Title: P.S. I Still Love You
Author: Jenny Han                
Publication Date: May 26 2015
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Format: Paperback
Price: ₱395 (Philippines) - $8.11 (Amazon)


Plot Synopsis:


(This book is a sequel. My review of the first book, Jenny Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before can be found HERE.)

You'd think that after what happened in To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Lara Jean wouldn't have any more problems from her letters to her secret crushes, with boys popping up into her life from them, but no. Never have you been so wrong. (Except for that Trigonometry question you did last month)

So the ending of the previous book, To All the Boys I've Loved Before left a lot of questions that need answering, and that it was a somewhat bad ending, according to some of my friends and other bloggers. And this book solved it, it concluded (almost) everything, this is the sending-off book to the duology.

Quick Pro-Tip: Don't read the back of the book, don't read the summery! Super hinting of a potential love-triangle!


I was actually surprised when someone on Facebook showed us that it was out before the release date, which is May 26. That post was on May 24, I was sooooo freaked-out because why the hell would it be released before the release date???! Man, you gotta love the Philippines. Sometimes.
The next day I dashed to my local NBS and got myself a copy, read it in like, a day while isolating myself from everyone, even in my own house! And the next morning I was ready to review it!

"I wish that things could go back to the way they were between us. That you could be you and I could be me, and we'd have fun with each other, and it would be a really sweet first romance that I'll remember my whole life"

Plot Synopsis:

Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.

They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones shes written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.


I looked for this book fore AGES!I guess it's because it ranked as National Bookstore's #1 best selling Young Adult novel. So when I found a small pile of them at a mall one day, I instantly grabbed one!

Lara Jean Song writes love letters to crushes she had before, she pours her feeling unto them and after she's finished she's positively over them, she keeps them safe in a hatbox that she keeps in her closet. Crushes like Josh Sanderson, their next-door neighbor and her older sister Margot's boyfriend, and Peter Kavinsky the smug-but-funny bastard the you simply can't help but love.

So when all her letters are shipped to their addresses one day--all hell breaks loose for Lara Jean.


So when She's confronted with Josh about the letter she "gave" him, she forms a fake relationship with Peter K to save face. Peter K, the only boy she hates.

At first I thought that it was a terribly bad idea to have even a fake relationship with Peter, but I soon found myself questioning myself what's real and what's pretend. Where do I draw the line with all their "pretend" lovey-dovey scenes? You'd think the plot is straight-forward but it's really, really not. Full of twists and turns, this book. I sometimes found myself forgetting that it's all a ruse, a lie, until she explicitly says that it's not all real.


What shock me more is that Josh actually reciprocates some of her affections! With just a few more weeks before Margot returns for Christmas break, can Lara Jean fix this complicated mess of a lovelife of hers?

I really liked Peter Kavinsky's character, he's this dashingly smug, gloating, and sporty/jocky kind of guy who always throws wise-cracks but that's part of his charm! At first I thought he was a complete douche but I came to look forward to whenever he and Lara Jean hung out. Team Lara Jean/Peter K all the way!

Lara Jean Song, she originally struck me as this more-or-less ordinary girl who never had a boyfriend before despite the fact that she's pretty cute (Refer to cover) and someone who cries a lot in the first few chapters. I mean, she cried, like, 5 times in the first 100 pages. She the lovestruck middle child to her younger sister Kitty and her older sister Margot.
Margot who's gone away for college in Scotland, she's also the one everyone looks up to and looks to for most everything like advice. But now that she's away, Lara Jean has to look out for adorable Kitty and be a role model to her.

The way Jenny Han wrote this book was all girly, cute, and bubbly and I think it fits perfectly with Lara Jean's personality! It's just her writing styles that puts that certain lightness and relaxed tone that's a real relief to someone who've just read A Study in Scarlet or to persons who usually read books of a more serious topic.

This was a definite page turner that glued my butt to my seat!  The cover! The characters! I loved every page of it!  This makes me want to travel back in time just to meet and greet and have my books signed by Jenny Han!

“Seventeen's not so young. A hundred years ago people got married when they were practically our age."
"Yeah, that was before electricity and the Internet. A hundred years ago eighteen-year-old guys were out there fighting wars with bayonets and holding a man's life in their hands! They lived a lot of life by the time they were our age. What do kids our age know about love and life?”

