The Top 14 Books I Want That Are Releasing in 2014

I did a list like this last year, so I'm going to do it again this year.  This will have 14 releases of 2014 that I am the most excited for.  Here they are, in no particular order.

Split Second by Kasie West - I loved Pivot Point, and I've already read it twice.  I look forward to reading Split Second so I can read more about Addie and Trevor.  Also, Laila's POV is going to be in this book too, and I really liked her character, so it should be interesting to read from her perspective.

On The Fence by Kasie West - And the second book on this list is also by Kasie West.  I also read her contemporary, The Distance Between Us, and she is amazing at contemporary.  So I look forward to getting to read another contemporary by her.

Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor - I have never read anything else by this author before, but this book sounds absolutely amazing.  It sounds heartbreaking and the friendship sounds good.  I've seen good reviews, and I think this one will be good.

Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens - This sounds like a powerful contemporary debut.  I have seen reviews and the readers seem to have liked it.  It sounds like it is emotional, and it has some tough topics in it.

Far From You by Tess Sharpe - This sounds like a powerful mystery.  It sounds like it will be a bit sad, since the main character has lost her best friend.  I think the story sounds really interesting.

Frozen by Erin Bowman - I really liked Taken, so I am interested in finding out what happens next in Frozen.  Also, I am hoping there will be more romance between Gray and Bree in this book, since she is who I want him to end up with.

Take Me On by Katie McGarry - I have not yet been disappointed by a Katie McGarry book, so I expect that this will be amazing.  I love how every one of her books is in dual POV, and they are all set in the same area.  I love getting to see cameos of the main characters from her other books.

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy - This book sounds like it will be a really interesting story.  Also, it is dual POV, and I always enjoy dual POV.

Dear Killer by Katherine Ewell - This sounds unique and different from anything else that I've ever read since it is told from the POV of a killer.  It should be interesting.

Pointe by Brandy Colbert - From reading this synopsis, I wonder how the main character was involved in her friend's abduction.  I really want to read this book to find out about that.

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord - This sounds like a sweet contemporary with a good romance and good friendship.  It looks like the type of book that would be a fun summer read.

Nearly Gone by Elle Cosimano - This sounds like an amazing murder mystery.  Hopefully it will be a fast-paced and exciting read.

Nantucket Red by Leila Howland - I enjoyed Nantucket Blue, so I look forward to seeing what happens next to Cricket.  The synopsis says something about Zack falling for Cricket's enemy, so I wonder what that could be about.

The Rules for Breaking by Ashley Elston - I am looking forward to more mystery in this book, and finding out more about Thomas.  Also, I will get to read more about Anna and Ethan.

Katie

Best of 2013: Sibling Relationships

This list is about books that I read in 2013 that were published this year.  I'm going to name sibling relationships that I liked in books, and I will give a brief explanation of why that sibling relationship stood out to me.

Carey and Jenessa in If You Find Me - Carey is pretty much all that Jenessa has at the beginning of the book.  She is really more like a mother to her young sister.  When they first start living with Carey's father, Carey feels protective of Jenessa.  She doesn't want to let other people get close to her sister.  This is understandable, and it shows how much she really cares.

Lucky and Cole in The Culling - This sibling relationship isn't shown as much through actual scenes with the characters.  This is more about how much Lucky loves Cole and wants to protect him in the dystopian world that they live in.  His love for Cole is clear whenever he thinks of him.

Gray and Blaine in Taken - This relationship is interesting because Gray and Blaine are quite opposite, so they don't always get along, but there is a secret about them that they don't know.  When they find out this secret, it changes things in their lives.

Imogen and Hunter in Bruised - This relationship is quite strained, but I felt like it was portrayed well.  Imogen has been mad at Hunter because he slept with her best friend, and it makes sense that that would make her mad.  There are some good conversations between them during the book, though.

Meg and Teeny in The Rules for Disappearing - Being in Witness Protection is hard for Teeny because she's so young, and she isn't even able to be herself.  She is always stuck pretending to be someone else.  Meg is always there for Teeny to protect her and comfort.

Fia and Annie in Mind Games - This is probably one of my favorite book sister relationships.  The book is told from the perspective of both girls, and it is clear that each one loves and cares for the other very much.

Amy and Baby in In the After - Amy and Baby are not really sisters, but their relationship is like a sibling relationship.  They are all each other have in the post-apocalyptic world, so it is like they really are family.  They love each other, and they have their own secret language that they can communicate in.

Wick and Lily in Find Me - Wick clearly cares about her younger sister.  Lily doesn't approve of what Wick is doing, and she wants to have a good life, with parents who care about her.  Seeing how much Wick wants to protect her is really sweet, even if her methods of protection (hacking to solve mysteries) are illegal.

