Review: This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Published: April 2nd 2013
Publisher: Poppy/Little Brown
Page Count: Hardcover, 416
Source: Bought
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter
Buy This Book: Amazon , Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds. 
Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?

This book totally slipped past my book-dar until earlier this week, when I stumbled across it on HelloGiggles. I cannot tell a lie, I nearly had a miniature heart attack, because I seriously adored Jennifer E Smith's book The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, which I read last summer.

As you can see in the summary above, this book has the makings of a modern day fairy tale. An ordinary girl, a celebrity boy that meet accidentally through the internet. The internet factor made You've Got Mail pop up in my mind, which is in my top 10 favourite romantic movies of all time. I also had a little internet romance myself that turned into a 10 year and two children relationship, so naturally I was drawn to that story line! 

Jennifer E Smith has writing a believable unbelievable story down pat. This Is What Happy Looks Like And The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight both have very "unbelievable" story lines, but she has the talent to twist them in a way that is realistic and believable. I loved the fact that Ellie not only feared the media and publicity for the simple fact that she's an average girl and it's invasive, but because she has deeper reasons that added a nice twist to the obstacle of the romance in this book. 

Overall, this was a sweet book. I can't say that I loved it quite as much as The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight, but I still like this quite a bit and would recommend it to those that enjoy Young Adult Contemporaries. 

                                           4 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Review: Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand

Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand

Published: January 22nd 2013
Publisher: Harper Collins
Page Count: Hardcover, 438
Source: Bought
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Good Reads, Twitter, Facebook, Blog
Buy This Book:  Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

Well, it's finally over. And I'm a little sad. Sad because it's over, and a little saddened by the ending. I'm going to try to keep this as spoiler free as I can, so I won't mention any names, but the way I phrase things might give away something, so read ahead at your own risk if you haven't read this book yet.

I have a few complaints about this final installment of the Unearthly series. For me the outcome of the love triangle wasn't very good, and I'm trying not to give spoilers away here, but I felt that Cynthia Hand spent a little too much time away from the one that the focus should have been on and there grew an attachment to another and then it seemed as if she just pulled the rug out from under me and it's like, "wait, who's THAT guy? And why does she care so much? Where is the connection? He hasn't even been there for her!" And then the ending was all very tidy and smooth and it just didn't feel right to me.

But, I did love many other things about Boundless. I loved that Clara was able to connect more with her Father and I loved that she grew stronger in her angel skills and I actually teared up with the Samjeeza story line -- definitely a very good subplot throughout the series and I was satisfied with how it played out.

Overall, I'd still recommend this series, but it didn't end as well as I had hoped. So I'll only be giving it...

                                                              4 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Review: Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi

Published: February 5th 2013
Publisher: Harper Collins
Page Count: Hardcover, 461
Source: Bought
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Facebook, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
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tick tick tick tick tick
it's almost
time for war.
Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.
She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.
Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.
In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.

Tahereh Mafi, you devil, you! You have me hook, line and sinker!

The first quarter or so of the book really dragged for me. There was a lot of whiny Juliette and sometimes I just wanted to reach in and smack her around a little. And sometimes it felt like there was too much Juliette and not enough interaction with others, but that changed throughout the book and I ended up being hooked and I loved the character developments. 

And I'll try to zip it here and keep my fingers from saying the name of the person who deserves a lot of credit for making this book amazing, but I will say his name starts with a W and oooh la la, he stole my heart! 

So, overall, this book had me rolling my eyes a little in the beginning, and sometimes I even felt like I was drowning in metaphors, but it heated up and I couldn't take my eyes off of the pages! Definitely recommend to those who love steamy scenes (there are some really good ones in this), love triangles and overall really good writing!

                                                                               4 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Review: A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

Published: March 20th 2012
Publisher: Dial
Page Count: Hardcover, 435
Source: ARC
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance
When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.
Michelle Zink masterfully weaves historical fantasy with paranormal romance to create a gripping tale of love and betrayal. - Good Reads

I hate to do this review, because it isn't going to be glowing. And I hate that, because I love Michelle Zink. She is very sweet, has an amazing blog and I loved her Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy, which is what made me so eager to read A Temptation of Angels. 


