*Review* Psycho Inside Me – Bonnie R. Paulson

 Psycho Inside Me

Bonnie R. Paulson

Read 1-17-14

Format: E-book

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 I killed my first victim at thirteen years old – my age, not his. He was going to rape me, him and a couple of his friends. And so, I killed him. And then… I killed again. And again. 
At seventeen, I’m killing four to six times a year – maybe more. Don’t stress out. I only go after the pedophiles and rapists. There are more out there than I could cover in a lifetime. 
Saying I did this on my own would be selfish. Enforcing justice holds a glory all its own. But now, my lifelong friend and backup, Deegan, has been arrested. I have to decide if I want to give myself up and take his place or leave him with all the damning evidence. I don’t want to stop killing. But if I let him take the fall, I can’t kill anymore. And I need to keep doing that. 
But the worst part of it all? I love him.

Well….what can I say here.  The synopsis sounds so interesting and promising, I mean – first victim at 13?  Definitely an attention grabber, but…sad to say that I was not a fan of this book.  For a few different reasons.  I really, really, REALLY wanted to like this book, I truly did, but it just didn’t happen for me.  And guys…I’m not trying to be mean, I’m really not, but I don’t understand how this story has gotten so many 4 and 5 star ratings because there is just SO MUCH missing here.  It may be because of my background working with law enforcement, but….there were a bunch of gaps, and wait…but what about this? and how did this not happen??  Etc.

So, I will start with Cassie.  I understand why she feels the need to do this (I see nasty people like her victims on a regular basis, so yeah, I get why she would want to), and she was a mostly strong female main character.  I say mostly because who wouldn’t panic when they are about to murder someone?  Deegan is  sweet person to Cassie when they do their thing and go hunting, but I don’t like how he treats her the other times.

The writing style wasn’t bad, but it could use some improvement.  Like in the description department.  I love descriptions, but they just weren’t there for me.  I didn’t “see” what was going on the way I should have, especially for a story that could be incredibly gory with the murders.  There were also lots of jumps and stuff skipped and a huge one that had me yelling at my Nook.  For those who want to know below I am going to make a list of venting spoilers as to why I was not a fan of this story.

SPOILERS!!!!!

Ok, so here is my rant on why this book just wasn’t for me.

First, I never saw anything about any investigations.  NONE.  Not even when she killed the pervy cop.  Never even questioned.  No mention of any kind of DNA or hair evidence in vehicles, even when the pervy cop bit her nipple and had blood in his mouth.  There is no way that any police force wouldn’t scour the car and not find some kind of evidence of her there.

Next, there are big scenes missing I would have liked to have read.  Like her mom dying.  She was there, next day she was in an accident and gone.  That’s it.  Another missing scene that bothered me – you see how it says Deegan was arrested?  Yeah, you never see that either.  End of chapter they are sleeping together first time, beginning of next chapter is like 6 months later and she is visiting him in jail.  O.O  What??

And my final major complaint about this story…she killed 8 people while she was between 13 and 17, which yeah, is a minor, but they only gave her 4 years.  She calmly confessed to every single one of them, making it seem as if Deegan was not around and she did it herself and she got 4 years.  FOR KILLING 8 PEOPLE!  There was just so much that didn’t sit well or feel very realistic for me.

END SPOILER!!!!

So yeah, that’s my rant.  I’m not trying to be mean or nasty in any way, but this book just really bothered me with it’s holes.  I wanted to DNF, but I am still having a problem bringing myself to actually doing that.

Had a lot of potential, not enough description, missing a lot, wasn’t realistic for me.

*Review* Before I Fall – Lauren Oliver

 Before I Fall

Lauren Oliver

470 pages

ISBN: 9780061726811

Read 10-16-13

Source: Library

Format: Audiobook

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 What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Well, I had heard so much about this book and seen some of the great quotes on Goodreads and people’s blog, so I was excited to read this one.   Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations.  I think I am one of the rare few that didn’t really care for this book.  The writing was really good, but I wasn’t crazy about the characters or the things that happened.  I think the story had a lot of potential to be really great, but it just fell kind of flat for me.

Sam and her group of friends were really quite shallow and mean.  I don’t like those kind of people and I don’t like those kind of characters.  I didn’t realize they were going to be like that.  Several times I wanted to stop, but as stated before, I am not a DNF kind of person, so I trudged through.  Though Sam did change a lot through the book, I was still very annoyed with everybody else.  I also wasn’t big on the way the narrator of the audiobook did the voices, everybody sounded high or slow or tired.  Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it in regular book format instead of audio.

The plot was an interesting idea, but it just could have been better, in my opinion.  I wanted to hit Sam so many times because of how shallow and self centered she was being.  The story made good points in some places, but I just think it could have been so much more.  Sam was definitely a slow learner and it took her quite some time before she was really starting to GET it.  I am not trying to dissuade anybody from reading it, but this just wasn’t for me.

Great writing, unlikeable characters, had potential, not for me.

 

*Review* Teardrop – Lauren Kate

 Teardrop

Lauren Kate

441 pages

ISBN: 9780375990694

Read 10-20-13

Source: Literary Lushes ARC Tours

Format: Paperback ARC

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Never, ever cry. . . . Eureka Boudreaux’s mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn’t, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.

But Ander doesn’t know Eureka’s darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth . . . and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined. From Lauren Kate comes an epic saga of heart-stopping romance, devastating secrets, and dark magic . . . a world where everything you love can be washed away.

So, even though the Fallen series fell kind of flat for me for the most part, there was just no way I could pass up reading a book with such a gorgeous cover!  Sometimes, it is good to judge a book by the cover because I am certainly glad that I gave this book a shot.  I loved it so much and it was so much better, in my opinion, than Fallen was.  I really can’t express how much more I liked it over Fallen.  The story was better, the characters were better, the relationships were better.

First, we have Eureka, who is a bit moody yes, but who wouldn’t be after their mother died?  She does typical things of those in mourning and depressed, but she doesn’t cry.  It takes a very strong will to not cry over some of the things this poor girl is put through.  She is quite strong and very determined.  There weren’t any parts that stuck out to me where I wanted to smack her like some of the characters I’ve come across, though I did hate her stepmother, Rhoda, but of course we were supposed to hate her.  Ander is interesting, I’m not in love with him yet, but I do like him.  I had a stronger connection with Brooks, really.  I wasn’t very crazy about Cat, she is a bit of a slut and bounces from guy to guy like it’s nothing, but she is a really good friend to Eureka.

The story was really great and had a lot of strong points and a lot of secrets.  I kept wanting to read and find out more and what does this do and what is going to happen here and what is that about??  I just wanted to know more, more, more, so reading it in two days was definitely not a problem.  I never found myself rolling my eyes at anything like I did several times through out the Fallen series.  I think she greatly improved with Teardrop and I hope the rest of the series is awesome, too.  Also, the descriptions were great and I loved so many of them!

Can we go back to that cover again?  I mean really, JUST LOOK AT IT.  I could get lost in it.  So. Freaking. Beautiful.  It was also my Cover Crush a couple weeks ago and one of my favorites for the year.  There’s a good bit of meaning in the cover as well.  I really hope people who dislike Fallen like I did (at least the first two books, the second two were okay) still give her new series a chance.  And for those who loved Fallen, definitely check this one out!  Thanks again to wonderful ladies over at Literary Lushes for letting me part of this ARC Tour!

Great strong main character, lovely descriptions, kept me reading and wanting to know more, secondary characters okay.

 

*Review* Just One Day – Gayle Forman

 Just One Day

Gayle Forman

368 pages

ISBN: 9780525425915

Read 10-11-13

Source: Library

Format: Hardover

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A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay

When sheltered American good girl Allyson “LuLu” Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Oh, how wonderful this book was!  I did enjoy If I Stay, but I gotta say I enjoyed this one even more!  There is so much I loved about this book and almost nothing that I didn’t.  I’ll start with the scenery.  There are a few places we visit in this story, like England, Holland, and mainly Paris!  Everything is so beautiful and real and alive in my head.  The descriptions are just lovely.

I mostly liked Allyson.  I liked that she got to be someone different, Lulu, for that single day, and it seemed to be truer to herself than she thought, but I didn’t like how she was at first while she was dealing with her tough times.  I kind of wanted to yell at her to get over it a couple of times, but at the same time I can understand why she would be that way.  Oh, Willem, I would love to meet you in real life.  He has now been added to my book boyfriend list for sure.  And Dee, he is so cool, too, quite a character, and in a very, very good way.  I love Allyson and Dee’s friendship and the way he is there for her.   Even the characters you meet in passing are great.

This story was very touching and beautiful and really gets in you heart.  I am glad I don’t have to wait an entire year before reading the second part to this story!  I think I would die because of the way it ended, but luckily, I already have the next one in hand, yay!  I am itching to continue it!  Aside from a great story, it also has great life lessons and I love to see how Allyson starts to see them, too and changing.  If you like contemporaries, or if you have been looking for one to try, this is definitely a wonderful one to pick up!

Great characters, beautiful descriptions, realistic, sometimes Allyson was…annoying.

*Review* Fangirl – Rainbow Rowell

 Fangirl

Rainbow Rowell

433 pages

ISBN: 9781250030955

Read 9-13-13

Format: Paperback ARC

Source: Lit Lushes ARC Tours

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A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. Cath is a Simon Snow fan.Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Wow, this book was so much wonderful!  Though I very recently bought Eleanor & Park, I haven’t read it yet, I got it just before Fangirl and since Fangirl was for an ARC tour, I read it first, and based on it, I can’t wait to start Eleanor & Park!  This book is just so magical and real and relatable.  Thanks to the girls at Lit Lushes for letting me part of the tour for this amazing book!

Cath is definitely many people are going to be able to see themselves in, I know I did.  I was also the quiet girl who was often the “teacher’s pet” and got the high GPA and didn’t go to parties; the nerd who would rather stay home in her own little world rather than go out and get drunk like the other college students.  I also wrote fanfiction (though I haven’t in a little while now) and I have always been a high anxiety kind of person, though maybe not quite as high as Cath’s.  The only real complaint I have for this book is sometimes Cath gets a bit too whiny with a couple of things, but other than that this book is magnificent.  Levi was awesome for the most part, definitely crush worthy and I loved how loyal of a friend he was.  My heart was breaking for Cath with her sister, her twin sister, who didn’t seem to want to be part of a twin pair anymore going into college.

This book deals with some pretty deep issues that I wasn’t expecting and they were handled really well and very realistically.  This whole book was so realistic and touching and heartbreaking and hopeful.  It was also very creative with how be got to see tidbits of the Simon Snow books and Cath’s fanfiction mingled in.  The writing style is fabulous and I was certainly won over and am now a loyal fan for Rainbow Rowell.  I had to force myself to stop reading several times when I had to do “more important” things.  Loved the whole thing!  A truly fantastic book!

Wonderful characters, great writing, super relatable, Cath a bit too whiny in a couple places.

 

*Review* Two Boys Kissing – David Levithan

 Two Boys Kissing

David Levithan

208 pages

ISBN: 9780307931900

Read 9-6-13

Format: Hardcover

Source: Library

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New York Times  bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. 

While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.

This was my first Levithan book and certainly won’t be the last! You guys, this book!  It was so good in so many ways, and not really what I expected, but so much better. The Greek chorus was different but a great new reading experience and it worked so well with this story.

This book tugged at my emotions in good ways and bad ways and I found myself tearing up more than once. We go back and forth between multiple main stories and see so much and experience so much that gay couples and singles so through, which is basically the same as straight people, but with the stigma and hate of people who don’t agree with the love they have. We see both the good and the bad for them. Love is love, unfortunately not everybody gets that.

I love the message in the book, that people should be able to love who they want to without being  criticized for it because they are the same gender and that even if they are flawed, they are still beautiful. I am all for equality and people being true to themselves because it makes them wonderful and this book shines with this message.

The characters are so wonderful and real and I really liked seeing their stories and their troubles and flaws and I wanted to hug them all. My heart broke for them and I was happy for them and I cheered them on, and the Greek chorus make it even more powerful and it was so hopeful.  I just loved the whole thing. A definite recommendation for those who want a touching read that will take hold of your heart.

Powerful, beautiful message, great writing, a new favorite!

 

*Review* Asunder – Jodi Meadows

 Asunder (Newsoul #2)

Jodi Meadows

406 pages

ISBN: 9780062060785

Read 4-30-13

Format: Hardcover

Source: Library

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DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

Jodi Meadows writes some of my favorite book scenes and she writes some of the best musical scenes!  I can almost hear the music swirling around me when I read those passages.  Her descriptions are really wonderful and magical; love it.  The first book was mostly very beautiful, but this book takes quite a different turn and is full of angry people and scenes that make me really angry, but it does show how ugly people really can be just because someone is different.

I really like Ana.  She is very strong and fights for whatever she believes in.  She has a good heart and wants the best for everyone, even after everything the people of Heart put her through.  Much of this book left me feeling very angry because how Ana is treated and it really made my blood boil.  I don’t like when people discriminate the way they do.  Sam is great also, I still love him and he is still one of my top book boyfriends.  He is just so amazingly sweet and loyal to Ana.  Dear Council, I hate you.

There were some interesting story twists along the way and I really can’t wait until the third book, which is sometime next year, and see how everything works out.  Religion is not something I seek out in a book, but I like how this book has a religious aspect without it being overkill.  This book is definitely easy to get yourself lost in and I didn’t want to put it down; it just really sucks you in.

Beautiful descriptions, bubbles emotion, great characters, didn’t want to put it down!

*Review* The Fault in Our Stars – John Green

 The Fault in Our Stars

John Green

313 pages

ISBN: 9780525478812

Read 1-15-13

Format: Audiobook

Source: Library

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Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs… for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

This was my first time reading John Green and it definitely will not be the last.  This story was so beautiful, poignant and touching.  Very powerful.  It was also my first cancer book.  The author did so well portraying what it is like to be a cancer patient, especially from the female point of view.

Hazel was very strong, even though she was also very sick and Augustus could make anybody’s day bright with his playful quips and positive attitude.  As heartbreaking as this book was at points,  I also found myself laughing pretty hard in places, mainly because of Augustus.  I loved how witty he was.

The writing style was excellent and fluid.  It gave te story a poetic flow and nice sound as the performer read it.  This is one of my favorite audiobooks and you could really feel the emotion in all the right spots.  Even the accents were wonderfully done.   The whole book was simply beautiful and dealth with a tough subject in an incredible way.  I greatly look forward to all works by John Green and highly recommend this book to readers who want to have their heart touch by such a wonderful story.

Powerful, beautiful, amazing, have tissues.

*Review* Lola and the Boy Next Door – Stephanie Perkins

 Lola and the Boy Next Door

Stephanie Perkins

338 pages

ISBN: 9780525423287

Read 1-16-13

Format: Hardcover

Source: Own

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 Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion…she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit–more sparkly, more fun, more wild–the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket–a gifted inventor–steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

This was my Random Read for January and I knew I was going to love this just because I loved Anna.  This authoris an incredible writer and really knows how to put you in the shoes of her characters and feel exactly what they feel.  Both of these books were so real and readers can easily relate to Anna and Lola.  I also loved seeing Anna and St. Clair in this book.

Lola is a wonderful character.  She is smart, lively, fun and different; different in a very good way.  I would love to meet someone like Lola.  And Cricket?  Who wouldn’t want to fall in love with the thoughful, sweet, hot next door boy?  As for Max, at first I kind of liked him, but he became a jerk quickly.  We have all made the mistake of being blinded by love, but when nobody liked the guy you’re with, then something is wrong.

This story is set in San Fransisco, and because of this book, I really want to go, especially to see the wild parrots and the Japanese tea garden.  It’s obvious that the author is very familiar with this area (she used to live there) and she portays it beautifully.  The cover of the book is cute, it isn’t super fantastic, but it goes perfectly with the story becuse it really captures Lola and Cricket right down to the star on his left hand.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see St. Clair on the cover of Anna, so I’m very glad we got to see Cricket.

I am definitely a die hard fan of Stephanie Perkins now and she is on my auto-buy list.  I am very excited about her upcoming Isla, plus, next year, she is publishing a teen slasher novel and it will be really interesting to see how she does in that from romance.  Aside from a few words missing from sentences in a couple of spots toward the end of the book, it was pretty near perfect.  I loved it almost as much as I loved Anna!

Beautiful setting, incredible characters, couldn’t put it down, LOVE!!

*Review* Forgotten – Cat Patrick

 Forgotten

Cat Patrick

304 pages

ISBN: 9780316094610

Read 1-2-13

Format: Audiobook

Source: Library

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Each night at precisely 4:33 am, while sixteen-year-old London Lane is asleep, her memory of that day is erased. In the morning, all she can “remember” are events from her future. London is used to relying on reminder notes and a trusted friend to get through the day, but things get complicated when a new boy at school enters the picture. Luke Henry is not someone you’d easily forget, yet try as she might, London can’t find him in her memories of things to come.

When London starts experiencing disturbing flashbacks, or flash-forwards, as the case may be, she realizes it’s time to learn about the past she keeps forgetting-before it destroys her future.

This book sounded like it was really going to be a good read, but it actually turned out to be a bit disappointing for me.  The second half of the book was better than the first half, but it was still not wonderful.  This story concept was a really good idea, but it had potential to be so much better.  There were a couple of spots where the memory explanations seemed to contradict each other, so I was never completely clear on certain aspects of how her memory worked.

As for the characters, London was not wonderful, but she wasn’t bad, either.  She has it rough because of her memory, but she doesn’t let that stop her from doing things, so she makes herself a bunch of notes to know what she needs for the next day.  Her best friend, Jamie, I couldn’t stand.  She made stupid choices (especially considering the choices she still made even after her friend that can see the future told her she shouldn’t do), she was selfish and she acted like a total slut.  I know I couldn’t have a best friend like her.  I really liked Luke.  He was very sweet and understanding and I felt like London was too harsh with him when she would get angry over things.

The writing was pretty good; it was the story itself that fell flat for me.  There were so many great turns the story could have taken or been improved on.  For me, the most disappointing part of the story was the ending.  The way the story was building I was expecting this nice big finish or some sort of high tension finale, but, no; it was actually very anticlimactic, and I hate to say this book didn’t live up to my expectations.

Good male character, had potential, contradicts in spots, anticlimactic ending.