Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

"Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago—the closest place she has to something like home—she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?" -Goodreads synopsis 

"Perfect days are for people with small, realizable dreams. or maybe for all of us, they just happen in retrospect; they're only now perfect because they contain something irrevocably and irretrievably lost."

I'm finding this review hard to write... That typically happens when I'm so angry at a book that I can't even see straight. This isn't the problem I'm facing with TMTT. I liked it so much that there is so many things I want to say. I've truly never faced this issue before with a contemporary book before. It's my least favorite genre to read. Not including John Green books, I don't think I've ever been excited to finish a contemp book before this... I really thought about it too and nothing comes to mind.

I'm going to do this review a little different and stick with the common theme that TMTT and I'm going to tell you the three things that made me love this book.

1) The "Dear Reader" note. It really isn't often I read these. This time I figured why the heck not. So glad I did. Julie explains why this book means so much to her, and why it was this book was so easy and so hard for her to write. She talks about the loss of her mother and how it really changed her whole life. This personally meant so much to me because I too lost my mother way before her time. What really hit home for me is when she quotes her main character Jessie. "She will never see who I grow up to be-that great mystery of who I am and who I am meant to be-finally asked and answered". This hit way to close to home. It's such a selfish/non-selfish reason to think this, but it is so very true. It took me years to realize that my mother wouldn't be there for events and that's when everything really hits you.

2) Jessie. She is an outstanding lead. She is the perfect combination of raw real human emotion and comical teenage girl. She gives the right emotions at the right time and talks to her age. She is beyond relatable and will completely pull you into her story. When Jess struggles, loves, gets lost you feel like you're right there with her. The funny dialog she manages to keep up through out this story is just great. Julie also hit the nail right on the head with how teenage girls think. Jessie's life has so many typical YA tropes in it that it could have easily taken this down a mundane path that would have ultimately lead to me having the same issues that I do with others. However Julie makes the typical something new and fresh. Jessie is a breath of fresh air along with all the other side characters.

3) The mystery. When you read the synopsis of the book you figure out right away that there is basically a "who done it" style plot. Jessie starts receiving emails from an anonymous sender going by the username Somebody/Nobody (SN). This style would normally annoy the crap out of me. I've read plenty of books that have done this and almost 100% of the time I find myself skipping ahead, not caring about the story, getting bored, just not caring, and sneaking to find out the answer. With TMTT this wasn't at all the case. I was so interested in the story and going through things with Jessie that I didn't want to find out until the last possible second. The mystery as you can tell is all about who is SN. You, like Jessie, will go back and forth about who you think it will be. I will say that I had a pretty good idea about who it might have been, but I often found myself second guessing. Second guessing made reading this book so much fun. Warning: Julie will leave you guessing until the last second. The only thing I will suggest is that you keep maybe a little scrap piece of paper to write down the names of the guys in this book. Once all the key players were introduced once or twice I had to stop and remind myself who was who and who had what traits. When I jotted it down I was right back on track. Also kind of made me feel like I was playing a game of clue or something.

Tell Me Three Things will without a doubt be my favorite contemporary all year. So thankful to have gotten an early copy of this, and am excited for others to get to read it too. This book has so much heart, so much fun to read, and left me with a huge giddy grin on my face.

10/10 Stars 
-Angela  

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Hadley is having a pretty bad day. Every little thing that can happen happens which cause the perfect storm of a series of unfortunate events that lead her to miss her plane by four minutes. It's not like she was super pumped to get on the plane in the first place, though. She is supposed to be on her way to London to be a bridesmaid in her dad's wedding to a lady she has never met, a lady who he left her mom for, and more importantly a lady who he left her for. She is going on this trip against her will, because both of her parents think it is for the best. Unfortunately she missed her plane and now she is stuck in the airport for three hours until she can catch the next flight to London. While in the airport, she meets Oliver. Oliver is a sweet British guy who offer to watch her bag for her and eats dinner with her since they are both stuck in the airport. As fate would have it, Oliver and Hadley also are sitting a seat away from each other on the plane. When a sweet old lady gives up her seat so Oliver can sit next to Hadley, they spend the next seven hours chatting and getting to know each other. Things feel perfect until the plane lands in London and their little fairy tale is over. They get separated in customs and end up not seeing each other again. The rest of the book follows Hadley as she deals with her dad's wedding, learns a lot about love and herself, and does a lot of growing up in a very short time.

