Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler | Book Review

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances, a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been.

     So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life—and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.

     It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last....

Cover: So the cover of this book is a broken heart being put back together, but why is it a cookie?  Shouldn't it be a cupcake?  It should be the decoration on top of a cupcake that depicts the healed broken heart.  The book makes such a big deal about cupcakes and how Hudson is the Cupcake Queen, so the cover shouldn't have a cookie on it.  I guess the baking theme is there and it's a cute cover don't get me wrong, I just think it would be better if it was a cupcake.

My Review: Sometimes we think we want things we used to have, but when we get them again they're not as we remembered.  Hudson thought that if she won the skating competition it would bring her back to her days of skating when everything was good in her life.  But that's not how life works.  Sometimes we have to roll with the punches and just keep moving forward.  Everything will work out in the end even if it's not where we though we would end up.  That's something we have to learn on our own though, just like Hudson.  It's something you say over and over, "It will all work out..." but it's hard to fully believe until we have a moment where we look around and decide we are where we need to be.  This book also throws in the importance of the people around you.  Some people are going to let you down in life.  They'll leave and never come back.  However, there will also be people who will always be there for you so it's important to appreciate them.  This novel can be seen as a coming to age story that depicts how sometimes we have to follow our dreams without trying to go back in time.  

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I Was Here by Gayle Forman | Book Review

I Was Here by Gayle Forman

Reading Group: High School+; Sensitive Material

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: When her best friend, Meg, commits suicide by drinking a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how did she miss the signs of Meg's depression? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, and some secrets of his own. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

Cover: The cover of this book shows a back of a girl, Cody maybe, walking down a street.  The landscape shows grass that progresses to trees that changes to mountains.  It goes from flat to sky high and it might be like this to show how things in life can escalate relatively quickly, no matter what it may be.  Once Meg's brother says that he thought the email was worded oddly, Cody starts doing some research and suddenly she finds herself in Nevada trying to find someone who supported Meg's decision to kill herself.  The girl on the cover is standing a road which may be symbolic for the journey Cody goes on literally and figuratively as she discovers more truths about her best friend that she didn't know before.

My Review: I really enjoyed this book.  You guys know I love a good love story anyway, which is what this story becomes.  I also like that it's kind of a mystery and Cody has to put together the pieces of the puzzle.  When you go looking for something, you're certainly going to find something and this novel really shows that. 
I feel as though the theme of mental health and suicide is very "big" right now.  It's the new fad for books the way dystopian novels like The Hunger Games and Divergent were a few years ago.  I do think it is a very serious topic and that by making fictional characters struggle through these things, it helps to take the stigma away from real people who deal with stuff like this and hopefully helps them get the help they need. 

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Girl Online: On Tour by Zoe Sugg | Book Review

Girl Online: On Tour by Zoe Sugg

Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: In this sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Girl Online, Penny joins her rock-star boyfriend on the road in Europe.

When Noah invites Penny on his first-ever European tour, she can’t wait to spend the summer with her rock-god-tastic boyfriend.

But, between Noah’s jam-packed schedule, less-than-welcoming band mates, and threatening messages from jealous fans, Penny wonders whether she’s really cut out for life on tour. She can’t help but miss her family, her best friend Elliot, and her blog, “Girl Online.”

Can Penny learn to balance life and love on the road, or will she lose everything in pursuit of the perfect summer?

Cover: The background of the cover, the purple and lights, look like the vanity lights on a makeup mirror that is associated with movie stars or backstage at a concert.  The kind that collapse onto a trunk.  The cover has some little mementos that Penny would have collected while she was on tour: tickets, backstage pass, and photos that she took. 

