Thursday, February 22, 2018

Review: Together at Midnight by Jennifer Castle

Title: Together at Midnight 
Author: Jennifer Castle
Published January 2nd 2018 by HarperTeen
Goodreads / Amazon
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I think this book was definitely a good start for the new year. Together at Midnight was a fun, fast read, even though it is not exactly supposed to be that. It starts with our two main characters, Max and Kendall, witnessing a terrible accident and practically doing nothing to stop it from happening. The guilt of what happened makes them accept a dare in which they have to perform seven acts of kindness. It turns out harder than expected.

I like the realness of this book. In real life not everything is what’s cracked up to be, and Maxie and Kendall learn that through it all. I was immediately attached to both of them, since we share a lot of character traits, and I wanted them to keep going and I shipped them so hard. And yet. Yet I was totally okay with that ending. Oh yes, even old hopeless romantic me thought there was not another possible way to end the book, because of reasons you have to read for yourself.

The one thing, though, that I can complain about, is the lack of development of secondary characters. Some of them we got a glimpse of, like grandpa big E, who I absolutely loved because he reminded me of my own grumpy grandpa. But there were several characters who I felt lacked a purpose. For example Ari, who is supposed to be Kendall’s best friend but apart from Kendall always mentioning that I didn’t get to see much of a reason for the apparently amazing friendship. And the practically nonexistent older brothers, the parents, and pretty much all family members except for Kendall’s brother Emmerson.

But oh well, I could live with it. And it didn’t affect my reading experience (much).I still raced through the book in a few hours and honestly had some laugh out loud moments and the obvious cringe of the youth, which is basically an all around win.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Love and Other Train Wrecks by Leah Konen

Title: Love and Other Train Wrecks 
Author: Leah Konen
Published January 2nd 2018 by Katherine Tegen Books
Goodreads / Amazon
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Love and Other Train Wrecks has a lot of reasons not to work out. Surprisingly it does. I mean we are talking about two teens meeting and falling in love in the course of twenty four hours, some of you may say—oh dear, insta love. Not at all. Yes, it turns out to be a romantic story (after a while) but I wouldn’t even throw the word love—yet.

Noah and Ammy find themselves stuck in an unmoving train during a heavy snow fall. They both have places to go, and fast. And although they didn’t hit it off right away, they come up with a plan so together they can get where they are going.

You can imagine all sorts of trouble gets in their way, and it is good, ‘cause otherwise they wouldn’t have gotten to know each other that well.

I had a couple of problems with Ammy at the beginning. I just thought she was being so rude to Noah. And I get it, everyone can have a bad day, and she was having a really bad one, but I would never be nasty to anyone no matter my own condition. I also thought she was like that at the start because Noah was a stranger, but at the end when the trouble rolls in paradise, she went back to being mean. But I guess that’s just her personality, you’re forgiven Ammy.

In the end, I had fun even though I figured out the twist from the start and I wish I hadn’t. But it was a good way to spend a rainy afternoon inside.