Author: Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

A lifelong reader of all things YA and books with heartfelt moments that punch you with all the feels. Currently expanding my reading interests to encompass anything that makes me feel deep and resonate with the characters
top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Titles or Covers that Enticed Me to Buy/Read the Book

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Good morning friends! How was your last week for everyone? Here in Canada, we had a long weekend so I’m happy that this is a short work week. Meant I could also focus more on reading and blogging which is always great.

This week’s TTT was a fun no-brainer to amass titles. These are books that I felt this connection for right away, whether it was the title or the cover. Yes, they always say Don’t judge a book by its cover….but we all know that we do it subconsciously anyway. Sometimes it totally works in our favour as there are so many gorgeous cover art, but of course, it helps that the story inside is just as gorgeous in its storytelling.

Without further ado, here are just several titles I have bought on a whim and/or wanted to read right away from its cover and title alone.

1. Dream A Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

The title and cover just screamed Alice in Wonderland to me with its whimsical dream-like connotation and the key-shaped hole the girl disappeared in. I mean, who doesn’t want to see where this girl will lead us?

2. The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

I love the fake dating trope and the title says it all. I didn’t even know how it was going to be executed to know that I wanted to read this right away. I went out to the store and got myself a copy later that day. Plus, it helps that the colour palette of the cover was very pleasing to my eye.

3. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Okay, to be honest, the very first moment I saw this I was in the bookstore with a friend. She was very dubious about such a book. I mean, are they witches that tell the truth? What next? Witches that wield fire and water? (She actually hit that on the nail). But I couldn’t shake this book out of my mind so I returned a week later and got myself a copy after all.

4. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Firstly, the title was unique. How many boys were we going to meet and potentially fall for? But also, this was at a time where I didn’t see many protagonists who looked like me in YA literature. I loved seeing an Asian girl on the cover. Plus, I really liked the aesthetic of her bedroom.

5. Crash / Bang / Gasp by Lisa McMann

This series piqued my interest from the beginning, not only because I read previous books by the author, but because of these covers! Like, look at these gorgeous beauties! The minimal aesthetic is everything, but also the detail in the eyes relating to the title. Why wouldn’t I want to pick this up right away?

6. Frostfire by Amanda Hocking

I didn’t even know initially this was a sequel series to previous series the author wrote in the same world, but I loved the cover so much! The winter scene contrasted with the girl in the middle so nicely and I knew I needed to borrow a copy of this immediately.

7. Control by Lydia Kang

The cover was gorgeous even though the title didn’t initially entice me. It made me think of an experiment, and being from a science background, I knew I had to see what this was all about.

8. Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas

Similar to the title above, I felt the cover looked like it had a science-y feel to it and that definitely intrigued me. And the title gave me royalty drama vibes that had me curious right off the bat.

9. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Okay, who wouldn’t be curious from that title? I normally think insta-love is cringey and unrealistic. But throw in the stats word and I’m hooked! Just say I was always primed for the statistical career path, but I knew I had to figure out if whatever couple featured in this story would be able to get together from “love at first sight”.

10. Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Last but not least, knowing me, why would I not automatically love everything about this cover and title?? I’m not normally a zombies fan – they can be so gruesome and gory which is not my style – but I had a good feeling that this would be character driven instead of solely plot driven like in an apocalyptic zombie thriller. So I bought it right away and haven’t looked back since.

What did you all think about my choices? Would you pick up any of these books based on their title and cover alone?

Since I haven’t linked to any of my reviews of these books to this post, what is your honest answer? (But if you are curious about their synopses, you can find their reviews on this blog by using the search bar).

Until next time!

5 star, YA

Review: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #1

For readers of Kara Thomas and Karen McManus, an addictive, twisty crime thriller with shades of Serial and Making a Murderer about a closed local murder case that doesn’t add up, and a girl who’s determined to find the real killer–but not everyone wants her meddling in the past.

Everyone in Fairview knows the story.

Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can’t shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn’t want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.

This is the story of an investigation turned obsession, full of twists and turns and with an ending you’ll never expect.

This debut had me on the edge of my seat. Hold onto your hats because this was a wild ride that really hit the hype surrounding it.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder follows Pip, an amateur sleuth with a slight personal connection to a case that was considered solved in her small town. Under the guise of a school project to look at social media impact on a high profile case, in reality, Pip was going to conduct an investigation to see if Sal Singh, a boy she knew growing up, could really be a cold-blooded killer at heart like everyone thought he was.

