The Selection by Kiera Cass

When I read the description for this book, I knew straight away it was right up my alley. It sounded like a non-reality TV version of pretty much any dating show. 35 girls in a competition to get a handsome young prince? Add in a dystopian world and a few love triangles? Oh yes, this is definitely my kind of book.

So, this girl named America Singer is born into a musical family of a lower caste (the caste system is by numbers in this country) and has just came of age right at the same time the young prince is finally of age to look for a lady. All the girls from the country register in a lottery of sorts and get "randomly" chosen to come to the castle and basically compete for the prince. Sounds awesome right? Well America didn't think so. She already had a guy named Aspen who was even lower and poorer than her family but was super swoon worthy. Because of their differences in the social rankings, they both pretty much knew that being together in the future is a long shot, but they still longed and hoped. America doesn't want to sign up for the lottery, but her family really wants her to (especially her mother who is a little cray) because it really is a good opportunity for the family. You see, whatever girl wins becomes the princess but their whole family gets bumped up to One status (the highest, basically royalty only) which means they are set for life. Even if the girls don't get picked, their families receive a stipend while they are away. Money is money, especially when you're poor.

Anyway, so Aspen thinks America needs to at least enter the picking just so he can say in the future that he didn't hold her back. Well as luck would have it, she actually gets selected. America's pissed, her family is stoked, her and Aspen break up, and her world pretty much falls apart. She goes off to the competition ready to lose but ends up doing really well. The people of the country love her because she is real. She speaks to them and wants to meet them when the opportunity arises. America right away makes a BFF, Marlee, who turns out to be awesome.

America assumes she is going to hate Prince Maxon because of course he is super hot and royal so that automatically means he is going to be stuck up and awful... Only he isn't. And they hit it off really well. The rest is all cake from there, right? Except it's not. It's never that easy because c'mon, this is a YA novel.

 The process of girls getting cut and getting to know the other competitors was pretty enjoyable as well. Their are some bitches and some really sweet girls. The competition is pretty cut throat because some girls have been waiting for this their whole lives. Add in a douchebag king and a sweet queen and you've got some pretty interesting eliminations. By the end of the book the 35 girls are narrowed down to the Elite six, which is where book two picks up.

This was a super quick read for me. I really enjoyed the competition and seeing America change through the book. Where she ends up at the end isn't the same person she was in the beginning. It's a really cute read that I enjoyed. I loved the two sequel books as well. This series ranks in my top trilogies and I am super stoked when the author announced that their was going to be more in the series! Can't wait for The Heir next year

5/5 stars

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Have you ever finished a book and then read other reviews and wondered if you and your fellow readers actually read the same book? That's how I felt after reading A&TFK. I normally love a good cheesy romance book, but this didn't even feel like that. I was expecting a super hot French guy, a silly American girl, and TONS of romance. Well, you get the first two without question.

St Clair fits the package as the French hottie who is smart and sweet and seems like the type of guy that would get all of your jokes, but he has a girlfriend for almost the entire book. Sorry, in my mind that doesn't scream romantic guy that I want to get with.. That screams douche bag that has a girlfriend but wants a friendzoned girl who he can do all the fun stuff with minus the commitment. I really wanted to like him. Trust me, I did. I just couldn't get over the fact that he had feelings for Anna most of the book while his girlfriend is across the city. They were having problems, ok cool, but then you need to break up with her before you move on to your side girl. Sorry, St. Clair, no matter how handsome and smart and funny and witty you are makes up for the fact that you were playing with two girls (well three if you count the other girl he friendzoned) because you didn't know what you wanted to do and wanted to stay "safe." Loser. Give me a guy like Roth or Daemon (shout out to JLA always) who are upfront about their douche baggy attitudes but end up being good guys any day over a "nice" guy like St. Clair.

