Showing posts with label contemporary. Show all posts

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Book Review: Meant To Be by Lauren Morril

7:45 PM

Title: Meant To Be

Author: Lauren Morrill

Release date: November 13th 2012
Pages: 304
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Delacorte Books For Young Readers
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

(taken from goodreads)

Book Review: Even In Paradise by Chelsey Philpot

8:50 PM

Title: Even In Paradise

Author: Chelsey Philpot

Release date: Octobber 14th 2014
Pages: 360
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

When Julia Buchanan enrolls at St. Anne’s at the beginning of junior year, Charlotte Ryder already knows all about the former senator’s daughter. Most people do... or think they do.

Charlotte certainly never expects she’ll be Julia’s friend. But almost immediately, she is drawn into the larger than-life-new girl’s world—a world of midnight rendezvous, dazzling parties, palatial vacation homes, and fizzy champagne cocktails. And then Charlotte meets, and begins falling for, Julia’s handsome older brother, Sebastian.

But behind her self-assured smiles and toasts to the future, Charlotte soon realizes that Julia is still suffering from a tragedy. A tragedy that the Buchanan family has kept hidden... until now.

(taken from goodreads)

Book Review: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

10:30 PM

Title: Twenty Boy Summer

Author: Sarah Ockler

Release date: June 1st 2009
Pages: 290
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Little Brown Books For Young Readers
My rating: 4/ 5
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

"Don’t worry, Anna. I’ll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won’t say anything?"
"Don’t worry.” I laughed. “It’s our secret, right?"

According to Anna’s best friend, Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there’s a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there’s something she hasn’t told Frankie–she’s already had her romance, and it was with Frankie’s older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

TWENTY BOY SUMMER explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every beautiful moment life has to offer.

(taken from goodreads)

Book Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

8:22 AM

Title: The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1-3)

Author: Jenny Han

Release date: May 5th 2009
Pages: 279
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
My rating: 4.5/ 5
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

(taken from goodreads)

Book Review: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

6:36 PM

Title: Made You Up

Author: Francesca Zappia

Release date: March 19th 2015
Pages: 448
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Mental illness
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
My rating: 5/ 5
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.

(taken from goodreads)

ARC Review: Fragile Bones by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

8:44 PM

Title: Fragile Bones (One-2-one)

Author: Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Release date: March 15th 2015
Pages: 254
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Clockwise Press
My rating: 5/ 5
Source: Netgalley

Synopsis:

Meet Harrison and Anna.

One is a fifteen-year-old boy with an uncanny ability to recite every bone in the skeletal system whenever he gets anxious ― and that happens a lot. The meaning of “appropriate behaviour” mystifies him: he doesn’t understand most people and they certainly don’t understand him.

The other is a graduating senior with the world at her feet. Joining the Best Buddies club at her school and pairing up with a boy with high-functioning autism is the perfect addition to her med school applications. Plus, the president of the club is a rather attractive, if mysterious, added attraction.

Told in the alternating voices of Harrison and Anna, Fragile Bones is the story of two teens whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways.

(taken from goodreads)

Book Review: I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

8:19 AM

Title: I'll Give You the Sun

Author: Jandy Nelson

Release date: September 16th 2014
Pages: 371
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Glbtq
Publisher: Dial Books
My rating: 5/ 5
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

A brilliant, luminous story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, David Levithan, and Rainbow Rowell

Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

This radiant novel from the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

(taken from goodreads)

Book Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

9:35 AM

Title: The Distance Between Us

Author: Kasie West

Release date: July 2nd 2013
Pages: 312
Genres: Ya, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Harper Teen
My rating: 4/ 5
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

(taken from goodreads)

Book Review: My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

2:12 PM

Title: My Heart and Other Black Holes

Author: Jasmine Warga

Release date: February 10th 2015
Pages: 302
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
My rating: 5/ 5
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There’s only one problem: she’s not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel’s convinced she’s found her solution: a teen boy with the username FrozenRobot (aka Roman) who’s haunted by a family tragedy is looking for a partner.

Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other’s broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together. Except that Roman may not be so easy to convince.

(taken from goodreads)

Book Review: Winger by Andrew Smith

9:18 PM

Title: Winger (Winger #1)

Author: Andrew Smith

Release date: May 14th 2013
Pages: 439
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
My rating: 4/ 5
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids in the Pacific Northwest. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

(taken from goodreads)

Book Review: Mental by Justice Serai

6:20 PM

Title: Mental

Author: Justice Serai

Release date: April 7th 2015
Pages: 218
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
My rating: 4/ 5 stars
Source: Xpresso Book Tours

Synopsis:

Hope is an illusion meant to convince the broken to keep on living.

That’s me. Broken.

My father pays heaps of money for doctors at the Norfolk Psychiatric Center to fix me. I’ve spent six months of my prime teenage years at this residential facility – a place for teenagers who’ve gone mental.

That’s me. Mental.

Just when I begin to feel myself fade away, a boy with a wolfish smile and mischievous eyes reels me in. Julian is broken too, but he believes in me enough for the both of us. Through him, I begin to experience this thing called hope. Doctors can’t fix me, my parents can’t either, but maybe it’s not me who needs fixing.

After all, mental is only a state of mind. It all depends on who’s doing the thinking.

Goodreads | Purchase

Review:

After a baptism accident when she was a little girl, Lucy lives in fear of things like the colors red and orange and the number 6. She suffers from schizophrenia and is a patient in a psychiatric ward. She is trying to get better but things just aren't that easy. She feels like a constant disappointment to her parents and feels guilty for the things she has put them through.

It was very intriguing to read from a character with schizophrenia's point of view. Lucy, was such an intricate character with so many feelings suppressed inside of her. Every word of hers was riddled with pain and It was very easy for the reader to see that. She suffers so much because of her own mind and it's sad to see how not many people understand her. Especially her parents. I found them to be a little bit ignorant and insensitive toward her daughter's illness. To me they could have been a bit more open minded.

As for the romance in this book, which did play a big part, I found that it didn't really work well. I mean, the romance itself was fine, it's just the way in which it happened that didn't really appeal to me. Primarily due to the fact that it was sort of an insta-love situation. Julian just happens to show up in the ward and calls Lucy pretty once and they instantly fall in love. It just didn't feel all that genuine to me. However, I did like the fact that Julian really tried his best to help her and he seemed to have her best interest.

Lucy really grows as a character. Especially towards the end. She realizes that, while it is important to have support from others in order to make the best out of her recovery, she can't rely on other people and depend on them. She accepts the fact that the only one who can save her is herself. And to me that was one of the most important things.

This book turned out to be very moving. The writing was lyrically beautiful and fluid. And it portrayed this terrifying circumstances in a very real way. It really gives you a sense of hope. I really hope that this book doesn't go unnoticed because it deserves appreciation.

Book Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

6:58 PM

Title: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Author: Jesse Andrews

Publisher: Amulet Books

Pages: 295

Publication date: March 1st 2012

My rating: 5/ 5 stars

Synopsis:

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

(taken from goodreads)

{Blog Tour} Review + Giveaway "Where the Staircase Ends" by Stacy Stokes

12:24 PM

Title: Where the Staircase Ends

Author: Stacy Stokes

Publisher: Month9books

Pages: 245

Publication date: April 14th 2015

My rating: 4/ 5 stars

Synopsis:

After her best friend orchestrates the lie that destroys her reputation, Taylor wants more than anything to disappear from her life. But when an accident turns this unspoken wish into reality, instead of an angel-filled afterlife, Taylor must climb a seemingly endless staircase into the sky.

Instead of going up, the journey plunges her into the past. As she unravels the mystery behind her friend’s betrayal, she must face the truth about life and find the strength to forgive the unforgivable -- unless the staircase breaks her first.

