Review: 4 to 16 Characters by Kelly Hourihan

Released: November 7, 2013
Publisher: Lemon Sherbert Press
Series: N/A
Star Rating: 3 out of 5
Source: Netgalley
Edition: Netgalley ARC
Page Amount: 314
Age Group: Young Adult

Fifteen-year-old Jane Shilling’s best friends don’t know her real name. In fact, they don’t know anything about her at all. Jane’s life has collapsed in the last few years; following the death of her mother, her father turned to drinking, and Jane is reeling from the double blow. To escape, Jane devises a number of online personas, each with a distinct personality, life history, and set of friends. But things become trickier when she finds herself drawing close to some of her online friends, and winds up struggling with the question of how to maintain a real friendship while masquerading as a fake person. With the help of Gary, a socially awkward classmate and competitive Skeeball player who is Jane’s only offline friend, and Nora, her therapist, Jane begins to sift through her issues. The only catch is that that involves taking a long, hard look at what her life’s like when the computer is shut off, and that’s a reality she’s been fighting for years.

One of the main reasons I picked this book up from Netgalley is because it was one that you could automatically load right onto your Kindle and I wanted a cute, contemporary books to balance out all of the paranormal/fantasy books I have been reading lately. Then upon reading the synopsis  I was hooked. Even before reading the first page, I connected with Jane with our love for pop culture. I, too, am guilty for 'fangirling' over certain television shows, bands, and celebrities. I knew this was a book I wanted to read because I somewhat connected with the story line (minus the fake persona).

I did not enjoy this novel as much as I thought I would. I went into this novel thinking that I was going to love it and this was going to become one of my favourite contemporary books of all time. To be fair, I probably should not have gone into this book with that impression. 

This book could have knocked about one hundred pages of story and it would have, in my opinion, been better. While I was reading, I found myself thinking 'this is unnecessary , 'this is pointless', and 'didn't we talk about this three pages ago?'.  Also, the characters would constantly be like 'you still there?? omg you left me' thirty seconds after sending their previous IM message. I mean, really? 

I didn't enjoy Jane as a main character.  She was very one dimensional, in my opinion. I think this has something to do with we explored Rachel's character more than Jane's, so I never really felt a connection with her at all. Gary was character I had a soft spot for, though. He was quirky and cute. He was always there for Jane, even when she pushed him away numerous times through the book. He was loyal and I really enjoyed that about him. 

I do believe this novel was enjoyable, despite the little problems that I had with it. I enjoyed reading it and if you're looking for a cute Young Adult novel that teens can relate to, I do recommend this one.

About the Author

Kelly Hourihan is an author of YA novels. In 2004, she graduated from Harvard with an A.B. in English. She’s been trying to strike a balance between writing and “jobs that pay the rent” since then. In 2009, she was selected as the Children’s Writer in Residence at the Boston Public Library. Kelly lives in Boston with her wife and two cats.  

Review: Finding Home by Lauren K. McKellar

Released: October 1, 2013
Publisher: Escape Publishing
Series: N/A
Star Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Netgalley
Edition: eBook
Page Amount: N/A
Age Group: Young Adult

Moody, atmospheric, and just a little bit punk, Finding Home takes contemporary YA to a new level of grit...
When Amy’s mum dies, the last thing she expects is to be kicked off her dad’s music tour all the way to her Aunt Lou in a depressing hole of a seaside town. But it’s okay — Amy learned how to cope with the best, and soon finds a hard-drinking, party-loving crowd to help ease the pain. 
The only solace is her music class, but even there she can’t seem to keep it together, sabotaging her grade and her one chance at a meaningful relationship. It takes a hard truth from her only friend before Amy realises that she has to come to terms with her past, before she destroys her future.

Finding Home was an extremely easy and enjoyable read. It was a darker contemporary, which I don't read much of because I tend to gravitate more to the cutesy, fluffy contemporary reads. This novel dealt with things such as loosing a parent and alcoholism, which you don't find much of in YA novels, especially the alcohol problem that both Amy and her mother had. I like that about this novel because these are real problems in the teen society these days. I feel like a lot of novels sugar coat alcohol to be no problem, but this one didn't. That was something I really enjoyed reading in this novel, was how real it was represented.

Amy was a okay main character. Although a few times through the book I felt she was extremely naive, she was a decent character to read about. Luke had me fooled, I thought he was a good character until about half way through the book. I really enjoyed Nick's character, though. I empathized for him through the whole book and wish that Amy realized what she realized at the end, way before she actually did. She wouldn't have gotten herself into as much trouble if she hadn't.

There were definitely characters that I did not like, though. The main one in this novel was Amy's father. I couldn't believe some of the actions that he took, thinking that this would make Amy happier and have her well being in mind. I thought that, for a father figure character, he was extremely immature and whenever he was in the novel I just wanted to skip those parts. I couldn't stand reading about him, even when the book would try to make him sound like a better person than he was.

