How adorable!!! Although I have been living under somewhat of a rock in the book universe, Tweet Cute definitely caught my attention with it's 4 stars
How adorable!!! Although I have been living under somewhat of a rock in the book universe, Tweet Cute definitely caught my attention with it's promise of You've Got Mail vibes with added Twitter banter. The second point it definitely delivered 100% on, while the first was more like a hint than super duper vibes.
But still, the ship is super cute, and the premise - while a little flawed, because, come on, Pepper's mother leaving social media for a big corporate to her teenage daughter, was a little sus - was instantly entertaining and engaging. Though there are some predictable twists and turns, it's a great feel-good read that for me is perfect for the summer or basically any other time of year.
Also BAKING. So many references to BAKING. So of course, I also decided to bake all of the things. Book got me drooling like...
As a last note, I love these characters. I felt those panicking-about-the-future vibes, Pepper in all her overachieving glory, and Jack feeling like he'd forever be in his brother's shadow. Very relatable for me, so that definitely helped....more
Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Great story with great themes and layers of meaning. Lyra is a delight - stubborn and persistent, smart and in4.5 stars
Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Great story with great themes and layers of meaning. Lyra is a delight - stubborn and persistent, smart and insightful. Also excellent as an audiobook, with a full cast of very talented voice actors.
I can't believe it took me this long to read this. Shame, Debby. Shame....more
That was just such wonderful, happy-making fluff! Honestly, this is exactly what I want from a summer read: it's light, not too complicated, 4.5 stars
That was just such wonderful, happy-making fluff! Honestly, this is exactly what I want from a summer read: it's light, not too complicated, and it has so many moments that just put a goofy smile on your face.
To me, the highlight of this book, above the cute romance between Claudia and Gideon is actually the friendship between Claudia and Iris. Honestly, Iris is a perfectly flawed character. She's complicated, and has some autistic-like habits and behaviors. It pushes people away, because, honestly, why would you want to spend time with someone who seems to always be looking for something to insult or get annoyed with?
Okay, I'm gonna get real with you guys, but I identified with Iris quite a bit. Putting your foot in your mouth, saying things that come off way too harsh, and thereby pushing people away... I have been known to do all of those things. But Claudia is so patient and kind to her. She's honest and pushes back when necessary to make Iris aware of her behavior, but she doesn't run off. She sees the good and quirky charm in Iris and that makes their friendship so endearing. I honestly loved it. So so so much.
Gideon was adorable as well, it must be noted. I love his goofy habits, his space alien quirks. And I LOVED how he and Claudia got closer through (among other things) the MMORPG. I am so in love with fantasy MMORPGs, this was just catnip for my geekiness.
Anyway. This was all just really enjoyable: the romance, the friendships, the family scenes, the unabashed boyband fandom, the geeky gamer habits, the high school theater production... But I would read it all again just for Claudia and Iris. Seriously. So much love....more
That was DELIGHTFUL. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised by how awesome and amazing this book is. At the same time, I shouldn't be, because to up4.5 stars
That was DELIGHTFUL. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised by how awesome and amazing this book is. At the same time, I shouldn't be, because to upgrade Pride & Prejudice with DRAGONS means adding awesome to something already awesome!
But then again, when you have such retellings, there's always a chance that it'll feel cheap or unoriginal. That it's too much of a copy or that it strayed too FAR from the original.
Heartstone found exactly the right balance. It is absolutely faithful to the original - the bare bones of the story are all there, the characters of the story are all relatively the same, and the general vibe was very much comparable. But then there's added fantasy and magic and dragons. The characters are fiercer, and the women are stronger. I found it great from a feminist perspective. There's even some epic battles and danger and heartrending scenes that I just loved!
And Daired... Daired is a pretty nice Darcy. I did ship them. A lot.
I really appreciate the changes to Leyda and Wydrick, because she wasn't just a lovesick girl anymore. I felt so much for her desire for adventure and bravery, and I could perfectly understand where she was coming from. That made her way more sympathetic than in the original, tbh.
Anyway. I loved this book. Definitely one of the best I've read this year. And granted, there haven't been a lot, but still. It was really really really good....more
I couldn't help myself - I was on such a shipping high when I finished Every Breath that I had to dive into Every Word right away. And I regret5 stars
I couldn't help myself - I was on such a shipping high when I finished Every Breath that I had to dive into Every Word right away. And I regret nothing. This series is seriously shaping up to become one of my favorites.
Our heroes, Rachel Watts and James Mycroft, are back in another thrilling adventure that is equal parts intensely dark and incredibly sexy. At the end of Every Breath the ship was a definite THING and now sparks are flying all over the place. Seriously, someone give Ellie Marney all the awards for writing AMAZING kissing scenes. These two have electrifying chemistry, for serious. It's been a longgg time since I've been so infatuated with and flaily about a romance. They are gold. GOLD.
But it's not all sunshine and rainbows - oh no. Rachel's parents' disapproval of Mycroft notwithstanding, after a few chapters of shippy bliss, the plot blasts off and OH NO, Mycroft flies off to London to solve a murder that has some similarity to his parents' deaths. And he neglects to really let Rachel know about this at all, aside from what she later realizes was a kiss goodbye. She decides to follow him because he isn't always mentally stable when his parents are involved, and though that might sound a bit clingy and impulsive, it really is for the best. Rachel keeps Mycroft grounded.
