Tag: Young Adult (Page 99 of 159)

BOOK REVIEW – My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

October 12, 2015 / Anna

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A transporting debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.

Why, thank you book for all these wonderful platitudes. We need to part ways now though, at 35%, but don’t worry, I’ll compile here every amazing moment we shared together.

► Remember when Jase and Sam fell in love over a lemonade at 9%? Because I was there to follow their astounding banter and was deeply moved by the slow burn of their feelings….

“He drains the entire thing in one gulp, then reaches for the other cup.
“That’s mine,” I say.
“Oh, jeez. Of course. Sorry. I am thirsty.”
I extend my arm with the lemonade. “You can have it. There’s always more.”
He shakes his head. “I would never deprive you.”
I feel my stomach do that weird little flip-flop thing you hear about.“

It’s not insta-love guys, because it’s not the first time they talk. Nope. It’s the second time, not to mention that she has stalked him for years. Of course it counts!

► Remember when Jase kept telling Sam such profound and life changing sentences? I swear the guy must be an hidden philosopher gem or something.

“No, thank God. I’d die if I got in trouble.”
Jase looks at me intently, as though what I’ve said is profound” ← SEE?
“No, you wouldn’t, Samantha. You wouldn’t die. You’d just be in trouble and then you’d move on.”

MY GOD. Who needs Sartre when Jase is in the house? I might quote him someday.

► Remember when we met the most oblivious parents of the world? I know teenagers are tricky, but there must be a medal hiding somewhere for Nan and Tim’s ones.

“I know!” she says. “It’s so much worst since he got kicked out of Ellery. He spends all day like this [STONED & DRUNKED AT HOME], and God knows what he does at night. My parents are completely and totally without a clue. Mommy buys all his lies – ‘Oh, that’s catnip in that bag, Ma. Oh, those pills? Aspirin. That white stuff? Just salt.“

… and it’s not finished :

“He’s [the Obvious Dad] even got Tim’s pot plant in with his own plants, giving it Miracle-Gro. What kind of man was young in the eighties and doesn’t recognize marijuana?”

Who indeed? Should we warn someone? Put them on TV or something? Huh? (Not that Nan would tell them, of course. I mean, it’s only her brother’s life for fuck sake. FUCK. FUCK OFF. FUCK. FUCK. ← Tim’s favorite words if any.

► Remember when Sam caught her mum’s boyfriend (probably) cheating and didn’t say a thing?

“How can I say “Uh – Mom – I think he might be seeing someone else too”?

…
………
Hmm… Like this? Oh, no? You don’t want to? Okay.

► Remember when Jase thoughtfully listened to Sam’s Earth shattering conversations? I’m pretty sure it’s one of my fave parts. I mean, come on.

“How did you get so good at everything?” I ask Jase as he wipes his greasy hands on a rag from his tool kit.
“At everything,” he repeats thoughtfully.”

I might combust from butterflies each time he opens his thoughtful mouth – and it keeps getting better and better!

► Remember when Sam and me agreed on something? Frankly, it just made my day. Truly. Hope to die and all that shit.

“Jase’s green eyes meet mine, then his lashes lower. “I guess I like things that take time and attention. More worthwhile that way.”
I don’t know what it is about this that makes me blush, but something does.”

You and me on this, girl. Wait – NO! I didn’t blush! What I mean is that I have no clue about why this (wonderfully profound as always) sentence is blush worthy. NOT A FREAKING CLUE (explanations in comments are welcome). That SOMETHING though.

► Remember when …

OH BOY. Can I just forget it? To me My Life Next Door is silly, filled with platitudes and flat dialogues, bland and stereotypical characters I don’t give a shit about (including a perfect snowflake and an absent mum), an instalovish romance with no chemistry whatsoever and – Well, I guess that’s all.

BOOK REVIEW – The Carnelian Legacy (Carnelian #1) by Cheryl Koevoet

October 8, 2015 / Jen / 2 Comments

The Carnelian Legacy (Carnelian #1)
by Cheryl Koevoet
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:

Marisa MacCallum always believed that the man of her dreams was out there somewhere. The problem is—he’s in another dimension.

