Weekly Wrap-Up June 11th-18th

This week I managed to finish five books. Three physical books; one for review. Two e-books; one being a re-read.

Always with Love(Billy & Me #2) by Giovanna Fletcher ****

Just like Billy and Me, Always with Love is utterly sweet and charming. I was so happy to know that we were getting more of Sophie and Billy's story. Yea, I didn't love it as much as Billy and Me, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Sophie and Billy spend quite a bit of the book apart. Being on different continents is hard. Both characters are equally frustrated. Which sucks. So well Sophie and Billy's relationship had its highs and lows, Sophie had a lot of time to really figure out what she wanted aside from Billy. So I saw Always with Love as more of a book focused on Sophie as an individual. Her hopes and dreams were more prominent. I do have to say that I was a little miffed that from 400 pages Billy and Sophie are only together about a quarter of that. Definitely less than half. I know. I know, Sophie being happy with herself is more important and the key to being happy with Billy. But c'mon, gimmie the romance! I do hope we get one final novella though. The last ten pages were so rushed. All discussions and conflicts between Sophie and Billy were left until then and I'm not sure it completely satisfied me. I think a novella of a certain event would do wonders to really wrap up their story. Overall, I love Fletcher's books and Always with Love didn't disappoint. 

All the Feels by Danika Stone ****

Find the review here.

The Falconer(The Falconer #1) by Elizabeth May ****

Find the review here.

Dearest Clementine(Dearest #1) by Lex Martin ****.4(re-read)

Still just as good the second time. I love Clementine(and Gavin).

Finding Dandelion(Dearest #2) by Lex Martin ***

This is a story that's been told a billion and one times. And yea, romance is known to not be on the super creative side, but after finding Dearest Clementine refreshing a pure charm, Finding Dandelion just didn't come close to giving me those Clementine feels. Really that falls on the two leads shoulders. Dani, I liked for the most part. But she's also easily forgettable as in she's nothing different. Jax, on the other hand, is a clueless rich asshole. I understand growing up the way he did can leave its mark. But whatever, that doesn't negate his less than charming ways. And the sad part is that Dani would let them slide. Jax was always forgiven(until the obvious blow up). So well I had issues with Dani and Jax, the book is still readable and for the most part enjoyable. 

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on Jun 13, 2016 at 9:31am PDT

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on Jun 13, 2016 at 12:50pm PDT

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on Jun 14, 2016 at 9:08am PDT

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on Jun 15, 2016 at 7:48pm PDT 

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on Jun 16, 2016 at 11:36am PDT

What did you guys read this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

To All the Books I Failed to Review #2

Well, it looks like it's time for another one of these. I haven't been sitting on these books for long, but they definitely need to be reviewed and let's face it me=lazy. Soooooo let's just get these lovely books reviewed already.

The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Publication Date: May 6th, 2014

Pages: 378

Series: The Falconer #1

Source: Purchased

Rating: 4/5

Add to Goodreads

Well, colour me surprised. I thought I was going into some kind of Scottish based fantasy story, and well that's sort of true, The Falconer was much more. Seriously, it's a historical set in Scotland with steampunk elements and a bunch of nasty fae trying to kill the humans. Enter our heroine, Aileana. After witnessing her mother's death, she's out for revenge; killing fae, training so she can prepare herself to eventually destroy the fae that murdered her mother. Aileana is fierce. She's becoming this strong defender, totally unafraid of what she knows she has to do. Well in that aspect of her life, in the one that public sees Aileana is a Lady and certain things are expected from a Lady. Aileana doesn't want to conform to societies expectations and rules. Aileana doesn't want to marry and she certainly doesn't want to answer to any man. Fortunately, Aileana is smart enough to know that she must act the part of a Lady, though. Especially when Aileana realizes there's more to her mother's death and what it means for herself. Aileana has a few complicated relationships, the main one being with her mentor, Kiaran. Being an immortal male fae, you can assume he has the broody secretive attitude down to a science, and you'd be right. Kiaran is frustrating in his want to see Aileana develop with as little help as possible.  Although Aileana and Kiaran form a strong bond through all their arguing and banter. I was pleasantly pleased with how their relationship developed. Thankfully there is also a strong female friendship between Aileana and Catherine. One that doesn't get pushed to the side. Add in her other childhood friend Gavin, who returns to Scotland with a secret of his own, but shows his worth in how much he cares for Aileana in a very platonic way. And there's Derrick. Oh man, a drunk on the honey little pixie. He's Aileana's sidekick and little protector all rolled into one feisty little package. Honestly, I thought the ending was going to be super predictable, thankfully I was proven wrong. And also very happy to have the sequel in hand because major cliffhanger! Which I think sets up for what should be a spectacular second book.
As a side note: Fans of JLA's Wicked should definitely check The Falconer out. It has a lot of the same elements.

