ya contemporary – Page 6 – The Talking Bookworm

Goodreads Summary:

Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue

When Morgan’s mom gets sick, it’s hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn’t as far away as she thought…

Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue

Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan’s getting to know the real Adam, and he’s actually pretty sweet…in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?

5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue

With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She’s not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend…and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can’t imagine living without.

My Initial Thoughts:

I was looking for a cute contemporary fluffy and saw this at Barnes and Noble and I thought, why not? And bought it. Afterward I saw Andi (Andi’s ABCs) had read it and gave it a 4 out of 5 so I got really excited to read it.

Review:

(WARNING: THIS IS A VERY SPOILERY REVIEW. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED)

Oh Morgan. What am I going to do with you?

The amount of things Morgan goes through in this book makes me want to cry. The summary promised me fun and adventure, and what I ended up getting was a book full of feels and drama and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t thrilled about that either.

We are promised a Mr. Jerk by the name of Adam and I kinda wanted to read a story about a jerk boy going good you know, and what I ended up getting wasn’t exactly disappointing per say, but Adam is totally not Mr. Jerk. Not even close. He takes Morgan to the hospital for gosh’s sake in the first few pages.

Now Amy. She’s something else. At first I really did not like her because she obviously lied and her actions made me think of her as a spoiled brat, but during the road trip we were given the opportunity to see a different side of her. I was so sad when she passed away. I would have been so happy to see her get together with Jake. In my head Jake and Amy would have been such an adorable and perfect couple.

The whole Dad issue in the book kind of opened a can of worms for me, but I’m glad that Morgan’s dad decided to try to have a relationship with her in the end. And OMG Morgan’s mom. I was so freaking pissed at her that I didn’t care how badly Morgan’s behavior was towards her mother (although now that I think about it, her actions weren’t that great and she should have been more respectful). I was mad for making Morgan believe that her dad didn’t want her. That is the worst.

I only wish the book was longer. I really wanted to see more of Amy, Adam, and Jake. I wanted to see more character development and actually see Morgan change some more. She was getting there, but in my opinion it ended too soon. I also found the whole Twitter thing adorable and that Adam started following her. So cute.

If you need a classic contemporary young adult novel in your life, you should definitely read this book!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Special Review, ya contemporary

Blog Tour Part 1: Lessons I Never Learned at Meadowbrook Academy by Liz Maccie

November 14, 2014July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

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

Today is the fourth day of the Lesson I Never Learned at Meadowbrook Academy Blog Tour and I am happy to participate in the tour of this wonderful book. I’ve divided today’s festivities into two posts. Part 1 (which is this post) will focus on my thoughts of the book and such. Part 2 will consist of Ms. Liz Maccie’s guest post that she was so kind enough to write for my blog. Click Here to check out Part 2.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

“Liz Maccie’s debut novel is as tough, optimistic, and beautiful as her heroine, Roberta Romano. Roberta’s voice is heartfelt and funny. Her story is exceptionally moving and honest. I love this book and the hope it has for young women everywhere.” —Stephen Chbosky, New York Times bestselling author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The most important lessons aren’t learned in the classroom.

It’s the first day of sophomore year for Roberta Romano, but instead of the comfort of her local high school, she’s been thrust into the elitist embrace of the affluent Meadowbrook Academy.

Surrounded by wealth, Roberta battles her own insecurities to prove her worth and maybe land the boy of her dreams. With the help of two unlikely allies—and an inflatable toy raft—Roberta embarks upon a journey of dark secrets and self-discovery to learn the true meaning of friendship and acceptance.

