Review: But Then I Came Back (ARC)

TITLE: But Then I Came Back
AUTHOR: Estelle Laure
PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books For Young Readers
PUBLICATION DATE: 4/4/2017
FORMAT: ARC
PAGES: 320
SOURCE: Amazon Vine/Publisher
MY RATING: 🦄🦄🦄

SUMMARY (FROM BACK COVER): From the author of This Raging Light comes the story of Eden Jones, a seventeen-year-old girl who feels lost after surviving a near-fatal accident. Unable to connect with her family and friends, Eden forms an unlikely relationship with Joe, a boy who comes to the hospital to visit Jasmine, a friend who may soon be gone forever. Eden is the only person who can get through to Jasmine, but is Eden brave enough to face a world that's bigger and more magical than she ever would have allowed?

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This book was way more contemporary than I was expecting. I thought it was going to have more supernatural elements. The premise of this book actually reminded me a lot of the Freeform TV show Beyond, but they are nothing alike at all. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it had been marketed as a contemporary love story than as a story revolving around bringing a girl back from a coma, as we rarely saw anything from that aspect of the story.

CHARACTERS: I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the characters. They all seemed great and it seemed like they had wonderful relationships with each other, but I feel like I didn't get to observe it enough.

COVER: The cover is very pretty and is what initially drew me into finding out more about this book.

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

Review: 10 Things I Can See From Here (ARC)

TITLE: 10 Things I Can See From Here
AUTHOR: Carrie Mac
PUBLISHER: Alfred A. Knopf
PUBLICATION DATE: 2/28/2017
FORMAT: ARC
PAGES: 320
SOURCE: Amazon Vine/Publisher
MY RATING: 🦄🦄🦄 + 1/2

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Think positive. Don't worry; be happy. Keep calm and carry on.

Maeve has heard it all before. She's been struggling with severe anxiety for a long time, and as much as she wishes it was something she could just talk herself out of, it's not. She constantly imagines the worst, composes obituaries in her head, and is always ready for things to fall apart. To add to her troubles, her mom--the only one who really gets what Maeve goes through--is leaving for six months, so Maeve will be sent to live with her dad in Vancouver.

Vancouver brings a slew of new worries, but Maeve finds brief moments of calm (as well as even more worries) with Salix, a local girl who doesn't seem to worry about anything. Between her dad's wavering sobriety, her very pregnant stepmom insisting on a home birth, and her bumbling courtship with Salix, this summer brings more catastrophes than even Maeve could have foreseen. Will she be able to navigate through all the chaos to be there for the people she loves?

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I personally deal with anxiety, so I was interested to see how they would approach that aspect of the book. The book itself is pretty morbid. My anxiety is different than Maeve's so it wasn't too difficult for me to read this book. But I feel like someone with severe anxiety would be triggered into a panic attack by reading this with as many terrible facts and situations that Maeve is constantly listing. It was really exhausting for me trying to keep up with everything that went through her head. But after all of that, I really enjoyed the ending and especially the last scene.

COVER:  I love simple covers with pretty typography, so I love this cover.

Review: Our Chemical Hearts (ARC)

TITLE: Our Chemical Hearts

AUTHOR: Krystal Sutherland 

PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam's Sons

PUBLICATION DATE: 10/4/2016

FORMAT: ARC

PAGES: 320

SOURCE:Amazon Vine 

MY RATING: 🦄🦄🦄 + 1/2

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Henry Page has never been in love. He fancies himself a hopeless romantic, but the slo-mo, heart palpitating, can't-eat-can't-sleep kind of love that he's been hoping for just hasn't been in the cards for him--at least not yet. Instead, he's been happy to focus on his grades, on getting into a semi-decent college and finally becoming editor of his school newspaper. Then Grace Town walks into his first period class on the third Tuesday of senior year and he knows everything's about to change.