The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone
Publisher:Littel Brown Books
Publication Date: June 7th, 2016
Pages: 352
Source: ARC from Publisher
Rating: 4/5
Add to Goodreads

Death is something I, thankfully, do not have a lot of experience with. I have not lost anyone close to me. I've been to funerals and have seen friends and family grieve. But for me, it's that emotion and thing I don't know how to handle very well. I'm awkward as hell and will probably be the asshole that laughs because I don't know what to with myself in this situation. In that way, I totally connected with and understood Maddie. Although she's more afraid of death. Maddie pretty much wants to pretend it doesn't happen. Which you know is kind of hard when her Grandmother books the family of what is essentially a death cruise. I think The Loose Ends List is going to be hit or miss for readers. Not only is death a very prominent subject throughout the story, it's also a book full of ridiculous characters and dark humour. Which the latter two or totally my things. And the whole death and dying thing is not as depressing as it could have been. There were tears and emotions, but I felt like Carrie Firestone kept it as light as possible and more about living life to the fullest. It's all about firsts and lasts. I liked that the focus wasn't the romance between Maddie and Enzo(even though I enjoyed their romance, their connection and where their relationship went) but on the family. And the O'Neil clan is an interesting bunch. There seem to be no boundaries between them, uncle, brother, parents, Gram, cousin; everyone's in each others business. Maddie will pretend she's put out by it, but in that's a lie, she loves how close they are in all their weirdness. Gram is the star of the show. What a women. She doesn't take any shit, she's hilarious and worldly, with stories from a full life. If nothing else, reading The Loose Ends List and meeting Gram was so worth it. Add in all the other guests on the ship, who are all full of personalities and stories Maddie comes to love too. This is a book for the character driven reader. The Loose Ends List is funny and emotional, with that spark of something different. I cannot wait to see what Firestone comes up with next.

The King Slayer by Virginia Boecker
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Publication Date: June 14th, 2016
Pages: 368
Series: The Witch Hunter #2
Source: ARC from Publisher
Rating: 4/5
Add to Goodreads

What this series has done wonderfully is cut out all the mundane, drawn-out bits that can make me a pissed off reader. You know the plot devices that will push the story forward in the most annoying way? Well, The King Slayer is the second and last book, thus making this a duology. Which means there isn't the time for all the crap. Instead, the story and characters move forward quickly and I loved it. The world is not overly complex, There's magic in a historical type fantasy world. And after the events of The Witch Hunter Elizabeth, John and the gang are left to start building a revolution. The bad guys don't give them much time to do so. Elizabeth's only problem isn't Harrow being attacked; there's the fact that the residents aren't so accepting and trusting of an ex-witch hunter. Even with John and Nick's backing. The biggest problem, though? Apparently saving John's life is coming at an even biggest cost than expected. It's taking a toll on their relationship, both are feeling resentment, keeping secrets well wanting to be the one that saves the other from certain death. It's really quite dramatic, but in a good and feeling way. The hardest part was seeing John's nice and sweet personality take an 180. Elizabeth had to some things that were near impossible, like the possibility of losing John's love. But I agreed that she had to do them to try and save his life. I saw their struggles and fall out as a side effect of the dark war looming. And although I wanted an immediate reconciliation it was more realistic how their relationship had to learn to trust again. Don't worry there's still some swoon because John. The characters are certainly what this series does best. From Fifer, Schuyler, Nick, Peter the Pirate, George and a few new faces in The King Slayer they're all fantastic and add so much to the story.
Although I didn't find the series to be totally original at its core, the good magicians trying to overthrow the evil magicians(or those that oppose magic), the elements, like the marks the witch hunters received and how that spiraled out to create a bigger plot point then I expected. Which in turn lead to an intense conflict and a few jaw dropping moments amongst all the magically fighting.
I truly enjoyed this finale. It wrapped everything up in a most satisfying way. There were some predictable moments and some that shocked me, which I believe is on point for a good finale. The King Slayer is fun and magical and a real treat for anyone looking for a quick character filled series with witches.