“Roberta will charm and delight you with a voice that’s candid, hilarious, and hopeful, as she narrates her first day at a new high school, reminding us of the epic nature of each hour in our adolescent lives. Lessons I Never Learned at Meadowbrook Academy will make you laugh, cringe, cry, and cheer for the power of friendships that can change us in a single day.” —Ava Dellaira, author of Love Letters to the Dead

“You wish your first day of prep school was this epic! Every single page of Lessons I Never Learned sparkles with heart and humor. Like a teenage Bridget Jones, Roberta Romano will make you laugh, cry, and cringe as she tries to navigate her first day at Meadowbrook Academy. She finds friends and enemies, earns detentions and serious respect, and makes memories that will last her a lifetime.” —Siobhan Vivian, author of The List

Review:

Our narrator is none other than Roberta Romano. She is a spunky Italian teenager that will leave you laughing or cringing (in a good way) every step of the way. Roberta is a sort of oxymoron because she is just like your average teenager and at the same time, she is not. She has characteristics that a teenager and even someone much older can relate to because we have all thought the same things and acted similarly when we were that age.

What I really loved about LINLAMA is that it talks about issues that should be talked about. Ms. Maccie does a wonderful job at not only making a relatable character, but also showing her grow and learn some very important lessons along the way.

There are a few sections in the book that captured my attention and that truly spoke to me and made me pause and reflect on what I had just read and realize how true those statements were. Here are a couple of those statements:

“Next time I was told by someone they had experienced the most amazing food ever, I would remember to ask who they were with and what they were doing before I asked what they were eating.”

“In my life, I have cried a lot. And I have felt really bad about many things. To be honest, I’ve always thought that no one else in the world could possibly understand just how much things hurt sometimes. But sitting there, watching Annie, thinking about everything the three of us had shared day, I realized that there is a lot of pain in the world. And I’m not the only one who feels it.”

It is very important for YA authors to write these type of realizations into characters. Teenagers today need to hear they are not alone when it comes to suffering and pain. That the meal they eat isn’t so much about the food being eaten, but the company that they are sharing it with. I would have loved to had read this book 10 years ago when I was a freshman in high school myself and I could have understood sooner that in this life YOU ARE NOT ALONE. It may feel like you are at times, but you are not, correction, We are not alone.

Rating: 4 out of 5

AUTHOR BIO

Liz Maccie was born and raised in New Jersey and attended Bucknell University. After college, she moved out to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film and television writing. She has had two movies produced, “The Thirst” and “Black and Blue.” She went on to work at The Disney Channel until she found a home at the breakout ABC Family show, “Make it or Break it.” She is currently adapting the wildly popular YA book, “The List” for MTV as a television show. “Lessons” is Liz’s debut novel.

If you would like to know more about Liz Maccie or follow her on social media:

LINKS

Website: http://lizmaccie.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LizMaccieAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lmaccie

Purchase LINLAMA: http://diversionbooks.com/ebooks/lessons-i-never-learned-meadowbrook-academy

Reviews, ya contemporary

Book Review: Breathe Annie Breathe by Miranda Kenneally

August 20, 2014July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.

But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.

My Initial Thoughts:

I absolutely knew I was going to love it.

Review:

oh man, Oh man, Oh Man, did I absolutely love this book! It was everything I needed, wanted, and more! I think I will be using a lot of exclamation points the entire review!!!!

Let’s just start of by addressing the painful stuff first. Annie’s story about Kyle’s death and how it all went down was so sad…I was nearly in tears. I could imagine the guilt she felt. She was going to marry that guy. I seriously don’t know how she wasn’t a bigger mess. I think Kenneally did a wonderful job at explaining the importance of the marathon and Kyle to us, the readers, so that we could get it and understand why the marathon is so important to Annie.

Oh Jere. I remember you in Things I Can’t Forget and oh man I’m glad you’ve changed. What I really liked about Jeremiah is how honest he was with Annie. Jeremiah is exactly what Annie needed, and Annie is exactly what Jeremiah needed. Even though Annie was getting over someone who died, which I think is probably harder than getting over someone who is alive, she is able to stand on her own two feet and call out Jere out in his crap. I also love that Jere was there for Annie and waited for her to be ready. A man who can respect a woman. I like that. We need more men to be like that.

