Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Review: Meant to Be by Lauren Morril

Title: Meant to Be
Author: Lauren Morril
Published November 13th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Contemporary YA
Goodreads | Amazon
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I actually wrote this review back on August '12, in the back of one of my surgery notes, so it's old haha:


It took me a while to get into Meant to Be, mainly because I couldn’t connect with the narrator.

Julia is the nerd extraordinaire. She was kind of annoying, actually. I mean I’m sure she meant no harm but she was annoying, trying to be the best one in her class, pretending nobody was worth talking to, and despising anyone who was having fun on the school trip to London.

And no one was having more fun than Jason, class clown and hottie extraordinaire. Jason was all about making inappropriate (but hilarious) comments, being sassy and everyone (except Julia: see above) loves him.

So the thing is, Julia and Jason get assigned as partners for the trip and it leads to a lot of awkward situations that would have been funny if Julia wasn’t so uptight and annoying. Anyway, one of those situations was when Julia got drunk in a party that Jason took her to, and she pretends to be a supermodel (even though she is 5 ft. tall and has a stocky, muscular body which made me go all WHAT?! How can someone buy such a lie?!) and now she keeps receiving texts from a mysterious Chris that seems to like her a lot and because she is so clueless about love, she enlists the help of Jason to make her international affair happen.

Dude. From scene 1 you can tell Jason is into Julia, question is: WHY? She’s got on my wrong side because she didn’t even give a chance to anything remotely different to what she knows! Even when she’s in friggin’ London! The only thing about her that I liked was that she could laugh at herself, like that time she called herself a she-hulk (hahahaha).

And I think I would have liked the story more if I wasn’t so confused about some things that didn’t make sense and were also awfully convenient…
SPOILERS AHEAD

-Julia stated that the hotel was only for her class and was closed to the public (like, when does that even happen?) yet her crush and his dad managed to stay there because they knew the owner (right) I mean they’re rich but the chose to stay in a hotel that wasn’t even finished and was closed to the public and not one of London’s posh hotels.

-Jason had Julia’s phone all along and she didn’t know. She thought she had her phone but… wouldn’t she have noticed that the numbers she had previously saved to the phone (like her friend’s) weren’t there anymore? Wouldn’t she have thought that weird?
SPOILERS ARE OVER.

I read an ARC though, so these might have been changed.

Things I liked: Jason’s family story, descriptions of the city, a certain scene with a certain red-headed dude singing a certain favorite song of mine from a very famous band from Liverpool.


Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday: Impostor: A Variants Novel by Susanne Winnacker

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 
Impostor: A Variants Novel
by Susanne Winnacker
 

CAN TESSA POSE AS MADISON . . . AND STOP A KILLER BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE? Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she’s spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again. Tessa hates everything about being an impostor—the stress, the danger, the deceit—but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she’d do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

 
 
 
 
 
It's been quite a while since I last featured a YA Paranormal/thriller,
(or anything other than Contemporary, really)
but I swear I love all genres but sometimes I forget, but then other times I see a really awesome synopsis and it's like, why did I ever stop reading these?
 
And this book my friends, sounds really good.
My heart already warms for Tessa, it must be hard, the pressure to help the FBI with those cases, though I can't deny her power is extremely cool!