The book itself takes place over the course of 24 hours. Since the book is on a timeline, I found myself really stressing out when things would happen and hours would tick by. It gave a really unique angle for the story and it made me feel like I was right there with Hadley dealing with the longest, best/worst day of her life. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's sweet and cute and a very easy read. If you have ever watched any Rom-Com ever then you can predict where everything is going to go, but it was enjoyable regardless. I have been really digging contemporary YA romance lately, so this fell perfectly into that category. Not life changing, but definitely a great fluffy read. If you're looking for a good beach or pool read, this will keep you occupied for an afternoon and you will get out of it exactly what you think you will.

What really pushed me to finally read this book was when I found out that Hailee Steinfeld and Robert Sheehan have been cast as Hadley and Oliver. Going into the book with those two in my head was PERFECT. The casting is spot on, and I am absolutely ecstatic to see how this goes from page to screen next year. The things that Oliver says made me absolutely swoon, and when you put Robert Sheehan's face with those beautiful words..... All I can say is: Panty dropper. Hailee Steinfeld is going to be so funny and quirky as Hadley. I think she will really bring the character to life and be able to show all of the moments that can only be described as being a seventeen year old girl. So even if contemporary YA isn't your thing, I would still encourage you to read this if only to see how it is in the book before it becomes a movie (it's always way more fun than way!).

“He’s like a song she can’t get out of her head. Hard as she tries, the melody of their meeting runs through her mind on an endless loop, each time as surprisingly sweet as the last, like a lullaby, like a hymn, and she doesn’t think she could ever get tired of hearing it.” 

4/5 stars

Kaleidoscope Hearts by Claire Contreras

He was her older brothers best friend and she was never suppose to be his. They thought they could get it out of their systems... One did and one left.

This second chance romance really did it for me... I'll say that right off the bat. 

Elle and Oliver have known each other forever. Oliver is Elle's brother Vic's best friend (that's a mouth full). This means by bro code they can't date. This issue never kept them from secret met ups. Oliver however decided that relationship aren't for him. So Elle goes her way Oliver goes his.

Elle of course is our leading lady. She ends up engaged to an older successful artist, who teaches her how to master her art. Together they open a studio. Once her fiance dies her world is thrown upside down (not a spoiler Fyi says it in like the first few pages). Elle sells their house and moves in with her brother Vic. Oliver our main man left Elle shattered after keeping their relationship a secret for years. He decided that he would focus on med school and just keep up with his womanizing ways. Both characters were realistically written. They were both characters that stood well on their own and together. As much as I liked Oliver, I liked Elle more. Even though sometimes she made me mad with her choices I really liked her character overall. She was silly, fun, and selfless. Oliver, who earlier on I didn't think I would like I ended up loving. His back story was sweet and his reasons were the same. His character development really did it for me. It's odd that every book I've read lately has been involving art/artist. Again though, it was another book that prefect wove in this aspect.

The story's plot circles around how hard it is to get over your first and only true love. And I for one am a sucker second chance love. The plot isn't rushed and though Contreras has it written that it could have been broken up into several books, I like that she choose not too. I loved how the novel goes from Elle's point of view in the present to Oliver's point of view being in the past. This had it so the story came perfectly together, and solved any unanswered questions. The reason I didn't give this book a higher rating was only because at a few points I did feel like it got a little repetitive. There was one or two times were I was like "ok come on I know where this is headed we've heard this song and dance already". Other than that I really enjoyed this Chick-lit of a read. 

Kaleidoscope Hearts was a sweet fun you know what you're getting into read and I really enjoyed it. 

8/10 Stars 
-Angela 
 

(Kaleidoscope Heart Audio Clip)
(Kaleidoscope BookDepo)

Erased by Jennifer Rush

So in book two of the Altered series by Jennifer Rush, we pick up pretty close to where book one left off. Anna is still on the run from The Branch with the boys and tension is at an all time high among everyone. Anna still is in lurve with Sam, Cas is still hot and fun, Nick is still angsty hot, and Trev is still a traitor and working for The Branch.

