We Were Liars by E.Lockhart

We Were Liars by E.Lockhart

Publisher: Delacorte Press      
Publication date: May 13th 2014
My rating: 4 stars

A beautiful and distinguished family.A private island.A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.A revolution. An accident. A secret.Lies upon lies.True love.The truth. We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Read it.And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

We Were Liars sure has a cryptic blurb. I wasn't really aware what I was getting myself into because this was my first E.Lockhart book I've read. I already have my eye on Fly on the Wall, one of author's earlier books. I'm kind of sick and tired of long YA novels so I'm trying to read as many +200 page books as I can. 

I'm actually glad the blurb doesn't reveal much because it would just spoil the whole twist. If you don't mind reading about every day life of a family, you'll enjoy this book. The story itself was actually flowing smoothly and I was getting really interested in this Sinclair family. 

The reason I didn't give a 5 star rating is that I had some minor problems with the choppy writing style. It was distracting at times I had to set down my e-reader for a couple of minutes every now and then. But I always returned to it because I just had to unravel all the secrets these people are hiding. By the end I was crying even though I told myself I could handle the truth.  

I won't reveal anything about the plot itself. If you find the blurb intriguing or you just want to see what all the fuss is about I advise you to pick up this book. 

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale

Publisher: Harper Teen      
Publication date: January 7th 2014
My rating: 5 stars

Small towns are nothing if not friendly. Friendship, Wisconsin (population: 688) is no different. Around here, everyone wears a smile. And no one ever locks their doors. Until, that is, high school sweetheart Ruth Fried is found murdered. Strung up like a scarecrow in the middle of a cornfield.
Unfortunately, Friendship’s police are more adept at looking for lost pets than catching killers. So Ruth’s best friend, Kippy Bushman, armed with only her tenacious Midwestern spirit and Ruth’s secret diary (which Ruth’s mother had asked her to read in order to redact any, you know, sex parts), sets out to find the murderer. But in a quiet town like Friendship—where no one is a suspect—anyone could be the killer.

No One Else Can Have You is one of the one of the biggest surprised of 2013.  There were so many negative reviews out there I seriously started reconsidering reading the book because let's face it. No one wants to waste time with a lousy book. 

If I'm being honest the first thing I noticed about this book is the cover. It's a a sweater with a hanged moose. I've never seen anything like it and I even showed it to my mom since she's good at knitting. Fingers crossed I get a moose sweater. Sweaters are one of my favorite clothing items. My dad can confirm that since I steal most of his jumpers. Anyway, whoever designed this eye-catching cover deserves a raise. 

I have to say the author did a great job at depicting every single character. Kippy, our heroine who didn't give up on her dead best friend,  Ruth even though she said a lot of hurtful things about Kippy in her diary. She justified it as unloading all the negative energy into the diary because Ruth couldn't share everything with her loved ones. Kippy is a strange girl and has a really unique voice and I liked her from the start. Kippy's, gentle and overprotective dad was also rather peculiar. I could go on forever about all the people in Friendship, but I won't.

 No One Else Can Have You was a character-driven book and I prefer those to a lot of action. I know some people found it incredibly boring but I loved every quirk and flaw these characters had. Isn't it so much better when you can really see and understand everyone instead of going through the motion? It's what kept my attention right from the start. If you general prefer weird books I'm sure you'll find something interesting in No One Else Can Have You. 

Top Ten Tuesday #27

Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me

I've already read 5 books on this list but I REALLY, REALLY want them in my collection because I think they're some of the best books I've ever read. I think I'm going to ask my mom to get me a hardcopy of Lola and the Boy Next Door for my birthday in January ( I have to have that super pretty cover) and treat myself with Jellicoe Road after I pre-order a couple of January new releases. At least I hope I'll get it since I'm not even sure if I'll have any money.

Still need to read Everbound, Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, Wings of the Wicked, Antigoddess and The Killing Woods. Hope to order them sometime next year. 