Katie

Best of 2013: Friendships

This list is about books that I read in 2013 that were published this year.  I'm going to name friendships that I liked in books, and I will give a brief explanation of why that friendship stood out to me.

Addie and Laila in Pivot Point - I loved these two best friends.  Their relationship was so well portrayed, and the dialogue between the two of them was great.  I loved getting to see their friendship in both of Addie's possible futures.

Carey and Pixie in If You Find Me - When Carey first starts school, Pixie becomes her friend.  They are similar in some ways because Carey's a grade ahead, and Pixie is several grades ahead.  So while Carey is younger than everyone else in her grade, Pixie is even younger than that.  That makes them really good friends to each other since they can understand each other.

Wren and Ever in Reboot - This is an interesting friendship because these two are both Reboots, so they don't really have human emotions.  But someone, they are still able to be good friends to each other.  I wasn't happy about what happened to Ever in the book, but I won't say it was.

Ryan Dean and Joey in Winger - These two guys become good friends in this book.  Both of them play rugby.  Joey also happens to be gay, but that isn't a big deal to Ryan Dean, which is good.

Parker and Finn in Insomnia - Finn is a good friend to Parker, and he notices when Parker starts acting strange.  He can tell that Parker is acting like a stalker, so he tries to help him by telling him to stop acting like that.

Anna and Elise in Dangerous Girls - This friendship isn't really one that I'd call a good one, especially when you find out what you find out in the book, but it was so well done that I put it on this list anyway.  Their friendship is sometimes almost too much for them to handle.  It is filled with some jealousy and intensity.

Ann and Raynee in 45 Pounds - Raynee was a great character, and I loved how she accepted Ann how she was.  Even though Raynee's other friends didn't like Ann, Raynee didn't let that keep her away from the friendship that wanted to have.  Raynee was the kind of friend that Ann needed.

Dane and Billy D. in Dead Ends - The friendship in this book seems like an unlikely one at first, one between a bully and a boy with Down Syndrome, but the friendship is developed really well.  Dane doesn't automatically feel like a friend of Billy D's, but by the end of the book, it is obvious that he cares about Billy D, and Billy D has managed to become Dane's friend.

Callie and Kat in Where the Stars Still Shine - Kat is a good friend to Callie as soon as Callie comes back to town.  Kat and Callie were best friends when they were little, and Kat expects that they will immediately be best friends.  I liked how it took some time for their friendship to work.  It was realistic, and I loved how Kat was there for Callie when Callie would need her.

Rose, Roza, etc. in Rose Under Fire - The friendships between all the girls in the concentration camp were both well-written and heartbreaking.  I loved the way they all began to depend on each other for strength.  They could count on each other to help hide them if they were on the death list.

Katie

Best of 2013: Romance

This list is about books that I read in 2013 that were published this year.  I'm going to name romances that I liked in books, and I will give a brief explanation of why that romance stood out to me.

Addie and Trevor in Pivot Point - Trevor is a really sweet guy who starts out as Addie's friend when she moves to his town.  Watching their feelings develop for each other was adorable.  There was plenty of great dialogue between the two of them.

Lucky and Digory in The Culling - This is a romance that is a minor part of the story because Lucky and Digory are fighting for each other's lives, and for the lives of their other loved ones.  There isn't much time for romance during the Trials, but there are some sweet moments with these two.

Gray and Bree in Taken - While there is a love triangle in this book since Gray likes both Bree and Emma, I would prefer it if he ended up with Bree.  I think they are similar, and they are good for each other.  They are both impulsive, but maybe, if they are together, they would see themselves in each other.

Carey and Ryan in If You Find Me - This is a sweet friendship that becomes more.  The romance does not overtake the story since Carey is busy adjusting to her new life not in the woods.

Eleanor and Park in Eleanor & Park - This relationship is adorable, sweet, and develops slowly.  Eleanor and Park slowly fall for each other.  Park is what Eleanor needs to help her not think about her awful home life.

Wren and Callum in Reboot - Callum is a really adorable guy.  He is more human than all the other Reboots, and it is nice to see Wren change as she begins to develop feelings for him.

Ryan and Beth in Dare You To - This romance starts with Ryan and Beth really disliking it each other, so it is quite interesting to watch how their feelings change.  She starts as a bet for him, but he realizes that she is more than just a bet.  I love seeing how they begin to fall for each other.

Callie and Alex in Where the Stars Still Shine - This is a romance that moves pretty quickly at first, but it also develops well.  The relationship is good for Callie because it shows her that guys can actually treat her well.

