EmilySavant

I don’t know what I originally read this book for.

Maybe it was all those years ago when I was really interested in that side of the world. Asian culture, but mostly Asian food.

Maybe it was that time I read North of Beautiful but Justina Chen, and thought I may be getting the same wonderful experience with this one.

Maybe it was the music aspect of it even though I know nothing about KPOP.

And I did get ALL of that.

I was immersed in the Korean culture, even when Grace was cutting it down brick by annoying brick.

I got the cute relationship with a serious twist, except when Grace was being a whiny brat.

I felt the music and related to almost all of it, even when Grace thought she knew better than anyone because her daddy is music-producer-douchebag-extraordinaire.

But most of all, the reason why I didn’t give up on this book half way through, is the major character development. Grace actually does grow and sees how she was acting and that is was completely ludicrous of her. And this book desperately needed that to happen!

This was a quick read. I got swept up in the story and wanted to figure out what was up with Grace and Jason!

Hello, I Love You (props for all the Doors references) on the surface, is a story about a spoiled, rich girl who moves across the country because she wasn’t agreeing with her parents. But, on the inside, once you get past the rough start, it’s a story of family and loss and new beginnings.

review at yabookscentral.com

3.5 stars

If there’s anything you’re going to take away from this book, or a few other Robin Benway books, is that family is number one. Always. (I really hope most of you can relate to that, because if not, it really breaks my heart).

Many times, and I’m talking about most of this book, I wanted to get up and go hug my parents or my brother. The sense of familial warmth seeped out of this book. Out of Emmy and Oliver’s families. That this books emotional level was so real and down to earth that I couldn’t help but get choked up.

This isn’t your regular best-friends-fall-for-each-other type of romance. It has a small twist.

And when I say small twist, I mean one of our best friends was kidnapped by his father when he was younger and isn’t found until 10 years later.

Yeah, not your average YA novel, eh?

And I was expecting so much! I was ready to be blown away and dig into this kidnapping scenario.

Nada.

Oliver coming back and his submersion into high school was heavily blanketed by Emmy’s minor issues. Like, a boy has just returned home to his mother who hasn’t seen him in 10 years and you’re complaining about how your parents are too protective of you?! Appreciate the family you have, girl!! (Yeah, I may have over thought this, but it irritated me nonetheless).

The kidnapping fell in second to the romance, but I’m okay with that. I still appreciated this book.

It was extremely cute and, as always, hilarious!

I will always expect simultaneously grinning and crying in any one of Robin Benway’s books. They are seriously so adorable!

Emmy & Oliver is going to be the book to impact you right where it matters. A book about all sorts of relationships that really hits close to home for most of us (minus the kidnapping). 

review at yabookscentral.com

This is one of those mindfuck books.

The kind of book that you honestly have no idea what is going to occur. The one that makes you nervous for what is to come. Anxious and on the edge of your seat waiting for what you suspect may be the inevitable.

And then, with one sentence or a few words, everything you thought you suspected is flipped on its head and you’re back at square one. Confused as hell but completely caught up in the madness.

That’s what the experience of Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls is like.

And I loved it.

June and Delia’s world is not one I want to be a part of. It’s extremely unhinged and unbelievable. Obviously, shit doesn’t happen like this to teenagers…right? Were my teenage years incredibly boring compared to theirs? Yes. Would I change that? Fuck no. I’d take my weekends inside playing video games over suicide notes and murder investigations.

But is sure is interesting to read about.

I was confused most of the time (in a good way), but was ultimately stumped with the cheating thing. I feel like that could have been excluded from the book entirely. Just your typical overly dramatic teenage drama thrown in there for a reason that wasn’t made clear to me.

But that’s the only complaint I had. Everything else was great.

I read this book in a few hours. While on vacation. Sitting on the beach (resulting in a sunburn) caught up in the lives of these characters with major issues.

Fast paced and constantly surprising, Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls is the book you won’t be forgetting for a long time. Equal parts thriller, mystery, and mind distortion.

I need it made into a movie.

I need a book of Sebastian’s past.

I have seen Ever-After and loved it.
I have seen the new Cinderella with Robb Stark and Bellatrix and loved it.
That one with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray? Love it.
However, I honestly don't know if I've seen the entirety of the animated movie, because I hate it. I don't know why.

