Author: Chelsea (Page 24 of 111)

BOOK REVIEW: Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2) by Kerri Maniscalco

November 27, 2017 / Chelsea / 1 Comment

Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2)
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Bizarre murders are discovered in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula. Could it be a copycat killer...or has the depraved prince been brought back to life?

Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine...and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.

But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.

“The world is vicious.”
…
“The world is neither kind nor is it cruel. It simply exists. We have the ability to view it however we choose.”

Like with many books, you never know what you’re going to get with the second installment. I’m especially hard on second books, only because I normally am a ‘first book’ kind of girl. I always love that excitement of meeting new characters, falling in love with them, and the general peril and mayhem that ensues to set up an epic series.

BONE WHITE, BLOOD RED. ALONG THIS PATH YOU’LL SOON BE DEAD.

But such isn’t always the case, and I fall hard and fast….for no reason at all. Because almost always book two disappoints me (as does book three) because it’s almost never as enthralling as the first. I can’t say that’s the case here because the first book didn’t have me just jumping with joy or anything, but it had a lot of potential and led up to what could be an epic storyline.

Once again I’ll address the elephant in the room: Audrey Rose’s ability to get under my skin with the feminism (please see book one review, in no way am I dissing feminism). Now, again, it’s fine. But it’s still there and it still bothered me-but where book one had it sprinkled throughout, book two it started from the get go and only lessened after imminent peril ensued. I’m happy it did, but I don’t know how to feel about it. Why does she feel the need to overcompensate? Thomas knows she’s a capable woman and he wholly respects her-he’s just trying to help! I’ll stop here, but I do wish she didn’t lash out at him when he’s only trying to help-misguided as it was.

I thought Thomas knew that much about me. And once upon a time he had, but somehow he was no longer thinking with his head. Somewhere along the line, Mr. Thomas Cresswell—or rather, the unfeeling automaton he’d been accused of being—had grown a tender human heart.

Now! That was really all that bothered me, honestly. I won’t lie and say I fell head over heels right away like I had hoped I would-I mean…castles, right ??? But there was just something I wasn’t connecting to right away, and I feel as I though it’s my fault because I’m JUST. SO. TIRED. And I suppose I wanted more in the romance department right aawwaayy, fickle fickle me, because Thomas clearly loves her so. No worries, though, because the last 30% was a swirling crescendo of everlasting feels and heartfelt moments and declarations of love-and, finally, the action I so craved became prevalent and I about died of revulsion (this is an entirely different matter.)

He slowly lifted his gaze; for once he didn’t hide his emotions. Before he responded I saw the depth of his fear sketched across his face. All posturing and arrogance gone. In their place stood a young man who appeared as if the world might be breaking around him and there wasn’t a thing he could do to save himself. He’d fallen over a cliff so high all hope of survival had perished before he’d hit the ground.

I guess I’ll stay on the Thomas train so I don’t splatter him throughout the entire review (like I so love to do)-he was just something else. Every look, every moment, every thought bleeds love and devotion, and he would literally do anything for Audrey. He only wants her happy and wants her to achieve every dream she desires. He lifts her up and supports her when she needs it most, he’s her partner in crime at each and every turn, and he would sacrifice himself over and over to make sure she gets out alive. And he does so-on multiple occasions.

“Thank you for that reminder, Cresswell,” I said sweetly. “What would I do without you?”
He turned to me, expression as serious as I’d ever witnessed it. “You would miss me terribly and know it. Just as I would miss you in ways I cannot fathom, should we ever part.”

My heart…my heart just can’t handle his love. And at times…I guess I felt she didn’t deserve it. Here he is, laying himself bare more than once, vulnerable, wanting to be put out of his misery, and she just won’t give him even a nugget of…anything. She does, I mean obviously, but it definitely made me defensive and protective of him. And this all comes full circle, really, because it goes hand and hand with the feminism-she finally gets her head out of her ass and realizes he’s not trying to take her voice away nor strap her down, he only wishes to lift her up…and be beside her in all aspects of life while he does so.

I don’t want to come off like I had a ton of problems with the story because I truly didn’t, I just don’t believe in stomping on others just because you’re insecure about your stature in society. And she really does shape up, I believe, in the manner that she knows who the real enemies are and who she needs to fling her haughtiness at, and Thomas is NOT one of them. See? I still think she needs to be strong, just don’t be a total jerk towards those that love and adore you.

Hearts were beautifully fierce yet fragile things. And I did not wish to break Thomas’s.

