The Distance Between Us by Kasie West | Book Review

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West 

Reading Group: High School+

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Money can't buy a good first impression.

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers learned early that the rich are not to be trusted. And after years of studying them from behind the cash register of her mom's porcelain-doll shop, she has seen nothing to prove otherwise. Enter Xander Spence—he's tall, handsome, and oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and the fact that he seems to be one of the first people who actually gets her, she's smart enough to know his interest won't last. Because if there's one thing she's learned from her mother's warnings, it's that the rich have a short attention span. But just when Xander's loyalty and attentiveness are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn't a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she'd ever realized. With so many obstacles standing in their way, can she close the distance between them?

Cover: I feel like this cover is a little misleading because both characters are so well dressed.  Not that people who don't have a lot of money can't have nice clothing, but I think the cover would be more effective if Caymen was wearing jeans or something more casual.  

My Review: I enjoyed this book.  It can be a struggle to date someone who isn't in the same financial situation as you because there are just things your families do differently, especially these two because their financial situations are so different from each other.  Also, there is nothing like a family secret that gives a book a good plot twist.  Ironically, the plot twist in this book has to do with money!  And Xander is the one to uncover it!  Craziness.  This book was a nice read and a quick read.  It would be a nice one to read on the beach or outside somewhere.  It was kind of a Romeo & Juliet themed book because Caymen's mom doesn't want her involved with the rich and be at risk of getting close to her grandparents.  And I feel like rich people mingle amongst the rich so for Xander to bring this poor girl as a date to anything is not something that was going to go over well with everyone in his family.  However, you don't always chose who you fall in love with and at the end of the day it doesn't always matter what your family thinks, if they're being unreasonable.       

My Review:

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A Not-Joe Not-So-Short Short by Christina Lauren | Book Review

A Not-Joe Not-So-Short Short by Christina Lauren

Reading Group: This story is actually PG, but if you're buying it within WSL, I would have to say M for Mature because that's what WSL is.

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Not-Joe.  Dylan.  Goofball.  Heartwarming pal.  Whatever you call him, he's been a man of comic mystery to the Wild Seasons group.  Now, for the first time, enter into Not-Joe's world--his glorious, fun-loving world--as he meets none other than Perry . . . Ansel's ex.

Cover: This story is a bonus short within Wicked Sexy Liar so it doesn't have its own cover.  At least in my version.  It may be released as an e-book with its own cover soon, but I'm not sure.

My Review: Not-Joe!!  This story was so sweet.  Not-Joe is such a cute guy who just goes with the flow and is blunt and someone I definitely want to be friends with.  It was ironic that he starts having a little thing with Ansel's ex when this short is attached to a story about London being with Mia's ex.  I liked that Not-Joe was incorporated into WSL as Luke's friend and that's how you find out his name rather than when everyone (except Luke and London) discovers it.  It was funny that he was friends with Luke because if Luke and London never met, Luke may have been reunited with his childhood friends through him.  I also enjoy how Christina Lauren has everything fall into place for all of their characters.  Everyone finds love.  It may not be the most realistic, but I love that kind of stuff.  This story was short, but sweet.  It wasn't a typical Christina Lauren story, it was way more toned down, but it was so cute. 

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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.

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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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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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The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle | Book Review

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle 

Reading Group Rating: High School

Personal Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: For eighteen years, Wren Gray has been the model daughter -- which in her family means all As, zero boyfriends, and early acceptance into a pre-med program.  But as graduation nears, Wren can no longer tell if her parents' ideas about her future align with her own.  She knows she needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn't even know what they are?

Charlie Parker, on the other hand, knows exactly what he wants.  A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the first day he saw her.  But a girl like Wren would never fall for a boy like him -- at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.  And yet, certain things are written in the stars...

With all the sweetness -- and steaminess -- of first romance, this gorgeous novel explores that time between high school and college when life seems to be just beginning, and everything -- including true love -- is impossible.

Cover: The cover of this novel is really cool.  It doesn't really have a deeper meaning like some other covers (like Sublime or Scorched) but I really like it.  It's nighttime, which I guess the characters do spend a lot of time together at night, but it's also just their silhouettes which I like as I'm not a huge fan of having real people on the covers of books.  However, it also has circles covering it and I have no idea why, but I think it adds a nice element to the cover. 

