Review: Double Clutch by Liz Rienhardt

Title: Double Clutch

Author: Liz Rienhardt

Publication date: September 6th 2011

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

Goodreads summary:

What happens when you fall for the perfect guy...twice...in one day?

Brenna Blixen spent her freshman year homeschooling in Denmark; now that she's back in the States, she's determined to make her sophomore year unforgettable. And by unforgettable, she imagined awesome classes, fun friendships, and maybe a little romance.

What she got was a whole lot of romance, and all at once.

The same day that dark, brooding Saxon Maclean charmed her with his killer good looks and whip-smart wit, Jake Kelly stole her breath away with his heart-wrenching smile and intelligent, thoughtful focus.

But Saxon is a proud player who makes it clear that he doesn't know why he can't get Brenna off of his mind and out of his system, and Jake's sweet and humble attitude hides a secret past life that might be darker and more complex than Brenna is willing to deal with.

Complicating the matter is the fact that Saxon and Jake were once best friends and are now arch-enemies...and the more Brenna finds out about their connection to each other, the more intrigued and worried she becomes.

Between keeping the peace with her lovingly over-protective parents, designing t-shirts for her high school's rising punk band, keeping up her grades in classes split between academic and technical high school, and running the track like a maniac, Brenna has enough to worry about with out juggling two guys who make her heart thud and drive her crazy all at once.

She has to make a choice, but how is she supposed to do that when giving her heart to one of them might mean breaking the other's?

Recommended Age Group: Older YA

Racquel's thoughts:

Liz Rienhardt is the first ever author to ask me to read and review their book so from the beginning
this book was special. I was kind of anxious to read it though because I was scared I wasn’t going to like it and since Liz is just THE sweetest person ever, she’s so nice and I’m so glad I got to talk to her it would have been plain awful writing negative review. But thank goodness, I was spared from having to deal with that because this book ROCKS!

What I love about this book:

*It’s about as realistic (from MY perspective) as realistic YA fiction can get.

-Brenna wears make up. I know this is not big deal but as a make up freak that just adores make up I’m actually glad for once that a character doesn’t describe herself as plain Jane. Brenna knows she’s pretty though she’s not arrogant about it. I’m so tired of every female MC not caring or not knowing how to deal with their looks and they think they’re ugly and end up with THE hottest guy imaginable. Good for you plain Jane but the other girls have stories too.

-Brenna has a backbone. I’m sure you don’t know what that is because the majority of the books you and I read have plain Janes as MC’s and usually they keep to themselves and their outspokenness is limited. I will tell you what a backbone is, it’s the factor that makes you stand up for yourself, say what’s one your mind and take no bullshit from anybody at all cost. Brenna has this so very rare backbone and the only other MC I can think off who does too is Rose Hathaway from Vampire Academy series.

-I can relate with the book! More then once I came across a scene which I have been in the situation as or said the same thing/had same reaction.

Ex: “‘HAGS’ in my yearbook at the end of eight.” If I wasn’t lazy, I would get up right now and take a picture of my eighth grade yearbook and show you all the HAGS over you.

Ex 2: “Even though it was about a bunch of killer school boys, I never managed to get into this one.” Lord or the flies was one of the books I had to read last year and I definitely couldn’t get into either!

Ex 3: “Run, forrest run.” I say this phrase everyday I’m at school and see someone running. So those words per year come out my mouth approximately 555 times per school year, I thought I was the only one making Forrest Gump references,

Ex 4: “I checked your Facebook page.” Let’s face it, we all have Facebook’s. You’re probably going to go write your status right now about how you read the world’s stupidest review but in the end we (REALTIY) use the site known as facebook but how come it never shows up in  realistic fiction books? Uhmmm, people propose to other people to facebook nowadays.  It’s basically the most important communication tool in world. You see those riots in the Middle East? Wonder how they were planned?  If you guessed Facebook good for you, if not then go back to the cave you live in. Just kidding:D

More things I love:

-As I told Mary from @anxirium about this book, Brenna did not come about this earth through random pollination. She has parents, yes a father (well a step dad but nonetheless, there mention of the sperm donor) and a mother (once again, yes a mother body) who carried her in her womb for nine months and these parents are HEXA-GASP! present in the book. Good god, an actual YA book with ACTUAL guardian’s or and parental figures who actual play a role in their child’s life in it? 2012 is real; get ready for an apocalypse…!

