Review: Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
Publication Date: March 14th 2017
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Age Group: Young Adult | Contemporary
Pages: 288
Overall: ★★★★★

When BFFs Charlie, Taylor and Jamie go to SupaCon, they know it’s going to be a blast. What they don’t expect is for it to change their lives forever.

Charlie likes to stand out. SupaCon is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star, Reese Ryan. When Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.

While Charlie dodges questions about her personal life, Taylor starts asking questions about her own.

Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about the Queen Firestone SupaFan Contest, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.

I have never read a book that I have connected with one of the main characters so deeply as I did with Queens of Geek. In Queens of Geek we follow three friends. Charlie, who is a break out actress with a blossoming Youtube channel, Jamie, who is in love with pretty much all things comics, and Taylor, who's one life goal is to meet the author of her all time favorite book series. I'm sure it's pretty easy to pick out who I connected with most considering, hello, I love to read. But I feel like Taylor was so similar to myself in so many more different ways that I just had to keep reading.

Seeing Taylor have to work through not only panic attacks but also her social anxiety was kind of tough to get through because I know how those things feel. But being able to see, that with some support, she was able to get through everything that her anxiety threw at her, is a really hopeful thing to see. I know all to well how depression and anxiety works and I think Jen did a really great job at describing and expressing exactly what it feels like in those moments of an attack and what you think is going on in the world even though most of it is made up in your head.

If you're a fellow nerd, like myself, then you will have the most fun reading this book. There are so many nerdy references all through it! The way that things were mentioned made me really feel that these three kids were the ultimate nerds just like I am, and kind of made me proud to be such a nerd too. Seeing what they liked and how excited they were for a con and cosplaying made me just love them as smol little beans.

Now of course we know we have two love stories in this book. I did like one more than the other but I think that's because I connected with Taylor more. That's not to say that I did not love seeing Charlie's relationship too. I felt so proud for Charlie once she decided that Reese wasn't worth any more of her time. Also seeing Reese all throughout this book just made me angry for Charlie and I wasn't able to pretend to ever be a Chase stan. So when she see's Alyssa and you learn of Charlie's crush the whole time I just felt myself cheering her on. To watch what unfolds between the two and how it happens just made my heart so happy.

But then you have Taylor and Jamie. Oh such precious little creatures. These two have been friends for years and are essentially the same people. They both love Queen Firestone, Jamie supports Taylor through her tough mental breakdowns, and Taylor geeks out at all the things that Jamie loves. Seeing the two of them blossom and realize "Hey I'm not the only one crushing here" was just so, ugh, perfect. I also loved the fact that Charlie was rooting them on the whole time too.

To be completely honest I see myself having to reread this somewhere here in the near future. I have never read through a book that has made me want to highlight and tab specific things as much as this book had, just so I could go back and relive certain moments or certain things that were mentioned. I would suggest this book to absolutely everyone that has ever slightly considered themself a nerd. To be honest, you probably don't even need to be a nerd to appreciate these characters and their time at SupaCon. So needless to say, if you haven't read this book yet, go do it!

Review: Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven

Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven
Publication Date: October 4th 2016
Publisher: Penguin
Age Group: Young Adult | Contemporary
Pages: 391
Overall: ★★★★✩

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for every possibility life has to offer. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything. 

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.

Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.


Ok so this review might be a little all over the place so please stick with my while I try and sort out my thoughts on this book. First, I have to say that I really did enjoy this book. I can agree with some people on how parts of the story are problematic, and I'll get to that, but as a whole I was entertained until the very end, and that's what I like to get from my books I read. I didn't think that the couple of problems with this book ruined it at all and I found the story to be cute, which again is something I want from my contemporary reads, and for once I wasn't able to predict everything that was going to happen before it happened.

