Review | Jodi Lynn Anderson – Midnight at the Electric.

Title: Midnight at the Electric.
Author: Jodi Lynn Anderson.
Pages: 272.
Publication: June 13th 2017 by HarperTeen – I got an eARC from the publisher through Edelweiss. Thanks!

Divided by time. Ignited by a spark.
Kansas, 2065. Adri has secured a slot as a Colonist—one of the lucky few handpicked to live on Mars. But weeks before launch, she discovers the journal of a girl who lived in her house over a hundred years ago, and is immediately drawn into the mystery surrounding her fate. While Adri knows she must focus on the mission ahead, she becomes captivated by a life that’s been lost in time…and how it might be inextricably tied to her own.
Oklahoma, 1934. Amidst the fear and uncertainty of the Dust Bowl, Catherine fantasizes about her family’s farmhand, and longs for the immortality promised by a professor at a traveling show called the Electric. But as her family’s situation becomes more dire—and the suffocating dust threatens her sister’s life—Catherine must find the courage to sacrifice everything she loves in order to save the one person she loves most.
England, 1919. In the recovery following the First World War, Lenore struggles with her grief for her brother, a fallen British soldier, and plans to sail to America in pursuit of a childhood friend. But even if she makes it that far, will her friend be the person she remembers, and the one who can bring her back to herself?
While their stories spans thousands of miles and multiple generations, Lenore, Catherine, and Adri’s fates are entwined.(

RATING:

If you are looking for a science-fiction book, this is not the one.
If you are looking for an intricate contemporary book, this is the one for you.

The story starts out in Kansas, 2065. Adri is going to be one of the first people to live on Mars. Weeks before the launch she goes to live with Lily, her old demented cousin. She discovers handwritten letters of the people who lived on the farm before Lily. She becomes intrigued by the story between Catherine's mother Beth and Lenore.

Catherine lives in the fear and uncertainty of the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma, 1934. The dust is threatening her sister's life, Beezie. She first saves up to visit the Midnight Electric, but when that doesn't have any effect on Beezie's health, Catherine decides she must take a bigger step. Beth is blind for the dangers and can think of one thing: maintaining the farm.

Then we follow the life of Lenore in England, 1919, during the recovery after the First World War. Her family deals with the grief after her brother passed away in the war. Her letters to Beth stay unanswered, but she has set her mind on visiting Beth anyway. The last two stories slowly entwine the close we get to the big answer: what happened with all of them in the end? Did Lenore and Beth ever meet? Did Catherine and Beezie survive the dust? We follow Adri on her small quest to find answers, while she is preparing for her mission to Mars.

I hate to say this, but I really disliked Adri.. There was something so distant and unkind about her and she was quite the opposite of the sweet and talkative Lily. The story of Lenore was the most interesting to me. The writing-style is gorgeous, like I am used to from Anderson, but the story itself failed to impress me. In a way, I think it's because I didn't warm up to Adri, and in another way it is because most of the story is told through letters. It's a different way to experience a story and I found it harder to connect with the characters and their lives.

Not bad, but so far, her books haven't lived up to the amazing, mind-blowing and heart-wrenching Tiger Lily.

“I wonder if sometimes you can miss something so much it breaks you, and still be happy you left.”

Review | Rainbow Rowell – Attachments.

Title: Attachments.
Author: Rainbow Rowell.
Pages: 357.
Publication: Published February 2012 by Orion.

It's 1999 and the internet is still a novelty. At a newspaper office, two colleagues, Beth and Jennifer, e-mail back and forth, discussing their lives in hilarious details, from love troubles to family dramas. And Lincoln, a shy IT guy responsible for monitoring e-mails, spends his hours reading every exchange. At first their e-mails offer a welcome diversion, but the more he reads, the more he finds himself falling for one of them. By the time Lincoln realizes just how head-over-heels he is, it's too late to introduce himself. After a series of close encounters, Lincoln eventually decides he must follow his heart... and find out if there is such a thing as love before first sight.

RATING:

This is one of those books I wasn't planning to read, until it was nominated and picked for our bookclub. I am someone who is pretty open-minded when it comes to reading books outside my comfort zone, so I bought it (I like the cover) and I dived right into it. I must say, I wasn't blown away, but I didn't hate it either.

