Thursday, December 29, 2016

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

,

Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins

No comments

Blurb:

Could the boy from her past be the love of her future?

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. And life is pretty close to perfect in Lola's world, especially with her hot rocker boyfriend.

That is, until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighorhood and unearth a past of hurt and anguish that Lola thought was long buried.

When talented inventor Cricket steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Lola and the Boy Next Door bercerita tentang Lola--cewek yang pakaian sehari-harinya itu enggak pernah pakaian yang biasa dipakai sama orang-orang normal, dia selalu pakai pakaian yang aneh-aneh.

“I don't believe in fashion. I believe in costume. Life is too short to be same person every day.” 

Hidup Lola awalnya udah nyaris sempurna. Dia punya pacar namanya Max yang gara-gara dia lima tahun lebih tua dari Lola plus anak band, agak enggak disukai gitu sama orangtuanya Lola. Tapi sejauh ini, hubungannya Lola sama Max baik-baik aja.

“What'd I tell you about musicians? That bad boy type will only break your heart.” 

Sampai suatu hari, tetangganya Lola balik lagi. Setelah beberapa waktu pergi, keluarga Bell balik lagi. Lola udah panik banget bakal ketemu sama keluarga ini--lebih tepatnya sih ketemu sama si kembar Calliope dan Cricket Bell.




Calliope itu dulu temennya Lola, tapi sekarang udah enggak. Dan Calliope itu sekarang atlet ice skating gitu, dan dia itu model-model cewek yang bisa mengitimidasi cewek lain.

Tapi sebenarnya, Lola lebih panik ketemu sama kembaran cowoknya Calliope--Cricket. Jadi dulu, Cricket sama Lola itu deket banget. Lucu lah pokoknya, tapi terus tiba-tiba, sebelum Cricket pergi, dia bikin sakit hati Lola--kayak salah paham gitu. Nah setelah itu, Lola sama temennya--Lindsey--berusaha bikin Lola move on.

“Here’s the thing about Cricket Bell. You can’t NOT notice him when he walks into a room. The first thing that registers is his height, but it’s quickly followed by recognition of his energy. He moves gracefully like his sister, but with an enthusiasm he can’t quite control- the constantly moving body, hands, feet. He’s been subdued the last few times I’ve seen him, but he’s fully revived now.” 

Sebenarnya, Lola udah bayangin suatu hari nanti, pas Cricket balik, dia bisa mamerin Max ke Cricket. Tapi kok, pas ketemu Cricket dia malah...

Malah,...

Malah apa hayo HAHA.

“There are some people in life that you can't get over.” 

Oke, mungkin segini dulu aja ya. Saya enggak mau spoiler (walaupun mungkin udah pada bisa nebak kali ya wkwk). Silakan baca sendiri ^^

Jadi yaaayy! Akhirnya kesampean juga baca Lola and the Boy Next Door! Awalnya saya dikasih tahu sama temen saya kalau buku ini enggak sebagus Anna and the French Kiss dan Isla and the Happily Ever After, jadi awalnya saya agak males baca. Tapi setelah saya baca sendiri, saya pikir, enggak kok, Lola juga bagus! Saya sukaa!

Kalau menurut saya, buku ini tetep lucu kayak Anna, terus saya juga suka karakter-karakternya (WALAUPUN MAX APA BANGET EW), dan walaupun--kayak Anna and the French Kiss--ending-nya udah bisa ditebak, tetep aja enggak mengurangi keseruan buku ini!




Saya suka Cricket Bell (JELAS LAH). Dia itu satu dari seribu banget (kebelet baca Petjah-nya Kak Mongs). Tapi beneran. Coba aja saya punya tetangga kayak Cricket : ""




Terus saya juga suka Andy dan Nathan--ayah-ayahnya Lola wkwk. Mereka lucuu!

Nathan nods. "Have a good time. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

I hear Andy as I'm walking out the front door. "Honey, that threat doesn't work when you're gay.” 

Dan saya juga suka Norah, walaupun kadang freak, tapi dia baik haha. Saya suka hubungan Lola sama Norah.

“You should show encouragement whenever you can. People try harder when they know that someone cares about them.” 

Terus hmm, Lindseyy! Lucu banget diaa! Suka main detektif-detektif gitu wkwk. Sukses ya jadi Nancy Drew (+ sukses sama Charlie juga ooppsss hahaha)




Dan di sini juga ada Anna dan St. Clair looh! Bukan cuma numpang lewat, tapi ada pengaruhnya juga ke Lola. Aahh, sukaaa : ) hehe

"Lola." St. Clair rolls his chair over to my side. "I know things are shite right now. And in the name of friendship and full disclosure, I went through something similar last year. When I met Anna, I was with someone else. And it took a long time before I found the courage to do the hard thing. But you have to do the hard thing."


I swallow. "And what's the hard thing?"


