Review: Well Met 🎈🍗🌹 by Jen DeLuca

Well Met by Jen DeLuca
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was a ren faire virgin before this book. I had heard of them of course, who hasn't?, but I never considered them enough to hold an interest to me but this book looked so charming that I just had to dig in.

And cute this was *yoda voice*.

Emily Parker is freshly dumped and homeless, so she travels to Smalltown, Maryland to help her sister and niece get themselves together after a horrible car crash. There she finds herself signed up to volunteer at a local renaissance faire being a taver wench.

Everything goes wrong from the start since the one in charge is no other than English teacher, Simon Graham--who is super serious and uptight, thanks to a family tragedy but we don't know that right away.

This ensures that Simon and Emily start off of the wrong foot and snowball into a complicated mess. But you know what they say, love is not that far from hate, right?

I liked both Emily and Simon in their own personas. But were well developed and I totally got were they were coming from. I also liked the idea of a romance between them, but I somehow felt the actual development of a relationship somehow lacking. I don't know, I feel they so seldom interacted to really make me feel their mutual attraction. I mean there was attraction, and there was romance, it just felt to me like it was rushed and a little lacking.

There is plenty of romantic gestures *after* they decide they are in love with each other. And they were really cute and had me smiling for real. So I might be the only one who didn't feel the connection with Emily and Simon as a couple. So try for yourself! :)

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Puck Buddies by Tara Brown ⛸👠

Puck Buddies by Tara Brown
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a total surprise. I got it because it sounded fun and I am always up for some romance with a touch of initial hate, so I jumped right in.

It ended up being a mess. But in a good way.

So many messy feelings and situations. And messy people! I am not even sure I liked either of the main characters at first. Both Sami and Matt were huge snobs, the kind people inherently are when they are brought up in the world of the ultra rich and famous.

But they were also funny (Sami cracked me up so many times) and endearing (Matt could be such a romantic when he wasn’t so stupid). And I truly think both of them grew up and really saw their mistakes and their flaws and actively tried to change. That’s why at the end I could say that I liked the book. Even if I had to suffer through the crappy thing Matt did. ——-> spoiler alert —-> cheating, ugh.

Anyway, I don’t exactly regret the time I spend, but can’t say I am interested in reading more about these two. Though I have a feeling that they turn out alright in the future, the growth they showed during this story makes me believe they are in this for good.

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Review: Tweet Cute by Emma Lord 🐦 💙

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am a hundred percent aware that the statement I am going to make has never been uttered in my blog or any of my reviews on Goodreads, because this is it:
Tweet Cute is the cutest Young Adult novel I have ever read. The end.

Okay, not the end, I still have a lot to gush about. First of all, in an effort to clarify my previous statement, cute in no way means it is fluffy or superficial. It’s all the opposite, is brilliantly thought-of, gloriously developed, deliciously romantic and mulled over to perfection by its author.

This is the kind of read that gives me faith that the genre is and will forever be vital to literature despite what snobs might say. Because it reminds me that the feelings that make us feel like outsiders in our youth are more universally felt than we sometimes believe.

Both main characters, Pepper with her over-achieving antics and sass; and Jack with his class-clown exterior and overwhelmingly caring interior; are the epitome of teenage endearment. I love each one to pieces and wished for them to realize their worth. The slowly built friendship was a delight, to the point that when things start to grow but them and myself were enormously invested.

And the rest of the characters were also fabulous. I could practically see their family and friends jump out the pages, they were so masterfully written that they added so much depth to an already amazing story.

And their respective restaurants? Good lord, I don’t think a book before this one has managed to get me salivating so much at the description of food. I got quite a few ideas for my own cooking.

All in all I am sure I just stumbled into quite a YA jewel. One that is moving straight to reside in my favorites shelf.


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Slammed by Colleen Hoover 🍎

Slammed by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took a while for me to get through Slammed. And by a while I mean actual years (decade?). And it’s all because of its premise. No matter how tastefully you do it, I am programmed to cringe at the idea of a teacher-student relationship.

Layken and Will did not know they were about to be teacher and student when they went on a date. They were super into each other and are crushed to find out their relationship is clearly forbidden.

Now, I tried to get into this, but it was hard, I’m telling you. I mean they went on *one* date and suddenly they were everything to each other. I’ve never been a fan of instalove and this book didn’t convert me.

