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Early Review: Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

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Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles
Series: Wild Cards #1
Publication Date: October 1st 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Hardcover
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Walker Children’s Books) in exchange for an honest review

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain–people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

AH!! You have no idea how ecstatic I was to read this book. Because I just adore Simone Elkeles. I fell in love with her How to Ruin series and then I totally hit the jackpot with her Perfect Chemistry series. And once I found out she was going to write a new book, a new series, I totally fangirled! Wild Cards did remind me a bit of Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally (with the whole football player heroine), but I knew that Simone would put in that special spark that makes her characters so relatable and unique. And she did! I enjoyed Wild Cards very much!

I sort of flip flopped between liking Ashtyn one moment, and then not really feeling her the next. She’s an amazing football player, and while that’s definitely admirable, I know next to nothing about football. BUT Simone Elkeles is able to write Ashtyn in a way that I could still totally relate to and connect with. She’s a girl with big dreams, but she never really had anyone to support them or her. Even though she does have her football friends, she’s still lonely–until Derek comes in. But I did enjoy her character overall, mostly because of her growth and transformation, though not as much as I would have liked to. Throughout the book, Ashtyn learns to stand up for herself, to grow confident in who she is and who she’s meant to be. And I loved the fact that she never gives up on Derek. She gives her whole heart and effort for those she cares about, and Derek is one of them. The tension between them is off the charts!

Derek is the perfect mix of good guy and bad boy. And he’s got the rockin’ bod to top it all off 😉 YUM! Derek’s the type of guy who does what he wants and doesn’t care about what anyone thinks of him. He reminded me a bit of the Fuentes brothers from the Perfect Chemistry series (!!!) , with the bad-boyness and the sarcasm. So if you loved the Fuentes brothers, you’ll most likely fall for Derek too 😉 Derek’s got a lot of angst in him, which was perfect for me, because I love angtsy book boys! He’s got secrets from the beginning of the book, and he’s closed off. He hides his heart between a delicious wall of sarcasm, sexiness, and fantastic pranks. AKA he has a hard time opening his heart up to Ashtyn. He knows he wants her, but he doesn’t think he’s good enough for her. Grrr, the frustration!!

Ashtyn and Derek go head to head with each other all the time. It doesn’t help that the very first time they meet each other, Ashtyn stabs Derek in the foot with a pitchfork. I laughed SO hard at that. Seriously, if that scene doesn’t make you laugh, I don’t know what will. And while the entire book isn’t as ridiculously hilarious as that, there are still a whole bunch of funny moments. Derek has his fair share of laughs, with his endless wit and rebel attitude. *sigh* I just swoon so hard for a guy who can make me laugh. Plus, there’s the incredible tension that builds up between Derek and Ashtyn… whew! Very nicely done, Simone Elkeles. I was hooked onto their romance from the very beginning.

I finished this in a day, if that tells you anything. Everything you can expect from a Simone Elkeles book–a hot bad boy, funny, likable characters, a fantastic romance–is found in Wild Cards. I give it 4 hearts! Can’t wait to read the next book! (I’m hoping it’s Jet–who doesn’t believe in love. So excited to see if and how Simone will change that boy’s ways…)

4 hearts
lacey

Review: The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

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Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: November 13th 2012
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback

I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

THIS BOOK LEGITIMATELY TOOK MY BREATH AWAY. (The cover is trippy trippy though right?)

Going into this book I already had a pretty positive mindset, I suppose you could say. I just knew that it would be one of my favorite books because of all the wonderful things that Lac said. But when I read the summary, my thoughts kind of wavered and I was kind of skeptical because the summary just didn’t sound really appealing. Just the way it was written, didn’t make me feel like it was going to be my type of book, but I was wrong and this book is amazing.

I’d definitely recommend this book to um… anyone. I feel like it touched all these different characteristics and topics that books usually–okay fine nvm–cover. The entire time I was trying to figure out the person who tried to kill, or sorry, killed Nastya. But it was also amazing, like it always is, to listen to her story and see how her life was before, and how much she changed.

