Weekly Wrap-Up May 9th-15th

I managed to finish seven books this week. Two were audio, one was an e-book, so that makes the rest physical copies.


Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle ****
Another pretty good NA. Nothing new as far as character problems. But I really liked the cast. What really stood out was the setting. Halle created such a vivid journey through New Zealand. It's clear she must have explored the country herself. New Zealand is near the top of my bucket list, and this booked really encouraged my excitement for the day that I can get there.


The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham ***
This one was pretty mediocre. I enjoyed bits and pieces of the story. But for the most part I didn't really care about the characters. They really had a lot of selfish moments. I think I'm now caught up on all Wickham/Kinsella books. So that's a plus.

All Played Out(Rusk University #3) by Cora Carmack ****.5
Alright, Nell and Torres has taken top couple spot out of all Carmack's books. What a fun read. I knew I would absolutely love getting to know Torres on a more personal level. He's such the comedian. And damn sexy. Nell though, I totally connected to her. I may not have been totally into studying, but I'm a total hermit. Actually I connect a lot more to her now than I would have in my college years. Anyhow, I adored them together. Such opposites, yet that's the draw. They complimented each other. All Played Out was just a really fun time. It has solidified itself as my favourite Carmack book to date. 


Tragic(Rook and Ronin #1) by J.A. Huss **
Ah, sorry Samantha, this one was not my favourite. I was so very hot and cold well reading. Seriously, I'd like one page and absolutely go all eye rolly on the next. That happened through the whole book. I didn't like Rook or Ronin. Sure, they had their moments. But for the most part they were both idiots. And the writing felt really forced. Especially during Rook's chapters. Her thoughts never flowed. I felt like I was being told not shown. It didn't feel natural.


To All the Boys I've Loved Before(To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han ****.5
Review to come within the next week or two.

Something Real by Heather Demetrios *****
Review to come within the next week or two.

Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover *****(re-read)
I just needed to re-read this one. It's one of my favourite books. My library had the audio available so I clicked to download. Narrator's were pretty good. I do think the audio version missed the marked by not incorporating the songs(original soundtrack) into the reading of the book.

What did you guys read this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven

Broken Juliet by Leisa Rayven

Publisher: St.Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: April 28th, 2015
Pages: 336
Series: Starcrossed #2
Source: ARC from publisher **I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
Rating: 5/5
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How do you fix a love that’s been broken beyond repair?

For years, Cassie Taylor tried to forget about Ethan Holt. He was the one great love of her life, and when he failed to return her love, a part of her died forever. Or so she thought. Now she and Ethan are sharing a Broadway stage, and he’s determined to win her back. Claiming to be a changed man, he’s finally able to say all the things she needed to hear years ago, but can she believe him? What makes this time different from all his other broken promises?

Ethan knows he can’t change their tumultuous past, but if he’s going to have any chance of being with the woman he loves, he’ll need to convince Cassie that her future belongs with him.

Don’t miss this stunning conclusion to the unforgettable love story that captivated over two million fans online.

I know this review has taken my way to long to write. But it's pretty much near impossible to put into words how much I absolutely feel in love with the Starcrossed duology. Especially Broken Juliet. What an freakin' ending. It would be easier if you could see my face because my expressions would say so much more than my words will. I can't even. Just total adoration, satisfaction, happiness and love. I think my face can portray all those emotions. Even though I'm not anywhere close the to the actors Ethan and Cassie are. This is indeed an unforgettable love story which I am happy to say that I've pushed onto many of reader friends, and all of them have been in agreement. *pats self on back*

I was absolutely ecstatic when this landed in my hands. If you guys remember I devoured and loved Bad Romeo earlier this year. Broken Juliet is the continuation of Cassie and Ethan's story. It literally picks up after the emotional ending of Bad Romeo. So seeing as this is the sequel, I'm not going to spoil anything because that's mean. But also because you guys, EVERYONE, needs to read this duology. Don't kid yourself and think you can pick up just Bad Romeo. You will need both in your hands ready to go. They're two separate books but one story.

Broken Juliet continues with giving us both past and present time lines. The past is getting closer to present time. We knew that Ethan broke Cassie's heart twice. But we'd yet to see the second heart break. Or what happened.

Cassie and Ethan don't have a fluffy and straight forward relationship. In fact it is far from healthy for very good portions of it. But their romance is natural and intense. It is undeniably a once in a life time love. Just to get to the point where they can be together in a trusting and healthy way, well it takes a lot and a quite a few years apart. Man, Cassie and Ethan together is scorching hot. Cold shower hot.

