Book Review--Jesse's Girl

A few days ago, I started AND finished Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally all in one day!

From Goodreads:

Everyone at Hundred Oaks High knows that career mentoring day is a joke. So when Maya Henry

But spending the day with Jesse is far from a dream come true. He’s as gorgeous as his music, but seeing all that he’s accomplished is just a reminder of everything Maya’s lost: her trust, her boyfriend, their band, and any chance to play the music she craves. Not to mention that Jesse’s pushy and opinionated. He made it on his own, and he thinks Maya’s playing back up to other people’s dreams. Does she have what it takes to follow her heart—and go solo?
said she wanted to be a rock star, she never imagined she’d get to shadow *the* Jesse Scott, Nashville’s teen idol.

It's been a long time since I've sat down and finished a book in one sitting.  I thought I liked Miranda Kenneally's books because of the sports aspect, but this one didn't have anything to do with sports so it's gotta be her writing style.

I loved Maya.  I loved that she had a rock star side, which I don't normally like, but with a girly touch.  And I liked Jesse, once you got past his tough guy front.  They were an unlikely pair but it worked.

I found myself just as intrigued in this music world as I was in the sports world of Hundred Oaks.  And I love how all of the characters in this series (well, it's not a series but a set of books with related characters) and related back to one another just slightly.  I can't wait to see what the next books will be about!

I gave this book a rating of 4.5/5.

Jesse's Girl will be released on July 7, 2015.

*FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from a friend.

Book Review- City Love

I finished reading City Love by Susane Colasanti for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

Sadie, Darcy, and Rosanna are living together in New York City the summer before their freshman
year of college begins. With no parents, no rules, and an entire city to explore, these three girls are on the verge of the best summer of their lives.

Sadie is a native New Yorker. She is hopeful, romantic, and an eternal optimist who is ready to find her soul mate. Then she meets her dream boy: cute, funny, and quirky in all the right ways. The chemistry between them is unreal. Could he be the one?

Darcy is a free spirit from SoCal with rebellious tendencies and unlimited financial resources. Moving to New York City is just another adventure for her. Darcy wants this summer to be all about boy adventures—nothing serious. But how much fun is too much?

Rosanna leaves Chicago for NYC so she can put her past behind her and reinvent herself. The only thing standing in her way is the grand total of seventy-three cents she has saved. Then she meets a guy who wants to show her the glamorous side of New York—a side that she would never get to experience on her own. If Rosanna doesn't resist, she may find herself in city love.

Told from alternating points of view, City Love captures the moments in each girl's life when everything is thrilling, amazing, and terrifying all at once . . . in a way it will never be again.

I hate when my feelings about a book differ from everyone else's on Goodreads.  Makes me feel like I'm missing something.  But it is what it is.  And this book just didn't do it for me.  It made me roll my eyes so many times, I lost count.  Everything was butterflies and rainbows and spreading positive energy.  Even when secrets came out that were terrible, I never got the sense that they were really that bad since everything around it was still puppies and kittens.

I felt that the book seemed really immature.  The characters were about to go into college but for some reason, to me it read like younger girls (although what they were doing wasn't young).  It just wasn't real.

The one thing I did like was the portrayal of New York City.  I've always loved everything NYC and I loved reading that aspect of the book.

I gave this book a rating of 2.5/5.

City Love will be released on April 21, 2015.

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

In My Mailbox- February 9, 2015

In My Mailbox: Here's what I got in my mailbox last week:

TUESDAY

All That Burns- Ryan Graudin--from publisher for review

Better Than Perfect- Melissa Kantor--from publisher for review

No Parking at the End Times- Bryan Bliss--from publisher for review 













FRIDAY

City Love- Susane Colasanti--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

The Last Time We Say Goodbye- Cynthia Hand--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

A Wicked Thing- Rhiannon Thomas--review for an Around the World ARC Tour 

Wild Hearts (If Only #4)- Jessica Burkhart--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1)- Robin LaFevers---received from friend

In My Mailbox- February 3, 2015

In My Mailbox: Here's what I got in my mailbox in the last few weeks:

Perfect Scoundrels (Heist Society #3)- Ally Carter--received from a friend

The Bane Chronicles- Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson--received from a friend

A Court of Thorns and Roses- Sarah J. Maas--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

Positively Beautiful- Wendy Mills--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

The Replaced (The Taking #2)- Kimberly  Derting--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

New Uses for Old Boyfriends- Beth Kendrick--from publisher for review

Lies I Told- Michelle Zink--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

Nobody- Jennifer Lynn Barnes--from PaperbackSwap

99 Days- Katie Cotugno--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

City 1- Gregg Rosenblum--from publisher for review

Playlist for the Dead- Michelle Falkoff--from publisher for review

Geek Girl- Holly Smale--from publisher for review

The Prey- Tom Isbell--from publisher for review

Unleashed (Uninvited #2)- Sophie Jordan--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

The Sunday Salon- February 1, 2015

The Sunday Salon

It's been a month since I've done one of these.  And honestly, I'm having to force myself to do one now.  I mean, it's quick and simple but I'm just really not into it anymore. :/

I finished and reviewed the following book in the last week:

The Taking by Kimberly Derting

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan 

The Replaced (The Taking #2) by Kimberly Derting 












I am currently reading New Uses for Old Boyfriends by Beth Kendrick and if I don't get a tour book, up next will be Unleashed by Sophie Jordan.

Book Review-- The Replaced

I finished reading The Replaced (The Taking #2) by Kimberly Derting for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

Romantic and action-packed, The Replaced is the gripping second installment in the Taking trilogy.

