Category: Reviews

NA Romance, Reviews, ya romance

Book Review: Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry

Veronica Porras (TTB)

Katie-McGarry-Nowhere-But-Here

Goodreads Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she’s curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn’t mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They’re the good guys. They protect people. They’re…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club’s most respected member—is in town, he’s gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it’s his shot at his dream. What he doesn’t count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

Review:

First of all, let me insert this tweet so you can guys can understand how this review is about to go down.

NBH Tweet

I am HEAD OVER HEELS with OZ and with this entire book and concept. When I saw that Nowhere But Here was going to be the first book in a new companion series my first thoughts were… okay I think I can do this. I hope I like it. You all know how much I love the Pushing The Limits Universe, and I couldn’t bear parting ways with it.

Now onto the real deal…

Katie McGarry has done it again. I was texting Kayla (who has vowed she would not read this new book, because she is not into the whole motorcycle club thing) how amazing NBH is and just fangirled a lot that she had no other respond except, Katie McGarry is Queen. Because of my hardcore flailing and fangirling she ended up pre-ordering Nowhere But Here. Success!! (KAYLA YOU WILL NEVER LIVE THIS DOWN!) Kayla has now said that she will never ever doubt Katie McGarry again. GOOD.

You know what reoccurring theme I love that pops up in all of McGarry’s books? The notion of family. She doesn’t just focus on blood family, but on those individuals who aren’t blood related and that they are family too. I highly value loyalty, so the whole concept of friends are family too and should be treated as such is very close to my heart.

I could keep going on and on about how great this book is, but I will not. This may not be everybody’s type of book, but if you’ve liked Ms. McGarry’s past novels, I’m sure you will like this one too.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Disclaimer: Thank you Harlequin Teen & NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this book for free does not sway my opinion.

Reviews, ya contemporary

Book Review: Ugly People, Beautiful Hearts by Marlen Komar

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Title: Ugly People Beautiful Hearts
Short Summary: Ugly People Beautiful Hearts is a poetry book with over 70 poems and verses moving between the feelings of loving someone, feeling loss, trusting the night sky, losing your light, resolving that hurt is beautiful, and finding compassion in a stranger’s smile.
Genre: Poetry
Pages: 96
Audience: 16+
 
Website with poem samples: http://mar-komar.tumblr.com/

Review:

I know I normally don’t review poetry books here, but Marlen kindly reached out to me and after reading a poem of hers I said… why not?!

This poetry book still fits in the YA genre because it is for 16+ or older, but it does have some themes that I wouldn’t want someone very young to read them. I almost feel like… it wouldn’t have the same impact as someone who is a bit older. Anyways I am straying away from the review.

The entire time I was reading Ugly People Beautiful Hearts, I felt like I was on a journey, I was given entrance into someones mind and innermost thoughts and feelings which in turn made me feel vulnerable. Some of the best writing comes from pain and I think Marlen truly captured the intense emotions we feel throughout life in her poems, her work. There were some poems that I understood, while some made me feel melancholy and just sad. I wanted to shake the voice and tell them to stop acting so stupidly at times. Each poem was like a journey in itself and I couldn’t stop reading it until I’d reached the end.

Below is one of my favorite poems… What We’re Leading Up To

“And you pointed at the thick field of stars and asked, “Lie here with me?” My skin is translucent; the spots where your finger tips trace lighting up like the verses in the sky. And I’ve had my heart broken in so many interesting ways, but this way, oh by far, has been my favorite.”

There is just something about this poem that I love. I can’t explain it.

Thank you Marlen for being kind and sharing with the world your poems. You’ve poured out your soul for everyone to see. That takes a lot of courage. Congratulations!

Rating: 4 out of 5

About The Author:

photo

Marlen Komar

Writer/ Poet, Ugly People Beautiful Hearts
   
 Disclaimer: Thank you Marlen Komar for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this book for free does not sway my opinion.
Special Review, YA Mystery

Book Review: HIT by Delilah S. Dawson (Spoiler-Free Review)

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Goodreads Summary:

NO ONE READS THE FINE PRINT.