Friday, January 25, 2013

Review: Hooked by Liz Fichera

Title: Hooked
Author: Liz Fichera
Expected publication: January 31st 2013        
by Harlequin Teen
Contemporary YA
Goodreads || Amazon
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Hooked was a fun, quick read that stepped over the “traditional character” boundaries that YA books most of the time have. I haven’t read a book with a Native American character since Twilight, and let’s face it; Jacob wasn’t the main character there. This time around, a Native American does get to be the hero, ehh heroine.
We are introduced to Fred, a girl who is so good at golf, she gets picked without even trying out for her school’s team. And that, of course, pisses people off, like Ryan’s best friend and even Ryan himself. But this and that happen and they fall in love.
The first half of the book was the best one for me, Fred was concentrated in her golfing and fighting all the obstacles her all-male teammates constantly threw her way. I loved her then, she was afraid she was not going to be able to pull off what everyone was expecting her to, but she did her best and she was awesome at it. Ryan wasn’t so bad either, just trying to defend his friend and not being exactly mean.
But I don’t know what happen at the next half that things got a bit boring and predictable. But almost towards the end, there was this one scene in the dessert, involving Fred being chased and… yeah that scene, which I thought was kind of awesome. It was the thing that made me realize that this book was worth reading.
One thing was that I would have liked to seen the father-son relationship Ryan had with his dad being a little bit more explored. At first, Ryan was so angry at his dad and then at the end all is good and the way things were solved felt rushed and was unsatisfying for me.
So, honestly I can tell you that if you’re looking for a cute, clean read then Hooked is a good option. The dual-POV is also a plus for we get to see what goes on in each half of the relationship and I got to like and understand both of the main characters.


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday: Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 
 
DEAR LIFE, YOU SUCK
by Scott Blagden
 
 
“The shrinkadinks think I have a screw loose. Ain’t playing with a full deck. Whacked-out wiring. Missing marbles.”

Irreverent, foulmouthed seventeen-year-old Cricket is the oldest ward in a Catholic boys’ home in Maine—and his life sucks. With prospects for the future that range from professional fighter to professional drug dealer, he seems doomed to a life of “criminal rapscallinity.” In fact, things look so bleak that Cricket can’t help but wonder if his best option is one final cliff dive into the great unknown. But then Wynona Bidaban steps into his world, and Cricket slowly realizes that maybe, just maybe, life doesn’t totally suck.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There are just a few YA books with a male POV coming out each year,
so when you see one you take it by the horns and make it surrender itself to the register,
because you're gonna buy the guts out of that sucker.
And if said book is also a CONTEMPORARY and sounds AS GOOD AS WHITNEY HOUSTON, then you just hang out outside the bookstore like a hobo until they get their copies.
 
 
 

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Review: Blaze (Or Love in time of Supervillians) by Laurie B. Crompton

Title: Blaze
Author: Laurie Boyle Crompton
Expected publication: February 1st 2013 by Sourcebooks Fire
Contemporary YA
Goodreads // Amazon
________________________________



Blaze (or love in the time of supervillains) was what I thought it would be: Fun and fast. I liked the premise of good girl gets revenge in the form of an up and coming comic character. I also loved that Blaze was very girl next door but then when it was needed, she turned into a super hero.

Granted, I was kind of furious with her because her mistakes were so stupid and the whole sext-picture situation could have been skipped!. I was also really mad she took such a long time realizing Mark was a big jerk; but then again, at the end she learned a thing or two so maybe the journey was needed.

One thing I loved was how much I have in common with Blaze:

Exhibit a: we both have thirteen year old brothers.

Exhibit b: we are both in charge of driving said boys (see: exhibit a), and sometimes his friends, around town.

Exhibit c: I can’t believe I’m admitting this on the internet, we both drive a… minivan.
*gasp*
 
My favorite part about it all has to be Blaze’s brother’s gang: the band of thirteen year old boys who were sometimes disgusting, most of the time loyal and adorable. The last stunt they pulled was awesome, and my heart warmed with love for each of them.
 
I had an e-galley so I still don’t know how the final product looks. But let me tell you I was very impressed with the ones I saw, they look so cool!. Blaze’s description of her comic strip was also awesome; I could picture every single detail in my head.




Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday (!!!!!!!!!!) DIRTY LITTLE SECRET

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 

 

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
by Jennifer Freaking Echols y'all
 
 
 
From the author of the “real page-turner” (Seventeen) Such a Rush comes an unforgettable new drama that follows friends-turned-lovers as they navigate the passions, heartbreaks, and intrigue of country music fame.

Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.

Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…
 
I don't want to tell you what to to but DO IT.
PUSH THAT BUTTON YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.
 