As the book goes on, we learn a LOT more about each of their pasts, especially Nick. I'll admit I was not on Nick's team at all in the first book. I thought his attitude was over the top and he needed to turn down several notches. After what happens with him in book two, and the friendship that he develops with Anna... I'm all about Nick now. Through his flash backs and some other things, you are able to figure out a lot about him and why he acts the way that he does. By the end, I was SO #teamNick and I wanted Anna to dump Sam and be with Nick instead (don't worry, this doesn't happen to my dismay so it's not a spoiler). Nick is just sooooooo hot with his tortured soul and wrong side of the tracks background. Don't get me wrong, Sam sounds handsome, but he just sounds so boring compared to Nick. What would be really awesome is if Maya Banks or some other scandy writer got ahold of these characters, if you know what I mean. #notweird

ANYWAY.. I didn't see some of the big twists coming and my jaw was left hanging open on THE FLOOR. We find out the truth about the night Anna's parents die, Anna's connection with The Branch, more about sister Dani, what's going on with Trev, and all kinds of crazy stuff. We get to meet tons of new characters who really do a good job of adding to the story.

I thought the ending was pretty perfect. All the loose ends are tied up (my favorite) and I really think it could have been the end of the series. I'm actually pretty confused about what is going to happen in book three that just came out a few weeks ago because literally everything is good and happy and fulfilled at the end of book two. I will say I liked this book a lot more than the first. Altered was good, but it wasn't my favorite. Erased is much better as far as pace, character development, ending, and just overall likability. I think this series is super underrated series, so I think if you are a fan of The Bourne Identity series, The Raven Boys series, and even Shatter Me then you will like the Altered series.

Book Depository Link

5/5 stars

Bound by Spells COVER REVEAL!!

We are so excited to have the opportunity to share some exciting news with y'all!! Bound By Duty is one of our favorite fantasy reads so far this year, and the second book of the series will be out in a few months! This is the cover reveal for Bound By Spells!!

   

Release Date: March 19, 2015

Aidan Montgomery hadn’t been prepared for Amelia Bradbury to walk in and then out of his life. He also hadn’t expected to find the powerful magic hidden deep within him for the last nineteen years, but he’s embracing it — finding more control and more answers every day. Now, with the help of Amelia’s best friend, Bethany, Aidan is on a quest to understand his destiny and find Amelia. Amelia decided to stand by her duty, which meant walking away from her first chance at love. Trapped in Cresthaven at the Queen’s mercy, she spends her days with Micah — an ally she still holds at arm’s length — struggling to manage her heartbreak while keeping her mind focused on the task at hand. As she continues to unlock the secrets of the Keeper power, Queen Julia’s true motives reveal themselves, forcing Amelia to decide, yet again, how much she’s willing to sacrifice. Will Aidan get to Amelia before it's too late, or will the very power that sustains them keep them apart?

Add it on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/15ryC4K

Haven't started the Bound Series Yet? Start reading Bound By Duty!

Amelia grew up in a world of half-truths. She knows she's an Elder but has no idea what that means. Her father reminds her daily that she must maintain control but he refuses to explain why. Even worse, she's betrothed to the prince of the Immortals and she doesn't even know his name.

Finally breaking free to live a few normal years at a community college, the last thing Amelia expects is to find her best friend in a cheeky Southern girl and to fall for a self-assured human who sees her for who she is and not what she'll be. As she learns more about herself, Amelia realizes the line between love and duty is a thin one. As her power continues to increase exponentially and her questions are slowly answered, Amelia must make the ultimate choice. The question is, will her head or her heart win the battle?

Purchase on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Gmm13A

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Stormy Smith

Stormy Smith is the author of the Amazon best-seller, Bound by Duty. She calls Iowa’s capital home now, but was raised in a tiny town in the Southeast corner of the state. She grew to love books honestly, having a mom that read voraciously and instilled that same love in her. She knew quickly that stories of fantasy were her favorite, and even as an adult gravitates toward paranormal stories in any form. Writing a book had never been an aspiration, but suddenly the story was there and couldn’t be stopped. When she isn’t working on, or thinking about, her books, Stormy’s favorite places include bar patios, live music shows, her yoga mat or anywhere she can relax with her husband or girlfriends.

Bound by Duty by Stormy Smith

Amelia is an 18 year girl who is finally on her own and off to college after years of being kept hidden away and protected from the world by her father. She has grown her whole life knowing that she is special and that she has powers but her father has refused to teach her anything about herself or her abilities. Her mother died when she was born and her brother left home when she was young, Amelia has been alone most of her life aside from her nanny, Rynna. She finally decides to go off to college to be able to enjoy a few years of her life that she will have to herself because the one small tidbit about her life that her father had shared with her is that she was betrothed to a prince (the son of an evil queen) when she turns 21. She picks a small college in the town that her brother lives in so that she can be close to him. While she is at school, she becomes best friend with a saucy southerner named Bethany who is really the only friend she has ever had. Bethany's boyfriend, Micah, is a fellow Mage and is the only one other than her brother that Amelia can confide in about her magic. She also catches the eye of a handsome tattooed Theo James looking dude, Aidan. Not only is Aidan absolutely ridiculously steamy hot, but he is amazing and sweet. He lets Amelia know right off the bat that he wants to be with her and won't stop until she says yes.

