Tori's Review: Tease by Amanda Maciel

Tease by Amanda Maciel

Standalone

Expected Publication on April 29, 2014 by Balzer + Bray

Young Adult | Contemporary | Realistic Fiction

336 Pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Emma Putnam is dead, and it's all Sara Wharton's fault.

At least, that's what everyone seems to think. Sara, along with her best friend and three other classmates, has been criminally charged for the bullying and harassment that led to Emma's shocking suicide. Now Sara is the one who's ostracized, already guilty according to her peers, the community, and the media.

During the summer before her senior year, in between meetings with lawyers and a court-recommended therapist, Sara is forced to reflect on the events that brought her to this moment—and ultimately consider her role in an undeniable tragedy. And she'll have to find a way to move forward, even when it feels like her own life is over.

In this powerful debut novel inspired by real-life events, Amanda Maciel weaves a narrative of high school life as complex and heartbreaking as it is familiar: a story of everyday jealousies and resentments, misunderstandings and desires. Tease is a thought-provoking must-read that will haunt readers long after the last page.

NOTE: I received this book from the publisher through Shelf Awareness in exchange for an honest review. 

I really can't stand Sara, her problems, and her friends. The pace wasn't prime either, and I feel like the plot never really "took off" in a sense. The writing was irritating at times, because the author wrote like Sara spoke, therefore there were instances of "like" everywhere. And I could never decide whether or not Emma did the things Brielle and Sara accused her of or not. That's the drawback of the book being in first person--it's biased.

First off, There's a difference between having the characters say those phrases and putting it in the actual narrative. It made Sara seem like a very unintelligent character in my opinion. (*See additional information.)

(pg. 145) Oh, that's what she means. My nice, thoughtful, hot boyfriend. Anyone would want to have him. So I shouldn't be surprised that Emma's trying to, like, climb into his back pocket.

Other than my irritation for her, Sara surprised me. Regardless she was still annoying and dumb and her oblivious attitude toward the severity of her actions made me want to rip my hair out. I'm glad she met Carmichael though or she probably never would've learned that bullying was not okay and that what she did and said to Emma was not okay. Also, it was almost as if she didn't expect court to be so hardcore, and maybe she didn't. Maybe she thought that bullying a student to death wouldn't have any repercussions.

(pg. 306) God, I'm an idiot. This whole thing is rigged. We're not even on trial anymore, but everyone is still playing the game. Playing the system. Or maybe I'm just paranoid. I don't even know.

Emma Putnam. The girl that killed herself or the girl that Sara and her friends killed?

(pg. 307) ". . . For a long time, I thought we were enemies. I thought she'd done things to hurt me--and I did things to hut her back. . . . I know that she was in a lot of pain. More pain than I'll ever really understand, though I definitely understand better now. . . . I don't think that pain is anyone's fault, exactly. . . . But I made that pain worse. For no good reason. . . . and I'll be sorry for the rest of my life. . . ."

I should mention that I don't in any way like any of the characters in this book except Carmichael, and only because he was barely in the book. I felt like they were all very whiny. They never failed to find something in their life that they could complain about.

Other than the life lesson threaded through this book, it was slow. I'm sorry. I liked it and all, but it was freaking slow. And Sara's irritating narrative for the first 75% really wasn't something that I was happy about. Also, the entire book is supposedly about Sara going to court and what her sentence is going to be. As the reader, I never found out what her sentence was. Did she get probation? Did she get jail time? Did she get sued? And the author never mentioned whether it was a civil case or not. (I think it was since Emma's parents were more involved than not.) The plot holes angered me.

In conclusion, it was really the slowness and those loose ends that kept this book from a higher rating or a better review. I'm glad Sara (sort of) felt something about Emma's death at the end, or this would've been a one star review. It was really only the side characters that never really developed, Dylan especially. He was a cheater scumbag in the beginning, and he was a cheater scumbag at the end. I'm really not sure who would enjoy this, because for some reason I feel like I shouldn't have enjoyed this book. Yet I did.