 Anna ABSOLUTELY fits the part of the silly American girl. The whole book I was just like OMGSHUTUP. So let me get this straight, you're a poor little rich girl who's daddy sends you off to Paris for your last your of high school, but I'm supposed to feel sorry for you? I was 17 once too, and I can see where all her angsty-ness was coming from being uprooted from all her friends for her senior year. I also felt bad for her when she went back home to visit for Christmas and that rando dude she was sort of dating but not really at all announced to the entire world that her BFF is his girlfriend, not Anna. Shot through the heart on that one, but that's all I'm giving you, Anna. The rest of her time in Paris she spends hanging out with a guy she knows has a GF but "becomes best friends with him" anyway.. DEPSITE THE OTHER GIRL TELLING HER IN THE BEGINNING SHE ALREADY HAD FEELINGS FOR HIM. Way to be a D to basically you one and only friend, Anna. Anyway, the rest of the time she basically just wanders around Paris being all toursity. I cringed the most when she didn't eat for like the first week because she didn't even try to speak English to the chef at their school. Um, it's an American school in Paris. It's pretty easy to assume the dude knows at least enough English for you to be able to point at food and say you want it. GAH GET OVER YOURSELF.

 The romance. Oh there was romance in this book? Yeah, that is my question too. I didn't realize that the entire book was going to lead up to ONE kiss that finally happens at the very end of the book. Are you kidding me? I read 300 something pages of NOmance to get a kiss? This, people of the blogging world, is why I will happily stick with authors like J. Armentrout who give you the romance from the start and do it heavy handed. Sorry, Stephanie Perkins, you can take back A&TFK and keep all the rest of them. I won't be reading.

2/5 stars

Leah's October Reads

October was a really good book month for me. If you remember, I was planning on dedicating this whole month to The Mortal Instruments series. Well, that was my intention, but if you have ever read the series, you know how long the books are and how in depth they go. I kept finding myself having to take breaks in between books (even though I LOVE THE SERIES SO FAR!) because I was just so overwhelmed with emotion and information from this killer endings. I am currently about halfway through book three and taking a break because I am SO mad with everything that is happening to poor Simon. In the meantime, I've read lots of really awesome books. Seriously, some of my favorite books of the year was read this month. Here is my list, and I'll put my absolute favorites at the very end:

-City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
-City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
-Losing It by Cora Carmack
-Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
-I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
-These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman
-The Jewel by Amy Ewing
-Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
-All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
-Pivot Point by Kasie West
-The Young Elites by Marie Lu
-Don't You Forget About Me by Kate K. Quinn
-Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
-Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter

October Favorite! 

 This is really, REALLY hard for me. Like I said above, some of my top books this where read this month. If I HAVE to choose, my top picks are Stone Cold Touch and All Our Yesterdays. Stone Cold Touch was highly anticipated for us because of how much we love Jennifer L. Armentrout and how awesome White Hot Kiss was. Roth made the Holy Grail of Book Boyfriends list because he is hot hot hot and so swoon worthy. Demon or not, he is such an awesome character that JLA developed. You want to hate him in this book, but it's only because the pieces of your heart are laying all over the floor. And the ending of the book..... OMG the ending. I may or may not freak out because I have to wait until July for book three. Alas, this book comes in second place (though it is very close) because my actual top favorite made me feel so many feels that I have no choice but to name it my top.

All Our Yesterdays is probably in my top five books that I have read all year, which should say a lot. I was kind of skeptical when I first read the synopsis because it sounded super action packed and intense but I didn't know where all it could go. I picked up the book and couldn't put it down. I was so invested in the characters, and every time I thought I had things figured out everything fell apart. It was so intense. I felt all the feels in this book, and again, this ending is what made it... The ending. I can't even talk about it without wanting to tear up. I don't know why I reacted so strongly towards the end except maybe it was just so unexpected for me. I had tears pouring out and was literally yelling at my book at the same time. But, you know, it wasn't just the ending of this book.. The whole thing was just nerve wracking and heart wrenching that it takes the cake hands down as my favorite for this month. I just can't explain it. You just need to go buy it.

Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Stone Cold Touch: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Layla Shaw is trying to get things back to "normal"... But for a seventeen year old half demon half warden that doesn't seem like an easy task. Layla still has feelings for her hot warden best friend who is still off limits due to the fact that her kiss can suck out his soul. She definitely hasn't forgotten about Roth, the hot Prince of hell who sacrificed himself so Zayne the warden could survive. The boy drama is the least of Layla's problems. As her powers start to evolve and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever.When things finally look like things might actually end up in her favor hell will literally be breaking open, and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay


(Angela)--
Is there anything Jla can’t do!??? Stone Cold Touch is my new jam! I’ll start off by saying this book is even better than the first. I don’t know how I'm going to make it till June to read the third
one. Also I feel like I should warn you that this review is going to be a mess because I am currently frantically fangirling all over the place. SCT picks up right where book one left off. Roth is still kicking it in the underworld, Layla is still super depressed about it, and Zayne is still be all stony. Jla is the only writer whose love triangles NEVER bother me, and since this book is heavily weighed down with one it's a good thing she's mastered it. SCT does focus more on the relationship between Layla and Zayne, unlike book one where it was all Layla and Roth. I thought this was going to bother me but all it did was tear my heart to pieces by trying to decide whose “side” I wanted to be on. I was seriously texting Leah every ten minutes saying “ok Team Roth… No Team Zayne… Team Roth… No Team Zayne.” After sleeping on it… I know who I choose BUT I won’t let anyone know till book three.... Okay who am I kidding... IT'S ROTH! You’re probably at this point in time thinking the same thing I was thinking “No Roth IDK man”… NO! DON’T LET THAT CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT READING THIS because Zayne steps up his stony sexy game, and there is plenty of hot Roth to go around as well. But enough with the boys we can come back to them later… On to Layla. She starts becoming real B-A in this book. She’s slapping guys in the face with bibles, she's shifting, she’s fighting night crawlers, she's smashing hamburgers… oh and she is starting to figure out “what she is”. Her friendship with Sam and Stacey also has a lot more light on it in this book and I really enjoyed that as well. They're not the only ones friends that come more into play as the book went on as well. Dez and Nic start really shining towards the end. (Rumor is the sub characters like Zayne, Roth, and Layla's friends will play bigger parts in book three, fingers-crossed.) Of course like all of Jennifer’s books there are a lot of steamy scenes, and I'm not mad about it. Here's a tiny list of things Jla's writing has me looking at in a whole new-sexy-mood-light setting: Aliens, cookies, cheese puffs, kittens, glow sticks, Las Vegas, gargoyles, pure bloods, and pens... Whoosh someone bring me some ice tea while I swoon over some flashbacks.
There isn't a lot of world building in this book, which would normally make me rate it lower. However I'm still giving it all the stars because the plot had me pulling my hair out, the characters are amazing, and because of the two twist that come at the end of the book... THAT YOU WILL IN NO WAY SEE COMING!!!! OMG THAT ENDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT ENDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, it's that good!

I know this isn't my longest review, but with Leah's following mine I'll leave it at this... If the gates of hell opening up mean the world could be filled with sexy Roth and his friends; then I would personally go down there and rip through those fiery bad boys.

10/10 Steamy Stars

(Leah)--
The first part of this book made me want to throat punch Roth across the freaking universe and back down into the underworld. Well, I pretty much felt that about him the whole book but of course his hotness and steamy demon charm had me hating myself for loving him. Zayne definitely steps up his game and he had my heart aching at the end. THE ENDING. OMG THE ENDING. WHATEVER YOU THINK YOU MAY KNOW ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN JUST GO AHEAD AND THROW IT ON THE FLOOR AND SET IT ON FIRE BECAUSE YOU ARE WRONG. I was blowing up Angela's phone as I was reading the last chapters because my head was about to explode. I'm not even ashamed to say tears were shed towards the end. Pretty much all the feels that are capable of being felt were felt at some point during this book. FREAKING AMAZING. Like Angela, I really loved how Stacey and Sam's friendship were included more in this book. Stacey is an awesome friend and I love her! I also really grew to love some of the other Wardens. Dez and Nicholai will always hold a special place in my heart forever now. I even hated Danika a little less in this book but I still didn't like her (NO I'M NOT JEALOUS OVER A FICTIONAL CHARACTER. WHATEVER). You also get a taste of more of the demon world which is pretty cool. Cayman also makes my list of favorite characters because he sounds awesome and is frequently the bomb during the book.

