Review: November 9

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Colleen Hoover
Format: ARC, paperback (Which Kristen stole back from me)
Pages: 310
Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Summary (Thank you, Goodreads): Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

My Thoughts: I almost feel the need to apologize to every Colleen Hoover book because after Maybe Someday they really don't stand a chance. I get so excited about CoHo books that they have to do a lot to make me happy. It's an accident, I swear. 

I thought that this was a very well executed book. I was concerned that the time gaps would make me judge the characters but I really didn't. The idea intrigued me. How would people changed if they only met on day a year. Would they stay close when they were together? This part of the book required a slight suspension of disbelief because I've had friends I could keep in contact move and we weren't able to stay friends. These two must have romanticized the idea of the other so much that they could overlook a lot. That's not to say they didn't have really struggles. The whole point of the story was to see how they overcame their problems (the main one being that they only saw each other once a year). I thought that the book did a great job covering this. 

The first time the two main characters met was pretty weird. It was too much for Kristen. For me, however, it could have been worse, I guess. I guess I overlooked the fast that this situation wouldn't have happened in real or, if it did, he would have met a great deal more resistance. Either way, I was able to look past it because it was a romance novel. You will probably be able to look past it too. 

The problems these two had to overcome fascinated me but the back and forth of "can we be friends?" "yes" "no" "yes" just isn't for me and bothers me in any novel.

Whatever, basically, what I'm saying is that I liked this novel but it still isn't my favourite. I still liked in more than Confess though if that helps you understand the train wreck that is this book review. If you have any specific questions, please ask away!

Note from Kristen: I didn't steal the ARC from Kelsey, it's my ARC okay

Review: Just One Day and Just One Year

I'm going to have a two for one special today on review. Let's take a look at the Just One Day series!





Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Gayle Forman
Format: Paperback
Pages: 369 and 336
Ratings for each 
(Just One Day): 8 out of 10
(Just One Year): 8 out of 10


Summary (For Just One Day): Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.

A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the “accidents” of fate, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost. . . and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.

The first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

My Thoughts: I absolutely loved this series. I loved being able to travel (in my mind sadly) back to places that I had been in real life (that Europe trip was totally worth it). It was incredible to see those places again but through somebody else's eyes. I was interested in the idea that a girl who never did anything could strike out on her own and do something wild. I was fascinated by Allyson and the interesting people she met along the way.

I was very passionate about Allyson's mother...as in, I really hated Allyson's mother. I didn't think that a book would be able to make my hate anybody or anything as much as this book did. I didn't think that she had any right to treat her daughter the way she did. I actually swore at her out loud (of course, this drew a lot of attention so I really worked hard to repress the desire). My mom, while reading this series, felt the same way. She used it as a reason why she was a good mother, if that convinces you to read this at all...

I enjoyed the strange characters in the diner and at the school. I think the variety of people in the world was really captured in this story. It made for many interesting scenarios. Also, her grandmother is hilarious. 

I think that I might have enjoyed Just One Year a little bit more. I was already in love with the characters and I was dying to know what happened to Willem. Even when my mom was reading Just One Day she kept asking about him. The audience really needed the second in order to understand how we felt about him. It may have changed your perspective a little bit. It was a great book too. If you read or have read Just One Day, you really need to read Just One Year. It's important to get the whole picture.

Both Just One Day and Just One Year are full of wild adventures and moments that capture your heart. The characters are funny and hold nothing back. You will be happy with Allyson and you will be sad with her too. You will find yourself wanting to do something crazy, to travel the world, to try something new. I already suffered from all of these sad conditions and these books just made it all worse...but a good idea of worse. I mean, if Allyson can do all that she did, you can sign up for that race or say hi to someone new or apply for that job, whatever it was. Maybe I'm making up inspiration where it doesn't exist but I guess you will just have to read the series and find out if I'm crazy or not. 

So, basically, I think that if you like love stories, adventure stories, or stories that you can relate to than you should read this series. You will cheer on the characters and groan at their embarrassing moments but you will want to be right there in the action with them. I related to this series, especially Just One Day, too much. I already want to reread them.

Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Stephanie Perkins 
Pages: 338
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 7 out of 10 

Summary (you rock my world, Goodreads): Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. 

My Thoughts: So, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve written a review and I’m not even sure how to start it right now. Awkward. How’ve you been? Good? Glad to hear it.

