Ink is Thicker Than Water by Amy Spalding | Book Review

TITLE: Ink is Thicker Than Water
AUTHOR: Amy Spalding
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Entangled Teen / 2013
SERIES: No
SOURCE: Received for review from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads / Author's Website

Summary
For Kellie Brooks, family has always been a tough word to define. Combine her hippie mom and tattooist stepdad, her adopted overachieving sister, her younger half brother, and her tough-love dad, and average Kellie’s the one stuck in the middle, overlooked and impermanent. When Kellie’s sister finally meets her birth mother and her best friend starts hanging with a cooler crowd, the feeling only grows stronger.

But then she reconnects with Oliver, the sweet and sensitive college guy she had a near hookup with last year. Oliver is intense and attractive, and she’s sure he’s totally out of her league. But as she discovers that maybe intensity isn’t always a good thing, it’s yet another relationship she feels is spiraling out of her control.

It’ll take a new role on the school newspaper and a new job at her mom’s tattoo shop for Kellie to realize that defining herself both outside and within her family is what can finally allow her to feel permanent, just like a tattoo.

Thoughts and Reactions
Ink is Thicker Than Water is the first book I've read by Amy Spalding. I kept meaning to read The Reece Malcolm List after hearing amazing things about it when it first came out, but somehow never got around to it. I'm regretting that now because I thoroughly enjoyed her second novel. 

Ink is Thicker Than Water delves into non-traditional family dynamics and what it's like to slowly start to grow up, change and maybe grow apart from things that had always been a constant in your life. Spalding's writing doesn't glamorize or making anything more dramatic; it holds a mirror up to a lot of very common experiences. Kellie is a middle child in a fairly non-traditional family. Her parents are divorced, her mother remarried, her older sister is adopted and her mother runs a tattoo shop with her stepfather. It's messy and loving and Kellie is just kind of floating along. She's one of those teens who doesn't want to appear to try to hard and doesn't think she's that great at anything, but when her sister starts pulling away in favour of her biological mother and her best friend starts ditching her for the popular girls Kellie feels completely un-tethered and needs to find herself again. 

I enjoyed reading about Kellie's experiences specifically because nothing seemed that unusual or out of the ordinary. There was a story arc and some drama, but it felt real, like this was just Kellie's life and not a soap opera. The family dynamic in this story was messy and beautiful and real as it should be. You can tell all of her parents care about her, even if she can't always see it and despite the hurt they can cause each other at times there was always love beneath it. I sometimes love reading about positive family dynamics; they can be rare and you're so lucky if you have a loving and supportive family and I can get behind a book that shows them, mess and all. 

There were times in the book I wanted to shake all the characters. Kellie made some poor choices and her sister Sara at times was downright mean. However, just because I didn't support every decision made in the book, doesn't mean I didn't understand where each one is coming  from. These characters often did not make the best decisions, but they always made sense for the character and I could see their reasoning. 

The relationships in this book were what made it for me. The relationship between Kellie and her family was supportive and you could sense the love, the worry, the hope, but Kellie's friendships and relationship with Oliver, the cute college boy were also pretty spot on. Friendship is high school can be hard; people are changing and growing apart and finding new interests and sometimes it's hard to maintain friendships that you once valued so much. It's this kind of problem that Kellie faces and her struggle to find her place and make new friends was so relatable for me. That sort of in between time when you feel like you don't have any close friends and aren't sure where you're supposed to sit at lunch or how you're supposed to act? Been there. I think a lot of people could relate to Kellie's experiences in that way. 

I didn't think Kellie's relationship with Oliver was the most well drawn relationship, but I can also forgive a lot since we're getting the story from Kellie's perspective. For her having a boyfriend is more about having somebody to make out with and talk to a little after. It's not the most mature relationship, but it made sense. She likes him and likes hanging out with him, but finds him a little intense (which he totally is). Plus she's got so much going on in her life she can't really get that emotionally invested in anybody. Also. She's sixteen. Hanging out and making out with somebody you're pretty into, but maybe don't love makes sense to me. 

Ink is Thicker Than Water wasn't the most fast-paced or exciting book I've read this year, but I found it a touching and realistic portrayal of family, friends, growing up and finding your place in the world. It doesn't speak to a universal teenage experience, but it does speak to one type of experience that I found captivating. I would re-read this book and am looking forward to reading the rest of Amy Spalding's works.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins | Book Review

TITLE: Isla and the Happily Ever After
AUTHOR: Stephanie Perkins
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Dutton / 2014
SERIES: Yes, but can be read as a stand alone. It follows Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door
SOURCE: Purchased

Goodreads / Author's Website

Summary
Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last? 

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. 

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

Thoughts and Reactions
You Guys, I've loved everything I have ever read by Stephanie Perkins. I basically swooned my way through Anna and the French Kiss (it remains a favourite book of mine to this day) and while Lola and the Boy Next Door wasn't as memorable for me I still loved it at the time. I have been looking forward to reading Isla and the Happily Ever After for ages and I'm so glad I finally got the chance to. 

Isla and the Happily Ever After is set the year after Anna and the French Kiss. Isla is living in New York for the summer when she runs into Josh, the boy from school who she's had a crush on forever. Once they're back in Paris they're inseparable, but of course life gets in the way. They have a few romantic weeks, but Josh's issues with rules come back and threaten to separate them as does the looming possibility of going to separate countries for college. 

Isla isn't exactly what I was expecting when I first started reading it, but I don't think that's a criticism in the slightest. Both Anna and Isla were on the lighter side of reading for me; they dealt with real world issues, but the characters were fairly confident and I, as a reader, was confident in the happy ending. These were fictional characters that swept me off my feet, but they were still fictional characters living in a beautiful version of the modern world. These are a few of the reasons why I love the books so much. Isla was different in that way though; she felt more real, more grounded as a character. She hit very close to home for me. 

There were moments reading this book that I admit I had to put it down and it took me awhile to pick it back up again. This went on right until I was finished. The writing was as always spot on, but I saw a lot of myself in Isla and not always in the best way. She's a bright, academically motivated high school senior, but she doesn't have a plan and feels completely adrift. She has a lot of insecurities that just are. They don't really have an explanation, but they affect her decisions, her relationships, everything really. It was hard to read parts of it because I know that I myself have made and will continue to make a few of her poorer decisions. This was a girl I know well. Picking a fight with a boyfriend because of some fear that really only stems from your own mind? Yup, been there. Anna is one of my favourite books because it's escapism for me; I loved Isla, but because it felt REAL. This is a story that I know. 

