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The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things

Ann Aguirre (Goodreads Author)

3.74 · Rating details · 3,733 ratings · 579 reviews

Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted.

Shane ...more

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Hardcover, 328 pages

Published April 7th 2015 by Feiwel & Friends

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YA Novels of 2015

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Oct 13, 2014 Paula M marked it as dnf

Shelves: for-review, arc

Mostly...

I know, I know. You're judging me right now. I think this book is just not for me. Every turn of page of is such a struggle for me. I only have two emotions while reading this: Frustration and Boredom. Like, should I be annoyed or should I just let sleep take over? And aside from that..the main character, Sage, really irritates me with her stalker-ish behaviour. Not. Cool.

Basically this is a love story between two misfits. Yes, the guy, Shane is not a playboy and popular. He's the ...more

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May 16, 2015 Lindsey Rey rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016, young-adult, contemporary

I got this book at RT Booklover's Convention a year ago and I picked it up yesterday expecting a pretty straightforward, cutesy, fun contemporary. I had no idea what I was in for! I am so overwhelmed by everything I felt while reading this. I cried, I laughed, I sobbed, I laughed so hard I had to put the book down. It was such a rollercoaster of emotions for me! I will definitely be checking out more Ann Aguirre books. My only issue with this book is that there was quite a bit of body shaming an ...more

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Apr 16, 2015 Aditi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: friends, macmillan, my-reviews, contemporary-romance, pan-mc, ya

“I came here looking to finish school quietly. Stay out of trouble. Maybe write some new songs. I never expected you.”

----Ann Aguirre

Ann Aguirre, a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, pens her latest YA novel, The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things that revolves around a bunch of high-school teenagers with broken hearts and dark past and how they heal those torn-up hearts.

Synopsis:

Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surf ...more

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Jan 14, 2014 Alyssa rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-releases

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: April 7, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math ...more

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Jun 19, 2018 Rachel Reads Ravenously rated it it was ok

Shelves: hardcover, did-not-finish, ya-contemporary-romance, young-adult

I love the Enclave series by this author so I wanted to read this one. The problem with this book is it's instalovey and boring at the same time. I don't think contemporary is this author's genre. ...more

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Mar 09, 2015 Jen rated it really liked it

Just in case you were wondering, you can not lift these Post-it notes on the cover up. You can't. I tried. For an embarrassingly long time.

The Queen of Bright And Shiny Things was such a pleasant surprise!

I loved the adorably quirky characters, the witty banter and how important it was to Sage to make the world around her, better. From cleaning up the environment, posting notes of encouragement on other students' l ...more

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Jul 15, 2015 Norah Una Sumner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: young adult readers

Shelves: great-female-characters, great-male-characters, humor, loss, shipshipship, contemporary, super-nice-authors, young-adult, covergasm, family-theme

"I’ve heard if you pretend long enough—or maybe wish hard enough—faking normal becomes real. I’m counting on that. Until then, I’ll carry on."

This freaking book killed me.Twice.I'm writing this as a ghost because I don't have anything better to do in my after life,whatever.The characters are beautiful-Sage is completely unique and Shane is really interesting.They're both smart and they've both suffered a lot.The supporting characters are amazing as well,I really love Lila(freaking badass) an ...more

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Oct 03, 2014 Stacee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2014, will-forever-reread, all-of-the-stars, i-want-to-hang-out-with-them, all-of-the-swoons

I'm not usually one to read angsty times, but this was absolute perfection.

Sage is a great MC and I loved being in her head. Her whole thing with the post it's is fantastic and there was one scene involving her locker that I could have cried over.

Of course I loved Shane. He plays guitar and that pretty much sells it for me. But together, these two are...sigh. I don't have words. They provide exactly what the other needs and it's refreshing to read a relationship that's equal and so loving.

The ...more

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Oct 10, 2014 Kassiah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed-swoony-boys, ya, pub-2015, ft-high-school, favorites, ft-swoonworthy-guy, ft-girls-who-kick-ass, favorites-of-2014, favorites-of-2015

5 stars.

A modified version of this review also appears on Swoony Boys Podcast.

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things was my favorite "real" book that I read in 2014 ("real" as in the Real Books Challenge), and I reread it so I could talk about Shane in our latest podcast episode. In other words, I loved this book so. freaking. much.

High school senior Sage Czinski is known around school as "Princess Post-it" because she leaves a positive note on someone's locker everyday. Sage is all about spreadin ...more

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Mar 15, 2015 Sophia Sardothien rated it really liked it

Official rating 3.5
Despite the mixed reviews on goodreads, I find myself fairly enjoying this book.