So I'm always skeptical to read retellings because most of the time they're just like the animated movie.

But this. This is something completely different.
This is darker. This is Once Upon a Time and Into the Woods.
This flips everything you were taught about the story of Cinderella onto its side.
And I loved it.

If you're looking for a sweet fairytale. Turn away from this book. You wont find it here.

You will find magic and fate.
You'll find a strong willed woman.
A man who doesn't take away from that.
You'll find family; blood and non.
You'll find glimpses of other fairytales that you love, and they're just as twisted and dark.
You'll find yourself surprised at who the good and bad guys are.
Blood and gore and ball gowns.

The writing in Ash & Bramble is beautiful. It's elegant and enchanting.

Not a character goes unnoticed or unappreciated.

I really enjoyed this book once I took the time to sit down and devote myself to it.

Breaking the seams between magic and reality, Ash & Bramble is an action packed, romantic show stopper of a novel.

You know how you see the synopsis for a book and instantly know you have to read it? Even if it is sure to break your heart?

Double yes.

Add this one to your list of heartbreakers, because it is spectacular.

Untwine got to me. It poured right into my soul as I devoured this book into my heart. 

I knew what I was getting into. Anyone will the minute they read the back cover of Untwine. It’s sure to go only one way, and yet you’re still not ready for it once it finally happens.

I loved this book.

I loved every single character and the real feeling I got from them.

I loved the Haitian culture. The language. The grandparents.

I loved the art and the music and the simple innocence of it all.

I loved the moments that made me cry (almost all of them) and the ones that made my heart full of joy.

I loved the strong family aspect.

The beautiful, lyrical writing Mrs. Danticat provides is a gift to this world. God, I never wanted to stop reading this book even though it was such an emotional roller coaster.

Phenomenal from start to finish. Untwine is the moving, tragic novel of the year that you will not want to miss. And the one you won’t ever forget.

Do you want to laugh?
Do you want to cry?
Do you want your cynical side to gag at the lovey dovey parts?
And then swoon a minute later?
Do you want relatable?
Do you want real?

Doing it for Love is all of that.

I love Cassie Mae’s books. They’re equal parts hilarious and sweet.

Liz and Landon. I don’t know how to describe these two except the following way:

Right after I finished this book, I went for a run (because that’s what hopelessly single people do after reading such a love story). It was swelteringly hot when I started and then suddenly the sky darkened and the wind picked up and the rain began to fall. This happened within minutes.

And that’s how these two are. One minute they’re happy go lucky, and then the next they’re sleeping in separate rooms and avoiding each other. This is how the whole book went and I quickly grew tired of it. But thankfully, Landon learned not to run from his problems and Liz eased up on the complaining (Relationshipping FTW!).

I related strongly to Liz so much so that I felt like Cassie has been secretly watching my life! (Right down to me currently finishing off a bag of delicious Lindor Dark Chocolate Truffles. To go along with that run I previously mentioned, of course!) 

I loved Landon! He was adorable and everything I hope for in my future, nerdy husband. Just freaking adorable.

Every book I read by Cassie is so easy to get lost in. It’s a treat to read them and I instantly became a fan. And if you can get me to laugh, me loving your books is a give in. (The Spanx scene. OMG! Almost trumped the waxing scene from The Real Thing. Although nothing will trump the drool/waking up scene from Switched(or anything else from Switched. That book is perfection.)).

Doing it for Love is a sweet, sexy, genius of a book. This book is totally strawberries and whipped cream.

I like to think I’m fairly observant. (I have to be for my job).
A pretty good judge of character. (Except with Hans from Frozen. Wasn’t expecting that).
I can usually spot plot twists coming. (GONE GIRL).

However, this book caught me off guard.

I was NOT expecting anything that happened in that last half of the book. (Which I devoured, by the way).

And it frustrated and excited the hell out of me.

Julia Vann has changed her name and switched schools.

Now, Lucy Black leads a seemingly normal life. No one should expect that her brother was the sociopath behind a horrific school shooting a year earlier.

The only thing I did pick up on was the fact that she was hiding something. Something seemed off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

But it was all there. I could have picked up on every clue if I had suspected something was really off. Reread my steps and solved the mystery.

I don’t want to give too much away, so I will just say the following:

Two people, one for sure, could be every person in House Lannister. A Lannister who always repays her debts.

