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.

Carlota Wouldn't Say Boo

TITLE: Carlota Wouldn't Say Boo
AUTHOR: José Carlos Andrés
ILLUSTRATOR: Emilio Urberuaga
AGE: Children
PUBLISHER: NubeOcho
PUBLICATION DATE: 6/14/2016
FORMAT: Hardcover
PAGES: 40
SOURCE: Amazon Vine/Publisher
MY RATING: 🦄🦄🦄+ 1/2

MY REVIEW: This was a cute book. I was drawn to it because when I was a child I was painfully shy and I would only talk to my best friend. I would whisper in her ear and she would tell everyone what I had said. This is a fun story and would make a perfect story time for any shy child. The illustrations are nice and vibrant and I think children would love following along with the story and pictures.

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

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.**

Wrap Up/Haul: November 2016

Physical Books Read:

Audio Books Read:

None

EBooks Read:

None

November Book Haul:

Purchased/For Review:




November OwlCrate (Alice in Wonderland Theme):



Reviews Written:
Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

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: Replica (ARC)

TITLE: Replica
AUTHOR: Lauren Oliver
PUBLISHER: Harper Collins
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/4/2016
FORMAT: ARC
PAGES: 544
SOURCE: Publisher/Amazon Vine
MY RATING: 

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Gemma has been in and out of hospitals since she was born. 'A sickly child', her lonely life to date has revolved around her home, school and one best friend, Alice. But when she discovers her father's connection to the top secret Haven research facility, currently hitting the headlines and under siege by religious fanatics, Gemma decides to leave the sanctuary she's always known to find the institute and determine what is going on there and why her father's name seems inextricably linked to it.

Amidst the frenzy outside the institute's walls, Lyra - or number 24 as she is known as at Haven - and a fellow experimental subject known as 72, manage to escape. Encountering a world they never knew existed outside the walls of their secluded upbringing, they meet Gemma and, as they try to understand Haven's purpose together, they uncover some earth-shattering secrets that will change the lives of both girls forever...

OVERALL IMPRESSION: As I'm sure most of you know by now, this book is a unique reading experience. The story is told from two different perspective, Gemma and Lyra. You can start on one side and read all of Lyra's story, then flip the book over and read all of Gemma's story, or you can flip back and forth reading one chapter of each girls' story alternating. I chose to alternate chapters. For me, this was pretty annoying. I wish the story had just been written in alternating chapters as it was frustrating to have to keep flipping the book over and try not to lose my bookmark and then when I set the book down, I had to remember which side of the story I was on. But that might just be me nitpicking.

The book itself was great. The further I got into it, the more desperate I was to keep reading to find out what was going on and what was going to happen next. The mystery involving this story was interesting to me. There were some things that were a little predictable, but it was still exciting and shocking all the same. I think the next book in the series will clear up some questions I have and give more insight into Haven and Gemma's parents.

CHARACTERS: I really enjoyed the group of characters that we follow in this book. I enjoyed learning about all of them and finding out who they were.

COVER: This book essentially has two covers. Both of them are nice. I like that they are the same but different.

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: Famous in Love

TITLE: Famous in Love
AUTHOR: Rebecca Serle
PUBLISHER: Macmillan Children's Books
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/23/2014
FORMAT: Paperback
PAGES: 309
SOURCE: Publisher
MY RATING: 

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): She fell in love with him in the books--now she has the chance to star opposite him in the film...

Paige doesn't think she's particularly special, but after getting the starring role in a massive film adaptation of the bestselling Locked trilogy, the rest of the world would disagree. Now she's thrown into the spotlight, and into a world of gossip, rumour and deceit. The only people who know what she's going through are her two male co-stars, and they can't stand the sight of each other. Paige knows it's a mistake to fall in love on the set of a movie, but days of on-screen romance and intensity start to change her mind. The question is, can she keep what happens behind the scenes a secret when the world is watching her every move?

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I needed something light, fluffy and quick to pull me out of my slight reading slump and this book did the trick. I really enjoyed reading it. It was a lot of fun following Paige around and wondering what was going to happen next and speculating how the movie would turn out.

The ending has me a little torn. I don't really agree with Paige's choice and I'm not entirely sure I understand what she's really doing. I'm looking forward to picking up the sequel soon to see what happens next and finally see what Paige is going to do.

CHARACTERS: I didn't feel like there was a lot of character development in this book. I liked our main character, Paige, but I don't really feel that I know her as well as I could. I'm hoping that the next book in the series will have more insight into who all of these characters are.

Also, just a warning, there is a love triangle in this book. I really can't stand love triangles, but I didn't know there was going to be one in this story and I was already too far in to stop reading.

COVER: The cover is cute. I like the color.

Review: The Safest Lies

TITLE: The Safest Lies
AUTHOR: Megan Miranda
PUBLISHER: Crown Books for Young Readers
PUBLICATION DATE: 5/24/2016
FORMAT: Hardcover
PAGES: 368
SOURCE: Library
















MY RATING: 

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): Kelsey was raised to see danger everywhere. Her mother hasn't set foot outside their front door in seventeen years, since she escaped from her kidnappers with Kelsey growing inside her.

