Tag Archives: Young Adult

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Review: Clash by Nicole Williams

Title: Clash
Author: Nicole Williams
Series: Crash series
Rating: ★★★

I enjoyed Crash more than I thought I would, so I decided to give the rest of the series a try. Crash had its flaws, but it was still enjoyable and I had hopes that things would improve as the series went on.

Clash was about as enjoyable as Crash, and it still had its flaws, but it wasn’t bad. Lucy and Jude were still a little too volatile for my tastes, but they didn’t cross any of my boundaries when it comes to relationships.

Lucy and Jude are in college and testing out the long distance relationship. They spend as much time together as they can, but doubts are always there. Jude is the big man on campus and while Lucy says she trusts him, there are moments when it’s clear she doesn’t. Even if she says it’s only the people around him she doesn’t trust, she still doubts him and what he says.

Jude just wants to make Lucy happy and play football. He’s been given a second chance at a life he never thought he’d have and he’s trying to make the most of it.

The drama of the novel is the one part I found myself enjoying less. As often as I tried to remind myself that the characters where still teens, just figuring life out, I still found myself bogged down with their drama at times. I understand that some of it is necessary in order to move the story forward, but some of it felt like it was thrown in there just for something to fill the pages. Instead of having the characters talk and work issues out, drama ensues for a little while before they have that talk.

I read this book while on vacation and I think this is what the series is for. It makes for a nice summer read, while you are lounging on the deck of a cruise ship and sipping a tasty drink. It’s not really a light read, but it’s definitely not a deep one. If you’re looking for a book to just sit back and read, this would be a good choice.

If Clash sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
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Review: Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

Title: Dirty Little Secret
Author: Jennifer Echols
Rating: ★★★★★

Yet another amazing Jennifer Echols book.

I know when I pick up a book by Echols; I’m going to love it. I know I’m going to get the heart swoons, the stomach fluttering, and the little smile on my face. I also know I’m going to get a great story to go along with it. Dirty Little Secret is no different.

Bailey and her sister Julie used to go out and play the music scene together. Then Julie got a record deal and Bailey was left behind. Not only were her dreams pushed to the back burner, her family wanted to keep her a secret. That is the part of the situation that hurt Bailey most. Not that her sister found success, but that Bailey had to be sacrificed for her to get it.

Sam has a band and will do anything to make it big. That is his one focus. When Bailey entered his life, he didn’t expect his focus to change. He didn’t think making it big would cost him something he hadn’t had in a while.

The romance between these two is delicious. There’s attraction and there’s annoyance. There’s lust and there’s more annoyance. The push and pull never seems childish, but more like actual adults having misunderstandings and miscommunications and being forced to work through them if they want to be together.

Ace and Charlotte could be their own story. There is so much I want to know about those two. They may be secondary characters, but they gave the novel something special.

Dirty Little Secret is yet another fantastic Echols novel with country flair. If you’re looking for a romance that will leave you smiling and get music stuck in your head, this is the book for you.

If Dirty Little Secret sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

Thank you to Jennifer Echols for sending me an advanced copy of the novel.

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Review: Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend by Louise Rozett

Title: Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend
Author: Louise Rozett
Series: Confessions series
Rating: ★★★★★

I don’t talk about this often, because I don’t feel it is important enough to mention in reviews. However, Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend deals with this topic a lot. Depression.

I fight a daily battle with depression. I’m better now than I was two years ago, but it’s still a daily fight. Some days are good and some are bad. On those bad days, it’s hard to be able to express myself well. I have thoughts, but I can’t get them to come out the way I need them to.

Why did I feel like it was important to talk about this in my review of Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend? Because Rose is dealing with her own depression in this novel, and Rozett did such a perfect job of writing it, that it almost felt like I was reading a story about me.

Yes, Rozett wrote another great story about Rose dealing with high school, friends who seemingly have their lives together, a mother that doesn’t understand her, and a brother that doesn’t try and talk to her. On top of all that, Jamie keeps giving her mixed signals and it’s no surprise Rose isn’t quite sure if her head is screwed on straight. All of that isn’t why I loved this book so much, though.

Rose is not depressed in the “I hate life” way. She’s depressed in the “Why don’t I like anything” way. The difference between the two is one is easily identified as depression, while the other can be tricky. I’ve worked through both, and for me, not being able to understand why I don’t like anything is worse than hating everything. At least hate is an emotion.

Rozett managed to do something I haven’t found in other books. She made everything feel real. Rose’s inability to put into words how she feels or what she needs and wants is basically how I spent two years of my life. I have never read an author write depression so perfectly. This book gave me feelings; they weren’t great feelings, but they definitely weren’t bad feelings. Instead I felt all the struggle and difficulty come back full force, allowing me to connect with Rose in a much powerful way.

