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: What If

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Rebecca Donovan
Format: ebook (Maybe)
Pages: 352
Rating: 6 out of 10

Summary (Thanks, Goodreads): What if you had a second chance to meet someone for the first time?

Cal Logan is shocked to see Nicole Bentley sitting across from him at a coffee shop thousands of miles from their hometown. After all, no one has seen or heard from her since they graduated over a year ago.

Except this girl isn't Nicole.

She looks exactly like Cal's shy childhood crush, but her name is Nyelle Preston and she has no idea who he is. This girl is impulsive and daring, her passion for life infectious. The complete opposite of Nicole. Cal finds himself utterly fascinated-and falling hard. But Nyelle is also extremely secretive. And the closer he comes to finding out what she's hiding, the less he wants to know.

When the secrets from the past and present collide, one thing becomes clear: Nothing is what it seems.

My Thoughts: I won't lie to you all, I don't remember how this book ends (I need to review faster, I know). Let's talk about what I do remember. I remember that the language fit the characters and that I bought the main character as a male. You know how sometimes authors just can't write the other sex? Yeah, that wasn't a problem here. I remember that they sounded smart and young and wild. I remember the great writing.

I remember how out of control Nyelle was. I remember wishing that I could be as different as she was. I remember being jealous of her bravery (stupidity) and wishing that I was as free. I remember wondering what her story was and being unable to figure it out at all. I remember thinking that she was a fascinating character that I wanted to keep reading about, even if she was a little annoying at times because of how she acted towards Cal.

I also remember that the representation of college in this novel was pretty accurate. I didn't question it or judge it like I do with most novels with college in it. 

The only problem is that I can't remember how it ended. How memorable could it have been? Obviously, not very. Which worries me. Why can I remember the characters and setting looking back? Why can I remember a scene on a silo (or something of that nature, high up) and a scene in a boat and the rain and being in the truck but not the conclusion of the novel. Maybe I just need to review faster, okay, I know I do, but maybe it wasn't so good in the end. I think I will reread it so that should be a positive for the book, I guess. I'm not afraid to reread the novel. I remember liking it and the characters, that must count for something.

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Sarah J Maas
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 9 out of 10

Summary (Goodreads, I'd save you in the apocalypse): When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!
My Thoughts: So, I love Throne of Glass something fierce. I love Sarah J Maas something fierce. I didn't think that my heart had anymore room for a fierce book love. I was wrong. I was so very wrong. This book is a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, and that is literally one of my favourite fairy tales. Hello, the beast gives her a library. The world building in this novel is unlike anything I've ever read, and the characters are so kickass and loveable and fantastic that I just want to know on earth Sarah J Maas makes me feel literally all the things about all the characters.

I love Feyre, even though her name often times makes me want to bash my head against the wall. I KNOW HOW TO SAY IT BUT I NEVER SAY IT RIGHT. Same with Rhysand. Tamlin I got down though brother. Also, I'd totally get down with Tamlin... wait what? I'm torn because I think that I know where this series is headed and I don't know what to think or expect. Well, I know to expect that Sarah J Maas is going to throw us through a loop and make us regret all of the feelings we feel. She's good at that. Seriously, one of my favourite authors ever.

Also, can I get myself a Lucien? I'd like one.

Final Thoughts: This book has firmly planted Sarah J Maas into my auto-buy author list. She is fantastic and she is the queen of mortal and immortals alike.

Review: Fangirl

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 445
Rating: 7.5 out of 10 (1.5 of that is just for Levi, to be clear.)

Summary (I'm a fan of Goodreads): Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

My Thoughts: Kristen really loved this book from what I remember. I liked it but it wasn't my favourite ever. The main reason so this is that I never got into the fan fiction parts  of the novel. That meant that I found myself skipping entire sections of the novel and that made me sad. I still couldn't make myself read it. I didn't feel like I was missing out exactly but one shouldn't really feel the need to skip large portions of a novel, right? Also, I was mad at the resolution of her lack of interest in working on her school assignment.

Why did I like the novel? Well, Levi. Levi was pretty great. Sure, he made mistakes; he's human. I loved the sass and the sarcasm and the quick wit. I loved that he was kind and willing to do anything to help people out. I loved that he lives such a different life than the one I do so his life experiences were all new to me. I also loved that he needed help. He enjoyed making other people happy and was comfortable around basically everyone, which I envy. He was just fantastic and I want one right now. 

Cath? Cath was alright. I could relate to a lot of what she felt. I like reading novels with characters who write because I enjoy that. Right away I have something to bond with them over. I also really felt for her and her family situation. 

But, honestly, I wish it hadn't been fan fiction. I couldn't care less about the fan fiction. 

Even so...it was a good book. Easy. Ends happy. I don't know. Check it out.