Kelsey knows she's supposed to keep a low profile for their own protection, but that plan is shattered when she drives off a cliff and is rescued by volunteer firefighter and classmate Ryan Baker.

A few days later, she arrives home to face her greatest fear: her mother is missing. She and her mother have drilled for all contingencies--except this one. Luckily, Ryan is as skilled at emergency rescues as Kelsey is at escape and evasion.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I absolutely adored this book and have been recommending it to everyone. The premise of a kidnapped woman who escaped and is now living with her teenage daughter grabbed my attention and made me want to read the book. Then, once I started reading I became even more hooked. The story line is fast paced and exciting with nonstop action. I flew through this book in just a couple of sitting and I loved every minute of it. This is definitely one to pick up if you're looking for a quick read to get you out of a reading slump.

CHARACTERS: I did enjoy this characters, but this book is definitely more plot driven than character driven. I like the main character, Kelsey. She was thrown into this world and taught to fear everything by her mother, and once she is on her own, we see her struggle with how to handle things.

COVER: The cover is fine. Nothing super fantastic, but it does portray the feeling and atmosphere of the book.

Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

TITLE: Everything, Everything
AUTHOR: Nicola Yoon
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
PUBLICATION DATE: 9/1/2015
FORMAT: Hardcover
PAGES: 320
SOURCE: Bought





















MY RATING: 

INSIDE COVER SUMMARY: My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I'm allergic to the world. I don't leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean, and wearing all black--black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can't predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It's almost certainly going to be a disaster.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Oh, this book. I'm not really sure where to begin with it. It's been a very long time since I've given a book a 5 star rating. I only reserve those for my absolute favorites, and Everything, Everything has made it into that group. I had been wanting to read this one since I first heard about it. The only thing that I knew about it was that it was about a girl who was, essentially, allergic to the world and it had gotten some great reviews. I love books where people are shut off from the world or from other types of communities that would be considered "normal" so I knew I had to read this.

To play off the title of the book, this book was everything. I loved it so much.. I loved the story line and how the romance between the two main characters developed. And then, there was the twist. I wasn't expecting it and was pretty shocked. I also loved the resolution at the end of the book and the sketched pictures that were thrown in every once in a while were nice too.

CHARACTERS: I loved the interaction between pretty much all of the characters. I thought that Olly and Madeline has a really sweet, cute relationship. The relationship between Madeline and her mom was nice as well, I loved how close they were. And the relationship between Madeline and her nurse, Carla was really nice as well.

COVER: The cover is really pretty. I love all of the colors that pop on the white background.

Review: Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology (Audio)

TITLE: Trouble Maker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology
AUTHOR: Leah Remini
NARRATOR: Leah Remini
PUBLISHER: Random House Audio
FORMAT: Audio Book
LENGTH: 7 hrs 12 mins
SOURCE: Bought
MY RATING: 

SUMMARY (From Goodreads): Leah Remini has never been the type to hold her tongue. That willingness to speak her mind, stand her ground, and rattle the occasional cage has enabled this tough-talking girl from Brooklyn to forge an enduring and successful career in Hollywood. But being a troublemaker has come at a cost.

That was never more evident than in 2013, when Remini loudly and publicly broke with the Church of Scientology. Now, in this frank, funny, poignant memoir, the former King of Queens star opens up about that experience for the first time, revealing the in-depth details of her painful split with the church and its controversial practices.

MY THOUGHTS: Before I picked up this book, I only knew of Leah Remini from her show King of Queens. I didn't even know that she had previously been a Scientologist, but I love listening to autobiographies especially when they are on social culture. I think Leah did a great job at the narration of her book - I always enjoy biographies more when they are narrated by the author themselves because they are able to emphasize parts they feel are important. Although, since I know nothing about Scientology, because of her New York accent, I thought through the whole book she was saying "Ella Rach" instead of  "L. R. H."

The book itself was enjoyable. I feel like Leah described her experiences really well and she did a good job of explaining why she left the Scientology religion while still being fairly respectful. I really enjoyed listening to her and I'l have to check out her reality television show sometime soon because I think it would be fun to get a glimpse inside her life as it is now.

Review: Glass Sword

TITLE: Glass Sword
SERIES: Red Queen #2
AUTHOR: Victoria Aveyard
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen
PUBLICATION DATE: 2/9/2016
FORMAT: Hardcover
PAGES: 444
SOURCE: Bought
MY RATING: 

**This is book 2 in the Red Queen series. There may be spoilers ahead. Proceed at your own risk.**

INSIDE COVER BLURB: If there's one thing Mare Barrow knows, it's that she's different. Mare Barrow's blood is read--the color of common folk--but her Silver ability, the power to control lightening, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince--the friend--who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: She is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they've always known--and pits Mare against the darkness that has grown in her soul.