Being numb is good for a while, until it's not anymore. "They're fooling themselves," I say. "It's better to deal with your shit head on. Life doesn't get better if you look away."

The book revolves around a girl name Sage Czinski, everyday in her life she tries as hard as possible to appear positive and her definition of "perfect". She believes that if people believes this version of her ...more

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Sep 19, 2014 Carina Olsen rated it it was amazing

Oh. I was excited about reading this book, but I did not know that I would love it so much. But I did. I loved this book to pieces. Which surprised me, as I don't like contemporaries. But this was different. It did not have any silly drama. Instead it has beautiful writing, stunning characters, perfect romance.

There is so much I adored about this book. I can't even say that there was anything about it I disliked. Because there are no silly break-ups. There is not kissing of other people. There i Oh. I was excited about reading this book, but I did not know that I would love it so much. But I did. I loved this book to pieces. Which surprised me, as I don't like contemporaries. But this was different. It did not have any silly drama. Instead it has beautiful writing, stunning characters, perfect romance.

There is so much I adored about this book. I can't even say that there was anything about it I disliked. Because there are no silly break-ups. There is not kissing of other people. There is no drama that ruins the relationship. There is one other thing, but I understood it, and it was done really well. I didn't dislike it.

Mostly I just loved this book to pieces. The writing is stunning and a bit fun, because Sage is all kinds of awesome. My god. I adored this girl. I loved how she is described; with her big butt and her huge heart. And her shadowy past. I adored every part of her. She's all kinds of amazing. Just.. I adored Sage. I loved how she did the post-it thing on her school; it was so kind. And I loved getting to know about her past too. She's been through a lot, and I just adored her more for it, because she's so awesome now. Sigh. And her Aunt Gabby. Eeek. She was amazing as well, and I loved getting to know more about her as well. She cared a lot for Sage, which I loved so much. Their house is just the cutest. And Sage rides a bike everywhere! I adored how she cares about all things Green. And not getting into a car. She's awesome. I loved reading about Sage.

In the beginning of this book, she spends all her time with best friend Ryan. And no one else. But then Ryan does something really stupid, and I won't get into all of that, but yeah. I didn't like Ryan much. And I'm glad she didn't go back to being with him all the time. He acted like an idiot. Sigh. But they were great friends, still. Anyway. Because of what he did, she's finally getting knew friends. She meets Lila. Whom I adored so much. I loved reading about her; she's all kinds of sweet. I loved their friendship.

Then there is Shane. Sigh. I loved him from the moment he arrived in this book. And I adored how taken Sage was with him. And then their friendship began. And it starts small, but it gets so big, and it is the bestest thing. Their friendship is the sweetest. Especially as Sage is into him all the time, lol. Her thoughts are just the most awesome. Then their friendship turns into more. And it happens sort of slow, maybe, but either way, I adored it to pieces. The relationship between Shane and Sage was the best :)

But then there is just Shane. Whom is such an amazing person. He is so shy at times. Yet he has such a big heart. And he's so sweet. And getting to know his past. Sigh. It made my heart hurt. And his dad. Ugh. Wishing he cared more. Shane deserves to get all the love. Because he is the best boy. I loved how kind and sweet he is. I loved how he plays and sings. I just loved how he is trying his best. He has my heart. I adored how neither of them had been in a relationship before; made me care even more. <3

There isn't much happening in this book, it is more about relationships. And I adored that to pieces. Because there is no silly drama. And the characters are all so adorable and fun and I loved them all. And the romance. Sigh. I cannot wait to re-read this book. Because the romance is the best and it made me smile so many times and I just. I would love a sequel to this book. <3 I would read anything that has more of Sage and Shane together. And Lila. And Aunt Gabby. Yeah. I just want more of everything :)

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things is a stunning book. It is full of amazingly done characters, great friendships and heartbreaking pasts. This book is special to me. And I'm so glad I read it. The writing is perfection. The characters are the best. And I cannot even talk about the romance. It is so so good. It's sweet and fun and just perfect. I'm so glad I read this book. And I know it will be a book I shall re-read a bunch of times. <3 Because, yeah. No drama and lots of love. This book was pretty amazing. Much love.