 
 
 
 

I CAN'T EVEN. Y'ALL THE COVER IS OUT AND OMG
 
 
I'M SO HAPPY, I WISH IT WERE JULY 16TH ALREADY. I CAN'T. OMG.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Blaze (or Love in the Time of Supervillains) Blog Tour

 
 
 
Well hello there.
This time I come to you with a special guest post by Laurie Boyle, author of Blaze, in which she explains how she came up with Blaze and about her own love for comics:





Why My Character is “Comic Book Cool”


Blaze’s character showed up in my mind like Blam! Pow! “Tell my story!” She’s really into comics and is sort of stuck in her life as an outsider, but she isn't ashamed of being a geek. She displays her superhero buttons proudly and is constantly drawing and reading comics. I couldn't wait to write about her. Of course, working on a project where studying comic books counted as research was a bonus!

My step-father has this Ah-mazing! collection much like the one Blaze’s dad has in the book and I remember staying up late at night reading through stacks of them as a kid. I would try to tell my friends about these awesome characters like the Silver Surfer and Iron Man, and I’d even try to imitate Thor’s Norse God way of speaking. This was before the movies made these guys more mainstream and I was definitely on the fringe with my obsession, but when I’d find another comic book nerd we had an instant bond.

As I was writing, Blaze surprised me when she fought back against Mark the way she did and I knew at that point I could just allow her character to take over. Of course things don’t go as she plans, but no matter what tight spots she finds herself in, she uses comic books to guide and empower her. Readers who aren't into comic books will definitely still enjoy Blaze, but my hope is that she will inspire them to check out comics for themselves, too!

(And because Derry W., the publicity manager, is really awesome, he let me share with you these two interior art sketches courtesy of artist Anne Cain, aren't they awesome?!)

So don't forget to add Blaze to your to-read lists, and come back for my review on January 21st ;)




copyright: © 2012 Anne Cain http://annecain-art.com/

Friday, January 11, 2013

Review: Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens

Title: Thoughtless
Author: SC Stephens
Published June 11th 2011 by CreateSpace
Contemporary YA
Goodreads // Amazon
________________________________________



This book was intense and emotional and fast-paced and really hot. But what seriously killed it for me was the unfaithfulness. I’m old school people, I do not condone cheating, and Thoughtless was one big affair turned into a book.

However, I didn’t completely hate it. The realness of the characters and the incredibly good descriptions of people and places and songs and emotions save this one for me. Kellan and Denny, two of the three points in this love triangle, where pretty incredible.

Kellan was gorgeous and mysterious, a troubled soul that seem to draw every girl towards him (including Kiera). And Denny, perfect, handsome Denny from Australia, who gave up his dream job for love.

The truth is, I liked them both so much it bothered me a lot that one of them wasn’t going to get the girl, but then again I ended up hating Kiera so much that I would have liked to kick her out of the story, both boys would have been better off, but that would change the whole thing, right?

So I settle for not so secretly hate her and shout all kinds of unintelligible things at her. You know, I get where she’s coming from, she never felt this way, she didn’t wanted to hurt anyone. But she was going to, anyway; and I wished she had realized it sooner. It wasn’t fair for Kellan or Denny but she continued doing it and it was just so exasperating! And all the crying she did almost send me over the edge.

But I’m going to calm down and tell you that this book will get all kinds of emotions out of you. Trust me, you will feel all the feels. And if this sounds like your kind of read I encourage you to try it, because no matter what, it is a serious roller-coaster ride.
Funny story: I read this over christmas break at my grandparents house and my grandma secretly asked my mom if I was reading erotica.
 