Happy reading!

Brittany

All the Feels Blog Tour: Author Post + Review + Giveaway

Hello friends. Today I have the lovely Danika Stone, author of All the Feels stopping by. Danika's book is about college freshman Liv, and her life being heavily involved in a fandom. Here's Danika's story on how she first became a fangirl.

Losing a Beloved Character: The Making of a Fangirl

2009 was a difficult year for me. My father had died that spring, and I was deep into my post-graduate studies. My joy for literature had disappeared. I couldn’t make myself write anything I liked, let along find the passion I’d once had for storytelling. The combination of personal and professional stresses left me desperate for distraction.

Seeing me struggling, my husband suggested we start watching Battlestar Galactica, a scifi series that had been on our ‘must-watch’ list for many years. With little expectation, we started the miniseries.

And just like that, my fangirl brain ENGAGED.

I don’t know what it was about the miniseries that captured my attention so much, but once I was hooked, there was no going back. The characters, in a post-apocalyptic battle with humanoid robots called Cylons, were real and flawed. Their struggles were so much more than mine, and I felt a kinship for them as they forced themselves to go on, day by day. Beautifully written, with all the difficult moral questions that made me think, Battlestar Galactica brought a new level of fannish interest to my world. Even now, more than seven years later, episode 33 is my all-time favorite piece of television.

My husband and I watched a season a week that summer. (And likely would have watched a season a day, except I had to do classwork as well.) BSG was the carrot for every project I completed, the reward at the end of each class. I loved the characters, the plot, the whole experience. In my own, sheltered bubble, I let myself soak it up.

And then… ***SPOILER ALERT*** Kara Thrace died.

“Irked fans produce fanfic like irritated oysters produce pearls.”
                                                                 Jacqueline Lichtenberg in Fic by Anne Jamison

I remember my complete disbelief that this character who’d come to represent everything I believed about forcing yourself to go on after the worst had happened, had died by her own hand. It was so out-of-character (in my eyes) that I couldn’t let it go. My husband wanted to watch the next episode, but I was certain that there’d been a mistake. That couldn’t have happened, right? With a fervor born out of desperation, I headed to the internet to find something to make it right.

In the end what I found was a community of fellow fans who helped me come to terms with Kara’s death. And it was through that same community of support that I found my own writing energy renewed. I wrote my first “fix-it” fic, to come to terms with her end, but quickly moved onto bigger and better AUs. Through the positive voices of those in fandom, I found my urge to return to so-called REAL writing. In essence, the positive play of fanfic had reignited my writing muse, and once back, I could write my original stories once more.

All the Feels is an homage to that experience. Liv and her loss of Captain Spartan is a struggle I know too well. I hope that her journey is one you enjoy, too!

Review

All the Feels by Danika Stone

Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: June 7th, 2016
Pages: 336
Source: From publisher
Rating: 4/5
Add to Goodreads

College freshman Liv is more than just a fangirl: The Starveil movies are her life… So, when her favorite character, Captain Matt Spartan, is killed off at the end of the last movie, Liv Just. Can’t. Deal.

Tired of sitting in her room sobbing, Liv decides to launch an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. With the help of her best friend, Xander, actor and steampunk cosplayer extraordinaire, she creates #SpartanSurvived, a campaign to ignite the fandom. But as her online life succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, Liv is forced to balance that with the pressures of school, her mother’s disapproval, and her (mostly nonexistent and entirely traumatic) romantic life. A trip to DragonCon with Xander might be exactly what she needs to figure out what she really wants.

