Category: Reviews

Reviews, ya contemporary, ya romance

Things I Can’t Forget (Hundred Oaks #3) by Miranda Keneally

Veronica Porras (TTB)

Things-I-Cant-Forget-cover1Goodreads Summary:

Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt–with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

Read an excerpt here.

My Initial Thoughts:

You all know I had several issues with Catching Parker and I said I would not read more Miranda Kenneally books, but I decided to give her one more chance.

Review:

I’m actually happy I gave Ms. Kennneally another chance because I really liked Things I Can’t Forget.

I really liked the decision Kate made at the end. It seems like a lot of books nowadays, especially those that have christian characters, portray them in a way that is not realistic or true a lot of the time. I liked that Kate said no and no meant no. She didn’t care that she might lose Matt, she made the right choice and for that I’m so happy. I think that is one of the reasons why I loved this book. Someone that actually favors their beliefs instead of the guy. Someone that actually favors abstinence.

I also want to point out that Miranda’s writing style is unique. It’s not fake or unrealistic, it’s feels real. I feel like I know the characters in real life, it almost feels like I’m reading a journal. While I was reading the novel in my head Kate was my friend and everything I was reading were letters she had sent me, explaining what’s been happening in her life, the struggles that she is going through, and the things she has to figure out.

I also like the development of the characters and how inanimate objects were used to bring quirkiness and uniqueness to each character. For Matt it was his doorless Jeep. For Kate it was her paintings.

Overall, I think this is the best book out of the three books so far in the Hundred Oaks companion novel series. I liked Catching Jordan and I despised Stealing Parker. We will see if I will hate or love Racing Savannah when I read it next month.

I recommend this book to those who want a quick read. I read this book in a few hours.

Rating: 4/5

NA Romance, Reviews, ya romance

Book Review: Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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I was given a ARC of Crash Into You by Katie McGarry through NetGalley from Harlequin Teen in exchange of a honest review

Goodreads Summary:

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that’s who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers…and she’s just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can’t get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they’ll go to save each other.

My Initial Thoughts:

I had read Pushing The Limits about a year ago and I know that I loved it. My expectations coming into this novel weren’t high because I had forgotten a lot of information and why I had loved this author’s writing so much. After Crash Into You, I quickly remembered why I love Ms. McGarry and why I didn’t hesitate to request this ARC a while ago.

Review:

I am going to start this review by gushing. I LOVED this book. I ab-so-lu-te-ly loved it. Ask Anjie, Ask Kayla, heck go on my twitter and see what I tweeted Ms. McGarry.

One of the reasons why I love this novel so much is the car talk. I love cars, so when you give me a well written book with a to-die for male protagonist and cars?! I’m speechless. If this were my tumblr I would insert here a gif saying that I ship myself with it all.

On a more serious note, I do want to mention one of the reasons why I loved this novel so much is because it is very well written. The story just sucks you in and it almost becomes your reality. In the moment you are reading the novel, you are experiencing what Isaiah and Rachel are feeling. You are in the driver’s seat, and it is one heck of a ride!

The characterization in the novel is fantastic. I feel like I will run out of adjectives soon, but I can’t stop gushing over this novel. I do want to say that this novel may not be a “everyone will automatically love” type of novel. Not everyone is into cars (like myself), and if you haven’t read Pushing The Limits, it might be a little hard to understand what’s going on and why characters act the way they do.

The pacing of the novel was perfect right up until the end where I did feel like it hiccuped a little. Knowing that the next novel is through abut a certain character (I wish I could say but I don’t want to spoil anyone), it makes sense why the end is how it is.

Overall, I find no fault in this novel and I can’t wait for future books written by Ms.McGarry.

Rating: 5/5

Adult Contemporary, Reviews

Book Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Synopsis:

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

My Initial Thoughts:

At first, I didn’t think I would love this book. I was a little put off because I imagined a 20/40 age thing, but I am so happy I was wrong.