But okay, can we seriously talk about the dreadfully terrifying tunnels in this castle? Rainbows and unicorns there are not. Picture a much more…sinister…foe-my number one phobia IN THE WORRLDDDD, to be exact. If you thought for one second that book one was creepy and you didn’t enjoy it, STEER CLEAR of book two. I shit you not. It will give you chills down to your bones. I, for one, have the most vivid, terrifying [recurring] nightmare-I’ve mentioned it in numerous reviews before, but it literally hasn’t changed a bit. In a haze yadda yadda, see a plaid shirted man standing next to the bed yadda yadda, he reaches for me yadda yadda. I kick at the apparition (Because that’s what it is, surely?) and all of a sudden it’s gone. But, as my husband repeatedly tells [lectures/gets angry] me…I’ve apparently been belting out a blood curling scream and kicking and punching him in my sleep. Yeah. I don’t even remember this shit happening, I just know the before, the after, and the sore throat and pounding heart I inevitably have-oh yeah, and a severely ticked off husband. Oops.

Rightfully so, mind you.

“Impressive, Wadsworth,” Thomas said, turning his gaze to me. “If we weren’t about to face another terrible passageway filled with life-threatening danger, I’d take you in my arms this instant.”

What was I saying again? Oh yes, nightmares. Nightmare inducing is what this book is, if only because of the hair-raising and spine-chilling settings and subtle scares. I only get my nightmare when something (generally in my subconscious, I never know it will be triggered (OBVIOUSLY)) triggers it, but I know that after (or during, I forget) reading this story? Let’s just say I had a woken up baby and-again-a severely upset husband. I think I even upset the dog. So yeah-a word to the wise: Proceed With Caution. Ye be warned.

“Honestly?” I whispered harshly. “Must you paw at me now?”
“While I’ve thought a great deal about groping you in this delightfully macabre setting, Wadsworth, I doubt my mind has the ability to will it into fruition.”
“Do you swear?”
“On the potentially empty grave of Great-Great-Great-Uncle (view spoiler)[Dracula (hide spoiler)], yes.”
“Then who is, Cresswell?”

I hope everyone will give this series a try. It’s an underdog, I mean to me, and I think it deserves all the praise it’s getting. I don’t think the second is as ‘read’ as the first, and this disheartens me-because if you liked Thomas even a little in the first, you’ll love and DEVOUR him in the second. Just sayin’.

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BOOK REVIEW: What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

November 22, 2017 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Two struggling teenagers find an unexpected connection just when they need it most.

Sometimes a new perspective is all that is needed to make sense of the world.

KIT: I don’t know why I decide not to sit with Annie and Violet at lunch. It feels like no one here gets what I’m going through. How could they? I don’t even understand.

DAVID: In the 622 days I’ve attended Mapleview High, Kit Lowell is the first person to sit at my lunch table. I mean, I’ve never once sat with someone until now. “So your dad is dead,” I say to Kit, because this is a fact I’ve recently learned about her.

When an unlikely friendship is sparked between relatively popular Kit Lowell and socially isolated David Drucker, everyone is surprised, most of all Kit and David. Kit appreciates David’s blunt honesty—in fact, she finds it bizarrely refreshing. David welcomes Kit’s attention and her inquisitive nature. When she asks for his help figuring out the how and why of her dad’s tragic car accident, David is all in. But neither of them can predict what they’ll find. Can their friendship survive the truth?

“What are we going to do with you?” she asks, and my stomach clenches. Freshman year, when I would find myself in trouble at school on a biweekly basis, Principal Hoch would pose this question, which is both idiomatic and rhetorical. What are we going to do with you? Like I was a group project.
Just once I’d like the answer to be: nothing.
Just once I’d like the answer to be: You are just fine as is.
Just once I’d like the question not to be asked in the first place.

Not so long ago I read and fell in love with an amazing book by this very author. It had a secretive, fun romance that stole my heart. It was laced with family drama and new relationships. It was brimming with the realities of what happens when you move to another state and start making new friends…all while your best friend is way back where, making new friends, as well. In short: It was a story that touched on many different levels with me and I devoured it within days (again, this is great for me lately lol).

It doesn’t matter whether you call me an Aspie or a weirdo or even a moron. The fact remains that I very much wish I were more like everyone else.

