Review: Paperweight by Meg Haston

Book Title: Paperweight

Author: Meg Haston

Published Date: July 7th, 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: YA Contemporary

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Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Seventeen-year-old Stevie is trapped. In her life. In her body. And now in an eating-disorder treatment center on the dusty outskirts of the New Mexico desert.

Life in the center is regimented and intrusive, a nightmare come true. Nurses and therapists watch Stevie at mealtime, accompany her to the bathroom, and challenge her to eat the foods she’s worked so hard to avoid.

Her dad has signed her up for sixty days of treatment. But what no one knows is that Stevie doesn't plan to stay that long. There are only twenty-seven days until the anniversary of her brother Josh’s death—the death she caused. And if Stevie gets her way, there are only twenty-seven days until she too will end her life.

In this emotionally haunting and beautifully written young adult debut, Meg Haston delves into the devastating impact of trauma and loss, while posing the question: Why are some consumed by their illness while others embark on a path toward recovery?

Disclaimer #1: I received this e-ARC from HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Disclaimer #2: Trigger warnings: Self Harm, Eating Disorders.

Review:

Every once and awhile, there's a book that changes your life. It had been a very long time since this had happened. I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did. It was one of the hardest books I had ever read in my life. It was a book that I know will stay in my mind for a very long time, probably forever.

When we meet Stevie, she is completely against any kind of treatment. It isn't necessary in her opinion. She plans on ending her own life. She believes that she was responsible for her brother, Josh's death. She wants to be with Josh again, and she believes that killing herself can absolve her of guilt.

She developed the eating disorder prior to her brother's death and after her mother walked out on her, Josh and their dad. Yet, it was when Eden came into her life, that things shifted once again. Stevie found Eden intoxicating. Josh also was captivated by her. Stevie feels jealous that Josh and Eden were involved. Stevie develops feelings for Eden, which complicates things between her and Josh.

When first started at the treatment center, she was very against just being there. She looks at the girls who've made progress and ridicules them for not having willpower. This was the thing that irked me. I mean I understand why she would think that given where she was in her recovery, but I really didn't like her in the beginning.

It wasn't until I was halfway through the book, that Stevie really started to grow on me. I liked how she was warming up to Ashlee, Cate and Tegen by the ending. I loved her story arc. It was inspiring and emotional. I wasn't sure if I would ever end up liking her, but I did end up loving her.

Watching Stevie become more aware of how toxic Eden was, was totally awesome and unexpected. I wasn't sure what to expect, but she came to the realization that Eden never really cared about her and that Eden wan't good for her in any way. Someone who would not inquire as to how someone was doing, was not a friend. Knowing that Eden hadn't even asked how Stevie was doing with Josh's death or even the eating disorder.

I fell in love with this book unexpectedly, but damn this book is so, so important. I cannot wait to own a finished copy of this gorgeous book with great character development. I am giving this book 5 stars and I recommend this book very highly.

Review: The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh

Book Title: The Wrath and the Dawn

Author: Renee Ahdieh

Published Date: May 12th, 2015

Publisher: Putnam (Penguin)

Genre: YA Retelling

Series: Book one in The Wrath and the Dawn series

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights

Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi's wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.

She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

Disclaimer: I bought this book.

Review:

I am utterly dumbfounded right now. This book was unbelievably gorgeous. From the cover to the pages to what was written ON the pages. This book was stunning. I'm still as in love with the cover as I was the first time I saw it. Now that I've read the book, I'm just as in love with the words on the pages as I am in love with the cover.

I have read many many books in my 29 years but I don't think any of them have ever been this gorgeously (is that even a word?) written. I was barely 20 pages into it when I put it down and said out loud "holy hell this book is gorgeous" I could probably talk about the gorgeous writing for days, but I probably shouldn't. It was so beautiful through the entire thing. I was worried that the beautiful writing would take away from the actual story, but it didn't. It added to it.

The world building was stunning and I felt like I was actually in this world. That's how vivid things were. I could see the clothes in my minds eye, my mouth watered with the descriptions of the food (funny as I usually don't enjoy Indian or Persian food) but I definitely wanted the food they were eating because it sounded delicious. When a book can make you hungry in the dead of night, then you know the book is good.