My Review:  This story is really good.  The reason I gave it 4 Stars versus 5 is simply that although I enjoyed it a lot I don't think it's going to be one of those books I go back and reread over and over again.  I liked this book because it was a little different than the teen romance books I usually read.  I don't think I've ever read a book about a foster child and with that comes a very complex character.  I loved Charlie, he is such a sweetheart.  And as Wren says in the book, he is a hero who helped the people around him whenever he can rather than going searching for people to help.  I liked that he was always there and that he was the kind of friend who once he's in your life, he stays.  Even if he doesn't really want to.  His and Wren's romance was adorable throughout the entire story.  It was clear that they both truly cared about each other.  Also, I think Wren's life at home is something a lot of people can relate to.  Our parents always want the best for us, but sometimes they use us to redo their lives and at some point we have to stand up to them and tell them what we want.  Overall, this story was very real and I think anyone can relate to some aspect of it.

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Scorched by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Book Review

Scorched by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Reading Group Rating: M for Mature (sexual content and sensitive subject matter)

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Given Summary:Sometimes life leaves a mark...

Most days, Andrea doesn't know whether she wants to kiss Tanner or punch him in the gut. He is seriously hot, with legit bedroom eyes and that firefighter body of his, but he's a major player, and they can't get along for more than a handful of minutes. Until now.

Tanner knows he and Andrea have had an epic love/hate relationship for as long as he can remember, but he wants more love than hate from her. He wants her. Now. Tomorrow. But the more he gets to know her, the more it becomes obvious that Andrea has a problem. She's teetering on the edge, and every time he tries to catch her, she slips through his fingers.

Andrea's life is spiraling out of control, and it doesn't matter that Tanner wants to save her, because when everything falls apart and she’s speeding toward rock-bottom, only she can save herself.

Sometimes life makes you work for that happily ever after...

Cover: I don't even know where to start with this cover.  So it's obviously Andrea, looking almost like she's in pain or frustrated or crying.  All of which could have to do with her depression and anxiety.  She is also on a bed so maybe she's trying and failing to fall asleep.  She does have trouble sleeping and has to take medication so that is possible.  Or maybe she never went to sleep at all.  There does seem to be a bright light coming in from her side.  Maybe it's the sun, coming as a way of saying that it's a new day, a new start, and everything is going to be okay.  Or maybe it's headlights.  There do seem to be little sparkles around the edges, maybe those are stars.  It could be representing her accident.  Also, really the only color on the cover is her red hair.  Red is a color to show love and anger, two things Andrea battles with when it comes to Tanner.  It also shows superhuman heroism to the Greeks.  Andrea was able to be her own hero when she finally agreed to get help and then stayed in her rehabilitation program longer than necessary to make sure she was okay.  Red is also the color of fire.  Which leads me to the title of this novel, Scorched.

Sorry about how blurry this image is.  That happened because it had to shrink to fit in the post.

Scorch means (1) burn the surface of something with flame or heat.  Andrea (not to be too cliche, but I'm going to be) was like an onion in this novel (*cringes*)  and every once in a while you saw through another layer.  A layer would burn away and you would learn something new about her.  However it was still only the surface compared to what was to come.  She didn't completely burn and shed her skin until she was in that car accident, until she was finally able to admit that something was wrong and she needed help.  You could look at it from her and Tanner's relationship as well.  Tanner had no idea what he was getting into when he fell for Andrea.  He knew who she acted to be, but he didn't know her thoroughly.  He had to scorch the surface of her to do that, which he did entirely wrong and induced a panic attack from her, but he had to know who she was.

Scorch also means (2) move very fast.  Everything Andrea did she did at 180mph.  She was constantly changing her house around.  She drank quickly so she could get drunk.  When a panic attack was coming she quickly put it out or it quickly tore her apart.  She was driving fast when she was in the accident.  Even her and Tanner, one second they're throwing insults at each other, the next second they love each other.

And also, when you think of the word scorched, you probably think of fire.  And Tanner was a firefighter.  He was trained to deal with fires and he knew how to put them out.  He is the only one who would be able to handle Andrea and love her for who she is, even if part of who she is involves some pretty pretty frustrating issues. 