"You have to be honest with yourself.” 

Terus apa lagi ya...

Saya suka konfliknyaa! Enggak melulu ngebahas tentang perasaan de el el, tapi juga ada kayak tentang mencari diri sendiri di balik kostum-kostum yang dipakai, friendship, family, dan banyaak! Romance-nya kadang agak drama sih, tapi entah kenapa, menurut saya lebih drama Anna and the French Kiss wkwk. (Ini pendapat saya doang loh ya hahaa.)
“Being a good person, or a better person, or whatever it is you're worried about and trying to fix? It shouldn't change who you are. It means you become more like yourself.” 

Ending-nya juga sukses bikin saya nyengir gede banget udah kayak apaan hahaha!

Ini beberapa kutipan yang saya suka (selain yang udah saya taruh di atas):

“I know you aren't perfect. But it's a person's imperfections that make them perfect for someone else.” 

--

“When it's right, it's simple.” 

--

“And if I'm the stars, Cricket Bell is entire galaxies.”  

--

“Sometimes a mistake isn't a what. It's a who.”  

--

“Life isn’t about what you get, it’s about what you DO with what you get.”  


Mungkin segitu dulu, ya. Aslinya banyak sih, tapi enggak mungkin kan saya taruh semua HAHA.

Terakhir, saya kasih 4 dari 5 bintang buat Cricket--the boy who gave Lola the moon and the stars.



Continue reading Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins

Monday, December 26, 2016

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Thursday, December 15, 2016

, ,

(Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #2) The Hammer of Thor - Rick Riordan

No comments

Blurb:

"Magnus Chase, you nearly started Ragnarok. What are you going to do next?"


It's been six weeks since Magnus and his friends returned from defeating Fenris Wolf and the fire giants. Magnus has adjusted to life at the Hotel Valhalla -  as much as a once-homeless and previously alive kid can. As a son of Frey, the god of summer, fertility, and health, Magnus doesn't exactly fit in with the rest of Odin's chosen warriors, but he has a few good peeps among his hallmates of floor nineteen, and he's been dutifully training for Ragnarok along with everyone else. His days have settled into a new kind of normal.


But Magnus should have known there's no such thing as normal in the Nine Worlds. His friends Hearthstone and Blitzen have disappeared. A new hallmate is creating chaos. According to a very nervous goat, acertain object belonging to Thor is still missing, and the thunder god's enemies will stop at nothing to gain control of it.
Time to summon Jack, the Sword of Summer, and take action. Too bad the only action Jack seems to be interested in is dates with other magical weapons...

Hammer of Thor bercerita tentang kelanjutan petualangan Magnus Chase sekitar dua bulan setelah buku pertama:



Di Hammer of Thor ini, palunya Thor masih hilang. Dan Magnus, Sam, Hearth, dan Blitz harus mencari palu itu.




Tapi, mereka enggak bisa santai-santai--mereka harus buru-buru, karena.. yah, saya enggak mau spoiler. Tapi deadline pengambilan palu itu cuma enam sampai lima hari dari awal buku.




“Just like the good old days: marching together into the unknown, searching for missing magical weapons and risking painful death. I’d missed my buddies!” 

Oh ya, selain sama Sam, Hearth, dan Blitz, Magnus juga ditemenin sama teman baru. Jadi di awal cerita, mereka kedatangan pendatang baru di lantai sembilan belas--Alex Fierro.




“Sam’s body language looked pretty stiff. I was too far away to hear, but I imagined her conversation with Alex was something like:

Sam: Awkward.

Alex: Awkward, awkward.

Sam (nodding): Awkward, awkward, awkward.”

Dan yaah, enggak banyak yang bisa saya ceritain tanpa memberi spoiler hehe. Jadi langsung aja bahas bukunya.

“You know, Magnus…sometimes it’s best not to look as far as you’re able to look, or to listen to everything you’re able to hear.” 

Seperti biasa, saya sukaaa tulisan-tulisannya Rick Riordan, Dari awal buka buku aja, saya udah ketawa pas bacain judul-judul babnya. Apalagi pas baca isinya. Ngakak-ngakak parah wkwk.

Terus, saya suka karakter-karakter di sini! Saya suka karakter Magnus yang hawanya (?) sama kayak Percy. Tapi Percy tetap the best ok.

“At this point, most people would have thrown themselves down on the ground and given up hope. And by most people, I mean me.” 

Saya suka Sam, Hearth, Blitz dan Alex! Iya, Alex! Menurut saya, Alex itu unik banget karena saya enggak pernah ketemu orang yang bisa ganti-ganti jenis kelamin sesuka hati.

“I turned to Alex. 'Hey, are you female today?'

'Hold on... There! Now I'm female.'

My expression must have been priceless.

Alex burst out laughing. 'I'm kidding. Yes, I'm female today. She and her.” 

