Tag Archives: Must-Reads

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Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Title: The Distance Between Us
Author: Kasie West
Rating: ★★★★

I was in the mood for a sweet teen romance that would make my heart flutter and my insides melt. The Distance Between Us is just that kind of book. It’s not an epic love story, it doesn’t have any paranormal aspects, and it doesn’t make you analyze every word. It’s just a sweet, wonderful romance about two people coming together and figuring love out.

Cayman has always been there for her mother. She helps run the doll store her mother owns, even taking time away from school to make sure her mother doesn’t work too hard. After being abandoned by her father before she was even born, her mother’s impression of the rich has worn off on her. They just don’t understand what it’s like to struggle, so she doesn’t really give them the time of day. So when Xander walks into the doll store and breaks a few of those stereotypical rich ideas, Cayman isn’t sure how to handle it. Add in Masen, the lead singer for a band and someone her mother thinks is a better match, more her equal, and you’ve got a fantastic story.

I love Cayman. She says it how it is and her sarcasm and dry humor are what keep this book from being too sappy. She doesn’t take herself too seriously, but it’s easy to see that her sarcasm is a way to protect her from having to deal with the unpleasantries of the world. She has a wall up, with good reason, and her humor is how she defends that wall. It was in the moments when she let that shield down, though, that I found myself adoring her. It was easy to see how much she cares for people, even if she tries to stay aloof. This book could have easily fallen into Hallmark movie cheesiness territory, but it was Cayman that kept the novel feeling light and fresh.

Xander is charming and sweet, just what he should be. Even Masen is wonderful. There wasn’t any competition between the two, but I liked how Masen was there to show that Cayman wasn’t going to settle for something she didn’t feel was right. Masen wasn’t there to provide a distraction, he was there to make sure Cayman followed her heart. And her heart led her to Xander. The fact that they started out as friends was perfect. It made the romance feel authentic. They pushed each other to be more than what they thought they could be. They created a base before building a relationship on it. Yes, there were a few trust and miscommunication issues, but in a teen romance, that’s what you expect. They work through them and in the end it creates a stronger relationship.

There is a bit of a twist at the end that doesn’t really help or hurt the novel, but that’s okay. It was just there and I think even without it, the novel would have been just as good. I can see why West added the plot point though, and it does help move the story along.

Kasie West has written a wonderfully sweet novel about overcoming stereotypes and finding that first love. It could have easily become too cheesy to read, but the characters keep it from straying into that territory. They’re real and funny and sweet and perfect. The Distance Between Us is the perfect read if you’re looking for something that will make your heart flutter.

If The Distance Between Us sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

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Review: The White Princess by Philippa Gregory

Title: The White Princess
Author: Philippa Gregory
Series: The Cousins’ War series
Rating: ★★★★★

Philippa Gregory has written yet another fantastic historical fiction novel. This time it centers on Elizabeth of York, the wife of Henry VII and the mother of Henry VIII. She’s forced into marriage in order to unite the two sides of the Cousin’s War, but rarely feels at peace with her role in the new world her husband is forging. Her story is compelling and rich, and Gregory does an amazing job of telling it.

Elizabeth has always known she would be a pawn somehow, someway. As a female, she can’t rule, but she can give her husband the authority he needs to rule. So when Henry VII defeats her lover Richard III in battle and takes the title of king, she knows it will be her job to marry the victor. Their relationship starts out on horrible terms, with neither trusting the other or even liking each other. They know their marriage is one for show; Henry must marry Elizabeth to show a united front and Elizabeth must marry Henry to show the country who is king.

Even though their relationship starts out on bad terms, they come to form a type of love and respect for each other, even though it can never fully form. Henry doesn’t trust anyone who once sided with the York cause, including Elizabeth. There is always someone around the corner trying to take the throne away from him and that makes it hard for him to trust in others. Even when Elizabeth truly does not know anything about the plots surrounding her husband, the fact that she is a York is enough for Henry to distrust her.