Huge thank you to Fierce Reads / Macmillan Kids for hosting the very amazing twitter giveaway that I won, so that I could get this very amazing review copy. <3 Thank you. This ARC will forever be special to me, as I adored this book so much. I cannot wait for my hardcover to arrive in April as well. Which feels forever away. Hmph. But oh. I just really think you should all read this book. Because it is sweet and real and just all kinds of amazing. I loved it so much. And I think everyone else will too. Go pre-order it. <3 ...more

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Apr 01, 2015 Marynea Collina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: forever-and-always, lovely-prose

I wish there are enough words for me to be able to say how much I adore this book. The Queen Of Bright and Shiny Things was something I never knew I needed to read until now. Ann Aguirre had breathed life onto this book and it had felt as though it was my own words wrapped into a lovely prose. Connection is something I often feel towards books, but with The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things, it was different, much stronger even. There's no word for it, but it feels like .. serendipity, perhaps?

On I wish there are enough words for me to be able to say how much I adore this book. The Queen Of Bright and Shiny Things was something I never knew I needed to read until now. Ann Aguirre had breathed life onto this book and it had felt as though it was my own words wrapped into a lovely prose. Connection is something I often feel towards books, but with The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things, it was different, much stronger even. There's no word for it, but it feels like .. serendipity, perhaps?

One of the things I loved about this book was about how much I saw myself in Sage. I don't think I was as selfless and caring as her, and truth be told I am far from being those, but still there was something about her that made me feel as though I wasn't alone. Perhaps the reason why I loved this heroine so much was because she was everything I had wanted to be when I was younger, and maybe until now. She was amazing, strong (even if she thinks otherwise), witty, and a very loveable heroine. Regardless of all that, I had seen her flaws, but none of that made me think less of her. In fact, it only made her more genuine and real to me. On top of that, Aguirre has done a wonderful job crafting Sage. I suppose you can tell that Sage has definitely has made her way to being one of my all-time favourite heroines ever written.

Meanwhile, Shane was wonderful. He was complex without being overwhelming, and he is exactly the hero that is both admirable and swoon-worthy. He plays the guitar and sings! What more can I ask for? His story was written very well, and I connected to him just as much I had for Sage. I loved him, just like I had loved Sage, for they were both written so wonderfully that I wish I had lived in the world where I had them as friends. I loved them so much that they felt so real to me; it's like, I'm convincing myself that they are from a book, not in real life. And it breaks my heart whenever I remember that they are not real.

Together, Sage and Shane proved to be one of the most admirable fictional couples that I've ever come across. I don't know how Aguirre had done it; she weaved these two together as though they were one, but never once diminishing the elements that make them be distinguished from one another. Does that make sense? I had gotten to know Sage as Sage, and Shane as Shane. I never felt as though Sage was defined by Shane, nor was it the other way around either. However, when they are together, it is evident how much they bloom as one. You can see and feel how much they care for each other. Even in the beginning, it never once feel forced; their connection was very unique and genuine that it sometimes felt as though I ought to not be looking. Aguirre had written a romance that reminded me exactly of how it felt to love, and how much I wish I could experience it again. (Hopefully with someone like Shane, please.)

Along with that, there were some characters that we got to know as the book progressed. Ryan, Lila, Aunt Gabby, her other friends at school, and even the "antagonist" in this book, which was Dylan. If there's anything that I had found lacking, it was with the characterization of these secondary characters, for I had already found them compelling, and I can't help but to want to find out more. It's not really a big deal, since I know it wouldn't have turned out this way if it was done differently. Dylan, especially, was someone I wanted to understand more. Even if he was a jerk, he was written so well that you can't help but to want to give him second chance too.

The Queen Of Bright and Shiny Things was very well-paced, and its craftsmanship, beautiful prose, and wonderful characters had definitely hit home to me. It's been awhile since I felt connected to a young adult book without being annoyed at anybody; for a moment, I felt as though I was 16 again and falling in love with a boy for the first time. Thank you, Ann Aguirre, for making me feel all of these, despite how much I had thought I wouldn't be able to anymore.

Definitely 5/5 stars! ...more

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Mar 21, 2015 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: source-read-to-review, young-adult, b-owned-and-read, books-i-own-earc

This review was originally posted on One Curvy Blogger

When you see the cover of The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things you probably think bubbly contemporary romance – I know I did. I’m all for the cute YA romances these days so I picked it up thinking I would probably enjoy it, but I never expected an true emotional connection! So while this book was cute in some parts and the main characters, Sage and Shane, were “awwh” inspiring, the book wasn’t just ponies and rainbows and everything nice. It had a darker theme to it that I would never have guessed if I hadn’t picked it up and given it a try. (Just another reason not to judge a book by its cover, Tika and Blessie!)