I think this book is just brutally honest in the truth of what teenage girls can be like. What life can be like. It's tough crap, life and drama.

*I am not in any way saying that people who use those phrases as place-holders in speech are unintelligent. (It do it myself.) I'm just saying that putting that in a novel's narration isn't something that agreed with me. I mean no offense to anyone at all.

Tori's Review: How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love by Ken Baker

How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love by Ken Baker

Standalone

Expected Publication on April 22, 2014 by Running Press Kids

Young Adult

272 Pages

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

"Thick. Heavy. Big boned. Plump. Full figured. Chunky. Womanly. Large. Curvy. Plus-size. Hefty." To sixteen-year-old Emery Jackson, these are all just euphemisms for the big "F" word—"fat." Living on a Southern California beach with her workout fiend dad, underwear model sister, and former model mother, it is impossible for Emery not to be aware of her weight.

Emery is okay with how things are. That is, until her "momager" signs her up for Fifty Pounds to Freedom, a reality show in which Emery will have to lose fifty pounds in fifty days in order to win the million dollars that will solve her family's financial woes. Emery is skeptical of the process, but when the pounds start to come off and the ratings skyrocket, she finds it hard to resist the adoration of her new figure and the world of fame. Emery knows that things have changed. But is it for the better?

NOTE: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

To be truthful, I wasn't completely sure about this book at first. I was about thirty percent in and the characters seemed too unrealistic and too shallow. I thought about how maybe by the end of the book characters' behaviors would be explained in one way or another and that they would grow. Well, I was right. They did.

My favorite aspect of this book was either the characters or simply just Emery's, the main girl's, sarcasm. I'm one to root for the sarcastic, hilarious girl, and Emery's that girl in How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love. Oh, and let's talk about that monster of a title. It's hilarious and it's intriguing; it's what brought my attention to the book in the first place! I usually don't like long titles, but this one I actually like.

Along with the characters' shallowness, I really just didn't like Emery's family. At first (I make a lot of assumptions about books that usually end up being wrong by the end, but oh well) I thought that they were all carbon copies of each other. Angel and their mother are extremely uptight about their weight and are exceptionally superficial. Like I said, originally I thought they were carbon copies of cliches but then I came to realize that Angel was the way she was because of their mother and not because she was simply shallow on her own. There's a scene in the book where Angel and Emery have a sister heart-to-heart, and I loved that particular scene to bits.

This book shows a lot about the structure of a dysfunctional family as well as loyalty and trust, which is something that I also really enjoyed about this book. Although I'm partial to action and adventure, I still do quite like the books that focus around family. Along with family, this book sends a strong message to girls. Despite the fact that losing fifty pounds in fifty days is not healthy, Emery represents somethings that every teenage girl must face in society--rejection. I think by the end of the book that Emery handles the rejection (and approval since she's famous in the book by the end) in such a way that creates a strong female figure for young girls. She's tough and she learns that although the media makes it seem like being skinny is everything, it really isn't.

On a random side note, Emery's menu from when she was fat made me want to hurl. I pride myself on being a semi-healthy human being, and Emery's eating habits did not agree with me whatsoever.

In conclusion, I think this book is well worth the read if you're looking for a fast and fun book. It sends me a good message in my opinion and although I didn't give it five stars or even four, I did enjoy it. It just wasn't a favorite and there were parts about it that I didn't like, particularly the characters. Characters are a big deal to me. They always will be.

AJ @ So Paranormal gave it 4/5 | Kate @ Musings of  Book Lover gave it 3/5

Tori's Review: Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Paranormal
Rating: ♚♚
Pages: 336
Published by Delacorte Press on March 11, 2014
Amazon | B&N

Contemporary teen fiction with romance, secrets, scandals, and ESP from the author of Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have).