Elizabeth played a different role in this novel than the women of the previous novels. In the previous novels, the women were determined and worked as hard as they could to secure their line on the throne. The men may have gone off to war, but the women were fighting their own battles. For Elizabeth, the struggle isn’t so much for the throne, but for who she is as queen. She is relatively safe with either side on the throne, but she must decide where her loyalties lie. She was raised a York, believing her brothers were the true heirs to the throne. However she creates a new line with the birth of Arthur, the Tudor line. She is played by both sides and must figure out which future she is willing to fight for.

I liked this internal struggle as compared to physical battle. There is still fighting and the battles one expects of a war, but getting inside Elizabeth’s mind as she is isolated yet loved, respected yet distrusted, fought over yet pushed aside was amazing. As much as Henry never felt secure, Elizabeth was just as questionable. Her fate was tied to people she had no control over, but she still fought to make her own path anyway. I wasn’t ready for a character like her, but I’m glad Gregory wrote her the way she did.

The White Princess has a different feel to it when compared to the other novels of the series. The fighting between the cousins has slowed, but not ended, and that leaves room for other factors to come into play. Instead of reading about the fight for a crown, this novel feels more like a fight for loyalties. Do you side with the family you are born with or with the family you have created? It’s a difficult question to answer but I feel like Gregory did a wonderful job looking at how Elizabeth of York handled that very question. This is yet another fantastic novel in the Cousin’s War series and it feels very bittersweet that it’s the second to last novel. Almost every story has been told and as much as I hate to see the end, I am looking forward to reading The Last Rose.

If The White Princess sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Review: A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

Title: A Certain Slant of Light
Author: Laura Whitcomb
Series: Light series
Rating: ★★★★

A Certain Slant of Light is not what I thought it would be, but that’s not a bad thing. It had been a while since I had read the book description, so I went in a little blind. I’m very glad I did.

Hellen has been Light for well over 150 years. She’s attached herself to different Hosts over the years, trying to stay out of her personal hell. Mr. Brown is her current host, but in one of his English classes, a boy sees her. He is Light, but he has stolen a body to live in. With his help. Helen steals the empty body of a girl at the same school.

James and Helen, the Light souls, learn to live in the bodies and lives of Billy and Jenny. Even though James and Helen find themselves falling in love, the bodies they inhabit are polar opposites and their families will do anything to keep them apart. Billy was a recovering drug addict and Jenny was raised in an extremely religious household. The only similarity between the two was the original souls left their bodies.

As James and Hellen try to continue their romance, the lives of Billy and Jenny continually get in the way. Billy’s brother is on her case constantly ands Jenny has been on the outside of her family’s religious looking in.

It was interesting to see how James and Helen tried to blend into the current world. To everyone else, they had some strange perks; to each other they made perfect sense. I really enjoyed the uniqueness of each side of the characters.

A Certain Slant of Light went a lot deeper than I expected. It is not a simply Young Adult novel; it’s more complex than that. I really think this is a book anyone can read and find meaning in.

If A Certain Slant of Light sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Review: The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio

Title: The Last Camellia
Author: Sarah Jio
Rating: ★★★★★

Yet another fantastic Jio novel, this time with a bit of a serial killer mystery thrown in. It was worth staying up late to read. There’s always coffee for the morning after a good book.

The Last Camellia takes place at a manor house in England as World War II encroaches on their doorstep as well as more than half a century later. In the ’40s, it is Flora’s story we are following as she works as a nanny, all the while being blackmailed into searching for a rare, one-of-a-kind camellia tree. She doesn’t expect to love the children she’s taking care of, or to fall in love while at the manor house, but she can’t help it. More than half a century later, Addison and her husband take up residence for the summer as Addison tries to escape her past without letting it ruin her future.

The murder mystery is fantastic. I had my suspicions, but the reveal was dramatic and wonderful. It was amazing to see all these clues fall together in one pivotal moment. And the parallels between the past and the present lined up, leaving me on the edge of my seat and forgoing sleep just to finish. I cared so much for what happened to Flora and Addison that I couldn’t put the book down, even as my eyes fought to close.