I'm still Team Roth FOREVER, but I wasn't mad about Zayne stepping up to side chick status in this book. I'm sure what happens between him and Layla will win over a lot of people and make them Team Zayne fans. I wavered a little during the middle, but my heart almost always belongs to the dark-side so I knew all along despite everything that happened and probably will happen next book that I love Roth. Roth officially enters the world of book boyfriends that is known as the Holy Grail of Book Boyfriends. It is an elite club featuring Daemon Black (Lux), Aaron Warner (Shatter Me), Noah Shaw (Mara Dyer), Edward Cullen (Twilight..haters gonna hate), Four aka Tobias (Divergent.. really it's just Theo James. I'm not ashamed to say that I worship at the alter of Theo James), and now Crown Prince Roth. This list reigns high above all the other book boyfriends and is sacred to us as fangirls. These dues have changed cookies and cheese puffs and all sorts of seeming innocent things into things you cannot think about without blushing. These dudes are the ones that just the thought of them makes you want to rip your clothes off and go running straight into the nearest icy lake or ocean.

I also cannot believe the ending of the next book will be decided on by a reader poll. IF ALL YOU PEOPLE OUT THERE IN THE INTERWEBZ DID NOT VOTE FOR ROTH THEN YOU'RE DEAD TO ME. Ok, not really dead to me but seriously if Layla doesn't end up with Roth at the end of the next book I may pull an Upper Level Demon move myself and rain fire and brimstone down on the earth.

Can I give this more than five stars? (According to Angela, YA books should be based out of ten stars, but what can I say I'm traditional) I'd give this 100 stars if I could. Seriously. Go buy now and lock yourself in a room because you're not going to come out until you're done with all 440 something pages.

5/5 stars

Don't You Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn

This book was published recently and after seeing a ton of 5 star reviews on Goodreads, I deemed this to be my Halloween spooky read. The plot seems original and the cover was cool, so why not?

The story Skylar who lives in the town of Gardenville where no one gets sick or is unhappy... except every fourth year. Every fourth year the teenagers in town go nuts and something bad happens. Four years ago from when the story is being told, Skylar's older sister Piper basically murders 16 of her fellow classmates by making them play chicken with a train and then jump off a bridge. I think it's pretty obvious to say there is some sort of mind control thing going on with Piper. Oh, and 16 year old Piper is having some sort of illicit relationship with her 21-ish year old high school teacher Elton who happens to show up the night of the incident.

Anyway, so Piper ends up disappearing after the incident. There is a reformatory in the town where the crazy teenagers go, but it has never been confirmed if Piper is actually there or she is dead or missing or what. Skylar has spent the past four years pretty much trying to forget everything about her life because she is mourning Piper. She turns into a druggie off of these pills Elton (after the whole Piper disappearing thing he makes it his goal to reform the town and drug everyone into submission so no one goes nuts) and some wonder quints develop out of forget-me-not flowers (oh what a coincidence) that make you forget. They druggies that are hooked on them are referred to as notters. There's also some dude named Foote who I think eventually will turn into a love interest but he is constantly described as wearing a fedora, so that would be a NOmance in my book. There's also Jonathan who's sister LuAnn ended up in the reformatory but now she's out and talking about Piper or something... I don't know. I really don't.

This book falls onto the did-not-finish shelf for me after I got a little over 100pg in and pretty much had no idea what I was reading. I didn't even know what Skylar looked like. It just didn't jive with me, so DNF it is. Other reviewers rave about it and it's unique paranormal plot that supposedly happens, so maybe someone out there will like it more than me. It just reminds me too much of Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea which was an absolute WTF/hate read for me. No, just no.

1/5 stars

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Adelina caught the Blood Fever when she was a young child. The fever swelled so much inside of her that a doctor had to remove her left eye. After she healed, she also developed markings that many children were cursed with after the Fever. Her hair and eye lashes turned silver and now she has a huge scar across her face where her eye should be. Her mother died from the Fever and her sister survived but did not become marked. She grew up with her sister who has developed into a beautiful young girl and her awful father who hates her for what she has become. Her dad sucks. Like really really sucks. After he makes a deal to sell her away to some old guy as his mistress, she tries to run away but he ends up hunting her down. She conquers up some dark powers and accidentally kills him.

Adelina doesn't discover that her powers are like the other Young Elites (a group of young folks that are marked from the Fever and developed supernatural type powers) until she is rescued by them at her execution for the murder of her father. Enzo, Raffaele, Lucent, Gemma, Michel, and Dante are the Young Elites who take her in and help train her and show her how to use her powers. Their main goal is to overthrow the king and take over the kingdom and like marked people like them live normal lives and not be outcast and executed.

