Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Release Date: 07.19.2011

Publisher: MTV Books

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 243

Overall:

She's writing about him. he's writing about her. And everybody is reading between the lines..

For Erin Blackwell, majoring in creative writing at the New York City college of her dreams is more than a chance to fulfill her ambitions--it's her ticket away from the tragic memories that shadow her family's racehorse farm in Kentucky. But when she refuses to major in business and take over the farm herself someday, her grandmother gives Erin's college tuition and promised inheritance to their maddeningly handsome stable boy, Hunter Allen. Now Erin has to win an internship and work late nights at a coffee shop to make her own dreams a reality. She should despise Hunter . . . so why does he sneak into her thoughts as the hero of her latest writing assignment?

Then, on the day she's sharing that assignment with her class, Hunter walks in. He's joining her class. And after he reads about himself in her story, her private fantasies about him must be painfully clear. She only hopes to persuade him not to reveal her secret to everyone else. But Hunter devises his own creative revenge, writing sexy stories that drive the whole class wild with curiosity and fill Erin's heart with longing. Now she's not just imagining what might have been. She's writing a whole new ending for her romance with Hunter . . . except this story could come true.

There are two reasons why it is sometimes hard to write a review. First, if a book is not good enough, and second, when it's too good and you can't seem to find the exact words to give the credit they deserve. There are seems to be a thousand words in my mind when I read this book, but I end up speechless when I finished it. The moment I began reading Erin and Hunter's story, I couldn't put it down.

There are so many things I love about this book and a good plot is one thing. I also like the characters especially the leading ones--Erin and Hunter. Both of them are easy to love, and I understand their feelings well through the stories they write. I find myself re-reading most of the pages before I turn to the next. Sometimes I just stop for a while and I think about a certain part of the story… trying to see clearly the image in my head. There are so many good moments in this book and I will let them linger for a while...

More than just about unspoken love and the consequences of it, this book is also about pursuing your dreams. It's about finding your self-worth, what you can do, and what you can achieve. I am impressed by the author, because she didn't only created a beautiful love story, but an inspiring one as well. If you are someone who dreams to be a writer someday, I think you should read this. I'm sure there's a lot to learn from this book. I expected it to be good, but surprisingly it's so much better.

I love the story as a whole and the way it was written is really fun to read. The romance flavor plus the pretty steamy moments between Erin and Hunter kept me entertained. I love how Erin and Hunter managed to express their emotions--pain, anger, affection, and the unspoken love they have for each other through their written stories. The only thing that I didn't like much is the ending. It was good but it could have been better. For me, it was a bit rushed, and I felt that some pieces are missing. But nevertheless I'm happy with the story and I know that this won't be the last time I'm going to read this book.

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Ending:

xoxo,

Shelbie

In My Mailbox(15) (Vlog)

In my mailbox is a bookish meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. It's a fun meme for bloggers and readers to see what books everyone got in their mailboxes. Here's ours!



Bought:
Dark Parties by Sara Grant
Nine Lives Of Chloe King (The Fallen, The Stolen, The Chosen) by Liz Braswell
Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton (signed) + swag
Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater (signed) + swag
Won:
A Girl Named Willow Krimble by Giuseppe Bianco (signed) - Thanks to Kelli and Natalie at I'd So Rather Be Reading
Paradise by Jill Alexander
My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody
The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines
Flirt Club by Cathleen Daly ---- Thanks to Macmillan for all of these.

** All book titles link to their pages on Amazon.

That's what we got in our mailbox, what'd you get?

xoxo and love always,

Shelbie and Amanda

p.s. Sorry the video isn't fancy this time, we were a little limited with our video editing software this week.

Book Blogger Hop (14)

It's time for book blogger hop again! So go ahead and go to Crazy For Books and get to hoppin!

This week's question is...

“Highlight one book you have received this week (for review, from the library, purchased at the store, etc.) that you can’t wait to dig into!”
Amanda's Answer: This one's an easy question. Most definitely Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton. I went to her and Maggie Stiefvater's signing on Monday, and I can't wait to read her book. I've heard wonderful things about it.

Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton
Release Date: May 24, 2011
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 416

For Nick Pardee and Silla Kennicot, the cemetery is the center of everything.

Nick is a city boy angry at being forced to move back to the nowhere town of Yaleylah, Missouri where he grew up. He can’t help remembering his mom and the blood magic she practiced – memories he’s tried for five years to escape. Silla, though, doesn’t want to forget; her parents’ apparent murder-suicide left her numb and needing answers. When a book of magic spells in her dad’s handwriting appears on her doorstep, she sees her chance to unravel the mystery of their deaths.

Together they plunge into the world of dark magic, but when a hundred-year-old blood witch comes hunting for the bones of Silla’s parents and the spell book, Nick and Silla will have to let go of everything they believe about who they are, the nature of life and death, and the deadly secrets that hide in blood.

That's my answer, what's yours?

Book Faery: 1200 (GFC) Followers Giveaway Contest!

Book Faery: 1200 (GFC) Followers Giveaway Contest!

Awesome giveaway at Book Faery! If she reaches 1500 followers she adds a grand prize box! So enter!

Review: Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Release date: July 20, 2010
Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: MTV books
Pages: 304
Overall: 5/5 stars

Summary from Amazon: WHY CAN’T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET . . . AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER? There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four- year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon. But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people— suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

I actually read this one a while back, but I realized I hadn't posted a review for it and decided to re-read it. I first fell in love with Jennifer Echols' writing when I read her book The Boys Next Door, so ever since then I've tried to pick up every single one of her novels. Every time I read one of her books I fall in love all over again, especially with Forget You. It's an interesting premise having a romance novel involving amnesia, and I think it really added to the story. The characters in Forget You were also wonderfully portrayed. Brandon was written as the best friend with some bad dating habits, and then there was Doug, the semi - bad boy who pushes everyone away from him (even though all the girls want to be close to him ;). Along with the fact that Doug was extremely attractive and sexy, him and Zoey constantly had conversations full of witty repartee, making their relationship very entertaining. However, as much as I love Jennifer Echols and her books, I'm never able to fully like the female characters in her books. They're constantly making stupid mistakes, and while it makes for an interesting plot, it can get a tad bit annoying. However, once Zoey was finally done being stupid, I was fully satisfied with her and her sizzling love life. Jennifer Echols is definitely a pro at writing a good romance, and I love the way she honestly portrays teens sex lives. Much like another of my favorite authors, Kody Keplinger, she doesn't sugar coat the topic of sex and writes the impact of it into her novels. Overall the blend of characters, relationships, and plot turns in this book make for one sizzling summer read. I definitely recommend this to someone who's a fan of Echols, Sarah Dessen, or Kody Keplinger.

Writing: 5 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Ending: 5 stars
Cover: 4 stars


Enjoy!

Love always,

Amanda

Beach Reads Summer Challenge : Favorite Strong Female Character

Hi guys! So I am participating in the 2011 Beach Reads Summer Challenge over at Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile. I'm I bit behind on my posts, but here's the first one!

For me, having a strong female character makes a good book ten times better, so you can bet I have lots of kickass girls to pick from. There's Clary from the Mortal Instrument Series, Fire from Fire by Kristin Cashore, and Tessa from The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. However, none of these girls are my favorite.

My favorite strong female character has definitely got to be Raisa from the Seven Realms series. Now what makes Raisa so kickass? Well, Raisa just has the package deal I guess. As the princess heir, she's devoted to making her queendom a better place. Not only does she create the Briar Rose ministry to help the people outside of the Castle Close, but she also tries to understand all aspects of her queendom by getting trained by the Demonai clan and going to Odens Ford to hone her military skills. Now as a princess, choosing between duty and love can be difficult, but Raisa seems to know (most of the time) which one to choose. Also, even though Raisa's a princess, she insists on not being treated as one. Although she can be extremely stubborn at times, it's always in the interest of her friends and family. Raisa is constantly thrown into life threatening situations, but she doesn't run away and hide. Instead, she stands beside her friends and fights like a fierce warrior. Along with that, Raisa isn't afraid to speak up. It can be difficult when you're trying to be heard by the Queen, the High Wizard, and various military officials, but Raisa manages to be heard every single time.