So, naturally, I saw this book and knew I just HAD to read it as soon as possible-but I didn’t. I saved it, waiting for that perfect moment when I could finally pick up a book by a new promising author I loved, thinking that, of course, this book would bring forth the same amount of emotion from me as her first novel did. And, for many, it accomplished that feat. As for me? I was left wondering how this could possibly be the same author.

Your outsides match your insides better now, Kit said earlier, but she was wrong. No, now my real insides are all on the outside for everyone to pick apart and laugh at. I’m like roadkill. I’ll be looked at, examined, but I won’t even be eaten. I’m not worth that much.

Sure, it was cute enough. It was interesting. It was sweet…and it even had some of the same quirkiness that her first book did. But, that’s just it-I’m reaching here, trying to grasp onto things that don’t really exist. Yes, it had its moments where I’d gear up and think, well here we goooo!, almost immediately finding that it was going in a direction I couldn’t stand behind.

Here’s the thing about making a friend that I didn’t understand before I started talking to Kit: They grow your world. Allow for previously inconceivable possibilities.

I suppose, in part, this is my fault. I had extremely high expectations and wanted another win. I wanted to fall in love as hard as I had previously, wanted my expectations exceeded. Instead they fell flat.

Miney does that sometimes, though she accompanies it with the words Can I get a woot woot? I never oblige. I have no idea what a woot woot is.

I didn’t much care for the characters. I think this is the base of my emotions. The main girl is fine, and I think she really did like David (I loved David, naturally), but it made me more mad than happy most of the time. I almost felt like it wasn’t authentic, that she was judging him the whole time. And this is a big contradiction for me-Don’t we all judge those who are we dating? I mean, yeah, of course! But….but. Seeing as he is, well, I can’t say, I just, my feelings were hurt for him on more than one occasion. And yes, that’s the way its meant to be taken-buuuuut not always. The type of sadness I felt sometimes was off, like I was sad for the wrong reasons. Anyway, back to my point- He can’t help the way he is, and I don’t know. I hurt. I hurt a lot while reading this…and I don’t quite think this is what the author had intended.

I stop listening. No, this isn’t fixable. I see that now. Reading my notebook is like opening up my brain and exposing to the uncaring world all the parts that don’t make sense. The parts that make me a freak or a moron or a loser or whatever words people like to throw at me.
The parts to them that make me other.
The parts to me that make me me.

Don’t get me wrong, I signed up for this and normally I devour these stories. This just didn’t work for me. I didn’t like the school and how they only were nice to David once he changed his look, and I don’t believe those are the reactions he’d get for what happens half way through, and, honestly, I just didn’t believe any of it-and I’m not one that is bad at suspending disbelief, so you know its off.

Catty mean girls, bully jocks, and a girl who is going through a sad time but inspires our main man…for me, there just wasn’t enough story or enough something to keep me interested. More issues than likes, I have to sadly say this book didn’t work for me. It made me, more than anything, depressed. And I wanted so badly to love this story-the guy was just so sweet. But, as they say, a spade is a spade….I just didn’t enjoy anything much about this book. Hopefully her next will be better for moi.

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BOOK REVIEW: Dating-Ish (Knitting in the City #6) by Penny Reid

November 21, 2017 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Dating-Ish (Knitting in the City #6)
by Penny Reid
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
There are three things you need to know about Marie Harris:
1) She’s fed up with online dating,
2) She’s so fed up, she’s willing to forego the annoyance and consider more creative alternatives, and
3) She knows how to knit.

After the most bizarre and irritating first date in the history of human kind, Marie is looking for an alternative to men. With the help of her friends, she quickly identifies a few possibilities:

Need a cuddle? Use a professional cuddler. Need affirmation? Get yourself a life coach. Need an orgasm? Try orgasm meditation! Why does she need the hassle of a romantic partner when she can meet all her needs with paid services?
But then her irritating date resurfaces. And he’s not at all the person she thought he was. And he suggests a different—and crazier—solution to her dilemma . . .
As everyone knows (or will soon come to realize), traditional relations between humans are a thing of the past. Robots are our future. And if robots are our future, then why do we need other people at all?

I won’t lie and say I just read this and remember everything…because I don’t. But looking back I can vaguely remember the main reasons I both liked and disliked this story.