-The mature and realistic way sex was handled in the book. To be honest, I’m starting to like adult contemporary romance more because sometimes YA books get me so mad from how not YA they are! They take place in an ideal world and are nowhere near what actually happens in a teenager’s life but thanks to Reinhardt, Double Clutch doesn’t suffer from that. The book doesn’t shy away from tackling sex to what it is and I love that. No it’s not graphic, but it’s honest it’s portrayal of sex which made me so damn happy I can combust! For once sex in YA is not just “it happened and then later…” I would kiss Reinhardt if I can.

Overall: I can go on and on about all the things I loved about this book, it’s absolutely one of my favorites of the year. It was funny, cute and realistic and I personally believe if you don’t like it, you should get yours head checked. From the writing, to the characters, the dialogue and the details I couldn’t find anything wrong:D And this is coming from a person who hates hype! This is the perfect review to post on my birthday!

Rating: 5 hearts~ one of my favorites, I hope you enjoy it just as much as me((:

First: 

My mom waltzed into my room early on the morning of my first day of high school back at Sussex County, NJ after a year in Denmark, and I breathed a sigh of relief that she kissed my forehead like it was my first day of kindergarten instead.

Favorite:

"Um, try to not intentionally suck something useless into your brain."

Teaser:

"Once I get a job with dental coverage, I'm getting rid of all this character."

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Waiting on Wednesday |12|

Waiting On Wednesday, which is hosted by Jill at BreakingtheSpine! It's basically a Wednesday meme that "spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This Wednesday, I'm waiting on:

Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith

Expected publication: December 27th 2011 by Greenwillow Books

Goodreads summary:

Leah has the life most high school girls would kill for—popularity, glowing grades, a rich, athletic boyfriend. So why does she feel like she can’t breathe? And why can’t she stop thinking about the boy from the country club? The one who isn’t her boyfriend, the one that her mother would never, ever approve of, the one that her perfect older sisters would never, ever look at twice. The one who is always looking back at her. Irresistible attraction, smoldering glances, the bad boy and the good girl—Kiss Crush Collide has everything that a steamy forbidden romance should, and then some.

With graceful and honest writing and an electric love story, this is a book about growing into your own skin. For fans of Perfect Chemistry, Sarah Dessen, and John Green.

Why is this my WoW?

I hate it when in summaries and praises, books are compared to other books because most of the time, those comparisons are very null and wrong but come! Perfect Chemistry is my favorite book ever, of course I would be interested in reading this! And even if this wasn't compared to Perfect Chemistry, the summary, eye catching cover and hot cover are enough to hold my attention:D

What are you're WoW's this week?

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me!

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Turning Point (1)

Hey everyone! You're probably thinking: What's Turning Point? WELL. Grace from Wordslikesilver is starting this as a feature, and I thought it was a pretty darn awesome idea! So I'd like to give it a try :) It's basically where you share your thoughts on the book you're currently reading up to the halfway point! Sort of like a mini-review on what you've read so far! Here is the link to Grace's "Turning Point" post! Right now I'm just reading Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick.

"The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever."

I bought this book immediately after I finished Crescendo (see my review here) and knew that I had to continue reading on, because it was SO mean of Becca to leave us readers at a cliffhanger! I've heard many mixed reviews on this book, and I can see where the negative ones are coming from. For me, I'm kind of on both sides of the positive and negative. Let me explain.

The book starts with Nora having no memory of what happened in the past 5 months. Yes, terrible, I know. I was a little confused with where the amnesia was going, but I continued reading on, intrigued by Becca's fantastic writing. Later I found out that because Nora has no memory of the summer, she doesn't remember Patch. At all.

I nearly cried when Nora had no recollection of who the love of her life was. Or if she even had a love of her life. Hank Millar, my growing sense of contempt for this man grew rapidly. I hate Hank Millar. What a cruel "father". Nora's innocence of having no information of what's going on was sad and unfair. How everyone was hiding everything from her, like they had an advantage of it over her. How everyone can just lie to her because she doesn't know if they're telling the truth or not. It was excruciatingly painful to read through.