Caymen and Xander in The Distance Between Us - This relationship is sweet and full of fun banter.  Caymen is often sarcastic, and Xander is able to say funny things back too.  I thought these two were adorable together.

Rachel and Isaiah in Crash Into You - I love their relationship.  They are good together, and good for each other.  It is obvious that Isaiah cares about Rachel.  She may be annoyed when he is protective of her, but I can tell that he is protective because he loves her.

Katie

Review: Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

 Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker. 

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt--with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

My Review:

I have read and loved Miranda Kenneally's previous two books, and this one did not disappoint.  It delivered a sweet romance, some good friendships, and some serious issues too.  It was a quick read that didn't take me very long to read because I couldn't put it down.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Kate is a good character, and the way her faith was handled in the book was well done.  She feels really guilty after she helped her best friend, Emily, get an abortion.  When the book starts, she and Emily are no longer friends because Emily's beliefs about God have changed, and she thinks Kate is too judgmental.  I feel like the reason Kate is judgmental is because her beliefs have taught her what is right and wrong.  When she finds out that her friend did something that goes against the Ten Commandments, it makes sense that she would think her friend sinned.  I'm not sure if she should have thought that her helping her friend was a sin, since she clearly didn't agree with Emily getting an abortion.  She didn't condone it, yet she still cared about her friend enough to help her out. 

The friendships is this book were really well-written.  Since Kate and Emily are in a fight, their friendship is not there for most of the book, but there are still some other friendships that Kate has.  One of these friendships is with Parker, the protagonist from Stealing Parker.  She doesn't really have any female friends, so it is good that she and Kate find each other.  I liked how Parker was able to move past the issues she had with her church that was also Kate's church, so that she could still be friends with Kate.  She was a person that Kate could turn to when she needed advice about boys.  Kate also was friends with Parker's boyfriend, Will, and some of the other camp counselors.  One of her friends, Brad, did something that he shouldn't have done.  He got in trouble to keep himself from getting in trouble, so I didn't like that.  Other than that, I did like his character.

The romance is this book was so sweet and adorable.  I loved that the boy that Kate started dating was the same guy she had had her first kiss with at eleven years old.  This boy was Matt.  When Kate starts as a camp counselor and he is a camp counselor too, they begin to reconnect.  He had gone through a bad break-up a couple years, and he still wasn't really over it until he met Kate again.  He started falling for her.  She really helped him move on from his past relationship.  Matt was really sweet, and he was a respectful guy.  When she set boundaries on their relationship, he didn't try to force her to go farther than she wanted to.  He didn't try to talk her into sleeping with him.  He respected that she didn't want to do that, and that is was against her faith.

If you like YA contemporary, read this book.

Katie

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas day!

Katie

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

 A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. 

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate 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.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

My Review:

This is a sweet story about a girl's first year at college.  She has to find herself in this book.  She wants to just live in a fictional world, but in this book, she learns how to make friends in the real world, and how to live on her own, without her dad and sister.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

A good portion of this story focuses on the relationship between Wren and Cath, or lack thereof.  The summer before college, Wren tells Cath that she doesn't want to be her roommate.  I can understand Wren's perspective on this, because, if I had a twin, I probably wouldn't want her to be my college roommate.  But this was clearly something that upset Cath a lot.  She didn't want to room with someone else.  She wanted to room with someone that she had for her whole life.  When Cath and Wren got to college, they didn't even talk to each other for a while.  Cath was so mad that Wren wouldn't room with her that she completely isolated herself from her sister.  Eventually, they realized that they needed each other, and they were able to make up and move on from what had happened between them.  Wren goes through some bad things in this book because she drinks too much, and that gets her into some trouble.

I loved the other characters in this book.  Nick was not the guy that he seemed to be at first.  I originally liked him, but he does some things that changed my views on him.  Reagan is an interesting character.  The relationship between Cath and her is basically nonexistent for a bit of the beginning of the book, despite the fact that they are roommates.  They originally never talk to each other, and they pretty much leave each other alone.  Gradually, their relationship changes, and they begin to talk more.  They have an interesting friendship by the end of the book.  Reagan seems mean sometimes, but she never really means to be mean.  It is just the way she always is to everyone.  

Then there is the romance between Cath and Levi.  While Cath originally thought he was her roommate's boyfriend, she eventually realized that that was not the case.  It was pretty clear to me from the beginning that Levi liked Cath.  He was sweet, and he helped her to be herself, even without her twin sister by her side.  He was an adorable guy.  The romance between them was well-written.  I loved when she read him the book because he was not able to really read a book on his own.  Then she shared her stories with him too, and that was cool.  Cath and Levi made a really good couple.