First things first, this isn't a happy book. You're not going to come away from it feeling all the happy feels or find yourself laughing at funny dialogue. Marie Lu made this book super dark. Personally, I felt like I was reading a story from the villain's point of view instead of the heroines. Adelina isn't a heroine. She is dark and has dark things living inside her. She gains her power from how the darkness feels inside her and she thrives off of fear and anger. This isn't a story where she learns to harness her bitterness and turns good and hearts and happy endings. Nope, she gets darker and more powerful as the book goes on. I mean, you can't really blame her because she has pretty much been shat on her entire life. Her father sucks, society treats her like a freak, the kingdom wants her dead, and even her new Young Elite friends are kind of using her for what they can for their mission. She's a pretty bitter person and probably would do better with a round of therapy for her daddy issues instead of trying to conquer demons from the underworld. I just didn't like her as a leading lady because her choices and the things she does pretty much hurts everyone around her in someway. I just feel like she didn't develop as a character as the story went along. She just kind of spends most of the book feeling sorry for herself, talking about how she doesn't know how much time has passed, and being followed around by her father's ghost who tells her much she sucks.

The story was pretty much a NOmance for me. The relationship Adelina develops with Enzo was weird, especially since they are both so volatile. They are pretty much doomed even though nothing really even develops. I was kind of hoping she would start something up with Raffaele (who BTW kind of reminds me of a zen version of Magnus Bane).

Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad book. It just wasn't for me. I didn't feel attached to any of the characters and when deaths happened, I just kind of felt "meh." The writing was very descriptive and the world developed nicely. I didn't really feel like I was even getting into it until 100pg in, and even after that I didn't feel attached. I could have easily put this book down and not came back to it. There is a good cliffhanger and twist at the end, but I feel like it kind if sets it up for the next book.. Especially with what happens in the epilogue. I don't know. I know most people really loved this book, but it just wasn't for me. I probably won't bother reading the sequels because I just don't really care what happens to the characters.

3/5 stars

Pivot Point: Kasie West

Pivot Point: Kasie West

What would you do if you knew the outcome of your life... If you could see the outcome of both paths and what would happen to you in each one... This is Addison Coleman's life.

Addie has the ability as a searcher to look into the future and see both of the outcomes. When Addie's parents announce they're getting divorced you think she would have seen it coming, but that is the least her worries. She is faced with having to pick between living with her mom in the para world; or moving out of the compound in the norm world with her father. When her best friend Leila convinces her to just take a little dip into the future pond Addie searches six weeks into the future to see what both worlds would hold. 

In one of the potential futures Addie is trying to adjust to the "norm" life at a new high school with a made up background story and being the predictable loner new girl. That is until she meets Trevor. The ex football star who seems to understand her better than most. In the other future Addie is being pursued by the hottest and most popular guy in school Duke who also just happens to be the football teams star quarterback. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound in both futures, she’s drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she knows and loves. With the risk of loss and love in both lives, she'll have to decide which future she can live with and what she's willing to live without.

Let me start off by saying Wow just wow. I didn't see this read coming. I have never read anything by Kasie West until now, but I will be buying books by her in the future. Her writing style is flawless! Seriously I need to go take a Tylenol after reading this book... because my mind was that blown.

I am very good at predicting most book ending, and when I thought I had it figured out West

would shock my socks off with twist that I think anyone whose read it can agree, we didn't see coming. I have always find myself disliking books that have dramatic changes in time and even places and flip back and forth... Never once did I feel that way about this book. West's writing keeps you from needing to stop and ask for directions.

Not only is the plot super strong so are the characters. Addie is so strongly written she feels like an extension of yourself. Duke was so disgustingly loveable and you'll hate how much you like him because he is the epitome of "dude". Trevor, whoosh never thought I'd be swooning over a boy who wears cowboy boots, but there's a first time for everything. Then there Addie's best friend Leila WHO I LOVE!!!! She is all sass and brass.

This book has so much going for it and probably turned out to be one of the biggest surprise reads Ive came across this year... Since I fear I can't go to into detail because of spoils I'll leave it at this.

If you walk into the book store and you have the choice between two futures; one being another book from your TBR list and the other being Pivot Point take the path that leads to this book. You wont be disappointed in the outcome or end up with "what ifs". 