Now being an overweight person myself, I have to say the way that Libby views herself is beyond relatable. I know that I've seen people that have a problem with how she views herself and about how often she thinks about her weight and the fact that she's supposed to be this force for self love at the same time. But come on, this is how a teenage girls brain works. Even now as an adult that's how my brain works. I go from one day hating everything about the way I look to the next thinking I'm the cutest thing in the world and everyone can just suck it. Maybe because I can put myself in her shoes it makes it easier for me to understand how her brain can work that way, but it's really accurate and spoke to me on a high level.

Oh Jack. I'm not sure where to start with Jack. I have to say even though he has prospoga.....you know what, EVERY TIME I came to this word in the book it took me like 5 minutes to figure out how to pronounce it again, so I'm just not going to use it here. Anyway, even with Jack's neurological disorder I have to say he really is a douchey boy. Granted I felt some sympathy for him but then there were times he'd do or say something and I'd just think "Come on, Really?". But then again I can see that that is how he's supposed to be written and that's probably the reaction we're supposed to have with him.

Let's talk about the insta love for just a second. Sure that's usually a thing that happens with contemporaries, you meet someone and bam you're in love. Granted Libby and Jack knew each other before the insta love happened but you can literally see it suddenly happen where all of a sudden Jack looks different to Libby and he's a dreamy boy. It wasn't so glaring wrong that I wasn't able to move past it, but I do feel that that situation could have been handled a little differently. 

Back to Jack's neurological disorder. I still don't fully understand how it all works and how he's able to tell Libby apart from everyone else so easily. It does seem like a Love Cures Everything kind of deal but when I think about it, maybe love could cure prosp.....whatever. Maybe having that connection with someone, a connection so strong that you're not scared to look in to their eyes, can cause something else to fire in the brain that helps remember what their face looks like. So yet again, even though I can see this as being problematic, it still kind of makes sense to me and does add to the story.

All in all this was a  very enjoyable read. I loved getting to see Libby make that transition from homeschooled loaner to being more comfortable in her skin and going to a normal high school and trying to make friends and start a relationship. I enjoyed getting to follow Jack and see that maybe the douchey act he puts on is just a front because he has no idea how to act since no one really knows about his problem and he's too scared to really tell anyone. I am a sucker for contemporaries and the fact that this one touched on a couple hard topics made me an even bigger sucker for it. I'd recommend this to pretty much anyone looking for a good and entertaining read.

Review: It Had To Be You by Lizzy Charles & Giveaway

It Had To Be You by Lizzy Charles
Publication Date: May 15 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Age Group: Young Adult | Contemporary
Pages: 184
Overall: ★★★★✩

James Parson has a problem. His military dad is going to yank him out of his expensive boarding school if James doesn’t prove he’s no longer hooking up, pulling pranks, and charming his way out of consequences. What better way to show he’s now responsible than becoming the committed boyfriend of a U.S. diplomat’s daughter?

Level-headed, book-smart Edelweiss may have traveled the world thanks to her dad’s job, but when it comes to friends and boys, she knows exactly nothing. Newly enrolled in boarding school, Edel is now on a mission to learn it all. James says he’ll help her experience the ultimate high school life—if she’ll be his fake girlfriend. And fake is perfect, because he’s exactly the kind of player she’d never date.


Let me start with this, what a stinking cute story. I have to admit that I was hooked from the beginning. I'll be honest when I started this book I had a little bit of a hard time connecting with Edel, mostly because all I could think was she was this pretentious rich girl. Thankfully as the book went on I came to realize she was just a normal teen, and I also realized that I was judging her just like a normal teenager and I felt kind of bad for that. She's starting a brand new school, which she's never even been to school in the fist place! She just wants to have that normal teenage experience and this is basically her last chance before being thrown in to College Life and trying to adapt to that.

Also can we talk about the "meet cute". I am a sucker for a good meet cute whether it be in a book, on a show, or in a movie. Granted I would have been pretty upset had I been in Edel's position, but I think James saved it. I felt like I knew a little bit about how things were going to go with this, but then again I was pretty surprised with things that were happening. The whole time I was questioning things but I still kept wanting to read and keep figuring things out.