One of the biggest things that I enjoyed about The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things was the fact that these characters all have flaws. We can all list off some popular young adult and even adult books where the main character is the best person ever whom never makes a mistake and if they do, they never have to atone for them. This is not the case with Sage. Though she may try to appear like the epitome of a perfect young adult, the more I read the more I knew she had done something horrific in her past that she was trying to make up for by helping others the best way she can – taking care of the Earth that we all have to live on and writing out notes of encouragements to those who need who need them.

In some ways, this book made me ashamed of the way I hid in books when I should have been trying to better myself and my community. Even though I tried to help out an underdog when they needed someone to stand up for them, I never made a point to go out of my way to notice who was having a bad day and cheer them up and I would never have stood up for anyone if it meant compromising my own safety. I would more often tell a teacher or anonymously send in reports of bullying than draw attention to myself. I had thought I was doing enough – I wasn’t ignoring bullying, instead I was helping out behind the scenes – but after reading about what Sage did for her friends and for Shane, I knew I could have done more.

In my review of The Fault in My Stars, I noted how irregular it was to find a young adult MC that I could actually see as a role model for future young adults, but I am glad to find out that I have read two new books this year that have defied the odds. Even in realizing that Sage used her “save the world” campaign to mask the emotional trauma from her past, she does it a helluva lot better than most troubled young adults. It was nice to see her and her new circle of friends grow as characters in the course of getting to know one another. Sage isn’t your average “flawed” YA character, and the plot wasn’t the most unpredictable but it was a fun, emotional read that made me a better person in the long run. I would recommend everyone – even readers who aren’t usually a YA fan – read The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things at least once! ...more

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Jan 02, 2014 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) marked it as dnf

Shelves: arc

Pages Read: 50ish

I actually DNFed this a couple of days ago, so I'm a little blurry on the exact reasons, but here's the short version:

1) The MC is the bad kind of judgmental, aka she doesn't seem to realize how mean she is. Also, she insulted Gillian's hair, which is fabulous.

2) The central conceit that her best friend was pretending to be dating her so that he could engage in a sexual relationship with a 21 year old who thought he was 19 skeeves me out. He's making that girl a statutory rapist ...more

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Feb 09, 2016 Allison rated it really liked it

Shelves: families, fiction, romance, best-book-boyfriends, contemporary, high-school, no-sex, stupid-character-names, tragedy, young-adult

My favorite thing about this was the teenagers acting like teenagers without acting like what adults think teenagers act like. These teenagers had been abused, neglected, and had suffered major trauma, but were trying to be better. They overreacted, they made poor choices, but it wasn't because they were stupid or weren't taking things seriously. It was because they're teenagers. I remember being 16 vividly. I remember how important everything was and how I felt everything as if it was magnified My favorite thing about this was the teenagers acting like teenagers without acting like what adults think teenagers act like. These teenagers had been abused, neglected, and had suffered major trauma, but were trying to be better. They overreacted, they made poor choices, but it wasn't because they were stupid or weren't taking things seriously. It was because they're teenagers. I remember being 16 vividly. I remember how important everything was and how I felt everything as if it was magnified a thousand times. I had my first boyfriend and fell madly in love with him for no reason. Then I got my heart broken as was more sad than I had any real right to be. This book conjured a lot of those feelings for me. I felt like the author did a pretty authentic job of recreating what it feels like to be 16 (at least in my experience). Maybe it's that I live in a small town too (it's called "Niceville," for goodness sake), but I could relate to being able to bike every where and walking around town with friends.

Sage's thing with cars was so silly that it would have made me want to stab my eyeballs out if not for my brief experimentation with veganism for absolutely no reason when I was 16. When I say no reason, I mean no reason. I had no moral objection to anything. I just thought being a vegan was cool. So I could see why 16 year old Sage would decide cars = bad. Especially with her past negative experiences with them. Sage had several reasons to avoid cars. I had zero reasons to justify being a vegan. I mean, besides being an unbearable idiot.

Additionally, I really liked how fully the author developed her characters. I felt like I had a good idea of who each person was. She really took the time to develop everyone and their relationships with each other. I loved this. The last book I read did an extremely poor job of drawing me into the book's world so I was very ready to be fully absorbed in the book characters' lives.

The book was, at times, super cheesy. Shane says himself that he doesn't know how to be a boyfriend and the romantic things he does for Sage seem to be ripped out of an after school special. The rest of the book was so well done that I could get past it. And to be honest, the cheese sort of fit in with the rest of the book. Teenagers doing what they thing they should be doing because everything is so important and momentous and real to them.

