Everything, Everything by Nichola Yoon

 

From Goodreads: 

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

My Review: 

I love this cover so much! Of course the book was awesome to :)

Things I liked:

1) Maddy: Words cannot express how much I loved her and felt sorry for her. I like that she kind of had a sarcastic personality.

2) Olly- What an absolute sweetheart. I knew I was going to love him from the beginning.  

3) I loved the diary entries, texts,charts, lists and illustrations.

4) The ending was so emotional. I cried. It was so unexpected.

Things I was not fond of:

1) Maddy's Mother-Just read it and find out because I will be surprised if anyone likes her.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥♥  

*I received this book from NetGalley on a read an review basis* 

  

Survive the Night by Danielle Vega

 

From Goodreads:

We're all gonna die down here. . . .

Julie lies dead and disemboweled in a dank, black subway tunnel, red-eyed rats nibbling at her fingers. Her friends think she’s just off with some guy—no one could hear her getting torn apart over the sound of pulsing music.

In a tunnel nearby, Casey regrets coming to Survive the Night, the all-night underground rave in the New York City subway. Her best friend Shana talked her into it, even though Casey just got out of rehab. Alone and lost in the dark, creepy tunnels, Casey doesn’t think Survive the Night could get any worse . . .
              
. . . until she comes across Julie’s body, and the party turns deadly.

Desperate for help, Casey and her friends find themselves running through the putrid subway system, searching for a way out. But every manhole is sealed shut, and every noise echoes eerily in the dark, reminding them they’re not alone.

They’re being hunted.

My Review:

I bought this book because it sounded so amazing! Unfortunately it turned to be rather meh for me.

Things I liked:

1) The concept was a good one. It was not really anything special unfortunately.

2) Casey- Although she made some crazy and not so smart decisions I still really liked her as a character.

Things I was not fond of:

1) I was expecting a creepy book and I felt like it was more focusing on the teenage drama. 

2) This was a rather slow book. The first part was dragging then when things started happening it was rushed and so boring.

3) The ending for me felt like a cop out. 

My rating: ♥♥♥

  

 

Where Have I Been?

So I do not know how many people actually look at this blog and think wow she has not posted anything in awhile. I just wanted to let ya'll know what has been going on. So after doing the Book-tube-a-thon from August 3-9th I have not been feeling like reading. I read 7 books in 7 days which is pretty crazy to me considering I normally read around 3-4 books a week. So as you can imagine I am in kind of a reading slump here lately. I still read but it is taking me longer to get through books as I am not as interested in them. I am currently working on posting reviews for some of the books I read during the Book-tube-a-thon. Hopefully I will get back into the groove of things and actually be able to keep up with this blog a bit more.

Thanks for reading! Hope you all are having a great reading day/week :).

Black- Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin

From Goodreads:

As a sixteen-year-old, Tessa Cartwright was found in a Texas field, barely alive amid a scattering of bones, with only fragments of memory as to how she got there. Ever since, the press has pursued her as the lone surviving “Black-Eyed Susan,” the nickname given to the murder victims because of the yellow carpet of wildflowers that flourished above their shared grave. Tessa’s testimony about those tragic hours put a man on death row.
 
Now, almost two decades later, Tessa is an artist and single mother. In the desolate cold of February, she is shocked to discover a freshly planted patch of black-eyed susans—a summertime bloom—just outside her bedroom window. Terrified at the implications—that she sent the wrong man to prison and the real killer remains at large—Tessa turns to the lawyers working to exonerate the man awaiting execution. But the flowers alone are not proof enough, and the forensic investigation of the still-unidentified bones is progressing too slowly. An innocent life hangs in the balance. The legal team appeals to Tessa to undergo hypnosis to retrieve lost memories—and to share the drawings she produced as part of an experimental therapy shortly after her rescue.
 
What they don’t know is that Tessa and the scared, fragile girl she was have built a  fortress of secrets. As the clock ticks toward the execution, Tessa fears for her sanity, but even more for the safety of her teenaged daughter. Is a serial killer still roaming free, taunting Tessa with a trail of clues? She has no choice but to confront old ghosts and lingering nightmares to finally discover what really happened that night.

