Hi everyone, welcome back to my blog and welcome to my challenge wrap up for February! If you don’t already know, Rebecca and I are doing a year-long challenge where we pick 2 books and 2 movies for the other person to read and we have to review them ourselves and also decide which we think the other person loved and which one they hated.
This month we picked content that was out of the other person’s comfort zone and oh boy did Rebecca succeed! 😂 I’m not gonna lie, when I saw the books she chose for me I got a little scared!
Make sure to check out Rebecca’s wrap up to read her thoughts on this month’s theme!
In January, Rebecca and I kicked off our 2021 buddy-challenge with 2020 releases and we had a lot of fun picking content for eachother and this month our theme is “Out of Our Comfort Zone” aka. Bec picks things out of my comfort zone and I pick content outside of hers and oh boy did she take this theme and roll with it!
The Risk by S. T. Abby | ⭐⭐.5
My guess: LOVE 💕
My thoughts: Okay, so I feel like the covers for this series really threw me off and made me not want to pick up the books but shockingly I’m acually four books into this series now 😂. The covers make this seem like a very sexed up series, which to some degree it is, but it is also equally a murder mystery and an exploration of revenge, trauma and grief. I like this series because each book is a really quick read but overall for book one, this feels too much like the author binged the first season of Criminal Minds and then decided to write an episode and then split it into 5 books with the addition of some smut. The dialogue reads really inauthentically and the characters, particularly Logan are never properly fleshed out to the point where really the only thing I know about him is his name (which I keep forgetting tbh) and this stands for the other books too. It’s a good idea but it could’ve done with some more editing or a beta reader.
So, yeah it wasn’t my favourite but I can appreciate it for what it it. That being said, I really think this is in Rebecca’s wheelhouse so I’m guessing she’s probably read all the books and that she loved this.
TW: torture, rape, murder, assault, loss of a loved one
Why Rebecca picked this for me: When thinking of books out of Ellyn’s comfort zone, I knew I had to go with The Risk by S.T. Abby since it’s a serial killer romance. I chose this because I was honestly curious about how Ellyn would feel about the series and if she would actually like it or totally despise it. It’s also a pretty short book so I knew she wouldn’t be wasting much time if she ended up hating it.
Verdict: LOVE 💕
Enemies by Tijan | ⭐⭐.75
My guess: HATE 😫
My thoughts: Yeah okay so I actually forgot I was meant to read this until there were only a few hours left in the month, so I quickly chucked on the audiobook and raced through it which was probably the best way I could’ve read this. I really think if I’d had more time to dedicate to this, it would’ve taken me days because I would’ve kept putting it down. This wasn’t my jam at all and it just felt like trauma for trauma’s sake. It felt really unoriginal and like the author couldn’t think of what to write next or like they needed more page time so she just killed another person. Honestly this was a mess and I really hope that I’m right in saying that Rebecca didn’t like it.
TW: loss of a loved one, panic attacks, grief
Why Rebecca picked this for me: Ellyn isn’t nearly as much of a romance reader as I am although we did buddy-read a sports romance book. I chose this one because as much as this book had elements I should have enjoyed, I hated this book. It felt like the story was WAY too dramatic and the characters never truly got a moment’s peace. I’m guessing and hoping that Ellyn felt the same way and I wasn’t alone. I completely apologize for making you read this mess!
Verdict: HATE 😫
Just Married (2003) | ⭐
My guess: HATE 😫
My thoughts: I truly truly hope with my entire heart that this is the movie Rebecca didn’t like because I really think I lost brincells and maybe even year off my life watching this movie. It was awful, I can’t stand Ashton Kutcher and honestly it just felt like two dumbasses being dumb in the early 2000s for literally no reason.
Why Rebecca picked this for me: When thinking of a movie out of Ellyn’s comfort zone, I automatically go with romance/romantic comedy. This one was a movie I watched a lot when I was younger and never understood why these two were together or why things ended up the way they did for these two.
Verdict: HATE 😫
Someone Great (2019) | ⭐⭐⭐
My guess: LOVE 💕
My thoughts: Okay so because I’m awful I completely forgot to watch it BUT I have actually seen this movie before, so it’s not all bad! This isn’t the best movie in the world BUT it does have a really dun cast with amazing wardrobes! It’s also about female empowerment and friendship while also having the overall plot of getting over/out of a long relationship and how difficult that can be. I like the idea of this movie, I just apparent;y don’t like actually watching it. I feel like this is exactly the kind of movie that Rebecca would love though, so I would be suprised if she picked Just Married over this.
Why Rebecca picked this for me: Keeping with the romance theme, I had to go with this one for a movie I love as it does a great job of showcasing the relationship and how it slowly fell apart. This really helped me during my breakup and it was an easy pick for me so I hope Ellyn enjoyed it.
Verdict: LOVE 💕
My picks for Rebecca
The Books
- These Broken Stars
- The Monsters We Deserve
The Movies
- Drive (2011)
- Winter’s Tale (2014)
What did you read in February?
Have you seen/read any of Rebecca’s picks?
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