Damage Done is a dark and well written book. If you like to be stumped and shocked, it’s a consuming read.

Review at YABC!

3.5 stars

It has been raining for like 3 days here and I’ve had the absolute pleasure of doing nothing else but read. And when you get a quick, easy read like this, it’s the perfect match for a rainy day.

Trouble from the Start is a sweet book about looking through someone’s outer image, and finding out who they really are on the inside.

This is also a book about family and that’s what I enjoyed the most. Avery and her family are real. They remind me of my own family and that made me smile more than once.

Avery was somewhat of a snob in the beginning (and I’m glad she gets over that). She only saw the person that the rumors painted. However, she did remind me of myself when I was in high school. Never really focused on finding a boyfriend. Always worried about my grades and getting out of school to see what the real world would be all about. I grew to relate to Avery very quickly.

On the other hand, her friend Kendall, I did not grow to like.

Kendall and her boyfriend Jeremy’s relationship was sickeningly sweet. It really makes me not miss high school, where all the couples were oh so “in love”. I guess if I had read the companion novel to this one, I could understand their relationship more. I suppose I’m more of a cynical romantic. Meh.

Fletcher is a sweet heart with a few secrets. I saw it coming before his secret was revealed, but it still hurt just the same. I’m glad he has Avery, it’s the least he deserves.

I read this book in a matter of hours. It is just like candy and I did not wanna put it down! If you loved the Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles, you’ll love Trouble From the Start!

This review can also be found on YABC

Take Need for Speed.
Throw in some Elysium space business.
Add a dash of tough girl meets secretive boy.
A little bit of a three-wheeling best friend with his heart on his sleeve.
A hint of Mario Kart in a dystopian world.
A heaping serving of PLOT TWIST!
Now, set all that to a Foo Fighter’s soundtrack.

Out comes Tracked.

And I love it.

I’m not a big fan of Nascar and I’ve never seen any of the Fast & Furious movies. But I did play the hell out of Mario Kart and Need for Speed. So I knew just enough to be stoked for this book. And I’m so glad I gave it a go!

There wasn’t a single time while I was reading where I felt bored or uninterested. I was quickly sucked into the Phee’s world of high speed racing. All the little secrets she uncovered and the lies she discovered. (these Dystopian books are always about overthrowing the government, aren’t they?)

Phoebe is a strong girl, rivaling the gusto of Tris from Divergent. I loved her will to do whatever it takes just to help her family; her best friend Bear.

Bear. He reminded me of Groot. I was expecting him to start refereeing to himself in third-person many times. I wish his character had been vamped up some more. I felt like he was mostly just there to interfere with Phee and Cash.

Cash. Oh, boy. You can’t go wrong with a charming prince, can you? He was funny. He was sweet. He was the sexy pacer we all needed and didn’t even know it.

I loved the banter between Phee and him. I longed for their times together.

And maybe that’s what I loved most about Tracked.

It does not revolve around the romance. It’s about family and loyalty and finding out what really matters in life. Staying true to yourself and fighting for what’s right.

An adrenaline fueled, character driven adventure of a novel. Tracked is the book that you won’t want to miss this year.

Review found on YABC

3.5 stars.

There is a lot going on in this book. A lot of real life problems we face. A lot of real people we may come across.

A few things I may not agree with, but doesn’t make it any less real.

A Sense of the Infinite is one of those books that you push through. A book that you may put off to the side for a few hours because it’s too much to handle in one sitting (kind of like trying to binge watch The Walking Dead, but not being able to handle the emotional aspect). A book that makes you feel. That takes you back.

Annabeth is a high school senior with a monster of a “secret”. And I say “secret” because it isn’t really much of a secret. It’s no one else’s business, really. More of a family issue.

But this is the least of her problems. And she broke my heart.

Noe. She is one of those characters that I didn’t like from the very beginning. Fake. Shallow.

If we’re lucky, we get rid of these toxic friends while we’re still in high school. However, it takes some of us years after graduation to leave people like this. Mostly because it’s just easier to keep them around because it’s safe and familiar.

And that’s a big part of this book. Growing up and growing away from people. Finding the ones that truly matter. Following your heart, and not your friends.

This book is real. Real issues. Real emotions. Real thoughts I had when I was Annabeth’s age. It's dark and gritty, but it is hopeful and enlightening.