The story line has none of the big dramas of the other two novels, again it felt more grounded in reality. At times the pace may have felt sluggish for some, but for me it was perfect. Josh is a senators son and talented artist who has some issues with school and rules and sure these kids can hop on a train to Barcelona, but nothing felt over dramatic. The tone was right and their reactions were those of high school students. Most of it focuses on the painful decisions you have to make once you graduate and separate from the people you've known for years. It's about trying to figure out your place in the larger world and how you react to it. 

One of my favourite things about Stephanie Perkins is her ability to weave humour and levity into her books that aren't always light and fluffy and that remains true with this one. I also love the settings. The worlds she creates are beautiful and filled with artwork and love. It's really our world as it should be. Anna inspired me to go to Paris the first time and Isla makes me want to revisit it. The beauty of the scenery is inspiring and it makes me want to live in this world with murals on the walls and trains through the countryside. Even getting drenched in the rain sounds romantic when it's on the pages of this novel. 

Isla was a harder read for me and I know I won't revisit it as much as I would with the other novels in this series, but only because it is so well written and spot on. If I didn't relate to it as much as I do it would be easier to read, but wouldn't be as real. This book affected me in ways that the other novels did not and I'm grateful for that. I'm so glad that I finally read it and I'm glad I persevered even when I found it difficult. It's a fantastic end to one of my favourite series. 

Thorn Abbey by Nancy Ohlin | Book Review

TITLE: Thorn Abbey
AUTHOR: Nancy Ohlin
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Simon Pulse / 2013
SERIES: No
SOURCE: Purchased

Goodreads / Author's Website

Summary
Becca was the perfect girlfriend: smart, gorgeous, and loved by everyone at New England’s premier boarding school, Thorn Abbey. But Becca’s dead. And her boyfriend, Max, can’t get over his loss.

Then Tess transfers to Thorn Abbey. She’s shy, insecure, and ordinary—everything that Becca wasn’t. And despite her roommate’s warnings, she falls for brooding Max.

Now Max finally has a reason to move on. Except it won’t be easy. Because Becca may be gone, but she’s not quite ready to let him go…

Thoughts and Reactions
You know those books where it's just difficult to formulate your thoughts to form a cohesive opinion? Thorn Abbey is one of those books for me. There is a lot to be critical of, but also a lot to like and it's left me feeling pretty scattered. Thorn Abbey is a modern retelling of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. The story is now centered on Tess, a brilliant, but insecure and socially awkward girl who has trouble fitting in. She falls for the rich and popular Max, but feels that her relationship will always come in second to his relationship with the now dead Becca, the former Queen Bee on campus. I think it's a super interesting premise and it could be an absolutely brilliant retelling, but the problem is, I've never read the original novel. I feel like I'm missing out on a lot by knowing absolutely nothing about the source material, but there you have it. 

I was totally drawn in by the premise of the book, but I have to admit that when I first started reading I almost put it back down. I found Tess to be so incredibly off putting; I wasn't sure that I would make it through the book, but I realized that she was written that way for a reason and I soldiered on. Tess is an incredibly frustrating character; she's insecure, needy and at times a little delusional. It's so difficult for me to read about somebody like that. However, ultimately it was the right choice for the story. I think in the end Tess needed to be the way she was for anything to work. Plus, she was always described as being awkward and insecure and wow, did she show that. So while I found this character to be incredibly frustrating, I have a feeling it's true to the original and she seemed to work as a plot device. 

That aside, the story itself was super creepy. The presence of this dead girl throughout the school is overpowering. People, especially her super popular ex-roommate are obsessed with her in a way that cannot be healthy. It's that part of the plot that really drew me in. How much power did this girl really have over everybody and how is her presence still so tangible despite her death months ago? 

That's where what I understand to be the modern updates come in. There's a definite supernatural, haunting presence that was more than weird enough for me. I'm a total wimp when it comes to that sort of thing. Writing on walls, flying embers, burning pages all of it added up to one vengeful ghost and I cannot deal. I mean it keeps the pages turning and sets the tone from the start, but it creeps me out just thinking about it now. For those of you who are into ghost stories and supernatural heebie jeebies, you'll probably think of this as super tame, but for me, it struck the right balance. 

Now I did have an issue with some of the character development. The characters were fairly two dimensional and we never learn a lot about anybody. They're flat and show no growth. There's no emotional journey. Max is moody, the girls are all stereotypical mean girls, the cousin is sleazy, there's the loyal best friend, I could go on. That having been said, it's not like this was a book driven by characters; it was more about action. I just happen to like some solid character development in my stories. 

Overall, I enjoyed Thorn Abbey as it is, without comparison to the original. I like the boarding school setting and think that Ohlin set up the plot and tone well. The supernatural aspect, for me, enhance the story and it's the main reason why I'm still shivering about it now, days after I finished reading; always a good sign. It was by far not the perfect novel and maybe those of you who have read the original will have more to criticize, but I liked it for what it was and would buy it again for my shelf. 

Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle | Book Review

TITLE: Let it Snow
AUTHOR: John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Speak / 2008
SERIES: No
SOURCE: Purchased 

Goodreads 

Summary
An ill-timed storm on Christmas Eve buries the residents of Gracetown under multiple feet of snow and causes quite a bit of chaos. One brave soul ventures out into the storm from her stranded train and sets off a chain of events that will change quite a few lives. Over the next three days one girl takes a risky shortcut with an adorable stranger, three friends set out to win a race to the Waffle House (and the hash brown spoils), and the fate of a teacup pig falls into the hands of a lovesick barista.

A trio of today's bestselling authors - John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle- brings all the magic of the holidays to life in three hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and kisses that will steal your breath away.

I love picking up a book around this time of year to help get me in the Christmas spirit. Movies are great, but sometimes I want to be able to sip tea, look at the lights and read. This year's choice was Let it Snow, a trio of short stories by some absolutely fantastic authors. Holidays? Yes. Romance? Yes. That pretty much sums up my criteria for a fun holiday read; I don't want anything too serious. Light and fun will do the trick. I had read a couple reviews of this book last year that weren't overflowing with praise, but it was cheap enough and I haven't met a holiday book I haven't liked to some extent yet. 

Thoughts and Reactions
The streak continues with Let it Snow. It wasn't the perfect, blow me away, reread all the time kind of book, but it was exactly what I was looking for. The book is three interweaving stories connected by setting and secondary characters. Each author has their own take on Christmas romances and I enjoyed each one in it's own way. I find I'm having issues summarizing and reviewing the book as a whole since each story is unique so I'll split up my discussion into three sections. 

The first story is Maureen Johnson's "The Jubilee Express." On Christmas Eve Jubilee's parents are arrested and instead of going to her boyfriend's Christmas Eve Smorgasbord she has to get on a train to get to her grandparents in Florida. The train gets stuck just outside of Gracetown and she must rely on the help of a stranger to have a warm, safe place for the night. The stranger just happens to be Stuart, a boy her age who has recently had his heart broken. 