The good news is that the USA is finally out of debt. The bad news is that we were bought out by Valor National Bank, and debtors are the new big game, thanks to a tricky little clause hidden deep in the fine print of a credit card application. Now, after a swift and silent takeover that leaves 9-1-1 calls going through to Valor voicemail, they’re unleashing a wave of anarchy across the country.

Patsy didn’t have much of a choice. When the suits showed up at her house threatening to kill her mother then and there for outstanding debt unless Patsy agreed to be an indentured assassin, what was she supposed to do? Let her own mother die?

Patsy is forced to take on a five-day mission to complete a hit list of ten names. Each name on Patsy’s list has only three choices: pay the debt on the spot, agree to work as a bounty hunter, or die. And Patsy has to kill them personally, or else her mom takes a bullet of her own.

Since yarn bombing is the only rebellion in Patsy’s past, she’s horrified and overwhelmed, especially as she realizes that most of the ten people on her list aren’t strangers. Things get even more complicated when a moment of mercy lands her with a sidekick: a hot rich kid named Wyatt whose brother is the last name on Patsy’s list. The two share an intense chemistry even as every tick of the clock draws them closer to an impossible choice.

Delilah S. Dawson offers an absorbing, frightening glimpse at a reality just steps away from ours—a taut, suspenseful thriller that absolutely mesmerizes from start to finish.

Review:

WOW.

First, I want to thank Simon and Schuster-Simon Pulse for being so kind and sending me this ARC without me even asking for it. You guys are awesome. It’s like you know me already.

Okay, onto the book now…

HIT is exactly what I craving and I didn’t even know it. Everyone knows I’m a sucker for the spy/con-artist/conspiracy stuff, but this is entirely different, yet it still fits in the Spy/Conspiracy genre… sort of. It’s weird. You can also say it’s dystopian, but it doesn’t exactly fit into that genre either. The girl is forced to turn into a bounty hunter, but in reality she is an assassin, although she is not a trained one. It’s very weird because you can’t say “It belongs in this genre”, but I like it.

While HIT has its angst and romance, what it truly focuses on is the American spending culture present day. Almost everyone in the United States has a credit card. Our nation runs on the credit system, and I believe that most people would be screwed overnight if the credit system disappeared, or if the United States went bankrupt. HIT punches you in the gut and makes you realize just how bad our economy is. I myself have credit cards like many Americans and if the credit card companies would tell us pay up or die… Gosh… that’s just scary. HIT really makes you see just how much of a crutch the credit system is to our country and to our lives.

Overall, I really liked how HIT was set up. It was a solid first book in a series and I can’t wait to read Strike the second book in the series. I feel like there is more to Wyatt than meets the eye and we will see him fully emerge in the next book, and I am so freaking excited!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Disclaimer: Thank you Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this book for free does not sway my opinion.

Reviews, ya contemporary

Book Review: Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Goodreads Summary:

he Pre-Sloane Emily didn’t go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn’t do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.

But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just… disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try… unless they could lead back to her best friend.

Apple Picking at Night? Okay, easy enough.

Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not?

Kiss a Stranger? Um…

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

Go Skinny Dipping? Wait … what?

Review:

Wow. I really did not expect to like this book. You might be thinking… Veronica what did you just say?! and I am rather surprised myself that I had those thoughts too. I am one of those people that LOVES Morgan Matson books. I tell people I don’t even know at the bookstore that they have to read one of her books. The thing is that when SYBG was released, I wasn’t too thrilled. Don’t get me wrong, I was excited, but the synopsis didn’t grab me. Kayla bought me the book because she is awesome and I started reading it and… it fell flat. I couldn’t get into it. It was boring. (Yes I know I committed blasphemy by saying that but keep reading please)

10 months later, I decide to give SYBG another chance because I HAVE to. I was at a different point in my life then and maybe my perceptive now will change since I am at a different stage in life. I decide to “read” the book a different way this time too. Once I received my credit on Audible, I choose to spend that credit on SYBG and listen to it on my commute to and from work. Let me jus tell you the wonders a good audiobook does to your overall experience of a book, it gave Emily a voice that I couldn’t have given her in my mind. I got so into the story that I regretted packing all of my books already, and not leaving SYBG out. As I was wallowing because I could only hear SYBG and not read it too, Ms. Matson tweeted that the kindle version of SYBG was on sale for 1.99. I snatched that baby up in no time and started reading it. A month of car rides and reading SYBG at night when I could muster enough energy to stay awake for 20 more minutes, I finished it and it ended up being exactly what I needed.

