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BOOK REVIEW – The Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn Holmes

March 11, 2015 /
BOOK REVIEW – The Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn HolmesThe Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn Holmes
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Ever since the night of the incident with Luke Willis, the preacher’s son, sophomore Hallelujah Calhoun has been silent. When the rumors swirled around school, she was silent. When her parents grounded her, she was silent. When her friends abandoned her … silent.

Now, six months later, on a youth group retreat in the Smoky Mountains, Hallie still can’t find a voice to answer the taunting. Shame and embarrassment haunt her, while Luke keeps coming up with new ways to humiliate her. Not even meeting Rachel, an outgoing newcomer who isn’t aware of her past, can pull Hallie out of her shell. Being on the defensive for so long has left her raw, and she doesn’t know who to trust.

On a group hike, the incessant bullying pushes Hallie to her limit. When Hallie, Rachel, and Hallie’s former friend Jonah get separated from the rest of the group, the situation quickly turns dire. Stranded in the wilderness, the three have no choice but to band together.

With past betrayals and harrowing obstacles in their way, Hallie fears they’ll never reach safety. Could speaking up about the night that changed everything close the distance between being lost and found? Or has she traveled too far to come back

“She feels hope well up. She isn’t sure what to do with it. Hope is scary. Expecting the worst is easier.”

▩ Open the book. Hooked. Mad. Hooked. Uncomfortable. Hooked. Worried. Hooked. Scared. Hooked. Overwhelmed. Hooked. Annoyed. Yeah, but hooked.

▩ Close the book. I feel like I’ve been brainwashed and that I just reached the end of the spell.


Warning : My review has high potential to drive you nuts, because I seem to be completely unable to make an opinion about this book. I literally spammed my adorable and patient friend Chelsea (again, sorry thanks) with my contradictory feelings.

First of all, This book was awfully hard to rate. Because while I can’t deny I was hooked from page one and completely drowned into the story, I have issues I just can’t overtake. More that I think about it, more I’m pissed, that’s why I’m writing this review today, otherwise my rating may get lower and lower and lower…

░ Part one : Survival – Theirs, and mine ░

What’s the hardest? To survive days without food nor clothes or to survive bullying, lies, and loneliness? We’re there with them, seeking out what to eat, what to drink, where to sleep, where to go.

In the mountain, everything is different, nothing makes sense anymore and everything is more important. Talking, not talking. Standing for ourselves, waiting. Trusting, leaving. Forgiving?

Hope. Despair. Crazy. Terror. Chills. Positively FURIOUS. At some point, I wanted to slap and hurt someone, for real.

░ Part two : The characters – Their force, and their failures ░

▦ Jonah – So believable and real. So flawed. Bitter. Heart-warming at some point? Yeah, I guess. Now – can I forgive him his prior behavior? The shame is, I don’t think so. I know, I know, Hallie and him will reach an understanding and yeah, I can understand it to some extend but there’s this sentence. This FUCKING sentence. You know what? I’m mad because I can’t quote it without spoiling the whole mystery to you, so I won’t.

Except into these wonderful spoiler tags. I know I’m tempting you, but resist guys, because THIS IS A MAJOR SPOILER. You’ve been warned.

View Spoiler »

Well, in a nutshell, let’s say that I don’t buy the reasons he brings to explain his complete lack of support for his FRIEND during SIX MONTHS, while she was BULLIED. So, yeah, unfortunately he is believable. Yeah, his flaws make him interesting. But damn, how in the world I’m supposed to root for him? How in the world I’m supposed to accept it? I must admit that he’s sometimes cute, but he also is a fucking hypocrite.

▦ Hallie – I wanted to shake her, to comfort her, to understand her, to support her. Yet she wasn’t relatable to me, because I had a hard time accepting that she didn’t defend herself, and well, I’m going to talk about the God thing after so I won’t start here otherwise I’m afraid I’ll never stop.

▦ Rachel is awesome, understanding, funny and open-minded. Really, I have nothing to reproach her. The relationship which is gradually growing between them is really genuine and enjoyable to follow.

