To All the Boys I've Loved Before | Review

Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Published: April 15th, 2014 by Simon & Schuster

Pages: 368

Date Finished: December 22nd, 2015

Rating: 5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 12+

This book was so adorable... It follows sixteen year old, sweet and immensely innocent Lara-Jean Song who has loved a total of five boys in her life. Every time a love comes to an end, she writes a farewell letter to the boy as a way of letting go and then she stows it away in the teal hatbox her mother gave her as a gift, never to be seen by anyone but her again. But one day something goes terribly wrong. Lara-Jean's hatbox goes missing along with all her love letters which the boys all secretly receive.

I loved this whole book, which was a surprise to me since I had seen a lot of negativity surrounding it. The characters were so likeable. Lara-Jean was such a sweetheart; I found Kitty to be mature beyond her years and although I didn't connect with Margot all that much, I still liked reading about her. Dr. Covey seemed like such a laidback character and I was rooting for both Josh and Peter to be with Lara-Jean. Josh was very protective of Lara-Jean and I found that to be really heartwarming. I just wanted to cuddle him and whenever him and Laura-Jean had a semi-romantic scene, you'd better believe I was squealing. Especially when the jealous kiss happened. Eep! In the beginning, I didn't like how cocky Peter was but as the book went on, his "tough guy" wall came crashing down and by the end, my heart was mush for him.

This book is just so cute! I can't wait to read the next one. :)

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Revised Edition) | Review

Series: -

Published: April 21st, 2015 by Amulet Books

Pages: 295

Date Finished: December 13th, 2015

Rating: 3/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 13+

I was really hoping to love this book. It has been compared to The <b><i>Fault in Our Stars</i></b> which made me really excited seeing as that book was one of my favourites of 2014 but honestly, <b><i>Me and Earl and the Dying Girl</i></b> was <i>nothing</i> like that book! The only similarity between them was that there was a character with cancer. And to be completely truthful, I don't know if it's just me, but Rachel felt like a side character with not much importance.

The book <i>mainly</i> focuses on Greg and how he refuses to make anything resembling a friend and Greg and Earl making crappy homemade movies. And again... Earl also seems of little importance to the story. Maybe it's just the way Jesse Andrews writes but I felt so disconnected from the story.

The book was also supposedly funny but I didn't laugh once... To me the story was quite bland and although there were very few redeeming qualities and characters that brought this book up to three stars for me (Mr. Mcarthy being one of them...) I wouldn't recommend this book. 

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging | Review

Series: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

Published: April 11th, 2006 by HarperTeen

Pages: 231

Date Finished: December 12th, 2015

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 12+

I remember reading some of the books in this series in late elementary school and the early years of high school and absolutely busting a gut laughing and as I re-read this first installment recently, I was surprised that I almost didn't find it funny at all... There were rare moments when I giggled or cracked a smile but for the most part, I found this story just light and fluffy and even bland at times.

I never realized in the past how much dark humor is used in these books with references to killing, suicide, cutting, incest and perverted guys. All of which I probably had a reason to find funny years ago (being immature and all) but I just didn't anymore. More often than not I actually found myself cringing or rolling my eyes and while it can be entertaining at times --probably enough that I'll continue the series-- a lot of the time it was just really underdeveloped.

Not much more can be said...

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | Review

Series: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children

Published: June 7th, 2011 by Quirk

Pages: 352

Date Finished: December 11th, 2015

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 12+

What would you do if you realized everything you'd ever known didn't hold the slightest bit of truth no matter how much you wanted to believe otherwise?

Jacob Portman is an awkward and lonesome teenager who believes his life is never going to amount to anything. He grew up breathless at his grandfather's countless tales that seemed to be woven from the most clever of imaginations. But one day, he decides he's too wise for his grandfather's laughable stories and seems to wish they never existed... That is until a tragic family trauma makes Jacob question everything he ever thought possible --the far fetched fables that his grandfather spun as well as his grandfather's marred past included.

<b>Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children</b> is the utterly fascinating first installment to Ransom Riggs' spectacular trilogy <b>Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children.</b> It will leave you craving for more long after the last page is turned. 