Likes:

-Matt was super sweet- I really enjoyed his quirky character
-The tone of the story-fun, but not too over the top
-The cute jealousy from him
-The way he always shooed other men off
-How he was always there for her on each new adventure, no matter what-even when she asked for space lol
-His surprising, ahem, sexual prowess

Dislikes:

-Frankly, I found this a bit of a contradiction. They were trying to be so politically correct in the way they handled each other’s feelings, yet they both beat around the bush AT EVERY TURN. I realize there wouldn’t be a story if not for miscommunication, but come on. They clearly liked each other early on….JUST ASK ALREADY if you seek clarity!
-The technical robot talk
-The Knitting group. Like…okay…we know you love to knit-STFU
-The main girl-something about her annoyed me. I don’t know. Maybe she came off a bit like…too perfect?? HA look at me calling someone a Mary Sue when all I ever do is fall in love with Mary Sue’s ha
-The repetitive mistaking of what was actually going on between them. ALWAYS.
-The fact that apparently Penny Reid and I just don’t gel. Or Mesh. She just isn’t for me, I don’t think.

Perhaps the problem is I’m angry because this woman (and this could be the MC or even the author I’m referring to. Hell I don’t know!) totally has my humor but everything surrounding it is severely misplaced so I can’t even enjoy the book as a whole! And I’m sure there’s more…but honestly, I don’t care to explore it any further. MERP.

Here are all the quotes I would have used had I written a real review:

“What is the purpose of your study? To piss off as many women in Chicago as possible?” “No,” he ground out, mirroring my eye-squint. And wasn’t that just the kicker? Him. Squinting at me.

“Um, let’s see. Have you heard of dry humping professionals?” He gasped, his hand clutching his chest. “Are you shitting me?” “Nope.”

“I’m not.” I grinned as I assured him of my veracity. “And I made an appointment at an OM studio.” “What’s an OM studio?” He looked petrified. “Orgasm Meditation.”

“I’ll never say this to you again, so listen up. You’re pretty badass, Marie.” Abram interrupted my thoughts, leaning forward like he was telling me a secret. “You’re wicked smart. And cool. And drama free, which is a huge deal. Drama free is at the top of my list these days. You can be intimidating.” “Me? But I’m a Hufflepuff.”

Matt looked at me like I was cute and weird. “No.” “It’s not even a little bit hard?” I didn’t know why I was pushing. I thought I heard him mumble something like, “It wasn’t hard with her for years.” “Pardon?”

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink the water that will allow it to enter into a happy, fulfilling relationship. Maybe the horse likes being dehydrated. Or maybe you weren’t that horse’s type. Step back from the stupid dehydrated horse .

“I don’t care about celebrity clients,” Matt said, picking up my hand and tangling our fingers together. He continued to scan the airport and I thought I heard him mumble under his breath, “I only care about you.”

“You like that guy, you tell him flat out. You just lay what you want and everything out there. Don’t waste time not saying things that need to be said. He’ll always be in your mind, wrecking the possibility of things with other people, because your heart can’t move on until it knows for sure a door is closed.”

Why are you crying, Marie? I didn’t know. I honestly had no idea. Feelings? Whoremones? Maybe a nearby, but as of yet unseen onion?

His eyes moved over my face and he clenched his teeth. “Is this funny?” “Listen, just listen to me—” Abruptly, he sat up, shaking his head. A flush had appeared high on his cheeks. Jeez, he’s really pissed. . . . Yay!

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BOOK REVIEW: Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper #1) by Kerri Maniscalco

November 17, 2017 / Chelsea / 3 Comments

Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper #1)
by Kerri Maniscalco
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Presented by James Patterson's new children's imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion...

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

“Didn’t your family warn you against sneaking around at night alone?” he asked. “Dangerous things linger in the dark.”

Halloooo therreee. It seems I’m catching up and producing enough reviews to halfway feel like myself again!!!! And it. Is. GLORIOUS. And I’m so happy to be reviewing a book my dear friend, Brittney, has been unflinchingly begging me to read for ages. It’s not often I’ll pick up a book that has creepier tendencies, but when I do, they sometimes become my absolute favorites (a la Jazz from I Hunt Killers).

But where this book was strong in its witty writing and intriguing characters, there were also some flaws that I couldn’t help but to be bothered by (and the matter gets worse in book 2…but I wouldn’t let that effect the rating of this installment, of course!). As I always like to repeat: Let’s start with the sour, then we’ll get to the sweet. And oh, let me tell ya, Thomas was as sweet as it can get.

I stood, and Thomas joined me, eager to move onto our next mission.
“Hurry along, then,” I said, grabbing my orchid and securing it safely in my journal. “I want to sit by the window.”
“Hmm.”
“What now?” I asked, losing patience.
“I usually sit by the window. You may have to sit in my lap.”