My Review: You guys!  This book, let me tell you.  First of all I found it because of Amazon recommendations and when I read the summary I was like, okay it's your typical romance novel, boy and girl love each other but they don't tell each other until they've already broken up and then they live happily ever after.  WRONG!  So all of that stuff does happen in this novel, but it so much more than that.  This novel covers topics about depression and anxiety and alcoholism and how they all correlate and can be happening to someone who you love and you may not even fully understand the levels of it.  This book was amazing.  I read it from cover to cover without putting it down.   I give an accurate time it took me to read because for some of it I had the TV on so I was only reading during the commercials.
I think because so many people with serious issues like depression and anxiety and drinking, even if it seems only like binge drinking and maybe that's not as serious as all the time drinking (P.S. It is) this book can really hit close to home.  People also suffer with not being so secure about their bodies. And people suffer from massive crushes on people they think they have no chance with, even if they already are in the same friend group.  Those issues are real and sometimes one person feels them all at once, just like Andrea.  I think her story shows that it's okay if you have those problems, but don't wait until you almost kill someone or yourself to get help.  The people you surround yourself with care about you, they want what's best for you and for you to be happy and healthy.  And if they don't care, you deserve better people in your life.  Jennifer Armentrout does a beautiful job of relating sensitive topics to a normal girl in this novel while still being able to make it a funny, lovable book.

P.S. After writing this I went to put it on my GoodReads account and this is the second book in the series!  Second!  The first one is called Frigid and it's Sydney and Kyler's story.

Quotes:  Having depression didn't make me think less of her.  Honestly, if anyone thought less of someone because of that, they could go fuck themselves. 

The thing about alcoholism and depression, I was learning, was that it wasn't a one-person problem.  At affected everyone you came into contact with, sometimes in ways you didn't even know, and not necessarily negatively either.  People wanted to help you.  You just had to let them. 

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Frigid by Jennifer L. Armentrout | Book Review

Frigid by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Reading Group Rating: SM for Slightly Mature

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary:For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love. Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have. But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

Cover: I think this cover is pretty straightforward.  It's Syd and Kyler looking at each other lovingly while it snows.  I think the title of this story means a lot more.  There's the obvious reason: They get stuck in a  snow storm and lose power.  It's frigid.

However, I think the second definition is the more important one.  Frigid: (especially of a woman) unable or unwilling to be sexually aroused and responsive.  Sydney's ex-boyfriend called her frigid once and it stuck with her for years.  She was afraid she was frigid and that Kyler thought she was frigid.  Remember kids, words can be just as painful as wounds.  It's Sydney's major insecurity and it is referenced throughout the entire novel.

My Review: So I actually didn't read this novel until after I read Scorched.  It didn't make a huge difference in the series.  It was just that Kyler and Sydney's story happens before Andrea and Tanner's story.  It was actually kind of funny because there is a point where Andrea says that it's always the boys that mess up a relationship, when she was the one who made things a little rocky between her and Tanner.  And there's a part where Tanner says he'll never fall in love.  But anyways, I decided to post this review first because this is the first book in the series.

I loved this story.  It was a storyline I've read a few times where best friends love each other, but the boy is a man whore and the girl secretly wants him.  However, every time I read a story like that I get sucked in and every author has their own spin on it.  I loved that they were stranded in the blizzard and where almost forced to admit how they felt.  I loved that Kyler wanted Sydney to believe she deserved better from him.  I also loved Zach's character.  He was creepy from the start and he was scary, but I liked that he was stalking them and messing with their safety.  I just thought his character added more to the story and made it more interesting.

I think that if you are in love with your best friend, this story kind of shows you how much your relationship changes if you try to transition from friends to more.  Especially if it doesn't go well.  Everyone is effected because you hang out with the same people, you know some things from the past that you might not have shared with a boyfriend/girlfriend.  It's just different than meeting someone at a party or bar or being set up and living happily ever after.  However, if it does work out, it works out in the best possible reason because of the same reasons.  There's a reason it's the basis of a lot of books.  

After by Anna Todd | Book Review

After by Anna Todd

Reading Group Rating: M for Mature

Personal Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars 

Given Summary: There was the time before Tessa met Hardin, and then there’s everything AFTER... Life will never be the same. 

Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She’s got direction, ambition, and a mother who’s intent on keeping her that way. 

But she’s barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos, and lip ring, Hardin is cute and different from what she’s used to. 

But he’s also rude—to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does—until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignites within her a passion she’s never known before. 

He’ll call her beautiful, then insist he isn’t the one for her and disappear again and again. Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper. 

Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin’s prejudice about nice girls like her? 

Unless…could this be love?


Cover: The cover of this novel is covered in dark blue-green clouds.  The clouds show that a storm is coming and it almost stands as a warning.  However, rain itself is very cleansing and shows rebirth.  So maybe this cover is saying that although a big storm is coming and it may destroy some things, there is also a new start on its way afterwards.

My Review: I did read this novel on Wattpad so I know what happens.  I think that's why I was a little hesitant to to read it again.  It also makes it a little harder to write this review because I have to focus on just this part of the story, even though I know what happens next.
The story itself is great.  I like that they fight and struggle to understand each other, but still love each other.  I mean obviously Hardin is hiding something so he sometimes acts like it and gets mad seemingly out of no where.
I think you also have to give a lot of credit to Anna Todd for this story.  She wrote it chapter by chapter and uploaded everyday (for the most part).  She wasn't able to go back and change anything and she didn't change that much when it was printed into a real book.  It just shows hoe good of a writer she actually is, no matter what people may say about her writing a FanFiction online.
I did notice that during Tessa's first meeting of Ken Scott he is said to have brown eyes, but then later he has green eyes.  I also didn't like how much Tessa yelled.  She's always yelling at Hardin.  Maybe it's because I can't relate to that, I don't scream at people even when I'm mad so I just couldn't take it seriously when she was yelling at Hardin all those times.

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Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling | Book Review

Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination by J.K. Rowling

Reading Group Rating: Anyone & Everyone

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: When J.K. Rowling was invited to deliver the commencement address at Harvard University, she chose to speak to the graduating class about two topics very close to her heart: the benefits of failure and the importance of imagination.  Having the courage to fail, she said, is so vital to a good life as any conventional measure of success; imagining ourselves into the place of another-particularly someone less fortunate than ourselves-is a uniquely human quality to be nurtured at all costs.

The stories Rowling shared and the provocative questions she asked of those young graduates have since inspired countless others to consider what it means to live a "good life."  Now in print for the first time, her words serve as both a comfort and a call to arms for anyone-of any age- who finds themselves at a turning point.  In daring to take a risk, and perhaps fail, and by harnessing the power of our imaginations, we can all begin to live less cautiously and, in doing so, become more open to the opportunities life has to offer.

"As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters."

-SENECA

Sales for Very Good Lives will benefit Lumos, a charity origination founded by J.K. Rowling that works to transfer the lives of disadvantaged children, and university-wide financial aid at Harvard University.  

Cover: The cover is simple, yet still a little cartoony.  There are cartoon drawing throughout the entire book so I think having drawn words on the cover really ties it together.

My Review: I read this book in fifteen minutes and I felt a gained enough knowledge to last me a lifetime.  It's amazing to me that words can do that, that words can open up so many things to the people who are willing to read them.  Now, obviously J.K. Rowling has a way with words and the ability to make them sound magical, however I could completely relate to her advice.  Failure and imagination and incredibly important aspects to lee with you at all times.  Failure reminds you that you're human and that you're not invisible.  But imagination can give you a reason to believe you are.  You can be invincible if you remember that it's okay to fail as long as you can rebuild from it.  Live your life without the fear of failure because you are going to fail, and you will all live very good lives. 

To me, this book, along with books like The Last Lecture and Oh! The Places You'll Go are coffee table books or books you would give as a graduation present.

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Apolonia by Jamie McGuire | Book Review

Apolonia by Jamie McGuire

Reading Group Rating: Slightly Mature

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: “They killed me, but I survived.”

Three years after Rory Riordan foiled her own murder, she still trusts no one. Not Dr. Z, the eccentric college professor who has taken her under his wing, not Benji, the endearing, attractive classmate who insists on following her around, and certainly not Cy, the beautifully dark and mysterious boy who sits on the first row in Dr. Z’s Astrobiology class and asks far too many questions.

When Rory witnesses Cy being abducted by soldiers in the middle of the night, she finds herself submersed in a world that holds even more secrets than she could imagine--even darker secrets than her own.

Cover: The cover of this novel is really interesting.  It's very busy in a very artistic way, every time you look at it you seem to see something new.  It's got the code, rocks, colors, and much more.

