Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher | Book Review

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Reading Group: High School+ and the whole book is about a girl's suicide so if that's not your thing I would stay far away

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: You can’t stop the future. 
You can’t rewind the past.
The only way to learn the secret . . . is to press play.

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.  

Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and as he follows Hannah’s recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever.

Cover: The cover of this book shows Hannah on a swing, presumably at a park, which is where her story begins.  Her story starts on a slide, not a swing, but I think the message is the same.  The innocence of a children's park contrasted with a girl who commits suicide.

My Review: I feel like everyone I know read this book in high school and I'm just getting around to it now.  In fact, this book came out 10 years ago, and there's a new addition out with new scenes that I want to read, but I think I'm going to hold off a little while so that this one isn't so fresh and I don't skim through the new one.  I definitely understand why this book was a best seller and why so many people I know have read it, it was wicked good.  The topic is very heavy, and the whole time I felt like shaking Hannah and telling her to let Clay help her.  I loved that it was stories about the past and that Hannah was already dead.  I didn't like that Hannah killed herself, but that was the whole point of the book.  What I mean is that if Hannah was missing and it was unclear if she were dead or not and it seemed like Clay was in a race against time only to find Hannah killed herself, I don't think I would have liked the book.  The tapes were a slap in the face to everyone who received them because they were listening to someone they would never get the chance to apologize to.  And it's a wake-up call to everyone who reads it.  We have people in our lives and no matter what they might mean to us, how we treat them matters.  Our actions may not be a huge moment for them, but if it adds to everything else that person may be going through, it could be the last straw.  Suicide isn't the answer, and I can imagine that people hate this book because Hannah just kind of gave up when she didn't receive the help she didn't straight up ask for, but that's how suicide happens sometimes.  It's easy to look back and see everything the person needed, but it may be impossible at the time.  That's why I absolutely love the ending of this book.  Clay couldn't help Hannah.  He didn't know how to at the time and when he figure it out she was already gone, but he noticed the same actions in Skye, and he didn't let her walk away.  Sometimes awful things need to happen for us to learn something, but what matters is that you do learn something.  I think everyone should read this book because Jay Asher is a great author and this book holds an important message.  I'm glad this is the book I got to start 2017 with.

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Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen | Book Review

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Reading Group: 17+

Personal Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars 

Given Summary: Sydney's handsome, charismatic older brother, Peyton, has always dominated the family, demanding and receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention. And when Peyton's involvement in a drunk driving episode sends him to jail, Sydney feels increasingly rootless and invisible, worried that her parents are unconcerned about the real victim: the boy Peyton hit and seriously injured. Meanwhile, Sydney becomes friends with the Chathams, a warm, close-knit, eccentric family, and their friendship helps her understand that she is not responsible for Peyton's mistakes. Once again, the hugely popular Sarah Dessen tells an engrossing story of a girl discovering friendship, love, and herself.

Cover: The cover of this novel has the carousel that Mic finds in the woods behind his house.  They only visit the carousel once in the novel and I do wish that they went a few more times because it seems like it would be more important if it's on the front cover.

My Review: I enjoyed this story because I thought it dealt with a very different scenario than any other books I've read.  Sydney has to deal with the guilt that was left on her when her brother hurt a stranger and it's hard for her to admit that guilt because it would mean going against her brother and her family.  She also has a mother that only likes things a certain way while Sydney just wants to be noticed.  That's why she spends so much time with the Chatham family and out of her own house.  The Chatham family is one that I think everyone needs in their life.  The family that is "crazy" but also the family that would do anything for each other.  I liked that they were all so different from each other.  In this story, Sydney found out who she was and what was important to her.  It's something a lot of people can relate to because we all have moments when we feel invisible and moments when we wish we were invisible, but at the same time we want to know who we are and be accepted as such.  We also all need people looking out for us and Sydney found that in the Chatham family and I liked how Mic gave her the saint pendant so she had someone above looking gout for her.  I think this one is one of my favorite Sarah Dessen books (I've got a huge soft spot for Just Listen) and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys Dessen's works.