I have massive love and respect for Shazi. She was fierce, stubborn and protective. Her objective was the avenge the death of her best friend Shiva. She never expected to fall for Khalid, and in fact she fought it for a good chunk of the book. In her mind, she could never love Khalid because of what Khalid had done to many young girls before her, including Shiva. She had this vulnerability to her that she was clearly reluctant to show anyone else. It took awhile for her to even let Khalid sense her vulnerability. But when she did, it was beautiful.

Khalid was one of those brooding, mysterious types. Those types always intrigue me because there is always more to them than initially meets the eye. I sensed that he had a lot on his plate and that being vulnerable with anyone wasn't something he was comfortable with. Just like with Shazi, it took awhile for him to show her his vulnerable side.

I was really worried that Shazi and Khalid would fall for each other and it would feel very insta-lovey. I was really hoping that wouldn't be the case as I think it would have really ruined the book for me. Thankfully it was not an insta-love situation. I fell for them as I watched them slowly fall for each other. That is a truly great feeling.

There were so many secondary characters in this book. My favorites were Despina, Shazi's handmaiden & Jalal, Khalid's cousin. We didn't get to see a lot of Shazi's father, but I liked him. I was not really fond of Tariq, Shazi's first love, but he wasn't a terrible person. Even the secondary characters were fleshed out well.

I almost forgot to mention, the feels! Holy feels, Batman. Within the first 20 pages I had already cried twice and then through the rest of the book, I cried no less than 5 times. I was not expecting the feels to be so rampant in this one. There were several feelsy moments near the end, and thankfully I had kleenex for those moments.

I absolutely loved this book and I am so glad I took a chance on it and pre-ordered it without even reading an ARC copy. It was totally worth it and I'm not sure how I am going to wait until next year for book 2. 5 stars to this beautifully captivating book 

Review: The Revenge Playbook by Rachael Allen

Book Title: The Revenge Playbook

Author: Rachael Allen 

Published Date: June 16th, 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: YA Contemporary

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Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In this poignant and hilarious novel, Rachael Allen brilliantly explores the nuances of high school hierarchies, the traumas sustained on the path to finding true love, and the joy of discovering a friend where you least expect.

Don’t get mad, get even!

In the small town of Ranburne, high school football rules and the players are treated like kings. How they treat the girls they go to school with? That’s a completely different story. Liv, Peyton, Melanie Jane, and Ana each have their own reason for wanting to teach the team a lesson—but it’s only when circumstances bring them together that they come up with the plan to steal the one thing the boys hold sacred. All they have to do is beat them at their own game.

Brimming with sharp observations and pitch-perfect teen voices, fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Mlynowski are sure to fall head-over-heels for this sharp tale—by the author of 17 First Kisses—about the unexpected roads that can lead you to finding yourself.

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

Review:

I loved Allen's first book, 17 First Kisses, and I wasn't sure if this book would live up to it, but it did. In a really big way. Like with 17 First Kisses, I was expecting something light and fluffy, but what I got was a book chock full of girl power, and some hard topics of conversation.

It has always been a big complaint of mine that high school athletes get special treatment. They get a pass on bad behavior, they get extensions on homework assignments, even when the non-athletes have asked for them for a legitimate reason and they don't get them. It's like they get privileges that other students don't get. 

Like they are the "golden boys"

Out of the four girls, Ana, Melanie Jane, Liv and Peyton, I think I liked Peyton the most. I related to her in a way that I couldn't relate to to the other three. She had special considerations due to her ADHD and she constantly tried to alert the teachers and the rest of the staff that she needed the boys (the football players) to stop bothering her so she could concentrate.

Did they punish the football players? Of course not.

Did they punish her by making her move so she wouldn't be so distracted? Absolutely.

I don't think I've been this angry over a book in a very long time. I was livid, actually more than livid if there is such a thing. It was the treatment of Peyton that enraged me the most.

Then we move on to Liv who has not had sex with her boyfriend, but she's still called a slut by a lot of the boys.