What I've read so far has also been frustrating, which I think was probably the biggest part on why many readers didn't enjoy Silence. It IS frustrating though! C'mon, Patch and Nora being apart? Crescendo already did it's part on that. Did Fitzpatrick really have to make us suffer in book three? Yes, yes she does. It pained me deeply how Nora couldn't figure out who Patch was, and why he was haunting her long-lost memories.

So far it sounds like I'm not enjoying this book very much. But I can say, despite Nora's amnesia, I actually like the idea of how she has no memory of Patch. It's as if... their relationship is being born again. Which, in my opinion, was what everyone loved in Hush, Hush: watching Patch & Nora's relationship grow. It's shown up again in Silence! Readers can witness Patch and Nora fall in love once again.

Scott Parnell from Crescendo is brought back into the story! His character is so fun to read about, and I believe that he is truly a good person, not what Patch keeps saying he is.

Speaking of Patch, he doesn't go by this name in this book. He goes by his actual name; Jev. I'm not diggin' it. I still like Patch better, it suits him more (hence why I'm still using Patch in this post).

So as of right now, I'm addicted to this book. Even with it's differences with the previous 2 books. Something about Becca Fitzpatrick's writing that I can't put my finger on. It draws me in every time. I am in love with it so far. Eagerly anticipating the rest of the book!

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In My Mailbox (8)

In My Mailbox was started by the lovely Kristi at The Story Siren!! :)

This week I got:

Yes, it's A KINDLE FRIGGIN' TOUCH. It's my new baby <33 (It's also my 1 month early Christmas present...)

Bought for my new Kindle:

The New World (Chaos Walking #0.5) by Patrick Ness

It's free on Amazon! 

Summer's Crossing (Iron Fey #3.5) by Julie Kagawa
Also free on Amazon!

Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick
This one... wasn't free. ;D













From Library:

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King














Wow! Such an amazing week for me!! I'm one happy bunny. What did you get this week? :)

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Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Crescendo (Hush, Hush #2)
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Pages: 427
Published: October 19th, 2010 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Goodreads Summary:

"Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but at least she got a guardian angel out of it: a mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But, despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He's more elusive than ever and even worse, he's started spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar. 
Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadnt been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feeling that he's hiding something. 
Haunted by images of her murdered father, and questioning whether her nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death, Nora puts herself increasingly in dangerous situations as she desperately searches for answers. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts."

Review:
Crescendo was a lovely surprise. One moment I was shouting at the book, the next moment I wanted to hide under the covers and call my mommy. So many emotions in one book, I was more than satisfied of the outcome. Crescendo surely lives up to it's title, the growing intensity was immense and superb.

First, let's start with the plot. The beginning of the book jumped right back in to where Hush, Hush left off: Patch and Nora being a happy couple. In many ways, Crescendo was a much gloomier atmosphere because of Patch & Nora's breakup. I was devastated and not too happy about the idea at first, but in the end, I am so glad Becca Fitzpatrick did this because it made the plot 31478901 times better. Not-so-significant characters from Hush, Hush are now main characters in Crescendo, and I loved how they were brought into the story. Becca Fitzpatrick forced me to have my heart beating so loudly I swear it can be heard a mile away! The events where so mind-blogging, it surely reminded me of the mysteries similar to Pretty Little Liars. I have to say, the creep-factor in this book was MUCH stronger than in Hush, Hush. I can honestly say that it might not be the best idea to read this at night. I'd say the plot overall is very strong and very well-crafted.

The characters! Oh la la, Patch and Nora's relationship...it was so confusing as they tested each other for loyalty and trust, the relationship was honest and real, not fake. Scott Parnell, introduced in Crescendo was annoying at first (which Becca Fitzpatrick intended him to be), but towards the end, I learned to love him, after certain sacrifices he makes. MARCIE MILLAR. Oh my, the mean girl. I actually loved this character, she is so snotty and rude, it makes her lovable, in a way. My opinion on Vee, Nora's bestfriend, hasn't changed one bit. She is still the bubbly, optimistic person that she was in Hush, Hush. A truly loyal friend. Although some characters most definitely aren't the best, the plot would have died without their personalities.

