My Favorite Books of 2018

(Image from Raina Telgemier's "Drama")

According to my reading spreadsheet, the following are the books I read this year that I rated 4 stars or higher (on a scale of 1-5).

 

My Favorite Book of the Year:

Honorable Mentions:

 

The Map of Good Memories (Early Review)

TITLE: The Map of Good Memories
AUTHOR: Fran Nuño
ILLUSTRATOR: Zuzanna Celej
AGE RANGE: Childrens
PUBLISHER: Cuento De Luz
PUBLICATION DATE: 3/14/2017
FORMAT: Hardcover
PAGES: 24
SOURCE: Amazon Vine/Publisher
MY RATING: 🦄🦄🦄🦄

MY REVIEW: This is a story about a 10-year-old girl who has to leave her home for another country because of a war, but I feel like this story could apply to any child who is moving from their home to another home for whatever reason. It mentions the places where Zoe used to go and that the memories she had there will always be with her. I love the illustrations so much, they are beautiful. The book is a Certified B Corporation and uses no trees, no water and no bleach to create its books.

**I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine and the publisher for my honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.**

ARC Review: Highly Illogical Behavior

TITLE: Highly Illogical Behavior
AUTHOR: John Corey Whaley
PUBLISHER: Dial Books
PUBLICATION DATE: 5/10/2016
FORMAT: ARC
PAGES: 256
SOURCE: Amazon Vine/Publisher
MY RATING: 🦄🦄🦄🦄

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Sixteen-year-old Solomon hasn't left the house in three years. Ambitious Lisa desperately wants to go to the second-best psychiatry program for college (she's realistic).

Lisa figures if she can treat Sol's condition and publish her findings he could be her ticket to a scholarship. So Lisa ingratiates herself with Sol and his parents, introduces him to her boyfriend, Clark, and tells him her secrets. Soon, Solomon begins to expand his universe with the help of his new friends. But when their facades come crashing down, their friendships threaten to collapse, as well.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I had my eye on this book ever since I first heard about it. Before this book I had never read anything by John Corey Whaley before, but I was anticipating good things because I've heard rave reviews about his work. I was not disappointed. I was hooked from page one of this book. The way the story line came to be was a little weird for me, but the way that it was written and they way the characters interacted with each other made this such an enjoyable read.

CHARACTERS: All of the characters in this book are great, but my favorite has to be Solomon's grandmother. She was hilarious and so much fun and I loved the relationship that Solomon had with her.

I also like Solomon. Even though his condition is something that I don't hear about often, I felt like he was such a real character and a real person.

COVER: The cover is great and I love it even more now after having read the story and seeing how it ties in.

**I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine/The Publisher for my honest review. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.**

Review: Furthermore

TITLE: Furthermore
AUTHOR: Tahereh Mafi
PUBLISHER: Dutton Books for Young Readers
PUBLICATION DATE: 8/30/2016
FORMAT: Hardcover
PAGES: 416
SOURCE: Library
MY RATING: 

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): There are only three things that matter to twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow: Mother, who wouldn't miss her; magic and color, which seem to elude her; and Father, who always loved her. The day Father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him. But it's been almost three years since then, and Alice is determined to find him. She loves her father even more than she loves adventure, and she's about to embark on one to find the other.

But bringing Father home is no small matter. In order to find him she'll have to travel through the mythical, dangerous land of Furthermore, where down can be up, paper is alive, and left can be both right and very, very wrong. Her only companion is a boy named Oliver whose own magical ability is based in lies and deceit--and with a liar by her side in a land where nothing is as it seems, it will take all of Alice's wits (and every limb she's got) to find Father and return home to Ferenwood in one piece. On her quest to find Father, Alice must first find herself--and hold fast to the magic of love in the face of loss.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Adventure. This book is just filled to the brim with adventure, color and magic. It was such a joy to read this book. Tahereh is amazing at creating these magical worlds. While I was reading, I could picture all of these colors and textures everywhere. She came up with so many imaginative pieces of the story and she was able to describe everything in a way where I had no problems whatsoever recreating the visions in my mind.

CHARACTERS: I loved Oliver and Alice's relationship. Are they friends, are they not friends, do they get along, do they not get along? It felt like a real relationship that would actually happen between two kids their age.

COVER: The cover is stunning. It's so bright and colorful and has so many tie ins to the story.