Kalau soal alur, saya agak gregetan pas baca ini, Abis, deadline mereka kan enggak sampai seminggu, tapi selama saya baca ini, saya suka ngerasa kalau mereka wasting their time keliling-keliling dan dilempar sama orang-orang buat ketemu ini lah, ke sini lah, dikejar itu lah, dll, dll.

“I'd been chased by Valkyries. I'd been chased by elves with firearms. I'd been chased by dwarves with a tank. Now, lucky me, I got to be chased by giants with giant bowling balls.” 

Dan saya juga suka gregetan sama dewa-dewa di Norse Mythology. Minta ditendangin satu-satu. Apalagi Thor. Enggak pernah bisa serius. Yah, walaupun kadang kocak sih, tapi kan tetep aja bikin greget wkwk.

"I love it when gods offer to pay for a dinner that's already free. 


Almost as much as I love assault squads that show up after the assault."

Terus, saya juga suka sama konflik-konflik yang dialami setiap karakter di buku ini. Yang lumayan banyak diceritain sih konflik Hearth dengan ayahnya, dan Sam dengan keluarganya (yah ayahnya juga sih. Soalnya ayahnya Sam kan selalu bermasalah a.k.a Loki lol).

Terus hmm, apalagi yaa. Oh yaa! Saya juga suka ada Annabeth di sinii hehehehe! Di sini Annabeth ketemu Magnus karena Magnus mau minta advice ke Annabeth. Jadi iya, Annabeth dan Magnus udah tuker-tukeran cerita tentang Greek dan Norse Mythology.

Terus, pas di sini, Annabeth bilang sekarang di dunianya dia, lagi heboh karena ada god yang jatuh as human (SIAPA LAGI KALAU BUKAN APOLLO A.K.A LESTER PAPADOUPOULOS) HAHA.

Kemudian, saya inget. Di Trials of Apollo, Percy pernah bilang kalau Annabeth lagi ada urusan sama sepupunya di Boston (SIAPA LAGI KALAU BUKAN MAGNUS CHASE?! HAHA)

Dan ya ampun, saya BERHARAP BANGET Percy bakal muncul sama Annabeth di buku Magnus Chase selanjutnya--The Ship of the Dead  (How cool is that?!?!)
“Annabeth smiled. “I don’t know the ocean very well, but my boyfriend does. I think it’s time you met Percy.” 


Hmm, mungkin segitu dulu. Karena emang enggak banyak yang bisa saya ceritain tanpa ngasih spoiler hehe. Okoke, jadi 4 bintang buat Jack yang di buku ini genit haha.


JACK HARUS KETEMU RIPTIDE! PLS BANGET OMIGOD. DAN MAGNUS HARUS KETEMU PERCY. PLUS LEO MAKIN LENGKAP HAHA.

Continue reading (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #2) The Hammer of Thor - Rick Riordan

Saturday, December 10, 2016

Friday, December 9, 2016

,

Since You've Been Gone - Morgan Matson

No comments


Blurb:

It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list.


On it, thirteen Sloane-inspired tasks that Emily would normally never try. But what if they could bring her best friend back?


Apple picking at night? Okay, easy enough.


Dance until dawn? Sure. Why not?


Kiss a stranger? Um... 


Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she’ll find?


Go skinny-dipping? Wait...what? 

Since You've Been Gone bercerita tentang Emily yang ditinggalin sahabatnya--Sloane. Jadi suatu hari, si Sloane itu tiba-tiba hilang. Rumahnya kosong. Mobil orangtuanya lenyap. Ditelepon enggak diangkat. Pokoknya tiba-tiba ilang aja gatau ke mana.

Nah, masalahnya Emily itu orangnya pemalu, dan susah bergaul. Makanya begitu Sloane pergi, Emily kelabakan. Apalagi, itu pas libur summer gitu. Kalau enggak ada Sloane, selama libur yang sangaaaaattt panjang itu Emily bakal sendirian.





Nah, suatu hari, Emily dapat kiriman dari Sloane. Kiriman itu ternyata sebuah to-do list yang sangat impossible untuk dilakukan Emily. Tapi, karena Emily enggak tahu lagi gimana caranya buat nemuin Sloane--atau seenggaknya gimana caranya buat tahu tentang apa yang sedang terjadi--dia lakuin satu-satu. Awalnya yang gampang-gampang dulu.


itu list-nya btw. Zoom aja kalau enggak kebaca.


Terus, suatu hari, Emily lagi nganterin adeknya ke tempat permainan gitu. Eh, ketemu sama Frank Porter dan Matthew Collins--orang-orang di sekolahnya. Emily enggak terbiasa ketemu dan ngobrol sama orang tanpa Sloane. Jadi di sini, Emily masih bingung, malu, dll, dll.

“But it always felt like nothing had really happened until I’d talked to Sloane about it.”

