ARC

August 9, 2017 by gabimoh

Blog Tour for When I Am Through With You by Stephanie Kuehn

When I Am Through with You by Stephanie Kuehn
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers on August 1st 2017
Genres: Horror, Mystery, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

“This isn’t meant to be a confession. Not in any spiritual sense of the word. Yes, I’m in jail at the moment. I imagine I’ll be here for a long time, considering. But I’m not writing this down for absolution and I’m not seeking forgiveness, not even from myself. Because I’m not sorry for what I did to Rose. I’m just not. Not for any of it.”

Ben Gibson is many things, but he’s not sorry and he’s not a liar. He will tell you exactly how what started as a simple school camping trip in the mountains ended the way it did. About who lived and who died. About who killed and who had the best of intentions. And he’ll tell you about Rose. But he’s going to tell you in his own time. Because after what happened on that mountain, time is the one thing he has plenty of.

My Thoughts

This book contained one of the strangest most mysterious plot lines I’ve have ever read from. It is told from the point of view of a convict, something that I haven’t read from in a while. Most of the POV convict books that I read, take place after they are in jail and how they break out but in this story that convict who is Ben is telling the story of how he got into prison. It starts out in the beginning of high school and how he meets his now girlfriend Rose. The characters irked me. I didn’t know how to feel about them nor do i know how to feel about them now. They are unique in the most strangest ways. Ben was a protagonist that I didn’t hate and I didn’t misunderstand but in no way shape or form is he going to be in my most favorite characters list.

I felt bad for him most of the time. He has gone through some deep crap for the majority of his life and all he really wants to do is get out when unfortunately he can’t. Rose reminded of a character in The Beginning of Everything where if you have read my review of, you would know that I hated this character. Yet Rose, just like Ben really didn’t give me a reason to hate her so much. I felt bad for her. I think I felt bad for most of the characters in this book, mostly because I am the same age as them throughout the book and they have all gone through some crap.

The whole murder mystery of it was pretty brilliant. I loved it when the actually horror began. It came late in the book but when it did come, boy oh boy did I love it.

All in all, I recommend this book to the newbies in the horror genre. it was a great first start to a brilliant genre, and I actually did like it. The characters and the plot all added up to the horror aspect of the entire book.

About the Author

I grew up in Berkeley, California, which is a quirky sort of a place with many wonderful bookstores. When I was fifteen, my very first job was working in one of those bookstores. It’s where I would go after school, and I’d read everything that I could. Back then, some of the books that had the greatest impact on my life were young adult novels, and now, as an adult, I’ve found my own passion in writing for teens. Other passions of mine include mental health advocacy, social justice, and sports of all kinds. When I’m not writing or reading (or studying for graduate school), I’m usually outside running or playing with my family. I currently live in Northern California with my husband, three kids, and our menagerie of pets. Life is loud, joyous, and filled with animal hair. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, my last name is pronounced keen. I know! I don’t get it either.

Links:

Website- http://stephaniekuehn.com

Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5762535.Stephanie_Kuehn

Twitter- https://twitter.com/stephkuehn

Pinterest- https://www.pinterest.com/stephkuehn/

Tumblr- http://stephaniekuehn.tumblr.comABOUT

February 27, 2017 by gabimoh

Review Mashup | Contemporary ARCs

Hello booknerdigans!

Today I got THREE review from THREE contemporary books that are coming out in May/June

The reason I’m doing a Mashup Review is because I read all three of these books in the time of three days so…YEAH! Let’s get on with the reviews

Review Mashup | Contemporary ARCs Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith
Published by Delacorte Press on May 2nd 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Alice doesn’t believe in luck—at least, not the good kind. But she does believe in love, and for some time now, she’s been pining for her best friend, Teddy. On his eighteenth birthday—just when it seems they might be on the brink of something—she buys him a lottery ticket on a lark. To their astonishment, he wins $140 million, and in an instant, everything changes.
At first, it seems like a dream come true, especially since the two of them are no strangers to misfortune. As a kid, Alice won the worst kind of lottery possible when her parents died just over a year apart from each other. And Teddy’s father abandoned his family not long after that, leaving them to grapple with his gambling debts. Through it all, Teddy and Alice have leaned on each other. But now, as they negotiate the ripple effects of Teddy’s newfound wealth, a gulf opens between them. And soon, the money starts to feel like more of a curse than a windfall.
As they try to find their way back to each other, Alice learns more about herself than she ever could have imagined . . . and about the unexpected ways in which luck and love sometimes intersect.

I love Jennifer’s novels. Every single book I’ve read from her I ended up liking, and the same thing goes for this one. I did have a few problems with it and it mostly had to do with once certain character BUT the problem I had for this characters are what eventually got developed throughout the entire books and YES I SEE WHAT JENNIFER WHAT WAS DOING but I don’t know the character’s words and feelings are what really made me rate this book 3 and a half hearts.

Yet there are other characters that I absolutely freaking loved like Alice and her cousin. They were what made me love the book, and I am very glad for it. Alice’s story was so unique and intriguing and I really love how genuinely nice she is.

Would I recommend this book?

If you have patience then yes I do! But for someone like me who doesn’t have the patience then *shrugs*

Review Mashup | Contemporary ARCs Antisocial by Jillian Blake
Published by Delacorte Press on May 16th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult, Drama
Pages: 256
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Alexandria Prep is hacked in this exhilarating whodunit set in the age of social media and the cloud—Pretty Little Liars meets WikiLeaks.
Senior spring at Alexandria Prep was supposed to be for sleeping through class and partying with friends. But for Anna Soler, it’s going to be a lonely road. She’s just been dumped by her gorgeous basketball star boyfriend—with no explanation. Anna’s closest friends, the real ones she abandoned while dating him, are ignoring her. The endearing boy she’s always had a complicated friendship with is almost too sympathetic.
But suddenly Anna isn’t the only one whose life has been upended. Someone is determined to knock the kings and queens of the school off their thrones: one by one, their phones get hacked and their personal messages and photos are leaked. At first it’s funny—people love watching the dirty private lives of those they envy become all too public.
Then the hacks escalate. Dark secrets are exposed, and lives are shattered. Chaos erupts at school. As Anna tries to save those she cares about most and to protect her own secrets, she begins to understand the reality of our always-connected lives:
Sometimes we share too much.

I really liked this book!! Like really did! I’m not the drama type of reader, I’m not about that life BUT with this book I freaking loved it. The characters and the backstories and the plot itself was just so UNIQUE and really eye-catching. You really did not want to close the book and stop reading.

It is one of the most unrealistic realistic high school book I have ever read. The plot itself with the hacking and the spilling of people secret’s is unrealistic but very nicely done.

The realistic part was the actual drama with boyfriend and friendship and losing friendship. It really reminded me of my high school and some of the relationships I had with people.

THE CHARACTERS! Even the supposed “bad” characters I liked! The character were really what made this book the way it is SO GOOD JOB JILLIAN!

Review Mashup | Contemporary ARCs Aftercare Instructions by Bonnie Pipkin
Published by Flatiron on June 27th, 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Drama, Young Adult
Pages: 265
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

In the tradition of Jandy Nelson and Rainbow Rowell, a big-hearted journey of furious friendship, crazy love, and unexpected hope after a teen's decision to end an unwanted pregnancy

“Troubled.” That’s seventeen-year-old Genesis according to her small New Jersey town. She finds refuge and stability in her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter—until he abandons her at a Planned Parenthood clinic during their appointment to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. The betrayal causes Gen to question everything.

As Gen pushes herself forward to find her new identity without Peter, she must also confront her most painful memories. Through the lens of an ongoing four act play within the novel, the fantasy of their undying love unravels line by line, scene by scene. Digging deeper into her past while exploring the underground theater world of New York City, she rediscovers a long-forgotten dream. But it’s when Gen lets go of her history, the one she thinks she knows, that she’s finally able to embrace the complicated, chaotic true story of her life, and take center stage.

This powerfully immersive and format-crushing debut follows Gen from dorm rooms to diners to house parties to auditions—and ultimately, right into readers’ hearts.

One word.

Brave.

This book was brave.