With insane fighting and riding skills, fierce loyalty and sense of duty, and the ability to stand up for herself, Raisa is most definitely my favorite strong female character.

Feel free to comment telling me about your favorite strong female character or linking to your Summer Challenge posts.

Enjoy!

Love always,

Amanda

Book Blogger Hop (14)

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy For Books where bloggers can get together and discuss what they love: books! Check out the rest of this week's blogger hop posts here.

Ok, on to the question!

What’s the ONE GENRE that you wish you could get into, but just can’t?

Amanda's Answer: That would definitely have to be historical fiction. I don't know what it is, but I just can't get into it. I don't like reading about Victorian era girls going to parties and meeting bachelors. I just don't. I like steampunk, especially when it's urban fantasy too, but I don't like straight up historical fiction or period fiction. Shelbie loves them, but I hate them. It's just the way it is I guess.

That's my answer, make sure to go link yours and check out everybody else's!

Book quotes: 7.21.11

Good afternoon everyone! Since I'm not ready to post another review yet, I figured I'd do a fun and easy quotes post, especially since I acquired some beautiful quotes from Maggie Stiefvater's Forever. Anyways, here are the quotes! Feel free to comment and share some of your favorite book quotes!

Some of this are funny, and some are more serious.

1. "People don't change who they are, they only change what they do with it." (Forever by Maggie Stiefvater, page 99)

2."There is no better taste than this: someone else's laughter in your mouth." (Forever by Maggie Stiefvater, page 78)

3. "It's so Minnesota out here. I hadn't realized." (Forever by Maggie Stiefvater) Okay, I only included this one because I'm a Minnesotan ,but so what?

4. "You had sex with Johnafter?" "I told you no, but I saw the promised land." (Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols, page 226)

5. "That was the thing. You just never knew. Forever was so many different things. It was always changing, it was what everything was really all about. It was twenty minutes, or a hundred years, or just this instant, or any instant I wished would last and last. But there was only one truth about forever that really mattered, and that was this: it was happening." (The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen, page 374)

6."I have an assignation in Soho this evening with a certain attractive someone." "Goodness, if you keep seeing Six-Fingered Nigel like this, he'll expect you to declare your intentions." (Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, page 117)

7."I'm dating Brandon." "Really?" "Yes!" "I'll print you a wallet card to whip out every time you need to say that, so you can save your voice." "Can you laminate it?" (Forget You by Jennifer Echols, page 164)

Those are the quotes for today, hope you enjoyed them!

Love always,

Amanda

Review: Unexpected Development by Marlene Perez

Release date: Sep 4, 2004
Publisher: Roaring Book Press
Age Group: (older) Young Adult
Pages: Hardcover - 176
Overall: 3/5 stars

"I'm not sure you really want to get into what I did this summer, Mrs. Westland. Sex. Sex is how I spent my summer vacation." Megan knows twenty different words for "breasts," and can recite them alphabetically-but she can't remember the last time a guy looked her in the eye first, not the chest. Size matters, as Megan found out in the 5th grade, when she developed the largest breasts in the class. Now she's 17 and wearing her twin brothers' baggy sweatshirts can't hide the fact-two facts, really. When her summer job at Pancake Palace puts her in close touch with Jake, who smells like "temptation and Ivory soap," Megan wonders if he can like her for herself, not just her body. Can lusty, busty Megan learn to trust Jake -and herself? Megan tells about her summer of sex in somewhat poignant and very funny journal entries to her favorite teacher. (Summary from Goodreads)

