Thank you "Simon & Schuster Canada" and "Netgalley" for sending me an ARC of "All This Time" in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I'd pick this book based on its cover design only. How gorgeous it is!

My second book by the authors "Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott" after "Five Feet Apart". Without trying to compare both the books, I was expecting teen romance and a bucket full of emotions. Well, I wasn't wrong.

I was slowly making my way through the plot and getting to know the psyche of the main characters. Suddenly, the book gave a surprising twist and I ended up finishing it in a single sitting. It is a fairy tale kind of love story but it also makes you believe in your dreams and true love. It is written from a heart which believes that true love exists even in the most unrealistic circumstances.

The ending seems forced to me to make it a "happy ending". I also found it creepy at times to approach a girl multiple times when she is not interested.

Overall, it is a compelling piece of fiction which also deals with depression and opening-up to someone about your feelings.

If you love reading YA romance with perfect "happy endings", grab this book.

If you've read 'Hum If You Don't Know The Words' already, you know that Bianca Marais is capable of writing unforgettable stories which are not only beautiful but also inspiring.

'If You Want To Make God Laugh' is a story about three strong women in South Africa in the post Apartheid period, who are having an existential crisis at different stages of their lives. They interestingly cross each other's path, and without giving away any spoiler, all I can say that the author blew my mind with the fantastic narration and the subtlety with which she addressed some intense issues of racism, sexual abuse, AIDS, and the stigma of homosexuality.

I loved all the three main characters of Ruth, Delilah and Zodwa. They are heartbroken yet strong and inspiring in their unique ways. They are full of love and not ready to dwell on the past. Their lives may not have ended up how they wanted them to be, but they are hopeful and full of heart.

The writing is excellent, and the story is fast-paced. Short chapters narrated from 3 different POVs of Delilah, Ruth and Zodwa not only makes the narration interesting but also builds the kinship with all three main characters.

I'd recommend this powerful, heart-warming and exceptional book to everyone.

When I think of science fiction and dystopia, I cannot think of a better book than Athena's Choice. The book which made you think if you can survive without men in your lives. The book which lets you imagine and take you to the world of 2099 when a device rules the highest decision-making body.

'Athena's Choice' is set in 2099. Fifty years ago, an experimental-deadly virus had killed all the men on the planet. Only women survived, and they now rule and reproduce. A controversial ongoing project to bring back men is sabotaged. Athena with an officer is put on a charge to find the accused.

This book is a page-turner and hooked me from the very first page. The story is thought-provoking, distressing, engaging, and compelling. 'Athena's Choice' is a great model of science fiction. The whole set up is appealing and leads the reader to the future. Mostly, the advertisement sections in a book turn me off, but this book is an exemption. They work in favour of building the environment of a world Athena is living.

I loved Athena's character. A well-developed character who is brave and not afraid to go and do what satisfies her. I felt rooting for her so many times. The school assignments and ratings were smartly inserted to build the layers to the character. Overall, I found this book a smart read.

If you love dystopian novels, pick this book!

'Firestarter' is my ninth Stephen King book in chronological order and what a surprise package it was! Quite underrated and not much-talked-about, Firestarter is one hell of a terrifying book without any ghostly character.

Charlie McGee, a seven-year-old girl with her uncontrollable power of pyrokinesis, can create fire with her mind. Firestarter, like some of other Stephen King books, doesn't haunt you with demons or ghosts. It has the potential of causing fear, tension and paranoia. The twists and turns in the book made me turn pages quickly.

Stephen King has been a master storyteller, and 'Firestarter' is one such exemplary work of his in which when the plot gets slow-paced, he puts depth in the character development and makes it more interesting.

I loved Charlie's relationship with her father, Andy. It is adorable, and seeing Andy going through so much to save his daughter was unbearable and emotional. On the other hand, the antagonist gave me creepy vibes from his appearance and his obsession with Charlie. His demeanour and dialogues were hitting the bull's eye to create panic, and his love for Charlie made me sick.

If you're looking to start reading Stephen King or you're already a fan of him, 'Firestarter' is a must-read Stephen King book.

If someone knows how to write a horror book without horror or gory scenes, it's Stephen King. I just finished my eighth book by Stephen King which he wrote under his pseudonym Richard Bachman "The Dead Zone", and it is bloody brilliant.

My first Stephen King book I read in the shortest time. The book is compelling, gut-wrenching, and thought-provoking. It is fast-paced and unputdownable. Having written this book in 1979, it still stands true to today's terrifying political climate. I am almost convinced that Stephen King can also see the future.