And boy, he needs that, because Mycroft has some serious emotional issues in this book. He's obviously not coping well with the cold case of his parents' murders. He plays pretend to make people think he's all right, but Rachel can see through it all. He believes he's broken and the real James Mycroft died in that car accident with his parents. He believes Rachel deserves better than a broken person. THE PAIN. THE FREAKING PAIN. When all you want is for two characters to keep kissing and they have so much baggage between them that they refuse to? That hurts. (But no worries, seriously, there's more than enough really good kissing.)
*cough* But. Um. The story. Though it's maybe a bit beyond the realm of plausibility that an Australian pathologist would be called in for a carjacking death in England - and that he would be permitted to bring his (admittedly brilliant) teenage assistant with him - it was a great case to read and solve. I got serious Sherlock vibes off of some of the events, general atmosphere, and antagonists. You actually get glimpses of crime scene investigations and autopsies, so mystery fans will probably LOVE this.
And, oh boy, this book is intense. I can't even really go into it because of spoilers, but the mystery heats up and gets complicated, and our characters kind of face MORTAL PERIL. I felt VERY INTENSELY about all of this. It's like I was in the room with them, scared for them, and boy did I have to keep reading to find out how it all ends. Definitely more intense and thrilling than book 1, in the best possible way. And the set up for book 3? SO GOOD. Must read now.
At the end of the day, though, what I love most about this book are these characters and their beautiful romance. I'm not one for ships with a ton of baggage and drama, but believe me when I say that Mycroft's tortured past works for them. It's complicated, sure, but it's also extremely realistic. They really fight for their relationship and all the scary, heavy shit they went through in this book makes their relationship so much stronger. And they still have banter at the worst of times. And the kissing. Oh god, please keep kissing.
Summing Up:
This series is DOING THINGS TO ME. Wattscroft is dominating my life right now, and I regret nothing. Every Word has pretty much the perfect combination of Sherlock-like dark and thrilling mystery and oh so swoony romance. That all makes for a freaking addictive read that you won't want to put down for a second. I have gone down the rabbit hole and now I have no choice but to dive into Every Move right away. Oh and someone crown Ellie Marney Queen of Kissing Scenes, 'kay? 'kay.
On an absolute feels high, it was inevitable that I had to read Every Move immediately after Every Word, finishing my binge of what is now on4.5 stars
On an absolute feels high, it was inevitable that I had to read Every Move immediately after Every Word, finishing my binge of what is now one of my all-time favorite series. Intense action, thrills, and romance make for an addictive and engrossing read.
Holy intensity, Batman.Every Move pulls no punches. The stakes are high - like insanely high. After Every Word, I think it was generally understood that Wild is not a friendly guy... But in Every Move, he gets possibly even scarier. Murders start littering the streets of Melbourne, bodies resembling those of Rachel and Mycroft, sending a clear message that they are in danger. A secondary character who became super dear to my heart in this book ends up in mortal peril, and I felt like CRYING SO HARD FOREVER HARD. It was thrilling and action-packed, and obviously I needed to read it as quickly as humanly possible. Page turner? Absolutely.
And the climax packs a punch. Mycroft and Rachel aren't about to just go into hiding or surrender to Wild. With their keen wits and intellect, they find out what he's after, and there's one final dramatic showdown. It had me on the edge of my seat, and there were some Sherlock level mindfucks and traps, making this so entertaining to read.
No worries: the romance is still mega shippy. Yeah, it doesn't exactly start off well - Mycroft is consumed by his battle with Wild while Rachel is left dealing with PTSD after the events of Every Word. Mycroft doesn't really win any best boyfriend awards as far as that is concerned. But oh man, I was all about Rachel's character growth here. The PTSD stuff was for real, but she overcame it like a boss, while also reconciling with her mother (finally) and clearly fending off Harris's advances, because even though she and Mycroft hadn't been too close recently, that love is real. The two have so much dark shit to deal with, but they come together and are freaking unstoppable and so lovable. Maybe not enough kissing for me, but man oh man, there were plenty of feels.
So for all intents and purposes, this book was super feelsy and intense and I enjoyed every second of it - but there are two tiny things that keep me from giving it a full, perfect score. First, yeah, if you know Sherlock, you'll probably guess who the bad guy is. I knew instantly, though it wasn't at all that obvious. Second, oh my god, I'm so tried of YA mysteries hinging on the characters not trusting the police. I get that if they did inform them, they would get shut out of investigating, but seriously, the stakes were so high and the police had done a fine job protecting you thus far. I mean, the book was more exciting because they were on their own, but I don't feel like that's fully realistic. (Also, the fact that it was Rachel who lashed out and contacted Wild seemed really out of character to me.)
