⭐️: 2.5/5
Genre: YA fantasy / contemporary fiction

📔The story follows Alice Sun, a scholarship student at an elite Beijing boarding school. Her parents are struggling badly with tuition costs, and just when things seem impossible, Alice suddenly discovers she can turn invisible. Instead of using her powers for something epic, she teams up with her academic rival Henry Li to create a secret “ghost app,” where students pay her to spy on teachers, dig up gossip, and do shady little jobs only someone invisible could pull off.
At first it feels clever, Alice finally has a way to control her fate and make tones of money. But as the jobs get riskier (like exposing scandals of rich students and teachers), she realizes she’s in way over her head. Meanwhile, her “sworn enemy” Henry is clearly crushing on her, though Alice is too stubborn to admit she maybe doesn’t hate him as much as she claims. The whole academic-rivals-to-lovers vibe is supposed to be the selling point, but it never quite hit that sharp, bantery energy, it was more obvious from his side than hers.

📝The invisibility itself felt underdeveloped, there was never a real explanation for why she had powers or what became of them. Some things just didn’t add up: why her parents would keep her in an elite school they clearly couldn’t afford, how the scholarship math worked, and why certain subplots were dropped (like, hello, where did the powers even go in the end???).
I picked this up because a friend recommended it and was excited because a) it was recommended, duh and b) the cover made me expect some deep, mind-blowing commentary about human nature. Sadly, it didn’t really deliver.
That said, it was fast-paced, the app concept was fun, and I finished it quickly. But it read more like a Wattpad story than a fully fleshed-out novel. As a debut, it wasn’t terrible, but definitely not the life-changing, "realest rivals-to-lovers ever" experience the hype promised.

I know, I know, I should’ve read Holly Jackson’s book like I promised (I even started it🥺), but I just couldn’t continue. I wasn’t in the mood at all. Instead I somehow ended up reading two other books🌝 one being If You Could See The Sun👆🏻, and the other…Tahereh Mafi’s brand-new release Watch Me. And oh my gosh, THIS BOOK😭

⭐️: 5/5
Genre: Magical realism, fiction

🔖 Before the Coffee Gets Cold takes us into a small Tokyo cafe called Funiculi Funicula, run by a couple Nagare, Kei, and their cousin Kazu. But this cafe isn’t just an ordinary cafe, it’s a place where, under very specific rules, you can travel back in time. You must sit in a particular chair that is occupied by a lady who leaves it once a day, you cannot leave your seat, you can only meet someone who has been in the café before, you cannot change the present, and most importantly, you must return before your coffee gets cold…
With such strict restrictions, the cafe that was once full with curious customers eventually turned into a quiet spot mainly visited by a few regulars like Kohtake, Fusagi, and Hirai. The book unfolds through four interconnected stories of these visitors, each facing their own emotional battles. Even though they cannot change the future, they find a kind of healing in revisiting the past. The world doesn’t change when they come back, but they do.

✍️At first, I honestly thought I wouldn’t finish this book. The Japanese style of writing focuses on tiny details, which felt slow and even frustrating for me, especially when I wanted more action. But my friend insisted I stick with it and I’m so glad I did. The slowness, I realized, was part of its charm. It forces you to pause, to reflect, and to feel.
What I learned from this book and each story is hard to compress into words, but here’s my attempt:
- You can’t erase regrets, but facing them can make you feel lighter.
- Even small moments of connection with someone can be life-changing.
- Sometimes you can’t change your situation, but you can change how you see it.
- Slowing down isn’t a waste of time, it can be healing.
In the end, it’s not really about time travel, but about people, forgiveness, and moving forward. It’s a quiet book, but a powerful one.

⭐: 5/5
Genre: YA fantasy

🔖 Watch Me picks up after the Shatter Me series, throwing us back into Juliette/Ella’s chaotic world. Power struggles, rebellion, betrayals, it’s all there. Warner is still fighting to keep it together while protecting J, Kenji remains the chaotic bestie we deserve, and James (my forever soft spot 🥹) is finally getting his own spotlight. We’re also introduced to Rosa, who is strong and fascinating but her zoning out and traitor vibes are driving me slightly insane🙄.
The adrenaline and hype were REAL. I haven’t felt what I felt with reading this in ages. Seeing Warner and Kenji again had me giggling and kicking my feet like it was two years ago when I binged the whole series in a week. Tahereh’s writing? Still that perfect mix of emotional and addictive.
And then…THE CLIFFHANGER. I’m left crying until the next part comes out next April. It’s cruel, but it’s also why this is an easy 5/5 for me. Pure chaos, pure heart, pure Shatter Me vibes.
I can’t say much about the plot itself, since it’s a direct continuation, and if you haven’t read the previous books it wouldn’t make sense. But that’s not really the point here. What makes this book hit is the emotions, the characters the readers have grown with, and the way Tahereh keeps pulling us back into this messy, addictive world.

Hi everyone🤍

First of all, sorry for being a bit inactive here lately, things have been a little hectic with my capstone project and other studies😭. I’m currently trying to wrap everything up, and I’d really appreciate your help with one last step.

As I’ve already mentioned I’m conducting a short survey for my capstone on influencer marketing and its effects on university selection, and I still need a few more responses to complete my research properly. So, if you haven’t filled it out yet, pls do🙏🏻 It only takes 2–3 minutes, and your input would genuinely mean a lot to me.

If you could fill it out and maybe even share it with others, I’d be super grateful!!!

🔗 https://forms.office.com/r/ag2rpBrgQF

Thank you so much for your support!!

⭐️: 4.8/5
Genre: YA Fantasy

As usual, amidst all the assignments, stress, and CAPSTONE, I still managed to finish a book. Priorities, clearly (more like severe procrastination or strategic self sabotage). But honestly, I wouldn’t have picked up just anything, this was Release Me by Tahereh Mafi, the next (9th😌) book in the Shatter Me series. I had been waiting for this for a year… and somehow also completely forgot about it. The second I remembered it was being “released” this month, I was so excited, I even had it marked on my calendar.

I honestly had forgotten parts of the previous plot, cz it’s been a while, the Reestablishment is gone, 10 years have passed, but the moment I got back into it, it felt like slipping into something familiar. Same characters, same comfy world. The storyline was pretty intense, but balanced with a lot of genuinely funny dialogue. And this time, we really got to feel Rosabelle. I understood her so much more, and yeah, as someone who absorbs emotions way too easily, some parts genuinely hurt to read. And then there’s James, the hero, my soft spot, but also the guy everyone sees as reckless, impulsive, and head-over-heels-crazy for Rosabelle to be taken seriously. Especially after everything he messed up before. Still, the way he loves her? Yeah. Yeah…

Now, the main conflict throughout the book is the lack of trust around Rosabelle. And ngl, that dragged a bit. Like I get it, trusting someone from the enemy side isnt exactly easy, but it felt like almost the entire book revolved around that tension. The reason why I couldn’t give it a full 5-star. That being said, I’m really glad James trusted her. And I’m even more glad Rosabelle isn’t out here playing games, she actually likes him (and I know that for a fact because hello, her POV).

And of course, it ends on a cliffhanger.
AAAAAAA

BUT apparently the next book is coming this fall instead of next spring and I have never been more emotionally unstable yet grateful at the same time😍

so yeah, I guess I’ll be back this fall, byee