Love and Other Unknown Variables | Book Review

A shot in the heart with intense and unrelenting feels.

Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander

Burn for Burn Series | Book Review

WHAT EVEN I CAN’T. Read this and share my pain.

Burn for Burn Trilogy by Siobhan Vivian and Jenny Han

Book 1: Burn for Burn

Book 2: Fire with Fire

Book 3: Ashes to Ashes

 

Isla and the Happily Ever After | Review

THIS IS THE BEST AND STEPHANIE IS QUEEN!

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Expected publication: August 14th 2014 by Dutton

Pages: 339

Source: Purchased (EARLY BECAUSE OF INCOMPETENT BARNES AND NOBLE EMPLOYEES! God bless them!)

Format: Hardcover

Preorder it from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Or just buy it when it comes out in a couple days.

You can still preorder it from one of these independent bookstores and receive A SIGNED COPY and free stickers and buttons! Click here!

Read the first fifty pages here.

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From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

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In summary,

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.

August 2014 in YA

What’s happening this month in YA?

Books

Click the book title for a link to the book’s Goodreads page.

August 5th

Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Yes, yes, yes, yes! I sped through the Lux series like a cup of water after a cross country race. That cliffhanger left me begging for more and I am SO ABSOLUTELY TOTALLY READING THIS BOOK! YES!

 

 The Islands at the End of the World by Austin  Aslan

This book sounds really mysterious and really good. Electronics have failed? Is this like NBC’s Revolution? I watched that show and kind of liked it but I would read this one if I needed a book. Also, the author’s last name is Aslan. Win.

 

Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine

I think this book sounds quite interesting. I’ve never read a book about ghosts before, but I may as well start now! I will probably be reading this book.

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.