Summing Up:
Short but sweet - because how many more ways can I say that I love Every Move and this series? I'm only sad that it's over now, because I could read about more of Rachel and Mycroft's adventures until the end of time. This book was at times scary (murder!) and heavy (PTSD!) but so well-written and well-developed. These characters - the supporting cast as well - have imprinted on my heart, and I just cared so much about all of them. And at the center of it all is still that absolutely beautiful ship. Rachel and Mycroft 5ever!
First read: October 2016 Reread: January 2017 - because goddamn I needed happiness in my life.
5 stars
That. Was. Spectacular.
Like, picture the best everFirst read: October 2016 Reread: January 2017 - because goddamn I needed happiness in my life.
5 stars
That. Was. Spectacular.
Like, picture the best ever execution of the hate-to-love romance trope and this is THAT good. Hate-to-love office romance is just the best thing in the world. The chemistry. The banter. The sexual tension. Oh my god, I ate it all up in no time flat.
Josh is just beyond dreamy. He can be scary intense, and may be a bit too much of a jealous monster at times, but he's also the biggest sweetheart. Lucy is the embodiment of the Shakespeare quote, "Though she be but little, she is fierce." She takes no shit from anybody, and she is going to take the publishing world by storm.
I loved all of it. The hateful games. The banter. The way Josh cared for Lucy while she was sick. The insanely hot elevator kiss. And the way their relationship definitely became legitimate and meaningful as they got to know each other. I called the few "surprises" at the end from a mile away, but I didn't even care, because the execution was all 100% brilliant.
Will be reread a hundred times over. Can I have this author's next books NOW please?
I was already a fan of Emma Mills's first book, First & Then. It was cute and happy and romantic, and so I thought, this is an author I s4.5 stars
I was already a fan of Emma Mills's first book, First & Then. It was cute and happy and romantic, and so I thought, this is an author I should keep an eye on. I did NOT think that she would level up so supremely for her sophomore title. This Adventure Ends is heartfelt, lovely, and so, so meaningful.
Sloan is a soul friend. I mean this in the sense of the side characters that she befriends, but also because she's such an understandable and relatable character. Her voice is awesome, and her personality is one that just instantly draws you (and other people) to her. She's fiercely loyal, she has a strong sense of justice, she has a keen sense of empathy, and she has more feelings than she really knows what to do with. She doesn't see her own value that much though. Only when befriending this group in Florida does she get the appreciation she truly deserves. And that kind of story will always be keenly relevant to me. I can't help but feel all the feels, and yes, I had tears in my eyes.
Friendship is awesome. If you need a good friendship story, this is probably one of the best ones I can recommend. It's comforting in that even though Sloan is almost done with school, and she's moved - become the new kid at the last second - she still finds amazing people who like and accept her, actually more so than any of her friends before then. Are you tired of the bitchy best friend trope? Here. Vera is an AMAZING friend. Like, legit amazing. She's a social media celebrity almost, but she's so down-to-earth, likable, and nice. Her brother is ah-may-zing, but we'll get to that. And the group as a whole just has a great dynamic, great banter, and awesome parties. There is a bit of admittedly predictable drama, but the story is overwhelmingly a happy one.
Fandom in a book. Sloan's father is a force to be reckoned with. He's a best-selling author (basically a fictional Nicholas Sparks) who's in a writing rut. Then he discovers a teenage werewolves TV series, and he gets sucked into fandom. There are so many fun references and geeky moments. Honestly, Sloan and her dad have such a wonderful relationship - even though her family is in a rocky place. They have such awesome goofy, geeky moments that just made me even happier.
This ship is amazing. It's a slow slow burn, so you've been warned. But the flip side is that you'll easily get so addicted to the whole story, that you'll breeze through the book and get to the feels in no time. I had those feels. Seriously. Mills hit all the right notes for me. There was attraction, banter, denial, nervousness, but above all a deep level of caring for each other. It made my heart soar.
Summing Up:
This Adventure Ends is absolutely lovely, adorable, introspective, and heartfelt. Sloan is a realistic and relatable character that I instantly connected with and felt validated through. And this story had it all: friendship adventures, personal growth, and a wonderful romance. The second I finished this book, I went to my computer and pre-ordered it. That's just about the biggest ringing endorsement I can give. This one's a keeper. One I will definitely read more often.
*An electronic advance review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contents of the review.
I really, really enjoyed this book - perhaps to a surprising degree. It was smart, relatable (as someone marginally involved in the book worl4.5 stars
I really, really enjoyed this book - perhaps to a surprising degree. It was smart, relatable (as someone marginally involved in the book world), fun, and hot. In new adult, I'm not looking for much more than that.
Blake and Amanda had a great dose of chemistry and a wonderful, slow-burn transition from hate to friends with benefits to love. There was so much banter and nerdiness, my shipping heart completely ate it all up. And I mean, hot stuff... in a library. What more could you want?
I also want to praise this book on its fierce stance on liking what you like without shame. There really is nothing wrong with reading erotica or just plain reading for entertainment without any deeper symbolic or literary meaning. Nor is there anything wrong with writing it.
This book made my heart happy and beat faster. Very, very enjoyable....more
That was absolutely adorable. Like, if you're ever in the mood for a book that's so cute and bantery that you just devolve into giggles and unc4 stars
That was absolutely adorable. Like, if you're ever in the mood for a book that's so cute and bantery that you just devolve into giggles and uncontrollable smiling, you should pick this one up.