I know this is an adult fiction book if we are putting labels, but a lot of people in the YA book aficionado community loved it, so I decided to give it a chance. (It also helps that I won the audiobook of Me Before You in a giveaway)

Review:

Oh My, Me Before You just blew me away. I don’t know if it was because I had no expectations when it came to this author or that I knew nothing of the story, but I fell head over heels with this book.

In the first few chapters as the author was setting the stage, I was a little bored. I believe part of the reason for that was because I am not from London, nor am I English. Reading a book set in England, with English characters who are culturally and geographically English kinda threw me off at first. In a way I could explain it as I was culturally shocked. I got over it pretty quickly though.

Will and Lou are the main characters in this story and the antagonist in the book would be Will’s disability. As stated in the synopsis, Will was leading a very normal life for a man of his stature until the day he was a pedestrian victim of a motorcyclist accident. Lou on the other hand is a average, drama-free 27 year old girl who has the burden of supporting her entire family and carries a dark secret that no one knows.

Two unlikely people meet under very unfortunate circumstances, but something heartbreakingly beautiful comes out of it. The themes of pain, friendship, loyalty, and the very controversial topic of assisted suicide are seen constantly through the novel.

As I was reading the story, I felt everything Lou felt. Every discovery, every high and low, I felt it all. We do get to see the POV of a few other characters throughout the book, but for the most part, we see everything through the same lens, through Lou.

The Epilogue made my chest feel tight with emotion, and to bear with the bittersweetness of it all I have created an alternate ending to the book where I get the ending I wish I would have gotten. Me Before You does not have a bad ending, I just wanted something else.

Overall, this book surprised me. It made me love a whole new world, and become attached to a bunch of characters I normally wouldn’t meet. Me Before You was beautifully written.

Rating: 5/5

Disclaimer: I do not want to spoil this book for anyone, but without spoiling it I will say that I am not for assisted suicide. I may be judged harshly for this statement, but that is my answer to this touchy subject. I may understand why people do it, but I do not condone their actions. 

Reviews, YA Mystery

Short Book Review: United We Spy (Gallagher Girls #6) by Ally Carter

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Edition: US Barnes & Nobles Exclusive Edition 2013

Goodreads Summary:

Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

Review:

I reread the first 4 books in the series and skimmed the fifth one in order to get ready for the final book in the Gallagher Girls series. It was a very wise decision on my part because I had forgotten a lot of key details of the series (I read the first book in 2008).

United We Spy is exactly what I wanted in the last book of this amazing series. I was blown away by how well everything was tied together so neatly. We were able to see all of our favorite characters and we even found out information that we didn’t know we wanted until the moment Ally Carter put that little seed of information in our head. I’m trying really hard not to spoil the novel for those who have not read the Gallagher Girls series, but know that I was blown away by this book.

I devoured United We Spy in one sitting. The book felt too short for my liking and the ending left me with so many questions, but any other ending would have not done Cammie justice. We got a lot of Zach & Cammie moments, and we blessed with the presence of some characters we hadn’t seen in a few books.

I am absolutely happy with how the series ended, but at the same time I am bummed out that I will not be waiting another year for the next Gallagher Girls book as I have been doing since 2008.

What HP is to other people, Gallagher Girls is to me.

I was a Gallagher Girl through High School, College, and now as a Post-Graduate trying to tackle the world. Even though this series has ended, I will always be a Gallagher Girl.

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Rating: 5/5

Special Review

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell Part 1 (Chapter 1-12)

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Let’s talk about Fangirl.

The first person we meet is Cath. She is walking into her dorm room and she finds a boy in there. A Boy. Cath starts freaking out, but soon she finds out he is her roommate’s boyfriend. Crisis averted, or so she thought.

In the first twelve chapters we see how much Cath is afraid of change. She likes to be where things are familiar, where they are steady. She likes to be the one who takes care of people, and not the other way around. A lot of girl characters nowadays are written this way, where they are “self-less” “against change” “nerdy” but Cath is not selfless, she may help others, but she doesn’t want others to get her out of the little security she has managed. Cath is real.Cath is the fangirl and fanboy out there that uses books and writing to escape. She isn’t this super nice and humble person, she is a human being with faults and cracks.

