Title: All the Rage
Author: Courtney Summers
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary, Social Issues
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Release Date: April 14th 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Source: ARC received from publisher for Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review

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The sheriff’s son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything—friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy’s only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn’t speak up. Nobody believed her the first time—and they certainly won’t now — but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear.　

With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out,All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women after an act of sexual violence, forcing us to ask ourselves: In a culture that refuses to protect its young girls, how can they survive?


Courtney Summers is an author that I will forever read, no matter what age I am or what subject she decides to conquer. Courtney has a way of writing real and damaged characters that I relate to on a level that I have never experienced before. All the Rage is a very hard book to read. I am not going to sugar coat the topics in this book because they are horrible. Rape, bullying and guilt are prominent in every page you read and I will tell you know it was hard to read. But in the best way possible. These kinds of book need to be on shelves and read by as many people as possible.

All the Rage follows a young girl named Romy who was once part of the crowd, until one night with the Sheriffs son ruins her reputation and her life as she knows it. That night changes her life forever. Now she is outcast as a liar and the people she used to be able to turn to torment her on a daily basis. But one night changes the dynamic again, when a girl goes missing after a party and the entire town seems to blame her. Like I said this book is INTENSE.

I loved Romy's character because she was so incredibly real. With every turn of the page I felt more and more anxiety for her and what she was going through. I wanted to go through the page and just give her a hug because I think she needed one so badly. She needed someone to believe her for once and to see through the facade she was putting on. My heart literally ached whiled reading this book because the depiction of bullying was so realistic. Many people that have never been bullied don't realized how all encompassing it can become and how much it can run your life. And I am so glad that Courtney does this with every book that she writes.

All the Rage is a book that NEEDS to be read. The characters, the situations and the actions are things that need to be written and Courtney is doing that, and I am so grateful for her because it gives a voice to those that don't think they have one. I am not going to say much more about the book itself because the more I say the more you will know going in, and I think for this type of book you need to go in blind. It will make your reading experience that much more intense and that is what this book is about. This not a fast read. It will make you cringe and gasp in places and for me, I had to put it down many times. But please read this book. Kids need to know that these types of book exist because it will help them realize that they are not alone. These types of book matter, and I guess to end this review I need to thanks Courtney Summers for being brave enough to write these types of characters and for being one of the most amazing authors I have ever read.

I am so excited to be a part of the Changing Everything by Molly McAdams blog tour. I have loved Molly for years now so I am very excited to be able to share my love for this book!


Title: Changing Everything
Author: Molly McAdams
Series: Forgiving Lies #2.5
Genre: NA Contemporary Romance
Format: ebook, 112 pages
Release Date: March 3rd 2015
Publisher: William Morrow Impulse
Source: eARC received from publisher via Edelwiess for Blog Tour

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Paisley Morro has been in love with Eli since they were thirteen-years-old. But after twelve years of only being his best friend and wingman, the heartache that comes from watching him with countless other women becomes too much, and Paisley decides its time to lay all her feelings on the table.

Eli Jenkins has a life most guys would kill for: Dream job, countless women, and his best friend, Paisley, to be the girl he can always count on for everything else. But one conversation not only changes everything between them, it threatens to make him lose the only girl who has ever meant anything to him.

When tragedy strikes his family and Eli is forced to reevaluate his life, he realizes a life without Paisley isn’t a life at all. Only now, he may be too late.  


At this point in my blogging "carrier" I have read almost every Molly McAdams book that is available to me. So when I saw the chance to read Changing Everything early I jumped, because I knew I would love it. And I wasn't wrong. What I think I love the most about Molly McAdams is that you can read all her book as Standalones (expect for Deceiving Lies of course) and yet you get a special treat every once in a while when characters from other books make appearences. I love this aspect of the books because its almost like a glimpse into a different aspect of their world.

Changing Everything follows Eli and Paisley, two best friends who's relationhsip is completely one sided. Eli is a ladies man where as Paisley is sitting on the sidelines loving him from afar. But when she confront him about her feelings their realtionhip is tested more than it ever has. I really can't say more than that because it woudl ruin the overall story, but let me just say that Molly does sexual tension LIKE NO ONE ELSE. I love reading these scenes because not only are they hot but they also allow for characters to really develop and express themselves.

I loved these charcters so much, anhd I wish this book was a full length novel and not a novella because I wanted to see more of these characters. Eli is as swoon worthy as any male lead and although he was frustrating at best in the begnning we see his tranformation and I loved that. We get to watch as he grows up and realized what he wants and what he is willing to fight for. Paisley on the other hand was a quiet lead character, and I liked that she was the every girl. Someone who is incredibly likable and yet totally relatetable, but not overly annoying to read.

I love this book so much, and like I said before I just wish that it was a full length novel because I think these characters had more in them and I wanted to see more! Molly you have done it again. Perfection. I cannot wait to read more from you, especially Trusting Liam coming out this summer!




Molly was kind enough to send along a snippit of the book!

Eli, Eli, Eli … bad move.
Here’s a little snippet from CHANGING EVERYTHING for y’all!
Enjoy!