“Your house is lovely,” I say, even though it isn’t. It’s old; it could use a good cleaning. But the things inside it are lovely.

“It’s empty now. All my things sold up. Can’t take it with you, you know.”

“You mean when you die?” I whisper.

He glares at me. “No. I mean to the nursing home.”

Title: It's Not Summer Without You
Author: Jenny Han                       
Publication Date: April 5 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Trade Paperback
Price: ₱349 (Philippines) - $8.80 (Amazon)


Plot Synopsis:




It's Not Summer Without You is the second book of Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy, with The Summer I Turned Pretty as it's first installment which can be found here.

Is it really summer without the beach? Or the boys?

This is the first summer in Belly and her family's lives where they won't be going to Cousin's Beach for summer. Which is crazy! I know, but you'll find out later rather than sooner.

Well, Belly's still a tad bit naggy and whiny as always and Conrad's still as distant and somewhat a dick as ever. I mean, I sometimes feel that he doesn't give too much effort for their relationships. I sometimes don't understand him, him and his personality.
All throughout the book I can't quite figure out his overall mood/personality, one minute he's a romantic Casanova, and then the next he's a shy recluse.
What does Belly see in him? Jeremiah and Belly? Perfect!
But you'll know why he ran away from their house and school by the latter half of the book. He didn't do it to surf. He didn't do it for the sake of running away. He (Data Expunged). (Sorry for that! But that could've spoiled everything)

It wasn't like how it was with Conrad and Aubrey. He'd loved her. once upon a time, he'd been crazy about her. He had never been that way with me. Never. But I had loved him. I loved him longer and truer than I had anyone in my whole life and I would probably never love anyone that way again. Which, to be honest, was almost a relief.

Plot Synopsis:

Some summers are just destined to be pretty

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.


You can probably imagine what kind of looks a 16y manly man reading a book called "The Summer I Turned Pretty" in public will get. So, now I know what looks I'll get when I go and read "To All the Boys I've Loved Before"? XD

I was a bit reluctant to read this because A.) The title. I mean, The Summer I turned Pretty, honestly? and B.) People will judge me if I read this in Public. But I didn't regret reading this at ALL!

This books seems perfect for a casual day in the sun at the beach, with a Margarita/coke beside you as you try to get a thorough tan. It would've felt more real and it would've been the perfect read for a day of relaxation.

I really liked Jeremiah better than his brother, Conrad. Jeremiah's like the court jester at their beach house and Conrad's technically a total grumpy dick who used to be super fun and cool--he still is, but lesser so--but is now this recluse who isn't as awesome as when he was
last summer. He's now somewhat moody and distant to Belly's affections, like
he's friend-zoning her either subconsciously or not. You can almost feel the tension between him and Belly, how much she want them together.

I have to agree when my mate Godwin told me that I might get annoyed--well, slightly annoyed anyway--with Belly, what with her constant complaining and whinging (whining) at a lot of things, like why can't Conrad reciprocate her affections and whatnot. She seems to me to be a bit immature, with her sticking out her tongue when she's annoyed and her tantrums wand whatnot. But in general, she's a very nice character.

Plot-wise, imagine you're a girl and you had a crush with both of your mum's friend's sons since you were like 12. It'd be incredibly awkward and hard to date either of them because they treat her like their little sister, always being overprotective of her and looking after her like she's an irresponsible 8 year old.

Conrad and Jeremiah's mum, Susannah was an incredibly-likable character, she was this quirky and fun and very mother-like. She was like a second--and in my opinion, better--mother to Belly. I keep picturing her as Rachelle from the tv series F.R.I.E.N.D.S for some reason. Maybe because she makes such a great mother despite her sickness, which I won't say what it is because it's a spoiler! :)

There were a lot of times where I grinned like a pillock because of the romantic parts and Jeremiah's wisecracks. Conrad and Jeremiah's like her brothers--alongside Steven, her legit brother-- because of their somewhat casualness between each other at the start and in a few parts in the book. You can tell they have had a long--and somewhat complicated-- history between them, the only kind of history spending every summer with each other brings. The way Jenny Han wrote this book makes you want to know more about their history together, which she gives in teaspoon portions through flashback-chapters.