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Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke | Book Review

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke 

Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars 

Given Summary: The intrigue of The Raven Boys and the "supernatural or not" question of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer coalesce in this young adult mystery, where nothing is quite as it seems, no one is quite who you think, and everything can change on a dime. 

Every story needs a hero. 
Every story needs a villain. 
Every story needs a secret.  

Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair and freckles. Poppy is the blond bully and the beautiful, manipulative high school queen bee. Midnight is the sweet, uncertain boy caught between them. Wink. Poppy. Midnight. Two girls. One boy. Three voices that burst onto the page in short, sharp, bewitching chapters, and spiral swiftly and inexorably toward something terrible or tricky or tremendous. 

What really happened? 
Someone knows. 
Someone is lying. 

For fans of Holly Black, We Were Liars, and The Virgin Suicides, this mysterious tale full of intrigue, dread, beauty, and a whiff of something strange will leave you utterly entranced.

Cover: The cover of this book shows a bunch of different things that made me think it would be supernatural, but it isn't.  It also says "A hero.  A villain.  A Liar.  Who's who?"  I guess Midnight is the hero, Poppy is the villain, and Wink is the liar, but I think that can also be up to interpretation.

My Review: I'm not going to lie, I was definitely expecting this book to be able witches and wizards or something supernatural and it wasn't.  It was just about kids with odd names.  Which is fine, I thought it was cool that they had the names they did, but even the cover was a little misleading.  This has nothing to do with my actual opinion of the book, and I know I shouldn't judge a book by its title or cover, but I did and I was completely off the mark.
I liked this book because it was a form of a mystery.  I often found myself saying to myself, 'What is going on' and trying to figure it out.  I was able to guess some of the ending, but not the entire thing.  This book was weird, but in a good way.  I don't even really know how to describe it.  It was a story of revenge, but also a story of helping someone who maybe didn't deserve the help.  I have a feeling this book is one that you just have to read to understand, and I would recommend it because it was a good story.  The only thing is that I wasn't really a fan of the ending.  Midnight just leaves and it's unclear whether he and Wink were still dating or if they broke up or what.  And even though Wink and Poppy messed with Midnight and lied to him, I didn't want him and Wink to break up, so I was confused by the ending.  

Has anyone else read this story and want to add something?  Do you agree that you just have to read it to understand or did you find it more simple than I did?

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The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen | Book Review

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. 
 
He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Cover: This cover isn't really a big deal.  I mean, it's pretty, but it's just a girl walking down a boardwalk.  And it's not even the boardwalk described in the book.

My Review: I've read all of Sarah Dessen's books, but for some reason I stopped after I read What Happened to Goodbye so I was kind of excited to read this one.  However, I had some mixed thoughts about it.  Having already read Dessen's works I knew the boyfriend Emaline started out with wasn't going to be her boyfriend throughout the whole thing, but I did not like Theo.  First off, he was way too much like her father.  Which obviously was done on purpose, but I didn't understand why Emaline didn't see it.  Then I thought Theo was going to be similar, but better than her dad, but then he ended up being pretty sleazy and I was very happy they didn't end up together.  I thought Luke was great, sure he kind of cheated on Emaline and I understand that once that happens you may want to take some time off from someone, but he was super apologetic and it was clear that he loved Emaline.  The end of the book comes to them being friends and I kind of read it as a hint that they still had a chance to get back together someday, but I just wish they did before the book ended (However, I know I am super biased about this kind of thing.  You guys know I love love.)  I did like that Emaline spent the summer trying to figure out who she was and what she really wanted to do and I absolutely loved her little brother.  I think he was exactly who Emaline needed in her life, someone younger who maybe doesn't understand everything she's going through, but whose there to give an honest opinion and take her mind off of things.  I did enjoy this book and I would definitely recommend it to friends.  

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We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach | Book Review

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Four high school seniors put their hopes, hearts, and humanity on the line as an asteroid hurtles toward Earth in this contemporary novel.