The rest of the book didn’t do much for me either. The conflict was so over the too and the drama was plenty, but always very convenient to the story. Parts of the book felt like they were there only to fill in pages and didn’t feel creative.

But what I did love. And I love it a lot, was the poetry. Man, there were some brilliant poems in here. And Mr. Cooper the poetry teacher was amazing too. One of my favorite high-school subjects was poetry and I am sure that if I had a teacher as passionate as him, I would have loved it even more.

So while I do not regret reading this, I don’t think I’ll find it in me to continue with the series (though if any of you want to spoil me in the comments I will read them heehee).

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Rules For Being A Girl by Candace Bushnell

Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved it. Review closer to pub date.
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Rules for Being a Girl

I had high hopes when I first started this book, I mean the premise sounds intriguing enough: a girl whose teacher tries to take advantage of her and the aftermath of no one believing her, it’s relevant and it’s true and it’s happening. I was hooked.

I can tell you this book did not disappoint. It met my expectations and then some. Marin, our girl, was one of the most intensively relatable girls I have ever read my while life. I suffered and rejoiced along her throughout. Mostly I just wished this book had been around when I was seventeen.

The novel is not only gorgeously written and hugely captivating—it’s a painful reality we girls recognize. I thought every plot point was managed masterfully and taught a great lesson about empowering oneself but also learning that there are people out there who get it, and people who will fight along us to make things better for the girls of the future.

A story not to be missed.

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Review: Fame, Fate and First Kiss by Kasie West

Title: Fame, Fate and First Kiss 
Author: Kasie West
Expected publication: February 5th 2019 by HarperTeen
Goodreads
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Although it pains me to say it, it's been a while since I last read a Kassie West book that I throughly and truthfully enjoyed. Yes, shocking, since I consider myself a fan and have read every single book she's put out. And don't get me wrong, I still think she is one of my favorite authors, but lately I felt like maybe there was a little spunk lacking.

Thankfully the spunk was plenty in FFaFK. 

I will start with how much I loved our heroine, Lacey Barnes, who is literally the main character in both the book and the biggest (hopefully) zombie movie of the year . Lacey is an aspiring actress that just landed her first big movie role and has to fight her way to the top against people who don't believe in her, and maybe even someone who is trying to sabotage her movie role. I liked Lacey, she was sassy and funny and her quick-wit made her moves unexpected, which added to a fun ride along the story.

Along the way Lacey finds help in unexpected people, like her surprisingly friendly co-stars and her school tutor, Donavan. Honestly, Donavan's whole personality spoke to my soul, I like people who are simple and quiet, the opposite of the hero-complex. I loved this guy.

Lacey and Donavan had perfect chemistry and they were the reason this book works out so well. Sparks were flying everytime they were together. I ate it up. 

Overall I think this one won't be winning any awards soon, but it is very cute and witty and amounts to a fun time. 

Review: Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

Title: Starry Eyes 
Author: Jenn Bennett
Published April 3rd 2018 by Simon Pulse
Add On Goodreads
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I found this book browsing the nominees for the Goodreads Choice Awards. Normally, the awards tend to be just a popularity contest, but with this book I have no doubt that the majority of its readers actually voted for it because they loved it.

Because I loved it too. So much. It embodies every single thing I used to love about Young Adult literature. Smart characters who grow into awesome people, fun new experiences, the drama of becoming their ownselves. I enjoyed every minute of this book and it filled me with hope that not everything is lost for Contemporary YA.

The story is about a couple of best friends who go through bad circumstances (a failed Great Experiment) and end up becoming sort of "enemies". Zorie is a young girl obsessed with planets and stars, and Lennon is a reptile lover, punk rocker, Bear Grylls-extraordinaire. I love them to bits. They both reminded me so much of myself when I was a teenager, stressed and confused but also always trying to move forward. The author got it so right.

I also appreciated how quick and intense the book was, filled with awesome scenes both in the city and the wilderness that had me on the edge of my seat. And don't even get me started on all the amazing side characters and their own nail-biting stories, like Joy's marriage  or Mac's teenaged homelessness. I thought everything added an extra depth to an already brilliant story.

I can't recommend this enough. This book is already on a straight path into my favorites. Even now writing a review about it, I can't help but smile, reminiscing how great it was. Loved it.

