Between the Lines by Tammara Webber

4.5 Stars (contemporary YA)

This book was great! I'm so happy I took the chance and purchased the ebook. I'll preface this whole review by saying that I hate reading books on line. I'm not a fan of the kindle or nook or any sort of ereaders and it's seriously rare that I'll go through the pain of blurred eyes and the uncomfortable placement of a computer perched on my lap for hours for anything other than a story I know I'll love.

I first read the description for Between the Lines months back, I think at the beginning of the summer, but when I realized it was only being released in ebook format I decided to forget it. It wasn't until this book popped up again on my Goodreads feed the other day and I read a great review from a friend who insisted this was a great read that I decided to give in a place my order. Honestly, I can say with certainty that I do not regret reading this book or perching the computer on my lap all night last night or having slightly blurred vision this morning. This book is worth reading.

It had everything good you could want in a YA book. Great characters with depth and emotion, a fun setting - hello movie set - amazing chemistry between the characters and laugh out loud moments of dialogue. I adored reading about Emma Pierce as she lands her first big break and gets set to star in a huge wide release re-make of one of her favourite books. She's apprehensive at first to take the film on, mainly because she's always had a stronger desire to do theater, but was pushed into film roles by her obnoxious and selfish step-mother. When Emma hears that Hollywood heartthrob Reid Alexander is set to play the lead male, she jumps at the chance to at least audition. The roles are all about chemistry and Reid and Emma have it. She's perfect for the role and lands the part. Emma and all the fellow cast members are shipped out to Autin, Texas to begin shooting and what unfolds is a great story about the starlet world as the characters deal with varying degrees of success and experience in the film industry and Emma realizes that once this movie hits the big screen, her life will never be the same. As she begins to understand that this role is her make it or break it moment, Emma also struggles with major decision about her own life. She's had a frustrating and disappointing relationship with her father, spent years playing the role of meek and mild daughter so she doesn't rock the boat and has sacrificed her own wants in the process. She's about to turn eighteen and discovers that what she wants out of life may just be possible - if she'd willing to dive in and go for it.

Like I said the characters in this story were great, not just the main cast, but the minor characters as well. Tadd was hilarious and provided some much needed comic relief, Jenna, Meredith and MiShaun, although sometimes interchangeable had their moments of cuteness and necessity. Brooke, a famous teen idol in her own right fresh off the tv show Life's a Beach where she plays the top bitch, has a complicated past with Reid and an interesting - if shadowed - relationship with Graham.
Graham - Graham, Graham, Graham. What can I say, loved the guy. Sweet, sensitive, funny, endearing, confusing, gorgeous, cagey - he was the seemingly perfect guy and you can't but love him from the start. His friendship with Emma was a key factor in this book and their developing feelings for one another provide some very interesting and confusing emotions for all involved when Emma also starts becoming enamoured of Reid. There were only a few moments - and they were slight - when I became a bit frustrated with Emma and her choices. Namely a pivitol scenes with Graham followed by a key scene with Reid and the fall out of her decisions. I can understand where she was coming from and how the two boys behaviour towards her would have been confusing for anyone - but as a reader, dramatic irony is a powerful thing. When you know something the characters don't you can't help but scream for them not to do what they're doing when you know better. Even the frustration was perfect though because it only ramped the emotional tension.

The emotions and tensions run super high in this book which is something I loved. You never quite know what's really going on as they book only fluctuates between Reid and Emma's perspective of things. I know from other reviews I've read that for some this narrowed POV was a bit of a problem. No one had an issue with Emma's POV, it's her story more than anyone else's, but Reid provided some difficulty for some.

People questioned what he brought to the story and why we needed to know so much about what he was thinking. I for one thought it was brilliant to have his side of things. For one, if we had been given Graham's perspective, we'd know way too much! He would have told us right off how he was feeling and thinking, what his secret rendez-vous with Brooke meant, what he knew about her past with Reid. We would have know it all and so the tension the book hinged on, the confusing emotions and setbacks in various relationship all would have been blown to hell within the first few chapters. With Reid's POV we only get to see what he thinks and feels about the character that surround him but not too much about the ones that matter i.e Brooke and Graham because he isn't close to either of them or in direct contact with either. It's better that everything is cagey, left unsaid and left for readers to wonder about. I think also, that readers needed to get Reid's perspective as the reigning star. He's Hollywood, he's the spoiled, selfish cad who thinks it's all about him. He thinks this way because this is all he's ever known. He's built a career based on adoration and loves it. He thrives on it. But he also uses his fame and all the things that come with it to escape the reality of what he feels and all he has to deal with at home. As readers we get glimpses into his 'real' life and it's not pretty. You can imagine that he would act and do the things he does because he's been brought up in the lap of luxury and coldness. He known nothing else and so thrives a casual hookups and moments of comfort to get by without really looking for anything meaningful or with any sort of depth. I can't say I necessarily liked him - he was an ass, and I definitely didn't like him with Emma - but I understood him character and why he was the way he was. Tammara Webber was spot on with his character. He is playing the role of tons of star we probably know and love but really know nothing about. Ultimately there was nothing predictable about this book - and with a story surrounding a bunch of actors the story could have easily become just that - predictable. Instead Webber constructed a unique and captivating plot where everything just seemed to fit.

Overall the characterization was great, the cast great, the story amusing and absorbing and I loved every minute. I was shocked by the ending, but it made perfect sense and ended perfectly. I can't wait to see what happens in book 2. I hear Graham does get a POV which I am more than happy about! BRING IT ON.

Read it, support Webber, her book is awesome and the fact that it's self published is another great factor. I hear she's trying to get these books printed and I for one would love to see these stories picked up by a publisher. They would get such a wider audience which they richly deserve.

Great story!

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

5 Stars!

Beautiful.

I think I know well by now that Melina Marchetta is one of my favourite authors – not just YA but authors in general because I maintain that she is so much more than a YA author and delves so much deeper in to the emotions, trials, heartaches, letdowns, hopes and fears of not just one protagonist but a whole group of people in general. Her stories encompass more than the average teenage heartache and there is in fact nothing average about her stories or the way her prose sucks a reader so deeply into a story. Jellicoe Road was another star read and although I find it really hard to choose a favourite among the three books of Marchetta’s I have read, I will say that there is most definitely something very special about this book and the characters we meet in it.

This story was a puzzle for about 120 pages. Readers are sort of thrown into the chaos of one girl’s life – Taylor Markham – as she reveals to the readers the ins and outs of her life, her mother’s disappearance on the Jellicoe Road when she was 11, the fact that a ‘hermit’ spent the day with her before whispering something in her hear and then shooting himself, the fact that the ‘territory wars’ are fast approaching between the Townies, the Cadets and the Jellicoe school of which Taylor is a member and a new leader must be named. Taylor of course becomes the leader, much to the annoyance of most of her senior classmates who try to unseat her.

Taylor was a great protagonist. She tells her story as it is intermingled with prose written in italics which as you go along you discover is a separate story of five kids who lived in the area years before. I won’t go much into their story because it would mean giving spoilers but I will say that their story is so much a part of Taylors and as the pieces begin to come together you realize how important every moment in this book is. Nothing is separate, nothing is written just for the sake of it. Every moment and word comes together by the end to create such a beautiful and achingly poignant story. I was as invested in the five kids as I was with Taylor and her growing understanding and friendships with the leaders of the Townies and the Cadets. She also re-establishes a friendship with two of her long ago friends Rafaela and Ben who support her in her leadership of the Jellicoe School. At first glance the whole idea of the territory wars may seem odd or inexplicable, but really it’s like the town is playing a huge came of capture the flag or War and by the end readers come to realize how the territory wars came to be and what their significance was years prior.

What I realized while reading this book is that Marchetta’s stories remind me somewhat of Carson McCullers who wrote The Heart is a Lonely Hunter a beautiful and tragic story of misfits. Marchetta mostly rights about misfits in her books. The people on the outside who find comfort not in being the same as everyone else, but in finding those special people who can take one look at you and know instinctively what you are and how you’re feeling. She writes about the pain we all go through, with parents, friends, school, and life in general and how one person can change everything without you even realizing it.

