The other day I watched a video on Youtube by HayleyGHoover called I Like Girls. It made me think. So I made a video response. I thought I’d share it here. Feel free to comment or make your own response. Enjoy!
Dash & Lily’s Book of DaresSynopsis:
“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”
Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?
I have to say that the synopsis of this book pulled me in immediately. The fact that the story begins in a bookstore had me from the beginning. I absolutely adored this book. Dash and Lily live in my world, and not just the one inside my head. They are avid readers, they live in this eclectic book store and they’re intelligent, witty characters. I knew that I would be very happy with this novel, and I was right.
First off, I completely 100% adore both Dash and Lily. I’m having a hard time picking which I like best, but if it came down to life and death I guess I’d have to say Dash. He is so witty and smart. Everything about his character is just perfect. I love that Cohn and Levithan have written such intelligent, wise teenagers. You don’t see this often in this genre and it was refreshing. I really loved Lily as well. I love how quirky she is and how ok she is with being different. I feel like if I could be best friends with two characters they would be Dash and Lily. I also really liked all of the secondary characters in this book, though to be honest, Boomer really annoyed me. I think that was the point, but I couldn’t work out how someone so dim could be best friends with someone like Dash. I guess it just shows how much of a good guy Dash is.
As far as setting goes, I love anything that takes place in New York. It just seems like you just get so many interesting scene choices in such an eclectic city. I loved everything about The Strand. I wish that I had a bookstore this amazing sounding that I could go hide away in. I loved that the employees fit so well with the feel of such an amazing sounding store. Everything that Cohn and Levithan put into their setting was perfect and I don’t think this book could have taken place anywhere else.
All in all, this was an amazing novel. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a smart, witty book with spark. I really love what Cohn and Levithan do together as writers and can’t wait to read more from them in the future.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through Netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
One Pink LineSynopsis:
Can the love of a lifetime be forever changed by one pink line? Dina Silver’s tender, absorbing novel, One Pink Line, is the warmhearted, wry story of love, loss and family, as seen through the prism of one singular, spirited young couple who find themselves in a predicament that changes the course of their lives, and those closest to them. With heart, humor and compassion, this debut work of women’s fiction is certain to stir anyone who relishes a good laugh, can stand a good cry, and, above all believes in the redemptive power of love. This unique, contemporary story gives readers a dual perspective.
Sydney Shephard, a sweet-tempered, strong-natured college senior is young, in love with an exceptional man, and unexpectedly pregnant. Faced with a child she never planned for, she is forced to relay this news to her neurotic mother, relinquish her youth, and risk losing the love of her life. Then there’s Grace, a daughter, who believed she was a product of this great love, grows to realize her existence is not what she assumed, and is left with profound and puzzling questions about who she really is.
First off, I read this book in only a few hours. I stayed up till the wee hours of the night finishing it and I was pulled in from the beginning. This is not usually a genre that I read and definitely not one I usually review, but I am a big girl now and I guess it’s time for more big girl books. I have to say I really loved this book. I was pulled in by the emotions and at times I even felt them a long with Sydney. This wasn’t a highly descriptive story, which I think worked ok for it, but at times it did feel a bit rushed and important moments were just tossed in and sped through.
As far as characters go, I adored Sydney, Ethan and Kendra. Kevin really shocked me and Sydney’s mother just irritated me to death. I feel like a lot of the characters had really intense mood swings that were sometimes unrealistic. I don’t believe that people can change their feelings on a matter as quickly as it happened in this book, but this might just come back to things being rushed at times.
I really didn’t care for Grace’s point of view. It didn’t seem like it was as developed as the parts for Sydney. I found myself at times wanting to rush through Grace’s chapters so I could continue on reading about Sydney. It just felt like the author took a badly developed YA novel and tossed it into a better developed women’s fiction book. I also wasn’t surprised by the reveal in the ending. I don’t know if it was intended to be a surprise, but I know from the beginning how it would turn out. I do have to say that I was rooting for it to end the way it did and so I was delighted when it turned out that way. Sorry for being so vague, trying to stay spoiler free.
All in all I would recommend this book to others, especially those suffering from baby fever like I am. Like I said before, I was pulled in from page one and read all the way through till the end. I’m curious to see what else this author has to offer and will definitely be checking out more of her other novels in the future.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through Netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Shatter MeSynopsis: Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.
The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.
Juliette has to make a choice:
Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.
I checked this out because it was one of the only e-books available from my public library. I absolutely loved it. A lot of the reviews I read said that they thought the beginning was boring and they didn’t like the style of writing that the author chose. I agree with the beginning a bit slow, but it wasn’t that bad. I was able to keep entertained and pulled into the story. I also loved the style this book was written in. I feel like it gave the reader the ability to tap into Juliette’s mind without tons of “thinking” moments. I have a problem reading first person narratives that spend a lot of time inside the mind of the character. This was not the case with this style of writing. I was intrigued by Juliette from the beginning and the introduction of Adam was amazing. I loved that the reader is left confused by a lot in the beginning, but it all comes together quickly.
I have to say that Adam was my favorite character with Kenji and Juliette coming in close behind. I just adored Adam’s heart and his compassion. There are times we, as readers, were meant to question his loyalty and I was always cheering for him to be a good guy. Juliette is a strong female lead, even though she has many times of weakness. I love her internal battle she is fighting and the journey she has to take to find herself. Kenji is just hilarious. He’s like the comedic relief when things get a little too emotional. I am really excited to see more of him in the sequel. All in all I think Tahereh Mafi did a great job with character development and I can’t wait to see where she takes her characters in the rest of the series. I’m even curious about Warner, even though he irritates me.
The sequel doesn’t come out till February, which is killing me already. Tahereh Mafi is releasing a novella in October that is solely about Warner. I might have to check it out only because I have some questions about him and want to see if they are answered. I highly recommend this to anyone into post-apocalyptic fiction and even those who really aren’t. This book is very mental and emotional, which I think makes it good for any YA fan. Tahereh Mafi is definitely one of my favorite new authors and I can’t wait to see what else she brings to the table.
Wicked Wildfire Read-a-ThonThe Wicked Wildfire Read-A-Thon is a time when we all get together to dedicate the days of June 20-24 to as much reading as possible. You read as much as you can in order to get yourself a little further through that huge to-read pile! We know real life gets in the way and even if you can’t participate more than one day, you’re welcome to join in on the fun!
I have quite an extensive TO-READ pile, so I’m just going to be picking random books and reading what tickles my fancy. I haven’t really set a goal for myself, but I don’t have to work at all this week and don’t have many plans for the weekend. I should be able to get quite a bit of reading done. I’ll be updating this post throughout the Read-a-thon, so keep checking back!!! I’ll also be live tweeting, so follow me @MandaBlogs and the hashtag #wwreadathon
Number of Books: 1
Number of Pages: 328
Comments: Finished Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. Pretty good, I’ll probably read the other two during this read-a-thon. Started How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O’Neal, I love it! It’s really great so far and I’m only about 110 pages in. I can’t wait to read more tomorrow! My goal is to finish that one and get pretty far into my next read. No plans for tomorrow, and my hubby is going to workout tomorrow night, so I’ll have PLENTY of time to read.
Number of Books: 1
Number of Pages: 310
Comments: Finished How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O’Neal today. Oh man, that book is amazing. I really really loved it. I have to say that Katie and Ramona were AMAZING characters and I really loved the recipes and baking that was mixed into the storyline. Really fantastic book! I highly recommend it. I cried quite a bit during it and it’s solidified my need to adopt/foster kids. Started Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. I’ve owned the first 9 books for a while now and have put off reading them. I figured I could rock out a few of them during the rest of the Read-A-Thon. Alright, Day 2 complete! I’m hanging with my mom at some point tomorrow, so I’m not sure how much reading I’ll get done. Hopefully I can still rock out over 300 pages!
Number of Books: 0
Number of Pages: 60
Comments: ARG! I didn’t have ANY time to read today. I’m so annoyed that I didn’t reach my goal of 300 pages. I spent most of the day with my mom, which was nice, and the evening hanging with my hubby. It was a miracle that I got any reading done at all. I’m still reading Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. It’s pretty good. I just finished chapter 3. I’m going to read a bit more before I go to sleep and plan on reading tomorrow during the day. I don’t have plans till 4pm, so hopefully I can rock through some reading.
Number of Books: 0
Number of Pages: 103
Comments: Went to a grad party tonight and hung out for quite a while. I only got a bit of reading done while at home, but I got a lot more done than the last couple of days. I’m going to try to read some tomorrow and hopefully finally finish Dead Until Dark. I can’t believe I haven’t finished it yet. Sigh…
DivergentSynopsis:
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.
InsurgentSynopsis:
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
Tris’s initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
Oh man, I don’t even know where to start with this review. I just finished reading book two of this trilogy (Insurgent) and I am just so wowed. I absolutely loved both of these books. They were just amazing. If you liked The Hunger Games and/or The Maze Runner Trilogy then you will also love these books by Veronica Roth. I love that we have moved from vampires and werewolves into this post-apocalyptic suspenseful novels.
First off, I have to say, I adored the characters in this book my favorites were of course Beatrice and Uriah, Tobias and Will. Veronica Roth really spent a lot of time developing her characters and each and every one of them was unique and purposeful. I felt like there was a reason behind every character in these novels, and I felt strong emotions toward each one. At times, I felt like the characters were real and I hurt for them at many times while reading. Uriah was definitely my all time favorite though. He was like Finnick for me. If you haven’t read The Hunger Games, you might not get that reference, but let’s just say he’s amazing.
As far as plot goes, I didn’t have any issues with plot holes or missing information during either book. I was pulled in immediately during both and I loved them completely. I do have to say that I guessed the ending of book two, but as a long time reader and writer, I have learned to read into foreshadowing and have always been good at guessing major story points. I’ve read some responses from other people and to many the ending of book two is a major surprise. Though it didn’t shock me, it was still pretty awesome. I can’t wait for book three to see where Veronica Roth takes us next.
All in all, these books are AMAZING. If you haven’t had the chance to read them yet, do so. They are a lot different then most things I’ve read lately, though they do follow some themes in the current YA genre. These are definitely going to be added to my list of favorites and I am so stoked for book three.
Synopsis:
On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back.
Miranda Blackwood, a misfit girl from the island’s most infamous family, and Phillips Rawlings, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can’t dodge is each other.
I was really pleased with this book, and when I found out that it is based on true events, I was even more enthralled with it. This story is an interesting one, and not quite like anything I’ve read before. The mix of mystery and paranormal are intense, and there is even a little romance thrown in too. This is definitely one that I enjoyed reading and am happy to review.
When I started reading this one I was a little distracted and I had a hard time getting “sucked” in but things quickly picked up and I was hooked. I really love Miranda Blackwood. She was a strong-willed and outspoken character that had a rough story and was still living in it. I also enjoyed Phillips a lot. He was a great male lead and the things that went on with him were just awesome. I loved how both leading characters had strong personalities and quirky traits that just made them real and lovable.
Once the story picked up, I really enjoyed the premise behind it. I found myself confused at points, but everything was explained in the end. I wasn’t left with any questions and I was enthralled through out. My only issue with the story is that I wasn’t left wanting more. I guess this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because sometimes open ended stories make me angry, but after finishing this one, I don’t really have a desire to read more stories with the same characters.
Gwenda Bond wrote a great book with this one and with it being her first novel I was very impressed. This is definitely one I would recommend to those who love mystery and paranormal stories. It was a good read, but not something I would read a second time or look for a sequel.