They always say that high school is the best time of your life.

Peter, the star basketball player at his school, is worried “they” might actually be right. Meanwhile Eliza can’t wait to escape Seattle—and her reputation—and perfect-on-paper Anita wonders if admission to Princeton is worth the price of abandoning her real dreams. Andy, for his part, doesn’t understand all the fuss about college and career—the future can wait.

Or can it? Because it turns out the future is hurtling through space with the potential to wipe out life on Earth. As these four seniors—along with the rest of the planet—wait to see what damage an asteroid will cause, they must abandon all thoughts of the future and decide how they’re going to spend what remains of the present.

Cover: So the cover of this book is what drew me to it in the store, but I'm not going to lie, now that I've read the book, I'm not a huge fan of the cover.  It's just random people looking at an astroid and I wish it was at least the people who were there at the end of the story.  

My Review: I loved this book, but I also hate fit solely because Peter died.  And I know you could make the argument that they all end up dead, but the fact that Peter died first the day before made me so sad because he was my favorite from the beginning.  Also, there was still a 33.3% chance the astroid didn't hit the earth and if it did, would it wipe out everyone or just people in a large radius of the impact zone?  Like what it the astroid landed straight in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?  Sure there would be ridiculous tsunamis, but I still feel like North Dakota and some other states would be okay.  Your thoughts?
I tend to enjoy books that make you question your life, even through death freaks me out, and this novel was no different.  Life is short and you shouldn't wait until the world id ending or you get diagnosed withs one illness to do the things you want to do.  And it's interesting who people become when it seems that there are no rules.  Is the only reason you're not doing something is because it's illegal?  Is that right?  I like to believe that I am someone who lives in the present and does things that make me happy, but I also have a bucket list of things that will take years to complete, so if the world ended within the next three months I would be in trouble.  I think it's important to know there are things you want to do though because you'll try harder to get them done while you can rather than lying on your death bed coming up with plans that will never happen.
But back to the book.  I loved the way this book was written, I don't have an exact reason why, I just thought it was very nicely written and it makes me want to read Wallach's other book.  The characters were all great and different and real.  Like I went to high school with someone just like each of them.  I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.  

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Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider | Book Review

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider

Reading Group: 17-years-old+

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: John Green's The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park in this darkly funny novel from the critically acclaimed author of The Beginning of Everything.

Up until his diagnosis, Lane lived a fairly predictable life. But when he finds himself at a tuberculosis sanatorium called Latham House, he discovers an insular world with paradoxical rules, med sensors, and an eccentric yet utterly compelling confidante named Sadie—and life as Lane knows it will never be the same.

Robyn Schneider's Extraordinary Means is a heart-wrenching yet ultimately hopeful story about the miracles of first love and second chances.

Cover: The cover of this book shows the night sky and the woods.  The woods are important because the characters spent time in the woods and it's actually connected to two of the character's deaths.  Charlie dies in the woods and Sadie gets hurt in the woods, which eventually leads to her death.  The characters also talk about stars throughout the story so I like to think that the two shooting stars are for Sadie and Charlie.  

My Review: I really enjoyed this book and I can definitely see the relation between it and The Fault in Our Stars.  Stories like this definitely remind me how little time we may have with certain people and that we need to make those moments last.  The quote on the cover of the book "Life goes on until it doesn't" sums that up really well.  We all expect a tomorrow and that any mistakes we make can be fixed tomorrow, but that's not always true.  Sadie was lucky that she was able to go to Lane and tell him that she never wanted to break up because it wasn't long after that that she was attacked in the woods.  I think this book also pointed out the importance of friendship and showing that we all have those people that we're willing to break the rules for.  And it's nice to know that people like that are around you.  Life is so much more than resume building and I know that sometimes we don't think about the future at all and other times we think about it too much, but I don't think you should ever do something you don't want to do because it 'looks good' because there are plenty of things that will give you a great future at the same time as making the present awesome.  This story was a great one and a relatively quick read.  It kind of broke my heart, and you all know I prefer a happy ending, but like All the Bright Places there was something about this one that made me want to force my friends to read it,

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The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi | Book Review

The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi 

Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: A fun, romantic read, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti! What happens when Matt and Ella reunite one year after their breakup? Are second chances really possible?