I picked up this book on a recent trip to Half Price Books, thinking it would be a fun, quirky coming of age story. However, I have to say the book didn't start out on a high note for me. For some reason, I just couldn't connect with the characters or the writing. Maybe it's because I'm so different from the main character, but I just couldn't relate to her insecurity or overreactions to everything. However, Marlene Perez did a good job at making Megan sound like a real person. As the story moved on, I started to connect with the characters. After all, they were teenagers dealing with basic teenage stuff: their first job, family issues, change of friends groups, and sex and relationships. However, Megan and Jake's relationship progressed a little too fast for me, it seemed like they were dating within two days and having a lover's spat within another! But other than that, I thought Perez did a good job portraying your average teen romance. Perez also did a great job using the minor characters throughout the story to form an interesting subplot. While some of the things that happened in the book didn't seem entirely believable, it somehow worked. It was like watching teens on a reality TV show, you wonder how they can be so different from you. Overall, Unexpected Development by Marlene Perez was a quick, easy read. She did a good job portraying teen issues, and I really enjoyed the ending because it wasn't your typical happily ever after. It wasn't one of my favorite books, but it's a great read for a day in bed.

Writing: 3 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 4 stars
Ending: 5 stars
Cover: 4 stars

I hope you enjoyed this review!

Love always,

Amanda

Guest Post - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Very much like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Lauren agreed to do a second post with her thoughts on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 which we saw at midnight. I hope everyone enjoys her guest post and be sure to post your thoughts in the comments.
-Shelbie

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Hello again everybody! Lauren here with a Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 review! I'm going to warn you that I just watched the movie for a 2nd time and am sort of an emotional wreck so I might ramble.

I'm going to start by saying this movie was incredible, phenomenal and fantastic. Every part of the film made it this incredible piece of art that I could watch all day long. The music, acting, sets, colors, tones, sounds and themes were all amazing. The beginning to me felt a little rushed, as it was only about 5 minutes before they were at Gringotts but then the action started and never ended. The battle scenes were so incredible; the special effects work on the magic and dueling was really great. One of my favorite parts of the battle was the Giants, they weren't overdone and I thought they worked really nicely. Then Ron and Hermione went down to the Chamber of Secrets and they kissed. It was really adorable and for the rest of the film the whole Ron/Hermione dynamic was adorable.

After the Room of Requirement, things started getting really emotional for me. We were taken to the boathouse where Voldemort and Snape had their final confrontation. When Harry went in and sat knelt down to Snape I lost it. Alan Rickman, who plays Snape, did an absolutely phenomenal job, the way he portrayed Snape's emotions had me completely broken down. The Prince's Tale was my favorite chapter of the entire series and I felt the film did it a justice. Again, when Snape was holding Lily I just bawled. After this scene, Harry went to the forest, another very well done part with his parents, Sirius and Lupin.

The rest of the movie was really good as well, Neville was awesome, the final battle was amazing, the Draco-Voldemort hug was awkward, and Voldemort's death was good. The epilogue was also good but I wish they had included more of the dialogue from the book. Overall the movie was awesome; there were a few things I didn't like however;

1. Young Lily's eyes were brown. "You have your mother's eyes" was such a great thing, but it doesn't work when young Lily's eyes were brown.

2. They didn't include much of Aberforth telling Harry about Dumbledore and his past.

3. The Deathly Hallows were a very minimal part of the movie, Harry asked Ollivander about them and we heard the story but there wasn't much else on the topic. It is called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is it not? And in the book one of the big conflicts was will Harry become overtaken with the desire to attain the Hallows like Dumbledore? or will he stick to destroying the Horcruxes?

4. I though it was too short. They could have easily put in more from the book without making it too long.

5. Finally, Harry didn't repair his wand in the end. Harry's wand is such an important part of him, it saved him from Voldemort so many times and we never got closure on it in the movie.

In conclusion, the movie was awesome, Neville and McGonagall are awesome, Voldemort shouldn't hug anyone, Harry wins, Ron and Hermione belong together, none of the cast members should stop acting because they are awesome and Alan Rickman deserves every acting award out there.

Ratings on a scale of 1-10

Movie Overall- 9.7/10

Emotional Trigger- 10/10

Acting- 10/10

Music- 10/10

Special Effects- 10/10

Book to Movie Adaptation- 9.5/10

Just a little side note, I saw this movie at midnight and it was amazing but the fact that I saw it with some of my best friends just made it all the better. I ended my childhood with my favorite fictional characters and my favorite real characters.

Thank You Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Snape, Dumbledore, all other HP characters and JK Rowling, But also Thank You to those who sat with me at the end, you know who you are.