I also can’t end this review without mentioning a very important character – there was a romance in this book and it was as beautifully depicted and described as the rest of the novel. Jonah Griggs and Taylor have such a heartfelt, real and strong connection and I loved every minute of their story as they started as enemies with a secret and weighty past, moving into a tenuous friendship before falling headlong into what both have felt for one another for over 3 years. There were actually three main love stories in this book, and each one has its share of beauty and heartbreak.

Throughout the story the pieces of this book come together and readers start to understand the connections between past and present. Although I ended up figuring out the connections long before they were revealed to the reader, the knowledge didn’t lessen my enjoyment one little bit. Ultimately it’s the journey that takes you through the lives of the characters that make the difference and by the end while I was flipping the last pages before bed last night, I had tears streaming down my face. It was a hopeful ending and I loved it, but the ride there had some beautifully tragic moments to get over.

Another resounding success by Melina Marchetta. Couldn’t have been any better.

Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

5 Stars. (PNR)

Angel’s Blood what to say, what to say. I freakin’ loved it. This book kept me glued to the page, hating work because I had to put the story down, hating my usually calming bus ride because I’d inevitably get to my stop too early, hating my lunch break for only being an hour long. Thsi is my first full read by Nalini Singh – although I own the first in her Psy-Changeling series but have yet to pick it up. I was very impressed by the way Singh took otherwise much used paranormal themes – vampires and angels and melded them to create a brand new idea and unique world for readers to dive into. The mythology she turns on its head is great and I loved the creativity of this plot.

This story is amazing and so so creative. Elena Devereaux the stories main protagonist is a Guild Hunter, in New York (although a very different NY than we’re used to) where vampires and angels are widely known and acknowledged by mortals, Elena is tasked with tracking rogue vampires who have either skipped out on their 100 years of servitude to their Archangel masters or are succumbing to blood lust and are therefore dangerous to the public and must be tracked and eventually punished or killed. In this world it is the Archangel’s who are the only ones who can Make a vampire and there is a sort of signup sheet if you will for those mortals who wish to live a life immortal. It is rare for someone to be Made against their will. So, Elena does her job and does it well, she is one of the best and it doesn’t hurt that she also has the ability to sense when a vamp is near like a type of overactive sixth sense. In this world Archangel’s are the supreme rulers and each archangel holds domain on a different area of the world. In this case the Archangel Raphael rules New York and this 500 year old immortal enlists Elena to track a crazed, psychotic killer who has succumbed to a vicious bloodlust. He must be tracked and killed before his horrific killing spree continues. To Elena surprise the vicious killer is not a vampire but one of the oldest Archangel’s gone rogue.

What progresses is a tightly wound, action packed, thrill ride that kept me reading and reading and reading. I loved the characters, every one of them including the ultra evil and supremely annoying. Elena’s father and Michaela – another Archangel are at the top of my supremely annoying – verging on evil list, but they each provide much drama and give readers much more insight into Elena as a heroine. And what a heroine she was. Tough as nails, able to handle herself, cheeky at times, sarcastic, but also really caring and sweet and loving with those she calls friends and family. I loved that she never backed now with Raphael, who is one majorly tough and often arrogant angel who due to his age is beginning to lose touch with what it means to be human. This disparity between hero and heroine made for some really interesting tension as Raphael continued to use his abilities and strength against Elena in order to get what he wanted from her. Elena was no simpering miss though and each time she felt Raphael overstepped his bounds she called him on it. Which, I loved. I hate it when the heroines – who are always described as strong and in control -allow themselves to be overly dominated by the hero, I always want to scream at them to stand up for themselves and get a grip.

The push and pull between an immortal and mortal was very interesting to see and had a really nice edge to it that kept me wondering how these two would pan out. I also really loved the secondary characters. Elena’s Guild Hunter friends, Guild Hunter director Sara and fellow Guild Hunter Ransom were equally compelling characters and I loved how much the three of them cared for one another. Dmitri, Raphael’s head of security and a vampire to boot was also a fascinating character and I am really excited that he gets his own book later in the series.

The action was great and easy to follow, the suspense of trying to find the rogue Archangel but also of trying to put the pieces together of exactly what has caused this archangel’s psychopathic transition is all part of the fun that keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next in this book.

Elena and Raphael sizzled and I loved their bickering and the ways they tried to understand one another even though they were so very different. Raphael was a particularly fascinating hero, strong and confident but also vulnerable and I enjoyed very much getting to see him come to terms with the part of himself that has always been human. Elena is a heroine to love and I can’t wait to read more about her, especially given the ending of this book.

The only thing I will say that wasn’t resolved was Elena’s traumatic past. You get tiny glimpses here and there throughout the first book and sort of know what happened, but there was never a clear scene that gave readers all the details into the how’s and why’s and consequences of what ultimately killed Elena’s childhood and made her father disown her for her abilities. I hope that we’ll see more of Elena’s past in the next few novels and that the resolution of the hint we got in this one will come to pass.

All around a great intro to what is shaping up to be a wonderful series! I’ve already purchased the next two in this series and can’t wait to dive in :)

One Day by David Nicholls

5 Stars - but really so good that stars don't cut it for a rating!

One of the most heartbreaking books I've ever read. But so honest and heartfelt. This story is one that will forever stay with me.

Fabulous.

Writing a review for One Day is really hard. First off, this book made me laugh broke my heart, had me wondering why the heck life could be so cruel and then finally at the end realising that throughout all the moments in life, sometimes everything is just bittersweet and that maybe that’s okay.

Only a handful of books have affected me in the way One Day has and this book will go down as one of my all time favourites. It may not be for everyone and I think that a lot of this books punch has to do with your experience of those precious years after you graduate university. I’m in that spot now, the place in life where you’ve just graduated your last big step in school, you have a degree and suddenly real life starts. I think that it’s at this moment most in life when we all feel like anything is possible, the world is ours for the taking and there isn’t anything that can’t be achieved. Dexter and Emma are both at this place in life in 1988, the beginning of this story and over the next twenty years, Nicholls documents a day in their lives (the anniversary of the day they first met – July 15th, 1988) as they struggle, waste time, grow lonely, create amazing memories, question their life path, find their way and make amends. I won’t go into too many more details about the plot for a few reasons, 1. It would mean giving spoilers which I really can’t do – read the book if you wish to know more. 2. I can’t accurately describe the depth and feeling that is packed into this story. I wouldn’t want to try for fear of not doing this novel justice in my description.

The element I was so impressed by was the absolute unflinching honesty of this story. Nicholls doesn’t try to pull punches or give the readers their neatly tied up ending. There isn’t a Hollywood happy ending for all, this book is about real life, real loss and heartache and it does an amazing job of making the reader feel excruciatingly connected to these two characters and their lives and friendship with one another. Dex and Em go through good times and bad, ups and down, both together and separately in their respective lives and they have quite a few near misses. All the while as a reader you’re taken along for the ride, hoping against hope that these two can get their acts together at the same time and make it work, because as you read more and more about their love for one another – both platonic and romantic you come to realize that if there is only one person meant for you in this life, then its Dex and Emma who are meant for one another – everyone else is just there to pass the time with. That may sound super sappy and idealistic, but it’s true for this story especially. It’s the power of a good book that through the characters, readers experience so emotionally the moments of their lives described in detail.. Nicholls has a great way with words and I felt instinctively like I was living in England and a part of that culture while reading. Nicholls has such an understanding of time and place and makes the reality of 1988-2007 so real. What I mean by that is that throughout the story as readers are taken through the years, you have a real understanding of life in the late eighties, the way that things worked, the restlessness that young people felt after graduating and all the experiences that tended to flow after that as a result of said restlessness. I’m sure the same can be said for people today in some ways, but the influence of technology, and all these modern day fares weren’t available in the late eighties and early nineties and it makes a difference to the way people lived their lives.