The main character, Lincoln, is living his life without enjoying it. He is 29, recently moved back into his mother's house and he is doing a job that clearly doesn't excite him. He works at night, spends most of his day eating and sleeping, and the only social interactions he gets are when he plays Dungeon & Dragons with some friends. We see glimpses of his previous relationship and how it all stranded, leaving a mark on him.

Lincoln was a difficult character and at the end I'm still not sure if he grew on me. His work is checking emails and making sure that it is not used for personal use and that there are no inappropriate content/words. When Jennifer/Beth's email exchanges get flagged, he decides to read them and for some reason, he never sends them a warning message. Instead, he keeps reading their conversations and he is completely invested in their lives. I thought it was creepy, especially when he starts to fall for one of them..

I don't know. Maybe I'm just not romantic enough, but falling in love with someone because they write funny isn't something that speaks to me. The fact that we get to know Jennifer/Beth only through their emails also made it hard to feel connected to them, although I was quite fascinated by all the things they went through. Beth is in a relationship and is desperate to marry, Jennifer is happily married and feels the pressure of having a baby, but she believes she is not (perhaps never) ready for it.

I liked Lincoln's development and how he starts to get out of his shell, but the way he pretty much stalks the girl he starts to fall in love with.. I liked to read about his previous relationship, but I did not really care for the romance and that's a shame, because in the end, that's what this story is all about.

"I want someone whose heart is big enough to hold me."

Let it go | Collection of books.

Patrick Ness- Release. 
RATING: 2/5.
Patrick Ness' books always make me feel stupid. It's like I'm not clever enough to truly grasp his intentions, because I can't figure out how the two stories combine. It felt like I was reading two books at the same time and they didn't mesh together in my head.

The first story is about Adam and how he deals with his homosexuality and his family, who are very religious and believe it is something he can be cured of. They try to avoid the topic, but whenever they can they make it clear they aren't willing to accept him. No matter what he does, it is always wrong. The moment his father tells him that is is hard to love him, but that the tries, my heart completely shattered for Adam. The fact that there are people in the world who think like that is just unbelievable to me. Love = love, no matter what, as long as it makes you happy.

Adam's romantic moments with his boyfriend made me melt and it was good to see he was so supported by him. The sex scenes were nicely done. Also his friendship with Angela! That was one amazing girl.

The other story is about a Queen and a Faun. She is possessed with the spirit of a girl that was strangled to death and she is now on the hunt to get justice. The Faun is hopping along to sort of protect her? The story was really poetic, but I struggled with it. I didn't understand what this story had to do with Adam.. and why it was there in the first place. I just don't see what it adds to the overall story.

So yeah. I'm starting to believe Ness' work is just not for me?

Review | By Your Side – Kasie West.

Title: By Your Side.
Author:  Kasie West.
Pages:  352.
Published: January 31st 2017 by HarperTeen
Source: Edelweiss and publisher, thanks!

When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to rescue her. Only he doesn’t come. No one does. Instead it becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten to pull her from Dax’s side?

Rating:

I've come to this point where I am sure I will never dislike a book written by Kasie West. This concept is probably my favorite one of her so far. I think every bookworm has a daydream where they are locked up in the library, especially if this happens to be together with a cute boy.

Autumn is on her way to a fun weekend with her friends, especially with her almost-boyfriend Jeff, when she gets stuck in the library. She keeps expecting someone to return and pick her up, but her friends don't seem to realize Autumn is left behind. Then she finds out she is not alone: Dax is there too and he has a good reason to be there. The two have a rocky start, mainly because of their prejudices, but slowly they start to talk and a friendship is formed.

I loved both Autumn and Dax. Autumn suffers from anxiety and has panic attacks - and now she can't take her medication. During the book we see her struggle with these problems and it was something I could identify with to a certain point. Dax has an entire different story that I'll not talk about in details, but believe me when I say he doesn't have the most happy youth while growing up and it has given him a reputation at school. Both Dax and Autumn have prejudices against each other and it was nice to see them overcome this. Autumn and Dax start to open up to each other and it was heart-warming to see them form a special bond.

I think West did a good job at showing Autumn's confusion, because she starts to like Dax while she is almost in a relationship with Jeff. There is no touch of love-triangle at all and this is the type of situation I could see happening in real life. She also struggles with his distant behavior, because can they keep this friendship alive outside the library?