It went through so much stuff that really is brave to put out in the world

The only real complain I have about this book is how short it was. I wish the ending was wrapped a little more slowly and I got to see more from some certain characters. And even though I am making a “review” of this book I really really recommend you go through this book without knowing anything. That is what I did and I loved reading it that way.

February 14, 2017 by gabimoh

Hunted by Meagen Spooner

Hunted by Meagan Spooner
Published by HarperTeen on March 14th 2017
Genres: Retellings, Young Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them.
So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance.
Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

My Thoughts

Throughout the entire book I was listening to the Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 OG Cast Recording COMPLETELY ACCIDENTAL and now I’m pretty proud of myself cause that takes place in Russia and this takes place in Russia and *hand movement* yeah.

The thing about Hunted is that it ends at a point where you think “yeah this is a standalone” it has that type of finish. But you don’t want it to end. And not because you loved it (even though I did) Its because it was too short, too fast. Literally the reason I didn’t give this book five hearts was because EVEN THOUGH IT ENDED ON A REALLY GOOD NOTE I still wanted more because it was too fast. Beauty was a really fascinating character. She loves to hunt. Yet she loves her family more. Especially her father. I didn’t hate her father but it did make me sad how he was. He is the type who didn’t want to spend time with his daughter after they moved. I think that his one and only failure was ultimately the death of him, which made me extremely sad. All Beauty wanted to do was hunt with her father. Provide for her family with her father. But he never let her, just pushed her away. *sigh*

Then we meet the “Beast” of the story. Beast is literally a cutie. A serious cutie. The most beastly cutie there is. I loved how he TRIED to hide his look to Beauty but nuh-uh and instead he teachers her how to hunt. I really wish there were more hunting lessons. I know that there lessons went on for almost half a year but we only got three or four scenes of them hunting together, and I just wish I got a little more of that.

I really liked the side characters in this book. The sisters were what I wish I had. Very supportive for Beauty but still would protect her no matter what. I hope one day we get a novella or something about the sisters and what they did when Beauty was away. I mean it says exactly what happens 😉 but I hope for the full story.

I loved the story that Beauty told Beast about the prince. It fit in perfectly with the whole story and I loved that story. One day I’m going to tell my kids that 😛

So as you can tell I really did like Hunted and I do recommend it to those fantasy lovers and those fairy tale retelling lovers ESPECIALLY if you are a first time readers in those genres.

February 6, 2017 by gabimoh

To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough

To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough
Published by Tor Teen on February 7th 2017
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Erin Blake has one of those names. A name that, like Natalee Holloway or Elizabeth Smart, is inextricably linked to a grisly crime. As a toddler, Erin survived for three days alongside the corpse of her murdered mother, and the case—which remains unsolved—fascinated a nation. Her father's identity unknown, Erin was taken in by her mother's best friend and has become a relatively normal teen in spite of the looming questions about her past.
Fourteen years later, Erin is once again at the center of a brutal homicide when she finds the body of her biology teacher. When questioned by the police, Erin tells almost the whole truth, but never voices her suspicions that her mother's killer has struck again in order to protect the casework she's secretly doing on her own.
Inspired by her uncle, an FBI agent, Erin has ramped up her forensic hobby into a full-blown cold-case investigation. This new murder makes her certain she's close to the truth, but when all the evidence starts to point the authorities straight to Erin, she turns to her longtime crush (and fellow suspect) Journey Michaels to help her crack the case before it's too late.

My Thoughts

I haven’t read that many mystery books. I do like them when I read them and I did enjoy To Catch a Killer. I liked it but the reason I gave it three and a half hearts is because it seemed too predictable at least for me it did. Not to mention I only liked two characters. I feel the reason I did enjoy this book is the premise. The concept of this story seemed incredibly and I was excited to read it. Yet as I read it more and more I realized that I knew what was going to happen next. Nothing really surprised me when I am supposed to be surprised.

Erin was one of the few characters that I did like. In total I liked a total of three characters, Erin being one of them. She is very unique in a sense. Her obsession with her mother’s murder and her science teacher’s murder just made me look at the book at a psychological stand point which I enjoyed doing. her attic and her little forensic science were really parts of the reason on why I enjoyed this book. And I loved it when her uncle (second character I liked) came into town because her curiosity just perked up when he arrived.

I have mixed feeling about Journey (third character I count as I sorta liked). As a person I liked him. I don’t think he did anything when it came to solving the mystery. He was more of a “finish the sentence” sort of person. Oh! And not to mention I really really thought the romance was a little too fast! I understand Erin’s side of the romance. Erin has liked Journey for a very long time before anything even remotely happened between the two of them but Journey…He only noticed Erin for real when they came partners which was around the time he started getting feelings towards her. TOO FAST.

The other characters I wasn’t a big fan of. The aunt was tolerable but I did not enjoy her. The two friends? Okay. You’re Erin’s best friends, correct? Well as her best friend you should trust her 100% of the time even if she is saying some crazy stuff. At least that’s what I do. And why in the living fruitcake (i don’t know, I just really want cake) would she tell you guys anything when you deny everything she says! And then you get mad for her not telling you stuff?!

*sigh* Okay. Okay. I’m calm. The rest of the “important” characters I just didn’t care. I didn’t get enough background or details about them to actually care about them.

That is that, I would recommend this book to people who like any type of mystery and wouldn’t really mind not being surprised when it came to mystery (so..none of you) I have to admit that I enjoyed reading this book but there was just too many problems for me to say “I recommend this book.”

December 18, 2016 by gabimoh

The Sun is Also A Star

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Published by Delacorte Press on November 1st 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 348
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted
Goodreads

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.
Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.
The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

Holy

Skittles.

Damn.

NICOLA YOON!

HOW?!

She keeps doing this to me! First it was Everything, Everything and now this wonderful amazing spectacular so fudging unique book! Wowwwwwww. Boy oh boy was this book good guys. One of the best contemporary book I have ever read.

I am going to start with my favorite part of the book which is the writing. I don’t know how Nicola came up with this. The book is told between two people. Natasha and Daniel. BUT it also includes the POV of some very minor characters that don’t seem that important to this book but they end up building the plot as well. Such as the train conductor. There is a chapter dedicated to the train conductor and I found this absolutely amazing because you never get to see what these minor characters are thinking and now…it blows my freaking mind.

The writing isn’t only that though. There are also chapters dedicated to cultures or traditions that are main characters go through. And this couple is probably the most unique couple I have ever had the honor to read about. A girl from Jamaica who isn’t philosophical whatsoever and sees the world in a scientific matter. And an Asian boy who loves poetry and loves love. They are complete opposites.

But opposites attract.

This whole book takes place in one day. And usually I hate books like that. I really do. I don’t know what happened with this one though, because I loved how they put the entire story into one day. it is a story about falling in one day even if you don’t believe in it. There are plenty of hardships that go through this book and honestly it wouldn’t be complete without it.

I love the karaoke scene, and please if you read TELL ME WHAT YOUR FAVORITE PART WAS! And I really don’t know what else to type. I went into this book only knowing the names of the characters and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. So please. If you haven’t read this beauty yet DO IT! It will not disappoint. I promise you.

As you can tell I loved this book. There really isn’t much else to say. I am gonna go on a limb and say this book was probably my favorite book of 2016. Let’s see what else Nicola Yoon has in store for us. All I know is that it is going to be fan-freaking-tastic.

December 10, 2016 by gabimoh

By Your Side by Kasie West

By Your Side by Kasie West
Published by HarperTeen on January 31st 2017
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Goodreads

In this irresistible story, Kasie West explores the timeless question of what to do when you fall for the person you least expect. Witty and romantic, this paperback original from a fan favorite is perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Morgan Matson.
When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her.
Only he doesn’t come. No one does.
Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side?

Ok.

Kasie West

+ Boy

+ Girl

+ LOCKED IN A LIBRARY

BEST BOOK EVER?!

Oh dear lordy people this book was goooooood. I am most likely going to post another review of this book when it comes out so it could be spoiler-full. I thought this book was only going to be romantic cheesy and just plain lovey dovey. But hell nah. This book does go into some stuff that I wasn’t expecting and I am so freaking glad it was like that.