I honestly think Ethan's character growth is phenomenal. Total character growth win. Past Ethan was a complete mess. A real dick. There were points that I loved him and could understand why Cassie was attracted to him. Because his real self, when it poked through, was just that, attractive. Ethan was a smart and witty guy. But present Ethan, good God do I love him. And the thing is if I didn't dislike past Ethan so much my love for present Ethan would have been tainted. His willingness to get the help he needed to be a better person for himself, but also so he felt like he actually deserved Cassie was so endearing. Ethan's adoration and patience was what I loved most about him transformation.

Cassie's character arc is the opposite of Ethan's. Unfortunately past Cassie is in a lot more healthy emotionally than present Cassie. And that downward spiral is mostly Ethan's doing. He broke her heart. That changed her self worth and the way she sees relationships with men. It's hard to watch. But like Rayven showed with Ethan, Cassie was capable of finding herself again. With the help of Ethan bearing his soul, past and present, to her Cassie was able to pick herself back up and allow Ethan back into her life. Sometimes those third or forth chances really are worth the risk when you love someone. Rayven shows how much change is possible.

Again, Rayven proves what a great writer she is. The emotional train ride I experienced through Broken Juliet was unforgettable. I'd go from laughing at the banter between Cassie and Ethan to wanting to punch Ethan to fanning myself from the angsty filled hotness of the sex scenes(well anytime Cassie and Ethan were having a moment). I was thoroughly invested in their relationship. But I was also just as invested in their relationships with their friends and family. The supporting cast was flushed out so well.

The Starcrossed duology is a raw and beautiful love story. Cassie and Ethan's relationship has solidified itself as one of my most favourites. I've already gone back and re-read all my favourite parts a few times. Obviously there is no doubt that years and years down the road I will be revisiting their story again and again.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

The Fill-In boyfriend by Kasie West

Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: May 5th, 2015
Pages: 352
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4.5/5
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When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend— two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party — three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

Freakin' yes! I lost count of the amount of times that came out of my mouth well reading The Fill-In Boyfriend. West is easily a favourite author of mine. Especially The Distance Between Us. Absolutely one of my favourite YA contemps. Unfortunately her last book On the Fence was missing some of the things I love in my West books. So you can imagine how happy I was to close The Fill-In Boyfriend with a smile and total contentment.

Gia's older boyfriend dumps her in the parking lot as they're about to go into her prom. Gia isn't actually that upset over losing Bradley, she's worried about what her friends are going to say. They've yet to meet Bradley, and Gia is pretty sure they don't even believe she's dating him. Gia spots a guy sitting in his car watching this ordeal go down. Which she thinks is perfect. She'll flash him a smile and there's no way he'll turn her down to come inside with her and pretend to be fill-in Bradley for the night. Talk about a meet cute. Of course it's never that easy, the night kind of gets out of control with all the lying. And from there Gia finds herself making friends with fill-in Bradley and his sister. Actually finding herself in more than like with fill-in Bradley. Which leads to her realize that maybe her "real" friends aren't exactly that.

Gia is the popular girl. She's a total opposite personality to me. She immediately comes off as very shallow. All about appearance. But Gia pulled off the meet cute with fill-in Bradley in a pretty hilarious way. So I was sold on her. Gia definitely has her moments, she was hiding her real self. Gia is about control and keeping up appearances. Was a sweet naiive girl with some growing up to do. As soon as fill-in Bradley and Bek fall into her life and start to pull her out her shell. You know, drops those layers. Gia is a pretty cool girl. She's sweet and caring. Gia really just needed to realize her worth.
Gia's parents seem to be all about the show no emotion. Which Gia has clearly rubbed off on her. She can't believe how out spoken her brother is to their parents. Why wouldn't he keep his mouth shut. Gia also doesn't like confrontation. But after Gia sees her brothers movie he made for his college course, a movie that is highly insulting and inconsiderate towards Gia, she finally gets some balls and lets her feelings out. To her brother and than subsequently her parents. Sure you gotta respect your parents, but when it's hindering your happiness, than good for Gia for telling them off.

