Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! It is time for another book review and it was a hard and long read for me. Here goes!

Title: White Fur
Author: Jardine Libaire

Disclaimer: This review is based on opinion and observation of the lead writer and producer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts and opinions and there might be spoilers.

Synopsis: A story set in the 1980’s where we meet two lovers who came from different backgrounds. Elise Perez is someone from the projects who didn’t have a father growing up and never graduated high school and ends up in New Haven where she meets Jamie Hyde, a Yale student and an heir to a family owned fortune and company and they end up as neighbors that turn into sexual obsession. When they move to Manhattan to live their lives together, Jamie’s family tries to intervene to show that Jamie should keep going with his family’s expectations of inheriting the business but he wants Elise. Even they have to fight for their lives after a crazy dinner party that throws them into a situation that makes life harder but their love stronger.

Thoughts: Man! This was a very long, hard, and strange read. I did like the description and when I read books from NetGalley, I am always honest in choosing the description option while requesting the book. When I read it, it was something I never expected and it felt different from the description since yes, I did see the sexual obsession between Elise and Jamie bubbling, yes, I saw Jamie’s family always expecting him to be like them but I did like how he said, “Screw it! I want Elise!” Which I can see why he wanted to give up everything to be with her rather than being the rich boy always following the rules and always having servants doting on his every command. He just wanted to be with her and I saw that throughout the book. What I didn’t like is that they seemed stiff, as in the characters Elise and Jamie were always the types that don’t want to be where they are at most of the time as in they didn’t want to be at this dinner party or they don’t want to be at a fancy restaurant and just want to eat in Central Park. Even at first when they started dating, they were kind of stiff in how they interacted, yes relationships do start kind of awkward but I felt that their personalities were lost in some moments.

Even though this book is supposed to be a slice-of-life book set in the 1980’s, I think it did show what it is like to live in new York at first since it did paint the time very well. As in, got to see that drugs are still there, how college life is different back then, even how arcades existed back then due to how Jamie and Elise hung out at one most of the time which we rarely see as we used to. Yes, we do have Daven Buster’s here in Orlando but we used to have Rocky’s Replay but they closed down and there used to be another arcade in one mall where Gondras enjoyed DDR but the nearest arcade you can get to is really inside movie theaters unless you have a hundred to spare at Daven for an entire night. Sorry! A little off track, the book also painted how life is not always glamorous as in not all families have to be like the Brady’s on t. v. and there are going to be times when you are going to face life and hardships and even have to make money to survive on rent and food most of the time. I would say this is more of that darker and grittier slice-of-life story that is different from the rest.

Rating: 3.5 Star Pawprints Out of 5! I almost gave this one a three but I think it gains the half point since it did give us the portrait that life can be hard and that being a rich boy or girl is not always everything. I think the characters could’ve been fleshed out a bit more but the scenery did give off that the characters can live through anything especially the real hardships at the end. If you are into something like this, take a read since you can find this on Amazon like a lot of the other titles I read.

Well, that is it for now! Hoping the next book is a bit lighthearted! Until next time!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Ne3rdy Shique Universe! It’s time for another book review and this book was a hard one to sit through and you will see why!

Title: Once in Lourd
Author: Sharon Solwitz

Disclaimer: This review is based on opinion and observation. Please respect the thoughts and feelings of the writer since this is a pretty honest review. There might be spoilers and if you don’t like the topics of what may be discussed there are other book reviews on this blog to check out.

Description: In this book, we meet four teens who are living in Lourd, Michigan during 1968 during the Vietnam War. They face many hardships in their own lives and decided to make a pledge to either take their lives on a bluff after two weeks or enter adulthood. These four, Vira, Kate, C. J., and Saint will live for each other until their own day comes and see how their lives changed and see how they either take a pledge to take their lives or decide to not do it in the end.

Thoughts: Oh man! This was a very hard read! I almost didn’t want to finish reading it but knowing this was set in a time in the past where things are different from what we are facing now in America I felt like I was standing in Kate’s shoes. Yes, there were heartfelt moments but other times there were times I wanted to close up Kindle and leave it alone and want to read something else, which I did at night with more of a lighthearted book (Accidentally Married to a Vampire, sorry!)

I admit I definitely relate to Kate the most because…well…recently I went through a day where my older brother got on me about dieting and if you guys have seen my videos I didn’t look fat since I did struggle with weight when I was younger and I did lose a lot of weight over time. My parents are diabetic and I do have a thyroid problem but here is the thing I have a different diet from most and I have to make sure I have Vitamin D incorporated into it to keep those levels up while making sure I don’t fall victim as well. My brother is in the military so he doesn’t know what I do on a daily basis or what I eat. With Kate, I know how it feels because I’ve been in the overweight blues even how her stepmother ripped her apart in the book at one point after she was at a tennis session and her stepmother got a call about her missing slime classes that she forced her to do. I admit I tried doing exercise videos and that didn’t help much in the past.I even remembered how I did have pints of ice cream everyday but did tone it down over years and same with other sweets and plus I rarely think about food unless I am hungry. Just hand me a bottle of water for the day and I am good until the next meal or snacktime.