We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.

So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.

NOTE: I received this review from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pointless. I'm sorry, Mlynowski, but it was. I was really excited to read Don't Even Think About It when I got an email from NetGalley saying that I was pre-approved for this title, but once I started reading it, I wasn't so sure anymore. This was definitely a fast read regardless of it lacking plot, and I appreciated that, hence the two stars/crowns. I felt that its pace needed to be recognized. And the writing was good, which also deserved a star/crown. The lack of the other three stars is the characterization, world-building, and my emotions throughout the novel.

For one, I felt no attachment toward the characters by the end of Don't Even Think About It, and I wasn't okay with that. There were two characters that I liked: Tess and BJ--BJ more than Tess. I just didn't agree with the way that Tess thought/did things. She mind slut-shamed Sadie, which was not okay, and she was always talking about how she wanted to lose weight so badly...and then she'd eat cheeseburgers, a milkshake, and fries. BJ was hilarious. Besides the fact that his name is BJ for the stupidest reason (because he thought it was funny), I liked him as a character. He was nice to Tess.

Two characters I couldn't stand at all would be Mackenzie and Pi. I just couldn't with those two. Mackenzie was pompous, and she thought everyone lived to serve her. Same thing with Pi. And that ending? What the heck, Pi? She ruined the ending for me. (Actually, they all did.) I just couldn't stand her character or her. She admonished the others for cheating on tests and then she goes and cheats, using her powers to read the smartest kid in school's (the one she envies) mind during a test. Hypocrite much? It's not his fault you didn't study!

There was practically no world-building. All the kids know is that their powers came from a batch of flu shots. By the end of the book, all the kids know is that their powers came from a batch of flu shots. Can you see the problem here? Literally nothing is explained by the end, and I wasn't okay with this just like I wasn't okay with the characters.

This ties in with my lack of feelings for the characters, but I could've cared less about these kids. The entire novel was a drama-infested high school, and it made me want to hurl, maybe even rip my hair out. It was annoying, and it irritated me to listen to their thoughts. They had nothing interesting to say. Ahem, I mean, think. I was excited to read about super powers, but this book lacked in that department too. And everyone was trying to be funny, but they just weren't. A character would say something "funny" and another character would laugh. But me? I didn't. I didn't laugh.

In all, I didn't dislike this book so much that I'm never going to read another Mlynowski book. I haven't completely written her off. I still enjoyed her other novel, Ten Things We Did. I'm sad to say that I wouldn't recommend this book for anybody unless they're looking for a drama-driven novel.

Tori's Review: Donna of the Dead by Alison Kemper

Donna of the Dead by Alison Kemper
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Zombies, Romance
Rating: ♚♚½
Pages: 250
Published by Entangled Teen on March 4, 2014
Amazon | B&N

Donna Pierce might hear voices, but that doesn’t mean she’s crazy. Probably.

The voices do serve their purpose, though—whenever Donna hears them, she knows she’s in danger. So when they start yelling at the top of their proverbial lungs, it’s no surprise she and her best friend, Deke, end up narrowly escaping a zombie horde. Alone without their families, they take refuge at their high school with the super-helpful nerds, the bossy class president, and—best of all?—Liam, hottie extraordinaire and Donna’s long-time crush. When Liam is around, it’s easy to forget about the moaning zombies, her dad’s plight to reach them, and how weird Deke is suddenly acting toward her.

But as the teens’ numbers dwindle and their escape plans fall apart, Donna has to listen to the secrets those voices in her head have been hiding. It seems not all the zombies are shuffling idiots, and the half-undead aren’t really down with kids like Donna…

NOTE: I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

On one hand, this book was light and funny and easy to read. On the other hand, it wasn't what I expected from young adult, and it definitely wasn't what I expected from a zombie book. There were good aspects in Donna of the Dead—the humor that Deke brings to the table—and there were not-so-good aspects in Donna of the Dead—the writing.