“Don’t you have a shirt you can put on?”
Stepping up behind her, I rested my chin on top of her head and picked at the
pastry she’d just pulled out of the bag. “I do, but you woke me up.”
“I woke you up? I’m late. And your head is heavy,” she grumbled.
I put more pressure on her head and she elbowed my stomach. “What’s this?” I
asked, and pointed at the wrapped sandwich she’d just set down.
“There are two sausage English muffins for you.”
“Do they have—”
“Extra cheese? Yes, they do.”
I hugged her waist tightly. “You’re the best.” Grabbing one of the sandwiches, I
unwrapped it and held it in front of her so she could have the first bite before taking my
own. “I forgot it was Sunday,” I mumbled around the food.
She laughed and started to unwrap her own sandwich. “Good thing it was my
week to get food or I’d be sitting at my apartment starv— Wait. If I woke you up, why
are you in jeans?”
“I could’ve walked out here naked.”
Her body went stiff. “You don’t sleep naked.”
I pointed in the direction of my room with my sandwich. “Carrie’s here.”
“Who’s Carrie?”
“The girl from the bar a few weeks ago.”
“There are a lot of girls from O’Malley’s when it comes to you, Eli,” she
countered.
“Ouch. The girl from the night of my birthday.”
“Oompa-Loompa?”
“Pay,” I growled in warning.
Paisley pushed against the island, trying to move me away. “Move, I need to
leave.”
“No, you don’t.”
“You have a girl in your bed who is probably as naked as you were five minutes
ago. I should not be here when she wakes up.”
“And you’re my best friend and it’s Sunday morning. This is our tradition and
she’s not going to stop it because I forgot what today was.”
“Eli, let me go!” she hissed and jammed both her elbows into my stomach.
I bent forward as I took a step back. “Fuck, Pay!”
“Language! Let the Oompa-Loompa eat my breakfast, she’ll think you did
something nice for her.” She took three steps away from me before I was able to grab her
hand to stop her. Turning quickly, she stepped back up to me and tried to get in my face.
All five feet of her. “Do you know how horrible you look when you do things like this to
all these girls?” she seethed. “You’re twenty-five, Eli, grow up and stop being such a
whore! Stop treating every girl you meet like all she is to you is your next lay. Stop
letting them all be your next lay! Find someone who you actually want to spend your
time with and—”
“Ohmigod. Are you, like, everywhere?”
Paisley whipped her head to the side to look at Carrie, but I couldn’t take my eyes
off of Pay. Where was this coming from? She’d joked about all the girls I slept with, but
she’d never flipped out on me like this.
“Did I interrupt something?” Carrie gasped and shrieked, “I knew it! You are
fucking her!”
Paisley scoffed and met my gaze. “No, he’s not. That should be obvious since I’m
still around and none of the other girls are.”


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Hello everyone! I am so excited to be a part of the Canadian Blog Tour for The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows. I want to preface this review by saying I have never read anything by Jodi (GASP! I know, but that is rectified now) and I am so sad that I never did because she is an author that I will now read for life. She is amazing and Orphan Queen is amazing, for so many reasons. Anyways enough of my rambling, here is my review!






Title: The Orphan Queen
Author: Jodi Meadows
Series: The Orphan Queen #1
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
Release Date: March 10th 2015
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: ARC preovided by publisher for Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review

Purchase
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Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.  



Before I get into my review I have to say something about this cover, because seriously it is GORGEOUS and screams amazing fantasy. And boy it was not wrong. This book is one of the best Fantasy YA books I have read in YEARS.

I think the reason this book resonated with with me more than others was the main character. Wil has quickly become one of my favorites because of how true she is to herself and how much she loves her kingdom, even though she no longer rules it. Wil is fierce, independent and immensly loyal, t the point where sometimes you question her disciosns haha. But Wil would no be the character she is in the novel with her surrounding characters and boy were they great. Melanie was a great friend for Wil but we see her character grow into something very different from Wil near the end and that causes some friction, obvioulsy. Then there is Patrick, the leader of her little rebellion and a character that I thought I would love but eneded up hating. So there is that. Don't let me forget to mention Black Knife, one of the most interesting characters I have read in a long time. I loved how he interected with Wil and how their characters seems so very different in the beginning but in reality they were more alike than they thought.

Hidden Romance.I love this part of the story because you know its coming. These characters have one of the best relationships I ahve read on paper. They are snarky, funny and sarcastic to each other and I loved it. Unfortunately I figured out the twist at the end pretty quickly but jonestly I dont care. The book itself was so good that I was enthralled from beginning to end and I still wanted to see where Jodi took these characters and their story.

The world building in this book was epic. I loved how similar it felt, but still had that element of the unknown. Jodi has this talent of making her readers want to be a part of her worlds and this book is no different. I loved how she took a genre mostly everyone is familair with and turns it on its head and makes it into something spectacular. I loved every minute of this book I cannot wait to read the Novella's because they will be the only thing sustaining me until Book 2 comes out!