Breathe Annie Breathe didn’t just focus on Annie, but also addressed Jeremiah’s issue. I am a person that at times does somewhat risky things to get over a fear and likes to feel that rush of adrenaline that makes you feel like you’ve conquered the fear. I get why Jeremiah searched for that surge of adrenaline and how that road that led him to turning into an adrenaline junkie. He had to make some hard decisions throughout the entire book to change. The best part of each of the main characters were their interactions and how each could see through the other’s facade and actually address the issues and situations. Neither chickened out on each other.

The only reason I am giving this 4.5 stars instead of 5 is that the few pages before the ending were a little… weird for me and I felt like the story abruptly stopped. That ending was so not an ending.

Some of you might remember I had a few issues with Kenneally’s second book Stealing Parker for bad representation of certain groups of people, but I will say that I’ve loved every other books she’s written. So far I own all 5 Hundred Oaks books and hopefully I will keep owning more in the future.

I’m not done with the Hundred Oaks world yet Kenneally, and I hope you aren’t either.

Rating: 4.5/5

Reviews, ya contemporary

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

August 18, 2014July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new

My Initial Thoughts:

YOU ARE FINALLY IN MY HANDS. MUAHAHAHA. (If you were looking for something insightful, you’re not going to find it in this section.)

Review:

I just finished reading Isla a few hours ago and oh my is my mind still reeling. I can’t fathom coherent thoughts my friends, but I will surely try.

Stephanie Perkins has written another terrific novel, and I think it has surpassed her other novels, but at the same time it’s on the same level of perfection. That doesn’t make any sense does it? That’s something you’re going to have to make peace with. 🙂

I don’t normally read the acknowledgments page, but I’m glad I read this one. It literally left me with so many emotions. Stephanie Perkins is so honest and vulnerable in her acknowledgement, I almost cried and we all know I don’t really cry. And I think knowing she went through some tough times while writing this book just makes it that much more special to me. We have the finished product and that only means she pushed through those tough times in her life and conquered them. I am so happy for her.

Alright, let’s about the book.

Isla and Josh are by far my favorite couple (Don’t tell Anna/St.Clair and Lola/Cricket I said that!). There was just something so heartbreaking beautiful about them, their stories, and their struggles that I just have a soft spot for them. Like all fans of this world we can only hope Stephanie will continue to write more books about them (Can I get an AMEN for sequels!?!!), but I will say that this third book does give me some enough satisfaction as a finale. I know where my favorite characters are at in their lives and where some of my new favorites will be.

I don’t wish to spoil this for you, but I do want to say that their story is somehow much more grand then the other two. Maybe because I can identify with both Josh and Isla. Maybe because I know exactly what Isla feels when she says she feels like a blank canvas. All I know is that this book came into my life at the best time it could, and it has earned its place in my Top Favorite Books of All Time list.

Here is a word of advice: Read it!

Rating: 6 out of freaking 5

Reviews, ya contemporary

Book Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

June 22, 2014July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

It’s been three years since Mia walked out of Adam’s life.

And three years he’s spent wondering why.

When their paths cross again in New York City, Adam and Mia are brought back together for one life-changing night.

Adam finally has the opportunity to ask Mia the questions that have been haunting him. But will a few hours in this magical city be enough to lay their past to rest, for good – or can you really have a second chance at first love?

My Initial Thoughts:

My thoughts you say… well they weren’t pretty. Not because I thought I was going to dislike it, but because I knew it was going to tear my heart apart. I heard Where She Went would open the water gates, so I kept avoiding it.

Review:

I can just tell you from the get-go that this may just turn into a fangirl session. I am ab-so-lute-ly head over heels with Where She Went.

The rawness of this book just hit the spot deep within me. I am a sucker for heart-breaking tales, and this is one I will not easily forget nor do I want to. WSW is absolutely breathtaking because it was everything I wanted it to be and more. I mourned with Adam, and I felt his pain. I understood his lyrics and the need get it out the only way you know how. For him it was writing music, and for me… poems.