If you like YA contemporary, read this book.

Katie  

Review: Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

 While flying an Allied fighter plane from Paris to England, American ATA pilot and amateur poet, Rose Justice, is captured by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious women's concentration camp. Trapped in horrific circumstances, Rose finds hope in the impossible through the loyalty, bravery and friendship of her fellow prisoners. But will that be enough to endure the fate that’s in store for her?

Elizabeth Wein, author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Code Name Verity, delivers another stunning WWII thriller. The unforgettable story of Rose Justice is forged from heart-wrenching courage, resolve, and the slim, bright chance of survival.

My Review:

This book is so sad and awful, and so many horrible things happen to the characters in the story, but I loved the book itself because it so well-written, powerful, and emotional.  It made me feel the horrors of living in a concentration camp, though I cannot even truly begin to imagine what it must have been like.  The story was gripping because I loved all the characters, and I wanted to know that they would be all right.  And in the end, some characters make it out alive and some don't.  I feel like that made the more realistic than if all of the characters had survived.  I can say that this book is definitely one of the best books I have ever read, and probably the most emotional, too.  Now I've read this one, I really want to reread Code Name Verity because I feel like I missed some things in the book the first time I read it.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Much of this book is about family.  And by this, I don't mean biological family; I mean the people that become like family to you when circumstances push you together.  This book focuses on a particular "family" living in Block 32.  Block 32 is where all the Polish Rabbits are, along with other prisoners.  When Rose gets to that Block, she finds people there who will end up caring about her - Roza, Lisette, Irina, and Karolina.  Lisette is a woman who has lost both her husband and children, so she takes comfort into having children at the concentration camp to take under her wing.  Roza is a Polish Rabbit, and she has been operated on so many times that she cannot walk without using a crutch.  She is definitely one of my favorite characters in the book.  She has been through so much, yet she still manages to stay so strong.  And then there is Irina and Karolina.  Irina is a Soviet combat pilot, and Karolina is another one of the Rabbits.  She has many dreams for her future.  She just wants to be able to dance and go to the beach.  This family needed each other to survive the horrors of Ravensbruck.  They were always there for each other - to help hide their friends who were on the list to be killed, and even to sacrifice themselves for someone they loved.  The love in this book is written so well.  It is not romantic love.  It is friendship love, and I loved all of these characters too.

I was thinking about this book the day after I finished reading it, and I thought of how many parts of it remind me of a song called "We Are Soldiers" that we always warm up to in dance class.  Now, next time I hear that song in class, I am probably going to think of this book.  So many of the lyrics in that song resemble situations in the lives of these characters.  The song says, "In this life there's no surrender, There's nothing left for us to do, Find the strength to see this through."  This reminds me of the book because the characters at Ravensbruck do not surrender.  When they see their own name or a friend's name on the death list, they do not simply accept it and move on with their lives.  They fight back.  They find ways to hide people and outsmart the roll call.  The song also repeats the line, "We stand shoulder to shoulder" several times.  This makes me think of the girls in the book because they rely on each other to be strong.  Together they are all stronger, and that is how they manage to survive all the horrors that they experience.   

I liked the cameos from Code Name Verity characters, mainly Maddie.  It was good to see how Maddie was doing after what did happen at the end of the first novel.  This book does give a spoiler for a character death in Code Name Verity - if you read that book, you know who I'm talking about - but it doesn't really explain how that death happened.  If you plan on reading Code Name Verity, I suggest you read it first if you don't want to spoiled on that one plot point.  I've seen mixed reviews about which of the books people like better.  Personally, I preferred this book.  This book is now one of my all-time favorites, and I cannot stop thinking about the story and the characters.  

If you like YA historical fiction, read this book.  Even if historical fiction is not your favorite genre, you still read this book.  Basically, no matter what you like, just read this book.  I read hardly any YA historical fiction, and contemporary YA is my favorite genre, but this book is still one of my favorites ever.

Katie

Books I've Acquired in November

Both of these books were presents that people gave to me in November.  I haven't read either yet, but I plan on reading them soon.  Once We Were is the sequel to What's Left of Me, so I look forward to seeing what happens next to Eva and Addie, and Invisible Girl looks like a good book as well.

The Books:

Once We Were by Kat Zhang

Invisible Girl by Mary Hanlon Stone

Katie

Review: Fault Line by Christa Desir

 Ben could date anyone he wants, but he only has eyes for the new girl — sarcastic free-spirit, Ani. Luckily for Ben, Ani wants him too. She’s everything Ben could ever imagine. Everything he could ever want.

But that all changes after the party. The one Ben misses. The one Ani goes to alone.