Like I said before, I laughed and cried during my reading of this book. For the most part it was laughter because Dex and Emma are both hilarious characters. Put them together and their banter is amazing and a joy to read. I loved every single one of their interactions even if more than once they broke my heart. By the end of this book I was blubbering like a baby and it didn’t help that I ended up finishing this book in the early stages of a five hours train ride home (no place to run and hide or burrow under a blankie to nurse my broken heart.) You feel everything in this book and the power lies in Nicholls' ability to show without cliché or overused and stylized descriptions the true loneliness we can feel as individuals thrust into the world, expected to make a go of some sort of meaningful life. Both Emma and Dex are at a loss for quite a few years and they both fall into careers out of something akin to chance. For one it goes a bit more smoothly than the other although both experience the heartache and wrenching loneliness of certain periods in their lives. Without giving anything away, I will say that I wondered more than once how hard it must be to love someone so completely and yet you know that a life together is almost impossible because of where the other person is in their life. When you can’t connect because of missed opportunities or chances, because you didn’t say what you felt in a key moment, you miss out on the possibilities life offers and really that might be the saddest thing of all, because who knows where that chance might have led you.

I don’t want to make this book seem all doom and gloom because it isn’t. It’s highly entertaining and a very enjoyable read about the meaning of true friendship and what it takes to sustain that friendship through the years. The reason I talk so much about the darker side of this story – or maybe the more serious side is a more appropriate word – is because their definitely is an undertone of seriousness. Nicholls himself writes that his inspiration for this story emerged from Thomas Hardy’s writing and for anyone who has read Hardy you know what this means. Hardy is a fan of putting his characters through the ringer. His stories rarely end well and are more often than not bittersweet, if not just bitter.

One Day has a bittersweet ending that makes you smile through your tears. It ends so beautifully and perfectly for the rest of the context of the story.

Without a doubt one of the best books I’ve read, ever.
One thing I will say is that with the movie set for release on August 19th, if you plan to see the film in theatres, do yourself a MAJOR favour and please read the book first. From the previews I think that the director and writers have stayed pretty close to the flow of the book, but a Hollywood rendition is never as good as the novel and there is so much depth to the characters and their life experiences that can’t be translated into film. The subtle nuances that make this book are worth reading before you experience the movie. On another note, having read the book, the movie is cast perfectly. Jim Sturgess is the absolute perfect Dex and Anne Hathaway – despite the fact that she isn't actually British, is exactly Emma Morely. Anne can definitely pull off the sass, unconsious beauty and loveable quarkiness of this heroine. Can't wait to see these two on screen together bringing these amazing, frustrating but thoroughly loveable characters to life.

This book is beautiful start to finish.

The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

More than 5 Stars!

This book deserves way more than 5 stars!

The Restorer is right up there as one of the best books I’ve read this year. I don’t think I can even express how wonderful this storyline was or how unique and perfect the writing was. It wasn’t that the writing style itself was all that different, but the way Amanda Stevens was able to draw the readers so thoroughly and completely into the world where our heroine Amelia lives. The story takes place in Charleston, South Carolina and is told in first person perspective by Amelia Gray a cemetery restorer, who from the age of nine has been curse with the ability to see ghosts. This ability was only heightened by the fact that growing up she spent much of her time in the old gothic cemeteries around her home. Her father was a groundskeeper and shares Amelia’s abilities and has raised her with strict rules where ghosts are concerned.

Never acknowledge the dead
Never stray far from hallowed ground
Never associate with those who are haunted
Never, ever tempt fate

Amelia is about to let the rules that have governed her entire life fly out the window when John Devlin a police detective enters her life asking for her help in a gruesome murder case. Several bodies are being discovered, buried beneath the tombs of graves in an old and derelict graveyard where Amelia has been hired to restore the grounds. I won’t say much more about the plot because even if it wouldn’t give away spoilers I don’t think I could do the premise justice.

I was so very impressed with this story. It may come across in the beginning as just a simple ghost story/detective novel but it is so much more. I loved each and every one of these characters, even the creepy ones who always questioned. Amelia was a wonderful protagonist and I loved her smooth and engaging voice. Devlin is in a league all his own in my opinion. The guy is haunted, full of guilt, torn apart because of a past tragedy and from the beginning Amelia can sense his sorrow and see the life being drawn out of him bit by bit. She knows she has to stay away from him, but what happens when the one person you can see yourself identifying with after having lived your life so closed off from everyone around you, becomes the one person who could be a threat to the very thing that keeps you safe? This is Amelia’s very tricking predicament and it was fascinating and heartbreaking to see these two try to get close to one another and then ultimately come to realize all the reasons they cannot even be friends. I’m not giving too much away here – don’t worry – this is a series and there are two more books scheduled for release. (I am personally waiting very impatiently to find out what happens next)

The fluidity with which the book is written is what captures a reader so intensely. The writing is almost poetic. Melodic and gentle, the writing itself reminds a reader of the setting. The small Charleston setting is so real while you read, it’s amazing. You can feel the heat seeping into your bones, the smell of the jasmine and grass; almost see the wilting flowers in a garden. It’s amazing how many of my senses were targeted while reading which only made my enjoyment that much more.

The story itself is fascinating and had me guessing the whole way through. You think you know about Amelia and her curse/gift and yet by the end you realize that everything Amelia knew and everything you though you understood could be wrong. Amelia will have a fierce fight ahead of her and I can’t wait to see what happens in her life next. Especially where Devlin is concerned.

The mystery/ghost story aspect of the novel was superbly executed; a mix of history, some mythological legend and creeptastic imagery is what it’s all about. I was reading the final few chapters of the book in bed the other night during a storm and let me tell you I was scary myself pretty bad. It’s not that anything is told in graphic detail, but you almost get more scared because everything is described so gently in that same melodic way as the rest of the book. It all fits the setting so perfectly in my opinion.

Honestly, I’m probably going to start gushing even more than I already have been if I continue, so bottom line – this is more than a 5 star! This is a forever favourite and I wasn’t even expecting it. Such a treat and I am now addicted to The Graveyard Queen series. Cannot wait for the next, The Kingdom to be released.

PS – Love this cover and hope the second and third installments are such as hauntingly beautiful.

Just to clarify - Mira publishes romance books and this novel is labelled as a paranormal romance, but let me say that having read more romance books than I can count in almost every genre, this story is so much mroe than romance. Yes, there is a bit of romance, but the way it progresses is much more geared towards fiction. The stories backbone is the ghosts and the murders being solved and the relationships between all characters. Amelia, and the way she has always lived her life is turned on its head in this book and Stevens set ups several storylines in this first novel that could trickle into future books. So if you are weary of reading romance, have no fear - this book contains so much more and in my opinion should be labeled as fiction. Don't let the lable deter you! You'll be missing out on a great read :)

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

5 Stars. (Young Adult)

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would!

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour was in a word, EPIC. I absolutely loved this book and when I finished it had the strong urge to pick it back up and start the journey all over again from the beginning. I’ve always loved the idea of a road trip although I’ve never been on one myself. This book was so good with description. The small towns and states these two were crossing, the emotions, smells, feelings and friendships were all superbly realized throughout the journey to the point where the reader really feels like they’re in the car along for the ride with Amy and Roger. From the moment they start for Yosemite, you know as a reader that this story is going to be good. Both Amy and Roger are searching for something, Amy for a way to move on past the tragic loss her family has suffered, and Roger, although he appears to be searching for one thing is actually on a path to finding what he never expected. Cagey I know, but I don’t want to spoil anything. Let’s just say that this ‘road trip’ book isn’t fluff and nonsense, the characters are facing challenges and the trip is especially about Amy coming to terms with herself and the status of her family since their loss. She’s struggling and this trip across America is helping her to heal.