One of the reasons I love the If I Stay duology so much is because I can personally connect to both Mia and Adam. I didn’t go through the same tragedies as they did, but I’ve gone through some of my own, and to have on the page before me the same thoughts and feelings I’ve had before is an indescribable experience. It’s like that quote we see around tumblr so much, “We read to know we are not alone.” I read to know that I am not the only one feeling those same things, thinking those same thoughts.

Some readers that loved If I Stay did not like Where She Went because they say Adam is selfish and a jerk. I am not blind to his characteristics and attitude, but are we really going to say we are not all at one time or another a jerk and/or selfish? If we say we have never been a jerk or selfish we would be lying. Even the people who we think are selfless and the nicest people in the world at least have selfish or mean thoughts sometimes. The difference is that they don’t act out their thoughts or give them voice. Nonetheless, I understand their stance and respect it. I don’t need everyone to agree with me. If they did, well life wouldn’t be fun now would it?

Overall, this book will be going in my “Favorite Books of All Time” shelf. It was an indescribable experience that I want to experience all over again.

Rating: 5/5

Special Review, ya contemporary, YA Mystery

ARC Review: And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

June 13, 2014July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Thank you Random House for providing me with a free ebook copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Description (on NetGalley):

Award winner and critically acclaimed writer Jenny Hubbard’s riveting account of a teenage girl whose boyfriend brings a gun to school and shoots himself. This is her story before, during, and after the tragedy.

When high school senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school library with a stolen gun, he threatens his girlfriend Emily Beam, then takes his own life. In the wake of the tragedy, an angry and guilt-ridden Emily is shipped off to boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she encounters a ghostly presence who shares her name. The spirit of Emily Dickinson and two quirky girls offer helping hands, but it is up to Emily to heal her own damaged self.

This inventive story, told in verse and in prose, paints the aftermath of tragedy as a landscape where there is good behind the bad, hope inside the despair, and springtime under the snow.

Review:

I started reading this book at the beginning of this year and it has taking me this long to read it. 6 months to be exact. Why you may ask it has taken me that many months? Because I had to be in a certain mood to read it. It’s not a lighthearted book at all. It’s heart wrenching, and tragic. If you’re not in the correct mood, it might bore you or turn you off.

The writing in And We Stay is poetic. I could even say lyrical. What I really enjoyed were the poems after every chapter. I could picture Emily late at night writing the poems, letting out all of her feelings into that journal and beginning the process of healing that she desperately needs. The entire book is about the beginning of her healing process and realizing exactly what Paul was to her, as well as learning the consequences of her actions and what saying the truth may lead to.

If I were Emily, it would have taking me longer to heal from this, but the again at the end of the book she is barely starting to heal.

I really loved Emily’s roommate toward the end. At the beginning I thought of her as a snotty, rich, drama-loving girl. When Emily tells her to invent her past, her roommate doesn’t hesitate to make up a sob story that everyone eats up.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It may not be for me, but I wholly appreciate the poetic writing that enraptured me two nights ago as I binge read the last 80% of the book I still had left to read.

Rating: 3/5

Reviews, ya contemporary, YA Dystopian, YA Paranormal

Mini Book Reviews #1

May 28, 2014July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

I’m starting a new series on here which I’m calling Mini-Reviews. Clever name right? Yeah, I know. I’m a genius. (The sarcasm is so strong.) The reason I’m starting this new series is because there are some books that I’ve read that I have things to say about them, but not enough to dedicate an entire post on them. Each Mini Review post will have 3 mini reviews. Here we go!

Mini Book Review: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Kayla over at The Thousand Lives almost threw the book at me and said READ IT! I, like the good best friend that I am (see what I did there) did, and let me tell you I’m glad she said I had to read this book. I fell in love with summer again. The last time I was in love with summer was the year 2012. I truly cannot believe this is Emery Lord’s debut novel. The writing is impeccable and wonderful. I loved the main characters voice and the sass, oh my, I freaking loved the sass. Also, Matthew is the perfect boyfriend. Can he be real, please? If you are looking for a heart-clenching [in a good way] summer contemporary, then this is the book for you. 100% recommend this book to anyone.