Chapters Indigo | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | TBD

Review:

I'm glad I got the opportunity to read and review this book. It was a completely unique and refreshing read. And although at first I didn't think I was going to enjoy it all that much, I became undeniably hooked.

The author made a fantastic job at depicting the twisted little world that is high-school and the minds of teenagers and the damage they can cause. Taylor, our main character gets in an accident after wishing to disappear. Her attitude totally plummeted due to the wrong-doings of her best friend. After her accident she wakes up and finds herself in a vast space surrounded by nothing but sky and before her a massive endless staircase.

She starts to call out for someone but is only answered by the lonely echo of her own voice. She begins her journey and climbs up the endless stairs. Along the way she encounters what appear to be ghost-like figures of the people she knows and they each bring a different memory. Each one bringing back moments and memories about how the whole dilemma with her best friend started.

I truly loved how fast paced this book was. It begins to pull you in instantly. And I'm sure most of that engrossment was not only because of the story, but because of the authors writing. It was absolutely amazing! It made the story flow perfectly and uniquely. The majority of this book is composed of flashbacks and I find that for me that tends to be a problem because it can sometimes get confusing, but not in this book. It was very well-written.

Also, the characters in this book were very well written and articulated. Each one's voice was distinct and easy to tell apart. They all had different traits that made them equally interesting. The only thing I wish would be different is the backstory on the characters. I felt like I wanted to know more about them and to have just a little bit more to hang on to, but other than that this was a very great book with a really lovely and valuable message. I think that not many books succeed at giving out accurate representations about high-school, but this one definitely did. It also emphasizes the importance of forgiving those around us and ourselves.

I really hope more people hear and find out about this book and ultimately end up reading it because it really does deserve the attention.

Giveaway:

Winner will be drawn May 8, 2015

· Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of Where the Staircase Ends by Stacy Stokes (INT)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Stacy Stokes attended the University of Texas at Austin and The Wharton School of Business. She grew up in Dallas, TX, and currently lives in San Francisco with her husband. WHERE THE STAIRCASE ENDS is her first novel.

Author Links:

Website | Twitter

{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: "Love, Lucy" by April Lindner

2:36 PM

Title: Love Lucy

Author: April Lindner

Publisher: Poppy

Pages: 305

Publication date: January 27th 2015

My rating: 5/ 5 stars

Synopsis:

While backpacking through Florence, Italy, during the summer before she heads off to college, Lucy Sommersworth finds herself falling in love with the culture, the architecture, the food...and Jesse Palladino, a handsome street musician. After a whirlwind romance, Lucy returns home, determined to move on from her "vacation flirtation." But just because summer is over doesn't mean Lucy and Jesse are over, too.

In this coming-of-age romance, April Lindner perfectly captures the highs and lows of a summer love that might just be meant to last beyond the season.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Itunes

Review:

This book follows Lucy Sommersworth, a talented girl with a passion for acting and the thrill that comes with being on stage. Unfortunately, her father, a stubborn business man, doesn't allow her to fulfill her dream and instead makes a deal with her so she never auditions for a play ever again and accordingly majors in business when she goes to college. In exchange for agreeing to her father's conditions, Lucy heads off on a trip to Rome with her mother's friend's daughter. It isn't exactly what Lucy had in mind, but it was the most appealing of the options given.

While in Rome Lucy meets an amazing street-singer, dark, mysterious, and coincidentally American guy named Jesse. They had somewhat of a rocky start, but it's not long till they both can't hide their mutual attraction. This book is divided into parts, so that makes up for the first one. After that, Lucy must face the fact that she has to return home to the States. Meaning that she has to leave Jesse behind.

The rest of the books is basically Lucy living her life in college and dealing with all the things that start happening. New love interests, breaking promises, making decisions and figuring out who and what she wants to be.

