[Review Buku] Tone Deaf oleh Olivia Rivers

Tone Deaf

penulis Olivia Rivers

288 halaman, Young Adult (YA)/ Romance

Rating: 

Dipublikasikan 3 Mei 2016 oleh Sky Pony Press

Ali Collins was a child prodigy destined to become one of the greatest musicians of the twenty-first century—until she was diagnosed with a life-changing brain tumor. Now, at seventeen, Ali lives in a soundless world where she gets by with American Sign Language and lip-reading. She’s a constant disappointment to her father, a retired cop fighting his own demons, and the bruises are getting harder to hide.
When Ali accidentally wins a backstage tour with the chart-topping band Tone Deaf, she’s swept back into the world of music. Jace Beckett, the nineteen-year-old lead singer of the band, has a reputation. He’s a jerk and a player, and Ali wants nothing to do with him. But there’s more to Jace than the tabloids let on. When Jace notices Ali’s bruises and offers to help her escape to New York, Ali can’t turn down the chance at freedom and a fresh start. Soon she’s traveling cross-country, hidden away in Jace’s RV as the band finishes their nationwide tour. With the help of Jace, Ali sets out to reboot her life and rediscover the music she once loved.

Tone Deaf, adalah novel yang saya pilih murni dikarenakan sampulnya yang cantik. Nah, buat kalian yang tertarik juga untuk membacanya….. mungkin harus saya ingatkan lebih dulu ya, kalau di balik sampulnya yang bagus, novel ini memiliki cukup banyak triggers yang lebih baik dihindari oleh pembaca yang sensitif terhadap beberapa isu, antara lain: mental illness (PTSD), child abuse, LGBT (dalam novel ini masuk pada kategori gay), death, addiction, dan depression.  

[Review Buku] Two by Two oleh Nicholas Sparks

Two by Two

penulis Nicholas Sparks

497 halaman, Romance/ Fiction

Rating:  

Dipublikasikan 4 Oktober 2016 oleh Grand Central Publishing

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with an emotionally powerful story of unconditional love, its challenges, its risks and most of all, its rewards.
At 32, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a lovable six year-old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and an expansive home in Charlotte. He is living the dream, and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear...and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down. In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter while struggling to adapt to a new and baffling reality. Throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, Russ embarks on a journey at once terrifying and rewarding—one that will test his abilities and his emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined.

Akhirnya saya bisa menyempatkan waktu untuk membuat review novel ini. Two by Two merupakan karya teranyar Nicholas Sparks, yang bagi saya termasuk penulis “untung-untungan”. Kalau mood tepat, novel beliau bisa saya nikmati dengan baik. Nah kalau lagi nggak mood, duhh bakal adaaaa aja salahnya yang bikin saya nggak sreg dan berujung misuh-misuh.

[Review Buku] The Coincidence of Coconut Cake oleh Amy E. Reichert

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

penulis Amy E. Reichert

318 halaman, New Adult (NA)/ Romance

Rating:  

Dipublikasikan 21 Juli 2015 oleh Gallery Books

In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lou works tirelessly to build her beloved yet struggling French restaurant, Luella’s, into a success. She cheerfully balances her demanding business and even more demanding fiancé…until the morning she discovers him in the buff—with an intern.
Witty yet gruff British transplant Al is keeping himself employed and entertained by writing scathing reviews of local restaurants in the Milwaukee newspaper under a pseudonym. When an anonymous tip sends him to Luella’s, little does he know he’s arrived on the worst day of the chef’s life. The review practically writes itself: underdone fish, scorched sauce, distracted service—he unleashes his worst.
The day that Al’s mean-spirited review of Luella’s runs, the two cross paths in a pub: Lou drowning her sorrows, and Al celebrating his latest publication. As they chat, Al playfully challenges Lou to show him the best of Milwaukee and she’s game—but only if they never discuss work, which Al readily agrees to. As they explore the city’s local delicacies and their mutual attraction, Lou’s restaurant faces closure, while Al’s column gains popularity. It’s only a matter of time before the two fall in love…but when the truth comes out, can Lou overlook the past to chase her future?

Di awal tahun 2016 silam, saya membuat resolusi untuk keluar dari zona nyaman YA (Young Adult a.k.a. teenlit). Sejak saat itu, berbagai genre sudah saya baca. Hasilnya lumayan. Yang dulunya tidak begitu menyukai NA, sekarang malah menjadi genre yang paling sering saya baca. Mungkin ini salah satu tanda kalau saya mulai bisa berpikir dewasa ya, sehingga membutuhkan “makanan otak” yang sesuai. Saya akui kalau ceritanya kadang bisa cheesy dan sangat mustahil terjadi di dunia nyata. Tapi bukannya itu salah satu alasan kita dalam membaca novel? Untuk sejenak lari dari kenyataan?

[Review Buku] Heartless oleh Marissa Meyer

Heartless

penulis Marissa Meyer

449 halaman, Fantasi/ Fairytale Retelling

Rating: 

Dipublikasikan 8 November 2016 oleh Feiwel & Friends

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.
At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.
Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

Heartless merupakan karya standalone dari Marissa Meyer setelah ia merampungkan seri Cinder (yang buku pertamanya busuk tapi sekuelnya BRILIAN). Sebagai salah satu pembaca fanatik Marissa Meyer, saya beruntung bisa membaca Heartless segera setelah terbitnya novel ini. Baru sempat buat reviewnya sekarang aja sih hehehe. Di Indonesia sendiri Heartless belum diterjemahkan ya, jadi silahkan bersabar dulu sambil baca review singkat saya yang bebas spoiler ini.