The writing was outrageously amazing. In every page, Becca took my breath away and left my craving for more. There is just something about the way she writes that draws me in. I don't know how she does it, but it's astonishing.

Like I said before, despite the darker atmosphere in this book, I clearly am in love with this book. After finishing it, I couldn't stop thinking about it, and I have kept thinking about book three, Silence. I can honestly say it was better than Hush, Hush. I know I can not wait any longer for Silence.

The Hush, Hush Series

 Book 4 is set to be released in October of 2012!

   

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Review: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Title: Catching Jordan
Author: Miranda Kenneally
Published: December 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire
Rating: ♥♥♥
Goodreads summary:

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starting position... suddenly she's hoping he'll see her as more than just a teammate.

Racquel's thoughts:
These two pictures are taken from my sociology book:

 Lets start with the pictures above. Now that we know the definition of stereotype and the evils of it, we know why I knock out two stars from the rating of the book (and any book with stereotypes!) immediately. Catching Jordan started with the worst kind and my worst enemy of stereotypes: cheerleaders who are dumb, slutty, complete bimbos and whores. I do not need to explain all the horrors of that stereotype do I? Because getting into how awful it is to categorize people in a single simple-minded spiteful view of a group of people will only piss me off. Though I will give Jordan the credit that she redeemed herself and her harsh view of the cheerleaders by befriending two of them and learning that god almighty, they might not be all that bad!!

My other problem will be Jordan herself. She was a hypocrite, the exact same nasty names she called those cheerleaders. Even though she had a boyfriend, she went and tried to kiss another boy. Also, even after her boyfriend told her they should break it off if she isn’t serious about him she still played and basically used him while she pinned for another guy. So yes, the love triangle is ridiculous and while I’m a complete romance maniac, I hated the romantic aspect of this book.

But there were good things that made me not hate the book completely like Jordan’s family. I love it when family is included in YA books and this is not an expectation, I loved every part that featured Jordan’s family and how we saw the relationship between Jordan and her father grow. Also, who doesn’t love a book that makes you laugh? And even though I have my complaints, Catching Jordan definitely had its good LOL’s.

Overall: my problems with the book run mostly personal, I can't stand books that stereotypes so without a doubt, I'm sure everyone will enjoy Catching Jordan better then I did.

 
Rating: 3 stars~ disappointed, expected better and I saw the potential for better

First Line: 

I once read that football was invented so people wouldn't notice summer ending.

Favorite: 

 "I was in labor with him for fourteen hours!" Henry exclaims as he rocks the baby back and forth.

Teaser:  

"I have to breastfeed, 'cause I'm the mom," Henry says, continuing to push the stroller toward the locker room.

*Thanks to the publisher at Netgalley for providing me with a copy to review.*

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Review: Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Title: Love Story
Author: Jennifer Echols
Published: July 19th 2011 by MTV Books
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Goodreads summary:

She's writing about him. he's writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines..

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions--it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

Racquel's thoughts:
 Going Too Far is one of my favorite books so I was kind of excited for Love Story. The reason I wasn't overly excited is because I saw a lot of people didn't love it. Sure everyone liked it but it wasn't there with the love crowd but let me tell you, to me Love Story was is a one heck of a lovely story!

I loved the premise of the story. I think it's very original and I have never read anything remotely similar to the whole 'she's writing about him and he's writing about her' scenario and who doesn't love originality? especially a well done plot like the one in Love Story. Second, I love how that the story was set in college and the characters are older *ehmm* I mean mature. There is only so much of the immaturity of the younger teens I can take before wanting to blow my brains out and that is the exact same reason why I like reading adult contemporaries (even though I'm a teen myself). Because I simply get tired of YA and it's silly drama (yes, even if it's saving the world!) and insta-love romance but if every contemporary was written with the voice of maturity in Love Story, I would not mind!

One thing I really appreciate is how nothing is revealed from page one. Some books start off with "Hi, my name is Cheetah and I'm going to tell you the story of why Leopard and I hate Puma because she killed Lion." ummm hello element of suspense! That's what the summary is for! I like things to gradually unfold on their on pace. We slowly figured out the past behind Hunter and Erin through their stories and we knew more when Erin explained to her friends. All the telling and showing happened on it's own pace. Thank you Echols!