My Review: It's so funny to be writing a review for this book because Girl Online was the second book I did a review for here on this blog almost a year ago.  It wasn't even in this format!  This book was a great sequel to the first one.  It continued Penny and Noah's story, but now Penny is on tour (which makes the title really accurate) and has to discover if it's a life she can get used to.  Ultimately, both of them decide that they need to chase their dreams, but they still love each other.  It ended with the two of them together...I think?  I don't know.  They didn't definitely say it, but it says that their story is just beginning.  I would have liked if they said it or at least kissed a paragraph or two before the ending.  Penny's character is still relatable to almost everyone I can think of, especially for anyone who doesn't exactly know what they want to do next.  Everyone has passions, but not everyone turns them into their careers, for many different reasons.  But when you're young it's even more confusing because people always ask you what you want to do and you look around for an answer, but don't have one.  And that's okay, you'll figure it out.  Penny figured out.  Obviously it was a little quick for her because it's a book and she needed to, but in real life you figure it out eventually too.  This story was really cute.  I know Zoe has a younger following so her books aimed for a younger audience, but I think everyone can enjoy this novel and I would definitely recommend this novel to my friends.  Especially Style, she loves Zoella.  

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The House by Christina Lauren | Book Review

The House by Christina Lauren

Reading Group: Teenagers+

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary:Delilah and Gavin’s new love is threatened by a force uncomfortably close to home in this haunting novel from New York Times bestselling duo Christina Lauren, authors of Beautiful Bastard.

His shirt is black, jeans are black, and shaggy black hair falls into his eyes. And when Gavin looks up at Delilah, the dark eyes shadowed with bluish circles seem to flicker to life.

He lives in that house, the one at the edge of town. Spooky and maybe haunted. Something worse than haunted. And Gavin is trapped by its secrets.

Delilah and Gavin can’t resist each other. But staying together will exact a price beyond their imagining.

Cover:  The cover of this novel depicts a closed window, but the curtains  are moving as if blown by the wind.  The window looks as if it is in an abandoned house, a spooky house.  I assumed this window belongs inside of Gavin's house.

My Review: I loved this novel.  The young adult novels that Christina Lauren writes have supernatural elements to them, while maintaining a love story, and I absolutely adored it because it's different.  Gavin and Delilah are so cute.  Delilah, whose been gone for 6 years and comes to a home with parents, but no love, and Gavin, who never left, but never really belonged and whose house is full of love, but no parents.  They find each other and don't want to let go, but Gavin's house doesn't want to share and it's willing to fight for what it wants.  When supernatural powers are involved it always tends to cause a scary atmosphere and anticipation for how it could possibly end and that's what I loved about this story.  There were parts where everything seemed like it was going good, but then House would do something like burn Delilah's room.  The moments that made you question how a story could have a happily ever after are my favorites because it keeps you guessing, but it also satisfies you in the end because everything works out the way it should.  
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.  It sucks you in because of it's spookiness and its adorable love story.  It's the perfect balance of scary & sweet.

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After We Collided by Anna Todd | Book Review

After We Collided by Anna Todd

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Reading Group Rating:  M for Mature

Personal Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Tessa has everything to lose. Hardin has nothing to lose…except her. AFTER WE COLLIDED…Life will never be the same. #HESSA

After a tumultuous beginning to their relationship, Tessa and Hardin were on the path to making things work. Tessa knew Hardin could be cruel, but when a bombshell revelation is dropped about the origins of their relationship—and Hardin’s mysterious past—Tessa is beside herself.

Hardin will always be…Hardin. But is he really the deep, thoughtful guy Tessa fell madly in love with despite his angry exterior—or has he been a stranger all along? She wishes she could walk away. It’s just not that easy. Not with the memory of passionate nights spent in his arms. His electric touch. His hungry kisses.

Still, Tessa’s not sure she can endure one more broken promise. She put so much on hold for Hardin—school, friends, her mom, a relationship with a guy who really loved her, and now possibly even a promising new career. She needs to move forward with her life.

Hardin knows he made a mistake, possibly the biggest one of his life. He’s not going down without a fight. But can he change? Will he change…for love?

Cover: The cover of this novel depicts a wave colliding onto the shore.  It's purple and I'm not really sure why, I don't think there is any significance in that.  Water is known to be a symbol or rebirth, which is maybe why it's chosen for this cover.  Hardin and Tessa do reconcile and rekindle their love for each other.    

My Review:  I know this novel is supposed to show that in the real world couples fight more than just once before they're able to live happily ever after, but it bothers me that every fight between Hardin and Tessa is the same.  It's always because of a misunderstanding and one of them would rather jump to conclusions than hear the other one out.  It also bothers me that Tessa kisses other people.  The one in the club when she's drunk is whatever, but the New Years party and Zed where uncalled for.  She knows that Hardin hates Zed and they had been away from each other for less than 11 days.  I just think that it was really rude of her to do something like that.  Those parts really bothered me.  The rest of the book is great.  It's a little bit of a cycle where they're together, they break up, they hook up, they're back together...etc. and at some points I found myself wishing Anna Todd had just cut an entire scene out when she went from her digital story on WattPad to the printed story, but there probably would have been an outrage from her fans.

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The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider | Book Review

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Given Summary: Varsity tennis captain, Ezra Faulkner, was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before—before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with unpredictable new girl Cassidy Thorpe.

Cover: The cover of this novel is adorned with a roller coaster.  There isn't a scene in the story with a roller coaster, so I imagine this cover is meant to remind us that life itself is a roller coaster.  There are ups and downs, and stuff that throws us for a loop.  Things happen in life that we don't always like or expect, but we can all make it through.  The cover also says, "Everyone gets a tragedy."  No ones life is perfect and bad things happen to everyone.  They may range in what you consider tragic, but everyones got baggage that they live with everyday. 

My Review: I really enjoyed this novel.  It was a story that was very real.  I mean, it is fiction, so of course there were some coincidences, but even those were things that could very well happen.  Ezra falls in love with the sister of the boy who crashed into his car and altered his life forever.  But if the two of them had grown up in the same area and she was new to the public school that could very well happen.  It would be a bit more of a stretch if she moved to his town.  The theme of friendship is very big in this story.  I think especially towards the end of high school you realize what friends are part-time and what friends are full-time.  And it's super common to lose touch with someone in middle school and then reunite with them in high school, even if you see them every day.  You guys know how I feel about happily ever afters and this book did that sneaky thing where it ends happy, but not with the two characters together.  That kind of bothers me because I feel tricked.  I also know that not every high school couple stays together and it's probably more common that they don't, but I am a complete sap and wanted Ezra and Cassidy to be together forever, okay.  This novel is definitely worth the read and if you read it please let me know what you think!  

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Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren | Book Review

Dark Wild Night by Christina Lauren

Reading Group: M for Mature

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 

Given Summary: Lola and Oliver like to congratulate themselves on having the good sense not to consummate their drunken Las Vegas marriage. If they'd doubled-down on that mistake, their Just Friends situation might not be half as great as it is now. 

...Or so goes the official line. 

In reality, Lola's wanted Oliver since day one-and over time has only fallen harder for his sexy Aussie accent and easygoing ability to take her as she comes. More at home in her studio than in baring herself to people, Lola's instinctive comfort around Oliver nearly seems too good to be true. So why ruin a good thing? 

Even as geek girls fawn over him, Oliver can't get his mind off what he didn't do with Lola when he had the chance. He knows what he wants with her now...and it's far outside the friend zone. When Lola's graphic novel starts getting national acclaim-and is then fast-tracked for a major motion picture-Oliver steps up to be there for her whenever she needs him. After all, she's not the kind of girl who likes all that attention, but maybe she's the kind who'll eventually like him. 

Sometimes seeing what's right in front of us takes a great leap of faith. And sometimes a dark wild night in Vegas isn't just the end of a day, but the beginning of a bright new life...

Cover: A classic Christina Lauren book cover we've all come to love.  This novel depicts Oliver wearing a t-shirt and jeans.  I love that the Wild Seasons boys aren't as suit and tie as the Beautiful Series boys.  This cover shows a very relaxed man and proves that who you dress can say a lot about you even without seeing your face or knowing anything.

My Review: LOLIVER!!  I love these geeks.  Their story is very unique to the Wild Seasons because they're friends from the start and they slowly ease in to being in a relationship.  Obviously, Mia and Ansel didn't take anything slow and Harlow and Finn hated each other until the last moment.  Oliver and Lola are so cute and you just spend the whole time they're apart wishing they were together.  It's s little funny though because compared to other CL books this one started off a little slow and it was kinda frustrating, but it had to start that way because that's who these characters are.  I'm not going to lie to you guys though, this one wasn't my favorite of the series.  I think that Mia and Ansel will always have such a big place in my heart, the same way Hanna and Will does, and to me I don't think anyone will ever compare.  I still loved it don't get me wrong.  It was sweet and I loved Oliver and Lola's geeky personalities.  I also loved Lola and how she was trying to make a point that even though she is young (and a woman) she can still be successful and get things done the way she wants them to be done.  She's a good role model to have.

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Something Beautiful by Jamie McGuire | Book Review

Something Beautiful by Jamie McGuire

Reading Group:  Anyone who has read all of the other Beautiful and Maddox Brothers series.

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: America Mason, a sassy undergrad at Eastern State University, is in love with a Maddox--Shepley Maddox. Unlike his cousins, Shepley is more lover than fighter, but a road trip to her parents' home in Wichita, Kansas could mean the next step, or the end of everything.

Cover: The cover shows what looks to be a windshield, cracked and being rained on.  This could resemble the storm they drove through in Kansas.  It could also symbolize their relationship.  It wasn't the best at times.  They didn't know where they stood with each other or what the future looked like, but they weren't shattered.  They were just cracked.  And cracks can be fixed.  It costs money to get a windshield fixed, but it gets fixed.  It costs time and energy to fix a relationship, but if you want it bad enough you will fix it.

My Review: I was expecting this story to be about how Shepley and America met.  I figured the road trip they went on was the one they were on when the fire took place.  I did not expect this novella to jump around and fast forward in time as much as it did, but I loved it!  I loved the little stories that led up to the trip to Wichita.  I loved that Shepley and America's relationship wasn't always perfect, but they didn't have giant fights and break up.  It felt very real.  The Maddox boys are a force to be reckon with and even though Shepley is as much of a physical fighter he will do whatever it takes to keep America and form a life with her.  The two of them together are such a power couple and the way they looked for each other proved that no matter what, they are forever.  Both of them were told to stay back in the hospital and wait in a safe place, but neither could.  Neither could just sit there and wait around they had to be moving had to be searching for each other.  This novella was short, sweet, and simply beautiful.
  

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A Million Suns by Beth Revis | Book Review

A Million Suns by Beth Revis 

Reading Group:  High School+

Personal Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. Everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to act on his vision--no more Phydus, no more lies. But when Elder learns shocking news, he and Amy must race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed, all the while dealing with the love that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

Beth Revis catapulted readers into the far reaches of space with her New York Times bestselling debut, Across the Universe. In A Million Suns, Beth deepens the mystery with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: THEY HAVE TO GET OFF THIS SHIP.

Cover: Again, I really like Beth Revis' covers for these books.  On this cover Amy and Elder are looking out of the ship together and seeing space.  Their holding hands and a bright light is covering them.  I think this shows that no matter what happens, they're in this together. 

My Review: They made it!  But not really because they made it years and years ago, but haven't landed on the new planet.  That was a plot twist I wasn't expecting.  I also wasn't expecting the entire ship t go into mass chaos as Elder and Amy tried to figure out how to get the ship out of the planets orbit and onto the planets soil.  I liked this story a little bit more than the first one in the series just because I knew the characters better and I felt like this one started off at a faster pace.  I do wish their relationship developed more though!  It did develop a little bit and I have high hopes for these two, but just love each other!  Maybe I'm reading too many Christina Lauren novels where the characters fall in love within the first 30 pages, but I just like the happy ever after stories and I really want this to be one of those.  Like the first novel, this one does have plot twists and stuff to keep you guessing.  I like that part of it.  The fact that it's a mystery story and you try to figure everything out before the main characters do is fun for me, sometimes frustrating, but fun.

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Across the Universe by Beth Revis | Book Review

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the spaceship Godspeed. She has left her boyfriend, friends--and planet--behind to join her parents as a member of Project Ark Ship. Amy and her parents believe they will wake on a new planet, Centauri-Earth, three hundred years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, cryo chamber 42 is mysteriously unplugged, and Amy is violently woken from her frozen slumber.

Someone tried to murder her.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's 2,312 passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader. And Elder, Eldest's rebellious teenage heir, is both fascinated with Amy and eager to discover whether he has what it takes to lead. Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she put her faith in a boy who has never seen life outside the ship's cold metal walls? All Amy knows is that she and Elder must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

Cover: I love this cover.  I think it's so pretty.  It's really simple, just Amy and Elder almost kissing in space, but I really like it.

My Review: Oh my god this went live when I didn't mean for it to!  I'm so sorry!!
I gotta tell you guys that this book came up on my Amazon recommended page and I only read it because of the cover.  It's so pretty!  Scify stuff isn't typically my thing, but I did end up enjoying this novel.  It took a little long to really get going though.  And I just wanted Elder and Amy to get together, but they never did!  The story itself was really interesting and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who liked The Giver or some other dystopian novel.  I think it's cute how much elder cares for Amy and he doesn't even really know her.  It was also interesting having the two of them coexist because they're the same age, but they know two completely different lives.  The scene where Amy almost gets gang raped was crazy though.  The entire mating season thing was something, but I really wish Elder found out about it.  I don't know why, I just feel like he should have figured it out somehow.  It was also fun trying to figure out the killer.  It is a murder mystery after all.   As much as I enjoyed this novel there were a few things I wish were different in it.  

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Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell | Book Review

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 4 Out Of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits-smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you'll remember your own first love-and just how hard it pulled you under.

Cover: The cover depicts Eleanor and Park sharing headphones and listening to music.  I like this cover because it shows them from the back so it's almost like you are a few rows behind them on the bus with the other kids watching them.  Music and sharing was such a huge part of their relationship as well.  They made each other mix tapes and Park lent Eleanor many comic books.

My Review: This book was very sweet.  I liked that they ere two kids who didn't really know where they belong.  Everyone has felt that way at some point and this story showed that not only are you not alone, but there is someone out there who will love you anyway.  This novel also focused a lot on family and how they're not always good families.  Park's family is a pretty typical family.  They love him, but don't really understand everything he does.  They often compare him and his brother.  Eleanor was right to run away from hers.  Her birth dad tries to care about her, but doesn't; her stepdad is an absolute creep; her brothers and sisters are all over the place; and her mother smiles and acts like everything is okay.
When Eleanor runs away she is scared that her aunt and uncle won't take her in.  I can't imagine going to a relative for help and being turned away.  Can any of you?  But that's the life Eleanor knows, people don't want her.  Thankfully, her aunt and uncle take her in and it seem alike they help get the rest of her family away from her stepdad.
Park sends Eleanor letters that she can't bring herself to open, let alone respond.  She misses him so much.  However, at the end of the novel it says that Park gets a letter from her with three words written on it.
Now, I assumed that the three words were I love you because he said it to her so many times in the novel, but she could never get herself to say it back.  Even though it was evident that she did love Park.  However, that is a very vague thing to say.  There are a lot of the three word sentences:

I _____ you

hate

love

miss

need

tolerate

You're the _____

father

best

worst

one

You ___ me

saved

left

need

love

I thought it was fun to think of some three word phrases.  Can you guys think of any?

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Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews | Book Review

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Reading Group Rating: High School

Personal Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: It is a universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks. But on the first day of his senior year, Greg Gaines thinks he’s figured it out. The answer to the basic existential question: How is it possible to exist in a place that sucks so bad? His strategy: remain at the periphery at all times. Keep an insanely low profile. Make mediocre films with the one person who is even sort of his friend, Earl.
        This plan works for exactly eight hours. Then Greg’s mom forces him to become friends with a girl who has cancer. This brings about the destruction of Greg’s entire life.
        Fiercely funny, honest, heart-breaking—this is an unforgettable novel from a bright talent, now also a film that critics are calling "a touchstone for its generation" and "an instant classic."