Grace isn't who Henry pictured as his dream girl--she walks with a cane, wears oversized boys' clothes, and rarely seems to shower. But when Grace and Henry are both chosen to edit the school paper, he quickly finds himself falling for her. It's obvious there's something broken about Grace, but it seems to make her even more beautiful to Henry, and he wants nothing more than to help her put the pieces back together again. And yet, this isn't your average story of boy meets girl. Krystal Sutherland's brilliant debut is equal parts with and heartbreak, a potent reminder of the bittersweet bliss that is first love.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This book had been on my radar for a while, so I was excited to jump right in. I love all of the relevant references throughout the book -- Facebook, Spotify, Mad-eye Moody, etc. I wonder if those things will change in the future or if people who read this book in the future will wonder what the author was talking about.

This story is gutwrenchingly (is that a word?) heartbreaking. I went back and forth between being so angry at Grace for the way she treats Henry and then filled with sympathy for her situation.

CHARACTERS: As I mentioned above, Grace makes me angry with the way that she treats Henry, but at the same time I just felt so much sympathy for her and what she was dealing with that I would almost forgive her, then she would do something else to make me angry at her again.

COVER: Obsessed with the cover. The color of those fish is gorgeous!

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

Early Review: Gemina

TITLE: Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2)
AUTHORS: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
PUBLISHER: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/18/2016
FORMAT: ARC
PAGES: 608
SOURCE: Amazon Vine/Publisher
MY RATING:


SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna's social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.

Hanna is the station captain's pampered daughter; Nike the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren't just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia--and possibly the known universe--is in their hands.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I wasn't a huge fan of the first book in this series, but I liked the format and the way that the story was told so I wanted to give the sequel a try. I'm glad that I decided to go ahead and read this one, but I ended up really enjoying it quite a bit more than I expected to. I felt like there was more action and it was more intense.

CHARACTERS: I enjoyed the characters in this book more than the characters in the first book. I really liked Hanna. She was such a cool character. She's smart, tough and can take care of herself, which she proves over and over.

COVER: The cover is really nice. I like the shades of blue.

**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: Ash & Bramble

TITLE: Ash & Bramble
AUTHOR: Sarah Prineas
PUBLISHER: Harper Teen
PUBLICATION DATE: 9/15/2015
FORMAT: ARC
PAGES: 464
SOURCE: For Review

MY RATING:

  
BACK COVER SUMMARY: Pin has no recollection of who she is or how she got to the Godmother's fortress. She only knows that she is a Seamstress, spending day after day making ballgowns fit for fairy tales. Pin feels there's more than what's inside these cold, stone walls and escapes with the handsome young Shoemaker.

But Pin discovers that what seems like freedom is a prison of another kind, one that entangles Pin in a story that leads to a prince, a kiss, and a clock striking midnight. To unravel herself from this new life, Pin must choose between her prince and another--the one who would give his life for her. Torn, the only thing for her to do is trade in the glass slipper for a sword and find her own destiny.

The tale has been told and retold, twisted and tweaked, snipped and stitched, but now discover the true story of Cinderella in Sara Prineas's bold, romantic, and utterly original young adult debut.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I've always loved retellings, so I was pretty excited going into this book. This was definitely an interesting take on the classic story and I really enjoyed it. The introduction was brilliant. I felt like the narrator was talking directly to me. There was a point in the book about a third of the way in that was really strange and I was worried the book was going to get weird, but it only lasted a couple of pages and then it was over.

The ending was great. There was a good build up and plenty of action. I also really liked the way the story was wrapped up. There was a point where it could have been turned into a series, but in the end everything was wrapped up and I'm glad that this is a standalone.

CHARACTERS: I liked both the main characters, Pin and Shoe. They had a fun chemistry together. I also liked the shoemaker and his wife. I wish we had been able to learn more about the side characters as there were so many that seemed interesting, but I didn't really know much about (Dulcet, Precious, Spinner).

COVER: I am obsessed with this cover. It is gorgeous and it ties in perfectly with the story.