Like always, this is a fluffy book with a deeper touch to it and I flew through the pages. Keep them coming West!

Review 260. Paula Stokes – Girl Against the Universe.

Title: Girl against the universe.
Author: Paula Stokes.
Pages:  400.
Published: May 17th 2016 by HarperTeen
Sort: Stand-alone.
Source: eARC on Edelweiss.
 

Maguire knows she’s bad luck. No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch. But then on her way out of her therapist’s office, she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star, who wants to help Maguire break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for Jordy is to stay away, but staying away may be harder than she thought.

Rating:

I think we all know by now that I'm not a contemporary reader. There are a few books that I've tried in the past that worked for me and this is now officially one of them. I heard a lot of good things about Girl Against the Universe on Twitter, so I decided to get a copy from Edelweiss to give it a shot – and I am so happy I did! This book was the perfect mix between fluffy and emotional. It was never too heavy, but at the same time did not shy away from the reality of both Maguire's and Jordy's problems. The author managed to strike a good balance between a tougher story and a blossoming romance that all starts with an unlikely friendship. The overall story was inspiring.

Maguire has had her share of bad luck and she writes it all down in her notebook to prove she is cursed. One of the worst things that happened to her was surviving a car crash, while her father, brother and uncle died. Maguire is now afraid to cause harm to others, so she stays away from friendship and situations where she is surrounded by people.  Maguire is now in therapy and she wants to work to one important goal: learning to overcome her fear and fly in a plane to her family abroad. 

 
Jordy is an aspiring tennis star who is with the same therapist as Maguire. He has a hard time figuring out who he is and his parents push him in other directions than his heart. The two of them meet after one of Maguire's sessions and when she has to join a sport, she runs into him during a tennis try-out. The two of them start a special kind of friendship; they both desperately need each other.

I loved how Maguire developed throughout the story. We see a girl who is afraid of anything grow into the person she was meant to be. The fact that she was brave enough to conquer her fears inspired me, because sometimes I let fears hold me back. Making a check list to help her work towards her goal was such a good idea and I liked how Jordy helped her. His story showed that sometimes it's good to talk with someone else, even if your problem might not look that serious. He definitely showed a lot of improvement throughout the story, but Maguire was the highlight to me.

I liked their relationship and how it slowly transitions. It felt realistic and friends-to-more is one of my favorite things, right after banter and sass.

 If you like contemporary books with a bit more depth, this is the one for you.

Let it go | A mix of different books.

Sarah Strohmeyer – This is my brain on boys.
1.5/5. Contemporary.
eARC from Edelweiss/publisher.

It went from: OH this is really fun and I love Addie! Girls as scientists are my thing! She is such a smart cookie and I love her experiment. To: oh.. This is exactly not good. Addie was a little too serious for my taste. She was a bit like Sheldon in that way and it did not work on the paper for me. Like the scene where someone told her someone 'fell from the face of the earth' and she tells him without blinking that 'the earth does not have a face.'

No shit, Sherlock.

I also did not appreciate how Kris treated his (ex)-girlfriend Kara. He should have stepped it up and simply told her it was over. Instead, he keeps dragging it around and while I did not like the girl at all, I could understood her accusation.

The whole experiment was lots of fun. Addie has this theory that you an make two people who have nothing in common, fall in love when they are in an intense situation. Kris has to make up for something, so now he is part of the experiment (without knowing what is going on) and Addie decides to at some point to make herself a subject too. From the point of view of a scientist, this is something you should NEVER EVER do, because it influences the way you look at the experiment. Being objective is the most important part, so I did not buy this.

I liked Addie's spark with Kris, but things could have been more polished to make this work better for me.

Elizabeth May – The vanishing throne.
4.5/5. Paranormal.
 
I was blown away by The falconer the first time AND second time. May has written a series that ticks off all the elements I look for: a kick-ass heroin, action, fast-paced plot, amazing writing-style and swoonworthy romance. We learn more about Kieran in this book, someone who stayed quite mysterious in The falconer. Aileana is in a pretty messed-up situation and she is such a brave, strong girl. The ending was brutal, just like The falconer, and it makes me want to pick up the sequel right now. It was a brave move from the author, because it could have turned into the worst twist ever, but it worked really well with the story.