I had 2 main complaints though:
1. Ryan. WTF was the point of this character. He seemed to exist only to be the catalyst to Sage's transformation. As soon as she meets Shane it's like the author was like "oh man. I better get this other dude out of the way so he doesn't cause any drama between Shange." I get that a lot of the consequences of Ryan's quasi-removal from the story were essential to the plot and were super interesting to read, but I wish he would have been better incorporated back into the story. They're BFF's at the beginning and then all of a sudden (due to something super crappy Ryan does) he's pretty much exiled from Sage's life and only allowed back in as a very minor supporting character. I think a lot more could have been done with Ryan in the story. It seemed like a waste.

2. (view spoiler) ...more

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Jan 11, 2015 Mary rated it it was amazing

Shelves: around-the-world-arc-tours, young-adult, contemporary, books-that-rock, 2015

MY THOUGHTS

Sage moved to Farmdale three years ago and changed everything about herself. She now tries to make at least one person smile each day by putting a post it with a postiive message on a locker in sparkly pen when she knows someone needs it most. She hasn't had an easy life and moving in with her aunt has given her a new chance at life that she doesn't want to mess up. Nicknamed "princess" because of her attitude, she has stayed away from friendships, except with Ryan, who she thinks is ...more

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Apr 02, 2015 Kaitlyn Abshire rated it it was amazing

The publisher provided me a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a honest and unbiased review.

Sage is seriously amazing. Everyday she looks for someone who has had a bad day and leaves compliments and words of encouragement on a post it note of their locker. I wish I was still in high school because I would have stolen this idea. Sage is kind and quick to forgive. Even though she may have her days, she tries to be the better person.

Then there is the new kid, Shane. Sage is almost imme ...more

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Dec 27, 2015 Susane Colasanti rated it really liked it

A powerful story that will inspire you to take a stand against injustice and fight for the life you want to be living.

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May 29, 2018 Tanya (Girl Plus Books) rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary

4.25 STARS

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things delivered so much more than I expected. To be honest, when this was released a few years ago it didn’t make much of a blip on my radar. It wasn’t until I saw a review by a trusted blogger friend that it truly caught my attention and convinced me I had to read this one. And thank goodness I did because I was gifted with a warm, funny, heartfelt, and genuinely emotional story of a girl doing her very best to overcome a devastating past and become the 4.25 STARS

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things delivered so much more than I expected. To be honest, when this was released a few years ago it didn’t make much of a blip on my radar. It wasn’t until I saw a review by a trusted blogger friend that it truly caught my attention and convinced me I had to read this one. And thank goodness I did because I was gifted with a warm, funny, heartfelt, and genuinely emotional story of a girl doing her very best to overcome a devastating past and become the best version of herself.

I'm so not enough. I can't be. I smile, and I act happy, and I pretend. I'm the queen of bright and shiny things, eternally looking for the positive and seeking a silver lining in the dark... the real me is horrible, and I wanted to leave her behind, along with the group home and the court-mandated therapy sessions. I want so bad to be normal, but I never can be.

Sage came to live with her aunt three years ago and has spent that time cultivating an image of herself that she wishes were true. The carefree girl, the do-gooder girl, the girl that leaves encouraging notes on her classmates lockers. Internally, Sage struggles with guilt and an almost overwhelming anger that she must always keep contained. When a new guy arrives at school, Sage is instantly drawn to him. Shane is dealing with his own grief and guilt and seems determined to stay on the fringes and not engage. As these two slowly form a friendship, and more, they find in each other a way to truly be themselves – and just maybe make peace with the past.

“I want to be the person who never lets you down.”

I fell in love with both Sage and Shane. These two people had already been through so much at such a young age and were dealing with it in the best way they could – although not always successfully. Sage’s evolution felt completely realistic and watching her slowly change and open herself up to wide variety of friends made me want to cheer her on. And her loyalty to those friends and her desire to help others made me wish she was my friend. Shane quickly won me over as well. This was a kid who was virtually on his own at the age of seventeen and, instead of feeling sorry for himself, he was simply doing what it took to get by. He truly didn’t know what to make of Sage and her eagerness to help at first and I loved how her persistence slowly chipped away at his aloofness. Neither of them seemed to know exactly how to navigate their budding relationship and it made for such a sweet and believable connection.

“I don't know how to be a boyfriend," he warns me.

I cock a brow at him, smiling. "That's too bad...since I have a PhD in girlfriendology from the University of So Many Feelings.”

As more of Sage’s background was revealed, and as Shane’s circumstances took a drastic change, the book took on a slightly darker tone and this was where my emotions were really put through the wringer. I definitely shed some tears for Sage and Shane. This is also where the relationships they had formed with others began to pay off and Sage’s aunt in particular was a shining example of love and support.