Review: The Merciless

TITLE: The Merciless
AUTHOR: Danielle Vega
PUBLISHER: Razorbill
PUBLICATION DATE: June 12, 2014
FORMAT: Hardcover
PAGES: 279
SOURCE: Bought
MY RATING:

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Brooklyn Stevens sits in a pool of her own blood, tied up and gagged. No one outside of these dank basement walls knows she's here. No one can hear her scream.

Sofia Flores knows she shouldn't have gotten involved. When she befriended Riley, Grace, and Alexis on her first day at school, she admired them, with their perfect hair and their good-girl ways. They said they wanted to save Brooklyn. They wanted to help her. Sofia didn't realize they believed Brooklyn was possessed.

Now, Riley and the girls are performing an exorcism on Brooklyn--but their idea of an exorcism is closer to torture than salvation. All Sofia wants is to get out of this house. But there is no way out. Sofia can't go against the other girls...unless she wants to be next...

OVERALL IMPRESSION: So, this is what I wrote right after I finished reading the book: I don't know what to say about this book. I want to say that I didn't like it, but I can't give it a bad rating because it affected me so much. It was creepy, scary, gross and disturbing. I am regretting reading it so close to bedtime. Good job Danielle, you set out to write a scary book and you accomplished your goal.

After having some time to digest my thoughts, I still pretty much feel the same way. I absolutely hate scary movies. I will not watch them. One of my least favorite things is when I go to the movies and a preview for a scary movie comes on. I have to plug my ears and look at the floor, I can't handle it. But when it comes to reading, I love to read scary books. I had heard this was a scary book, but I thought, it's YA so how scary can it really be? Yep, it was terrifying.

The book actually took me some time to get into. I would say it didn't really start affecting me until around page 90. That's when it took off and got crazy. And it just got more and more intense as it went on. If you are looking for a book to creep you out, definitely pick this one up.

CHARACTERS: I feel like the characters weren't developed fully. I cared what was happening to them and what they were doing, but at the same time, I didn't really feel connected to them. I think it was more of the shock factor of the events in the story that made me care what happened, not that I actually cared about the characters themselves.

COVER: This cover is amazing. There's no dust jacket on the book, which is pretty unique. And the hot pink color gives off the opposite vibe of the story. I love it.

Review: Still Alice

TITLE: Still Alice

AUTHOR: Lisa Genova
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
PUBLICATION DATE: July 1, 2012
FORMAT: Paperback (UK edition)
PAGES: 351
SOURCE: Won a giveaway (Can't remember from who)

















MY RATING: 





SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): When Alice finds herself in the rapidly downward spiral of Alzheimer's disease she is just fifty years old. A university professor, wife, and mother of three, she still has books to write, places to see, grandchildren to meet. But when she can't remember how to maker her famous Christmas pudding, when she gets lost in her own back yard, when she fails to recognize her actress daughter after a superb performance, she comes up with a plan. But can she see it through? Should she see it through?

Losing her yesterdays, living for each day, her short-term memory is hanging on by a couple of frayed threads.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I had seen that this book was being made into a movie starring Julianne Moore and I really wanted to watch it, but I knew I wanted to read the book first. So I finally took the plunge and read the book. I actually flew through the book. It was great.

The whole topic of the story is sad, but it didn't have a gut wrenching, heartbreaking element that I was expecting. It's certainly not a happy story, but everyone is dealing with it and learning to cope with the situation the best way they can.

CHARACTERS: All of the characters were great. I loved the main character, Alice. It was really interesting to see from her point of view what was going on her head as she was dealing with her disease.

Alice's family members were all great as well. They had their disagreements with the actions they wanted to take with Alice, but I could tell that they all cared about her and were trying to do the best that they could.

COVER: I love the cover of the edition I read. It's simple and cute.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend Review

TITLE: Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend. 
AUTHOR: Matthew Dicks 
NARRATOR: Matthew Brown 
GENRE: Fiction, Fantasy 
PUBLISHER: MacMillan Audio 
PUBLICATION DATE: 8/21/2012 
FORMAT: Audio book 

LENGTH: 10 hours 57 minutes 

SOURCE: Bought 

MY RATING:

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Budo is Max's imaginary friend. But though only Max can see him, he is real. He and the other imaginary friends watch over their children until the day comes that the child stop imagining them. And then they're gone. Budo has lasted a lot longer than most imaginary friends--four years--because Max needs him more. His parents argue about sending him to a special school. But Max is perfectly happy if everything is just kept the way it is, and nothing out of the ordinary happens. Unfortunately, something out of the ordinary is going to happen--and then he'll need Budo more than ever...