V.E Schwab – A gathering of shadows.
ALL THE STARS. 
Fantasy.
 
Schwab is a genius. I don't think I will ever dislike anything she writes, because she is a magician with words. I reread A darker shade of magic and I think I fell in love with it even more. The intriquite world-building, the spectacular characters and the well-crafted villians, I love everything about it. I have lost my heart to Lila, who is now sailing the seas, and Kell, who feels locked up. READ THIS SERIES. I could not find the right words to express my love for this series, so you just have to pick it up and see for yourself.

Let it go | Massive edition.

Let it go is my feature, where I will spotlight all the books I DNF and the ones I've read and just want to talk about. The name is based on the wonderful song from the movie Frozen, hence the the reindeer. This feature is based on several other DNF features.

I want to get rid of all the reviews I have yet to post on my blog before 2016 starts, so I'm going to throw them all together in this post. You can scroll through all the categories and select what you want to read. They go from best rating –> worst rating. There are no spoilers for the books or sequels in the series. Here we go:

Fairytale retelling.

Marissa Meyer – Winter.
RATING: 4.5 out of 5.
It was fantastic and I read more than 500 pages in one sitting, but the ending still left me with a little disappointed feeling of I want more. It feels like there was still some story left to tell. Perhaps in the novella bind-up with the Epilogue to Winter? I HOPE SO. The main story is wrapped up neatly, so perhaps it's because I'm just not ready to let go of all the characters I fell in love with throughout the series. I could read about them forever and I'm satisfied with all the ships and the overall conclusion of the story. My only problem was the fact I didn't like how villainous Levana was and how I couldn't care about her 'reasons' for all the things she did.

Shannon Hale – Princess Academy.
RATING: 4.5 out of 5.
Miri lives in the valley near the mountain where everyone works to collect linder (stone). The prince is looking for a new bride and she will be picked from the girls in her village. They are all sent to a special Academy to be trained, so they can impress him. Miri is spunky, yet a bit insecure and she has a quick mind. She has a way with words and she is definitely not waiting to be trained for a prince. I loved how her family played a role in the story and how it stays away from the cliche story line. Don't let the promise and the fact that it is middle grade fool you.

Virginia Boecker – The witch hunter.
RATING: 2.5 out of 5.
This book caught my attention when it was pitched as magic from Graceling meets political intrigue from Game of thrones. While I don’t agree with those comparisons, I sort of liked it. Elizabeth is one of the best witch hunters. until she is accused of witch craft herself. She is sentenced to death, but saved by someone who was her biggest enemy: the powerful wizard Nicholas.
Elizabeth was okay. She is by no means a perfect character and I think I will forget about her soon, but being able to look in her head wasn't so bad. She is trust into a confusing time and I liked how she dealt with the situation. She is struck between her old life and the new information. I could understand how hard it was to change her believes, but she switches rather quickly. The writing-style was engaging. I don't know what it was, but it made me keep reading. I also think I ended up liking this book more because of my low expectations. I was left to believe it would be a boring, terrible book, but I don't think it was THAT bad.

Alethea Kontis – Dearest.
RATING: 2.5 out of 5.
Naked guys are sleeping in a room. Friday finds them and falls in love with one of them right away. Because…. Not for that reason ;) but I thought it was rather strange that she is standing there, observing this boy and wondering what color his eyes are. Okay guuurl. I am left disappointed by this series. The first book was stunning. I loved the combinations of fairytales and how it made me guess which stories she included. The second book was already less interesting and I found myself a little bored by this book. The characters in this book were a bit bland, although I did like the approach of Six Swans. I have high hopes for the next one, because I think I will like Princess Thursday much more.

Dakota Chase – Mad about the hatter.
RATING: 1 out of 5.
This book was simply too much. The author tried SO hard to make everything sounds funny and hilarious, that it felt too forced. I understand that she tried to copy the whimsical feeling from Alice in Wonderland, but to me, she failed to deliver it. I loved that the romance is between Hatter and Henry, brother from Alice, but it went incredibly fast. Hatter went from 'what an annoying boy' to 'oh, such luscious lips, I want to kiss them!' The same with Henry, who went from 'I must be crazy, this can't be real' to 'what a delicious man.' The story itself is also pretty much wandering around Wonderland, because Hatter must take Henry to the Queen of Hearts. I liked the addition of the King of Hearts and the talk about abusive relationships.

