3 Books That Changed My Life

Every book I read in some way changes the way I see things. Every page impacts me, but there are a few select books that have altered my life. There are a few novels that have shook me so hard that it is something I can never recover from. These next three books have changed the way I look at everything. They have made me see love different, made me realize the importance of living in the moment, and have made me question my own beliefs.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You would be the book I would say has changed me the most. This novel didn't just change the way I see books, but the way I see life. Me Before You gave me everything, and all from a genre I don't often reach for- Adult Contemporary. Me Before You follows a woman name Lou who is struggling to find her place in the world and a job that fits with her quirky personality. When a position for a caretaker comes available she jumps right on the chance. However, she winds up having to take care of Will- an arrogant, rude, and blunt man who recently became a quadriplegic.

This book made me question everything I know about love, about making scarifies, and made me rethink what I once thought about the quality of living. Me Before You is probably the most thought provoking novel I've ever read. Not just that, it's probably the most emotionally invested I've ever been with a book. It brought out feelings I never knew I had and is so beautiful. This is the number one book I would/do recommend to anyone and everything. Even non-readers would enjoy this.

"All I can say is that you make me... you make me into someone I couldn't even imagine. You make me happy, even when you're awful. I would rather be with you - even the you that you seem to think is diminished - than with anyone else in the world."

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I know, I know how "cliché", but I don't care. This book was probably the first book too actually break my heart. It's gorgeous and lyrical filled with one quotable line after another. TFIOS manages to give you so much in such a short amount of time. Hazel Grace is sick and manages to find happiness in a new "friend", Augustus Waters. This novel and their relationship showed me just because you're dying doesn't mean you can't still see the beauty in the world. It shows us how important it is to live in the moment and make sure you don't take a single second of it for granted. John Green made me realize there isn't just one type of love, that there are many, and each one is just as stunning and as important as the others. It doesn't matter if you've seen the movie, you should still pick up the book.

"You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices."

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Goodness, did this book take me by surprise. Never did I think a book about incest, yes incest, could or would break my heart. But God, Forbidden did it. This is another book that made me question my morals. Forbidden follows Maya and Lochan, a brother and sister who are struggling to take care of their siblings due to an absent alcoholic mother. The more responsibility they take on the closer the two become and their bond becomes something more than it should. I never fathomed that by the end of this book I would be cheering for a brother and sister to end up together, but I was. I was a freaking mess by the time I got to the end. It's also very rare that I like books that have such a slow build. Trust me when I say this book has the snowball effect. It starts out slow and steady and as it heads to the end it just keeps getting bigger and bigger till it hits the end and leaves you speechless. Forbidden had me wondering "if it's not hurting anyone is it really so wrong?", and two years later I am still wondering the same exact thing.

"At the end of the day it's about how much you can bear, how much you can endure. Being together, we harm nobody; being apart, we extinguish ourselves."  

-Angela

Flawed by Kate Avelynn

Sarah O’Brien is alive because of the pact she and her brother made twelve years ago. James will protect her from their violent father and their absent mother if she promises to never leave him. This has worked for them forever... Until her brother seeks more than a sister. Sam Donavon has been James’ best friend their whole lives. Now he is Sarah's boyfriend. Keeping their relationship a secret might be the thing that finally  breaks James. 

I picked up Flawed because I'd never heard it brought up without Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma being brought up after. Forbidden is one of my all time favorite books, so I knew I had to pick it up. I get why they are being constantly compared, but truth be told they have very little in common. If I would have read Flawed first I would have liked it more. That being said I still really enjoyed it. 


The back story between Sarah and James is dark and Kate leaves no detail unsaid. And I loved how dark it got. Her mom is practically comatose, and her father is an former boxer turned abusive alcoholic. The only person she can count on is James.The relationship between them starts off so sweet. A bond that many would love to have with a sibling. But then their relationship turns too something wrong and sour. Sarah's character is weak and throughout the story is trying to find legs to stand on. She's trying to figure out who she is. James character goes from a strong leading male to a weak breaking human. Seeing the two switch places made for an interesting read. Then there's Sam. WHOOSH swoon worthy Sam. The moment he is introduced was the moment I fell for him. Each character to me had so many thing to like about them and thing about them I disliked. But all were so well written. Sam was without a doubt my favorite thing about this book. I couldn't get enough of him. 

"I have no idea what he sees in me. Strength, he says. Beauty. A big heart. I see none of these things. I see fear, flaws and a heart so full of blackness I can't give up on my own selfish wants to set him or my brother free."

The pace of this book is steady through out, and doesn't pick up much speed until the last handful of chapters. The ending more than made up for anything the plot lacked. It was the main reason I loved this book so much. Everything went down in the most perfectly heart pounding and heart punching ending ever. If this stories first half would have been as strong as the last half I would have given this book a higher rating. I even feel having it in dual POVs might have given it a little more edge. Either way it will be a book I recommend to many in the future. If you're looking for something a little on the darker emotional side Flawed is a good fit. 