I am sure this book isn’t for everyone. It has its flaws, but it handles such a tricky subject perfectly. Rozett doesn’t try and make Rose feel worse than she needs to, or happier than she needs to. She makes her confused and frustrated, but she also gives her moments of breakthrough. For that reason alone, for how well Rozett wrote the depression struggle, this is a must read book for me.

If Confessions of an Almost-Girlfriend sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

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

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Review: Burning by Elana K. Arnold

Title: Burning
Author: Elana K. Arnold
Rating: ★★★★★

Burning is not what I thought it would be. And that’s a good thing.

The idea of a forbidden romance is one of my favorite things to read. Something about having to overcome obstacles in order to be together makes me heart sing. Some of Burning is like that. Some of it is not. And the parts that don’t have to do with forbidden love are the ones that made this book for me.

Lala is a gypsy, in town in order to make money off the tourists in town for the Burning Man celebration. She plays up the idealized gypsy, telling fortunes and reading people in order to make money for her family. She’s engaged to a man her parents chose years ago and feels as though her life is not really her own.

Ben is getting ready to leave his family and his friends to go to college, leaving at the same time as the town he has called home for his entire life is being closed up and shut down. His father doesn’t have a job, his mother might not be able to support the family with hers, and his brother is talked about behind his back. Ben has the golden ticket–a full ride scholarship based on his running ability and his intelligence. Despite working hard for everything he has in life, he still doesn’t feel quite worthy enough, since it means leaving his family and friends behind.

When Ben’s friends force him to visit the gypsy camp in order to have his fortune read, the meeting of Lala and Ben has far-reaching consequences neither of them saw coming.

At first, I was worried this was going to be one of those insta-love novels, where the two characters fall in love after a day and decide to spend their life together. In a way, it is. But even more than that, it is about two people deciding to do what feels right and make the choices they want to. They have to deal with consequences of their choices and think about the future in a way they hadn’t before. For Lala, it’s about breaking free. For Ben, it’s about coming to terms with the cards he’s been dealt.

Arnold does an amazing job of writing these two people. I could feel their emotions and even though I wasn’t always a fan of their choices, I understood them, and that’s what is more important to me. These were two people, and even though we only got a little glimpse into their lives, so much was said about who these people are and the uncertainty of the future. Nothing is set in stone; action can change the future just as much as inaction.

Burning was a fantastic novel that was nothing like I expected. There’s romance, yes, but this book is about so much more than that. I applaud Arnold for writing this book the way she did. It’s an interesting read that can definitely spark new thoughts for anyone who reads it.

If Burning sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

Thank you to Random House Children’s Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Title: The Sea of Tranquility
Author: Katja Millay
Rating: ★★★★★

Sometimes a book comes up and smacks you in the face with how amazing it is. You think you’re ready when you read it, and that the heartbreak you know is coming won’t sneak up on you. Then you’re reading the book and before you realize what it happening, you heart is in a million pieces, those pieces have lodged themselves in your throat, and you can’t breathe because of how perfect the words you are reading are.

The Sea of Tranquility is one of those books. I was wholly unprepared for what this book did to me. I knew it wasn’t going to be lighthearted, yet parts of it were. I knew there would be a bit of love, but I didn’t understand just how perfect that love would be. I knew my heart would break, but I didn’t realize how many pieces a heart could break into until I read this book.

Nastya is trying to find her way in a new life. Everything she has ever known was taken away from her in a few short moments and she’s left to rebuild some form of life. As much as she wants to find a way to live, things are holding her back. She can’t seem to find a way to move forward without things dragging her back to a world she doesn’t know how to live in anymore.

Josh loses the people he loves until it’s just him. He shuts people out, not wanting to risk losing anyone else. If he doesn’t give himself anyone to love, he won’t have to lose anyone else. He has people in his life, but he keeps them safely locked away from any real emotional connection to keep them safe.

When these two people started an unlikely relationship, I knew the hurt was going to come. They share some secrets, but keep others. What started as a relationship of toleration slowly becomes friendship which leads to romance. These two people don’t jump right into their feelings; both know that feeling can be dangerous.

Nastya and Josh are looking for the second chances. They’re looking for a way to forge ahead in life, even though their pasts haven’t been kind. They want the chance to love and be okay. Every page is laced with that need. Even more than they want each other, they need that second chance. Millay did an amazing job in keeping the story authentic, giving just the right about of hurt coupled with a pinch of hope.

I really don’t have the words to express how much this novel moved me. Nastya and Josh were broken, and they aren’t magically fixed in this book. To expect perfection after everything that happened would have made this book felt wrong. Even though everything wasn’t wrapped up in a perfect little bow, the last words of the novel were exactly what they needed to be. I will never look at pennies, garages, or woodwork the same again.

