So Many Books, So Little Time: March 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

Book Review- Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend

I started and finished Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn yesterday for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

Summer, boys, and friendships gone sour. This new series has everything that perfect beach reads are made of!

Gemma just got dumped and is devastated. She finds herself back in the Hamptons for the summer—which puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friend that she wronged five years earlier. Do people hold grudges that long?

When a small case of mistaken identity causes everyone, including Hallie and her dreamy brother Josh, to think she’s someone else, Gemma decides to go along with it.

Gemma's plan is working (she's finding it hard to resist Josh), but she's finding herself in embarrassing situations (how could a bathing suit fall apart like that!?). Is it coincidence or is someone trying to expose her true identity? And how will Josh react if he finds out who she is?

Katie Finn hits all the right notes in this perfect beginning to a new summer series: A Broken Hearts & Revenge novel.

Wow. I can't remember the last time I read a whole book in one day. I'll be honest--when I read the summary, I thought it sounded too young for me. But I was wrong. This book was light but not too fluffy and just what I was looking for. Yes, the ending was predictable but that didn't stop me from enjoying it any!

I really liked Gemma. I mean Sophie. I mean... :) Even though she went about it the wrong way, she was sincere about regretting her past mistakes and wanting to make it up to Hallie. And I liked Hallie, or at least the Hallie from the middle of the book. (And Hallie's mom Karen--they never said what her current job was or how she got all her money but am I the only one that thought she was the author of the vampire novel??) And Josh. Yum. A sweet, hot, jock. Sounds like my kind of guy.

I literally flew through this book. And I can't wait to get my hands on the next one!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend will be released on May 13, 2014.

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

Book Review-The Winner's Curse

I finished reading The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski on Saturday night for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-
old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

I wanted to love this book. I really did. Unfortunately, it was just okay for me.

I never really felt like I got to know the characters. Kestrel was just too cold and Arin seemed sketchy to me. I mean, I guess that he was supposed to be but I felt like Kestrel should have seen that too. Maybe it's because early on I knew what he was planning but still.

I never really got where their romance came from. Yes, they played a game. Woohoo. But I never really saw any flirting or anything. And then bam! They kissed in the carriage. It just wasn't believable to me. I read some reviews say this was more of a romance story but I didn't get that.

Also, all the war talk, strategizing and history lessons just made me zone out sometimes. I do admit that I got more into it towards the end though. But I was a little too late. I do think lots of people will love it though.

I gave this book a rating of 3/5.

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

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Book Review- To All the Boys I've Loved Before

I finished reading To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han last night for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

This was the first Jenny Han book I've read, although I've heard many great things about her stories. And this one didn't disappoint.

I was easily engaged in the story. Having the letters that you wrote to boys as closure sent out? Horrifying! So I couldn't wait to see what would happen. I do have to say that Lara Jean seemed younger than a junior. She seemed almost 13 or 14 to me. Heck, her 9 year old sister seemed more mature than her.

That aside, I liked the characters. Especially the boys. Josh is the total boy-next-door. And Peter had this sweet side to his normal cockiness. I also liked that family was such a strong theme in this book. It's not often that you see that in young adult books but I loved that the dad was so involved and all the sisters were so close.

All parts of the book were predictable but that didn't stop my enjoyment any. And I'll gladly pick up the next book in the series when it comes out.

I gave this book a rating of 3.5/5.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before will be released on April 15, 2014.

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

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Book Review-Second Star

I finished reading Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel for and Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward Pete's nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of a classic, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up--and the troubled beauty trapped between them.

I love books based off of Disney movies (or books that have been turned into Disney movies). I should say that I usually love them since I didn't much care for the last one I read. Luckily I enjoyed this spin on Peter Pan.

There were so many little things in this book that came from the movie (yes, I know Peter Pan was a book first but I like the movie). And yes, this time I kept track of them all. First off, the title Second Star. One of the famous quotes from Peter Pan is "Second star to the right and straight on til morning." What a way to start off the book! Of course you have many of the character names that are Peter Pan-ish. Wendy Darling and her brothers Michael and John and dog Nana. Then there's Pete and his jealous girl (friend?) Belle (so a Disney princess name and a take on Tinkerbell). I didn't get the reference for Jas if there was one. Maybe I'm missing something but I thought he should have been named Hook. Then you have the drug in the book-fairy dust. When Wendy talked about surfing, Pete told her to "think of something that makes you happy" just like in Peter Pan how they had to think happy thoughts before they could fly. And how Wendy said that while surfing she felt light enough to fly. I just loved all of these references!