I read Anna and the French Kiss back when it still had the pastel cover with the people on it, and I absolutely looooved it. That love, my friends, stems from one Etienne St. Clair; the amazing specimen that is the American boy with the British accent and the French name all wrapped up in a very respectable 5 foot 4 frame. He was hilarious, and swoon-y and everything that a girl looks for when choosing a fictional boyfriend. I mean, he makes the list with Peeta Mellark and Prince Eric, need I say more? Now, the reason that I’m talking about this is because I think a lot of the magic of the first book was wrapped up in Etienne. And Paris. Let’s not forget Paris.

Did I like Lola and the Boy Next Door? I did. Did I love Lola and the Boy Next Door? No, I definitely didn’t love it. A lot of my not-loving feelings toward it is because I didn’t click with the characters. I didn’t really understand Lola or why she was acting the way she was half the time (especially with the weird older boyfriend who I hated so much I’ve promptly forgotten his name). But, she was eccentric and herself, and I kind of loved that about her. She was unapologetic (most the time) and wild and very much a teen. I still don’t know how I felt about Cricket. He was just kind of there? I don’t know, there was a lot of pining and a lot of miscommunication and if they would have just talked to each other and sorted things out when they first ran into each other, the novel wouldn’t be necessary. I hate it when that happens. Miscommunication is one of my biggest pet peeves.

The writing was fantastic; it was simple and elegant and easy to follow. I picked this book up and finished it in the same sitting, and immediately dived into Isla, so I clearly like the series. It’s just not my absolute favourite. That place is saved for Etienne.

 Final Thoughts: If you're in the mood for contemporary, look no further. Stephanie Perkins is the queen of contemporary. 

Review: Just One Night (Just One Day #2.5)

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Gayle Forman
Pages: 40 pages
Format: ebook
My Rating: 9 out of 10

Summary (you da best Goodreads that I know): After spending one life-changing day in Paris with laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter, sheltered American good girl Allyson “Lulu” Healey discovered her new lover had disappeared without a trace. Just One Day followed Allyson’s quest to reunite with Willem; Just One Year chronicled the pair’s year apart from Willem’s perspective. Now, back together at last, this delectable e-novella reveals the couple’s final chapter. 

My Thoughts: This review is going to be short and sweet just like the novella was. After I had finished Just One Year, I was left wanting just a smidgen bit more. I understood why the book had to end the way that it did, and I actually really liked how it ended because I liked that we kind of got to create what happened between Allyson and Williem. Trust me, I'm very inventive when it comes to endings (I blame the fanfiction). This was the perfect closure to their story and I am just in love with Gayle Forman's writing. If you read and loved Just One Day and Just One Year, you've got to read this too. 

Final Thoughts: The perfect conclusion to a fantastic series. 

Review: The Heir (The Selection #4)

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Kiera Cass
Pages: 342
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 6 out of 10

** SPOILER ALERT: This is the fourth in the series, and definitely will contain spoilers if you haven't read the first three**

Summary (Thank you dearly, Goodreads): Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.
My Thoughts: I had read The One right when it came out, and I was so excited to see where the series was going to end and if the characters were going to get a satisfying ending. Apparently I didn't have to worry about it though, because shortly after (if I'm remembering correctly) the rest of the series was announced. And while I thought The One was almost unnecessary and that the series could have easily been a duology instead of a trilogy, this one definitely crossed into unnecessary and "I thought this story was over why am I still reading it" category. Which isn't to say it didn't entertain me, because it did. It was just not at all necessary to the story of America and Maxon. I think it would have been better as a spin-off and not a "continuation" (though, I use that term lightly). 

I hated Eadlyn. I thought she was completely awful to most of the people around her. I could not reconcile the America we got to know in the first three novels with the America that is presented in this book. (I don't think she'd ever force Eadlyn to go through with her own Selection, even if it would relieve stress off her father. Ugh.) The new characters that were introduced all felt like they were the male versions of the female characters in the first selection. I saw the plot twist coming from a mile away, even though that plot twist is the only reason I will finish the series. I was just disappointed, I guess. It felt like the same story, with the same political issues that Maxon was supposed to fix. 

That review seriously made it sound like I hated it. I didn't. It was entertaining enough, and the story was interesting enough for me to finish in one sitting. The writing was great again, I don't know how Kiera Cass does it, but she is a wonderful story teller. I'll finish off the series, I just don't know who I'm rooting for at this point. 