Let’s talk about Nick. I don’t exactly know what my feelings toward Nick are except that they are… cautious. I like him because he is helping Cath get out a little more and in a way that she can cope with, writing. If Nick fades into the picture after the first twelve chapters, I am okay with that because he has already helped her enough and to me he has served his purpose in Cath’s life. Honestly, I’m Team Levi. I’m cool if Nick just… disappears. 

Levi and Reagan. Can I just say how much I love these two, and each for very different reasons. I would have loved for Reagan to be my roommate in college. She and I would hit it off instantly. I wasn’t one to bond with my roommates too much. My freshman year I had bad roommates and what made matters worse was that my school was all about solving issues in a tell me about your feelings manner. That isn’t exactly helpful when dealing with bad roommate issues. I myself was dealing with a lot my freshman year and I wanted people to let me be and not change me into something I wasn’t. Yes, I was a bit of a rebel you could say. Anyways back to the story. I love that Reagan helped Cath overcome her block and made her go to the dining room with her and eat. After that, things got better instantly. Reagan was not a let’s do our nails and be girly stuff, she was doing her own thing and if she could, she helped others on the way. I like people that don’t get into my business and I think that is one of the reasons why Cath was cool with Reagan.

Now, Levi is also good for Cath, but for different reasons. He is quirky and nice. A good combination in my opinion. But what made me instantly like him was not just his easy, non-challant manner, but that he observed Cath enough that he knew she wasn’t really eating except for those darn protein bars. He ate her protein bars in order to make her deal with the issue. I would have reacted the same way as Cath, NO ONE TOUCHES MY FOOD, but at the same time, I would have been okay with it and put up with Levi like Cath did. After that, things change between Cath and she gets used to having quirky Levi around.

Cath and Wren were barely talking when their freshman year of college began and with their mother trying to return into their lives, it breaks the last fragile line that was holding both sisters together. They both completely stop talking. Neither one saying anything to the other. Never before has Cath been so alone.

Let’s quickly discuss WREN. She is dealing with her issues very differently than Cath, which I can understand but do not approve of. What really pissed me off was when Cath ran of to rescue her sister to find her drunk and Wren simply saying, Oh I texted the wrong C, I was trying to text Courtney. The one time Wren reaches out to Cath and it’s all a fluke. I was so mad.

Cath is dealing with a MIA mother trying to come back into her life, getting out of her comfort zone with no one to help her buffer the world, Simon Snow coming to an end soon, Abel breaking up with her, and a unstable dad she wishes she were home to take care of. That is some crazy stuff happening in her life and I think she handles it pretty well when assessing the circumstances.

I am proud of her so far and I know her journey is just beginning. And you know what guys, we will be there with her every step of the way.

Reviews, ya contemporary, ya romance

Book Review: If I Stay (If I Stay #1) by Gayle Forman

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Goodreads Summary:

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck…

A sophisticated, layered, and heart-achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make, and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

My Initial Thoughts:

I began reading If I Stay cautiously because I knew it would break my heart. Within the first ten pages, it did. I’m not going to talk about the heartbreak, or how much it will make you cry. I’m going to talk about Mia’s dilemma and why this book is so freaking amazing.

I know there are some out there that coudn’t connect with Mia, but I did. Several times in my life I’ve lost people I’ve loved. Once it was death and the few others… its almost as if they did die.

Review:

The back and forth scenes within the novel were easy for me to follow. I also felt like I was reading Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver where there were alternate chapters going back and forth in time.

The way the novel was written helped gain momentum for the ending and even if it was a simple ending, because the whole novel was moving to that point, it made it huge.

Throughout the novel we got to see what Mia would lose if she stayed and also what she would lose if she left. The entire book is her journey deciding whether she will stay or go.

The people in Mia’s life are strong. Her grandparents, family friends, Adam, Kim, when it comes down to a heavy part of life, they are strong and do everything and anything they can for Mia. If Mia stayed, all of those people would be by her side, helping her cope with the grief she would feel. They also understood if she decided to leave. The pain of being an orphan, of all of her immediate family dying at once is a horrible thing to deal with of she decided to stay.