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

Publisher: Ember      
Publication date: July 9th 2013
My rating: 4.5 stars

So, my girlfriend, Cassidy, is threatening to kick me to the curb again, my best friend suddenly wants to put the brakes on our lives of fabulous fun, my mom and big sister are plotting a future in which I turn into an atomic vampire, and my dad, well, my dad is a big fat question mark that I’m not sure I want the answer to. 
Some people would let a senior year like this get them down. Not me. I’m Sutter Keely, master of the party. But don’t mistake a midnight philosopher like me for nothing more than a shallow party boy. Just ask Aimee, the new girl in my life. She saw the depth in the Sutterman from that first moment when she found me passed out on the front lawn. Okay, so she’s a social disaster, but that’s where I come in. 
Yes, life is weird, but I embrace the weird. Let everyone else go marching off into their great shining futures if they want. Me, I’ve always been more than content to tip my whisky bottle and take a ride straight into the heart of the spectacular now.

Sutter's having the time of his life. He's skipping school, drinking and doing some light drugs (occasionally) when his girlfriend Cassidy suddenly dumps him after he was trying to do a good deed. His best friend, Ricky swiftly abandons him for his new girlfriend  even though Sutter set them up. After a night of crazy partying he finds himself on Aimee's lawn. Since he's the Sutteman he sets of to help Aimee get a social life.

The first thing I loved about The Spectacular Now is that it's not just another teen book. The ex girlfriend isn't too demanding. She actually cares for Sutter and wants what's best for him.  The best friend doesn't get 'whipped' by his new girlfriend. He just wanted a change from the old drinking and getting high days. And Aimee's not only a  nerd/wallflower. 

The brightest star of this book is Sutter. He doesn't try to be anything different from what he is. He's a party boy who loved to mix alcohol with 7UP and drink every day. He loves Dean Martin, knows how to dance and is always the center of attention. But now everyone's up for his type of party. There were a couple of scenes where people were telling him to go home. He doesn't know how to control himself and goes overboard one too many times. Surprisingly he stayed friend with all his exes and they still enjoy his company but you can tell why everyone of them decided to break up with him. He doesn't think about the long run. I know some of the things I mentioned aren't really good but Sutter happens to be one of the most charismatic narrators of today. I'm not even kidding. You need to read at least a chapter and see for yourself. He pulls you in right from the start 

The best thing about this book was the ending itself. It doesn't try to portray Sutter as a changed man. He's still Sutter only with more life lessons. At least I try to think he learned something.  He doesn't try to think about the future. He still wants to live in the now and I think I can understand that. After all, not everyone's the same. But I still can't help but to want him to change. Be better, finish school, find a job and settle down with someone. Isn't that what's suppose to happen in the end? But I guess, things don't always work the way we want them to in real life. 

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Publisher: St. Martin's Press      
Publication date: February 26th 2013
My rating: 5 stars

Eleanor is the new girl in town, and with her chaotic family life, her mismatched clothes and unruly red hair, she couldn't stick out more if she tried.
Park is the boy at the back of the bus. Black T-shirts, headphones, head in a book - he thinks he's made himself invisible. But not to Eleanor... never to Eleanor.
Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for each other. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you're young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to lose.

First thing you need to know about Rainbow's books- they're cute but  not overly sweet. Just enough warmth combined with colorful sprinkles. Rainbow's basically offering us a delicious cupcake every time we pick her book up. 

Eleanor & Park is the second Rowell book I read. I read Attachments last October and even though it was a bit weird (because of the sort of  stalker-ish guy) I loved every part of it. In my short review I said her work is 'a Stephanie Perkins of adult sweet romances'. 

In a world of insta-love Rainbow delivers a stellar story about two misfits. During their bus rides they start to read comics together and listen to Park's Walkman. Eleanor lives with her mother, stepfather and 3 other siblings. Her stepdad is a abusing bastard, mom is just taking it and her siblings are tattle tales. On the other side we have Park and his biggest concern is to learn how to drive a stick. 

I'd love to give you more insight about the whole story itself but I'm afraid I'll reveal way too much so you're just going to have to trust my word for it. After all, I'm not one of those easily impressed readers. Hell, check my average GR rating. It's embarrassingly low. 

Aside from the great story you can also rehash on your knowledge of 80's music by listening to E&P playlists HERE.  

It's hard to explain Rainbow's magic. You're either her fan or not. Her books are on my auto-buy list. If you don't mind reading a slow and steady young adult contemporary romance and love authors like Sara Zarr, Stephanie Perkins, Sarah Ockler or Sarah Dessen. Basically, any author with an S in the name  will do. :P 

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Plume Books      

Publication date: September 4th 2004
My rating: 2 stars

Living in Toronto for a year, Elena is leading the normal life she has always dreamed of, including a stable job as a journalist and a nice apartment shared with her boyfriend. As the lone female werewolf in existence, only her secret midnight prowls and her occasional inhuman cravings set her apart. Just one year ago, life was very different. Adopted by the Pack when bitten, Elena had spent years struggling with her resentment at having her life stolen away. Torn between two worlds, and overwhelmed by the new passions coursing through her body, her only option for control was to deny her awakening needs and escape.
But now the Pack has called Elena home to help them fight an alliance of renegade werewolves who are bent on exposing and annihilating the Pack. And although Elena is obliged to rejoin her "family," she vows not to be swept up in Pack life again, no matter how natural it might feel. She has made her choice. Trouble is, she's increasingly uncertain if it's the right one.
An erotically charged thriller, Bitten will awaken the voracious appetite of every reader, as the age-old battle between man and beast, between human and inhuman forces, comes to a head in one small town and within one woman's body.

As a long time Kelley Armstrong fan I was excited to start her adult urban fantasy series in hopes of being engrossed with all 13 book. I was hoping to find another engaging story about werewolves with a couple of ahem steamier scenes. 

I've been reading this book for days and I came to the conclusion- I've read another version of Bitten. Not the one everyone else was reading, that's for sure. Obviously, I read the most boring version available while everyone's been having a blast and giving 5 stars to their books. 

I just can't deal with the cheating, lousy chemistry between the two main characters and the boring story line in general. Hell, Elena has more chemistry with the alpha Jeremy, who's her father figure than with Clayton Darlin' Danvers. 

I've read both Kelley's YA trilogies and while the writing style was similar, all the magic was gone. It was one dull scene after the other. I'm not sure if it's mine, the book's or the author's fault. 

Stacking the Shelves

I've got a quite a bundle these past two weeks. I know I promised I'll post StS hauls every week from now on but life got in the way, again. So here's what I got these past two weeks. 

Bought:

Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

(hardbacks)

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

World After by Susan Ee

Champion by Marie Lu

(paperbacks)

Won:

Golden by Jessi Kirby

This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers

Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally 

 I'd like to thank my dear friend +Tanja - Tanychy for giving me her (second) copy of This Is Not A Test. I actually won this book last year but never got it and Tanja remembered I didn't get it and offered it to me. Love you, girl. :*

I'm really excited to start these books, so much I don't know which one to pick first. I'm in a romantic mood right now so I think I'll give Just One Year a try first.

Book Review: World After by Susan Ee.

Book :World After (#2 Penryn and the End of days.)
Author: Susan Ee
File Type: Paperback
Release Date: November 21st, 2013
Publisher: Skyscape.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

synopsis:
In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

WHAT ARE YOU, SUSAN?

My brain has officially exploded and it feels fantastic.
My heart is still racing. My brain, by the way is still exploding. There is an earthquake in my body and it still hasn't stopped affecting me. Mind you, this is 24 hours after finishing the book and additional six hours of sleep where I dreamt of Pooky bear.

....Pooky Bear.

If somebody asked me about my favourite character in the entire book, I'd have to say that it would be Pooky Bear. HANDS DOWN.
On second thought, I'd probably divide my love and give some to Paige too, because her role in the book moved my soul.
I'm an emotional child and Paige had me weeping my eyes out.
WAIT. My thoughts need some modification. I'll have to add Penryn's mom (WHAT IS HER NAME, ANYWAY?)too. World After could never be World After if not for her evergreen presence. She was creepy, hilarious and badass. VERY badass.

As for Penryn, I've always thought that she was a fantastic protagonist and she continues to live upto my skyscraper expectations, but sorry girley, your mom, sister and sword stole the show and also, my heart.

