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.