Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

Never Never by Colleen Hoover, Tarryn Fisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Release Date: January 7, 2015


Right, so this book.

Going into this book, I was well acquainted to a lot of things:

1)I knew what was going to happen because I'd already asked my friend about it and she 'ranted' that the book consisted of not more than a hundred and twenty pages and was basically the first part of a series.
So I bought the kindle edition and not an actual paperbook, so that I don't have to be super pissed about finding a fucking cliffhanger after 100 pages of introduction. *pats self on the back.*

2)I knew that there were mixed reviews and mostly, negative.

3)It was a Tarryn Fisher and Colleen Hoover book. Both authors are great in there own sphere with their own lengths of strengths and limitations, but I've always believed that too many cooks spoil the broth. So obviously, I was almost dreading the worst.

After, I was done reading the book, I felt two things:

1)WHAT? WHAT? WHAT?
Duude. That end was all kinds of epic. It was something like looking over a hole because you're curious about its death and hurtling down it because you lost your balance. It's crazy because you can't do anything about it,as much as you'd like something to come and save you from turning into nothing but a puddle of blood, flesh and bones.
I don't mind the cliffhanger all that much, except that it got me really excited for the next part. I mean I guess I would have been pissed off if I had read it earlier and had to wait for long.
It's perfect because right now, I just want to know what happens next, but also don't want to because I need the data to settle down.

2)PRIDE.
Because I'm such a smart cookie. *pats kindle*

AND IS IT JUST ME OR DOES THIS NOT TELL YOU THAT WHAT YOU'LL READ NEXT WILL ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY SLAY YOU?

                                                                                                                         

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick  

Publisher:  Simon and Schuster      

Publication date: October 7th 2014
My rating: 3.5 stars

Sometimes danger is hard to see... until it’s too late. 
Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn't prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage. 
In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there... and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target. 
But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally? 
BLACK ICE is New York Times bestselling author Becca Fitzpatrick’s riveting romantic thriller set against the treacherous backdrop of the mountains of Wyoming. Falling in love should never be this dangerous…

Well, color me surprised! I did not see that coming! I did see the twist coming from a mile away but I didn't think I'd enjoy this book so much. Good job, Becca Fitzpatrick! 

Britt and her friend, errr, I forgot her name decided to backpack the Teton Range during their spring brake. What the didn't count on is the storm which leaves them half frozen and stranded. They find a cabin with two guys already there. They're criminals but Britt and her annoying, bratty friend don't know about this until it's too late. They end up kidnapped and Britt is forced to take them off the mountain while they leave the annoying, bratty friend to die in the cabin. Hah! I don't even feel bad about the possibility of this girl starving and freezing to death because she was such a little princess.  She was 'poking the bear' and I was waiting for the moment one of the criminals would snap. While they were with these criminals, the brother of the annoying bratty friend who's also Britt's ex, was trying to find them. He happens to be an expert at backpacking and other outdoorsy stuff. 

Britt's nothing like Fitzpatick's previous main character, Nora. Britt is resourceful, smart and brave. Sure, she has some problems with confidence because she grew up surrounded by men her whole life and they did most of the heavy lifting. But she's not afraid to help her friends even if it meant putting her life in danger. 

 I wasn't the biggest fan of the annoying, bratty friend and her brother. Britt's ex was a horrible boyfriend. Sure, his father only cared about the annoying, bratty princess and punished his son but that didn't give him the excuse to treat Britt badly. 

Romance was a bit cheesy but all in all, it wasn't so bad. The love interest was the dark , silent type with a lot of secrets and such an improvement from Patch. 

After the first couple of rocky chapters I couldn't put the book down. It was a constant roller-coaster ride. A true thriller. There aren't a lot of YA thrillers and most prefer romance, paranormal or dystopian stories. 

I'm glad I decided to give this book a try. I was pleasantly surprised, mostly about the main character and her growth throughout the novel. Hope Becca continues to write thrillers because this one checked all the boxes, at least in my case. 

