Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver | Book Review

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver


Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver delivers a gripping story perfect for fans of We Were Liars and I Was Here, about two sisters inexorably altered by a terrible accident.
Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged.
When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.
In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.

Cover: The cover of this novel shows a fuzzy picture of Nick.  It's as if the picture and the girl in it are vanishing.

My Review: (Careful...Spoilers) HOLY PLOT TWIST!  I was expecting Dara to be running away from Andre and fall of the lighthouse or something else to result in her death or disappearance, I was not expecting Nick to be hallucinating being her sister!  It makes other parts of the book make so much more sense.  When Parker and "Dara" were kissing in her car and she gets mad at him for saying the wrong name, but HE DIDN'T!  I absolutely loved the plot twist because it was different and unexpected for me.  The book itself is actually kind of sad and shows how trauma can effect a persons mental state.  I would have liked the ending better if she and Parker ended up together.  And I mean, I guess they did, but not really and I would have liked it to me more official, but that's just because I like when the people end up together in the end.  This novel is different from others that I've read and I really enjoyed the mystery aspect of it.

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Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Panic by Lauren Oliver | Book Review

Panic by Lauren Oliver 


Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes an extraordinary novel of fear, friendship, courage, and hope that Kirkus Reviews says "will have readers up until the wee hours," School Library Journal raves is "fast-paced and captivating," and E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars, calls "a thrill a minute."


Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a poor town of twelve thousand people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do. Heather never thought she would compete in panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors. She'd never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought. 
Dodge has never been afraid of panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game; he's sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he's not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for. For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

Cover: The cover of this novel shows presumably Heather with her hair blowing across her face.  It doesn't give anything away about the plot of the book.

My Review: You know when you get off of a roller coaster or finish a race and you're just so hyped up and have insane amounts of adrenaline punning through your veins?  That's what the game Panic is like.  That's why so many people played it and why the book is so interesting to read.  You get sucked in to believing that you're the one accomplishing the tasks and you can't wait to see what the next one is.  This story also has personal stories that make us root for the winner to be Heather or Dodge for multiple different reasons.  This book reminded me of Assassin, a game my high school plays senior year where you're assigned a person and you use a water gun to "kill" them.  However, if Assassin is a level 4, Panic is level 104.  This novel is certainly an adventurous one that keeps you interested throughout the whole thing.  I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys stories that keep you guessing and maybe understand what it's like to not like their current situation.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

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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Tuesday, January 5, 2016

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley | Book Review

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley 



Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary:As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You're the one who asked-and I repeat-Why not fix your face? 

It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.

She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

Cover: This novel has Terra on the front of it with her blond hair covering her port-wine stain.  There is also a compass overlaying her face.  This novel is very big on mapmaking and compasses, but also about discovery and finding yourself. 

My Review: There comes a time in our lives when we all just have to accept who we are and what we deserve.  The problem is that a lot of people discover it too late or chose to never act on it.  North of Beautiful reminds us that we are all beautiful even though we're not perfect.  Some of us eat too much or work to much or put on too much makeup to hide from something we don't want to go up against.  However, at some point we all have to admit what we're doing is wrong and we have to figure out a way to fix it.  For Terra it took a boy to help her realize that she was hiding, for Merc it was his little sister, and for Lois it was herself.  No matter what though, it comes from a place of trust, from someone who cares about you maybe even better than you care about yourself.  Coming to terms with who you are, under whatever circumstances you're in, is a hard thing to do.  And sometimes it takes getting out of your comfort zone to do that.  Headley reminds us all that even if we struggle to look past our faults, someone will.  Someone will love you enough to love the parts of you that you deem your flaws.  Her novel contains a great story and many life lessons that are important to know.  Plus, a little exploration never hurt anyone.  This book made me want to buy a GPS and start geocaching for myself.     

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Thursday, December 31, 2015

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler | Book Review

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler



Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances, a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been.

     So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life—and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.

     It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last....

Cover: So the cover of this book is a broken heart being put back together, but why is it a cookie?  Shouldn't it be a cupcake?  It should be the decoration on top of a cupcake that depicts the healed broken heart.  The book makes such a big deal about cupcakes and how Hudson is the Cupcake Queen, so the cover shouldn't have a cookie on it.  I guess the baking theme is there and it's a cute cover don't get me wrong, I just think it would be better if it was a cupcake.