After the death of her father, eighteen-year-old Marisa's life is on the verge of imploding. She seeks comfort on her daily ride through the woods of Gold Hill, but when a mysterious lightning storm strikes, she is hurled into the ancient, alternate dimension of Carnelia where she is discovered by the arrogant but attractive nobleman, Ambassador Darian Fiore.

Stranded in a world teeming with monsters, maniacs and medieval knights, Marisa is forced to join Darian on a dangerous mission to negotiate peace with his cousin and archenemy, Savino da Rocha. Along the way, she starts to see Darian's softer side and finds herself falling in love. But once she learns that he is locked into an arranged marriage, her heart shatters.

When Savino falls for her charms and demands her hand in exchange for peace, Marisa is faced with an impossible choice: marry the enemy of the man she loves or betray them both and become the catalyst for a bloody war.

Review:

I desperately wanted this book to hook me, but I kept facing too many issues that prevented me from enjoying The Carnelian Legacy. Which is regrettable because it was such an interesting take on living in a world with multiple dimensions. I enjoyed the description of the world that Marisa MacCallum found herself in, and I truly adored Darian and Arrie who she first met upon arriving in Carnelian. But I started to struggle when little mistakes in the story appeared. While that’s something I can forgive and move on from, the heroine then became someone who I struggled liking. Throw in the fact that a strong Christian theme became prevalent, which was not stated in the synopsis on Amazon or Goodreads, and I started to realize that this book wasn’t for me. At all.

Marisa is someone who I did enjoy in the beginning of the book. She has just lost her father, and while needing some breathing space from her uncle and brother she takes her horse for a ride and ends up in another dimension. Upon her arrival in a modern yet medieval dimension, she meets the friendly Arrie and the brooding, sexy Darian. They sweep her under their wings and take her on a journey across their land. The description of the places they visited and the perilous situations they found themselves in had me quickly flying through the pages.

But as the story progressed, Marisa became someone I struggled tolerating. We were told that in the past she was a leader, but I never once saw a glimpse of that version of her. Instead she became whiny, needy and was hot and cold more times than I could count. And while I tried my hardest to be forgiving since she did just lose her father, is in another dimension and is scared, she did something that I loathe. She became fickle and toyed with others feelings, and I can’t be ok with that. Skip this next part if you don’t want to be spoiled – View Spoiler » What? No, no, no. Oh, plus she refers to herself, while playing the part of a mute, as a dumb mute. Just because a mute can’t speak, doesn’t mean that they are dumb. Sigh, that irked me too.

So from those parts on, clearly I wasn’t the biggest fan of Marisa. But then the religious tone became more prevalent as the story progressed, and that is not my cup of tea. I was shocked because not only did I NOT see the Christian aspect mentioned within the synopsis on Goodreads or Amazon, but I also read the first two chapters on Amazon to make sure that this book and I would mesh. And we did mesh in those first two chapters! But then talk of God, or Garon as they referred to him in Carnelian, praying, and even a Shepard showing up made me question what was I reading? I am not one to pickup Christian books, and I definitely would have avoided this tale if I would have known what was inside.

So this book and I did not get along for various reasons. While I was initially drawn into the story, I found myself struggling to finish The Carnelian Legacy. While the traveling and friendships were fun, I couldn’t find it in myself to like Marisa again. Top that off with a religious theme and little mistakes here and there, such as a conversation being written to convey one thing but upon going back it clearly doesn’t make sense now that I understand the correct context, and this book and I were not destined to be.

*ARC kindly provided by Abbott Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

BOOK REVIEW – The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist #1) by Rick Yancey

October 2, 2015 / Anna

The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist #1)
by Rick Yancey
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me . . . and the one who cursed me.

So starts the diary of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.

A gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does man become the very thing he hunts?

If this book was a landscape, it would be the Sahara desert : perhaps beautiful from a distance, but so fucking dry that I wouldn’t want to stay there more than 1 hour. I stopped at 67%, because there’s just so much boredom I can take.