Eh, abis itu, Emily ketemu lagi sama Frank dan Collins. Lama-lama, Emily jadi deket sama mereka (terutama Frank). Bahkan, Frank bantuin Emily buat nyelesain list yang dikasih sama Sloane. Collins dan Dawn (temen baru Emily) juga ikut bantu. Awalnya emang terkesan enggak mungkin banget, tapi satu-satu, Emily mulai ngelakuin apa yang ada di list-nya Sloane.


“Nothing worth doing is easy," Frank said. "Especially not in the beginning. But I'm not about to give up.” 


Ini awalnya bener-bener enggak diduga sama Emily. Masalahnya, Frank Porter itu siswa yang terkenal di sekolah karena segudang prestasinya. Si Frank ini sering banget menangin lomba-lomba, jadi class president, terus siswa teladan banget, ya pokoknya begitu, lah. Frank juga punya pacar namanya Lissa (pacarnya juga model siswi teladan gitu wkwk). Mereka itu udah pacaran lamaaa dan model pacaran yang yah biasa-biasa aja tapi pacaran (?) lol.

Nah, pas summer, biasanya Frank pergi sama Lissa. Tapi karena beberapa alasan, Frank enggak pergi pas summer ini dan cuma Lissa aja yang pergi. Jadi Frank dan Emily sama-sama ditinggalin. Sedih ya.




Jadi begitu. Frank bantuin Emily nyelesain list dari Sloane. Mulai dari naik kuda, sampai skinny-dipping ahahaha!

Terus, apa yang terjadi waktu Emily udah selesaiin list dari Sloane? Apa dia dapat klu? Dan apa yang terjadi dengan Frank dan Emily?




Ayoo bacaa! HEHEHE.

Btw, HALO! Ya ampun, maafkan karena bulan lalu sangat amat tidak produktif. Bisa dilihat, di bulan November, saya cuma nge-post satu review ahahaha *dilempar tomat*. Maaf yaa! Bulan lalu sibuk banget di sekolah. Dan karena awal bulan Desember UAS juga, jadi baru bisa nulis sekarang. HEHE.

Okeoke, balik ke pembahasan bukunya.

Saya sukaaa bangeet sama buku ini! Sebenernya, kalau saya ke toko buku dari zaman orok dulu, saya sering banget lihat buku ini, tapi selalu saya abaikan. Maaf ya wkwk.

Terus beberapa waktu yang lalu, kira-kira sebelum UAS, saya memutuskan buat beli buku ini bareng sama Anna and the French Kiss. Nah, di hari terakhir UAS, saya langsung buka dan baca buku ini, Besoknya kelar haha.

Sebenernya, bukunya enggak tipis kok. Dan lumayan panjang juga ceritanya. Tapi menurut saya, buku ini page-turner abis. Kayak enggak sabar pengin balik halamannya gituu. Ah parah suka bangett!

Buku ini ngajarin kita tentang friendship--tentang real friends, terus yaa, walaupun cerita Emily sama Sloane-nya cuma di flashback, tapi tetep terasa banget.

“Real friends are the ones you can count on no matter what.

The ones who go into the forest to find you and bring you home.

And real friends never have to tell you that they’re your friends.”

Terus tentang gimana kita harus bisa ngandelin diri kita sendiri--enggak bisa terus bergantung sama orang lain. Tentang family juga ada, kayak yah, bersyukur sama apa yang kita punya, karena ada orang lain yang enggak seberuntung kita (bakal tahu maksudnya apa kalau udah baca wkkw).

“All the stuff you can’t wait to get away from, until it’s not there anymore, and then you miss it like crazy.” 

Terus ya jelas, tentang gimana kita harus berani ngambil tantangan.

“I know things might not work, and I know it's scary, but the things that are worth it are. It feels right.” 
Dan jelas, ada romance-nya juga. Walaupun fokus utamanya emang bukan ke romance banget, tapi menurut saya, porsi romance-nya lumayan pas.

“But you can't help who you fall for. The heart wants what it wants.” 

Terus kocak jugaa! Haha. Saya suka karakter-karakter di novel ini, termasuk Collinsku tersayang dan Dawn. Walaupun kelanjutan cerita Emily sama Dawn menggantung di langit-langit, saya tetep suka!

Pokoknya buku ini sangat saya rekomendasikan! Apalagi buat remaja (soalnya ini emang cerita tentang remaja gitu kan wkwk). Ah parah seru banget hehe!

Awalnya emang agak ngebosenin sih, pas Sloane baru pergi, terus belum ketemu Frank, dkk. Tapi tetep aja seru! Dan ke mana Sloane pergi... cari tahu aja sendiri hehe.

Terakhir, saya kasih 4 dari 5 bintang buat Frank dan Mix #14-nya HEHE.




Continue reading Since You've Been Gone - Morgan Matson