Ahhhh!!! I loved this book, but first - thank you to the publicist for providing me with a copy for review!
Back-of-the-Book Blurb: Matthew Turner doesn't have faith in anything. Not in family - his is in shambles after his younger brother was bullied into suicide. Not in so-called friends who turn their backs when things get tough. Not in some all-powerful creator who lets too much bad stuff happen. And certainly not in some "It Gets Better" psychobabble. No matter what his girlfriend, Hayden, says about faith and forgiveness, there's no way Matt's forgiving all those he blames. He's decided to "live large and go out with a huge bang," and whatever happens happens. But when a horrific event plunges Matt into a dark, silent place, he hears a rumble - a rumble that wakes him up, calling everything he's ever disbelieved into question.
My Thoughts: This book was excellent. I am a huge Ellen Hopkins fan and was super excited when I heard she was releasing Rumble. I loved this book. At first I wasn't sure if I was into it, and then I realized I'd read 100 pages in 15 minutes! This book had awesome characters and definitely made me tear up a few times. Read it!!
Final Rating: 10/10 stars!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Monday, September 1, 2014
ARC Review: This Is How It Ends by Jen Nadol
*I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.*
Back-of-the-Book Blurb: This is how it begins...Five friends partying in the woods. A discovery that shows a disturbing vision to each. For Riley, seeing himself in bed with his long-time crush is a tantalizing reminder of all he can't have. Because Sarah is dating his best friend, and Riley's not about to betray his trust. Then, one of the visions comes true...and one of Riley's friends becomes the prime suspect in a gruesome murder. The others are determined to prove the police wrong, but Riley can't shake the hope that the visions were more than hallucinations. And that despite the cost, maybe he's seen how it ends.
My Thoughts: OMG. This book took me forever to finish. I'm not sure why because it was a decent book. It's a really weird concept but for the most part it works. The book was pretty slow but picked up at the ending. It wouldn't be something I would normally pick up to read but I'm glad I read it. It's always important to read books of genres you don't normally read in order to expand. You could realize you had been missing out on your love for Austrian science-fiction this whole time! Anyway...this book was good. I liked reading it and I do recommend it. So grab it at your local bookstore or book rental warehouse (library) on October 7!
Final Rating: 8/10!
Back-of-the-Book Blurb: This is how it begins...Five friends partying in the woods. A discovery that shows a disturbing vision to each. For Riley, seeing himself in bed with his long-time crush is a tantalizing reminder of all he can't have. Because Sarah is dating his best friend, and Riley's not about to betray his trust. Then, one of the visions comes true...and one of Riley's friends becomes the prime suspect in a gruesome murder. The others are determined to prove the police wrong, but Riley can't shake the hope that the visions were more than hallucinations. And that despite the cost, maybe he's seen how it ends.
My Thoughts: OMG. This book took me forever to finish. I'm not sure why because it was a decent book. It's a really weird concept but for the most part it works. The book was pretty slow but picked up at the ending. It wouldn't be something I would normally pick up to read but I'm glad I read it. It's always important to read books of genres you don't normally read in order to expand. You could realize you had been missing out on your love for Austrian science-fiction this whole time! Anyway...this book was good. I liked reading it and I do recommend it. So grab it at your local bookstore or book rental warehouse (library) on October 7!
Final Rating: 8/10!
Sunday, August 31, 2014
ARC Review: Ignite by Lily Paradis
*I received a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review*
Back-of-the-Book Blurb: After her father’s untimely demise in a mining accident and her mother’s abandonment, Lauren Lindsay is no stranger to loss. She’s used to living life for one person: herself. That is, until another family tragedy thrusts three children into her care and uproots her life in ways she could never imagine. Lauren's first instinct is to run, until she meets their striking, mysterious neighbor Dean Powell. Their immediate chemistry and his connection with her late father just might be enough to keep her in town long enough to uncover pieces of her past that she never had answers to. Dean’s shady past and her reluctance to trust him could cost her the life she's always been searching for, but will she run back to her old life? Or will she choose to stay and live the life her father always imagined for her?
My Thoughts: So at first I thought this book was going to be New Adult, which is definitely not my style. I was about to email the publicist and say "no thanks" when I got an email saying it was young adult just with slightly older characters. I'm glad I read it! This book was good. I'm not a massive fan of romance, so it got to be too much at some points, but otherwise it was a good book. I found it to be a pleasant read. If you're interested, check it out now!
Final Rating: 8/10 stars!
Back-of-the-Book Blurb: After her father’s untimely demise in a mining accident and her mother’s abandonment, Lauren Lindsay is no stranger to loss. She’s used to living life for one person: herself. That is, until another family tragedy thrusts three children into her care and uproots her life in ways she could never imagine. Lauren's first instinct is to run, until she meets their striking, mysterious neighbor Dean Powell. Their immediate chemistry and his connection with her late father just might be enough to keep her in town long enough to uncover pieces of her past that she never had answers to. Dean’s shady past and her reluctance to trust him could cost her the life she's always been searching for, but will she run back to her old life? Or will she choose to stay and live the life her father always imagined for her?