Kyra hasn't been the same since she returned from her mysterious five-year disappearance. Now, on the run from the NSA, Kyra is forced to hide out with others who, like her, have been Returned. Yet she is determined to find Tyler, the boy she loves who was also abducted—all because of her. When her group intercepts a message that Tyler might still be alive but is in the hands of a shadowy government organization that experiments on the Returned, Kyra knows it's a risk to go after him. What if it's a trap? And worse, what if the returned Tyler isn't the same boy she lost?

Perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and the Body Finder series, The Replaced is both chilling and explosive, with creepy, otherworldly elements and twisty, psychological thrills that will have you questioning what exactly it means to be human.

I got really into the first book in the series, The Taking when I read it a few weeks ago.  Teens being abducted by aliens and then returned--not normally my thing but it intrigued me.  So I was interested to see what was going to happen next.

Unfortunately, I didn't like it as much as I did the first one. I felt that it was slower and not as much character development.  I never really got into it.

We are introduced to some new characters now that Kyra is on the run and new settings.   There are also a few twists but nothing overly shocking.  I'm not sure I believe  whatever is going on with Kyra and Simon.  Tyler was only gone 3 weeks.  Not really that long.

The ending did grab me though.  I want to know what Tyler meant with what he said and what's going to come from it.

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

The Replaced will be released on April 28, 2015.

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Book Review- Uninvited

I finished reading Uninvited by Sophie Jordan yesterday.

From Goodreads:

The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan's chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.

A gifted, perfect teenager who tests positive for a kill gene?  Interesting!  And a new concept too (to me anyways)!

I really liked Davy.  I liked the way she was both before and after she came back positive for HTS.  She changed and adapted, yes, but at heart she stayed the same.  And Sean--hot, bad boy Sean.  Or is he?  We never find out why he got imprinted.  I'm curious to know if he truly is a bad guy and did something horrible, or if it was for a silly incident like Davy's was.  

The idea of a kill gene kind of makes you think.  What if all these mass murderers really did have something in common (or even murderers in general)?  I'm not so sure testing would be the solution.  I found the treatment of people with HTS disturbing.  Kind of like racism in a way.  And it's like some of violence was because of the way these people were treated.  

The ending definitely leaves you hanging on.  It's not a huge cliffhanger but it's just enough to know that there's more to come and makes you want to know what's going to happen.

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Book Review- A Court of Thorns and Roses

I finished reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas last night for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

I was really excited to read this one for 2 reasons.  1) I had read another series by this author and loved it and 2) not only is it a fairy tale retelling, but it was a retelling of Beauty and the Beast--my favorite!

However, I quickly realized this was not going to be a story that I was going to be completely engaged in.  I found it really difficult to get lost in.  There were so many weird creature names and character names that I had a hard time remembering what was what.  And for some reason, the words didn't flow as easy for me.  I found myself having to go back and re-read paragraphs.

But then a little over halfway through, something just clicked and I devoured the rest of the book.  Maybe my brain just got it.  I don't know.  But I really fell in love with the world that Tamlin was in.  And I could see how Feyre could love it there.

As for the main characters, I didn't love Feyre at first.  I compared her to Belle right away, and Belle is my girl.  Feyre--she was hard to love.  She was strong and kept her family together, but it made her cold and and untouchable.  Luckily, her time in the faery land softened her and made me love her.  Tamlin--well, he was just the beast from the instant we met him so I loved him right away.  Yup.  I knew what was going to happen.  And I loved that it did.

There were so many great things that I saw the connections to in Beauty and the Beast.  Feyre's hobby was art, where as Belle's was reading.  There was the blight in the book and the curse in Beauty and the Beast.  I could picture the side characters as the ones I'm so familiar with.  Even how she has to leave and come back is familiar.

So yes, it started off rough for me but I ended up loving it.  I've always wanted a sequel to Beauty and the Beast.  Not just one of the straight to DVDs but a real true sequel.  And I'm seriously hating that I'm going to have to wait so long to get my hands on the sequel to A Court of Thorns and Roses.  I NEED to know what is going to happen to Feyre and Tamlin!!

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

A Court of Thorns and Roses will be released on May 5, 2015.

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Around the World Tours.

Book Review- The Taking

I just finished The Taking by Kimberly Derting.

From Goodreads:

A flash of white light . . . and then . . . nothing.

When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day.

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?

So I really had no idea what this book was about when I got it.  I mean, I guess I should I have figured it out by the title but I didn't really think about it.  I just knew that I had read books by the author before and enjoyed it.  And I'm glad I didn't really know.  The Taking is definitely sci-fi.  And while I'm all about the paranormal, I'm not really into sci-fi.  But I enjoyed this one!

I liked Kyra and Tyler but I guess I found their relationship kind of strange.  I get that Austin, Kyra's boyfriend when she was taken, moved on.  But I think it's weird that Kyra was so okay with dating his brother.  So quickly too.  I mean, don't get me wrong...Tyler sounded all of kinds of hot.  But it was just weird.  I could never date an ex's brother.

Anyways, I'm definitely left with a lot of questions.  What took Kyra?  Where and why?  I guess that's kind of what draws you into the book.  And what makes you want to read the next one.  Because I definitely do!  Good thing I have the second book coming to me shortly!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

*FTC Disclosure: I traded this book with a friend.

In My Mailbox- January 5, 2015

In My Mailbox: Here's what I got in my mailbox last week:

WEDNESDAY

Soulprint- Megan Miranda--review for an Around the World ARC Tour