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over her ex-boyfriend and graduate high school—simple as that. But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player—was never part of that plan. And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying "yes" to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

But then Matt leaves town, breaking Ella's heart. And when he shows up a year later—wanting to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn't sure whether Matt's worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.

Cover: The cover shows four people, presumably Meg, Jake, Ella, and Matt.  It appears they're standing on a beach, which the four did not go to on either night, so I don't really understand that.  However, the sun is setting so their night of saying yes is just starting.     

My Review: I thoroughly enjoyed tho book.  I loved that it went back in forth between past and present every chapter and that it only focused on two days, one in the past and one in the present.  It was such a cute book.  I was rooting for present day Ella and Matt to get back together and past Ella and Matt to kiss from the beginning.  However this book was more than just two people finding each other, it was about discovering themselves.  Having to say yes to any idea that a friend comes up with can be scary and by doing it you definitely learn something about yourself as you find yourself doing things you never would under different circumstances.  Ella was able to learn who she was and who she wanted to be and who she wanted to be with.  She learned to stick up for herself and not follow anyone else's lead.  Friends, boyfriends, and college is a lot to deal with, but if the people around you are there because you want them to be there, decisions aren't so hard to make because you have support and you know that wherever everyone's paths lead, you'll all come back together in the end.  Like is said, this book really only gives you two days, not even days, but nights, and somehow that's enough to understand everything.  Life isn't always about the drawn out situations.  Sometimes a few hours is all it takes to arrive at some fantastic conclusions.  

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Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone | Book Review

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Reading Group: 16+/Sensitive Material (Mental Disorders, Suicide) 

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary:If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off. 

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

Cover: The cover of this book has each word on a different scrap of paper.  Representing how the poets would write on whatever paper they had available to them when they had inspiration to write.  

My Review: I must have a thing for books that involve some form hallucinations.  I feel like I've read  quite a few books recently with this topic.  It's really only my third (Along with Vanishing Girls and Sweet Nothing), but I've read them in a short period of time.  I've also been reading a few books that contain mental health issues so this book was right up my alley for current interests.  OCD is something that seems to me one of form on mental health that isn't talked about much.  Lately anxiety and depression have been front page and other mental health issues have been pushed off to the side.  This novel does a really good job showing that OCD is more complicated that having to be super neat or having intense rituals you have to do before going to bed.  I also liked that this book had the friendship and high school aspect.  There are friends that you may have had since elementary school and even though you know you're growing apart from them, you don't want to walk away from them because you don't have anywhere else to go.  Especially once you get to high school and it seems like everyone has their friend group.  Which is why you may need to try something new in order to make new friends.  For Sam it was poetry and the secret Poet's Corner.  With this group of friends she's more willing to share small details about herself and her OCD that she wasn't able to with the friends she grew up with.  And of course, a boy was involved, and you guys know I can't help but love a good love story.  AJ and the rest of the kids in Poet's Corner are able to understand Sam because they all have something that makes them feel different and like outcasts in some way.  However, when Sam discovers that her mind conjured up Caroline as a way to help her through stressful times, she removes herself from everyone.  Anyone would be freaked out if they realized they accidentally imagined their best friend, but when you already struggle with your thoughts, it makes it even worse.  Sam needed to accept herself and realize that there was a whole group of people who were also willing to let her in, she just had to let them.
One tiny thing that I noticed and liked about this book was the chapter titles.  Sam does a lot of things in threes, so all of the chapter titles are three word phrases, even the title is three words.             

Smile!  I'll talk to you soon!xxx

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Wicked Sexy Liar by Christina Lauren | Book Review

Wicked Sexy Liar by Christina Lauren

Reading Group: M for Mature

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: For two people ambivalent about dating and love, they sure get naked around each other an awful lot . . .