Now Ani isn’t the girl she used to be, and Ben can’t sort out the truth from the lies. What really happened, and who is to blame?

Ben wants to help her, but she refuses to be helped. The more she pushes Ben away, the more he wonders if there’s anything he can do to save the girl he loves.

My Review:

This book is a dark contemporary story that has a powerful message to it.  It is heartbreaking to watch this story unfold the way it does.  This is told in male POV by Ben.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Ben is a great character and a great guy.  The beginning of the book starts with him telling about the relationship between him and Ani, and how it started.  She had just moved to town, and he really liked her.  Being in his head makes it obvious how much he was falling for her.  This just made the rest of the book more heartbreaking.  Once Ani gets raped, Ben really wants to do anything to make her better.  She has become broken, and he thinks that he needs to pick up the pieces and glue them back together.  He tells her that they'll get through this.  He's there in the hallway with her when she hears people whispering about her.  He's there for her whenever she needs him.  But despite this, it still isn't enough.  She starts cheating on him.  And he begins to realize that he isn't going to be able to fix his girlfriend.

Ani is quite an interesting character.  I really liked her character at the beginning of the book.  She was very forward, and she would say anything to Ben.  After the rape, she changed, and that was understandable.  As Beth the rape counselor told Ben, there are many different reactions to rape, and most of them are also common reactions.  Ben certainly wasn't happy that she started sleeping with other guys, but that was her reaction to the rape.  It was probably because she wanted to be able to choose to be with guys, so if she was sleeping with guys of her own free will, that was her choice.  

The kids at school say some awful things about Ani.  They all know that she got drunk and said she was going to get with a bunch of guys at a party.  They call her names.  They don't understand what she's going through.  They don't know that, just because she said all that stuff, it doesn't mean that she actually consented to doing whatever she did with the guys.  Ben gets angry when people say bad things about her.  He even goes over to the other school where the guys are apparently from to try to get more information on what happened to her.  There are also rumors about her going around that school.  I can see how awful it must be for Ani to have all these rumors circulating about her when she can't even remember what happened to herself.

If you like YA dark contemporary, read this book.

Katie 

Books I've Acquired in October

I know I am very late on this post because I try to do these posts at the beginning of each new month.  I just kept forgetting to take my photo of the books.  But now I've finally taken the photos, so here they are.  Of these books, the only one I have read is How To Love, and I loved it.  I plan on reading the others soon.

 

The Books:

Find Me by Romily Bernard

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

How To Love by Katie Cotugno

Katie

Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

 The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

My Review:

This book is a great conclusion to the Divergent trilogy.  It has many good moments between the characters that I love, along with some new characters that are introduced in this book.  The plot and the world developed more in this book as well.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

This book tells you so much about the world that you did not know before reading it.  While reading the previous books, I sometimes wondered, if this book only takes place in a dystopian Chicago, what is the rest of the United States like?  This book answered that question for me.  The world in Chicago wasn't what it had appeared to be in the first two books.  The city was actually an experiment to try to rid the United States from genetic damage.  There were some people called GDs, who were genetically damaged, and the GPs were genetically pure.  The question is, who decides that one set of DNA is damaged and the other isn't?  Why can't both types of DNA just be different?  Both of those questions are brought up by Tris in this book.

All of the characters are ones that readers have already been through a lot with.  They are characters that readers love.  But their journies are certainly not over yet at the beginning of this story.  They will go through so much more by the end of the book, and find out so much more.  At the end, Veronica Roth leaves them in a place that is not necessarily happy, but you know they will heal and move on, despite how much of a challenge that will be, especially for one particular character.  The ending is a sad one, but I think it is still a good ending.  I don't want to give it away, so I won't say anything else about it now.

Tobias goes through some tough things in this book.  He is told that he is a GD, and therefore damaged, and he believes this immediately.  He lets this change his view of himself, despite the fact that he is the same person from before.  Tris loves him and doesn't understand why he is so willing to believe that he is damaged.  The character relationship between Caleb and Tris is quite interesting in this book as well.  It seems like he wants her to forgive him, but how can she forgive him when he betrayed her so terribly?  She struggles with her feelings about what he did to her.  When she starts finding out more information about her mother's life, she knows she should share it with him, but even when she does share it, they don't talk about it.  Christina goes through a lot in this book as well, as she continues to lose the people that she cares about.  It started with the death of Will at the end of the first book, and more of her loved ones die in this book.  It is heartbreaking to watch her go through the grief of this so many times.

If you are a Divergent series fan, read this book.