Emily is a very relatable character. I think my 17 year old self would have connected with Emily more, but nonetheless, I did too at 24. In February I started a new job and I had to be the new girl all over again and It’s easy to be the shadow of a new friend. I’ve done that my entire life, but an important lesson I’ve learned is that you need to have an identity all on your own and be proud of that identity. I came into my new job with this mentality and it has worked. I am my own person and I can also be somebody’s good friend without being their shadow.

This review is more of my journey and not information itself of the book because that is exactly how the book is. I recommend you read it at some point in your life. You may not be ready for it now (or you might be), but you will be ready for it at some point and it will leave you feeling good and content with life.

Before I close, let’s not forget about Frank. I’m not a fan of the name Frank, but this character has even made me like the name. He is the sweetest, most loyal, human character I’ve read in contemporary YA in a long time. Don’t get me wrong I am still in love with Isaiah from Crash Into You (that boy will be the death of me), but there is something so real and raw about Frank that I have to say Ms. Matson did a darn good job with her characters in SYBG.

Rating: 5 out of freaking 5

Reviews, Special Review, ya contemporary

Book Review: The Truth About Us by Janet Gurtler

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Goodreads Summary:

The truth is that Jess knows she screwed up.
She’s made mistakes, betrayed her best friend, and now she’s paying for it. Her dad is making her spend the whole summer volunteering at the local soup kitchen.

The truth is she wishes she was the care-free party-girl everyone thinks she is.
She pretends it’s all fine. That her “perfect” family is fine. But it’s not. And no one notices the lie…until she meets Flynn. He’s the only one who really sees her. The only one who listens.

The truth is that Jess is falling apart – and no one seems to care.
But Flynn is the definition of “the wrong side of the tracks.” When Jess’s parents look at him they only see the differences-not how much they need each other. They don’t get that the person who shouldn’t fit in your world… might just be the one to make you feel like you belong.

Review:

There is something about Janet Gurtler novels that just makes me binge read them. I stayed up late reading this one several nights in a row (even though I had to work early in the AM). I read #16ThingsIThoughtWereTrue a few months ago and I LOVED it. I apparently loved it so much that I went over to Kayla’s house and said READ IT. I don’t remember this, but she has it and she says it happened, so it probably did. Especially since she has my book.

I was really intrigued when I saw the synopsis of this novel. We have a boy who comes from under the poverty line, and then we have the girl who is rich. We never see the rich girl, it is always the rich boy helping out the poor girl (except in Crash Into You by Katie McGarry, but that’s a whole other story there…).

I really wanted to see how Ms. Janet would portray those who are below the poverty level, and I wanted to see if they would be accurately represented.

Throughout the novel, the issue of poverty is present and it is somewhat explored, but not enough. We barely get a glimpse of it. Yes, we have the soup kitchen, and yes we have that brief moment in Flynn’s house, but poverty isn’t described well enough for me. I do have to keep in mind though that Ms. Gurtler is from Canada and I live in the USA, so poverty will look a bit different in both countries. What I did like was Jess’ attitude towards Flynn on the whole not having money front. She didn’t discriminate, but I loved that Ms. Janet did show that Jess felt uncomfortable at times being in a place where poverty is so real. I hate it when a rich character goes into a poor area and is like, “Cool yo, no shame, I’m cool. It’s all cool.” NO IT ISN’T. That is not a normal reaction. Not believable at all.

Switching over to some less serious stuff… Really Flynn?! You were so cute and adorable until the end. I loved you. I believed in you and you crushed my heart. I forgive you, but I cannot love you as much as I did at the beginning. That ending just… ugh I’m not cool with it bro.

Overall, The Truth About Us is another great book under Janet’s belt. I enjoyed reading it immensely. I know I didn’t talk much about that, but The Truth About Us raises some very important issues and that is why I requested it on NetGalley, not because I wanted a fluffy read.