Also since this is called Love Story,  I should mention the love story. Cheers to no insta-love! Echols didn't just let the details play out on their own but also the love story. I saw the relationship grow (and fall!) between Hunter and Erin, my heart went out for them and skipped a beat at their intimacy. It was magical.

Jennifer Echols has talent, I love how in Going Too Far the voice of Meg was badass just like Meg herself and in Love Story, the voice of Erin was romantic, reflecting Erin's personality. Echols knows what she's writing about with the teenage world and while the book started just good for me, it turned to be amazing. Another masterpiece from Jennifer Echols. Round of applause please.

My rating: A definite 5 heart read, if you're a fan of contemporary you will be a fan of this book!

First line:

Captain Vanderslice was something of an ass.

Favorite:

"Because you were chasing a rat, telling me how cute it was."

Teaser:

"Are you asking whether I have gravel embedded in my ass? By the grace of God, no."

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Waiting On Wednesday (11)

Hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine! This week's WoW is:

Slide by Jill Hathaway
(March 27th, 2012 by Balzer + Bray for HarperCollins)

"Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered. 
Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body. 
Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane. 
Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again. "

Why this is my WoW:
Doesn't the synopsis just sound FREAKING AWESOME!? I first found out about this book on one of The Story Siren's IMM's, and it sounded amazing, I instantly knew that this one is one to anticipate for. C'mon, Vee slides into people's minds! I've never heard something so creative before! Also, Slide is a 2012 debut!


Cover:
The cover is absolutely gorgeous, it's kind of abstract, and very creative. The colors on it almost seem ultraviolet! So cool!


What's YOUR WoW? :)

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Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Title: Where She Went

Author: Gayle Forman
Published: April 5th 2011 by Dutton Juvenile
Series: If I Stay #2
Rating: 3 hearts

Goodreads summary:

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Racquel thinks:

Where she Went is written from Adam's perspective and since I love books told from guy POV's, I loved this book before I even started it! But to be honest- and as much as I feel pressured NOT to say this- this story was unnecessary. I was happy with the way If I Stay ended and I didn't need closure in a sequel. If this book wasn't from Adam's POV, I probably would have really disliked it.

Racquel likes:

Adam's POV. I love books from guy's perspective and Adam's voice delivered, I felt his angst towards Mia and the anxiety of being famous.

What made this not a 5 star read:

-I liked the flashbacks at first, it was a nice view into Mia and Adam's previous relationship but however, I still did not feel the chemistry between Mia and Adam and just like with If I Stay, the flashbacks got annoying because I just wanted to see Mia and Adam in present time and how they're dealing with being around each other.


-the transitions. One moment it was Adam and Mia in the present bowling then it switched back to 4 years ago. One moment they were making up, the next they were having sex and the next second after that they were arguing. What in the world...


-I'm sure I mentioned this already but WHY ARE MIA AND ADAM GOING OUT? I don't feel any spark between them. Usually even if am not a fan of the couple I still root for them and life would not be complete if they don't end up together but with Adam and Mia, if they didn't end up together I would be happy.


Overall: sure I have my complaints, but like If I stay, I finished this in one sitting. If you want to read it, go ahead. If not, then you're not missing anything out.


Rating: 3 hearts

First line: 

Every morning I wake up and I tell myself this: It's just one day, one twenty-four-hour period to get yourself through.

Favorite: 

I can't imagine what it would be like to have had her company in my head--the comfort that would've brought.

Teaser: 

Mia's eyes reach out to meet mine, and for a second I fear that my facade will fall apart.

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Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Title: If I Stay 
Author: Gayle Forman 
Published: April 6th 2010 by Speak (my copy is the Speak published one, not original Dutton books one!) 
Series: If I Stay #1
Rating: 3.5 hearts

 Goodreads summary:

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces - to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heart-wrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

Racquel thinks:
Yet again, hype proves to be bad. Not that I disliked If I Stay, but it was definitely not what I expected.

What in the world is the book about?