I have always loved the way King weaves the narration smartly by starting with all the characters independently, and they tend to cross each other's paths at a certain point of the story impressively. His storytelling is one brilliant example of writing so many characters without confusing the reader. The last 25% of the book is so engaging and the ending is my favourite part of the book.

I loved Johnny Smith's character, and I was rooting for him most of the time. If this book's story doesn't fascinate anyone, the character analysis does. Probably, one of the best character-driven books I've read. The antagonist, Greg Stillson, echoes with today's political world as well and King portrayed him so effortlessly as one amongst us.

I'd recommend this book to everyone who loves reading an excellent character-driven book and exceptional storytelling. A must-read for Stephen King fans.

The title and the cover intrigued my interest when I first saw it nominated in the best horror novel for Goodreads Choice awards for 2019. One of my favourite genres and written by a Canadian author - I am sold.

Don't get fooled by the delicate furry animal on the cover. Bunny by Mona Awad is not delicate on readers. It is brain-wrenching, gut-wrenching and baffling. One such book which I kept turning pages to know what happened next because I was drowning in that "rabbit hole" and it was impossible to come out of it.

It is hard to review this book without giving anything away. All I can tell is, that 'Bunny' is a unique book and I've never read this kind of imaginative book before which blew my mind to that extent. I loved it, hated it, turned pages, put it away, but the end made me fall in love with it. It is one of those books which you can put it away but can't stop thinking about it.

All the characters in the book are unlikeable, including the main character Samantha. I didn't need to like the character to like the book. Her character is in sync with the flow of the story, and I enjoy it. The vivid descriptions of the settings and the characters, the categorical structure in three phases and the ending, all are excellent.

If you love reading a book which has imagination, mind-blowing storytelling, character-driven plot intertwined with cult horror, grab this book.

Who else loves Ruth Ware's books? The Woman In Cabin 10 is my third book by the author and my favourite so far, and it is one great thriller which is full of twists and turns. Ruth Ware is, officially, my auto-buy author now.

Laura (Lo) Blacklock, on her work assignment as a travel journalist aboard a small luxury ship called 'the Aurora' witnesses a body of a woman thrown into the sea with the blood smeared on the glass.

I liked how Ruth Ware tried to confuse the reader by creating a burglary scene before Lo Blacklock board the ship and witnessed the murder. It is so smartly linked with Lo's hallucinations and over-alertness. I got Agatha Christie vibes from this book as there were so many characters on the ship who could have been a murderer.

Ruth Ware's books have always made me read them in one or two sittings, and this book is no exception. A good-paced story with non-complex writing makes this book a real page-turner.

The main character of Lo reminded me of AJ Finn's 'The Woman In The Window' with her anxiety issues and trying to convince people what she saw. The main character was unlikable for me for the big part of the book. Having read so many Agatha Christie books, I am accustomed to reading books with so many characters. If you are not comfortable in keeping tabs with various characters, this book can confuse you.

Overall, it is an entertaining book by Ruth Ware. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves reading thrillers with sea settings.

Ruth Ware's latest book One By One is terrific, modern and entertaining. I have enjoyed her writing in the past, and this book is no exception.

One By One is one such thriller which will take you to the Alps and will thrill you with its bitter cold and height. The setting of the snow-covered mountains, chalet, skiing and the stranded tourists are one of my favourite settings in the mystery books. Ruth Ware chose these settings brilliantly by enveloping them in an aura of a technical app.

I have always experienced Agatha Christie vibes from Ruth Ware's books. One By One gave me the vibes of 'And There Were None' and 'The Murder On The Orient Express' by Agatha Christie. A group of people stranded in the snow-covered chalet and series of mysterious murders - I'm in.

The writing has been superb and non-complex. The book is fast-paced, and I was turning pages quickly to find out the murderer. The dual narration by Erin and Liz makes the whole narration interesting. I kept second-guessing who the killer could be.

Not my favourite Ruth Ware but read it if you are a Ruth Ware fan and love thrillers.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

After 87457323 weeks of procrastination, I finally read Life Of Pi. I put off watching the movie adaptation because I wanted to read the book first. Now, I am cursing myself why I waited that long to savour this brilliant piece of art, magic and storytelling.

Pi, short for Piscine Molitor Patel, survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a boat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. 'Life Of Pi' is more than just Pi's voyage of 227 days in the Pacific Ocean. It is his journey of faith.

Intrigued since the very beginning from the author's note, Life Of Pi convinced me to believe what the author was saying. India, animals, sea, Canada, ocean, food - my favourite things to talk about and I am sold.

The chapters before Pi becomes a castaway build the solid foundation of Pi's beliefs and his psychology. His belief in three religions as he was unable to differentiate between them is one of my most favourite part of the book. This book doesn't question your religion or faith. You tend to devour a different version of the story based on your belief. The ending is remarkably stunning and excellent. I can't describe without giving it away so you'll have to read it to enjoy it.