The Rules Review

TITLE: The Rules
AUTHORS: Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press
PUBLICATION DATE: 6/23/2015
FORMAT: ARC
PAGES: 352
SOURCE: Amazon Vine
MY RATING:

COYER SCAVENGER HUNT #29: READ A BOOK WITH NO MAGICAL OR FUTURISTIC ELEMENTS - 2 POINTS

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Junior Robin Brisset has no idea what she's in for when she accepts an invitation to one of Callabrese High's most exclusive parties. And when the trademark scavenger hunt begins, Robin must go against every rule she's lived by to survive.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I was hoping for a really scary and thrilling book and that's what I got. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as I wanted to. This book has so many different points of view. We just jump around from character to character and it was hard for me to keep everything straight. I could follow what was going on in the story line, but I had trouble keeping track of who was who. I feel like if this book had stuck to one or two perspectives, it could easily have been a 4 star book for me. It's an action packed book; there's a lot happening and I was invested in the story, but I feel like the big reveal would have been more shocking to me me if I'd been able to keep track of the characters better.

CHARACTERS: As I said above, there were so many different perspectives that I couldn't really keep the characters straight. I feel like I didn't really get to know anyone because we were jumping around from person to person.

COVER: The cover is great. It's really creepy and fits with the feel of the book.

**I received an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine and the publisher. My opinions are my own and have not been influenced in any way.**

Tiny Pretty Things Review

TITLE: Tiny Pretty Things
AUTHOR: Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton
PUBLISHER: Harper Teen
PUBLICATION DATE: 5/26/2015
FORMAT: ARC
PAGES: 448
SOURCE: Amazon Vine
MY RATING:

COYER SCAVENGER HUNT #22: READ A BOOK WHERE DANCE IS PROMINENTLY FEATURED - 2 POINTS

BACK COVER SUMMARY: There can only be one prima ballerina. No knows that better than Gigi, Bette, and June, three students vying to be the next star at Manhattan's most elite ballet academy. Free-spirited new girl Gigi just wants to dance--but the very act might kill her. Privileged New Yorker Bette's desire to escape the shadow of her ballet star sister brings out a dangerous edge in her. And perfectionist June needs to land a lead role this year, or her controlling mother will put an end to her dancing dreams forever. In a world where every dancer is both friend and foe, Gigi, Bette, and June will sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.

Black Swan meets Pretty Little Liars in this soapy drama from CAKE Literary, a new packager dedicated to bringing diversity to YA books. With gossip, lies, and scandal, Tiny Pretty Things is a riveting read about three not-so-perfect ballerinas who will do anything to get on top.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I was pretty disappointed in this book. From reading the description, I expected this book to be filled with juicy drama, mystery and nonstop twists and turns. But to me, it read more like a contemporary with a hint of mystery. It's a pretty slow read. The last 50-75 pages does pick up a little bit, but this is a pretty chunky book, so most of it is slow.

I didn't really like the ending. This book just wasn't for me. If you're a fan of contemporaries, but are looking for something that isn't a fluffy, light contemporary, this might be something to pick up. It just wasn't for me.

CHARACTERS: I had trouble keeping up with the characters. The book is told through three different perspectives, but there are a LOT of characters in this book and I tend to struggle with books that have a lot of different perspectives.

I did like June and was excited to discover more about her and her story, so that's probably what pushed me to keep reading this book.

COVER: The cover of this book is so pretty! I love the black background with the purple writing and the ribbon weaved through. It fits with the plot of the story for sure.

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

The Honest Truth Review

Goodreads

TITLE: The Honest Truth

AUTHOR: Dan Gemeinhart

PUBLISHER: Scholastic Press
PUBLICATION DATE: 1/27/2015

PAGES: 240

FORMAT: ARC

SOURCE: Amazon Vine/Publisher

MY RATING: 

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): In all the ways that matter, Mark is a normal kid. He's got a dog named Beau and a best friend, Jessie. He likes to take photos and write haiku poems in his notebook. He dreams of climbing a mountain one day.

But in one important way, Mark is not like other kids at all. Mark is sick. The kind of sick that means hospitals. And treatments. The kind of sick some people never get better from.

So Mark runs away. He leaves home with his camera, his notebook, his dog, and a plan to reach the top of Mount Rainier--even if it's the last thing he ever does.

The honest truth is a rare and extraordinary novel about big questions, small moments, and the incredible journey of the human spirit.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I hadn't heard anything about this book before I read it, and I thought it was possibly about a boy who goes on a camping trip with his dog. I was completely wrong. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to, but I think this would be a wonderful book for any middle school aged child. There's a lot of lessons packed into this little book. It was a quick read that I think would hold the attention of a younger, less patient reader.