9.5 Stars 

-Angela

**I just finished this book and I want to add to Angela's review by saying OMG WOW. This book really blew me away. I kept texting Angela saying I felt like I was in inception because it was like a thing within a thing within a thing. Killer book that took me all of 12 hours to read (that's including being at work for 8 of those hours so that should say how quick this read was). I'm really looking forward to reading book 2 just to see how the story continues. The ending was amazing even though it wasn't exactly how I had hoped (#teamtrevor). I just loved this book!! 5/5 stars from Leah!

Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

How has this series been out for almost four years and I've never heard of it? I randomly came across it on Goodreads (per usual) and it sounded right up my alley. It sounded vaguely reminiscent of Hex Hall WHICH I LOVE  so I figured I would give it a shot.

This book may be almost 400pg but it is such a fast read! It is so much fun. If you love vampires, witches, shape shifters, werewolves, and fae then you'll love all of this. Kyle is a teenager who gets sent off to this camp for juvies when she gets caught at a party with alcohol. She's a good girl but her mom is a hard ass and her parents are going through a divorce so it's like the perfect excuse to ship her off. Except when she gets to the camp, she finds out this isn't your normal summer camp where you'll be kayaking and making s'mores. The camp is for juvies all right, but it is for juvie supernaturals. Kylie is completely freaked out because other than night terrors and seeing the occasional ghost (which she thinks is her being legit crazy), there is no way she is like any of the freaks at the camp. They all say that in books, don't they? Everyone at camp quickly figures out she isn't like them either because they all do this weird eyebrow wiggle that reads other supernaturals (I found myself doing it every time they mentioned it in the book).

You can guess before even reading the book that Kylie is gifted, but we don't find out what she is in this book. We learn about her gifts and her ghosts (literally) but there are no definite answers on what she is. There is a big twist towards the end that left me in tears because a lot of things come together and make sense once it happens. It is so bittersweet that you honestly don't know how to feel. The ending is really what pushes this from a four star book to a five star. I had some feelings about the twist, but I didn't come close to guessing correctly. I love being surprised with books and I love even more when they grab my emotions like this one did.

There is a love triangle in this, but it is more of a love square. Kylie has her exboyfriend that JUST WON'T GO AWAY named Trey, this super hot half fae named Derek, and this even super hotter mysterious werewolf named Lucas that all have her interest. The thing that I really like about Kylie though is that even though she is a normal teenage girl with hormones flowing everywhere, she doesn't put romance at the top of her list. In fact, she actually tries to push all of the romance aside to deal with all of the other bigger issues going on. I think that's huge because despite the love triangle (that I know some people hate... personally, I love them!) she isn't a giggly little girl about it. That earns her points in my book.

There is also good friendships in this one with her roomies, Della the vamp and Miranda the witch. The book is light hearted at times but it also touches on some heavy stuff. I think the way it flows through the heavy stuff makes it easy to relate to because it is things that most people have gone through at some point. The fact that it is happening to supernaturals just makes it cooler.

So, definite 5/5 stars for me! I've already picked up book #2 in this series and cannot wait to dive in. The series is five books in all so I really can't wait to see where it goes.

5/5
-Leah

If Hex Hall, The Sixth sense, and Twilight had a baby that baby would be Born at Midnight.

I'm actually pretty mad at all my goodreads friends right now... WHY HAS NO ONE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS BOOK!!!??

I want to Hulk smash my keyboard because I'm so high off fangirl fumes right now that I want to rant and rave about this book! I both love and hate a love triangles and this story has a little one. When it started to happen, I'll be honest, I was nervous and didn't think I was going to like it. Wrong, I really liked it. The reason why?! Because the love didn't over take the plot of this story. I didn't shadow that Kylie is there to figure out who and what she is. Kylie is also really relate-able. She thinks and talks like shes 16. The guys in this book are HOT and mysterious. Which means I fell hard for them. I know this book is going to be either a hit or miss for people. You'll either love it or hate it I don't think they'll be any in between. The reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because I wish we would have figured out what Kylie is. But more than that I just need answers in general... I NEED MORE LUCAS!!!!