This book is all about storytelling. The author, Yann Martel, has exceptionally created the magical voyage which is delightful, intriguing and sometimes hilarious. The author has touched so many themes in this single book. Some of them I don't agree with like "zoos are better for animals than being in the wild." I loved Pi's and Richard Parker's (the tiger's) character so much. I adored their unseen bonding over the survival instinct.

I haven't stopped recommending this book since I finished. Please read this book because you must.

When I think of short stories, I think of stories which are compact enough to escape me to a world for a short period and then land me safely to the actual world. When a master storyteller like Margaret Atwood writes such short stories, you need to forget about coming back to the real world because these stories stay with you for long.

Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood is a collection of nine 'wicked' tales. All the nine exceptional stories are a mirror to the ugly and vicious face of humanity. All the stories deal with old age protagonists. They often seem to lose their presence in most books, but Atwood wrote the whole book based on them. Her writing is witty, razor-sharp and full of dark humour. Atwood's insightful writing lets you delve into the lives of seniors who are depressed but full of experiences.

Ranging from fantasy land to a genetic disease, from a horror-story writer to a vindictive ex, the author covered all the premises for exceptional background setups for the stories with her vivid imagination. While I enjoyed all the stories, the title story is my favourite.

Read Stone Mattress for the love of brilliant writing and originality. If you love reading short stories, you owe yourself this book.

My first book by Toni Morrison and probably not the last - "Beloved" is one horror, heart-wrenching, complex yet powerful book that I am wondering why I didn't read this earlier. All of you who read this book during their college or high school, I am envious of you.

The Pulitzer Prize winner "Beloved" is about slavery, running away from slavery and its aftermath. Set in 1873, Ohio, this book starts with Sethe who is living with her daughter in a house which is desolate and haunted. She ran away with her children from 'Sweet Home' eighteen years ago where she was a slave to a white family. The white men found her, but she tried killing her children so that they avoid slavery. She killed her two-year-old daughter, but neighbours and her mother-in-law saved her other children. The ghost of her two-year-old daughter haunts her house now, and she does not want to run away anymore accepting this desolate life until one day, a girl appears at her door claiming the same name as her dead daughter.

I suck at magical realism, and a combination of it with complicated writing, it is a big turn off for me. Something in the foreword that I read at the beginning of the book was so compelling me and made me persevere throughout the book. Toni Morrison used powerful writing as a metaphorical representation of a slave's consciousness which is full of dark, brutal, intolerable and detestable memories. This book demands effort from a reader to thoroughly understand the perception of a slave.

Beloved has so many disturbing graphic scenes which made me close the book so many times. It is even more frightful that the story is inspired by a real-life story of Margaret Garner, who ran away with her children and husband from slavery. Toni Morrison has portrayed all the characters to their best ability. She didn't sketch all the white men as evil and torturing. Coloured people were portrayed as progressive, hard-working and kind.

Everyone should read this book. This book is a powerful book about shame, desperation, guilt, evil, perseverance and hope. A perfect book for any book club because this spurs a lot of discussions.

When you read a famous classic, you prepare yourself for what to expect. I was wrong. I wasn't expecting this kind of writing, frightful picture of human endurance and a thought-provoking book.

1984 by George Orwell is the father of all the dystopian novels I've read so far. This book is far more frightening because Orwell wrote it in 1948-1949 and it still resonates to this day.

1984 is a dystopian study of political oppression, mind control, paranoia and secret mass surveillance. Set in a totalitarian state of Oceania, it represents a society where talking, walking, eating, drinking, and even thoughts are controlled by the ruling party led by Big Brother. Despite the constant monitoring and the threat of severe punishment, Winston Smith takes the risk of writing down a diary for future generations. Imagine the fate of this Outer Party member who writes a diary and falls in love where there is no freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom to love whoever you want.

After reading Orwell's Animal Farm, I was depressed. This book is ten times more depressing than Animal Farm and should be categorized into horror fiction. Orwell's depiction of an oppressing state is extremely frightening by imagining the dangers associated with giving one person or entity so much control or power.

When I thought of underlining or highlighting the main points, I found it useless to highlight the whole book. There are so many captivating quotes. This book is more like a study than a fictional book about how a more powerful class operates the society by weakening the weakest. War is not a necessity but a mere tool to suppress own citizens by devoiding them of necessities. The press/media can write anything and can manipulate history so that the future generations will never know the past. Isn't it terrible?

I'd recommend 1984 to everyone. Definitely, not an easy read but 1984 is a must-read.