A Temptation of Angels began with a really amazing opening scene that had me unable to put it down. Like, I was up at 3 am trying to nurse my newborn son back to sleep and I was beyond exhausted and I actually lingered and read after he'd gone back down. It was that intriguing. I really found the world building to be interesting. What was the problem for me then? Instaluuuuv. I can do instaluv, but it has to be believable and it just wasn't believable for me. I also felt that Helen was a little bit of a pushover on one hand and then on the other, she could be ridiculously defiant and do whatever she pleased, even if it wasn't a very clever mood. I just couldn't identify with her or sympathize with her. I felt that her character wasn't as fleshed out as I would have liked. There were also a few phrases or words that I felt were a little over-used as well. 


I'm not sure how to rate this book. I can't tell if it's really just a stand alone book or if there is potential for a series. If there is potential for a series, I'd be much more forgiving. The reason being is that I felt the character growth didn't satisfy me completely and neither did the blossoming of the romances - I think they should be stretched out a little more and given more room to grow. Plus the ending didn't feel final at all! 

                                              4 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Review: A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

A Midsummer's Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Published: June 5th 2012
Publisher: Poppy
Page Count: Hardcover, 304
Source: Bought
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog, Tumblr
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

Whitley Johnson's dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She's just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée's son? Whitley's one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin' great.
Worse, she totally doesn't fit in with her dad's perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn't even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she's ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn't "do" friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn't her stepbrother...at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.
Filled with authenticity and raw emotion, Whitley is Kody Keplinger's most compelling character to date: a cynical Holden Caulfield-esque girl you will wholly care about. - Good Reads

This is my first Kody Kepling book and it definitely will not be my last. I've been meaning to read her other books, but never managed to get to one until A Midsummer's Nightmare. Something about the cover drew me in. I think because that cover girl looks a little fierce. And the main character of this story; Whitley Johnson is definitely fierce. A fierce bitch. I hated her at first. She was mean. She was heartless. She was whiny. And then the amazing author that Kody Kepling is, made me slowly start to feel for Whitley and begin to sympathize with why she is the way she is and it felt legit. No convenient excuses for her actions. You see it all played out over the course of the book. And I started to feel angry for Whitley, rather than angry at her. I think that is half because of the authors skill and half because I can totally relate to Whitley's situation. I still get those feelings of jealousy with my Father and step family at 27 years old. When her Father kept repeatedly blowing her off, I felt for her. I also loved the secondary characters, who really weaved into the story perfectly. They didn't feel like props just thrown in there: they definitely belonged there and added feelings and momentum to the book. I didn't really feel the love story a whole lot until a bit later into the book and I think what shone more in this book was the character growth, but the romantic interest was good and I felt those required (well, a requirement for me, that is. I love feeling that way when I read...) flutters a few times! 


Overall, a good read and one I'd definitely recommend to those who love the Contemporary Young Adult genre.

                                               4 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver


Published: March 10th 2010
Publisher: Harper Collins
Page Count: Hardcover, 470
Source: Library Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book:  Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life? Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing. - Good Reads

For some reason I have this morbid thing for books where people die. Maybe it's because I love a good tearjerker or maybe it's because I have this horrible fear of what will happen after I die and reading books about it gives me some sort of hope that there will be something there for me (which doesn't make sense because they're fictional, I know). Either way, when I read the summary of Before I Fall I knew I had to read it. That teamed up with the fact that it was written by Lauren Oliver who I'm in love with after reading Delirium made it a must-read and it ended up being a must-read. 


Lauren Oliver knows how to write with such a realistic tone. And such detail is given to the surroundings and characters that you can literally just get right in there and feel it - but the detail is given subtly, not to the point where you want to yawn and skip.


I think my favourite part of this book was seeing how Sam grew throughout each of her chances. She started out as such a bitch, she was just such a frustrating character, but as she re-lived the day each time she slowly started to change and by the end you truly felt for her and her eyes started to open about how all the little things you do can affect yourself and others and sometimes the blatantly mean things that you may do. It also was a good lesson in motivation: what motivates hate or meanness and it was interesting how each of the characters tied into the story in different ways and to see their individual motivation. I also loved how sex and attraction was spun in this book. That aspect alone made it a book that I'll definitely be handing to my daughter in her teens, because I liked how it was portrayed. 


RECOMMENDED TO...
I'd recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It's got a hint of fantasy to it, but it reads like realistic contemporary fiction and there are a lot of good lessons to be found inside. If you love books that make you think, you'll love this.
Heads Up: There are sexual references and there is a smidgen of swearing. 