Yes, this book is extra cheesy, but isn't that what makes contemporary's what we love? I know personally that I really love cheesy contemporary books because it just makes me fall in love with the characters even more and gives me that butterfly feeling in my stomach. That is how I know I've found a good contemporary novel. Sometimes things seemed a bit convenient when twists happened, but I never lost that butterfly feeling with this book and I just felt that it was so cute I couldn't stop reading it.

If you are an avid contemporary reader I would suggest this from you. It is such a fun and easy read that just pulls you in and makes you want to continue to read it. It really is hard to put it down until you realize that it's over. I am so excited to know that this is technically a first book so I'm excited to see how the next novel will go and what will happen!

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About The Author

Lizzy Charles writes young adult contemporary romance. She’s a tea fanatic, guacamole expert, and sushi lover. When she’s fixing lunches, dressing kids, or wiping pizza sauce off sticky hands, she escapes to La La Land and imagines all sorts of little love stories. Lizzy loves her daily dose of fitness and is also a RN so she can triage any symptom you send her way. Her best friend from high school is also her husband. Oh and she has a little pup named Professor Lupin who is pretty much the glue to the whole writing operation.

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Review: Textrovert by Lindsey Summers

Textrovert by Lindsey Summers
Publication Date: May 2nd 2017
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Age Group: Young Adult | Contemporary
Pages: 235
Overall: ★★★★✩

Can you fall in ♥ with someone you’ve never met? 

Summer is nearly over and Keeley is about to start her senior year when disaster strikes: she picks up the wrong cell phone by mistake. 😞 Just her luck that it belongs to Talon, a totally arrogant jock 🏈 who’s just left for football camp—with her phone. Keeley doesn’t know him, but they’ll need to rely on each other to forward their messages for an entire week. 

Talon is so full of himself, but Keeley quickly discovers he’s funny, too—at least his texts are. 😅 And he listens to Keeley—which is more than anyone else does. Texting Talon, she can be more than just the quiet twin sister of a popular boy. Texting Talon, she can be the outgoing person she’s always wanted to be. Soon the two are falling for each other, hard. 

But when true identities are revealed and secrets are exposed, will Keeley’s feelings stay the same?

So since reading Textrovert, I've found out that this was originally a semi different story than what it is now. It seems like a lot of people are judging this work based on Lindsey's old work and that just doesn't seem right to me. So i just want to start off by saying, if you decide to read this book you should go in to it with an open idea, because from what I understand it's not the same as her original work on Wattpad. That being said though, Textrovert was exactly the cutesy contemporary read that I was looking for. I have to say that Keeley really did pull me in from the start. Being in the time that we are and knowing that a lot of relationships start out online, I felt like this was such a cute way to look at things. How often do you accidentally switch phones with someone, let alone neither of you have a password set up! I mean come on, it's just fate. So when Keeley and Talon start being forced to talk to each other to relay messages and we see their relationship actually become more than acquaintances I was beyond excited. Especially because I knew at some point these two were going to have to met, unlike most online relationships out there today. That little added bonus of knowing that there would be a physical meeting made me want to speed through the entire book. Surprisingly enough, them switching phones is just the beginning and there is SO MUCH more story afterward. Which made me even more excited because the more I read the more I wanted to see what was going to happen. I'll be honest, a lot of the plot twists in this were very predictable for me, but the way that they were handled was not so predictable. Plus there was one at the end that completely threw me but I very much like the way it was handled. All in All Textrovert is a very cute summer read that you are going to want to get your hands on. Keeley is such a likable character even with all of her supposed flaws, Zach is the annoying brother character that most of us all know, and Talon, oh Talon, even with his crazy flip flopiness he is still a heart throb that every time he said the words baby doll my stomach did little flips. If you haven't already, I'd suggest grabbing this book for a quick and super cute summer read!