Rating: 5/5

Mini Book Review: Coldest Girl in ColdTown by Holly Black

Vampires + Holly Black = perfection. What amazes me about this book is that it is a stand alone. I had never read a book that can build a new world, has all of the background information, action, plot twists, and just everything that we crave that is normally given to us in trilogies and series, in ONE book. Yes, you read that correctly. Holly Black does it all with one book. The ending satisfied me. This book does vampires justice and makes me sigh happily. These vampires can beat the crap out of any sparkly vampire’s butt.

Rating: 5/5

Mini Book Review: Altered by Jennifer Rush

I saw polandbananasbooks book talk of Altered a long time ago and have been wanting to read it since. I went over to Kayla’s one day and saw that she had it in her possession. I of course begged her to let me take it home with me and she did. This book was not what I was expecting, and boy it was wonderful. I screamed, I jumped, and it stressed the heck out of me. The twists, the action, the science fiction nerdy-ness of it, I loved it all!

Rating: 4/5

Special Review, ya contemporary

ARC Review: Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

May 12, 2014July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

I was given an ebook copy through NetGalley by Random House via invitation for an honest review.

Goodreads Summary:

We weren’t always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn’t expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we’ve kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what’s coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.
So stop obsessing about your ex. We’re always listening.

Review:

This may be the shortest review I have ever written. We’ll see.

I have never DNF’ed a book. NEVER. Anyone can go through my reviews and see that I have read through all of them, even those that I disliked. My goal is to give my readers, authors, and publishers a fair review of a book. A honest review.

Originally, I was excited when I received an invitation to read this book. I’ve heard great things about Sarah and I was thrilled to finally read something by her. The plot of the story sounded very interesting which is why I said, YES, SIGN ME UP.

I tried reading it on three different occasions. I only reached about 10-15% of the story before I quit. Each time I started to read it, I couldn’t get a feel for the characters and the protagonist. There was just something that wasn’t clicking and even annoyed me. I feel absolutely horrible saying such negative things about this book, but I honestly couldn’t get past everything that annoyed me.

I try my best to read the entire book so that I can give both the good and the bad of a book. One of my goals is to always find something good about the book, even if the rating is a 1 or 2. I make it my mission to give reasons as to why I dislike a book if I do.

Today is a weird day on The Talking Bookworm because I can do neither. Here is my first DNF review and hopefully it will be my last.

Rating: DNF (Did Not Finish)

Special Review, ya contemporary

ARC Review: Worth The Wait by Laura Jackson

May 11, 2014July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

I was gifted a ebook in exchange for an honest review by HopeSprings Books through NetGalley.

Goodreads Summary:

Ellie Lansing has a picture-perfect life with a close-knit family and the perfect boyfriend. But her world is suddenly knocked off center when her drool-worthy boyfriend cheats, and her always-has-it-together mother is diagnosed with cancer. Ellie doesn’t get it. She always does the right thing—doesn’t God owe her a happy life? Through her heartache, Ellie learns that sometimes what seems like the end is really just the beginning and that what God has for us is always worth the wait.

Review:

Let me first start of by saying that this a Young Adult Christian Novel. This book is big on Christian morals and values. Now with that out of the way, let me get on with the review.

When I think of Worth The Wait in edible form (FOOD) I think of a fluffy angel cake. It’s sweet, it’s light, it’s fun. I would say this is chick flick material right here. At the beginning of the book I didn’t like Ellie at all. She was very annoying and actually made me dread to read the rest of the book because I thought to myself Is this the protagonist I’m getting stuck with?! Ugh. But overtime that annoying side to her started to fade away, and we finally saw why she was the way she was. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT PEOPLE.

