ARC AUGUST WRAP-UP!

The end of this amazing read-a-thon is here! Out of the 13 ARCs I was planning to read, I only read 3. Then I DNF-ed 4. (Total of 7) The start was going so smoothly but after my third book, reading slump hit me. It didn't go away until the last week of August which was a busy week for me. So no more chance to catch up aaaaah! Fail!

Here are the books I have successfully finished and reviewed!

#ARCAugust Book 1: Lucky in Love by Kasie West. Unfortunately, I wasn't lucky enough to enjoy it 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/dLsSGt1Pv6

— Kate au Barca (@BookishBlurber) August 6, 2017

Lucky in Love by Kasie West

Lucky in Love is such a promising novel but it lacked real feelings, it absolutely felt flat. I wished hard that I'd enjoy it but I weren't lucky this time. Too bad.

#ARCAugust Book 2: That Thing We Call a Hear by Sheba Karim. Gaaaaaaad, that ending! pic.twitter.com/OjcflxRD6T

— Kate au Barca (@BookishBlurber) August 6, 2017

That Thing We Call a Heart by Sheba Karim

That Thing We Call a Heart is a story of discoveries you'll gladly follow along with. Enjoyable yet heartbreaking at times, this book knows it's ways to the heart.

#ARCAugust Book 3: The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby. Masakit sya. 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Qh42yfKZAM

— Kate au Barca (@BookishBlurber) August 9, 2017

The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby

The Secret History of Us is a story of losing and finding; of forgetting and remembering; of endings and beginnings. This one captured my heart and it is such a source of hope for those who are feeling empty and alone.

I knew from the start that I was just being ambitious but at least I know now that I would have surpassed the books I set if only I fought hard HAHA damn reading slump! I enjoyed this one so much so next year, I will join again!

How many books did you read for the challenge?

REVIEW: THE SECRET HISTORY OF US BY JESSI KIRBY.

Title: The Secret History of Us
Author: Jessi Kirby
Series: Standalone
Edition: Paperback
Publication: August 1st 2017 by HarperTeen
Source: ARC provided by the publisher
Pages: 288
Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:
A near drowning…a coma for days…and then…

Olivia wakes up to realize she doesn’t remember. Not just the accident—but anything from the last four years. Not high school. Not Matt, the guy who is apparently her boyfriend. Not the reason she and Jules are no longer friends. Nothing.

That’s when it hits her—the accident may not have taken her life, but it took something just as vital: her memory. The harder she tires to remember things, the foggier everything gets, and figuring out who she is feels impossible when everyone keeps telling her who she was.

But then there’s Walker. The guy who saved her. The one who broke her ribs pumping life back into her lungs. The hardened boy who keeps his distance despite Olivia’s attempts to thank him.

With her feelings growing for Walker, tensions rising with Matt, and secrets she can’t help but feel are being kept from her, Olivia must find her place in a life she doesn’t even remember living.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE:

Amazon ▴ Barnes and Noble ▴ Book Depository

The Secret History of Us is my first ever Jessi Kirby book and I am so happy and grateful that I was given a physical ARC. Been meaning to read her Things We Know by Heart for some time now but didn't have the time to read back then. I decided to pickup The Secret History of Us instead because the synopsis is promising and that it is the most recent book. I am happy to report that it did not let me down.

Walking up from coma left Olivia disoriented. She couldn't remember. Then it was revealed that has amnesia, the last 4-5 years of her life she couldn't remember. She's trying to learn to accept her new reality but it's sometimes overwhelming for her. Matt claims that they have been in love for a while but Olivia couldn't remember. She pushes herself to remember Matt, her bestfriend Paige and her family but she just can't. But she couldn't shake this connection she feels for Walker - the guy who saved her from the accident.

This story is so heavy that at times I needed to put it down to breathe. I cannot imagine how hard it is for someone to go through this, to almost die, to lose their memory. Walking this journey with Olivia, I can feel her emotions and struggles. What I absolutely adored in this story is how love finds its way back to you. It's like the movie The Vow all over again!