Review: At First Blush by Beth Ellyn Summer

At First Blush by Beth Ellyn Summer
Publication Date: April 4th, 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury Spark
Age Group: Young Adult | Contemporary
Pages: 340
Overall: ★★★★✩

Who would have thought that a teenager could have a successful career creating makeup tutorial videos on YouTube? For Lacey Robbins, this dream has been her reality. An up-and-coming YouTuber, she has thousands of fans and can't wait for the day when her subscriber count reaches the one million mark. And when she is offered a high school internship at On Trend Magazine, she figures that this could be the make it or break it moment. 

But sometimes your dream job isn't all that it seems. Her editor is only interested in promoting junk products, and her boss in the Hair and Makeup department introduces her to the larger world of makeup artistry, making her wonder if making tutorials online is all she is meant to do. To top it all off, when the magazine's feature subject , musician Tyler Lance, turns his broodingly handsome smile her way, falling for him could mean losing her fans, forcing her to make a decision: her YouTube life or her real life?

At First Blush gave me so much more than I expected when I received this book for review. I have to say I'm pretty obsessed when it comes to Youtube, and since I don't have cable most of my time is spent watching Youtube videos of pretty much any kind. So when I heard what this book was about I knew I had to give it a try and sent it a request. What I didn't know what how good of a read it was going to turn out to be.

Lacey Robbins is an up and coming Beauty Guru on Youtube who scored a summer internship at one of the hottest magazines in the country. She's one of three Youtubers that gets the chance, and happens to be the smallest channel of the three as well. She sees this as being her big break to get a possible contract with Glass Cube, which is the company behind all the big Youtubers that offers people to help make your videos as well as a place to record them.

There is a downfall to Lacey's summer plans to rise to fame though and he goes by the name of Tyler Lance. Tyler is the big secret guest feature for the issue of On Trend that Lacey and the other Youtubers are working on. The magazine is busting it's butt to try and make is image better than the prior known drunk tool that Tyler had let his image become. So not only is Lacey stuck around him, but she's also stuck working with him to make videos on her channel.

Beth did such a wonderful job giving insight behind what a Youtubers life really is. It was so nice to see Lacey as a normal person and how much work she put in to her videos and how stress affected not only her life but even her Youtube channel. Seeing her ups and downs and BIG hic-ups along the way made it so easy to connect to Lacey even without being any part of the Youtuber community.

Not to put down Tyler as a character either. His development through the book really made it easy to feel for him, even if he was a big teenage heart throb. Seeing his interactions with Lacey slowly melted my heart and in the end I found myself yelling at Lacey for some of the decisions she was making with her life. But to be honest, she is just a teenage girl navigating life and trying figure out what she really wants, so I can't hold everything against her.

If you're looking for a good contemporary read with an interesting story that's something you haven't read before, I would highly recommend checking out At First Blush. It was a very nice fresh of breath air in the normal teenage contemporary genre and is definitely worth the read!

Review: Chameleon by Zoe Kalo

Chameleon by Zoe Kalo
Publication Date: February 2017
Publisher: 
Age Group: Young Adult | Ghost
Pages: 
Overall: ★★★✩✩

17-year-old Paloma only wanted to hold a séance to contact her dead father. She never thought she would be kicked out of school and end up in an isolated convent. Now, all she wants is to be left alone. But slowly, she develops a bond with a group of girls: kind-hearted Maria, insolent Silvy, pathological liar Adelita, and their charismatic leader Rubia.  

When, yet again, Paloma holds a séance in the hope of contacting her father, she awakens an entity that has been dormant for years. And then, the body count begins. Someone doesn’t want the secret out…

Are the ghost and Paloma’s suspicions real—or only part of her growing paranoia and delusions? 

