Maybe Not (Maybe 1.5) by Colleen Hoover

When Warren has the opportunity to live with a female roommate, he instantly agrees and disagrees. Especially when  he finds out the new roommate is the cold and seemingly calculating bitch who happens to be hot. Tensions run high and tempers flare as the two can hardly stand to be in the same room together.

Maybe Not is the novella for Maybe Someday (Maybe 1.5). This book follows Warren, Ridges roommate, and Bridgette who is also their roommate. Warren was actually my favorite character in the first book and I was so happy to get a story from his pov. In the first book I was always wanting to hear more about him,  and felt we never got to truly meet him.

I absolutely loved being able to get inside his head. I love hearing all his cocky, comical, and real emotions. Getting to hear Bridgette's story was a breath of fresh air as well. Since all we really knew about her in book one was that shes was a super b. (Oh and I don't wanna forget that we find out what Warren's obsession with porn is all about and I LOVED LOVED LOVED the reason behind it! So freaking hilarious. Yeah, never thought those words would come out of my mouth.) Getting to see how their relationship got started before Sydney moved in made a few of those unanswered question from book one so crystal. The banter between the two is what makes this book so unstoppable. It's has the brass and balls most novellas can't seem to master. I can't thank Hoover enough for keeping Warren the same silly ass as he was in the first book. Just loved him so much! 

Getting to experience the relationship between Warren and Bridgette might just be the biggest treat I get all year! Their relationship truly is like no other and it had me falling hard. UGH words haven't been invented yet for how I feel about this book!!!

This is a quick, witty, and hilariously entertaining story. If it wouldn't have been for the ending of Maybe Someday, Maybe Not would be in a side by side tie. (Because you can't beat Someday's ending). I will say the ending to this book too was just so perfect! Can't stress how much I loved this book!!! 

I fell in love with you warren and I'm not sorry about it.

I wish this book would have been a full length novel... Who knows maybe well get more later. 

10/10 Right Asshole Stars 
-Angela 

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

Snow Like Ashes: Sara Raasch

Snow Like Ashes: Sara Raasch

"Fear is a seed that, once planted, never stops growing."

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Eight survivors who managed to escape have been waiting and planning for the right time to take back their kingdom. Meira has lived her whole life as an orphaned refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior while be head over heels for her best friend Mather will be anything but easy, especially since Mather is set to be future king. So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Meira soon finds herself thrown into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics and is starting to realize her destiny may be anything but what she thought.

OK, OK SO SNOW LIKE ASHES!!!!Leah and I have been WAITING for this book since we saw it on the coming soon list. The cover alone pulls you in, but whats inside does so much more. (Side-note: the man who did the cover actually reached out and said sup to Leah and I on our instagram so that was pretty cool.)

Basically in SLA all hell has broken lose and the people of Spring are dead set on making sure all the Winterians are gone from the world. We're talking straight up genocide. The few remaining Winterians are set on resurrecting the kingdom of Winter and ensuring safety for the last of the Winter bloodline aka King Mather of the Winterians.

When I first picked up and started reading I was a little overwhelmed (I wont lie I tend to feel that way at the start of most fantasy books). I feel like SLA is the love child of Throne of Glass, Xena, and Game of Thrones (maybe that's just me idk). Much like GOT there are a lot of Kingdoms. There are the Eight Kingdoms of Primoria. Then there's the whole Spring, Autumn, Winter thing. Sounds like a lot already right?! However the world building in this book is amazing! Once all the loose ends come together your mind will be blown by all the little details and how much Sara writing give us.

As far as the characters go MERIA IS BADASS!!!! I have this girls back 110%. Meria isn't about taking the easy way out, she can fight her own battles, she can stand her own ground, and can even fall in love while doing it. Oh and ya girl demands respect. Boys pop back because Meria don't want no scrubs. 

Not just that though Sara does an amazing job at making both the male(s) and female characters equals. It was amazing to have a male showing weakness and wanting the girl to think he is worthy of her! LET ME TELL YOU IT GETS CUTE!

The two leading men in this book are King Mather the childhood bff who Meria has always had heart eyes for and Prince Theron whose has both brains and brass. I think some will think this as a love triangle, but I don't really feel like it is. IF HOWEVER it does turn out to be one then I already know whose side I'm picking. If you know me you wont need to ask...

To compare this book a little more, much like Throne of Glass this book is about war, fighting, and having power, with a very strong leading lady. The only downfall and the  reason the rating isn't high is because at some points there was a lot being thrown at you and it was so descriptive it felt like an information overload. There is however a twist toward the end of this book that has set up this series, at least the next book, to be amazing.

That being said go out and get some banners made because Meria is a feisty and strong fem lead that you will be cheering for.
Snow Like Ashes lived up to all it's hype.  






8.5/10 Stars 



-Angela 

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