I really enjoyed both main characters. Amy was fragile and broken at the beginning and readers wonder if she can get past her grief and heartache. She’s very reluctant to express her feelings or talk about anything that has happened to her the past few months; she’s afraid and has sheltered herself from the world. But in walks Roger, sweet, understanding, supportive and all those good things a girl looks for in a guy. He’s genuinely a nice guy and tries as much as he can to be a shoulder for Amy to lean on. These two start out as basic strangers, having played ‘spud’ together as kids in their cul-de-sac their only connection. As the ride continues, however, you can start to see the subtle changes in their relationship and the ways these two learn about one another and become intrinsically linked. Amy started to open up as the journey progressed and readers could see the subtle changes in her personality. She started to express herself more, was laughing and having fun, allowing herself to find the girl she’d left behind all those months ago.

Every moment in this book is important to the story as a whole and I loved that Matson included scenes from Amy's past so that we as readers got to know her better, but coudl also see how much she has been hurting and how much her family has changed over the past few months. It's a sad story and I had tears in my eyes during one particular flast back, but there is hope and this book ends on a very hopeful note.

The music is another thing that must be mentioned. Throughout the book, Matson includes playlists that Roger, A.K.A The DJ makes for every leg of their journey. The playlist titles are creative and hilarious and fit perfectly with the trip these two are on. I can’t say I’m a huge music fan, I mean of course I like music, but I’ve always been more into alternative, indie stuff than mainstream top 40 tunes so the fact that I ended up knowing many of the songs in this book was a treat! The Weepies (who I love!) were featured a few times on the playlist and I smiled every time I saw one of their songs on the list. This actually happened a lot every time I saw a song I knew because they seemed to fit so well with the point in the story. Matson also cleverly includes bits and pieces for their stops. Receipts, hotel stubs, Yosemite park adventures, photos and scrapbook entries are all a part of this wonderful book and they only serve to make the reader feel more a part of the story and adventure being had.

The only thing I could possibly mention that was just a smidge of a letdown was the ending between Amy and Roger. Ultimately it ended exactly perfectly for this story, but at the same time, I’m a fan of a clean cut ending and this one was a little more open winged. You’ll get what I mean when you read this book (note I wrote ‘when’ not ‘if’, basically read it! You won’t regret it, I swear.) but there is one last diner receipt on the very last page that points to the clean cut conclusion I was hoping for. This really isn’t a negative, but it’s the one thing that leapt into my head when I thought about whether there was anything I could possibly not like about this fabulous book.

With heart, intrigue, fun characters, fun places, adventure, heartache and everything in between Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour was the best road trip book I’ve read. You feel so much a part of this book and the lives of these characters and there really is something magical about travelling across a country by car and seeing where you might end up along the way. Part of the fun is driving without a plan and picking destinations as you go, you never know who you might meet or what you might find, and really, that’s the whole fun of it!

This book made me want to hop in the car and travel across the US. I’ve only been to two states so it would probably be an amazing journey :)

The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen

5 Stars. (Young Adult)

I read this book months back in March and have just now gotten around to writing a review for it. So here goes...

The Truth about Forever is right up there with my other two favourites, Just Listen and Lock & Key. The relationships between the group of characters was key in this book, which in a way was different from the last three Dessen books I've read where the key relationship seems to be between the main female and male characters. In this one, though, from the beginning Macy is surrounded by loving, open-minded, silly, charismatic and unique individuals all from the Wish catering company. Every character has a sparkling personality and what I loved most about reading this story was the interactions they all had with one another throughout the book. Macy is hurting; she's still grieving the loss of her father and her mother's emotional shutdown and for the longest time Macy has lived in a type of gilded prison where everything has to be perfect in order to preserve her mother's tenuous sanity. The Wish Catering with all the eccentricities and daily chaos of the business and people who are a part of it build Macy's world and allow her to reclaim herself and throw herself out there into the chaos. They don't need her to be perfect and she relishes the opportunity to just be a teen going through the bittersweet moments as they happen.

I love books about catering companies, I don’t' really know why but ever since I read Maeve Binchy's The Scarlet Feather when I was in my early teens I fell in love with all the possibilities of that chaotic and fascinating world where everyone seemed to love one another and get along, despite the hiccups of everyday life. It was a support system, a home away from home, a place of comfort and support and all this is still true of Dessen's rendition.

Macy and Will's relationship is slow boiling. I liked that. One thing I will always appreciate about Dessen's writing is that she makes the hero and heroine friends first and then they slowing grow to develop deeper feelings for one another. It makes the relationship seem more real and allows the reader to get to know each person separately before they become an item. Will was a suitably fascinating and charismatic hero. Quieter I'd say than Owen or even Nate, but I liked his artistic side, his quiet thoughtfulness and the way he supported and loved his friends and family. He and his brother Burt haven't had an easy time of it either and yet I admired that Will had realized his mistakes and was steadily trying to heal himself.

I think this book had a lot of subtlety and heart, which is classic Dessen and the only negative I'd pick out is that Macy's reluctance to ever confront her obsessive-compulsive, "trying to be perfect so no one can see the cracks in my facade" mother started to grate on my nerves. Her mom was harsh and unyielding, never tried to understand her daughter much and instead just tried to impose rules and strictures on Macy to keep her perfect. Macy's boyfriend was also a very annoying aspect of this book. He was meant to be and readers are meant to think he's the ultimate in jerkdom but seriously?! Do guys like this actually exist? I'd hate to think so. But these two characters where the driving force standing between Macy and her real self and it only made her strength in the end that much more satisfying when she bulldozed through their chains. (how's that for a metaphor ;P)

Another Dessen Favourite!

The Duke's Captive by Adele Ashworth

5 Stars. (Historical Romance)

I’ve had The Duke’s Captive on my shelf for over a year, I bought it last summer after it was first released and remember being all geared up to read it, but then of course my interest in other books took over and I ended up putting it on my shelf only to pick it up this weekend. Boy was I surprised by how much I actually enjoyed it! So often with me I start reading a historical romance and half way through I end up getting bored and have to push myself to finish the book. This usually happens about the time the h/h get together in the biblical sense. For some reason I feel like time and again the tension I so loved between h/h, the banter and intrigue and suspense of the whole will they won’t they and when will it happen? Scenario goes out the window as soon as they get it on. The Duke’s Captive was one of those books that had me glued to the pages until the very end. I read this book in about a day because it takes off from the beginning and doesn’t let up until the end.

I will state right off the bat that I am a fan of the ‘revenge romance’ trope. If you aren’t a fan, or can’t get over having the h/h battling it out in a high stakes game of wills for much of the novel than this might not be for you.

Things I loved:

The revenge romance scenario Ashworth does not shy away from making this a very angsty and often heart wrenching story. The hero was kidnapped five years prior to the opening of the book. He was kidnapped by the heroine, Viola’s two sisters and held for five weeks in a dungeon. His psyche took a beating and since his escape Ian has been tormented by his inability to remember all the details of his captivity and how Viola played a role in his life and abduction during that time. When Ian finally tracks Viola down the battle is on between these two and one thing among many that I really appreciated was how the revenge romance was high on the revenge. Ian is pissed and is bent on making everyone who hurt him all those years ago suffer. Viola is his intended victim and he goes after her with a vengeance. I liked that this scenario was believable. You really want to hate Ian in certain moments, because you glean insight into Viola’s thoughts and her actions during that time through her journal entries which mark the beginning of each chapter. So right away you know some of the truth about Viola’s involvement during Ian’s abduction. But you can’t hate the guy. He wounded, scared and looking for someone to basically show him that life can go on and he can live well in it. Ian melted my heart even though he comes across for much of the novel as very cold and austere.

In a revenge romance I feel like too often the hero is too quickly bowled over by the heroine’s beauty or charms and forgets what he intended in the first place. With Ian and Viola it’s different. They both feel a heated attraction to one another, but they are both – for different reasons willing to deny their attraction and then succumb to it. The whole way this story places out is really flawless and very well executed. The evolution of feelings is perfectly played out.