I want to be completely honest with this review. I absolutely adore this cover, it is so beautiful but I don't get how it ties to the actual story itself, even though it helps to give off the creepy gothic feel that the story has and has a waterfall on it. This book was the kind of book that has a bit of a slow start up to try and build suspense, and of course give back story, but then as things start to pick up this book really draws you in.

The premise of the story is something that I don't feel like I've seen done a whole lot, which makes this story super unique. You do have one main character that we're following with Paloma, but out of the other four girls, they're all very unique and extremely interesting to learn about and get to know and see their character development. The group of girls reminds me of typical high school girl groups. You have one girl leader that calls the shots and controls the other girls, and the others tend to follow blindly. But now with a new girl in the mix who starts to question the leader, it becomes more obvious of what the leader is capable of.

The way that Zoe paints the school is essentially what I would picture a convent to be like. It seems like a spooky isolated place where the nuns are extremely strict and at times can be cruel. I feel like the scenery adds to the feeling of the story and builds the suspense.

During the story we are kept on our toes and find ourselves constantly asking, what's going to happen next. It's like an onion, so many different layers that cause us to think about so many different aspects at once. I do have to say, there has got to be another book to go with this, because I feel like there are so many questions that I still have that I need to know what happens. If suspense and paranormal is what you like, then I suggest that you give this book a go, because you will not be dissapointed.

Review: Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
Publication Date: September 1st 2015
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Age Group: Young Adult | Contemporary
Pages: 310
Overall: ★★★★★

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. 

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. 

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

I'm going to be very honest with you on this, I picked this book up having a lot of expectations considering I had been hearing about it for months and it was being made in to a major motion picture. This book did not disappoint. The second I picked it up I was hooked, and I finished it the same day I started, I'm not even sure if I took any breaks while reading to be completely open. So let me get to the general break down of this book.

Our main character Madeline has a rare disease called SCID. This makes it impossible for her to ever leave her house because she is essentially allergic to everything and anything. Her mother has basically turned her house in to a safe haven with air purifiers, decontamination chambers, so on and so forth. So Maddy has lived essentially her entire life in her house like a cage. She spends her days doing homework, reading, and spending time with her nurse Carla. That is, until a new family moves in next door.

Maddy instantly becomes drawn to her new neighbors, more specifically their son Olly. She spends some time learning their habits, watching their family dynamic, and discovering things most people don't know about this family. Then one day, Maddy realizes that Olly sees her too. They start a sort of friendship by holding up notes like a Taylor Swift music video to IMing almost every night.

From there is really where the story begins, and I don't want to say too much to give it away. But what I will say is that the relationship created between Maddy and Olly and the way they interact is so beautifully written it would give anyone butterflies to imagine. It's such an amazing story of a first love, and of what someone is willing to do for that love.

Again, to be completely honest, there is a LARGE plot twist at the end of the book. This was something I wasn't completely aware of nor was I sure it was going to actually happen or be true until the time that it did happen, and the way that Nicola Yoon wrote it and spun it was so well done. I still felt a connection to all the characters involved and I could understand all points of view from the twist, but I also knew that it was a necessary twist to really give you that permanent connection with the characters.

As stated above I gave this book a five out of five star rating. It was captivating, it was enjoyable, and it really created a beautiful world for these characters. I would highly suggest if you are interested in reading the book before seeing the movie to do so, but I would also suggest not to watch the trailer for the movie either, because man does it give away a lot about this book, and I know personally I like to go in to a book not knowing the total outcome of it until I get there myself. Overall, Everything Everything will be a book I recommend to readers of all ages for some time to come.

