Waiting On Wednesday: Leap Of Faith by Jamie Blair

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

 

 

 

 

LEAP OF FAITH

by Jamie Blair

 

 

Now that Leah Kurtz has a place to call home, there’s no way she can tell the truth.

 

That her name is Faith, not Leah.

 

That she’s seventeen, not nineteen.

 

That the baby isn’t hers—she kidnapped her.

 

She had to kidnap Addy though. She couldn’t let her newborn sister grow up like she did, with parties where the drugs flow all night and an empty refrigerator in the kitchen holding nothing but pickle juice and ketchup packets inside.

 

She can’t risk losing Chris—the only guy she’s ever given herself to completely—by telling him she’s been lying. He’s the most generous person she’s ever known, and he’s already suffered the tragic deaths of his mom and infant sister.

 

But being on the run with a newborn catches up with her when a cop starts asking questions, and Chris’s aunt finds a newspaper article about Faith and a missing baby. Faith knows it’s time to run again—from Chris and the only place that’s ever felt like home.

 

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Leap of Faith sounds emotional and heartbreaking and I can't wait to dive in.

Also, I love to read about the bond between sisters, and if one of the sisters happens to be a baby I am not sure my heart can handle the adorableness(?).

Waiting On Wednesday: The Distance Between Us

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

 

 

 

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US

by Kasie West

 

 

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.
 

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Y'all I love this synopsis. I love love, that's why I read so much Contemp.

 I can't wait to watch Xander & Caymen's relationship bloom.

 

(and who else hates porcelain dolls?! *shudders*)

Review: Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

Title: Perfect Scoundrels

Author: Ally Carter

Contemporary YA

Published February 5th 2013 by Hyperion Books for Children

Goodreads | Amazon

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I love the Heist Society series. I love that they're a thrill ride, I love its complexity and simplicity. It can do no wrong in my eyes.

However, much to my surprise (and dismay) Perfect Scoundrels ended up being my least favorite of the three. I can't really point out why, maybe because there wasn't a big heist in it or maybe because it was just so sad all the time.

But don't get me wrong, I still think it was excellent. I loved that Ally decided to dedicatedsome time to explore Hale as a bigger character and not just a love interest. I adore Hale, he is one of my ultimate boyfriends, but to be honest, we didn't have much information about him from the previous books, except for the fact that he's insanely rich and ultra loyal. I loved that we learned what we've been guessing all along: that his life isn't as perfect as you'd imagine, that his family is one of those you wouldn't want to have, and that his parents are snobs. There was a new vulnerability to Hale that Ally Carter had only let us glimpse in the past. So I absolutely loved that.

And Kat acting all worried over Hale was the icing on the cake. I mean I hate when girls made everything about themselves and start stealing the spotlight. Kat was Kat. The perfect, poised and mature girlfriend that just wanted to help her boyfriend, even if said boyfriend kept pushing her away. It was also so cool that all her family teamed up to help Hale. It showed that unity and love don't need blood bonds.

Overall, I think it was a great continuation to the story, but I am nowhere need done with this characters, I need more. And it sucks that we don’t even have a confirmation for a next book ):

PS. If you're a fan of Ally's work or if you've never picked up either of her series but would want to check if they'd be for you, then go and read her short story: Double Crossed, a fun and entertaining cross over of her series (and it includes Hale!).

 

 

Waiting on Wednesday: Charm & Strange \\ Famous Last Words

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

 

 

 

CHARM & STRANGE

by Stephanie Kuehn

 

Andrew Winston Winters is at war with himself.

 

He’s part Win, the lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts all his classmates out, no matter the cost.

 

But he’s also part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a family secret so painful it led three children to do the unthinkable.

 

Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles the pain of his past and the isolation of his present. Before the sun rises, he’ll either surrender his sanity to the wild thoughts inside his mind or learn that surviving can mean more than not dying.

 

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I initially thought this one was a contemporary read, but I later found out it's actually paranormal. But I am not one to discriminate and I will read this book because seriously, how heartbreaking and beautiful and sad does it sound?

 

 

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

 

Sixteen-year-old Samantha D’Angelo has death on the brain. Her summer internship at the local newspaper has her writing obituaries instead of soaking up the sun at the beach. Between Shelby, Sam’s boy-crazy best friend; her boss Harry, a true-blue newspaper man; and AJ, her fellow “intern scum” (aka the cute drummer for a band called Love Gas), Sam has her hands full. But once she figures out what—or who—is the best part of her summer, will she mess it all up?

 

As Sam learns her way around both the news room and the real world, she starts to make some momentous realizations about politics, ethics, her family, romance, and most important—herself.

 

 

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I am obsessed with this book synopsis because how awesome does Sam's job sound?!
Now add a story about growing up and family and ROMANCE. Oh dear, I'm sold!

(And then the unthinkable happened and I got offered an ARC!) 

YAAAAAAAAAAY!