Katie

December Releases I'm Most Excited For

December 3rd:
Ink Is Thicker Than Water by Amy Spalding - I loved Amy Spalding's first book, The Reece Malcolm List, so I'm looking forward to checking out another book written by her.
Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally  - I want to read this book because it is by Miranda Kenneally.  I loved Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker, and I haven't read Things I Can't Forget yet.  I'm looking forward to reading this book too.



December 10th:
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner - This book sounds like such an amazing sci-fi read.  Also, it's male and female dual POV between the two main characters.  Plus, I've seen many great reviews of this one.



December 26th:
Control by Lydia Kang - This sounds like a great sci-fi book.  I have been reading more of those this year, so I look forward to checking this one out.

 

December 31st:
The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine - This sounds like a sweet contemporary romance.  Also, I believe it is dual POV, which I enjoy reading.

Review: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke

 You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town… until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. 

Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?

Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery... who makes you want to kiss back. 

Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

My Review:

This book was a creepy Gothic novel about the devil, and a guy named River West.  As you read this book, it pulls you in and makes you intrigued about what is going on in this town, because some pretty weird stuff is happening.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Violet is an interesting main character.  She is different from most other people her age, and she doesn't really fit in with others at school.  She likes to read and pray to her grandma Freddie.  She wears her grandma's old clothes, something that her brother, Luke, thinks is weird.  The only people who she really talks to are Luke and a neighbor named Sunshine.  That is, until River West moves into her guesthouse.

River West is a fascinating character.  He says things that never really seem to be quite true.  He has a way of being charming and winning Violet over.  She starts falling for him, but she isn't sure he is a good guy.  Strange things start happening in town, and it seems like River may have something to do with them. Of course, she is right that he does have something to do with these things.  River is a morally ambiguous type of character.  He does some really bad things, but he doesn't seem to think that he is causing any harm.  He has the glow, which allows him to make other people see things, and he is basically addicted to using it.  

Some other interesting characters are Luke, Sunshine, and Jack.  Luke is Violet's twin brother, and he changes throughout the book.  Sometimes it seems like he cares about his sister, and other times he seems distant from her and mean.  Sunshine is friends with Violet, and she seems to like Luke.  Luke and Sunshine have an interesting relationship.  They flirt with each other all of the time, but it is difficult to tell how they actually feel about each other.  Jack is a young, serious boy who tells other children to watch for the devil.  The scenes when the children are in the graveyard with sticks, waiting to kill the devil, are quite eerie to read.

If you like YA Gothic paranormal, read this book.

Katie

Review: How To Love by Katie Cotugno

 Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

In this breathtaking debut, Katie Cotugno weaves together the story of one couple falling in love—twice.

My Review:

I bought this book as soon as it came out, and I scheduled a buddy read for it on a Goodreads group.  As soon as the buddy read date arrived, I dove into this book.  And I absolutely loved this book.  The story and the characters are so amazing.  I kept on reading more of this book whenever I had the time.  

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Reena's character is very well-written in both timelines.  In the Before timeline, she is a high school student who is working on graduating early and applying to college.  She wants to travel, and she wants to get out of the town where she has lived for her entire life.  In the After timeline, Reena has a rocky relationship with her dad, and she is raising her daughter, Hannah.  She has taken responsibility for her pregnancy by raising her kid.  

Sawyer is also a good character, one who does some not so good things but also has some reasons of his own for acting the ways that he does.  What happened to Allie has obviously affected him, enough to hurt some of his other relationships.  He does run away, but you find out some things about his running away that makes it not as bad.  Also, he makes a good point when he says that Reena was going to leave him for college anyway.  Sawyer was not the best influence to Reena when it came to him convincing her to skip school to be with him, but he is a good guy at heart.  When he found out he had a daughter, he definitely wanted to step up and be a father to her.  He did not want to just ignore her and pretend she did not exist.  He still wanted to be with Reena too because he loved her.

Reena's relationships with several other characters aside from Sawyer are well portrayed in this novel.  Her dad has not really been there for her since she got pregnant.  He was so disappointed in her that he called her awful names and would not forgive her.  Reena's stepmom, Soledad, was still disappointed, but she was much better about Reena's pregnancy than Reena's dad.    In the beginning of the After chapters, Reena was dating a guy named Aaron, who was the brother of her best friend, Shelby.  Shelby was a good friend to Reena, and she was always there for her, except for when they fought a bit.  I knew that Reena couldn't stay with Aaron because it wouldn't be fair to him when she was still in love with Sawyer.  Allie was Reena's best friend in the Before timeline who died in a car accident.  She had been in a fight with Reena at the time of her death because she started dating Sawyer despite knowing that Reena had liked him for years.  That pretty much ruined their friendship.

If you like YA contemporary, read this book.