Cover: I don't really know how to describe the cover of this book.  It's divided in three sections so that everyone gets one, but they don't really have anything to do with the characters, it's just kind of a background.  It likes like a scene that they're trying to film or a play.  I don't know who to describe it or if it has a proper name, but I've seen it before in movies and commercials and stuff, with all the names on string and it swings through so you can read it and then it's tugged away.

My Review: I don't know, guys, this book just didn't really do it for me.  When I finished reading I was kind of confused as to the point of it.  Like, he got to know this girl, but he didn't learn anything from her.  And he and Earl kind of became closer, but at the same time drifted apart and went their separate ways in life.  There were parts where I wanted to stop reading altogether, but then the next sentence would be something like, "You're probably not reading this dumb book anymore."  And I felt like I had to finish it to prove a point.  Online it made a big deal about how funny this book was and I just didn't really find it funny at all...
However, I did like how it was written a lot.  I liked that it went back and forth from normal book layout to a script layout and how sometimes he would write in bullet points.  I thought that was really interesting.   

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My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick | Book Review

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick 

Reading Group Rating: High School Upperclassman 

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

Cover: Pretty simple cover.  A boy and girl together clearly all lovey dovey in front of a fence.  The fence that separates their two houses.  I like that it's really bright and colorful.  It just seems so happy.  The spine of the book is also really cute.  It's white and blue stripes.

My Review: I loved this story.  It was the perfect summer read!  I just loved how different the two families were, but how Jase and Samantha are able to come together and love each other!  Every single word out of George's mouth made me laugh and I fell in love with him very quickly.  I loved how different all of the Garrett's were and I think that coming from a big family (not as big as the Garrett's) I was able to relate to that.  The fact that, yes, we are all brothers and sisters, but we're also our own person, but we will also stand together when needed.  The only thing that kind of threw me off was that on the back cover it talks about 'an impossible decision' that Samantha has to make, which happens, but until the very end of the book.  So many different things happen in this book that by the time you get to that point in the book it's almost not as big of a deal as you might think.  Maybe because it's resolved relatively quickly?  Don't get me wrong, it was a major point in the book and I was glad that it was resolved so quickly, I think I was just surprised it happened so late in the book.  This book covers a lot about relationships; friends, family, boyfriends/girlfriends, addiction.  They are all woven throughout this story so naturally and realistically, I absolutely loved it!  I couldn't put this book down.  I read it in two days and then reread my favorite parts.  I would definitely recommend it to someone who was looking for a good, quick summer read.

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All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven | Book Review

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven 

Reading Group Rating: Sensitive Subject Matter/High School+

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

Cover: The cover of this book is blue, like Finch's bedroom after he redecorates and his eyes.  It's also covered in post-it notes like Finch's room.  The post-it's are a huge part of this book and eventually become the missing piece to the puzzle that finds Finch.  One of the post-it's has a cardinal on it to represent the one Finch wanted so much to save but couldn't (Finch is the cardinal) and another has a violet on it to represent Violet (duh) and also the flowers Finch brings Violet and the ones he plants at the scene of the accident.