CHARACTERS: I loved the main character of this book. He's just a little boy, but he has to go through so much and it's made him so strong and determined. I also really liked Jess, the main character's best friend. She has a decision that she is struggling with and my heart went out to her.

COVER: I love the bright colors that they used for this cover. The image also fits the book 100%.

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

Horrorstor Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Horrorstor

AUTHOR: Grady Hendrix

PUBLISHER: Quirk Books

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/23/2014

PAGES: 256

FORMAT: eARC

SOURCE: Netgalley

MY RATING: 

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour, dusk-til-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they'll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I love the idea of this book. I am obsessed with IKEA and they did such a good job making this book look exactly like an IKEA catalog. This book was terrifying. About halfway through the book, I started getting so scared that I had to limit my reading to where I would only read early in the day and only a few chapters at a time. I loved the whole reading experience. My only problem is that I think I would have enjoyed this book more as a physical copy to complete the whole "catalog" feel.

CHARACTERS: I feel like the development of these characters was done very well. I definitely learned more about each of them as the story progressed and even changed my opinions on a few of them before it was over.

COVER: They did such a great job with this cover. It's so incredibly creepy, but it takes you a minute to actually see that's it's creepy.

**I received an advanced reader's copy in the form of an e-book of this title from Netgalley for my honest review.**

For Real Review

Goodreads

TITLE: For Real

AUTHOR: Alison Cherry

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

PUBLICATION DATE: 12/9/2014

PAGES: 320

FORMAT: eARC

SOURCE: Netgalley

MY RATING: 

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): No parents. No limits. No clue what they're in for.

Shy, cautious Claire has always been in her confident older sister's shadow. While Miranda's life is jam-packed with exciting people and whirlwind adventures, Claire gets her thrills vicariously by watching people live large on reality TV.

When Miranda discovers her boyfriend, Samir, cheating on her just before her college graduation, it's Claire who comes up with the perfect plan. They'll outshine Miranda's fame-obsessed ex while having an amazing summer by competing on Around the World, a race around the globe for a million bucks. Revenge + sisterly bonding = awesome.

But the show has a twist, and Claire is stunned to find herself in the middle of a reality-show romance that may or may not be just for the cameras. This summer could end up being the highlight of her life...or an epic fail forever captured on film. In a world where drama is currency and manipulation is standard, how can you tell what's for real?

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This story is so fun. I really enjoyed reading it and waiting to see what the next challenge would be for the contestants on the TV show. One of the best things about this book was seeing what would get thrown at the contestants next. This book was filled with the perfect balance of drama, laughter and touching moments. I would have given this book 4 stars, but I was a little bit disappointed by the ending. It wasn't a bad ending, I just felt like it needed to be expanded more.

CHARACTERS: The character development in this book is wonderful. I loved watching the main character, Claire, grow and develop throughout the story. I also liked seeing the relationships between all of the different characters.

COVER: The cover is cute. I like it.

A Thousand Pieces of You Review

Goodreads

TITLE: A Thousand Pieces of You

AUTHOR: Claudia Gray

PUBLISHER: Harper Teen

PUBLICATION DATE: 11/4/2014

PAGES: 368

FORMAT: ARC

SOURCE: Amazon Vine/Publisher

MY RATING:

BACK COVER SUMMARY: What if the universe is in fact a multiverse? Countless dimensions exist, all layered within one another. Each dimension represents one set of possibilities. Every possibility, every time fate flips a coin, splits the dimensions yet again, creating yet more layers of reality. It goes on forever, to infinity. There are patterns within the dimension. Mathematical parallels. People who have met in one reality will be likely to meet in another. Certain things that happen will happen over and over, in different ways, but more often than you could explain by chance alone. Call it fate.

From New York Times  bestselling author Claudia Gray comes a heart-racing, space-and-time-bending new trilogy that asks whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I'm having a really hard time writing a review for this one. I really love the idea behind the story of there being this infinite amount of parallel dimensions. And I also liked the plot of the story and where that was and continues to go, but for some reason I just wasn't sucked into the book. I found myself relieved when I was done reading because I knew I wouldn't have to pick it up again. That doesn't mean it was bad though, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

CHARACTERS: The characters were okay. I liked Marguerite the most, but I didn't really feel connected to anyone.