That's the basic bare bones of the book. When I read the synopsis for the story (which is just a little less detailed) I knew that I had to read this book. I love fantasy books that have a magical element. What I wasn't expecting was to like the book as much as I did. It was a very quick read for me even though it was decently long (360ish pages), but I was so wrapped up in the story that I couldn't put it down.

I absolutely love the characters in Bound by Duty. Amelia is the main lady and she is so realistic. You feel sad for her because she has spent her entire life feeling alone and trying to hide what she is, and now that she is finally coming into her own, poop is starting to hit the fan. One of my favorite scenes from the book is when Amelia has her first real breakthrough with her powers. She has so much frustration and hurt and anger built up that she just goes off to this secluded place behind her apartment building and goes all Mara Dyer on these rocks and blows stuff up. She completely loses her shit and it is absolutely amazing. I was fistpumping and cheering her on the whole time while I had my own surge of girl power. Through the story, Amelia's character development is insane. She goes from being ignorant and weak and afraid to being strong and powerful and in charge. She knows what she has to do even though it breaks her heart.

And now I get to my favorite thing about this book.... Aidan. Oh my goodness. Aidan. He is ultimate book boyfriend material because is handsome, witty, sarcastic, and he just does not give a damn. He wants Amelia and he doesn't care what he has to do to get her. As it turns out, they need each other and their love story is one of my favorites. The ending of the book and the cliffhanger ripped my heart out and threw it on the ground. My poor booboo Aidan. I need book two NOW so I can know what happens. Honestly, the spoiler plot twist that happens with Aidan you can kind of see coming a mile away, but I didn't mind. I think I have figured out what his fate is regarding the second book, but I guess I'll have to wait to see if I am right.

The other characters add a lot to the plot. Cole, Micah, Bethany, and even Charlie bring this story to life and set it apart from others life it. I love the connection between Amelia and Charlie. The jury is still out on my feelings about Micah, but we will see how that goes as the series goes on. Bethany is so feisty and a little fireball. One critique is that I didn't find it believable how accepting she was to everything so quickly, but I am glad that she was. She was just a little too "oh okay, that's all right honey!" to the whole shebang. Bethany is the type of friend that every girl dreams for. I also secretly hope that a love affair between Cole and Bethany happens because that would be totes cute!!

All in all, this is an amazing book. If you are a fan of magic and like reading fantasy in a contemporary setting, then this is your book. It took a lot of elements from my favorite fantasy books (Throne of Glass, Hexed, Rebel Belle, Mara Dyer) and threw them all together. I'm so glad Stormy Smith gave me the opportunity to read Bound by Duty. I am adding it to my 2015 favorites list, and I cannot wait to see what happens when the second book releases!!

5/5 stars

Second amazing gifted book this month. Bound by Duty had so many things going for it that I really liked. Magic, mystery, and hot hot guys. I don't think there's much I can say about this book that Leah hasn't already covered, but I'll give it a try... Bound by Duty isn't a book I would usually pick up, so I'm glad that I had heard such great things about it.


The main character in this book is Amelia. I loved the struggles she faces with her powers and how she handles everything. I love her relationship with her brother Cole. I love strong stories that include amazing sibling bonds. The two other characters in it are Micah and Aidan. I loved both of them so much! I don't know which one of them I liked more. If I had to choose... Probably Aidan. He's so sweet, a little thirsty.
but sweet. I did however hate how Amelia treats him. She's so back and forth with him... Ugh sometimes it go on my nerves. Aidanand Amelia are both so much more than meets the eye. It really doesn't hurt that he says things like this...   

"I don't know. Probably because that's what my dad called my mom. I have some of their old letters and he always called her doll."

SIGH so stinking cute. This book was fast paced with lots of surprises. I can't wait to see where this book goes... because with that ending I have no idea really where it's heading. 

