Watching this video has become a monthly ritual — a moment of self-reflection I return to again and again.

This story makes me reflect on every little thing I did or didn’t do for someone in the month.

I sit alone, play the video and space out and think, was I mean to someone? Was I rude to someone? Did I hurt someone? Because ultimately, I was treating myself that way. Get it?

“I’m Abraham Lincoln?”

“And you’re John Wilkes Booth, too,” I added.

“I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled.

“And you’re the millions he killed.”

“I’m Jesus?”

“And you’re everyone who followed him.”

You fell silent.

Whenever I look at someone going down a wrong path, I try to guide them, maybe that version of myself isn’t mature enough yet. Whenever I scold someone, it’s for myself.

I don’t agree with the idea of everyone having the same soul, that every single person is me. As I sit here, safe at home, typing away, it’s hard to believe that someone committing a heinous crime at this very moment could also be me.

Maybe I’m not mature enough to accept that a criminal could be me too, but I do like to imagine that I might be Madeline Miller, writing amazing novels in that person’s body or maybe I’m fun and sarcastic like Silvia creating parody reels which are effortlessly funny. Maybe I can do this again in this life too.

Maybe I’m as strong as Amanda Nguyễn too-a rape survivor, a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, a girl who lost her dreams but not her will and strength and fought for the Sexual Assault Survivor rights and won. And is now going to fulfil her childhood dream on April 14th 2025 by going to space. I have never been more proud and excited for a stranger on the internet. Maybe it’s arrogant to think I could be her, as if I could claim her victories as my own. But it’s comforting to imagine that somewhere, in another life, I have already won. Yet, that same thought unsettles me — because if I can be the hero, doesn’t that mean I could also be the villain?

I takeaway from this story is that we are a fetus, who needs to mature. That’s our whole purpose. To mature. I need to focus on this life, I don’t have control over my other lives, I can only guide them, help them, inevitably hurt them, love them. But I need to do good and just actions in my life. I will fail, but I need to learn to accept my failure too. That won’t make me weak, it’ll make me mature. It’ll help me grow.

“Every time you victimized someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”

This story will give you an existential crisis.

If you have eight minutes to spare, watch this video. Read the story. Let it sit with you. I promise — it’s worth it.

Thank you for reading — well, it was more of a rant than a review, but either way, I’m glad you read.

Love you!

💚🌻

Well, today’s my birthday, and I wanted to read something sweet, fluffy, and heartwarming — so I picked up Heartstopper Vol. 1.

And oh, my heart stopped so many times…

Hi! Welcome back to my bookish rant. As I’ve said before, I don’t read in order — I’m a full-on mood reader. And after the red flags Alex Volkov threw in Twisted Love, I needed a book to cleanse my soul. Something soft. Something that makes me believe in sweet, wholesome love — something that’ll just make me happy today.

And let me tell you — this book is PERFECT. It’s such a quick read (barely 15 minutes!), but in that short time, I giggled, squealed, and sighed so much.

The Story

Without giving away too much:

Charlie Spring is a young, awkward, introverted drummer! Meanwhile, Nick Nelson is a rugby player who is as strong as he is soft — kind, gentle, and always ready to stand up for others.

Charlie starts off as a bit of a wallflower, but when he finally stands up for himself? Oh, I was so PROUD. Like, “YES, CHARLIE, TELL HIM!!”

And then there’s Nick, sweet Nick, who thinks he’s straight — until he starts questioning his feelings for Charlie. Watching him struggle with those emotions…oh, my heart. I know it’ll work out for them, but seeing Nick go through it feels so real.

And that CLIFFHANGER?? Excuse me, I need Vol. 2 immediately.

The Art

OH MY GOD, the illustrations!! The sketchy, soft style fits so perfectly. The tiny doodles showing their blushing, trembling, and stolen glances?? It makes the story even more precious. If you don’t feel like reading, the Netflix adaptation is also worth it — the way they add little doodles in between scenes? Chef’s kiss.

Final Verdict

📖 Story: ★★★★★

🎨 Illustrations: ★★★★★

💖 Wholesome Feels: ★★★★★

Alice Oseman has created such a warm, cozy book, and I’m so grateful for it. This is going straight to my “reread whenever I need comfort” list.

So, if you want something pure, soft, and utterly heartwarming, READ THIS BOOK. And if you already have? Let’s scream about it in the comments!

Thank you for reading my review! Love you!

💚🌻

“What condition?”

“Stickuptheassitis.”

“No. The condition is chronic.”

Twisted Love is exactly what it promises — twisted.

Welcome to my chaotic bookish thought on Twisted Love! If you love passionate rants, smut ratings, and questioning fictional men’s life choices, you’re in the right place.

A broody, overprotective, possessive, emotionally unavailable billionaire falls for his best friend’s sunshine-filled sister? Cliché? I don’t care… sign me up!

But was it everything I wanted? Yes and no. Actually, scratch that — it wasn’t what I wanted.

If emotionally unavailable men with god complexes are your thing, Alex Volkov is here for attendance.

But I like my fictional men broody, protective, and possessive but also, emotionally available for their partner, pathetically in love and with more than just a few lines and growls.