There were times where I loved Laura’s writing, and at others it felt a little forced and weird. The main issue I had with the novel was how quickly the tone changed at times that my reaction went a little like this: WAIT WHAT’S GOING ON. I THOUGHT WE WERE HAPPY. NOW WE’RE MAD. OKKKKAAAAYYYYY.

But honestly, there is more good than bad. Worth The Wait is Laura Jackson’s first published novel and I say for a first novel it is freaking good. Additionally, I really liked that HopeSprings Books, her publisher, let her write the novel in a different formula. In a lot of the big christian publishing houses tend to prefer a certain style of writing, and if you write in that type of style, great for you, but if you don’t, you aren’t getting published. At least that’s what someone told me from their personal experience.

I know my rating may leave some of you weary, wondering if you should pick up this book or not, and I say do it. It has its beautiful moments where you will get teary-eyed. I know the story sounds a little cliche from the summary, but give it a chance. It’s one of those worth reading cliche—type books.

Rating: 3.75/5

Reviews, ya contemporary

Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

March 13, 2014July 7, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

My Initial Thoughts:

I didn’t have any expectations at all. I know that a lot of people loved Eleanor & Park, but I didn’t let that get my expectations high because it is always a 50/50 chance that I will like a very loved book of the masses.

Review:

(So, I started writing this review back in September of 2013 when I had just finished reading Fangirl and after all this time, I can finally articulate exactly what I want to say. Yes, it took that long to digest it. It was that good.)

I think not having any expectations did wonders to the experience I had with reading this book. It took me by surprise! I loved almost every second I spent reading it. It was absolutely amazing and I don’t regret reading this book for a minute.

What really blew me away is the fact that Rainbow Rowell created some amazing characters. They are all well rounded and well developed characters that one does not think twice about their believability. Seriously. It’s so gosh darn good that I have zero complaints. I even like Nick as a character. Yeah, I can’t believe I just said that either.

But…. Can we talk about Levi? Gosh, that hunk of a man that melts my coffee-loving heart. Where can I find my own Levi? Anyone? I want my own Cowboy, Barista, Fangirl lover. I never knew I could find a man that is not a “city” man attractive. I will be honest though. There were a few chapters in the book where I wasn’t happy with Levi’s actions, but he totally made up for it so I forgave him.

In literature it is very common to see a single mother raising her kids, but it is more often than not rare to see a single dad raising his kids. Why? I’m guessing because in our society today (at least in the United States) it is more common to hear talk or know a single mother with kids, than a single dad with kids. I really loved that Rainbow Rowell deviated from the norm. It gave us, the reader, something….different yet still plausible and convincing.

Lastly, I just want to touch upon something everyone has talked about, the awkwardness of being a Fangirl. This book perfectly captured the “awkwardness” that comes with being a fangirl. No, I am not saying it is bad, nor am I saying that in a negative way. If I were to fangirl at work per say (which honestly I have come so close to doing because ANJIE text’s me information about my real life ship and I almost can’t contain myself) people would look at me all weird and even question my sanity. The awkwardness of being a fangirl is taken away when one fangirls in a place where one can fangirl. Like If I am at Kayla’s house, it is perfectly normal to fangirl and her mom and sister will only laugh and not think badly of me (although Kayla’s dog Princess is a whole other story. I kinda freak her out, but I forgive her for judging me LOL). Everyone “fangirls” but no one ever addresses it. THIS BOOK ADDRESSED ALMOST EVERYTHING THAT COMES WITH BEING A FANGIRL and that is why I am so enamored with it. This may be fiction, but it is also a peak into the life of many girls today. It’s a peak into our generation and I love that.

(Can you not tell by now how much I just LOVE Ms. Rowell’s work? LOL)

There are many other things I still have left to discuss [like fan fiction, college, family, etc], but for the sake of the length of the review, I will stop here.

I am giving this book A++++ yet I know this book is not for everyone. I will leave you with this final thought though, if not read the book for enjoyment, read it to understand a part of this era’s generation. You will not have a better insight into the life of a Fangirl than this brilliant piece of literature.