Book Review: Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally

Title:  Stealing Parker
Author:  MIranda Kenneally
File type:  paperback
Release date:  October 1st, 2012
Genre:  YA, contemporary romance, sports

Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.

Now Parker wants a new life.So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

Spoilers ahead! 

There are authors who's have great ideas and you just can't wait to get your hands on a copy and when you do, you just die because the book is everything you've dreamed of. Well, something similar does happen here. Whenever I read a Kenneally book, I yell and shake my head because the characters do the most moronic things they could think of in order to 'learn their lesson'. I swear, I yelled so much while Jordan was picking that other guy instead of seeing Sam and I wanted to slap some sense in Parker for even thinking of baseball coach/gym teacher... oh my, I forgot his name. Oops. Lemme check. Brian! (Yuck!) Why choose him over Corn Fritter, pardon Corndog or just simply Will. He is the perfect match but no, she has to go for the older guy. Why take the car when you can walk, right? So much drama, especially near the end. 

I had so many mixed feelings while reading this book. On one note I liked Parker, then I didn't, I liked the use of religion in this book but I didn't like the religious people and I absolutely hated the teacher-student relationship. And this is what I'm gonna do. I'm going to talk about myself. Haha bet you didn't expect that. Well, I do love to share way too much personal info with strangers. 

Let's just start

1. Parker's rebellion - Since Parker's mum ran away with her girlfriend, people from their church have kept their distance. Her friends talked behind her back, saying she is just like her mum, so the only thing Parker could think of is start loosing weight and kiss a lot of boys.  I understand why she did those things, because a couple of years ago I was a 17 too and people were talking all sort of nonsense about me, that I was a freak, devil worshiper and whatnot. I dealt with all of my anger pretty well. I went and cut my hair, wore a lot of insane outfits and every time I saw someone giving me the stink eye it set me of to do something more crazy. So, the only difference between me and Parker is that she chose to take it out on guys while I sort of gave the finger to the rest of the world. 

2. Religion vs. Religious people - Religion is very important in this novel. Every couple of pages Parker writes a letter to God saying how her life sucks and then burns it. Her is a quote from the book that caught my eye. Most people probably just read it and moved on when they should just stop and think about it. 

“I can talk to God while I’m walking the dog or running in the woods just the same as if I’m at church.”  

 YES! I agree with this all the way! My uncle died a couple of months ago and I was really upset so when a really religious neighbour sat next to me and started to talk some bull about going the the mosque (my parents are Muslim) I told her I forgot all Arabic prayers a long time ago and she said it's easy to learn it again  so I told her I'm just going to pray to God with my own words, not something someone else wrote (because when you say something from the heart, rather than what you memorized it's more sincere) she was watching me like I've grown another head. I also know a lot of 'religious people' who are all sweet but when you dig under the surface you see they cheat, lie, steal it just makes me sick and I can't stand those phonies. I would rather be myself with no one around me than being something I'm not and having all the friends in the world. 

3. Teacher- student relationship- *sigh* What to say about this that I haven't yelled while reading? I yelled I  Stay away from him! He is your teacher! When that didn't work out I tried with Stop cyber stalking the man! Stop chatting with him and sending texts! Even that didn't work so I because afraid Don't kiss him! Nooo! Don't! You moron! I hate you! And finally I got desperate Please, don't have sex with him! He is too old for you! Ahhhh!  I'm usually all for student-teacher relationships in books but this one just wasn't working. 

I guess I should finally give up on Miranda Kenneally books even though every time I read the blurb for her latest book I get excited. Kenneally and Kody Keplinger just don't work for me even though they write about topics which seem very interesting. 

Book Review: Wait For You by J.Lynn

Book: Wait for You
Author: J.Lynn
File Type: Ebook
Release date: February 26th 2013
Publisher: Self-published. (I think.)
 
synopsis:

Some things are worth waiting for…

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for
…

After a lot of thinking, I've reverted my ratings from 3.5 to 3. And It could be because I think I don't like this particular genre very much. Infact, I think that I don't actually like it at all.

I've read a lot of New Adult books. And even though there were some really nice ones , I can't help but think how similar each one of them is. It's a really warped up genre actually. When it came to YA there was teenage angst. There was teenage drama. Insecurity. Self-confidence. And blahblhablah. When it's the Adult genre..well, we have lawyers. Lot's of Lawyers. Then we have the corporate world. The housewife. The divorcee. The successful. The poor....Just about everything that makes the world adult-y. When it comes to New Adult? We have sex. Lot's of it. What the kids couldn't do when they were in school is what they're successfully accomplishing when they're in college and oh boy..what a competition they give to the adults. What it usually lacks is the emotional or well, the psychological side of the book. I'm reading the part where the girl is explaining what's wrong with her and her life and it's pretty tragic and I'm thinking..'Why am I not feeling it?'

I feel the biggest problem in the New Adult section is the lack of conflict. But that is just me analyzing the genre on the basis of a few number of books I've read in the genre. Now I could be wrong or I could possibly be right since I'm totally awesome... But who knows?

This is what I feel. I feel that this genre is bland.

And this gets me to the point I was initially trying to make but just got sort of ranty since I'm honestly..kind of not happy. Because I freaking love Ms. Armentrout! Okay? I LOVE HER. I don't know what I would do without Aiden and Daemon! Seriously. I've gobbled my way through her books and have always had that huge smile on my face because what this woman writes is just so damn entertaining! Plus, she's a fast writer. So yes. She rocks.

Anyway what point was I trying to make? Ah yes! The point is that this story just didn't do it for me. While this book was entertaining as hell because it's not possible that any JLA book isn't..there always comes a time when as a reader all you want to do is get lost in the emotion and just feel..which wasn't the case in this one.