London Hughes is very content to surf daily, tend bar, hang out with her group of friends, and slowly orient herself in the years after college. Everything’s going great and according to the non-plan.

But when a wave knocks her for a loop one morning, then Luke Sutter’s flirtatious smile knocks her for another that evening, she veers slightly off course…and into his path. Sure, he’s a total player, but the Why not—it’s only one night is a persistent voice in her ear.

For his part, Luke’s been on hookup autopilot for so long that he rarely ever pauses to consider what he’s doing. But after an amazing time with London, he realizes that he hasn’t been moving on from a devastating heartbreak so much as he’s been drifting to wherever—and whomever—the current takes him. With London he wants more.

Every relationship involves two people…plus their pasts. And as much as she enjoys her fling with Luke, when London learns about his past—more specifically, who’s in it—everything becomes the brand of complicated she strives to avoid. It’s up to Luke then to change some things in order to try and ensure he’s not something she’ll outright avoid as well.

Cover: This novel continues the classic Christina Lauren covers.  I love the covers of their books.  I think they're simple, but beautiful.  This one is green with Luke dressed in a suit.

My Review: What would you do if you started sleeping with a friend's ex-boyfriend?  Is there a statute of limitations on something like that?  London comes to find out that it depends on the friend.  And if that friend is Mia, who is happily married to Ansel, it's going to be weird for a minute and then it will be okay and you will happily have Luke Sutter in your life forever and ever.  It was kind of ironic ah Luke was trying to get into law school and Mia married a lawyer-turned-law-professor.  I thought that was funny.  This story is a classic Christina Lauren novel and I loved every second of it.  I read it a day and Luke and London were just the cutest.  One of my absolute favorite things about Christina Lauren's books is that the boy always gives the girl a nickname and I thought it was hysterical that Luke called London the wrong name and that's what became her nickname.  
Both London and Luke had previous fails with love and so neither of them really want to dive in again.  However, it all took was one person to change their outlook on love.  When they meet each other it doesn't take long for either of them to realize that this time is different and once they get Mia and Harlow's approval there's nothing holding them back except themselves.  
It was also nice that they got together because Mia and Luke weren't the only ones who suffered from their breakup.  Harlow and Lola chose to stick with Mia, but they were Luke's friends too so if he is with London they all get to have each other back in their lives.  I think that as the years passed and they were able to grow up and learn what they wanted out of their lives, they all realized that it could never be the way it was when they were twelve or even eighteen, but that didn't mean they couldn't find their way back to each other in some way.

Smile!  I'll talk to you soon!

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The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton | Book Review

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Reading Group: Middle School+

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: A heroic story of friendship and belonging

No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends—true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. And when it comes to the Socs—a vicious gang of rich kids who enjoy beating up on "greasers" like him and his friends—he knows that he can count on them for trouble. But one night someone takes things too far, and Ponyboy's world is turned upside down...

Written over forty-five years ago, The Outsiders is a dramatic and enduring work of fiction. S. E. Hinton's classic story of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of regular society remains as powerful today as it was the day it was first published.

Cover: The cover of this novel shows a greaser, probably Ponyboy.  His head is bowed so you you can see his hair, which is something the greasers take very seriously. 

My Review: This book is a timeless classic.  That's why you read it in middle school, but you can still appreciate it when you reread it your freshman year of college.  It's a book about what it means to be a part of something that nobody else seems to understand.  Greasers are the kids from "the wrong side of the tracks" but they're just kids.  They're one big family because they're the only ones who truly understand each other.  Life isn't always good and it's important to have people cheering for you from time to time.  This book covers family, friends, loss, and what it means to be a kid living in a situation that isn't ideal.  Ponyboy loves his brothers, but they can't replace his parents.  He's also the odd duck with the rest of the greasers because he enjoys things that they don't, like sunsets and school.  He spends his life trying to please everyone around him, and it's simply impossible.  Hinton is able to write about a group of boys who would do anything for each other.  A group of friends anyone would kill for.  And he's able to write about it in such an honest way because he lived it, so if you have a few hours to spare I highly recommend you read (or reread) this book.      

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The List by Siobhan Vivian | Book Review

The List by Siobhan Vivian

Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary:An intense look at the rules of high school attraction -- and the price that's paid for them.

It happens every year before homecoming -- the list is posted all over school. Two girls are picked from each grade. One is named the prettiest, one the ugliest. The girls who aren't picked are quickly forgotten. The girls who are become the center of attention, and each reacts differently to the experience.

With THE LIST, Siobhan Vivian deftly takes you into the lives of eight very different girls struggling with issues of identity, self-esteem, and the judgments of their peers. Prettiest or ugliest, once you're on the list, you'll never be the same.

Cover: The cover shows a girl in front of the lockers holding the list.  It is unclear as to whether this is supposed to be one of the girls on the list in the story or just a random girl in the school.  Either way, it is clear to see from her face that she is effected by what names are on the list.  Maybe she's on it or maybe a friend, sister, or enemy is on it.

My Review: In High School, reputation is everything.  We care what others think of us above all else, even our own opinions.  It seems like we need validation from strangers to make sure that the opinions we have about ourselves are accurate.  This novel shows just how much words can effect how we view ourselves and others.  Ugly and Pretty are just words, but they hold so much more meaning than other words.  And everyone they're said to reacts differently.  This novel proves that.  Being called pretty may come with a need to please and a will to prove to everyone that, yes, you are pretty.  Being called ugly may force you to prove people wrong or make a stand.  Either way, the fight to prove a point always comes with casualties.  You may lose friends, respect, courage.  And once those things are gone it can be hard to get them back.  The List reminds us just how serious words can be and how harmful their effects may be.  It doesn't matter how old you are either, you are effected when things are said about you, especially when they're said anonymously.  I liked how this book gave the perspective of every girl on the list rather than following one of them.  However, when it was over I was still left with a lot of questions.  Does Bridget start eating or get the help she needs?  Does Lauren really leave the school?  Does Andrew apologize and try to get Danielle back?  I wish there was a short epilogue for each of the girls just to explain what happens after the dance.   

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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.

Smile!  I'll talk to you soon!xxx

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The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris | Book Review

The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris

Reading Group Rating: Young Adult

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date-Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy's biggest hottie and most notorious player.

With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school's second biggest hottie, and now Aly's pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from funny friend to tempting vixen is only a matter of time.

But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable break up leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can't explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.

Cover: The cover of this book is very sweet.  It depicts two people, presumably Aly and Brandon, hiding behind a heart.  I like the cover because they aren't close enough to be kissing (unless of course they are half ducks, but that would be weird and probably mentioned in the book...hehe) so what are they doing?  Are they about to kiss?  Are they smiling at each other?  Are they in that awkward phase were they want to be friends, but only because they're afraid to be more so they aren't making eye contact?  I think judging by where their hands are they are probably at least being flirty with each other.

My Review: I loved this book because it was relatable.  I think it's normal for people to start thinking about ways to change themselves at the end of the summer.  To think This year is going to be my year.  And even making small changes.  Do I think most people try to change as drastically as Aly did?  No.  But do I think a few people do every year?  Absolutely.  Everyone wants to be noticed in high school.  So they make some changes, come up with a few lies, it happens.  But eventually the real you comes through and you'll realize that it's easier to just be you.  And maybe, in your mission to change you discovered some new things about yourself and that's great, but the lies just make life messier not easier.  I think this book describes this perfectly.  It was a great story and of course I loved it because it had the best friends turned boyfriend and girlfriend aspect in there too.  And that part was obviously a big part, but I don't think it took away from the fact that Aly did a lot of self discovery at the start of her senior year.  Brandon too.  He had to admit some things to himself that he never thought he would.  Coming from someone who has been through senior year I can tell you that you do learn a lot about yourself during senior year.  It's scary and exhilarating at the same time.

Smile!  I'll talk to you soon!xxx

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