Review: Never Let You Fall by Michele Miller

Never Let You Fall by Michele Miller
Release Date: May 1st 2013
Pages: 314
Overall: 5/5

Orphaned at 7, with no memory of her past or the family she lost, 17 year old Skye Martin is tired of being alone and afraid. After a hard night of partying, Skye wakes up alone in an unfamiliar hotel. All she can remember is the deep voice of her rescuer and his promise: “I am safe.”
Xander has been tasked with watching Skye from afar for the past two years, in order to keep her safe from the demons that hunt her. An easy job - until a pair of red glowing eyes reveal themselves to Skye, and Xander, in a moment of weakness, is forced to break his cover to protect her. Never good at trusting people, Skye is inexplicably drawn to Xander and the immediate bond she feels for him. However, Xander is filled with secrets and ties to her past that threaten to thrust Skye into a world she could never imagine existed…
As she begins to unravel the truth about who Xander is and the details surrounding her family, she discovers that she might just be the key to saving everything... And, most importantly, she finds that there has always been someone by her side who would never let her fall…

From the moment I picked up this book, I was hooked. There was something about it that just kept me from being able to put it down. I eventually had to tell myself that I needed to get some sleep and that Skye and Xander would be where I left them in the morning! Of course, the second I woke up, I went right back to reading it.

The only thing Skye can remember of life before her parents death, is what she sees in her nightmares, and even with that, she's not certain it's what happened. Xander's been watching Skye for years, keeping her out of the harm that is unknown to her. Yet when Skye leaves herself unprotected and unable to take care of herself one night after Xander notices a monster is after her, he realizes he has to do something, to protect her not only from the monsters, but from herself.

After that, everything seems so quick. Skye receives answers to questions she's had her entire life, but they just lead to even more confusion and even more questions. Not only does Skye have to come to terms with what happened in her past, but what she has to do, to not only save herself, but to save a everybody.

The relationship between Skye and Xander is the kind of relationship I love to read about, the kind that as I read I get the butterflies in my stomach, which I feel like gives such a connection to the two. Even though I know how their relationship is supposed to work out, from the beginning, I wanted more for them. There were even times that when Skye was upset, I shed a few tears myself, that is how amazing this read was.

Review: Supernatural Freak by Louisa Klein

Supernatural Freak - Louisa Klein
Release Date - August 9th 2012
Age Group - Young Adult
Overall - 4.5/5

When paranormal expert Robyn Wise is offered an outrageous sum of money to cure a boy who is turning into a dead tree, she's very sceptical. A politician ready to pay that much to make his son stop growing branches instead of hair? Come on! She's more likely to be abducted by aliens. This is a trap. Or much worse. And, of course, it's much worse.The child is turning into a dark portal, created by a powerful entity determined to absorb Fairyland's power. This means that not only queen Titania and her court are in danger, but the very balance of the magic fluxes.
Robyn'd rather stick a pencil in her own eye but. to learn how to destroy the portal, she has to sneak into the Wizardry Council, a place full of wizards who are hiding something—though it’s certainly not their dislike of her.There, she discovers a terrible secret that could help to overthrow Fairyland's enemies for good, but puts her in the midst of an ancient and deadly war, and not as a bystander, but as the main target.

If you love books with tons of supernatural creatures, this is the book for you. I was instantly pulled in within the first few pages of this book with action. Robyn has ties to all kinds of supernatural beings, so I can see how they decided on the title Supernatural Freak. Werewolves, Ghosts, Genies, Faries, and that's just within the first few chapters!

Supernatural Freak is so well written that it keeps you hanging on every second. I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next because there was so much suspense in the plot that I needed to keep reading. Robyn gets herself into to all kinds of sticky situations and seeing how she gets herself out of them is quite entertaining. Thanks to the help of her friends, I'm sure Robyn would be able to work through anything.

Supernatural Freak definitely gets my recommendation to any reader looking for a good supernatural book to read. A supernatural packed book that keeps you hooked from page one, if you haven't already checked this book out, it is available on amazon and I say give it a read.

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
Release Date - October 31st 2008
Publisher - Scholastic Press
Age Group - Young Adult
Pages - 374
Overall - 5/5

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning? In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

So I finally gave in and decided to read The Hunger Games. Of course it's been on my to read pile for ever, I just didn't know if I wanted to read it and ruin the magical image that I had created in my mind from all the hype I had been hearing. Thankfully, I was not disappointed with this book. Of course, I had a general idea of what was supposed to happen and what was involved, but never could my imagination go where this book went.

The Hunger Games is set in a post apocalyptic North America where the US has been divided into 13 districts ruled by The Capitol. As a constant reminder against their failed uprising again the Capitol, everyone year the districts send one boy and one girl to participate in The Hunger Games where there will be only one victor, but it seems this year the rules are going to change.

Katniss and Peeta are quiet the odd pair to say the least. One a minor's daughter and the other a baker's son, living in different parts of District 12. When they are thrown together after the reaping to prepare for their life or death competition, an unlikely bond begins to grow. I found myself rooting more and more for the two of them to become closer the more the book went along, but if you are familiar with the series at all I'm sure you would expect that.

As the competition rages on and people's lives are lost I found myself growing a bit more and more connected to the characters that were slowly surviving. The crazy twists and turns in the book kept me reading well into the night. Once you pick this book up you are not going to want to put it down. I know my next trip to the bookstore will have to include Catching Fire, I am just dying to know what happens back in the Districs after The Hunger Games have concluded.

Review: Bad Taste In Boys by Carrie Harris

Bad Taste In Boys - Carrie Harris
Release Date: July 12th 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 201
Overall: 5/5

Someone's been a very bad zombie. 
Kate Grable is horrified to find out that the football coach has given the team steroids. Worse yet, the steroids are having an unexpected effect, turning hot gridiron hunks into mindless flesh-eating zombies. No one is safe--not her cute crush Aaron, not her dorky brother, Jonah . . . not even Kate! 
She's got to find an antidote--before her entire high school ends up eating each other. So Kate, her best girlfriend, Rocky, and Aaron stage a frantic battle to save their town. . . and stay hormonally human.

Hot Boys, Zombies, and a strong female lead. What more could you want from a book? I was in love with this book from the very beginning, I can't lie.  A stunning cover with an amazing story line, Bad Taste in Boys is way more than a zombie filled horror read. Of course like I've mentioned a million times before, the cover really is what first drew me to this book. I mean come on, look at it, doesn't it make you want to pick it up and read it? But what really hooked me was the story.

I remember being in high school and what it was like to have a crush on the high school jock, who doesn't? So the fact that Kate is just a normal teenage girl in the same kind of position that I have found myself in, made her extremely likable. The book hooks you in by getting to the point right away and I really liked how easy it was to be able to understand what was going on.

Bad Taste in boys is a fast paced quirky read about a zombie plague infecting a school, and one girl's fight to save her friends, family, and love. The witty remarks alone are something that should make you want to read this book. I found myself laughing while reading it and getting weird looks from my parents, but those I'm used to. So I would highly recommend picking up this book, and I know I'm adding Bad Hair Day to my list to read, I mean come on more Kate and werewolves, sounds perfect to me.

Review: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin
Release Date: September 27th 2011
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 452
Rating: ★★★★☆

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.
She's wrong.

I honestly have no idea where to start with my review for this book. I literally just finished it moments before writing this, and I am utterly confused. One thing I can say for certain is that Michelle Hodkin's writing is beyond a doubt amazing. I love the tone she uses and the  transitions she makes. Her settings are wonderful and the comedic relief made me laugh out loud. The writing flowed so seamlessly I found myself entranced from cover to cover. 


But what I'm most confused about is the story line. You meet Mara in her pre accident days where mentally she's a different person. Then we're put into her life just a short time after the accident where she has no recollection of what happened that night. We follow her through the next couple of months as she remembers what happened that deadly night, and he connection with a boy at her new school, Noah. 


The cover is absolutely the most beautiful cover I have seen in awhile. I have to say that the cover gave me high hopes for this book, because unfortunately that is how I am. If it was a good looking cover and a slightly interesting story line, I'm more likely to pick it up. But thankfully this book held up to it's cover. I hate being able to tell what's going to happen at the end of the book from the beginning and I can honestly say that I was thrown for a complete and total loop. 