Let me start off by saying that the writing wasn't bad; it was just young, to say the least. While reading Donna of the Dead, I felt like I was reading a first draft. Not because of mistakes, but because of Donna's lack of character arc and a few other things. I'm just going to leave it with, "The writing wasn't my favorite."

Donna was my next least favorite. She wasn't irritable, but she definitely wasn't a protagonist that I enjoyed. She was too much like myself. Saying humorous jokes in the midst of awkward situations. Being completely wrapped up in a guy where it's almost unhealthy. Donna's personality and how it was similar to my own was what made me not like her. I don't want to read about myself. And she didn't develop until about 80%, and it was pretty sudden.

The one character that I did love, though, was Deke, Donna's hilarious and hot best friend. He always knew the right thing to say, and I loved his relationship with Donna, because he always challenged her to do her best. The two of them just worked, in my opinion. The one thing I didn't like about Deke was how long it took him to admit his feelings for Donna. Like, dude, it's not that difficult. Just say you like her.

The thing about the supporting characters is that they're extremely forgettable. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I want to be able to remember a character months after reading the book and describe what I liked about them. I can't do that for the supporting characters in Donna of the Dead. I can barely remember their names.

The zombie science in this book was interesting and unique, which I enjoyed yet thought was weird all at the same time. For some reason, I really just don't want the zombie myth to be tampered with. Vampires? Okay. Werewolves? I don't care. But zombies? No, thank you. Although the way everything came together at the end was great, and I liked that a lot. The world building was a bit lacking in terms of Donna's voices, but in the end things are sort of explained, which I can deal with.

In conclusion, the part I liked the most in Donna of the Dead would be Deke. He's my favorite. And the ending was hilarious, too. I thought Kemper really knew how to end her book well. I would probably recommend this book for readers who don't read a lot of zombie books and for readers that enjoy funny apocalypse books.

Tori's Review: The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry

The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ♚♚½
Pages: 256
Published by Albert Whitman Teen on March 1, 2014
Amazon | B&N

All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction.

Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?

NOTE: I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's extremely difficult for me to review this book for two reasons: one, I enjoyed this, but there were problems, and two, I'm a critical reader, and that plays a huge role in my overall rating of a particular book. On one hand, I had fun reading this book, and it was an enjoyable read, but on the other hand, there were multiple things that annoyed me about The Summer I Found You, making me not want to give it a higher rating than two and a half stars.

The first thing I need to get of my chest: Is Aidan's name spelled Aidan or Aiden? Throughout the book, there were constant mishaps where both spellings of the name were used. This really irritates me. I think an author should know the name that they chose for their character, especially if said character is the first thing mentioned in the acknowledgments at the end of the book. Also, the overall grammar in this book was just downright bad. Not unbearable, but not good. I understand that this is an ARC, but I haven't read an ARC yet with so many grammatical errors as this one.

But even though the grammar was bad and the author couldn't decide what way to spell her love interest's name, I thought the book was fun and easy to read. At the time, I was simply looking for something cute and light, and this book is definitely that. This is where my next problem comes in.

This book isn't supposed to be cute and light. The Summer I Found You is dealing with a wounded veteran who lost a limb and a girl who's suffering from a breakup and diabetes. (Is it just me, but don't you think Aidan's circumstances are just a little bit more severe than Kate's? The only reason diabetes is a big deal for Kate is because she never keeps track of her carb intake, and she doesn't take her shots like she's supposed to! And everyone gets dumped. Kate should get used to that if she's only seventeen.) There are some serious issues being dealt with in this book, I think, and in my opinion, The Summer I Found You just sort of glazed over them.

The characters weren't amazing, but they were normal. They're what one expects from a contemporary novel, to be honest. Kate and Aidan aren't exceptional or anything, but they're entertaining. The thing with those two is that they're okay as separate people, but I don't think they make a good couple. For the first half of the novel, they're both using each other as distractions for the hardships they're enduring in their life. Then they "fall in love," but I think they're still leaning on each other too much. I think that a healthy relationship has balance.