Review: Thoughtful (Thoughtless #1.5)

Reviewer: Kristen

Author: S. C Stephens

Pages: 558

Format: eARC 

My Rating: 1 out of 10

Summary (thanks Goodreads): Every story has two sides, and in this new book, the epic love story between Kiera and Kellan is shown through his eyes. 

All Kellan Kyle needs is his guitar, and some clean sheets of paper. Growing up in a house that was far from a home, he learned a hard lesson: You're worthless. Now his life is comfortably filled with passionate music, loyal band mates, and fast women... until he meets her. 

Kiera makes him ache for more. Makes him feel for the first time that he'sworth more. But there's one problem— she's his best friend's girl.

Just when Kellan thought his emotional defenses were rock solid, Kiera's indecisive heart wreaks havoc on his soul, changing him forever. Losing Kiera is not an option. 

My Thoughts: I think that the best way that I can describe this novel is that some things are better left unsaid. Seriously. It's just... Kellan Kyle was almost completely ruined for me when I started reading this book, and it was one of my most anticipated books of 2015. In the vein of full disclosure, I stopped reading this book around the 200 page mark. I was just desperately hoping that things would change before the end. 

I just... I don't even know where to begin. In Thoughtless, we only get Kiera's perspective, so we don't see just how manipulative or mood-swingy Kellan truly is. I definitely did not understand Kellan like I thought I did and I didn't understand any of the relationships in the novel, apparently, either. I just didn't see the appeal of other character. I thought that maybe Kiera would have some more redeeming qualities in this book that made me understand why both Denny and Kellan looked at her like she was the moon, but I didn't. And I thought that seeing what makes Kellan tick and what he thought of all the events would make me love him even more, and it definitely didn't. So, ultimately, I just started to question the relationship, and that's the opposite of what I wanted to be doing when I received this. 

The writing was great, again, and that almost goes without saying. S. C Stephens is a great story teller. I just wish that I could understand the characters motivation, and that is not what I got from this. Instead, I questioned why I even liked them in the first place. I haven't tried to re-read Thoughtless since reading this one, but I hope that I can still enjoy it without thinking of Kellan how he is portrayed in this instalment. I need to learn my lesson, I very rarely enjoy the male perspective of books, apparently. 

Final Thoughts: Please don't use this book as a meter stick for the rest of the series, it was much better, I promise.

Review: Between Shades of Gray

Reviewer: Kristen

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Pages: 344

Format: Paperback

My Rating: 9 out of 10

Summary (via Goodreads): Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

My Thoughts: I am going to keep this brief because I don't think that I can do it justice, and I also read this in February, and it is now November. This book threw me through the ringer. It devastated me, it informed me and it made me question a whole lot of things on a whole bunch of topics that I admittingly know next to nothing about. This book was written beautifully, and once I started it I couldn't put it down. Don't let that fool you though, because it is still absolutely heartbreaking. The struggles that the main characters faced are unparalleled to anything I can think of, and I'm shocked I didn't know more about the events that happened. Even if you're not into historical fiction, I urge to give this one a chance anyway. It's made me want to get to know more about the events that took place. Lina was the perfect narrator for this story, because she had you hoping or despairing or crying or laughing right along with her. She offered an insight into the world that is hard to achieve, and I cannot recommend this book enough. 

Final Thoughts: There's not much insight I can shed that hasn't already been spoken about in regards to this book, but I hope that I've somehow managed to convince to pick it up and give it a try. It taught me about a world I was completely oblivious to in an amazing way. 

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: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 416 (not enough)
Rating: 9 out of 10

Summary (Goodreads is my rose): When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

My Thoughts: This novel was great. I mean like wanted to reread it right after I finished reading it, which is weird because half the time, I don't even reread novels. 

Even though it was a retelling, and therefore is similar to the original story, it was a fantastically unique story to me. I thought that it was original. Especially the characters. Feyre (whose name is super annoying because I have to think about it to read it) is amazingly strong. I couldn't do 1/4 of what she did, nor would I even pretend to try. There are so many times when I would have given up or lost hope. Sure, she did lose hope a few times, but she always came back swinging harder than ever before. I couldn't have been her. Lucien was the perfect combination of annoying, snappy, and sarcastic. Tamlin was just fascinating. 

The world that was painted for the reader was so beautiful and also terrible that you couldn't help but find it attractive, even when it was scary and you wanted to run away from it. 

There were no instant relationships (yay) and there was a done of action (yay) that was well thought out and carefully laid (double yay). I believed where it was going and how everything happened. I didn't once catch myself wondering when the book would end or what was to come; I was living in the moment, book style. It was great. 

The end (not the actual end) was great. The whole last section had be sitting on the edge of my seat, scheming right along with the characters, trying to understand their motivations and who could be trusted. I swore at this book and argued with the characters and caught my heart beating faster as it went along. 