The history These two are not strangers meeting for the first time. They have a past, a sordid, tarnished, inescapable past that only ends up heightening the passion and love these two eventually come to accept from one another. I loved the journal entries that marked each chapter of the book. These entries are really what hooked me when I first wanted to read this book over a year ago. They are beautiful and sad and you cringe and smile all at the same time when you read Viola’s thoughts.

The Hero and Heroine These two are perfect together and I especially loved Viola. She’s strong and fierce. Won’t sit back and let Ian ruin her and I liked that she tried to fight him and best him at his own games. She’s a tough cookie and strong willed. She’s also very tender and loving and cares a lot about Ian. She knows he’s trying to destroy her and yet she can’t help but love the man she used to know and feels is still somewhere inside the angry and disgruntled man standing before her. Ian in turn is cold much of the time, but he never really tries to deny his feelings for Viola. He accepts them and then tries to use his attraction against her – which in my opinion fits with the whole theme of the novel. He’s bitter and angry, but is shielding a deeper hurt and yearning that he only reveals to Viola. You could tell that Ian had once been a honourable man, only now affected by his past.

Lack of ‘big misunderstanding’ or ‘filler plot’ Again too many times authors fill the book with unnecessary characters, circumstances or problems between h/h because they feel it’s a sure fire way to heighten suspense or tensions or whatever. Really it’s just irritating and makes me lose interest entirely. Adele Ashworth never once strayed into either one of these areas. The h/h come to blows several times but out of these confrontations there is honesty and more secrets revealed. It’s a slow progression to learning the entire truth about Ian’s time in the dungeon and Viola’s role in it all and that is what keeps the story, these two characters and the tension going. There are really no secondary characters to interfere with the plot that is about these two people. Ian and Viola are the stars of the show and they are together in almost every scene. I hate it when hero and heroine are apart for several chapters as they converse with meaningless characters just for the sake of drawing everything out and really appreciated that there was none of that in this book. There are no misunderstandings, only secrets that are hard to admit to one another. Nothing is drawn out for an immeasurable amount of time and the slow reveal of secrets kept is perfectly timed to keep the reader invested.

As for the issue of this book verging on a ‘forced romance’, similar to Anna Campbell’s Claiming the Courtesan, I haven’t read Campbell’s book through, only the first 70 pages or so, but from my understanding and reviews I’ve read, that novel is much more of a ‘forced romance’ I think it’s clear in this one that both the hero and heroine have strong feelings for one another, Viola especially admits more than once prior to their love scenes that she cares for Ian and has strong feelings for him. This isn’t a “heroine says no but her body says yes scenario” she says yes and means yes and has no regrets after the fact. Ian is pushy and manipulative in some scenes but what I found interesting is how the ‘forced’ part was reversed.

**Spoiler Start**Although Ian can't remember everything that happened while he was in the dungeon, he is pretty sure for much of the novel that he was raped or pleasured against his will. His plot to destroy Viola doesn't start out as anything similar to this. He wants to ruin her in the face of society, not ravage her as he believes he was**Spoilers End**

In this sense The Duke's Captive strays far from Campbell's novel which is very much in your face about the revenge the hero is going to inact against the heroine. I think the waters are muddier there. Although I in no way am condemning Campbell's book. I think that for some, it would just be harder to swallow while reading.

This book is, however, an all consuming revenge romance where the hero is bent of destroying the heroine for what he sees as his justice against the only person who escpaed retribution for his kidnapping. His feelings for Viola are apparent, but I appreciated that the need for revenge didn't wane in favour of the 'all consuming love'.
This was a great book with a lot of depth and feeling and the emotions run high through out. In my opinion a perfect revenge romance.

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

5 Stars! (Young Adult)

Amazing! Wonderful! heartbreaking, heartwarming another superb read by Melina Marchetta.


There was something so thoughtful and provoking about this read. I felt all the same emotions I felt while reading Sving Francesca, but there was something infinitlley more compelling and heartwrenching about the pain and grief Thomas Mackee was facing through out The Piper's Son


This story was more than just a story about Thomas, however, the book is told from two perspectives, Thomas's, 5 years after the ending of Savign Francesca and his aunt Georgie's, 41 and pregant for the first time by the man she's loved for years but can't reconcile with after he broke her heart. Thsi story is full of emotion and it had me turning the pages eager for more of Marchett'as beautifully poetic narrative.


Thomas is shattered at the beginning of this story, He's hit rock bottom after losing his beloved uncle, seeing his father fall deeply into alcoholism and watching the reminents of his broken family fall slowly apart. He's looking for oblivion and has found a certain numbness he hoped would be comforting. Instead, Tom has only suceeded in alienating everyone he cared about including the friends readers and Tom alike came to love dearly in the previous book. One of Tom's biggest regrets, however, is his broken relaitonship with the eternaly frustraing, guttsy, uber-feminist - "psycho Tara Finke". She is quite frankly the perfect companion to Tom's sad, despondent and often darkly introspective nature. Tara brings the light into Tom's life not matter her sometimes harsh words and huge ideals. They fit together perfectly and my heart ached for both of them and the pain they've each suffered over the two years they've spent apart. They met a bitter end after only one and a half days of a perfect beginning and Tom is struggling to get Tara back in his life. It's a long and arduous process, but these two are meant to be it seems.
I fell for Tom. His witt, his sorrow, his confusion at life and all the ache in it. I wanted to give him a big hug and at the same time wanted to be like Tara who was desperate to shake some sense into him. Despite his outward attitude and the fact that he's pretty brutal in the first few chapters, Tom is a sweet guy beneath it all. He wants love. He wants to give love, get love and make people in his life happy. That's Tom's hope and gift and he excells at it by the end. His friendships with Francesca and Justine were beautifully written and I loved that Marchetta continued their heartfelt and sincere love for one another evident in the first book, into her second companion novel. These friends are the forever kind and it was again, such a treat to watch them re-connect with one another.


Georgie's story is equally compelling. At times I found her a little too unforgiving seeing as how he heartbreak with Sam had happened years previous to the events she was facing in the book and since then, it would appear Georgie and Sam continued to have a sexual relationship - albeit a very complicated one. You can tell that Sam screwed up, but it was the type of screw up reminicent of Ross and Rachel's "We were on a break" fiasco. Woman calls a time out, man stupidly drowns his sorrows in another bed, woman decides she wants man back and then finds out man strayed and is Pissed - with a capital P. These two have some bitter history to deal with and it is only made that much more conplicated by Georgie's pregnancy and he fact that like Tom she has been greatly affected by her beloved brother's death. She isn't one to let her emotions out easily and keeps a tight reign on her love and desire for Sam as a result. It was very interesting and heart wreching to see these two come to terms with one another. It's the sign of an amazing writter when you can love a character, be annoyed by them and then wish them the best. Georgie was one of these characters for me and she seemed so real through out the entire novel. Her emotions, fears and sorrows were all perfectly executed and represented.


Overall this was another beautiful story by Melina Marchetta who has proven twice now that her talent lies in creating deep and thought provoking stories about families dealing with grief, hurt, betrayal and all the pretty F*ck ups we humans tend to make in life.


A total winner. And in the words of Miss Tara Finke and Jane Bennet -"Yes, Yes, A Thousand Times Yes!"

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

5 Amazing Stars. (Young Adult)

This book was amazing. I can't honestly say enough good things about it.

I read it in one day and couldn't get enough of the unique, heartfelt, relatable and truly honest characters. This story is more than just what the back cover describes. Francesca is starting high school at a formerly all boys school which has for the first time allowed girls. As one of the 30 girls in a school otherwise packed with boys, the story becomes a progression of how the boys and girls begin to relate to one another. How they see each other and how they begin to develop real and honest bonds when they look beneath the labels and surface attitudes into the human beings that lie within each of them. The way Marchetta weaves the relationships together in this book was so real and amazingly accurate. I felt like these characters were people I knew and loved. They each had such wonderful characteristics, such personalities that you wish you knew them and could call them friends. Siobhan, Justine, Tara, Thomas, Jimmy and Will make up Francesca's new found group and they each come to rely on and love one another in the purest and most captivating of ways. There interactions had me laughing out loud, crying and smiling nonstop. I loved so many moments that it is really hard not to gush about them all. Thomas especially along with Jimmy were favourites of mine, so I'm excited that Thomas gets his own book The Piper's Son .