I have some serious cover lust, though.

Final Thoughts: While it was entertaining, it definitely didn't feel like it was necessary. If you liked the rest of the series, though, I would definitely suggest continuing on! 

Reviewer: Kelsey
Rating: 5 out of 10

My Thoughts: Mwahaha, I'm hijacking Kristen's post.
Anyway, I didn't really like this book. I hated Eadlyn. She was a whiney baby and a generally horrible person that was spoiled and didn't care about anyone but herself. I wanted to punch her in the face. I didn't find that she had any redeemable features. She was the stereotypical rich kid and I absolutely hated it.

I also was mad at her parents. This novel is practically the exact same as the rest of the series. The same problems are happening and the parents are making the same mistakes that they hated. That shouldn't have happened. They should not have made the choices they did. 

I also didn't like that the foreshadowing shoved us in one direction and the author chose the exact opposite. It was obviously done that way on purpose. There was no subtly at all. It was stupid.

The novel wasn't as bad as I made it sound. It wasn't too much of a time commitment. It did, however, make me exceedingly angry so that was a problem. If you really, really, really loved this series you might enjoy this novel.

Review: The Sea of Tranquility

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Katja Millay
Pages: 426
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 8.5/10

Summary (thanks Goodreads, you've saved my fingers a whole lot of typing): I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or superhuman boys to save you. A place where people die and music disintegrates and things suck. I am pressed so hard against the earth by the weight of reality that some days I wonder how I am still able to lift my feet to walk.

Former piano prodigy Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone learning about her past and to make the boy who took everything from her—her identity, her spirit, her will to live—pay.

Josh Bennett’s story is no secret: every person he loves has been taken from his life until, at seventeen years old, there is no one left. Now all he wants is be left alone and people allow it because when your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, the mysterious new girl at school who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. But the more he gets to know her, the more of an enigma she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he will ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding—or if he even wants to.

The Sea of Tranquility is a rich, intense, and brilliantly imagined story about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.
My Thoughts: At first, I had no idea what to expect. I mean, don't most contemporary novels boast about being the most heart breaking and realistic and wonderful book out there? I mean, most do. At least that I've seen. But Sea of Tranquility is one of the few that truly delivers. The reader is introduced to Nastya, a girl who has clearly had some issues and has had some hard times dealing with them. We don't know what happened to her, but we learn pretty quickly that it was something huge. Something life altering. Something that nobody should have to deal with and something that she didn't know how to deal with. Whatever had happened had took her voice - both literally and figuratively. She moves schools to live with her aunt and changes everything about her. She wants to run away from herself.

Then we are introduced to Josh, and while it's obvious that Josh is going to somehow be of great significance to Nastya, we don't know why. Josh has his own problems that are actually problems, and not issues that are just present so he can somehow have a deeper connection with Nastya. No cop-outs, he has problems and he knows it. And so does apparently everyone else at the school. They're drawn together, and form some kind of bond over the course of the school year, while in shop class and while hanging out in his garage late at night when all Nastya wants to do is run. Their connection is intense and real and thought provoking and everything I didn't know I was looking for when I picked up this book. 

There were parts that I wasn't too fond of, but I don't want to give them away for spoilery purposes. But the good far outweighed the bad and I'm so glad that I picked this one up. It will most likely be in my top 10 of 2015. 

Final Thoughts: This book is an emotional powerhouse, and I definitely, without a doubt, recommend it. 

Review: Confess

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Colleen Hoover
Format: Paperback
Pages: 306
Rating: 5 out of 10 (this makes me SO sad)

Summary (I confess that I need Goodreads): Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin… 

What I think: Okay, so, here's the thing. I absolutely love Colleen Hoover. I follow her on Facebook and Snapchat and I might have a little girl crush on her because I think she is hilarious and perfect and I wish she was my friend. She's simply fantastic. That sad, I'm really sad to say, this book wasn't my favourite (Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover is though, so you understand my sadness). 

The biggest problem I had with this novel was the insta-love. It's such a mistake to have that in the novel. I understand that it was due to a large surprise plot point but I don't care. I could understand it being one-sided then, but it wasn't. That just made it worse for me. I wanted something a little more realistic (in a fictional kind of way, of course). 