░ Part three : The message? ░

Oh my goodness can we stop talking about God. That’s understanding because they belong to a church youth group so yeah, I can’t really whine about it but damn, that was difficult for me. Actually I just reread the blurb and wanted to slap myself. But what can I say? I was spoiled by blurbs so many times that now I only skim them more often than not. Damn me. I didn’t get the church youth thing. Trust me, I don’t want to be offensive, but the fact is, I really struggle to connect with characters who talk about God all the time. That’s all.

Now, I can’t stop thinking about it and wondering what message this book is supposed to carry : they were talking about god way too often and sorry, but they drove me fucking nuts. This was just too much for me.

Is being lost in the woods a part of God’s plan? Oh, COME ON.

Don’t forget that Hallie was bullied because of something Luke, the perfect little Christian, told everyone. And of course, OF COURSE, everybody believed him, including her parents, because the guy is considered that reliable, mainly because he’s the preacher’s son.

What a fucking and maddening bullshit.

… by the cynical ME. If you have a problem with that, well, sorry but not sorry. I do think that people are often hypocrite when it comes to the difference between what they preach and how they act. If every single person who is religious was utterly good and understanding, well, the world would be different RIGHT?

So, for me, what’s the main message? The main message is that church stuff can be a complete hypocrisy.

The only thing I can say is that the ending didn’t fully satisfy me – I needed more closure, to be frank. Anyway, in the end, this experience changed Hallie’s personality and believings, making her stronger. That’s something I was glad to see.

░ Here’s where I am. On the fence. ░

On the one hand we have a really compelling survival story which was unputdownable, but in the other, I can’t bring myself to accept the male lead’s behavior and I was strongly annoyed by the constant references to religion. Perhaps I’m overthinking it. Perhaps I’m not being fair. Oh, well. This review is only my opinion after all.

BOOK REVIEW – Dragonfly Creek (Firefly Hollow #3) by T.L Haddix

March 8, 2015 /
BOOK REVIEW – Dragonfly Creek (Firefly Hollow #3) by T.L HaddixDragonfly Creek (Firefly Hollow #3)
by T.L. Haddix
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks

Synopsis:

When Ben Campbell returns home to Hazard, Kentucky after a five-year absence, the last person he's expecting to run into is the girl who broke his heart - the girl who left town and married someone else. He's done his best to move on, but he knows he's only been going through the motions of living. Determined to exorcise Ainsley’s ghost, he approaches the young widow with an offer for a steamy liaison to do just that.

Ainsley Brewer Scott carries a lot of weight on her shoulders, weight that’s left deep emotional and physical scars. Her dreams of an everlasting love with Ben were dashed thoroughly, thanks to her malicious and conniving mother. Back in town to wrap up the old woman's estate, Ainsley's world is turned upside down when she sees Ben. And when he propositions her, he lights a match to her temper that flames into a burning attraction just as strong as what they shared years earlier.

When the truth behind Ainsley's leaving comes out, the long-held secrets shatter the fragile trust they’ve started to build. She and Ben have to decide to either walk away from each other for the second time or stand together and fight for their future.

This book has EVERYTHING. Thought you might want to know. That’s why I prepared a little to-do list of all the things you’re going to want to do after reading it.

✘ Break into the Campbells’s house.

♬ ♪ Hello, incredible family, can I come? Yeah, I totally mean to intrude.

I mean – first of all, Ben’s parents are Owen and Sarah from Firefly Hollow. OWEN, remember? Well, the only thing I can say is that even as a dad, the guy is pretty awesome, and I couldn’t help but swoon each time we got to see him. How can I describe the Campbells family? Well … They care about each other, so, of course, they tease each other. They are completely unable to mind their own business. Does that make them infuriating? Of course it does. But, more important, that makes them utterly likeable, real, and fun to follow.

“On a date,” Sarah answered.
Owen scowled. “It isn’t a date. It’s a get-together with some of her friends, and a couple of them happen to be boys. She’s just sixteen. It’s not a date.”
Ben looked at his mother, who nodded.
” It’s a date.(…)”

I love them. I want to move with them. I think I want to be a deer. Or a wolf. Whatever, I’ll take what I’ll get, because they aren’t only nice and supportive when one of them needs it. They’re an incredible family. Period.