Review: 9 Days and 9 nights by Katie Cotugno

Title: 9 Days and 9 nights 
Author: Katie Cotugno 
Published May 1st 2018 by Balzer + Bray
Add On Goodreads
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Despite all its complicated, messy, morally corrupt ways; I loved 99 Days. Maybe because of all of that. I’ve spent five years and as many times re-reading the book that I can assure you, it doesn’t get more real and human than that. I liked that it challenged me to rethink my convictions and see the other side of things. 

9 Days and 9 Nights comes five years after I first read 99 Days, and I am far from the twenty-year-old that read it back then. Much like Molly Barlow, I’ve also learned that our screw-ups are an important part of who we are, even if they are in our past.

While there was definitely less drama involved this time, I was blessedly compensated by so much growth. Like, I was so proud of every single character, Molly, Gabe (who has honestly become my favorite Donelly by a long shot), Imogen, Diana Barlow, Ian, even Sadie. I don’t think I have ever quite liked every single character, flaws and all.

I also rejoice by how expertly Katie Cotugno managed to write a book that actually teaches you something without sounding preachy. You can make bad decisions and not be a bad person. You can take control of your body and having it be your business and not a single person should convince you otherwise. You can move to the other side of the world with your boyfriend of two months and not be considered stupid. Sometimes the people we love are the ones we hurt the most, but we are allowed to ask forgiveness. 

There were also a few things I didn’t like, like how maybe Ian was thrown under the bus for a bit there, to make a (very important, I must admit) point, but I felt a little bit cheated because I’ve managed to believe he was pretty darn great. It was also a bit easy to figure out where everything was going from a mile away, still the ride was enjoyable enough to ignore it. 

I think I can say that I was not at all disappointed with this sequel that came out of nowhere for me. I didn’t expect it, I didn’t ask for it, but now that I have it, I must confess I am really glad I got it.

Review: The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Title: The Boy Most Likely To 
Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick
Published September 6th 2016 by Penguin Group
Goodreads - Amazon
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I read Huntley's first book, My Life Next Door, way back when it came out, and I remember loving it so I was excited to finally get around to reading another one of her stories. Now I am sad it took me so long.

This is a complicated story. From the start you know a lot of things about Tim's past, and how he's recovering from being a teenage alcoholic. How can you not root for someone who is trying to climb out of the hole they are in?

And I certainly couldn't stop myself from falling in love with Tim. I loved, loved that we got to see inside his head and it was honestly heartbreaking. It was so different, the kid he portrayed from who he really was, how he saw himself as basically worthless. I wanted him to be better, to get better, and to hope for something better. He is just a seventeen-year-old boy after all.

Luckily a lot of people around his life saw right through his jokester shield and into his real self. Alice Garret being one of those. 

Alice was so easy to sympathize with. I just could tell how torn she felt, she wanted to help Tim, help her family, and through it all stay true to herself and what she wanted. It's horrible, to be stuck between wanting to help others and help yourself too. 

Guys, there's a couple of shocking things happening that had me wrecking my brain (and my heart) because I just couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

But I shouldn't need worry because everything turned right at the end (maybe a little too prettily wrapped with a big bow, but that is the reason I love all this contemporaries, so I'm good here). So though I suffered from watching my dearly loved characters get tangled in a mess that kept getting bigger, I can testify that these are the books that I love the most, the ones that make me so invested. 

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.

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.

Review; These Things I've Done by Rebecca Phillips

Title; These Things I've Done
Author: Rebecca Phillips

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published August 1st 2017 by HarperTeen

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I've been starving for some contemporary jewel this year. So far this has probably been the busiest year of my life so far (and that's saying a lot) and I have read a whooping 4 books so far--and it's friggin April.

So I was desperately needing some good quality story to get me out of my funk. These Things I've Done turned out to be the miracle I was hoping for.

I didn't even expect it. I haven't even read a blurb for the book so I was on a blind date. It's so shocking to realize you are so compatible with your blind date (not that I have ever been on a blind date before, mind you) that I am still trying to make sense about what happened.

The book is about a tragic accident where a girl named Aubrey died. It's about the very different and heartbreaking ways the people closest to her, her best friend Dara and her brother Ethan, deal with it.

I saw someone comparing it to In Honor, which has sort of a very similar plot, but I disagree. I thought These Things I've Done was deeper, sadder and more realistic. I actually felt sad about Aubrey dying, which *never* happens. I mean, I am usually very aware that this is only a book and no one died, but this time I got sad anyway. I tend to find flashbacks annoying and repetitive, but in this book I really enjoyed them, and they made me care.