I won't go into much detail. There's a lot happening in this one. We have scorpion-beasts-who-are-part-human and their stingers. We have bad bad bad angels. We're taken to the 'enchanting' prison, Alcatraz and we're further thrown into a world, where humans aren't just the pests that are to be exterminated but also a sensational piece of entertainment. Personally, I would definitely not like to live in a world that is like the one in the book. It scares the shit out of me and I sure as hell do not wish to be an energy-lollipop or in simple words, food. THIS is definitely one of many positives of World After and the fact that the detailing, setting, atmosphere and feel of the entire storyline was successful in making me feel uncomfortable, in a good way of course, in more than twenty occasions, says more than enough about its awesomeness.

There is so much emotion bottled into this one tiny book. There is pain. There is wonder. There is fear. There is sorrow. There is hope. There is courage. There is BADASSNESS. There is longing. There is love.
Also, there is so much of humour.
I don't remember laughing so much during Angelfall, or maybe I did but I clearly don't remember. From Penryn's decision to name the sword Pooky Bear to her mother to Raffe *melts* and to finally the twins, tweedledum and tweedledee.

EVERYTHING WAS SO FUNNY.

Although, Angelfall had me cringing more with all those gruesome things running around, World After made sure that it wasn't far behind.
Like I said, I never want to exist in a world like that.

And now, Raffe.
I'M SORRY BUT WHY WASN'T THERE MORE OF HIM? You're breaking my heart, Susan. WHY MUST YOU FINISH THE BOOK SO SOON. I wouldn't mind if you wrote millions of pages! I'd read them all, even if they're crap. I love crap. But getting back to the point that I had initially raised: Why did you rob me off my Raffe? *weeps*
Friends, there was Raffe but it wasn't Raffe Raffe. He was there yet not there. AND THAT DOES NOT SATISFY ME,okay?
He's still cool though. BUT. I WANT MORE RAFFE.

The world is an unfair place.

This book got over too fast. I'm sorry but this review is just pissing me off now. I AM SO ANGRY. They expect me to wait two more years for this? Two more years to wait for Raffe? And Pooky Bear?
Penryn's mom should just pop out from the book and do her thing. I'm pretty sure that the success rate would be pretty high then. Or Maybe, Penryn should start with her kicking ,Paige with her chewing and Raffe, well.... just about anything. Please, come to me fast. This wait will kill me. KILL ME.

"You came for me."

Note: THAT ABOVE is my favourite quote in the entire book and it's mocking me.

Book Review: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Book:Out of the Easy
Author: Ruta Sepetys
File Type: Paperback
Release Date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: Philomel Books
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

synopsis:
It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. 

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.

I’m surprised by how much I liked Out Of the Easy.

Sepetys’ popularity in the GR community was the first thing that led me towards this book. I’m more of a fantasy girl these days and I wasn’t too sure if I was going to like Out Of The Easy, because sometimes it all comes down to a reader’s mood. I’ve found myself disliking books that wowed others and failed to work its magic on me and somewhere along the line, I started experiencing a reading slump. I was a tad apprehensive at first, but all my apprehensions ran away as soon as the book and I got it on.

The book’s strongest point is Sepetys’ writing. Her writing is so powerful and so engaging and so so so so..I don’t know..cool? I was into the book right from the start and would’ve finished the book in one sitting if not for my daily routine obstructing my route to the reading happyland. The tone of the book is perfect. It’s mysterious and calm. It’s like one of those times when I visited this hill station with my family for a tiny holiday of three days. That hill station was tiny but the scenery was spectacular. It was chilly and cozy and all we did was sit down as a family and stay in with hot cups of coffee and tea. It was one of those times where I felt that time stood still and that nothing in this world mattered except for what was right in front of me. It was peaceful and rejuvenating. It’s weird but while reading this book, I felt exactly the way I felt during that holiday. I don’t know what that says about me, but on a personal note, this is a book that pulled me back from my reading slump, even if it was for just a day or two, but at the end of the day, it did pull me back.
So YAY for me, I guess.

As for the characters?
I love it when I love each and every character of the book. Not all, but the ones who mattered. There were prostitutes, there were crime lords , there were people with double standards , there were people who had fallen too far and had no way of getting, there was an uptown girl who found a friend in another without caring about anything else but the person who she was befriending ,there were hot boys who drove bikes (OH, JESSIE.) , there was a chauffeaur who gave more than he took and was excited for others more than he was for himself, there was a cook who lived and let live and through her silence, gave the loudest cheers of love , there was an iron lady who beneath all her steel was the most sentimental and caring person to ever walk the face of this planet, and then at the end, there was a girl, who even in the darkest of times, never lost hope.