I really found Adam and Mia’s relationship real and adorable. I also cried when I saw Adam frantically trying to get into Mia’s hospital room, wanting to see her, not caring he was missing his show. So many parts of this book tugged at the strings of my heart.

Overall, it is a novel about making the best of what you have and deciding if life is worth fighting for or not.

Rating: 5/5

Special Review, YA Historical

Book Review: Secrets of the Realm by Bev Stout

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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I want to thank the author Bev Stout for giving me a copy of her book in exchange for a honest review.

Goodreads Summary:

Blamed for her uncle’s death, fifteen-year-old Annie is on the run. Knowing the perils she will face on the streets of eighteenth century London, she disguises herself as a boy. Her life on the streets is cut short when she becomes Captain Hawke’s cabin boy.
Not only must Annie work alongside the Realm’s motley crew of outcasts and gentlemen, she must also keep her superstitious shipmates from discovering she is a girl.
Annie vows she will never leave the Realm, where dreams are chased, shattered lives can mend, and secrets are stowed like keepsakes in an old desk drawer. But when her past catches up with her, can she return to the Realm? More importantly, will she have a choice?

Review:

A lot of YA Historical novels that I’ve read, seem to have dumb-downed their language, or they use contemporary english in order to make it easier for the reader to read. Secrets of the Realm is different. The first thing that we notice when reading this book is that we get a very different english than the one we use everyday. We also learn sailor slang of the era the book is set in. If you ever find yourself time traveling into the past, this book might save you from trouble. It also teaches you how to become a cabin boy if you are a girl. 🙂

At first, I wasn’t so sure if I liked Annie. Her temper and her actions seemed to get her into trouble all of the time. Through the course of the novel though, she grew and I started to like Annie a lot more. The secondary characters that I absolutely loved and dare I say loved before Annie, were Doc and Christopher. They both helped Annie in so many ways and made Annie a more relatable and personable character.

Now, let’s talk about someone I’ve been avoiding on purpose for several reasons and that is Captain Hawke. For a while there, I didn’t know how old Captain Hawke was, but towards the end, I figured out how young and handsome he is. I dare not say more for the sake of not spoiling you.

I also want to point out quickly that Annie’s attitude for a girl in 18th Century England is not the norm. I love that she prefers sailor clothes over frilly dresses, and that she is strong willed. We can really see the difference in her attitude when the men are telling a story about something dangerous that happened out at sea and one of the lady’s at dinner is fainting, saying such a story was giving her vapors. The author clearly shows how differently women were viewed in the 18th Century.

Lastly, I enjoyed the culture created by the sailors in the Realm. In the Realm, they are all family and all depend on each other to defend the boat and help it get across the seas to its destination.

Overall:

I really enjoyed Secrets of the Realm even though it was a little slow at first. It is important you take in everything as you read it because some parts of the book are jam-packed with really fast paced scenes. I had to re-read some parts in order to fully capture what had been written.

If you like Historical fiction and are a fan of the sea and the sea life, I would recommend this book to you.

Rating: 4/5

Reviews, ya contemporary

Book Review: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Okcler

Veronica Porras (TTB)

5231173Goodreads Summary:

“Don’t worry, Anna. I’ll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it.”
“Okay.”
“Promise me? Promise you won’t say anything?”
“Don’t worry.” I laughed. “It’s our secret, right?”

According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in ZanzibarBay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there’s a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there’s something she hasn’t told Frankie—she’s already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie’s older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.

What I Like:

First, I want to discuss the cover. You may think it’s pretty or simple, but it portrays 100% what the book is about. The title of Sarah Ockler’s debut novel may lead you to think that it is just another Young Adult chick lit book (there is nothing wrong with YA Chick-lit), but this novel has depth, it is deep, and it will make you reevaluate your life.

