[Book Review] If I’m Being Honest by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

 Synopsis (from Amazon) :

Cameron Bright's reputation can be summed up in one word: b*tch. It's no surprise she's queen bee at her private L.A. high school--she's beautiful, talented, and notorious for her brutal honesty. But when she slips up in front of her crush, Andrew, any affection he may have had for her quickly fades. To win him over, Cameron resolves to "tame" herself, much like Shakespeare's infamous shrew, Katherine. If she makes amends with everyone she's ever wronged, Andrew will have to take notice. Thus, Cameron begins her apology tour with Brendan, the guy whose social life she single-handedly destroyed. At first, Brendan isn't so quick to forgive, but slowly he warms to her when they connect over a computer game he's developing. To Cameron's amazement, she actually enjoys hanging out with Brendan; he appreciates her honesty in a way Andrew never did, and she's left wondering: maybe you shouldn't have to compromise who you are for the kind of love you deserve.

My rating : 

5/5 stars

My review :

5 out of 5 stars. I love, love, LOVE this book!

If I’m Being Honest is Emily Wibberley’s and Austin Siegemund-Broka’s latest book, staring Cameron Bright as the main character. The synopsis got me intrigued, hence the reason why I picked this book up in the first place. I love this book so much, I have so many things to say and share with all of you. Without any further ado, let us proceed with the book review!

First of all, the plot. Based on the synopsis, Cameron Bright was trying to get her crush - Andrew’s attention once again, after facing failure while doing so. While she proceeded with her progress, she made a formal acquaintance with Brendan, who once received not an adorable nickname from Cameron – and that was their history. In my opinion, I found the plot interesting and packed with many aspects, be it important or not. In this particular contemporary book, your fictional world is surrounded by romance, family relationship, friendship etc. I personally acknowledged every single aspect that these two authors brought up in this book, as I found moral values behind all of these vital aspects. I loved the flow of the plot, as there was a positive movement being chapters, and I truly appreciated that in this book. The drama was not entirely predictable, but I personally loved the events in this book. What is a book without a satisfying drama, correct? I also appreciated the authors’ attempt to emphasise William Shakespeare again in this book. Do check this book out to find out more!

Overall, I was highly satisfied with the plot. Full marks for the plot, no doubt!

Next, I will be talking about the characters. The main character, Cameron Bright, was not perfect, and I loved her for that! She represented us, human beings, who tend to make mistakes in life and that is perfectly normal, as long as we learn from them. Cameron definitely had more developments, to the point that she became better from the previous chapters and became more loveable. I loved everything about her – her honesty (hence, the title), her courage, her hard work, etc. She, was everything to me and I loved her so much. Besides that, I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED Brandon! Oh, boy! This boy caught my heart like no other. I am still showering these two with all of my heart eyes emoji(s). Some of the other characters like Andrew, Paige, her parents, her other friends, and others had a special place in my heart, too. Each of them had different personalities and that made everyone in this book unique. Some of the characters could be annoying, I even hated this particular character (I definitely will not tell who it is!) but what is a story without annoying characters? You need them. We need them. 

Let us move on to the writing style. I have always adored these two authors’ writing styles, as I personally found them unique. Their writing in this book was casual, but better from their first book. I felt the writing was not heavy, but was not entirely simple, either. The writing style in this book was appropriately acceptable for a proper contemporary book, and it was more than averagely decent. Overall, full marks for the writing style!

Wow, I am definitely giving full marks for everything. What is new, Hanis?

To sum up my humble review, I must say that this book is beautifully romantic and pleasantly entertaining. If you are looking for a contemporary book with is not entirely light and lovey dovey, this book is great for you! 

Do read Always Never Yours by these authors if you have not already, as it was a great book, too! I am looking forward to reading more books from these amazing authors!

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommend!