This third and final book in the Simon Snow trilogy was everything I’d hoped for! I got so many wonderful SnowBaz moments, so many feels, and so many closures (both expected and totally unexpected ones). I was a bit nervous going into this book after the events in Wayward Son, but Rainbow Rowell managed to tie all lose ends together and give us a wonderful and completely satisfying wrap up.

After the road trip in Wayward Son, this book took us back to London again and the world of Mages from Carry On. Overall, this book felt very nostalgic (in the best possible way) and Rainbow Rowell brought back and connected characters and plots from Carry On, and just like I had hoped for, gave us so many adorable SnowBaz moments. That was something I missed in Wayward Son, but here their relationship was back in full throttle mood; so raw and hurting, desperate and intense, but also so tender and full of love.
 
As per usual, the story was told from different POVs and with parallel storylines. For example for Penelope and Shephard, for Agatha and even for Ebb’s goats at Watford! I’ve never rooted for Agatha in the other books, but I’m glad to say that I finally warmed up to her.
 
And, also as per usual, there were so many feelings, so much insecurity, so much dealing with the trauma Simon has been through, so much searching for your place and aim in life, which is what makes this series so utterly heartfelt. Rainbow Rowell has a unique way of describing feelings that sometimes when reading this book it felt like so was getting punched in my stomach. The intensity in Simon’s and Baz’s love was breathtaking at times, like how Simon struggled with intimacy and how he thought he would break and had to bite Baz since kissing or holding hand just wasn’t enough. I also really appreciated the deeper talks between Simon and Baz, especially about Simon’s sexuality and how he doesn’t need to label himself.
 
I have to admit that I didn’t care much for the subplot with the new chosen one cult, and the middle dragged a little for me.
 
But all in all, I am so very happy with this satisfying conclusion to this magical and wonderful trilogy! The absolute best part was all the adorable SnowBaz moments and their relationship growth! Just thinking about it makes me smile!

Rating:
5 stars

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Rainbow Rowell

The story was supposed to be over… Simon won the war. He got the man (vampire) of his heart. Now it’s time for the big Happy Ever After. It’s time for his life to start for real. Only problem is that Simon is depressed and spend his days on the couch starring into the wall… Wayward Son is the sequel to Carry On, which followed the Chosen One Simon Snow and his witchery friends and (to be) boyfriend, Penny and Baz, as they fought the evil Humdrum, and which was one of my favorite books ever. When Rainbow Rowell decided to give us this sequel I was over the moon, but also a little bit anxious that the sequel wouldn’t to the first book justice. But I’m so relieved and happy that it did and that Rainbow Rowell gave us another wonderful story with my favorite OTP SnowBaz!

I loved how we got to see what life looks like for a hero after everything has been fulfilled, after every mission has been carried out and the evil enemy has been defeated.

“This is what happens when you try to hang on after the end. When your time has come and passed. When you’ve done the things you were meant to do.”

Simon believes that his only purpose in life was magic, to be the chosen one that everyone needed. Now that it’s over, he fears that Baz and Penny don’t love him, that they only ever did because of his power. So, while Baz is at university, thriving, and Penny is… well, Penny, Simon is spending his day sulking on the couch. To cheer him up, Penny comes up with the idea to go on a road trip through America to visit their friend Agatha, who has not been hear of for weeks, and her boyfriend Micah. After that, this book then turns into a magical adventure following our friends on their wild and crazy road trip.

I love Rainbow Rowell’s writing style with all the different POVs and the fast pace, the characters and their dialogues. The light banter between Penny, Simon and Baz was hilarious, I didn’t realize just how much I missed Baz’s snarky retorts. This series is not the traditional fantasy one, it’s more of a magical adventure written in a contemporary, quirky style with amazing characters and relationship. It was the characters and their feelings and the dialogues that lead the story in such an amazing and addictive way, not the fantasy plot.

It was also such an unusual take to follow ex-heros and show what happens after the epic battle has been won. Not to mention how it shows mental illness and takes a pretty serious look at depression and PTSD. While yet managing to make it a fun read! Not an easy task! I love how Rainbow Rowell adds so much depth and dimensions to the characters by displaying their shortcomings and problems. And how she managed to make Simon and Baz’s relationship just as heart-wrenching and dramatic as in Carry On, even though they were supposed to be in an easy relationship and enjoying their new quiet life together. I did however miss their 
relationship really going somewhere in this book though, but I have my hopes up for some more relationship growth in the final installment of this series.