We have Melanie Jane who has sworn to remain a virgin until her wedding night. She used to be best friends with Ana until something changed between them.

Ana is hiding a secret. A secret that will devastate her family. She's choosing to keep it from them because when she tried to report it to the school & the law enforcement officers, she was told that she needed to keep it to herself or else one of the boys would lose his football scholarship.

When I read that part, I was furious. This is why so many high school girls are terrified to report any incidence of assault. They know that nothing will happen to the football players and other sports participants because they are athletes and are exempt from punishment. Schools need to stop treating these boys like they are a gift to mankind. Treat them as you would any other student, even if that means *gasp* punishing them.

These four girls have some similarities, but also a lot of differences, but the way they come together to fight back against the sexism and the misogyny surrounding the school, and most specifically the football team. They wanted nothing more than to beat the boys at their own game, even embarrassing them.

The presence of a list was also made known to the girls. This list is written by the BMOC (Big Man On Campus) Chad McAllister. It informs the rest of the football team that certain girls aren't worthy of them for various reasons (all of which have to do with either their looks or the fact that they haven't put out)

Barf.

Basically if you have a girlfriend who is on the list, you need to cut her loose. For the good of the team & its image of course. This was another scene where I had to literally get up and walk away from my Kindle because I was literally shaking with rage.

I loved the friendships that developed in this book. I loved how Melanie Jane wasn't ridiculed for being a virgin. I loved how despite their different home lives, and interests, they still managed to form a friendship. This entire book was awesome, but the ending was amazing, and I cried buckets because of certain things that happen at the end that I don't want to spoil for those of you who haven't read it yet.

Just please read it. I actually feel like this book needs to be in classrooms, especially high school classrooms. It's a must read for all teenagers and even school faculty. I loved this book for the messages it sent and for the powerful friendships that developed. I'll be giving it 5 stars and I cannot wait to get a finished copy of this book.

Review: Making Pretty by Corey Ann Haydu

Book Title: Making Pretty

Author: Corey Ann Haydu

Published Date: May 12th, 2015

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: YA Contemporary

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Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Montana and her sister, Arizona, are named after the mountainous states their mother left them for. But Montana is a New York City girl through and through, and as the city heats up, she’s stepping into the most intense summer of her life.

With Arizona wrapped up in her college world and their father distracted by yet another divorce, Montana’s been immersing herself in an intoxicating new friendship with a girl from her acting class. Karissa is bold, imperfectly beautiful, and unafraid of being vulnerable. She’s everything Montana would like to become. But the friendship with Karissa is driving a wedge between Montana and her sister, and the more of her own secrets Karissa reveals, the more Montana has to wonder if Karissa’s someone she can really trust.

In the midst of her uncertainty, Montana finds a heady distraction in Bernardo. He’s serious and spontaneous, and he looks at Montana in the way she wants to be seen. For the first time, Montana understands how you can become both lost and found in somebody else. But when that love becomes everything, where does it leave the rest of her imperfect life?

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Katherine Tegen Books via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

How does Corey Ann Haydu do this? 

She creates wonderfully real, flawed characters that you don' t always love, but you root for them. She creates real life situations that would make most of us ragey, frustrated and sometimes downright angry.

I've never been the type of person who needs to love or even like the characters in order to like or even love the book. That was a much needed realization as I dove into this book. Montana did not make the best decisions in her life. She makes questionable decisions throughout the book. Some of her decisions made me want to put my head through a wall. I literally had to remind myself that she was a teenager. Teenagers are pretty much known for making questionable decisions.

She struggles with wanting to belong, and while that is definitely a teenage thing, I think that's also something that comes with having extremely limited contact with her mom and her dad basically treating marriage as unimportant as he marries them, talks them into a lot of plastic surgery and then eventually divorces them. I understand Montana's unhealthy approach to relationships and love.

That's why I didn't mind her relationship with Bernardo too much. Yes, the guy had red flags all over him, and yes, I didn't like him very much. However Montana just wanted to be loved for who she was. She wanted someone to want to stick around for her. Bernardo was that guy. He made her feel loved, adored and cherished. 

