Cube Sleuth (David Terruso)

Synopsis:  
Bobby Pinker hates his humdrum corporate job. He only has one friend at work, a comedian named Ron. Just as their friendship starts to blossom, Ron is found dead in the office parking garage.
The police rule Ron’s death a suicide, but Bobby becomes convinced one of his coworkers murdered him. He starts snooping around the office, slipping voice-activated tape recorders under desks, breaking into the HR filing cabinet, and tailing people home.
Bobby’s investigation will likely get him fired. It will possibly get him arrested. And if he isn’t careful, it just might get him killed.
Cube Sleuth is a dark comedy and an amateur-detective murder mystery.
A tragedy told with comedic timing.
And a raunchy tale of a twenty-something bachelor whose libido leads him down a dangerous path.
If you like mysteries with richly developed characters, crisp dialogue, bizarre twists, and boner jokes, this is the book for you.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
I didn't have a clue as to what I was going to find in the pages of this book, but I couldn't be happier with the result of an impulse download.
Firstly, David Terruso was able to develop his characters so well, it felt like Bobby was really telling us his story. I loved how we got to go incredibly deep into all the characters backstories, making them fantastically complex and real. As for Bobby Pinker, I found him to be one of the most likable unlikable characters I have ever encountered. He was truly a good guy, in a way, but he also had so many flaws and problems, was so strangely messed up, I couldn't decide exactly what to think of him, although his progress and evolution were fantastic. Terruso did a great job at allowing us to see inside his mind and understand his actions. His relationship with Ron was wonderful and shocking, especially as we went deeper and deeper into what happened before Ron's death.
I loved the aspect of a completely amateur detective, how he changed the course of his life for his best friend and the woman he loved. The result was an insanely dark comedy, hilarious to the point of containing numerous laugh out loud moments, as well as heartwarming situations. This book had it all, and showed how to disguise a deep, meaningful story behind silly conversations about a crazy theory.
The ending was nothing near predictable, at least not Bobby's ending. After finishing I had to take a moment and reread it to make sure I had read correctly the first time. Despite that, every loose end tied up wonderfully, making of this book one of the most unconventional yet enjoyable mysteries I have read in a very long time. It really felt like nothing was left unsaid, but the characters continued on long after the ending.
I was incredibly grateful I had the opportunity to read and review this book, and I was even more excited when I received an invitation from the publisher to read David Terruso's newest book, 'Lost Touch'. As for this one, there is only one last thing to say, and it is a huge recommendation to fans of mystery and dark, honest humour alike.

Love Hurts (Malorie Blackman)

Synopsis:  
Have you ever fallen for someone the rest of the world thought you shouldn't have? Malorie Blackman brings together the very best young adult authors writing today in a stunningly romantic collection of love against the odds.
Featuring stories and extracts about modern star-crossed lovers, Love Hurts looks at every kind of relationship, from first kiss to final heartbreak.

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
I had great expectations for this book, mostly because of the authors featured in it. Although I didn't hate it, at all, I feel obliged to separate it into two parts: excerpts and original stories.
While requesting 'Love Hurts' I was expecting it to consist, for the most part, of original stories by acclaimed Young Adult authors, but that wasn't the case. In this book, we find only a few stories, mixed in with innumerous extracts from pre-existing books. That's not exactly a bad thing, it just kept me from connecting fully with some of the characters and their stories.I really enjoyed getting to read these YA books I had hear of before, even if just a small bit. And they were wonderful to experience, as they left me even more excited to read the full books. However, there were some that seemed out of place, as there were various references I didn't understand, characters that I didn't know, and allusions to previous events, necessary to understand the present situation, or the character's decisions. This lead to a bit of confusion, especially in the first few pages.
I'm not saying that's the book's problem, I'm just acknowledging that it definitely hurt my reading experience.
Despite not completely loving some of the excerpts featured, I'm incredibly curious to read every book they came from, and get to know more of the author's writing.
Now, what really enhanced my rating for this anthology were the original stories. I can't think of one I wouldn't give five stars to or read a full book about. I would say, though, that my favourites were Malorie Blackman's and James Dawson's stories, as they show different and unconventional characters and their amazing relationships through beautiful and poignant writing.
Overall, 'Love Hurts' was, despite all its flaws, a beautiful book, showing all kinds of love, from heartbreaking breakups to painfully powerful love, LGBT relationships set in unique surroundings and romance that can spark even for those considered disabled.
I would absolutely recommend this to people who love love and/or understand how it can hurt to love too much or not enough.

The Fade Out, Vol. 1 (Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips - Illustrations)

Synopsis:  
Brubaker and Phillips' newest hit series, The Fade Out, is an epic noir set in the world of noir itself, the backlots and bars of Hollywood at the end of its Golden Era. A movie stuck in endless reshoots, a writer damaged from the war and lost in the bottle, a dead movie star and the lookalike hired to replace her. Nothing is what it seems in the place where only lies are true. The Fade Out is Brubaker and Phillips' most ambitious project yet!
Collects THE FADE OUT issues #1 to #4

Review:
I got this ebook from Netgalley in return of an honest review. 
Entering this book is going through film History in a whole other way, like a room we are pulled into and come out on the other side with a completely new vision of Old Hollywood,  seeing the darkness behind the glitter.
As always, I will start by saying that the art was absolutely exquisite, completely different from anything I had ever experienced. It was definitely one of the main factors that lead to why I found myself entirely submerged in the story. It set the tone for the plot and its twists and turns, and remained consistent in its somber beauty and enchantment.
The story itself was almost impossible to predict, keeping us guessing until the very last page.
If there is something else to say about 'The Fade Out', is that it shows a reality mixed with the fiction of what happens backstage, when the cameras stop rolling. There's nothing better than to be able to believe what we are reading a true story disguised as fiction, especially when there are references to real actors and events. It adds to the ambience of what has the potential to become one of the best graphic novels of the year.
The characters and their lives will stay with us, and keep us guessing until the authors finally decide to yell 'Cut!'