I also think a healthy relationship is based on trust and honesty, but Kate sure doesn't think so, because she doesn't tell Aidan about her diabetes until it's almost too late. Kate and Aidan both struggle with this, but they need to realize that they're not the only ones with problems in their lives. They're a bit selfish like that, and they didn't appeal to me as much as I would've liked them too.

Also, the split POVs weren't working for me. It was better than some novels that I didn't like that had split POVs, but it still wasn't done amazingly. Sometimes I found myself in Kate's POV, wishing I was in Aidan's and vice versa. It should've just been in Kate's or just in Aidan's. (Aidan's, preferably, because he was dealing with a lot, and it would've made a powerful YA novel.)

Lastly, the cover image and the title have nothing to do with the book. For the cover, they never go to a beach. Kate passes out before they get there. For the title, it wasn't even summer in the book. It was during the school year. They thought about summer, but it was never really summer.

Kate and Aidan are rough around the edges as characters, and they didn't work well together as a couple, because they were essentially using each other the entire time even after they thought they fell in love. This book needs a copy editor, because the use of Aidan/Aiden was annoying, and the sentence structure in many of the sentences wasn't great. Overall, this book was enjoyable, and readers who aren't critical will enjoy it for sure.

Tori's Review: My Life with the Walter Boys (My Life with the Walter Boys #1) by Ali Novak

My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak
Series: My Life with the Walter Boys #1
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ♚♚♚
Pages: 368
Published by Sourcebooks Fire on March 1, 2014
Amazon | B&N

Sixteen-year-old Jackie Howard is devastated when her parents are killed in a car accident. She has no one to turn to except for her mom's best friend Katherine Walter. Jackie quickly discovers that Katherine is no stranger to being a mom-she's got twelve boys! And every single one is a handful...

Adjusting to life with the Walter boys is not going to be easy, especially when two of them start to show an interest that definitely goes beyond brotherly.

NOTE: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I feel so different when I read a published book that used to be a Wattpad book. On one hand, I'm very proud of the Wattpad author for making it so far with their writing, but on the other hand, I'm trepidatious before reading the book, because I know that Wattpad books are very different from published books. Nevertheless, My Life with the Walter Boys was no different from any other Wattpad book. I have to admit that it improved a lot from when it was first published on Wattpad, because I had read it then, but I still think the characters need to get a reality check before entering the publishing world.

The first things that irritated me about My Life with the Walter Boys were the characters. Jackie, for one, was stuck up, and I really didn't like her. She made decisions that were out of character. She was portrayed as a goodie-goodie who didn't drink and didn't go to parties, but lo and behold the moment Cole Walter tells her to, she does it! Then there was Alex Walter. He was very hormonal for a teenage guy, and that's all I'm going to say.

Finally, there's Cole Walter himself.

Oh, Cole Walter. What will I do with you? On one hand, I really liked Cole and his brooding self. But then as the story went along, he really started to irritate me as well. He thought he was all that when he clearly wasn't all that. Sure, he was hot, but he really didn't have a personality. The author gave Cole somewhat of a past to try and make him relatable, but I wasn't buying it. Also, I was extremely iffy on Lee and his supposed "hatred" for Jackie.

Other than the characters, the plot was fun. A bit dramatic, but I suppose that's what contemporary is about. The whole my-brother-stole-my-ex-girlfriend-but-it-was-just-a-misunderstanding fiasco between Alex and Cole got a bit old, but it kept things entertaining. In my opinion, everyone's problems were solved too easily. It was as if everything just sort of fell into place at the end, which didn't make me mad but didn't please me either. I like endings to be difficult, but the ending to My Life with the Walter Boys was nothing short of easy.