I really enjoyed McKellar's writing style. It was simple yet you still felt like you were there with the characters and you knew exactly what was surrounding you and how the characters were feeling as something was happening. 

Overall I really enjoyed reading this novel. It's a very good example that a self pubbed book can be just as good as a traditionally published novel.

About the Author

Lauren K. McKellar is an author and editor. Her debut novel, Finding Home, will be released through Escape Publishing on October 1, 2013.
As well as being a magazine editor for a national audited publication on pet care, Lauren works as a freelance editor for independent authors. She is also a Senior Editor for digital romance house, Entranced Publishing.
Lauren is a member of the Romance Writers of Australia and is obsessed with words--she really likes the way they work.
She lives on the Central Coast of New South Wales with her fiance and their two fur-children.

In My Mailbox #2!

Welcome to In My Mailbox! This is a weekly meme where you show off all of your new, shiny books that you have to read! It is hosted by Kristi over at the Story Siren.

Before I begin I would like to mention that I apologize greatly if there is a lack of posts all this month. I am participating in National Novel Writing Month and that is taking up a lot of my reading time. Again, I apologize!

Let's get into the books...

Source: Netgalley

 

On the surface, Lila Summers is flawless: good looks, expensive clothes, and a big, beautiful smile. But a dark past and even darker secrets are threatening to bubble over her perfect façade. She'll do anything to keep the emptiness inside hidden-which leads her into situations that always end badly. Whenever she hits bottom, there's only one person who's there to pull her out: Ethan Gregory.

Ethan set the rules a long time ago: he and Lila are just friends. He doesn't do relationships. Although his tattooed, bad boy exterior is a far cry from Lila's pretty princess image, Ethan can't deny they have a deeper connection than he's used to. If he's not careful, he could be in serious danger of becoming attached-and he's learned the hard way that attachment only leads to heartbreak.

When Lila falls farther than she ever has before, can Ethan continue to help as a friend? Or is he also getting close to falling . . . for her?

 

Source: Netgalley

 

Audrey Whitticomb saved her entire city.

Well, kind of. The superhero Morning Star (who just happens to be Audrey's mom) might have played a small part, and her sidekick, Leon—Audrey's sort-of boyfriend, who is gorgeous... and frustrating—maybe helped, too.

But after two peaceful months, there is a vicious new threat in Minneapolis. Her name is Susannah, and she's a Harrower, a demon hell-bent on destroying people like Morning Star, Leon, and Audrey—the Kin. Like others before her, she seeks the Remnant, a Kin girl who has the power to unleash the inhabitants of the Beneath. But to what end?

Audrey already has a ton on her plate: dealing with her best friend Tink's boy drama, helping her other best friend Gideon figure out his nightmares, and exploring the highs and lows of "dating" Leon. But when she develops a powerful new ability, Audrey seizes on the chance to fight, despite her mother's protests and Leon's pleas.

As Audrey gets closer to figuring out Susannah's motives and tracking down the Remnant, she'll uncover more than she bargained for. The terrible truth is staring Audrey in the face. But knowing the truth and accepting it are very different things.

Source: Netgalley

What if your destiny was to kill the one you love?

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people’s fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she’s falling all over again—this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die.

In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?

 

Source: Netgalley

A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives...and will do anything to get them.

 

Source: Bought

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

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.

 

 

Source: Bought

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

 

Those are all of the books I received this week. What books did you get?

 

 

Review: Oath of Servitude by C.E. Wilson

Released: September 2012
Publisher: C.E. Wilson
Series: The Secret Life of Amy Benson, #1
Star Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Author
Edition: eBook
Page Amount: 159
Age Group: Young Adult

This is the story of Teague and Cailin, two teenagers who have been brought together by fate. Teague, a human, struggles to come to terms with the consequences of a recent accident that has destroyed the happy life that he had once enjoyed. Cailin, a pixi, is trying to stay true to herself while fighting against forces beyond her control that have exiled her from her home into this strange world of humans. She fears the darkness. He cannot escape it. But when the two of them are thrown together, they begin to discover the light inside of themselves.

I really enjoyed Oath of Servitude. I'm not going to lie, I was a little hesitant going into it but I really enjoyed reading it. It was well written but also short so I got through it quickly.

About The Author

C.E. Wilson is currently living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband and her two dogs and two cats. They are all the loves of her life. When she’s not writing young adult fantasy novels, she enjoys writing short stories on her Deviant Art page. She loves to write stories involving giants and little people (also known as GT) and nothing helps her to write more than Coca-Cola and glazed doughnut holes.