“God,” he whispers. “What am I supposed to do with you? Why do you care when nobody else does?”

Sage fought hard – both for herself and for Shane. I loved her determination and the lengths she was willing to go to for herself and for those she loved. Aguirre did an amazing job of developing both characters (as well as the cast of secondary characters) and had me totally invested. My heart may have broken a few times along the way, but it was totally worth the experience.
...more

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Dec 23, 2013 mith rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, in-betweeners, school-setting, kindle-or-ebook, arcs, reviewed, 2015-publication, standalone

Initial Reaction
I LOVED THIS BOOK.
Which, believe it or not, is a surprise! Because this is a contemporary! And because I wasn't the biggest fan of the Enclaved series! And because I never thought this would make me kick my legs in sheer happiness and 03:30 in the morning. Not squealing over bands and songs mentioned in the book.
Oh yes, this was a real surprise to me.
My only faults with this book would be the writing. Otherwise, 4.25 stars because I'm picky like that.

Review (I guess?)
O ...more

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Apr 06, 2015 Michelle rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, 2015, young-adult, read-to-review, blog-tour, young-love

ARC provided by author/publisher in exchange of honest review

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The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Anne Aguirre is the second book that I have read from this author. The setting of this book takes place in High School. Either you had fond memories of high school or it was the place you couldn't wait to get out. Let's face it, its all about cliques and the place where you begin to realize and find your identity and voice. And in Anne Aguirre's latest novel, she tackles on the subj ARC provided by author/publisher in exchange of honest review

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The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Anne Aguirre is the second book that I have read from this author. The setting of this book takes place in High School. Either you had fond memories of high school or it was the place you couldn't wait to get out. Let's face it, its all about cliques and the place where you begin to realize and find your identity and voice. And in Anne Aguirre's latest novel, she tackles on the subjects of loss, bullying and finding love and hope.

Ahhh... you got to love a character who loves those sticky Post-It Notes. The inner nerd in me loved the idea of a heroine who writes postive messages on those colorful post-it notes. The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things really emphasized the message that the only opinion that matters are the people who truly cares and understands you. This book chronicles a young woman who hides her darkness behind the words of positivity on her post-it notes and a boy whose darkness is exposed to all those who see.

Behind the post it notes, Sage is a young girl who has secrets. Her life is filled with pain and heartache. So when Shane appeared, she was intrigued with the new guy since he was not like the other kids in school. There was a special connection that was brewing between Shane and Sage. A friendship that easily blossomed and transitioned to a romantic one naturally. Slowly, they became entangled into each other's lives and began to heal the broken pieces of their hearts and past. So can two people who are struggling with their darkness find healing in each other?

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things was one of those books that will speak to anyone who is dealing with any issues of secrets and darkness. It is about trying to find the courage to no longer hide. For all those Young Adult, New Adult, and Contemporary Romance fans this book is one of those books that could relate to either of these genres. The writing and story-telling was well paced and had characters that felt real and genuine. Overall, this book was a great emotional and realistic book of life, love, happiness and high school.

Ann Aguirre

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Review can also be found on Four Chicks Flipping Pages http://fourchicksflippingpages.weebly... ...more

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Dec 05, 2014 Michelle Wrona rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-favourites, 50000-stars, something-special, 2015, cute, gorgeous-male-character, kept-me-up-late-at-night, chick-lit, contemporary, freaking-amazing

This review can also be found on A Thousand Lives Lived, check it out for more!

I can't even comprehend my thoughts or organize my thinking at the moment, honestly. Speechlessness? That's a sure factor of enjoying a book so much (or horribly loathing it). But since I actually completed it and can't stop thinking about it, then I'm pretty sure that we're at the so-in-love moment of a book hangover. I'm not sure if I'm able to read anything else after this for a few... years. The Queen of Bright an ...more

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Feb 13, 2015 Krista rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-reads

YA contemporary doesn't always do it for me. But, when I received THE QUEEN OF BRIGHT AND SHINY THINGS from the awesome folks at Mac Kids, and noticed that it was Ann Aguirre's newest book, I knew I had to give it a go. And, I am so happy I did. I was so impressed by the characters in this book and what they stood for and HOW they stood for it. Only 50 pages in, I was wishing I could get high schoolers in my district to read this book. They need to read this. Book.

"You're the one who makes m ...more

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Sep 09, 2014 Erin Arkin rated it really liked it

Shelves: 365daysofya-challenge

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things is the first contemporary that I have read by Ann Aguirre and I absolutely loved this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in considering the series I love by Aguirre is an apocalyptic series with plague and zombies…this is not that.