The Secret History of Us is a story of losing and finding; of forgetting and remembering; of endings and beginnings. This one captured my heart and it is such a source of hope for those who are feeling empty and alone.

Thank you HarperCollins International Sales for the physical galley!

"Because that's the worse. That's worse than growing apart, or falling out of love, or even lying. Being with someone because you feel guilty is worse."

REVIEW: THAT THING WE CALL A HEART BY SHEBA KARIM.

Title: That Thing We Call a Heart
Author: Sheba Karim
Series: Standalone
Edition: Paperback
Publication: May 9th 2017 by HarperTeen
Source: ARC provided by the publisher
Pages: 288
Category: Contemporary

Synopsis:
Shabnam Qureshi is a funny, imaginative Pakistani-American teen attending a tony private school in suburban New Jersey. When her feisty best friend, Farah, starts wearing the headscarf without even consulting her, it begins to unravel their friendship. After telling a huge lie about a tragedy that happened to her family during the Partition of India in 1947, Shabnam is ready for high school to end. She faces a summer of boredom and regret, but she has a plan: Get through the summer. Get to college. Don’t look back. Begin anew.

Everything changes when she meets Jamie, who scores her a job at his aunt’s pie shack, and meets her there every afternoon. Shabnam begins to see Jamie and herself like the rose and the nightingale of classic Urdu poetry, which, according to her father, is the ultimate language of desire. Jamie finds Shabnam fascinating—her curls, her culture, her awkwardness. Shabnam finds herself falling in love, but Farah finds Jamie worrying.

With Farah’s help, Shabnam uncovers the truth about Jamie, about herself, and what really happened during Partition. As she rebuilds her friendship with Farah and grows closer to her parents, Shabnam learns powerful lessons about the importance of love, in all of its forms.

Featuring complex, Muslim-American characters who defy conventional stereotypes and set against a backdrop of Radiohead’s music and the evocative metaphors of Urdu poetry, THAT THING WE CALL A HEART is a honest, moving story of a young woman's explorations of first love, sexuality, desire, self-worth, her relationship with her parents, the value of friendship, and what it means to be true.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE:

Amazon ▴ Barnes and Noble ▴ Book Depository ▴ HarperCollins

That Thing We Call a Heart is a book I absolutely enjoyed. Here I was able to meet two amazing Muslim-American characters who have one thing in common: their friendship. Shabnam is the hopeless romantic in the duo while Farah is the rational and more adventurous one. What I adored in these two characters was the friendship dynamics we don't get to always see in books. How Shabnam felt excluded when Farah decided to wear a headscarf while Farah felt rejected by bestfriend because of her decision. I don't encounter these things all the time and it's amazing to feel enlighted about how other cultures value their traditions. Their friendship was bridged by their love for each other and I am so glad they made their differences work for them.

The book showcases a glimpse of how rich Pakistani culture is. One part of it is the Urdu Poems! They are so beautiful I kept reading the verses over and over. It isn't just romantic but the depth/technicalities of it are breathtaking. But it truly broke my heart when Shabnam made one but only to find out that the person didn't deserve it. Because damn, that was a knife in the heart. I was also starting to fall in love with Jamie in this story because his character was so well-intentioned at first. But sometimes, even being well-intentioned is just a facade.

The family dynamics also had me hooked. Shabnam's dad is the type who could care less (he's just really not that good in expressing himself) and the mother is the sentimental type and cares too much (which is what moms do). I hated how Shabnam treated her mother because Muslim or not, it was just an awful thing to scream at your mom. But she tried to make up for it and I am absolutely touched by how little things started changing for them at the end.

That Thing We Call a Heart is a story of discoveries you'll gladly follow along with. Enjoyable yet heartbreaking at times, this book knows it's ways to the heart.

Thank you so much, HarperCollins International Sales for the ARC!

"It's easy when you're climbing something. Don't look down, or even too far ahead. Focus on where you are in that moment."

REVIEW: LUCKY IN LOVE BY KASIE WEST.

Title: Lucky in Love
Author: Kasie West
Series: Standalone
Edition: Paperback
Publication: July 25th 2017 by Scholastic
Source: ARC provided by publisher
Pages: 333
Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:
Can’t buy me love…

Maddie’s not impulsive. She’s all about hard work and planning ahead. But one night, on a whim, she buys a lottery ticket. And then, to her astonishment—

She wins!