I was so happy about Dara, Aubrey and Ethan and their odd three-way friendship. I was literally so invested. Then I was devastated to learn that a friendship so awesome had crumbled apart so easily.

I loved Dara. She was such a likable protagonist, vulnerable with a side of fierceness. I loved her before, as that fearless girl who loved adrenaline, but I also loved her as a broken, sensitive kid who is full of guilt and confussion. Here's a hug for you Dara: *hug*.

And don't even get me started on Ethan, who handled things so perfectly, so maturely. He's a huge reason why this novel works so well.

Anyhow. I loved this novel. You can't change my mind about it. It's been put on my "read again" shelf. And you should try it too!

Review: Top Ten by Katie Cotugno

Title; Top Ten 
Author; Katie Cotugno

Hardcover, 320 pages

Expected publication: October 3rd 2017 by Balzer + Bray

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Ah. Where to start? 

I honestly can't find the words because it almost pains me to say that I did not like this book. I will try to make sense of why now.

First of all; the format. What was up with that? The book jumped from time to time without much sense. We'd be reading about senior year and then summer of freshman year, then junior year winter and it wasn't confusing per se (well at least not ALL the time) but it was annoying and pointless. Throughout I kept wanting to fix the damned timeline.

Another thing was that I didn't quite connect with either of the main characters. Even their friendship made no sense to me or them it seemed. And not in a way that they shouldn't be friends just like neither of us know if they are friends just because they want to be together.

But my biggest problem with it, and I hate to say it but I will, is that I found it to be boring. I honestly think the book offered nothing plot-wise. I finished the book not 12 hours ago and I can't tell you what it was about except two teens realizing they are better off friends. I think it tried to add substance by exploring Gabby's mental struggle with anxiety and Ryan's concussioned brain, but it wasn't enough for me. 

For example, they played Ryan's injury a lot throughout the book, they build it up with headaches getting more and more frequent and even having his personality change because of it. I was hoping it will get explored at the end if he had ny consequences because of it, but at the end the issue is suddenly dropped like nothing ever happened. It left me feeling cheated. And I just thought that overall the story lacked depth. 

As always, this is only what I think and in no way reflects an absolute. So I invite you to form your own opinion by picking up the book from your local library or bookstore.

Review: Someone Else's Summer by Rachel Bateman

Title: Someone Else's Summer
Author: Rachel Bateman
Publication Date: May 9th, 2017
Goodreads | Amazon
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I liked the premise of Someone Else’s Summer: girl sets off to do her dead sister’s bucket summer list and enlists the help of her sister’s best male friend. At first I thought the premise was simple and straight-forward and I was in the mood for some of that.

But then, things not always turn out how you expect them and the book had more layers than I initially thought. Now I am not a fan of books where they spend all the time reminiscing about a dead character I never met. That was one of my problems with this one too. Like how all the time Anna and Cameron would be: “You know how Storm was!” and I would be: No, I don’t know, move on please. But that’s just the natural progression of grieve, so I let it slide. Even though I just was told that Storm was great and I never got to see why.

Also everyone else, from the parents to the aunt to Anna’s best friend and her friend with benefits, everyone was supposed to be great and awesome. But I just couldn’t tell, none of them well developed enough for me to even glimpse their greatness.

What I really couldn’t let slide, though, was the lack of personality from both Anna and Cameron (and honestly, every character in the book). I felt like everything they ever did was defined by Storm, and I couldn’t really tell who either of them were. They also had strange mood swings that I could attribute to grief to, but that be cutting a lot of slack. For example, they’d be mad at each other in one scene, and then I would wait for the next scene to explain why they were mad but instead it was all “I got over my anger, I’m fine now.” I mean, seriously! Whatever.

However, I did think their road trip was fun. I liked to witness their adventures and felt like overall that part was entertaining enough to make the book worthwhile. And the plot twist by the end gave the story a new depth that made it better. But unfortunately, not much better for me. It had a lot of potential to be great but sadly, I think it fell flat. Though it might be great for some, so give it a try for yourself, it's a quick, light read.

Review: Lucky Girl by Amanda Maciel

Title: Lucky Girl 

Author: Amanda Maciel

Expected publication: April 25th 2017 by Balzer & Bray

GOODREADS |

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You know I hate trashing books. That's just not classy. But I also hate not being honest. So I am going to take the easy way out:

This book was not for me.