I really enjoyed "The Jubilee Express" although it took me a little while to warm up to Jubilee herself. She's one of those characters who seemed totally believable and I know people like her in life, but my god she drove me crazy at times. She was so concerned with outward appearances that she rarely saw what was really happening.  I enjoyed the building tension between Stuart and Jubilee and more than anything loved the supporting characters in this story. Stuart's family was so sweet and caring if a little quirky and well I'll leave the reason why Jubilee's parents were arrested out of this since I think you should find that out for yourself if you don't already know. "The Jubilee Express" felt like a cute holiday romance with some fairly believable characters in weird and quirky situations. It kind of just made me go aww, I know, not the most eloquent way of putting it. 

The second story is John Green's "A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle." This was probably my least favourite of the three stories which definitely surprised me. I was honestly expecting to like it more than I did. This one centers on Tobin and Angie, best friends who go, with another friend, on an epic midnight Christmas Eve adventure to the local Waffle House to meet some cheerleaders who were stranded on the same train as Jubilee. 

These characters just seemed to rub me the wrong way. They were incredibly nerdy cool in a way that almost seemed to look down on others or like they were all trying just a little too hard to really pull it off. There's a weird male obsession with hooking up with cheerleaders, but also a certain disdain in the writing towards them. Angie is a cool girl because she's a girl, but totally doesn't act like one (but of course still wants to be seen as one). I think that's the part that really got to me; why does being a cool girl amount to displaying more masculine traits and being one of the guys? I'm all for going your own way; this just seems to be a female stereotype that comes up a lot and kind of bothers me. I know there are others out there who have examined this in much more detail and I'm feeling the need to read up on it now. The other part of it was that I just couldn't get behind the adventure. Driving your car up an icy road in the middle of the night during a blizzard is a really good way to get killed. There was some incredibly poor decision making displayed in this story. 

The final story is Lauren Myracle's "The Patron Saint of Pigs." This one centers on Addie a girl who has just broken up with her boyfriend, who happens to be another passenger stuck on the train. She's absolutely heart broken, but also realizes that what has happened was ultimately her doing.  It's now Boxing Day and she must go to work while dealing with her heartbreak and horrible breakup haircut and remember to pick up the pig she and her friend have purchased for their friend who is absolutely obsessed with pigs. 

I know this wasn't a story loved by many, but I really enjoyed Myracle's take on some classic holiday plot lines. Angels and bells, they just go with Christmas you know? Maybe I've just seen It's a Wonderful Life one too many times. Her characters are probably the least fleshed out of all three, but I was too busy enjoying the talk about angels and self improvement and worth to really care. I could not stand Addie's two friends, Dorrie and Tegan, even her boss ended up getting on my nerves. Dorrie was written as a Jewish stereotype and Tegan basically had no personality of her own. The thing that got to me was everybody telling Addie how selfish she was being and while she did display a lot of selfish behaviour, the reactions to some of the things that happened seemed extreme. Not all, she did do one major thing that I know won't sit well with a lot of readers. However, despite its flaws; I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Overall, Let it Snow isn't my favourite holiday book of all time, but I know I'll pick it up again next Christmas. It's light, it's a really fast read and all the stories are about people falling in love in the snow. How bad could any of that be; you just have to be in the right mood for it. Which I, perhaps shamefully, always am. 

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater | Book Review

Title: The Dream Thieves
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher/Year: Scholastic Press/2013
Series: Yes, The Raven Cycle, Book 2
Source: Purchased 

Goodreads / Author's Website

Summary
Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same.
Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. 

Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after...


Thoughts and Reactions

In writing my review for this novel I realized that I never actually posted, or wrote, my review for The Raven Boys, the first novel of the series. Suffice to say, I loved it. I loved it so much that upon finishing it I pretty much immediately purchased it's sequel. However, that was a year ago and I just finished The Dream Thieves. That has nothing to do with the book and everything to do with my head space at the time. 

I picked up The Dream Thieves time and time again with the intention of reading it, but for whatever reason I could not get passed the first few chapters. I put it down and came back to it about a week ago. I was hooked. It picks up right near where The Raven Boys left off. Adam has recently woken the ley line and nobody's sure how to act around him. Noah is becoming increasingly dim as the line is surging and causing power outages across Henrietta. Everybody now knows that Ronan can take objects from dreams and that's really the focus of this book. 

Ronan is an interesting and complex character; although he wasn’t my favourite going it, he grew on me as I felt like this novel really introduces us to him. He comes across as brash, but only because he cares so much. He has this ability that he doesn’t understand; one that may or may not have had something to do with his father’s death is and he’s still trying to figure himself out. The Dream Thieves really paints him in a more sympathetic light since you really get to see his perspective.

The title essentially sums up the book. Unlike The Raven Boys where the boys and Blue are trying to find a mystical ley line, but it is mostly rooted in reality, The Dream Thieves expands upon this mystical world. Friends are dead but in the land of the living and Ronan can take things from dreams. It’s crazy and thrilling. It didn’t feel like a departure so much as a ramping up of the action and the world’s magical nature.

I’m not sure what else to say about this book as I don’t want to ruin it for anybody who has not already read it, but it thoroughly gripped me. Henrietta is more dangerous now that the line has been woken and more people are out to find it. The characters are dealing with things that they don’t fully understand and it is so exciting for the reader. I love the characterizations and how fully each character is being developed. The relationships forming between them feel real and fractured and I can’t think of a single character who I don’t like. Even the characters who I don’t like, villains like Kapuscinki, have more than one dimension and are compelling.

I am now thoroughly invested in the Raven Cycle and cannot wait to read Blue Lily, Lily Blue. I don’t often read series because I find myself getting bored halfway through, but this is one that I’m more than happy to continue. 

Blood Sports by Eden Robinson | Book Review

Title: Blood Sports
Author: Eden Robinson
Publisher/Year: Mclelland & Stewart/2006
Series: No
Source: Purchased 

Goodreads 

Summary

Tom, a young man, hardly innocent, has been caught up over the years in Jeremy’s world of drugs, extortion, and prostitutes, while Jeremy, vindictive, vicious, either protects Tom or uses him, but always controls him. Added to the mix is Paulie, a junkie two years clean and Tom’s girlfriend, and also the mother of his daughter. This lethal triangle shifts when word gets out Tom has been talking to the police, and men from the past who have a lot to lose reappear. Suddenly Tom and Paulie are pawns in a much larger game, with everything at stake.

