We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Summary:  

A beautiful and distinguished family.

A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

I had heard so many things praising this book before it was even published. I am now beginning to rethink the general public's view of what is good. Is it the ending? The middle? Or is it how traumatic we can feel about a book?

As for this one, I would tell you that I enjoyed the writing. It was beautifully put together with words, but I also felt something very "off" about the story from the beginning. Things just didn't feel O.K. and as I went on through the book, I ended up putting it down and waiting a few days to keep reading because of those feelings that would come from my gut. I could never put my finger on it, or figure out what was really going on. So the breaks gave my brain time to recover and try to figure out what was so eery about it.

The ending was a gobsmack across the face! I wanted to throw it across the room and maybe even burn it. I am sure that is what the writer was looking for, but not me! I don't like books that leave me feeling kicked in the stomach or thrown off a bridge. Maybe it's just where I am in my life, but gut-wrenching trauma is not what I want to escape to. I have lived enough of that in my personal life, I would rather read something less emotional. So, if you enjoy the kind of book that throws you completely over an emotional cliff.... this one is for you!!!

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The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Summary: 

"Everyone wanted to believe that endless love was possible. She'd believed in it once, too, back when she was eighteen."


In the spring of 1984, high school students Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole fell deeply, irrevocably in love. Though they were from opposite sides of the tracks, their love for one another seemed to defy the realities of life in the small town of Oriental, North Carolina. But as the summer of their senior year came to a close, unforeseen events would tear the young couple apart, setting them on radically divergent paths.

Now, twenty-five years later, Amanda and Dawson are summoned back to Oriental for the funeral of Tuck Hostetler, the mentor who once gave shelter to their high school romance. Neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever changed their lives. As Amanda and Dawson carry out the instructions Tuck left behind for them, they realize that everything they thought they knew -- about Tuck, about themselves, and about the dreams they held dear -- was not as it seemed. Forced to confront painful memories, the two former lovers will discover undeniable truths about the choices they have made. And in the course of a single, searing weekend, they will ask of the living, and the dead: Can love truly rewrite the past?

I keep thinking that I will like something else from Nicholas Sparks. But this is NOT it. I guess I am just not the "martyr" type. All his books involves death, illness (usually cancer) and a sad ending. I guess I am just tired of his typical endings. I appreciated the first book of his that I read, Dear John, mainly because life doesn't always work out the way we plan. But for Sparks to keep focusing on this... ugh! .... Plus, I am very sensitive to the cancer subject, especially Pediatric Brain Cancer which this really didn't do anything but use it as another part of a "sad sob story". I found myself rolling my eyes and wondering why people keep buying into this kind of self-sacrificing, self-pittying, Lets-see-what-else-I-can-add-to-make-more-money.... OH lets add Childhood cancer as well!!! I'm sorry this is a pretty nasty review, but I just can't help it. Cancer is real and I am tired of people making money off of "romanticizing" it. Can an Author like this change up his writing? I guess if people are buying it and it sells.... then keep on writing!

Enough said.

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Trailer for Black Ice from Becca Fitzpatrick.

This looks spectacular!! I can't wait to get my hands... (or ears) on it!  If you have read it, I would love to hear what you have to say!!



Look for a review!!! I WILL READ THIS!!

Ever had a "Book Hangover"?

Right after I finished reading the whole Twilight series, I had all these strange feelings:   A huge let-down, a void, depression (well not quite), just missing something in my world.  So, what did I do?  I read them again!  As many of you know, I am not your typical reader type.  I wasn't born with a book in hand, quite the contrary actually.  I was a child born pre-ADHD.  Meaning, I lived a life thinking I was dumb, slow, different, because ADHD wasn't even known back then.  And I was definitely someone who HATED reading!  I couldn't keep my focus and I could never remember what I read.  People made fun of me, teachers/parents lost patience with me, I felt like I was UNTEACHABLE!  When a teacher of mine (who will remain anonymous) told me I should go to beauty school because I would never make it in college,  I believed it! So I never... EVER tried reading for fun. Besides, what genre would I read?  I don't know what I liked.  So when a few friends mentioned reading Twilight... VAMPIRES!! pftt... I just about didn't do it.  But when we took our son on his Make-A-Wish trip to Hawaii, I figured I could read it on the plane and the beach, right?  Little did I know what a comfort and distraction this book would be while we had to deal with a recurrence of his brain tumor while there.  I grabbed on to EVERY feeling I could get from that book.  It was like my minds vacation.  It kept me feeling something other than anxiety, pain, and heartache for just a few minutes a day.  It became an addiction!!!  So for me the word "Hangover" would be more like a "Withdraw"!