A Sense of the Infinite is a beautifully written, tragically conceivable story.

Review also found on YABC.

You know that book.

The one you want to soak up, but savor at the same time. The one that you could finish in hours, but you stretch it out over a few days. Memorizing quotes and making note of the moments that made you smile.

This is one of those books.

There is something about a Sarah Ockler book that takes me back to the first time I ever read one of her novels. Takes me back to sitting out by the pool on a hot summer day, book in my lap, sun on my face. Twenty Boy Summer was the book that sealed the deal for me on summer-fling books. Sweet and sad and beautiful.

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids is a gorgeously charming book. I wanted to live in it.

Elyse d’Abreau is a transplant from Tobago.
She can’t speak.
She belongs to the ocean.
She can’t resist a sweet little boy on a mermaid mission and his hot, older, sailor brother.
And she doesn’t know who the great Tami Taylor is! (Ya’ll. This cracked me up! WWTTD?)!

I loved every single character this book contains. From Lemon and her coven to Vanessa and her momma. And especially Sebastian. I LOVED THEM. I want to be in Atargatis Cove immediately.

The relation to The Little Mermaid was evident and I geeked out multiple times. It’s beautifully intertwined within the pages. Little clues and easter eggs.

As always, Sarah Ockler’s writing gets me. I fall in step with it. I get caught up in the waves and tides (especially with all the ocean business in this one). It reminds me of a Sarah Dessen book, but more mature. More diverse.

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids is a stunning book about dealing with the hand life dealt you and finding your voice. The voice that you change the world with (or just a moment).

A voice, no matter how small, can make all the difference.

The perfect summer book. Equal parts romance and mermaid lore.

Review at YABC!

I’m going to attempt to explain my feelings for this book in the following way: a list of thoughts.

Ari perspective FTW!
Where’s Rory?
Aweee, pregnant Ava! But chill out. Seriously.
Something’s up with Julia (which I sang to the tune of “something’s up with Jack” from The Nightmare Before Christmas, btw).
Spaghetti Sandwich, yall!
Ari and Ava are disgustingly cute together.
Holy guacamole, Ari. You sexy beast!
This Cameron Gallo fella sure is being mentioned a lot.
THE LIES!
Why all the Aggie hate!? I love you, Aggie!
Sweet, sweet Max.
Enough with the secrets, people!
La lune, c’est the moon. IM LEARNING FRENCH!
I need more Rory!
Ari’s 2 secretaries have strange names. I’m suspicious.
Good God Almighty, the drama!!
OMG KITTY!!
Baby time!!!

Every single one of these books has been a thrill ride. Mrs. Mann never fails to knock me on my ass with something unexpected. And it is always at the end of the book and I spend the last 10 percent of my kindle pages expecting something to happen. Because I know it will.

However, I found myself catching on more quickly this go around. But it was still surprising in a few ways. Ways that made me angry!

I love how this series has completely made me fall more in love with Greek mythology. My interests take me beyond the pages of these books.

Bring on the next one.

Sidenote: I was gifted season 1 and 2 of Teen Wolf by my brother for Christmas and I was dividing up my time watching that and reading this. Each cast member of that show could be someone in these books. Seriously. For some reason, I picture Stiles as Ari.

I present the Dystopian Guidelines:

The world as we know it has fallen.
A few people came together and created a small congregation of a town.
These people are segregated by something.
There is usually some form of secretly corrupt government.
One person is chosen to take down this new government.
Chaos ensues.
Throw in a star crossed romance.
And so the story goes…

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate any of that. Dystopians are my favorite world to get lost in. I don’t mind reading the same thing played out over and over in different words.

That is, until I see that it can be done differently. And then I love this genre a little more.

Entering from out of left field, The Book of Ivy. It follows the checklist mentioned above, but there’s a twist.

We’re right there with Ivy when she starts to realize who and who not to trust. We see the wheels turning and the clues reveal themselves.

Ivy is a brave, strong-willed girl. Married off to the president’s son at only 16 years of age, and she ain’t too thrilled about it.

She has strong political views. Some that her father drilled into her head, others that she came up with on her own free will.
Basically, she’s an assassin. Getting revenge for something that happened when she was a baby. Her family using her as the weapon. (I hated her family instantly, btw).