Thoughts and Reactions

I have to be honest, crime thrillers aren't my usual genre. I have a weak stomach, what can I say. No matter how well written a novel is I'll find myself skipping over parts of it I find too gruesome; it's the same reason I don't watch horror movies. I generally stick to contemporary for a reason. That having been said, every once in awhile I find myself picking up a crime novel, a novel that describes itself as gritty, and giving it a shot. I have yet to fall in love with one of these books, Blood Sports included. 

Blood Sports fits squarely into its genre. It takes place on the Downtown East Side of Vancouver; one of the poorest areas of North America. Tom is living with his girlfriend and daughter in a small apartment, trying to leave his past behind, but it starts to catch up with him. He is kidnapped, tortured; it is all brutally described in detail. It may be a work of fiction, but none of it is entirely out of the realm of possible, making it that much more difficult to read. 

Robinson's prose suits the genre and helps set a dark, dank and downright creepy tone throughout the novel. It is direct, never shying away from the more unsavoury details of whatever a character is going through, whether it be a drug overdose or torture. It is brutal and fitting. An interesting stylistic choice that I found to be quite effective was the way the story jumped around in time. It was jarring and on occasion it took me awhile to figure out where in time we were, but it added to the story's overall chaos and confusion. We are normally seeing the story through Tom's eyes and he is often unsure of what is happening; the jumps through time help  bring that confusion to the reader. 

The characterizations are brilliant and while I felt for Tom and his girlfriend Paulie; I could also clearly see how they ended up in the situation they were in. They made many poor choices, compounded by bad luck. That's not to say that I didn't want them to come out ahead in the end as they were complex characters who were clearly trying to build a better life, but it was also easy for me to see why that was so difficult for them. Jeremy Reiger, Tom's sociopathic cousin is one of the most disturbing, unfeeling characters I have come across in literature and not somebody I want to revisit anytime soon; I can only assume that was Robinson's goal while writing him into this novel and that she was successful at it. 

I didn't love Blood Sports, but I didn't expect to. I found it to be more than a little unsettling and I do think that that's a sign of a successful thriller/murder mystery. I put down the book and felt so creeped out; there really was no reprieve to the tension. I think Robison wrote an excellent crime novel and I love that it was set in a Canadian city. It may not have been the book for me and I won't be picking up another thriller in the near future, but I would definitely recommend it to somebody who liked the genre and maybe, just maybe, has stronger nerves than me.

Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen | Book Review

TITLE: Lock & Key
AUTHOR: Sarah Dessen
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Viking / 2008
SERIES: No
SOURCE: Purchased

Goodreads / Author's Website

There's a reason Sarah Dessen has such a huge following. She consistently writes engaging young-adult novels that touch on themes close to many people's hearts. Lock & Key is no exception. Ruby has been living on her own for months after her mother took off, but once social services finds out she goes to live with Cora, her estranged sister and Jamie, Cora's down to earth, family oriented husband.

Honestly, it took me awhile to get into this book and I don't think it was the story, but me. I don't think I was in the right mood for this particular book on this particular day. That having been said, Dessen constantly writes compelling, flawed characters that draw me in and make me want to keep reading. Ruby is so hurt and this story is really about her and learning how to trust and reconcile her old life with her new one. I felt for her despite her flaws and her occasional obvious obliviousness.

Of course, there's also the boy next door. Nate, the hot swimmer who seems to have a perfect life, but as the two get closer and Ruby learns to open up, it becomes obvious that not all is what it seems. I found Nate's story to be almost more compelling than Ruby's. He was such a sympathetic character, always putting others before himself. I kind of wanted a glimpse into his head. I felt for him and wanted to know more.

Being a comfort read, the plot was fairly predictable,but sometimes that's okay. You know what you're getting when you read a Dessen novel and you start it because you know you'll like it in the end despite it's predictability.

Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story by Diane Setterfield | Book Review

TITLE: Bellman & Black
AUTHOR: Diane Setterfield
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Atria Books / October 2013
SERIES: No
SOURCE: Received for Review via NetGalley

Goodreads / Author's Website

Recently I've been trying to branch out from my typical YA fare. It may seem a little nuts since I haven't been involved with the YA community for that long and I have so much catching up to do, but I've been missing my literary fiction. With that in mind I picked up Bellman & Black; Diane Setterfield's second novel. Now I haven't read The Thirteenth Tale, but I've heard some really good things about it so I was kind of looking forward to Bellman & Black just based on author reputation. I just didn't end up loving it as much as I thought I would.

What originally drew me to the novel was the premise more than anything else. It's described as a ghost story. William Bellman accidentally kills a rook when he's eleven years old, an incident that supposedly has a profound impact on his life. We jump ahead to when he is a young adult, leading a very happy life. He marries a beautiful woman, has healthy children and is amazingly successful in his business. However, the people he loves are slowly taken from him until it all ends in tragedy. A mysterious man dressed all in black has been at each funeral and as the deaths get closer to Bellman, the man offers him a compromise to save his favourite child, but it's a deal he can't fully remember.

That set up sounds kind of fantastic. It's a ghost story, a man haunted by death, but I just didn't think it panned out like I thought it would. I was expecting well a ghost or at least a little bit of creep factor. I didn't get any of that at all. Honestly, I felt like these life changing events left Bellman nearly completely unmarred. I would have loved just a little more humanity from him. The beginning is strong. Setterfield manages to build a sense of foreboding withing the first few pages. She has a very descriptive writing style that worked so well in setting tone. Like I figured something was going to happen after the innocent rook is killed.  As the deaths started piling up I was definitely creeped out, but that's where the book lost me.

While the tone and style worked, William never seemed like a fully fleshed out character. More than anything else he felt like an allegorical character more than anything else. He was only there to prove a moral point; he was a protagonist in a three hundred plus page book and it just didn't work for me. He was distant and lacked a human element. He was so focused on his work and making things run smoothly that he missed the real parts of life, the play and the grief. While I feel like it worked in getting across the overall message of the book I didn't want to read about a theme, I prefer reading about a person. It was hard to invest in him when he was invested in so little.

I also couldn't really get a feel for secondary characters. Bellman couldn't connect to them and therefore I as a reader couldn't. Some of them seemed to have interesting stories, but it's hard to say when we learn so little about them. Overall I would have loved to see some more character development throughout the novel.

I feel like the point of the book was that death comes for everybody and we need to take time out to appreciate life and grieve for the ones we lost; things that Bellman never did. Here's the thing though; I feel like that's a pretty well used/loved theme and I don't think this is the best example of it. There was a total disconnect between the tone and the plot. The basic plot was just so well known, man invests more in money than he does in life and there wasn't anything new in it.