I have a confession to make... There are some books that I just haven't been able to read because they are the last book of the series.  Namely... Allegiant by Veronica Roth.  I heard a spoiler about it and I just can't bring myself to read it.  I know everyone has told me it is really good besides that one part... BUT... I just don't want it to be over or to end that way.  So MAYBE I will get the courage to read it and put it behind me?

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Just One Day by Gayle Forman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary:  

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay


When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.
So I have readers guilt! I have avoided reading this book for two reasons. 1. I heard this book was mostly about the time after that "one day affair"... 2. I also heard there was a HUGE cliffhanger! So.... I waited until I could use my audible credit plus I waited until the sequel was out so I didn't have to wait so long. Kinda cheesy, right?

Well, my thoughts about this book were all over the place. Willem, a character who, I thought, represented the European playboy to a tee. Not that I have ever known one myself, but if I imagined a young, sexy, smooth, international traveler, Willem would be him. Add Shakespeare to it and viola instant romance! It was exciting to read at first, while on their One day affair, then tragic and heartbreaking. But the depression that Alison felt when returning back to the US just dragged and dragged. I guess if I had "given myself" to someone after one day, that would have brought on all kinds of regrets, heartache and depression, but really... I wanted to slap her out of it!

When it comes to young adult reads, I really get into the growing of the characters. It seems Alison really turned a 180, from being the quiet, timid, rule-follower, to a more adventurous and free-spirited girl. Standing up to her parents and pushing for what she wanted was a huge leap from who she was before.

For me, like in the book, I do not believe in coincidences... I trust fate or "accidents" as Willem put it.

As for the cliff-hanger... UUUGGHHH! Really? That has to be one of the biggest ones I have come across!! Thanks for that, Gayle Forman!! I love this kind of torture!!

There was some bad language, and a sex scene but not very detailed. Not something a young teen should read.

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Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins

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Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary:  

It’s time.


Evil is running rampant and sweet Anna Whitt is its target. Nobody knows when or how the Dukes will strike, but Anna and her Nephilim allies will do anything necessary to rid the earth of the demons and their oppressive ways.

The stakes are higher than ever, and Anna is determined that the love she feels will be her strength, not a liability. But trying to protect the ones she loves while running for her life and battling demonic forces proves to be perilous—especially as faces are changing and trust is fleeting. When the Duke of Lust sends Anna’s great love, Kaidan Rowe, to work against her, Anna must decide how much she’s prepared to risk.

In the most sensual and fast-paced installment yet, Sweet Reckoning brings all the beloved Neph together one last time to fight for their freedom.

What a perfect ending for such a phenomenal series! I felt every emotion while wrapped up in this whirl-wind ending; Anxiety, hope, sadness, longing, desperation, grief, and lots of love.

Kudos to Wendy Higgins and her brilliant writing! The world she created felt so real and true to life, and who says they aren't? The evil in this world comes from somewhere, but the righteousness prevails.

Kaiden... Oh Kaiden. Wendy Higgins, if I could award you with the sexiest, dreamy-ist, hero bad boy in the teen book history, I would. He won my heart from the first book, the first meeting, but THIS...this puts him on a whole other pedal-stool! My heart broke for him in so many ways.. especially for his self-loathing that he tried so hard to cover up. But the very end... OH.MY.GOSH!! I had tears streaming down my face from the beauty of his soul he was finally allowed to show. I honestly don't know how you could bring so much power into one character, but I am just so undone over Kaiden!!

Most importantly, Higgins stuck to so many wonderful values that are now lost in this world. Especially with Anna's character. If we all could learn that we all have the same kind of power that Anna wielded with her sword of righteousness, the world would be a better place.
This quote explained it all...

"As I acquanted myself with all of him for the first time, I learned the power of being a woman - the weakness in his eyes brought on by my touch - and the underlying trust and love I saw there."

This is the kind of romance we need to see more of. There is so much more to this than all sex-scenes I have read in a long time.

Most would consider the others in the series to be secondary characters, but for me they were so much a part of the whole. Nothing would have been as complete without them and their distinctive personalities.

Wendy Higgins has become one of my top favorite writers! The Sweet Trilogy will be a series I will re-read over and over again!!



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John Dreamer by Elise Celine

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John Dreamer by Elise Celine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary:  

Andy wasn’t usually sure about much, but she was absolutely certain this was the weirdest day of her life as she stood stranded in the middle of a great white room with six strangers. Well, they were mostly strangers. She could have sworn she’d seen the guy with the green eyes before, and maybe that was why he kept staring at her.


When a man calling himself the Guardian appeared and said they had come to make their deepest dreams come true, they embark on an adventure none of them ever imagined, and the consequences of their actions would change them forever.

"John Dreamer" is the first in a series of books set in the confines of the Great White Room

Waking up in a great white room not remembering anything, was how this book began. It caught my interest right away. The chairs are what spoke to me the most, even before the others began to arrive. To me it represented the personalities of those to come and exemplified our own uniqueness in the world. I am a person who likes to see beyond the outward appearance of things, places, and people. To me, this white room represented of where we started out in life; An empty slate, a beginning, a place to start. The Guardian who explained that this is where our dreams will come true, meant this is who you become or who you want to be. Only life experiences can make us who we are. In my opinion, this would represent why we are here on earth and how it all plays out. We are here with family, friends and loved ones. As life happens we move forward, we step up or we don't. We help others in their life's struggles and help them become who they are supposed to be, just as others help us in our own times of need. We all grow, become stronger and develop who we want to be, or we fail in certain areas. We never know when these challenges are for our benefit or that of others and we never know when they are going to hit. So to me, symbolism is all over this book. Very Alice in Wonderland-ish, but yet a deep way of thinking of our own lives.

Elise Celine did a great job bringing the characters to life and creating this wonder-land. A very thought-provoking read.

Thanks to Net-Galley for the ARC and the opportunity to read this and I look forward to book #2 in the John Dreamer series!

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The Tyrants Daughter by J.C. Carleson

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The Tyrant's Daughter by J.C. Carleson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary: 

From a former CIA officer comes the riveting account of a royal Middle Eastern family exiled to the American suburbs.


When her father is killed in a coup, 15-year-old Laila flees from the war-torn middle east to a life of exile and anonymity in the U.S. Gradually she adjusts to a new school, new friends, and a new culture, but while Laila sees opportunity in her new life, her mother is focused on the past. She’s conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to regain the throne their family lost. Laila can’t bear to stand still as an international crisis takes shape around her, but how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations?

J.C. Carleson delivers a fascinating account of a girl—and a country—on the brink, and a rare glimpse at the personal side of international politics.*Bonus Backmatter includes a note about the author's CIA past, and a commentary by RAND researcher and president of ARCH International, Dr. Cheryl Benard. Recommendations for further reading are also included.
J.C. Carlson brought a young adult novel and made it into a educational read for all ages. Bringing this into high schools around the country would open up doors and windows into the world of the middle east. Our children would be discussing cultural and political differences, which are HUGE! It would bring a little more understanding and empathy to those who live here in the US as well. Ignorance is what brings hate and fear. Sharing things like this book with our children would educate as well as entertain, but most importantly get them interested in our political world.

Some parts of this book were difficult to read just because of the violence toward women and the reality of the world they live in daily. The main character, Laila, won my heart immediately. Manipulation, bribery, and betrayal were a heartbreaking world to wake up to... being so young and sheltered, then given the freedom to explore and learn truths about her father and mother.

One thing that I admired about Carleson, was she didn't pinpoint a country, or last name to the characters. She made it a generalization yet making it a real place.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone over the age of 14 due to the violence and politics.

Please read this and pass it on! It is a subject that needs to be brought to light, especially to our youth!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC of  this book.

Excerpt:

Pretending

My brother is the king of Nowhere.

This fact doesn't matter to anyone except my family- a rapidly shrinking circle of  Used to Be.  And, even for us, there are surprisingly few perks.  And now we sit in our airless apartment, curtains closed against the outside world, pretending.

My Mother pretends that nothing has changed.

She is good at this charade.  Her every gesture oozes money and power now long gone.  They wouldn't let her take her closets full of  designer clothes when we left our country, but she still spends hours on her appearance- pretending that photographers might still want to take pictures of her every outing, even dressed as she is now in J.C. Penny sale-rack clothes and drugstore lipstick.  Pretending her old life didn't die along with my father.


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