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I actually really enjoyed this book. I hadn't heard of it before, but I'm glad that I gave it a listen, because it was great. I loved the narrator. His voice was easy to listen to and fit with the characters well. The concept of the story is really interesting. I've never read anything from a perspective like this before and it was very well done. The story line itself was interesting and exciting. There were funny moments, touching moments, sad moments and suspenseful moments. This book had it all and was a great all-around read.

CHARACTERS: Budo was such a great character. I loved seeing the world though his eyes and watching him change throughout the story.

COVER: I like how it's blurred out. It fits with the idea of this imaginary friend and the possibility of them fading over time.

Cat Daddy Review (Audio)

TITLE: Cat Daddy: What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love and Coming Clean
AUTHOR: Jackson Galaxy & Joel Derfner
NARRATOR: Jackson Galaxy
PUBLISHER: Tantor Media
PUBLICATION DATE: 5/10/2012
FORMAT: Audio
LENGTH: 6 hours 24 minutes
SOURCE: Bought
MY RATING: 

COYER SCAVENGER HUNT #55: READ A BOOK FEATURING AN ANIMAL PROMINENTLY IN THE STORY - 4 POINTS

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Cat behaviorist and star of Animal Planet's hit television show My Cat from Hell, Jackson Galaxy, a.k.a. "Cat Daddy," isn't what you might expect for a cat expert (as the New York Times noted, with his goatee and tattoos he "looks like a Hell's Angel"). Yet Galaxy's ability to connect with even the most troubled felines--not to mention the stressed-out humans living in their wake--is awe-inspiring. In this book, Galaxy tells the poignant story of his thirteen-year relationship with a petite gray-and-white short-haired cat named Benny, and gives singular advice for living with, caring for, and loving the feline in your home.

When Benny arrived in his life, Galaxy was a down-and-out rock musician with not too much  more going on than a part-time job at an animal shelter and a drug problem. Benny's previous owner brought the cat to the shelter in a cardboard box to give him up. Benny had seen better days--his pelvis had just been shattered by the wheels of a car--and his owner insisted he'd been "unbondable" from day one. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

An inspiring account of two broken beings who fixed each other, Cat Daddy is laced throughout with Galaxy's amazing "Cat Whisperer" advice for understanding what cats need most from us in order to live happier, healthier lives.

MY THOUGHTS: I thought this would be a good book, but I had no idea how good of a book it would actually be. I am a huge fan of the show My Cat From Hell, so when I was at the library and I saw that this was a book, I knew I had to get it. Soon after, audible had a deal on this book, and I scooped it up. I love when writers narrate their own books because they can put emphasis on certain words or phrases that they want to stand out. Jackson does a great job with that in his book. I can hear in his tone of voice when he is angry or excited, etc. and it makes me feel those things right along with him.

I went through quite a lot of emotions in this book. I am an animal lover and have had my fair share of pets in the past, the present and most likely will have in the future. Therefore, I can put myself in Jackson's shoes during some parts of this book. I don't know what it's like to be addicted to drugs, but I do know what it's like to love an animal, and I could feel the love that Jackson has for his cat Benny. There was a chapter of this book that was particularly hard for me to listen to which made me tear up and feel quite emotional (I happened to be driving in the car at the time of course!). But being able to connect to something on that level just makes it better for me.

If you are already a fan of Jackson Galaxy, or you love animals, this is a book for you.

Black Iris Review

TITLE: Black Iris
AUTHOR: Leah Raeder
PUBLISHER: Atria
PUBLICATION DATE: 4/28/2015
FORMAT: eARC
PAGES: 320
SOURCE: Netgally
MY RATING: 

COYER SCAVENGER HUNT #34: READ A BOOK WITH BLACK IN THE TITLE: 3 POINTS

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating's world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn't worth sticking around for.

If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.

She's not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses--and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crim who has thorns of her own.

But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces--the bully who brok her down completely--she decides it's time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help.

Which was the plan all along.

Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true.

She's going to show them all.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Wow. First off, I rated this book more of a 3.75, but just went ahead and rounded up to 4 because just wow. It's really hard to say a lot about this book. I don't want to spoil anything and I'm also kind of in awe. There was so much in this book. I feel like I don't even know what just happened to my brain after finishing this.