I know this is going to get me kicked in the teeth, metaphorically speaking, for saying this, but I found that Audrey Rose really, really loved to get haughty about being a woman who deserved the same equality as a man. Now

I’m not sayiiinnngggg women shouldn’t be treated equally-I NEVER said that-howeverrrr, when a point is repeated, well, repeatedly, it begins to lose its importance. Just let the dead horse lay, as they say, and stop beating it. Like I said, I noticed it here in this book, but it didn’t really get on my nerves TOO BAD until book two. Or maybe I’m just confused because I read them so close together….either way, girl needs to stop. She’s said it enough I’m sure even the corpses she’s operating on got it through their thick, dead skulls.

“…the dead speak to those who listen. Be quieter than even them.”

Secondly, I was so SOOOO excited and into her and Thomas’s banter. From the beginning (this is a plus) my heart went into overdrive when they first met, because Thomas was just an outspoken little soul who couldn’t help but to get under her (and everyone else’s) skin. But, again, being inside Audrey Rose’s head just kind of got….annoying. NOT BADLY SO, but enough that I balked near the end when she’d proclaim what a fiend and a scoundrel Thomas was. I ADORE Thomas, but sometimes saying things so much just ruins the whole effect-such is the case with her repetitive proclamations-both about Thomas’s idiosyncrasies and being a wholly capable woman who is able to handle herself just as the men do.

I was determined to be both pretty and fierce, as Mother had said I could be. Just because I was interested in a man’s job didn’t mean I had to give up being girly. Who defined those roles anyhow?

NOW. Onto the pleasant and sweet-Which far surpassed the sour.

All in all this story was super addicting. I loved the fast-paced feeling, yet it was handled in a manner in which you didn’t feel rushed. It was day-to-day and we were constantly on the lookout for Jack the Ripper. Shrouded in mystery, each page had me guessing who near Audrey Rose could possibly be the killer. You just knew it was someone she was in close proximity with, yet she was missing key clues to really pin it down. Was I right in the end? Yes and no. Was it somewhat obvious? Not particularly. But I did like how the author handled everything so that we constantly questioned everyone’s intent, were constantly second guessing ourselves, and really how it made me feel like a damned fool because I was like a chicken running around with its head cut off.

This story was also quite creepy-not in the way you will feel if you continue onto the second (castles and secret tunnels and creepy creepy crawlers, oh my!), but enough that it had me looking over my shoulder. Who said alleyways aren’t creepy? As the book came to its haunting conclusion, I began shaking in a way that I haven’t for a book in…I don’t know how long. I’m talking stomach flutters of actual TERROR, people, a dread I couldn’t grasp onto. Reading each page slower than the last not to savor, but because my fear had grown so immeasurable I could hardly breathe, for I didn’t know what horrors each new page possessed. That alone deserved 4 stars! However, this book caused loss of breath for two reasons, and one isn’t so scary as the last…

Thomas held a hand up, shaking his head. Fine. “What makes you sure I even need a partner? I’m quite capable of doing things on my own.”
“Perhaps it’s not you who would benefit from our partnership,” he said quietly.

Thomas. Thomas Cresswell. Be still my heart…sweet, cocky, and socially inept, this boy stole my heart INSTANTLY. It wasn’t so much that he was different or special or anything, but I suppose it’s just his mannerisms, the way he handled himself. I love that he knew he wanted to be with Audrey, so he went for it. He went in for the kill at each present opportunity, never once allowing her to believe he had any other intention. He knows what people say about him, and he knows what they think, but never once does he let it bother him…or is it more that he didn’t let his insecurities show? I think this defines Thomas to a tee-outwardly cocky, but a soft, insecure, unsure of himself boy who is fiercely loyal and only wishes to be accepted by those he loves. And….I simply adore him. What else is there to say? He’s simply marvelous and he would literally do anything to win Audrey Rose’s heart. He’d do anything to protect her, and his love is genuine. You can’t ask for more than that.

Without lifting his head from his own journal, he said, “Not having any luck figuring me out, then? Don’t worry, you’ll get better with practice. And, yes”—he grinned wickedly, eyes fixed on his paper—“ you’ll still fancy me tomorrow no matter how much you wish otherwise. I’m unpredictable, and you adore it. Just as I cannot wrap my massive brain around the equation of you and yet adore it.”

