The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - UPDATED REVIEW

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde  Genre : Classics Blurb (on back of book) : Oscar Wilde’s only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. UPDATED REVIEW MY OPINION : ****** I would like to start out this review by stating that this is undoubtedly m

Our Song - Jordanna Fraiberg

Our Song by Jordanna Fraiberg
Genre: YA Contemporary

Image result for our song bookBlurb (on back of book)Olive Bell has spent her entire life in the beautiful suburb of Vista Valley, with a picture-perfect home, a loving family, and a seemingly perfect boyfriend. But after a near-fatal car accident, she’s haunted by a broken heart and a melody that she cannot place.
Then Olive meets Nick. He’s dark, handsome, mysterious . . . and Olive feels connected to him in a way she can’t explain. Is there such a thing as fate? The two embark on a whirlwind romance—until Nick makes a troubling confession.
Heartbroken, Olive pieces together what really happened the night of her accident and arrives at a startling revelation. Only by facing the truth can she uncover the mystery behind the song and the power of what it means to love someone.

MY OPINION: **

Wow. I really thought that this book was going to go far on my summer reading list.

This is one of my first 2 star books. No, this is a 2.5 star book. It's a pity because I had such high expectations for this.

I disliked the book. I disliked the characters and the plot was nothing like I thought it was going to be.

To be fair, I enjoyed reading the ending and how everything came together, and Nick's story, as evil as I sound, was the best part of the book by far.

But I didn't like the book. However, I finished it just for the sake of finishing... my motto is: I don't abandon books.

And I try not to. But this one was hard.

This book is about a girl named Olive who died and came back. Her heart stopped and everything but she was given another chance at life. Everyone thinks she is suicidal or something, but she isn't. She is finally forced to go to some sort of support group and she chooses one called the "Near-Death Society" that really is more geared for OLDER people instead of teens like Olive.

However, at the meeting, she meets this guy named Nick. And he's everything she never knew she wanted or something like that. He's different, he's smart, and let's face it: he's hot. Dreamy. Mysterious. Of course, Olive is swept away by him.

She thought she had a perfect boyfriend. But Derek is a jerk and it turns out he's dating someone else now that they're "over" after Olive's accident. Olive is sad, angry, confused, and the only person who really gets that is Nick.

They embark on tons of romantic adventures but one thing I didn't like is that they weren't really that romantic. Sure, it seems romantic and the atmosphere and places were all lovey-dovey, but all they ever did there was talk about... nothing. It seemed like useless talk. And still throughout the book, Olive hears this "song" that didn't really mean much to me. Even through the end, I still do not understand the significance of that song.

Anyways, Olive finds through Nick someone she never knew she was. And she starts to learn about that night of her accident and it's all big and crazy.

And then Nick shares his story. I really wish I could say this straight-out but it's a spoiler so...

Nick was just trying to impress his brother by taking him on a plane ride. Nick didn't have a license and the day was foggy and not a good day for flying. He still was too proud to turn back so he ends up killing his brother. 

The story and that scene was definitely my favorite part in the book for me by far. It was so beautiful and different from what I expected.

AND THE ENDING.

Derek was already cheating on Olive before? And she still wanted to get back together with him? WHAT? He was basically the cause of her whole accident and she still liked him enough to want to go to prom with him? To me, that guy was sick and he just wanted Olive to be his little personal cheerleader for him only and to... use her as a toy.

In my head, I was imagining Derek as the guy who plays Rosalie Hale's boyfriend before she was turned into a vampire in the MOVIES. Am I weird?

Anyways. Olive gets her happily ever after.

But it was all just meh. It didn't make my heart beat faster as I read and it didn't make my stomach twirl. It wasn't that romance story that I enjoy.

So overall, I didn't enjoy this book. I'm not saying it was bad. The writing was actually really pretty. But I didn't think it was the book for me. Me + This book = Don't go together.

However, I'm still going to recommend this book. To mature readers. And adventure lovers.

It's so sad because I had such high expectations for this book and it fell so far from them.

Main Character: Olive
Sidekick(s): Nick, Annie, etc
Villain(s): Derek, Betsy, etc
Contemporary Elements: This was all a contemporary novel with real-to-life events.

Comments