Along with developing new friendships with people she never expected to even speak to, Francesca is also dealing with her mothers sudden and heartbreaking descent into depression. Through out the novel she deals with and watches the drastic effects her mother's illness has on her entire family and grows slowly and subtly stronger as a result. I thought it was so compelling the way Marchetta developed Fran's character. Readers can see through narrative that Francesca was once a lively and unique individual who never cared what others thought and always danced to her own tune. Her mother always knew this about her daughter and encouraged Fran to be bright and loud and out there with her emotions and it clearly broke her mother's heart when Francesca fell into a group of friends who expected her to conform to their reserved and superficial tastes. Readers understand how Francesca lost herself and it is a true joy to see Fran recapture all the things that make her an fun and interesting person. Francesca's path to self discovery is so clearly and wonderfully developed without it being showy. Marchetta has amazing subtlety and power in her writing.

The dialogue was captivating and humorous, the characters compelling, the relationships so full of passion at every angle. This is a must read book for fans of coming of age novels that deal with real life problems with heartfelt characters. I was pulled into Marchetta's world so smoothly and came to adore the people I was reading about.

Teenage hood is a tender time for anyone and I loved that Marchetta was able to bring readers so thoroughly into the mind and experiences of a group of teens all battling with their own emotions and insecurities. They are really just trying to relate to one another on a real and honest level and it is this honesty which evokes such emotion from the reader through out the novel. This book had some of the best one liners, a personal fav of mine while I'm reading a terrifically written book. The subtle, thought provoking lines that just make you stop and think. I had quite a few of these while reading and loved each one.

At it's core, Saving Francesca is an unflinching look at the way teenagers perceive one another. We all have innocence in us, kids and adults alike and sometimes all it take is to know that you're loved in order to make it through. This fundamental lesson is ultimately what each character learns by the last line of Marchetta's wonderful story.

Such a treat to read from an amazing voice in YA literature.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

5 Stars. (Young Adult)

Well, Anna and the French Kiss was just such a treat to read. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect going in. I’d heard so many wonderful reviews about the book that I thought it couldn’t possibly live up to expectations. This book was so enjoyable and engrossing. The characters are well established and all very unique and interesting. Even Josh, who doesn’t have a huge role in the book beyond being a member of the group Anna makes friends with still manages to establish his own personality and character in the few scenes in which he appears.

The real stars of the show here though, are obviously Anna and Etienne St-Clair. Everyone calls him St. Clair throughout the book so I’ll stick with that. These two are so very sweet together. It’s a real, loving and devoted friendship between these two characters and I loved that Perkins whole heartedly established a lasting and true bond between hero and heroine before pairing them up. I mean of course they were both seriously attracted to one another from the beginning, but their attraction is just that, it takes a while for their feelings to grow and in the mean time; things are complicated as family drama, friend drama and St. Clair’s girlfriend get in the way of an instant happily ever after.

St. Clair is the ultimate sweetie. This is the nice guy you get together with and marry. He’s the everlasting partner you would want to spend your life with because you know he’ll love you unconditionally. Anna isn’t perfect and neither is St. Clair but they both accept the other ones faults and that’s what I loved the most. As much as I tend to devote myself to the bad boys in books, St. Clair stole my heart. He was genuine and honest, very mature and kind and was just a nice guy. He makes people feel comfortable and honestly that’s a big thing when you’re a new person in a foreign place. Anna is also a very likeable character, she’s funny and endearing and yet she has her hang ups and insecurities which make her more relatable. Some of her lines had me laughing out loud within the first few chapters, this line especially had me giggling - "French name, English accent, American school. Anna confused." Did I forget to mention that St. Clair is English? He totally is, hot accent and everything! Whew as is Anna stood a chance! St. Clair is also not the clichéd tall, dark and handsome. Don’t get me wrong, I love the cliché, bring it on, but it was nice to see a departure from the standard hero look. St. Clair is short. Shorter than most girls and I think just a tiny bit shorter than Anna, but apart from a few subtle mentions of his height you never notice it. I love tall guys, but I fell for St. Clair because his personality is so larger than life. He’s charming and unique.

Here are a few lines I loved:

"A moment of reserve. "That was it? The whole story?"
"Yes. God, you're right. That was pants."
I sidestep another aggressive couscous vendor. "Pants?"
"Rubbish. Crap. Shite."
Pants. Oh heavens, that's cute."

Oh how the British are yum

I also loved Perkins’ incorporation of Neruda poetry – sexy steamy stuff is right:

"I love you as certain dark things are loved, secretly, between the shadow and the soul." – I want a boy to buy me poetry like that. St. Clair rocks.

The evolution of the relationship was very heart-warming and so wonderful to see. The friendship between St. Clair and Anna was probably my most favourite thing about the book.

The only let downs I could mention is that I wanted to feel like I was in Paris more. There are efforts to name important edifices and areas, neighbourhoods and parks, but apart from that I didn’t feel like I was really reading a story about a girl in Paris. Anna is clearly not in America, but at the same time I felt like there should have been more of an effort to make me believe I was in France. Also, Meredith, who is the first friend Anna makes at her new school isn’t seen enough. She gets lumped in with the other two friends in the group and is always off doing other things. They get together in a group quite a bit, there are 5 friends all together with Josh and his girlfriend Rashmi, but I missed seeing one on one interaction with Anna and Mer. Especially because Mer plays a significant role in St. Clair and Anna’s relationship towards the end, I needed to see more of the friendship between the two girls which I felt was lacking.

Those are small details really in the grand scheme of things though. It was a great book and definitely worth reading!

I can’t wait for Perkins’s next book to hit the stands J

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

5 Stars. (Young Adult)

Leaving Paradise was a really great read. It was emotional, provoking and had a lot of angst. Ultimately it’s the story of two people who are trying to make the best of a very hard situation and survive the opinions, assumptions and expectations of others. Maggie and Caleb are two very similar people. They each try to do right by the people they love although Caleb sets himself up for some very difficult situations as a result of what is ultimately his extreme selflessness. He is a very strong guy. I admired his sincerity, his loyalty and his strength. He kept his mouth shut when so many others would have taken action against the kinds of prejudice he faced when he came back to his hometown of Paradise after having been convicted of a hit and run a year prior. Maggie is his victim. She acts like one a lot of the time and it bothered me a bit how willing she was to hold a grudge and never allow herself to see that Caleb was as effected and hurt by the accident as she was. Maggie insists a few times that she is the only one affected and there were a few moments when I wanted her to be so much stronger. I could definitely understand her fears and insecurities and doubts about herself post-accident, but I can’t say I fully sympathized with her. Caleb on the other hand stole my sympathies. He was understandably upset and sorry about what happened to Maggie, they were friends once and Maggie had always loved him, but he wasn’t willing to crucify himself for Maggie’s sake, which I must say I wholeheartedly appreciated.

There’s a lot of stuff going on in this book and I can’t say much more about the characters and their journey without going into spoilerish plot detail so I’ll stop here. Suffice it to say, Maggie and Caleb try to heal themselves. They look to each other when everyone around them is oblivious or unwilling to see the truth that has been affecting both their lives since the accident. They are each struggling to maintain their own dignity and place in their small town, as well as their own identities. It isn’t an easy journey but I loved how Elkeles made it one that both victims went through together.
The passion and angst between these two characters was intense and very touching. There were moments that made me smile and others that made me cringe in frustration. But overall this was a really great read that made me think about the entire situation and how I might react or endure if I was faced with some of the things Maggie and Caleb were faced with.
The ending is heartbreaking but also satisfying. It suits the pace of the narrative. I could definitely understand a reader’s frustration though if they had read this book when it first came out. It was published in 2007 and the next installment wasn’t released until 2010. That is a loonnggg time to wait to see how these two end up.