Disney references aside, this was a serious book about a girl who lost her brothers. Right or wrong, she can't accept that the probability that her brothers drowned while surfing were high. I felt so badly for her. I couldn't decide whether she was right to keep looking for them or to just let it go. It has to be so much harder for family members when there is no concrete evidence of a death (like a body). There's always a little bit of hope that way, which isn't always a good thing.

Towards the end, I found myself disappointed with the way the book was going but right at the very end, it redeemed itself. It doesn't look like there is going to be a sequel but I wish there was going to be one. I'd grab it!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

Second Star will be released on May 13, 2014

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

In My Mailbox- March 24, 2014

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

TUESDAY

Second Star- Alyssa B. Sheinmel--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

The Sunday Salon- March 23, 2014

The Sunday Salon

I finished and reviewed the following books last week:

No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die #0.5) by Danielle Paige

I am currently reading To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han and up next is The Winner's Curse by Rutkoski.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Book Review- No Place Like Oz

I finished reading the novella No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die #0.5) by Danielle Paige today.

From Goodreads:

In this digital original novella, Dorothy travels back to Oz to reunite with old friends, but her

story may not have a happy ending. No Place Like Oz is a prequel to the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die.

After returning to Kansas, Dorothy Gale has realized that the dreary fields of Kansas don’t compare to the vibrant landscapes of Oz. And although she’s happy to be reunited with Aunt Em, she misses her friends from the yellow brick road. But most of all, Dorothy misses the fame and the adventure. In Kansas she’s just another prairie girl, but in Oz she was a hero. So Dorothy is willing to do anything to get back, because there really is no place like Oz. But returning to the land she left comes at a price, and after Dorothy is through with it, Oz will never be the same.

Perfect for fans of Alex Flinn, Marissa Meyer, and Gregory Maguire, No Place Like Oz is a dark reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Building off of its rich mythology, Danielle Paige creates an edgy, thrilling story for teens that chronicles the rise and fall of one of the literature’s most beloved characters. This digital original novella is a prequel that sets the stage for the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die.

I love The Wizard of Oz and Wicked so I was excited to get started on this series. And it didn't disappoint.

I haven't read the first book yet, but this is a prequel to that story. This story (and I'm assuming the whole series) is like a "what happened after The Wizard of Oz". It was interesting to read this side of Dorothy. And see this side of Oz and the main characters there. It made me question just who was good and who was bad.

This was a longer novella. I felt like it was a complete book, not just a side story. And I liked that. I can't wait to get my hands on the true first book of the series, Dorothy Must Die!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

FTC Disclosure: I bought this copy of the book.

Monday, March 17, 2014

In My Mailbox- March 17, 2014

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

THURSDAY

The List- Siobhan Vivan--from publisher for review

SATURDAY

Let the Storm Break (Let the Sky Fall #2)- Shannon Messenger--review for an Around the World ARC Tour

Sunday, March 16, 2014

The Sunday Salon- March 16, 2014

The Sunday Salon
I finished and reviewed the following books last week:

Crash into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry

I am currently reading No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die #0.5) by Danielle Page and up next is Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel.

Book Review- Crash Into You

I finished reading Crash into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry for an Around the World ARC Tour.

From Goodreads:

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless

streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

I am just loving this Pushing the Limits series! And Crash into You isn't any different.

I am not into cars at all. But my first car when I was 16 was a purple Ford Mustang. It was baby. So I loved the connection to the mustangs in this story. And while I'm not into cars, my brother is huge into cars (his job is to fix up cars to make them faster and he works on some racing cars and he travels all around the world) so I recognized some of what they were talking about.

I found Rachel's background interesting. With her and her twin brother being born just because her older sister died of cancer and her mom wanted another girl. And then throw in the panic attacks and I just found her intriguing.

I loved the romance between bad-boy Isaiah and her too. Although he's not as bad-boy as we think.

There's a part in the story that had me gasping and hoping that what I thought was going to be the end, wasn't really the end. I won't tell you if I was right or wrong, but it definitely had me hanging on and not wanting to put down the book.

I can't wait to get my hands on Take Me On, the fourth book in the series. I need it now!

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.