I want them as down bad as Anthony Bridgerton is for Kate Sharma.

Just look at him…sniffing the air as she walks by…

Ava Chen — The Trauma-Filled Sunshine

The only one who can melt Alex’s ice.

I loved her so much. She was an absolute darling, a sunflower always facing the sun and looking at the positive side of the world.

She was either overthinking the simplest things or not thinking at all before doing or saying something — there was no in-between for her.

I won’t spoil the twists, but they were so unexpected! Everything kept going berserk for her, but she still stood tall and strong, seeing the positive side — that is — until our dear Mr. Alex Volkov messed everything up.

Oh, the hatred I felt for Alex in the second half of this book cannot be put into words.

Alex Volkov — A Walking Red Flag

His character had so much potential. I know people say he’s better in other books, but I’m talking about his own novel.

He was just a horny mess who wanted to jump on Ava but was holding back. Why, you ask?

“Oh, because she’s my best friend’s sister and an absolute sunshine, and I don’t want to hurt her or bring her down to hell with me.”

But guess what he did?

He got together with her. Physically.

She was all in — wholeheartedly and lovingly — ready to fight the darkness in him.

And what did he do?

Left her.

AFTER finding out about her trauma and the secrets of her past.

And what was his excuse?

“Oh, I’m a devil, and no matter how much I desire her or want her, I don’t deserve her…” (not verbatim).

Well, guess what? He didn’t deserve her. Not at all.

He really was a devil in disguise compared to Ava Chen. He dealt with his past, pretended it was all part of his master plan, and she was just a pawn in his stupid revenge game.

And then? He had the audacity to stalk her when — I won’t spoil the last few pages, but let me just say, Alex Volkov did not grovel enough (or at all, really) to deserve her back.

His character development was really missing.

Now, About That Singing Scene…

I will wholeheartedly support him singing.

I will hear no, “Oh, but it was so stupid or cheesy or cringe that he sang for her!”

To sing well, you need to feel. To feel, you need to be vulnerable.

Alex Volkov was not one to try and feel, but he did it — for Ava. In public. And I respect and appreciate that.

But it still wasn’t enough of an apology to even breathe the same air as her.

Ava, Sweetie… Love Yourself First

Is she nice? Yes.

Is she a sunshine character? Yes.

Can she do no wrong? Absolutely.

But she lacks self-love and self-respect so much.

She was trying to move on, but the hurt Alex caused — the lies, the scheming? That didn’t deserve to be forgiven so soon. She shouldn’t have run back into his arms so easily.

I need Josh to beat Alex up again. This time, harder.

The Ending — Where Was the Catharsis?

This novel had amazing potential, but it feels like it got messed up in editing.

It felt like I skipped over several chapters at once. The novel should have been longer — I wanted to explore Alex’s past more and to see him grovelling more. I guess I just needed more of Alex and the ending needed to be more impactful.

For me, the ending wasn’t cathartic at all. It felt so rushed.

Now, About That Smut…

Because OH. MY. GOD.

Every. Single. Intimate. Scene. Was. So. Good.

And that phone call scene??? WILD.

The moment when the couch moved forward??? I squealed.

Final Verdict

📖 Book: ⭐⭐⭐/5

🔥 Smut: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

This novel is definitely worth a read — you just might feel like it ended too soon and left too many open threads.

But if you want a nice, fluffy, healthy relationship? Avoid this book because there’s a drought of the that in here.

However, if you’re craving SCREAMING RED FLAGS and a questionable billionaire who is always brooding, overprotective, and possessive of his sunshine?

Get cozy. This book is definitely for you.

Thank you so much for reading! Love you!

Go ahead, comment your thoughts!

💚🌻

Get to know me a little…🌻

Hey!

I’m a Hufflepuff trying to make my way through my never-ending TBR pile…seriously, I should stop adding and buying more books. My brain is a mess — constantly jumping from one thought to another, having imaginary debates, and narrating my life like I’m in a critically acclaimed TV show and looking at an imaginary camera like Jim.

So, I figured — why not throw those thoughts out into the world? Maybe someone will relate. Maybe someone will think I need therapy (fair). Either way, here we are.

What can you expect from me? Book reviews, bookish rants, and possibly my unsolicited opinions on fictional men. I have a lot of those. And if you’re here, you probably do too.

BUT, let’s get one thing straight — this is not just a book blog. Sometimes, I get thoughts, and they demand to be written. So, don’t be surprised if I go on a full-blown rant about:

📌 Do I have ADHD? Because, honestly, it’s suspicious.

📌 How AI (yes, ChatGPT, you gorgeous, emotionally supportive machine) has stopped my panic attacks more than once.

📌 Why people refuse to just listen anymore?!

📌 The eternal struggle of shaving — why is it so annoying and immediately irritating?

📌 And other random existential crises that come to me at 3 AM.

So every Wednesday, expect a new post. Could be a book review. Could be a rant. Could be me screaming about a book that wrecked me. Could be me questioning life. Who knows? We love chaos here.

So, if you’re down for vibes, villainous book boyfriends, and me screaming into the void about fictional people and life itself, stick around. It’s going to be fun.

Love you!

🌻💚