► Lack of … interest. What’s the point of this? Oh, here’s a monster. Look, his teeth are in his belly. This is a *insert Latin name to appear clever*. How wonderful. Now, you can eat your porridge, but just so you know, these creatures are invading New Jerusalem. What do you mean you don’t care? SNAP TO, READER! SNAP TO!

I’m sorry but I can’t.

Nothing fucking happens! I don’t care if it’s gross, I mean, I do have an history of disgust with maggots but in all honesty that’s not at all what bothered me here. No. What annoyed the crap out of me is the fact that the plot felt way too simple to interest me, the whole thing punctuated with so many useless and slooooooow scenes that I struggled to keep my eyes open.

Not to mention that far from awakening my interest, the Latin names and other classics references felt somewhat pretentious to me, because they seemed completely out of phase with the simple plot.

► Lack of … depth in the characterization. Look, I love darkness. I love morally ambiguous characters. You know I do. Yet if I do like wondering what characters really think and analyzing their actions, in my opinion I haven’t near enough material here to work with : everyone keeps telling me that Warthorpe is complex and multi-layered, but HUH? Really, HUH? To me he’s one dimensional and pretty boring, and don’t get me started about the stiff and repetitive dialogues which consistently failed to convince me.

Moreover, young Will Henry lacked a voice in my opinion. I know what you’re thinking, “what’s her problem? It’s Will’s POV!” except, yes it is but no it’s not. The narrator isn’t 12 years-old Will Henry, but the events are told years after they originally took place. As it is, I know how old Will Henry interprets them, and if his thoughts aren’t (always) uninteresting, by no means do I have any insight about what he was thinking when he was younger. Come on. No 12 years-old would express an opinion in such a way. None.

To me, Warthorpe is pretty dry in his selfish manners and Will Henry acts like a spineless puppy. Please don’t hate me, but I really didn’t see anything else so far.

► Lack of … emotions. I don’t mind the lack of romance, and several of my favorite books don’t contain one bit of it. This being said, I need to feel at least ONE emotion – I know, I’m annoying.

What brings me to… the absence of fear. Scary, The Monstrumologist? Monsters don’t scare me. Humans scare me on a daily basis – when I watch the news, when I read, when I talk to random people. Stupidity scares me to death. Clowns do scare me, but only because Stephen King screwed up my childhood. Monsters? Nope. Grossed-out? Maybe, but never scared. This book should have made my heart pound – sadly, it never did.

Anyway – blablabla, I didn’t get it, blablabla, I don’t care is all. So, okay, It’s well-written. Okay. GOOD. Sadly I don’t give a damn if I’m bored to death (it did escape the 1-star rating thanks to it, though).

*shrug*

I’m in the minority though, so don’t let my review prevent you from reading it^^

BOOK REVIEW: Dairy Queen (Dairy Queen #1) by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

October 1, 2015 / Chelsea / 0 Comments

Dairy Queen (Dairy Queen #1)
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.
Harsh words indeed, from Brian Nelson of all people. But, D. J. can’t help admitting, maybe he’s right.

When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.
Stuff like why her best friend, Amber, isn’t so friendly anymore. Or why her little brother, Curtis, never opens his mouth. Why her mom has two jobs and a big secret. Why her college-football-star brothers won’t even call home. Why her dad would go ballistic if she tried out for the high school football team herself. And why Brian is so, so out of her league.

When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.
Welcome to the summer that fifteen-year-old D. J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, learns to talk, and ends up having an awful lot of stuff to say.

That’s one advantage to not talking. After a while people stop talking back.

I swear, I swear to you….I am not a snob. Really!! Swear!! But come on…look at this cover. It’s a cow. In a tiara. With a blue sky in the background and named after a restaurant I love. What’s a girl to think when she sees this? Oh well, guess it’s a moot point…

Because this book was fabulous. (okay, I was guna use that GIF anyway because duh, friends, but it just worked out so well 😉 )
Basically what it came down to was that my life sucked. It sucked even more than it had before Brian showed up, because now I knew it.

This book, while funny and outwardly mocking in and of itself, was also surprisingly deep, full of values that aren’t always put first in a teenager’s life. D.J.’s voice is one that, while a little different at first, is one that I think many young girls could relate to. Hell, I could relate to it.

Think about it-No, I’m not a farmer, and no, I wasn’t totally socially awkward ever, but I had trouble finding my voice. And not everyone runs into this problem, I know that. But, hey, I grew up in the country, and I went to a school where driving your tractor there wouldn’t raise eyebrows. It was Hick City people. The kids were very kind, very well brought up for a public school, so it should come as no shock to you that when my parents ripped me out of that happy (and horrible academically wise) school away from all my friends just as I was getting my braces and figuring out who I was (thanks mom and dad, really), I had trouble finding my place at the elite schools in town. I bet you’re asking why they pulled me out. I’ll tell you why in a few words: Soccer program (as in, ours was nonexistent and I was REALLY GOOD) and academics. I couldn’t go into high school without a better level of academics and not knowing the in town program and it’s people and coaches. ANYWAY.
I hate it when people make fun of me and it turns out they’re right.

So, when I started in town at a tiny private school with a totally different grading scale and girls that were far more advanced than I in 7th grade, I found that I was standing on the outside of the circle with very little to say besides a literal smile and nod of the head for everything they deemed important. Ah, youth. I want to incinerate some of those moments. But that’s my whole point-I knew what I wanted to say, and I rarely agreed with what they were going on and on about. I had my own opinions, but I was both too shy and too backwards (at the time) to express them…so I just looked wild-eyed at them and nodded my head so as to fit in. Yeah. That worked out great. But, again, the point-I am just like D.J. in this instance…and I think many young girls are, as well.
How could a guy who was such a jerk, how could he act so nice?

And that’s why I loved this cute little story so much. Yeah, the writing was great and the boy was great (Brian!!!!) and it was so so funny…but I fell for D.J.. She’s this girl who thinks so little of herself, yet she’s so very strong and smart and determined. She has trouble expressing herself, even though she has so much to say. And I loved that. I loved her voice and her thoughtful sentences and the way she spoke to you as if you were a friend. It was a journey of discovering herself and finding out that not everybody is what you’d imagine them to be. And…most importantly, this chick tries out for football. And then she falls for the rival team’s quarterback. Be still my star-crossed heart.
I couldn’t help wondering if maybe it had something to do with me, like our water fight and all. But then I realized that I was totally stupid and there’s no way it could ever be about me, not in a million years, not if I was the only girl on the entire planet.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: What a weird concept. I know, I thought so too. But when she decides to try out for football, it actually became my favorite part…because, you know, she has to play that rival football team MUAHA! lol. I’m weird today. Anyway! She decides to train Brian all summer after some prompting from a family friend because she trained with her brothers who are now big names in college football. What starts out as reluctant training and working together on the farm becomes a highlight of each of their weeks, and something so much more.

The whole book D.J. is trying to prove her worth to herself, that she’s not just some cow that does what everybody says, and when she finally finds a purpose, playing football for her school’s team, it helps her to feel vindicated and strong and worthy of people’s admiration. I think that’s where my admiration came in for her…what a brave (and hilarious) thing to do.

I saw something I wanted to do and I decided to do it. The feeling of freedom this gave me-I can’t even describe it. It was my decision. I chose it. I am not a cow.

So, you know, despite my earlier trepidation of how this story would be, I got just as many feels from this as any other book: Angst, fear, butterflies, sadness, giddiness, family issues, this book had it all. Near the end my stomach was in such a big bundle of nerves I almost couldn’t sleep. And I guess that’s my other life lesson…you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Sometimes you find the best stories with the worst covers…it just happens. But I’m sure I’ll continue to make that mistake…but I’ll do my best to shake the habit.

************************

Surprisingly deep with wonderful values…I can’t wait to read more of this series.

And, you know…

Just sayin’

RTC

BOOK REVIEW – What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

October 1, 2015 / Anna

What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone’s house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early—the feeling that maybe he’s becoming more than just the guy she’s known since they were kids.

But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details. When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question: Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?

This story—inspired by real events—from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It’s a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time.

“Words have meanings. When we call something a theory in science, it means something. Reggie, when you say that you ‘can’t help yourself’ if a girl is wasted, that means something, too. You’re saying that our natural state as men is ‘rapist’. (…) That’s not okay with me, Reggie.”

