Fault Line by C. Desir | Book Review

Fault Line by C. Desir

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Reading Group Rating: Sensitive Subject Matter (Rape)

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Ben could date anyone he wants, but he only has eyes for the new girl—sarcastic, free-spirited Ani. Luckily for Ben, Ani wants him, too. She’s everything Ben could ever imagine. Everything he could ever want.

But that all changes after the party. The one Ben misses. The one Ani goes to alone.

Now Ani isn’t the girl she used to be, and Ben can’t sort out the truth from the lies. What really happened, and who is to blame?

Ben wants to help Ani, but the more she pushes him away, the more he wonders if there’s anything he can do to save the girl he loves

Cover: The cover of this book shows a lighter.  Obviously the lighter has very important meaning in this novel.  Ani has to get a lighter surgically removed from her after she is raped.  But more than that, a lighter produced fire and fire can spread and destroy everything in its path.  The lighter shows how quickly things can change, like a domino effect.  After Ani is raped everything changes faster and faster.

Summary: Find out why I no longer write summaries

My Review: This book was unlike anything I've ever really read before.  I loved it.  I liked that it could be a book that you read in class or in a book club and have a really sophisticated conversation about it.  What is your fault line?  What has to be the final straw to break you?  How long can you keep a secret for a loved one?  It takes Ben maybe a little too long to call Ani's mom and tell her what happened at the party months before.  He gives up everything for a girl who seems to no longer love him.  And Ani, something terrible happens to her and she seems to self-distruct.  She sleeps around with random people to prove to herself that she still as control over her body.  She makes her own choices, even if they're aren't the best choices.  We may not agree with any of the choices either of these characters made, but at the same time who are we to say anything?  Everyone reacts to every situation differently.  I hope none of you have ever been in either of these situations and if you have maybe you want to explain how you reacted, but if you haven't then you don't know how you would react and I hope you never will.  One of the most interesting/important parts of the novel (in my opinion) is when Ben says something like 'I don't share my girlfriend' and Ani replies that he already has.  Ani is clearly hurting and needs help, but doesn't want to ask for it.  She's afraid of how her mom will react and what she'd have to do after the truth is told to her mom.  Ani needs someone to tell for her, even though she said she didnt want anyone to.  Part of me thinks that she was seeing how far she could push Ben until he would break his promise and rat her out to her mom.  She sleeps with random kids at school: nothing.  She tries to seduce his best friend: nothing.  She goes for the percy teacher:  bingo.  That's the final straw for Ben.  What would be the final straw for you?

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Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren | Book Review

Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren 

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Reading Group Rating: M for Mature

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Unlike her best friends Mia and Lola, Harlow Vega has a reputation for always being up for a fling.  Twelve drunk and wild hours in Sin City married to ridiculously hot and rugged Canadian fisherman Finn Roberts, who (no surprise) is amazing with his muscular hands--and his lips and the rest of his body--was just her speed.

But it was just a think: dirty, rowdy, and easy...until Finn turns up in her hometown on business.  Harlow's not ready to be tied down, but when the whole crew is hanging out together, there's just something about him.  It may not be love (hell, it may not even be like), but their exciting, tension-filled hookups provide the perfect distraction from the scary life changes they're both facing -- challenges neither is sure how to handle, let alone fix.  One night together turns into two, and soon Finn's mysterious business trip has gone on for weeks.  They agreed on the sex--wild, wet, kinky-- but now their border-crossing booty call is starting to feel like the real deal.  And for two people used to being in control, taking the ultimate plunge by falling in love feels a lot more like fat out falling.

Cover: Finn.  Standoff pose with his arms crossed in front of his chest.  Classic "don't come near me, don't talk to me, don't even look at me."  And of course, only half a face.

Summary:  Finn's in San Diego.  He seems to be here for Oliver's comic book store opening, but it's more than that.  His brothers and dad sent him to meet with the producers who want to make a reality show out of their fishing business because he's the only one who doesn't like the idea.  Harlow's mom was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, same thing that Finn's mom died from.  They both need each other.  Finn needs someone to confide in and Harlow needs a distraction.  But distraction quickly leads to real feelings and neither of them know how to handle it.  They stop hanging out together for a little bit before realizing that it's okay to admit to each other that they care.  Harlow tries to help Finn out.  She asks a director friend if he would fix up Finn's boats and use them in his movie instead of Finn having to go on a reality show.  Finn gets really mad at Harlow for going behind his back and giving so much personal information to someone Finn doesn't know.  He goes back to Canada without saying goodbye to Harlow.  She starts working for that director and goes to Canada with him to help film.  She goes to talk to Finn, but he gives her the cold shoulder and barely talks to her.  He calls Mia that night to ask for advice and she basically tells him to run to Harlow's hotel, which he does, obviously, he's not stupid.  They end up together and Harlow makes a comment about Finn having her as his hot wife.  He can't believe that their on the same page and even though its not right away, they both want to remarry each other.

My Review: Oh these two...They're both the type to keep things to themselves and try to fix everything alone.  How they managed to be good together is beyond me, but love is love.  Harlow is the kind of girl who tries to surprise people with her ability to fix things, but doesn't always realize that some people just need to talk about their problems, they doth need her to go behind their backs and try to fix it.  I think a lot of people can relate to that.  Finn doesn't tell people anything until it's certain and already achieved.  People, myself included, can relate to that as well.  They hate each other, but they love each other.  Obviously, they're going to end up together.  This is just another excellent read from Christina Lauren.

This book does kind of end vaguely.  They're together and obviously I love that, but what's next?  Harlow is working in Canada at the moment so she can be with Finn while she's there, but what about after that?  Her life is in San Diego and Finn is tied to Canada with the show and his business.  In the book he does ask Ansel how the long distance thing worked for him and Mia which leads you to believe that he would be willing to do that, but for how long?  Ansel was ready to move once Mia left Paris, but he had to stay until the end of his case.  Finn's job isn't just going to end.  Harlow is going to have to move to Canada and I just can't see that.  I have a feeling that Christina Lauren will answer this in an upcoming novel.  I think that Lola and Oliver are going to get a story and if it's not in that there will be a novella probably.  Or it might even be in Beautiful Secret because that's about Niall and Ruby and Ruby was supposed to be Lola and London's roommate.  Who knows when it;s going to be cleared up, but I have a good feeling it will be somehow.

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Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren | Book Review

Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren 

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Reading Group Rating: M for Mature

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: One-night stands are supposed to be with someone convenient, or wickedly persuasive, or regrettable. They aren’t supposed to be with someone like him.

But after a crazy Vegas weekend celebrating her college graduation—and terrified of the future path she knows is a cop-out—Mia Holland makes the wildest decision of her life: follow Ansel Guillaume—her sweet, filthy fling—to France for the summer and just…play.

When feelings begin to develop behind the provocative roles they take on, and their temporary masquerade adventures begin to feel real, Mia will have to decide if she belongs in the life she left because it was all wrong, or in the strange new one that seems worlds away.

Cover: A typical Christina Lauren cover.  This one shows Ansel and only half of his face. 

Summary: Mia was a ballerina.  Dance was her life and she expected to be her life forever.  But senior year of high school she was riding her bike when she got hit by a truck.  She was in the hospital for a week and emerged with a scar from her hip to her knee and the future of dancing diminished.  So she went to college and afterwards her dad was paying for her to Boston to go to BU.  But on the day of her college graduation, Mia and her two best friends (Harlow and Lola) go to Las Vegas for the weekend.  While they're there they meet some boys (Ansel, French; Finn, Canadian; and Oliver, Australian) and all end up getting married.  Ansel to Mia, Finn to Harlow, and Oliver to Lola.  The next morning after Harlow and Lola know that they're going to get annulments, but Ansel tells Mia that she told him the night before not to let them get annulled.  Mia doesn't remember anything, but Ansel gives her a letter that she wrote to herself that fills in some of the gaps (like the fact that she proposed to him!  And that she basically told him her life story).  She decides that they can stay married until the end of the summer when she has to move to Boston, but Ansel is going back to France and wants Mia to go with him.  She decides to on a whim and meets him at the airport without him knowing that she's coming.  She ends up coming down with the flu and is sick for the first week or so she's in France.  When she feels better Ansel has to get back to work.  He's a lawyer and working on a really big project, but he actually wants to teach law.  He just has to get through this case so that he has experience.  Mia spends her days traveling around Paris and she doesn't seem to mind being alone doing so too much.  However, she can't seem to be very intimate with Ansel.  She likes him and is attracted to him, but she gets inside her own head.  She was always shy, except when she was on stage.  So she decides to buy some costumes to see if that can help; it does.  Mia and Ansel are really falling for each other.  Ansel brings Mia to a party at a friends house where she meets Perry, Ansel's ex-girlfriend.  The boys mentioned Perry before, but Mia assumed perry was another boy and Ansel never corrected her whenever she brought the name up again.  Perry tells Mia that she and Ansel dated for six years (they were broken up for three weeks before Mia and Ansel got married), lived together in Ansel's apartment, and that they were going to get married.  Mia is furious with Ansel and leaves the party.  He follows her home, giving her enough space to walk without him, but not enough that's she's out of his sight.  He explains that while he and Perry were dating there were a few years where they only saw each other once or twice.  He was totally over her and totally dedicated to Mia.  Mia leaves in the middle of the night and goes back home to San Diego.  She gets her own apartment and starts working at her old studio as a teacher (Ansel's idea).  On her first day of work Ansel is in the class, Mia has missed him so much, but needed to figure out her on life before she could invite him into it.  They reconcile and Ansel says that once his case is over he would move to San Diego and find a job there.  Until then he will visit whenever he can.