-Lauren

(A little side note from me, Lauren and I videoed a lot of us waiting in line before the movie on my phone, so I'm planning on doing a little vlog with it but it probably looks like crap and might not be up for a while)

It all ends: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2

*Contains spoilers from the last Harry Potter book/movie*

My dear friends, today is a sad day indeed. Why is that? Because, in my timezone, the midnight premiere of the last Harry Potter movie is in about 10 hours. 10 HOURS!!! This is both equally exciting and depressing for me. Exciting, because it means I get to see the movie in 10 hours. And sad, because in about 12 hours I will have seen the last Harry Potter movie, signifying the end of an era of my childhood.

For the last 10 years I have been eagerly awaiting the next Harry Potter movie, and now it all ends tonight.

Tonight we see Ron and Hermione finally get together and Neville Longbottom finally have his shining hero moment. We also get to see Snape's secret and all the other little questions from the other movies/books answered. We get to see all of Hogwarts unite to fight for the power of good and the protection of their school. Tonight, it all ends.

While I wouldn't say my life has revolved around Harry Potter for the last ten years, I have to say it was a major part of my childhood and it will be missed.

So thank you JK Rowling, for making a world so magical that I can't help but dream of living in it.

And well, after seeing the movie tonight, I'll just have to look forward to Pottermore.

love always,

Amanda

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Release Date: 07.12.2011
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 386
Overall:

*** Spoilers from the first two books Shiver and Linger ***

The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stiefvater

then.

When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love moved from a curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.

That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.

Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

I'm really conflicted on this one guys.

I think I liked this book the least out of the series, because I'm a pretty die hard Cole fan, but he wasn't introduced until Linger, so part of me thinks that if I reread Shiver than that would be my least favourite... but I don't know.

This might get a little rant-y or I might (probably will) ramble... so sorry if this review is hard to follow.

My crazy alter ego Shelby is in this book. Which is exciting because you never know what psychotic thing she'll do next, and there's just something really exciting when your name is in a book you read!

So, basically everyone in this book starts out really depressed. Sam can't seem to function without Grace, Cole is working trying to find a cure for the wolves. But somehow it was still really boring to me. I don't know why, because almost every review on GoodReads loved it, I don't know why I just didn't really.

I think it might be because I don't really like Sam and Grace, at least as much as I like Cole and Isabel, and the story (at least the relationship part) was about them.

Other than that, I think the plot was good and the writing was good, even though there were a few slow parts.

If you’ve read the rest of the series, you will probably read this one no matter what I say about it, and I would encourage you to do so anyway due to the overwhelming response of people who loved it.

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as always I ask you to leave a comment below with your opinion, and possibly a link you your review.

xoxo,
Shelbie

Harry Potter Week!

Okay it's officially 7 days before I see the final installment of the Harry Potter series....

Cue the tears.

One of my friends tweeted:

And I thought, well, isn't that an awesome idea. So naturally, I'm borrowing the idea and changing it a little bit.

This is Harry Potter week, I've asked one of my friends who posted this guest post for the last Harry Potter release to help me out this week, but seeing as it is 3:21 am, I don't think we will get an answer until a more feasible hour for a human being to be awake.

So Lauren, Amanda and I will try and work out what will go up this week. Maybe featuring some other guest posts.

If you would like to be a part (which would be really cool) Tweet us (@mortalslibrary) or type up a quick email (shelbieandamanda@yahoo.com) saying you want to be a part and I'd be happy to include you.

Let's make sure we go out with a bang peeps.

xoxo,

Shelbie

Quotes 7.8.2011

Doing quotes again! Because I love doing them so much!

If you would like to read others, clickity clack the "Fun Stuff" link on that side -->, then click "Quotes", maybe you'll find a new book to read if it has a quote you really like, you never know :)

If you want to post some of your fav quotes, or quotes from the book you are reading now I think that'd be really cool.

Just a suggestion.