I loved Setterfield's overall style. I loved the eeriness and have no complaints about tone or style. I would still love to read The Thirteenth Tale because writing wise Bellman & Black totally worked for me. I wish I could say I connected to this particular story more, but it left me flat. Well trodden themes and characters that I couldn't feel for made reading this particular book feel like a chore. However, I did gain a new appreciation for Setterfield's style and look forward to trying another book of hers in the future.

Faking It by Cora Carmack | Book Review

TITLE: Faking It
AUTHOR: Cora Carmack
PUBLISHER/YEAR: William Morrow & Co. / June 4, 2013
SERIES: Book Two, The Losing It Series
SOURCE: Purchased

Goodreads / Author's Website

Romance novels are so addictive. If I'm in the right mood I can pretty much pick one up and not put it down again until I've flipped the last page. I mean as long as they're well written and don't make me gag. Cora Carmack's Finding It is one of those ones that I just couldn't put down. Finding It is a continuation of of the Losing It series, following Bliss' former best friend, Cade as he moves on in a new city. Carmack has this ability to combine humour and real life awkwardness with romance story worthy swoons which really sets her books apart for me. Basically, I love every minute of them.

Faking It is Cade's story, after being rejected by Bliss he goes into a bit of a funk, goes to grad school, but doesn't really move on. The love interest in this one is Max, she's a rock singer who works in a club and tattoo parlour to pay the bills. She's dating some tattooed drummer named Mace, but when her parents visit unexpectedly she needs to find a suitable boyfriend stand in, somebody who won't scare them off. Enter Cade. These two need to fake the relationship, but when it goes a little too well have to continue it through the holiday season. Of course, feelings develop and problems arise, isn't that where the fun is?

You guys, I really love books that include some awkward fun in with the sexy times. That has got to be one of my favourite things about reading a Carmack novel. She writes enough of real life into her books to make them semi-believable without losing the romance novel veneer. It's like the perfect blend of fantasy and reality. I was a little hesitant to read Faking It if only because I couldn't see how it could ever live up to Losing It, also partly maybe because it takes place after university and makes me mourn for my own university days. Totally normal reaction no? Of course, I devoured the book in like a day so I must not have been too hesitant. I wasn't a huge fan of Cade in Losing It because you know what I can't stand? The "Nice Guy." The "Nice Guy" isn't a genuinely nice guy, he's the best friend who always wants more and is convinced every other guy the girl sees is a jerk. He doesn't really want friendship, but is just angling for something more. That's not genuine and it's not nice. So Cade and I, well we're still on the fence.

Throughout Faking It Cade is half in love with Bliss, but quickly realizes that he might have stronger feelings for Max. Maybe it wasn't love after all. When I say I'm on the fence about him a lot of it has to do with his continued thoughts about Bliss. When he's with Max I can totally get behind him as a romantic lead. Maybe he's just not my type of swoon worthy?

Max on the other hand is kind of dynamite. She's this rocker chic kind of girl, lots of tattoos and a bad attitude. I loved her. She's kind of damaged and has some skeletons in her closet, but they made her a little more human. I could have done without the guy like him would never be with a girl like me kind of thinking, but I could get past that pretty easily. I loved that she was strong and knew what she wanted. I also loved that Carmack wrote two such different female characters, each so strong and so fantastic in their own way.

The romance itself is kind of swoon worthy, but what I liked more than anything else was the set up. Max needs a fake boyfriend to please her parents over Thanksgiving. She picks the nearest clean cut guy she sees and it happens to be Cade who turns out to be kind of perfect for her. I know it's totally unrealistic, but meet cutes like that make me smile. The two also had a great banter thing going on. More than anything though this romance serves to tell the story of two people figuring out who they are and how they're going to get by in the adult world. I think Carmack does such a great job of tackling these true to life issues inside of a romance novel. One part that really stood out for me was Cade remembering his theatre school family and how they're so spread out now; it hurt my heart you guys, it really did. It adds just enough substance to what could be utter fluff. I can't help but love it.

Carmack is hands down my favourite writer of this kind of novel at the moment. I suppose it's new adult since the characters are early to mid twenties, but she just handles it all so well. There are romantic entanglements with some true to life issues mixed in. Rent, exes, poor decisions, jobs they all come into play. Of course, the books are also super steamy and swoon worthy at points; I really can't underplay that. I think it's the blend of the two things that really gets me. Basically, I can't wait to read Finding It and will continue to read pretty much anything that Carmack publishes.

Relic by Renee Collins | Book Review

TITLE: Relic
AUTHOR: Renee Collins
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Entangled Teen / August 27, 2013
SERIES: No
SOURCE: Received for review from publisher. This is no way affected my opinion.

Goodreads / Author's Website

Where should I even begin with Relic. It's one of the few books that really defies genres, alternating between western, fantasy and romance. While at first the combination might seem like a bit of a stretch, I was intrigued and had to give the book a try. I'm really glad I did because while it was an imperfect read, it was thoroughly entertaining and managed to surprise me along the way.

The book begins with a small town burning to the ground leaving no survivors. Maggie Davis is living on the outskirts of town with her younger brother and sister; their parents are away for the evening when the fire is lit. At the end of the day only Maggie and her sister survive and must learn to scrape by on their own. In this world, ancient relics can be dug from the ground and used to harness powers such as fire, water, invisibility etc. Maggie begins working at a local saloon, but soon proves to have the ability to harness these powers and leaves the saloon to be trained under Alvar Castilla, a powerful man who runs most of the town. She must learn how to navigate the new rules she's living under while providing for her sister, but she also wants to figure out who is responsible for burning Messa before it happens again. Like I said, it's a blend of genres that defies most classifications.

One of my favourite things about Relic was Maggie. She's such a strong protagonist. She may not be physically strong and she doesn't make the right choices one hundred percent of the time, but she's always struggling to do the right thing. She accepts her new responsibilities and does everything in her power to protect those she cares about. She has some very admirable qualities that make her an excellent protagonist in a fantasy novel. Sometimes she's saved, but she's not completely powerless. I didn't find she fell into the damsel in distress trap, but she still showed some human foibles. I really love that in a character.

So I didn't mention it in my description of the novel, but there is some romance in Relic. I wouldn't call it the A plot line, but it does play an important role. Maggie falls for Landon, a local cowboy on leave. He's pretty great, thoughtful, kind, seems to genuinely care about Maggie. I did appreciate that romance didn't dominate the novel though. I mean I think the great thing about this book is that there was a bit of romance, but it was no more important in Maggie's life than her other relationships. She cared about her sister first and foremost and built friendships with some fantastic supporting characters along the way. Adelaide, the saloon's showgirl, is particularly remarkable. She's tough, but also naive and always hoping for something more than what she has. It's kind of heartbreaking and entirely captivating.