My Review: Sometimes we think we want things we used to have, but when we get them again they're not as we remembered.  Hudson thought that if she won the skating competition it would bring her back to her days of skating when everything was good in her life.  But that's not how life works.  Sometimes we have to roll with the punches and just keep moving forward.  Everything will work out in the end even if it's not where we though we would end up.  That's something we have to learn on our own though, just like Hudson.  It's something you say over and over, "It will all work out..." but it's hard to fully believe until we have a moment where we look around and decide we are where we need to be.  This book also throws in the importance of the people around you.  Some people are going to let you down in life.  They'll leave and never come back.  However, there will also be people who will always be there for you so it's important to appreciate them.  This novel can be seen as a coming to age story that depicts how sometimes we have to follow our dreams without trying to go back in time.  

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Wednesday, December 30, 2015

I Was Here by Gayle Forman | Book Review

I Was Here by Gayle Forman




Reading Group: High School+; Sensitive Material


Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: When her best friend, Meg, commits suicide by drinking a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how did she miss the signs of Meg's depression? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, and some secrets of his own. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

Cover: The cover of this book shows a back of a girl, Cody maybe, walking down a street.  The landscape shows grass that progresses to trees that changes to mountains.  It goes from flat to sky high and it might be like this to show how things in life can escalate relatively quickly, no matter what it may be.  Once Meg's brother says that he thought the email was worded oddly, Cody starts doing some research and suddenly she finds herself in Nevada trying to find someone who supported Meg's decision to kill herself.  The girl on the cover is standing a road which may be symbolic for the journey Cody goes on literally and figuratively as she discovers more truths about her best friend that she didn't know before.

My Review: I really enjoyed this book.  You guys know I love a good love story anyway, which is what this story becomes.  I also like that it's kind of a mystery and Cody has to put together the pieces of the puzzle.  When you go looking for something, you're certainly going to find something and this novel really shows that. 
I feel as though the theme of mental health and suicide is very "big" right now.  It's the new fad for books the way dystopian novels like The Hunger Games and Divergent were a few years ago.  I do think it is a very serious topic and that by making fictional characters struggle through these things, it helps to take the stigma away from real people who deal with stuff like this and hopefully helps them get the help they need. 

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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Girl Online: On Tour by Zoe Sugg | Book Review

Girl Online: On Tour by Zoe Sugg


Reading Group: High School+


Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: In this sequel to the New York Times bestseller, Girl Online, Penny joins her rock-star boyfriend on the road in Europe.

When Noah invites Penny on his first-ever European tour, she can’t wait to spend the summer with her rock-god-tastic boyfriend.

But, between Noah’s jam-packed schedule, less-than-welcoming band mates, and threatening messages from jealous fans, Penny wonders whether she’s really cut out for life on tour. She can’t help but miss her family, her best friend Elliot, and her blog, “Girl Online.”

Can Penny learn to balance life and love on the road, or will she lose everything in pursuit of the perfect summer?


Cover: The background of the cover, the purple and lights, look like the vanity lights on a makeup mirror that is associated with movie stars or backstage at a concert.  The kind that collapse onto a trunk.  The cover has some little mementos that Penny would have collected while she was on tour: tickets, backstage pass, and photos that she took. 

My Review: It's so funny to be writing a review for this book because Girl Online was the second book I did a review for here on this blog almost a year ago.  It wasn't even in this format!  This book was a great sequel to the first one.  It continued Penny and Noah's story, but now Penny is on tour (which makes the title really accurate) and has to discover if it's a life she can get used to.  Ultimately, both of them decide that they need to chase their dreams, but they still love each other.  It ended with the two of them together...I think?  I don't know.  They didn't definitely say it, but it says that their story is just beginning.  I would have liked if they said it or at least kissed a paragraph or two before the ending.  Penny's character is still relatable to almost everyone I can think of, especially for anyone who doesn't exactly know what they want to do next.  Everyone has passions, but not everyone turns them into their careers, for many different reasons.  But when you're young it's even more confusing because people always ask you what you want to do and you look around for an answer, but don't have one.  And that's okay, you'll figure it out.  Penny figured out.  Obviously it was a little quick for her because it's a book and she needed to, but in real life you figure it out eventually too.  This story was really cute.  I know Zoe has a younger following so her books aimed for a younger audience, but I think everyone can enjoy this novel and I would definitely recommend this novel to my friends.  Especially Style, she loves Zoella.  

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