I guess I just thought this book was going to be something entirely different. Somehow I pictured a story about redemption. You know, because the main character is supposed to be this super gorgeous girl, so I thought, I don't know, that the book would focus on agreeing why looks are meaningless.

But no. I basically had to sit through ten thousand paragraphs that were a variation of "I'm so gorgeous", "Everyone stares at me because I'm so gorgeous", "I wish everyone would stop reminding me how gorgeous I am". And I'm not even kidding. I was like, I got it the first time you said it can we move on?

But we hardly moved on so I basically endured the journey of "accepting that I am such a beauty" and then finding a boyfriend who doesn't care I am the prettiest.

And I thought, there has to be someone good in this book, some character has to be a little less shallow. But everyone, every single character at some point (mostly all the time) talks about the main character's beauty/gorgeousness. And I would have (maybe) forgiven it, if they weren't all so clueless and disappointing. None of them felt like characters at all, more like story fillers.

The only redeeming quality I found was the part about *SPOILER ALERT* the assault. The main character is assaulted and she goes through the very hard to read about but also very real process of realizing that, yes you were assaulted, and no, it wasn't your fault.

But honestly, this book was not for me. I wish I hadn't read it, if only for saving me the embarrassment of having to write a bad review. It's nothing personal, I'm sorry.

And lastly, I just want to say, don't let anyone else's opinion stop you from reading something if you are really interested in it. That's all. Peace.

Review: Fireworks by Katie Cotugno

Title: Fireworks 
Author: Katie Cotugno
Expected publication: April 18th 2017 
by HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray
GOODREADS / AMAZON 
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I have a love/hate relationship with Katie Cotugno. I love her books but I hate that I do. I hate it because she writes about everything I hate, like love triangles or siblings fighting or best friends falling out and all that stuff that makes me sad.

I don't like that I enjoy everything she writes even though her stories tear me apart. But I keep coming, like a dumb moth to a flame.

I grabbed an ARC of Fireworks as soon as I saw it, without knowing anything about it. Zero knowledge about the story except that it was written about Cotugno and apparently that was enough.

Now onto business. Honestly, I enjoyed every second of this book. From the fact that it was set in the 90's, to the fact that it was about girl bands and boy bands (that makes it larger than life, you know?) it was all so bloody entertaining.

It's been a while since I have been this invested in a story but from the moment I met Dana Cartwright, the heroine*, I was a goner. I loved the girl to bits, I rooted for her every step of the way. She was so well crafted that she felt like a real, live person who shared the same sentiments of self-doubt and fear that I felt--that everyone feels at eighteen.

But like every time I invest myself on a Katie Cotugno story, I got my heart broken again. Yes, I did. But somehow it's starting to feel less like a painful hole in my chest and more like learning. 

This book was amazing, I swear. I don't even know what I can say (that I haven't already) to make you try it. It has the perfect amount of living the dream and staying grounded, of friends and enemies, of love and heartbreak. I loved every second and I hope you do too.

*Heroine indeed. I would have kicked something in a rage induced madness.

Review: The End Of Our Story by Meg Haston

Title: The End Of Our Story 
Author: Meg Haston
Expected publication: April 4th 2017 by HarperTeen
GOODREADS | AMAZON
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Disclaimer: Hello friends. I decided that this book is basically this song in story form. So if you want, you can listen to it while reading my review. If you don't want that, please don't do it just because I said so. 

So, as I read the last chapter of The End Of Our Story I have mixed feelings. There isn't a single chapter in the book that didn't depress me. Seriously it was all an avalanche of sadness.

And yet. Yet I kind of liked it.

The writing was very lyrical and the character's background story was my favorite part. You know how I am a sucker for bestfriends turned something more, and this story had plenty of that.

Bridge and Wil had been each other's closest friends for a long time, they were even a couple at some point. But situation after situation have kept them apart for a year. A year where things unraveled into a huge mess.

Bridge and Wil were not perfect. In fact I was annoyed at both of them most of the time. They were flawed but they were real. I wouldn't do the same things they did if I were in their place but I understood where they were coming from. It was easy to, because they felt like very real, very confused teenagers. And who can judge them, honestly? There is not one of us who doesn't regret something they did at seventeen.

That led me to be okay with the story, after everything, I was okay. I accepted it and I actually think I enjoyed it. 