9/10 stars 

-Angela 

Paper Towns by John Green

I want to start by saying that I think it is impossible for John Green to write a bad book. Seriously, everything I've read by him makes me feels all sorts of stuff and makes me fall even more in love with his writing style. He is witty and the story is full of dry humor.

Q is an ordinary guy that is about to graduate high school. He makes good grades and stays out of trouble. He is planning on leaving Florida behind and going to college at Duke. Every thing is going as planned until one night his next door neighbor of almost all of his life, Margo Roth Spiegelman, knocks on his bedroom window and persuades him into coming with her for a night of mischief. The two spend the night righting wrongs and wronging rights of their classmates who they will soon be saying goodbye to soon after graduation. At the end of the night, Margo says her goodbyes to Q as well. She then disappears, and when she doesn't come to school the following week it is apparent that she has runaway from her life. Q spends the rest of the book on a treasure hunt of sorts trying to find out if Margo is leading him to her, whether it be her dead or alive.

I'll be honest, I had a lot of ups and downs with this book. Mostly ups, but there is a chunk of the book where Q is on the hunt following clues that he thinks will lead him closer to Margo, but really he is just chasing his tail in a circle. His friends get frustrated with him, he gets frustrated with himself, everyone gets frustrated with Margo, and I just wanted someone to get to the point. I feel like John Green was trying to do a lot of character building during this chunk, which I appreciate, but it didn't really add much to the plot. You get some deep insights on how to view people and why people do things the way they do them, and you also learn a lot about Walt Whitman.
The characters are pretty amazing. I think my favorite character is Radar because he is the person in their group of friends who is the most logical. He is also the one that is there when Q needs him, despite whatever else is going on. I love the comedic relief that Ben brings, but he is that friend who dumps you as soon as they get a girlfriend and they're that friend that fixates on wanting do whatever it takes to move up the social ladder and be cool. Ben is still a good friend to Q, but I feel like neither one of them are the best friends that they could be to each other.

I spent most of the book disliking Margo, to be honest. I really, really loved her at the beginning of the book during her adventure with Q, but as the book went on, I found myself disliking her. I felt like what she was putting everyone through was so selfish. When we started to learn more about the why's, I felt more sympathetic towards her but in the end, I still think she behaves like a child who can't handle life and needs to get away. Lacy on the other hand really surprised me and went from being one of the token mean girls to really coming and being an integral part of the ending of the book. I really wish Angela, Radar's girlfriend, would have had more air time. She was really funny and witty, so I think she could have added a lot to the characters.

My favorite parts of the book is the adventure between Q and Margo at the beginning. Right from the get go it pulls you in and gets you hooked. After that, my other favorite part is the the road trip that the group takes. I was laughing with tears coming down my face with a certain incident that required Ben to use a bottle. The cow incident was also pretty hilarious in a morbid, poop your pants kind of way.

Overall, I think this is a great book. If you like John Green's writing, then this book will be no exception. It is a great contemporary novel that focuses on angsty teens and lessons they have to learn in order to grow. I'd also like to recommend The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider. It reminds me SO much of Paper Towns. The main female character, Cassidy, is very much like Margo and I found myself feeling the same things towards both of them. These are both great books, and I think they should be on everyone's TBR list because I think everyone will pull away different things from the stories depending on their own life experiences.

Also, Paper Towns will be released as a movie in June of this year. I checked out the actors that are going to be in it, and I think it is spot on! I LOVE the actress (Cara Delevingne) that is cast for Margo. I think she is going to do an excellent job. I really can't wait to see this movie. I hope all John Green books get made into movies.

4/5 stars

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

There have been a lot of time traveling YA novels lately. It seems like it is the new "thing" that is becoming popular to read about, where dystopian novels used to be. That on top of mixed reviews about this book led me to be a little skeptical as I got ready to read. It has such a beautiful cover (one of the best of the year for sure), but experience tells me that sometimes the best books are the one with the cheesy covers and the ones with the beautiful covers seem to use that as a marketing ploy to make up for a so-so book. Thankfully this theory did not prove true for A Thousands Pieces Of You.

Marguerite is the black sheep in her family. She is the artist in a family of scientists, but she is still incredibly close to her family even though she doesn't understand what they are talking about half of the time. Her mom and dad have recently made a huge breakthrough with something her mom has been working on a for a long time- traveling through different universes. Seems crazy, right? That's exactly what everyone told them until finally they develop it enough to attract attention from a huge corporation called Triad that helps fund their experiment. They develop a device called "Firebird" that allows people to travel through different dimensions in the universe. Marguerite's parents also have the help of two grad students, Theo and Paul, in their major breakthrough.