The fantasy element of this book was pretty much relegated to the magical relics; the rest was pure western. As somebody who's not a fan of high fantasy, this worked well for me. I thought there was a solid amount of fantasy to balance out the western aspects, but it never became overpowering. However, if you're really looking for a high fantasy novel, well this isn't the book for you.

There was one thing that worried me throughout the novel, the treatment of aboriginal peoples. Westerns don't have the best track record of making natives sympathetic characters and are either villains or occasionally the wise mystics. I was worried that this was the path that Collins was taking when the town burnings were blamed on a local tribe and the only native character renounced his heritage completely. Fortunately, I didn't have to worry about that in the end as the tribe's role was expanded beyond generic villain. While there were still some problematic scenes, overall I was pleased.

I didn't love Relic right off the bat, but in the end I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would be happy to read anything else by Collins. It's a different sort of book and I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I ended up getting totally sucked into Maggie's story. Between the mystery and the magic I was intrigued and didn't want to put it down.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis | Book Review

TITLE: Across the Universe
AUTHOR: Beth Revis
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Razorbill / January 11, 2011
SERIES: Yes, Across the Universe Series
SOURCE: Local Library

Goodreads / Author's Website

I feel like I saw a lot of reviews for Across the Universe around the time I first started blogging, but I didn't pay too much attention to it. It was science fiction which is definitely not my preferred genre so I let it slide past me without much of a second thought. So here it is, a few years later and I've finally picked it up. It really has more to  do with the fact that I was in a rush at the library and recognized the title than anything else, but I did say I wanted to break out of my preferred genres at the beginning of the year, so let's go with that one. It sounds better. I can't say that I all out loved Across the Universe, but it was definitely more enjoyable than I thought it would be. It was this combination of science fiction and dystopia that was intriguing, but at times frustrating. Weeks later and I'm still not totally sure what to think.

Amy is a seventeen year old girl who's signed on to be cryogenically frozen and shipped into space as cargo on the spaceship Godspeed. She's set to leave earth and arrive on a new planet some three hundred years in the future. However, her three hundred year sleep is interrupted fifty years too soon when somebody pulls the plug on her chamber nearly killing her. Soon after, it's discovered that other frozen people are being unplugged, not all of them surviving. Somebody is clearly trying to kill them. Elder was born and raised on the ship and is being prepped to take over as the future leader. You see, the ship has one person born to lead, others born to work on the ship and feeders, those born to grow food. There are plenty of secrets on the ship and as much as Amy might want to trust Elder, she's not sure if she can.

I'm sitting here trying to write this review and all I can think is that it didn't overwhelm me or underwhelm me; I'm simply whelmed. It's not that the book was bad and I can see why people loved it, but there were sections that I just didn't engage with and I'm not sure if I can put my finger on why that was. I know, that's a terrible thing for a review!

So the story is told in alternating perspectives which isn't always my favourite narrative choice, but it wasn't bad. Amy and Elder had very distinct voices and personalities so there was no problem deciphering who was who. It was actually kind of interesting to hear from somebody who has only ever known the ship and then from somebody who is brand new to it. The culture clash was something and Amy's frustration made total sense since once she arrives a whole lot of crazy becomes apparent.

I think the book kind of lost me with the beginning. It was a slow start. To be fair, I find I have this issue with a lot of science fiction novels; the same can be said about dystopia. I'm a very character driven reader and there is so much world building required with these genres that it loses me. I understand the necessity; it just doesn't engage me as a reader. That having been said, I really did start to enjoy the book once I got into the second half. Once mysteries were being revealed I needed to know more.

I have to say this is a pretty dark book. There's a pervading sense of hopelessness throughout the ship. I mean there is not a single person born on that ship who has ever seen proper ground; even the stars they see are a lie. It was difficult to read about and well the themes about lies, corruption and power eventually get a little heavy handed (you should see what the people on the ship believe about Abraham Lincoln), but it didn't seem like much of a stretch.

I know this isn't the best of most informative review because you guys, I really need help figuring this one out. My feelings were so mixed about this first book that I'm on the fence about reading the next one in the series. What do you all think? Does it get better? Is it an engaging continuation or am I going to be disappointed?

Crystal Cove by Lisa Kleypas | Book Review

TITLE: Crystal Cove
AUTHOR: Lisa Kleypas
PUBLISHER/YEAR: St. Martin's Griffin / February 5, 2013
SERIES: Yes, the Friday Harbor Series
SOURCE: Purchased

Goodreads / Author's Website

You guys, every once in awhile I need a break from YA and just want to delve into some adult romance. It's like a reading palate cleanser. Whenever I'm in one of those moods I turn to Lisa Kleypas. She writes these wonderful romance novels that aren't insipid and have female characters with some backbone. She's basically  my number one go to for adult romance novels. When I found myself in transit without a book a little while ago I stopped in at the gift shop and immediately picked up Crystal Cove, the fourth and final book in Kleypas' Friday Harbor series. I had read one of the earlier books, Rainshadow Road, and had enjoyed it, so I figured I would probably like this one too. While it's by no means my favourite of Kleypas' novels, it was fun and an enjoyable way to spend a ferry ride.

The thing about the Friday Harbor series that throws a lot of people off is that it's Kleypas' attempt at magical realism. Friday Harbor is a place that's a pretty down to earth small town, but some people  happen to have some sort of power. In Rainshadow Road, the main character could turn glass into butterflies. In Crystal Cove Kleypas takes it one step further and our protagonist, Justine, is a full fledged witch. She spent most of her life travelling around with her mother, never putting down roots so in adulthood she relishes the chance to run her own small town inn. She's happy with her life, but she's never been able to find love, something that she's always wanted. Her mother cast a spell on her when she was born to prevent her from ever experiencing heartbreak, which meant never finding true love in the first place. Justine is determined to break the curse no matter what the consequences. It's at this point we meet Jason, a rich businessman looking to invest on the island. Sparks inevitably fly as we see how far these two will go for love.

First things first, I don't mind magical realism. I tend to like the interplay between reality and this sort of other world power. That having been said, the magic needs to be well integrated into the story line or I find that it feels like two genres butting up against each other. With Rainshadow Road I felt like the magic was a bit of an afterthought. I didn't really get why it was included. However, two books later and I really feel like the magical realism has come a long way. Justine is a pretty typical woman who happens to be able to perform magic and it affects her day to day life. I was into reading about the romance and her struggle to come to terms with her powers. While it may not be for everybody, it really worked for me.