[Review Buku] Knot in My Backyard oleh Mary Marks

Knot in My Backyard (Quilting Mystery #2)

penulis Mary Marks

352 halaman, New Adult (NA)/ Misteri

Rating: 

Dipublikasikan 4 November 2014 oleh Kensington

A diamond brocade pattern is more quilter Martha Rose's style than a baseball diamond - especially when it comes to the new eyesore of a stadium ruining her lovely San Fernando Valley neighborhood. Martha doesn't know a bunt from a bundt cake, but when she stumbles upon the battered body of baseball coach Dax Martin, she doesn't need a scorecard to know it's foul play. LAPD homicide detective Arlo Beavers is convinced one of her neighbors is responsible. But Martha and her fellow quilters Lucy and Birdie soon discover a whole field of suspects who might have wanted to take the coach out of the game permanently.

Martha Rose meninggalkan kesan yang mendalam bagi saya di novel pertama seri ini, Forget Me Knot. Sebenarnya saya tidak berencana untuk melanjutkan seri ini terlebih dahulu, mungkin tahun depan atau kapan, tapi godaan terlalu kuat hehehe, apalagi setelah tahu “konflik” apa yang dialami Martha Rose di sini. Akhirnya, novel ini habis dalam waktu semalam deh *no shame*.

[Review Buku] Royally Screwed oleh Emma Chase

Royally Screwed (Royally #1)

penulis Emma Chase

276 halaman, New Adult (NA)/ Romance

Rating: 

Dipublikasikan 18 Oktober 2016 oleh Emma Chase LLC

Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook, Crowned Prince of Wessco, aka His Royal Hotness, is wickedly charming, devastatingly handsome, and unabashedly arrogant; hard not to be when people are constantly bowing down to you. 
Then, one snowy night in Manhattan, the prince meets a dark haired beauty who doesn't bow down. Instead, she throws a pie in his face.
Nicholas wants to find out if she tastes as good as her pie, and this heir apparent is used to getting what he wants. 
Dating a prince isn't what waitress Olivia Hammond ever imagined it would be.
There's a disapproving queen, a wildly inappropriate spare heir, relentless paparazzi, and brutal public scrutiny. While they've traded in horse drawn carriages for Rolls Royces, and haven't chopped anyone's head off lately, the royals are far from accepting of this commoner. 
But to Olivia, Nicholas is worth it.
Nicholas grew up with the whole world watching, and now Marriage Watch is in full force. In the end, Nicholas has to decide who he is and, more importantly, who he wants to be: a King... or the man who gets to love Olivia forever.

Nama Emma Chase sepertinya sudah tidak asing lagi buat para pembaca romance di Indonesia, terutama setelah novel debutnya, seri Tangled, diterjemahkan oleh Penerbit Gagas Media. Selain seri Tangled, Emma Chase juga sudah merampungkan seri Legal Brief, berisi 3 novel yang sama-sama witty, sexy, and sensually written. Royally Screwed sendiri merupakan novel terbaru beliau, yang mengusung tema mengenai *guess it* kerajaan. Sampai di titik ini, pembaca setia Emma Chase sudah bejibun, karena memang Emma Chase punya tangan “ajaib” untuk menciptakan cerita yang unik nan bikin nagih. Percaya atau tidak, kebanyakan fans setia Emma Chase muncul sejak ia menerbitkan novel debutnya lho, suatu pencapaian yang terbilang istimewa untuk seorang penulis yang awalnya bukanlah siapa-siapa. Tapi, sekarang, siapa coba yang nggak gemes sama tingkah Drew Evans dan si kecil James Evans? We’re all wanted to be adored by them, and we’re all wanted to be Kate Brooks.

[Buka Buntelan] Novel Saint Anything dari Periplus.com

OMG. Berapa lama saya menunda untuk membuat lanjutan dari postingan diskon Periplus ini? Sebenarnya sih beberapa hari setelah saya publish, novelnya sudah sampai di rumah. Tapi, selalu kelupaan buat setor bukti. FYI aja foto-foto di bawah belum seluruhnya, karena saya tadi pagi baru sempat ambil beberapa foto bagian depan dan samping sebelum buru-buru pergi. Kardusnya juga lupa belum kefoto. Lain kali saya update lagi ya, doakan aja saya nggak malas =))

Nah, buat kalian yang penasaran seperti apa tampilan buku hasil diskonan (agak curiga juga kan kenapa harga berani dibanting sebanyak itu? Apa karena cacat? Atau karena nggak laku?), berikut penampakannya:

[Review Buku] Forget Me Knot oleh Mary Marks

Forget Me Knot (A Quilting Mystery #1)

penulis Mary Marks

384 halaman, New Adult (NA)/ Misteri

Rating: 

Dipublikasikan 7 Januari 2014 oleh Kensington

Welcome to San Fernando Valley, California, where Martha Rose and her coterie of quilters are enjoying life on the good side of retirement—until murder pulls a stitch out of their plans…

Martha and her besties Lucy and Birdie are set to expand their Quilty Tuesdays by inviting newcomer Claire Terry into their group. Though at forty Claire’s a tad younger than their average age, her crafty reputation could perk up their patchwork proceedings, especially as they prepare for the fancy quilt show coming to town. But when they arrive at Claire’s home and find her dead inside the front door, and her exquisite, prize-winning quilts soon missing, Martha is not one to leave a mystery unraveled. Especially if she wants to stop a killer from establishing a deadly pattern…

Seperti yang sudah dibahas di review Death Among the Doilies, saya akan lebih sering membaca dan mereview novel semi-misteri ke depannya, dalam rangka mengurangi timbunan yang beberapa waktu lalu saya dapatkan. Surprisingly, saya sangat menyukai plot cerita dari novel-novel sejenis ini. Desain sampul yang cantik dan cerita yang unik juga memberikan kesan fresh dan membuat saya nggak sabar buat membaca setiap seri yang ada!