Katie

Review: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don't kill him first, that is.

My Review:

Obsidian was a great start to a paranormal series that I will definitely be reading more of.  The characters were awesome, and I loved the dialogue, especially between Daemon and Katy.  Those these two liked to pretend they didn't like each other, I am looking forward to seeing some romance between them because I know they would make a good couple.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Katy is a great character who has a few things in common with me.  She has my name, though she spells it differently than I do.  She is a book blogger, just like I am.  I loved the parts of the book that referenced book blogging.  "Waiting on Wednesday" and "In My Mailbox" both got mentions in this book.  And there was also the part when she came home from school and her pre-ordered books had come in the mail and were waiting on her doorstep.  I liked Katy's reactions to Daemon as well.  When he was rude to her, she always had a comeback ready.

Daemon was a great character.  He was rude to Katy, but I could eventually tell that he really did have his reasons.  That was especially obvious when I read the bonus Daemon POV chapters at the end of the book. He knew that he could leave a trace on Katy if he used his powers at all, and he knew that would put both him and his sister, Dee, in danger.  Though it may seem like he's pushing Katy away out of meanness, he really just cares about his twin sister and doesn't want her to get hurt.  There was chemistry between Katy and Daemon, even when they were acting like they hated each other.  I really looked forward to seeing some romance between these two, and I hope they become a couple later in the series.

I thought that Dee was a good friend to Katy.  She is an alien, so she is not exactly a usual friend.  She cares about Katy, though, and she really wants to be friends with her.  She wants a normal human friend, because she doesn't want  to only be able to interact with her brother and the other aliens.  She worries that Daemon will steer Katy away from her.  She doesn't want Katy to get hurt, but that doesn't keep her from becoming friends with her.  Overall, I enjoyed her character and look forward to seeing more of her later in the series.

If you like YA paranormal, read this book.

Katie

November Releases I'm Most Excited For

November 12th:
The F-It List by Julie Halpern - This sounds like a good contemporary friendship story.



November 19th:
The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead - I love this series, and I am looking forward to more Sydney and Adrian romance because I love this couple together.  Also, this one is going to be dual POV between Adrian and Sydney.

 

November 26th:
Crash Into You by Katie McGarry - I've loved every book that I've read by Katie McGarry, and I'm sure I will love Crash Into You as well.  I'm looking forward to getting Isaiah's story, and meeting Rachel's character.

Waiting on Wednesday #67: Renegade

                                                      

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

My pick for this week is:

There is no one left for Mila to trust. Except for a boy she barely knows.

But Hunter has no idea who—and what—Mila really is. She can’t bear to reveal her secret, even though he’s unwittingly joined her search for Richard Grady, a man who may know more details of Mila’s complicated past.

Yet the road to the truth is more dangerous than ever. With General Holland and the Vita Obscura scouring the earth for her whereabouts, Mila must rely on her newfound android abilities to protect herself and Hunter from imminent harm. Still, embracing her identity as a machine leads her to question the state of her humanity—as well as Hunter’s real motives.

Perfect for fans of I Am Number Four and Divergent, this action-packed and heart-wrenching second installment of MILA 2.0 will leave readers breathlessly awaiting the series conclusion.

---
I really enjoyed Mila 2.0, so I look forward to reading the continuation of her story in Renegade.  This book releases on May 13th.

What are you Waiting On this Wednesday?

Katie

Review: Dead Girls Don't Lie by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

 Rachel died at two a.m . . . Three hours after Skyler kissed me for the first time. Forty-five minutes after she sent me her last text. 
Jaycee and Rachel were best friends. But that was before. . .before that terrible night at the old house. Before Rachel shut Jaycee out. Before Jaycee chose Skyler over Rachel. Then Rachel is found dead. The police blame a growing gang problem in their small town, but Jaycee is sure it has to do with that night at the old house. Rachel’s text is the first clue—starting Jaycee on a search that leads to a shocking secret. Rachel’s death was no random crime, and Jaycee must figure out who to trust before she can expose the truth. 
In the follow-up to her powerful debut, Jennifer Shaw Wolf keeps readers on their toes in another dark, romantic story of murder and secrets.

My Review:

Dead Girls Don't Lie was a great mystery that kept me interested in what was going to happen next.  If I hadn't started reading it at a time when I was busy, then I definitely would have read it quicker.  I was not able to guess who was the murderer, so that was a big surprise.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Jaycee was a good character who does a lot of good mystery detecting.  After her best friend, Rachel, dies, she changes from the person she was before.  She believes that Rachel's death was no accident, and she is determined to know who was responsible for Rachel's murder.  Before the murder, Jaycee was good and always was a rule-follower.  A few months before Rachel's death, Jaycee got into a fight with her over a boy, and they stopped being friends.  Jaycee feels guilty after the death because Rachel tried to call her several times on the night she died.  Jaycee didn't answer any of the calls because she was busy making out with a boy named Skyler.  She thinks that Rachel wouldn't have died if she had answered the phone calls.