The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer

The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer

Publisher: Balzer + Bray      

Publication date: May 13th 2014
My rating: 3 stars

With the intrigue of Pretty Little Liars and plenty of romance, bestselling author Sarah Strohmeyer weaves a story of secrets and lies—set in a funeral parlor.
Growing up in a house of female morticians, Lily Graves knows all about buried secrets. She knows that perfect senior-class president Erin Donohue isn’t what she seems. She knows why Erin’s ex-boyfriend, hot football player Matt Houser, broke up with her. And she also knows that, even though she says she and Matt are just friends, there is something brewing between them—something Erin definitely did not like.
But secrets, even ones that are long buried, have a way of returning to haunt their keeper.
So when Erin is found dead the day after attacking Lily in a jealous rage, Lily's and Matt’s safe little lives, and the lives of everyone in their town of Potsdam, begin to unravel. And their relationship—which grew from innocent after-school tutoring sessions to late-night clandestine rendezvous—makes them both suspects.
As her world crumbles around her, Lily must figure out the difference between truth and deception, genuine love and a web of lies. And she must do it quickly, before the killer claims another victim.

Lily, a local goth girl lives with her mother, grandmother and aunt in a old spooky house which is also their place of work-they're morticians. Lily's best friend Sara has crazy religious parents and most of their small community is the same. Other girls hate Lily 'just because' and the queen bee, Erin, attacks Lily cause she thinks Lily's trying to steal her boyfriend. The next morning Erin's parents discover her dead. The main suspect are Matt, Erin's boyfriend and Lily. They team up to find out who's the real murderer. 

I was surprised how much I was enjoying this book. I'm a thriller/mystery buff and most of the time I try to figure out the secrets, who's the liar, who had nothing to do with the crime and who's the killer. This time I just wanted to sit back and read more about Lily and the mortician business because those parts were interesting (read hella creepy). Had no idea there was so much effort put into a body before it's buried. 

By now you should know there's always a but Here's what happened near the end. Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil anything! The book went from hot to lukewarm. The whole reveal wasn't what I thought it would be. I expected something more. Something better because I up until then I had nothing remotely bad to say about the whole story. It was entertaining and satisfying. I was cheering for the author and thinking about picking up some of her other books. Then the ending happened. 

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. 

Undercurrent by Paul Blackwell

Undercurrent by Paul Blackwell

Publisher: Harper Teen    
Publication date: July 23rd 2013
My rating: 2.5 stars

A shadowy figure. An intense roar. The sensation of falling—fast.
That’s all Callum Harris remembers from his tumble over the waterfall. But when he wakes up in a hospital bed and finds his best friend trying to kill him, Callum knows something is seriously wrong. Unfortunately for him, the mysteries are just getting started. 
Why are his parents acting like he’s some big sports star all of a sudden? And why are all the buildings in town more run-down than Callum remembers? Worst of all...what happened to Callum’s brother? Either Callum has gone seriously crazy or something happened when he went over the falls. Something impossible. Callum needs answers, and now. Because in this twisted new version of the life Callum knew, his former best friend isn’t the only one who wants to see him dead.
Filled with mind-bending suspense and unsettling thrills, Undercurrent is a grippingly paced teen debut that will pull you under and never let go.

Over the past year or so I've been reading more thrillers  than I ever had in my whole 24 years on this planet. There's just something special about unraveling the mystery while you're on the edge of your seat. 

Callum wakes up disoriented in a hospital surrounded with family and friends. He doesn't know how he got there when his best friend tries to smother him with a pillow. Soon he finds himself in a world where he's no longer the geeky, silent guy but the most popular one in school. Callum doesn't try to do anything. He doesn't question why are things the way they are. He just goes along with everything. 

I already knew what was going on mostly because of the Goodreads shelves listing a very important spoiler. The story was still engaging but I wasn't trying to find out what is going on because of the spoiler. I found myself skimming whenever there wasn't any dialog, which is a sign of losing interest. 

However, I was satisfied with the ending even though a lot of bloggers don't agree with me. We don't reveal every secret in this book but I was glad Callum got the ending he deserved. 

The S Word by Chelsea Pitcher

The S-Word by Chelsea Pitcher

Publisher: Gallery Books    
Publication date: May 7th 2012
My rating: 4 stars

First it was SLUT scribbled all over Lizzie Hart’s locker.
But one week after Lizzie kills herself, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie's looping scrawl.
Lizzie’s reputation is destroyed when she's caught in bed with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, Lizzie takes her own life. But someone isn’t letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn’t deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, Angie's own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.
Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for—even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.

Oh, wow. This book has made a lasting impression on me. 

First of, the main character, Angie is one heck of a girl! She caught her best friend sleeping with her boyfriend on prom night and turned her back on both of them. She doesn't seem great? Bear with me. I'll get to the good part. While Angie's ex didn't get much heat, her best friend Lizzie was bullied on every turn. Lizzie was branded a slut while she was a good and gentle girl her whole life. 