All of this is great until Marguerite's dad ends up at the bottom of a river after someone cut the brakes on his car. That someone just happens to be Paul, right after he trashed all of their data in their lab. Now Paul is MIA. He took the most recent and most developed Firebird and has hopped into another dimension trying to escape the murder he just committed. The family is heartbroken. Theo comes to Marguerite one day and tells her that he has salvaged the prototype Firebirds and has updated them enough that he is going to travel to find Paul and bring him to justice. Of course there just happens to conveniently be two of the Firebirds, so Marguerite insists on coming too. Their journey takes them into a futuristic London, then to Russia where the technology is so behind that they still use steam engines and horse drawn carriages. After those two (which are the most important, I think, besides the final one) they go to two more before the big finale at the ending. There are some major surprises in each of the "worlds."

I will say that even though there were several big twists in this novel, I had the basic plot figured out pretty early on. It's pretty predictable, but it doesn't stop you from enjoying it. The world building in this book is absolutely incredible. Each new dimension you are taken to, you really a full view of the world and how the characters are so different in each one. Marguerite learns so much about herself by experiencing the different versions of herself. She started on the journey on a wild goose chase because she wanted to avenge her dad, but when the ending came she had grown SO much and definitely was not the same girl that started.

I guess you could say that there is a love triangle (don't worry, it isn't insta-love) between Marguerite, Paul, and Theo. It isn't really that simple. I really started off shipping Marguerite to Theo instantly. I wanted her to be with him in London SO bad, but as time goes on you realize that he isn't the best fit for her. He is sassy and handsome and reckless and brilliant... All the perfect makings of a bad boy, but he just isn't the right fit for Marguerite. You learn so much about Paul that by mid-novel you have no idea what to think. He is introverted and mysterious and handsome in a shy why that he doesn't understand, but he cares so deeply for Marguerite. It's hard to go into a lot of the love triangle without giving away spoilers. I will just say that Russia was my favorite and my heart ached for Marguerite. I think that dimension complicated things every more than they were to start with (which seems crazy). What happens there and the ramifications it causes brings a very unique spin on the (not so) love triangle for the rest of the book. I'll just say that I love Paul and think he is perfect for Marguerite.

The love story reminds me of Peeta, Katniss, and Gale. Yes, Gale is the super hot one and the bad boy and the one that Katniss had the history with. She cared about Gale so much, but after she goes through everything, she realizes she cares for him on a different level than Peeta. Peeta would do absolutely anything for Katniss and proves his love over and over. The love that Peeta and Katniss develop is gut wrenching and passionate and desperate, but they belong together. That's how I feel about Paul and Marguerite. The ending made me feel hopeful, but I am excited to see where the series goes. I know a lot of people will be on team Theo (just like they were on team Gale), but for me the attraction is merely that... attraction. The love I developed for Paul was so much deeper than the surface deep emotions that I felt for Theo. Yes, Marguerite cares for Theo, but it is just not even in the same universe as the way she cares for Paul.

Like I said before, I had all the basic twists and the plot figured out pretty early on, but I wasn't sure how Gray would end the book. I was pleasantly surprised by a solid ending where most of the loose ends are tied up. Enough is left open where the series can continue, but there isn't some crazy cliffhanger leaving you dangling (I have a love/hate relationship with cliffhangers.. mostly hate, especially when the second book is long away from being released). Another surprising thing about the plot is the focus on Marguerite's grief. The way she expresses herself is so easy to relate to, especially if you have ever lost anyone close to you. I really appreciate how Gray made Marguerite's grieving and feelings the same for someone who isn't traveling through dimensions and other crazy things. Grief is grief no matter where you are.

"Now I know grief is a whetstone. It sharpens all your love, all your happiest memories, into blades that tear you apart from within. Something has been torn out from inside that will never be filled up, not ever, no matter how long I love. They say 'time heals,' but even now, less than a week after my father's death, I know that is a lie. What people really mean is that eventually you'll get get used to the pain. You'll forget who you were without it; you'll forget what you looked like without your scars. This, I think, is the boundary line of adulthood. Not the crap they claim it is-- graduating high school or losing your virginity or getting your first apartment or whatever. You cross the boundary the first time you're changed forever. You cross it the first time you know you can never go back."

