Book Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky

Author: Veronica Rossi

Release date: January 3rd 2012
Pages: 374
Genres: Young Adult, Sci-fi, Dystopian
Publisher: Harper Collins
My rating: 5/ 5
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered.

This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland--known as The Death Shop--are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild--a savage--and her only hope of staying alive. 

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile--everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

(taken from goodreads)

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Book Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

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)

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

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)

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Book Review: "Everything Leads To You" by Nina LaCour

Synopsis:

A love letter to the craft and romance of film and fate in front of—and behind—the camera from the award-winning author of Hold Still.

A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.

Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She’s enigmatic…. She’s beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

(taken from goodreads)

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Book Review: "Say What You Will" by Cammie McGovern

Title: Say What You Will

Author: Cammie McGovern

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 343

Publication date: June 3rd 2014

My rating: 5/ 5 stars

Synopsis:

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, incredibly honest, and emotionally poignant novel. Cammie McGovern's insightful young adult debut is a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about how we can all feel lost until we find someone who loves us because of our faults, not in spite of them.

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized.

When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

(taken from goodreads)

Review:

I went into this book without really knowing what to expect. At first, I took it to be your typical contemporary book with teens with illnesses and disabilities. However, the more I read, the easier it became to realize that this book wasn't going to be one to merely read and quickly move on afterwards. It is one hell of a powerful and amazing book. The kind that really makes you think about the way in which you perceive the world and the people around you. Like I said, I didn't know what to expect from it, but it certainly wasn't this. It left me completely impressed. In more ways than one. 

This book is technically a love story. Then what makes it so special? you may ask. The answer is simple;there just happens to be a lot more to it than a simple love story. 

Amy was born with cerebral palsy. Meaning that she must get by with a walker and machine that does the talking for her. She also can't control her facial expressions which can sometimes result in her drooling. Basically she doesn't have such an easy life. The thing is, Amy doesn't let that stop her from anything. She always tries everything possible in order to gain a little bit more of independence, despite of her disability. She doesn't let others' pity over-take her and always keeps moving forward and proving how brilliant she is. As for, Mathew, he suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, also known as OCD. This disorder consumes the majority of his life and prevents him or makes it more difficult to do many daily activities.

They have both known each other all their lives. It is now in their senior year of high school when Amy decides to get Student Aids in order to get her by the school year and maybe make it more interesting, that they really get to know each other and take part in the other's life. They both have feelings for each other and they eventually show them. 

{A lot of things happen along the road that I couldn't even dream of spoiling for you so I'm just going to leave it at that}

 I really love how they helped each other with facing daily challenges and tried their best to understand the others' illness/disability. As well as how the author gave us readers a very beautiful and real portrayal of them. That really was a great insight and it made the story exceptionally substantial. Not only was the story amazing as a whole, but the writing was simply beautiful. Also, the character's were really believable and had voices that you just can't help but want to listen to.

In short, this book undoubtedly sparked some emotion in me. It is moving and I truly believe that everyone will be able to take something from it.

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