I have to say that part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much was Caleb's character. He is so endearing even though you might figure you should hate him because of the crime he was convicted for. Instead you get a glimpse into Caleb's world through his own eyes and can't believe his strength and honesty given the family he is dealing with.

I can't wait to read the next one - Return to Paradise . Elkeles has proven to be a very good voice in YA contemporary literature. She writes with honesty and sincerity and I appreciate that she doesn't gloss over the little details that make character believable and relateable.

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

5 Stars. (Young Adult)

Another WOW!

I read through It's Not Summer Without You in 5 hours last night reading from 10:30 to 3am. Then I started We'll Always Have Summer. How could I not when I was desperate to know how these three turned out? It was such a treat to read these final 2 books in Jenny Han's Summer series.

There's not much else I can say about this book that I didn't mention in the previous review of book 2. It had the same emotional intensity, the same depth and the same moving moments that left me breathless. I really loved that Jenny Han made Belly's voice distinct in each story given that she ages through out the series - starting the book at 15 and ending at 24. Belly noticeably matured through out the series and yet she retained her Belly essence.

This book had the perfect ending for me. It worked out exactly as I'd hoped. I'll say no more because I don't want to spoil anything.

The only remarks I'll make is that I wished the story had been a little more focused on Cousins and the beach house and spending the summers there. As everything progressed I found myself missing the way things had been in the beginning, the first book especially; that feeling of endless summer when emotions and excitement fun high. When anything seems possible. This book focused heavily on the relationships of not just the three main characters but all the extended family and friends. I enjoyed that for sure, and it was necessary to develop the scope for the drama of this book and eventual climax, but I missed the simplicity of the original main cast - Belly, Jeremiah, Conrad and the mothers. I missed the memories they shared as kids and their overall innocence. The added cast felt right though, as all the kids were growing up and moving on. It was necessary to show this development.

Conrad was a delight to read in this book, even though I've really enjoyed his character all the way through - the broody ones are always much more interesting :p I could go on about him, but let's just say he's something special. He delivers the highest highs and the lowest lows, it takes a special guy to be able to do that!

Jeremiah really changed for me in this book. As I mentioned before, I never really thought much of him in the first book, he got more interesting for me in the second, although he still wasn't my favourite character. In the third he changed a lot...he wasn't the same carefree, easy Jere from times past. But the way he did change, for better or worse, seemed totally believable and appropriate for his character. I could totally see him acting in the selfish sometimes oblivious ways he did. I also bought the sweet silly side of him that sat right beside his negative attributes. It all seemed to fit.

I really appreciated how Han ensured her characters were all fully three dimensional. They all had sparkling, tender and really endearing qualities, but not one character was perfect. Each one had flaws, had made awful mistakes and tried to reconcile them. It worked and only went that much farther to making these characters stand out and leap from the page. I felt like I could have known each one of them in real life. I could have experienced all this with them.

We'll Always Have Summer was the perfect ending to a great series.

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

5 Stars. (Young Adult)

WOW!

I whipped through this book in a matter of hours. Had a bookmark ready and everything and never once used it. The pages kept turning and I fell completely into this story.
I enjoyed the first book in the series, but wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be when I first picked it up. I admit though that for days after I finished The Summer I Turned Pretty I kept thinking about the characters and the situations Belly was faced with. This book though had me hooked from the first word. It had so much heart and emotion. All the depth that I felt was lacking in the first book swept me away in the second. Belly grew up a lot in this one. She came across as selfish, kind of self-centered and whiny in the first book but she was so different and much more compelling in It's Not Summer Without You. My heart broke for her several times through out the story and more than once I had tears in my eyes as I read. My breath caught on several occasions and I couldn't read fast enough needing to know what would happen next.

The emotions were so heightened as Belly, Jeremiah and Conrad deal with a tragic loss and try to come together to fix their broken relationships. Things start out okay, get better, then get steadily worse before finally getting a bit better before hitting rock bottom again. It was a roller-coaster of emotions and bitterness and grief that fit perfectly against the backdrop of a summer house that didn't just hold memories, but an entire relationship between friends - more like family.

Conrad and Belly's relationship is so compelling and yet utterly heartbreaking. I've known someone like Conrad and let me tell you it's not easy to care about someone who treats you the way he does. Ultimately you love the person and you try to tell yourself they care about you too, even as they do everything they can to sabotage their own happiness and as well as your own. The relationship was so well drawn and made me want to scream, cry and laugh all at the same time. Which I suspect is very much what Belly felt with Conrad. Belly's handling of what can be such an exhausting situation was perfectly pitched and realistic. She came across as so much more self-aware. She admitted when she was wrong, tried to do her best and help her friends, stood up for herself and let herself be vulnerable and weak. I really admired her in this book which is saying a lot because I was really annoyed with her in the previous novel.

Jeremiah came through as a brighter character as well in this book. He seemed too good in the previous novel and I never felt a strong connection to him. In this book, however, he really grew as a character. Partly, the fact that a few scenes were recalled from Jere's perspective really went a long way to giving readers a glimpse into the boy's world. It was another complaint I had with the first book that I never really knew where each of them - mainly Conrad stood with Belly. In this book, the scenes narrated by Jeremiah really shed light on what went on between the boys and how they each felt towards Belly. It made everything that much more poignant. Jenny Han also did herself a real good turn when she went back and subtly added scenes that were told from Belly's perspective, even quickly in the first book, but this time gave readers a glimpse of the same scene through the boy's eyes. It was unique and helped focus the current plot, rooting it more fully in the past. The flashback scenes to events that had played out summers ago, or only a few months before the setting of this story were really well done and gave a lot of depth to both the characters and there overall relationship with one another.

All in all I was hugely impressed with this second book in the Jenny Han's summer series. It's a story that stays with you, the characters and their love/hate for one another haunting you for days. An easy 5 star!

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

5 Stars. (Young Adult - PNR)

What a fabulous end to a great series. Everything that I was hoping for happened in this book, not the least of which is that Chloe got her man.

**Possible Spoilers Ahead**(because I had to gush)

I was so impressed with this last book in the series and the amount of action Armstrong packed into the scenes tempered by still and really lovely scenes between the kids. Derek and Chloe's relationship really took a turn - well a few - in this one, but even when they were really annoyed with one another they still understood one another in a way no one else in their group could. I loved that when Derek finally made his final transition, their communication was effortless and instantaneous. There was no muddling through or guessing games, Chloe took charge and let Derek know that she would always be the one to know what he was thinking and feeling - no words needed. It was such a unique relationship between these two and I loved it. Having read Bitten Armstrong's first book in her adult Women of the Underworld Series which centers on werewolves I knew that she had an immense talent for weaving incredibly visceral scenes when her characters are in wolf form and the Wolf-Derek scenes lived up and even at times exceeded my expectations. There is one pivotal scene that has to do with his transition in each book and each time Chloe was right by his side guiding him through. They were such sweet and endearing moments that really proved to the reader how much these two cared about one another.

I will say that the love triangle wasn't much of one. I don't really know if it was meant to be. Simon doesn't seem overly interested in Chloe until mere mentions in book two and then when they kind of have a date in this book its clear that although he thinks she's a great girl, the chemistry isn't there. Simon can tell Chloe doesn't feel it. I think the fact that Simon is a genuinely nice guy made Chloe think that there could be more between them because she already cared about him as a friend. Obviously though there was a lot missing between them and Chloe's heart was already laid elsewhere. Although there could have been more drama in this mixed up triangle, considering Simon is Derek's brother, I think it was handled appropriately given that Simon really loved his brother dearly and knew how much he needed to be happy - and how much Chloe made him happy. Simon's affection, while seemingly sincere, didn't seem to run that deep. He cared about Chloe for sure, but I think he could see that she wasn't going to be the girl for him. And if he could let go that easily, clearly it wasn't a die-hard love!

