ARC Review: The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins

Title: The Perfect Match
Author: Kristan Higgins
Series: Blue Heron #2
Release Date: October 29th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Buy: Amazon | BookDepository

Goodreads Summary

What if the perfect match is a perfect surprise? Honor Holland has just been unceremoniously rejected by her lifelong crush. And now—a mere three weeks later—Mr. Perfect is engaged to her best friend. But resilient, reliable Honor is going to pick herself up, dust herself off and get back out there…or she would if dating in Manningsport, New York, population 715, wasn't easier said than done.

Charming, handsome British professor Tom Barlow just wants to do right by his unofficial stepson, Charlie, but his visa is about to expire. Now Tom must either get a green card or leave the States—and leave Charlie behind.

In a moment of impulsiveness, Honor agrees to help Tom with a marriage of convenience—and make her ex jealous in the process. But juggling a fiancé, hiding out from her former best friend and managing her job at the family vineyard isn't easy. And as sparks start to fly between Honor and Tom, they might discover that their pretend relationship is far too perfect to be anything but true love….

I didn’t go into this expecting to have as much fun as I did because honestly, I was NOT in the mood for chic lit. Which also explains why I was so much more critical with this then I would have been otherwise.

This was definitely not my favorite book by Kristan though, even if I look past all my other issues, I honestly think she could have done better. Or maybe the whole idea just didn’t work for me, even though it kind of reminded me of The Proposal, which I loved.

The first couple of pages were extremely painful. I was banging my head on the wall and trying not to give up on the book completely but it did get better as Honor matured and stopped acting like a doormat.

Honor is at that stage in life where her biological clock is ticking pretty damn fast and if she doesn’t have a baby soon the chances of her ever having one will decrease. So she decides to propose to Brogan, who has been her friend forever, and they have had an on-off sexual relationship throughout the years. He declines using some baseball glove metaphor and she is heartbroken. She takes her broken heart to her bff Dana, who in turn breaks the Bro Code and sleeps with Brogan. If you have a friend like her you don’t need enemies. And Brogan, the asshole is so SHALLOW! If your friend just asked you to marry her, you do not call her a couple of weeks later to announce you’ll be marrying her best friend. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? At least Honor decided not to act like a doormat this time around and actually threw wine at Dana’s face, except that Dana slapped her and she stood there with her jaw hanging.

She does get better from there though, and in the end her biggest 'fault' was that she decided to forgive Brogan. He didn’t deserve her forgiveness.

Back to her character, Honor has plenty of ‘self-image’ issues. She doesn’t think highly of herself and hasn’t ever really been in a real relationship, which may or may not be due to the fact that she was hopelessly in love with her friend for a big chunk of her life. She has always been the tough birdie of the family but really, she’s got plenty of her own issues. She isn’t really an open person either so it’s usually pretty hard for her to communicate with anyone other than her friend Dana, who turns out to be a huge bitch. But Honor’s character undergoes a lot of development throughout the book and she comes out a pretty likable character.

Tom was a pretty interesting character as well, he is a college professor for *scratches head* mechanical engineering? Yeah that was it, mechanical engineering so he’s got brains, as well as brawns. A combination that would usually have me swooning but it just didn’t work this time around. I liked him as a character but I never really fell in love with him.

Tom also comes off a cliché to me. He says mate way too often, I am pretty sure that even British people don’t say it all the time (I’ll even ask Paulina to confirm that!) and I am pretty sure British people don’t say Cheerio, unless they are acting like a British cliché.

His ex-wife was a messed up woman who never really got over her ex. Even when they were engaged she had an on-off relationship with her ex. She ends up dying of course, which makes it a lot harder for him to maintain his relationship with his step-son, who he really loves. They share a bumpy relationship. They used to be close but now Charlie is closed off, he doesn’t talk much and doesn’t understand why Tom tries so hard.

Charlie was a pretty annoying kid. In fact now that I think of it, most of my run ins with kids in books lately haven’t been all that great. I cannot even remember the last time I actually read a book with a kid I liked. For starters Charlie seemed pretty naïve for a 14 year old. I realize that he has been through a lot but shouldn’t that make him more mature? He just seems so sheltered in someways. I’d realize if he was angry at the world for what happened to him and that actually realized that his father was a douchebag but he doesn’t, he is an angry teenager who thinks his father still wants him even though it’s been 4 years. Maybe I am overestimating the intelligence of a 14 year old  seeing that I was kind of mature for one so I shouldn't be comparing him to the 14 year old me. 

The romance between Tom and Honor was slow to develop and kind of fun to watch. They had tons of awkward scenes but other fun ones as well. Which is to be expected because after all, this is Kristan Higgins!

The family remains one of my favorite things about the series, they are so FUN! Although I was pretty bothered by how the author chose to portray Faith and Levi in this book. It almost made me question why I loved them so much in The Best Man and had to re-read some parts of the book to remind myself. It was pretty annoying to see them so love sick because even though they were in love in The Best Man, they were a pretty fun couple. This time around they just made me gag. Of course Pru and Carl still remain my favorite couple. What I wouldn’t give to read their story. They are like the ideal couple. I am also happy to say that I totally saw what happened with Mrs. J and the dad coming! It didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would either so I am pretty happy about that.

This book was a fast read and it contains the usual Kristan Higgins elements. It was fun, had some self-discovery, family and a happy ending, not much more you can ask for from a chic lit.

Even though I am not usually one for series based on families/small towns, I am still going to go on with this one because

1. This is Kristan Higgins
2. The next book will have a second chance romance ‘nuff said.

If you’re a Kristan Higgins fan like moi you’ll love this if you’re not and looking for a chic lit you’ll love this so just pick it up!

ARC Review: What Once Was Perfect by Zoe York

Title: What Once Was Perfect
Author: Zoe York
Release Date: July 1st, 2013
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Heading home always stirs up mixed emotions for Laney Calhoun. Twelve years ago she left for graduate school, broken-hearted. She's found professional success, but positive personal relationships have proved elusive. Running into her ex-boyfriend fans flames she thought long extinguished, renews her interest in love. Not with Kyle, of course. Never again. But as sparks fly and items of clothing disappear, she scrambles to lock down her heart.

I am happy to announce that I am officially out of my reading slump.

After finishing Leap of Faith, I was somewhat vary about reading this book because I really did not want to go back to the dark place, so  I started this book with a heavy dose of skepticism and a tiny fledgling of hope.

I was not disappointed. There were a lot of things that could have gone wrong with this book but the author pulled through. While there were some things that didn’t work for me, I was rather happy with the outcome.

Like their relationship. It could have gone so absolutely wrong. I mean they broke up 12 years ago and the last time they saw each other was 2 years ago at her father’s funeral. Think about the amount of angst that could have ensued or the fictional amount of time they could have spent avoiding each other?

Thankfully they acted like the adults they were and even though things were slightly awkward they actually sat down to talk about it. And let me just say this because I personally believe it’s a big deal, it was the chic (Laney) who took initiative NOT THE GUY! Do you know how big of a deal this is? You know what’s even bigger a deal? They actually talked through what went wrong the first time around (kind of) and came to peace with the actual break up (it’s about time anyway, 12 years is a long long time). We also had someone take the blame, while I usually hate it when one person takes the blame for a relationship gone south, I must agree that Kyle really did make it a whole lot worse.

They don’t exactly agree to give it another shot but they decide to enjoy their short time together. They realize that they have grown up and matured since the last time they were together so while the chances of them having a real relationship are next to impossible the live in different countries), they can still enjoy the time they do have.

The relationship was the strong point of the book for me, the characters, not so much. I liked them but they could have been a whole lot better.

Laney had me vary right off the bat. She hasn’t been in a real relationship since her breakup and doesn’t believe in love. The only real relationship she had had was with Kyle, which was over 12 years ago when she was still young and somewhat naïve. That tells me that she never matured emotionally which is rather important in a character isn’t it? How do I like a character that defines all relationships by a failed one? If Kyle really had been the center of her universe she should have stayed instead of going off to Harvard right?