 

Review: High School Hangover by Stephanie Hale

Title: High School Hangover
Author: Stephanie Hale
Published November 14th 2012 by Stephanie Hale
Contemporary YA
Goodreads | Amazon
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What an adorable book! I can’t even begin to explain how much I love The-Hangover type of books. When I was younger my favorite book of all time was this novel I found on my mom’s forbidden Harlequin box, about a girl that was saving her bff’s butt by getting his fiancé so drunk they ended up in Vegas, married and with no memory. I know, I know, not the kind of read a 12-year-old should have in her hands but I never followed the rules in what books concerned.

So it wasn’t actually that surprising that I ended up really enjoying this one. Laney was the valedictorian of her class and after her speech fiasco she decides to live a little and go to a party. You can guess things don’t turn out awesome for Laney but they definitely turned out funny for me.

I loved Laney, she’s a bit like me, except I don’t have her high IQ so I actually have to study. I get her excessive worrying about school and her compulsive studying, sometimes I don’t want to leave my house either but she just proved me that when you let yourself go you might end up having an amazing time.

Jack was another amazing cookie. I figured him out from page one but I was still delighted to hear his confessions towards the end. And seriously, who can not-love a guy named Jack? It’s practically a crime!

Now, in all through the chaos and the haze, Jack and Rose Laney end up hitching a ride from a bunch of senior citizens. People, you don’t know this about me but I love old people. I am even considering specializing in Geriatrics; I just can’t resist their charms. And I didn’t resist the charms of J&L’s travel companions, they were just the cutest bunch of funny lunatics, I loved every one of them, even Milly aka the GILF (that means what you think it means).

Yes, the story was a bit predictable, yes some things were unrealistic, and yes, the cover is kind of a turn-off; but I loved every minute I spend reading this book and the smile didn’t left my face way after I finished it.

 

Waiting On Wednesday: Parallel by Lauren Miller

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

 

 

 

 

Parallel by Lauren Miller

 

Abby Barnes had a plan. Get into a great college, major in journalism, and land her dream job at a major newspaper. But on the eve of her 18th birthday, she's stuck on a Hollywood movie set instead, wishing she could rewind her life. But the next morning, she’s in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. A collision of parallel worlds has left Abby living a new reality every time her younger parallel self makes a new decision. Forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go on her plans for the future and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that’s finally in reach.

Add on Goodreads

Just have a look at the praise and you'll see why this one

is a must-read-soon-or-else-I-will-die book:

“A fun, twisty novel about the paths you choose and the paths you don’t…to follow your heart’s desire. Deeply romantic and entertaining!“ (Melissa de la Cruz, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of BLUE BLOODS and WITCHES OF EAST END )

 
“Penetrating, jaw–dropping, and so real, PARALLEL had me turning pages at warp speed, hoping for the best tomorrow. Read this book.” (Huntley Fitzpatrick, author of MY LIFE NEXT DOOR )
 
“Best. Debut. Novel. Ever.” (Lauren Barnholdt, author of TWO-WAY STREET )
 
“PARALLEL beautifully tackles the universal themes of fate, destiny, and the search for a soulmate, proving that there are no wrong turns. Your heart will soar and you’ll be cheering at the end.” (Jordanna Fraiberg, author of IN YOUR ROOM )
 
“Wildly inventive and wonderfully romantic, PARALLEL takes readers on a journey that will open their minds and their hearts.” (Jennifer E. Smith, author of THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT )

Review: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Title: Just One Day
Author: Gayle Forman
Published January 8th 2013 by Dutton Juvenile
Contemporary YA
Goodreads | Amazon
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Sometimes you just don't like the main character. Sometimes they just rub you the wrong way. But sometimes it doesn’t matter that much because you can still like the book.

Allyson and I are simply incompatible. She's running away from everything that I am: a med student, a girl who doesn't let her emotions get in the way, someone who would never ditch the Louvre to go in a boat ride. Maybe it’s only me, but I was kind of offended by everything she said and did.

So because Allyson is such a huge part of the story, it made it kind of impossible for me to enjoy a big portion of the book. However, it was good to watch her grow and stop being so self-centered. I have to say that to me, obsessing over a boy you knew for one day to the point that you start failing your classes and stop making friends, that was just pathetic, too Bella Swan for my liking. But I am the first to admit there have to be girls out there who see that in another light, maybe even romantic, and who am I to judge?

The only redeeming thing about Allyson was that she kind of let lose by the end of the book. When she goes back to Paris, one year after she met Willem, she is a whole new person. And I liked her much more, even though I still thought going back to Paris to look for a boy you met one day was stupid.

Now, Willem. What can I say about him except that he wasn’t even that talkative. In every paragraph Allyson states that he’s laughing and smiling and being awesome and I was uninspired. Don’t get me wrong, he was a cute guy who had a deep, awesome conversation about falling in love and being in love, but it was just one conversation. I couldn’t fall in love with him because there was so little to fall in love with.

I ended up not hating the book only because it had gorgeous descriptions of the setting, and the writing was flawless, but I thought it did nothing to stand out from the ever-growing pile of travel-and-find-yourself-in-the-process books, and I’m not sure I want to know more about the story or the characters.