I think Solwitz was pretty much painting the picture of what is like to ive in 1968 where not only you get to see old days of sports to seeing what people lived through differently such as able to smoke and drink while being younger even though fake IDs of course to having a different outlook on one part of your body being deformed, which Vira had a deformed hand and so many people thought it was sick and she didn’t like how people stared at her hand. Plus, we see how neighbors are different during this time where you hardly see people on the streets early in the morning like we do now in town at least. So yes, this book did paint the idea of how things were different and how being accepted for who you are or what sex you want in a relationship is way different from what is now. Heck, even incest was seen in this book but don’t want to touch on that since that was a bit weird.

Rating: 3 Star Pawprints Out of 5! I am being nice with this one since it did bring us a new idea of Historical Fiction but it was a hard read for me. I felt a little sad while reading this book and wishing I hadn’t clicked on “Request” at the same time. Still, if you are into something like this you can get it through Amazon as an EBook. So, read with caution just in case.

Well, that is about it! Hoping the next book is not as emo as this one and not as weird too. Until next time!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Time for another book review since I finished another book!

Title: Girl With the Red Ballon
Author: Katherine Locke

Disclaimer: This review is based on observations and opinions of the lead writer. Please respect her thoguhts and opinions of the book and there might be spoilers!

Synopsis: Ellie Born, a sixteen year-old girl, goes on a class trip to Berlin and ends up time traveling to 1980s Berline all thanks to a red balloon. When new buddies thought her trip was an accidental trip, they find out that someone might be tampering with the ballons and using a darker magic in order to change history since the ballons are meant to travel through time with magic. Will she ever get home or will she be stuck in the Berlin that takes place before the wall falls?

Thoughts: This book gave me a bit of Doctor Who vibes while I was reading it since I did find the description very interesting and I had to request it on Net Galley.

This book not only takes a look at Berlin in the past but also told the story behind her grandfather and how he knew about a girl with a red ballon and he did tell her about meeting a girl that saved his life during World War II when he and his family got sent to a ghetto which is hard for Siri to pronounce and then loses his sister to pneumonia and his father out of nowhere. He gets rescued before heading off to a concentration camp like his mom after a train ride. It is interesting to see that aspect of the story because it does link to what happens later and who is trying to go back in time to fix what had happened.

I did find it interesting that the red ballons are a way of time travel and it is like what if the Doctor were to use a ballon for a story or something, like if he was separated from the Tardus all thanks to it or if Missy used one to survive, etc. That would make an interesting plot or fan fiction. I did hear “99 Red Balloons” while I was reading this book too since that is supposed to talk about the end of the world and this book did talk about ending bad history which was World War II and helping people that didn’t get saved and changing it to be a better future but it did explain that is why the ballons were tempered.

I did like how Locke did mention in her Author’s Note that she loved Madeline L’Englle’s writing and how it inspired her to do this book and I did read some books like Camilla, Moonlight by Night, and my all time fave by L’Engle, A Ring of Endless Light which Disney did a movie for TV but it wasn’t as great as a book in my opinion. Maybe I should do a list of book movies that should be remade. Still, I think this book was really well written and I did like how the past being told to the 1988 Berlin linked up and how it does show how magic works in this setting and it does show how it shouldn’t be tampered with.

Rating: 5 Star Pawprints of 5! This book was a very well written piece and I am glad I did see it on the main page one day and decided to hit the “Request” button after reading the description. I am very honest in picking my books because as a writer myself the description does catch the eye and this book did it. I liked the characters especially Mitsy who is a lesbian character that is very sisterly towards Ellie even though I did catch moments how Mitsy does fall for Ellie and gets jealous when Kai is around her. I do like how she learns how to be brave all thanks to Ellie because she was scared of showing her teal hair and scared to be caught being a runner for the balloons all over Berlin since this is when the Berlin Wall is up and you have to follow certain rules, etc. Mitsy does become braver after being around Ellie and does shed the terror by the end and takes off the hat to show off her teal blue hair to say, “F*ck it! I am different and I don’t care!”

I did like the relationship between Kai and Ellie which it does start off a bit awkward even with a girl from the 2000s being in your time and it does grow with her being in the time for six months and it is cute how the both of them interact. Not only that, I do like how both were able to work on the mystery behind the balloons and how they were working with Kai’s sister to get through the mystery that was going on and I liked it especially with how they solved it and ended it. Still a great book and I wonder how Ellie was able to get back fine with her balloon which I have a feeling she did.

Well, that is it for this book review! I have a new post to right and that is the books with movies that should be re-done, I think I should watch the Hunger Games since I loved those books to see if those should have been re-done. Maybe? Don’t know! I will get that list to you guys! Until next time!