Yes she had her friend, Roxanne and her older sister Arizona, but there was distance between them. Both Roxanne and Arizona were in college and Montana definitely felt left out.

This was where Karissa came in.

Karissa was one of those "bad decisions" She seemed to use  Montana, drugs & alcohol as a way to deal with her rough life. In toxic friendships, the toxic one usually pulls the other friend into things so quickly and so fully that it takes awhile for the non-toxic person to realize that the toxic person is not all that great.

This book was intoxicating. I was absolutely addicted to this book and I was so curious to see how things would turn out by the end. I wish we had gotten a bit more in the end because I really wanted to see how certain things played out. I did love this book though and will happily give it 5 stars.

Review: The Devil You Know by Trish Doller

Book Title: The Devil You Know

Author: Trish Doller

Published Date: June 2nd, 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's USA

Genre: YA Thriller

Standalone

Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Eighteen-year-old Arcadia wants adventure. Living in a tiny Florida town with her dad and four-year-old brother, Cadie spends most of her time working, going to school, and taking care of her family. So when she meets two handsome cousins at a campfire party, she finally has a chance for fun. They invite her and friend to join them on a road trip, and it's just the risk she's been craving-the opportunity to escape. But what starts out as a fun, sexy journey quickly becomes dangerous when she discovers that one of them is not at all who he claims to be. One of them has deadly intentions. 

A road trip fling turns terrifying in this contemporary story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Disclaimer: I received this ARC as a gift from a fellow blogger. Thanks Emily!

Review:

So Trish Doller really knows how to write books that people will love, but she also knows how to write books that are so different from one another. This woman is insanely talented and I'd kill to have her talent for writing such dynamic stories. Her first two books were more of the contemporary romance type, with the flawed characters that I love so much. The Devil You Know was totally different, in a mind-blowing, fantastically awesome way.

I have a feeling a lot of people will be irked by some or all of Cadie's choices. Yes, she really does make some questionable choices, I'll admit that. However, Cadie has been this "perfect" teenager who has helped her dad raise her little brother ever since her mom died of cancer several years before. She has also been essentially holding down the fort by taking care of everything that her father should be taking care of. Cadie's been under immense pressure, and I couldn't blame her for just wanting to be a normal teenager, a teenager who is allowed to make stupid mistakes, and who isn't always perfect.

The book itself is slow in the beginning, just like Doller's first two have been, yet I knew some insanity was about to go down, so I was willing to wait and be patient. Doller has yet to disappoint me, and I just knew that she wouldn't disappoint me this time around. Early on, we're introduced to cousins, Matt & Noah (PSA authors, please stop using the name Noah)  and because of the synopsis, my brain starts spinning. Right away, I begin looking for clues as to who I could trust and who I couldn't.

Cadie has very strong opinions, all thanks to her mother who encouraged her to have strong opinions. This leads to her speaking up when she feels that Noah and Matt are trying to take ownership of her,

"Poach? Seriously? Like I'm an endangered white rhino instead of a person? Pretty sure I'm capable of choosing for myself, instead of waiting for you guys to decide who gets me."

Interestingly only one of the boys apologized for it. If I had been paying better attention to that part, I would have noticed the red flag.

The following day, the four of them meet Naked Ed. Oh my goodness, if I had known he was going to provide the last real bit of comedy in this book, I would have laughed even harder. He was awesome, and I wish he had been a bigger player in this story.

When Lindsay just up and disappears, that's when I knew something was fishy, and Cadie was probably in danger. I was really annoyed about how she handled that situation though. I mean, I know they weren't best friends, but by this point, red flags are slowly popping up all over the place. Instead of being worried, and questioning, she's falling hard for Noah and she's contemplating sex with him.

I do have to say that Doller treats sex very positively, and she uses it in a very empowering way. So often girls are told that "good girls don't have sex" and if they do have sex, then they're sluts or whores. Whereas if a boy has sex, he's a stud. I really, really hate the double standard. Cadie mentions the conversation that she had with her mother when she was 12 years old.

"Virginity wasn't something to be lost or won, given or received."