I did, however, love the concept. Maybe Someday had music; Confess had paintings. That was great. They were beautiful and helped me to connect to the book more. I think that the cover is perfectly wonderful and the characters had amazing depth and backstory (aside from the insta-love). I also was interested in the confessions that were used in this novel. They came from real people. What a wonderful way to include fans in the writing process and to connect with them. That's one of the reasons that I love the author so much. 

Sadly, this novel was just missing that spark. There just wasn't enough time. It was too short. They fell in love too soon. It's made worse by the fact that the writing is so good and the language is smart enough for the characters to be real people. BUT NOBODY FALLS IN LOVE THIS FAST. It's creepy.

Recommendation: Check out one of Colleen Hoover's other novels first. Check out Ugly Love (becoming a movie with super hot actors...just saying) or Maybe Someday and it's wonderful sound track that will have you falling in love with a musician as well. Confess was okay but it should have been CoHo Fantastic. 

[Fun aside: Kristen and I went to go get this book together on release day. Our local Chapters is horrible with putting books out on release day but we went anyway. We searched for about an hour, wandering up and down aisles. We searched for it on the computer (we are stupid, we should have done that first). The computer informed us that it was, in fact, in stock. Excited, we checked the selves again. Nothing. We checked the computer once more. Two in stock. We stood by the computer, whining that we might not get the book that we so badly wanted. What if there was only one copy. Kristen and I agreed that it would be a Hunger Games style battle to the death. While we debated various ways to kill each other should we ever find a copy of the book, we looked to the shelf next to us. Kristen found it, practically screaming, "There it is!" And there is was. Two lonely copies. No where near the rest of the CoHo books. I don't think either of us had ever moved so fast. There was no battle to the death but we came close, almost falling on our faces as we ripped the books off the shelf. We went home right away to read them. It didn't take too long. Thank you Chapters, for saving us from the Book Games.]

[Edit: we went to Chapters before release date for this novel and found it there by chance after looking for it even though we were well aware that release date wasn't for another week. We are stupid. Thank you Kristen for reminding me.]

Review: Ten Tiny Breaths

Reviewer: Kristen 
Author: K.A. Tucker
Pages: 262
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 1 out of 10 

Summary (Goodreads, I lava you): Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness. 
My Thoughts: I know that I should be more positive on this blog, and I really debated whether or not I should even review this because I didn't even finish it, but I'm going to anyway because I wanted to explain myself and my thoughts about it (or at least try to, y'all know how I ramble). Normally, I love me a good contemporary. I love it when it's gut-wrenching and sad and full of hot swoon worthy boys who make me gag with the sickly cute stuff they say to each other. But this one just didn't do it for me. And neither have the last few that I have read, so this may not be a contemporary issue and may just be a Kristen issue. 

The plot of the book had so much potential, and I thought that I would just connect with the main character and understand her and feel for what she's gone through. I mean, she's this badass kickboxin mother trucker who seemingly has a good head on her shoulders and is doing her best to keep her sister out of harms way. She won't let anyone stop her from successfully getting her sister away from the crappy situation that they were in. And that sounds awesome, right?! Kacey has so many demons to overcome and I just wish that she could have believed in herself a little more (mind you, this could have been her character arc but I just didn't get to that point). 

The romance was a little too cheesy for me, and Trent was a lot too stalker-y for me. Actually, I stopped reading the book when he kept coming to the strip club where Kacey worked just to see her. Hello, they've had like one conversation and I wouldn't even call them acquaintances, and there he is. Not drinking (which is supposed to be hot), not talking to other ladies who work there (also supposed to be hot) and just staring at her (okay, dude I'm going to need you to tone down your Edward just a little bit). He just didn't do it for me. Again, maybe he actually isn't as creepy as he seems at first (I truly doubt it) but it was enough for me to put it down.

I did love Storm though, she was completely unexpected and a complete badass in her own right. She was what kept me going for as long as I did. 

I also really need to point out that none of the issues that I had was with the writing of the book itself. I thought that the writing was fantastic and whatever was being described I could actually see. The characters were just a little iffy to me. I know that I am in the minority when it comes to what I thought about this book, so if you've read it, I'd love to have a discussion with you about it! Let me know what you thought down below. 

Final Thoughts: I wish that I could have loved this, but I tried twice and just could not do it. 

Review: Stay With Me

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Jennifer Armentrout
Format: Paperback
Pages: 448
Rating: 6 out of 10

Summary (Staying with Goodreads): At 21, Calla hasn’t done a lot of things. She’s never been kissed, never seen the ocean, never gone to an amusement park. But growing up, she witnessed some things no child ever should. She still carries the physical and emotional scars of living with a strung-out mother, Mona—secrets she keeps from everyone, including her close circle of college friends.