Flora wants so much to be the good, helpful daughter who solves her parents’ problems. Her desires are played on and she is sent to England to pose as a nanny while working for a flower thief ring. She’s only supposed to gain the family’s trust, find the camellia, and report back. She soon finds herself enjoying taking care of the children and seeing them come alive. She makes friends in the house staff. She falls in love with the eldest son. But the con man she’s working for is always looming in the background, threatening her family if she doesn’t cooperate. On top of that, her appearance falls right in the middle of a serial killer’s rein, when girls are disappearing and no one knows who is behind it, even though they all have their suspicions.

Addison has been trying to escape what happened 15 years ago ever since the night it happened. She’s burdened by what happened in one night and someone won’t let her forget. She tries escaping to England, thinking getting away from the scene of the crime will give her a reprieve and a chance to come clean to her husband. The opportunity rarely presents itself, however, and she’s left feeling more confused than ever. She’s helping her husband write his novel, feeling inspired by the manor house they are living in. Even as everything looks like it’s falling into place, the truth starts to pop up and she can’t escape it this time.

I think at this point it’s safe to say Jio is one of my favorite authors. She has such a way with words, of blending the past and the present. Her novels show that everything is connected, even through time. What affects one person years ago can still have the power to affect people today. The stories are never easily confused, with each story having clear characters and plot, but as the novel carries on, the weaves and braids start to show themselves and it’s wonderful every time.

The Last Camellia is a superb story spanning decades that will have your heart in your throat, hands clutching the pages, needing to read just one more page. It grabs you right away and doesn’t let go until long after you’ve read the last word. This is a must read book.

If The Last Camellia sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Title: Pivot Point
Author: Kasie West
Series: Pivot Point series
Rating: ★★★★

I was a little worried about reading Pivot Point because I thought it had such promise, but it also could end up horribly confusing. Dealing with two futures in one book, alternating back and forth could either be fantastic or horrible. West is a new author and when I read something I’m a little nervous about, I usually like to choose from authors I already know, trust, and a love. Given all that, I decided to pick this book up and finally start reading.

All of my worries were for nothing. As if the feel of the stories being different wasn’t enough, at the beginning of each chapter, West makes it so clear that any possible confusion flies out the window. But like I said, the two futures felt so different that it was easy to tell which future they were in. The story set in the Compound has a tense feel, one that made me feel as though something just wasn’t quite right. Things looked to be too wonderful to be real. With the future outside the compound, things felt a little more relaxed and real. I wasn’t worried about whether or not what I saw through Addie’s eyes was real…even though it was a Search, it was real.

The two boys fit the two teen book stereotypes of boy next door and bad boy well, but just enough is different about each of their roles to make it feel unique. Duke is the bad boy, the cocky guy who gets what he wants and doesn’t really have to work for it. His moral compass is just a little bit off, but he’s also sweet in his own way. There are moments when his cockiness doesn’t get in the way of his character, when it makes him a teenaged boy. Trevor is the boy next door. He used to be the football quarterback, but a shoulder injury has changed his future and he’s not sure where his future will go now. He stands back, lets the relationship with Addie build from nothing before making a move.

Addie is a character I really felt like I could relate to. She’s trying to make her way through high school without drawing too much attention to herself. When she starts her search, it was interesting to see how her personality changes in each future. In one, it was easy to see her lose touch with who she is as she deals with her new life. In the other future, she brightened, becoming a better person because of the people around her.

Pivot Point is one of those books that I wish I had read sooner and yet wish I could have waited. The idea of waiting until the sequel is published to find out what happens next frustrates me. Pivot Point was so much better than I thought it would be that I just want the next book now. Instead, I’ll sit back and wait impatiently with West’s contemporary novel to help me pass the time.

If Pivot Point sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Review: Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley

Title: Shadowy Horses
Author: Susanna Kearsley
Rating: ★★★★★

I read The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley because it was a kindle daily deal. I read Shadowy Horses because I loved Kearsley’s writing. She seems like the kind of person I could sit down with over a cup of coffee and just talk about all the interesting facets of history. She brings the old in with the new and blends them so well, it’s hard to imagine the two worlds not overlapping.