Continue reading “Review: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson” →
wrap up

July 2021 Wrap Up and TBR

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Hello friends! It is a gloomy, rainy day here but I am so glad it’s Thursday and almost the end of the week. However, where has July gone?? I feel like the summer season has only just begun and yet it’s already halfway over.

July was a crazy month for me. If you read some of my other updates this month, you’ll know that we brought in a new puppy into our home and she has been both a source of joy and pain. Still figuring out the biting and potty training stuff, but I love her to bits already. If anyone’s ever interested, maybe I can post some stuff about her here somewhere – though not 100% sure what that’ll have to do with books but oh well.

Okay, now onto the books, which is what you’re all here for! This month was such a good reading month. Not because of the number of books I got through, though I am happy the additional puppy training and walks didn’t take away from my reading too much, but because of the quality of books I read. I loved SO many of these, and they blew me away with their characters, plots and author writing styles. Let’s break it down, shall we?

What did I read this month?

5 Drink Me Potions

If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

  • If you’re looking for a mean girl falling in love with a Shakespearean twist, look no further! I loved Cameron Bright as our protagonist as she balances changing her character for herself instead of for someone else while holding true to who she is that didn’t have to changed for anyone. The romance was the cutest enemies-to-lovers I’ve read and I just couldn’t stop smiling through it all! Definitely a perfect summer read.

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

  • The sequel to the hit A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is just as amazing as the first, which is a super high bar to follow. Amateur sleuth Pip wanted to leave behind murders after the ordeal that came crashing down in book 1, but a mystery and potential crime comes to her and this one may leave more scars behind. It was a little eerie, especially reading at night, but I couldn’t put it down or look away as Pip and friends navigate another challenge, but this time in front of a large audience who are watching their every move and/or misstep.

4 Drink Me Potions

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

  • The world building was great and the descriptions of Sicilian food made my mouth water half the time (don’t read this on an empty stomach!), but what made this book so great was the tense relationship forming between Emilia, the twin who survived some dark magic attack on the witches in their area, and a Prince of Hell. It was slow burn and drove me crazy as they hunted down Emilia’s twin’s killer together. But of course, when dealing with the devil, one cannot trust them, can they? Or even worse, love them?

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

  • With twisty riddles at the heart of the story, who can resist diving into this book that asks the million (or should I say billion?) dollar question: how did a nobody like Avery Grambs inherit billions from a man she never met or knew? Shoved into the spotlight and the Hawthorne family/home, Avery navigates relationships with the 4 Hawthorne brothers and extended family as they all wonder why she was chosen in their place. Sometimes it focused less on the big puzzle and more on the characters and their backstory, but overall this was a unique gem of a read.

Heartbreakers and Fakers by Cameron Lund

  • Fake dating with a twist! Unsure why she kissed a guy she hated most of her life – and unfortunately her best friend’s boyfriend, Penny’s social life takes a dive unless she could convince everyone she did it for love instead of a drunken mistake. I love the fake dating trope when done well, and this was such a fun ride as Kai and Penny fake things…until it doesn’t seem so fake after all. Can people who annoy one another actually make this work? Maybe there’re more things in common between them than they ever knew. This was another great summer read!

2 Drink Me Potions

Bone Crier’s Dawn by Kathryn Purdie

  • The only book to fall short in my list this month, I wanted to adore Bone Crier’s Dawn so much since I loved book 1. However, the set up from book 1 didn’t make this one as dramatic or action-filled as I wanted, with a weird love triangle taking place between the boy Ailesse fell in love with and the boy she was fated to be with. I had hoped for more romance (not quite there), and an epic finale (also not there). The world building was solid as we learn more about bone criers (who call themselves Leurresses) and their role to guide dead souls, but it alone can’t carry the story. I had high hopes for this one and it just fell flat.

Current reading list

  • Made in Korea by Sarah Suk
  • A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen
  • Someone We Know by Shari Lapena

TBR list

  • Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
  • Witchshadow by Susan Dennard
  • They’ll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman

And that’s a wrap on July! Here’s hoping August is just as beautiful for you all. If you can, go out and breathe the fresh air, say hello to friends and read a good book.