This is the type of book that is super relatable for a lot of people. Liv is a heroic won't take that shocking and bullshit death of a character fangirl. How many of us wish our fandom could have done what Liv does? She helps start a fire that ignites and actually brings attention to the creator and stars of her beloved Starveil. Imagine if Fox had actually listened to the fans and brought back Firefly? Or if we'd had Netflix or Hulu back then to come in a rescue it. Liv and the Starveil fandom accomplish something I wish could happen in some of my fandoms too; bringing a character back from the dead.

Liv's life centers around her love of Starveil. She eats and breaths the fandom. Like many of us who live on the internet, she found an outlet and friends who are alike in their obsession. Liv has some anxiety when it comes to real life; having friends, going outside, being social, you know the ones that a lot of us geeks face. She is quiet and happy being in the shadows. That doesn't mean she isn't clever. Liv has the skills when it comes to vidding(as she so put it). Which includes graphic design, editing and mixing videos, the things that come in handy when igniting a fandom.

Besides her online friends, she has her best friend Xander. Who is a character all of himself. Steampunk cosplay is his daily life. He's pretty much a 19th century guy living in the 21st century. Xander is a fun juxtaposition. From his clothes, his love of fast food, texting, being an actor yet kind of hating on actors, and how much more sociable he is than Liv. That's what makes their friendship spot on, opposites yet they get each other through their geekiness. Through banter, a little bit of flirting and being there for each other, Liv and Xander build a solid friendship that has the spark for something more. It's one of those everyone can see and soon the friends will let that flirting sprout wings and evolve(which it does very naturally). Such a sweet romance going down.

All the Feels has its fair share of interesting characters. But all in all I was invested in Liv succeeding in her quest to bring back Spartan. I think we fangirls/boys can agree that our obsessive personalities can take the drivers seat. It's something a lot of our friends and family don't understand. Liv's character does a great job showcasing that in a relatable yet fun way. Liv's woes through real life, her mom, dating, school get drowned out when she gets online. Escape. The build up and than arrival at Dragon Con is the best part. It's not only where Liv and Xander's relationship comes to the forefront, but Liv finally feels at home. And getting to meet the Starveil creator and cast certainly helps(even when that doesn't go to plan).

All in all, All the Feels is exactly the story a fangirl/boy can relate to. It's fun and sweet in its characters and look at the power of a fandom.  

Giveaway

Enter for a chance to win this All the Feels prize pack.

Rules & Regulations

• Starts June 13th, 2016 at 12:01AM(EST). Ends on June 20th, 2016 at 12:00AM(EST).
• Giveaway is being hosted by Raincoast Books. Prize will be sent directly from the publisher. 
• To enter please fill out the Rafflecopter form below.
• Contest is open to Canada and US addresses. 
• Winner will win the items in the picture above.
• You must be at least 18 years old or 13+ with parental permission to enter. This is the Story of My(Reading) Life will be asking for your mailing address to pass onto Raincoast Books for shipping purposes.
• Entrants found using more than one Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Goodreads account to enter will be disqualified. 
• When the winner is chosen they will be announced in the Rafflecopter widget below, via Twitter(if applicable) and emailed. Winner has 48 hours to respond before a new winner is randomly chosen.
• Please note that This is the Story of My(Reading) Life reserves the right to disqualify any entrants found to be gaming the system. Entries will be check and verified.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy reading!

Brittany

**Thanks so much to Raincoast Books and Danika Stone for allowing me to participate in this blog tour. As well as providing the giveaway prize.**

Weekly Wrap-Up June 4th-10th

So I went on a wee bit of a re-reading binge. All four of my physical books this week were re-reads. And than I also had one e-book.

Dark Wild Night(Wild Seasons #3) by Christina Lauren *****(re-read)

#Loliver that is all.

Dirty Rowdy Thing(Wild Seasons #2) by Christina Lauren ****(re-read)

Re-reading Dark Wild Night made me want to re-visit Finn and Harlow as well.

Moonlight on Nightingale Way(On Dublin Street #6) by Samantha Young *****(re-read)

This is my favourite book in the series. There's just something about Logan, Grace and Maia's dynamic.