My review:
This book was rather surprising for me.

Things I liked:
1) Tessa- I liked her from the get go. She clearly has been through a lot. I found her to be so strong and trying real hard to get passed what happened to her.

2) I loved that this was told in past and present. It was nice to know what happened and to see Tessa in the present as well.

3) This book was compared to Gone Girl which I read last year and loved. I think it lives up to that comparison. It was creepy and twisted.


Things I was not fond of:
1) At times I found this book to be kind of boring. Like not much was happening and I was struggling to finish it.

2) I really didn't find the ending to be satisfying. 

My rating: ♥♥♥♥

*I received this on a read and review basis from NetGalley*

Awake by Natasha Preston

 

From Goodreads:

Scarlett doesn’t remember anything before the age of five. Her parents say it’s from the trauma of seeing her house burn down, and she accepts the life they’ve created for her without question—until a car accident causes Scarlett to start remembering pieces of an unfamiliar past.

When a new guy moves into town, Scarlett feels an instant spark. But Noah knows the truth of Scarlett’s past, and he’s determined to shield her from it...because Scarlett grew up in a cult called Eternal Light, controlled by her biological parents.

My review:

Let me start of by saying that I was really excited to receive and read this book. It definately let me down.

Things I liked:

1) I liked Scarlet as a character. She was kind of odd but for some reason I enjoyed her.

2) Noah- I was thinking I was not going to like him but he kind of grew on me.

3) This book was really fast paced.

Things I was not fond of:

1) The instalove. I hate instalove so much anyway but dang this one was ridiculous. Everything moved so fast!

2) The story went places I was not expecting but not in a good way. I felt like alot of the stuff that happened was for shock factor and really did nothing for the story.

My rating: ♥♥  

  

*I received this from NetGalley on a read and review basis* 

   

What You Left Behind by Jessica Verdi

From Goodreads:

It’s all Ryden’s fault. If he hadn’t gotten Meg pregnant, she would have never stopped her chemo treatments and would still be alive. Instead, he’s failing fatherhood one dirty diaper at a time. And it’s not like he’s had time to grieve while struggling to care for their infant daughter, start his senior year, and earn the soccer scholarship he needs to go to college.

The one person who makes Ryden feel like his old self is Joni. She’s fun and energetic—and doesn’t know he has a baby. But the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to keep his two worlds separate. Finding one of Meg’s journals only stirs up old emotions, and Ryden’s convinced Meg left other notebooks for him to find, some message to help his new life make sense. But how is he going to have a future if he can’t let go of the past?

My Review:

I have had this review written for awhile. I really had to revise it so many times because I didn't think I could give it the review it needed. I think this was one of those books that you just need to read to experience fully.

Things I liked:

1) Ryden- Seriously words cannot express how much I loved this guy. He was the best male protagonist. He is so young yet so mature for his age. 

2) Ryden's Mom- I get where his personality came from because his mother was great. 

3) The writing of this book was rather amazing. I would definitely check out other books by Ms. Verdi.

Things I was not fond of:

1) Joni I found to be rather annoying. 

I would recommend this book to anyone because it really is a page turner.

My rating: 💜💜💜💜

* I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

BookTubeAThon TBR

I am so excited to be doing my first ReadAThon ever. My friend and I decided to do it together. So here is my BookTubeAThon TBR. If you are wanting to do the readathon also here is the YouTube Channel for you to check out the details BookTubeAThon Channel.


There are 7 challenges for this read-a-thon. So here we go.

1) Read A Book With Blue On The Cover: 

  I picked this book because I have been obsessed with mermaid books lately. This fit well because it has alot of blue also.
















2) Read A Book By An Author Who Shares The Same First Letter Of Your Last Name: 

My last name starts with an "M". So I decided to read this because I have been wanting to read it.



















3) Read Someone Else's Favorite Book:

My friend loves this book so I decided to give it a go. Hopefully I will like it.



















4) Read The Last Book You Acquired:

I recently bought this book because it looks rather interesting. I seen the book trailer and it seems really creepy. Will see if I like it.

