✘ Steal their friends.

♬ ♪ While I’m it, I also want to meet your friends.

“He didn’t. Seriously? For old times’s sake?” Zanny pursed her lips. “He’s lucky a dunking is all you gave him.”

Be prepared for the shock of your life. Wait for it…. In this books the girls have friends, and even more – they act like nice persons when they meet another girl. Continue reading

BOOK REVIEW – Equal parts (Supernova #1) by Emma Winters

March 7, 2015 /
BOOK REVIEW – Equal parts (Supernova #1) by Emma WintersEqual Parts (Supernova #1)
by Emma Winters
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Nobody knows happiness better than nineteen-year-old Felicity Eastwood. For years now, she’s been ‘gifted’ with the ability to collect and transfer happiness to anyone at will. Well, everyone except herself.
That is until Achilles - renowned criminal mastermind with a face painted like Death and enough charm to cause hormonal riots – crashes into Felicity’s world and makes her feel … something.

Determined not to let such a coveted superpower slip beyond his reach, Achilles kidnaps Felicity, hoping to use her ability to brave his own skeletons. Felicity is only a half-unwilling prisoner though, forgoing escape to learn more of the man behind the mask and pursue the inexplicable spark between them.

As the lines between hero and villain begin to blur, Felicity finds herself wondering if Achilles might be the key to her own happiness at long last. Is it possible to be so happy with someone so dangerous?

But Achilles isn’t the only villain in the town, and the pursuit of happiness can be a deadly hunt…

This book is bipolar. I might as well write two different reviews. Because as the first half wasn’t flawless, the second half made me rage.

✘ Rage because I was in love with the idea of this book rather than this book itself.
✘ Rage because Achilles? I’d take this crazy painted face as a hero over some tattooed douche jerk on any day.
✘ Rage because this story had so much potential I actually felt sick to see how much the NA cliché ruined it.

☠ I’m going to talk about Achilles before starting to point what I didn’t like.

“He killed Carova’s mayor, he murdered people on a daily basis, he was weirdly charismatic, and he knew everything about everyone – or so it seemed.
And now, he was standing right in front of me, clutching his shoulder with one hand and a bloodied nail-gun in the other.
“Christ, girl, you gave me a heart attack!” He jumped back at the sound of my shriek.”

Truth to be told, when my friend Harriet talked to me about him, I was super excited – a SUPER-VILLAIN ? Who paints his face as a mask of death? Who’s sarcastic? Give him to me! Like, yesterday! I read this book because of him and for this reason I don’t regret anything, despite the low rating and the rage moments I came across.

▩ What did I love so much in him?

Well, first of all, the fact that he’s a real villain. No false assassin who never kills anyone, no random bad-boy whose only crime is to be a manwhore, no. A real psychopath, for whom killing someone is a boring routine. How refreshing is this?! See? This is where the story was filled with awesome possibilities. I’m not gonna lie : who doesn’t like a villain falling in love? Okaaaay, maybe there’re some but me?! I’m such a sucker for it. The problem in NA is, usually the main problem to reform in the male-lead is the fact he’s a manwhore. Yikes. Oh, yeah, he has some family issues as well, he’s probably orphan/abused/whatever and icing on the cake, he’s tattooed. Now, I have nothing against tattoos in real life, I actually love them, but the way they’re used in NA to picture the perfect bad-boy? Sick.

While here, we get a real maniac who IS going to fall in love (that’s NA, duh) and yeah, frankly, I can’t say that I’m not adoring this shit. I loved the fact that he never feels the need to find excuses for his murderous behavior, but always takes full responsibility for it. However, there are some reactions I didn’t get, especially toward the end. Maybe that’s just me, and the fact I’ve read The Broken Empire trilogy a few weeks ago, but I struggle to understand his motivation at some point, and the evolution of his believes can appear rather out of character. Oh, and please stop smirking.