Let’s commence with Autumn. She gets locked up in a library. Already love her. I am a sucker for a clumsy character because of how clumsy I am. She is very unique to me at least, and I wish I could see more of her. She has a teeny not so tiny love problem going on in the book. Two guys. I wanted to hate one of them but I could bring myself to it URGHHHH.

Dax is love. Dax is life.

Again very unique character, he comes from foster homes something that isn’t common where Autumn is from and he you know picks on her because of that. And the book really gets into some stuff. Stuff that I didn’t even know but now I am glad that I do. Autumn also has some problems with anxiety and the books really shows the true being of a person with anxiety and really love how Kasie put that in, because I also deal with that and again with whole relatable thing.

The story itself doesn’t entirely focus on the premise of them being locked in a library. That is something I think readers get confused on. The whole locked up in a library think is about a third of the book, the rest is what happens after the library. What happens with Autumn and her friends (which I really would’ve liked to seen more background to) and that other guy. But secretly between you and me, the library is my favorite part 🙂

Guys I really recommend this book. I love all of Kasie’s books and I feel like this is one of the best. When the release date gets closer I am for sure going to be posting a more detailed review of the book so look out for that 🙂

October 11, 2016 by gabimoh

This Above All by Lindsey Roth Culli

This Above All by Lindsey Roth Culli
Published by Curiosity Quills Press on August 29th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 226
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted
Goodreads

When sixteen-year old Piper is cast as Romeo in her school’s production, she’s as surprised as everyone else. Not only because she’s a girl, but also because she’s from one of the region’s most notorious ultraconservative families.
But when the school principal demands that the part be recast “appropriately” or the show cannot go on, Piper faces a choice: become the figurehead to appeal the principal’s decision or accept the message the administration’s ultimatum sends to the school’s gay students, including her new friends. Namely, that they should be ashamed of who they are or whom they happen to love.
Pitched as Dirty Dancing meets Saved!, when the daughter of one of the region's most notorious ultraconservative families is cast as Romeo in her school production, drama is sure to follow.

My Thoughts

This Above All was a really great book. It was a unique contemporary read. You all know that my favorite genre isn’t contemporary, but this book is really making me want to read more contemporaries. I related to the characters, and the plot was unique, frustrating, funny. So many adjectives to describe this book. I love Broadway, you guys already know. Heck. I named my blog Reading In the Rain. And then when I saw my second favorite musical was one of the main character’s favorite musical (*cough* Evita *cough*) just made me love her even more.

Her shyness was something that really affected her and I could see her change throughout the book little by little. There really isn’t any character that I do not like from this book…other than her family. Boy do I not like them. i understand that this is her family and she needs to stand by their religion…but family does come first. Shouldn’t you expect to respect your own children even if they disagree with what you believe in.

The whole controversial topic in the book was that why should Piper a girl be playing the main MALE lead in Romeo and Juliet. Here is the answer! She was the best for it!! Little fun fact about Gabi. In the 8th grade, I was in a modern version of Romeo and Juliet. And I played Romeo. So again I relate to the main character….but we didn’t have any boys in the drama class so that adds on to that…

The romance wasn’t the main part of the book, but I really did like it. I believe that the friendship aspect was the bigger part in this book. Well bigger than Romance. Tony was a brilliant character in this book, probably even my favorite.

I don’t really like reading about controversial books that much because I feel like reading is an escape from the world I am living in right now, so I don’t read these types of books often. Yet I do love every single one that I read. This being one of them. I truly recommend this book to y’all. Especially beginners in the contemporary region…and Broadway lovers 😉

May 24, 2016 by Deanna Schwartz

ARC Review: The Leaving

The Leaving by Tara Altebrando
Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on June 7th 2016
Genres: Thriller
Pages: 432
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted
Goodreads

Six were taken. Eleven years later, five come back--with no idea of where they've been.
Eleven years ago, six kindergarteners went missing without a trace. After all that time, the people left behind moved on, or tried to.
Until today. Today five of those kids return. They're sixteen, and they are . . . fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mom she barely recognizes, and doesn't really recognize the person she's supposed to be, either. But she thinks she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, except they're entirely unable to recall where they've been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max. He doesn't come back. Everyone wants answers. Most of all Max's sister Avery, who needs to find her brother--dead or alive--and isn't buying this whole memory-loss story.

Hi guys! I am so, so, so sorry that I haven’t been very active. I’ve been so uninspired lately, but I am going to try to get more reviews up! I’m trying a more casual review format to see if I like it better, so bear with me!

This book kept me up waaaaaaaay past my bedtime! (Seriously, I stayed up until 3 AM to finish it!) I was constantly guessing and I just HAD TO KNOW what happened! I loved the mystery of it all, but at the same time, it was a bit too much. I found myself wishing that the author had made the choice to show us their lives before, wipe their memories, then have us reading along as they figure out the past; a healthy bit of dramatic irony. I really don’t know what I would’ve wanted. I LOVED not knowing, but I also wanted to know! I think the ideal solution would be to keep us guessing, but reveal the plot twists faster.

This book definitely creeped me out! It was the perfect amount of creeptastic goodness. Not only was I scared for the characters during this book, I was scared for all of humankind! The author did a fabulous job of revealing the plot twists in a way that was super creepy.

I hated Avery. She was annoying–almost unbearable. But, her POV felt necessary to the story. Not because of the romance (which I’ll get into later), but because of Max. Max was the tagline of this book. “Six were taken. Five came back.” The other characters didn’t really think about Max at all, yet he was still an important part of the story. Avery’s hunt for Max added another layer to the mystery. As much as I couldn’t stand Avery and all of her teenagery whining, she was an important character. She gave perspective to the situation that we didn’t see through Lucas or Scarlett.

Speaking of Lucas and Scarlett, the romance in this book was very odd. We start off with Avery having a child-like crush on Lucas, Lucas feeling an intruguing connection with Scarlett, and Scarlett not really caring at all. Later on in the book, we find out that View Spoiler » Avery continues to pine for Lucas. View Spoiler » The romance was confusing. I didn’t ship any of the couples and I could’ve done without any romance at all.

The ending was very inconclusive! After all that questioning and build-up, it was very anticlimactic when the the answer was finally found. We didn’t get enough information. I was desperate for information about what happened during the events of the book and we barely got any. View Spoiler »

Judging by all that, it may seem as if I didn’t like The Leaving. That is false! I looooved this book! I simply can’t read a book without critiquing something!

I had a lot of trouble rating this book. In the end, I gave it 4 stars! The romance and ending were downers, but the suspense and story line were done so well that the rating had to be good!

The Leaving was, overall, an excellent book and I highly recommend it!

May 4, 2016 by Deanna Schwartz

DNF Review: How It Ends

How It Ends by Catherine Lo
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on June 7th 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted
Goodreads

There are two sides to every story.
It’s friends-at-first-sight for Jessie and Annie, proving the old adage that opposites attract. Shy, anxious Jessie would give anything to have Annie’s beauty and confidence. And Annie thinks Jessie has the perfect life, with her close-knit family and killer grades. They're BFFs…until suddenly they're not.
Told through alternating points of view, How It Ends is a wildly fast but deeply moving read about a friendship in crisis. Set against a tumultuous sophomore year of bullying, boys and backstabbing, the novel shows what can happen when friends choose assumptions and fear over each other.

Hey guys! I’m so sorry for not posting in a while. I’ve been really busy with life and, to be honest, I haven’t wanted to write anything. I’m gonna get back into the swing of things this spring until I go on hiatus in July! Anyways, I’m gonna do a DNF review for How It Ends by Catherine Lo. If you’ve never seen a DNF review before, I talk about why I DNFd the book as opposed to likes and dislikes. On with the review!

WHY I DNF’D

This book started out really great! I enjoyed the relationship and related to both Jessie and Annie. Unfortunately, as their relationship deteriorated, mine with the book did as well.

The characters started to drive me CRAZY. I thought I was gonna relate to and like Jessie because of her anxiety, similar to mine, but it was the opposite. The way the author portrayed her anxiety…it felt like a caricature. I’m not offended by the way she wrote the character’s anxiety, just annoyed. It felt very inaccurate to me and made the book pretty much impossible to read. Anxiety aside, she was just plain annoying. She was extremely whiny and was essentially a privileged brat. She didn’t seem to actually care about Annie and refused to let her be her own person.