5.) "Magic. It was magic, and the magic is called love." (Beastly, Alex Flinn)

4.) "The trouble with anger is, it gets hold of you. And then you aren't the master of yourself anymore. Anger is." (The City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau)

3.) "It's not reasonable to love people who are only going to die"
"I have two responses to that, First, everyone's going to die. Second, love is stupid. It has nothing to do with reason. You love whomever you love." (Fire, Kristen Cashore)

2.) "Pity does not get you aid. Admiration at your refusal to give in does." (The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins)

1.) "And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time." (The Sweet Far Thing, Libba Bray)

Well, these are some quotes that I liked as of today.

Don't forget to comment or click the "I love it" button at the bottom of this post if you want me to continue quotes.

And I'd maybe, kind of, insanely love it if you posted some of your own favourite quotes, or just some quotes from the book you're currently reading.

Once again, just a wish of mine. :)

Have a lovely Friday!

You should also follow @MortalsLibrary on twitter, because we are eight away from 100 followers....

xoxo,

Shelbie

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

Release Date: 04.27.2010

Publisher: Walker & Company

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 324

Overall:

When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado . Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

I read this book a while ago and just downloaded it on my nook and realised I never reviewed it.

So that is what I will be doing now.

I loved Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, so when I heard about this sequel needless to say, I picked it up as soon as it hit the stands. I was not disappointed… NOT.ONE.BIT! In fact, I think I enjoy this one more than Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction is funny, romantic, edgy and unforgettable! I loved the dialog, pranks and slapstick funny scenes throughout the novel, but most of all, I loved the sincere moments between bad-boy Carlos and goodie two shoes Kiara. It’s a page turner that will leave you sad at the end, but only because you’ve finished the book so quickly.

In Rules of Attraction, we meet Alex’s hot headed and rebellious younger brother Carlos. He arrives in Colorado to live with his brother, but immediately lands himself in trouble with the law after a school drug bust where he was clearly framed. Carlos meets Kiara who is so opposite of anyone he ever imagined falling for and through a series of circumstances, finds himself living with her family because of the good graces of her father who wants to give Carlos the second chance he feels he deserves. This begins Carlos and Kiara's rollercoaster of a ride with its fair share of ups and downs.

This was such a great sequel to Perfect Chemistry, and I loved revisiting two of my fave characters, Alex and Britt. But most of all, what a great cover to the book! I loved it because it captured one of the most endearing moments in the story between the two main characters. Oh! AND great title, as it serves to remind us there are no rules of attraction, it just happens naturally. Awesome read that I recommend without hesitation.

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Ending:

xoxo,

Shelbie

Twelve by Nick McDonell

Release Date: 05.25.2003

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Age Group: Young Adult (Mature though)

Pages: 256

Overall:

Nick McDonell's electrifying novel tells the story of a fictional drug called Twelve and its devastating effects on the beautiful rich and desperate poor of New York City. A bleak Manhattan midwinter and a group of wealthy teenagers, left to their own devices by disregarding parents, delve into the excesses of drugs, sex and the most chilling acts of violence imaginable. Hunter ----- falsely accused of murder after a fight on the basketball courts; White Mike - a straight-A student who makes a fortune selling illegal substances; Jessica - gorgeous but obsessed with a fabulous new designer drug called 'twelve'; and Claude - whose trips into the shadier corners of Chinatown have fuelled a macabre fascination with deadly weapons...From page one, this novel pulsates towards its apocalyptic climax. Cool and cruel and utterly compulsive, TWELVE is the debut novel of 2002.

I recently saw the movie trailer for this, and it looked really good, so I looked it up on GoodReads, but the reviews were very mixed, some hated the book, some loved it.

I for one really enjoyed it, the writing style was different and cool, it was an extremely quick and easy read that I really couldn't put down.

I have to say I was disappointed with the ending. I thought it ended abruptly and was kind of a cop-out. I'm not going to ruin it with a spoiler; but I will say that, although you knew Claude was a freak, you really didn't get into his mind enough during the story to understand why he did what he did at the end.

Then I remember again, this was written by a 17-year old, and well, he did everything a standard novel writer should do, so you can't really fault him for the ending that was built up well enough on the surface. I did get the sense that the author just learned many of these characteristics of a "good novel" in school, though, and thus his honing of the craft was a little to fresh. He could use some more practice to provide greater depth to some of his characters and to the story as a whole. I do look forward to reading his future work, maybe something he writes in another 5 years.