Well, now, who cares about that? He’s dangerous and sexy. Continue reading

BOOK REVIEW – Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

March 4, 2015 /
BOOK REVIEW – Jellicoe Road by Melina MarchettaJellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

At age eleven, Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother. At fourteen, she ran away from boarding school, only to be tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now seventeen, Taylor's the reluctant leader of her school's underground community, whose annual territory war with the Townies and visiting Cadets has just begun. This year, though, the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, and Taylor can't avoid his intense gaze for long. To make matters worse, Hannah, the one adult Taylor trusts, has disappeared. But if Taylor can piece together the clues Hannah left behind, the truth she uncovers might not just settle her past, but also change her future


☠ Territorial War buddy read/reread with Chelsea, Jennifer, Jen, Laura & Harriet ☠

What happens when you reread this incredible book? What? You fucking cry, what do you think?

Well, you have seen me gushing frantically obsessing over this book for a while now, so you know you have to brace yourself because this book? It possibly became my favorite. Ever. That kind of means something when we read a million book a year, right?

“I fall in love with these kids over and over again and my heart aches for their tragedies and marvels at their friendship”.

▒ This book. This fucking BOOK. ▒

Why is it so special to me? You mean, except from the fact it’s written by Marchetta and contains Jonah Griggs in it? Apart from that?

Well, what you need to know is that few authors manage to change my perception of myself as a reader.

Yet if there’s something I learnt this year, that’s Melina Marchetta’s books are written in a way that makes me want to create a stamp which would say –

That says it all. The reason I rarely cry when I read is the fact I hate feeling manipulated. I loathe it when I can see through the author’s intentions and I’m pretty sure that’s why I never succeeded in finishing The fault in our stars. Melina Marchetta’s books show me something I was eager to learn, because even if I knew it deep down inside, I was seeking out the moment I’d unravel all my doubts : No, I’m not a cold-hearted reader.

I was just longing for stories which really speak to me, because, never, ever again I want to find myself thinking ‘oh, I think I’m supposed to cry right now’. The beauty of her books lies in the surprise they never fail to create in me : I could express it with a single word : suddenly.

And that emergence of unexpected feelings? I live for that shit.

▒ But this book. This fucking BOOK. ▒

Jellicoe road takes us into the life of characters so strongly convinced of the uselessness of their life that we want to fight for them. We want to tear the appearances out, and above all that, we’re grateful to Melina Marchetta because her characters are so relatable and real that we can find pieces of ourselves in them. Pieces of our friends. Pieces of our family. Pieces of my heart that broke for Jonah Griggs over and over again.

“Please don’t be crazy, Taylor,” Griggs whispers, leaning his head against mine. “Please don’t be crazy.” He kisses me, holding my face between his hands, whispering over and over again, “Please”.

Therefore don’t worry if you’re confused throughout the 100 first pages, I swear to you, there must surely come a stage when you’ll find yourself utterly captivated by Taylor’s journey. Moreover, after reading it a second time, I can assure you that this experience was even more emotional and that Marchetta wrapped her plot brilliantly – I noticed some things I couldn’t see the first time and WOW. Just WOW. This structure? Incredible. Everything has a sense. Everything has a purpose. Nothing’s useless. Nothing.

▒ But this book. This fucking BOOK. ▒

This is a tale about where we belong. Is it a place? Is it a person? Is it love?

Can we stop belonging somewhere?

Can we earn the right to belong or is it something we have in our heart no matter what we do?

Can we allow somebody else to be our everything? Because what happens, I’m asking I’m yelling, what happens if our everything disappears?

*whisper* Do we disappear as well?

Now, I don’t want to scare you how that’s too late? and I can assure you that Jellicoe Road isn’t the kind of book that makes your eyes ache all long without never releasing the tension. No. That’s just life, you know? So prepare yourself for a ride – you’re going to laugh, to be pissed, to be desperate at times, to lose hope and then fight to find it again –

You’re going to live and feel and smile.

“Go on, admit it. When he hits the ground and the blood went flying and you knew in your heart his nose was broken, didn’t you just want to jump for joy and stomp on his ugly face?”

▒ But this book. This fucking BOOK. ▒

I don’t want to talk about the plot. Damn, I just can’t and I’ll say only one thing : even if I guessed some parts of the mystery pretty fast, following Taylor and Jonah was an experience I’d have been sad to miss and that captivating and splendorous story will linger in my heart and in my thoughts for a very long time.