Mia the MC along with her loving parents and adorable younger brother Teddy, get in a car accident. Mia's is injured badly while the rest of her family dies, how does she know this when she's in coma? Her 'spirit' is lingering around seeing the chaos that the people who love her are in and now she must decide if she wants to move on with her perfect family or stay for the other people and things that love her.

Racquel liked: 

-Mia's family, they really are a great loss. During the flashbacks or 'remembering' parts I just couldn't get enough of them! And it really breaks my heart to know that they died, almost as if I know these people in real life and can't believe their death.

-The concept of the book.  I have recently come to the conclusion that fantasy & paranormal is not my favorite genre but in If I Stay even though there was the obvious fantasy element, it felt like a realistic contemporary story.

What made this book not a 5 star read:

-I expected more of Adam. I did not read a SINGLE review of the book before I read it but from the talk surrounding the book on goodreads, blogs & twitter I just expected more of Adam, better yet I expected him to be better developed. To me Adam was just this person who is musician, nice and is dating Mia and he loves her. I didn't feel any depth to him beyond that.

-I, for the life of me, cannot figure out why Mia and Adam love each other and are dating. I feel zero chemistry between them. Nothing, nada.  Maybe it's because to me both Adam and Mia aren't all that developed but still cannot comprehend there relationship.

-At first I enjoyed the flashbacks, but when it got to the point where there were more flashbacks then present time of Mia in the hospital and what's going on around her, it got annoying and I just wanted to skip to the parts where it's not a flashback.

Overall:

If I Stay is an emotional book even though I did not tear up or cry at all but I did finish it in one sitting so that tells you something. It's definitely worth reading!

My rating: 3.5 hearts

First line: 

Everyone thinks it was because of the snow.

Favorite:

"Yo Mama better watch his back,"

 Teaser:

Mom once snuck me into a casino.

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Waiting On Wednesday (10)

Hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine! Here's what I'm waiting for!

Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout
(September 18, 2012, by Spencer Hill Press)

"Dying sucks--and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows. 
Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he’s a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she’s more than interested. There’s just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out. However, she’s willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't? 
But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not've been an accident at all, she’s not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time."

Holy crap.. that sounds good. OKAY. I feel like I'm literally the only person who has not read something by Jennifer L. Armentrout yet!!! What is this?! I feel terrible, since I have heard only amazing things about everything she has written. She is rapidly becoming famous! I need to pick this one up soon, and as well as her other novels. And this cover is just mediocre yet, gorgeous!

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Top Ten Tuesday |5|

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where every Tuesday we list the top ten books we feel pertains to the week's topic the most and this week it's:

Top Ten Books That Have Been On My Shelf For The Longest But I've Never Read

 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I'm getting to it I promise! I plan to read it *hopefully* this month!

The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells

I got this before the summer started to read over summer break or on the plan, oooops I never go to it!

Take Me There by Susan Colasanti

I had this book for over two years now, obviously it's been sitting on my shelf for a LOOONG time.

Not that Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

I have a Kindle e-copy that I have yet to read

 

 Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley

even though I want to read this EXTREMELY bad, some other book always takes it's place when I plan to read it.

 Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Yeah I was supposed to read this over the summer thanks to S&S and then the time period passed (stupid me) and even when I went out and I got my own copy I still haven't read it.

 

Crazy Hot by Melissa de la Cruz

I own this entire series, it's one of those fun beach ones but for some reason even though I love the series, I never got around to starting this one. hmm.

Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

I started this over the summer, I was really into it but then I had a wedding to go to and the chaos of doing my hair, make up, and both my sisters and cousin's hair got the best of me so I kind of skipped to see what will happen before I started getting ready for the wedding. Though I promised myself I will go back and read it all completely, I have yet to do that. 

One Night that Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt

I read like the first chapter for fun but then I never went back and truly started reading it.

North of Beautiful by Justin Chen Headley

I bought this before I went on vacation for winter break and everything was well, I was reading it on the plane totally engrossed but then we hit some really bad turbulence and I had to drop everything and start praying that my end will not be because of an airplane crash. Really, I have been on planes since before I was even born and can put up with all the chaos but it was REALLY bad turbulence! I never went through such terrible turbulence like that before and I'm kind of scared of picking up the book...

What are the books collecting dust on YOUR shelf?

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