The romance itself was fun, although not my favourite. Jason is this majorly reclusive businessman who's made millions in the tech industry. He's controlling and more than a little manipulative. Alpha males in books can be fun, but I didn't love where it took him in this case. I get that Justine wanted love more than anything else, but I don't totally understand why she initially went out with him. Yes, he's rich and attractive, but he also represented a few things that she wasn't a major fan of as shown by her initial resistance. There's this sort of instant love/chemical attraction deal between the two of them that I just couldn't get behind so I never really bought into their romance. Plus, I remember Justine being this fun, spunky woman filled with backbone in the previous novel, but now she's just bending over to the will of some man. I don't get it.

There were some steamy scenes, but some also left me flat. Bondage isn't Kleypas' strength as far as I can tell. There were moments that reminded me of my favourite parts of other Kleypas novels, but overall it seemed like a  bit of a departure.

I was also hoping for a few more characters from the previous Friday Harbor novels to make an appearance, but they didn't. Justine's cousin is in it a bit, but I really missed the dynamic the characters shared in the past. There wasn't a ton of secondary character interaction in this one which is a shame because Kleypas has created an entire universe in Friday Harbor filled with some really fantastic characters.

I didn't hate Crystal Cove, but I certainly didn't love it. Kleypas remains one of my favourite romance novelists, but this one just fell a little flat. I will definitely go back to read the two books in this series I've missed, but if you're just looking to read the quintessential romance stick to her earlier Travis series.

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian | Book Review

TITLE: Burn for Burn
AUTHOR: Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers / 2012
SERIES: Yes
SOURCE: My Local Library

Goodreads / Jenny Han's Website / Siobhan Vivian's Website

I have to be honest with you guys, going into Burn for Burn I didn't have high expectations. I had previously read Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty and it did nothing for me. However, I only had a few minutes at the library and I grabbed the first book I recognized. You know what though, I'm really glad I did. I was pleasantly surprised by Burn for Burn and it was totally different than what I expected in the best way possible.

Burn for Burn centres on three high school girls who have all been wronged and and are looking for revenge. Lillia is one of the most popular girls at school, but over the summer something happened at a house party that's changed her and makes her super wary of guys in general. Kat doesn't have many friends. Her best friend dumped her years ago and she's tired of the rumours that fly about the school because of it. Mary has just moved back to the island to try to face her childhood bully. They all come from different social circles, but they band together over getting even.

You guys, I really enjoyed this book. Like normally I don't really enjoy stories about revenge since I'm not so much a fan of taking things into your own hands. It just seems like the character is stooping down to the bullies level, but I'm making an exception here. These girls all had some serious issues they were dealing with. Let's start with Lillia, it's implied from basically the get go that she was sexually assaulted at a party. This experience has changed her dramatically and makes her distrust men in general. So when she finds out her little sister spent the night with her best, male friend; well she'll do anything to protect her sister. Kat on the other has been bullied for years. She's tough and can hold her own, but there's only so much she can do without resorting to her master plan to take down the queen bee, Rennie. Mary was viciously bullied as a child and now she's back and doesn't want to take it anymore. Reeve was her tormentor and now he's the school's football star and sort of boyfriend of Rennie. Like these are beyond the pale style bullies and they kind of have what's coming to them.

Watching their plans play out was kind of great as they become better and better at what they do. Like the bullies are just so horrible that I wanted to see what happened to them. The girls stories are all kind of heartbreaking and I was hoping they would be able to learn and grow, that didn't exactly happen, but well it is a revenge story after all and there it is a part of a series.

The suspense was really well done. The book flips between the three girls' POVs and while this is occasionally detrimental to a story, it worked well for this particular one. I really felt like I got to know each girl and understand their motivations better because of it. It was also nice to see how they each reacted. Whether they were hoping to form lasting friendships through the experience or whether they were too scared to think about anything other than getting it over with. Each girl had a distinct voice, which isn't always the case when stories shift point of views, the voices can get muddled, luckily that wasn't the case this time.

Burn for Burn was just a super fun read. It was really easy to get through and had the perfect balance of emotion and action. The point that the book leaves off at is a logical conclusion, but it definitely leaves me wanting to read more. It's perfect because I don't feel like I'm missing something by not continuing with the series right away, but I know I'll definitely return to it when I get a chance. Really if you love YA and can stomach revenge, pick up Burn for Burn, you won't be disappointed.

This Girl by Colleen Hoover | Book Review

TITLE: This Girl
AUTHOR: Colleen Hoover
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Atria Books / April 30, 2013
SERIES: Yes, the final book in the Slammed series
SOURCE: For Review From Publisher via NetGalley

Goodreads / Author's Website

Okay, I'll admit it, I don't really know where to begin with this review. This is the third book in the Slammed series and I've slowly been losing interest with it. It's not the book, it's me. Yup, I went there, using the classic break up cliche. When I first read Slammed I loved it. I was swooning all over the place for Will and Layken and went through like an entire box of tissues I was crying so much. Then I read Point of Retreat and I loved them a little less. I think This Girl finally broke me. While Slammed was something new for me and totally heartbreaking and swoon worthy, I found Point of Retreat a little melodramatic and well This Girl while less melodramatic than it's predecessor didn't win back my original love.

Basically  This Girl tells Will and Layken's story from Will's perspective. It takes place the night of their honeymoon and Will tells Layken exactly what was going on his mind during those first few months, before their relationship fully began. It was interesting, but it really was just a retelling of the first novel. However, I did appreciate a slightly more tempered voice in Will than I found with Layken.

Within the Slammed world, Will has always been one of my favourite characters. There are some really solid supporting characters who hold my heart, but Will is up there. I've always found Layken to be kind of self centered, jumping to conclusions, never actually talking through her problems, instead making rash decisions. Will's sort of the one in my mind to counter balance her. He's older, a little more mature, imperfect, sure, but slightly more reasonable. So I really did enjoy the story from his POV. I liked seeing his reactions to certain situations and his interactions with friend/student Gavin definitely made me laugh.

That's kind of where my love for this particular book ended though. I just don't think it added all that much to the story and the flashback set up just didn't work for me. While I enjoyed the flashbacks, everything that was set in the present was too sappy for words.

This one is going to be a short review since  I feel like everything that I've said in my past ones kind of sums it up. Nothing all that new was added to the story. For fans of the series I think it's definitely worth a read, especially if you're a Will fan like I am, but it's not the first book I would recommend to somebody who's not already totally invested in the relationship. There were enjoyable moments, but overall, there are other Hoover books that I'd recommend first.