In Shadowy Horses, Verity has been hired on as part of an archaeological dig for a vanished Roman army troop. The dig is occurring under strange circumstances. The financier and leader or the group is supposedly a little crazy, Verity dated on of the guys working on the dig and is attracted to the other, and the granddaughter of the leader is an apathetic 20 year old who holds a little resentment towards her grandfather. In addition to the digging group, there’s the family that lives in the caretakers cottage: the cook, the groundskeeper, the fisherman, and the young psychic boy. Everything the dig is looking for is based not in fact, but in feelings.

Not only does Kearsley weave together a fantastic story about the archaeological dig and the relationships that form and stretch during the dig, but she also brings the past in and effortlessly weaves it into the story. The ease with which I could see both the past and the present coming together is a testament to Kearsley’s writing abilities. Not everyone can pull off something like that without making it feel cheap, forced, or odd. I can’t imagine this story without the touch of the past and the story that accompanies it; it is what makes this story so brilliant.

I loved the people in this novel, Peter and Granny Nan best. They were such characters that they didn’t even feel like characters in a book. They felt like real people whose words were transcribed for the novel. Everyone, even the more deplorable characters are written so well, you can’t help but like how bad they are.

I don’t want to give too much away, because this is a book you need to let unfold slowly, but I will say that even though I saw the ending coming, I still let out an “awww” when I reached it.

After only reading two of Kearsley’s novels, I know she’s an author I’m going to watch and buy obsessively. She does with history what I wish I could do; bring it into the present and weave it in so masterfully, it’s hard to know where the past ends and the present begins. This is definitely a must read book and a must read author.

If Shadowy Horses sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Audible
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Review: The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

Title: The Violets of March
Author: Sarah Jio
Rating: ★★★★★

This is only the second book of Jio’s I’ve read, but it’s another home run.

In The Violets of March, Emily is going through a bit of a rough patch. She’s getting a divorce and hasn’t been able to write a decent word since the publication of her first novel 8 years prior. At the suggestion of her best friend Annabelle, she travels to Bainbridge Island in Washington. It’s always had a special palace in her heart and Annabella thinks its exactly what she needs.

Once there, Emily finds a small notebook with a fascinating story unfolding on its pages. The story of Ester and the tragedy that befalls her is what draws Emily in and starts the healing process.

Every character in this book is wonderful. Aunt Bee is just eclectic enough, Jack is the sweetheart, and even the characters in the story within the story are well-written. They are what make this novel so engaging. They are what make the words on the page come to life and wrap you up in the beauty of the island.

There is a romance in this novel, but instead of distracting from the character building, it only aids Emily in the search for herself. The relationships in the novel only add to the fantastic characterizations.

Something else I love about Jio’s writing is how easily she can take me into the setting of the story. There is something about her writing that just draws you in so well that when she describes the water, you can see it, smell it, hear it, taste it, and feel it. You are immediately pulled in and even when you stop reading, everything lingers.

TheViolets of March is a superb novel about family secrets and finding out who you really are. It pulls you right onto Bainbridge Island and wraps you up in the sea breeze. I is another fantastic novel by Jio and only serves to prove that Jo is an author you must read.

If The Violets of March sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Review: Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover

Title: Losing Hope
Author: Colleen Hoover
Series: Hopeless series
Rating: ★★★★★

Companion novels make me hesitate. As much as I love the original story, I always worry a companion will be a rehashing of the original and won’t be its own book. Even if the original is one of the most amazing stories I’ve ever read, if the companion novel doesn’t have its own story, I’m not going to love it.

Losing Hope is what a companion novel should be. Yes, it retells Hopeless from Holder’s point of view, but it also tells Holder’s story. Not only do we get to see him fall in love with Sky, we see him dealing with the suicide of his sister. It may be a companion novel, but it can stand on its own.

Holder is the one who finds his sister after she overdoses. He feels as though he let her down by not being what she needed. He second guesses his choices when it comes to her, trying to figure out where he could have done something different to save her. His guilt eats away at him slowly.

When he moves back home with his mother, he runs into a girl who reminds him of the first girl he let down, Hope. Her name is Sky, though, and he tries to convince himself that who he sees is false and that he needs to let go of Hope and focus on Sky. From reading Hopeless, I knew this part of the story, but I still enjoyed reading it from Holder’s point of view.