The Sea of Tranquility is a perfect book. Read it. There’s nothing else I can say.

You want to buy this novel and read it. I know you do. So click here:
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Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Title: Dare You To
Author: Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing the Limits series
Pages: 462 pages hardcover, 480 ebook
Rating: ★★★★★

I love to sleep. From the moment I wake up in the morning, I look forward to crawling back in bed that night, curling up in a ball, pulling the covers around me, and going to sleep. So when a book makes me want to avoid sleeping, makes me drink caffeine just so I can stay awake to finish it, I know that is an amazing book.

Dare You To is one of those books.

I hadn’t expected to love Pushing the Limits as much as I did, so when I started Dare You To, I was ready. I knew that if this book was anything like the first, I’d be in for quite a ride.

Beth takes care of her mother at all costs; risking herself in order to make sure her mom is somewhat safe. When things go horribly wrong and she ends up being forced to live with her uncle, all she wants is a way out.

Ryan is the town’s golden boy who can do no wrong. To everyone else, his life is perfect…he has the perfect parents, the perfect home, the perfect life. He can’t share the imperfections with anyone.

When Ryan is dared to get Beth to go on a date with him, he looks at her as a challenge. Beth doesn’t feel worthy of Ryan’s perfection and his attention, so she turns him down at every chance. When they start to fall for each other, secrets come out, trust is put to the test, and their relationship faces difficulties at every turn.

I think what I enjoyed most about Dare You To is how real the characters felt. It was easy to imagine these two people growing up in my city, going to my high school. They are both rough around the edges, but are constantly trying to make themselves better. They aren’t the amazing teens that sometimes fall into young adult novels…they make mistakes and don’t always think things through.

Pushing the Limits surprised me with how much I loved it. Even going into Dare You To with high expectations, I was still blown away. McGarry has an amazing way of writing and I’ll be anxiously awaiting the day I get to read what comes next.

If Dare You To sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
Barnes and Noble
Amazon
IndieBound

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

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Review: Belonging by Karen Ann Hopkins

Title: Belonging
Author: Karen Ann Hopkins
Series: Temptation series
Pages: 408 pages paperback, 416 ebook
Rating: ★★★★

I had some problems with Temptation. I felt like the relationship was very one-sided and that Rose was giving more to the relationship than Noah was. After all, Rose was the one giving up everything in order to be with the person she loves. I still wanted to give Belonging a fair shot, though, because there was potential there. Hopkins could make something fantastic out of this series.

Temptation was all about the sweetness of falling in love for the first time. It was about the putter-pats your heart makes the first time you love someone and that all-consuming feeling that comes with being with them. Belonging was about was comes after that, about finding yourself, and discovering what you are willing to sacrifice.

Rose thought becoming Amish would be easy. She needed to do it in order to be with Noah and that was all that mattered. Her father might not be in agreement, but she was going to prove him wrong. She adapted to her new life, even though Noah has started acting like the Amish boy he is instead of like the boy she first met. After a while, doubts start to creep in and make her think about the choices she is making. They aren’t just temporary; she is giving up nearly everything from her former life in order to be with Noah. She has to find a balance between sacrifices she can make, and ones that would crush her.

Belonging dealt with my issues with Temptation. Rose starts to feel crushed under the weight of the new rules in her life. People point out how one-sided her sacrifices are. Sure, she gets to be with Noah if she becomes Amish, but in order to do that, is she just giving up modern advances, or is she giving up herself? All of that is addressed and Rose starts to think beyond the feeling of first love.

There is a cliffhanger of an ending, so if you don’t really like those, I’d wait to read until the next book is out. I could see the twist coming and yet it still made me catch my breath. Belonging moves beyond the fluttering feeling of first love and starts taking a look at how life can be altered by that love. It was a good read and has me invested in Rose and Noah’s story.

If Belonging sounds like your kind of book, you find find it here:
Amazon

Thank you to HarlequinTeen and NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

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Review: Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

Title: Another Little Piece
Author: Kate Karyen Quinn
Pages: 432 Pages
Rating: ★★★★

It takes a lot for a book to creep me out. My heart doesn’t race, I don’t get goosebumps, and bumps in the night don’t scare me.

Another Little Piece had that creep factor. The jumping perspectives meant I was never sure what was going to happen next. Sometimes Annaliese just wants to be normal and other times the monster inside wakes up and wants to come out. The memories of the past start to haunt her and it’s easy to see that something isn’t quite right.

I didn’t find the jumping perspectives confusing. While they weren’t clearly marked, I found it easy to tell when Annaliese was seeing the world through different eyes. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it felt like a different person, but if felt like seeing an actor play multiple roles. Each time the perspective changed, it was like seeing Annaliese taking on a different character.