5) Finish A Book Without Letting Go Of It:

This book is rather short and I feel like I can finish it in one sitting.


















6) Read A Book You Really Want To Read:

I started this but never finished. I really enjoyed the section I read but I really just want to start over and read it all at once.

















7) Read Seven Books:

So this one would be my 7th book if I get that far. I read the second one in this relaunch but not the first one so I figured this would be a good time to start.


















If you guys are going to do this please let me know what you are reading :).

Splinered by A.G. Howard

 

From Goodreads:

 Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

My Review:
 This book really surprised me. I will say I am not a huge Alice In Wonderland but wow this was great. Also what a gorgeous cover right?

Things I liked:
1) Alyssa- Dang this character was great. She definitely made this book way better.

2) Jeb- I really just want a whole book based on him because he was my favorite.

3) The world- I am not big on Alice in Wonderland but this book really was loosely based but that made it so much better!!!

Things I was not fond of:
1) If I had to pick one thing the ending was not that strong but I was really okay with it.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
 

Write For Me by Michelle Holt

From Goodreads:

My name is Bently Young. I wouldn’t say I’m an angry person. In fact my life had been like a bubble gum infused sundae topped with happiness sprinkles up until the age of when I could date. And I started to date a lot. Guys were fun at first, a nice dinner, someone to tell me I was pretty and laugh at my sarcastic jokes. But then the little creeps started showing their true colors. And they were not my favorite colors. They were like barf green and overripe fungus tangerine. And it made me angry. 

Swearing off dating all together was too drastic, but I sure wanted to not do it for a while. I had my family and friends to keep me occupied. I didn’t need a man to take me to cheesy restaurants. One could only eat so much free bread and butter. Life could keep zooming along without the necessity of someone with chest hair being around. 

Oh but then I met Josh. If I could have just never known he existed, all would have been fine. Of course, I don’t mean that because if I never knew he was in the world, my own world would have been an awful place. He makes me want to dance under a happiness sprinkle hail storm. Pretty much he is gorgeous and has the insane ability to use his words to make my heart float out of my chest. That made things a lot better when everything else I knew in my life decided to implode. But we weren’t immune to the black hole of horribleness either. 

My Review:

This book was so good. I am not going to lie I was rather surprised by it.

Things I liked:

1) Bently- I liked how she was not the same kind of girl character I read about a lot. She was strong, new what she wanted, and didn't depend on guys for her happiness. She was really a breathe of fresh air.

2) Josh- Oh my gosh what an awesome guy character. He was really everything I like in book guy characters. 

3) The way this was written was so amazing. It made you feel like you were in the characters lives and living it with them. I always appreciate that in a book. 

Things I was not fond of:

1) This took me a bit to get into. I feel like the beginning was kind of slow.

I would recommend this to anyone who is into contemporary. This is definitely a must read. 

My rating:♥♥♥♥

*This was provided to me by the author on a read and review basis*

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

 

From Goodreads:

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees...
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

My Review:

This was my first angel book and boy am I glad I started with this one.

Things I Liked:

1) Clara- This girl was just so awesome. She was not whiny like some girls tend to be in YA books and I appreciated that quality about her

2) Christian- I really had some doubts about him because he seemed like a jerk but he really grew on me and I loved him by the end

3) Tucker- I liked him from the beginning.  You will know why if you have read this.

4) Angela-  I loved girl. She made some questionable decisions but I let her slide on those things.

Things I was not fond of:

1) I felt like this book was slow at times and not alot happened. I will be continuing this series because I really enjoyed the characters and the writing.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥ 

Alive by Scott Sigler

From Goodreads:

A young woman awakes trapped in an enclosed space. She has no idea who she is or how she got there. With only her instincts to guide her, she escapes her own confinement—and finds she’s not alone. She frees the others in the room and leads them into a corridor filled with the remains of a war long past. The farther these survivors travel, the worse are the horrors they confront. And as they slowly come to understand what this prison is, they realize that the worst and strangest possibilities they could have imagined don’t even come close to the truth.