That quote was very thought provoking, but not quite as much as the next quote.

"And you don't lose value by having sex."

So many teenage girls are told that a boy won't want "sloppy seconds" or that if a girl has sex, she's worthless. I really think teenage girls need to read this book, just based off of the sex positive message that is in this book. I know the sex positive message isn't what this story is about, but it is in the story and it's something that I felt the need to mention.

When Cadie finds out that Lindsay didn't make it home after a supposed family emergency and also that she had told her family that she was still with Cadie, that's when Cadie begins to realize that something is not right and that she could be in danger. She begins to wonder if Noah is really all he's cracked up to be. She begins to wonder if she's missing something about him.

Near the end of the book, one of the boys labels his cousin as having antisocial behavior disorder, which is basically the same as being a sociopath. But as the book goes on, I realized that this boy was talking about himself and that he has this disorder, and that he's the sociopath.

"Sociopathy isn't an affliction Cadie. It's a gift."

Chills. All the chills.

This book was awesome. I hadn't read a really good thriller in a long time and I knew that Doller would deliver in a big way and she did. She delivered a creepy, terrifying book that reminded me of a roller coaster with all the twist and turns. It should come as no surprise that I'm giving this book 5 stars. She was already on my auto-buy list, and I really, really hope she writes another thriller.

Review: NIL Unlocked (NIL #2) by Lynne Matson

Book Title: NIL Unlocked

Author: Lynne Matson

Published Date: May 12th, 2015

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Genre: YA/Science Fiction

Series: Book 2 in NIL trilogy

Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

On the island of Nil, the rules are set. You have exactly 365 days to escape—or you die. Rives is now the undisputed Leader of Nil City, but keeping the City united is tougher than ever.

Raiders have grown bolder, supplies are dwindling, and non-human inhabitants have taken a turn toward the deadly. New arrivals cause rifts within the City, putting the Search system at risk, and calling everything Rives knows into question. Desperate for answers, he teams up with the only other person searching for them: Skye, a new arrival with a mysterious past of her own. Soon the duo find themselves locked in a desperate race to save all the residents of Nil—and possibly destroy the island forever. But at what cost? And who will pay the price?

Disclaimer: I won this book in a giveaway.

Review:

Holy crap, I didn't expect NIL Unlocked to be better than NIL, but it was!

I didn't mention this in my review of NIL, but my only criticism was that we didn't get any information on the history of NIL and how it came to be or any other kind of backstory on NIL. Thankfully, in NIL Unlocked, I got some answers. I got answers about NIL and how it worked. In some ways, this was my favorite part of the book.

We wouldn't have known anything about NIL if it weren't for Skye. NIL wasn't a mystery to Skye and although I'd love to say more on that front, I can't because of how spoilery it would end up being and I really want to avoid spoilers as much as I can. Skye was awesome though and as much as I loved Charley in book one, I loved Skye equally.

As fascinating as Skye was, I was very curious about Rives. I had loved him in NIL and was excited to see what was in store for him. I had loved Thad, but I think I actually loved Rives more. I'm not sure exactly why, but Rives was awesome and he was a leader and he had a whole lot of strength.

Unlike with Charley & Thad, Skye and Rives' romance didn't start until the book was nearly over and I think I liked that better. I love slow burn romances and Skye & Rives fit that to a T. Truthfully though, I do wonder if Skye's NIL knowledge was really what attracted Rives to her. Yeah maybe that's a bit cynical, but I wonder if Rives would have fallen for her if she didn't have this "insider information"

The secondary characters were once again, awesome. I loved Jillian and Dex especially and it was because of them, that the ending of this book had me pretty much sobbing into the pages. I wasn't expecting the feels to be quite as intense in the second book, but in many ways, the feels were more intense. I don't know how Lynne Matson does it.

I loved this book even more than I loved book one and I will be ordering a finished copy of this book soon. Needless to say, I'm giving it 5 stars and I cannot wait to see where the story leads in the final book.

Review: NIL (NIL #1) by Lynne Matson

Book Title: NIL

Author: Lynne Matson

Published Date: March 4th, 2014

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.