That said, Annie wasn’t an angel either. Again, I liked her in the beginning. I thought she was quirky and “cool.” Well, she turned out to be a huge bitch. She knew all of Jessie’s problems and STILL ditched her to hang out with the popular girls. She made my blood boil. I think we as readers can all relate to the dorky, bookish girl and seeing her hurt like that because of her interests and nature made me furious. Annie did so much horrible shit to Jessie all while complaining about Jessie. Something doesn’t add up here!

I DNFd How It Ends because of the characters. They were both horrible and impossible to read. Catherine Lo’s portrayal of Jessie’s anxiety was angering and inaccurate.

This book had so much potential! I love strong friendships and non-romantic stories, but this book just did not deliver. 🙁

That’s it! It’s good to be back. Thanks for reading!

April 29, 2016 by gabimoh

Love, Lies, and Spies by Cindy Anstey Blog Tour

Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey
Published by Swoon Reads on April 19th 2016
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Goodreads

Juliana Telford is not your average nineteenth-century young lady. She’s much more interested in researching ladybugs than marriage, fashionable dresses, or dances. So when her father sends her to London for a season, she’s determined not to form any attachments. Instead, she plans to secretly publish their research.
Spencer Northam is not the average young gentleman of leisure he appears. He is actually a spy for the War Office, and is more focused on acing his first mission than meeting eligible ladies. Fortunately, Juliana feels the same, and they agree to pretend to fall for each other. Spencer can finally focus, until he is tasked with observing Juliana’s traveling companions . . . and Juliana herself.

So I love spy books. Heck I love spy everything. Movies, tv, books, musicals, EVERYTHING! And when you mix historical fiction with spies you can get a amazing book. I really enjoyed reading this one. There were a few tid bits that I did get confused on but all in all I think I would recommend this book to many many of my friends.

Let’s start of with Juliana. I loved her. She was so honest and just didn’t care what he aunt thought of her and I could TOTALLY imagine Deanna as her! Feminism to the max! Plus that thing about her obsession with bugs! Little weird but its like my obsession with books. I can relate to her! And that’s one of the first things that I look for in the a good female protagonist.

I would love to see her as a spy like Spencer. Would make the perfect awesome badass power duo. Speaking of Spencer…definitely isn’t on the never ending list of fictional boyfriends. I don’t know something about him just sets me off, maybe its the fact THAT THERE IS LITERALLY NOTHING INTERESTING ABOUT HIM! Ignore the whole spy thing…ANYWAYS! Yeah I mean, yes him and Juliana are amazing together I just can’t deal. Oh whatever, leave me alone!

BOBBINGTON IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFEEEE! Chandler just took his place for me. I freaking love him. HE is on my fictional boyfriend list. Can we pweaseee with a cherry on top have a novella about this awesome amazing character??? But you know who isn’t a awesome amazing character?! YOU GUESSED IT! THE FREAKING PYEPALDS! Those..those..germs. Geez I hate them. I cringed every time either one of them spoke.

ALL IN ALL! I very much enjoyed reading this book. Very unique and definitely would recommend to a fellow spy book lover.

April 23, 2016 by gabimoh

Bright Blaze of Magic Blog Tour

Bright Blaze of Magic (Black Blade, #3) by Jennifer Estep
Published by Kensington on April 26th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Goodreads

"The characters are as fantastic as Estep fans have come to expect." – RT Book Reviews
Bad Things Always Come In Threes…
As a thief, I'm good at three things: hiding in the shadows, getting in and out unseen, and uncovering secrets. I put these skills to work for the Sinclair Family, one of the magical mobs that run the tourist town of Cloudburst Falls.
Everyone knows Victor Draconi wants to take over all the other Families--and kill every last Sinclair. What they don't know is that I'm on to him, and no way will I let the man who murdered my mom get away with hurting all the other people I care about. Especially when I've got places to break into, stuff to steal, and Devon Sinclair fighting right by my side…
"An adventurous ride you will never want to get off." --#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout on Cold Burn of Magic

Guys…guys…GUYSSSS! THIS BOOK! THIS IS EPIC! JUST SO *KARATE MOVES* KICKASS! Best way to finish of this fantabulous series! I loved everything about this book going from all the fight scenes, to the magic scenes, to the freaking characters, and just LOVEEEE! Lila is again very very awesome at what she does and honestly very much goals. I love her with all my heart, There a million female protagonists that i just cannot stand but Lila…I’ll stand for hours for her. Devon is just *heart eyes* Still isn’t on my fictional boyfriend list but he’s getting there

Probably my favorite part of this entire series is the world building. So much world building! You hardly know anything in the beginning of the first book and by the end of the series you can probably teach a class about the history of the families and just everything about this magical world. Would I want to be a part of it? Absolutely not. But hey its a great world to read about, and I hope I get to see novellas about this world even more.

Felix is my favorite character. Was and will always be my favorite character. Now I am not a very big fan of the whole forbidden love thing but him and Leah make it work! I don’t know how but they do! I love them together but leah you better watch out because Felix definitely is on my fictional boyfriend list!

Honestly the fight scenes to have come straight out of a movie. Every little thing just became so…real. I don’t know all you guys need to know is that I absolutely loved this book and I really did love this series. I recommend this series SOOOO FREAKING MUCH to you guys! I really do hope that this is “the book” for you.

March 30, 2016 by Deanna Schwartz

ARC Review: Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

Walk the Edge (Thunder Road, #2) by Katie McGarry
Published by Harlequin Teen on March 29th 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted
Goodreads

One moment of recklessness will change their worlds
Smart. Responsible. That's seventeen-year-old Breanna's role in her large family, and heaven forbid she put a toe out of line. Until one night of shockingly un-Breanna-like behavior puts her into a vicious cyber-bully's line of fire—and brings fellow senior Thomas "Razor" Turner into her life.
Razor lives for the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, and good girls like Breanna just don't belong. But when he learns she's being blackmailed over a compromising picture of the two of them—a picture that turns one unexpected and beautiful moment into ugliness—he knows it's time to step outside the rules.
And so they make a pact: he'll help her track down her blackmailer, and in return she'll help him seek answers to the mystery that's haunted him—one that not even his club brothers have been willing to discuss. But the more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow. And suddenly they're both walking the edge of discovering who they really are, what they want, and where they're going from here.

Hi guys! When my good friend Alex from Fiery Reads offered to lend me her ARC of Walk the Edge, I was ecstatic! I really enjoyed Nowhere But Here and was excited to read more of that world. Katie McGarry writes awesome, sexy romances and Walk the Edge did not disappoint! I will be comparing this a lot to Nowhere But Here so if you’re interested in that, read om!

WHAT I LIKED

The romance. This was a romance novel. Sure, there were other plots, but the romance was the biggest one. Annnnd OH MY GOSH, the romance was amazing! I enjoyed the romance in Nowhere But Here, but Katie McGarry absolutely blew me away with Razor and Breanna. There was no hate to love here. It was more like fear to love for Breanna and clueless to love for Razor. Their relationship was fully developed and felt strong. It was perfectly cultivated for the time frame given. And oh man, does Katie McGarry know how to pack on the swoons! I cried, I laughed, and most of all…I shipped Razor and Breanna. Katie’s romances have a sexy grit to them that is truly inimitable! Walk the Edge was less sexy than Nowhere But Here, but it still served its purpose!

The main characters. I’m going to talk about Breanna first. She was lovely! I related to her a lot. We don’t have the same family background, but we share a lot of the same anxieties and struggles. At some points, we were so similar the Br might as well have been a D! In Nowhere But Here, Emily annoyed me for most of the book. I never had that problem with Breanna! She was realistic and flawed in the best way possible. Another thing I loved about her was her goals. She had set goals and didn’t let her relationships stop her from aiming for them. The other main character, Razor, was just as enjoyable. He wasn’t as disgustingly sex-focused as Oz was in Nowhere But Here, and I appreciated that. His feelings for Breanna transformed. I love seeing emotional, caring guys and Razor made my heart soar <3

The setting and premise. I cannot get enough of stories about this darned motorcycle club! I became invested in it after reading Nowhere But Here, and I am enamored with it after reading Walk the Edge! I cannot wait for the third book after reading this one. I already have some ideas for what kind of story I want…?