COVER: The cover is beautiful. Being totally honest, it's the whole reason I became interested in this book in the first place.

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

Autumn Falls Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Autumn Falls

AUTHOR: Bella Thorne with Elise Allen

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

PUBLICATION DATE: 11/11/2014

PAGES: 224

FORMAT: ARC

SOURCE: Amazon Vine

MY RATING: 

BACK COVER SUMMARY: With her fiery red hair, new-girl outsider status, and tendency to be a total klutz, Autumn Falls definitely isn't flying below the radar at Aventura High. Luckily, she makes some genuine friends--but she also manages to get on the wrong side of the school's queen bee.

When Autumn vents her feelings in a journal that belonged to her late father, suddenly her wildest wishes start coming true. Is it a coincidence? Or can writing in the journal solve all her problems? And if the journal doesn't work that way, is there a bigger purpose for it--and for her?

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I'd seen Bella in her Disney show, as well as in Blended and thought she seemed like a great, well-rounded person, so I was curious when I heard that she had a book coming out. I feel like the story that she wrote was fine, but could have been better. The idea behind the book is a good one, but I think Bella needs to work on her writing skills some more--although, I believe if she keeps at it, she can become a great writer. When I was reading the book, I could definitely tell that it was written by someone of a younger age by the way the words sounded as I was reading them in my mind. 

I enjoyed the resolution of the book. It was predictable, but still cute and fun to read. I hope Bella continues to work on writing as I would love to see what she can accomplish.

CHARACTERS: I really liked the character of J.J. He has a great personality, and I wish I could have seen more of him throughout the book. The main character, Autumn, was great as well. I felt like I really understood her and what she was feeling.

COVER: I have mixed feelings on the cover. I don't usually like covers with faces on them, but this one is only half a face. I really like how they painted the model's nails with the sparkly polish and the heart detail on her left hand.

100 Sideways Miles Review

Goodreads

TITLE: 100 Sideways Miles

AUTHOR: Andrew Smith

PUBLISHER: Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/2/2014

PAGES: 288

FORMAT: ARC

SOURCE: Amazon Vine/Publisher

MY RATING:

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Finn Easton sees the world through miles instead of minutes. It's how he makes sense of the world, and how he tries to convince himself that he's a real boy and not just a character in his father's bestselling cult-classic book. Finn has two things going for him: his best friend, the possibly-insane-but-definitely-excellent Cade Hernandez, and Julia Bishop, the first girl he's ever loved.

Then Julia moves away, and Finn is heartbroken. Feeling restless and trapped in the book, Finn embarks on a road trip with Cade to visit their college of choice in Oklahoma. When an unexpected accident happens and the boys become unlikely heroes, they take an eye-opening detour away from everything they thought they had planned--and learn how to write their own destiny.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I've wanted to read an Andrew Smith book for quite a while. Everyone seems to rave about his books and I was curious to see what all the fuss was about. I was pretty disappointed with this one.  About a third of the way through the book, I started to loose interest. Not much was going on and I was quite bored. I was prepared to give this book a 2.5 star rating, but in the last fourth or so of the book there was an event that happened that brought quite a bit of excitement to the story and I decided to bump it up to 3 stars. 

CHARACTERS: The characters were okay, but not my favorite. I did enjoy reading about Finn's epileptic episodes, but other than that I didn't really feel myself connecting with anybody.

COVER: I like the cover a lot after learning what the significance of the horse means.

Belzhar Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Belzhar

AUTHOR: Meg Wolitzer

PUBLISHER: Dutton Books For Young Readers

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/30/2014

PAGES: 272

FORMAT: ARC

SOURCE: Amazon Vine

MY RATING: 

BACK COVER SUMMARY: 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, a 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.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I love reading books about boarding schools, and for some reason have this obsession with them, so I was really excited to start reading this.  The students in the Special Topics class this year are studying the works of Sylvia Plath, and because of that after reading this I really want to read "The Bell Jar." 