We actually don't learn fill-in Bradley's name for almost 100 pages. The build-up and anticipation towards that moment was intense. Seriously I was right there with Gia thinking, "WHAT IS YOUR NAME?!" So of course I'm not going to spoil that. I'll just stick with calling him fill-in Bradley. He's totally my kind of guy. Fill-in Bradley is a super geeky actor who can pull a smolder out of nowhere well wearing t-shirts with Firefly references. When he's acting he's this sure confident guy. But when you get his real self fill-in Bradley is so funny, kind and just plain adorable. There was no head games. Just normal teenage mis-communication. Gia and fill-in Bradley are one of those make you sick because they're super cute together couples. Totally loved it. Very sweet and so much perfect banter. Definitely my favourite part of the book is Gia and fill-Bradley's conversations. Actually his families too. I loved the progression of Gia and Bek's friendship too. It may have been unexpected but I totally shipped their friendship as much as the romance.

Like with all of West's books the supporting cast read like real people. They have full personalities. You love some, hate some and sometimes you want to just jump into the book and steal Gia's life. West portrays friendships, especially high school friendships, very realistically. The conversations and dialogue are so real and on point on. Also the focus on how you measure yourself by your friends was spot on. Fill-in Bradley talks about how because of his rotten choice in friends does that say something about him as a person. It's a good discussion point. Ultimately people change or just aren't who you thought they were. So how does one deal with it? Perfect book is perfect.

The only thing holding me back from giving The Fill-In Boyfriend a 5* was the big confrontation. When Gia's lies are uncovered. It was a little rushed and all over the place. Characters were talking over each other, which lead to nothing really being said. Jules, Laney and Claire just kind of walk out being pissed off. Which okay, they would be. But the whole thing with Jules was brushed over. So that scene was lacking. A few more pages added in to just realistically confront the lies would have been much more appreciated for me.

The Fill-In Boyfriend is an excellent lazy Sunday afternoon read. It's light, quick and fun. With so much great banter filled moments that I started it and there was no way I was putting it down until I was done. I was fully invested in Gia's life. I couldn't wait until her and fill-in Bradley finally got to that aww moment. Or when she finally stood up to her family. Gia was a really solid character that proves that sometimes you really do need that person(people) to come into your life and say be yourself, do what you want to do. Another book to add to my re-read list.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Weekly Wrap-Up May 2nd-8th

I managed to read nine books this week. Well I guess really eight(Sweet Filthy Morning After doesn't really count). Two audio's. Two e-books/e-ARC's. So that makes four physical books. 

Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley **
The story was interesting enough. I've not read a contemporary novel that focuses on DID.
But the writing lacked emotion. In theory this book could have been a pretty emotionally heartbreaking story. But with the simplistic and choppy writing it was hard to connect to Angie or her terrible ordeal. Add in the lack of emotion in 90% of Angie's thoughts as well as any of the characters. In fact half of them treated it like a joke(her kidnapping). The seriousness of Angie's situation was missing. Which in turn had this one missing the mark for me.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling ****
What is there to say? I listened to this on audio. Because really is there any other way? Mindy wrote a memoir exactly how you figure she would. She's herself. Which is funny and relatable. Mindy is just like every women, loves her body but still struggles. I loved her jabs at her Office cast mates. Just a great great book. I'm still extremely flabbergasted that The Mindy Project was cancelled. What even? What is wrong with Fox?


Love on the Ledge(On the Verge #2) by Zoraida Cordova ****
Review will be up next week.



Days Like This by Danielle Ellison ****
Review will be up next week.


Sweet Filthy Morning After(Wild Seasons #1.5) by Christina Lauren ****
Just a very quick audio book(30 minutes) of the time that Ansel wakes up, very hung over and realizes he's married. So pretty much it's just a very quick change in POV from a scene in Sweet Filthy Boy. I really enjoyed it. The narrator's french accent was fantastic. Totally could imagine it was Ansel.


Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen *****
Find the full review here.

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West ****.5
Review will be up next week.

Overruled(The Legal Briefs #1) by Emma Chase ****
I'm so glad I was recommended Chase earlier this year. Her Tangled series was great. And Overruled is right one par. Her books are a totally sexy romcom. Stanton and Sofia work together as lawyers but are also friends with benefits. I always love that romance trope. Because you just know it's never going to remain without feelings developing. Stanton is a southern charmer and Sofia is a very strong lady. They're great together. Banter is fantastic. I loved when the setting changed to Mississippi. I think there's a bit of stereotyping but it was done in all good fun. Plus all the cast of characters were flushed out. Stanton's daughter was a sweet spot for me. Her and her daddy had me LOL'ing. Cannot wait for the next book.

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith ****
Although I enjoyed this one(I always like myself a Smith contemporary) I really don't have a lot to say about it. The romance was super cute. But to me it wasn't really about the romance. Both Owen and Lucy were sort of at a stand still in their lives. Owen trying to move on from his moms death and Lucy figuring out the the perfect spot between being invisible and standing out. I thoroughly enjoyed the travel aspect and realizing that the word home isn't necessarily a house or city. Smith is really good at delivering a sweet contemporary showcasing self identity.