Loved the slow burn friends-to-lovers romance - which, you'll know, is my jam. Oliver is absolute magic. Like, when June literally says, "Oliver is everything," I just nodded emphatically because OLIVER IS EVERYTHING. So handsome and positive and happiness-inducing.
There was a spot of unnecessary drama at the end, but I'll excuse it. Aside from the awesome romance, I loved the nostalgic high school feels as well. And I related to the whole question of whether or not any part of high school truly matters. This could be an awesome teen feel-good movie. Like I hope that happens someday. Seriously.
Well that was some adorable, geeky, shippy goodness. ♥ Seriously, there have been a lot of these YA contemporary romances recently with a gee4.5 stars
Well that was some adorable, geeky, shippy goodness. ♥ Seriously, there have been a lot of these YA contemporary romances recently with a geek angle - but this is by far the best one till now. Like, the characters are in a super elite prep school, they've all got crazy high IQs, their lives are homework and geek fandom.
This is it.
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This book is like basically me in high school/college? I adored all the fandom references because I caught like all of them, and you could just tell that it's written by someone who truly GETS it. Totally geeky and unapologetic. Because fandom is cool and you can deal with it.
And then there's the ship.
It's a hate-to-love ship, because obviously this book was made for me. It started off a little scary because dude has an unfortunate facial hair situation, but then it's this slow build of shippy moments and little touches and glances and ugh. It's so adorable, I could just die.
Yeah. This book made me intensely happy. Banterfluff to the max. Voicey, geeky, nerdy, shippy, and cool. Maybe a little cliché here and there but whatevs. I was entertained....more
I love this book so much. And it's number one selling point is the characters. Damn, I love those Crows. They're all so lovable, unique, dynami5 stars
I love this book so much. And it's number one selling point is the characters. Damn, I love those Crows. They're all so lovable, unique, dynamic, vibrant... I honestly love each and every one of them.
The story's just as good as the first one, though the scheme is even more deceptive and intricate, actually. And DARK. That really made the later half of the story super engaging and interesting.
The only thing that slowed me is the flashbacks. I kind of had this in the first book too, but it didn't bother me as much because I was getting to know the characters for the first time anyway. But in this book as well, even as the story builds to an intricate heist or scheme, Bardugo interjects with flashbacks (one even had a flashback in a flashback - flashbackception). And again, love the characters, so every detail about them is awesome, but it did slow momentum here and there for me.
Also. Miss Bardugo. I feel like having words with you. Because I am upset. (view spoiler)[Matthias? Seriously? How could you?! That was MY SHIP. (hide spoiler)]
You know how sometimes you pick up just the right book at exactly the right time? That was Anne of Green Gables for me. Despite it being a clas4 stars
You know how sometimes you pick up just the right book at exactly the right time? That was Anne of Green Gables for me. Despite it being a classic - which fails for me more often than not - I couldn't resist picking this book up after seeing some of my friends still raving about it and this supposedly awesome ship that happens in the series. I'm so glad it was selected for book club. This book is absolutely DELIGHTFUL.
To put things in context, I picked up Anne of Green Gables to read after a death in the family. It wasn't someone I was super close to, but feelings of grief crept into my heart anyway, and I was haunted by the mortality of humans. WELL that sounds pretty dark, huh? Anne is the exact right kind of happiness to brush all of that away. Right from the start, her voice JUMPED off the page. I was greeted by this too-adorable-for-words 11 year old who is just so fascinated by the world around her, the endless possibilities, and the places her imagination can take her. She reeked of LIFE. I swear, I fell in love with her right away.
Anne is an 11 year old orphan who gets adopted by an elderly farmer and his sister - by mistake. They were actually hoping for a boy, so he could help out on the farm. This isn't ideal - and originally they intend to send Anne back. But then as Matthew takes Anne home, he is enchanted by her cheerful chatter and can't stand the thought of breaking her heart. Marilla is a little more stern... but before long Anne worms her way into her heart as well. Anne will have the same effect on almost all readers. She's just so fascinating and creative. She's inspiring in how she looks at the world and finds beauty in almost everything. She's over-dramatic in a super charming way. She can be a typical kid, with tantrums, stubbornness, and drama, but it fits so well into her character that you basically want to reach through the page and give her a hug no matter what.
I can imagine that some people, who aren't character-focused (or voice-focused) readers might find this book a little hard to get through. It can seem a bit aimless as there aren't really big conflicts in the book (it's more of a slice-of-life style novel), and it takes place over five years with some awkward and hasty seeming time jumps. You really are just watching Anne grow up. And if you don't like her voice, you may find the pages upon pages of straight dialogue (or, actually, monologues) tedious. But I was fascinated and enchanted. Just reading Anne's quirky and adorable words put a goofy grin on my face and had me cracking up more than once. And that's exactly what I needed.