The pacing was perfect. Katie McGarry’s books usually start off slow– Walk the Edge was the opposite of slow! The main characters met right away and the relationship developed quickly without being instalove. There was definitely instalust, but come on, they’re teenagers. The plot was well thought out, perfectly executed, and fantastically wrapped up.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

I wish we had gotten a little more background information on Breanna’s family. We already knew all about Razor’s family and past, but Breanna was a mystery. It would’ve been nice to get more background on her father or older siblings.

Have you read Walk the Edge? How about Nowhere But Here? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

March 21, 2016 by Deanna Schwartz

Mini-Reviews: The Inside of Out, A Study in Charlotte, For the Record, The Steep and Thorny Way

Hey guys! I’m coming at you with some mini-reviews of books that I’ve read recently! I’m using the “Review at a Glance” system 🙂

Mini-Reviews: The Inside of Out, A Study in Charlotte, For the Record, The Steep and Thorny Way The Inside of Out by Jenn Marie Thorne
Published by Dial Books on May 31st 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted
Goodreads

Meg Cabot meets Glee in this breezy, hilarious, deceptively smart YA about privilege, pretense, and realizing that every story needs a hero. Sometimes it's just not you.
When her best friend Hannah comes out the day before junior year, Daisy is so ready to let her ally flag fly that even a second, way more blindsiding confession can't derail her smiling determination to fight for gay rights.
Before you can spell LGBTQIA, Daisy's leading the charge to end their school’s antiquated ban on same-sex dates at dances—starting with homecoming. And if people assume Daisy herself is gay? Meh, so what. It's all for the cause.
What Daisy doesn't expect is for "the cause” to blow up—starting with Adam, the cute college journalist whose interview with Daisy for his university paper goes viral, catching fire in the national media. #Holy #cats.
With the story spinning out of control, protesters gathering, Hannah left in the dust of Daisy’s good intentions, and Daisy's mad attraction to Adam feeling like an inconvenient truth, Daisy finds herself caught between her bold plans, her bad decisions, and her big fat mouth.

Mini-Reviews: The Inside of Out, A Study in Charlotte, For the Record, The Steep and Thorny Way A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes, #1) by Brittany Cavallaro
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on March 1st 2016
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.
From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.
A Study in Charlotte is the first in a trilogy.

Mini-Reviews: The Inside of Out, A Study in Charlotte, For the Record, The Steep and Thorny Way For the Record by Charlotte Huang
Published by Delacorte Press on November 10th 2015
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 307
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

If Almost Famous were a YA novel . . . a raw, honest debut celebrating music, friendship, romance, and life on the road.
Chelsea thought she knew what being a rock star was like . . . until she became one. After losing a TV talent show, she slid back into small-town anonymity. But one phone call changed everything Now she’s the lead singer of the band Melbourne, performing in sold-out clubs every night and living on a bus with three gorgeous and talented guys. The bummer is that the band barely tolerates her. And when teen hearthrob Lucas Rivers take an interest in her, Chelsea is suddenly famous, bringing Melbourne to the next level—not that they’re happy about that. Her feelings for Beckett, Melbourne’s bassist, are making life even more complicated. Chelsea only has the summer tour to make the band—and their fans—love her. If she doesn’t, she’ll be back in Michigan for senior year, dying a slow death. The paparazzi, the haters, the grueling schedule . . . Chelsea believed she could handle it. But what if she can’t?

Mini-Reviews: The Inside of Out, A Study in Charlotte, For the Record, The Steep and Thorny Way The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters
Published by Amulet Books on March 8th 2016
Genres: Historical
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Source: Gifted
Goodreads

A thrilling reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Steep and Thorny Way tells the story of a murder most foul and the mighty power of love and acceptance in a state gone terribly rotten.
1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee’s oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now her father’s killer is out of jail and back in town, and he claims that Hanalee’s father wasn’t killed by the accident at all but, instead, was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him—who happens to be Hanalee’s new stepfather.
The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she needs is to ask Hank himself, a “haint” wandering the roads at night.

I hope you enjoyed! Let me know in the comments if you’ve read any of these books! 🙂

-Deanna

March 6, 2016 by Deanna Schwartz

ARC Review: The Forbidden Orchid

The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller
Published by Viking on March 8th 2016
Genres: Historical
Pages: 432
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted
Goodreads

Staid, responsible Elodie Buchanan is the eldest of ten sisters living in a small English market town in 1861. The girls' father is a plant hunter, usually off adventuring through the jungles of China.
Then disaster strikes: Mr. Buchanan fails to collect an extremely rare and valuable orchid, meaning that he will be thrown into debtors' prison and the girls will be sent to the orphanage or the poorhouse. Elodie's father has one last chance to return to China, find the orchid, and save the family—and this time, thanks to an unforeseen twist of fate, Elodie is going with him. Elodie has never before left her village, but what starts as fear turns to wonder as she adapts to seafaring life aboard the tea clipper The Osprey, and later to the new sights, dangers, and romance of China.
But even if she can find the orchid, how can she find herself now that staid, responsible Elodie has seen how much the world has to offer?

Hi friends! I am beyond exciting to be reviewing a book by one of my favorite authors, Sharon Biggs Waller! Sharon is a lovely person and her first book A Mad, Wicked Folly may be my favorite book of all time! On with the review!

WHAT I LIKED

The setting. I looooove historical fiction. I’ve always said that a good historical book can transport you and The Forbidden Orchid was no exception! The setting and time period was gorgeously described. Even the interior descriptions were rich with detail. I felt like I myself was on that ship with Elodie and Alex. Sharon Biggs Waller does a fabulous job taking on the dialects and using vocabulary from the time she’s writing in. All of the character’s voices were different in my head because of the vocabulary and slang! It was also really cool to read the little historical bits (like Elodie reading Darwin’s book).

The characters. Talk about well-developed characters! Within the first 10 pages, I had a clear sense of all the characters and who they were. The relationships between the sisters were emotionally charged and strong. My favorite character was Elodie’s father. He was a complex, fascinating character. He cared deeply for his family, yet he abandoned them in a time of need to complete his work. The character’s drive and passion was obvious to me as the reader. I also loved the main character, Elodie. She was strong-willed, brave, and felt every emotion fiercely. She knew how to defend herself in times of need and was a strong shoulder to lean on for her family. Sharon writes the best feminist characters!

The romance. I absolutely adored Alex and Elodie together! They had that slow burn, friends to lovers romance that I love so much. Although I loved them together as a couple, I think I would’ve been okay if they didn’t end up together. I didn’t love them as much as I loved Will and Vicky in A Mad, Wicked Folly. Their friendship was so loving and strong that I didn’t need to romance to further it. However, I still liked it 🙂

The plot. I’ve never read a book about flowers before! At first, I thought this book might be similar to Heather Dixon’s Entwined (a paranormal historical that I loved) because of the sisters and the flower names, but it had a completely different plot. I was rooting for Elodie the whole time and truly wanted her to find the flowers and save her family. I really liked the plot line of her hiding in the ship. It was both hilarious and heart-breaking at the same time.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

The pacing was slow for the first 100 pages, but it was necessary in order to develop the characters. There was really nothing wrong with this book!

Have you read The Forbidden Orchid? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

February 22, 2016 by gabimoh

The New Guy (and Other Senior Year Distractions) by Amy Spalding

The New Guy (and Other Senior Year Distractions) by Amy Spalding
Published by Poppy on April 5th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Goodreads

A ridiculously cute, formerly-famous new guy dropping into your life? It's

practically every girl's dream.

But not Jules McCallister-Morgan's.
I realize that on paper I look like your standard type-A, neurotic, overachiever. And maybe I am. But I didn't get to be the editor of my school's long-revered newspaper by just showing up*. I have one main goal for my senior year-early acceptance into my first choice Ivy League college-and I will not be deterred by best friends, moms who think I could stand to "live a little," or boys. At least, that was the plan before I knew about Alex Powell**.And before Alex Powell betrayed me***.I know what you're thinking: Calm down, Jules. But you don't understand. This stuff matters. This is my life. And I'm not going down without a fight. ----* Okay, I sort of did. But it's a sore subject.** I mean, I guess everyone knows about Alex Powell? Two years ago, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing about viral video boy band sensation Chaos 4 All. Two years ago, Alex Powell was famous.***Some people think I'm overreacting. But this. Means. War.Filled with romance, rivalry, and passive-aggressive dog walking, Amy Spalding delivers a hilariously relatable high school story that's sure to have you falling for The New Guy.