One of the people that Jaycee meets in this book is Eduardo.  Rachel leaves a message for Jaycee telling her to only trust Eduardo.  She doesn't know Eduardo, so she isn't sure what to think about him.  I wasn't sure what to think either, at first.  Jaycee's dad would tell her not to trust him.  He is very protective of her, especially after what happened to Rachel.  In the end, I thought Eduardo was a good character and a good guy.  He was there for Jaycee when she needed him.  They definitely had some misunderstandings, since he assumed that Jaycee thought badly of him for being Mexican.  She thought that he was making unfair assumptions about her when he didn't actually know her.  It took time for them to really trust each other.

Skyler and Evan are interesting characters, and there are some things about them that I can't really talk about without giving spoilers.  Evan is the boy that Jaycee used to like, and the boy that caused the fight between Jaycee and Rachel.  Skyler is the boy who Jaycee starts a relationship with after Rachel's death.  She realizes that it was silly of her to like Evan, since he's more shallow, and Skyler is a better guy for her.  Skyler seems like a sweet guy.  Through some investigating that Jaycee does, she finds out some stuff about Skyler, Evan, and a twisted ritual of the high school football team.  It was really an awful ritual to go through to join a sports team.

If you like YA contemporary mystery, read this book.

Katie

Waiting on Wednesday #66: Split Second

                                                      

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

My pick for this week is:

Life can change in a split second.

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time, too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.

---
I am so excited for this book because I am a huge fan of Pivot Point.  I have already read that book twice since it released in February.  I will definitely be buying a copy of this book once it releases on February 11th.

What are you Waiting On this Wednesday?

Katie

Books I've Acquired in September

This month, I purchased two books.  Both of these books released in September, and I have read both of these since the day I bought them.  I loved both books, and my review of Dead Ends has already been published.

 

The Books:

Dead Ends by Erin Jade Lange

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

Katie

Review: Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

 Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who seems an improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.

Trish Doller writes incredibly real teens, and this searing story of love, betrayal, and how not to lose your mind will resonate with readers who want their stories gritty and utterly true.

My Review:

I was very excited to read this book since it is the sophomore novel of Trish Doller, author of Something Like Normal, my favorite book ever.  While this book does not surpass Something Like Normal, it is still an awesome book that did not disappoint me.  I loved the characters and the storyline of this book.  

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Callie is a great character who certainly hasn't had an easy life.  She's been moved around from place to place by her mentally unstable mother who kidnapped Callie when she was five years old.  Her mom gets arrested while they are traveling to another place, and Callie is taken back home to her dad, and back to a life that she had forgotten about.  She is thrown into this strange place where she has an entire family that cares about her.  I thought the book showcased her feelings for her mother really well.  Even though her mom had kidnapped her, she still loved her mom, since her mom was all she had known for the past twelve years.  It wasn't easy for her to just accept that her mom was in trouble with the law and could be going to jail.  She felt guilty for allowing her mom to get arrested.  She felt like she needed to save her mom.

In this book, Callie finds out about many more family members that she didn't even know she had.  She comes to live with her dad, Greg, who is very welcoming.  He has wanted to find her for twelve years, so he is glad that he finally has his daughter back.  Since his divorce from Callie's mom, he has remarried a woman named Phoebe and had two boys with her, Tucker and Joe.  Tucker is three, and Joe is a year or two younger than Tucker.  They are sweet little brothers to Callie.  Phoebe is worried about having Callie around the boys at first since she fears that Callie could be mentally unstable like her mother, but her feelings change as the story progresses.  Callie also meets her cousin, Kat, who she was best friends with when she was a little girl.  Kat expects them to immediately be best friends again, but Callie doesn't really remember her.  She's never had friends, so she doesn't really know how to have a friend and be a friend.  She does become friends with Kat, but she sometimes says or does things that make Kat mad at her.  

Then there is Alex Kostas.  He is the boy that Callie meets in this book.  He doesn't know at first that she is the kidnapped girl, so he doesn't treat her like she had been kidnapped.  The romance between these two moves quickly, but it is also very sweet.  Callie has never been with a guy who has treated her well before.  All the other guys she's been with have seen her as something to be used and then discarded.  Alex helps her realize that there are good guys out there who don't just want to sleep with her and then leave her.

If you like YA contemporary, read this book.

Katie