My Review: I loved this novel!  You guys all know I love Jamie McGuire, but this is not The Beautiful Series at all.  I have read Red Hill so I know she likes to also write about sci-fi stuff, but this book went above all of my expectations.  I loved it.  I loved how she was able to combine a teenage tragedy with a teenage romance and saving the world.  It's quite the page turner because you don't know which boy Rory is going to chose, why her parents and best friend were murdered, or if she was going to survive to the end of the novel.  I would definitely recommend this novel to any of my friends because it covers so many topics.  There's something for everyone inside one, 228 page book.  

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Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren | Book Review

Dirty Rowdy Thing by Christina Lauren 

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Reading Group Rating: M for Mature

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: Unlike her best friends Mia and Lola, Harlow Vega has a reputation for always being up for a fling.  Twelve drunk and wild hours in Sin City married to ridiculously hot and rugged Canadian fisherman Finn Roberts, who (no surprise) is amazing with his muscular hands--and his lips and the rest of his body--was just her speed.

But it was just a think: dirty, rowdy, and easy...until Finn turns up in her hometown on business.  Harlow's not ready to be tied down, but when the whole crew is hanging out together, there's just something about him.  It may not be love (hell, it may not even be like), but their exciting, tension-filled hookups provide the perfect distraction from the scary life changes they're both facing -- challenges neither is sure how to handle, let alone fix.  One night together turns into two, and soon Finn's mysterious business trip has gone on for weeks.  They agreed on the sex--wild, wet, kinky-- but now their border-crossing booty call is starting to feel like the real deal.  And for two people used to being in control, taking the ultimate plunge by falling in love feels a lot more like fat out falling.

Cover: Finn.  Standoff pose with his arms crossed in front of his chest.  Classic "don't come near me, don't talk to me, don't even look at me."  And of course, only half a face.

Summary:  Finn's in San Diego.  He seems to be here for Oliver's comic book store opening, but it's more than that.  His brothers and dad sent him to meet with the producers who want to make a reality show out of their fishing business because he's the only one who doesn't like the idea.  Harlow's mom was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, same thing that Finn's mom died from.  They both need each other.  Finn needs someone to confide in and Harlow needs a distraction.  But distraction quickly leads to real feelings and neither of them know how to handle it.  They stop hanging out together for a little bit before realizing that it's okay to admit to each other that they care.  Harlow tries to help Finn out.  She asks a director friend if he would fix up Finn's boats and use them in his movie instead of Finn having to go on a reality show.  Finn gets really mad at Harlow for going behind his back and giving so much personal information to someone Finn doesn't know.  He goes back to Canada without saying goodbye to Harlow.  She starts working for that director and goes to Canada with him to help film.  She goes to talk to Finn, but he gives her the cold shoulder and barely talks to her.  He calls Mia that night to ask for advice and she basically tells him to run to Harlow's hotel, which he does, obviously, he's not stupid.  They end up together and Harlow makes a comment about Finn having her as his hot wife.  He can't believe that their on the same page and even though its not right away, they both want to remarry each other.

My Review: Oh these two...They're both the type to keep things to themselves and try to fix everything alone.  How they managed to be good together is beyond me, but love is love.  Harlow is the kind of girl who tries to surprise people with her ability to fix things, but doesn't always realize that some people just need to talk about their problems, they doth need her to go behind their backs and try to fix it.  I think a lot of people can relate to that.  Finn doesn't tell people anything until it's certain and already achieved.  People, myself included, can relate to that as well.  They hate each other, but they love each other.  Obviously, they're going to end up together.  This is just another excellent read from Christina Lauren.

This book does kind of end vaguely.  They're together and obviously I love that, but what's next?  Harlow is working in Canada at the moment so she can be with Finn while she's there, but what about after that?  Her life is in San Diego and Finn is tied to Canada with the show and his business.  In the book he does ask Ansel how the long distance thing worked for him and Mia which leads you to believe that he would be willing to do that, but for how long?  Ansel was ready to move once Mia left Paris, but he had to stay until the end of his case.  Finn's job isn't just going to end.  Harlow is going to have to move to Canada and I just can't see that.  I have a feeling that Christina Lauren will answer this in an upcoming novel.  I think that Lola and Oliver are going to get a story and if it's not in that there will be a novella probably.  Or it might even be in Beautiful Secret because that's about Niall and Ruby and Ruby was supposed to be Lola and London's roommate.  Who knows when it;s going to be cleared up, but I have a good feeling it will be somehow.

