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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The Last Thing You Said - Sara Biren

The Last Thing You Said by Sara Biren
Image result for the last thing you saidGenre: YA Realistic Fiction

Blurb (on back of book): Last summer, Lucy’s and Ben’s lives changed in an instant. One moment, they were shyly flirting on a lake raft, finally about to admit their feelings to each other after years of yearning. In the next, Trixie—Lucy’s best friend and Ben’s sister—was gone, her heart giving out during a routine swim. And just like that, the idyllic world they knew turned upside down, and the would-be couple drifted apart, swallowed up by their grief. Now it’s a year later in their small lake town, and as the anniversary of Trixie’s death looms, Lucy and Ben’s undeniable connection pulls them back together. They can’t change what happened the day they lost Trixie, but the summer might finally bring them closer to healing—and to each other.

 MY OPINION: ****

Whew, I've been giving a lot of mediocre ratings this year so far!

It's not that I didn't love the book. It's just that there were faulty things with it that caused the rating to go down.

However, I think this book deserves more attention. Looking at Goodreads, there only 161 reviews... We need more readers.

It was truly an interesting book. Yes, maybe it was a little cliche but I don't think it was any bad. The characters could have been more drawn upon and described but I didn't think that they were fake. The setting was absolutely gorgeous. End of story. And maybe the romance was a little... forced and fake and predictable but I still enjoyed the cheesiness of it!

I feel as if I should start judging romance novels by how gutwrenching they were. Some, like The Summer I Turned Pretty, made me literally SCREAM. Not joking. Actually SCREAMED. Some, like this book, made me wince a little, but it wasn't too bad.

ANYWAYS, we should probably start talking about the book.

It was kind of a cliche grief+love book but I really liked how it was written. The purple font did kind of distract me but I thought it was unique. The amount of dialogue was a little sparse but it was fun when it was there. And I like the "stories" that are more like flashbacks that sometimes came in the middle of the book.

Basically, this girl named Lucy "Lulu" lost her best friend. Trixie had a heart problem and died right as Trixie's brother, Lucy's crush Ben, was about to tell Lucy something very romantic.

Ben and Lucy get in a fight, they grow apart, it's awkward, yeah.

So we get a "reuniting" or something between Ben and Lucy though they both avoid each other like the plague, despite their parents and friends pushing them together. Lucy has a friend named Hannah who's sweet and amazing but obviously not Trixie.

Then this new guy, a renter, comes in and his name is Simon. He's sweet and flirty and nice from the start and soon Lucy finds herself dating him. But her brain and heart is always focused on Ben but she tries to push it away.

I really liked this book. I thought that it was a little flawed and that it was trying a bit too hard but overall, I found it fun to read. I would recommend it to people who are looking for a lighter read.

Main Character: Lucy
Sidekick(s): Hannah, Ben, Simon, etc
Villain(s): Death, people, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: All of this book was very real to life.

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