Review 248. Cammie McGovern – A step toward falling.

Title: A step toward falling.
Author: Cammie McGovern.
Pages: 368.
Published: October 6th 2015 by HarperTeen.
Sort: Stand-alone.
Source: Edelweiss.

Emily has always been the kind of girl who tries to do the right thing—until one night when she does the worst thing possible. She sees Belinda, a classmate with developmental disabilities, being attacked. Inexplicably, she does nothing at all. Belinda, however, manages to save herself. When their high school finds out what happened, Emily and Lucas, a football player who was also there that night, are required to perform community service at a center for disabled people. Soon, Lucas and Emily begin to feel like maybe they're starting to make a real difference. Like they would be able to do the right thing if they could do that night all over again. But can they do anything that will actually help the one person they hurt the most?

Rating:

I fell head over heels in love with Say what you will. I was ready to be blown away by this book, but that didn’t happen. There was something about this book that prevented me from completely loving it. I had the same problem with the recent Just my luck.

Belinda lives together with her mother and grandmother. Her mother is depressive and Belinda has development disabilities. One day she is attacked and two people see it happen: Emily and football player Lucas. Both of them decide to do nothing. This story is about the effect of this event and their choices on all three of them.

The story switches POV between Belinda, Emily and Lucas. I think my main problem was the fact I didn’t feel connected with them. Belinda had a distance in her voice, which was understandable, but that made it hard to feel anything for her. It was sad that she had to endure the attack and it's terrible her disabilities prevent her from completely understanding what happened. This resulted in chapters about her obsession with Pride & Prejudice, her love for the theater and her growing friendship with another disabled boy, instead of an emotional process.

The realization of what happened and the aftermath of the assault was much bigger on Emily and Lucas, who have to deal with their guilt. They are both signed up for community service with challenged teenagers. I liked their development throughout the story and how they deal with their wrong decision. It’s obvious they are both shocked by their reaction in the situation. Despite that, I didn’t care much about Emily or Lucas. They never spoke to me and I already can’t think of one thing that makes them stand out to me.

I think it’s a good plot that made me think. How would I react in a situation like that? It's hard to say, because I completely understand why both Emily and Lucas turned their head away. I think many people quickly decided 'someone else is probably going to take care of it.' I think I would not immediately do something about it, but I would call someone, like the police - or in this case one of the teachers.  The disconnection from the characters made this book less impressive than Say what you will though.

What about you? How do you think you would have responded in this situation?

Review 247. Patrick Ness – The rest of us just live here.

Title: The rest of us just live here.
Author: Patrick Ness.
Pages: 336.
Published: October 6th 2015 by HarperTeen.
Sort: Stand-alone.
Source: eARC from the publisher on Edelweiss.

What if you aren’t the Chosen One? The one who’s supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you’re like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again. Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life. Even if your best friend is worshiped by mountain lions.

Rating:

What a refreshing story! This book is extraordinary despite it’s ordinary nature. This book isn’t about the people with special, hidden talents. This is a story about you and me; the ones on the background while the Hero saves the day.

Let it go #7. Just my luck and The snow child.

Cammie McGovern – Just my luck.
3 stars.

George has an autistic little brother and his father suffered from a brain haemorrhage. We see life through his eyes and how he gets through every day. At school they are rewarded with hand prints when they do something good, but no matter how hard George tries nobody seems to notice him. That’s what he thinks, though, because one of the teachers and he have something in common.

I was let down by the story. It fell flat in comparison with her previous work. Perhaps it’s because George is such a young boy or simply because the story itself isn’t that spectacular. I liked George, but I was never sucked into his story. The family dynamics were great though, especially the relationship between George and his brother.

I’m starting to get the idea that Say what you will was my one lucky shot with this author.

Eowyn Ivey – The snow child.
4 stars.
Mabel and Jack are trying to set up a new life in Alaska. They both suffer from a deep-rooted sadness after the loss of their dead-born child. On one cold night Mabel and Jack find a spark of happiness when they make a snow child and weeks pass where Mabel swears she spies a girl running between the trees. After long waiting the girl finally comes into their home: Faine. She is a wild girl, but she deepens the relationship between Mabel and Jack.