Rating: 4.50 out of 5

Disclaimer: Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and  NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this book for free does not sway my opinion.

Contemporary Conversations, Reviews, YA Mystery

ContempConvos: All Fall Down by Ally Carter

Veronica Porras (TTB)

All Fall Down

introduction:

Did any of you guess this was the book I would be reviewing? If you guessed All Fall Down, click the rafflecopter link and get your extra giveaway entry! a Rafflecopter giveaway

I saved this book specifically for this week. I bought the book right after it was published in January and I was even approved by Scholastic and given an arc before that. But I saved it for this week because it would have been a tragedy if Ms. Ally Carter did not make an appearance during the Spy/Conspiracy/Drama week of Contemporary Conversations. She is so dedicated to this genre and I am so thankful for that. Let’s proceed with my review. I hope you enjoy it.

Goodreads Summary:

A new series of global proportions — from master of intrigue, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter.

This exciting new series from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter focuses on Grace, who can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world, and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.

Now, at age sixteen, she’s come back to stay–in order to solve the mystery of her mother’s death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved.

Review:

I just finished read this and I am speechless. I did not see that ending coming. I am still reeling with that ending. I am shocked. Like people like to say I CAN’T EVEN.

The title All Fall Down finally makes sense. Falling means many different things in this book, but it is Grace’s fall that we focus on the most. We see Grace’s entire journey and we slowly see her start getting madder and madder until she breaks… she falls.

The only thing that was a little weak for me in the story was Noah as a character. He felt… lacking. Something wasn’t there for me. It could be that I missed something because I was devouring this book, but he is the reason why I can’t give it 5 stars. I felt his character a little two-dimensional. This is the first book in a series, so I hope we get to see more of him and he can turn into a character that I love.

One of the reasons why I am such an Ally Carter fan is because she can turn things I would normally see as boring, intriguing. I will never see ambassadors and their children the same again. I also have a higher respect for them. Their job is so important and it is something that day-to-day we don’t even think about. Her books always make me think.

Also, there is NO ROMANCE. None. Zilch. Nada. That is so refreshing. I can’t rave enough to give this book justice.

If you want to get into the world of spies, government agents, and conspiracies, Ally carter is the author for you. Pick this story up. Trust me, you won’t be bored.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Disclaimer: Thank you Scholastic for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this book for free does not sway my opinion. (I bought a copy of the book once it was released)

Contemporary Conversations, Reviews, Special Review, YA Mystery

ContempConvos: I Am The Weapon by Allen Madoff

Veronica Porras (TTB)

i-am-the-weapon-allen-zadoff1

Goodreads Summary:

They needed the perfect assassin.

Boy Nobody is the perennial new kid in school, the one few notice and nobody thinks much about. He shows up in a new high school in a new town under a new name, makes a few friends, and doesn’t stay long. Just long enough for someone in his new friend’s family to die-of “natural causes.” Mission accomplished, Boy Nobody disappears, moving on to the next target.

But when he’s assigned to the mayor of New York City, things change. The daughter is unlike anyone he has encountered before; the mayor reminds him of his father. And when memories and questions surface, his handlers at The Program are watching. Because somewhere deep inside, Boy Nobody is somebody: the kid he once was; the teen who wants normal things, like a real home and parents; a young man who wants out. And who just might want those things badly enough to sabotage The Program’s mission.

In this action-packed series debut, author Allen Zadoff pens a page-turning thriller that is as thought-provoking as it is gripping, introducing an utterly original and unforgettable antihero.

Review:

O.M.G. I was not expecting this book to end how it did. Or to start how it did. I did not expect anything at all. And speaking honestly here, it was a breath of fresh air! I honestly felt like I was reading a script of a crime/covert operations type of show.

Zach Abram is Mr. Nobody. No one sees him arrive into their lives and no one notices when he leaves. I want to say he is like a shadow, but shadows leave something behind (if someone knows here to look) and he doesn’t. I really liked the way his back story was revealed in snippets through the entire book. It created this mysterious aura that helped form his character.