This is One Moment(Come Back to Me #2) by Mila Gray ****.5(re-read)

This book was still just as romantic and heart breaking the second time around. Here's my original review.

Linemates by Van Barrett **

Ignoring the God awful cover, I picked this up hoping to get some Him feels. Because let's be honest, Jamie and Wes are still my everything. Well Linemates is nowhere close to giving me any sort of Jamie and Wes vibe. The good; it was fun and quick. Involved a lot of hockey. The relationship between Cal and Tyler had a lot of time to develop. Beyond that, the dialogue was lackluster and repetitive. Like seriously juvenile responses, a lot of "hehs" "duhs" that kind of  shit. This is supposed to be a hot romance, yea that does the opposite of making me fan myself. I was eye rolling all over the place. Also I found the talk from Cal and Tyler surrounding Cal being in the closest to be super passe. And downright insulting at times. Tyler and other people some pretty rude things about being gay or Cal being gay and Cal just shrugs it off. Especially when it comes to Tyler. I'm pretty sure you're not going to sit back and let some insult you or take advantage of you, laugh about it. For a romance story that is supposed to be fluff, I definitely find myself pissed off more than enjoying some steaminess between two hot as hell hockey players. 

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on Jun 5, 2016 at 5:42pm PDT

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on Jun 7, 2016 at 7:23pm PDT

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on Jun 9, 2016 at 11:06am PDT

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on Jun 10, 2016 at 2:15pm PDT

What did you guys read this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publisher: Washington Square Press
Publication Date: June 7th, 2016
Pages: 352
Source: ARC from publisher
Rating: 4/5
Add to Goodreads

From the author of Maybe in Another Life—named a People Magazine pick and a "Best Book of the Summer" by Glamour and USA TODAY—comes a breathtaking new love story about a woman unexpectedly forced to choose between the husband she has long thought dead and the fiancé who has finally brought her back to life.

In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.

On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.

Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.

That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.

Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?

Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.


I do not know the last time I inhale read a book like I did with One True Loves. I sat down to check out the first few pages and next thing I know I'm done the book. Obviously One True Loves is utterly readable and compelling. I was hooked from the first page, invested in Emma's life from the get go.

One True Loves is split into three sections; before, after and present. The before is a bit of Emma growing up, getting together with Jesse in their last year of high school, them falling madly in love and moving to the west coast to live their life together. Then Jesse is gone. Emma is devastated and struggling to cope. She also doesn't want to give on Jesse; she knows he's still alive. The after is Emma dealing with her grief, moving back home and learning to live her life without Jesse. Years on and she runs into an old friend, Sam. Sam who she use to have a crush on. Emma feels like she's ready to step into the dating pool again, mostly because she trusts Sam. The present, Emma is happy. She's engaged to Sam and life is good. Until Jesse is found alive. He's been fighting all these years to get back to her. Now Emma has a husband and a fiance, both whom she loves madly and doesn't want to hurt. But unfortunately somebody is going to be left brokenhearted.

I think what really drew me in, besides the story being fascinating, was Emma. Her character is so very real and struck a chord with me. Emma is a child that wants to get out from under her sisters shadow, into a teenager that doesn't want to be stuck in her hometown like her parents want, to somebody that finds their person, a person that makes you be brave and realize it's your life; so travel the damn world. So somebody who is slightly changing their ideals and wants and is scared to tell their partner. To somebody that is lost and grieving and trying to see that their will be a new life and happiness in the future. To somebody that makes a new life, one they love, well finding love again. And finally to somebody that is trying to listen to their heart and what it's trying to say will lead them to happiness. I mean, Emma goes through a lot, clearly. And she is so strong and brave even when she's at her lowest point. I think the real moment for me was before Jesse disappeared and Emma was realizing that she's seen so much of the world, her and Jesse have done what she thought she never would, now maybe she's starting to think settling down isn't so bad. If Jesse hadn't of disappeared I would be interested to see how that change would have come to fruition. Not the most important point, but it caught my attention.