My Thoughts

So I am not a huge contemporary reader, I am more of a fantasy “ahh an alien” or a “oooh pretty red apple which I am 1000% perfect sure isn’t poisonous” type girl. When I first read the description of this book, the first word that came to mind was “Wattpad” and if you know me, you know that I love me my Wattpad books. So of course I was uber excited to read this book. The story was great I really liked it, but the characters…well let’s just say that I wanted to slap them MORE than once.

Let’s start of with the characters then save the best for last. My least favorite character was the main character Jules. Can we just talk about extreme OCD? Her life is a plan. I for one absolutely hate planning, so this just give me the cringe. And yes I do understand that this editing job is practically her entire life just like this blog is, and I understand how she would get mad if some TV news reporter tries to steal this chance from her. I get it. But she did over react. And by over react I mean that she literally DOVE into the sea of over react. Sea of Over React? Has a nice ring to it. I MEAN C’MON! She didn’t have to go all Prank v. Prank with them. Just have a mutual friendly discussion AND FORGIVE THAT FREAKING BOY!

Alex on the other hand I actually really liked his character. He tried to bond with Jules ever since the beginning and Jules being all her “I don’t have time for relationships” pushes him away until she goes “maybe just this one.” then OVER REACTS when he surprises her with him being on the Television series. If I were Alex I don’t think I could forgive Jules for that little stunt that she did, but he did forgive her and that is one of the main reasons I really liked him. He was the “boy band crush” that every one has. I had a “boy band crush” wait…did I? Oh my gosh. I AM HAVING A MID-TEENS CRISIS RIGHT NOW! I NEVER HAD A BOY BAND CRUSH! What is my life?! *cough* back to the book, Alex is awesome and sweet and quite lovable but JULES JUST HAD TO MESS IT UP UNTIL THE LAST CHAPTER!

The best friends. Natalie, Justin, Em, Sadie. I love them all. THEY ARE THERE FOR JULES WHENEVER THEY NEED HER BUT OH LITTLE MISS PERFECT ISN’T! I’m pretty sure this “review” has turned into a Jules rant by now…sorry about that. ANYWAYS! The best friends are one of the main reasons that I liked this book, if it weren’t for them my rating would be lower.

Story itself was exactly like a Wattpad novel, and I appreciate that it was. Would it be on my favorites list? Probably not, but I would probably like to reread it someday. And I would only reread it if somehow someway Jules is a completely different person. I really did like this story guys, and I am not a huge contemporary fan. I’m going to be honest with you and say that when I first finished this book I was hating on it, but now that I had time to think it over. It wasn’t the book that I hated, it was the main character itself that took up the space for hatred. Lesson learned.

P.S. Tell me who your boy band crush is! I still can’t get over the fact I never had one. *laughing face emoji even though I am not actually laughing*

February 10, 2016 by gabimoh

The Prophecy of Shadows by Michelle Madow Blog Tour

The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals, #1) by Michelle Madow
Published by Dreamscape Publishing on January 26th 2016
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 308
Format: ARC
Goodreads

Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals is the first in a new series that fans of mythology will love!
When Nicole Cassidy moves from sunny Georgia to gloomy New England, the last thing she expects is to learn that her homeroom is a cover for a secret coven of witches. Even more surprisingly ... she's apparently a witch herself. Despite doubts about her newfound abilities, Nicole is welcomed into this ancient circle of witches and is bedazzled by their powers--and, to her dismay, by Blake--the school's notorious bad-boy.
Girls who get close to Blake wind up hurt. His girlfriend Danielle will do anything to keep them away, even if she must resort to using dark magic. But the chemistry between Blake and Nicole is undeniable, and despite wanting to protect Nicole from Danielle's wrath, he finds it impossible to keep his distance.
When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole, Blake, Danielle, and two others in their homeroom are gifted with mysterious powers over the elements. But the comet has another effect--it opens the portal to the prison world that has contained the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes and attacks Nicole and Blake, it's up to them and the others to follow the clues from a cryptic prophecy so that they can save their town ... and possibly the world.
"Elementals is full of wonderful magic and myths!"-5 Girls Book Reviews, ★★★★★
"Five glittery stars for being such a compelling read!"-Andrea Heltsley, Goodreads Reviewer ★★★★★

Am I feeling a Vampire Academy vibe? Oh yes I am, and its a good one. Let me just start of by saying that Michelle Madow is one of the sweet humans that you can ever encounter. I never actually met her but we do tweet from time to time and just by that I can tell she is on my favorite humans list.

I have never read her other series’ this book is actually my first one and its safe to safe that I really really liked this book. I loved the whole story, I thought it was very well written but the characters were giving me a “I really don’t know if I should hit you or hug you” vibe. Nicole was okay. I mean she didn’t have the unique characteristic that makes me like main characters. I think she still has a lot of growth coming her way so maybe I’ll like her more in the next upcoming books. Blake on the other hand. I like him, I like his while character and his special power and how he puts everyone else’s needs after his but you know what confused me. He’s a bad boy. I like bad boys. He’s not on my fictional boyfriend list. Strange huh?

I loved Daniella. She may have been that stereotypical little *beep* at times but once you get to know her you realize that she also puts everyone’s needs in front of her. I connected with her more than the main character Nicole. I don’t know why really, I actually do not know anybody who can kinda be a little *beep* I felt bad for her really, and that is what made connect with her more.

Now first chapter. She finds out she’s a witch. I had my problems with that. these types of stories I think she be really well progressed in a way. i thought she might’ve found out that she was a witch afte maybe the 5th chapter but no she found out in the very first, and that kinda made my grade scale for this book go down because of it. But you know what I did love love love LOVE? The way that Michelle explained magic. I thought first of all “THAT IS SO FREAKING COOL!” I wanna be a witch, I want to have my very own color. I loved how she explained the magic system and how it worked very interesting.

The heist itself was really well thought out. Every single person in the group had their own little task to complete and I very much enjoyed that. The main character wasn’t doing all the work. She is considered to be the “special” one or the “chosen” one but that doesn’t mean that she’s the center of attention and I really loved how that went.

ALL IN ALL! I very much enjoyed this book. This review has been really hard to type though guys. I KEEP MISPELLING WORDS AND MISSING KEYS! #BloggerStruggles I can’t wait for what is in store for us in the second book 🙂

February 5, 2016 by gabimoh

These Vicious Masks Blog Tour

These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker, Kelly Zekas
Published by Swoon Reads on January 1st 1970
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Goodreads

Jane Austen meets X-Men in this gripping and adventure-filled paranormal romance set in Victorian London.
England, 1882. Evelyn is bored with society and its expectations. So when her beloved sister, Rose, mysteriously vanishes, she ignores her parents and travels to London to find her, accompanied by the dashing Mr. Kent. But they’re not the only ones looking for Rose. The reclusive, young gentleman Sebastian Braddock is also searching for her, claiming that both sisters have special healing powers. Evelyn is convinced that Sebastian must be mad, until she discovers that his strange tales of extraordinary people are true—and that her sister is in graver danger than she feared.

My Thoughts

PEOPLE! PEOPLE OF THIS PLANET EARTH! I HAVE A MESSAGE FROM A FANGIRLING GABI! THIS BOOK…THIS FREAKING BOOK…PEOPLE SORRY WAIT TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. STAND BY.

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! EASILY IS GOING TO GO ON MY FAVORITES LIST OF 2016! The story, the characters, the freaking romance was so amazing and just eye opening that I just can’t make my thoughts into words. Ok going to be honest with you people, it has been two months since I have read this book. Two months and my fangirling stage is not over yet. I don’t think it’ll ever be. But before I go into the details of this book I just want to say that right now I have no clue whatsoever if there is going to be a second book…but there has to be one right? This can not be a standalone! I don’t think I’ll survive not knowing what happens next! At least gimme a novella. Change the ABBA lyrics to “Gimme gimme gimee a novella after midnight” if you need to!