But the safe cocoon Calla has carefully built is shattered when she discovers her mom has stolen her college money and run up a huge credit card debt in her name. Now, Calla has to go back to the small town she thought she'd left behind and clean up her mom’s mess again. Of course, when she arrives at her mother’s bar, Mona is nowhere to be found. Instead, six feet of hotness named Jackson James is pouring drinks and keeping the place humming.

Sexy and intense, Jax is in Calla’s business from the moment they meet, giving her a job and helping her search for Mona. And the way he looks at her makes it clear he wants to get horizontal . . . and maybe something more. Before Calla can let him get close, though, she’s got to deal with the pain of the past—and some very bad guys out to mess her up if she doesn’t give them her mom.

What I Think: Kristen did not like this book as much as I did. From what she told me, it didn't live up to her expectations. However, I liked it. I thought that it felt pretty well into this series (which isn't really all that much of a series). I love that you don't have to read this in order or really remember anything that happened in the other novels. 

I enjoyed the main characters as well as the fact that the old characters were tied in. I thought that the story was sufficiently interesting. It could have been more but most novels could be. But Kristen was right, this was a pretty long novel. Some parts seemed too unnecessary. They could've been cut but oh well is all I have to say about that.

Let's move on two my two major problems with this novel. Neither of these things were deal breakers, mind you. Firstly, the swearing. Swearing can be a good thing in novels. I mean, people swear. Face the facts. So, it's okay for books to swear too. They are supposed to be life like (sometimes). Now all that is true but when novels swear almost just for the sake of swearing, it seems off. This is one of those novels were the swearing just seems off. It's overdone. It stands out. It's just too much in this novel. I dealt with it.

Secondly, the chick in this novel has some seriously screwed up priorities. Like really, all this bad stuff is happening to you but you think that it's important for you to focus on the hot body? Try to think about the problems that you've got to deal with...you've got plenty of them! It drove me nuts. Sex this, sex that, sex, hot boy, sex, look the hot boy. STOP IT GIRL YOU GOT BIGGER PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW! She was killing me. I could look past it but only so much. Still, it stood out.

That said, the book was interesting. Try to focus more on the characters and their interactions than the plot, maybe. It helped me anyway.

Conclusion: It was good but not anywhere close to Jennifer Armentrout's best. I wouldn't recommend starting with this novel. Try another. If you've read her before than go for it! Don't listen to Kristen. I'm glad that I didn't.

Review: Ugly Love

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Colleen Hoover
Format: Paperback (I think? I can't remember)
Pages: 337
Rating: 8.75 out of 10

Summary (I love not ugly Goodreads): When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

My Very Personal Opinion: Firstly, the word 'opinion' looks like the word onion and that always throws me off. Alas, I've already gone off track with this review. To get myself quickly back on track I will share with you my love of Colleen Hoover. It is a love that cannot be denied and probably wouldn't change if her novels began to suck but, of course, that could never happen because she is Colleen Hoover. She's my hero. Go follow her on facebook if you question her awesomeness. She makes me extremely happy and, to this day, when I go to combat classes and am punching at nothing, I have flashbacks to reading the part of Maybe Someday where there are some much deserved punches thrown. 

Now onto the book, which is what you are really reading this for. Don't worry, I have no delusions that you read this blog because I am wonderfully intelligent or being I am astoundingly hilarious and witty. I know the truth.

Okay, so it wasn't better than Maybe Someday but I'm beginning to think that nothing is. This novel starts out strong and it holds true. Even when you think you have it figured out, you don't. I knew something big was going to happen in Miles backstory but I didn't know exactly what it would be. It was sufficiently devastating. 

Tate and Miles had an interesting relationship right from the get go. There was some second hand embarrassment and some first hand anger. What I don't understand is why she put up with this crap for so long. She's wonderful and deserved so much more from him. My heart was breaking for her during a great deal of this novel.

Miles' point of view was the most bizarre thing I've maybe ever read. It took a little while to get used to but I understood why it was written the way it was. I didn't grudge it anything. It was simply unique. I liked what it did at the ending, switching back.

