(I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
I loved this book from the beginning. Zoe's character is very likable in a very quirky way.
I initially was a little hesitant because I've never read a book written by a man in a woman's perspective, but I really liked the synopsis. So I decided to give it a shot and I'm really glad it did. Reading this book at a young age is probably a good thing, it reminds you to live your life to the fullest. Try to fulfill any dreams you may have, regardless of how silly they may be.
There are so many good bands referenced in this book, I found myself listening to all of them on Pandora while I was working. Joan Jett, The Go-Go's, The Bangles. I urge you to listen to them now!
Air Zoe actually made me laugh out loud a few times, I'm sure my husband thought I was crazy. Zoe is a bit crazy. Lauren is a bad ass guitar chick. Ginger is a bit spacey. And Melinda is a hippie pothead. Every single character was developed perfectly. Both of them; meaning their character present day and the one from 1987.
The one thing I didn't like was how run on some of the paragraphs were. About midway through I would lose my concentration. But that's the only negative comment I have regarding Air Zoe. So read it and love it!(less)
()I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
We realized that we BOTH requested this book for review, and so because of this we decided to do our review together!
We both absolutely loved this book. It was realistic, it was heart-wrenching, and Jenny cried while reading it (which, she's known to do a lot while reading).
Harper's older sister June killed herself a week prior to the story starting. Understandably, Harper and her mother (who is now single after having gotten divorced) are feeling lost and while they are both attempting to deal with the shock and grief of it all, Harper decides to take her sister's urn to California.
June had always dreamed of leaving to go to California and Harper ends up teaming up with her best friend Laney and Jake (who we LOVED) to drive across the U.S. to the ocean in California to drop June's ashes. They get into a lot of adventures along the way, some of which were funny, and some of which were shocking and sad.
Harper's character was perfectly cast as the little sister. She always felt like she was living in June's shadow and, despite doing a lot of sisterly arguing, she really looked up to her. She was very likable as a character.
Have we mentioned we love Jake? Cuz, we do. He was edgy and sensitive and we wanted to sit and listen to music with him.
There's a lot of musical references in this book (like, a ton), and at the very end of the book is a playlist of all the songs referenced in the book. We definitely felt like listening to some music after reading this book. Well, and Jenny needed tissues.(less)
I honestly didn't like this book that much, but I think it's because I was expecting too much from it since I absolutely love Tina Fey.
I'm not great...moreI honestly didn't like this book that much, but I think it's because I was expecting too much from it since I absolutely love Tina Fey.
I'm not great at remembering actors/comedians names, so that was probably a downfall too. She would reference people and I wouldn't remember who they were, so I had to ask my husband or Google who they were so the story would make sense to me. Also, some of the references were a little before my time since I'm 22 and she's 40.
There were definitely parts that made me laugh out loud because it is Tina Fey and she is funny. But I just didn't find it as great as others have.
I rated this book a 3. I enjoyed it, for the most part, but I won't read it again.
(I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
I honestly don't understand what so many people loved about this book. I found the whole thing hard to follow.
I know Emmy was in a drugged up weird mental state, but I could barely understand anything she ever said or thought. Even from the beginning!
Also, Kephart tried to describe everything too much. I couldn't handle how some of the paragraphs of the descriptions of things are Emmy or Sophie just went on and on and on. Towards the end I would skip some paragraphs just to get to the dialogue.
Two things that kept me reading this book were the good recommendations I read (and heard) and I wondered what was going to happen to Sophie. I did like Sophie's character. Along with Joey and his aunts. They're another reason I kept reading, I actually liked them.
I guess this book just wasn't my cup of tea, which is a bummer. I tried so hard to like it. (less)
()I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
have to admit, I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style in the beginning but it eventually grew on me. It flowed really nicely and made it a quick read.
I love that the main characters name is similar to mine, Kait! She is kind of a loser in school. She is also considered a freak by some, like her ex-best friend April, because likes to funeral crash for fun.
At one funeral she runs into Riley, the hottest guy from school. It turns out his sister died. Riley thinks she's been murdered. He ends up enlisting Kait to help him find out who did it.
It's a cute story that follows Kait and Riley through their own murder investigation. I really enjoyed watching the relationship between them blossom.
If you're looking for a cute, quick YA read then I would recommend this!(less)
I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
This story was a chronicle of the author's journey through infertility. Her journey was difficult and very heart wrenching. Infertility is not an easy thing to deal with, and the author's road to having a baby definitely had it's ups and downs.
It is definitely written in a very journalistic style. The author was incredibly honest about her feelings and documenting her thoughts in this book. We felt like we learned a lot about who the author was as a person through reading her story (she has a very sensitive stomach).
This is a good book for both those who suffer from infertility and those who don't know much about it, but would like to learn more without reading tons of technical jargon.
We both thought this was a good book, but is something we probably wouldn't re-read again.(less)
(I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
I adored this book. Absolutely adored. I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy for my bookshelf, that's how much I loved this book. Geek Girl made me smile, giggle and wish that I'd met a boy like Trevor in high school!
It all starts out with Jen betting her friends that she can turn a Trevor, a geek, into bad boy.
Jen is a goth girl that loves to party. She's got funky hair, clothes and facial piercings. She's been kicked out of way too many foster homes and all on her volition. She doesn't like to stick around in one places for too long.
Trevor is a geek. He wants to get good grades and cares about getting into college. He volunteers at a community center for old folks. And he even enjoys hanging out with his family.
Needless to say, Jen and Trevor are complete opposites, but that doesn't stop them from falling for one another. There are hurdles and lots of them. Trevor's mom is never really a fan of Jennifer. Even after Jen falls for Trevor she still tried to turn him bad. Jen thinks if she brings Trevor down to her level then she's worthy of his love.
Even though the storyline was a bit predictable, that didn't deter me from reading it. In fact, I would say it was the opposite. I couldn't put Geek Girl down!
There were some hard hitting subjects, such as abuse, but I think it's great for authors to shine a light on these topics.
I'm interested in checking out anything else Bennett has to offer!(less)
(I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
This book was fabulous. This was the first book I've read by Hopkins in a few years, so I forgot how it was to read in verse. Once I started though it was so easy to follow along with. Each poem flowed into the next. It was seamless.
The characters were so well developed it almost felt like they were real. I connected with each of them and whatever situation they were going through. Some definitely had it harder than others.
I've read some reviews stating this was an adult book, unlike Hopkins' other books which are all YA. And I'd definitely have to agree. There are some erotic scenes within these pages, but they're beautifully written.
The story lines within this book were things you'd hear about in everyday life. Holly is stuck in a marriage that looks perfect but she is no longer happy with her husband so she seeks attention elsewhere. Marissa is struggling with a dying child, gay son and a husband is becoming increasingly distant from her. Then Andrea who has a daughter, a worthless ex husband and she's searching for something more.
If you love books that are drama filled, then this it for you. There's plenty of drama to go around. It sucks you in and you have to know what happens next.
I plan on reading anything I can get my hands on by Ellen Hopkins.(less)
Second, Wither is unlike any book I've read. It was such a unique story li...moreCheck out more reviews at Books to the Sky.
First, isn't this cover gorgeous?
Second, Wither is unlike any book I've read. It was such a unique story line. Males only live until twenty-five and females only live until twenty. In order to try to help the human race not die out men marry multiple women to procreate.
Rhine stolen from her home and was forced to marry Linden, a 21 year old son of a First Generation.
From the beginning all Rhine cared about was finding away to escape this new life. In the midst of lying to her new husband and her sister wives she started to believe that she was falling in love with Linden and her new way of life. After she meets Gabriel though, she knew she must escape with him and show him the world outside of House Governor Linden's walls.
Throughout the story you realize that Linden is just as much a prisoner in this lifestyle as Rhine is. His father, the First Generation, is holding them all there as his little science experiments to try to find an antidote. I end up feeling sorry Linden, but he's almost blind to fact that his father has him held prisoner in his own home.
I fell in love with Rhine and Gabriel. They're so sweet and innocent and just want to be given a chance to see if maybe they have a connection together outside the chaos of Linden's house.(less)
We both read this book for review. We were going to do our own separate thoughts, but the more we discussed the book, the more we realized that our thoughts aligned on the book and how we felt about it.
Megan's Way is a tear jerker, no way around it. So if you read it, be prepared to have a box of kleenex next to you.
Megan is a single mother (to Olivia) and is dying of cancer. Their mother/daughter relationship was incredibly close, and some of the dialogue felt almost unnatural between the two of them. Olivia doesn't appear to act like a typical 14 year old in that she doesn't seem to have any friends besides her mom.
She was also incredibly whiny towards her mother, but this is mostly due to the fact that her mother is in fact dying and not saying anything to her about it.
We also felt like some of the scenes were very drawn out and overly long, thus dragging out the sadness.