Bullying is not cool people! It sucks! It makes the victims feel worthless and some of them, like Lizzie find the only way out in suicide. Sure, there are those who triumph but not everyone can resist attacks from every side. Even though Angie didn't bully Lizzie she still felt responsible.  And I would like to give props to the author for writing such a strong and persistent leading lady. Most of the MCs in books about bullying are wimps but in the end they pull through while Angie wouldn't back out and fought to discover what really happened to Lizzie. She was a fighter and even though she wasn't ready to forgive her best friend right away, or while she was still alive, her strength was inspiring and made me like this book even more. 

I don't get why does this book has such a low rating on Goodreads. 3.38 to be exact. It's embarrassing and preposterous. I've read so many lousy books and this doesn't come close to being one of them. 

I would recommend The S-Word to those who are looking for  a contemporary novel which deals with not only bullying but also about forgiveness, strength and letting others see who you really are

Book Review: Then You Were Gone by Lauren Strasnick

Title:  Then You Were Gone

Author:  Lauren Strasnick
Release date:  January 8th, 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre:  YA, contemporary, mystery 

In the tradition of 13 Reasons Why, a suspenseful and heart-wrenching novel from the author of Nothing Like You and Her and Me and You.Two years ago, Adrienne’s best friend walked out of her life. One week ago, she left Adrienne a desperate, muffled voicemail. Adrienne never called back.Now Dakota is missing. She left behind a string of broken hearts, a flurry of rumors, and a suicide note.Adrienne can’t stop obsessing over what might have happened if she’d answered Dakota’s call. And she’s increasingly convinced that Dakota must still be alive.Maybe finding and saving Dakota is the only way Adrienne can save herself.Or maybe it’s too late for them both.

This is one confusing book. I had no idea how to feel about it, well, I still don't. I'm not sure what to think of the main character. Should I sympathize with Adrienne? Mostly I don't understand why was she so upset when Dakota disappeared. 

Adrienne and Dakota were friends since they were kids but Dakota suddenly drops her without explaining why. Adrienne is an average student with a small group of friends when her former best friend Dakota vanished. Everything is just weirder since Dakota called her a couple of days before disappearing. Some thought she killed herself some didn't but everyone eventually moved on while Adrienne couldn't let it go. 

I wouldn't have any problems with A being obsessed Dakota treated her right. But she didn't. Dakota was an awful friend which Adrienne didn't see. Dakota was always this enigmatic girl who did what she wanted all the time and I think she A wanted to be just like her which we can see when she starts wearing similar clothes and starts acting like Dakota. 

A starts ignoring her boyfriend and starts hanging around Julian, Dakota's boyfriend, trying to find out what happened. Why was she so determined to find the truth when Dakota was such an awful friend? Well, I think every one of us had a friend who wasn't actually a friend and we desperately tried to please them even though they were never good for us. They eventually find out what really happened and I'm glad they at least have each other in the end. 

Book Review: The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Title:  The Rules of Disappearing
Author:  Ashley Elston
Publisher:  Disney-Hyperion
Release date:  May 14th, 2013
Genre:  YA, contemporary. mystery

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

This is a story about a girl in protective service who had to move a bunch of times so she is not up for meeting new people when she is forced to move to a small town in Louisiana. Her family was upper-middle class (I think) before they had to change their identities. Meg (or Sissy) is determined to find out the truth from her parents but they aren't really the sharing types. Dad is always working while mum is constantly drunk so she mostly takes care of her sister, Mary (or Teeny) who is afraid of being left behind. She finds a job in a local pizzeria on her first day of actually looking (#jealous) where the hot guy from school. Ethan Landry comes to eat swamp pizza. 

The first part of the story was centered around Meg's paranoia. She fears that her family is going to be sent somewhere else any minute now so she carries her go-to bag with her all the time. She tries to stay away from all new people but it's not working because Ethan cracks her armor and starts seeing there's something weird about the way she's acting. The first half of the book was actually the part I enjoyed till they went hunting wild hogs, with guns. Having minors near guns or even letting them use them is a huge no-no for me. Meg even fainted. From there the book started to show flaws and I couldn't see anything good. 