 

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday: Waiting for You

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 
Waiting For You
by Shey Stahl
 

Bailey Gray is tired of her perfectly planned life. Everything about her life has been organized and lived out to the expectations set of her parents. She is the class valedictorian, has perfect grades, the perfect friends, a perfect boyfriend, basically perfect life...or so everyone thought. That's when she realizes the path planned isn't always the path chosen.
On graduation day she makes a decision. One that changes everything she thought she knew about her intended future.
On a whim, she runs away with the town rebel, Dylan Wade, in search of the unknown.
Dylan Wade isn't looking to run away from anything.
He knows what he wants as he's been waiting on it for years.
On a journey to find the unknown, they discover a friendship they once knew along the open highway and have not a care in the world. Between the yellow and white lines of the heated summer asphalt, a spark draws them together as Dylan's past and Bailey future try to ripe them apart.
Could it be that Dylan and his GTO are exactly what her perfectly planned life needs?
GOODREADS



What an appropiate title to be waiting on, don't you think?
And I absolutely love the cover,
and a road trip with the town's resident bad boy is always intriguing! 

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

YA Contemporary Challenge: 2013, baby.

 
So last year I took the challenge... and blew it.
But this is my year, I can feel it :D
I promise to be more active and keep updating this post, so here we go:
 
my goal for 2013 is to read:
 
15+ YA contemporaries
 
THAT'S LEVEL 3, BABY.
(ok I have to chill out with the baby)
 
 
wish me luck!
 

1. The S word by Chelsea Pitcher
2. Just One Day by Gayle Forman
3. The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston
4. Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter
5. Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland
6. How my Summer went up in flames by J S Doktorski
7. Golden by Jessi Kirby
8. Dare you to by Katie McGarry
9. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
10. Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols
11. When You Were Here by Diasy Whitney
12. Winger by Andrew Smith
13. The Moon & More by Sarah Dessen
14. How Zoe made her dreams (mostly) come true by Sarah Strohmeyer
15. The Distance Between Us by Katie West
16. Where Stars still Shine by Trish Doller
17. Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles




_______________________________________

New Adult Contemporaries:

- Wait for you by J Lynn
- Levitating Las Vegas by Jennifer Echols

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

New Year Resolutions

Hello, people.
Are you sharing your new year resolutions? if you are then don't hesitate and send me a link so I can stop by too :)
 
Here are mine:
 
1. Be Agressive. B-e Agressive.
This one I learned from Bring It On but it doesn't make it any less important, this past year I let many opportunities pass because I wasn't agressive enough. I'll try to stop be a wimp.
 
 
2. Be more organized.
I am organized but sometimes something slips off my mind and next thing I know I've erased all the reviews I worked on during my christmas break (true story).
 
 
3. Be a little less pretentious.
I am a well-known bragger and a big show-off and I bet everyone at the hospital wanted to murder me this past semester so I'll try to keep my mouth shut this year.
 
 
4. Write shorter/better reviews.
I knowwww. This might not be possible, but I'll try my best.
 
 
5. Get out of my confort zone more often.
This includes my reading habits. Apparently all I read is contemporary haha.
 
 
6. Loose weight.
Classic. I don't know any 20-year-old who is at least ok with her weight.
 

Waiting on Wednesday: Unravel

Happy new year y'all!
It's 2013 already and y'all know what it means, it means all the 2013-releases we've been waiting for are finally coming our way. And if that doesn't make you happy I dont know what will :B

 
 
WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)
 
 
UNRAVEL
by Calia Read
 
If you were given the chance to rewrite a wrong, would you?  
For Naomi Carradine, going home for Christmas break was supposed to be a relaxing time. Once she's back home though, she realizes that her once content family is now a wreck.
 But none of that compares to the confusion that is thrust her way when she finds an old picture. Soon she is twisted through time, and her picture to the past is now a reality. She realizes that she was sent back because of one person. Alexander Ackermann.
 
The hatred Naomi's grandfather has set on Alexander's family boarders on insanity. But how far does hate go before it’s impossible to live with the consequences? Can Naomi stop it without altering her entire existence? What happens shows her there’s so much more behind a picture.
 
 
 
 
I can think of a few wrongs I would like to rewrite.
And doesn't this one sound sooo romantic? :D