MY THOUGHTS: I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of this book. The first book in the series is one of my favorite books of all time and received a 5 star rating from me (which is extremely rare). The book picks up at the exact moment that the first book ends and I was obsessed right from the start. Within the first 100 pages, there were already twists and turns and I was excited to see what was going to happen next.

Then, around the halfway point of the book it started to slow down a lot. The events that were going on in the story at the time made perfect sense as to why the action kind of stopped, but I did find myself having a hard time getting into the book. I did push myself through, and the story did pick up quite a bit. The ending is super intense and left on a dramatic cliff hanger so I'm really looking forward to finding out what happens in the next book.

COVER: Another gorgeous cover for this book series. A+.

Check out my review of the first book in the series, Red Queen.

Review: A Madness So Discreet

TITLE: A Madness So Discreet
AUTHOR: Mindy McGinnis
PUBLISHER: Katherine Tegen Books
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/6/2015
FORMAT: Hardcover
PAGES: 384
SOURCE: Bought
MY RATING:

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

MY THOUGHTS: I was super excited to see this book in one of my monthly subscription boxes from Owl Crate. I do admit that I was expecting to find this book extremely creepy and spooky, which it was not, but I still really enjoyed it. It took me a little bit to get used to the dialog because some of the language sounded like something you'd hear in the past, but that added to the story because this book takes place in the past.

The first part of the book did a great job at pulling me in and making me want to keep reading to find out what was going on and what was going to happen next. The middle of the book slowed down a little bit, but I still enjoyed following Grace, the main character, around trying to figure out the mysteries.

I really loved the characters in this book, especially the other girls that were in the insane asylum. They just had so much personality, and even though they were in an institution, they were still just girls being girls and having fun.

Audio Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

TITLE: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

AUTHORS: John Green and David Levithan

NARRATORS: MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl

PUBLISHER: Brilliance Audio

PUBLICATION DATE: 4/6/2010

FORMAT: Audio book

LENGTH: 7 hours and 52 minutes

SOURCE: Bought
MY RATING:

SUMMARY (FROM AUDIBLE): One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens--both named Will Grayson--are about to cross paths. As their worlds and lives collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history's most fabulous high school musical.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I'm having a hard time getting on board the John Green train. Everyone seems to adore his books, and out of the four that I've read the only one that I've really enjoyed was The Fault in Our Stars. I was hoping to enjoy this one, but it was my least favorite so far. It took a little bit to get going and then about two hours into the audio, my interest was peaked, but I still never got really invested in the book. I think a lot of my dislike for this one had to do with the audio though. According to Audible, there are two narrators for this book, but when I was listening I didn't even know there was a difference. I actually remember thinking that I would have enjoyed hearing two different narrators so that I could more easily tell the two Will Graysons apart, and apparently there were two narrators all along.

There was a lot of back and forth dialog that had the names of who was speaking before every line and that was, honestly, annoying to listen to the narrator say the names over and over again. Also, the singing drove me nuts. It was so over the top and obnoxious, which I guess was part of that particular character's personality, but it just got on my nerves.

All of that being said, if you're thinking about picking this one up, I would say to check out the print version rather than the audio.

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.

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.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened Review

TITLE: Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir
AUTHOR: Jenny Lawson
NARRATOR: Jenny Lawson
PUBLISHER: Penguin Audio
PUBLICATION DATE: 4/17/2012
FORMAT: Audiobook
LENGTH: 8 hours 41 minutes
SOURCE: Bought
MY RATING: 

COYER SCAVENGER HUNT #45: READ A BOOK BASED ON TRUE EVENTS - 3 POINTS

SUMMARY (FROM GOODREADS): When Jenny Lawson was little, all she ever wanted was to fit in. That dream was cut short by her fantastically unbalanced father (a professional taxidermist who created dead-animal hand puppets) and a childhood of wearing winter shoes made out of used bread sacks. It did, however, open up an opportunity for Lawson to find the humor in the strange shame spiral that is her life, and we are all the better for it.

Lawson's long-suffering husband and sweet daughter are the perfect comedic foils to her absurdities, and help her to uncover the surprising discovery that the most terribly human moments--the ones we want to pretend never happened--are the very same moments that make us the people we are today.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened is a poignantly disturbing, yet darkly hysterical tome for every intellectual misfit who thought they were the only ones to think the things that Lawson dares to say out loud. Like laughing at a funeral, this book is both irreverent and impossible to hold back once you get started. 

MY THOUGHTS: I loved this book so much! I had never heard of Jenny Lawson before, but this had good reviews so I thought I'd pick it up on Audible. I'm so glad that I did. It's hard to find the words to describe this book. It's just funny. This book was incredibly hilarious. I was listening to quite a bit of this while I was at work and I was biting my cheeks to stop myself from laughing out loud. I highly enjoyed every moment of this book.

I also loved the more serious moments. In chapter 25, Lawson talks about her anxiety and her husband being well-meaning, but just not understanding. I can completely relate to that. I feel like she took the thoughts right out of my head.

COVER: After reading the book, I can see that the cover is perfect for it!