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Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren | Book Review

Sweet Filthy Boy by Christina Lauren 

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Reading Group Rating: M for Mature

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: One-night stands are supposed to be with someone convenient, or wickedly persuasive, or regrettable. They aren’t supposed to be with someone like him.

But after a crazy Vegas weekend celebrating her college graduation—and terrified of the future path she knows is a cop-out—Mia Holland makes the wildest decision of her life: follow Ansel Guillaume—her sweet, filthy fling—to France for the summer and just…play.

When feelings begin to develop behind the provocative roles they take on, and their temporary masquerade adventures begin to feel real, Mia will have to decide if she belongs in the life she left because it was all wrong, or in the strange new one that seems worlds away.

Cover: A typical Christina Lauren cover.  This one shows Ansel and only half of his face. 

Summary: Mia was a ballerina.  Dance was her life and she expected to be her life forever.  But senior year of high school she was riding her bike when she got hit by a truck.  She was in the hospital for a week and emerged with a scar from her hip to her knee and the future of dancing diminished.  So she went to college and afterwards her dad was paying for her to Boston to go to BU.  But on the day of her college graduation, Mia and her two best friends (Harlow and Lola) go to Las Vegas for the weekend.  While they're there they meet some boys (Ansel, French; Finn, Canadian; and Oliver, Australian) and all end up getting married.  Ansel to Mia, Finn to Harlow, and Oliver to Lola.  The next morning after Harlow and Lola know that they're going to get annulments, but Ansel tells Mia that she told him the night before not to let them get annulled.  Mia doesn't remember anything, but Ansel gives her a letter that she wrote to herself that fills in some of the gaps (like the fact that she proposed to him!  And that she basically told him her life story).  She decides that they can stay married until the end of the summer when she has to move to Boston, but Ansel is going back to France and wants Mia to go with him.  She decides to on a whim and meets him at the airport without him knowing that she's coming.  She ends up coming down with the flu and is sick for the first week or so she's in France.  When she feels better Ansel has to get back to work.  He's a lawyer and working on a really big project, but he actually wants to teach law.  He just has to get through this case so that he has experience.  Mia spends her days traveling around Paris and she doesn't seem to mind being alone doing so too much.  However, she can't seem to be very intimate with Ansel.  She likes him and is attracted to him, but she gets inside her own head.  She was always shy, except when she was on stage.  So she decides to buy some costumes to see if that can help; it does.  Mia and Ansel are really falling for each other.  Ansel brings Mia to a party at a friends house where she meets Perry, Ansel's ex-girlfriend.  The boys mentioned Perry before, but Mia assumed perry was another boy and Ansel never corrected her whenever she brought the name up again.  Perry tells Mia that she and Ansel dated for six years (they were broken up for three weeks before Mia and Ansel got married), lived together in Ansel's apartment, and that they were going to get married.  Mia is furious with Ansel and leaves the party.  He follows her home, giving her enough space to walk without him, but not enough that's she's out of his sight.  He explains that while he and Perry were dating there were a few years where they only saw each other once or twice.  He was totally over her and totally dedicated to Mia.  Mia leaves in the middle of the night and goes back home to San Diego.  She gets her own apartment and starts working at her old studio as a teacher (Ansel's idea).  On her first day of work Ansel is in the class, Mia has missed him so much, but needed to figure out her on life before she could invite him into it.  They reconcile and Ansel says that once his case is over he would move to San Diego and find a job there.  Until then he will visit whenever he can.

My Review: I loved it!  Of course you guys all know I'm an avid Christina Lauren fan, but they just keep blowing me away with their novels.  Ansel is lovable guy who may seem a bit compulsive, but it works out fine for him.  Mia is a relatable girl who seems to have made a huge mistake.  Drunk marriage in Vegas to a complete stranger?  It's not what most people expect.  Even less do people actually expect it to work out and lead to a happily ever after.  But everything happens for a reason right?  The crash that took Mia's planned future away?  Getting married?  Going to Paris?  Finding out about Perry the way Mia did?  It all lead to her with the life she wanted and not the one her dad wanted for her.  Sweet Filthy Boy reminds us that even when bad things happen, we can take those experiences and make something great from them.  