What really kept us reading was the mystery surrounding Olivia's father. As the book progressed it became clear that there were a lot of secrets between the friends and a lot of unexpected twists. (less)
Honestly, this book was a little too religious for me. There was a lot of praying and references to God. They even went to Andy's massive childhood church. There were others, but I don't want to give anything away with too much detail. (I'm sure the first book was like this too but it had been a little while since I've read it.)
Underneath all of that though, it was a cute love story. They had their ups and downs just like everyone. I was unsure why they brought in Russell Walker in for awhile (actually I'm still kind of not sure). I thought they were throwing a wrench into the Sherilyn and Andy relationship. That ended up happening, but they didn't use Russell They ended up bring back exes of both Sherilyn and Andy.
There's a major "twist" to the whole story about Sherilyn. Emma briefly mentions something that Sherilyn did years ago that gave her awful karma, but Sherilyn always stopped her before any details were shared. At the end you find out what her deep dark secret is. I had a hunch from the beginning and I ended up being right.
There were a lot of current references that threw me off. Like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. They were a bit unnecessary, in my opinion.
All in all I enjoyed the book. I won't read it again, but I'll more than likely ending up reading her next books to find out what happens to everyone in the story line. I've really come to enjoy all the characters.(less)
(I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
Catching Jordan is one of my favorite books I've read this year, by far.
For some reason I love books/movies/TV shows about sports, but in real life I hate sports. I hate watching them or hearing people talking about them. It's so boring! Catching Jordan happened to reminded me of Friday Night Lights, which was one of my absolute favorite TV shows. I was drawn to it from the beginning.
Jordan is a captain and quarterback of her high schools football team. I love her! She a strong independent girl who can hold her own against an entire team of football players! Who doesn't love that?
Jordan loses her focus on football once Ty moves to town from Texas. Another reminder of FNL. I could just imagine his cute Texas accent. He's also a quarter back and he's gunning for her position. Ty and Jordan end up dating. He's sweet, but there were a few times that I wanted to smack him. He made some comments that peeved me.
Jordan finds out that her long time best friend Sam Henry has been in love with her and everyone but Jordan knows it. Sam is loyal and sweet. When Jordan's dad doesn't acknowledge her playing football Sam stands up for her. I found myself rooting for him the entire time.
I know that fact that this is about football might deter some readers, but I just want you to know that isn't the main focus of this book. The main focus is Jordan and her life, which is a very intriguing life. I promise you'll get sucked in.
Miranda Jordan is in the process of writing TWO companion novels for Catching Jordan, which I couldn't be more excited for!(less)
(I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
When I first started this book I couldn't believe how big of a brat Jaz (Jasmine's nickname) was being. Yes, I understand that she witnessed something huge, but she didn't have to take it out on everyone around her.
She wasn't very nice to her mother, which made me actually feel really bad for her. But Jaz and her mother never had a real mother/daughter relationship since she was raised by her Grandma. Her mother was only 17 years old when she was born.
Once Jaz shares her secrets from her childhood I started to understand why she acts the way she does. And why she doesn't have very many friends or people she can trust or rely on.
I couldn't imagine being the only biracial student in my entire school. She's picked on from a young age about her skin color and children aren't allow to hang around with girls "like her".
This book hit on some really sensitive subjects, which I thought was great, since they're not something I've read in a YA novel before. There was the fact that Jaz was biracial and her mother developing postpartum depression after the birth of her baby.
I really enjoyed this book even after all of Jaz's brattiness in the beginning. :)(less)
(I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
We were a bit skeptical as to how you could create an entire world and story in so few pages, but Tricia Wolfe did it. Not only did she do it, she kicked ass with it.
In mere pages, we were introduced to the city of Karm and how it came to be. We were also introduced to Fallon, who is an assassin clad in a silk dress.
She's on her first mission to bring down one of the top knights, only when she gets to know him (albeit quickly) she starts to wonder if her mission was wrong.
Romance? Check. World created? Check. Fabulous story? Check.
This story has it all, and we loved every moment of it.
As the story ended, we wanted more. More Karm, more Fallon, more everything!(less)
(I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
I honestly couldn't finish this book. I had no idea this was going to be religious.
The entire time I was reading the book I felt like I was being preached at. There was a part where Todd, Christy's love interest, made it seem like if you weren't Christian then you weren't worthy.
I strongly disliked her Aunt Marti. From the beginning she was trying to change everything about Christy; what she ate, what she wore and how she acted. I did like her Uncle Bob though. He told her to be herself and that was good enough.
Note: This book was originally published in 1988, it was republished this year for the Kindle.(less)
This was a fun quick read. It was very easy to follow, especially since each girl had their own fonts.