I must say I was really surprised by this book and how much I actually enjoyed it. I think it was very well written romance story with a bit of depth to it. To me the main character was very endearing. I actually found times where I was relating to her a lot. And I really appreciate when authors can create relatable characters. It makes the story a lot better. Although she could get acutely annoying sometimes. Not so much that I didn't enjoy the story, but I figured I ought to mention it. Anyway, Lucy wasn't the only character I liked, I found all the other characters to be very well written as well, and there was sufficient description of all of them.

I also enjoyed the romance aspect in this book. I think it was lovely and cute. Like in most YA contemporaries, it wasn't the most feasible, but what would be the point, right? It was dreamy, adorable, and steamy and overall lovely. I couldn't have asked for more. Another thing I loved was the imagery and how it felt like I was actually in Rome! I just love it when books to that. When I finished the book I was left with this sudden urge to pack my bags and leave to a far away destination. Wanderlust, anyone?

As for the problems with this book I only had one and it isn't all that major, just a little something I felt could have been a lot better. What I'm talking about is the pacing. Like I said, this book is written in parts and I felt like a couple of them were a bit rushed. Particularly the first one. As I was reading it, I noticed that a lot of things were omitted. I mean, I can see how many of them weren't all that crucial to the story, but it wouldn't hurt to have a bit more info thrown in there.

Overall I really did love this book. I fell in love with the story and how it really made my heart melt and my feelings to go all over the place. I would highly recommend it to those who like a good romance, books about traveling, Audrey Hepburn references (yay!) and fairly quick reads.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

April Lindner is the author of three novels: Catherine, a modernization of Wuthering Heights; Jane, an update of Jane Eyre; and Love, Lucy, due out in January, 2015. She also has published two poetry collections, Skin and This Bed Our Bodies Shaped. She plays acoustic guitar badly, sees more rock concerts than she’d care to admit, travels whenever she can, cooks Italian food, and lavishes attention on her pets—two Labrador retriever mixes and two excitable guinea pigs. A professor of English at Saint Joseph’s University, April lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two sons.

{AUTHOR LINKS}

Book Trailer Reveal: "Mental" by Justice Serai

12:02 AM

Title: Mental

Author: Justice Serai

Publication date: April 7th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Hope is an illusion meant to convince the broken to keep on living. That’s me. Broken.

That’s me. Mental.

After all, mental is only a state of mind. It all depends on who’s doing the thinking.

Goodreads | Purchase

Book Trailer:

Author Bio:

If my name weren't enough to doom me to nerdville, my love of all things dark and weird would. Inspired by stories of hope and perseverance throughout history, in my own life, and in the lives of people I know, I strive to write authentic YA fiction for the oddball in all of us.

I want to make people think deeply, feel wholly, and laugh and cry, just as I have.

I'm no stranger to tricky topics such as LGBTQ issues, adoption, disabilities, and mental illness, and I hope you come to love my characters as much as I do.

Facebook | Wix

Giveaway

The author is hosting a giveaway for a $15 Amazon gift card to celebrate the reveal!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for giving me the amazing opportunity of participating in this book trailer reveal!

Pages

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Book Review: Meant To Be by Lauren Morril

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Book Review: Even In Paradise by Chelsey Philpot

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Book Review: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Monday, June 15, 2015

Book Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Friday, June 12, 2015

Book Review: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Sunday, June 7, 2015

ARC Review: Fragile Bones by Lorna Schultz Nicholson

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Book Review: I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Book Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Book Review: My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Book Review: Winger by Andrew Smith

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Book Review: Mental by Justice Serai

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Book Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Thursday, April 16, 2015

{Blog Tour} Review + Giveaway "Where the Staircase Ends" by Stacy Stokes

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

{Blog Tour} Book Review + Giveaway: "Love, Lucy" by April Lindner

Title: Love Lucy

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Book Trailer Reveal: "Mental" by Justice Serai