Genre: YA/Science Fiction

Series: Book One in NIL trilogy.

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

On the mysterious island of Nil, the rules are set. You have one year. Exactly 365 days--to escape, or you die.

Seventeen-year-old Charley doesn’t know the rules. She doesn’t even know where she is. The last thing she remembers is blacking out, and when she wakes up, she’s lying naked in an empty rock field.

Lost and alone, Charley finds no sign of other people until she meets Thad, the gorgeous leader of a clan of teenage refugees. Soon Charley learns that leaving the island is harder than she thought . . . and so is falling in love. With Thad’s time running out, Charley realizes that to save their future, Charley must first save him. And on an island rife with dangers, their greatest threat is time.

Disclaimer: I own this book.

Review:

I honestly had no idea what to expect with this book. I had really high hopes for it, but wasn't sure if it would deliver. And for a little while, I wasn't sure it would. It was a bit slow in the beginning, which worried me. But by the time I reached page 80, it had picked up and I was captivated by the story. Plus, if it's going to be compared to my all time favorite TV show, LOST, then the chances are pretty high that I'll fall in love with it.

I had a hard time trying to figure out what genre I'd put this book in. It was obviously YA, but there were several sub-genres that I could have put it in. There was romance, there were paranormal elements and there was science fiction. In some ways, I find these kind of books the most compelling because there are multiple elements involved and they each do their part to tell the story.

Even though Charley & Thad were considered the main characters, I really loved Natalie. She was so vulnerable, so realistic. I loved how she trusted Thad and Charley despite all of the craziness going on. She cared about all of NIL's inhabitants. She had a good heart, a caring heart.

NIL itself was interesting. Not only was it an island but it also seemed to be personified. I'd never seen this in a book before, so that was captivating. Was NIL also a person or was she seemingly personified because of the mental health of all the inhabitants.

"To NIL we come, from NIL, some go, and some like me, will stay. The clock winds down, our time runs out, and NIL will have her way."

That is probably the creepiest song I've ever heard. Legitimate shivers. Not a lot was said about Ramia, but I was so, so curious about her. I actually had some theories about her and her connection to NIL. I probably spent a bit too much time thinking about her and her possible connection to NIL.

Now Charley & Thad. I understand that a lot of people were a bit iffy on how quickly things developed between them, but this wasn't typical life. They were on an island for goodness sakes. It's not like they had a million other life things to attend to, Yeah they were off searching for gates and even newcomers, but there was more time to develop a relationship. I liked them together, I rooted for them to get together and that is a great feeling to be able to do.

"You're right, Charley. NIL does change the way you see things. NIL makes everything more clear. What's important, what matters. And for me, that's you."

This book stressed me out completely. I can't exactly say why it did, as it could be considered very spoilery, and I really don't want to ruin it for others. But, I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it. I am giving it 5 stars and I cannot wait to read NIL Unlocked, which I'll be starting ASAP.

Review: Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold (Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend #2) by Katie Finn

Book Title: Revenge, Ice Cream and Other Things Best Served Cold

Author: Katie Finn

Published Date: May 5th, 2015

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Genre: YA Contemporary

Series: Book Two in Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend trilogy

Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The war rages on between Gemma and Hallie in the second installment of the Broken Hearts and Revenge series.

After the humiliating events on the 4th of July, Gemma's trying to handle the fact that Hallie knew who she was all along, and she was the one who stole Teddy from her. Gemma vows revenge, but things get more complicated than she planned. Ford, Gemma’s long-time crush, has arrived in the Hamptons cuter than ever. Josh is refusing to speak to her after she lied to him, and Teddy is playing champion to his beloved Marsh Warbler (in Gemma's backyard, no less).

Gemma and Hallie find themselves locked in an escalating revenge cycle. Just when Gemma thinks she has the upper hand, the biggest bombshell of all is dropped. And it’s one that threatens to change her life forever. This exciting sequel to Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things To Mend will leave you begging for the third installment.

Disclaimer: I borrowed this ARC from a fellow blogger.