The author has this wonderful way of making you connect to her characters and really feel for them. It's both wonderful and awful. It's a talent that is shown in most of her novels. She also makes very unique stories. Pilots? That's new for me. I liked the change. Plus, the sunset from the sky thing was beautiful, I thought. 

This novel was a fast finish but even if it wasn't, it would be well worth any time spent reading it.

Basically: Read it. Read all of Colleen Hoover's novels. Do it. Just listen to be and do as I say. I'm so easy to please, go now. Honestly, I think it's already time for a reread of this one.

P.S. Colleen Hoover, if you happen to stumble upon this for whatever reason. You are a wonderful human being and I will meet you one day if I have to fly across Canada and the United States to do so. Kristen feels the same. Keep up the outstanding work. Also, your pig is adorable and I am jealous.

Review: Where She Went (If I Stay #2)

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Gayle Forman
Format: ebook
Pages: 264
Rating: 8 out of 10

** This is the second to If I Stay. Read the review HERE**

Summary (Where Goodreads went): It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future-and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

What I thought: It's been a while so bare with me. I really liked this novel, like a lot. I thought it was amazingly well-written. It took If I Stay and made it something so much more. If I Stay really leaves the audience wondering where they will go from here and this explains just that. I've got to be honest with you, I didn't see all these twists and turns coming. I don't think that anyone who read If I Stay really saw exactly where the author would be dragging these two main characters. It was heart-breaking.

No, you know what was heart-breaking? Adam. Adam destroyed me in this novel. I could feel everything he was feeling. I have anxiety and I can attest to the fact that it was written properly in this story. The poor guy is so broken, so screwed up after the events of the last novel. It only makes sense that he would be suffering now. He was written perfectly. I felt his pain. I understood everything behind it. I also wanted to punch him in the face at times. Anyway, I actually cried while reading this novel and that counts for a lot to me.

I don't know what I was expecting at the end but this novel is full of twists that keep your interest and keep you guessing right up until the very end. I'm okay with how it all turned out. I was both surprised and not. I'm not sure how to explain it to you so you should just read it.

This author is fantastic. You become part of the stories. You need to know what happens. You feel what the characters are feeling. These things are the most important things to me. These novels are authentic. They are real. They also rip your heart out and stomp on it until it dissolves into minuscule pieces but that's okay because by that point you want it, all of it. These novels really give you it all.

So: I recommend this novel. To everyone. If you read If I Stay, you should read this novel. You don't really need to but I found that it didn't continue on how I thought it was going to. I think Adam's point of view does the story perfect justice. Read it.

Read Kristen's take here: Where She Went

Review: Her Mother's Keeper

<-- This looks like the wrong cover but it's not, I promise.
Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Nora Roberts
Format: Paperback (2 in 1)
Pages: Heck if I know...
Rating: 4 out of 10

Summary (Kept by Goodreads, edited by me...thanks for nothing): Gwen may have left Louisiana a starry-eyed innocent, but now she's returned successful and accomplished.

And with enough sense to deal with her mother's maddening boarder, Luke Powers. But once Gwen meets Luke, a man reputed to be an expert in both words and women, her composure disappears. Now she has stars in her eyes but isn't so innocent.

You know what? Two of these novels is actually far worse than one of them! If you are confused about what I mean, check out my review for From This Day. See what I mean now? This "novel" was exactly the same as the last. The guy still took what he wanted after knowing right from the beginning that he would and the whole time thinking that the main character is some innocent little flower. Of course, the girl needed the guy. I wanted to vomit. Again, destroying feminism. I just... I just can't with these novels. This was my second try with this author and it will sadly be the last. There is so much potential but I don't think I would survive another guy like this or girl like that.

The only redeeming quality (why it got a 4 not a 3 or lower) was because the guy was an author and was entertaining because of it. I connected with a character in this novel, who knew that was possible! The dialogue and plot was slightly better than that in From This Day.

Anyway, just no. No, thank you. Not again. No good for Kelsey. Bye.

Review: From This Day

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Nora Roberts
Format: Paperback
Pages: 216 (Are you sure Goodreads? It felt more like a novella.)
Rating: 3 out of 10**

Summary (From This Goodreads page): Like the lovely Vermont inn she managed, B. J. Clark was charming and old-fashioned. And she had no intention of allowing the new owner, hotel tycoon Taylor Reynolds, to modernize her beloved inn and destroy its uniqueness. Taylor lived a fast-paced, high-tech sophisticated life. But his fascination with this innocent enchantress made him long to live in B. J.'s arms from this day until forever.