My Thoughts: So at first I thought this book was going to be New Adult, which is definitely not my style. I was about to email the publicist and say "no thanks" when I got an email saying it was young adult just with slightly older characters. I'm glad I read it! This book was good. I'm not a massive fan of romance, so it got to be too much at some points, but otherwise it was a good book. I found it to be a pleasant read. If you're interested, check it out now!
Final Rating: 8/10 stars!
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Review: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
I have to admit, this was an impulse buy. I was alone in the airport and trying to kill time so I grabbed this. Mind you, I had seen it at my local indie before, but I wasn't sure if I was interested. I'm still not sure if I'm interested and I've read the book. This isn't YA, but I read mostly adult fiction and like to share my reviews of some of those books.
Back-of-the-Book Blurb: Don Tillman, genetics professor, is getting married. Or he will be, when his sixteen-page, scientifically valid survey yields a candidate (see: the Wife Project). Designed to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the vegans, the late arrivers, Don's questionnaire is, for the socially challenged academic, the most logical method to find the perfect partner. Enter Rosie Jarman. Don quickly disqualifies her as a potential wife but is drawn into Rosie's quest to find her biological father (see: the Father Project). When something like a friendship develops, Don must confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie and the decidedly unscientific conclusion that sometimes you don't find love, it finds you.
My Thoughts: I feel like I've read a lot of Australian books lately. I'm not sure if that's true. Anyway, this book was okay. It was pretty slow and didn't beg me to read it. I even left the book at my mom's house for a few days and felt nothing. Normally I'd be dying to get back to whatever book I'd started. It was just not an extraordinary book. I think I'll read the sequel though, because everything's more interesting with a baby. If you're interested in reading this I would suggest borrowing it from the library, because if you read it you probably won't again.
Final Rating: 6/10!
Back-of-the-Book Blurb: Don Tillman, genetics professor, is getting married. Or he will be, when his sixteen-page, scientifically valid survey yields a candidate (see: the Wife Project). Designed to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the vegans, the late arrivers, Don's questionnaire is, for the socially challenged academic, the most logical method to find the perfect partner. Enter Rosie Jarman. Don quickly disqualifies her as a potential wife but is drawn into Rosie's quest to find her biological father (see: the Father Project). When something like a friendship develops, Don must confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie and the decidedly unscientific conclusion that sometimes you don't find love, it finds you.
My Thoughts: I feel like I've read a lot of Australian books lately. I'm not sure if that's true. Anyway, this book was okay. It was pretty slow and didn't beg me to read it. I even left the book at my mom's house for a few days and felt nothing. Normally I'd be dying to get back to whatever book I'd started. It was just not an extraordinary book. I think I'll read the sequel though, because everything's more interesting with a baby. If you're interested in reading this I would suggest borrowing it from the library, because if you read it you probably won't again.
Final Rating: 6/10!
Review: Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Back-of-the-Book Blurb: Limitation Placers in Francesca's Life: St. Sebastian's - Pretends it's a coed school by giving the girls their own toilet. The Psycho Girls - The only female companions to be found at St. Sebastian's: Tara Finke, ultra-feminist; Siobhan Sullivan, former "Slut of St. Stella's Academy"; and Justine Kalinsky, impossibly dorky accordion player. The Sebastian Boys - Thomas Mackee: Specializes in musical burping. Probably dropped on his head a few times as a baby. Will Trombal: Perpetually frowning, smug moron with no personality. Now, if only Francesca could stop daydreaming about him. Mia - The Queen of the Limitation Placers, Francesca's vivacious mother. Thinks she knows what's best for Francesca and makes her attend hateful all-boys school; until the day she is suddenly stricken with acute depression, leaving Francesca lost, alone, and without an inkling of who she really is.
My Thoughts: This book was a tad hard to get into. That being said, once I got into it it was great. I know that I said Jellicoe Road was hard to get into, but that was a result of confusion, whereas this was a result of lack of interest. Thankfully, the book wasn't a bit cliché. I do wish the author had given Will more life. His character was utterly flat and static until the very end of the novel. I felt like I knew nothing about him other than the fact that he was Francesca's crush. The character development in this book was very average, not good, not bad. Francesca's mother was an interesting character. Excepting the characters, I enjoyed the novel.
Final Rating: 7.5/10 stars!
My Thoughts: This book was a tad hard to get into. That being said, once I got into it it was great. I know that I said Jellicoe Road was hard to get into, but that was a result of confusion, whereas this was a result of lack of interest. Thankfully, the book wasn't a bit cliché. I do wish the author had given Will more life. His character was utterly flat and static until the very end of the novel. I felt like I knew nothing about him other than the fact that he was Francesca's crush. The character development in this book was very average, not good, not bad. Francesca's mother was an interesting character. Excepting the characters, I enjoyed the novel.
Final Rating: 7.5/10 stars!
Review: Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
I found out about this book a few months ago, but was apprehensive to buy it because I rarely purchase hardcovers. Luckily, I discovered Book Depository a couple weeks ago. I promptly ordered six books and Love Letters to the Dead was one of them.