Overall, I am pretty impressed with this book. It was sweet and unique in all the right ways. I was skeptical in the first few chapters with all of the science talk that made my eyes feel like it was going to cross, but thankfully that was just there to set up the scene for everything that was going on. I really enjoyed the world building, the character development, the plot progression, and the ending. I am really excited for this series to continue, and I just hope it will be as good as the first. Because of the different dimensions, I think this book will appeal to fans of a lot of different genres. It's contemporary, but there's fantasy, dystopian, and even some historical. I think this book is a must read for everyone, and I am definitely adding it to my "2014 favorites" list.

5/5 stars

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 Beginning of Everything: by Robyn Schneider

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider is a book about a boy named Ezra Faulkner. He's the definition of a parents wet dream; that is until his world comes crashing down on him... Well its not the world it's more like a car. Ezra use to be a star tennis player, the most popular guy in school, had the most popular girl in school as his girlfriend, and makes pretty good grades. He's living the high school dream until he walks in on his girl friend cheating on him at a party; where he gets in his car to leave and then immediately gets into a car accident. The crash shatters both his knee and dreams. His friends don't seem to get that he can't be the person he use to be. He can't play tennis, can't keep up with the wild pranks, and parties they go too... Oh and on top of all that his now ex girlfriend is dating the his replacement and friend... Sounds like the end of the world right? Well then you should know it's just the start of it. Ezra meets the mysterious riddle talking new girl Cassidy. Ezra is thrown into a world where he no longer knows who he is. He throws himself into school work, a debate team, and an old friendship. Thankful to have Cassidy to distract him from the accident and life in general by dragging him around on her endless adventures he soon realizes she might just be what he needed to get out of his accident funk. He'll soon learn that life isn't always about living up to others expectations it's about living up to your own. 

 I would like to thank the book gods for this book, because after reading so many fails in the contemporary ya field finally one has stepped up and won my heart... 

First off the cover of this book is beyond perfectly witty (Once you read it you'll know why). Second, again, I can't believe I liked a contemporary read. Third this book was like eating a handful of Valentine's Day candy; it was so sweet. TBoE will have your sides splitting and you hooked within the first few pages... Don't believe me? Well feast your eyes on this snippet from page four:

  “What the news reports didn't say was how the kid's head sailed backward in its mouse-ear hat like some sort of grotesque helicopter, and how Toby Ellicott, on his twelfth birthday, caught the severed head and held onto it in shock for the duration of the ride.
     There's no graceful way to recover from something like that, no magic response to the "getting head" jokes that everyone threw in Toby's direction in the hallways of Westlake Middle School.”

Think I made my point. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE...
The characters in this book felt way more realistic than I could have imagined. Ezra's character development is off the charts along with his amazing level of sarcasm. I almost felt like a proud mama bear watching Ezra become a man over the course of this book. TBoE is full of razor sharp wit and took me by surprise with how compassionate it is. I imagine it's hard for a writer to really make a character develop so much in one book but Robyn Schneider makes it look effortless. Her writing style mirrors that of John Green's and definitely has the same tear jerker effect on people. Character development isn't the only thing that is strong in this book... The overall writing style and silver tongue that Robyn uses throughout this story is insane. The debate scenes and childhood flashbacks will have you dying of laughter. Oh and if you like vampires, witty  comebacks, and Harry Potter you'll enjoy this story as well.  

 The only downside(s) of this book was a rather predictable ending. I figured it out about half way through, but it still didn't stop me from getting teary eyed or enjoying the story till the

end. The only other thing was Cassidy... She wasn't my favorite female character. I did like her and Ezra's relationship; it was truly loving and sweet...but I found myself being annoyed with her. She keeps telling Ezra to be himself, to learn who he is, to tell her who he wants to be, but then gives nothing back in return. I guess I was just hoping she'd have as much development as he did. Basically by the end of the book I wanted to throat punch this B. As far as the sub characters in this book, they are as amazing as Ezra especially Toby. (Oh Toby you cutie you! I just wanted to pinch and kiss his cheeks!)

This book has a great pace, and is a nice new spin on a coming of age novel. I wont give away what happens at the end, even with its predictability, I was still happy with how she left the characters and the stories. TBoE is a perfect rainy day-cuddle in a snuggie-drinking hot coco book.  This was a light and fun read, and something that if you haven't had the chance to pick up you should definitely set aside and afternoon to do so. 

8/10 Stars  

-Angela