My review: 

This is the kind of book you really need to go in blind. I am going to be rather vague in my review since that is what the author requested at the end of the book.

Things I liked:

1) Em- This girl was by far my favorite character. She was strong and brave and just bad ass.

2) I loved how there was struggle and also friendship in the book.

3) This will probably seem weird but I liked the whole not know much about the world or what was going on. It made it a better experience to read I think.

Things I was not fond of:

1) There were somethings that happened that were rather confusing and didn't really make much sense.

2) The ending- I am aware this is suppose to be a trilogy and obviously it would end weird but I just was not happy with it.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥

*I received this book from NetGalley on a read and review basis*

Ruthless by Carolyn Lee Adams

From Goodreads:

A spine-tingling debut about the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse in reverse as a teen struggles to retain hope—and her sanity—while on the run from a cunning and determined killer.

Ruth Carver has always competed like her life depends on it. Ambitious. Tough. Maybe even mean. It’s no wonder people call her Ruthless.

When she wakes up with a concussion in the bed of a moving pickup trick, she realizes she has been entered into a contest she can’t afford to lose.

At a remote, rotting cabin deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ruth’s blindfold comes off and she comes face-to-face with her captor. A man who believes his mission is to punish bad girls like Ruth. A man who has done this six times before.

The other girls were never heard from again, but Ruth won’t go down easy. She escapes into the wilderness, but her hunter is close at her heels. That’s when the real battle begins. That’s when Ruth must decides just how far she’ll go in order to survive.

My Review:

This book is intense. It is dark and action packed.

Things I liked:

1) Ruth- Wow what a strong, brave and all around great character. This poor girl endured some horrible things.

2) I always enjoy flashbacks and of course I enjoyed them in this story as well.

3) Finally an ending I was satisfied with. I have been reading a lot lately and endings have been blah but dang this ending was great.

Things I Was Not Fond Of:

1) The length- Although I really enjoyed this book I still would have loved it if it was longer. I feel like some things were kind of rushed. 

I would recommend this if you like psychological thrillers at all. A quick read but very action packed.

My rating: ♥♥♥♥

*I received this on a read an review basis from Edelweiss*

Bookish Academy Tag

Thanks so much to the lovely Erica Gold. Go check out her blog guys. It is amazing and you will love it.

People I tag are:
1) Carina from My Addiction: Books
2) Cassie from Novels and Necklaces
3) Jazmen from This Girl Reads a lot!



Here we go with the questions:

1) Best Male Actor ( Best Male Protagonist):

For this I chose Joe from You. He definitely is not a likeable character but I really enjoyed his personality for some reason.









2) Best Actress( Best Female Protagonist):

For this one I picked Christine. She was such a great character to read about. I felt the same things she felt at parts of the book.










3) Best Cinematography( Best Plot Twist):

For this one I picked Gone Girl because some of the things that happened in this book really shocked me.










4) Best Costume Design(Best Book Cover):

 This book cover is so amazing. In person it is so much better. I tried to read this book but just could not get into it. I am willing to leave it on my shelf just because it is gorgeous.









5) Best Supporting Actor and Actress( Best Male and Female Sidekick:

 Male: I chose Toraf from Of Poseidon. He was a great sidekick.

Female: I chose Elodie from Hex Hall. 











6) Best Original Screenplay(Best Unique Plot/World):

 I chose this book because it was dystopian but not in a typical way. I loved this world so much.









7) Best Adapted Screenplay(Best Book-Movie Adapation):

 I picked this because I actually watched the movie first then read the book. I enjoyed the book but I really prefer the movie version. I mean hello Richard Gere!!









8) Best Animated Feature(Book That Would Work Well Animated):

 This may be cheating but I really think this would be a great animated because well its halfway there.









9) Best Director(A writer you discovered for the first time): 

 I know this is the one and only book Nicola Yoon has written but I will read any book she writes.









10) Best Visual Effects(Best Novella or Short Book):

This book is rather short but so so funny. I would recommend this if you are a book lover because it is rather entertaining.









11) Best Picture(Best Standalone):

This book was so emotional and I loved it so much. Cannot wait for the movie to come out!!!