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Posts Tagged ‘Contemporary’

The Inexplicable Logic of my Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Posted in reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 25, 2017| Leave a Comment »

The Inexplicable Logic of My LifeThe Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh wow! Reading this was like being on a rollercoaster of emotions. Such beautiful writing that had me connected and a part of the story and loving the characters, and then all of sudden having that feeling of a block of cement in my stomach while my heart broke a little with the tragedies that were unfolding.
I absolutely loved Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s ‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’ and I had high expectations of this one. And while the writing was beautiful, it did take me a little while to get right into the story and realise what it was all about.
Sally (Salvador) was a strong character who just about always did the right thing and because of this, it was a little heartbreaking to see him struggle with his identity and where he fit in.
Samantha and Frito, Sally’s two friends were fantastic characters, each having their own demons to battle but in the end, this group of three friends had such a strong relationship it was hard to think of anything stopping them.
And the basis of their strong relationship was Sally’s father, Vicente. Yes, he wasn’t perfect but he came damn near close to being. How could anyone not be positively impacted by him.
Overall, this was a perfect read, it left me feeling differently about the world and also left me feeling love and hope.

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group for the ARC via NetGalley

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Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Posted in reviews, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 2, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss, #3)Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pg. 81 Update : “You know that I like you. Right?’…… Pure Stephanie Perkins swoon <3"

Pg. 173 Update: Isla & Josh, Josh & Isla….. I don't need anything else but these two

Book Finished Update: I literally have tears running down my cheeks right now, my heart is bursting from the love in this book.
Everything about it is beautiful, the romance, the friendships, the love and the heartbreak.
And it was lovely to reconnect with some special people, St. Clair, Anna, Cricket and Lola – hello, looks like I am going to be doing some re-reading!

A perfect happily ever after.

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Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Posted in reviews, tagged , on March 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Side Effects May VarySide Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was very easy to read. I always enjoy a story that flips between ‘then’ and ‘now’, I find that it gives you a different perspective on why certain things are the way they are.
At the beginning of the story I quite liked Alice. She seems to be a normal kind of girl, and while her boyfriend seems nice enough, you can tell there is something going on with her friend who she doesn’t talk to anymore, Harvey. And then she is diagnosed with cancer. And then I found that the story changed. Alice becomes friends once again with Harvey and it is obvious that he is in love with her…almost to the point of being a sad little puppy dog that would follow her anywhere and so anything for her. And so he helps her get revenge on a few people had treated her badly. She figures she should get these things done before she dies. She also tells Harvey he is the person she will miss the most, I think because she knows he wants to hear this and so why shouldn’t she tell him that before she dies. But then she doesn’t die. Alice goes into remission, cancer – gone.
And this is where I really lost it with Alice. She treated Harvey like dirt, really, she was a total bitch to him. The last half of the book were made up of things that I was just shaking my head at and saying, ‘Alice – why are you doing this to him’, and ‘Harvey – why are you letting her do this to you’.
I think the author has done an excellent job in creating these characters as the characters made me feel so much. Even though I really didn’t like Alice, I totally understood where she was coming from and why she was like she was and so I actually loved her. I felt it was a bit like, ‘let’s not anyone get close to me because there is a risk that someone will get hurt’. She does try to redeem herself at the end of the story and I am still trying to work out whether or not I have forgiven her.
Overall – a satisfying read which gave me a lot to think about.

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Crash into You by Katie McGarry

Posted in reviews, tagged , , , on October 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Crash into You (Pushing the Limits, #3)Crash into You by Katie McGarry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Crash into You is the 3rd instalment of the ‘Pushing the Limits’ series. First we met Noah and Echo, then it was Beth and Ryan and now it is Isaiah’s turn. I have always liked Isaiah and in Crash into You we get to see inside his head a bit more and work out what makes him tick. Along comes Rachel who is his opposite in every way, except for their shared love for cars. I will admit I am a fan of the ‘Fast and Furious’ films and so I really enjoyed all of the parts of the story that were about the cars, or driving the cars, or fixing the cars or racing the cars!! But if you don’t like cars, then don’t worry – the story still has lots of other things going for it – dominating family’s, panic attacks, social worker, a mum who is recently released from prison and some fancy charity dinners. Noah and Beth are also both involved in the story as well as a new character who I just love – Abby. And of course – there is the swoon which is a big factor in all of Katie McGarry’s books! And then that ending – woah!!
Crash into You was exactly what I expected – a good read, with characters I like and swoon – something to get away from every day life with!
………………………………………………………………

So glad that Isaiah got a book!! And not only that, this book had cars too, another one of my loves. Katie McGarry can write teenage swoon so well. Full review to come.

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Not that kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian

Posted in reviews, tagged , , on February 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Not That Kind Of GirlNot That Kind Of Girl by Siobhan Vivian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not that kind of girl was a quick and easy book to read. It was a great story of life in high school, with the focus on girls, and how hard it is sometimes to be the person you really are. There are a lot of challenges in high school – to be in with the right group, to have the right friends, to have the right boyfriend, to get good grades, to please your parents… it is all really hard. The main characted in this book, Natalie – well to start with I liked her. Then I found her annoying. Then I liked her again. Then I found her really annoying and wondered why anyone would want to be friends with her. Then I felt sorry for her (and I might have found her annoying again before the end of the book) and in the end, I did like her. I think she was so scared of not being in control, that she closed herself off and didn’t let herself discover, who she really was.

And I can’t finish off without saying, there was, of course, a little bit of swoonworthiness in this story too!

Pg. 317, “I realized then, and would have to keep realizing in all the years to come:

It didn’t matter if I was the kind of girl who had sex, or the kind of girl who had her portrait on a wall in the library, or the kind of girl who got into the best college, or the kind of girl who didn’t tell her parents everything, or the kind of girl who teachers loved. I just needed to be okay with all the kinds of girl I was”

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How to say goodbye in robot

Posted in reviews, tagged , on January 16, 2012| 1 Comment »

How To Say Goodbye In RobotHow To Say Goodbye In Robot by Natalie Standiford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh Lordy, how do I describe how this book made me feel? There were smiles, laughs, snorts… There were warm, tender moments, and then there was the ‘rip me open, chew me up and spit me out’ moments. Firstly, I love the title and I love the blurb from Libba Bray which says, ‘….wish that I were part robot so that my heart would stop breaking’.

Bea (robot girl) and Jonah (ghost boy) begin a relationship that makes me think of two people tied together by something so strong they will never be apart. As the back cover tells me, ‘it’s not exactly romance-but it’s definitely love. And it means more to them than either one can ever really know’. I am not saying I loved Bea and Jonah, but they both made my heart break in different ways and at times I did want to gather them up in a giant cuddle because I felt what they were going through. High school, friendships, finding your place in the world, pressure of expectations….it is all covered in this book. Moving onto some of the funny bits, I loved the late night radio program and the regular callers were hilarious. I so wanted to go to the ‘Party for the People from the future’, which was hosted by Kreplax. As he explains, ‘let’s say you’re a young guy in the future, say a hundred years from now. You’re hanging out next to your time machine, bored, and one of your friends says, “let’s go back in time.”…… You scroll through history, looking for a fun time to check out. You see thy a hundred years ago, some people had a Party for People from the future. A party specifically for you! Wouldn’t you want to go?’ hell yes I would want to go!

I know this review is all over the place but after just putting the book down, that is how I am feeling, all over the place. I am so glad that I finally read this though, I think I might need to buy myself a copy to keep on my bookshelves.

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