And for the heavy shippers among us - there is definite hope, though given Anne's age nothing really happens yet. At the beginning of the story she gets a rival and an "enemy" in Gilbert Blythe, who calls her "Carrots" for her red hair. The shipping started then and basically never stopped. It's just adorable childhood love - though Anne is so stubborn that she insists she hates him for the length of the story. It's not hard for readers to see through that though, and that just means there's some slow-burn goodness happening here. Must pick up the next book ASAP!!!
Summing Up:
Anne of Green Gables is happiness. Plain and simple. Seriously, Anne's voice is AMAZING - filled with hope, happiness, and life. And that's just what I needed. It's been ages since I fell so deeply in love with a main character. I would adopt her if I could. Yes, long run, story-wise, not much happens, but I enjoyed this book thoroughly. And now I must have more Anne and Gilbert Blythe foreverrrrrrrrr ♥
Don't think I'll write a full review, but this book was absolutely delightful. One of the best NA novels I've ever read. I was giggling, swoo4.5 stars
Don't think I'll write a full review, but this book was absolutely delightful. One of the best NA novels I've ever read. I was giggling, swooning, and awwing. The ship is full of banter, hotness, and slow burn goodness. There is actual depth and character growth. And though this book does do some of the typical NA stuff (i.e. everyone has a dark, traumatic past) it does it do much better than all the others - with realism and actual meaningful development.
The Rose and the Dagger was one of my most anticipated books of 2016, being that it followed the flawless and engrossing The Wrath and the Dawn5 stars
The Rose and the Dagger was one of my most anticipated books of 2016, being that it followed the flawless and engrossing The Wrath and the Dawn, one of my favorite books of 2015. Honestly, words will never really do it justice. This book - and this series - is wholly unique. So much so that I finished it thinking, "OH MY GOD SO PERFECT SO MANY FEELINGS," and yet any time I thought, "Well, I should write that review," I was kind of left speechless. So I'm going to keep it short. This book is great.
Reasons why you should totally read The Wrath and the Dawn duology, like right now:
- Renée Ahdieh's writing is absolutely to die for. She weaves magic into her world so flawlessly, while you still see the definite links to our own world and Middle Eastern mythology. And overall it has just the right amount of embellishment to draw you in, to the point where you'll never want to put the book down. It's reminiscent of Laini Taylor, Libba Bray, and Samantha Shannon - and if you know anything about me, you know that that's just about the highest compliment I can give.
- Shazi is a feminist icon and totally badass. Though she does not kick ass physically, she demands respect and admiration the instant she walks into a room. Her values are strong and true, she fights endlessly for what she believes in, and it's not hard to see why she would have multiple suitors. And she's so SMART. This series gets pretty political at times, but Shazi knows how to play the game and get the opposition on their knees.
- Khalid. If you ever like the mysterious, dark, broody type, you need to meet Khalid, because I don't think I've ever seen someone do it better than him. Honestly, he nails it. And the chemistry he has with Shazi is amazing. Every time they're together, it's like fire erupts on the page. And though things are at times tough for them in this book, you will have feelings all over the place. Do not worry about a love triangle situation. Technically it is one, but it's so easy to ignore because everything pales in comparison to Khalid and Shazi.
- FEELINGS. This book in particular is quite brutal. It will jerk you up to high highs with new characters you grow to love, beautiful romance, old characters you learn to love even more -- and then it will drag you into the depths of despair because WAR is brewing and not everyone makes it out okay.
- Because I said so. There.
Summing Up:
Yes, arguably it's been too long since I read this book, so I can't go into the itty bitty details. But the simple fact that I want to convey to you now is that I loved every single page of this book, it took me on an emotional joy ride, and it was utterly beautiful from start to finish. I will be stalking this author for any new writing. Heck, I'll take a grocery list - anything.
Since reading Since You've Been Gone, Morgan Matson has pretty much gotten on my auto-buy author list. Especially when h4.5 stars, rounded up just cuz
Since reading Since You've Been Gone, Morgan Matson has pretty much gotten on my auto-buy author list. Especially when her covers turn out to be LITERALLY CUTE AS PUPPIES - LIKE, WITH ACTUAL PUPPIES. I mean, I couldn't picture a book more fluffy and all about summer fun times - and that's exactly what this book was. It was DELIGHTFUL.
The Unexpected Everything is about Andie, the daughter of a Congressman, who has always been about intense future plans living up to the stringent ideals that her dad's job kind of foists upon her. So her plan for the summer was to do a pre-med camp, until a scandal in her father's office gets her admission revoked. Now for basically the first time ever, she's stuck operating without a plan. She gets a dog walking job - possibly the lowest thing she thought she could resort to but grows to truly love it. And she gets to experience the freedom and fun of summertime without stressing about how it all looks on her resumé.
Primarily, the happy fun times that Andie experiences involve Clark. Holy crap guys. I have found a new book boyfriend, and he is raising the bar on the rest of them. I loved Clark from the instant he turned up with his geeky sci-fi shirts and his clear nerves and embarrassment around Andie. He is TOTALLY adorable. I loved how he just didn't conform to any of Andie's expectations. She doesn't really do relationships longer than 3 weeks and is used to it always being shallow "let's-get-to-the-making-out" stuff. Clark is so not about that. After an awkward first date, he makes her lower her guard and I was shipping it SO HARD. And it turns out he's a WRITER. The scenes where they tell stories together were seriously some of my favorite in YA romance ever. And the end? Freaking. Gold.
