The Second Chance Convenience Store by Kim Ho-Yeon

After seeing so many good reviews, I was thrilled to finally dive into The Second Chance Convenience Store and it did not disappoint!

At the heart of the story is Mrs. Yeom Yeong-Sook, a retired teacher who has always lived with quiet dignity and kindness. One day, after losing her wallet, she meets a homeless man named Dokgo who returns it to her, safe and untouched. Though he refuses a reward, she offers him a lunch box from her convenience store. That small gesture sparks an unexpected friendship.

Dokgo, struggling with memory loss from alcohol-related dementia and emotional trauma, slowly reveals a thoughtful, capable soul beneath his rough exterior. When her night shift employee quits and the store begins to struggle, Mrs. Yeom takes a leap of faith and hires Dokgo.

What follows is a quiet, beautiful transformation. Not just in him, but in everyone around him. Through trust, kindness, and second chances, Dokgo finds purpose, and the story gently reminds us that it's never too late to start over.

I absolutely loved the message behind this book. It’s a simple, easy-to-read story that flows effortlessly from one page to the next. Some parts are predictable, but in the best way possible. You can see where the story is going, but that just makes the journey feel like a comforting hug.

In the end, it’s not about the plot, but about the feeling it leaves behind: hope, compassion, and the reminder that it’s never too late to grow or to change a life with kindness. 4⭐

Cinta Terbelah di Laut Merah by Ilham Mazalan

Kalau harap plot dramatik cepat berkembang, memang boleh terasa macam tak ke mana pada awalnya. Dua watak utama, Sevgil dan Shihab, adalah pelajar Malaysia di bumi Mesir. Mereka datang dari latar belakang dan cara fikir yang berbeza. Penulis banyak ambil masa membina watak, suasana, falsafah, dan idealisme.

Konflik mula kelihatan apabila ayah Shihab meninggal dunia dan dia pulang ke tanah air. Sevgil hilang arah, pelajarannya terganggu dan tenggelam dalam kemurungan. Kepada Marsha, Harris dan Syed tempat dia berkongsi rasa. Walau pun peribadi sahabatnya itu dipandang sinis masyarakat sekitar tapi di sinilah erti persahabatan diuji. Aku sendiri tersentak ketika Sevgil mendedahkan pengalaman buruk di asrama yang meninggalkan trauma mendalam. Babak ini membuka mata, menjelaskan mengapa dirinya begitu rapuh, dan di situlah aku rasa Sevgil adalah mangsa pengkhianatan.

Babak bersama Dr. Noha, psikiatri yang merawat Sevgil, muncul sebagai salah satu adegan paling signifikan. Dialog dan interaksi di sini bukan sekadar terapi, tetapi juga menjawab persoalan mengapa Sevgil menjadi dirinya yang penuh dengan kerentanan. Di sinilah karya ini menampilkan sisi keberanian, menyentuh isu kesihatan mental.

Dan akhirnya, pertemuan Sevgil dengan Seth di Gunung Sinai benar-benar menyentuh hati. Ia hadir sebagai alegori penuh makna, menyempurnakan perjalanan panjang Sevgil. Endingnya tuntas menutup naratif dengan begitu baik. Secara keseluruhan, Cinta Terbelah di Laut Merah bukan sekadar kisah cinta dua insan. Ia sarat dengan renungan tentang dunia, politik, sejarah, pencarian makna hidup, dan yang paling penting, hubungan manusia dengan Tuhan.

Petaka Bakteria by Mohd Kasim Mahmud

Babak suspen dimulakan dengan beberapa pesawat telah menggugurkan kotak-kotak kayu berisi pakaian dan patung mainan di sekitar kawasan kampung yang baru saja dilanda peperangan. Penduduk kampung yang kelaparan dan trauma berebut-rebut, menyangka itu hadiah daripada pemerintah. Namun, di situlah permulaan malapetaka yang tidak mereka duga. 