What I think: Let me start off my saying that I don't have a problem with romance novels in general. This novel, though, really gets me going. The feminist in me wants to hit the author over the head with her own book. Here's why:

Did the main character have to be confused with a child at first? How many times do you want to talk about how innocent she looks? That's gross. Like for real. The guy is attracted to basically a teenager at the beginning, is that it? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

What else? You want more? How about the fact that he constantly get angry at her (later explained away)? How about the fact that he says he'll win her in the end? This sounds like a certain Robin Thicke song that got a lot of flack and, you know what, still ew! 

See, the end was the worst part. Of course it was! How could it not be when the guy knew what he wanted and got it? Even while reading this novel I was taking note of all the ew factors. Ask Kristen. I was complaining the whole time about how inappropriate it was. It really upset me (see the last five "ew's").

Basically: Ew...I don't know what to say except that women's rights may have been set back because of this novel. I would have rather he swooped in to save the damsel in distress while she wore a mini-skirt and five inch heels...No, maybe not. 

The novel was an easy enough read. I got a two in one book. My aunt gave it to me hand-me-down. I would not have spent money on it otherwise. Such a disappointment.

This is also the most harsh review I've ever written. I thought I got over this while on vacation but I guess I didn't. All that pent up anger is coming out now...

How about the author takes the books, rearranges some things, changes the characters a little bit, but keeps the plot and gives it back.

Review: Rusty Nailed (Cocktail #2)

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Alice Clayton
Format: ebook
Pages: 288
Rating: 7 out of 10

** Spoiler Alert -- Read the review for Wallbanger RIGHT HERE**

Summary (Goodreads nailed it): In this sequel to Wallbanger, the second book in the Cocktail series, fan favorites Caroline and Simon negotiate the rollercoaster of their new relationship while house-sitting in San Francisco.

Playing house was never so much fun—or so confusing. With her boss on her honeymoon, Caroline’s working crazy long hours to keep the interior design company running—especially since she’s also the lead designer for the renovation of a gorgeous old hotel on Sausalito. So with her hotshot photographer boyfriend gallivanting all over the world for his job, she and Simon are heavy-duty into “absence makes the heart grow fonder” mode. Neither has any complaints about the great reunion sex, though! Then Simon decides he’s tired of so much travelling, and he’s suddenly home more. A lot more. And wanting Caroline home more, too. Though their friends’ romantic lives provide plenty of welcome distraction, eventually Caroline and Simon have to sort their relationship out. Neither wants “out of sight, out of mind,” but can they create their own happy mid-ground cliché?

USA TODAY bestselling author Alice Clayton delivers another delicious, frothy cocktail of a book, shaking up her characters, stirring in laugh-out-loud humor, and serving sizzling romance straight up!

Thoughts: So...this should be brief (I just realized my dislike for the word 'brief'). 

I thought that this novel was pretty unnecessary. I mean, it was a cute story. It felt a bit like a fanfiction in that it continued the last novel and that it seemed to play to what the readership would want to see. I just wasn't a huge fan of it. I loved Wallbanger so I have high hopes for this novel but it just didn't play out. That being said, it was nice to see where the characters went after the last novel. It was nice to get a glimpse of the future. It wasn't a waste of time, exactly, just Wallbanger could stand without it.

I wish we would have gotten more of a glimpse into what was happening in Simon's head. People don't just suddenly change. Change isn't always easy. It wasn't easy in this novel, sure, but it wasn't hard either. I didn't find myself believing what the author was trying to tell me. How could one little thing change his life so much? He can't go from being quiet to very different. I want to be able to follow the change and see that it's happening slowly, over time. I didn't get that in this novel. I could see how what happened could start Simon on a path of change but it wasn't enough for me.

I love Simon; I'd let him so the things he did for Caroline to me...that probably sounds much worse than I mean it. If you want to know what things I'm talking about then you are just going to have to buy the novel and find out. I can't spoil all the good fun of it.

As for Caroline, if I had to do all she had to, I'd explode. Then again, my life looks headed in a similar busy direction so we shall see, won't we? The poor girl...

Basically: Where the novel went was acceptable. It was well written and entertaining. The novel didn't take too long to read. I just wanted more out of it than I was given. That could totally be my own fault. If you read this novel and think otherwise, let's talk about it. I want another perspective.