There was something that I loved about this book. Normally when an assassin or trained operative comes into play, no one sees him, he leaves nothing behind, but in this book the trained operative makes a mistake! He assumes that the family of the target does not know how to recognize people like him. He has all this training yet it fails him for a good portion of the book and it is through those mistakes that we learn that even the coldest person has feelings. The main character in a way is the anti-hero of his own story.

Gosh this was such a good book that I really don’t want to spoil it for anyone. If you are a fan of Jennifer Lynn Barns and/or Ally Carter,  I think you’ll like this book. It does have some flaws, but overall it is a good novel. It felt wholesome and the world was well established. I may have to get the second book because that ending… so did not see it coming! EEEKKKKKK!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Disclaimer: Thank you Little, Brown Books and  NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this book for free does not sway my opinion.

Key word: Falling

Contemporary Conversations, Reviews, ya contemporary

ContempConvos: The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Veronica Porras (TTB)

lauriehalseanderson

Goodreads Summary:

For the past five years, Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

Introduction:

Welcome to something that Kayla and I like to call Chat Style Book Reviews, but as you will see… It’s more like a discussion. We had tons of fun with this and I hope you find reading this as much fun as we had writing it. So that you can know who is writing what, I have given each of our parts different colors. I am the Red Violet text and Kayla is the Royal Blue text.

Review:

Dear Lord where do I start? THAT BOOK AND ITS FEELS. I’ve always loved Ms. Anderson’s books and this is no exception. All I can think is… FINN. AND THAT HE IS HISPANIC. AND HIS LAST NAME IS RAMOS. AND THAT HE IS FIIIIIIINE. Okay, Kayla… a little help here!

FINN RAMOS. I really am of no help here because FINNNNNN. I’m pretty sure that name is magical, just like Rowan. Every single character that I’ve read about with the name “Finn” (or Finnegan – even better) is a favorite of mine. So – new resolution: if I have two sons, they will be Finn and Rowan. So it is written, so let it be done. BUT ANYWAY…

Damn it. I’m still speechless. What did I love, besides the Finn? 1) Hayley’s prickliness. I really liked her narration, even if it was grating at times. EVERYTHING about Anderson’s writing screamed of Hayley’s mental status. Even without her voicing her problems and putting them into black and white terms, I just KNEW she was struggling. And the way she described her panic attacks was like YES I GET IT. I just wanted to wrap her up and keep her safe forever.

OMG I know. At first I found it too perfect for her not to be struggling and then when we started getting those glimpses I was like CRAP. She too is experiencing what her Dad is, just in a different way. While she doesn’t remember, her Dad remembers it all. I think both remembering and not remembering are equally devastating.

Something I really liked was that Ms. Anderson totally showed us that someone can change. We can see it in her once upon a time step mom. She might have added to Hayley’s trauma, but she came back and tried to help both of them. She got her act together and changed. I love it when they give us hope because we all need it. We need to see that people do change, but only if they are willing. That is the key.

Ahhh her step-mom. I was totally with Hayley when she came back, but once I stopped thinking as Hayley and started thinking as an outsider, I really saw how much she truly had changed. The mini-redemption-arc was a great touch to the book, because it also tied in with Hayley’s journey toward healing.

Speaking of healing arcs – Hayley’s dad. I was so thrilled by the fact that there wasn’t an HEA. Does that sound awful? I’m just ecstatic that it wasn’t like a “oh they’re magically better” sort of moment. Mental illness is hard work to get through, and a single epiphany won’t make it go away. But the fact that there was so much hope in the end – that even though Hayley and her dad will both still struggle, they’ll still be okay – I just needed to see that message.

No, it doesn’t sound awful. I too liked that we were given hope for a better future instead of a happily ever after because in real life, we see hope and most of the time not an instant happily ever after.

Overall, The Impossible Knife of Memory is a book I think we will both cherish for what’s its worth and its message, and I am absolutely glad we read it together. I suggest you all take a moment and go to a bookstore and pick this book up. It will change your life. Amen sister!