Novel ini menyingkap sisi kelam dunia sains dan teknologi melalui watak Profesor Gerago dan pembantunya, Dr. Yana. Berkhidmat di makmal senjata biologi, Dr. Yana mula dihantui rasa bersalah apabila bakteria ciptaannya, yang berbahaya setanding antraks, digugurkan ke perkampungan musuh. Kegelisahan moral dan keagamaannya berperang dengan hakikat bahawa projek itu adalah misi besar negara yang dipersetujui pemimpin tertinggi. 

Apa yang dia tidak tahu ialah, eksperimen demi eksperimen itu akhirnya melahirkan spesies tikus baru. Tikus-tikus tersebut membesar dengan saiz luar biasa selepas menjadikan tawanan perang sebagai makanan mereka.

Inilah antara babak yang ada dalam Petaka Bakteria karya Mohd Kasim Mahmud, pemenang Sayembara Fiksyen Sains dan Teknologi UTM-KUMPULAN UTUSAN.

Penulis berjaya menyuntik elemen sains, perang, dan konflik dalaman dengan adunan yang menegangkan. Petaka Bakteria membuatkan kita tertanya-tanya sejauh mana sains boleh dimanipulasi demi kuasa, dan batas moral seorang saintis.

Namun, ada satu kemusykilan bagi aku tentang kemunculan lelaki misteri sebanyak tiga kali, yang tidak memberi impak besar pada jalan cerita. Entah siapa agaknya dia.😅 Keseluruhannya, Petaka Bakteria ialah sebuah fiksyen sains tempatan yang mendebarkan, dengan premis berani dan latar peperangan yang sangat dekat dengan realiti dunia hari ini.

The Cut by Richard Armitage

The story begins in the quiet village of Baron Mallet, where a group of so-called friends, Annabel Maddock, Ben Knot, David Patel, Chris and Lynette Davis, Catherine Maddock, and Mark Cherry, spent their youth together. But behind the facade of friendship lay cruelty. Mark was the constant target of their bullying, and no one ever stood up for him.

Then tragedy struck. Annabel was found dead at the abandoned mill. The investigation dragged on for nearly a year, but the truth was never fully uncovered. David Patel was convicted. Annie’s blood on his clothes sealed his fate. Yet the murder weapon was never found.

Thirty years later, “The Mill Killer” is finally released on parole. At the same time, a Hollywood director arrives in Baron Mallet to film The Cut, a movie meant to dig into the town’s buried secrets. But this isn’t just another horror flick. Instead of cheap scares, the film reimagines the tropes of the eighties slasher, turning them into something far more unsettling and layered. And someone behind the production seems to know exactly what happened all those years ago.

The past refuses to stay buried. Ben, who once dated Annabel, now finds his career, his family, and his secrets under threat as the cameras roll. Revenge, guilt, and the scars of bullying intertwine in a story that blurs the line between fiction and reality.

The Cut is not a neat revenge tale, it’s messier. At times the pacing drags, but the novel lingers because it reminds us of a chilling truth: bullies don’t change. They thrive on arrogance and power, not conscience. The only way to stop them is to stand up, say no, and refuse to let them define you.

Emma On Fire by James Patterson & Emily Raymond

I started Emma on Fire with completely the wrong impression of what I was about to read. While I’ve never read any of James Patterson’s YA collaborations before, I was curious and somehow, despite my mixed feelings, I finished it.

Emma Blake, seventeen, is the model student at Ridgemont Academy, straight-A grades and community leadership. But behind the privilege lies deep tragedy. Her mother died when she was young, and the grief she once shared with her sister, Claire, became even heavier after Claire’s sudden death, an apparent suicide after years of therapy and instability.

With a distant father who prefers to throw money at problems rather than talk, Emma’s grief becomes tangled with anger, blame, and the need to be acknowledged. Then comes a shocking twist, she pledges to self-immolate in protest of the state of the world. Her recorded confession goes viral, drawing national attention and unsettling everyone around her.

Emma’s voice in the novel is intense, though at times repetitive, and her motivations remain partially in shadow, an unresolved thread that left me questioning what truly drove her. This isn’t the straightforward YA drama I expected. It’s darker, heavier, and raises difficult questions about grief, protest, and how far someone will go to be heard.