All in all, this book captured my heart and I cannot wait for the next book and, hopefully, more glorious SnowBaz moments!

Rating:
4.5 magical stars rounding up to 5

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Rainbow Rowell

Landline was a cute Christmas story with a magical twist, but it wasn’t as good as Rainbow Rowell’s other books. But still, it was a heart-warming, fast, feel-good read perfect for cold Winter days!

Landline takes place during the week of Christmas. Georgie is forced to choose between the career opportunity of a lifetime and spending Christmas with her family. To further complicate the decision, she and her husband Neal are having relationship problems. So, when Neal and the children leaves for the airport, and Georgie stays behind, it might just be the end of her marriage. But calling to check in on her family, she somehow finds herself on a magical time-traveling phone, calling the Neal she met and fell in love with all those years ago. It feels like she’s been given a second chance to love… or to break things off even before they started.

I really enjoyed the Christmas setting and the way the relationship between Georgie and her husband was presented over time. Except the magical time-travelling phone, it was a very relatable contemporary read, with flashbacks showing how they fell in love and how the complications of a grown-up relationship and raising a family impacted their feelings over time.

​My main problem was that I never really rooted for neither Georgie or Neal, so I wasn’t as drawn into the story as I would have wished for. But all in all, this was a really unique, warm-hearted and lovely book.

Rating:
​3 stars

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Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park is an adorable and heart-wrenching coming-of-age story and sweet love story between two misfits, but it’s not one of Rainbow Rowell’s best books.

This is a cute and fluffy YA contemporary read but that also has a lot of serious moments with child abuse and negligence. My heart went out for both Eleanor and Park while reading this book. They both had so much to struggle with, especially Eleanor with her horrible home life and her mother, and her own appearance. I also really loved the pop references and that the book took place in the 80s.

I am not sure how I feel about the ending though, I both love it and hate it… I think the book would have benefited from a more bombastic ending somehow. All the time while reading, I kind of waited for something more or bigger to happen. It was a gripping story, but it never blew me away the way Rainbow Rowell’s book normally does.

Rating:
​3 stars

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Carry On is something of a fan fiction for Harry Potter. It is also a spin-off from Rainbow Rowells’ book Fangirl, where Simon Snow began his life as a fictional character. But it’s so much more. I absolutely love this book!

In the beginning it’s quite easy to pick out the similarities between Carry On and Harry Potter – Simon/Harry, all the things about being the “chosen one”, Baz/Draco, Penelope/Hermione, Watford/Hogwarts, the Humdrum/Voldemort etc - but this story very soon takes its own completely unique direction and it’s definitely not a rip-off of any kind.

I love the way Rainbow Rowell keeps you in suspense. This is the complete opposite of insta love, you have to wait almost the whole book to find out if the two main characters love each other or hate each other, if they will end up together or if they will kill each other first. So good! And so mean to the reader, it makes the story completely addictive and deprives you of sleep...

This story is about Simon Snow (“the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen”), Baz (Simon’s roommate who “might be evil and a vampire and a complete grit”), Penelope (Simon’s best friend) and Agatha (Simon’s girlfriend who breaks up with him right from the start of the book). The story is told from all their different views, as well as from some more characters, and it’s written in a fast, witty style, that gives you all the information right from the start; who’s who, what they think and feel, their backgrounds. You also get the mystery part right from the start and then you can’t wait to read on to figure out how everything comes together –and most of all, will Simon and Baz end up together, or what?

I loved the characters so much (except for Agatha). Simon is so sweet and adorable. Rainbow Rowell did such a fantastic job to describe his struggle with himself, and how he’s definitely not perfect in any way, that I immediately took him to my heart. Penelope is badass, bossy, bold, smart and possibly the best friend ever. And Baz. Oh, I love Baz. He’s my favorite book boyfriend right now! I love that you didn’t know what to expect from him in the beginning, thinking that he might be the villain, a snobby bully, but how he develops through the story to this absolutely amazing, funny and wonderful person.

I love Rainbow Rowell’s writing style with all the different POVs and the fast pace and the way she entrangles the background story. And the world building and the plot and the characters. This book is so quirky and fun. I love the way Rainbow Rowell constantly kept you guessing to what was going to happen next and how the mystery ran its course, but without actually being the main drive of the story. Instead it was the characters and their feelings and the dialogues that lead the story in such an amazing and addictive way.

Alright, let’s face it, I love everything about this book!

Rating:
​5 stars

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​Author info:
Rainbow Rowell