Rating:

Vero: 5 out of 5

Kayla: 5 out of 5

 

Contemporary Conversations, Reviews, ya contemporary

ContempConvos: The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Intro:

The Moon and More is second book I will be reviewing as a part of Contemporary Covnersations first week’s theme Coming of Age stories within the young adult contemporary genre. Sarah Dessen’s books are a must-have item when building your contemporary library.

Goodreads Summary:

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo’s sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline’s mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he’s convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she’s going?

Sarah Dessen’s devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.

Review:

Bittersweet is the aftertaste The Moon and More left me with. I’ve read every single one of Sarah Dessen’s novels (except for Somebody Like You which I recently acquired) so I am very familiar with her style, the theme of her books, and the overall “This world is always messed up, but there is always hope for a better one”. What threw me off-balance is the fact that the ending of The Moon and More was somehow more bleak than I am used to from Ms. Dessen’s novels. This of course like every single one of her books deals with the “coming-of-age” protagonist and we ourselves grow with them, but the ending of this one just hurt. 

One of the important things that Emaline realized was that it was too late for her father and her to repair that severed relationship. Her coming to terms with that was painful for me because it shed light on some of my familial situations. It may be too late for some, like Emaline, but for Benjie, her half brother, it’s not. Familial situations are always hard, no matter how close family members are.

At the end of The Moon and More we have that bittersweet taste I am talking about. Emaline doesn’t have her life figured out, she doesn’t know what the future exactly holds, but what she can be sure of is that appreciating the people she loves and letting life take its course things may just turn alright after all. TMaM’s ending is very open-ended and it’s exactly the same open-ended-ness life has. We know never exactly where we are going, but we can only hope we find our way throughout the course of life.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Contemporary Conversations, Reviews, ya contemporary

ContempConvos: Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Introduction:

I am kicking Contemporary Conversations first week off with Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler. I don’t really see anyone talking about this at all and after reading it I am very surprised no one is! It was an amazing coming of age story. One that left me in awe at the end that I even tweeted Ms. Sarah Ockler herself to let her know my FEELS. To my surprise she tweeted me back and I then had some fangirl feels, I couldn’t believe it, but there is proof that exchanged happened. 🙂

Goodreads Summary:

Things in Delilah Hannaford’s life have a tendency to fall apart.

She used to be a good student, but she can’t seem to keep it together anymore. Her “boyfriend” isn’t much of a boyfriend. And her mother refuses to discuss the fight that divided their family eight years ago. Falling apart, it seems, is a Hannaford tradition.

Over a summer of new friendships, unexpected romance, and moments that test the complex bonds between mothers and daughters, Delilah must face her family’s painful past. Can even her most shattered relationships be pieced together again?

Rich with emotion, Sarah Ockler delivers a powerful story of family, love, and self-discovery.

Review:

Oh Delilah, my poor baby. I just want to hug you and tell you everything is going to be alright. For some reason I got all motherly over Delilah as I was reading Fixing Delilah. So much happened throughout the novel, yet it wasn’t overwhelming for us as the reader. Ms. Ockler paced it in such a way that I didn’t notice how much information I was given until the very end. Honestly, I think this book would be perfect to be translated into film. There is this epic story with another equally heart-wrenching story under it that the entire time you weren’t just rooting for Delilah, but also for her Aunt Stephanie.

This book was made to take you on a journey and at the end of the journey helps you realize something important about life. I tabbed several different parts of the book as I read because there were so many good moments and as I was reviewing those tabs and I came across this gem.

“I look over at Luna, wiping down the counter and the nuzzles on the steamers, chatting with customers, making the schedule, and I wonder how much we don’t see. How much of our lives we witness and accept as truth when the rest of the iceberg—the heaviest, bulkiest part—is buried and invisible.” (Pg.178 of the Paperback edition)

That quote is the only way I can sum up this novel in its entirety without spoiling you. I came into this book blind without knowing any details about it and I myself want you to experience this novel the same way I did.

There is a lot of mystery in Delilah’s life about her past, her father, her aunts strained relationships, and why her grandmother acted the way she did which in turn sadly ended up in her dying completely alone. Fixing Delilah isn’t a book about happiness, but about relationships and what can make or break them.

Rating: 5 out of 5

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