Kyle was still better than Laney because at least he attempted other relationships. What I didn’t like about him (this contradicts what I said earlier when I was talking about their relationship but I am trying to separate the relationship and the characters here because it makes more sense to me) was the fact that he took all the blame. He spent years blaming Laney for the break up (which was obviously the wrong thing to do) and then he suddenly decides that it was his fault? He also goes as far as taking blame for Laney’s ruined idea about love/relationships. NO! It’s not your fault! She should be smart enough to realize otherwise, because, I am quoting what she said here,

“Not that young. Too young to make it work, maybe, but not too young to know what it was”

If she realizes that and has made peace with it, so should you dammit!

I am not going to dwell into the actual cause of the breakup because it would be wrong for me to judge these characters on their past mistakes when they have obviously grown since then and realized what went wrong.

All in all this was a pretty fun read. It was light and had good romance. You cannot ask for much more. 

Pushing the Limits

Title: Pushing the Limits
Author: Katie McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Date Published: July 24, 2012
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

SO WRONG FOR EACH OTHER…AND YET SO RIGHT.

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 smokinghot, 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 actually gave it a 5 right after reading it but then I read On the Jellicoe road right after.

I know its silly to compare the two books but you cannot help it. You will compare the book you just read to the book you read before it.

When I read this book I was so surprised by how it made me feel but when I read On the Jellicoe Road.. well I don’t even have words to say how I felt.

So I felt that if I am so much more impressed by On the Jellicoe Road then I am by Pushing the Limits how can the two of them have the same rating?
Anyways back to the book.

I was an emotional mess after reading this book and that rarely happens with me. No this book isn’t necessarily sad or anything but it gets to you. The power of what Noah feels for his little brothers or how much Echo loved her brother is so much that it overwhelms you.

Their romance has an insta-love type feel to it but I overlooked it because there is so MUCH going on besides that. Both the characters are dealing with many issues.

Noah wants to gain custody of his brothers who he was separated from when his parents died. I think it’s Noah’s story that really breaks me. It’s his pain and how much he misses his parents. He was only in 9th grade when they died and to him it seems like he should take care of his brothers. He promised his little brothers he wouldn’t let them separate yet that’s what happened. Noah NEEDS someone to be the adult but there is no one there for him. He never got the chance to be a silly kid. He had to grow up way too fast. Despite all this it took me a while to warm up to him, his character seemed a bit cliched. But there was this scene where he almost cried when his little brother called him his hero, that was it for me. I fell in love with Noah right there.

Our other character is Echo. The rich girl with daddy issues (okay that makes her sound pathetic but she isn’t). Her mother tried to kill her, so we can call Echo screwed. I sympathize with Echo but she isn’t the best female lead ever, she makes bad decisions.

This book isn’t close to perfect but I really do think it was amazing, hence the 4 and not the 5.

This book was definitely worth my time although I won’t read the sequel because it isn’t about Echo and Noah. I hate it when authors expect us to become attached to certain characters and don’t write the sequels about them. I miss the characters from the previous book too much and cannot enjoy the characters in the sequel.

Paradise by Judith McNaught

Title: Paradise
Author: Judith McNaught
Series: Second Opportunities #1
Release Date: July 29th 2003
Publisher: Pocket Books
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Meredith Bancroft, a serenley beautiful blonde, and Matthew Farrell, an intense, magnetic tycoon, are both haunted by their once-in-a-lifetime love...betrayed in a conflict of heartache and pain. When the Bancroft family empire is threatened by a hostile takeover attempt, Meredith is forced to turn to Matt. As tensions build between them, leaving them both uncertain, restless...and falling in love again...

I didn't even notice how long this book was, it kind of just flew by. I've had my eye on it for a while so it's a relief to finally read it but I'll say this, I may have expected a tid bid more.

Matt and Meredith are great main characters and one cannot help loving them both but sometimes Meredith pissed me off. She should have given him a chance instead of dragging it out. I mean I understand why she did it, to have to go through what she did at the age of 18, it would make anyone vary yet it doesn't mean it didn't annoy me that she wouldn't give Matt a chance.

Matt is really sweet. I mean I really thought there was no way I'd like him but the author definitely redeems him. The thing that bugged me about him was how he was so set on revenge, I mean yes his pride was hurt but Meredith wasn't nearly as vengeful as he was. He was basically trying to destroy her.. which isn't really nice (yes I realize I sound like a 8 year old). 

The secondary characters... yeah.
Parker... I have no idea why people love him. He has no redeeming qualities. Also if he was in love with Meredith how did he get over her so quickly.

Lisa. I DESPISE HER. She is horrible. I didn't like her when she was 14 and I still don't like her. She is a snob, no she isn't even rich, she comes from a middle class family but she is a snob. I don't understand how she can do that to her friend. It's ridiculous. She is also extremely selfish. I think my hatred for her is probably irrational because no one seems to dislike her as much as I do but I cannot seem to help it.

Meredith's father however was an interesting character. A lot of people despised him but I cannot bring myself to do that. It's obvious that he loves Meredith but the way he expresses this love is really awful. What I see in Phillip is a man who ruined his own life. He ruined his own chance at happiness because of his own fears.

What I would have definitely liked to see more of was Meredith's relationship with Joel. Oh and some more scenes with Caroline. Yes it is obvious that her father is redeemed in the end but I wish that would have been explored because I would have liked to see how that affected things. 

The romance was...I don't actually know. It's weird because there was so much drama that it kind of just overpowered the romance.

This book is not meant for everybody because it can be boring and there can be too much angst but if you're up for it, give it a shot. Mean while I need to read something else.... to cover up for this one. 

So Over You by Gwen Hayes

Title: So Over You
Author: Gwen Hayes
Date Published: April 25, 2010
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Layney Logan, girl reporter. 

That’s all she’s ever wanted to be. This year, her senior year, not only does she have to share the coveted Senior Editor position with her arch nemesis, Jimmy Foster, she also has to figure out how to keep the school paper alive. With the local paper closing and the school cutting Journalism from the budget, it’s a long shot. Working side-by-side with Foster, the guy she likes to call Lucifer, makes it even worse.

The only thing Layney dislikes more than swimming in the high school dating pool is Jimmy Foster thinking he got the best of her, so she takes
his ridiculous newspaper assignment–to go on twelve blind dates–to prove his powers of darkness won’t work on her. The trouble is, the more she learns about herself on her journey of bad blind dates, the more she wonders if maybe Foster has known her better than she knows herself all this time. 

And maybe she should have trusted him with the secret she’s kept for four years—the secret that broke them up to begin with.

(this may or may not contain spoilers depending on how you look at it)

It’s rare that one finds a chic lit thats actually different. No not completely different otherwise it wouldn’t be a chic lit. But there are certain elements of a chic lit that you would expect. For starters a female lead you may want to slap from time to time. I actually LOVED Layne. I have a total girl crush on her. It’s because of her personality. She reminds me of myself (a bit). She isn’t a stupid ice queen nor is she a popular person or anything else. She has issues so she separates herself from the rest of the crowd but unlike other females that have had the same issue (in YA), she doesn’t avoid humanity. She sticks around, talks to them, she isn’t mean to anyone nor does she ignore them. She just isn’t chummy with them.

Yes she has been raped. But I like the way she deals with it. I’ve read about 5 books that have character that have been raped, they have all had different reactions to this, some have become ice queens and closed off of humanity, for some there isn’t much of a visible difference. Yet here you can see it has effected her in some ways. BUT she doesn’t take it out on the rest of the human population. She is funny and she is also dedicated to her work.

One of the other things that make her different from the other girls in YA is that she doesn't just completely forget this issue she has been dealing with when a boy comes around like so many other girls have done. I mean they have their issues but it seems like the author is trying to shove it up our faces and not actually make it a part of the girl’s character but that doesn't happen with Layney.

Here the guy happens to be her ex. She doesn’t get swoony as soon as he comes. In fact she is annoyed with him most of the time. Although I think it is quite obvious in which direction this is headed.

Although this book isn’t about how someone deals with rape I love how the author weaves it in. The reaction seems so much more realistic. She even shows a bit of the psychological side of it.

“When something bad happens to us, especially when we are young, our brains will sometimes protect us from it until we are strong enough to deal with the issue. It’s not uncommon for people to completely black out an experience for years and revisit it only when they feel safe enough to face it.” 