This book was a nice little surprise-whenever you repeatedly hear something about a story, you really can’t expect much lest the hype monster devour you. But with this story I was pleasantly surprised and pleased beyond words. With a clever mystery, enrapturing characters full of banter, and nail-biting suspense, your heart will surely break for these spell-binding characters. And, if I’m being completely honest, I do have a soft spot for our MC because, well, her name is scary close to my baby girl’s name-Aubrey Rose. OOPS. So…there you have it. I’m biased and refuse to relent…and it doesn’t hurt that the author knows what she’s doing.

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BOOK REVIEW: Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

November 2, 2017 / Chelsea / 7 Comments

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Juliet Young always writes letters to her mother, a world-traveling photojournalist. Even after her mother's death, she leaves letters at her grave. It's the only way Juliet can cope.

Declan Murphy isn't the sort of guy you want to cross. In the midst of his court-ordered community service at the local cemetery, he's trying to escape the demons of his past.

When Declan reads a haunting letter left beside a grave, he can't resist writing back. Soon, he's opening up to a perfect stranger, and their connection is immediate. But neither Declan nor Juliet knows that they're not actually strangers. When life at school interferes with their secret life of letters, sparks will fly as Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.

So…I’m not going to lie-I read this before my daughter was even born. And, if you don’t follow me or my life (Which I’m sure I many many people do not), that happened in the middle of March. Yeah. I know. Shame on me. Because this book? It was SO SO good. It deserved all the pre-praise it could possibly get and I failed it. I got the ARC, loved it, devoured it, even, and didn’t get a chance to write this review (as my baby girl was born-oops (and YAY)). But, instead of giving it up because I read it so long ago, I’ve always known I’d come back and (eventually) write a review for it-I respected it THAT much. I’ll warn you, though-this is as far back as I’m going for reviews of books when I was too pregnant and too tired to write reviews. I cut it off here.

Anyway, onto the book. I’ll be candid here-When I received this I was not only shocked but…disappointed? I hadn’t really looked into this much and was not expecting to be granted access, and frankly I was behind on way too many reviews-I wasn’t being as picky as I should have been for as slow as my review output was. But the minute I finally picked this up…it immediately drew me in. And damn if I wasn’t shocked.

What starts out as a young girl working through her grief by writing letters to her mother’s grave becomes a heartfelt story about being heard, understood, and, ultimately, not so alone once a boy who works in the cemetery writes back to Juliet on her note. Understandably our MC is upset that someone invaded her personal privacy by writing back to her, but after responding through an angry rant, she and this mysterious person begin an online friendship (HA. SEE. I’m HOPELESS for these types of books) that makes them closer than ever through their shared grief. What they don’t know is: They literally are each other’s worst nightmare, in real life.

Total opposites, these two grow closer and closer, not realizing that the person they crave talking to most every day is one of their worst enemies. Dark, misunderstood Declan and popular, uppity, miss goody-two-shoes (so he thinks) have found the ultimate connection. But in real life, they continue to clash.

Declan takes every opportunity to push Juliet away when she tries to let him in. See, he is the dark, broody guy that everyone whispers about when he walks by, but she starts to run into him more and more (literally…ha) and tries to be nice, to let him in, but he isn’t having it…at least, not at first.

I can’t even begin to explain how wounded Declan is, how tough he tries to act, but he’s that total package guy who would do anything for you-just a completely misunderstood guy-but it’s not like he helps himself. Juliet tries to be nice to him continually, but he always ruins it by snapping at her, by judging her before understanding her, knowing her…but then he begins to see there may be more to her than meets the eye-and is there a connection between her and his dream girl he’s been chatting with day and night?

They both begin to see little similarities, never really knowing who they quite are falling in love with online, but don’t want to ruin what is blossoming between them at school, at Rev’s house-they like each other, but what if they lose their pen pal in the process?

I’m tired and not doing this review justice, but just, I really loved this, okay? Declan and Juliet were beyond cute-I was obsessed with them, especially Declan. He was dark and broody, but utterly loyal. He was tortured and lonely (Besides his one good friend, whom I ADORED) and just wanted a real connection, to be away from his asshole stepfather and to be understood for who he really is. He made mistake after mistake concerning Juliet, and he does pity himself a little too much (if I am remembering correctly) but he gets his shit together and he made me swoon like no other-not like I wasn’t before that, but that’s beside the point. And Juliet had her issues, too, like not seeing that some things aren’t what you want them to be, that reality isn’t always as pretty as the dream, but she was fun and sweet and relatable. And we need more YA heroines like her. She had ambition and I admired her for that-so pick this book up. I think its more than worth the read.

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