Art & Soul by Brittainy C. Cherry

Art & Soul by Brittainy C. Cherry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary: 

I had always been the invisible art student in high school. Passed by. Glossed over. Unnoticed.
Now I was Aria Watson… that girl.

After one bad decision, and being labeled a slut, I was no longer unseen. I was the whore. The ignoramus. The tramp.
I would never be invisible again.

Particularly to Levi Myers. He was the odd boy with the beautiful soul who accepted and understood the broken girl inside me.

Falling in love wasn’t the plan. But how could I resist his promises of hope? Of forgiveness? Of a future I had stopped dreaming of?
We were shattered. We were scarred. We were something strange and beautiful.
We were two lost souls holding on to the only thing that could keep us together.

Art – noun | [\ˈärt\] : The quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. 

"I think you're art". 

When I first saw this on Audible, I jumped on it mainly because the cover is so beautiful and the preview of book touched me. I had never read anything from this author, so I thought I would give it a shot. When I realized this was about teen pregnancy, I wasn't so sure I wanted to read on something so touchy and figured there could be some explicit sex scenes. But kept on listening, I did! Soon I was swept away by Aria's and Levi's stories. It was written with alternating POV between the two of them... which I LOVE! I love it even more in audio format.

One thing I noticed and enjoyed was the writing. The words had a comforting flow that I found easy to get wrapped up in, to get lost in the world she created. Even though her writing was simple, it was beautifully put together.

     "We grew tired together, creating our own kind of art. We became the masterpieces of the loneliest souls. The colors in both of our eyes bled out, knowing that sometimes the most beautiful pieces of art were created from the darkest of souls."

So many emotions were brought to the surface as Aria and Levi both had to face so many difficult decisions and situations brought on by bad judgement or just from what life brings. My heart broke, I laughed out loud, I wanted to scream with frustration and then cry my eyes out from it all.

“Maybe it wasn’t about fixing the broken hearts. 

Maybe it was about loving the broken pieces the way they were. 

Maybe when someone you loved was hurting, all they needed was someone to hold their pinkie as a reminder that they weren’t alone.”

My favorite thing about this book was the real life issues Cherry addressed. There were so many valuable lessons to be learned... from being accountable for your actions, the seriousness of having sex, sacrificing or love or selflessness, to respecting others and their decisions. Also she touched on mental illnesses, death, life, bullying, childhood cancer, and birth. I was impressed with the way the characters grew throughout the story and was impressed with the way these difficult situations were finally handled.

Last but not least... There was.. AIR GUITAR!!  How can you not like a book with air guitar played by a violinist?


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Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary:  No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

I was expecting the typical story of bad boy meets good girl and they make their way in the world, but BOY was I wrong! They are far from the typical teens, working out how to live with what life has handed them.

Echo (I never adjusted to her name) was part of the in-crowd until one night, two years ago, things changed but now has no memory of what happened. She is determined to remember and figure out how she can get those memories back and then return to normal. Noah, who was orphaned and wronged by the foster program, has trust-issues. He is determined to get his brothers back no matter what it takes. Being thrown together, both Echo and Noah work together to try and get back "normal".

I really LOVED this book. It was heartbreaking at times, where I actually felt tears, but it always gave hope. I was pulled in by the mystery of what happened to Echo that night, keeping deep rooted into the plot. Characters both first and second, were so realistic and true to life, full of teen characteristics. I am also a huge fan of Point of View changes, so this just made it all the better!!  

The only thing that distracted me from completely falling in love with this story was the constant F-word, and the vulgar language. Sexual situations were to the point where I felt this would be more Adult content than Young Adult.

Quotes I loved!

No way.I stalked over to Echo, feeling like a tiger after its prey. She backed up against the wall, but I kept up my approach. I pressed against her, feeling each sensual curve. I wanted to touch every inch of her body. Her sweet smell intoxicated me. Her eyes kept their laughter, but her smile faded as she bit her lower lip. Damn, did she have any idea what she was doing? For a girl hell-bent on keeping me away, she sure did everything to turn me on.
"You were saying?" I lowered my head and inhaled the warm cinnamon scent at the nape of her neck, allowing my nose to skim along her inviting skin. (Kindle location 1371 of 3958)


I must have killed a lot of cows in a past life for Karma to hate me this much. Maybe I'd died two years ago and unknowingly entered hell. Doomed to spend the rest of eternity living with my father and stepmother and retaking the ACT over and over again. (Kindle location 1087 or 3958)

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review this book.





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