This book pulled me in. It's very intense. There is a lot of strong language, violence, drugs and alcohol use and a whole lot of graphic sex scenes. If those things are not for you, then you should take a pass on this book. But if you are okay with those, then this book is definitely worth reading. This book was filled with drama, backstabbing, lying, cheating, deceit and more. It was a roller coaster ride the whole way through.

This book jumps around quite a bit on the timeline and I found myself really confused as I was reading as to when the events were happening, but I made myself push on. In the end everything came together and I was able to piece it all in my head without a ton of brain power.

CHARACTERS: Again, I don't want to give away any spoilers so I'm not really going to go into much about the characters. I really like the name Blythe, I think it's really unique. Other than that, all I have to say is some of these characters are ruthless.

COVER: This cover is stunning! So simple and just beautiful.

**I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley the publisher for my honest review. My opinion has not been influenced in any way.**

Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings Review

TITLE: Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings
AUTHORS: Michelle Knight with Michelle Buford
NARRATOR: Maria Cabezas
PUBLISHER: Recorded Books
PUBLICATION DATE: 5/6/2014
FORMAT: Audiobook
LENGTH: 7 hours 14 minutes
SOURCE: Bought
MY RATING: 

COYER SCAVENGER HUNT #26: READ AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY - 2 POINTS

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Michelle was kidnapped in 2002 by a Cleveland school bus driver named Ariel Castro. For more than a decade afterward she endured unimaginable torture at the hand of her abductor. In 2003 Amanda Berry joined her in captivity, followed by Gina DeJesus in 2004. Their escape on May , 2013, made headlines around the world. Millions of well-wishers now wonder: What really happened in that house, and how did Michelle find the strength to go on?

Barely out of her own tumultuous childhood, Michelle was estranged from her family and fighting for custody of her young son when she disappeared. Local police believed she had run away, so they removed her from the missing persons list fifteen months after she vanished. Castro tormented her with these facts, reminding her that no one was looking for her, that the outside world had forgotten her. But Michelle would not be broken. Heartbreaking, shocking, and ultimately triumphant, Finding Me reveals the details of Michelle's story, including the thoughts and prayer that helped her find courage to endure her unimaginable circumstances and now build a life worth living. In sharing both her past and her efforts to create a future, Michelle becomes a voice for the voiceless and a powerful symbol of hope for the thousands of children and young adults who go missing every year.

MY THOUGHTS: It's hard to put an actual rating on this, because this isn't a story that I necessarily "liked" as the subject matter is extremely unpleasant, so my rating is more for the fact that I was drawn into the story and my inability to put it down.

I am fascinated by Michelle's story. I first heard her talk on Dr. Phil and was completely invested in her story. I enjoy reading kidnapping stories, especially when I know there is going to be a happy ending. I guess I'm just fascinated and curious about how someone could do these things to another person. I was so enthralled by this story and could not stop listening. I cannot believe that these young women were trapped for long and went through everything that they did, but managed to stay hopeful and come out of it on the other side. I cannot imagine having to deal with anything like this for even one day, and yet Michelle managed to make it through 11 years of this torture. She and her fellow kidnapees are just so incredibly strong and I admire them all so much.

The Motherless Child Project Review (Audio)

TITLE: The Motherless Child Project

AUTHOR: Janie McQueen & Robin Karr

NARRATOR: Wendy Pitts

PUBLISHER: Burning Sage Publishing Company

PUBLICATION DATE: 3/13/2015

FORMAT: Audio

LENGTH: 4 Hours & 36 Minutes

SOURCE: Audiobook Blast & Wendy Pitts

MY RATING: 

SUMMARY (From Goodreads): In her 16-year-old upscale Charleston, South Carolina life, the biggest problems Emily Amber Rose has had to face run along the lines of designing alternative Halloween costumes, losing five pounds before school pictures, sourcing aromatherapy candles, and finding a bridesmaid dress out of season.

Until she hears an old gospel song that leads her to wonder who she really is.

A dangerous crush, a disturbing world of police, judges, phony mental evaluations, and disappearing parents...

How can a routine school assignment go so wrong?

MY THOUGHTS: I loved this book so much. I was so enthralled with the story and was flying through it to find out what was going to happen next. The story itself was really interesting. I enjoyed reading about the relationship that develops between Emily Amber (the main character) and Bright (one of the kids who ends up joining Emily Amber's online forum). I am hoping that there is a book 2 in the works because I would really like to see where the story goes and I'm interesting in finding out what happens to Bright.