I can't wait to read the rest of this series

9/10 Stars 


<3 Angela  

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

All Our Yesterdays is a story of time travel. It follows two girls, Marina and Em, and two boys, Finn and James, on a very complicated journey from the future back four years into the past. I can't give much away about the plot without giving away spoilers because believe me when I tell you it's really freaking complicated. 

Em and Finn are trying to go back in time to change the actions of a future doctor who grows up to change the world. While his intentions were good, the power got intense and crazy world war changing stuff started happening. Em and Finn know how to fix things because they've gone back in time fourteen times before and have failed every time. This is their last shot to get it right because they'll probably end up dead in the process of trying.

Marina and James are best friends and have been since they were kids. Marina is madly in love with James, but he has no idea. He's the boy genius type and at 17 is studying at Johns Hopkins for his PhD. Tragedy strikes James and he and his friends and Marina are now caught up in all the mess that Em and Finn are trying to change...... Like I said, It's really freaking complicated.

Really all you need to know is this is one of the best books I've read this year. I'd never even heard of it until I was messing around on Goodreads looking for recommendations. (Pro tip- if you go to Goodreads and organize all of your absolute favorites into their own folder/category and them get recommendations based off of those books only, you'll get some really amazing suggestions). The synopsis sounded cool enough and they had it in stock at my local Barnes and Noble, so why not? Once I started, I couldn't put this book down. I had my hand over my mouth almost the entire time because the book is constantly going from INTENSELY INTENSE to intensely sad. It's very fast paced and action packed. There are very few things that are mentioned that aren't for a reason. You are confused for a lot of it but things start making since pretty early on. From there you just have to put the pieces together. I had absolutely no idea how this book was going to end. No idea. There were SO many different possibilities. I won't give any spoilers because reading it on your own is worth it, but the ending was a nail biter and made me shed a few tears. It blew me away with all the feels it made me feel. I was so SO sad, but happy at the same time. If I could give this book more than five stars I would. Go pick it up and you won't regret it. It will be one of the best standalone books you will read this year.

5/5

The Bodies We Wear: Jeyn Roberts

The Bodies We Wear: Jeyn Roberts 

People say when you take Heam, your body momentarily dies and you catch a glimpse of heaven. Faye was only eleven when dealers forced the drug on her and her best friend, Christian. But Faye didn’t see heaven she saw hell. And Christian died. Faye spends her time keeping secrets from those around her and training to seek revenge on the dealers who took her life away. When a mysterious young man named Chael appears, Faye's life gets even more complicated. Chael seems to know everything about her, including her past. dom dom dom! Will her thirst for vengeance be worth the risk or will the need swallow her whole. 

So I spotted TBWW at my local B&N and it was with a lot of other Halloween/seasonal reads so I figured it was going to be spooky and would prep me for Halloween. Nope, turns out just the title is scary. I should go ahead and get this out of the way... THIS BOOK IS VERY PREDICTABLE. I figured out the whole thing by page fifty. That being said I still really enjoyed Roberts' writing style.

I had a love hate relationship with the leading lady. She's stubborn, irrational, and makes ridiculous choices. She has some pretty rad fighting scenes throughout this book and it's really the only thing I liked most about her. The thing I didn't like about her is that she was constantly saying she had no emotions... and for a girl with no emotions she sure did talk about hers a lot... Then there's the "mysterious" Chael. He's really not that mysterious... and by not really I mean he's not at all. *SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD*. I figured out before page fifty that Chael was basically wearing a skin suit; and that Chael was actually Christian. Why he insist on being called Chael is beyond me. The main thing he has going for him is the fact that he sounds really hot. Black hair Green eyes sign me up... Besides that I didn't really feel all that connected to him. There are some sweet moments, and nice quotes scattered around this book, but plot is a little spotty. I was left having some underlying questions that never got answered. This book had one "twist" that sprung up that I didn't see coming but it didn't follow through. When the big moment following it happened it was a short sizzle and then was blown out. 

The author does quite a bit of flashbacks to Faye and Christian's childhood and those along with the few fight scenes were probably the two most favorable things about this book. TBWW had the potential to be a top pick, but just kind of fell flat.  I will say again that I did enjoy the way she wrote so more than likely I'll pick up other books by her in the future.

The Bodies We Wear was not one of those flip your table five-star reads, but it was enjoyable enough that I did get through it and wasn't mad I read it after.  

6/10 stars 
-Angela