First lets discuss my personal favorite part of this book. THE CHARACTERS! Right off the bat these characters reminded me a lot of the characters from both Something Strange and Deadly and Girl in the Steel Corset (two of my favorite historical fictions) Evelyn was a very strange character in a lack of better words. At first I didn’t how I felt towards her. I knew she effing kick-ass, I just didn’t know if I liked this kick-assery, but after I got to know her I released…wow she is awesome…and so stupid. CANNOT YOU COMPREHEND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE! THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME AND YOU THINK YOU ARE A NORMAL HUMAN NAH AH GIRLFRIEND! Sorry got ahead of myself there.

Now our two male leads. Mr. Kent and Mr. Braddock. You know me I am all up on these fictional bad boys so of course Mr. Braddock is on my fictional boyfriend list. I love that kid so darn much. What is it with me and mysterious men anyways? Mr. Kent is amazing, handsome, funny, an open book, BUT he is not on my fictional boyfriend list. Let’s talk about the sister for a quick second. I haven’t read that many books where the sister is considered “the perfect sister” and it really made my “relationship” with Evelyn stronger because of it. I don’t know it just feels like Rose shouldn’t be considered the “perfect sister” because like the great Hannah Montana once said “NOBODY’S PERFECT!”

The powers, and the doctors really did scare me at some point but it was a good scared. Do you get me? I mean I wanted to be a part of it, but I also wanted to stay in the comfort of my bed and pizza. These types of books do that to you.

All in all guys I really really really REALLY recommend this book! The story was kickass, the characters were badass, and I seriously cannot freaking wait till this book comes out so YOU guys can read it! If you did read it, or if you are from the future tell me what you thought of it! Would love to hear what you have to say!

January 24, 2016 by gabimoh

Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace Blog Tour

Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on January 26th 2016
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult, Horror
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Goodreads

For fans of Holly Black and Nova Ren Suma, a gripping, hauntingly atmospheric novel about murder, revenge, and a world where monsters—human and otherwise—lurk at the fringes.
When seventeen-year-old Breezy Lin wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death, she doesn’t remember who killed her or why. All she knows is that she’s somehow conscious—and not only that, she’s able to sense who around her is hiding a murderous past. In life, Breezy was always drawn to the elegance of the universe and the mystery of the stars. Now she must set out to find answers and discover what is to become of her in the gritty, dangerous world to which she now belongs—where killers hide in plain sight and a sinister cult is hunting for strange creatures like her. What she finds is at once empowering, redemptive, and dangerous.
Tense, complex, and wholly engaging, Shallow Graves is a stunning first novel from Kali Wallace.

My Thoughts

Gosh this was spooky. I think that if I wasn’t such a scaredy cat I could actually really really love this book. My thoughts? Yeah…I am such a freaking scaredy cat. Usually when I read this stuff about religion and being “evil” I get so scared. That’s why I have only read a few of these types of books. You may be wondering why in the heck I would read it. Well you see I have this new thing where I DON’T read the description of books and just read it. I think this concept is making me read more than usual and doesn’t really bias my opinions on the books that I read.

The characters. I would consider the characters to be one of my favorite parts of this book. Each character had its own unique personality that I had many feelings with these characters. I either loved, laughed, cried, or got scared…of these characters.

I really liked Breezy. I thought she was a really unique protagonist to read about. You have those series of main characters that are considered to be “evil” but this girl really made me wonder. Her personality just didn’t fit with the power that she had. She was very intelligent and cunning, and all around a very likable character.

Now the spooky parts. Definitely made me turn on my nightstand light. It wasn’t necessarily the powers that got me freaked out, but the way that they wanted to get rid of these powers and how “evil” it was to have it. It just boggles my mind. These powers are a part of them. And you can’t fix what makes you, you. All in all, I really thought this was a very interesting and unique read. I think one day I might reread…well until I stop being scared of it *laughing face emoji because WordPress doesn’t have a laughing face emoji*

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

January 20, 2016 by Deanna Schwartz

ARC Review: The Year We Fell Apart

The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin
Published by Simon Pulse on January 26th 2016
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted
Goodreads

In the tradition of Sarah Dessen, this powerful debut novel is a compelling portrait of a young girl coping with her mother’s cancer as she figures out how to learn from—and fix—her past.
Few things come as naturally to Harper as epic mistakes. In the past year she was kicked off the swim team, earned a reputation as Carson High’s easiest hook-up, and officially became the black sheep of her family. But her worst mistake was destroying her relationship with her best friend, Declan.
Now, after two semesters of silence, Declan is home from boarding school for the summer. Everything about him is different—he’s taller, stronger…more handsome. Harper has changed, too, especially in the wake of her mom’s cancer diagnosis.
While Declan wants nothing to do with Harper, he’s still Declan, her Declan, and the only person she wants to talk to about what’s really going on. But he’s also the one person she’s lost the right to seek comfort from.
As their mutual friends and shared histories draw them together again, Harper and Declan must decide which parts of their past are still salvageable, and which parts they’ll have to let go of once and for all.
In this honest and affecting tale of friendship and first love, Emily Martin brings to vivid life the trials and struggles of high school and the ability to learn from past mistakes over the course of one steamy North Carolina summer.

Hi lovely readers! Today I’m reviewing The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin!

WHAT I LIKED

The main character. Harper was a great protagonist! I empathized with her and wanted things to get better for her. She was optimistic, funny, and whip-smart. She was also flawed. I hate it when main characters have zero flaws because it’s just not realistic. Harper made some pretty stupid and rash decisions which, in my opinion, made her more likable and realistic. She also owned her sexuality and condemned boys for slut-shaming!

The friendships. This book focused on both the good and the bad friendships. Harper’s friendship with Sadie was toxic to say the least. Harper wasn’t the best friend to Cody, Declan, Gwen, Mackenzie, or anyone for that matter.

The romance. The romance felt real to me. It wasn’t pushed or over exaggerated; it was just there. Harper and Declan went through a lot and they were both very broken when they finally saw each other again. It was heartbreaking. It’s so hard as the reader to watch these two intense people go through all these woes and not be able to do anything about it! I laughed, I cried, I swooned. Sigh.

The writing. Emily Martin is a gorgeous writer! She created these amazing, complex characters that I fell in love with!

The message. The main message that I got from this book was that people can change. Throughout the book, Harper was trying to become a better person. She wanted to stay clean and be nicer and I appreciated this and rooted her on.

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

Some elements were confusing. The book started off great but introduced some people and plot lines that weren’t fully explained until later in the book. This made it confusing for me as the reader as new characters were developed and I still didn’t understand what happened in Harper’s history.

Have you read The Year We Fell Apart? Let me know your thoughts!

-Deanna

January 10, 2016 by Deanna Schwartz

ARC Review: Seven Ways We Lie

Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate
Published by Amulet Books on March 8th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted
Goodreads

Paloma High School is ordinary by anyone’s standards. It’s got the same cliques, the same prejudices, the same suspect cafeteria food. And like every high school, every student has something to hide—whether it’s Kat, the thespian who conceals her trust issues onstage; or Valentine, the neurotic genius who’s planted the seed of a school scandal.
When that scandal bubbles over, and rumors of a teacher-student affair surface, everyone starts hunting for someone to blame. For the unlikely allies at the heart of it all, the collision of their seven ordinary-seeming lives results in extraordinary change.

Hey guys! Today, I will be reviewing my favorite book of 2016 so far: Seven Ways We Lie!!! This book was incredible!

WHAT I LIKED

The element with the sins. Each character was based off one of the seven deadly sins. I had so much fun trying to figure out which character was which sin and seeing how that played out. I still can’t figure out some of them!

The characters. The people in this story were FLAWED and REALISTIC! I found a small piece of myself in every single one of these characters. I can’t possibly pick a favorite because I love them all so much! Their problems were super realistic and relatable. The characters were the driving force of this novel and they excelled!

