How to Save a Life (the book, not the song) | Review

Heartbreakingly beautiful novel that must be read.

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Published October 18th 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Pages: 341

Source: Purchased

Format: Paperback

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Summary from Goodreads:

Jill MacSweeney just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends—everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she’s somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.

 

Mandy Kalinowski understands what it’s like to grow up unwanted—to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she’s sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It’s harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?

As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy—or as difficult—as it seems.

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Okay, I don’t even remember when I bought this book but it has been on my TBR (to be read) shelf. I randomly grabbed it before my family and I went on a trip and that was a very smart decision.

I don’t know what I was expecting from this book. I didn’t reread the summary when I picked it up again so I didn’t know what to expect. The first thing I noticed was that the book was based in Denver, Colorado and my family is vacationing in Colorado so I was basically like

This book is in dual point of view, which was done perfectly. Jill’s father died ten months ago and she was very close to her father so she is greatly distressed by his death. She pushes everyone away; her mother, boyfriend, and friends. Jill is definitely not coping well, and her mother, Robin, copes in a very different way.

The Rules for Disappearing | Review

Quick and mysterious read.

The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Published May 14th 2013 by Disney-Hyperion

Pages: 320

Source: Purchased

Format: Paperback

Buy it at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

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Summary from Goodreads:

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

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First off, sorry for the quick hiatus! I was at Camp Cedar Cliff (which is an amazingly awesome camp) and I couldn’t have any electronics! Gasp!

Anyway, I read The Rules for Disappearing during my free time at camp and it was definitely a page turner. It was also IN THE SOUTH! Hooray!

The book follows Meg as she and her family are thrust into the witness protection program. Meg is at her sixth placement in rural Louisiana and she has firmly decided that she will not associate with anyone or make any friends because it is too hard to leave them behind.

The List | Review

This book gave such a realistic DESCRIPTION of high school!

The List by Siobhan Vivian

Published by Push on April 1st, 2012

Pages: 332

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased from Indigo Books

Buy it here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local independent bookstore!

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Summary from Goodreads:

An intense look at the rules of high school attraction — and the price that’s paid for them.

It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn’t matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.

This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, “pretty” and “ugly.” And it’s also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.

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my review!

This book had the most realistic description of high school, ever.

I feel like Siobhan just looked into the brains of high schoolers and wrote down their experiences. Some of girls in this book made me want to scream at them. Others, I wanted to cry for. Some I was just completely done with.

On the Fence | Review

Cutest romance ever!

On the Fence by Kasie West

Published by HarperTeen on June 1st, 2014

Pages: 320

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Buy it here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local independent bookstore!

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Summary from Goodreads:

She’s a tomboy. He’s the boy next door…

Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn’t know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she’s got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she’s falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

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My review!

First off,

THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!

Okay, now that that’s done, I’ll get to the actual reviewing.

Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend | Review

Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn

Published May 13th 2014 by Feiwel & Friends

Pages: 339 pages

Format: Hardcover

Source: Purchased

Buy it here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local independent bookstore.

The Goodreads summary:

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Summer, boys, and friendships gone sour. This new series has everything that perfect beach reads are made of!

Gemma just got dumped and is devastated. She finds herself back in the Hamptons for the summer—which puts her at risk of bumping into Hallie, her former best friend that she wronged five years earlier. Do people hold grudges that long?

When a small case of mistaken identity causes everyone, including Hallie and her dreamy brother Josh, to think she’s someone else, Gemma decides to go along with it.

Gemma’s plan is working (she’s finding it hard to resist Josh), but she’s finding herself in embarrassing situations (how could a bathing suit fall apart like that!?). Is it coincidence or is someone trying to expose her true identity? And how will Josh react if he finds out who she is?

Katie Finn hits all the right notes in this perfect beginning to a new summer series: A Broken Hearts & Revenge novel.

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My Review!

Okay, first off, I LOVE THIS COVER! I mean, even if this was an awful book (which it isn’t) I would probably still recommend it because of the cover.

Something you need to know is that Katie Finn is a pseudonym for Morgan Matson. I started to read this book before I knew that and after I figured that out I got really excited because I love Morgan Matson’s books with a passion.

Something Real · Review

Something Real by Heather Demetrios

The Goodreads description:

There’s nothing real about reality TV.

Seventeen-year-old Bonnie™ Baker has grown up on TV—she and her twelve siblings are the stars of one-time hit reality show Baker’s Dozen. Since the show’s cancellation and the scandal surrounding it, Bonnie™ has tried to live a normal life, under the radar and out of the spotlight. But it’s about to fall apart…because Baker’s Dozen is going back on the air. Bonnie™’s mom and the show’s producers won’t let her quit and soon the life she has so carefully built for herself, with real friends (and maybe even a real boyfriend), is in danger of being destroyed by the show. Bonnie™ needs to do something drastic if her life is ever going to be her own—even if it means being more exposed than ever before.

 

 

MY REVIEW! YAY!

I don’t know what I was expecting from Something Real but I believe it greatly exceeded my expectations.

So, this book is about Bonnie™ Baker. (Yes, the ™ is used throughout the whole entire book. You get used to it.) Bonnie™ was on a reality television show from her birth, which was on television, to age thirteen. The show was cancelled because Bonnie™ tried to kill herself when the pressure of being on television 24/7 finally got to her. I am not exaggerating when I say that she was on television 24/7. There were cameras throughout the house with a live stream available to watch online.

Four years and one father later, Bonnie™ is now seventeen and she is finally beginning to live a normal life. Well, as normal as life can be with twelve siblings. That is when her mom announces that, whoops, Baker’s Dozen is being revamped! Bonnie™ is rightfully furious.