"You're the only boy I've ever thought about. My whole life,  it's always been you. You thought me how to dance, you came out out and got me that time I swam too far. Do you remember that? You stayed with me and pushed me back to shore, and the whole time you kept saying 'we're almost there' and I believed It. I believed it because you were the one who was saying it, and I believed everything you've ever said. Compared to you, everyone is saltines, even Cam. And I hate saltines, you know that. you know everything about me, even this, which is that I really love you."

I was actually supposed to save up for Alex London's book signing this 30th of August which I may or may not attend, Potted Potters this October, the Blood Of Olympus later that month, Jennifer Smith's book signing somewhere in September, and finally, the Manila International Book Fair early in September (Which I think will hold Jennifer Smith's signing). So yeah, I'm basically screwed. XD


Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.









(My review on this can be found here)
First published in French as a serial in 1909, "The Phantom of the Opera" is a riveting story that revolves around the young, Swedish Christine Daaé. Her father, a famous musician, dies, and she is raised in the Paris Opera House with his dying promise of a protective angel of music to guide her. After a time at the opera house, she begins hearing a voice, who eventually teaches her how to sing beautifully. All goes well until Christine's childhood friend
Raoul comes to visit his parents, who are patrons of the opera, and he sees Christine when she begins successfully singing on the stage. The voice, who is the deformed, murderous 'ghost' of the opera house named Erik, however, grows violent in his terrible jealousy, until Christine suddenly disappears. The phantom is in love, but it can only spell disaster. Leroux's work, with characters ranging from the spoiled prima donna Carlotta to the mysterious Persian from Erik's past, has been immortalized by memorable adaptations. Despite this, it remains a remarkable piece of Gothic horror literature in and of itself, deeper and darker than any version that follows.






Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night. She's come to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her, and is getting a handle on being the new Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, Zoey finally feels like she belongs—like she really fits in. She actually has a boyfriend or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey's old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.

Dark forces are at work at the House of Night and fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird’s adventures at the school take a mysterious turn. Those who appear to be friends are turning out to be enemies. And oddly enough, sworn enemies are also turning into friends. So begins the gripping third installment of this “highly addictive series” (Romantic Times), in which Zoey’s mettle will be tested like never before. Her best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead and struggling to maintain a grip on her humanity. Zoey doesn’t have a clue how to help her, but she does know that anything she and Stevie Rae discover must be kept secret from everyone else at the House of Night, where trust has become a rare commodity. Speaking of rare: Zoey finds herself in the very unexpected and rare position of having three boyfriends. Mix a little bloodlust into the equation and the situation has the potential to spell social disaster. Just when it seems things couldn’t get any tougher, vampyres start turning up dead. Really dead. It looks like the People of Faith, and Zoey’s horrid step-father in particular, are tired of living side-by-side with vampyres. But, as Zoey and her friends so often find out, how things appear rarely reflects the truth…

Life sucks when your friends are pissed at you. Just ask Zoey Redbird – she’s become an expert on suckiness. In one week she has gone from having three boyfriends to having none, and from having a close group of friends who trusted and supported her, to being an outcast. Speaking of friends, the only two Zoey has left are undead and unMarked. And Neferet has declared war on humans, which Zoey knows in her heart is wrong. But will anyone listen to her? Zoey's adventures at vampyre finishing school take a wild and dangerous turn as loyalties are tested, shocking true intentions come to light, and an ancient evil is awakened in PC and Kristin Cast's spellbinding fourth House of Night novel











Zoey is finally home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side, and preparing to face off against Neferet - which would be a whole lot easier if the High Counsel saw the ex-High Priestess for what she really is.

But there are new forces at work at the House of Night. An influx of humans, including Lenobia's handsome horse whisperer, threatens their precarious stability. And then there's the mysterious Aurox, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous teen boy who is actually more - or possibly less - than human. Only Zoey can sense the part of his soul that remains human, the compassion that wars with his Dark calling. And there's something strangely familiar about him...

Will Neferet's true nature be revealed before she succeeds in silencing them all? And will Zoey be able to touch Aurox's humanity in time to protect him - and everyone - from his own fate?

This might seem like a scary time, Fledgling, but never fear! As you start your journey through the ancient halls of the House of Night, this indispensable handbook will aid you in your transition from human to fledgling. Within these pages you will find invaluable information about the history of vampyres. You will also come to a better understanding of your body’s transformation, as well as read words of hope from great vampyres of the past and learn essential foundations of rituals and lore. Now, Fledgling, read on. A new life awaits you; your path to that magickal future begins here!