Overall, I think that this would be a good book to check out from the library if you are looking for a more adult (It is a very adult book with mature content), darker read.

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xoxo,

Shelbie

Review: Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe

Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe
Release date: April 13, 2011
Publisher: CreateSpace
Pages: 322
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Author (Brian Rowe)
Overall: 3/5 Stars

Seventeen-year-old Cameron Martin has a huge problem: he’s aging a whole year of his life with each passing day. High school is hard enough; imagine rapidly aging from seventeen to seventy in a matter of weeks, with no logical explanation, and with prom, graduation, and the state championship basketball game on the horizon. That’s what happens to Cameron, a mischievous pretty boy who has never had to face a day looking anything but perfect. It starts with a slowing metabolism, followed by gray hair, wrinkles, and heart palpitations. Within days his girlfriend dumps him, his plastic surgeon father forces him to get a facelift, and his terrifying high school librarian seduces him to have sex with her. All he wants to do is go back to normal, but no one, not even the best doctors, can diagnose his condition. When he finds love with a young woman who may or may not be an all-powerful witch, he realizes that the only hope for his survival might be with the one person who instigated his condition in the first place... (Summary from Amazon)

When I received a review request from Brian Rowe, I was actually genuinely excited to read this book. It seemed like a really good premise, and the cover is pretty cool. However, my reading relationship with this book was a bit rocky. It started off being just your typical easy YA read. It centered around the main character Cameron, a pretty - boy on the basketball team who had it all. I knew from the first few pages that I wasn't going to be a huge fan of Cameron or his girlfriend. They both seemed a little shallow, and had a tendency to blow things out of proportion. That's my main complaint with the book. In the whole first half of the book Cameron is being a bit of a drama queen, and embodied everything I'd dislike in a real life guy. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing, since the whole book is about Cameron learning to appreciate what he has. And in the last half of the book Cameron does go through that journey and appreciate the good things in his life. By the end of the book, thank the lord, Cameron seems to have improved a lot and realize how shallow and pointless the life he led before was, and he even has brief moments of romance with the mysterious pizza waitress! Overall, the plot is great, the writing and characters ok, and the book has its brief "Aw" moments. While at times the book seems a bit unrealistic ( are there really people like Charisma out there? And who falls in love in a matter of days?), it makes for a good, light read, especially in the second half. In the end, Happy Birthday to Me is sort of like a teen Disney movie. (Think Lemonade Mouth.) It can be really great and exciting, but it's nothing like real life.

Writing: 3 stars
Plot/Setting: 5 stars
Characters: 2 stars
Ending: 4 stars
Cover: 4 stars

Love always,

Amanda

2011 Beach Reads Summer Challenge

Hey guys! So if you didn't know... the Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile is hosting this year's Beach Reads Challenge!

What is this challenge, you ask? It is a challenge that runs from July 1st to August 31st encouraging you to read! And there are plenty of amazing prizes involved.

So how many books am I shooting for?
Well I'm shooting for the Dolphin level, which is 12 books. But hopefully, I'll read lots more than that! There are loads of books I plan on reading... but I can't list them off the top of my head, so I guess you'll see when I post my reviews!

Anyways, if you're interested in this challenge just go to the Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile's blog and sign up.

Also, there's a cool button that goes with it, but ours is on the bottom of our blog because it wouldn't fit on the side.

So that's it, go have fun and read!

Love always,

Amanda

Book Blogger Hop (13)

It's Friday.... so it's time for the Book Blogger Hop!

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy For Books and is a fun chance to get to know your fellow bloggers!

This week's question from Sue at Cookie's Book Club:

“What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?“

Amanda's answer: For me, it's all about the characters. I want characters that are interesting, driven. and hopefully a little snarky. If the characters don't have a good reason for being in the book and motivation for the things they do then I either will dislike the book or just stop reading it and put it back on the shelf.

Have fun hopping, and if you're in the U.S., have a great 4th of July weekend!

Love always,

Amanda