For a romance, Okay I won't deny it. HIGH SWOON ALERT.

Cameron Hamilton. Oh boy.

This guy had some serious moves and had it been me instead of Avery, the leading protag of the book, I would've pounced on him the moment I met him and would've never let him go.

Not just him but almost all the characters! Jacob and Britanny, Avery's bestfriends were a treat to read about and hell, we all love bestfriends don't we? These guys were totally badass. Then there was Ollie and Jase who didn't really lag behind because the way I see it..these guys are getting there own books too. Anyhow we'll be back on that later..but let's just talk about the characters for now.

Jacob especially was a favourite of mine. Half of my highlighted passages were things he said. This guy made me laugh like a mad lady. Total Fun. And Brittany was his amazing sidekick which was just fantastic because two is better than one, eh?

You all must be wondering? What about the main protag?

Well Avery Morgenstan and I have a business to settle.

I'd like to put a blanket on her head and smack her a lot on her head. While there were times where Avery came out as this person who I totally loved..there were times where I just wanted to shoot her.But I guess that it's okay. Her character growth came through and I was pretty satisfied till I reached the end of the book. Which is a good sign.

I was pretty happy with the end. Because not only was it all happy happy but because it promised us with two other books in the series, which I feel is seriously awesome. Now I'm not sure if there are two books, because I just saw a single book that is Teresa's (she's Cam's sister BTW and her character was small.But promising.) and Jase's book. I think. Oh it better be. I can't see anyone else. And it better NOT be anyone else. Because then I'll have to shoot somebody.

And that brings me to the end of this review.
Would I recommend you to read it? Yes. Because it's entertaining and even though it's lack of conflict sounding not like a conflict pissed me off and Avery managed to make me want to pull me hair..I still liked it. Plus, I'll bet you want to read about Teresa And Jase. Because I've noticed that the books that have secondary characters become primary characters are actually much much better than the books that have them as secondary characters. Do you get what I mean? Yes? No? Ofcourse you do.

Stacking the Shelves

I would like to thank these lovely ladies. +Izz Pingle and +Aylee Jaine for these 2 books I got. Please, follow them over at Izz Bookish Place and Recovering Potter Addict .

1. Prodigy by Marie Lu

2. Boundless by Cynthia Hand

I can't wait to read both books! It sucks I have mismatched editions from both series. I just hate it when there's a redesign in the middle of a series. I've been dying to read Boundless since I read Hallowed last December. Hope all goes well with my team- Tucker FTW! 

                           

1. Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols. 

I didn't sent out any requests this week because I have no idea how will I read all of those NG/Edelweiss books I already got. But I couldn't resist this one, since Jennifer is one of my all time favorite authors and it doesn't count as a request since it was labelled as 'read now'. Head out to Edelweiss for your copy! 

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

2. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.

3. Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari.

4. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.

5.Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi.

6. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer.

I've always wanted to read Ready Player One and The Knife of Never Letting Go. So when I saw these both, I knew that I had to get it somehow and so I did. Artichoke Hearts is my little experiment. Sita Brahmachari is a British writer of Indian descent and my friend after reading her book, literally pushed me towards this book! The protagonist is a twelve year old girl going through an identity crisis and there is just something very real about the whole premise, so I'm definitely going to be reading this one. Very soon.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is a book I bought in a whim. I've been meaning to catch up with her other book that released recently, Out of Easy and I'd like to read something before I jump into the other. And do I need to even talk about Unravel me and Scarlet?

I've been excited to read them, since I don't know when!

I've lent my copies to a friend , so I couldn't put up my books. So..Boo?

            


1. Underneath by Sarah Jamila Stevenson.
2. Insomnia by J.R Johansson.

Book Review: Reboot by Amy Tintera

Title:  Reboot
Author:  Amy Tintera
File type:  egalley
Release date:  May 7th, 2013
Genre:  YA, dystopian, sci-fi

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).
Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.
The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

I was so disappointed after I finished reading Reboot because I had such high expectations. After all, this was on my 'can't wait' list. A lot of people loved it but it was just average in my opinion. I hate being among the first people who didn't enjoy a book (even though the first 40% wasn't that bad). I don't want to write bad reviews, especially if it's a debut author. I don't want to be that person but I have to tell the truth. It just wasn't for me. 

Wren is the best Reboot because she it took 178 minutes to revive her. So, whoever stay dead longer s/he is considered more of an empty shell than a person with feelings. During lunch she sits at the over 120 table and only picks the highest raking reboots to train. This all stops when she meets Callum, who is a 22- the lowest raking reboot. She picks him as her new prodigy and they start training. This is where the problems started for me. Since Callum is considered more human than reboot his main characteristic is that he smiles all the freaking time. Even when Wren beats him senseless. Soon they fall in love. 

Ever, Wren's roommate who was revived under sixty minutes starts to act strangely. Her hands start to shake and she often attacks Wren during the night, wanting to bite her. She is not the only one. All under sixty reboots have the same problems because they have been given some shots which would make them more aggressive and less human. 

The main problem this book had is that it revolved around romance instead of focusing on the world building. I never thought I would say this but there was so much kissing. I wanted them to stop kissing and do something else for a change. After some thought I came to the conclusion these two aren't a really good match because even though Wren is (apparently) in love with Callum she still remained cold and distant towards everyone else. Why can she only experience love? Why not anger, hate, compassion?  It's really strange. All in all, their relationship was not very appealing. 

The story was fast paced and entertaining (when they are not kissing). I have no objections there. Things were moving and every chapter had it's purpose, more or less. The dreaded kissing needs to stop  in the sequel (!!!), which I will read since I don't want to abandon a series/trilogy. 

The only connection I could find with Divergent is the training. Everything else is different. At least the romance and action scenes in Divergent weren't getting on my nerves.