The romance. The main romance in Seven Ways We Lie was between Matt and Olivia. This isn’t a spoiler; the romance starts right away. Oh my gosh, I LOVED them together! They complimented each other perfectly and it gave me so many FEELS! I shipped them from the very beginning and was so, so, so happy when they got together in the end.

The diversity. LET’S HEAR IT FOR AN OPEN PANSEXUAL CHARACTER. AND A NON-OPEN BUT OBVIOUS ASEXUAL CHARACTER! Seriously guys, this book was so diverse. It brought joy to my heart.

The writing. Riley Redgate is a beautiful writer! She made me feel deeply for all the characters and I rooted for them throughout the book. One thing I loved about her writing was her ability to differentiate the characters. They each had unique voices that didn’t overshadow each other!

The female empowerment. Olivia was a bad-ass bitch who OWNED her sexuality! People judged her for her actions as teenagers do, but she didn’t let them get to her! This was so refreshing from what I normally see in the YA books that I read.

Juniper’s POV specifically. At first, I didn’t understand this choice. All of the chapters were in prose except for Juniper, whose chapters were in poetry. Beautiful poetry, might I add. In the end, this decision came to make sense seeing how the story revolved around Juniper. View Spoiler »

Literally everything. This book gave me a feeling that I can’t even describe. It was just too perfect! I loved everything about this book. All around a FABULOUS book!

WHAT I DID NOT LIKE

The way the teacher-student romance was handled. I felt that the way this was handled at their school was very unrealistic. Normally, problems like this aren’t publicized and debated like this. However, this didn’t affect the story. This wasn’t a large problem and probably won’t affect my rating. To be honest, I feel the need to include something negative about every book because I’m critical like that.

(Thanks so much to the lovely Alex @ Fiery Reads for letting me borrow her amazing review system! I added the diversity and romance sections plus a few things but the rest is hers!)

HOLY SHIT, guys! This book was so amazing! It’s the best book I’ve read so far that pubs in 2016! Please, please, I’m begging you, buy this book! Request it on NetGalley! READ IT!!!!!!!!!

-Deanna

December 26, 2015 by gabimoh

There Once Was A Gif|The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows

The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on April 5th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magical Realism
Pages: 544
Format: ARC
Goodreads

Wilhelmina has a hundred enemies.
HER FRIENDS HAVE TURNED. After her identity is revealed during the Inundation, Princess Wilhelmina is kept prisoner by the Indigo Kingdom, with the Ospreys lost somewhere in the devastated city. When the Ospreys’ leader emerges at the worst possible moment, leaving Wil’s biggest ally on his deathbed, she must become Black Knife to set things right.
HER MAGIC IS UNCONTROLLABLE. Wil’s power is to animate, not to give true life, but in the wraithland she commanded a cloud of wraith mist to save herself, and later ordered it solid. Now there is a living boy made of wraith—destructive and deadly, and willing to do anything for her.
HER HEART IS TORN. Though she’s ready for her crown, declaring herself queen means war. Caught between what she wants and what is right, Wilhelmina realizes the throne might not even matter. Everyone thought the wraith was years off, but already it’s destroying Indigo Kingdom villages. If she can’t protect both kingdoms, soon there won’t be a land to rule.
In this stunning conclusion to THE ORPHAN QUEEN, Jodi Meadows follows Wilhelmina’s breathtaking and brave journey from orphaned criminal on the streets to magic-wielding queen.

This is not a review.

This a “day after finishing this book and I need to express my emotions” post

The actual review will come closer to release date and lemme tell you its going to be a long one.

This book is going to go down in Gabi history as one of the best books that I have ever read.

Now the emotions began even before I started reading it. When I got the ARC. I was strolling around at the Miami Book Fair and my lovely friend Kaina told me that Harper was giving away ARCs and there was an ARC of the Mirror King that I could admire. So I ran up to the book and asked the guy (best person ever) if I could take a picture and admire it. He pulled it out of a box full of ARCs and gave it to me to take a picture. I then put it down and ran. 1 HOUR LATER! I got the courage to ask the guy if he was giving it away anytime soon…and then…HE FREAKING GAVE IT TO ME! I WAS OVER THE MOON PEOPLE!

And then the actual reading started…

People let me just tell you that I stayed up until 2 in the morning to finish this book, and I didn’t sleep until 3 because of all the thoughts that were going through my head.

Wilhelmina…

basically.

Tobiah

Them together is just BOW DOWN! I ship them like no other ship. I WANT THEM TO GET MARRIED AND HAVE FOURTEEN KIDS AND LIVE IN A HOUSE WITH PUPPIES SURROUNDING THEM AND THEIR KIDS WITH RAINBOWS FLYING IN EVERY DIRECTION AND THEM HAVING A PET UNICORN NAMED SKITTLES!

Colin…

James…I love you. Okay I love you. EVERY SINGLE PERSON LOVES YOU! YOU ARE THE SUN! LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUU!

Meredith..you are such a sweet but…

ALL IN ALL PEOPLE YOU ARE IN FOR A TREAT! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK AND I WILL POST MY ACTUAL REVIEW WHEN THE RELEASE DATE COMES CLOSER! I APPLAUD YOU JODI!

October 31, 2015 by gabimoh

The Anatomical Shape of A Heart Blog Tour

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett
Published by Feiwel & Friends on November 3rd 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Goodreads

Artist Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she's spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Leonardo da Vinci’s footsteps, she's ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital’s Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down.
Jack is charming, wildly attractive . . . and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix begins to see who Jack really is—and tries to uncover what he’s hiding that leaves him so wounded. But will these secrets come back to haunt him? Or will the skeletons in Beatrix’s own family’s closet tear them apart?

My Thoughts

Oh dear this book was amazing. Oh dear this book was sweet. Oh dear this book was spectacular. Right of the bat this book intrigues me. The whole concept of the romance and the characters just made me go I WANT TO READ THIS BOOK! The characters, the story, the plot, the romance, EVERYTHING WAS JUST SPECTACULAR! Now there was one or two points that I was a little eh about but nothing efficient enough to bring down my 5 star rating 🙂

Lets start of with the fantabulous characters. I feel like what made this book 5 stars was the characters. The characters were the best part of this entire book. First we meet Beatrix which is just a awesome girl lead. She is very spunky yet at the same time very cute. She kinda reminds me of Anna from Anna and the French Kiss in a way. Anyways since the moment I met her I knew she was going to be an awesome sauce protagonist and darn was I right. It was hilarious reading from her. Her blog, her love for the art, and at the same time when it comes to those sad points you just want to hug the life out of her.

Jack is awesome. Jack is adorable. Jack is my baby. I want to hug the life out of him too. I love fictional boys who love art. They are just so amazing and funny and just swoon worthy and Jack over here is DEFINETELY swoon worthy. And the way he cares about Beatrix just makes me want to eat ice cream. You know? You know that feeling that you get that whenever a couple is being too cute for words you wanna eat ice cream. No? Okay I’m done.

Even though this book was really fun and amazing it did have a lot of its sad and dramatic moments which I am not going to talk about as much because 1. I don’t want to spoil anything for you guys and 2. Some of these points are just sad sad. I thought the combination of sad yet happy was so heartbreaking and just made this bok so much more amazing than it already is.

Love. Love. Love thats all I have to say. As a matter a fact all I am going to say is that you guys HAVE to read this book. Its too amazing not to read.

Bookish Quotes

“And right now, my anatomy-obsessed mind was appreciating the way my new acquaintance fit together, too. He was a walking figure study in beautiful lines and lean muscle, with miles of dark lashes and cheekbones that looked strong enough to hold up his entire body.”

“Hey Bex?” Jack said as he grated. “Just so we’re clear, if we were alone, I’d probably kiss you right now.”

I gave him a swift glance as the hallway laughter made its way back to the kitchen. “Just so we’re clear, I’d probably let you.”

“Just promise me one thing,” he continued. “If it’s not good, tell me. Don’t just get angry and resent me. I’d rather us not do anything and keep what we have now than screw things up between us. Okay?”

“What do I want?” His fingers brushed over loose strands of hair near my temple. “I want to call you every five minutes. I want to text you good night every night. I want to make you laugh. And I want you to look at me like you did that first night on the bus.”

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Skip links

Main navigation

ARC