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen | Book Review

TITLE: The Moon and more
AUTHOR: Sarah Dessen
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Viking Juvenile / 2013
SERIES: No
SOURCE: Purchased

Goodreads / Author's Website

Another week, another Sarah Dessen review, shocking I know. I wasn't joking when I said I was trying to catch up on her entire back catalogue, so when a new book was released at the beginning of the summer I obviously couldn't resist. However, life happened, things got crazy and I just got around to reading it. It's been sitting on my shelf mocking me for months. I've got mixed feelings about The Moon and More which makes it a little difficult for me to review. I didn't dislike it, but it didn't really grab me either. I'm a little on the fence and while there are things I appreciated about it, it just doesn't make it into my favourites list.

The Moon and More is set in the fictional seaside of Colby (I think that's one of my favourite things about Dessen's novels, the beach). Emaline has been dating Luke throughout high school; he's caring and kind and everything she thought she wanted in a boyfriend, but now it's the summer before college and Emaline is no longer sure what she wants. She doesn't want to stay just as she is now forever, but she also doesn't want massive amounts of change all at once. She's still trying to figure things out. Enter Theo. He's an NYU film student assisting on a documentary about a reclusive local artist and thinks that Emaline can do better than Colby. Throw in some family drama surrounding Emaline's absentee father and that's kind of the story in a nutshell.

I do love being able to pick up a Sarah Dessen novel and know what I'm settling into. It's comforting in a way. She writes these incredible teenagers who don't go through anything super dramatic, but face realistic situations and just need to figure out how to get by. Emaline is this fantastic character who's worked her ass of in high school and at her after school job only to find out she doesn't actually have enough money to go to her top choice school. She's dating somebody who she likes, but maybe doesn't love. She's basically going through what so many people face every day. She doesn't overreact; she just deals. I love that Dessen creates these level headed characters who don't always make the right choices, but can serve as more realistic role models. Watching Emaline face just the twists and turns of every day life is kind of inspiring.

I have a feeling the reason I didn't love The Moon and More as much as I thought I would is because of the romance. It was just a different kind of book than I was expecting, with the romance playing a secondary role. Luke, the boyfriend and Theo, the new outsider, are representative of Emaline's overall life choices more than anything else. There's no great romance; there's the familiar and the different. Emaline's choices surrounding these two guys say more about her and her hopes and fears for the future than they do anything else.

The family dynamic is typical of Dessen novels in the best way possible. They're caring, but imperfect and super relatable. Like a lot of the problems they face aren't exactly out of the norm. I love Emaline's interactions with her mom, sisters and dad (technically stepfather) because they all knew each other so well and spoke their minds. They fought, but they also made up. The drama that really drives this story is between Emaline and her biological father. They were never close, but they grew apart when he failed to live up to some promises that resulted in her choosing to go to a school close to Colby. Their differences provide the tension and I just felt for Emaline.

Between the Emaline, her family and the setting I definitely think Dessen fans will be pleased with her latest. Sure I didn't swoon as much as I expected to, but I definitely enjoyed The Moon and More. The characters are super engaging and the drama is so realistic. I honestly love that it's understated; it's such a nice change from so many YA novels that I read. Like with many other Dessen novels, long time fans won't be disappointed, some favourite characters show up and there are a few other nods to past stories throughout. Basically, I think you all should go out and read it and enjoy it for what it is because it's such a comfortable read to get lost in.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins | Book Review

TITLE: Lola and the Boy Next Door
AUTHOR: Stephanie Perkins
PUBLISHER/YEAR: Dutton Books / 2011
SERIES: A sort of companion to Anna and the French Kiss, but with a different setting and main characters
SOURCE: Purchased

Goodreads / Author's Website

I fell in love with Stephanie Perkins when I read Anna and the French Kiss earlier this year. I immediately ran out and purchased Lola and the Boy Next Door, but then I was left with crippling, book related anxiety. What if it didn't live up to my expectations? What if I've built it up too much in my mind? You guys, I let it sit for months in my bedroom, just waiting around at the bottom of my giant stack of books. Well it turns out that all that worry was for nothing because Lola just confirms my love of Stephanie Perkins.

Lola and the Boy Next Door is exactly what I look for when I pick up a contemporary. It wasn't too heavy, but there were definite real world issues in play. Lola is a different kind of character; she definitely marches to the beat of her own drum. She doesn't believe in fashion, only in costume. She dreams of becoming a major Hollywood costume designer. Her boyfriend is an older guy in a rock band and she imagines them having the perfect bohemian life once she graduates. However, the Bell twins, Cricket and Calliope throw a bit of a wrench in her plans as old feelings pop up with Cricket's return.

Whenever I think of Stephanie Perkins' books so far I think of a romantic comedy in book form. She has this ability to bring the swoons, but create these problems that get in the way. Everybody can see these two characters are perfect for each other, but the story is in the telling of how they find each other. I personally love everything about it. Like sure maybe some of the situations are a little deus ex machina, but I love a good romance. These books just leave you feeling good at the end; how can you not love that?

There were times during Lola that I found myself rolling my eyes a little, but I was okay with it. Lola isn't the perfect character; she's got flaws and I can appreciate that as a reader. She's definitely got teenage girl mentality and she doesn't always see how her actions affect others. It was, at times, frustrating, but she shows growth as a character. And really, don't flaws just make a character more relatable anyways? Like who wants to read about somebody who's absolutely perfect? Lola is fun and spunky and she kind of does what she wants, but she's got emotions you guys. She's affected by her past, but not totally controlled by it and I really liked this girl.

Cricket too was fantastic. He's like the perfect geeky boy. So he's not as swoon worthy as Etienne, but he's got his own thing going on. He's quieter, but like pretty much a genius. He doesn't always say what he feels (hello miscommunications), but like overall, such a sweet and caring book boyfriend.

The thing I wasn't expecting, but really loved was the way Anna and Etienne were worked into this companion novel. Like I figured there might be a mention of them, but no, they were actually full on secondary characters who were good friends with both Lola and Cricket. It was nice to get a chance to see where they are now.

Family dynamics played a huge role in Lola which was just fantastic. Diversity was a thing; like it wasn't totally heteronormative which is a HUGE thing for me and I love love love that it wasn't treated like the biggest thing in the world. I also loved seeing the love and support from both Lola and Cricket's family. They weren't perfect and each character clearly had some family issues going on, but there was some genuine love there that just added an extra layer to the story that I really appreciated.

I can't really criticize much in Lola and the Boy Next Door. It was exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up. It was a light read, but it had enough weight to keep me fully engaged. It had some improbably situations, but Perkins' writing made them funny rather than annoying. Everything from the freak outs to the kisses were so well done that I absolutely devoured this book. I actually went back and re-read Anna after finishing this one, just because I needed more Perkins in my life. She writes characters that I can totally invest in and she does it in a way that makes me laugh and swoon. I honestly couldn't ask for more.