Flawed is heavily weighed on one thing and one thing only... When stuck between a rock and a hard place, what choice would you make? 

8.5/10 Stars 
-Angela 

(Flawed Book Depository)

 

Unteachable: Leah Raeder

Maise O’Malley is an eighteen-year-old high school senior. All Maise wants is for her mother to be her mother. To get into film school. And to not screw everything up. When Maise meets Evan at a carnival one night, their connection is like no other. However Maise only does hookups, no relationships. After their wild random hookup she can't seem to get Evan out of her head...
 It makes it even harder to get someone out of your head when they turn out to be your new film teacher.
 Maise and Evan try to stay away from each other, but that is easier said than done. People start to notice, rumors fly, and the truth will slowly be revealed.

“Part of falling in love with someone is actually falling in love with yourself. Realizing that you're gorgeous, you're fearless and unpredictable, you're a firecracker spitting light, entrancing a hundred faces that stare up at you with starry eyes.” 

What did you just do to me Leah Raeder?!?! Was my heart just beautifully broken?? I think so. 

Unteachable is about a student and a teacher falling hopelessly in love. Emphasis on the hopeless part. Saying that Maise is an average teen would be a lie. Forced to grow up at an early age and take care of herself, she sees things different than most people her age. She also seeks out older male lovers to fill the void of a male figure in her life since her father left her. A void that she says "can only be filled with dick.". Maise is a ball of cocky attitude and insecurities. She is a character that you wouldn't think you would find funny, but with her F this attitude you'll find yourself loving her. As far as NA protagonist go she feels more real than any other leading ladies I've never met recently. 

 

After a steamy evening at the carnival with a man who instantly takes her breath away she discovers him to be her new film teacher. Instead of calling things off they take to seeing how far they can push their relationship.

Mr. Evan Wilke is the 32-year-old heartthrob teacher that was all passion and mystery. Despite finding out that he is her teacher he can't stay away from her. They end up sneaking school make-out sessions and hot mini sexy getaways together. Evan is all sorts of adorable. I'm use to the leading males in NA novels being cocky, rude, and a lot of times controlling. It was refreshing to have him be the super vulnerable one. He had me hardcore swooning with his way with words so much during this book.

“...You should love something while you have it, love it fully and without reservation, even if you know you'll lose it someday. We lose everything. If you're trying to avoid loss, there's no point in taking another breath, or letting your heart beat one more time. It all ends." His fingers curl around mine. "That's all life is. Breathing in, breathing out. The space between two breaths.”   

Seriously, stop being so perfect and breaking my heart Evan! 

As the relationship builds and as the characters spend more time together you start to slowly question the motives of the relationship. You are left wondering what's keeping their relationship going. Is it the love or the forbidden-ness that is holding it together? Along with the amazingly built characters came the wonderfully lyrical written romance scenes. And there are A LOT of steamy scenes in this book. 

My face basically looked like this the whole time

We're talking next level hot. 

As much as I loved the two main characters this story did however have a few flaws. Towards the middle of this book the story kind of drifts too this odd side story. It involves her mom and some random side characters, Hiyam and Park. I really didn't enjoy any of them. I wanted to feel a little more connection to her mother, but was left wanting more. Even knowing the connection would be one of negativeness I still wanted it. I did love when she finally starts to take control of her life and tells off her B of a mom.

 She stared at some central point on my face, not quite my eyes. "This how I raised you? To make fuckin' threats about disowning me?" "No," I said quietly. "This is how I raised me." 

Hey mom, need some help with that BURN! 

The side character I did like was Wesley. He was so cute and I was hoping him and Maise would end up together. The witty and real dialogue they zap back and forth between each other is amazing. The plot of this story was so strong that it more than made up for the few tiny flaws. Even though I figured out the "big twist" before it happened the way it was presented still had me flipping and failing everywhere screaming "NOOO!! I DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE REAL! WHY DID I HAVE TO BE RIGHT!!! WHY???!!"

Laeder's writing style was amazing, breathtaking, and unforgettable. The way she perfectly twisted in a movie theme, that now has me loving Casablanca even more, and the way Maise uses past tense in her mind was something I found so interesting. The ending of this story left me with so many feelings. It gave me the perfect combination of wanting more and being completely satisfied. This might have (even from my description) sounded like just another F'd up love story, but it was so much more than that. It was of loneliness, desperation, and about how hard it is to grow up. If you're a fan of Colleen Hoover's Slammed or Tabitha Suzma's Forbidden then you'll love Unteachable.

9/10 Stars 

-Angela