Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Review: Playlist for the Dead by Michelle Falkoff

Book Title: Playlist for the Dead
Author: Michelle Falkoff
Published Date:  January 27th, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA Contemporary
Standalone
Book Link: Goodreads

Synopsis from Goodreads:
A teenage boy tries to understand his best friend's suicide by listening to the playlist of songs he left behind in this smart, voice-driven debut novel.

Here's what Sam knows: There was a party. There was a fight. The next morning, his best friend, Hayden, was dead. And all he left Sam was a playlist of songs, and a suicide note: For Sam—listen and you'll understand.

As he listens to song after song, Sam tries to face up to what happened the night Hayden killed himself. But it's only by taking out his earbuds and opening his eyes to the people around him that he will finally be able to piece together his best friend’s story. And maybe have a chance to change his own.

Part mystery, part love story, and part coming-of-age tale in the vein of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Tim Tharp’s The Spectacular NowPlaylist for the Dead is an honest and gut-wrenching first novel about loss, rage, what it feels like to outgrow a friendship that's always defined you—and the struggle to redefine yourself. But above all, it's about finding hope when hope seems like the hardest thing to find.

Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Review:
I love music, so I was excited to read this book once I realized that music played a significant part in the story. Unfortunately, even with a kick ass playlist, this book let me down in a big way.

I could tell almost immediately that this book was going to be a letdown for me, and yet I continued to read it. I kept thinking that it would get better, these characters would get more interesting, I would get more invested, but it just never happened and I finished the book feeling like I just wasted my time.

I was expecting this book to be chock full of feels, but it wasn't. I was expecting to sympathize with Sam, but I didn't. I was expecting to be blown away by the writing, and I wasn't. It hate it when that happens

Sam would have been a better character if he had been fleshed out more. I didn't care enough about him to even pay attention to him. I didn't care about Astrid, and the mystery of what happened that night and how Hayden came to kill himself was not was compelling as I was hoping it would be.

I really only finished this book because of the music. The writing style was strange and the characters were very poorly developed. I can't even recommend this book, that's how disappointed I was in it. It had so much potential and it just didn't live up to it. I am giving this book 2 stars.

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Stacking the Shelves #65

This feature comes from Tynga's Reviews.

Hi guys, I know I haven't done a haul post in awhile. In the past few weeks, I received several e-ARCs, from both Edelweiss & NetGalley. I also received a physical ARC from Bloomsbury.

I also got my Book Outlet order finally. I made the order on the day after Black Friday, and they were very backed up. 

I received my TBTBSanta package as well this month and it had so many awesome goodies. I received The Assassin's Blade, Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight & Heir of Fire, all of them in glorious hard-back, so thank you bunches, Emily!

 I also received my OTSPSecretSister package and in it was a signed copy of The Young Elites. This surprise came a few days after making the arrangements with another blogger, Alexa, to get yet another copy of The Young Elites. So now I have TWO copies of The Young Elites. Since I loved this book so much, I'm thrilled to have 2 copies of it. 

Let's see what landed on my shelves recently.

Bought
All These Lives by Sarah Wylie
You Look Different In Real Life by Jennifer Castle
 
How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer
Anomaly (Anomaly #1) by Krista McGee
 
Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer
Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton
Everbound (Everneath #2) by Brodi Ashton
Evertrue (Everneath #3) by Brodi Ashton
The Brokenhearted (The Brokenhearted #1) by Amelia Kahaney
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Ashes to Ashes (Ashes to Ashes #1) by Melissa Walker
Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes
The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles #1) by Mary E. Pearson
The Fox Inheritance (Jenna Fox Chronicles #2) by Mary E. Pearson
 
Fox Forever (Jenna Fox Chronicles #3) by Mary E. Pearson
Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell

Received for Review
-Edelweiss-
Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
The Cage (The Cage #1) by Megan Shepherd
Paperweight by Meg Haston
Tiny Pretty Things by Sonia Charaiportra & Dhonielle Clayton
The Revenge Playbook by Rachael Allen
The Replaced (The Taking #2) by Kimberly Derting

-From the Publisher-
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses1 #1) by Sarah J. Maas

-Netgalley-
One of the Guys by Lisa Aldin

Gifted
The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1) by Marie Lu

The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass #0.1-0.5) by Sarah J. Maas
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas
Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas

1Let me know if you've read any of these or if you are planning to. Don't forget to leave the links to your posts, in the comments section.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Holiday Greetings, Lists & Reading Slumps

Hi guys! 

If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you are able to spend some time with loved ones this year. If you don't celebrate Christmas, I still hope you've been able to spend time with loved ones during the month of December. If not, I hope you've been able to read a ton of books in December, and feel free to tell me all about what you are reading in the comments below. 

I've been dealing with a bit of a genre specific slump. It figures that just when I got A Court of Thorns and Roses by S. J. Maas, I ended up with a serious fantasy slump. So I had to put it down and return to my first love, contemporary. So I'm currently reading and enjoying Things We Know By Heart by Jessi Kirby. I am eagerly awaiting that moment when I am desperate to pick up ACOTAR again.

I also wanted to do some lists. A few top 5 lists in this post for categories I was thinking about. Plus I love making lists.

Top Five Favorite Female Characters I met in 2014
Adelina- The Young Elites by Marie Lu
Joise Moraine- Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Lia- The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
Lara Jean- To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
Joy- Stronger Than You Know by Jolene Perry

Top Five Favorite Male Characters I met in 2014
Max- The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
Alex- Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller
Ignifex- Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Bodee- Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens
Rafe- The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Top Five Hidden Gems of 2014
Pointe by Brandy Colbert
Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Taley
The Half Life of Molly Pierce by Katrina Leno
Beware the Wild by Natalie C, Parker
17 First Kisses by Rachael Allen

I don't know how much I'll be around in the next week or so, and I'm not sure how much action the blog will have on it. Next week is also my birthday, so I'll get double the family time, so YAY. My brother's birthday is tomorrow, so we will not only be celebrating Christmas, but my brother's 14th birthday as well.

Feel free to comment on my lists and tell me if there are any that you agree or disagree with.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

TTT: Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me This Year

This feature is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

So my list ended up being double what it should have been. I ended up doing ten books that were already released as well as ten books that have not been released yet. Most of these have appeared on other TTT lists recently.

Keep reading to see what books I want Santa to bring me this year.

Books that are already released
 
Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn
This book was awesome and it screams summer. I cannot wait for the next book and I wish it would hurry up already.
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
I fell head over heels in love with this cover and I am so excited to read her next book, Crimson Bound. I need a copy of Cruel Beauty for my shelves.
Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Easily one of my favorite thrillers, if not my absolute favorite thriller, this year. I need a copy of this book for my bookshelves.
Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang
Now this book was one of those books where you wonder what you are doing with your life because the author for this book is still in High School. Absolutely insane. I loved this book and I need a copy of it.
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
This book was one of my two favorite Fantasy reads of 2014. I am so excited to see where this series goes next.
Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz
This book was another one of those hidden gems and I fell in love with it. I need to have it on my shelves before book 2 comes out.
Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker
Another one of those hidden gems that I didn't expect to love as much as I did.
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
I loved this book so hard and I cannot wait to have a finished copy of this book. C'mon Santa.
To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this book, but I am so glad that I ended up reading it. I really loved the sister aspect of this book.
The Jewel by Amy Ewing
This book was one of my most anticipated books of 2014, and I am so excited to hopefully have this book in my possession.

Unreleased books that I would love to have
 
Ensnared by A.G. Howard
Gimmie this book right now. I am so excited to see how this trilogy ends.
Nearly Found by Elle Cosimano
Nearly Gone was such an awesome book and I really want this sequel in my possession now.
Return to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz
I really want this sequel right now. Waiting is probably going to kill me.
The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
I really want to read more fantasy and it feels like I'm the only one who hasn't read this one yet. So c'mon Santa.
The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson
I LOVED The Kiss of Deception and I am dying to see what happens next for Lia, Kaden & Rafe.
Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold by Katie Finn
I really enjoyed Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend and I am really curious to see what is in store for these characters.
Unleashed by Sophie Jordan
Uninvited was awesome and aside from a few small issues, I was totally fascinated with this story. I really, REALLY want to read Unleashed as soon as possible.
Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott
I loved Fire and Flood and I am desperate to see what happens to Tella, Guy and the rest of these characters.
The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige
Gimmie the preciousssss. I am so excited for this book. I want it in my hands right now.
What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi
This book is RIGHT UP MY ALLEY and I'm so massively excited for it, I don't know how I am going to wait until summer.

So what books do you want Santa to bring you this year?