But the very, very ending/goodbye between Jackie and Cole was touching, and I found myself rooting for the two by the end of the book somehow. The end left at a hint for a sequel, which I think will be happening, according to Goodreads. (Plus, the sequel is on Wattpad, so... I probably won't read it unless it's published, though.)

In conclusion, this was a decent debut novel for a Wattpad writer to published author. The characters weren't my favorite, but I didn't despise them, which is good. The plot kept me entertained and kept my interest, which is also good. There were a few instances where things didn't quite match up, but I'm sure the book's ARC status is to blame, which should be no big deal when it's published. If you're looking for a fun, quick read, then this book is definitely for you! Remember that three stars doesn't mean that I didn't like it.

Tori's Review: Unforgotten (Unremembered #2) by Jessica Brody

Unforgotten by Jessica Brody
Series: Unremembered #2
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance
Rating: ♚♚♚½
Pages: 416
Published by Farrar, Struas and Giroux on February 25, 2014
Amazon | B&N

Some memories are better left forgotten...

After a daring escape from the scientists at Diotech who created her, Seraphina believes she is finally safe from the horrors of her past. But new threats await Sera and her boyfriend, Zen, at every turn as Zen falls prey to a mysterious illness and Sera’s extraordinary abilities make it more and more difficult to stay hidden. Meanwhile, Diotech has developed a dangerous new weapon designed to apprehend her. A weapon that even Sera will be powerless to stop. Her only hope of saving Zen’s life and defeating the company that made her is a secret buried deep within her mind. A secret that Diotech will kill to protect. And it won’t stay forgotten for long.

Packed with mystery, suspense, and romance, this riveting second installment of Jessica Brody’s Unremembered trilogy delivers more heart-pounding action as loyalties are tested, love becomes a weapon, and no one’s memories are safe.

NOTE: I received this book from this publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A continuation of Unremembered by Jessica Brody, Unforgotten picks up several months after the end of Unremembered. The first thing that really irritated me about Unforgotten was the pace. I honestly would've liked this book so much more if the beginning went faster. I understand that the book needed to start somewhere, and, yes, action did happen in the beginning, but I just really wasn't feeling it. I wish it was a bit more interesting. Although after Sera was accused of witchcraft, the book definitely got better.

Kaelen, a new character, was by far my favorite other than Cody. I can't really say anything about Zen, because he was barely in the book. In my review of Unremembered, I said that I wanted to see more of Zen and Sera to decide whether or not I liked them together. I was a bit bummed out that I didn't get to see them grow as a couple, because I really wasn't feeling them as a couple in Unremembered.

Because of me not feeling them as a couple, it was easier for me to latch onto Kaelen. On one hand, he's a horrible love interest that doesn't go with Sera at all, but when you really think about it, he's the best fit for Sera. They're the same. They're both created by Diotech. They're both supposed to be emotionless. They're perfect for each other. To me, Zen was a set of training wheels for Sera in the sense that he prepared her to really connect with someone that understood her more—Kaelen.

Like I said, other than Kaelen, Cody was my other favorite character. I don't think it's a spoiler saying that he was in the book. I mean, there's no other way that I can talk about this book without saying a few things that aren't in the summary. Cody is all grown up in this book, and he's still the same old Cody. I'm really glad that Brody was able to maintain Cody's voice even thirty years into the future.

The world-building aspect of Unforgotten is pretty good. I wasn't as confused in this book as I was in Unremembered, which is good. More science is added to the plot, and I feel like Brody explained it well.

The ending was alright. Just alright. Most of my rating is coming from the very beginning and the very ending. I'm not saying the ending was bad; I'm just saying that part of it was predictable. And infuriating. I suppose the infuriating part is okay, but it just sort of ruined the entire book for me. I realize that there's going to be another book, which I'm anticipating greatly! I need to see how the rest of this series pans out...