                          4 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Review: Carrier of the Mark (Carrier of the Mark #1) by Leigh Fallon

Carrier of the Mark (Carrier of the Mark #1) by Leigh Fallon

Published: October 4th 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: Paperback, 342
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon, Book Depository
Add It To Your Good Reads Shelf

Their love was meant to be.
When Megan Rosenberg moves to Ireland, everything in her life seems to fall into place. After growing up in America, she's surprised to find herself feeling at home in her new school. She connects with a group of friends, and she is instantly drawn to darkly handsome Adam DeRÍs.
But Megan is about to discover that her feelings for Adam are tied to a fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that brought them together could be their ultimate destruction. - Good Reads

I saw this book popping up throughout the book blogging community and I fell in love with the cover, the synopsis  and the author Leigh Fallon, who is the cutest thing ever and has an amazing online personality! I can honestly say I had some high expectations of this novel and while it wasn't perfect, I did really enjoy it, but mostly because I'm interested in how it will unfold in the next book. 


In this there is.... let me warn ya....

Yes, there is some major instaluv. But it didn't necessarily distract from the story... and I'm thinking (and hoping) there is more to the relationship than meets the eye. I did find myself more attracted to the love interests brother and hoping there would be some sparks - it almost felt like some were stirring, but I think it might have been my imagination, because they quickly disappeared. I can handle instaluv sometimes, but normally it isn't my cup of tea and I often find myself attracted to those series where the love grows over time, because it makes that moment where they finally realize it or overcome obstacles all the sweeter. But as I said, I think there is something a little sneaky and something that will be potentially surprising to this instaluv attraction, so I'm going to let it go and ride it out until the next book and see where Leigh takes us, because I still have this little feeling in the back of my mind that this is not going to be a cut and dry love story. 


The big winner of this novel was the lore and the setting. I was totally taken by Ireland and the entire mythology of the novel. It was fascinating and quite different than a lot of what I've read recently or really ever. I'm totally into it and I can wait to learn more. Sometimes it felt a little bit like there was a big information dump, but in all honesty, I would totally have 152 questions if I was in Megan's shoes. And in a way, I kind of liked the information dump, because it laid a lot of it out on the table, unlike another book I read recently (hmph) that totally withheld, which completely disappointed me. Giving information > Withholding information. There was still enough information withheld to keep you wanting to learn more though, but it worked in a good way. 


Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. I even slept on my opinion and let it stew, just to be sure, because last night I had some small issues with the book and wasn't exactly sure how I felt, but after much thought, I really think this series has potential and I'm excited to see where it takes me (and I definitely don't regret buying it)! 


                                    4 out of 5 Hello Kitties!

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) by Michelle Hodkin
Published: September 27th 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Page Count: Hardback, 452
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Find the Author: Website, Good Reads, Twitter, Blog
Buy This Book: Amazon,Book Depository

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.It can.She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.There is.She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.She's wrong. - Good Reads

My feelings for this book are very confused! But look at that cover. It's actually my favourite cover of the year. Beeeeautiful! But to start this review I'm going to be honest and throw the bad out in the open.

WHAT REALLY BOTHERED ME

The ending. After 452 pages there was no real conclusion...basically nothing substantial about Mara was discovered. Other than something that was blatantly obvious throughout the book, but no hows, whys or whats. It was disappointing. I'm sure all with be revealed in the next book, but I really felt a little more should have been covered in this one. All series books have cliffhangers, but this wasn't even really used as the cliffhanger - something else that was interesting and completely unexpected was, but that's beside the point. I would have liked a little more clarity. 

Now despite that big issue, I did enjoy the book. I absolutely loved the quick witted and often humorous banter between Mara and Noah. This book was full of really funny quotes:

“What could I say? Noah, despite you being an asshole, or maybe because of it, I'd like to rip off your clothes and have your babies.” 

“You're distracting,' I said truthfully. 'I won't be. I promise,' Noah said. 'I'll get some crayons and draw quitely. Alone. In a corner.” 

And there were tons more, but I don't want to spam this review with quotes I loved from this book, because that would probably get a little too excessive. Noah wasn't exactly a stud for me at "first sight", but he definitely grew on me. Some girls may call him a little inappropriate at times, but I'm horribly inappropriate myself about 98% of the time, so that doesn't bother me much. I thought he was funny! And I love funny!


Mara Dyer goes through some genuinely frightening situations. There were times where I felt thoroughly creeped out and was a little nervous to be alone reading by the light of my little lone lamp. Hodkin's is definitely a wonderful writer and good at setting a mood. 


Overall, I liked this, but the fact that basically nothing was solved AT ALL throughout the book is going to have to downgrade my rating. I almost wanted to give it a 3, but ended up going with 4. The other parts of the story made up for it.


                                       4 out of 5 Hello Kitties