You know what you have to do.

“I reach the bottom and smash into him with my fists as hard as I can. He falls and I can’t believe he goes down that easy, caught off balance.
“You care about nothing, you piece of shit!”
I’m on the verge of tears, like I always seem to be these days, and I hear the catch in my voice and I hate myself for it. He throws me off him and I can tell there is a fury in him.
“Never,” he tells me in a tone full of ice, “under-estimate who or what I care for.”

PS : I have a million quotes to write, a million stories about Jonah, Webbs, Tate, Narny, Jude, Fitz, Taylor, Jessa to tell. But I won’t. I won’t because this is a book which must be savored blind. I won’t even if Jonah Griggs is certainly one of the characters I will never forget. Just meet them, and if that’s already the case, go reread it. That’s even better the second time around, trust me.

BOOK REVIEW – Firefly Hollow (Firefly Hollow #1) by T.L. Haddix

March 2, 2015 /
BOOK REVIEW – Firefly Hollow (Firefly Hollow #1) by T.L. HaddixFirefly Hollow (Firefly Hollow #1)
by T.L. Haddix
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

In 1960, a tragic death in the family calls young Sarah Browning back from college to her Appalachian homestead. Unable to return to school and finish her degree, she finds herself facing a future that isn’t what she’d planned. Lost and grieving, she wanders onto her reclusive neighbor’s property where she stumbles across the all-too-attractive Owen Campbell, a man hiding secrets she’d only ever thought were legend.

Owen Campbell was raised on the folklore of Eastern Kentucky, tales of men and women with magical abilities from shape-shifting to healing powers. Rejected by those he loves because of his own abilities, he isolates himself from the world. When he meets Sarah, he’s faced with the tough decision of whether to let her in or stay hidden away to keep his heart safe.

Want to know what happens while reading Firefly hollow? Actually, that’s pretty simple : this novel takes your expectations and quietly blows them away.

► The story takes place in the 60s. We expect sexism, or at the best case, some infatuated girl. We get an incredibly independent and rational heroine.

“Listen, Tony, I don’t mean any offense, but I need this job. I’m not looking for a man to take care of me. I can take care of myself.”

I can’t express how much I liked Sarah : contrary to many books, we’re not only told that she’s smart and rational, no. This side of her personality can be seen in each and every one of her actions, and saying that I enjoyed following her would be an understatement. Indeed she never overreacts, knows what she wants and is ready to fight to obtain it – she’s courageous, and doesn’t need a savior. During my read there were so many times I was proud of her, even if the choices she has to make aren’t world saving choices. No, that’s life, and that’s fucking great as it is, because would I have been able to live in the 60s as a woman? I’m not sure. Okay, she’s a virgin, but as I’ve already said with historical heroines, what annoys me something fierce in New Adult don’t bother me at all here. Why? Because what I find completely ridiculous and unbelievable in 2015 was perfectly understandable at this time. So, what, she’s a virgin. She’s unmarried. She lives in 1960 for Pete’s sake. That’s pretty believable to me.

“Oh, no! Tony, are you okay? I am so clumsy. This sort of things happens to me all the time,” Sarah said, standing over the injured man. To Owen’s utter astonishment, and not slight satisfaction, as she bent over the insurance agent, she managed to drop three of the books she’d be carrying… right on Tony’s groin.”

► This is a romance with paranormal elements. We fear some stalkerish alpha male. We get a protective but adorable male-lead.

Owen Owen Owen. I guess I have to warn you that I’m pretty sure I fell in love with him. He’s just so adorable, so gentleman – Damn, he manages to succeed in handling perfectly every situation where others could have been changed to jerks.

Let’s have a look at some of them :
– Have women the right to work, even married?
– What about the dishes and other housework?
– What’s up with the sexual needs of a woman?

Here’s a man who isn’t afraid to let the woman he loves live, make her choices.
Here’s a man who wants to protect her but never tries to deny her ability to stand for herself.
Here’s a man who is so fucking adorable in each and every one of his attentions.
Here’s a man so selfless that I wanted to hug him. Damn, I was grinning like a fool even when he was saying “I adore rhubarb.” Continue reading

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