My Review: Okay...This book...I feel like my heart has been ripped from my chest and then tried to be put back.  I never cry at books or movies, but this one nearly got me.  I will forever be scarred by this book.  And I'm kind of okay with that... 
I literally just finished this book, that's why ^^^^ is there.  It's like my official reaction to this book.  But in all serious, this book is truly amazing.  Completely different to the typical happily ever after I usually read (I know now why I prefer those, I can't handle the emotions going through me right now) it's major theme was mental health which I think is a really important thing to talk about.  There's a part in the novel where Finch is afraid to talk about being bipolar because he doesn't want to be labeled.  And I think a ton of people feel this way.  They've already been labeled a freak or a weirdo or a slut or whatever, they don't need anything else.  I also thought how interesting it was how the chapters started.  It was either Finch or Violet's name, but then there was something else.  For Finch it counted how many days he was Awake.  However, it also felt like a countdown until he was Asleep again because the need for the count made you feel like it wouldn't last forever.  For Violet it started with a countdown to graduation.  She needed to have something to look forward to in her life, something to keep her going.  However, after she throws away her calendar it just starts to say the day it is.  Violet no longer needed something to aim for, she learned to live for the present day and not the future.
This book is so frustrating because Finch teaches Violet (and you) so many things about life and not only how to live and enjoy it, but also to deal with the bad things.  He tells Violet to write down the bad things, but instead of putting them on the wall rip them up.  However, he's the one who need the most help to see that life is worth living.  And it's so sad because I feel like that's always the case.  It always seem to be the kids who maybe have nothing to complain about.  And Finch knows his life could be a lot worse.  It reminds us that mental illness isn't just for kids who have hard lives, it's something in our brains.  It's how we're hardwired.  Something isn't right and we have thoughts we shouldn't be having, but that doesn't make us bad.  It's okay to ask for help.
Something else I found interesting was Violet and getting in the car with Finch.  It's been nearly a year since her sister died and she hasn't been in a car.  You have to imagine that her friends and family offered to drive her places.  Maybe they didn't push the subject too hard because they knew she was still suffering so they just took her decline and went with it.  But Finch didn't really need to push her too hard either.  She just got in the car.  And he was pretty much a stranger.  One who liked to drive fast.  Which he didn't do too much when Violet was in the car with him, but the fact that she got in the car shows how much trust she had in him.
There are so many themes that weave in and out of this novel.  It's definitely one for a book club.  There is mental health, bullies, post-it notes, quotes, death, wandering, water, cardinals, family flowers, etc. the list goes on.

So after you finish the book and you don't really know what you're feeling because so many emotions are flying in and out of you at a mile a minute (I couldn't have been the only one) you go on Jennifer Niven's website and discover that not only is Germ Magazine an actual thing, but so is EleanorAndViolet and just like that BAM! 50 more emotions are added to the fly list. 

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Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway | Book Review

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

Reading Group Rating: High School

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Emmy and Oliver were going to be best friends forever, or maybe even more, before their futures were ripped apart. In Emmy's soul, despite the space and time between them, their connection has never been severed. But is their story still written in the stars? Or are their hearts like the pieces of two different puzzles—impossible to fit together?

Emmy just wants to be in charge of her own life. . . . She wants to stay out late, surf her favorite beach—go anywhere without her parents' relentless worrying. But Emmy's parents can't seem to let her grow up—not since the day Oliver disappeared.

Oliver needs a moment to figure out his heart. . . . He'd thought, all these years, that his dad was the good guy. He never knew that it was his father who had kidnapped him and kept him on the run. Discovering it, and finding himself returned to his old hometown, all at once, has his heart racing, and his thoughts swirling.

Cover: This cover is simple, but I think it's really nice.  In the background is the ocean, which connects to Emmy and her surfing and that is how she and Oliver kind of reconnect when he comes back.  There is also a fingerprint heart, the focal point of the cover.  Oliver's fingerprint is what is used to find him and bring him pact to his mom and old hometown. 

My Review: I loved this story.  I thought it was absolutely fantastic.  The topic was incredibly interesting and makes you wonder how you would feel if you were Oliver and also if you were Emmy.  I mean you try to think of something that happened ten years ago and the person you were then, and then you wonder how you would be if it happened again or it undid itself.  And on such a huge scale as kidnapping?  
The book also used family as such a huge theme throughout it and how we don't always like our families or agree with our families methods, but they're still ours.  We don't chose them and they don't chose us so there must be a reason we were grouped together.  There are things that we hide from our families as well because we don't know how they'll react or we do know how they'll react and we don't want them to hurt.  It's a tricky balancing act trying to keep yourself and your family happy, but eventually you figure out that sometimes you have to be selfish.  Sometimes you have to do things for you because your family may be stuck with you for now, but you're stuck with you forever.  Emmy certainly figured that one out.
Another huge theme of this book is obviously friendship and the power of it.  Emmy was able to jump right back into her friendship with Oliver.  I mean, it was a little awkward at first, but not as awkward as it could have been and it moved on from that extremely quickly.  It'e kind of like when you hear a song again for the first time in years that was once your favorite.  You may stumble around the first verse, but you still know the chorus by heart, it comes back naturally like muscle memory.  Some friendships are just like that.  Those are the friends that you'll have forever.

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