The vocabulary, the description, the structure were all wonderful and weren't a distraction. They only made me read more quickly since I wasn't stuck tripping over sentence structure or other problems with the writing. I forgot that I was even reading and ended up staying awake until 2am. Clear writing makes me so (so so so so) happy.

My only real (not actually an issue) issue is that this novel doesn't seem to belong in the young adult section. Violence, romance, nasty names, and some horrible thoughts definitely make this novel a new adult. Which is great for me because that section is really growing on me. So much was left for the rest of the series but it also could be read on it's own, I think. 

So: I thought that this was a fanatic retelling of Beauty and the Beast; it helps that I am a huge fan of that story as it is. I want the rest of the series right this moment and might cry because I can't. This novel might be my favourite by Maas. I think you should read it. End of story.

Best novel I've read in a while.

REVIEW: After (After, #1) by Anna Todd

Reviewer: Kristen 
Author: Anna Todd
Pages: 592
Format: Paperback (provided by Simon & Schuster) 
My Rating: 8 out of 10 

Summary (you're golden, Goodreads): 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?

Now newly revised and expanded, Anna Todd’s After fanfiction racked up 1 billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. Experience the Internet’s most talked-about book for yourself!

There was the time before Tessa met Hardin, and then there’s everything AFTER ... Life will never be the same. #Hessa
My Thoughts: Just in time for all you enthusiastic Valentine's day folks, I present to you After by Anna Todd! Now, first things first. I need to get this off my chest because of reasons: Please don't not (double negative use, for the win) pick this up because you heard it was One Direction fanfiction, because I won't lie to you, I was all kinds of hesitant. But, like everything, you just have to give it a chance to actually form your own opinions on it. That's my two cents, so let's proceed with the actual book now. 

So, Tessa and Hardin.... Hardin is a little bit much at times. And because of that, I can understand why people are saying that he's a bad person and that the story romanticizes an abuse relationship. What I can't understand, however, is when people like Hardin and Tessa to Christian and Ana (those are the names from FSoG right?). Tessa doesn't take no shit - she's fiesty, she stands up for herself, she gives chances when she believes they are deserved, but if they blow their chance, it's blown. She's not just taking the crap that Hardin throws at her, and I think that that is a major reason why I didn't just write this off as some crappy novel with no redeeming qualities. 

This book is long. Incredibly long. So very long. It's like 3-novels-in-one kind of long. But you know what? It only took me two days to finish this book (and it only took me that long because of that incessant need to sleep). I was so completely swept up into the story - I wanted needed to know what happened to Tessa and Hardin. I needed to know why something was said. I needed to know why. I just could not put it down. 

This story is definitely on par with Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire and Thoughtless by S.C Stephens. If those are your kinda things, I definitely, without a doubt, recommend that you take this baby out for a test ride. I enjoyed it, and I'm actually really excited to read the next in this series. Anna Todd has found herself a new and I hate to admit it but kind of unlikely fan! 

Final Thoughts: If you're in the mood for a steamy, unapologetic romance that I liken to Thoughtless by S.C Stephens, then this book is for you. For all you romantics out there, I cannot recommend this enough! 

Review: Maybe Not (Maybe Someday #1.5)

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Colleen Hoover
Format: ebook, novella
Pages: 129
Rating: 9.5 out of 10

**Part of a series**Itty Bitty Spoiler Alert**

Summary (Maybe from Goodreads): When Warren has the opportunity to live with a female roommate, he instantly agrees. It could be an exciting change.

Or maybe not.

Especially when that roommate is the cold and seemingly calculating Bridgette. Tensions run high and tempers flare as the two can hardly stand to be in the same room together. But Warren has a theory about Bridgette: anyone who can hate with that much passion should also have the capability to love with that much passion. And he wants to be the one to test this theory.

Will Bridgette find it in herself to warm her heart to Warren and finally learn to love?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

My Thoughts: I love Colleen Hoover, I love Maybe Someday. I knew I'd love Maybe Not. It was great to see into the lives of minor characters in a novel that I love. Plus, I wasn't ready to let go of the story or the characters just yet. It was a fantastic way to get more. 

I have to be honest with all of you. I don't really have a whole lot to say about this novella. It wasn't a full length novel and it wasn't like I was suddenly learning all about brand new characters. Since it was so short, I don't want to spoil good moments like how Warren's nephew was adorable when he played dead or all the pranks or the sexy times. It was just fantastic. The whole entire book was fantastic. I loved it and want to read it again...like right now. I think that you should probably read this book but it is definitely not for young eyes. No but, like, for real. Age appropriate, enjoy the sex but otherwise, wait a few years. It's not young adult.

Enjoy!