Josie Moraine is a fighter and the people around her are fighters in their own ways, too.

I love how the story was so simple yet when you think about it, it is also so very complex. It has so many layers to it. It has Josie’s inner struggle. Her aspirations. The mystery which frankly disappointed me, a bit. And then at the end, there is the city of New Orleans itself—‘The Big Easy’.

I get the title of the book.

Just saying.

Anyway, I think that Out Of the Easy is a fantastic book and that Ruta Sepetys should be proud of her achievement. Now if I may, I’d like to go and check out her other books because Ms. Sepetys, you’ve stolen my heart.

And I’m going to JIVE on it.

Book Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Book: Allegiant
Author: Veronica Roth
File Type: Paperback
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Publisher:  Harper Collins Children's Book's
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

synopsis: The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

 "But the fire, the fire. The desire to live. I am not done yet, I am not."

Veronica keeps screwing me over. It isn’t even funny anymore.

I’ll tell you what I feel about Allegiant:

Allegiant isn’t as engaging as Divergent.
Allegiant isn’t as badass as both Insurgent and Divergent.
In fact, In approximately 400 pages, it was when I reached the two-hundredth page that things actually started move. Before that, the pace of the book was grossly tedious and I was struggling to get on track with it.

Some may debate that the start of the book was absolutely fine but here’s the thing, I’ve been busy for a while and I try to read every chance I get now and then but that disrupts my routine. But I have come across books which have compelled me to sit still and read the entire book in one sitting. And obviously, Allegiant didn’t do that for me until the two-hundredth page.
But Allegiant is something.
At the end of the day, it is the very end and THAT end. Oh my God.
That end hasn’t stopped screwing with my mind.
It’s safe to say that at a point of time, I had even thought about that end but I didn’t think that it would happen because it was just a passing thought, BUT I DIDN’T THINK THAT IT WOULD ACTUALLY HAPPEN.

Honestly, I’m shattered.
I don’t even know where to start from and where to end. That end keeps playing in my mind.
That end impacted my emotions in a huge way. THAT end screwed me over and I loved it.
That end made all the fucking difference.

But Allegiant isn’t just about that end. It’s also about several other things. Allegiant consists of Tris’ and Tobias’ PoV and I finally understand why Ms. Roth decided to bombard our minds with not one but two different perspectives. We met Tris in Divergent , when she was still trying to find herself and was still fighting to be brave. The circumstances changed her in a drastic way. She became sharper, stronger and deadlier. Life altering moments transformed her from this insecure flame to a full blown explosion and honestly, if Tris irritated the hell out of you in Insurgent, then you’re in for a surprise. Yes, I’ve forgiven her. And for those who have already read the book, they know exactly what I’m talking about and for those, who have yet to read the book, you’ll see.
As for Tobias? When we met Four in Divergent, he was this broody, strong and resolute guy who knew what was what and knew his way around a mess. He was HOT. He was fantastic. Tobias went through some life altering moments himself. As a child, as a sixteen year old and finally as an adult. You have to see, these things had to have affected him too and they did. You meet a broken man in Allegiant and it’s so refreshing to see how nicely this has been incorporated in the book. There will be times, when a person reaches a stage where you have to make decisions which can change your life in a split second. There will be times when the situation you’re in can lead to dangerous and deadly consequences. And these decisions and consequences shape your present as well as your future. These decisions and consequences can break you, but they can also, make you stronger. Appearances can be deceiving and it all comes full come circle in Allegiant.

Ms. Veronica Roth promised me a stunning conclusion. She promised me that the Allegiant would be worth waiting for. And trust me ,it is.

Stacking the Shelves

Bought:

Every Day by David Levithan

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I wanted to read these two for such a long time and they finally arrived. I'm so glad. 

I also got some eARCs from Edelweiss. Thank you Harper peeps for auto-approving me two months ago. 

  

Click on the photos for more info. 

What did you get this week?