I love the idea behind this story. I haven't ever read anything like it and the topic was something that really stood out to me. I liked the progression of the story and I was really interested to see what was going to happen at the end of the book, but I was disappointed with the last part of the book. The ending itself was find, but the part leading up to the ending where we learn more about what Jam went through was not what I was expecting and I didn't like it at all.

CHARACTERS: I feel like there could have been some more character development. I would have liked to know more about all of the students in the Special Topics class as well as Jam's roommate. I liked all of the characters, but I felt like I didn't know them enough.

COVER: I love how the cover incorporates so many things from the book.

**Thanks to Amazon and Dutton Books for providing me with an ARC for my honest review.

Let's Get Lost Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Let's Get Lost

AUTHOR: Adi Alsaid

PUBLISHER: Harlequin Teen

PUBLICATION DATE: 7/29/2014

PAGES: 352

SOURCE: Amazon Vine/Publisher

MY RATING:

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named Leila. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

There's Hudson, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And Bree, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday--and a few stolen goods along the way.

Elliot believes in happy endings...until his own life goes off-script. And Sonia worries that when she lost her boyfriend, she also lost the ability to love.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth--sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This was a really nice contemporary read. It was easy to read., it was quick to read, and it was really entertaining. I loved that the story was written in different parts where we meet a new character, but we also learn more about the main character. The ending of this book was perfect. This was such a feel-good book that made me smile.

CHARACTERS: I loved all of the characters in this book. I love the way Leila interacted with everyone and how she handled all of the situations she was thrown into.

COVER: I like the cover a lot. It completely represents the feel of the book.

The Secret Hum of a Daisy Review

Goodreads

TITLE: The Secret Hum of a Daisy

AUTHOR: Tracy Holczer

PUBLISHER: G.P. Putnam's Sons

PUBLICATION DATE: 5/1/2014

PAGES: 320

SOURCE: ARC copy from Amazon Vine/Publisher

MY RATING: 

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Grace and her mother are their own family, traveling from place to place like gypsies. But Grace is tired and wants to finally have a home all to her own. She thinks she's found it with Mrs. Greene and her daughter, Lacey, so when her mother tells her it's time to move on again, Grace summons the courage to tell her mother how she really feels. She'll always regret that her last words to her mother were angry ones.

When Grace's mother dies suddenly, she's thrust into a world she doesn't understand and didn't expect--the town her mother grew up in and fled when she was just seventeen and pregnant with Grace. Now faced with making a home with a grandmother she's never met (and who, according to Grace's mother, never wanted her in the first place), Grace is desperate to be sent back to Mrs. Greene and her best friend, Lacey. A mysterious treasure hunt, just like the ones her mother used to send her on, may just be the key. It all begins with a crane. And Grace is sure it's her mother showing her the way home.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: For the first third of so of the book, I was having a hard time making myself pick up the book to read even though I was enjoying it, but that may have just been because there were so many other books that I wanted to read at the time. I got a lot more interested in the book and I wanted to see where the cranes were going to take Grace and how the relationship with her grandmother would progress.

CHARACTERS: I found myself really attached to the main character Grace. I felt almost like she was a younger family member of mine, and I wanted to make sure that she was okay and taken care of. 

COVER: The cover is nice. I like the blue to green gradient with the white graphics on top, it gives it a nice contrast. 

Panic Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Panic

AUTHOR: Lauren Oliver

PUBLISHER: Harper Collins

PUBLICATION DATE: 3/4/2014

PAGES: 416

MY RATING: 

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She'd never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he's sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he's not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of her first love for each of them--and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I liked the sweet note from Lauren at the beginning of the book. I'm not sure if this is in all copies since I read from an ARC, but it was nice of her to include it.

There has been a lot of hype over this book, but I just don't get it. The book was fine, but it wasn't near one of my favorites. I'm not sure what everyone was raving about. That being said, I did like the concept and I enjoyed reading it.

CHARACTERS: There were a lot of names being thrown around right from the start, so I was having some trouble figuring out who everyone was and keeping everyone straight. It got a little easier, but I did still have some difficulty throughout the book. I had some trouble connecting with the characters. I wanted to care more about them, but I just couldn't. I was more interested in the Panic games themselves than the relationships between the characters. 