This book is loaded with politics. (I work in a courthouse for 8 hours a day so I pretty much got the gist of everything going on). But I hate politics. I hate elections. I hate dealing with campaigns at work. I hate slander and sleazy candidates.

And much like The Book of Ivy, I hate politics based on winning just to “get back” at another person.

Sweet Bishop. My goodness, he was adorable. He’s one half of that star-crossed romance I mentioned earlier. It’s very Romeo and Juliet like, without the terrible Shakespeare ending.

Ivy and Bishop are a hell of a lot smarter than that.

If you’re looking for a roller coaster ride of emotions. Of twists and turns. Look no further.

I need the next chapter in Ivy’s book, pronto.

(WOW! Just realized I devoured this 400 page book in 4 days. Now if that doesn't tell you how good it is, I don't know what type of proof you need).

Play of Light summarized in a few words. Or a brief look into “The Awesome Spencer Pierce and Those Other Douchebags.”

Sweet.
Funny.
Frustrating.
Cute.
Heartbreaking.
Sexy.
Charming.
Satisfying.
Adorable.

Y’all, it has been a while since a book has made me giggle and grin and cry as much as this one did. It’s so simple, yet so complicated that I couldn’t help but get caught up in the madness.

My Kindle arc is riddled with highlight marks of all the beautiful little quotes I wanted to look back on. So many things that captured my heart and played with my emotions. Little pieces of perfection that spoke to me on a deeper level.

Some of my favorite things:

Riley.
Riley with Colby.
The Great Tequila Shortage.
Sara Smile. (I had to download that song to fully understand how much it meant to Sarah).
Uncle Russ.
Would you ever.
Sarah’s drawings.
Spencer’s tattoos.
The dunes.

Short and sweet. I devoured this book in a few days. Once I started, it was hard to get away from it.

Play of Light is a book worth checking out if you want to have your heart strings tugged. A beautiful book worthy of ending 2014 with. (It’s a book I need a physical copy of so I can give it a hug)!

All you New Adult haters, this is the type of book that gives NA a bad rep.

I didn’t start this book intending to dislike it so much. I don’t do that with any books, it just happens sometimes. I was actually really excited to read it because I had heard so many good things about this series. Rowdy is the first Jay Crownover book I’ve ever read, which means it’s also the first I’ve read in the Marked Men series.

I can’t imagine that the other 4 books were any different.

Different guy. Different girl. Differentish circumstances. Differentish sexy times. Different drama. Different problems. Differentish pasts. Yet, it reads all the same.

Did I hit the nail on the head there for Rule, Jet, Nash, and Rome’s books? (And while I’m thinking about it, what in the actual fuck is up with the names in these books!?).

This book was predictable and cliché and just really boring most of the time.

Let me start with our heroine.
Brash. Give no fucks attitude. Can hold her own. Piercings. Pinup girl. Tattoos. Ex-stripper, which is a fact that she is hella proud of.

So basically, Salem is still that teenager that you see in Hot-Topic begging their mom to buy them the new emo-punk-screamo album (aka Me is high school), but she is also the girl who does things just to spite her parents and shit like that. It’s like she did things just to see the reaction from other people. She did things just so people would she how strong she was and that she indeed was a boss ass bitch.

I do have to say, that Salem’s parents are assholes. Her dad can go fuck himself. I see the reasoning as to why she left. However, if she cared as much as she said she did about her sister and Rowdy, she would not have left. Simple as that.

Now, the hero.
Brash. Whiny. Great artist. Tattoos. Piercings. Dramatic.

And that about sums Rowdy up. He was an idiot. He followed a girl he wasn’t dating, to a college he didn’t wanna go to, to play a sport he did not really like, just because he thought that maybe they were meant to be together.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

And Poppy's dumbass. Ugh. I hate what happened to her, but it could have been avoided.

Okay, and I was going to make a point about this next thing by typing this whole paragraph without punctuation, but once I did it, it looked weird and it bothered me too much and I couldn’t leave it like that. So, with that being said, there is a serious lack of commas in this book. GOOD LORD. It irritated me so much that I started skimming long paragraphs.

I wish I hadn’t found this book so laughable and ridiculous, cause I think I would’ve enjoyed the series otherwise.

The 2 stars are for Jimbo and Asa. And the relationship this little group had.

"Ebooks aren't real books."