This book was good, and I liked it. The was beginning was slow. The ending was a bit predictable, and it made me groan, because of I saw it coming. I loved Cody, and Kaelen is my favorite between him and Zen. I just don't see Zen and Sera as a couple, so if they're the end game, I hope Brody justifies their connection in the third book. The science is easy to understand yet still complex and interesting. In all, this is well worth the read! I'm wondering if it's a trilogy or if it has more books than just three. (Everything's a series these days.)

Tori's Review: Me Since You by Laura Wiess

Me Since You by Laura Wiess

Series: None

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: ★★★★

Pages: 368
Published by MTV Books on February 18, 2014
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Laura Wiess captures the visceral emotion of a girl’s journey from innocence to devastating loss and, ultimately, to a strange and unexpected kind of understanding—in this beautiful and painfully honest new novel.

Are there any answers when someone you love makes a tragic choice?

Before and After. That’s how Rowan Areno sees her life now. Before: she was a normal sixteen-year-old—a little too sheltered by her police officer father and her mother. After: everything she once believed has been destroyed in the wake of a shattering tragedy, and every day is there to be survived.

If she had known, on that Friday in March when she cut school, that a random stranger’s shocking crime would have traumatic consequences, she never would have left campus. If the crime video never went viral, maybe she could have saved her mother, grandmother — and herself — from the endless replay of heartache and grief.

Finding a soul mate in Eli, a witness to the crime who is haunted by losses of his own, Rowan begins to see there is no simple, straightforward path to healing wounded hearts. Can she learn to trust, hope, and believe in happiness again?

NOTE: I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review. 

Before reading this book, I wanted to pick up a nice feel-good contemporary book with a love interest that would make me want to swoon. Imagine my surprise when I cried halfway through reading this book. That's right, guys. I cried during this book. The emotional roller coaster that this book put me through was something that I was not anticipating whatsoever. I honestly had no idea how to cope with the idea that I was crying for a fictional character (I rarely cry for books or movies or TV shows. Just so you know, I did cry for Flat-Out Love though).

At first, this book is not what it seems to be. By reading the summary, you really get no accurate idea of what this book is about. From reading the part where Wiess captures "the visceral emotion of a girl’s journey from innocence to devastating loss," I totally thought the main girl Rowan was going to get raped by somebody (namely Justin from the beginning) and then she was going to have to deal with the emotional trauma of being violated. But as soon as the scene went from happy-go-lucky just-got-busted-skipping-school Rowan's point of view to I'm-a-cop and I've-seen-bad-things Rowan's dad's point of view, I knew that this book was about way more than just the woes of being a sixteen year old girl.

I really don't know how to explain this book without giving major spoilers away. (I read a review of this book halfway through my own reading of it, and I got very mad because the entire plot was spoiled for me in a review marked no spoilers.) But even though the big "twist" was spoiled for me, I was still very shocked and saddened when the twist occurred.

spoilers are the STDs of the book world. Protect yourself. If you have a spoiler, be responsible and warn your reading partners.
— Lauren DeStefano (@LaurenDeStefano) January 26, 2014

I loved the romance in this book between Rowan and Eli. It was very innocent and seemingly realistic. Things weren't rushed and them sharing a feeling of emotional loss wasn't an incentive for them to hook up. No, they got together and hung out on their own time regardless of what was going on around them. The fact that they had that emotional loss in common was what really kept them together in those three months where Rowan was holed up in her shell, I think.

One thing I didn't really enjoy about this book, though, was the pacing. I get that this a contemporary read and it's supposed to be slow and steady...but I just really wanted some action to go on. I wanted something big to happen, and it just didn't. (Well, you know, until 50% in.) This isn't that big of a deal to me, but I wish that every chapter kept me thoroughly engaged, which didn't happened. I have to admit though that after the prologue (which I totally thought was chapter one...) was over, I was really interested. Sadly, things slowed down about 20% in.