What happens with Mara, Noah, her family, and every other character in this book is a surprise as it happens. I was shocked multiple times and towards then end the confusion began. I understand Mara, and Noah for the most part, where their relationship left off, I have no idea, what is happening with Mara at the end, I have no idea. But I can say that I am extremely excited to see that this is the first in a series. I know there has to be more to the story, more that I'm not knowing, and I will be buying the next book in the series to see what happens! 


I know there's been a bunch of mixed reviews about this book, but I have to say I was pleased with it. I had high standards for it before I even began reading it and it lived up to them, other than throwing me for a big loop leaving me confused at the end. If you love a mystery with a good lead and some comedy thrown in, then this is a book for you. So I suggest you let yourself decide on this one, and pick up a copy for yourself. 

Review: Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Wildefire - Karsten Knight
Release Date - July 26th 2011
Publisher - Simon and Schuster
Age Group - Young Adult
Pages - 400
Overall - 5/5

Every flame begins with a spark.
Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

So I have to say that I absolutely loved this book. There were so many magnificent things about it I'm not sure where to start. Ash decides to go away to boarding school after a violent incident with her sister Eve. Then after an event with one of the students off campus, she becomes friends with an unusual bunch of students. These students turn out to be a group of gods and goddesses. They all have their own powers and a similar life/background with their past life. The amount of authenticity between the gods and goddesses is wonderful. Karsten did a wonderful job recreating them and really helped fill in the story for the ones I was not familiar with. I grew so attached to each one of the gods and goddesses and felt like each one of them had an equally vital role with Ashline.


I can't really say much more about the story without giving things away. The story was so enthralling and had me hooked from the very beginning. There were so many surprises throughout the whole book. Some things that I were expecting to happen either didn't happen or happened when I wasn't expecting them. Of course there were many other things that I was not expecting. The last third of the book, I was unable to put it down. I wanted to know everything that was going to happen right then and there. 


 One thing I do know for certain is that  I cannot wait for Embers & Echoes because I have so many questions left over from the end of Wildefire. What really happened with Eve, what about the girl from the visions, COLT! I think there's enough said right there, if you have read it then you understand completely. If you haven't read this book yet what is wrong with you. I suggest getting this and moving it right to the top of your to read pile, it's so worth it. This has got to be up there with my new favorite books and I am so happy that it is going to be a series and there will be more to come. 

Review: Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Cryer's Cross - Lisa McMann
Release Date: February 8th 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 233
Overall: 4/5

The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad. Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history. Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

What can I say about this book. I really did like it for the most part. I think my favorite thing from the book was the character development. I loved getting to see the workings behind Kendall and her OCD, I think I enjoyed it most because, having OCD, seeing someone else and how they deal with it and knowing that your not the only one with something like this is comforting, especially to see her tendencies be similar to the ones that I have. I also really liked getting to see Jacian's character develop and go from the mysterious new boy, to the character I think I most fell in love with.

Something else that I really enjoyed about this book is, with Kendall's semi paranoia came my own. Trying to figure out who could be the one connected to these disappearances and what exactly was going on. I think also that the ending threw me just as much as it threw her. I didn't really see it coming until the very end, right before she found out and everything came together. Although I wasn't happy with what the cause of everything was, I think it brought things together quiet well and drew the story to the best close that it could really have.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read. Honestly I think this book would be good for anyone who really loves the paranormal and more suspenseful stories. That's the vibe I got from it and was what I was in the mood for when I decided to read it. Also, anything by Lisa McMann is bound to be good. I might be a little bias but she is one of my favorite authors.  So yes, go out and buy the book, it's a book that I know I will read more than once, because I'm sure there's something I didn't pick up the first time I read it, and would be glad to revisit the story, even knowing how it ends.