Now over to Jimmy. OMG THIS GUY IS SO AWESOME! I mean everything he does, Layne thinks that he is trying to make her life hell but we as the readers can clearly see this is not the case and we can see he still hurts from what she did to him 4 years ago. So he may be a bit of a jerk but can you blame him? She used a bad excuse to break up with him and didn't bother to listen to his side of the story.

But Jimmy, I really do love the person he is at the end of the book and what he does. I cannot say anything about him. I forgot everything that makes him awesome because there is too much awesome in him to remember it all.

I think the romance in the book is also great, there isn’t much of it but it’s SO GOOD! It’s between two ex’s yet you can see the development, they don’t start jumping each other as soon as they realize the mistakes they made. THANK GOD FOR THAT! Something different about this book ONCE AGAIN.

Some random quotes because I am cool:
“I’m good at bending rules. Here’s the thing—I’ve decided that you are going to be the closest thing to a BFF I’ll allow myself to have. Whether you like it or not, we’re buddies now.”
“Okay, psycho girl. But if you start wearing your hair like mine and pilfering my clothes like that Single White Female movie, we’re breaking up.”

“I’d like to make it clear from the start that I am gay, gay, gay. Like, when I come out of the closet, I’m usually wearing my sister’s prom dress kind of gay.”
I looked at Mr. September across the bench and said the first thing that came to mind. “God, you’re so lucky.”

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Title: Perfect Chemistry
Author: Simone Elkeles
Publisher: Walker Books
Date Published: December 23, 2008
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers.

When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created ‘perfect’ life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she’s worked so hard for: her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. 

Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

I wasn’t very excited about this book because it sounded so cliche to me. So when I went into this book I was expecting to be disappointed.

I think that happens to me a lot. Maybe its a psychological thing. I probably don’t want to be disappointed so I don’t start off with high hopes.

I really did like this book. Usually characters like Alex tend to be pushy and act all macho but with Alex you really could see the emotional side of him. He wasn’t your cliche damaged boy who shut the world out. Alex couldn’t let the world see his emotions or that would affect his “reputation”, the one habit he and Brit had in common.
I guess the only thing that bothered me was that they started liking each other a little bit too quickly. I usually like it when romances like these take more time to develop but otherwise it really was great.

I loved both Alex and Brit and they were great characters. The fact that the romance wasn’t the only thing going on in both of their lives made me incredibly happy, because they are two people who live in two different worlds so they are bound to have different problems.
I like how they find refuge in each other despite their differences.
I guess the ending was a little bit cheesy but who cares when the rest of the book was so awesome.

I think the epilogue was my absolute favorite part because you know it’s like the start of a whole different story that makes you smile, because you get to know the future Alex and Brit indirectly.

I probably won’t read the sequels seeing how they are probably similar stories about the other brothers but don’t let that stop you from enjoying the series.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Title: My Life Next Door
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Dial books
Date Published: June 14, 2012
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads summary

A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another

“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase’s family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.

If I had to sum this book up in two words I would use cute and enjoyable (therefore those words will appear a lot through out the review).

I would have been more generous with my rating had I not read On the Jellicoe Road right before this. I read this book to take my mind off of Jellicoe Road because otherwise I would become an emotional mess. This was my rebound book.

This book was good I suppose if you are a looking for something light to read. It was a fun read but there was no real plot going on here. I know I shouldn’t have really expected one, it’s a chic lit, but after reading such a deep and meaningful book such as the one I had, I was bound to expect more. I probably would have liked it under other circumstances. I mean I did give it a 3.5 considering that I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would (considering what I was like at that point, it means that this was pretty good).

The characters aren’t over the top awesome; Sam seems almost whiny at times. Jase was a rather good character, but he seemed way too perfect at times (but he was cute).

My favorite character, however, was George. He was what made me give this book 3.5 stars because he always made me laugh. I always wanted to hug him. I fell in love with this little kid right after he said this line (which was on the first day he met Sam, if you don’t think he is cute…. Then I assume you are evil *judges you*):

“Is Jase already gonna marry you?”
I start coughing again. “Uh, No. No, George. I’m only seventeen.” As if that’s the only reason we’re not engaged.
“I’m this many.” George holds up four, slightly grubby fingers. “But Jase is seventeen and a half. You could. Then you could live in here with him. And have a big family.”
Jase strides back into the room, of course, midway through this proposition. “George. Beat it. Discovery Channel is on.”
George backs out of the room but not before saying, “His bed’s really comfortable. And he never pees in it.”

I think one of the things that made me sad was how random Jase and Sam’s relationship was, I would have liked it had there relationship not started so randomly. It was like one day they had no idea who the other was and the next they were all buddy buddy. Maybe if they had had an incident when they were kids or something? Setting my complaints aside, their relationship did progress into something good and enjoyable.

I think one of the things that made this book really interesting, however, was what The Garretts symbolized for her. They seemed like a dream for her, they had something she didn’t have but wanted and liked to fantasize about, a family that was close knit.

The relationships between them in general (except the one between Sam and Jase) weren’t explored as much as I would have liked. There were many things that I would have liked to see, like for example, Sam’s relationship with her mother, with her sister, with the other Garretts etc. I am not saying these relationships weren’t explored at all, just not enough to satisfy me.

Also the author dropped the whole “father who couldn’t deal with the responsibility so he left” bomb on us. You cannot just drop something like that on us and not expect a bit of curiosity. I am not saying I wanted her to find her father or anything, I just wanted to know a bit more about him.

Although I do like the ending, it’s what qualifies as a good HEA in my book. I love how the issues between her and her mother are resolved. However, I didn’t understand the sudden change in her sister’s opinion about guys/love.

George was the best part of the book though. I wish there had been a whole lot more of him.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a light read or just having a bad day and just wants something to cheer them up.

P.S. George, I’ll marry you. Don’t marry Sam! I’ll talk to you about anything and I’ll listen to you when you state facts!
(J.K. but seriously.. if I were a 4 year old).

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan

Title: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares
Author: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf books
Date Published: October 26, 2010
Buy: Amazon

Goodreads summary

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors ofNick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

I wish it was Christmas right now. I would have loved to read this book when it was Christmas. Good holiday spirited books are hard to come by as I am not that drawn by them, but something about this book compelled me to read it. Maybe the whole idea of two strangers passing back and forth a book in which they shared secrets seemed interesting. I haven’t read a book that uses that idea, I mean sure you have the strangers thing but the whole “book of dares”, a unique idea I must say. Right now, I sit here pondering why it took me so long to finally read this book. I think this will also be included in my list of books I read for Christmas. Okay so I was trying to sound all mature and smartsy pantsy there like Dash. I kinda failed.

I believe if there was such a thing as soul mates. Dash would be mine. Yes I probably sound like a fan girl but you see his looks were barely talked about so you know I love him for his character (okay maybe I am fan girling a little), I understand him because he reminds me of myself. I may not have faced the same circumstances but I understand his sentiments because I share them. Although that may make me sound pessimistic but neither I nor Dash are pessimistic. We just tend to overanalyze things. We both enjoy our own company from time to time. Okay so this is now turning into a comparison between me and Dash and I should stop that right about now. I am a mysterious being, no one will ever know me. *flips cape and disappears* *reappears to finish writing her review*

Dash has this way of sounding really mature, he could say the most amazing things and you’d be left wandering, because it would make you see this whole new side of things. Like for example this one time he is walking around the house naked, of course that does sound weird, but these were his thoughts when he was walking around naked.

“…naked as the day I was born, only without the blood and amniotic fluid.”
It makes the whole idea seem more philosophical, like why don’t we all do that, is there anything wrong with nakedness. He isn’t an outgoing person by all means, he is rather awkward person, not in the sense that he doesn’t have a lot of friends and stuff but because he says things that a normal teenage boy wouldn’t even bother thinking about. We all question things and Dash does as well but I think he explains to us why it’s not easy to find answers to everything. His parents’ divorce changed him. He was left feeling slightly bitter and it may have affected how his turned out but I do believe that he has no hopes and probably does NOT want his parents to get back together. I am not exactly sure what he wants from his parents. Maybe to notice him more, I believe they both love him but with their bitterness towards each other, it makes it harder for him. He doesn’t want to have to face one and hear them complain about the other or try to find out what the other parent may be doing wrong. For example when Dash’s father asks him if his mom is bothering him, this is what he says, (I believe this is one of my absolute favorite parts in the book, it made me laugh so much):

“She told me if I clean all the ashes out of the grate, then I’ll be able to help my sisters get ready for the ball.”
Like I said, I really do like this guy (he is my soul mate for crying out loud) but I don’t think I can dedicate my whole review to him (I wish I could).

Lily is also an interesting character. You would think from the first chapter in her pov that she would be a silly perky girl, all rainbows and flowers, but she isn’t. She has a certain depth to her. What she really wants is to believe. She wants to believe that it isn’t all hopeless. She is the kind of person who’ll buy a poor person a bag of chocolates but she knows that it won’t really make a difference. She doesn’t believe she is going to change his life any but she still does it. I also love her nickname Shrilly, I believe the story of how this nickname came about is rather interesting and would imply that she is sensitive but I don’t believe she is sensitive, she has a strength to her that nobody sees. Everybody in her family is overprotective of her because they believe she is so she doesn’t really have a chance to explore the world outside of that shell. I think that she wants to be noticed (even when she implies otherwise) but be accepted for the weird person she is, she doesn’t want to have to please people because they don’t like her ways or think she is bizarre and she finds it better to be on her own then to be someone she is not.

I am not sure whether this book is a romance or not, but I think there is a coming of age of sorts or a realization at the very least. It may be subtle but it’s there, because this book has so much more depth to it then may appear by reading the summary. It makes you think, it makes you laugh, it makes you sad and in the end it leaves you feeling content. The authors leave a lose end so that we can use our imagination to figure out what happens but we are pointed in a general direction.

Mini Reviews: Also Known As by Robin Benway and Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

Title: Also Known As
Author: Robin Benway
Publisher: Bloomsbury Juvenile US
Date Published: February 26, 2013
Buy: Amazon

 “This just means so much to me! I’d like to thank all the little people that I crushed on my way to the top” (funny random quote I wanted to add)

What caught my attention about this book was the fact that this girl was the daughter of spies. I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be a spy. I blame this on my childhood obsession with the Spy Kids.  I knew that this was going to be a light and funny read, from the reviews I had read, and that was just what I needed.

I went into this book not looking for much so it isn’t surprising that I was indeed very happy with this book at the end.

The characters were well formed and I never thought of them as flat. Margret is a very fun character to read and very relatable even if you aren’t a spy (I still want to be one, maybe I can apply at the Collective). The relationships were rather interesting as well, the only thing I didn’t like was how the I Love You’s came out of nowhere. I wasn’t per say surprised, just that they didn’t seem like the couple who indulged in I Love You’s.

The plot is fast paced but there isn’t much of it, I was hoping that we would get to learn more about spy life and why her family was banned from Luxembourg but oh well.

I recommend this book to people who aren’t looking for much, there won’t be any surprises or anything. It’s just an entertaining read.

Title: Angel Burn
Author: L.A. Weatherly
Series: Angel #1
Publisher: Candlewick
Date Published: September 30, 2010
Buy: Amazon

This book is a perfect example of a good idea gone wrong. I loved how the Angels are evil and when I say evil, I don’t mean it lightly but like Angels who don’t give a shit about humans and treat them like cattle. It’s so different from what you would usually find in other Angel books, where Angels tend to be good. Kind of like in Angelfall but in this case it’s a choice. In Angelfall the Angels are required to destroy Earth by a higher power so yeah but in this case they take great pleasure in their treatment of humans. I love how this book makes it seem more like that Angels are creatures from another dimension instead of the whole religious aspect (that gets annoying from time to time).

I could have and would have given this book more stars if the romance wasn’t so damn corny! When there were more important things going on, the only thing going on the minds of these two were how much they loved each other. SERIOUSLY? I like romance but hell I don’t enjoy love declarations within knowing each other for a few days. That gets on my nerves. It isn’t realistic. Life cannot revolve around one person. It doesn’t work that way.

Aside from that it has also come to my notice that the sequel has a love triangle so I won’t be continuing the series. If you make love declarations to one person what the hell are you doing with another?

I recommend this book to everyone who can put overlook the silly romance because it does happen to be a good book, the writing is great and so are the characters (when they aren’t swooning over one another) and the plot is really good.