I think what made this novel so amazing was Hoover’s split focus. Part of the novel is spent telling Holder’s point of view of Hopeless, but the other half, the half that really made me love this book, is about Holder coming to terms with his sister’s suicide. He writes her letters and through those letters, he works through his emotions. It’s easy to see how much her death has affected him, but how he’s able to work through his grief and find a way to move beyond seeing her death every time he looks at her room.

Companion novels are just that…companions. They still need to have their own story. Simply retelling the original doesn’t give you well developed characters or plot. It doesn’t give you a book you can sink into. Losing Hope is everything a companion novel should be. It makes the series stronger, the story more meaningful. It is a heartfelt, touching story that enhances Hopeless, but stands on its own.

This is a definite must read book, and a must read series as well.

If Losing Hope sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
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Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Elegy by Tara Hudson

Title: Elegy
Author: Tara Hudson
Series: Hereafter series
Rating: ★★★★★

This is one of the most bittersweet novels I’ve read in a while. I knew what was coming, but that didn’t stop tears from welling up in my eyes. I stayed awake until 3am to finish reading this book. I couldn’t put it down.

On one side stand the evil forces that will not stop until they have Amelia under their control. They give her an ultimatum…she must give herself over to them, or they will kill someone she cares about every week until she gives in. On the other side, the forces of good offer her the chance to join them and save souls. The one thing both sides have in common is Amelia won’t be able to see Joshua again.

The relationship between Amelia and Joshua was heart-achingly beautiful. The love between them is so obvious, it’s practically a visible tie between them. Their love makes them stronger as individuals. They don’t try to stop each other from making the choices they need to make. Their relationship is what good, healthy, amazing relationships should be.
The secondary characters play a huge role in this novel. They are there for support and make Amelia stronger, more ready to face her personal demons. She trusts them to be there for her when she needs them most and they are there. Amelia gives back as well, being a friend to Jillian and creating friendships that will leave a lasting impression.

I could see how the novel would end from early on. Hudson doesn’t take the easy way out, that’s for sure. I spent most of the novel getting ready for the end, savoring each word on the page, not wanting to miss anything. Without giving away too much, the ending is not that of a fairy tale, but it’s what the series deserved.

Elegy is a touching, bittersweet, heartbreaking, make-your-heart-soar book that ends the Hereafter series in the way it deserved. It brought tears to my eyes, but the good kind. To put it simply, Elegy is beautiful.

If Elegy sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
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Review: Goddess by Josephine Angelini

Title: Goddess
Author: Josephine Angelini
Series: Starcrossed series
Rating: ★★★★★

I held off from reading anything about Goddess before reading the book itself. I loved Starcrossed and Dreamless so much that I didn’t want to have anything spoiled for Goddess, whether it was plot points or swayed feelings. I knew absolutely nothing going into reading this final book.

I loved it. It was the perfect way to end this series. Everything isn’t perfect, but it’s close enough. People are happy, but the future is still unknown. That is how an ending to a series like this should be.

Helen has gone through a lot for her family and friends. She’s faced down evils and traveled into Hades. She’s spent two books learning about herself and the world of gods and now it’s time to put all her knowledge to use. She has to be ready mentally and physically, and I liked that about the book. It doesn’t focus on needing to be the strongest or the smartest, but finding the best balance between the two. Helen has to figure out which battles to fight and which to outsmart.

Lucas and Orion. Angelini made me love them both. I felt just as torn as Helen when it comes to these two men. There is nothing that sets one far above the other, but I knew through all three books which way I wanted Helen to go. I think what made me happiest, though, was Angelini didn’t leave it up to fate. She didn’t make it seem as though Helen had to end up with one because the fates made it so. Helen listened to what her heart and mind was saying and made her choice that way, not letting fate decide for her.

The entire Starcrossed series has been amazing to read. Angelini created a fantastic world revolving around the Greek gods and goddesses that felt as though it fit in perfectly to the real world. I’ve fallen in love with these characters and am sad to see the end of their story, but I look forward to rereading in the future and falling in love all over again.

If Goddess sounds like your kind of novel, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
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IndieBound