Sage Czinski is good at pretending everything is fine and great. She is known at school as “princess” and every day she makes a point to put a post it note on someone’s locker that looks like they need some cheering up. What e The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things is the first contemporary that I have read by Ann Aguirre and I absolutely loved this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect going in considering the series I love by Aguirre is an apocalyptic series with plague and zombies…this is not that.

Sage Czinski is good at pretending everything is fine and great. She is known at school as “princess” and every day she makes a point to put a post it note on someone’s locker that looks like they need some cheering up. What everyone doesn’t know is that she has worked hard to build an image that doesn’t reflect anything of her past. I won’t go into any detail here because I don’t want to give her story away.

What I will say is the Sage has been through some tough times and she has a hard time thinking she won’t lose everything she now has in the blink of an eye. She for sure has a dark side and although she does everything she can to hide it, we get glimpses of it through the story as she begins to face the things that are happening at school. Because of her past and what she has experienced, Sage is very understanding of the people around her (to an extent) and I loved that about her.

Shane Cavendish has the words “swoony boy” written all over him…ok, don’t take that literally. When he walks into Sage’s math class, she is immediately drawn to him and although he tries hard to avoid connecting with anyone at his new school, Sage finds a way to get past the walls he has put up. He also has some secrets in his past and as the story moves forward, we get to find out just how much these two need each other.

I loved seeing how these characters gravitated toward each other and ultimately became such an important part of each other’s lives. Neither of them have had an easy life but they don’t just throw in the towel and complain about it. They do what they need to do in order to move forward and although they are both hesitant to open themselves up for potential pain (with due cause) they get beyond that fear and come to realize that they do need other people.

Aguirre did a wonderful job of developing these characters and I loved how she was able to yank me into their stories and get me to care so much about these two….even without knowing everything about them. The post-it piece was brilliant and added a wonderful piece to the story that says a lot about who Sage is as a person without Aguirre coming out and just saying it.

If you are looking for a great story with some wonderful characters, definitely consider checking out this book - I will for sure be checking out more contemporary from Aguirre when I can.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy. ...more

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Oct 03, 2014 ɑƨħŵɑɡ ♥Team Magnus Damora FOREVER♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: yabrc16-wedding-challenge, 2016-newyears-resolution-kickstart, romance, 2016-reads, ya, fantastic-couples, 2016-favorites, 2016-tbr-cleanup

I thought this book was really beautiful.. It's the kind that makes you believe in happy moments and good in the world. I did not expect such a feeling with this book.

This book is about Sage, a high school student who is living with her aunt and trying to stay as positive as she can. The arrival of a new student, Shade Cavendish, turns her days into something she did not expect. The few acts of caring she offers to him bring them closer. However, both of their world are not perfect, as much as t I thought this book was really beautiful.. It's the kind that makes you believe in happy moments and good in the world. I did not expect such a feeling with this book.

This book is about Sage, a high school student who is living with her aunt and trying to stay as positive as she can. The arrival of a new student, Shade Cavendish, turns her days into something she did not expect. The few acts of caring she offers to him bring them closer. However, both of their world are not perfect, as much as they try to act like it. And they're each other's undoing.

I loved how this book was written. It was not drama-heavy despite the heavy issues its characters had. The writer managed to not use too many emotions and just use them whenever it was best for her characters. I applaud her, really. It was so good to read.

As for the characters, I don't know where to begin. Sage, the eco-aware teenager with a haunting past. Or Shade, the anti-social new guy who has his own tragedy to live. Or Lila and her issues with her boyfriend who becomes the antagonist for the main character, and he too has his secret. Or Ryan, Sage's best friend, and his secret affair that was no less troubling for Sage. I mean all the characters came to life for me and it was like seeing their world through the words.

I loved the ending so much. So much has happened and I rarely get satisfied with such plots (view spoiler), but this was different. I think it has everything to do with how I perceived Sage and how she changed in the end. In fact, most of the characters had their share of character development and they've become different than they were before. It was all worth it.

My most favorite part is definitely (view spoiler). I nearly cried myself. So beautiful and such a crucial moment in the story.

Overall, this is definitely my #3 favorite book in 2016 ...more

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Apr 19, 2015 Abbie rated it really liked it

Shelves: abuse-and-psychological-issues, contemporary, ebooks, young-adult

THE FEELS!!! I didn't expect to love this book!

When I first saw this book I thought, oh my gosh! That cover is gorgeous! And that title? Sounds like a keeper. So without reading the blurb, I got a copy of the book.