The second half of the book is ridiculous. I don't want to reveal too much but Meg finally finds out the truth about what happened and with Ethan's help she sets out to find the evidence without letting anyone know. They go to place where Meg grew up while there are a bunch of mobsters after them. For some reason, they thought it was the right thing to do. Who would actually do that I know I wouldn't. I would let the Feds know where the evidence is and just stay safe and let professionals to do their job. I prefer to live another day. Such stupidity.  The whole reveal was unsatisfying and unrealistic SPOILER Mobster killing 2 people and letting Meg live without torturing her to find where the evidence is. He just walked away. As for the ending, who knows. Maybe there'll be a sequel, it's never over. 

RULES FOR DISAPPEARING BY WITNESS PROTECTION PRISONER #18A7R04M:

Don’t ever think it’s over. Even when you’re sure it’s over, it’s not over. 

Book Review: Torched by Andrea Lynn Colt

Title:  Torched
Author:  Andrea Lynn Colt
File type:  kindle
Release date:  September 8th, 2012
Genre:  YA, contemporary. mystery

~Sparks fly in this romantic young-adult mystery~
Cheerleader Rose Whitfield's senior year goes up in smoke when she's framed for arson. Sure that the culprit is her neighbor Paxton, with whom she's been feuding since middle school, she sets out to clear her name and take Paxton down hard--not necessarily in that order.

Oh,wow. This book came as a huge surprise! I had no idea it would be so good. Last week, I was looking for books bellow 300 pages I could read, just so I can catch up with my GR reading challenge so I choose Torched because it seemed like a cute book about working with your enemy who would turn out to be a really great guy. 

Aww... I love Rose as the main character because she is basically what every main character should be like. She is dealing well with the fact everyone hates her for the fire she didn't set. She doesn't spend hours in her room crying but with the help of Paxton, her hot neighbour goes looking for the real person who did it. They've been pulling pranks on each other since they were kids and I couldn't help but sigh every time these two got into an argument, or talked, or whenever. 

Andrea Lynn Colt! You better write something new soon. I need more of your awesome characters and cute plot lines. I will read everything you write. 

I wrote this review so I can persuade my friends to pick it up because they won't be wasting their time. Dear friends, please, pleeeasseeee read Torched. It will make me so happy. Everyone needs to read a good fluffy book from time to time. 

She is also a very talented graphic designer. Check out her blog.

Book Review: White Cat by Holly Black

Title:  White Cat
Author:  Holly Black
File type:  hardback
Release date:  May 4^th, 2010
Genre:  YA, paranormal, mystery

Cassel comes from a family of Curse Workers - people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn't got magic, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail - he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.
Cassel has carefully built up a facade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his facade starts to crumble when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

 

Perfection.

There were so many things I liked about this book. I don’t think I’ll be able to write this review if I don’t just name them separately.

1. Main character- I have to admit, I have a crush on Cassel from the moment he appeared shirtless and barefoot on that roof. Aside from being good-looking I like him because he seems so real. He doesn’t whine about being the only non-Worker in his family. He takes what he has left so he is an excellent scammer and a thief. He has been in love with the same girl since they were kids and I felt so bad for him because the girl doesn’t feel the same about him. At least not as much as he does.  He is not a jerk like most YA leading men are. He is actually a great guy and he still made me swoon. Authors need to get a grip and start writing male characters that aren’t abusing the power of their looks. I would like Cass even if he was hideous. Why? Because he is just the kind of guy I want to have by my side. 
2. Worker powers- I’ve never read anything like this. Cassel lives in a world where people are discriminated if they have certain ability so Workers hide their powers from other ordinary people and non-Workers fear everybody could steal their memories, change their luck from good to bad, give them nightmares, change their feelings or even kill them with a simple touch of their hand, so everybody wears gloves. But being a Curse Worker is not perfect. They get blowbacks; if someone erases the memories of a person s/he is going to lose one of their own memories.
3. Mafia- This is another thing I didn’t read about, especially not in a YA paranormal novel. Wish we find out more about them but I guess we’ll see more of the criminal activities in the second book.
4. The love interest- I kept waiting and waiting for Lila to pop up because I wanted to know more about this mysterious girl Cass was in love with. She is bossy and strong, not like those spineless ‘heroines’ I stumble upon. I kept hoping for something to happen, was ecstatic when things were going my way and then that ending killed me. I was killed. I yelled NO but things were the way they were.  I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone so I won’t say anything else.

If you’re still reading this review, please, pick up a copy of White Cat. You won’t regret it. I know there are different reviews floating around, from 5 stars to 2 but I thought it was so refreshing and different from most of young adult paranormal novels and you all should read it as soon as possible.