Review: Escaping Reality by Lisa Renee Jones

Released: July 22, 2013
Publisher: Julie Parta Publishing
Series: The Secret Life of Amy Benson, #1
Star Rating: 2 out of 5
Source: Netgalley
Edition: eBook
Page Amount: 453
Age Group: New Adult

Infinite possibilities….

Infinite passion…..Infinite danger….His touch spirals through me, warm and sweet, wicked and hot. I shouldn’t trust him. I shouldn’t tell him my secrets. But how do I not when he is the reason I breathe? He is what I need.At the young age of eighteen, tragedy and a dark secret force Lara to flee all she has known and loves to start a new life. Now years later, with a new identity as Amy, she’s finally dared to believe she is forgotten–even if she cannot forget. But just when she lets down her guard, the ghosts of her past are quick to punish her, forcing her back on the run. On a plane, struggling to face the devastation of losing everything again and starting over, Amy meets Liam Stone, a darkly entrancing recluse billionaire, who is also a brilliant, and famous, prodigy architect. A man who knows what he wants and goes after it. And what he wants is Amy. Refusing to take “no” as an answer, he sweeps her into a passionate affair, pushing her to her erotic limits. He wants to possess her. He makes her want to be possessed. Liam demands everything from her, accepting nothing less. But what if she is too devastated by tragedy to know when he wants more than she should give? And what if there is more to Liam than meets the eyes?

 Let me begin this review by saying that this book is DEFINITELY, 100% New Adult. There is more explicit content than actual storyline. With this being my first introduction to the New Adult genre, I was thoroughly disappointed. Although it was well written, the storyline was dismissed to make room for the 'dirty' scenes.

Amy didn't do it for me as a main character. She was annoying, and easy... if you know what I mean. She talks about protecting herself and staying away from danger and then throws herself right into it.

Don't get me wrong, the storyline would have been awesome. That's what gravitated me to the book in the first place. I found that the storyline was taken away by certain scenes, and those certain scenes took away from the interesting storyline. I still, after reading the novel, have no idea why Amy is running. This book consisted of a middle basically... it could have used more of a beginning and a resolution at the end.

A lot of aspects of a storyline was not explored in this novel. It was enjoyable enough, though I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the plot didn't seem more like a subplot.

About the Author

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT TRILOGY which has sold to more than ten countries for translation with negotiations in process for more, and has now been optioned by STARZ Network for a cable television show, to be produced by Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland).
Since beginning her publishing career in 2007, Lisa has published more than 30 books with publishers such as Simon and Schuster, Avon, Kensington, Harlequin, NAL, Berkley and Elloras Cave, as well as crafting a successful indie career. Booklist says that Jones suspense truly sizzles with an energy similar to FBI tales with a paranormal twist by Julie Garwood or Suzanne Brockmann.
Prior to publishing, Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by Dallas Women Magazine. In 1998 LRJ was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.
Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at www.lisareneejones.com and she is active on twitter and facebook daily.

In My Mailbox: #1

Welcome to my first IMM post! This is a meme hosted by the Story Siren, and the purpose of it is to show what books you received during the week! Here are mine...

Waterfell by Amalie Howard
Source: Netgalley

THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE QUEEN

Nerissa Marin hides among teens in her human form, waiting for the day she can claim her birthright—the undersea kingdom stolen from her the day her father was murdered. Blending in is her best weapon—until her father's betrayer confronts Nerissa and challenges her to a battle to the death on Nerissa's upcoming birthday—the day she comes of age. Amid danger and the heartbreak of her missing mother, falling for a human boy is the last thing Nerissa should do. But Lo Seavon breaches her defenses and somehow becomes the only person she can count on to help her desperate search for her mother, a prisoner of Nerissa's mortal enemy. Is Lo the linchpin that might win Nerissa back her crown? Or will this mortal boy become the weakness that destroys her? 

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry
Source: Netgalley

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane 
The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. 
Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look. 
But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Pawn by Aimée Carter
Source: Netgalley

YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING. 
For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country. 
If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister's niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter. 
There's only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that's not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she's only beginning to understand.
Previously titled Masked.

These are the books I recieved this week! Post your IMM post in the comments below and I will check it out!

Feature and Follow Friday #3: I'm the featured blogger!!

Welcome to Feature and Follow Friday! This is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee that is aimed to help bloggers grow their audience and make new friends. They feature two bloggers every week and this week I am one of them. I would like to thank Alison for choosing me to feature on her blog.

Here's how Feature and Follow Friday works:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
5. If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
6. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
7. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
8. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

This weeks question is...

Bookagram: Feature Your Favourite Read in a Funny Place.

I took all week trying to figure out what to do for this weeks challenge. I ended up deciding on showing you The Fault in Our Stars chilling in my fridge...

Thank you for visting my blog and checking out my Feature and Follow Friday! Feel free to leave your feature and follow Friday in the comments and I will check out as many as I can!

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