I liked that the relationship isn’t one of those “love you forever” ones. These are teens and they act like it. They speak of the future a little bit, but it’s never like some of the other novels out there, where the characters just know they’ll be spending the rest of forever with each other. In a story where there are a lot of unearthly elements, this small tie to the real world helped balance out the novel.

There were only a few things that took me out of the novel a little bit. I wish there was a little bit more explanation for why Annaliese is what she is now. It’s touched upon, but there isn’t ever really much depth in the explanation. I was also expecting a little bit more when it came to how the story ended. I felt like there was a lot of buildup for this dramatic event and then it fell a little flat. The resolution still worked, but it felt a little weak and lackluster.

Another Little Piece is a creepy novel that gave me goosebumps. It deals with the monster inside and what to do before that beast is unleashed. There’s a level of danger and urgency that made me keep reading until I had reached the end. The idea that everything could go completely wrong was always lurking in the background. If you’re looking for a novel that will give you that creepy feeling, Another Little Piece is it.

If you’d like to purchase Another Little Piece, You can find it here:
Barnes and Noble
Amazon
IndieBound

Thank you to HarperTeen and Edelweiss for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass Series
Pages: 404 pages hardcover, 420 paperback, 351 ebook, 384 Kindle
Rating: ★★★★

I’ve been looking forward to reading Throne of Glass for a while. It seemed like the kind of book that I would love. It has a touch of the historical, a little bit of romance, and a take-no-names heroine.

Celaena was the most notorious assassin in the country, but someone betrayed her and she ended up as a slave in a mining death camp. She managed to keep surviving long past the average, even making it through an escape attempt, before the Crown Prince brings her as his entry in a competition for the king. If she wins, she will be at the king’s beck and call to kill whomever he wishes without question for four years, after which, she will gain her freedom.

As if the competition wasn’t enough, something is killing off the competitors and what is left behind looks anything but human. Not only does she have to worry about the other competitors, she has to worry about whatever is killing them, as well as blending into court life.

Celaena is one of the strongest characters I’ve read and she knows it. She has the right amount of cockiness about her assassin skills mixed in with her insecurities about fitting into court life as a lady. She’s not afraid to downplay her abilities and talents, but knows when it’s best to take a step back and come at a problem from a different angle. She definitely relies on the help of others, but not to save her. She uses the help of others to make herself stronger and better able to move forward.

There is a bit of a love triangle, but I like how it is done. Without delving in too much and risking spoilers, I see one guy as a first love that makes her heart soar and gives her a secret smile, and the other guy as the one that will find a way to ingrain himself in her life forever. Either way it goes, I’ll be happy, even though I am secretly routing for one of them a little bit.

Throne of Glass is anything but fragile. It’s tough, yet sweet. It has the action that keeps me flipping pages woven in with the little moments that make me sigh and smile. Celaena is an amazing female figure to read and I’m looking forward to reading more of her strength in the books to come.

If you think Throne of Glass is your kind of read, you can purchase it here:
Barnes and Noble
Amazon
IndieBound

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Review: Prodigy by Marie Lu

Title: Prodigy
Author: Marie Lu
Series: Legend series
Pages: 356 pages paperback, 372 hardcover/ebook
Rating: ★★★★★

I’ve been getting lucky lately when it comes to reading the middle book in a series. So far, they’ve been avoiding the sophomore slump and have been as good, if not better, than the first novel. Prodigy definitely doesn’t disappoint.

There is no break in the action from Legend. The story starts right away with June and Day trying to find the Patriots. From there, it is non-stop, keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat fantastic. The world Lu has created drew me right in and it felt like I was running right along with them.

June and Day’s relationship has moved quickly. They’ve only known each other for about a month when all of this goes on. That doesn’t bother me though. There is something so perfect about how these characters are written, so amazingly human and real, that everything that happens feels perfect. They have those lusty moments teens are supposed to have, they can be over-thinkers, jealousy is there, they say things without thinking…all of that combines to create two wonderful people in the middle of a sweet romance in the middle of a crazy world.

The twists and turns this novel takes are out of this world. Just when I’d think I’d have something figured out, Lu would throw a new loop in and pull me completely off course. And the ending. Wow. I had been hearing about the gut-punch that was awaiting me at the end of this book and thought I was ready. I had prepared myself for so many different scenarios that when the end actually came and I turned the last page, I was still reeling.

Prodigy is the kind of book that you can’t start and stop. You have to sit down and read it all in one go. It pulls at your heart, hurts you where it counts, and yet you still keep coming back for more. I cannot wait to get my hands on Champion and find out what is in the future for June and Day.

If Prodigy sounds like your kind of book, you can purchase it here:
Amazon
Audible
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IndieBound