The Beginning of Everything Review

Goodreads

TITLE: The Beginning of Everything

AUTHOR: Robyn Schneider

PUBLISHER: Katherine Tegen Books

PUBLICATION DATE: 8/27/2013

PAGES: 352

MY RATING:

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them--a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra's knee, his athletic career, and his social life.

No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra's ever met, achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures.

But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: if one's singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has matter quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes?

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This wasn't as amazing as I had hoped it would be, but I still liked it. A lot of the book was slow moving, but there were a few places with a lot of feels. There was also a twist that I didn't expect at all that really helped draw me into the story.

CHARACTERS: I really liked Toby. He just seemed very genuine and like a great friend. I loved the character development that Ezra, the main character, goes through as the book progresses. We see him change as he tries to figure himself out.

COVER: The cover is extremely relevant to the book both with a physical occurrence that happens in the book, as well as the symbolism of the ups and downs that these characters go through. I don't have many yellow books, so I love the colors they used.

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

Pulse Review

Amazon

TITLE: Pulse

AUTHOR: Patrick Carman

PUBLISHER: Katherine Tegen Books (Harper Collins)

PUBLICATION DATE: 2/26/2013

MY RATING:

SUMMARY (From Goodreads): The year is 2051, and the world is still recognizable. With the help of her mysterious classmate Dylan Gilmore, Faith Daniels discovers that she can move objects with her mind. This telekinetic ability is called a "pulse," and Dylan has the talent too.

In riveting action scenes, Faith demonstrates her ability to use her pulse against a group of telekinesis masters so powerful they will flatten their enemies by uprooting street lights, moving boulders, and changing the course of a hurtling hammer so that it becomes a deadly weapon. But even with great talent, the mind--and the heart--can be difficult to control. If Faith wants to join forces with Dylan and save the world, she'll have to harness the power of both.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This book has great imagery. From the very opening scene, I could picture everything perfectly. Carman does a great job of painting a picture for us to imagine in our minds. I really liked the scene towards the beginning of the book in the old elementary school library.

About halfway through the book, I felt like I got slapped in the face (in a good way) by something I never saw coming. And then after that, the book lost it's way for me.

I feel like the book switched points of view way too often and in the most awkward of places. I would have enjoyed the story much more if it had only been from Faith's (the main character) point of view.

My mind got very distracted while I was reading a lot of this story because I just wasn't interested in the story line. I feel like I don't know what the point of the story was. The characters were preparing for a battle, but I don't know what the battle was about or why it was occurring  I also feel like I didn't know who many of the characters were or what their part was in everything.

I'm sure the next book will clear a lot of this up, but I will probably not be fighting to get my hands on a copy. It just wasn't for me.

Memorable quote: "Once everyone had a table, no one wanted these [books] anymore. But there's something different about holding them in your hands." (p. 40).

CHARACTERS: I didn't really feel a deep connection with any of the characters. I feel like they weren't able to develop enough for me to care about any of them, but I did enjoy the character of Hawk.

COVER: The cover is nice. It does make sense with the story and has meaning behind a vital piece of information that we find out.

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from Amazon for my honest review.

Smart Girls Get What They Want Review

Amazon

TITLE: Smart Girls Get What They Want

AUTHOR: Sarah Strohmeyer

PUBLISHER: Balzer + Bray (Harper Collins)

PUBLICATION DATE: 6/26/2012

PAGES: 348

MY RATING:

BACK COVER BLURB: Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren't the most popular girls in school, they aren't too worried. They know their real lives will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. But when an unexpected event shows them they're missing out on the full high school experience, they decide to make a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge -- and they will totally rock it.

Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she'll have to get over her fear of public speaking -- and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed. It could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but has always stayed behind the scenes -- until now.

These friends are determined to show that smart girls get what they want -- but that could mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for....

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This was just a really quick, fun read. It's a good "in-between" book to kind of cleanse your palate between reading two more intense books. The whole book was a cute, feel-good book. I enjoyed reading this one and I think that most people would also feel the same.

CHARACTERS: All of the characters in this book were the type of people that you would find in any high school. I don't want to go into much detail about any of the characters because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone.

COVER: The cover is cute. I love the font used for the title.

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book for my honest review.

Tiger Lily Review

TITLE: Tiger Lily

AUTHOR: Jodi Lynn Anderson

PUBLISHER: HarperTeen

PUBLICATION DATE: 7/3/2012

PAGES: 292

MY RATING:

BACK COVER BLURB: Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring, teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell. Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything -- her family, her future -- to be with him.  When, as punishment for her rebellious ways, she is faced with mrriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

From the New York Times bestselling author of PEACHES comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

MEMORABLE QUOTE: (This is the first paragraph of the book not including the prologue). "Let me tell you something straight off. This is a love story, but not like any you've heard. Th boy and the girl are far from innocent. Dear lives are lost. And good doesn't win. In some places, there is sometng ultimately good about endings. In Neverland, that is not the case." (p. 3)

OVERALL IMPRESSION: First of all, I love the dedication of this book. It is dedicated "for girls with messy hair an hungry hearts." Very cute. I enjoyed reading this book. I love reading retellings and prequals to well known fairy tales so this one was right up my alley. It was really interesting to read about Peter Pan and how everything that happens in this book fits with what happens in the original Peter Pan. I liked the ending of this book. Everything was resolved in a way that made me feel satisfied.

CHARACTERS: Tinkerbell was really cute and sweet. She is the one who is telling the story and observing the interaction between Tiger Lily and Peter Pan. Peter Pan had an odd personality. On the outside he seemed very tough and rugged, but you can tell that deep down he has a sweet heart and is just afraid of letting people get too close.

My favorite character has to be Pine Sap. He is very sweet and looks after Tiger Lily even if she doesn't realize it.

COVER: The cover is okay. I like how it has a haunting feel to it and I like the fonts that were chosen for the title.

*I received a copy of this book from the Amazon Vine for review.

Hemlock Review

 

TITLE: Hemlock (arc)

AUTHOR: Kathleen Peacock

PUBLISHER: Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins)

PUBLICATION DATE: 5/8/2012

PAGES: 416

MY RATING:

BACK COVER BLURB: Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac's life has been turned upside down. Not only is she being haunted by Amy in her dreams, an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac's hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy's suspected killer: a white werewolf.

Lupine Syndrome--also known as the werewolf virus--is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy's murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows about Amy's boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock's thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding supernatural mystery series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Loved it!This was such a great book, I wished I had read it sooner. The story line was interesting and held my attention the whole way through. I needed to know what was going to happen and who was going to do what. The very first line of the book drops you into the middle of the action and I love it when books do that.

CHARACTERS: It is easy to relate to the main character, Mac. I feel for her and go through the emotions with her as events in the story unfold. I really like the character of Kyle. He seems like a very sweet character and an all around good guy to have around.

COVER: I like the cover. I love the vines that are incorporated into the title of the book and I love the dress that the model is wearing.

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from Amazon Vine for review.

Before I Fall

TITLE: Before I Fall

AUTHOR: Lauren Oliver

PUBLISHER: HarperCollins

PAGES: 470

MY RATING: (2 out of 5)

INSIDE COVER BLURB: What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High--from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

MY REVIEW: I did not enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. I had read lots of greats reviews of everyone loving this book so I had high hopes for it, but it just wasn't great for me. Reliving the same day over and over, while there were some differences, overall the same series of events seemed to happen to often. I thought most of the characters were way too shallow and the ending didn't leave me satisfied at all. On a positive note, I really love the cover of the book :)