I didn't really enjoy the narrator on this book. To me, I just felt like she kind of mushes her words together, but I was still able to enjoy the story in spite of that. I also really liked that I got to hear the "Motherless Child" song throughout the book.

**I received an audible copy of this book from Audiobook Blast and Wendy Pitts for my honest review.**

Afterworlds Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Afterworlds

AUTHOR: Scott Westerfeld

PUBLISHER: Simon Pulse

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/23/2014

FORMAT: Hardcover

PAGES: 499

SOURCE: Bought

MY RATING:

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings...

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen to slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Basically, this book is about a girl named Darcy who is writing a novel. We get to see what is happening with her life and her writing career. Every other chapter lets us read a chapter of the book that Darcy is writing.

I've never read any other books like this. You're basically reading two books at the same time. I really enjoyed the story that Darcy was writing. It was really exciting and gripping. But at the same time, I was really interested in Darcy's journey. I liked getting a glimpse into a writer's side of life. When I got into each part, I didn't want to leave it to go back to the other, but I'd soon be sucked into that part and not want to leave.

I loved all of the BEA references. After hearing so much about BEA from fellow book bloggers, so it was neat to see it from the perspective of an author.

I also really enjoyed the ending of both the novel and Darcy's book. 

CHARACTERS: Darcy was a great main character. Yes, she is an author, but she's also just a teenager herself and she acts like a teenager. She does make some unwise decisions, but nothing that she can't come back from and I feel like her decisions are those that a typical teenager would make.

COVER: The cover is pretty neat. I feel like they could have done more to tie it into the story, but I do like it.

A Letter to My Cat Review

Goodreads

TITLE: A Letter to My Cat

CREATED BY: Lisa Erspamer

PUBLISHER: Crown Archetype

PUBLICATION DATE: 10/28/2014

FORMAT: Hardcover

PAGES: 176

SOURCE: Blogging For Books

MY RATING:

INSIDE COVER BLURB: A Letter to My Cat is a tribute to the alluring, elusive, and always mysterious feline. The cats in our lives have unique personalities and stories to tell; they are our soul mates, heroes, companions, confidantes, our family. This heartwarming book features beautiful photographs and deeply personal letters written by a variety of cat lovers to their beloved four-legged friends. It's a celebration of the unconditional love these kitties bring into our hearts and homes.

With contributions by celebrity cat lovers such as Dr. Mehmet Oz, Mariel Hemingway, Stacy London, Gina Gershon, and Dita Von Teese, as well as from social medial star Lil BUB's owner, the "cat whisperer" Jackson Galaxy, a soldier returned from Iraq, and a fourth-grader, these notes and photographs--by turns moving, thoughtful, and sometimes downright hilarious--celebrate the devoted friendships we share with our relines.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: The concept of this book is amazing. I love cats (I have three) and I love reading letters people have written, so this is the perfect combination for me. 

The introduction made me laugh out loud thinking about all of the similarities with my cats (and just as I was reading, I got the surprise of one of them jumping up onto the couch and landing right on the open pages of the book). I really enjoyed reading this. I can relate to so many things in this book. I also love the accompanying photographs. 

This is a great coffee table book to just leave lying around to pick up and skim through when you're having a bad day or just need a pick-me-up.

COVER: The cover is great. The cat on the front is adorable and I like how they created an envelope with a cute little cat stamp on it.

**I received a finished copy of this book for my honest review.**

Zac & Mia Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Zac & Mia

AUTHOR: A. J. Betts

PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/2/2014

PAGES: 304

MY RATING: 

**I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine and the publisher for my honest review.

BACK COVER SUMMARY: The last person Zac expects to meet in the hospital room next door is a girl like Mia--beautiful, angry, and feisty, with questionable taste in music. In the real world he could never be friends with a girl like her. But when a knock on the wall leads to a note, a friendship surprises them both. Does Mia need Zac? Does Zac need Mia? Maybe they both need each other, always.

Told in alternating perspectives over nine months, Zac and Mia follows the relationship of two ordinary teenagers enduring extraordinary circumstances, in this tough and tender young adult novel that's a lot about love...and a little about cancer.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Something sucked me into this book the moment I started reading it. I didn't want to put it down and I ended up finishing it in less than 24 hours. At 304 pages, it's pretty short and the captivating writing makes it really easy to fly through.I really like the way the perspective was done with this story. The first part of the story is told through Zac's perspective, the second part of the story is told through the alternating perspectives of both Zac and Mia, and the third part of the story is told through Mia's perspective. This made it so that I was able to get to know Zac, then see how the two characters worked together, and then finally get to know Mia more in depth. 