There's also a surprisingly touching father-daughter relationship in this book. If you know me, you know that's my jam. But honestly, they put tears in my eyes. Andie and her dad start off basically estranged from each other - him having mostly lived in DC for the past 5 years since her mother passed and she being used to basically having free reign on how she lives her life. But with both of them home for the summer, they are confronted with the uncomfortable distance between them and start to really get to know each other again - slowly but surely. There were so many adorable moments, with them geeking out about Clark's books together, having their movie marathons, doing the scavenger hunt together... So feelsy. It makes me want to fly over to my dad and give him a great big hug.
And the friendship in this is pretty ace as well. You can tell that Andie's best friends have really become her family. They have this understanding of each other that's so thorough and heartfelt. All of their adventures and conversations are a blast. One particular highlight is the aforementioned scavenger hunt that Palmer arranges. That scene just encompassed the glory and happiness of summers in high school and I was basically reading it with the biggest grin ever.
Now you may think it sounds like this book doesn't have too much of a plot, and you're not wrong. In fact, with this book being over 500 pages, it's almost surprising how engaging, compelling, and addictive it is to read despite the fact that there's no one big central conflict or story arc. It really just captures that glory of summertime. But that is the reason why this doesn't quite get the perfect rating. And when everything falls apart about 70 pages from the end? That just felt weird and made me unnecessarily antsy. But whatever, the ending was great, partially unexpected, but truly realistic.
Summing Up:
The Unexpected Everything was basically everything I expected. (I can't not, I make no apologies, I REGRET NOTHING.) It's funny, happy, fluffy, truly romantic, heartwarming, and wonderful. I got completely addicted to this one and blew right through it in spite of its 500+ pages. Honestly, this book could have been 700 pages and I still wouldn't be able to get enough. Clark is officially one of my favorite book boyfriends of all time, and the relationship between Andie and her father gave me all of the feels. I will be sure to revisit this book any time I want a reminder of what summer happiness truly feels like.
She did it again. I don't know how she does it, to be honest. Time and time again, Kasie West writes absolute, pure magic. And despite having l5 stars
She did it again. I don't know how she does it, to be honest. Time and time again, Kasie West writes absolute, pure magic. And despite having loved all of her books until now, she blew me away with By Your Side, which, I think, has definitely taken her to the next level.
By Your Side starts off as the exact perfect cuteness that all your hopeless romantic dreams are made of: a boy and a girl trapped together in a library for three days. It's the middle of winter, so it's cold, so obviously we should like snuggle. Though the boy in this case is distant and at first loathes making any connection with people, with such a situation it's unavoidable. Feelings... blossom.
But then that part ends. BOOM. And we hadn't exactly gotten to the intensely shippy phase yet. It'd all been about that romantic build up though, without much focus on character depth. So I thought, I was definitely enjoying it 100%, but it may end up being a book that's "just" cute.
I was dead wrong.
This book has the depth you're looking for. Autumn actually suffers from anxiety, and the book tackles her disorder in the best possible way. It's not very heavy, it's definitely still light and swoony, but it's completely realistic. And it has such brilliant insights into how her anxiety affects her. How she doesn't want people to treat her differently, but sometimes, she needs that special treatment so she's given the space to relax. How she doesn't want to disappoint people by flaking on plans or saying no, but in her case, she really needs to listen to what's good for HER. And that when figuring out which boy she should actually be with... she needs to pick the one who makes her feel comfortable and at ease, instead of on edge and panicky. Oh my gosh, how I love this little book so.
I flailed. I swooned. I had butterflies. I had tears in my eyes. This book is the total package, guys.
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*An electronic advance review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contents of the review....more
Anytime a new Kasie West book is on the horizon, I get tingly and excited and just cannot even bare the wait. It was about 10 5 STARS ALL OF THE STARS
Anytime a new Kasie West book is on the horizon, I get tingly and excited and just cannot even bare the wait. It was about 10 times worse for P.S. I Like You, though. The title alone made me excited, the blurb got me bouncing in my chair, and when I got to post the cover reveal, I damn near fainted. IT WAS SO CUTE, THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY THE BOOK FOR ME -- and I was so right. This book is a new favorite.
P.S. I Like You, at its essence, is You've Got Mail - only my favorite romcom of all time - meets Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Does that give you an idea of how adorable this book is? Good. Because seriously. It's perfection. Lily gets an anonymous pen pal in her chemistry class after writing some lyrics on her desk, and suddenly chemistry becomes the highlight of her day (miracles do happen). Slowly they get to know each other... and feelings follow shortly after that.
The magic of Kasie West is that she writes ships like almost no one else. This one is particularly fun, because you spend the first part of the book trying to figure out who the anonymous pen pal is. I had my suspect pretty quickly, and when certain events transpired between them in real life (not in the letters) the ship hit me like a ton of bricks. From that point on it was just so much cuteness and so many adorable, bantery moments, and I definitely got to ACTUALLY PHYSICAL FLAILING LEVELS because this book just plays on all of my favorite tropes and I could not handle the feels. As far as YA contemporary romances go, I'm not sure it gets much better than this for me.
