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
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We'll Always Have Summer - Jenny Han - UPDATED UPDATED REVIEW

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

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Blurb (on back of book): It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college-- only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever.


**I like my second review better. Read it here!**

MY OPINION: ******

I feel like out of the three, this one was my favorite. I used to not like this book as much as the others only because it deals with marriage and weddings which is not something I find appealing in books. I find that it isn't as interesting.

However, Jenny Han made it interesting. This is an accomplishment in my mind because despite the weddings and marriages, I loved this book the most out of the three.

This book started off with Belly and her friends in college. We learn that she's at the same college as Jeremiah, her boyfriend. She and Jeremiah are this really happy, lovey-dovey couple which I tried to enjoy despite the fact that it wasn't with CONRAD. She attends a party and from there, everything goes downhill.

At the party, she and Jeremiah get separated. Within the first fifteen pages, we learn that Jeremiah cheated on Belly when he went to Cabo over spring break. I thought that the beginning was a little rushed and I would have liked to see more relationship building between Belly and Jeremiah but it worked.

Belly overhears some girls talking and she just knows they're talking about Jere. Now, if this were me, I would slap him, kick him in his special place, and never speak to him again. Belly, however, decides to GET MARRIED.

Yes, this did tick me off a little bit because it seemed more like Jeremiah was trying to do anything to erase the past. Yes, he WAS very remorseful and guilty, but to be honest, if he was so in love with Belly, he would have told her as soon as it happened. He tries to justify himself by saying that they were "broken up" but it was just a fight and to Belly, she knew that they weren't actually done.

Jeremiah is pretty honest. Although he knows that what he did was wrong, he tells Belly that he and Lacie, the girl, "had sex" and Belly is astounded, especially since she is still a virgin.

After Belly stupidly says yes to Jeremiah, though I guess it can be justified because she's in "love", she and Jeremiah set off on the task of telling their parents. Nobody takes it well, least of all Laurel, Belly's mother. I am on her side completely at this point: yes, go ahead and get married but wait a couple of years. Nobody should get married at 19.

It sounds like I didn't like the book but I did. The plotline was just not agreeable to common sense :)

Because Belly and Laurel don't agree on anything about this wedding, Belly decides to go to Cousins and live in the summer house until the wedding (of course they're going back to Cousins!). She learns that Conrad is also living there. Cue the romantic tension.

I loved this plot idea because we get to see that Belly and Conrad still have feelings for each other, though both of them try to hide or ignore it because of Belly' upcoming marriage.

And above all, we get to see Conrad's perspective! He also doesn't agree with the wedding and he admits that he still has feelings for her but he tries to hide it by freezing her out. Again. He does try to help by talking to Laurel but he tries to stay out of it for the most part.

This book was SO good. Conrad's confession just made it so much better. Yes, maybe he did treat Belly badly but at least he didn't cheat on her.

"Eyes flashing, he said, "I never once cheated on you. I never even looked at another girl when we were together."

"I don't know if I'll ever get you out of my system, not completely... It's not all of a sudden. It's always."

The things that Conrad says kill me every single time I read this book. And then when he tries to leave with "an ounce of pride" she shuts him down, making him admit that "she broke his heart", the thing that Conrad Fisher would never say.

I loved this book and it's characters. They were so real and throughout the series, they really seemed to grow. I am glad to have read this again because it brought back so many memories. I love this book and would recommend it anyone looking for a light summer read.

Main Character: Belly
Sidekick(s): Conrad, Jeremiah, Taylor, etc
Villain(s): Weddings, misunderstanding, love, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: All of this book was very real to life.

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