The way Riggs' writes is so smooth and flawless, it's like reading a fairytale fit for kings and queens. It's so fluid and detailed. The character's are fleshed out perfectly and each have their own quirks and intricacies.

The worldbuilding is so well thought out and infused that I didn't ever want to stop reading and there was action to boot.

The only flaw I saw within this book was the chapter lengths which could be very tedious to get through and I could get a bit flustered at times but if you want a unique story, I highly recommend this book. It's full of fantasies, horrors, a little bit of romance and just a hint of humor everyone is sure to love.

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard | Review

Series: The Pretty Little Liars Series

Published: October 1st, 2006 by HarperCollins Publishers

Pages: 286

Date Finished: November 30th, 2015

Rating: 5/5 stars

Age Recommendation: 13+

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard captured my attention from the very first breathtaking page to the last. I had previously read most of the Pretty Little Liars series a couple years ago but decided to stop out of boredom and there being too many books but there were so many things I liked about this first installment.

Pretty Little Liars is the first of many books following four teenage girls -Aria, Emily, Spencer and Hanna- after the mysterious disappearance of their friend Alison DiLaurentis.  Ali has been missing for three years and she was the only one who knew her friend's deepest, darkest secrets.

Just when the girls are starting to recover from the loss of their friend, they simultaneously start receiving creepy text messages holding within them all the secrets from the girls' pasts; things only Ali herself would have known. This book definitely keeps you gripping the edge of your seat.

As for the characters... Even though they have some tremendous secrets under wraps and make some really horrible decisions, most of the time you can see their reasoning behind those mistakes.

Aria is probably my favorite character. I just love how out-there and unique she is

There were also some things that I viewed as bonus material in this book. Even though there were 35 chapters, the chapter length ranged from about 5 pages to 12 so the reading experience really breezed along.

Another thing that helped with that was Sara's writing style. It's very simple but it flowed seamlessly and her vocabulary kept you wanting more.

If you haven't read this series yet, I highly recommend it! Now, off to read book two.

Into A Million Pieces by Angela V. Cook | Review

Series: TBA

Published: January 27th, 2015 by Red Adept Publishing

Pages: 206

Date Finished: July 5th, 2015

Rating: 5/5

Age Recommendation: 14+

Into A Million Pieces by Angela V. Cook sounded so endearing and interesting when I read the synopsis, so going into it, I had really high hopes... Let me just say that I was not at all disappointed! This book had me gripped and invested in the story from the very first word on the page and there were many times when my mind was utterly blown. The author does a lot of foreshadowing so when big events happen, you can definitely see them coming but that does not lessen the impact of them whatsoever.

Into A Million Pieces is the story about Allison and her sister Jade who are teenage succubi. Jade and Allison are complete polar opposites. Jade lives life on the edge just waiting to see how far she can push her curse and Allison is the more careful twin who is always concerned and looking out for Jade. One day after a date with a boy from their school, things are taken much too far and everything ends up in utter tragedy for Jade. With the help of a dreamy and smart boy who Allison meets at the local library named Ren, Allison is able to somehow deal with her world getting turned upside down but will Allison be able to be with Ren the way she wants to as well as being capable of controlling her urges and needs for him? And is everyone in Allison's life who they say they are or have things been hidden from her in ways no one could have ever imagined?

The one thing I really admired about this book was the way Angela created and built her characters. Each of their lives are painted in the reader's mind with such finesse and none of them conform to stereotypes. It's amazing! 

Allison is not your typical main character. She is labeled a "goth chick" and "freak" at her school for dressing in drab, black clothing and combat boots and wearing black lipstick and eyeliner. The leader of the Snob Mob a.k.a the "popular" girl, is not a prissy cheerleader. Instead, her and her friends are part of the high school tennis team. And lastly, although the love interest, Ren is drop dead gorgeous and sexy, he is not a jock but a nerdy, smart, library type who always gets good grades. It was so refreshing to read about these types of characters. I absolutely loved it and huge props to the author!

This book was amazing! There were so many twists and turns and I was always kept guessing. I will definitely be continuing with this series if Angela chooses to make it into one! Into A Million Pieces was by far one of the best books I've read this year.