Christie Maliyackel's Updates en-US Fri, 13 Jun 2025 18:31:35 -0700 60 Christie Maliyackel's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7652484406 Fri, 13 Jun 2025 18:31:35 -0700 <![CDATA[Christie Maliyackel added 'Before I Do']]> /review/show/7652484406 Before I Do by Sophie Cousens Christie Maliyackel gave 3 stars to Before I Do (Paperback) by Sophie Cousens
3.5 stars. This was cute - I love this author’s cute, light, and somewhat quirky storylines. This felt a bit dragged out at points, but I overall enjoyed it� and I really appreciated how things ended. ]]> Review7644601729 Tue, 10 Jun 2025 17:00:34 -0700 <![CDATA[Christie Maliyackel added 'Such a Bad Influence']]> /review/show/7644601729 Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter Christie Maliyackel gave 4 stars to Such a Bad Influence (Hardcover) by Olivia Muenter
3.5 but rounded up to 4 because I adore the author! This was a great debut novel - you can hear Olivia’s voice throughout - though I wish there was a bit more “showing, than telling�. A lot of the narrative seemed to unfold through conversations rehashing the events that had already taken place, rather than having the reader feel immersed in the actions in the present. That said, I did appreciate how this story elevates awareness about how uncontrolled is social media, how it’s impacting young people’s psyches, and just how prevalent/common are parasocial relationships (creepy). I know the author’s working on her second book, and can’t wait to check that one out. ]]> UserFollowing328472332 Tue, 10 Jun 2025 04:16:46 -0700 <![CDATA[Christie Maliyackel is now following emilybookedup]]> /user/show/56259255-emilybookedup Christie Maliyackel is now following emilybookedup ]]> Rating865291343 Sat, 07 Jun 2025 03:59:35 -0700 <![CDATA[Christie Maliyackel liked a review]]> /
Christie Maliyackel liked Meghan Boudreau's review of One Golden Summer:
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
]]> Review7625165675 Tue, 03 Jun 2025 14:02:28 -0700 <![CDATA[Christie Maliyackel added 'Uptown Girl: A Memoir']]> /review/show/7625165675 Uptown Girl by Christie Brinkley Christie Maliyackel gave 3 stars to Uptown Girl: A Memoir (Kindle Edition) by Christie Brinkley
This was interesting enough (talk about a charmed early life!), but it didn’t really wow me. The tagline throughout - “Christie, baby, write your own script� - seemed overused and frankly, didn’t make sense at certain parts. Also, it seemed like the book was mainly focused on (all of) her relationships� I’ve lost count of how many guys she’s married (let alone dated)! While I appreciate she loves love, etc, I found that central direction to diminish any sort of depth for the overall memoir. ]]> Rating863877438 Mon, 02 Jun 2025 18:43:15 -0700 <![CDATA[Christie Maliyackel liked a review]]> /
Christie Maliyackel liked Clare Pooley's review of The Lion Women of Tehran:
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
"Oh wow. One of those books that is not only based on a universal truth - the power of female friendship, but on a very specific time and place - Tehran, before and after the rights of women were so cruelly and drastically curtailed. The sort of book that makes you both weep and want to burn things. Brilliant. "
]]> Rating863877276 Mon, 02 Jun 2025 18:42:32 -0700 <![CDATA[Christie Maliyackel liked a review]]> /
Christie Maliyackel liked Clare Pooley's review of The Names:
The Names by Florence Knapp
"Sometimes, maybe once every couple of years, a debut novel deserves ALL THE HYPE, and this is one of those. I’ve always been fascinated by the power of names. As a novelist, I find that my characters grow to fit their names, and I believe the same can be true in real life. So I adored the premise of this novel. And the writing - utterly sublime. Likely to be my book of the year."
]]> Review7617784175 Sun, 01 Jun 2025 06:43:51 -0700 <![CDATA[Christie Maliyackel added 'The Kat Bunglar: A Romantic Comedy Heist']]> /review/show/7617784175 The Kat Bunglar by Tanima Kazi Christie Maliyackel gave 1 star to The Kat Bunglar: A Romantic Comedy Heist (Kindle Edition) by Tanima Kazi
I wanted to like this, but it fell short in so many ways. The characters lacked development (vapid is the adjective that kept coming to mind), the storyline lacked any depth, and I couldn’t discern any distinct voice throughout. It just seemed like way too much was trying to be jammed into the pages without any real development. Finally, it was apparent that the author was trying to weave in aspects of South Asian culture, but it came across too forced/contrived with an element of trying too hard to be woke. Perhaps it’s just me� though those who know me know I’m a pretty generous rater (very few one, or even two, stars from me), so take what you want from that. ]]> Review7606658726 Wed, 28 May 2025 06:12:01 -0700 <![CDATA[Christie Maliyackel added 'A Place at the Table']]> /review/show/7606658726 A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi Christie Maliyackel gave 5 stars to A Place at the Table (Hardcover) by Saadia Faruqi
A super sweet kids� book, highlighting some very relevant issues from two kids� perspective. I loved having it narrated from two viewpoints - it’s really well done. And the overarching concept of the cooking club and cooking competition was simply chef’s kiss (no pun intended!). Though some darker issues were covered, the story maintained an overall lightness to it - making it the perfect escape. ]]> Review7601029353 Mon, 26 May 2025 08:47:49 -0700 <![CDATA[Christie Maliyackel added 'I Hope This Finds You Well']]> /review/show/7601029353 I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue Christie Maliyackel gave 3 stars to I Hope This Finds You Well (Hardcover) by Natalie Sue
3.5 stars. I found all the internal griping and judgments quite entertaining, but I found some parts of the storyline so overly drawn out that I was skimming at parts. ]]>