Mabel and Jack are precious. It's obvious the two of them share a long past and it was heart-breaking to see how they falling apart. Faine is the one thing that connects them again and I loved seeing them grow back together.

The bittersweet ending was really fitting with the overall feeling in the book. I loved the way the story evolved and how it had that magical fairytale-like touch. The only thing is that the epilogue was a bit underwhelming. I could have gone without it.

"To believe, perhaps you had to cease looking for explanations and instead hold the little thing in your hands as long as you were able before it slipped like water between your fingers."

Let it go | All the books I read in Spain part 1.

Let it go is my new feature, where I will spotlight all the books I DNF and the ones I read, but don’t want to review. And yes, the name is based on the wonderful song from the movie Frozen, hence the snowflake and the reindeer. This feature is based on several other DNF features.

I read quite some books in Spain and I was planning to review them all separately, but let’s be honest, I’m too lazy at this moment to do so. The only book I will spotlight on itself is The wrath and the dawn (because it is amazing) These reviews feature pictures I made to test my new camera.

Becky Wallace – The storyspinner. 4/5.
SHIP. Johanna’s family is expelled from their troupe when her father falls to death during his performance. They have a hard time earning money, especially with their alcoholic mother. One day she is beat up by Prince Rafi when he catches her hunting a dear on his property. His mother is appalled by her son’s behavior and he has to make an oath that he will make it up to Johanna. I loved the chemistry between Johanna and Rafi, who dislike each other from the moment they meet. Johanna is a strong, smart girl who doesn’t take crap from anyone. The romance was great, there are some shocking moments and I loved the plot, so give me more please! I didn't give it 5 stars, because the overall story isn't very unique.

Review 232. Kasie West – The fill-in boyfriend.

Title: The fill-in boyfriend.
Author: Kasie West.
Pages: 352.
Published: May 5th 2015 by HarperTeen
Sort: Stand-alone.
Source:  I received an ARC from the publisher. Thanks HC International!

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend— two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley. The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party — three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

Rating:

Yes. That is correct. I gave this book, a contemporary, 5 glowing flowers. If you are a frequent visitor you might be aware that I don’t read many fluffy contemporaries. I never thought I would ever find one I enjoyed so much that I would give it 5 flowers, but leave it up to Kasie West to change that. I first devoured her Pivot Point series and then I really enjoyed On the fence. With this book as prove, I can easily say she is now on my auto-buy list.

Review 299. Rainbow Rowell – Fangirl.

Title: Fangirl.
Author: Rainbow Rowell.
Pages: 461.
Published: January 30th 2014 by Pan Macmillan.
Sort: Stand-alone.

Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She's horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than anything she's experienced in real life. Without Wren Cath is completely on her own and totally outside her comfort zone. She's got a surly room-mate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words ...And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone. Now Cath has to decide whether she's ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she's realizing that there's more to learn about love than she ever thought possible...

Rating:

Here comes a bookish confession: I have written a Harry Potter fan fiction. It was years ago when I was writing a lot of stories and poems when I came up with a HP version and it was quite popular. Not as big as Cath’s fan fiction, but I had an audience so I know how much fun it is when people read your story. (And no, I will never share it on my blog and it is written in Dutch anyway). It’s not hard to imagine that I loved this book! I won Fangirl over at Gabby, so thanks!

Review 285. Amy Zhang – Falling into place.

Title: Falling into place.
Author: Amy Zhang.
Pages: 304.
Published: September 9th 2014 by Greenwillow books.
Sort: Stand-alone, contemporary.

On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road. Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? Vividly told by an unexpected and surprising narrator, this heartbreaking and nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect?

Rating:

I’m still a little confused by this book. The writing-style was good, but I disliked the main character Liz. She attempts to kill herself and she is close to dying, but the medics manage to keep her alive. The only thing that will bring her back is her own spirit; her own will to survive. It’s the question if Liz is strong enough to come back.