That's why I have no doubts in recommending this book. Give it a try. Especially if you love a different kind of romance, that might or might not be bittersweet. ;)

Review. The Hundred Lives of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti

Title. The Hundred Lives of Lizzie Lovett 
Author. Chelsea Sedoti
Release Date. January 3rd 2017 by Sourcebooks
Goodreads /  Amazon
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Who would have thought I’d be reading a book about a girl suspecting another girl’s disappearance was because she turned into a werewolf?

I certainly didn’t expect it. Neither I think I knew what this book was about when I opened it. I wonder if that had changed things. Probably.

Because I am not a fan of fantasy. Or a fan of werewolves for the matter.

And yet.

Yet I pretty much read the whole book in two sittings. Because even though strange things started rolling—like Hawthorn, the narrator, convincing herself Lizzie Lovett a local girl who disappeared, turned into a werewolf—I not only chose to keep reading, I was in fact like..

Yes, really. And the strange things keep on piling up. Like Hawthorn somehow starting to live Lizzie’s life, getting her job and maybe even her boyfriend all while trying to solve a mystery that it seemed only she cared about.

I was appalled, worried, concerned for her sanity, but I was also very compelled. The story is weird and magical in a sense. Very different from what I am used to in Contemporary YA. And I loved it. I really truly did, it had that marvellous combination of an outcast opening her eyes to see the world around her for the first time, and experiencing heartbreak and love and fun and pain in the process. Pretty much what I seek in any contemp I read. 

If you are like that I suggest you give this book a chance too. It might surprised you in an awesome way like it did with me.

PS. I can never get over how cute Connor's nickname for Hawthorn is. Thorny. Thorny, Thorny, Thorny. Ow, my heart.

Review: Puck (A Twisted Lit Novel) by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes

Title: Puck (A Twisted Lit Novel) 
Author: Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
Expected publication: November 15th 2016 by Doublet Press
GOODREADS . AMAZON
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I was very excited to jump into Puck, the new story on Amy and Kim Shakespeare retellings aka Twisted Lit series. I'm glad to inform that I wasn't disappointed.

Puck as you'd expect, is a really good heroine. She's had a tough life, and it has made her maybe a bit too cynical. But she was still likable, and it might have to do with her awesome sense of humor.

The story revolves around a group of misfits thrown into the wild mountains of Utah for a rehabilitation camp of sorts. As you could imagine, Puck was very wary of everyone, maybe I was a little bit too, but it took less than a quarter of the story for me to see so many good qualities in the group that I ended up loving every single one of those guys.

There is a twist in there that I don't think I saw coming even though in retrospective I think I should have. But that's the thing about this retellings, they are much than that you forget you already are supposed to know the story.

The only thing that semi-bothered me about it was that Puck's relationship with Paula, her foster mom, wasn't as explored as I would have liked. It would have been great to glimpse a little bit more about their relationship and how it grew to the state it is in now. Because it is quite refreshing (and hopeful) to meet a good foster mom. 

But all in all I really enjoyed the book. The parts where Puck was in the camp were all very entertaining and sometimes laugh out loud funny. Puck was a satisfying read after the long wait. :)

Review: Diplomatic Immunity by Brodi Ashton

Title: Diplomatic Immunity 
Author: Brodi Ashton
Expected publication: September 6th 2016 by Balzer + Bray
Goodreads / Amazon 
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Diplomatic Immunity is the tale as old as time of poor scholarship girl that falls for the cute rich boy. And like in all these cases, the strong headed heroine struggles to admit her feelings and therefore unravels a whole curse of sometimes fun, sometimes annoying situations.

Things I liked: 

That the story was set in Private School. I love Private School, maybe cause I never went to one, but is my guilty pleasure to read about the equestrian class.

That the hero was from Spain and had a cute accent.

I adore when we go out of our way to include other countries representation of people, just like America is in real life.

That it had a healthy family dynamic.

The heroine actually got along with her parents perfectly, and she loved her little autistic brother with whom she hangs out a lot.

Things I didn't like:

The heroines obsession with winning.

Ok I can get behind a healthy competitive personality, I am actually super competitive, but when she failed to realize she was hurting lots of people and still meant to do it, that's not ok.

That the story drags on. 

Yes, it's a bit on the repetitive side, this one. Especially going on and on about how the hero is great but has a girlfriend. Lol.

Despite my mild annoyance at some of this, I still managed to finish the book, which left me with quite a feeling of satisfaction so I figure it was worth it. And if your're into an international, posh cast of characters you might like it too. AND if you are into journalism you might even love it.