Review:

I needed something fluffy and summery after finishing a book full of feels right before this. And fluffy and summery was exactly what I got. I was surprised how much I liked the first book in this trilogy, Broken Hearts, Fences and Other Things to Mend as it's not normally my thing. I go for the "dark YA Contemporaries" I don't usually go for the fluffy ones. Since I enjoyed the first book so much, I was eager to get my hands on the second book. 

Thanks to a fellow book blogger, I got my hands on it!

The second book of a series usually has the sophomore slump issue. It's hard to write or read a book that has no real beginning or ending. Thankfully, this book did not suffer from that problem. We finally got to meet Ford and Gwynneth. I had been very curious about those two since book one and we finally got to meet them and they both had significant parts in the book. 

I ship Ford & Gemma by the way. You may not remember how much I didn't like Josh & Gemma together. I mean Josh was a gentleman and he was kind and sweet, but I didn't feel a true romantic connection between him and Gemma. Now Gemma & Ford on the other hand, they have chemistry and it sizzles. Please make them happen, Finn. Pretty please?

The drama was definitely amped up in this one. From cheese to shoplifting to betrayals, it was all in there. There was romance, there was friendship and there was a lot of scheming. Now did I always agree with what Gemma was doing? Nope, sometimes I just wanted her to stop and think about what she was doing. Then shit would hit the fan again and I would be pulled right back into this crazy ride.

This book was even better than the first book. Maybe because I loved Gemma and Ford together. Maybe because the drama was ramped up a degree. I'm not sure, but I loved this book. It was exactly what I needed to read at this time. 5 stars to this drama filled, summery book with a cliffhanger that you won't see coming.

Review: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Book Title: Made You Up

Author: Francesca Zappia

Published Date: May 19th, 2015

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Genre: YA Contemporary

Standalone

Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal. 

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Greenwillow Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Review:

I knew instantly this book was right up my alley. There is such a shortage of YA books dealing with mental illness, and that disappoints me. Mental illness is such a taboo subject, but by writing this book, Zappia shows us the realities of schizophrenia, and we see clearly that these teenagers are just trying to be as normal as possible.

At first, the book is kind of slow, but as the book continues, and we're introduced to the rest of the group that Alex will be doing community service with, I could tell that I was going to fall in love with this book, and boy did I ever. I fell in love with this book more and more every single chapter. That's how special this book was.

Alex is a paranoid schizophrenic, and she copes with that by doing perimeter checks, taking pictures and taking medication. She's starting over in a new school after being kicked out of her previous school for spray painting the word communists on the gym floor, with bold red paint. Over the summer she's been working at Finnegan's, a restaurant and she met Tucker there. Tucker was an absolute sweetheart. He was by her side throughout this book. Even when she begins spending more time with Miles. Many years ago, Miles and Tucker had a serious falling out which resulted in their friendship ending. Tucker doesn't trust Miles, but he worries about Alex, even as Alex tries to assure Tucker that Miles is not a bad person.

She's sure she remembers Miles from ten years ago when she freed the lobsters at the supermarket. He helped her, of that, Alex is certain. Even though her own mother is insistent that wasn't what happened. I wasn't sure if I liked Miles, and for awhile there I wondered if Miles was even real or was he just another delusion.

Miles has his own demons and while it takes him awhile to open up to Alex, he finally lets her in and that moment is beautiful and heartwarming. He's not afraid of her. Even when she lets him in on what's going on with her, he doesn't run away. Neither do any of the kids in the after school community service group. Even when the cat is out of the bed metaphorically, they stand by her side. I looooved that part. So many kids who have mental illness don't have any friends because the mental illness scares them. Plus the very negative stigma that having mental illness brings with it. Teens that deal with mental illness also deal with the isolation that often accompanies it.

I loved Alex's family, they were so supportive, though to be honest I was peeved at her father a lot of times. He should have been there physically more than he actually was. A lot of the stress fell squarely on her mom's shoulders and I worried about her mom too. She was trying to keep everything afloat, but it was clear to me that she struggled.

I didn't realize how much I had fallen in love with this book and it's characters until I reached the end of it. I hugged my Kindle and bawled my eyes out as I finished this book. This book was so important, and I would even make the argument that it needs to be considered required reading. I know it changed me in ways I was never expecting. 5 stars to this book that combines and important topic with a likable protagonist and an endearing boy.