The other thing that Kasie always excels at is family dynamics. Seriously, Lily lives in a crazy house where she can scarcely get a moment's peace - which she needs, as her hobby is songwriting. But her family is so kooky and fun. Her parents compete in everything, getting the family to vote on competing pies, DIY jewelry, you name it. Her three siblings cause chaos, but are absolutely adorable. At the end of the day, all of them go out of their way to help each other. It just all felt so real, if not idyllic, and heartwarming.
I'm a music person, and I adore having music play a role in books, so I loved Lily's songwriting. She has a really alternative, indie vibe, and that's what brings her and her mystery guy together in the first place. But she has never finished a song before. The book actually shows the songwriting process pretty well, as Lily gets inspired by her pen pal's family struggles to write a song which she wants to enter in a competition to win a cash prize and songwriting lessons. She's shy and nervous to share her music with people even though she's so passionate about it, and that's something I could definitely relate to.
As for the rest... There is some minor mean girl drama, but not so much that I was really bothered by it. At the end of the day, Lily's not fussed about popularity and what other people think of her. She is confronted with the fact that she may rush to judgment at times and that she needs to be a little more open-minded. But she has a very authentic voice that just comes with a few natural flaws. I loved the bond with her best friend, because they were just so caring and pure towards each other. I need more healthy friendships like that in YA.
Summing Up:
It shouldn't really surprise you, but Kasie West did it again. She writes absolute magic. This one was particularly adorable, banter-filled, and hilarious. I got completely absorbed by it and couldn't help but finish it all in one day. It just played on my favorite tropes, and it was completely reminiscent of my favorite movie, You've Got Mail. P.S. I Like You is going on my all-time favorites list, and I will surely be reading it again and again.
Oh man, oh man, oh man. File under: most exciting giveaway winnings ever, because I can't even begin to describe how lucky I feel that I got to5 stars
Oh man, oh man, oh man. File under: most exciting giveaway winnings ever, because I can't even begin to describe how lucky I feel that I got to read this masterpiece early. Yeah, it probably will surprise basically no one to hear that I fell in love with yet another book by V.E. Schwab. A Gathering of Shadows actually cements A Darker Shade of Magic as one of my all-time favorite series.
If you liked A Darker Shade of Magic, it will probably please you immensely to hear that Schwab excellently continued her tradition of nailing all of the elements that make up this book. The world building, already awesome and intriguing in the first book, gets even more elaborate and interesting. With Lila free in Red London to do whatever the hell she wants, she logically chooses to join a ship's crew as their main thief and thus discover seas around the kingdom of Arnes. This means more culture, more language, more dynamic, interesting characters... (Including the oh-so charming Alucard who will appeal to any and all fans of the pirate archetype.) I honestly couldn't wait to read more and more about her adventures - her part of the story almost becoming more interesting than Kell's.
There's also a shit ton more magic in this one, partly because Lila slowly but surely learns about her own powers and how to control the elements, and partly because the main event of A Gathering of Shadows is a magical tournament in which champions of the three nations battle with each other for honor and glory. I absolutely loved those battles. They were written so fluidly and described so elegantly. It reminded me of Avatar: The Last Airbender with all the elemental magic, and I could picture it all too easily in my mind. So if you're looking for action scenes, believe me, this book has got them.
And then of course there are the characters and their development. Well, they all become a lot more interesting and dynamic - largely as a result of the conclusion of the first book. There is some friction between Kell and Rhy as their relationship is infinitely more complicated, and across the board Kell is not really looked upon favorably by the citizens of Red London and the royal family. There's some angst happening there, but Kell's also definitely growing stronger and he feels a growing urge to fight and play with magic. Lila comes into her own in this foreign world and she just kept impressing me. Honestly, she's a motherfucking QUEEN in this book - strong, reckless, and definitely no damsel in distress. We're also introduced to a couple of new characters: the smooth and intriguing Alucard, the crew of the Night Spire, and the other competitors in the Essen Tasch - and of those, my love for Alucard knows basically no bounds (and I'm desperate to learn more about him).
If you are a shippity ship person, like me, you will also probably be very very pleased with A Gathering of Shadows, because, yeah, okay, even though Kell and Lila are separated for the majority of the book, THAT FREAKING CHEMISTRY YO. Seriously, any time one of them thought about the other, my heart lurched in my chest. And when they were together, it was basically perfect. They compliment each other so well, understand each other so well, and it's not at all sappy. They challenge each other in the best ways and honestly I need more and more scenes with the two of them together. It will never be enough. BUT. There's also a second, minor shippity ship that KIND of came out of no where, but I KIND of saw coming in all of the best ways ever. I will not mention names because spoilers, but seriously. V Schwab is an evil genius.
Most of her evil, though, shows in the ending. My heart was pounding in my chest, tears were welling up, and I just tore through the pages to the end. The stakes are inconceivably high. Schwab is a genius and a madman. I am so invested in these characters and this world that it's basically consuming my heart and soul.
Summing Up:
My love for Victoria Schwab knows no bounds, and basically A Gathering of Shadows is perfection. There's really something for everyone: a stunning world, pirate-y adventures, genderbending, elemental magic, royal balls(!), complex family dynamics, romantic flutterings, and a slowly building plot with an ominous antagonist scheming from the shadows that will have you turning pages as quick as you possibly can. Now the wait is on for book 3. Oh god. I need it so badly.
Uprooted is one of those books that had a pretty quiet release, but then a massive tidal wave of hype in the book blogging community. People 4.5 stars
Uprooted is one of those books that had a pretty quiet release, but then a massive tidal wave of hype in the book blogging community. People who know me probably know that hype and I aren't exactly friends. And I feel like the book would have benefited if I waited a year or so to read this, so that some of those hyped thoughts would have faded from my mind. So ultimately though I won't praise this book as utter perfection, I think it is a brilliant book that is worth reading. Just.. maybe not quite at all-of-the-feels level.
Uprooted is another fantasy take on Beauty and the Beast. And boy, there are a lot of those out there, aren't there? But believe me when I say that Uprooted is well and truly a unique read. It's filled with magic and lore, a main character who grows from ignorance to a force to be reckoned with, and within one standalone novel it packs a powerful story arc with a war against the magical wood corrupting the world. The writing is noteworthy too - lush and full of rich detail. Much of the story played out like a movie in my mind, and so I can't wait for this to be adapted to the silver screen.
Agnieszka, the main character, is handpicked from the villages of the valley to live with the Dragon - a wizard (not an actual dragon) who protects the valley from the wood. The wood has many fearsome creatures but is particularly fearful for how it can corrupt human beings. Being in the presence of the wood, the wood can start to control the minds of the people, and it uses them to make the people fight to extinction. There's magic and mystery there that make this a very thorough and creative novel.
While Agnieszka is with the Dragon, she discovers that she in fact possesses magic and can fight back against the wood. The system of magic is incredibly intriguing. The Dragon is very much a by-the-books type, his magic being the product of hundreds of years of study, but Agnieszka is more the natural type. Certain words speak and call to her, in a way that doesn't make sense to the Dragon. It fits her character: stubborn and messy, but filled with good intentions. Gradually they find out that with their two types of magic combined, they are a dream fighting (and healing) team - a good thing too, because the threat of the wood is rising, Agnieszka's own friend Kasia having been corrupted.
While Uprooted is mostly (I believe) being promoted as a young adult novel (at least with respect to the main character's age, it would definitely qualify), it very much reads like an adult novel. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but not something that I really expected. The book read so slowly to me. It took me ages to get through it. I only managed like 40 pages in my hour and a half commute. Now, that's partially my own fault, but it did mean it took me ages to really get into the story. It's not fully action-packed, and there's a lot of development of the world (which is ace) and Agnieszka as a character (who is awesome). If you do read this book, it might be a good idea to just set some evenings aside where you can read many pages in single sittings - I did so for the last 80 pages and was infinitely more thrilled by its magnificence. Granted, that last part also had way more action and higher stakes (SO MANY DEATHS WTF), so I pretty much had to keep reading anyway.
I do feel like the massive hype that this book got kind of put a damper on my enthusiasm, to be honest, particularly with respect to the romance. Like with A Court of Thorns and Roses, I can't help but compare this to Cruel Beauty - which I think I can definitively say is the best take on Beauty and the Beast that I've read. It's ruined me for other books (*dramatic sob*) particularly with the gloriousness that is Nyx and Ignifex. Since people were raving so much about the ship in Uprooted, I kept waiting to have all the feelings about their perfection together and it didn't quite get there. I mean, at the end of the day, I like the ship a lot, but the book didn't spend all too much time on the romance, choosing instead to go for an intricate and unique fantasy plot. And that was pretty much near perfect, but it did mean I didn't get the romantic feels that I was expecting.
The ship is good - but at the beginning I was really hesitant by how the Dragon constantly insulted Agnieszka for being a "stupid idiot". He treats her with pretty much zero kindness, so I was off the bat questioning it, like, "Umm, I'm supposed to ship this?" As time passes, he gets a little bit less gruff, and Agnieszka manages to see through some of his other rough edges, realizing that he's doing that to prevent himself from making connections to other people and the valley in particular. So at the very end, I was a bit charmed by his irritability. When they practice magic together, there's a clear connection and chemistry between the two that is quite palpable. And when they did get to kissing it was really good kissing, but still. It was not exactly all of the feels-ville for me. Perhaps on a reread, with my knowledge of the Dragon and his ways, it would be.
Summing Up:
Curse you, hype machine, for making me expect a novel of 100% perfection!!! But seriously, Uprooted is a great book. My high expectations aside, it's loaded with fantasy brilliance, a unique storyline, a main character to root for, writing to write home about, and a gradual romance that is quite beautiful. It's a bit of a slower read (at least for me) but definitely worth it. I only really wish... there had been a map. *map obsessed* *cries about lack of map*
GIF it to me straight!
[image] Full of memory... and anger.
Recommended To:
Fans of Beauty and the Beast retellings, Crimson Bound, and Sarah J. Maas....more
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