Throughout the novel we get to experience firsthand not just the grief Matt’s family is going through, but Anna, whom no one seems to acknowledge that she has every right to be hurting too. There are some beautiful lines written in this novel. For example:

Like the stars, fading with the halo of the vanishing moon. Like the ocean, falling and whispering against the shore. Nothing ever really goes away – it just changes into something else. Something beautiful.

I’m not a person that sheds tears when reading a book. Some have even said I’m hard as a rock, but TBS opened up the safe within my mind and brought memories of someone that I loved that passed away several years ago. I teared up several times while reading it.

This book is a good portrayal of how grief can take control of someone’s life, and the process that we sometimes have to go through in order to heal.

I also want to point out that Sam was such a sweetheart. It must be hard to take a chance on someone knowing you may never see them again after summer ends.

What I Dislike:

If I am going to be super nit-picky, I wish we would have seen a little more of Frankie before Matt’s death. The only lens which we see Frankie through is Anna and that lens can be obscured.

Overall:

Twenty Boy Summer  is one of the best debut novels I have read. The well thought out passages and the full exploration of grief makes this one of the most heat-wrenching, beautiful novels I have ever read.

Rating: 5/5

Special Review, ya contemporary

Special Review: Saving Wishes by G.J. Walker-Smith

Veronica Porras (TTB)

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Thank you Net Galley and G.J. Walker-Smith for a giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Goodreads Summary:

For Charli Blake, being seventeen is a tough gig.

She’s been branded a troublemaker, her reputation is in tatters and she’s stuck in Pipers Cove, a speck of a town on the coast of Tasmania.

Thankfully, it’s temporary. Her lifelong dream of travelling the world is just months away from becoming reality. All she has to do is ride out the last few months of high school, which is easier said than done thanks to a trio of mean girls known as The Beautifuls.

When Adam Décarie arrives in town, all the way from New York, life takes an unexpected turn. His arrival sets off a chain of events that alters her life forever, convincing her of one thing. Fate brought him to her.

Saving Wishes is the story of a girl who doesn’t quite fit the life she’s living, and the boy who helps her realise why.

Review:

At the beginning of the novel, I was really skeptical about everything. The story I was reading seemed to be a out of a fairy tale book, it was very unrealistic. Over the course of the book, the story got better to the point where I now want to know what happens next. I had requested this novel at Net Galley thinking it was a stand alone, but it isn’t. It’s the first book in a trilogy.

There are several typos and grammatical errors in the story that are distracting, but not enough that you cannot enjoy the story. If you can get past the few first chapters then I assure you it is an okay read. Even though it wasn’t the most well written book, at the end I wanted to know what would happen to Charli and Adam. The book left me sad and wanting more.

Rating: 3/5

Reviews, YA Mystery

Short Book Review: I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You (GG #1) by Ally Carter

Veronica Porras (TTB)

idtellyouiloveGoodreads Summary:

The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school, that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE, the latest in chemical warfare in science; and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes computer class. So in truth, Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses, but its really a school for spies. Cammie Morgan is a second generation Gallagher Girl, and by her sophomore year she’s already fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (three of which involve a piece of uncooked spaghetti.) But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn’t prepared her for is what to do when she falls for an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through a mall without his ever being the wiser, but can she have a regular relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her?

Cammie may be an elite spy in training, but in her sophomore year, shes beginning her most dangerous mission; she’s falling in love.

Review:

The last time I read this book was about 5 years ago. Reading it again after such a long time, it was almost like reading it for the first time. I had completely forgotten how the whole Josh thing went down. The first time I read it, I was confused with the whole Josh thing and how things worked (writing style-wise), but reading it now, my experience was crisp clean reading.

I liked the pacing of the novel and I fell for Joe Solomon. I wasn’t a big fan of Joe Solomon until the third book, but now, a totally different experience. Re-reading it again made me love the Gallagher Girls even more. If you haven’t read the Gallagher Girls series, I suggest you do. The first book may seem like it is for a 13 year old girl, but as the series progresses, so do the books. The series matured along with its audience. Oh and this book is the nicest and fluffiest book you are going to get. The rest is heartbreak town. Good Luck!

Rating: 5/5