At first, I felt excited. I genuinely liked Sage Czinski. I thought the story was going to be about her romance with Ryan but then I met the swoony Shane Cavendish.

This book isn't extraordinary but the way it was written just reeled me in. Basically, it's about two teens with troubled ...more

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Aug 17, 2015 Maria Angelica added it

Shelves: dnf, lido-2015, sorteios

DNF at 35%. I just found it a little too preachy and honestly boring.

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Jul 11, 2017 malayna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 5-stars, to-read-again

MY OPINION: *****

Wow. Just wow.

This book was so beautiful, so wonderful, so amazing.

I love these one-day reads!

Well, technically, I finished after midnight, but it still counts.

Anyways, this book was definitely one of the best books I've read this summer, if not this year. It's definitely one of my favorite books now...

This book is about a girl named Sage (what a beautiful name) who has had a hard past. She now lives with her Aunt Gabby and goes to high school dubbed as "Princess Post-It" becaus ...more

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Mar 22, 2015 Teresa Mary Rose rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015, contemporary, arc, ya, favorites, re-readable-books

More Reviews Here: Readers Live A Thousand Lives

This book knocked me on my ass. It sounded good and I expected to like it, but I did not expect to love it as much as I did. This book was everything. It was sweet and funny and heartbreaking and adorable and quirky and just everything. It’s the kind of book that had me flailing and squealing.

I absolutely adored Sage. She strives so hard to bring positivity into the world. She wants to be a better person and a good person. She has always been quiet More Reviews Here: Readers Live A Thousand Lives

This book knocked me on my ass. It sounded good and I expected to like it, but I did not expect to love it as much as I did. This book was everything. It was sweet and funny and heartbreaking and adorable and quirky and just everything. It’s the kind of book that had me flailing and squealing.

I absolutely adored Sage. She strives so hard to bring positivity into the world. She wants to be a better person and a good person. She has always been quiet and reserved. She isn’t the popular girl and she isn’t your normal MC. Teen Teresa related to Sage so much and I loved that. Reading this book I remembered what it was like in high school, surrounded by a bunch of people you couldn’t stand, waiting for the day I didn’t have to deal with the stupidity anyone, playing second fiddle to some friends, and the struggle of being identified as an individual and not as “someone’s friend”. I was Sage in many ways. I mean, we are different in A LOT of way too. I’ve been very fortunate and my childhood isn’t like Sage’s, but I really understood high school Sage. I really wish this book had been around when I was in high school.

And then we have Shane, and I can’t even begin to express my love of Shane. He is so swoony guys. He is quiet and sweet and shy and man oh man I fell hard. I loved how sweet Shane was and I loved the awkwardness between them in the beginning. The stage where both are unsure of how to proceed, but both are clearly crushing hard on each other. It was absolutely adorable and sweet. I loved that it wasn’t this whirlwind crazy romantic relationship that as a reader you have a hard time believing is realistic, it was beautiful and sweet and believable.

I also loved how accurate this portrayed high school. High school sucks sometimes and this book showed that. Kids can be cruel and bullies and unfortunately they get away with it sometimes. But it also showed that if you find the right people you can survive it. I loved how the friendships were portrayed, as exactly that, friends. Friends that don’t give up on you when it’s no longer convenient for them. More YA books need relationships like that. And while we are talking about relationships, I need to mention Sage’s relationship with her Aunt Gabby. I loved their bond. There is one scene in particular that both crushed my heart and filled it with love and made me cry.

While this book was fun and adorable and swoony and quirky, it was also heartbreaking. This one sneaks up on you and just when you think you’re safe; your heart gets ripped out. Just when I thought I’d seen the worst, the rug was ripped out from under my feet yet again.

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things really is a fantastic read and I cannot recommend it enough. I was truly surprised by how much I adored this book and I really just loved it. It’s the kind of book I want to put in everyone’s hands. ...more

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Oct 11, 2014 Isamlq rated it liked it

Shelves: aaw-yeah, arc-galley

3.5/5

The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things is almost too perfect because she's almost too perfect. I suppose that's the point- that appearance can be deceiving; that she-he-they aren't just what they present themselves as.

Because there's a layer of dark here, yet it's one that's not rendered overwrought. Here, both protagonists operate in a frame of reference that's colored by experience; and while it's the dark that's most apparent, its their response that that establishes how the two are simul ...more

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About Ann Aguirre

Ann Aguirre

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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre has been a clown, a clerk, a savior of stray kittens, and a voice actress, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in Mexico with her family. She writes all kinds of genre fiction, but she has an eternal soft spot for a happily ever after.

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