My Review: I loved it!  Of course you guys all know I'm an avid Christina Lauren fan, but they just keep blowing me away with their novels.  Ansel is lovable guy who may seem a bit compulsive, but it works out fine for him.  Mia is a relatable girl who seems to have made a huge mistake.  Drunk marriage in Vegas to a complete stranger?  It's not what most people expect.  Even less do people actually expect it to work out and lead to a happily ever after.  But everything happens for a reason right?  The crash that took Mia's planned future away?  Getting married?  Going to Paris?  Finding out about Perry the way Mia did?  It all lead to her with the life she wanted and not the one her dad wanted for her.  Sweet Filthy Boy reminds us that even when bad things happen, we can take those experiences and make something great from them.  

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Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight | Book Review

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight 

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Reading Group Rating: Young Adult

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Litigation lawyer and harried single mother Kate Baron is stunned when her daughter's exclusive private school in Park Slope, Brooklyn, calls with disturbing news: her intelligent, high-achieving fifteen-year-old daughter, Amelia, has been caught cheating.

Kate can't believe that Amelia, an ambitious, levelheaded girl who's never been in trouble would do something like that. But by the time she arrives at Grace Hall, Kate's faced with far more devastating news. Amelia is dead. 

Seemingly unable to cope with what she'd done, a despondent Amelia has jumped from the school's roof in an act of "spontaneous" suicide. At least that's the story Grace Hall and the police tell Kate. And overwhelmed as she is by her own guilt and shattered by grief, it is the story that Kate believes until she gets the anonymous text:  

She didn't jump.

Sifting through Amelia's emails, text messages, social media postings, and cell phone logs, Kate is determined to learn the heartbreaking truth about why Amelia was on Grace Hall's roof that day-and why she died.

Told in alternating voices, Reconstructing Amelia is a story of secrets and lies, of love and betrayal, of trusted friends and vicious bullies. It's about how well a parent ever really knows a child and how far one mother will go to vindicate the memory of a daughter whose life she could not save.

Cover: A girl, presumably Amelia, looking at the New York skyline from the edge of the woods.  It seems to be a gloomy day, very foggy.  The colors are all very dark except for the girl's bright red shirt.

Summary: (Just want to say in advance that I'm writing this summary a while after actually reading this book, so it probably won't be that detailed.  I'm sorry.  It's my own fault.)
The chapters in this book switch from Amelia's and what happened leading up to her death and Kate's and what happened after Amelia's death.
Amelia Baron dies from falling off of the roof of her high school, but did she fall?  Did she jump?  Was she pushed?  Her mother, Kate, is working to figure that out.  However along the way Kate finds out a lot more about Amelia, and herself, than she would have originally liked.  She learns that Amelia was apart of a school group and that she posted inappropriate pictures of herself online because of it.  She also learns that Amelia's father is not her co-worker she had a fling with, but her boss!  And that her boss also had another illegitimate daughter, who was the one to invite Amelia into the group at school.  The most important thing she finds out was the answer to what she was wondering all along: What happened on the roof of the school?  Amelia's best friend pushed her.  The girls were having an argument and she didn't think Amelia would go over the edge of the building, but yes, Amelia's friend killed her.  

My Review: I enjoyed the twists and turns this novel took you on.  It goes with the whole thing about eavesdroppers and how they never hearing hearing anything good about themselves.  Whenever you go digging for some form of information you're going to find more than you bargained for.  You're probably going to discover some things about yourself, maybe some good, maybe some bad.  Kate finds out loads of stuff she never even knew needed to be uncovered.  This novel keeps you guessing.  It was different from other books I typically read, but I very much enjoyed it.  It's one of those books that holds messages everyone can benefit from.  It shows the mind of a teenager and the mind of her mother.  How they're different and how they're the same.  I think it would benefit everyone to read this book, or one like it.

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