I guess One True Loves is truly a love story; a multifaceted one. Emma is trying to come to terms with the fact that it's possible to have more than one true love throughout your life. That maybe a love can be everything but only for a specific time in your life. It doesn't diminish the meaning of that love, it just shows how people change and grow apart. Jesse and Emma were Jesse and Emma, their love was massive and all consuming. They were able to pull each other away from the life that was set up for them and make the one they wanted. They believed that if one thing never changed, it was their love for each other. Well Jesse disappeared and Emma changed through her grief for him. She wanted home and started to live the life her and Jesse got away from, except it provided happiness for Emma and brought Sam back into her life. Patient, endearing and loving Sam. And now Emma has found another love that is true. One True Loves does a spectacular job of exploring love and what it can mean between couples. The differences it can bring into a relationship, yet still be the same, its the people that shape it.

We can call this like it is, a love triangle. You're going to be seeing end game for Emma. There is guy you're going to be gunning for. Jesse and Sam are both amazing guys. Jesse is the adventurer. He's handsome and adoring towards Emma. Sam is the quite, happy to be at home building a family man. Both so different, yet exactly perfect for Emma at those periods in her life. Of course I have a favourite. I'm just not going to mention who. Jesse's story is heartbreaking. Lost at sea, fighting to survive so he can back to his wife. Than returning and realizing she's moved on and having to acclimate to society again. It's hard to see his struggle, the hopes that his wife was waiting for him and now having to fight for her to come back to him. It's sad. And poor Sam, getting ready to marry the love of his life and suddenly her supposed to be dead husband returns. Sam is so understanding. He doesn't get mad at Emma for being shocked and confused. He's devastated that he could lose her. But he also doesn't want to get in the way, Sam wants to fight for her to choose him; he wants her to see that their life is where her heart lies now. Sam is really admirable. That right there, this "love triangle" pulls you in.

Yes, One True Loves is a love story. But it's also about Emma and her changing growing life. Her relationships with Jesse and Sam, her relationship with her parents and sister. Emma being true to herself and learning to grow as person through these major life events. Just a fantastically emotional unputdownable read. I now get the love Taylor Jenkins Reid receives. Late to the game, but at least I showed up.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Weekly Wrap-Up May 28th-June 3rd

This week I managed to finish four book. All being in physical form; two re-reads and one ARC.

Wanderlost by Jen Malone ****

Find my review here.

The Witch Hunter(The Witch Hunter #1) by Virginia Boecker ****(re-read)

I had to give this one a re-read before jumping into the sequel because I pretty much rememberd nothing. So it was like reading for the first time. And I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Great success.

The King Slayer(The Witch Hunter #2) by Virginia Boecker ****

Review to come.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes *****(re-read)

I re-read this for some very obvious reasons. But also it's be three years since I first discovered this book and Jojo Moyes. Since then I've read most of her books and Me Before You still remains my favourite. This time around I did have some differing opinions and thoughts on Will. Not 100% love. But ultimately I still love this book with all my heart and it will remain an absolute favourite forever.

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on May 30, 2016 at 10:40am PDT

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on May 31, 2016 at 10:13am PDT

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on Jun 1, 2016 at 10:54am PDT

A photo posted by Brittany (@britsreadinglife) on Jun 3, 2016 at 10:47am PDT

What did you guys read this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: Wanderlost by Jen Malone

Wanderlost by Jen Malone

Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: May 31st, 2016
Pages: 352
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4/5
Add to Goodreads

Not all those who wander are lost, but Aubree Sadler most definitely is on this novel’s whirlwind trip through Europe.

Aubree can’t think of a better place to be than in perfectly boring Ohio, and she’s ready for a relaxing summer. But when her older sister, Elizabeth, gets into real trouble, Aubree is talked into taking over Elizabeth’s summer job, leading a group of senior citizens on a bus tour through Europe.

Aubree doesn’t even make it to the first stop in Amsterdam before their perfect plan unravels, leaving her with no phone, no carefully prepared binder full of helpful facts, and an unexpected guest: the tour company owner’s son, Sam. Considering she’s pretending to be Elizabeth, she absolutely shouldn’t fall for him, but she can’t help it, especially with the most romantic European cities as the backdrop for their love story.

But her relationship with Sam is threatening to ruin her relationship with her sister, and she feels like she’s letting both of them down. Aubree knows this trip may show her who she really is—she just hopes she likes where she ends up.




