I don’t know about you, but 2018 has been fantastic so far in terms of reading for me. Everything I have read, I have loved and I haven’t given out less than 4 stars yet! This year, I’m trying to focus on some older titles that have been sitting on my shelf for some time now, therefore you’ll be getting a lot more mini-reviews this year! Here is my first set of mini reviews for 2018!

Horimiya Vol.1 by Hero

I picked this one up after it was suggested at a book club meeting a while ago! I thought it was pretty cute and a good intro into a story that I’d probably enjoy! I found it a little chaotic and hard to read/understand at times, but I’m not sure if it’s just because some things got lost in translation? I definitely want to continue with this one though as I’ve been itching for a new manga series to get into!

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

I’m not sure what I was expecting from this one before picking it up. I have had it on my shelf for a while now and decided to pick it up on a whim. I didn’t read the synopsis before going into it and I’m not sure why. I guess it was just kind of calling to me?

I really did end up enjoying this one although it did have its strange moments. It was definitely on the darker side of the contemporary genre which was perfect for my taste.

I’m not really sure what else to say about this one other than I enjoyed it, especially as a quick spur of the moment read.

See You In The Cosmos by Jack Cheng

Wow. What a beautiful and heartbreaking story.

I listened to this one as an audiobook which I think was a fantastic decision considering this story is told through audio recordings that our young protagonist Alex is creating on his iPod so that he can send it into space for aliens to find and learn more about planet Earth. I didn’t read the synopsis before starting this one so I was unaware of the format, but it just worked so perfectly as an audiobook. There were multiple voice actors as well as sound effects which made these recordings feel super realistic and believable.

While this book started out quite light, it quickly started to turn into something more complicated and heartbreaking. We start to learn more about Alex’s home life and how it may not be what it seems.

This is very much an adventure story from the perspective of a young boy, but with a contemporary feel. He meets a slew of characters along the way and each of them do everything they can to help Alex along the way.

I absolutely adored this story and I think it’s one that everyone should check out!

Thank you for reading!