The story lines were interesting and a few were...moreThis was a fun quick read. It was very easy to follow, especially since each girl had their own fonts.
The story lines were interesting and a few were pretty intense for being such a light book. I wish I had two girlfriends this close in high school. Anyone who did is extremely lucky.
(I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
So it took me awhile to decide what I even wanted to rate this book. It was great but it wasn't bad. It was good and I enjoyed reading it, but I was just unsure. The beginning of the book was a little slow and it wasn't until the last 100 pages or so that I was really into it!
The main character Abby is dealing with a lot of things for a girl her age; father dying, mother grieving, changing feelings for her best friend and just growing up in general. I haven't been in her situation so I don't know how I would have handled it. But she handled it in her own way. Instead of openly grieving her father's death she kept everything bottled up inside and pushed everyone away for fear of losing them.
Sign Language is a good coming to age novel, that's for sure. It starts off with Abby at 12 years old and just learning about her father's illness. And it ends with her at 15 and learning to cope and deal with all the changes and finally opening herself up to her family and Spence.
Oh Spence, he was such an adorable kid. I wish when I was a kid I would have known a boy this sweet. Abby takes advantage of Spence's kindness for awhile, which really broke my heart. But eventually she saw the err in her ways. Thank goodness! That poor boy needed a break!(less)
Well, I have to say this isn't my favorite book by Dessen, but I still loved it.
I don't really think Mclean was built up very well, but that might hav...moreWell, I have to say this isn't my favorite book by Dessen, but I still loved it.
I don't really think Mclean was built up very well, but that might have sometime to do with the fact that Mclean was still trying to find herself. She wasn't sure who she was anymore. Her persona changed every time she moved to a new town with her dad.
But I have to say I adored Dave. He was super sweet to Mclean even when she wouldn't give him the time of day. I was a bit leery of his friend Riley in the beginning, but it all worked out.
I did feel awful for Mclean's mom because she didn't treat her very well. But her mom should have expected that given the situation. I really want to know why her mom did what she did, but that was never explained.
All in all, if you're looking for something light with not much build up, then read this. But if you've never read Dessen before pick one of her other's first, as this isn't her best.(less)
(I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.)
My first thought was this is not a children's book. I'm not sure what the age range this book will be directed to but I hope it's for 13+, as there are some rough words and story-line's.
My second thought was how great of a book this was for Bostic's debut novel. The subject was something that's never really written about and were very realistic.
There were a few times where I almost cried. I could feel what the characters were feeling and it broke my heart. The story didn't end with a happily ever after, but I was okay with the way things were ended.
This story was a quick read, as it's only 204 pages. But within those pages was a very touching story.(less)
The Lipstick Laws is a laugh out loud quick read that I really enjoyed. If you like Mean Girls, then you'll...moreCheck out more reviews at Books to the Sky.
The Lipstick Laws is a laugh out loud quick read that I really enjoyed. If you like Mean Girls, then you'll definitely like this.
Most people should be able to relate to the characters in this book. I know I did. I wasn't a super popular kid in high school so I could relate to some of the things April went through. One things I couldn't relate to though was her being a "boob sculptor".
In the beginning I was really annoyed with April's character. She never stood up for herself when Brittany was being a jerk. But eventually she realized that being Brittany's friend wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
I didn't agree with everything the Lipstick Lawbreakers did, but they were funny and loyal to one another. I wish I would have had a group of friends like that in high school.
I was very happy with the ending as April's character really matured and came into her own person. I'd recommend this book to most teenage girls. There's definitely a lesson to be learned about the "popular" kids.(less)
(I received this book in exchange for an honest review.)
This book was beautiful. It made me cry. It made me...moreCheck out more reviews at Books to the Sky.
(I received this book in exchange for an honest review.)
This book was beautiful. It made me cry. It made me smile. It made me laugh.
This story was about Matt's life after the tragic death of his wife just a day after his daughter was born seven week premature. He starts off introducing his wife and detailing how difficult her pregnancy is. She was put on bed rest for 5 weeks and had an emergency c-section. He then goes on to write about his struggles of raising his daughter alone. He writes about his struggles of trying to deal with his wife's death.
I couldn't even imagine losing my husband. Especially after just having a baby.
Even after this tough situation he's going through he ends up raising money for other families that are in a similar situation to him. This book is incredibly sad, but incredibly uplifting.
I saw a few reviews on Goodreads mention that his language was vulgar, but it didn't bother me. He was just using words to convey how he felt. So what if he dropped quite a few f-bombs. This is his book and his story and he can write it how he chooses.
He also has a blog, which is where his writing started.(less)
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