Izzy was such a refreshing and hilarious character. Her personality shone through the blog posts and her annotations on hindsight. Once in a while, the details she shared bordered on TMI (too much information) but in a diary sort of blog that’s not exactly unusual. If you like no holds barred narrations that flow with stream of consciousness, you’ll be in stitches laughing over The Exact Opposite of Okay.
WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI by Sandhya Menon
Even though we’re only half-way through the year, I am already confident that When Dimple Met Rishi will be among my top ten reads of 2017.
A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING by Jessica Cluess
When I first stumbled across A Shadow Bright and Burning, I passed right over it. After some time though, the hype wore me down, and curiosity got the better of me. I looked up chapter samplers, and was hooked.
THE BIG LIE by Julie Mayhew
Set in Nazi England, 2012–2014, The Big Lie is premised on one question: What if the Nazis had won World War II? With this in mind, The Big Lie is a speculative work of alternative history. While nobody can say for sure how things would’ve turned out, I think the world that Julie Mayhew imagined is a rather plausible outcome. She evidently did her research and wove together the fascist ideals and lifestyles of the 1940s with contemporary ones.
A MAD, WICKED FOLLY by Sharon Biggs Waller
I absolutely adored A Mad, Wicked Folly. It is hands down the favourite book of mine thus far this year. The Victorian setting of Trouville, France, followed predominantly by London was glorious. There was such a great mix between history and fiction, I felt like I could see myself as an observer right there by Vicky’s side; at the same time, immersing myself in stunning storytelling. Victoria Darling could be such an impossible main character — rather naïve, really — and yet I found myself caring a great deal for her plight.
