One Way Or Another

Let It Snow // Book Tag

- Bunny 1 Comment

Hi Friends,
For Bookmas Day 21, I will be doing the ‘Let It Snow’ Book Tag created by Paperbacks and Planners. This seems like a quick winter tag, and let’s face it – by now you probably know that I enjoy doing tags. So, without further ado, let’s get to the questions.


I’ve read a few books with a snowy setting, but the first one that came to mind was ‘One Way Or Another‘ by Kara McDowell. This is a YA holiday contemporary where we follow a teenage girl through two alternative path. In one, she spends Christmas in New York with her mother. While the other path shows her spending the holiday in a snowy cabin with her best friend. The cozy snowy setting of this book was prefect for the holiday season. Also, Christmas in New York sounds pretty amazing.
Related Post: One Way Or Another // Book Review


I’m going with ‘How Not to Fall in Love‘ by Jacqueline Firkins, which I’ve probably talked about a million times already. Honestly, I don’t think this book gets noticed enough. It is a super cute, friends-to-lovers contemporary, that almost makes me like the friends-to-lovers trope. This book is so heartwarming, and will be one of my favorites forever.
Related Post: How Not To Fall In Love // Book Review


London! I have wanted to visit London for half my life. Also, New York City is at the top of my want to visit list too. As for fictional, Narnia stands out to me, but probably because it seems like the most wintery/Christmasy destination. I’ve never read the Narnia books, but I have seen the movies and the world is really cool.


I could not possibly list all of the book series that I’m in the middle of, since that would take a lot of time. The book series that I am closet to finishing would be ‘Caraval‘ by Stephanie Garber. I only have ‘Finale‘ left to read then I can start her ‘Once Upon A Broken Heart’ series, which I beleive is a spin-off book series.
Related Post: Caraval // Book Review


Probably, ‘The Cousins‘ by Karen M. McManus! I love all her books, but this one was a super fast read for me. The story was so good, and the ending was just wow. If you are looking for a gripping, fast-paced young adult mystery thriller this book will not disappoint you one bit.
Related Post: The Cosuins // Book Review


Truth be told, the first thing that came to mind was ‘Annabelle: Creation’, but since that’s a movie, and not a book, it doesn’t count. The only books that have kept me up all night are ones I can’t put down or can’t stop thinking about. That being the case I’m picking ‘The Project‘ by Courtney Summers. That book is just weird and I still find myself randomly thinking about it. I would say it was definitely one I stayed up thinking about.
Related Post: The Project // Book Review


‘The Holiday Swap‘ by Maggie Knox is an adorable Hallmark movie type of holiday read. Not only does this take place during the holidays, there’s also baking, romance, and it is all wrapped up into twin sister swap story. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea when it comes to holiday books, but I loved it.
Related Post: The Holiday Swap // Book Review

This was such a fun little tag, and I’d love to know all of your answers as well! Feel free to leave them in the comments below. I would appreciate it if you shared and liked this post with others. And, if you’re a fellow book lover, do follow the blog for more bookish content.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

One Way Or Another // Book Review

- Bunny 1 Comment

Author: Kara McDowell
Published: 2020
Genre: YA/Contemporary/Holiday
Rating:Full, star, bookmark, favorite, favourite, like, rating icon - Download on IconfinderFull, star, bookmark, favorite, favourite, like, rating icon - Download on IconfinderFull, star, bookmark, favorite, favourite, like, rating icon - Download on Iconfinder

Synopsis
Sliding Doors meets To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before in a sweet, smart holiday romance about a girl who decides to stop letting her anxiety stand in the way of true love.

I saw this book in stores last holiday season, and the cover intrigued me. I went into the book completely blind, since all I knew was that it is a YA contemporary that’s set at Christmas time. But, this book threw me for a loop. We jump straight into the plot from the get go, and learn all about the main character, Paige. She is an extreme worrier, who is paranoid to make a decision. She overthinks every choice, and gets anxiety when thinking about the effects her choices can have on her life.

In the book, we follow Paige as she spend Christmas with her best friend, and long time crush, Fitz. However, we also follow her to New York where she spends the holiday with her mom. The book showcases alternating time lines where the reader gets to see the outcome of both choices. At first, I was completely confused, because she was on a plane to New York. Then suddenly, Fitz was picking her up so she could spend Christmas at his family cabin.

As the book went on, I got use to the dual storylines. It was a cool concept, and with such an indecisive main character, I understood why the author chose to go this route. Still, I didn’t feel like the whole dual timeline works in a book. I have seen movies with this type of plot, and prefer it in films and shows rather than books. Yet, even in live-action, the lines between both paths can become blurry.

This was supposed to be a friends-to-lovers story, which I think got lost along the way. At one point, I was rooting for her to end up with another potential love interest. Paige was way too invested in Fitz, which was slightly annoying. Her crush wasn’t subtle or cute, but obsessive and desperate. She was pining so hard for her best friend, who was a serial dater. We do learn a lot about Fitz and the reason behind his relationship habits, but by then, I already wasn’t a fan of his character.

Something that the author did remarkably well was the mental health representation. Like Paige, I suffer from mental health disorders, anxiety being one of them. I completely understood her thoughts and worries in a way that only someone who also feels that way can. She thought that her brain was broken, and was scared that her illness was a burden to those around her.

“Rabbit holes are my specialty. I live and breathe in them.”

There are many times when I have felt the exact same way. It took me a long time to understand that my brain isn’t broken, but it does work differently than others. If anything, this is a self love story about coming to terms with your mental health struggles, and realizing you don’t have to let them control your life.

As for the two time lines, I’m not sure which one I enjoyed more, but I did find the ending thought provoking. It begs the question that all things will ultimately turn out the way they’re supposed to, no matter the path to you chose. It’s an interesting concept. One really has to wonder if fate does play a big part in our lives and decisions.

As a whole, the characters and plot weren’t my favorite, but I wouldn’t categorize the book as a disappointment. Have you read this book? Do you like alternating timeline plots? If you are a fan of reviews, give this post a like and a share. And make sure to follow the blog for all my post notifications.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny