Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Published April 2nd 2009 by Dutton Juvenile         
Goodreads | Amazon
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Why do you lie to me, people? Here I am thinking this is gonna be one of the best books I've ever read, a real tear-jerker, one of those "changed the way I am now" kind of books.

And what do I get?: none of that. Nada. And I'm not mad, because by now I've learned that most of the time I go against the current when it comes to big-hype YA books, but for once, I mean have you seen the fan masses behind this book?, I thought this book had a good chance with me.

So anyway, you all know the plot, Mia's family has died in a horrible car crash and she's in critical condition, now Mia is at the limbo, wondering what's best, to let go and go with them or to stay. That sounds good, right? I bought this book months and months ago thinking it sounded excellent, but the journey that she goes through is full of old, boring memories. I know I sound mean but ahhh really, there were just so.many.memories, just when I thought we've gotten past the 'I just had the best father/mother/brother/boyfriend/grandma/neighbors/music teacher/life' memory, another would come my way at the turn of the page

And it's not that I don't like flashbacks, I mean I enjoy them as much as the next girl, but seriously, this book was all written in flashbacks. And that was a little boring.

But moving on, I liked the parts were the real-time was going on, when Mia's body is at the hospital and everyone comes to visit her, those parts were sweet. Except for maybe that time Adam sneaks into her room in the hospital, that I know people might think it's romantic, but as a med student I just find it reckless and stupid and if I were Mia's doctor I would have been annoyed haha.

I would say though, that I really want to try the sequel, Where She Went, because at the end of my copy, there's a chapter of it and it's in Adam's POV and it was fantastic, I'm hooked (although I have a feeling I know exactly where the story is going, my guess is on Mia loosing her memory and not knowing who Adam was, and Adam taking off).

Feel free to throw virtual tomatoes at me for not liking it.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Evolution of Mara Dyer

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)

(proceed with caution, summary might contain spoilers for those who hadn't read book 1)

The Evolution of Mara Dyer

Two days after Mara walks into a police station in Miami at the close of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, she is committed for psychiatric treatment for what her parents believe is a mental breakdown. But what seems like a hallucination to everyone else is a chilling reality for Mara. Someone from her past has discovered her strange, disturbing secret and that someone wants her to pay. But she's about to discover that the price is more than she can bear.

Dark and thrilling, suspenseful and passionate, The Evolution of Mara Dyer will have readers breathlessly turning pages to find out what will become of Mara Dyer next.

Goodreads Amazon

Even though I wasn't a big fan of the first one, the plot and the cliffhanger at the end, had me hooked, so heck yes I'll be reading this one ;D

Review: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Title: Virtuosity
Author: Jessica Martinez
Published October 18th 2011 by Simon Pulse         
Goodreads | Amazon
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Ah, virtuosity. Music, romance, what can possibly go wrong?

Something always goes wrong.

The book turned out to be better than I thought but not as good as I hoped. I liked the getting to know the violin scene, I liked the Chicago setting, I liked the story’s building up. I loved the first chapter, it fulfilled its purpose of hooking me from the start.

What bugged me though, was Carmen’s personality, she is a total virtuoso, and maybe that’s just the way musicians are, but sometimes she was just, so, clueless. I wanted to shake her and tell her to grow a backbone during most of the book; annoying girls are something I cannot stand, but I somehow got over her and was able to finish the book with my head still full of hair.

The story is about Carmen’s violin competition for a Guarneri violin, which she wouldn’t need ‘cause she has a Strad, a $1.2 million dollar violin her grandparents lend her, but she wants to win for the year-long, world-wide tour that is also part of the prize.

But lately, Carmen hasn’t been herself. Ever since she started to take meds for stage fright she’s been going through the motions, like a robot, not enjoying the music like she used to. The exciting part here is that I recognized the med right away, knew what it was for, knew what were the risks and everything; it gave me a thrill haha. Although I understand that people are scared of meds, I wish I could tell them that meds do not take away their creative side or anything, the pharmacology industry has come a long way to help people and most of the side effects people talk about are just placebo.

She knows she can do it, the other only person in the whole competition who really stands a chance is Jeremy, a handsome Brit that is the male version of her career. When Carmen meets Jeremy she can’t believe how good of a violinist he is, not to mention he’s so charming and good looking. And when he asks her out and they start to know each other and even though they’re supposed to be enemies, the attraction is there and it can’t be denied. I like the sparks in their relationship, I thought it made sense for them to get together; they had so much in common. But young and naïve, they had to ruin it somehow and from Jeremy asking Carmen that, and Carmen’s mom doing that, *sigh* they almost blow it.

Good thing everything got sorted out at the end. And I actually enjoyed how it ended, even though it was a bit unbelievable, it was still worth the time I invested.

Waiting on Wednesday: This is not a drill by Beck McDowell

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)

 

THIS IS NOT A DRILL by Beck McDowell

When high school seniors—and former couple—Emery and Jake find themselves held hostage in a first grade classroom, they must do all they can to protect the kids. Brian Stutts, a U.S. soldier suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after serving in Iraq, pulls out his gun to convince the teacher to hand over the son he’s not allowed to check out because of a custody battle. The situation turns deadly when a security guard appears at the door and Stutts impulsively opens fire. When the teacher is carried from the room, the children's fate is in the hands of Emery and Jake.
While Jake searches for a way to communicate with the policemen surrounding the building, Emery, fighting her shyness, fear, and POTS symptoms, tries to reach out to the soldier. She gains a new understanding of what he faced in Iraq, and discovers remarkable strength in his small son.

Goodreads | Amazon

 

I've been waiting a YA book that deals with a situation deeper than just getting the boy. I mean I don't have anything against adorable bubble gum romance, in fact I'm a fan. But once in a while when a book about a difficult and realistic situation comes out, I devour it.

And don't tell me this one doesn't sound like an amazing, dramatic, full of action story, I need this one now!

Review: Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

Title: Looking for Alibrandi

Author: Melina Marchetta

Published December 18th 2007 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Goodreads | Amazon
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I am so in love with Melina Marchetta’s On The Jellicoe Road, which is perfect; and Saving Francesca, which is not perfect but it’s as amazing. So I was super excited to start Looking for Alibrandi, it started off great, from the first line I was like “yes, this girl could be me” and then she surprises me by being way more awesome than me, and I can’t stop laughing because Josephine Alibrandi is one heck of an amazing teenager. This book turned out to be so great that it’s a bit difficult to believe it is as old as me, that’s right, it was first published in 1992, making it 19 YEARS OLD!, but it doesn’t read old at all, it’s very timeless.

Looking for Alibrandi has more of a serious undertone than her other books, even though Jellicoe had a super sad old story and Francesca was about major depression, Alibrandi was about a world’s old conflict, lack of respect and tolerance between races, discrimination. I never thought such a thing existed in Australia, where I live, in the American country, everyone from all of Latin America wants to go and try to live the American dream at the US, but some people there don’t seem like it very much. We look different, we sound different, we believe in different things therefore we should not be trusted, or at least that’s how their mind works.

Josephine suffers discrimination, for being an Italian girl, an “ethnic” as they call them there. She can’t understand why people can’t give her a chance, even though she’s pretty and super smart and popular, no matter how hard she tries people would always expect her to fail, she would be nothing more than an ethnic. And she hates it, she fights it, and she would never accept it.

And if it’s not enough to be an Italian in the Australian land, she also doesn’t have a dad, she is what mean people would refer to as a “bastard”. So Italians doesn’t like her either, so what’s a girl to do but hang out with the town’s outcasts.

they couldn't have picked an uglier dude to play Jacob in the movie :/

But this is the year of change for Josephine. She meets her dad, who she thought she hated but it’s so good to have a dad, especially one who is a respected lawyer. She gets to know her grandmother to a deeper level, and discovers shocking secrets about her family. She falls in love for the first time, and with an Australian boy nonetheless, Jacob Coote, who drives a motorcycle and goes to the “hick” school in town, Jacob Coote who is the smartest and most passionate guy she’s ever met.

And let's not forget about John Barton, the other part of the "love triangle", whose story made me cry like a baby, and I still cry when I watch the scene in the movie, it's so heartbreaking.

For being Marchetta’s debut book, I was truly impressed. It was funny and intense, fast-paced and full of wit with likable characters. And although I didn’t love it as much as the other ones, I still love it. I was amazed at the mature and classy way Marchetta’s took on suchs difficult topics. And I am so glad she has the guts to do it, it’s a breath of fresh air to read about important stuff and not only the boy on the football team or the hot guy next door.

In my mailbox

So yeah, I'm not one to do In My Mailbox often, but I needed a post while I get to work in some reviews I have yet to start :/

and I have the week off so I don't have excuses :I

I bought all of them, except for the ARC of Such a Rush (!) which made my year btw, thanks Jillian Vandall!

I've never seen this Cecily series before, I loved her Gossip Girl and The Carlyles series so I had to try this one;
I've heard great things about Frankie so of course I had to buy it too;
and I absolutely adore Graffiti Moon (only had it on kindle) so I bought me a harcover copy

I love Jenny B Jonen's There You'll Find Me so yeah. I also adore Melina Marchetta's books and I already finished this one, check back for my review soon ;)
I love the Boy series by Meg Cabot and this is the last one I'm missing;
I'm so excited to start Waterfall too!

As I've said before, Jenn Echols is one of my favorite authors ever, and I have lost my copy of Endless summer so I bought another one 'cause I don't want an incomplete collection of her books :)
I've never heard of To Catch a Prince before but my 12yo cousin convinced me to buy it
and what can I say about Such a Rush? only: WHAT AM I DOING HERE?! must read now

As you can see I am not a good photographer and the pics are a bit blurry but I hope you can see the titles.

Waiting on Wednesday: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.
Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

GOODREADS | AMAZON

Aww, the poor girl gets discovered! D:

but I wanna know what happens next! where does she run to? who does she meet? what exactly does Spinsters do?

see why I really want this book now

Waiting on Wednesday: The Forsaken by Lisa M Stasse

WoW is weekly meme created by Jill at Breaking The Spine in which bloggers can share books they're excited to get soon :)

This week's choice is a dystopian book about a girl sent to an island were they keep potentialy violent prisioners = see why I cannot wait?! Is there a better idea for a book out there?!

I don't think so

The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse

A thought-provoking and exciting start to a riveting new dystopian trilogy.

As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is sent to The Wheel, an island where all would-be criminals end up.

The life expectancy of prisoners on The Wheel is just two years, but with dirty, violent, and chaotic conditions, the time seems a lot longer as Alenna is forced to deal with civil wars for land ownership and machines that snatch kids out of their makeshift homes. Desperate, she and the other prisoners concoct a potentially fatal plan to flee the island. Survival may seem impossible, but Alenna is determined to achieve it anyway.

GOODREADS | AMAZON

look at that cover! O:
Definitely a COVER OF THE YEAR NOMINEE