What did you guys read this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Review: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publication Date: May 5th, 2015
Pages: 448
Source: Purchased
Rating: 5/5
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Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

Every other spring I become super antsy. Why you might ask. Well because I'm highly anticipating the next Sarah Dessen book. Years and years ago I came across my first of her books and it has been a solid love affair since. I absolutely adore every story this women writes. No doubt that Dessen is one of the reigning queens of YA contemporary.

As excited as I was for Saint Anything, I went in to it kind of blind. Of course I knew what the general premise would be. But you can say I was a bit surprised when Saint Anything started out in a court room. Sydney's brother, Peyton had just been sentenced for drunk driving. He hit a boy on a bike which has left the boy partially paralyzed. That accident was just the bottom of Peyton's downward spiral. Sydney's larger than life brother, even in jail, is still front and center with her family. Sydney is use to being invisible, but it's becoming harder and harder for her to stay that way in her parents eyes. Especially since it affects her life and happiness.

Dessen has always been spot on with her mix of relationships(family, friends, boyfriends), self discovery and real life story telling. I've never found her books fluffy. They tend to be complex and feel inducing. Saint Anything was no different there. But I felt like Saint Anything stood out in its maturity. Sydney is not the eldest MC, I'm not talking about that. It was more the story arc. Well the romance is definitely there. The focus was more on Sydney speaking up for herself and learning to be forward with her parents. I always want to see my ship get together, but in this case I was just flipping pages, holding my breath for when that moment when Sydney just says something.

Sydney is a quite girl. Goes with the flow and let's other people, like her mother, dictate her life. Even before Peyton started to act out, it was always about him. So Sydney was content being the invisible one. It was hard reading along with Sydney not sticking up for herself. I'm out spoken, so we're very different people. I understand not wanting to hurt someones feelings with your opinion or such, but there is a time to speak out for yourself. I just needed Sydney to do that. Especially with her mother. Her mother is over bearing and controlling. She did and said a lot of things that really pissed me off. Ignoring Sydney(not purposely) being one. Another being the fact that she didn't treat Peyton being in jail, like him being in jail. It was like he was at boarding school. Like with Sydney, I couldn't believe how she failed to realize that Peyton put a kid in a wheelchair The seriousness of that.

There's some really uncomfortable moments between Sydney and her older brothers friend. He's this fixture in their families life, has been for a while. Now that Peyton is in jail, he's become more prominent. Sydney doesn't like him. He has yet to make a direct advance towards her, but he's super creepy and getting to close to her through his actions and words. It's odd yet understanding why he's constantly around. He's a life line for her mother with Peyton. Sydney didn't really speak up about how uncomfortable she is around him. But when she is constantly saying in nicer terms that she doesn't want to be around him to her mother, her mother passes it  off as being rude. It just kind of flabbergasts me that you could probably see this look of horror on your daughters face at having to be around him and yet you don't confront her about it.

The absolute best part of Saint Anything is the Chathams. A fantastic, family next door type of family. Upon Sydney changing schools and thus finding a new pizza place she becomes friends with Layla and Mac. Layla kind of bursts herself onto Sydney. Giving Sydney a friendship, a different type of friendship, one she needed. Sydney finds herself being able to finally open up to someone. Layla's personality welcomes openness and truth. Also Sydney finds it easy to bond with Layla over parts of her life. Layla understands.
The romance with Mac was definitely slow burning. Sydney instantly found Mac attractive. But the friendship with Layla was more the focus here. It also doesn't help that both Sydney and Mac are kind of shy. Still the lead up to them finally getting together was adorable. Spending more time together, getting to know each other outside of Layla. It was cute and I was so on board with this ship. I adored Mac. He's genuine, supportive and kind. He noticed Sydney and made sure she knew he was never invisible to him.

Again, another slam dunk for Dessen. I really believe she has her priorities straight. I've never been able to start and put down one of her books before the last page. The focus on complex and dynamic family relationships will speak to any reader. Like with Saint Anything the romance is there, and I loved how once the couple got together it was solid. But it was the point. The friendship with Layla was important and Sydney was able to recognize Layla came first. As well as Sydney finding her voice and coming out her shell. Making herself and her parents realize she's just as important and part of the family as Peyton. Dessen did a fantastic job conveying all of that in her signature style.

Happy reading!