COVER: I like the cover. I like the simplicity of it. I'm a fan of dark covers with a pop of something on them and this has that.

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

Half-Bad Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Half Bad

AUTHOR: Sally Green

PUBLISHER: Viking Juvenile

PUBLICATION DATE: 3/4/2014

PAGES: 416

MY RATING: 

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Seventeen-year-old Nathan lives in a cage: beaten, shackled like a dog, trained to kill. In a modern-day England where two warring factions of witches live amongst humans, Nathan is an abomination, the illegitimate son of the world's most terrifying and violent witch, Marcus. Nathan's only hope for survival is to escape his captors, track down Marcus, and receive the three gifts that will bring him into his own magical powers--before it's too late. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust, not even family, not even the girl he loves.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: First off, there's a table of contents in this book. I can't even remember the last time I read a fiction book with a table of contents (random, I know, but it caught my attention). I really liked this book. It does move a little slowly, but I feel like that's okay. This book is a lot of back story and world building, and I think that will make the sequel really great because all of that will be done and we will be able to dive into the meat of the story. 

CHARACTERS: For some reason I really like Celia. She is the witch who keeps Nathan locked up in the cage, but for some reason I feel like she is doing her best to help Nathan with the circumstances she has been given.

COVER: The cover of this book is amazing. I didn't realize that the blood on the cover is actually in the shape of a face until I saw someone on Youtube point it out, but that made me love it even more. 

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

Find Me Review

Goodreads

TITLE: Find Me

AUTHOR: Romily Bernard

PUBLISHER: Harper Teen

PUBLICATION DATE: 9/24/2013

PAGES: 320

MY RATING:

BACK COVER SUMMARY: "Find Me." Those are the only words on the Post-it inside Tessa Waye's diary. But Tessa's already been found...dead.

Tempted at first to ignore the plea, Wick goes into computer hacker mode when her sister, Lily, is marked as the next target.

Then Griff, supercute trailer-park boy next door (and fellow hacker), shows up, intent on helping Wick. They're fighting against Wick's jailbird dad, the detective hunting him, and a killer taunting Wick at every step.

Giving up is not an option when the threat hits so close to home.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I really enjoyed this story, but I wanted more from it. I wanted to know more about Wick and Lily's dad and their relationship with him. I felt like this book was more of a rough draft for a book that could be more detailed and with more "meat" to the story. The idea was great and everything was well executed I just wanted more. The ending (last few chapters) of the book were really intense and suspenseful and I loved them.

CHARACTERS: I really like Wick as the main character. She was relateable in the fact that she had to do everything she could in order to protect her younger sister, Lily. Griff was a good character as well, but I feel like there could have been more of him in the story. I would have liked a little more character development on him especially, but on all of the characters as well.

COVER: The cover is very cool and creepy. I love how the girl's face is made up of the words "FIND ME". The words themselves have relevance to the story as does the fact that they look sort of like code that a hacker would have to sift through.

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

The Eye of Minds Review (ARC)

Goodreads

Amazon

TITLE: The Eye of Minds

AUTHOR: James Dashner

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

PUBLICATION DATE: 10/8/2013

PAGES: 304

MY RATING:

BACK COVER SUMMARY: Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it's addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with VirtNet friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?

But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he's holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific -- the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer's motives are a mystery.

The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.

And they've been watching Michael. They want him on their team.

But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can't even fathom -- and there's the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: This book is so amazing. I loved it so much! The book wastes no time jumping into the action packed story, and I love when books do that. I feel like I don't have a whole lot to say about this book because it was just so good. 

The ending was also amazing. I predicted some of it, but I was also surprised by other parts. All I can say is read this, you will not be disappointed. I cannot wait for the next installment to come out. I am really interested to see how Michael (the main character) explains everything to Sarah and Bryson (the supporting characters) and how they react to it.

CHARACTERS: I don't really know a whole lot about the characters. This book is more focused on the plot, and I'm okay with that. I feel like the next book will have a little more character development in it.

COVER: I like the cover a lot. It's so shiny!

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