**End of Spoilers**

Another character I really came to admire in this book was Tori. In my first review of The Summoning she was the bitchy, whiny trouble-maker who targeted Chloe relentlessly. She was the character that had the most transition. The reasons for her behaviour were clear and I was shocked at the way she was being treated by her mother, and admired the fact that she chose to mature and get past the trauma her mother had put her through - was still putting her through - she's really the character you feel for. Derek and Simon aren't eager to trust her and she knows it, but she's determined to prove her worth and I admired that about Tori. She really came into her own and I liked that her growth as a character didn't mean that she became the sicky sweet character just to prove she was different. Tori retained her snarky attitude but it became a really great element of her character rather than a flaw.

Chloe too impressed me with the transition she made through out all three books. She started out as a really naive, innocent, and overly-nice character but blossomed into a very self-sufficient, capable and take charge girl. She was often the one the other characters leaned on for support even though she may not have even realized it. I really enjoyed watching her grow, and like Tori this maturation didn't mean she lost all the elements of her character she'd had in the beginning. She was still naive - but more endearingly so. She was still overly nice at times and I wanted her to speak up for herself, but she got stronger and told others what she though. I really liked that a facet of Derek and Chloe's relationship was that they were the most honest with one another. When Chloe was at her strongest it was when she was fighting or talking and goofing off with Derek. Likewise, although Derek was still overprotective, quick to anger and hard to read at times, he let it all hang out with Chloe. He told her off, apologized and let himself be totally vulnerable with her. He also encouraged her to be strong, although like any good werewolf continued to be protective of his mate :p

So, although there were loose ends left untied in this books, they aren't the type of loose ends that are frustrating or impossible to stand knowing this is (for now) Chloe's last adventure. Armstrong has made it pretty clear that although Chloe's story is done for now, she foresees connecting Chloe and the gang with Maya and her gang in the next set of Darkest Powers novels. The Gathering takes up with another group of kids forced into experiments on supernaturals by the Edison Group and Armstrong has mentioned that when Maya's trilogy is done she sees a potential for connecting the two stories. So, all that to say that I can understand why Armstrong decided to leave the loose ends she did in the final book. If everything was tied up neatly there would be no story left to tell. It's appropriate for the type of story she's telling because although Chloe and the gang took down there adversaries, they are an arm of a much bigger monster.

Looking forward to reading the rest of the Darkest Powers books and getting to know the new gang.

Armstrong has a great talent for telling engaging, fast-paced, action packed reads with real characters who leap from the page. She writes with sincerity and refuses to fall back on cliches or the dreaded misunderstanding to fill the pages in need of drama. Her clean and easy prose makes for quick books that seem to fly buy. You finish one of her stories always clamouring for the next one!
 

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

5 Stars. (Young Adult - PNR)

The Awakening was even better than the first in the series The Summoning . It was jammed packed full of action from the first page and they literally fly by as you read. I was about 300 pages in after buying it last night and sitting down to read for a few hours.

All the great characters from the first novel are back in the second and I love the development of them all. I will say that the only character I still feel I don't know that well is Simon, but really I don't even care that much because I'm so in love with Derek and Chloe. It's not even their chemistry that is compelling, although that is a draw. It's the individual characters and how they interact and react to one another. Chloe and Derek who were always snipping and griping at one another in book one, fall into same old patterns in the beginning of book two, but I loved seeing this pair evolve and come to understand each other better. Chloe is a sweet girl, as Tori says "the sweet energizer bunny...always going." Although Chloe has her moment when she's not so sweet, I felt that she was the most herself when she was interacting with Derek, for better or worse, snippy or sweet she was great to read when she was sharing a scene with the resident dark and broody anti-hero. These two had some pretty great moments, especially one in the woods which was a pivotal scene in creating a turning point for these two (and no it's not what you all think...get your minds out of the gutter! :p) My heart ached for Derek in this scene and Chloe's reaction only made me love her more.

Although the book opens with the foursome separated from one another and takes about 130 pages for them to reunite, it felt super quick and everything you learn while Chloe and the girls are locked away is essential to the progression of the plot. I was itchy for them to meet up with the boys again and when it happened everything zoomed!

The Edison Group is one creepy bunch and I thought that Armstrong have just enough detail and info to keep readers interested and on the edge of their seats without giving all the fun away. I'm eager to see where the whole conspiracy will be taken in the final book.
I'm also eager to see how things evolve between my two fav characters. I suspect Simon will come along to throw a wrench in things, but tension always makes things more interesting.

**A special nod to those who have read Bitten the first in Armstrong's adult Women of the Underworld series. A minor character from that book, Zachary Cain is mentioned briefly in a scene in this novel and I smiled when I read it. I was wondering if Armstrong would find a way to connect her two worlds even though they take place in different cities. But as the group passed through Syracuse, heading for NY I figured she'd find a way. It's always fun to pull out the connections.

A great installment in the Darkest Powers series.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

5 Stars. (Young Adult)

This was a tough read. It was so intriguing. So captivating in a numbers of ways but at the same time so heartbreaking. I read two books about death and loss back to back last week, starting with Sarah Dessen's The Truth about Forever and then this book, Jandy Nelson debut. Each one hit close to home in different ways. I've experienced loss recently and reading the ways in which these two very different but equally marked girls handle their grief was at times very unsettling and heart wrenching but also oddly cathartic.

Many times during the reading of this novel, I had to close the cover for a minute just to think about what I'd read. Nelson has a way with words and her subtly is so unique that you can read a sentence and not fully absorb the impact what you've read until it hits you full force minutes later. I had this experience many times and I don't know whether it was because of my personal experience with grief or simply because of Nelson's superb talent.

The thing that stood out the most to me was coming to understand that grief and loss is an experience so subjective and personal. You can have 10 people experienced the same loss of a loved one, but out of those 10 people not one will feel the loss, or pain or grief in the same way. Emotions are messy and mixed up and no one has the right to tell you that how you're feeling or handling the loss is bad or inappropriate. At a time where you're mind is reeling and you're whole body feels raw, how a person chooses to mourn is totally up to them. So, having said this, the way Lenny ends up grieving her beloved older sister Bailey, who dies quite suddenly and tragically is confusing - yes, morally ambiguous - yes, beautiful - also yes, wrong - NO. At least in my opinion.

Jandy Nelson gives readers a very strong, but mixed up and also, not fully self conscious protagonist. Lenny is looking for love, for support, for communion with another human being when the person she relied on and loved the most in the world is ripped from her arms. She begins to mourn her sister's loss, first with a new found friendship with Bailey's boyfriend Toby. They each feel that the other is a tether to the girl they both lost. Toby and Lenny cling to each other, trying to shore up all the love they felt for this one person between them, almost as if they are trying to "put her heart back together" with the force of their own shared love for her. Things get complicated, messy and sometimes morally unclear for all characters when Lenny begins to fall for a new boy at school Joe - musical genius, lighthearted and thoroughly lovable.

So Lenny now had the boy who lets her remember and the boy who allows her to forget her grief. It's a hard journey to make, but through this story, Lenny comes to realize more about her sister and the things she thought she understood about their relationship, as well as coming to discover more about herself and the kind of girl Lenny really wants to be. She is now out of the shadow of her beautiful sister, no matter how awful the circumstances, Lenny discovers herself through her grief. The beauty of this book is that readers are brought along on that journey with Lenny and you begin to feel such an affinity with her.

The characters are well drawn and real, the setting unique and very amusing at times. The subject hard to deal with but hopeful in the end. I had many moment while readings where I read a sentence that made me cry and then right after read a scene that had me laughing out loud. It's all in the process of grieving and acceptance of loss and I think it proves Nelson's talent that she was able to seamlessly illustrate this process in her story of Lenny's loss.

Poetic, heartbreaking, beautiful and tragic, but ultimately full of hope, Jandy Nelson's debut was a 5 star read.