Review: Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Book Title: Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Author: Becky Albertalli

Published Date: April 7th, 2015

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Genre: YA Contemporary LGBT

Standalone

Book Link: Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Balzer + Bray via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

Oh my god, this book was perfection. It's been a long time since a book has filled me with such happiness. This book had it all! There was a lot of shippy feels, which made me insanely happy. There was a lot of food talk, which to be honest, made me insanely hungry & most of all, there were a ton of feels.

Did I mention this book was perfect?

I loved Simon's family. His parents were just so present in his life and in the lives of his older sisters. It was not something I see a lot in YA, so I was thrilled to see it in this book. Usually parents are nonexistent in YA books, and that's usually one of my issues. Not only were they present in his life, but they were supportive and loving. They may be my new favorite YA parents. His sisters were also totally awesome, supportive and loving. Usually we don't get to see such a positive relationship between siblings. With this book, we totally got that.

We got some great realistic friendships as well. When you're a teenager, friendships can be really complicated and most YA books don't address that. Simon has complicated friendships with Leah, Abby and Nick. He seems closer overall to Abby despite only knowing her for a few months and Leah gets pretty upset about that. Not to mention that when Abby, Nick and Simon go out one night, they intentionally leave Leah out. I felt for Leah because I remembered being left out and no matter what, it's never a good feeling. Mistakes are made within this friend group.

Simon and Blue may very well be my new favorite YA couple. Oh my god, I fell in love with them as a couple long before we found out Blue's identity. I did figure out who Blue was about halfway through the book, but I had so much fun reading about them that I didn't care if I was right about Blue's identity. The shippy-ness was something I wasn't totally prepared for. It had been awhile since I had totally shipped anyone this much. The ending was utter perfection and it was awkwardly swoony, which just made it even better.

I am so incredibly in love with this book. Go read it, tell your library about it, tell your friends about it. If you only read one book this year, make sure it's this one and I'm happily giving this book 5 stars. I cannot wait to get my hands on a finished copy of this book. 

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Book Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Publish Date: May 5th, 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's

Genre: YA Fantasy

Series: Book One in A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy

Book Link: Goodreads

Pre-Order Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Timesbestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Disclaimer: I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Review:

I don't think I've ever read a book about faeries, or if I have, it was forgettable. This book is definitely not forgettable. This book has Tamlin & Lucien, both of whom will make you melt into a damn puddle. They are hot, sexy, swoony fae men, who ooze hotness at every page turn. They both are distrustful of Feyre at first, but slowly, she begins to win them over.

Both Lucien and Tamlin have their own sad stories, stories we learn about as the book unfolds. They each have their own reasons for feeling, thinking and acting the way they do. My heart will always belong to Lucien due to some of the things we learn about him. Plus I've always had a thing for guys with red hair.

The romance between Tamlin and Feyre was so incredibly hot. I mean I don't think any book has ever caused me to blush this hard. Maas knows how to write steamy, sexy things so, so well. I am forever grateful that I did not read this book in public. Don't read this book in public guys. Unless you are one of the few who don't mind when people see you blush. Because you will blush during certain sexy points in this book.

But it will be well worth it.

The lengths Feyre goes in order to prove her love for Tamlin are inspiring. I did a lot of thinking about this and the things she's asked to do in the name of love, I don't think I've loved anyone to the extent that I'd be willing to take part in terrifying things. Reading this book, and watching Tamlin & Feyre's love story develop, made me realize that I would never have done what she did for my ex fiance. 

That right there was a startling revelation.

The world building was amazing, and it really made me feel like I was right there, in the action with Tamlin, Lucien, Feyre and the others. It was my first Maas book, but it definitely will not be my last. It was sexy, fast paced and exciting. Fantasy books are quickly becoming my second favorite genre and right now, as I type this, A Court of Thorns and Roses is my favorite Fantasy book of 2015. I cannot wait for everyone to read this awesome book. 5 stars to this fantastic book full of romance, intrigue and beautiful words.