I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. This novel was a pleasant surprise. Within the first couple of pages I was sure I would hate this book (and even wondered if I would be able to finish it) but it quickly became a really great story that I became emotionally invested in. This is the prefect YA (young adult) romance novel.
The book is about a girl (Sterling) who is dating a boy (Ethan). Ethan wants to become a famous rockstar. He is in a band and they practice in the garage, occasionally they do a few small local gigs. Nothing fancy. Then all of a sudden, Ethan's career blows up! Every day he becomes more and more famous. At first Sterling is really excited and happy for him, but the more famous he becomes the more strained their relationship gets. The one thing that really bothered me about this book, and actually almost made me quit reading it, was how immature Sterling (and Ethan honestly) seemed in the beginning. Both of them are seniors in high school, but they treated their relationship like they were in middle school. They even told each other they loved each other after only being together for a month. However, even though this was aggravating you could see how much Sterling grows up throughout the novel, and her views on love change dramatically to a more mature philosophy. What I loved about this novel? A lot. Even though this book was mostly about Sterling and her relationship with Ethan, one of the things I loved most was seeing Ethan's career take off. For most of the novel I was rooting for him. It was thrilling to see him go from a nobody to a world famous rockstar. The romance side of this story was complicated for me, I have to admit I wasn't the biggest fan of Ethan-Sterling together but even with that said it was intriguing to see their relationship evolve. I appreciated that this story had multi components to it- it wasn't just about love. It was about friendship, family, love, growing up, and staying true to yourself. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys young adult (YA) romance. *I was not asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I decided to read and review this book on my own*
0 Comments
I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. Okay, so it's no mystery (pun intended) that I love Jenn McKinlay, It's also no surprise that I am obsessed with her Library Lover's Mystery Series. This book was #8 in the series, and just like all the previous books I loved it.
In this book, Lindsey Norris (director of the Briar Creek Library) gets herself caught up in yet another murder mystery- this time the murder takes place in her own library! Even though she has promised not investigate anymore mysteries, she can't keep her nose out of this one when one of her staff gets accused of the murder! (and Lindsey always stands up for her staff). It's hard to point out everything I love about not only this book but this series. There are so many elements that make it such a success. First, I have to say that I love Briar Creek. The small seaside town (with only one restaurant in town where everyone flocks!) is the prefect setting for a cozy mystery series. I also adore the cast of characters this series has, from Lindsey's boyfriend (who is super supportive of her!) to her friend Robbie (who is hilarious and an actor!) In this book in particular the mystery had a bunch of twists! I had no idea whodunit until the very end. That's the best part of the Library Lover's Mystery Series, the mystery is very well thought out and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I will also say that this book is my favorite (so far) in the series, specifically because some of the characters from her other series made an appearance! Which was awesome! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries (or anyone who is curious about them!) I actually had the honor of interviewing Jenn McKinlay for my school's newspaper the other day, and I must say that she is an amazing author! I learned so much about this series from that interview (I will post a link to it once it's up). PS: I'm counting down the days until the next book in the series comes out (September cannot come soon enough!) *I was not asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I decided to read and review this book on my own* I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. I completely fell in love with this book, even though it wasn't what I was expecting. This book was prefect, although very different from the typical YA books about cults.
This book is about two girls, Agnes and Honey, who have been best friends since they were babies. They have grown up in a cult and have (for the most part) never left their community of Mount Blessing. This cult is run by their leader Emmanuel, who isn't hesitant to discipline his members when they step out of line. One day, Agnes's grandmother visits the community, only to discover some of the cult's darkest secrets. She immediately whisks Agnes and Honey (and Agnes's little brother) away, trying to save them from the cult. This novel is about that journey. It's also a novel about friendship, loyalty, beliefs, and family. I am intrigued with books about cults, I find them incredibly interesting. So when I came across this novel, I was very excited to read it. However, once I started reading it I was surprised that it didn't follow the traditional "YA Cult Book" plot. Instead of being a thriller or "edge of your seat" type of book, it was more of a "growing up and finding yourself" story. And although it was completely different than what I was expecting, I loved it. This story was done just right. The characters (especially Honey!) are so likable, and even though Agnes can be a bit annoying at times, you can't stop yourself from rooting for her. This story was beautifully written. I became very emotionally invested in the story. There were also just enough twists to keep you engaged. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone, even people who typically steer-away from cult-books. *I was not asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I decided to read and review this book on my own* I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars. I was very let down with this novel. I think part of the reason I as so upset was because I had such high expectations for it and it just did not live up to that.
This was basically a book about a rape. What makes this book different though was that it was told from the rapist's point-of-view. I was really excited to read this and be able to "get into the mind of the monster". The main character (the rapist) was a guy named Keir, and one night on a "date" he rapes his friend/crush Gigi. However, he doesn't believe it was rape. He thinks the whole thing was just a misunderstanding. So, the main issue I had with the book was Keir. Now, I knew going into reading this that it was about rape and it was going to be written in the rapist's point of view, so I wasn't expecting to love Keir or even have any sympathy for him. However, I was hoping for...something other than disgust. He was the most unlikable character I have ever encountered. Aside from the fact that he is an unreliable narrator (which resulted in a lot of confusion on my part) but he was ridiculously spoiled and in denial. (I'm talking major denial too! Like..borderline delusional). There was no doubt from the first few pages that I knew he did it. He raped her. Unquestionably. So, that left the rest of the book a little dull. There was no surprise or big reveal at the end. Aside from my obvious dislike of the main character, I also felt really confused reading this book. I didn't understand a lot of things (such as how was a teenager able to buy alcohol at a restaurant with his dad?). Overall, I didn't like the book. I wouldn't say I hated it, because it was a unique concept to write this story in Keir's point of view. I just feel like it could have been done better, I needed to feel some other emotion besides hate and irritability. I don't recommend this book to anyone. *I was not asked to review this book by the author or publisher. I decided to read and review this book on my own* |
ArchivesCategoriesCurrently Reading: |