Golden by Jessi Kirby

RATING : 4 Stars

Golden by Jessi Kirby is the kind of the book that stays close to your heart forever after finishing the book. I read Kirby's other books last year and I enjoyed it but Golden was amazing. I wanted to read this book ever since I read the blurb on Goodreads. I managed to snag a copy from my library and devoured every part of the book. I'm totally devastated that I'm not able to find a word to describe the beauty of Golden. I had a bittersweet feeling when I read the last few lines. Loved the writing and the plot line and hated when the book ended. I have been on a book hangover for days after reading such a beautifully written novel. I could say Golden and I have a long relationship. 

" Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life " - Mary Oliver

The protagonist Parker Frost, a Valedictorian and an epitome of perfect good girl is about to graduate high school. Every year Mr.Kinney hands out journals to his senior students and asks them to write about who they want to be in future. He sends out their journals ten years later. Parker helps Mr.Kinney to return the journals of his senior students ten years ago and stumbles upon Julianna Farnetti's journal. Julianna and her boyfriend Shane were seen as Golden couple and died in a car crash after their graduation party. Parker decides to take Julianna's journal with her and unravels the mystery. 

Parker and I have something in common. Although it involves  mystery, the novel deals about friendship, love, and finding yourself who you are and what you want to do. Golden makes it difficult for me to articulate how I feel about it,well in a good way. I really wish I had such a wonderful English teacher as Mr.Kinney. I would actually love to see what I would have written on my journal during my high school after ten years. I had a wonderful experience reminiscing my high school days as I read Golden. I'm sure to tell you that you will think about your life and emerge as a new person after reading Golden. To add to the poetic flow of Kirby's writing there were references to Robert Frost poems. I have always been an admirer of Robert Frost ever since my high school. 

 Few of the quotes which strikes a chord within me are : 


" One often meets her destiny on the road she takes to avoid it" 


" We're all more than the person we show to everyone else " 


" Nothing could be left to chance, after all, can be dangerous. But what I didn't realize all that time, what I missed all along, is that chance is everywhere. It's also what life is made of. It's all around us, but most of the time we never see it working "


I really loved Kat, Parker's best friend and she reminded me of one of my friends. Most of the Young Adult romances makes you swoon, but I'm flabbergasted how Kirby could bring out the love very touching. Parker's crush on Trevor was done amazingly. I found myself gasping as Parker, Kat and Trevor unravels the mystery. I'm sure to pick up anything Jessi Kirby writes. Kirby gave a very hopeful and a true ending. Although Golden was breathtakingly beautiful something stops me falling head-over-heels with it. Hey, but it's really worth reading. Don't miss out. Golden will be a perfect head start to summer. 

SHARP OBJECTS by Gillian Flynn

                                                      RATING : 5 Stars

After reading Gone Girl, instantly I became a fan of Gillian Flynn. My expectation for this book was high and i wasn't disappointed. Flynn's writing style is very dark. As you know I'm a sucker for Thrillers, and purchased this book immediately after finishing Gone Girl. I stayed up all night to finish this book and yes that is how the story was, it kept sucking me in.The first thing that comes to mind about this book is twisted, dark, disturbing. When you pick up this book ensure that you don't have pending works because you might tend to procrastinate your works once you start reading.  

Camille Preaker, a newspaper reporter is sent to her hometown to get the inside scoop on the murders of  two preteen girls, both strangled and had their teeth removed (Doesn't it sound weird about removing teeth? -yes it is, i had the same thought). She is reluctant to visit her hometown as she has a troubled past associated with it. Camille meets her neurotic mother, her half-sister and her step father in a Victorian mansion after eight long years. Everything starts from here. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming. 

Camille Preaker is a weird female with both strong and fragile nature. You will get to know that she is from a twisted family as you progress with the story. There is something unhealthy about this book- characters, relation between mother and daughter. This book is truly dark and creepy and has special stuff towards the end. I thought I figured out something half way through the story but Flynn made the ending a jaw dropping one. I was cringing in shock when i read the epilogue. Too much was packed towards the end but absolutely brilliant debut of Flynn. I don't want to giveaway a lot of details but all i can say is it's an amazing psychological thriller. I wouldn't recommend this book to squeamish, but if you have slightest inclination towards thriller, give it a shot.     

GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn

RATING : 4 Stars

SYNOPSIS : 

Marriage can be a real killer. It is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented Mansion on the Mississippi River. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents, the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter. But is he really a killer?

MY  THOUGHTS : 

This book had lots of buzz around the world and I wanted to check out what all the hype was about. Unexpected surprises wrapped up in a black book. Flynn's writing style is amazing. It was like watching a Hitchcock movie in which suspense builds up slowly. With razor sharp writing and her ability to build suspense till the very end of the book was astounding. Fast paced book which keeps you at the edge of the seat guessing till the end. It is said in multiple points of view and the wife's perspective as diary format was brilliant. Tense and twisted plot line. It has more dark and sudden curves than a roller coaster ride. I was not even 10 pages into the book but i found myself hooked. Now I am going to stop gushing about this book and the author and  I am going to check out other books of Gillian Flynn right away.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson

RATING : 4 Stars

SYNOPSIS :

Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden disappears forty years ago. Her uncle is determined that she was murdered and continues to seek the truth by hiring  Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist  recently trapped by a libel conviction to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of iniquity and corruption.

MY THOUGHTS : 

This book caught my eyes when I was randomly browsing for mystery thriller books but I was little intimidated to read a chunky book with 600 pages or so. That was the initial thought and after reading the synopsis I was intrigued. This is the first book in the Millennium Trilogy. For some reason it took me a super long time to start the book. Intense mystery read with complex plot. First 100 pages describes the economy and business, it was  like watching a paint dry but after that it picks up and I was totally engrossed. Certain moments in the book are graphic not overly but the intensity is high up there (Watch out). There were lots of characters that I thought I would get confused but I didn't. Pretty addictive, you might want to go on with the series. I should say it was the most stunning and brilliant thriller I have ever read.