**SPOILERS**

I was slightly disappointed in the ending. I wanted a more definitive ending that showed further into the future. I wanted to know exactly what happened to both Zac and Mia in terms of how their cancer was doing, as well as how the relationship between the two developed.

**END SPOILERS**

CHARACTERS: I loved the character development throughout this story. I loved getting to know both Zac and Mia on an individual level as well as seeing their interactions together. I feel like I know a lot about them and how they feel and deal with situations. I also feel like there was a lot of character growth throughout the story. Also, Zac's mother was one of my favorite characters. I could really tell that she cared about her son a lot and would do anything for him.

COVER: 3.5/5 The cover is nice. I like the simplicity of it.

Take Me On Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Take Me On

AUTHOR: Katie McGarry

PUBLISHER: Harlequin Teen

PUBLICATION DATE: 5/27/2014

PAGES: 544

MY RATING:

INSIDE COVER SUMMARY: Champion kickboxer Haley swore she'd never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can't stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she'd stay away from. Yet he won't last five seconds in the ring without her help.

West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her--fighting for her--is a shot at redemption. Especially since it's his fault his family is falling apart. He can't change the past, but maybe he can change Haley's future.

Haley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring. But as an unexpected bond forms between them and attraction mocks their best intentions, they'll face their darkest fears and discover love is worth fighting for.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Another instant hit from Katie. I don't think this woman could write a bad book if she tried. I will read anything by her. I was in love with this book before I was even halfway through it. Katie's writing just pulls you in and makes you keep flipping the pages. I will admit that I didn't like this one as much as her other books, but it was still extremely good. 

CHARACTERS: I think my reason for not liking this book as much as the others is because of the main characters, Haley and West. For some reason, I just didn't connect with them as well as I would have liked to. It might have been because the story line revolved around boxing, and I have zero interest in that, but I did really love the relationship that West and Haley shared. 

COVER: I'm not a fan of any of the covers for the Pushing The Limits books, but I do like that there is something printed directly onto the book underneath the dust jacket.

**I received a finished copy of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.

The Taking Review

Goodreads

TITLE: The Taking

AUTHOR: Kimberly Derting

PUBLISHER: Harper Teen

PUBLICATION DATE: 4/29/2014

PAGES: 368

MY RATING:

BACK COVER SUMMARY: When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a dumpster at the Gas 'n' Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of deja vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed...yet she hasn't aged a day.

Everything else about Kyra's old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her disappearance on little green men. Confused and lost, she turns to Tyler, her boyfriend's annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover there are others life her who have been taken...and returned.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I went into this book not knowing anything about it. I didn't read the summary because I wanted to be surprised, but I had heard that it might have something to do with aliens, so I was intrigued. This book was really good and had me reading whenever I had free time to see what was going on and what was going to happen. The story moves along very nicely and closer to the end we start to find out more about what it actually going on. 

The ending left everything completely open for the sequel and I cannot wait to see what comes next. I'm left with some questions and I am ready to find out where Kimberly takes the story.

CHARACTERS: Kyra and Tyler are great together. They feel so natural and I really like that. I'm excited to learn more about the characters as the series continues, specifically Kyra's dad and I'd also like to get to know Kyra's little brother more. 

COVER: The cover is awesome. It ties in with the book perfectly. I love the fireflies that make up the title.

**I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine for my honest review.

The Fault in Our Stars Review

Goodreads

TITLE: The Fault in Our Stars

AUTHOR: John Green

PUBLISHER: Dutton Books

PUBLICATION DATE: 1/10/2012

PAGES: 318

MY RATING:

INSIDE COVER SUMMARY: Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has brought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I have been wanting to read this book for a really long time. This is my first John Green book, and now I want to read all of his books. I was competely sucked in from the very first line. I love the writing style and the voice.

I enjoyed the story line of this book so much. The pacing of the story was perfect. I love how the events unfolded, particularly the part of the story that has to do with Hazel's favorite book.

CHARACTERS: The character development throughout this book was great. I felt like I knew each of the characters personally. Hazel and Gus just fit together perfectly. Isaac was a great character as well.

COVER: I am obsessed with the cover. The colors are gorgeous and I love how it looks like a chalkboard.