Brittany

Showcase Sunday #79

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme held by Books, Biscuits and Tea. It allows fellow bloggers to show off any books or bookish things they've compiled over the week.

Hello! How was your week friends? Work is sooooo dead. It makes for a very long day. Plus it's been pretty gorgeous out. Saturday I sat out in the sun in a tank top. :O It's also the perfect temperature for my nightly run.
The last couple of weeks have been good to me book wise. My Owl Crate box showed up. I love this subscription! I finally picked up a finished copy of The Start of Me and You. Plus Black Iris was finally released. Books, glorious books!

Purchased

Everything That Makes You by Moriah McStay

Black Iris by Leah Raeder

Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling
The Shattered Court(A Novel of the Four Arts #1) by M.J. Scott

The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord
Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley

E-Book Purchased

Kindle Freebies

Netgalley

Gifted

**Thanks so much to Juhina for these**
Hexed(The Witch Hunter #1) by Michelle Krys
The Gypsy King(The Gypsy King #1) by Maureen Fergus
A Fool's Errand(The Gypsy King #2) by Maureen Fergus

What did you guys get this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany

Weekly Wrap-Up April 25th-May 1st

I got through six books this week. Well really five. Two of them were re-reads. Two were audios.

Anatomy of A Misfit by Andrea Portes ****
This one started off a little rough. Anika, the MC, was kind of hard to like. She's pretty much an asshole. But she had my laughing. Than I quickly came to realize how relatable she is. Anika embodies and showcases every insecurity a teenager has. Or at least I had. She did and said stupid things, even when she knew how wrong she was doing or saying those things. Being a douchebag is part of the being a teenager. Unfortunately. Anika had heart though. And she's a really clever girl. The story took a really horrific turn that I really was hoping wouldn't come to fruition. Even through some tears, the ending was uplifting. I thoroughly loved Portes' witty and sarcastic writing as well.

Black Iris by Leah Raeder *****

Black Iris was a very highly anticipated release for me. As dark as Unteachable was, I loved it. Black Iris is even darker. It's unapologetic and a complete mind fuck. I know this isn't going to be a book for everyone. But I honestly don't know the last time I've been so intrigued and completely on the edge of my seat. Black Iris is a dark, romantic thriller. It's all over the place. Laney, the MC, is ruthless, raw, complex and flawed. She states right away that she is not the heroine of the story. And that could not be truer. Talk about an unreliable narrator. Even though there was no way to guess where the story was going, I loved where Raeder took the story. She never held back. Her writing is hauntingly beautiful. And you can tell she is showing herself through her writing. I cannot recommend Black Iris enough if you want something so outside the box, screws with your mind, but also brings serious topics like bullying and sexuality into the forefront.


Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling *****
Beautiful and inspiring. How can you not love anything that comes out of this women's mouth?


All Lined Up(Rusk University #1) by Cora Carmack ****(re-read)
I was feeling a little slumpish. Which leads me to pick up an old favourite(these days is usually a NA). All Line Up fits the bill there. Plus the third book is out in a few weeks, wanted to refresh on the characters. I don't know if I've said it before, but Cora Carmack is the perfect place to start if you're looking to get into NA. It's light(or almost non-existent) on the sex, but that doesn't mean it's not sexy. Her characters are easy to love and so is her story telling. All Lined Up has a great story line. But it also has one of my favourite romance tropes, sports. I love when romance and sports collide. It's funny, I don't particularity like football, but make a movie, show or book with it and I'm sold. Anyways, loved getting back into Dallas and Carson's story again.

40 Love by Madeleine Wickham **
Ugh. This book is just about rich assholes. There were a few redeemable characters.But for the most part I spent the whole time rolling my eyes. The only reason I didn't DNF was because I listened to the audio and it wasn't very long. And I might have had a small hope that the characters would suddenly show some humanity and make a 180. Nope.


All Broke Down(Rusk University #2) by Cora Carmack ****(re-read)
I couldn't just re-read All Lined Up and not All Broke Down. Especially because Silas. Sigh-las. My heart. There's just something about this hard faced(and body....mmm...) guy. He can come off as a dick and he likes the ladies, but Silas doesn't shy away from Dylan when he realizes that hey, maybe loving a girl isn't so bad. Obviously there's some drama, because it is a romance after all, but I don't find Carmack's books overly angsty. I'm just immediately pulled into a sweet romance with great characters and for the most part a light and fun read. Plus she created Silas. Did I mention how much Silas captured my heart?

What did you guys read this week?
Don't forget to vote(to the left, under my social media icons) on what book I should read and review this month.

Happy reading!

Brittany