Trigger warning : Rape.

Incoherent sentences hardly articulated through my sobs : that’s all I can give you and I’m so, so sorry for that. Actually, scratch that : I’m not even able to write down my thoughts – I can’t, because every word I can think of seems so overused and drained of sense that I feel sick in even considering writing such platitudes.

I am DESTROYED.

This ~~powerful, eyes-opening and heartbreaking~~ unique and oh so important book deserves such an equally amazing review. And given the emotionally state it let me in, I’m not sure I can do it, guys.

Just, please please please please read it, because I rarely read a book that tackled the issue of rape – and more generally of sexual assault – in such honest and meaningful way.

Boys will be boys?
Why must you be hysterical about this?
There are rules?
Just when are we going to throw that bullshit away?

Victim shaming and blaming. Role of the medias. Guilt, shame, and oh, the heartbreak – I can’t handle it. Rage so fierce that seized my throat.

THIS is the reality we’re living in.

We’re all Kates. We could all be Staceys. Please let’s change that.

Tag: Young Adult (Page 99 of 159)

BOOK REVIEW – My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Synopsis:

“No, thank God. I’d die if I got in trouble.”
Jase looks at me intently, as though what I’ve said is profound” ← SEE?
“No, you wouldn’t, Samantha. You wouldn’t die. You’d just be in trouble and then you’d move on.”

“He’s [the Obvious Dad] even got Tim’s pot plant in with his own plants, giving it Miracle-Gro. What kind of man was young in the eighties and doesn’t recognize marijuana?”

“How can I say “Uh – Mom – I think he might be seeing someone else too”?

“How did you get so good at everything?” I ask Jase as he wipes his greasy hands on a rag from his tool kit.
“At everything,” he repeats thoughtfully.”

“Jase’s green eyes meet mine, then his lashes lower. “I guess I like things that take time and attention. More worthwhile that way.”
I don’t know what it is about this that makes me blush, but something does.”

BOOK REVIEW – The Carnelian Legacy (Carnelian #1) by Cheryl Koevoet

Synopsis:

Review:

BOOK REVIEW – The Monstrumologist (The Monstrumologist #1) by Rick Yancey

Synopsis:

BOOK REVIEW: Dairy Queen (Dairy Queen #1) by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Synopsis:

BOOK REVIEW – What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

Synopsis:

“Words have meanings. When we call something a theory in science, it means something. Reggie, when you say that you ‘can’t help yourself’ if a girl is wasted, that means something, too. You’re saying that our natural state as men is ‘rapist’. (…) That’s not okay with me, Reggie.”

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BOOK REVIEW – My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Synopsis:

“No, thank God. I’d die if I got in trouble.” Jase looks at me intently, as though what I’ve said is profound” ← SEE? “No, you wouldn’t, Samantha. You wouldn’t die. You’d just be in trouble and then you’d move on.”

“He’s [the Obvious Dad] even got Tim’s pot plant in with his own plants, giving it Miracle-Gro. What kind of man was young in the eighties and doesn’t recognize marijuana?”

“How can I say “Uh – Mom – I think he might be seeing someone else too”?

“How did you get so good at everything?” I ask Jase as he wipes his greasy hands on a rag from his tool kit. “At everything,” he repeats thoughtfully.”

“Jase’s green eyes meet mine, then his lashes lower. “I guess I like things that take time and attention. More worthwhile that way.” I don’t know what it is about this that makes me blush, but something does.”

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“No, thank God. I’d die if I got in trouble.”
Jase looks at me intently, as though what I’ve said is profound” ← SEE?
“No, you wouldn’t, Samantha. You wouldn’t die. You’d just be in trouble and then you’d move on.”

“How did you get so good at everything?” I ask Jase as he wipes his greasy hands on a rag from his tool kit.
“At everything,” he repeats thoughtfully.”

“Jase’s green eyes meet mine, then his lashes lower. “I guess I like things that take time and attention. More worthwhile that way.”
I don’t know what it is about this that makes me blush, but something does.”