Back-of-the-Book Blurb: Sometimes the best letters go unanswered. It begins as an assignment for English class: write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain -- he died young, and so did Laurel's sister May -- so maybe he'll understand what Laurel is going through. Soon Laurel is writing letters to lots of dead people -- Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, Amelia Earhart, Amy Winehouse...It's like she can't stop. She writes about her new high school, her new friends, her first love -- and her shattered life. But the ghosts of Laurel's past can't be contained between the lines of a page forever. She must face up to them -- before they consume her.
My Thoughts: This book made me feel so many things. I felt heartbroken about Laurel and May. At some points the story was a tad hard to follow. I do wish more was said about how Laurel was before May's death, because it focused mostly on May's personality. It was hard to tell if Laurel had always been edgy, like May, or more of a goody-two-shoes. Either way, I enjoyed this book. It wasn't extraordinary, but it was a quick and easy read. I love when books make me feel sad, excited, or any other emotions. All in all, if you're looking for something that will tug at your heart, go for this. If you are looking for something that will really make you think, then this is probably not the book for you.
Final Rating: 7/10 stars!
Back-of-the-Book Blurb: Sometimes the best letters go unanswered. It begins as an assignment for English class: write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain -- he died young, and so did Laurel's sister May -- so maybe he'll understand what Laurel is going through. Soon Laurel is writing letters to lots of dead people -- Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, Amelia Earhart, Amy Winehouse...It's like she can't stop. She writes about her new high school, her new friends, her first love -- and her shattered life. But the ghosts of Laurel's past can't be contained between the lines of a page forever. She must face up to them -- before they consume her.
My Thoughts: This book made me feel so many things. I felt heartbroken about Laurel and May. At some points the story was a tad hard to follow. I do wish more was said about how Laurel was before May's death, because it focused mostly on May's personality. It was hard to tell if Laurel had always been edgy, like May, or more of a goody-two-shoes. Either way, I enjoyed this book. It wasn't extraordinary, but it was a quick and easy read. I love when books make me feel sad, excited, or any other emotions. All in all, if you're looking for something that will tug at your heart, go for this. If you are looking for something that will really make you think, then this is probably not the book for you.
Final Rating: 7/10 stars!
ARC Review: Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer
**Thank you to Penguin for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.**
I should begin this review by saying Meg Wolitzer is one of my favorite authors. I read The Interestings at the beginning of the summer and loved it. I can honestly say there were tears streaming down my face by the end. I was so so so excited when I heard she was writing a young adult book!
Back-of-the-Book Blurb: If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be at home in New Jersey with her sweet British boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She'd be watching old comedy sketches with him. She'd be kissing him in the library stacks. She certainly wouldn't be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, supposedly life-changing class called Special Topics in English. But life isn't fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead. When a journal-writing assignment leads Jam into a mysterious otherworld she and her classmates call Belzhar, she discovers a realm where the untainted past is restored, and she can feel Reeve's arms around her once again. But, as the pages of her journal begin to fill up, Jam must confront hidden truths and ultimately decide what she's willing to sacrifice to reclaim her loss.
My Thoughts: As Sylvia Plath is a huge part of this novel, I decided to read The Bell Jar after finishing Belzhar. I definitely think Belzhar helped me think more deeply about The Bell Jar. Belzhar was an excellent read. It was stunningly original, which is a quality that is often missing from young adult books. I was certainly not expecting the ending. The ending was amazing, as was the rest of the book. I have nothing but good things to say about this book. The characters were lovely and had tremendous growth throughout the novel. I highly recommend you hit up your local indie on September 30!
Final Rating: 9.5/10 stars!
I should begin this review by saying Meg Wolitzer is one of my favorite authors. I read The Interestings at the beginning of the summer and loved it. I can honestly say there were tears streaming down my face by the end. I was so so so excited when I heard she was writing a young adult book!
Back-of-the-Book Blurb: If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be at home in New Jersey with her sweet British boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She'd be watching old comedy sketches with him. She'd be kissing him in the library stacks. She certainly wouldn't be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, supposedly life-changing class called Special Topics in English. But life isn't fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead. When a journal-writing assignment leads Jam into a mysterious otherworld she and her classmates call Belzhar, she discovers a realm where the untainted past is restored, and she can feel Reeve's arms around her once again. But, as the pages of her journal begin to fill up, Jam must confront hidden truths and ultimately decide what she's willing to sacrifice to reclaim her loss.
My Thoughts: As Sylvia Plath is a huge part of this novel, I decided to read The Bell Jar after finishing Belzhar. I definitely think Belzhar helped me think more deeply about The Bell Jar. Belzhar was an excellent read. It was stunningly original, which is a quality that is often missing from young adult books. I was certainly not expecting the ending. The ending was amazing, as was the rest of the book. I have nothing but good things to say about this book. The characters were lovely and had tremendous growth throughout the novel. I highly recommend you hit up your local indie on September 30!
Final Rating: 9.5/10 stars!
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