading while on vacation).

Now this story follows Kate & Ryan who could not be more different. Kate is a recent law graduate, while Ryan was a tattooed martial arts teacher. While they should have never cross paths, something drew Kate to Ryan. There was something about his confidence. Without thinking too much about it, she impulsively signs up for a class, and the rest was history.

It's a cute romance, and I genuinely liked both of the characters a lot! It was a pretty quick read, and if you're in the book for something like that, then I highly recommend it.

Call it What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer - ★★★

“One choice doesn’t determine your whole future.”

Brigid Kemmerer, Call it What you Want

This story is written in two perspectives. This was another book I read while I had spare time in London. I didn't expect anything special when I chose the book, but I was pleasantly surprised. The story follows Meagan, the overachiever who cheated on an exam, and while no one knows its her, everyone has to retake them. On top of that her sister is back home from college. The stress is eating her alive.

On the flip side, there's Rob, whose father was embezzling funds from half of the people from town. By default, Rob is now one of the most hated people in the town. Everyone thinks that he knew what his father was up to. To make matters worse, his father's failed suicide leaves him and his mother to take care of him.

There's a lot of feels while reading through this book, and you genuinely feel for both characters. I personally felt more for Rob. He was under all this stress and pressure, and none of it was his fault. It was a really cute read, and even though I didn't expect it to happen, I was hooked while reading it!

Save the Date by Morgan Matson - ★★★★

“Because, it would have been cheating, in a way. You don't get to freeze the picture when you want it. It would have been living in the past and eventually, you just start doing the same jokes over and over again.”

Morgan Matson, Save the Date

Now this book was recommended to me by Marie from Drizzle & Hurricanes. Since reading this one, I've read plenty of books by her, and they're all amazing. Now I almost consider her to be the modern Sarah Dessen. I used to fall in love with each of Sarah Dessen's novels, but as of recent years, I've found them the new ones to be lackluster.

Morgan does an amazing job creating unique characters. If I were to compare this book to any of Sarah Dessen's, I would consider it to be a mashup of This Lullaby & Once and For All.

This story follows, Charlie. Her older sister is getting married at their family home, so after some time apart all the siblings are going to be under the same roof again. All Charlie wants is to have one more perfect weekend before the house gets sold and everything changes. Obviously things don't go as planned, but maybe it's for the better?

It's a book about self-discovery, with the perfect sprinkle of romance. I think this is why I can compare her plot to a plot of Sarah Dessen. If you are a fan of Sarah Dessen's old work, you will fall in love with everything Morgan Matson has written so far! Definitely give this book a read, for sure one of my favorites.

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We’ve had a pretty good book review list today! If you haven’t kept up with the other books I’ve reviewed, you can check them out below:

MELINA’S BOOK CLUB | #26

MELINA’S BOOK CLUB | #25

MELINA’S BOOK CLUB | #24

MELINA’S BOOK CLUB | #23

MELINA’S BOOK CLUB | #22

So, if you guys didn’t know, you can check out all the books I’ve reviewed in 2021 on one page! Check it out. I also have a page full of all the books I’ve ever reviewed. What have you been reading recently? Let me know! I’m always looking for new books to add to my TBR list. Thank you as always for reading. Have a wonderful day/night! Sending you love, strength, and positivity! xx