Slowly we unravel Liz story and why she decided to take such a big decision. Her mother is always on the road for her job, her father passed away  and Liz is very unhappy with herself. Addicted to booze, she likes to go from party to party in the hope to forget everything around her. She is popular because of her snarky comments, her harsh behavior and overall meanness to others; Liz is a bully, but she regrets it. She is stuck in her role and that is when her plan begins to shape.

Review 270. Kasie West – On the fence.

Title: On the fence.
Author: Kasie West.
Pages: 320.
Publication date: July 1st 2014 by HarperTeen
Sort: Stand-alone, contemporary.
Source: Edelweiss & Publisher.

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.

Rating:

I rarely read contemporaries, but sometimes I’m in the mood for something fluffy and this one came highly recommended by Debby from Snuggly Oranges. She raved about it during on of our book club meetings, so I decided to download a copy from Edelweiss and I’m happy that I did. This is my first meeting with Kasie West and definitely not my last!

Review 268. Sarah Strohmeyer – Smart girls get what they want.

Title: Smart girls get what they want.
Author: Sarah Strohmeyer.
Pages: 368.
Published: March 26th 2013 by Balzer + Bray.
Sort: Stand-alone.

Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren't the most popular girls in school, they aren't too worried. After all, real life will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. But when an unexpected event proves they're missing out on the full high-school experience, it's time to come out of the honours lounge and into the spotlight. The trio makes a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge and totally rock it. Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she'll have to get over her fear of public speaking—and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed; it could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but has always stayed behind the scenes—until now. These friends are determined to show the world that smart girls really can get what they want—but that might mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for.

Rating:

I was getting tired of disappointing books about two months ago, so I thought it would be good to switch up genres. After seeing a positive review of this book on Debby’s blog Snuggly Oranges, I wanted to give it a try. I’m very happy I did, because it was exactly what I needed. Cute romances and a wonderful friendship, it was all I could ask for.

Review 263. Cammie McGovern – Say what you will.

Title: Say what you will.
Author: Cammie McGovern.
Pages: 352.
Expected publication: June 3rd 2014 by HarperTeen
Sort: Stand-alone, contemporary.
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher.

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized. When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

Rating:

This book blew me away in an unexpected way. I like to pick my contemporary books carefully and when I came across this book I decided to just go for it and request it. I’m so happy I did, because this book is now one of my favorites. It’s about two strong characters who develop an unique friendship where they both have to deal with their own problems. I loved their relationship and how they look at life. It showed me that it’s up to you what you do with your life, even when every day is a struggle.

Review 261. Alyssa B. Sheinmel – Second star.

Title: Second star.
Author: Alyssa B. Sheinmel.
Pages: 256.
Published: May 13th 2014 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Sort: Stand-alone, contemporary.
Source: Netgalley & Publisher.

A twisty story about love, loss, and lies, this contemporary oceanside adventure is tinged with a touch of dark magic as it follows seventeen-year-old Wendy Darling on a search for her missing surfer brothers. Wendy’s journey leads her to a mysterious hidden cove inhabited by a tribe of young renegade surfers, most of them runaways like her brothers. Wendy is instantly drawn to the cove’s charismatic leader, Pete, but her search also points her toward Pete's nemesis, the drug-dealing Jas. Enigmatic, dangerous, and handsome, Jas pulls Wendy in even as she's falling hard for Pete. A radical reinvention of a classic, Second Star is an irresistible summer romance about two young men who have yet to grow up--and the troubled beauty trapped between them.

Rating:

My first thoughts after finishing this book: NOPE. Why did I even finish this book? I have no idea, because the ending makes the book feel like we returned to the beginning. It’s almost like there was no point to this story and that made it suck even more.

Review 241. Julie Murphy – Side effects may vary.

Title: Side effects may vary.
Author: Julie Murphy.
Pages: 336.
Expected publication date: March 18th 2014 by HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray.
Sort: Stand-alone.
Source: Edelweiss & Publisher.

What if you’d been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you? When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukaemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, whom she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that’s as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her arch nemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger and reliving some childhood memories). But just when Alice’s scores are settled, she goes into remission. Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she’s said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she done irreparable damage to the people around her, and to the one person who matters most?

Rating:

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. There were things I liked (realistic portrayal of the disease) and things I disliked (Harvey’s blind admiration and Alice’s unlikable personality) In the end, I think it’s just a good book, but not one I would re-read or highly recommend.