On Brand: Shape Your Narrative. Share Your Vision. Shift Their Perception. by Aliza Licht

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Finished this last night and all I can say is I wish I had a print copy (for some reason I can’t find a print copy to purchase in South Africa).
I got a review copy of “On Brand” from Netgalley and I was so thrilled. I loved “Leave Your Mark” and have been waiting for years for Aliza Licht to release a new book.
“On Brand” is the bigger sister to “Leave Your Mark”. While I read “Leave Your Mark” as a uni student in her final semester, reading “On Brand” was like the prep you need for the corporate world.
Who better to advise us on personal branding than DKNY PR GIRL?
This book was incredibly informative but be warned, you WILL need a notebook of some kind. If you’re a new graduate or if you’re just looking to refresh your personal brand, definitely pick this up.
(Personally I am of the opinion that personal branding is for EVERYONE and this book is a great guide for you).



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The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When “The Silent Patient” first released, everyone who read it wouldn’t stop raving about it. At the time, I was struggling to read so I didnt bother to get a copy.
But when I found this in a secondhand didn’tbookstore, I knew I had to get it. Sure I had stopped reading for months but what if THIS was the book that would change all of that?
Unfortunately I dont think this has fixed my reading problem but this book was incredible!

“The Silent Patient” tells the story of Theo, a damaged psychotherapist who is a fan of Alicia’s artwork. Theo has been following Alicia’s story since the beginning- when she shot her husband five times in the face. No one knows why Alicia murdered her husband and she hasn’t spoken since that day.
Theo is determined to get Alicia to speak- to heal. But as time goes on Alicia remains silent. Desperate for answers, Theo resorts to speaking to the people in her life. He goes about the whole thing in a way a detective would. And the men in Alicia’s life do not like Theo’s meddling.

I spent an entire day with this book. I just had to know how it ended. This is a book that leaves you saying “WTF” when you’re done.



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Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I CANNOT believe it took me so long to finish this book. I also cannot believe I enjoyed it so much.
I started this book atleast thrice but was never in the right frame of mind to finish it. But I was stuck in bed this weekend so I thought “why not try again?”
And SUCCESS!!!
“Queen of Ruin” picks up shortly after “Grace and Fury” and sees the two sisters reunite…briefly. But with Asa now in power, the girls must come together to defend their families and country from his tyranny.
This book did a great job of recapping what happened (this was helpful since I couldn’t remember and since I kept starting and stopping this book before). It was amazing to see how both Serina and Nomi’s characters have developed and of course I wanted to know more about Malachi.
Once I started reading this last night, I could not stop. This is one of my favourite series and I’m sad there’s only two books.
I feel like there is definitely potential for more.
If you’re looking for the kind of book that makes you forget you are reading, give this series a try!



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Freelance Like a Boss: How to escape the 9–5 and take control of your life by Shea Karssing

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Freelance Like a Boss covers everything you need to know to start your own freelancing business. From finding clients and determining your rates to taxes and ensuring you have enough income, this book was a treasure trove of knowledge.

Freelance Like a Boss is written in a funny, easy to understand manner and it feels like sitting down with a friend who is breaking down the ins and outs of freelancing.

That’s my official review. Now I shall proceed to share all of my deepest feelings for this book (Yes, I enjoyed myself THAT much).

I picked up a copy of this book as soon as I saw it was in store (Bookworm life hack- get you a bookstore that has great prices AND great Customer Service). I am not a person who buys regularly priced books, especially non-fiction. But prior to the book release, I had read the synopsis and checked out the author’s website so at the very least, I knew she had great writing skills.
I came home, realised that the book was thinner than I had expected and was incredibly disappointed. (Now keep in mind that I am someone who has recently struggled to complete books because of her short attention span. So I had no business being disappointed. The shorter the book, the easier it would be for me to finish).
But when I started skimming through the page of contents, it looked like the book covered everything that I had ever wondered about. There are countless online resources for freelancing. But I have never found any that are tailored to South Africans. And as a digital marketer, it bugged me. I had worked with freelancers. I had freelanced for a short while. But while the lifestyle appealed to me, there were so many things that I knew nothing about that I just couldn’t justify going back to freelancing.
I started reading and for the next few days, this book was glued to my side. Literally. It came with me to the bathroom in the mornings as I brushed my teeth. I read it at breakfast and then picked it up again at lunch. I kept it on my desk to read it again after work. The chapters are pretty short so I was able to complete them without my short attention span getting in the way. It’s been a while since I enjoyed a book this much- especially a non-fiction one.
Once it was done, I had that feeling of accomplishment that comes with finishing a book and surprisingly, I don’t have any questions about freelancing.
If you’re interested in freelancing and have no clue where to start, this is the book for you. You’re definitely going to walk away having learnt something.



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People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I held off on reading any of Emily Henry’s books simply because of all the hype surrounding them.
But I found a copy of this book in a fire booksale and figured “hey, why not?”
There are no words for how much I loved this book. I legit considered picking up an Emily Henry boxset from my nearest bookstore- a boxset that contained another (cleaner) copy of this book.

This books follow Alex and Poppy, two unlikely best friends who meet up once a year for a trip. They’ve been friends for years but at the beginning of this book, it’s been 2 years since they’ve had a falling out.
They text of course. Wishing each other on special days but it isn’t the same. They’re aren’t as close as they used to be.

Poppy decides to try and revive their friendship by suggesting another trip. She’s confident that this will work. After all, they’re best friends. But is this something else standing in the way of their friendship? (UM, YES! These two are perfect for each other).

I loved Poppy and Alex together. They’re very cute and you can see their instant chemistry. You can also see why their friendship is so amazing.
If you are looking for a fun little romance book, give this a go!



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We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have so many mixed feelings about this book. Where do I even start?
“We Were Liars” has always been a really hyped book.
Which is why it took me so many years before I finally picked it up.
Whenever I asked fans of the book to explain to me what it was about, they never could. So I had this theory in my head that it was just a bad book with lots of fans.
No, it is not.
This is a YA mystery set in Summer with a bunch of privileged teens. Every Summer, a wealthy family gathers on their private island to spend time with each other.
Until one Summer where there’s an accident that changes everything.
What happened in the accident? Why won’t anyone talk about it? Why are they pretending like nothing has changed when everything has changed?
These are questions that can only be answered by reading this book.
This was a really well-written book that I couldn’t put down. This book tore my heart to pieces but I eagerly picked up “Family of Liars”. I loved spending time on the island with this family and couldn’t wait to go back.



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When Women Were Dragons: A Novel by Kelly Barnhill

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I am so so SO EMBARRASSED by how long it took me to pick up this book especially since I was drawn in from the second I opened it.
I received a review copy of “When Women Were Dragons” from Jonathan Ball Publishers. Unfortunately, I only got around to reading it now.
I have a really short attention span but this was the first book I tried not to put down (I say “tried” because I am old and eventually had to put it down to sleep…but I was up at 4AM the next morning to continue reading.

“When Women Were Dragons” tells the story of a mass “Dragoning”- an event where women started transforming into dragons. Society dealt with this in a very predictable way- they pretended it never happened.
The main character, Alex tells the story of her childhood and how the Dragoning affected her family and their lives.
What I really loved about this book was that it read like a coming-of-age book mixed with a documentary on how female problems were avoided simply because they were female problems.
This was a really well-written book that I enjoyed immensely. It brought out many intense emotions inside me. I was annoyed, I cried, I wanted to scream (but I didn’t- obedient females don’t do that after all).

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I LOVED THIS WORLDBUILDING! This book needs to be required reading in schools. I have never felt more seen in my life.