I also cried multiple times in this book. Most of those times were when she was with her family </3 BUT also with Josh and Drew. I love them. I wish I was best friends with Drew and Josh. Like honestly, they can be my protective older brothers. But this book was just lakfjd;alkjdflkajsf so perfect I actually want to re-read it right now.

**IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THIS BOOK YET DO NOT READ THE PARAGRAPH BELOW IT WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE. But if you did read it, then read the paragraph because I’m probably going to blow your mind away, but probably not.**

OHMYGOSH. Also, at the end when Josh asked Emilia what she saw when she died and it said how SHE TOLD HIM HER LAST SECRET AND SHE SAID “YOUR GARAGE” OMFG SHE WASN’T FREAKING LYING. BECAUSE REMEMBER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK WHEN SHE WAS RUNNING AND FOUND JOSH’S HOUSE AND WAS LIKE, FOR SOME REASON I KNOW THIS HOUSE. OMFG GUYS. SUDDEN REALIZATION AS I WAS PROCRASTINATING. OMG. AND THIS ALSO CONNECTS TO WHAT JOSH’S GRANDFATHER SAID ABOUT HOW WHEN HE DIED HE SAW THE SWING AND HE ENDED UP THERE OR SOMETHING AND MARRYING HIS WIFE. FORESHADOWING AND FLASHBACK MUCH KATJA MILLAY!!?!?

5-hearts

shirley

P.S. This review was supposed to go up 2 months ago…heh. Life and school kind of took over. + procrastination, but that’s always a factor. For example, I’m procrastinating on my homework right now.

Early Review: Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

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Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: September 24th 2013
Links: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books) in exchange for an honest review

Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She’s never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love–even with someone who seems an improbable choice–is more than just a possibility.

Trish Doller writes incredibly real teens, and this searing story of love, betrayal, and how not to lose your mind will resonate with readers who want their stories gritty and utterly true.

I’ve never read a book by Trish Doller before, but I was thoroughly impressed. I requested a copy from Netgalley because of the premise and gorgeous cover. And I’m so glad I did because I enjoyed this book so much! It was slow and raw and heartwarming and sweet, and shows so much how you absolutely can find love no matter who you are, what you are, what you’ve done or where you’re from.

Callie was a great narrator. She was real, even though she had been on the run with her mom for twelve years. She’s hesitant about going back into a normal life, but I mean, who wouldn’t if you’ve never had any semblance of a normal life for over a decade? I wanted to feel sorry for her, but she’s a tough girl. She can handle her own, as she’s been doing the past twelve years, even if some things in her past do continue to haunt her. And the fact that she’s so resistant to her father and his family makes it hard for her to see how much they love her. Her new (well, technically it’s ‘old’) family is loving and welcoming, but Callie can’t accept their love. She feels like she’s betraying her mother, whom she still loves. But eventually, her family worms their way into her heart, and Callie knows that she’ll do anything for them, and that they’ll do anything for her. They teach and give her the unconditional love she never really had, and it was so touching and uplifting to read.

Greek culture is a pretty big part of the book, which was refreshing. The town Callie’s father lives in is a Greek tourist-y place, and Callie finds work selling Greek-like souvenirs with her cousin Kat. I never really read books that feature Greek culture, so it was a good kind of different to read about the food, the people, the language. I loved the Greek touch to the book! Made me want to go to Greece, see some Greek boys… *sigh*

Alex Kosta is the older boy Callie meets who she instantly is intrigued with. He’s beautiful but has something inside him that makes her want to know all his secrets, and tell him all her secrets. Their relationship was slow and awkward and bittersweet. I didn’t really connect with Alex, but I still felt he was perfect for Callie. He brought out the best in her, made her feel, and made her fall in love. And Callie is different for him as well. They connect in a way that they never have with anyone else before, and they show each other that love is possible for them both.

Favorite quote:

There are so many maybes in life, but sometimes you just have to put your faith in possibility.

I enjoyed reading this book so much. The dark and gritty balanced perfectly well with the sweet and heartwarming. I definitely recommend it for those who like their books a bit slow but moving. Now I’m really looking forward to reading Trish Doller’s first book, Something Like Normal.

4 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Also by Trish Doller

 

Something Like Normal: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
The Devil You Know: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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Early Review: The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

Posted in 4.5 hearts, Reviews by

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Cycle #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: September 17th 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher (Scholastic Press) in exchange for an honest review

The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after…

I don’t spoil anything for The Dream Thieves, but there may be spoilers for The Raven Boys, so proceed with caution if you haven’t read it!

Wow. This book pretty much blew my mind. I can honestly say that nothing in this book was anything I could expect, and it was fantastic! I had so much fun reading this, there were so many twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I am just in awe of the superb writing. Truly, the writing is stunning.

I absolutely adore Maggie Stiefvater. I fell in love with her Wolves of Mercy Falls series and The Scorpio Races. And I don’t know how she does it, but the way she writes is just… magical and alive. The words and thoughts and phrases flow so well, and the writing in The Dream Thieves is no different. Even in the prologue you can’t help but take notice of the writing. It’s gorgeous, it sticks out to you, it makes you think or remember, and it’s filled with such vivid imagery. LOVED it so much.

The characters are probably my absolute favorite part of this book and series. We have the major characters: Blue, Gansey, Ronan, and Adam. Noah is sadly not as important as he was in The Raven Boys. We are introduced to a new character, the Gray Man, who is a hit man(!!). He’s a fantastic addition to the book, and I was very intrigued by his character. Blue’s family is as crazy as ever, but still helpful in their magic-y ways. Each character is important in their own ways, even Kavinsky, who’s a total scumbag, and I love the fact that Maggie Stiefvater is able to keep me interested in ALL of the characters throughout the entire book. Each character has their own little story that does connect in the end with the story as a whole, but I never got tired of any one person.

Gansey, Adam, Blue, and Ronan are the best. I love them SO much. They’re the type of people I wish were real, so I could be friends with them, hang out with them, find Glendower with.

In that moment, Blue was a little in love with all of them. Their magic. Their quest. Their awfulness and strangeness. Her raven boys.

Gansey is the natural leader, the charismatic one. Ronan was my favorite in The Raven Boys, but now… Gansey totally stole the spotlight. I found myself eager to read more of him, because he’s just so interesting! I love him and his Camaro. Blue is still the only girl in the group of boys, and she’s still cursed with killing her true love if she kisses him. There’s not much romance in this book, like in The Raven Boys, but things do change for Blue. And I’m pretty happy about it, though I didn’t expect to be. Ronan goes a bit crazy and self-destructive now that he knows he can take things from his dreams into reality. He learns more about himself and his power, and it’s a huge revelation. I’ve never read anything like Ronan and his power, and I was so hooked onto his part of the story. Adam is pretty pitiful, he doesn’t know what he wants in life, but he eventually starts making progress and choosing for himself.

All of the characters show such growth. It may or may not be huge change for them, but their relationships with one another shape them in a way that gives them the support they need. I just can’t imagine their group without Gansey, or Adam, or Blue, or Ronan. Their hearts and souls are all entwined, and if someone was missing, it would be like a vital part of them was missing. And oh gosh, the humor. The characters can be so snarky and witty and sarcastic sometimes. It’s not blatantly in-your-face kind of hilarious, but more of the quiet, subtle kind. The humor creeps up on you and before you know it, you’re smiling and laughing and falling in love with all the characters all over again.

And the ending was edge-of-your-seat incredible. It’s like everything in the book was building up this tension and leading up to the ending, and when you finally get there, everything explodes. It’s huge and it’s crazy and it’s the most amazing thing to read.