In a flash, Maddie’s life is unrecognizable. No more stressing about college scholarships. Suddenly, she’s talking about renting a yacht. And being in the spotlight at school is fun…until rumors start flying, and random people ask her for loans. Now Maddie isn’t sure who she can trust.

Except for Seth Nguyen, her funny, charming coworker at the local zoo. Seth doesn’t seem aware of Maddie’s big news. And, for some reason, she doesn’t want to tell him. But what will happen if he learns her secret?

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE:

Amazon ▴ Barnes and Noble ▴ Book Depository

When I read The Distance Between Us in 2013, I remember I wasn't really that much swooning over it (but my review is raving lol maybe I chose to highlight only the positive ones. Who knows.) There's something about the writing that didn't quite sit well with me. And it happened again in Lucky in Love.

Maybe West and I aren't meant to be.

The gist of Lucky in Love is, Maddie won fifty million dollars in the lottery and rejected the only boy who cared for her because she thought he was only after her money. It was such an intiguing plot but I was underwhelmed. If I won the lottery, I would feel various emotions at once. I guess you would, too. But I didn't understand how I couldn't connect to Maddie at this point. I wasn't really impressed by how she reacted. It felt so flat to me, actually. I couldn't wrap my mind around how calm she was. Or maybe she wasn't but I didn't feel it at all.

Seth Nguyen is my favorite in this book. He's so DREAMY, caring, thoughtful and sweet. I hated how he was treated at the end. He deserved better. He deserved better than Maddie.

Lucky in Love is such a promising novel but it lacked real feelings, it absolutely felt flat. I wished hard that I'd enjoy it but I weren't lucky this time. Too bad.

Thank you so much, Scholastic Philippines, for the ARC!

"We make our own luck."

"Magic cannot be explained. It can only be experienced."

ARC AUGUST STARTS NOW!

Hellewwww beautiful people! I am so excited to participate in this year's #ARCAugust hosted by the lovely ladies over at Read. Sleep. Repeat.This reading activity motivats me to get through my (high-prio) review galleys! The fact that we're like, a huge group, reading together makes me so happy I couldn't wait to get started! I sucked so much at reading the last few months so this month, I have a very ambitious TBR. Look:

2017 review books I need to get to soon. Read 7 out of 16 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/IjobhGTfsY

— Kate au Barca (@BookishBlurber) July 29, 2017

I read 7 out of 16 (pictured):

- Whenever I'm with You by Lydia Sharp -3-star review
- Blood of Wonderland (Queen of Hearts Saga #2) by Colleen Oakes -5-star review
- Poison's Kiss (Poison's Kiss #1) by Breeana Shields -5-star review
- 10 Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac -5-star review
- Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia -5-star review
- Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons, #1) by Leigh Bardugo -5-star GR review
- Forest of a Thousand Lanterns (Rise of the Empress #1) by Julie C. Dao -5-star GR review

Review galleys I need to finish:

- Because of the Sun by Jenny Torres Sanchez (Stopped at page 60)
- Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands #2) by Alwyn Hamilton (Stoped at page 65)
- The Wonder of Us by Kim Culbertson (Stopped at page 190)
- The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich (Stopped at page 200)
- That Thing We Call a Heart by Sheba Karim
- Keys to the City by Lisa Schroeder
- Dark Breaks the Dawn (Untitled Duology #1) by Sara B. Larson
- The Secret History of Us by Jessi Kirby
- Lucky in Love by Kasie West
- Morning Star (Red Rising #3) by Pierce Brown (Stopped at page 160/eARC/not pictured)
- The Color Project by Sierra Abrams (Currently reading/eARC/not pictured)
- #famous by Jilly Gagnon (stopped at page 130/eARC/not pictured)

I know these are a lot especially for a slow reader like me. But I will really try to power through these and hopefully I could atleast read 3-5 books from the titles left unread in my 2017 ARCs stack. I want to be a 'success story' by the end of August haha!