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Beautiful Redemption by Jamie McGuire | Book Review

Beautiful Redemption by Jamie McGuire

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Reading Group Rating: M for Mature

Personal Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Given Summary: No-nonsense Liis Lindy is an agent of the FBI. Deciding she is married only to her job, she breaks off her engagement and transfers from Chicago to the field office in San Diego. She loves her desk. She is committed to her laptop. She dreams of promotions and shaking hands with the director after cracking an impossible case. 

Special Agent in Charge Thomas Maddox is arrogant, unforgiving, and ruthless. He is tasked with putting away some of the world’s toughest criminals, and he is one of the best the Bureau has to offer. Though, as many lives as he’s saved, there is one that is beyond his reach. Younger brother Travis is faced with prison time for his involvement in a basement fire that killed dozens of college students, and the media want a conviction. Travis’s only savior is his unusual tie to the mob. In a deal that will spare his brother, Thomas has agreed to recruit Travis into the FBI.

Liis is stubborn, defiant, and yet somehow softens Thomas’s rough edges, making her the perfect agent to accompany him to the ceremony. Posing as a couple, they must travel to Travis & Abby’s beach vow renewal and give him the news, but when the pretending ends, she finds herself wondering if they were pretending at all. 

In the second installment of the Maddox Brothers books, experience firsthand the mysterious world of the elusive Thomas Maddox, and how good love can be when you’re not the first, but the last.

Cover: For all of the Beautiful Series covers, they involve some animal.  A butterfly for Travis, a peacock for Trent, and an eagle for Thomas.  I think the eagle was chosen here because it's such a powerful bird, but it also has a sense of freedom to it, both of these traits can describe Thomas and Liis.

Summary: Liis Lindy goes to the bar across from her apartment the night before her new job and brings a very attractive man home with her.  However, the next morning she discovers that that man is her new boss, Thomas Maddox.  She was brought on as a translator because Maddox needs her to double check the work of the guy they already have.  He is purposefully messing up the translations.  Thomas and Liis have a weird connection-they slept together, they work together, he lives directly above her, he drives her to work-that causes them to grow close.  However, they have bigger problems.  Travis Maddox is at risk of going to jail for 20 years because of his involvement in an on campus fire that killed hundreds.  The alibi his wife, Abby, tried to come up with didn't work.  It's been a year and Thomas has to go to their vow renewal to try and get Travis to work undercover as a double agent with the FBI and Benny instead of him going to jail.  Thomas promised his mother that he would take care of his little brothers, but Travis promised to never lie to Abby.  But Trent also has plans for this weekend away.  He's going to propose to Cami, whom Thomas still loves.  But he also loves Liis.  A Maddox boy never falls out of love, he loves forever, but that's kind of difficult to explain to your girlfriend when you still love your ex-girlfriend.  When Thomas calls Liis "Cami" that's when she realizes that Thomas needs to be fully over Cami before he can love her.  At the end of the book Liis and Thomas are outside and the original translator comes and tries to shoot them.  He shoots Thomas through the back and the bullet exits him and goes into Liis' abdomen.  She wakes up in the hospital room next to Thomas.  Travis agreed to work with them.  The epilogue includes Thomas and Liis moving to DC, they are still dating and Liis is pregnant.        

My Review: Another great one!  Who couldn't love the Maddox brothers?  I like that it goes with the idea that when you break up with someone, but they're still apart of your life (and, ya know, marry your younger brother) it's hard to forget how much you cared about that person.  Especially the way things ended with Cami and Thomas.  He has to work extra hard to prove himself to Liis because he also has to prove himself to himself.  I also liked that Liis is a tough girl.  Now no girl in Jamie McGuire's novels are ever damsels in distress, but neither Cami nor Abby were trained to fire a gun by the FBI.    
The only thing that I didn't really like was the timing of the epilogue.  It's 11 years after Abby and Travis got married in Vegas, so 10 years after the vow renewal that Thomas and Liis went to.  They have been dating for 10 years and still aren't married?  Also, Thomas is the oldest brother and Travis is the youngest.  Even if all the boys are close in age, there would still be at least 4 years between them, but I think there is more than that (I can't remember if it says his age in the book.  Does anyone remember?).  No matter, he's in his late twenties, early thirties when the book starts, so he's in his late thirties early forties at its end.  I just wish it was a little sooner.  It's still a fantastic book.
I love how every Beautiful Series book is so different, but still the same.  Especially with the boys.  It's such a realistic example of a big family and I love it.

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