I really did love this book. There were times though, where I found myself getting confused and wondering what was going on, especially with Glendower and the ley lines and the dreams. But despite that, I found myself enjoying the book so much, I didn’t even care I was confused at times. I definitely recommend this book, for its writing, its characters, its uniqueness. But I also recommend going into this with a little bit of patience. It took a while for this book to warm up to me, but in the end, I adored it.

4.5 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: The Raven Cycle series

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater

#1 ~ The Raven Boys: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Dream Thieves: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Blue Lily, Lily Blue: Ebook • Hardcover • Goodreads (Oct. 28, 2014)

Review: Everything for Us by M. Leighton

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by

Everything For Us by M. Leighton

Everything for Us by M. Leighton
Series: The Bad Boys #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: September 3rd 2013
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback

When it comes to passion this hot, it’s all or nothing. 

Olivia Townsend’s wealthy cousin Marissa had everything a girl could ask for—a great job, a privileged life, and all the friends she wanted. Or, at least, all the friends money could buy. But one case of mistaken identity has turned her privileged world upside down.

An abduction gone wrong lands her right in the lap of the sexiest, most dangerous man she’s ever met. To Marissa, he’s an enigma, but one to whom she’s irresistibly, inexplicably drawn.

With him comes a new world of freedom and passion, of dark shadows and dangerous secrets, a world where nothing is what it seems—except for the blind passion that Marissa can’t escape—or maybe even survive.

Even though I don’t spoil anything for Everything For Us, there WILL be spoilers for the previous two books, so be forewarned!

I’d been eagerly awaiting this new release because I’m a huge fan of the series. I mean, come on, it’s called The Bad Boys series, so how could I not love it? The romance in the previous two books is so thrilling and exciting, and Everything For Us is no different, even though it focuses on a different couple. So it’s goodbye to Cash (!!) and Olivia, and hello to Nash and Marissa.

As much as I adored Cash and his bad boy-ness, I had even higher expectations for Nash. He seemed to be even more bad, dark, intense, and might I even say, sexy. And in Everything For Us, he absolutely lived up to my expectations. *Sigh* Nash. I loved him. He’s just so totally Alpha-male and in complete control of everything that you can’t help but fall for him. And you also can’t help but feel for him once you find out how he came to be such harsh, dark person. He went through such hell during his exile for seven years, and he was only a teenager when everything went bad for him! He was dealt with horrible circumstances, and tried his best to do what he had to do to survive, even if it turned him into a not-so-good man. It was sad though, seeing how beneath all his revenge for his dead mother, he was just a lonely man. He doesn’t trust anybody, not even his twin, and he has no one he can really count on. And it’s so gratifying and satisfying to see him finally falling for a woman he can trust his heart to.

Of course, it’s not that easy for Nash, the stubborn man he is. He really, really resists letting his heart get anywhere near Marissa. Which was a bit frustrating. A lot of the time, I was just thinking, Just admit your feelings already, Nash! Grrr. But despite all this, he’s still one delish man. He’s protective of those he loves, and knows how to be deadly enough to protect them. And he’s so determined! When he wants something, there’s absolutely no stopping him from going after it. *Swoon*

Marissa turned out to be someone that I really, really liked. She was a horrible bitch in the other books in the series, but an abduction is sure to change anybody, including Marissa. Throughout the book, I started liking her more and more, every time she’d stand up for herself against her father. I felt for her when she realized that because of who she’d been in the past, just like Nash, she really has no one to be herself with. So of course these two scarred, lonely people would gravitate towards one another to try to find a little bit of happiness.

Everything For Us didn’t disappoint. There was sweet and tender, there was sexy and thrilling, and there was action and suspense. Everything connected so smoothly, and the characters stand out so well. The romance was a bit slow,though, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I highly recommend this series, and I’m really hoping for a book for Gavin! *fingers crossed*

4-hearts
lacey

Reading Order: The Bad Boys series

Down to You by M. Leighton Up to Me by M. Leighton Everything For Us by M. Leighton

#1 ~ Down to You: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Up to Me: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#3 ~ Everything for Us: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads