[REVIEW] Gyo

title: Gyo

author: Junji Ito, Yuji Oniki (Translator)  
genre: manga, horror
published: April 21st 2015 by VIZ Media LLC (first published 2002)
my copy: hardcover, 397 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Something is rotten in Okinawa...

The floating smell of death hangs over the island. What is it? A strange, legged fish appears on the scene... So begins Tadashi and Kaori's spiral into the horror and stench of the sea. Here is the creepiest masterpiece of horror manga ever from the creator of Uzumaki, Junji Ito. Hold your breath until all is revealed.

Junji Ito never disappoints!

I read Uzumaki by Junji Ito years and years ago. It was such an old (and maybe even classic already) horror manga and it was haunting. Gyo is honestly on the same boat. It's got that creepy story and haunting atmosphere.

[REVIEW] Nice Girls

title: Nice Girls
author: Catherine Dang  
genre: adult, mystery, thriller
published: September 7th 2021 by William Morrow
my copy: eGalley, 320 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 3 / 5 stars
goodreads

A pulse-pounding and deviously dark debut, written with the psychological acuity and emotional punch of Luckiest Girl Alive and All the Missing Girls, that explores the hungry, angry, dark side of girlhood and dares to ask what is most dangerous to a woman: showing the world what it wants to see, or who she really is? 

What did you do? 

Growing up in Liberty Lake, Minnesota, Mary was chubby, awkward, and smart. Earning a scholarship to an Ivy League school was her ticket out; she was going to do great things and never look back. Three years later, “Ivy League Mary” is back—a thinner, cynical, and restless failure. Kicked out of Cornell at the beginning of senior year, she won’t tell anyone why. Working at the local grocery store, she sees familiar faces from high school and tries to make sense of the past and her life. 

When beautiful, magnetic Olivia Willand, a rising social media star, goes missing, Mary—like the rest of Liberty Lake—becomes obsessed. Best friends in childhood, Mary and Olivia haven’t spoken in years. Everyone admired Olivia, but Mary knows better than anyone that behind the Instagram persona hid a willful, manipulative girl with sharp edges. As the world worries for perfect, lovely Olivia, Mary can’t help but hate her. She also believes that her disappearance is tied to another missing person—a nineteen-year-old girl named DeMaria Jackson whose disappearance has gone under the radar.   

Who was the true Olivia Willand, and where did she go? What happened to DeMaria? As Mary delves deeper into the lives of the two missing girls, old wounds bleed fresh and painful secrets threaten to destroy everything. 

Maybe no one is really a nice girl, after all.

started strong, tried to do more.

I'm definitely the type to try out every mystery/thriller because why not. They may all feel the same but who knows, maybe there's some aspect I'll like. Sometimes I do wonder what I really, really look for in a mystery/thriller that I just pick up most that I can get my hands on. Nice Girls has a very typical-ish plot when you read that synopsis. and somehow, yeah... it is..

[WEEKEND READS] where I try to stop an on coming slump

Hi,

I'm sorry that I've still been away. There's work and there's my mood and there's a ugly weather that worries me all the time.

I decided not to get 1984 get into me so much so I picked up Ramona Blue. I don't need another slump at this time of the year especially since the last one got my head start on my goal all wiped out. lmao. I'm trying to make up for readings lost by reading YAs and short books that I have quite high hopes aka Severance.

On other things, I've been watching The I.T. Crowd on Netflix. I know it's trash but I just want something quick and something I don't need to care about. My head is not ready for heavy shows right now I guess. I've also been spending so much time (probably in the last month or so already) watching Sims Let's Play videos on Youtube. Just fun chill stuff. Lastly, I'm so glad that the Yankees finally won a game. At this point, I doubt they'll make the playoffs but I'm still hoping, as a fan.

[REVIEW] Everything You Want Me to Be

title: Everything You Want Me to Be

author: Mindy Mejia  
genre: adult, mystery, thriller
published: January 3rd 2017 by Atria Books
my copy: paperback, 352 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4 / 5 stars
goodreads

Full of twists and turns, "Everything You Want Me to Be" reconstructs a year in the life of a dangerously mesmerizing young woman, during which a small town s darkest secrets come to the forefront...and she inches closer and closer to her death.

High school senior Hattie Hoffman has spent her whole life playing many parts: the good student, the good daughter, the good citizen. When she s found brutally stabbed to death on the opening night of her high school play, the tragedy rips through the fabric of her small town community. Local sheriff Del Goodman, a family friend of the Hoffmans, vows to find her killer, but trying to solve her murder yields more questions than answers. It seems that Hattie s acting talents ran far beyond the stage. Told from three points of view Del, Hattie, and the new English teacher whose marriage is crumbling "Everything You Want Me to Be" weaves the story of Hattie s last school year and the events that drew her ever closer to her death.

Evocative and razor-sharp, "Everything You Want Me to Be "challenges you to test the lines between innocence and culpability, identity and deception. Does love lead to self-discovery or destruction?"

Intriguing. Unputdownable.

I've been eyeing this book for so long just because it's one of those psychological thrillers I'm so keen on reading. Multiple POVs? Non-linear storytelling? Death of a beloved and perfect girl? YES PLEASE!

10 MIBF Hauls I Kept on my TBR Shelf the Longest

Hi,

This is the second year that the Manila International Book Fair isn't happening becaue of COVID-19! hecc you, covid!!!

I just miss the good old times (aka 2019-ish times) where I get to go to the book fair and buy all the books I want for 20% less. The fun of seeing a lot of books in a single place is so fun and going there with friends makes it even better. I usually go two times a year, a day for myself and a day with a friend. In 2018, I went with my best friend and we just went out check out each other's stacks. In all the other years, I went with my college friend and it was like our hang out day away from out busy work schedule.

But yeah, it's that couple of days of the year where I buys lots of books which I don't normally do. lmao. And yeah, I don't even buy physical books right now. If this COVID stays for another 2yrs, I'll probably clear out my TBR shelf. lmao. 

NOW ON TO THE BOOKS!!! 👇👇👇

[REVIEW] The Haunting of Sunshine Girl

title: The Haunting of Sunshine Girl (The Haunting of Sunshine Girl #1)

author: Paige McKenzie, Alyssa B. Sheinmel 
genre: young adult, paranormal
published: March 24th 2015 by Hachette Books

my copy: eGalley, 411 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 2 / 5 stars
goodreads

Something freaky's going on with Sunshine's new house... there's the chill that wraps itself around her bones, the giggling she can hear in the dead of night, and then the strange shadows that lurk in her photographs. But the more weird stuff that happens, the less her mom believes her. Sunshine's always had a quirky affiliation with the past, but this time, history is getting much too close for comfort...

If there is something, or someone, haunting her house, what do they want? And what will they do if Sunshine can't help them?

As things become more frightening and dangerous, and the giggles she hears turn to sobs and screams, Sunshine has no choice but to accept what she is, face the test before her and save her mother from a fate worse than death.

The first in a frighteningly good new series based on the popular YouTube sensation The Haunting of Sunshine Girl Network, created by Paige McKenzie.

could be an interesting series.

I have ZERO expectations when I downloaded this book YEARS! Somehow, I don't even know why I downloaded this since I'm not even a fan of paranormal stuff in books. lmao.

[WEEKEND READS] where I try to get things back on track here

Hi,

I'm still trying to get the hang of things again. Will do my best to blog hop tonight or tomorrow 😅😅😅

Work has been pretty good for me this past week. Guess I'm just enjoying the things I'm doing recently and I'm just glad to be part of the new project the company is trying to do. I'm also trying to get back to blogging again which I think I mentioned on my wrap up post (?). 

On other things, I started watching Narcos and I'm liking it (my head is still probably riding the Breaking Bad x Better Call Saul interest). Sometimes I wish I can speed through it but I also can't because half of the show is probably in Spanish and I had to read so much subtitles that I can't even watch it on the sides while I work. lmao. 

[REVIEW] The Kind Worth Killing

title: The Kind Worth Killing
author: Peter Swanson 
genre: adult, mystery, suspense
published: September 3rd 2015 by Faber & Faber

my copy: paperback, 411 pages
purchase: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
rating: 4.5 / 5 stars
goodreads

'Hello there.' 

I looked at the pale, freckled hand on the back of the empty bar seat next to me in the business class lounge of Heathrow airport, then up into the stranger's face. 

'Do I know you?' 

Delayed in London, Ted Severson meets a woman at the airport bar. Over cocktails they tell each other rather more than they should, and a dark plan is hatched - but are either of them being serious, could they actually go through with it and, if they did, what would be their chances of getting away with it? 

Back in Boston, Ted's wife Miranda is busy site managing the construction of their dream home, a beautiful house out on the Maine coastline. But what secrets is she carrying and to what lengths might she go to protect the vision she has of her deserved future? 

A sublimely plotted novel of trust and betrayal, The Kind Worth Killing will keep you gripped and guessing late into the night.

absolutely UNPUTDOWNABLE!

This has been on my TBR for the longest time!! Because I've seen Peter Swanson's name so much and one of his recent books, Eight Perfect Murders, kind of intrigued me. So here we are..

JULY-AUGUST WRAPUP (aka the months of being completely off blogging)

Hi,

Two months flew by and somehow I still don't know how to do this blogging again. lmao.

I'm doing another update generally because I didn't want a three-month wrapup. Also, I got a bit motivated to be productive (?) after stumbling upon a productivity video on Youtube. I'm trying to make a more effective to-do list stuff to manage myself well and keeping in mind a few things I picked up else where like stopping myself from endless social media scrolling (because sometimes it's a waste of time) and I also downloaded a focus app on my phone so I can stop myself from randomly picking it up and browse social media. I hope this works!!

On blogging and reading stuff, I do plan to get back on blogging. Hopefully. I found a few reviews I wrote a couple of years back (probably 3-4 years ago, tbh. but I'll roll with it. lmao). I'll schedule those alongside reviews I'm writing right now. I'm trying to get through a few ARCs I got and hopefully get back on track of things. I'm pushing myself to read more with my buddy read book, my usual TBR challenge picks and my ebook read.  My TBR for September will be up soon, similar to last year, it's a stack of my MIBF book haul. I picked my oldest MIBF haul (which also somewhat crossed over my oldest unread books tbr).

On other things, I FINALLY finished Kingdom from Netflix. I'm eyeing another zombie series, Black Summer, I think (?). Saw someone mentioned it, I think. But my best friend also told me to watch The Serpent first. SO we'll see I guess. I'm a lazy watcher anyway. I ended up rewatching Big Bang Theory again but I'll probably pick up a serious show soon.

NOW ON TO THE BOOKS! 👇👇👇