In all, this was an enjoyable read, and it really tug at my heartstrings (does such a thing exist?). I really can't put my emotions into words when describing my feelings. I think if you enjoy a nice, thoughtful read (think Looking for Alaska, Thirteen Reasons Why, I Will Save You, etc.) then this is the book for you. Be sure to pick this up when it hits the shelves in two weeks because, holy cow did this book make me feel things.

Tori's Review: Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee
Series: None
Genre: Middle Grade, Adventure
Rating: ★★★
Pages: 240
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on January 28, 2014
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A modern-day fairy tale set in a mysterious museum that is perfect for readers of Roald Dahl and Blue Balliett.

Unlikely heroine Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard doesn't believe in anything that can't be proven by science. She and her sister Alice are still grieving for their dead mother when their father takes a job in a strange museum in a city where it always snows. On her very first day in the museum Ophelia discovers a boy locked away in a long forgotten room. He is a prisoner of Her Majesty the Snow Queen. And he has been waiting for Ophelia's help.

As Ophelia embarks on an incredible journey to rescue the boy everything that she believes will be tested. Along the way she learns more and more about the boy's own remarkable journey to reach her and save the world.

A story within a story, this a modern day fairytale is about the power of friendship, courage and love, and never ever giving up.

NOTE: I won this ARC in a giveaway, and Random House mailed it to my house in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly, I have been avoiding writing this review. I finished reading Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy today at lunch (yes, I read at school. I am well aware that that makes me a book nerd), and my friends were telling me to calm down because I was freaking out over the ending.

I haven't read any other reviews yet because I don't want someone else's thoughts and opinions to infiltrate my review, but from what skim reading I did on some reviews I don't think I saw anyone talk about how the ending was stupefying. I can truly say that I don't know if what happened was real or not. I'm not going to spoil anything, but the end just doesn't really tell you whether or not Ophelia imagined all of the events with the Marvelous Boy or if they really happened. I honestly liked this part of the book; it made me question everything that happened in the book.

But I've been dreading this review, because I'm not quite sure what I thought of the book overall. That's why it's getting my default three stars.

First thing's first: Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy did not read like a children's fiction book or even a middle grade book. I've read Percy Jackson. I know what middle grade sounds like. This book is not it. Foxlee's writing is just so marvelous (to be punny), and quite frankly it's a beautiful prose. There's a certain finesse to her writing style that makes me just want to read more, if not for the story but for the writing.

Second thing, although the writing wowed me, the story line did not. I will admit it was interesting enough, but it didn't instantly grab me. It's similar to Narnia with the Snow Queen and magical sword and immortal children (are immortal children in Narnia?). This didn't bother me all that much, but I definitely noticed it. My friends read the back of the book and agreed.

Also, I wasn't too fond of the Marvelous Boy's flashbacks. At first they were funny, insightful, and I liked them, but as the book drug along, I didn't quite feel as enthralled. I think they started to become less adventurous and more like info-dumping.

I don't read much middle grade, so I'm not sure if the predictability of the genre is apparent in all the books, but this book was way too predictable. Painfully predictable, even. The true identity of the Snow Queen at the end of the novel is revealed as if it was a big secret all along when I had guessed it the first time the Snow Queen made an appearance in the book. Also, the "plot twists" weren't all that twisty, so to speak.

Before this review gets too lengthy, I just want to add that I didn't dislike this book, hence the three stars. It was enjoyable to me. I think that if the story was longer and we, the readers, had more time to connect with the character that we wouldn've been more emotionally invested in their lives and cared more for how things played out in the end. The most invested I got was at the end when the big secret on the Marvelous Boy's name ISN'T REVEALED and when I don't know whether or not the Marvelous Boy was even real to begin with.

In conclusion, Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy isn't one of my most highly recommended books, but I do not regret reading it. I already got one of my friends to read it when it hits shelves tomorrow. This book would most likely be enjoyed by people who like short, adventure/fantasy books.