Review: Archer's Voice

Reviewer: Kelsey
Author: Mia Sheridan
Format: eBook
Pages: 345
Rating: 8 out of 10

Summary (from Goodread's voice); When Bree Prescott arrives in the sleepy, lakeside town of Pelion, Maine, she hopes against hope that this is the place where she will finally find the peace she so desperately seeks. On her first day there, her life collides with Archer Hale, an isolated man who holds a secret agony of his own. A man no one else sees.

Archer's Voice is the story of a woman chained to the memory of one horrifying night and the man whose love is the key to her freedom. It is the story of a silent man who lives with an excruciating wound and the woman who helps him find his voice. It is the story of suffering, fate, and the transformative power of love.

My Thoughts: I'll start with the obvious. I really enjoyed this novel. This was my first Mia Sheridan novel and I already know that it won't be the last. I have a bunch more on my to-read list and I'm very excited for them. 

One thing I really didn't like about this novel, basically the only thing I didn't like about this novel, was how child-like Archer was. He wasn't emotionally stunted or anything. The abuse was bad. His pain was immense, yes. The guy was hurt but he was start. He was strong. A lot of the interactions with Bree (mostly the romantic parts, I won't lie to you) were awkward because suddenly he was written like a person who'd never interacted with anyone before. The guy read! It's not like he was born and raised in a cave with not a single other human being. I didn't like that he was so....young. He wasn't. These parts of the novel became evident to me very quickly and were horribly uncomfortable for me. This was the worst part about the novel. THEN onto of this, he changes from it so quickly. People with the problems he supposedly had don't just bounce back like that. I did like what he did to change. However, it made the novel stall and it got slow real past. I hate the pining. I hate the waiting and moping. Just get on with it, Bella! Gosh!

I'm not sure how much I believed about the stuff with her dad and who was out to get them. I don't want to spoil but it should have been better explained, I think.

Now, onto the good stuff. I fell in love with the characters. I fell in love with the neighbors and the friends. I fell in love with the town and the area and the whole atmosphere. I really think the author did a good job of putting the reader right where the action was. 

Plus, I really felt for these characters. I went from happy to crying to embarrassed. Everything. It was wonderful. This impressed me a lot. 

This novel was pretty great.

In Closing: I really enjoyed this novel. Kristen tortured me by giving it to me but then not reading it herself so that I have to suffer alone and suffer I did. I cried just a little bit. I would recommend this novel to practically everyone. It made me very happy...especially the ending. [Insert smiley face here]

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: London Falling

Reviewer: Kristen  
Author: T.A. Foster
Pages: 344 (I could have sworn this was a lot shorter) 
Format: eBook 
My Rating: 5 out of 10 (I think I'm only being harsh because I read this in February and it is now June)

Summary (thanks, Goodreads): It’s London’s senior year and she only needs one class to graduate. She just didn’t expect her final assignment: fall in love.

Communication 224 has a reputation for giving out the most unique projects of the semester. When London James and Beau Anderson signed up for the class they had no idea they would be paired up together, much less spend an entire semester working on their final grade.

Professor Garcia tasks them to produce a study on the hit reality show, Love Match, a show about strangers falling in love on over the top dates. London and Beau decide to debunk the popular show’s fantasy portrayal of romance. Determined they can date the entire semester and not fall for each other, the classmates share blogs about their dates and start a website where everyone can follow their dating experiment. 

Is staying out of love as easy as it seems? Headstrong and success-driven London discovers there might be more important things in life than an A.

My Thoughts: So, when I read this, I remember really enjoying it. It was cute, it was fluffy, and it had a swoon-worthy-boy. What more can a girl ask for? There was just something missing. Far be it for me to know what that actually was, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there could have been something more that happened. Or that the characters could have been a little more realistic (I don't know that realistic is a fair way to phrase it, but I don't know any other way). A lot of their problems could have been fixed if they had just actually talked to each other. 

London, while sometimes a little clueless, was someone that I genuinely liked. She didn't want to compromise her dreams for a guy, and she didn't just abandon all her goals because a cute guy came into the picture. She was a little lost when it came to the whole romance thing, which bordered on annoying, but overall, she was a good character. Beau, I felt, was a "New Adult fiction" typical character. He was hot, smart but he wasn't about to become a doctor, and annoying in a somehow charming way. However, I think that the Professor Garcia was my favourite. She was just so damn eccentric! 

The premise of this story was actually really cool. I hadn't ever heard of a plot like this, and when I read the summary, I immediately went and got the book. A project based off of reality TV show, and the team (or London and Beau for those of you who haven't read this yet) had to deduce whether or not it was in fact "reality". London and Beau, of course, got the love match show, and they had to blog about whether or not fake dating resulted in real love. 

Final Thoughts: Super cute, super quick, but sometimes super dense when hitting certain parts. You should give it a go, I enjoyed it, just probably wouldn't read it again!