Be forewarned, this book will make you want to pack up and travel Europe. Not such a bad thing, really, except life is like no, you can't be doing that right now. Besides that, Wanderlost brought on the memories of some of my travels through Europe. Honestly that was my favourite part, when I could visually remember the steps that Bree is taking. Especially in Prague, Bree being a picky eater is ecstatic to find a McDonald's and I'm hear laughing at the sketchy McDonald's under the bridge(literally built into a pillar of this bridge) that smelled like piss that we passed by a few times a day. So yea, thanks for the memories, Wanderlost.

Bree is the type of girl that is very contempt with not venturing beyond her town. She knows home, she loves home. It's safe and comfortable. Bree is even excited about only having a tiny commute to college in the fall. That's all about to change when her perfect sister, Elizabeth, gets arrested, which means she can't leave the country. That's a serious problem since she's scheduled to lead a senior tour group around Europe. Elizabeth convinces Bree to pretend to be her and take her place. They through together a plan, conduct a bunch of lies and Bree is on her way to Amsterdam. Obviously that's all good on paper, but lies and cons don't usually stay in the dark.

Story wise, there was more positives than issues, after over looking how far fetched the set up is because seriously Bree and Elizabeth's plan would never fly. Wanderlost is a sweet and charming romantic travel adventure. I don't know if Malone has been to the countries and cities visited throughout the book or she did her research; either way the detail is vivid. Even the places I only know from pictures were easy to imagine. I could picture myself walking around Venice with Bree and Sam or driving the twists and turns of Monaco with Mr. Fenton. All of that travel was splendid. My issues lie with the way Bree's lying. I know it was ALL part of the plot, and at times I just overlooked it and went with the flow. But it really did get tedious. Especially when she's so conflicted and really wanting to come clean but she doesn't. I get it, but still. This ties into my biggest qualm, which unfortunately I thought might happen, the big plot device that was used to make Bree's lies to come to light. Honestly, it sucked that after all the personal growth Bree was experiencing that she couldn't just have found the courage to tell the truth without this situation. I know vague, but obvious spoiler. Just know that it was an unnecessary plot tool.

Her = him

Bree is an easy girl to get. She's seventeen, on her way to college but still fully happy living with mom and dad. Bree's never had to take care of herself; break out of being comfortable. The difference between Bree at the start of the book to the end of huge. She's still Bree just improved. She's doing things she never imagined, experiencing destinations without help. Bree is confident and breaking out of that shadow of her sisters she's been living in. Basically Bree is realizing being self sufficient, independent and open to new things is not a bad thing.

  

Bree be like leave me and my picky eating alone. Bread = life

Of course there's a romance. And let me tell you, Sam is all sorts of swoon. Sweet, caring, adorable, funny, endearing; just lovable in every which way. Sam also works for the tour company Bree is. His initial job is calling Bree everyday to make sure everything is a-okay. Of course they have a total meet cute(talk cute? phone cute?) where there is an instant connection before they even meet face to face. But once that happens, holy attraction. Sam being the worldly type, showing Bree how amazing traveling is basically had me doing two things; one falling in love with him because obvs. And two having a certain song playing in brain.

Sam can show me the world.

I know I've said this a few times, but let's say my second favourite bits? The old folks. Talk about a hoot. Bree was all like I don't know old people, how do I relate to them. Well easily. #squadgoals They pretty much show Bree up. How they're living life, having a good time not letting age get in the way. Mr. Fenton, the wise history buff, bachelor for life. Mary and Emma best friends for life, giggling, skinny dipping. The ignorant Hank who after fifty series of marriage still can't keep his hands off his wife, Masey for a second. And Dolores, who could have been Bree in fifty years. Dolores and Bree connect over being homebodies well realizing you can come out of your shell at any age. Pretty much these characters are truly characters, they may be older but there's no slowing them down. 

Wanderlost is a charm of a read. It's fun, romantic and adventureful. And hey, Malone doesn't have to end it here, she can jump right into NA as we follow Bree and Sam through some college and than some summer travels. Basically I want more Sam. Gimmie more Sam.


Happy reading!

Brittany