About the Author

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Title: The Last Time We Say Goodbye
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
Release Day: February 10, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: eARC received by publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

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There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a gorgeous and heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and letting go.



This book was one of the best books I have read this year. Granted it is only February, but I can tell already that this book will stay with me for a while. Cynthia Hand is known for her Unearthly series, which my definition is paranormal so going in I didn't know what to expect. But man, this book was brilliant.

Lex is one complicated and intense character. Her life is filled with horrible events, first her parents divorce and her father leaves with a another woman. Then her brother commits suicide in their garage. I felt for her even before I knew the whole story. This book is hard to review for the shear fact that I don't want to spoil anything, so much happen but it doesn't feel like that much happens, if that makes any sense! I loved every part of this book. I loved that Ty, her brother, was as much a part of this book as Lex was. With flashbacks to his life before his death it made it seem like he was as much alive as he was in Lex's memory. What I think made Lex such a remarkable and relate-able character was withe the way that she dealt with her grief. She not only refused to deal with her brothers death properly but she also distracted herself with school work and grades, And it wasn't until the end that we really see her come to grips with what happened and what she could have done to change things.

The end. Jesus it destroyed me on so many levels. I think I ugly cried so the last two chapters. I can't really explain what happens in the end because it encompasses so much of the entire story and what Lex goes through during the book. I absolutely LOVED this book more than I ever could have imagine. It is really hard to try and put my feeling into words, and I hope I did an okay job of it here. But if you love contemporary AT ALL please read this book. And as a side note, please read the Author Note at the end as well. Cynthia is an amazing woman and what she went through ad the strength she had to put it on paper is amazing. Please read it.

Title: I'll Meet You There
Author: Heather Demetrios
Series: Standalone
Gnere: YA Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Source: ARC received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

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If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.



I honestly don't know if I can write this review in the way that I want because I don't think I have the words to express how amazing I thought this book was. I'll Meet You There was a book I gravitated towards because of the cover, I mean come on it is GORGEOUS right? So I knew I had to read it. But what I don't think I expected was the impact this book had one me while I read it.

There is something about a story that you can relate to even though your life situation is nothing like the one you are reading about. And this book did that for me. I mean I do not live in a trailer park, My mom is NOTHING like Skylar's, who by the way made me so angry in parts of this book. Once you read it you will understand. My life is nothing compares to Skylars yet I related to her, I related to her dreaming of more than her small town life, I related to her worry that when she will will everything fall apart. Everything that was going on in her life made SENSE to me. And I think that is the main reason I gave this book a perfect score. Because not many books can comepletely and uttery make sense to me. And this one did.

The Love story. Now this book is so much more than Skylar and Josh. These two characters are some of the best characters I have read. Each have their own issues, Skylar with her home life, and Josh being in the Military and being injured. All of these things separately are horrible enough, but when you put these two characters together something amazing happened. I cant really explain it in words but their relationship was complicated, sweet, gentle and yet hard to read at times. I loved every second of their story and I really want to know more about them, I just wish the book had been longer!

What else can I say about this book? It was utter perfection. I have nothing bad to say about it. I read it in one sitting and MIGHT have cried at the end, but lets not tell anyone that part. I loved every page and every word. I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone who loved contemporary. This is the book you've been waiting for...trust me you do not want to miss this one.

Title: Poisoned Apples
Author: Christine Heppermann
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Poetry
Format: Hardcover, 128 pages
Release Date: September 23rd 2014
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Source: eARC received by publisher via edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Purchase
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Every little girl goes through her princess phase, whether she wants to be Snow White or Cinderella, Belle or Ariel. But then we grow up. And life is not a fairy tale.

Christine Heppermann's collection of fifty poems puts the ideals of fairy tales right beside the life of the modern teenage girl. With piercing truths reminiscent of Laurie Halse Anderson and Ellen Hopkins, this is a powerful and provocative book for every young woman. E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars, calls it "a bloody poetic attack on the beauty myth that's caustic, funny, and heartbreaking."

Cruelties come not just from wicked stepmothers, but also from ourselves. There are expectations, pressures, judgment, and criticism. Self-doubt and self-confidence. But there are also friends, and sisters, and a whole hell of a lot of power there for the taking. In fifty poems, Christine Heppermann confronts society head on. Using fairy tale characters and tropes, Poisoned Apples explores how girls are taught to think about themselves, their bodies, and their friends. The poems range from contemporary retellings to first-person accounts set within the original tales, and from deadly funny to deadly serious. Complemented throughout with black-and-white photographs from up-and-coming artists, this is a stunning and sophisticated book to be treasured, shared, and paged through again and again.


I really do not know where to start with this book because I loved it so much and I really do not want to ruin the experience for anyone else. I am usually not one to gravitate toward poetry of any kind, but when I saw that this one had a small page count and was related to fairy tales, I knew i had to know what it was all about. What I did not expect was to fall so hard for this author and the way that she writes.

These poems are about women and girls and what it is like to grow up in our world. It can be hard and there are thousands of ways that we get pressured by society, family and friends to look, act and say things in a certain way. And these poems do that by attaching themselves to fairy tale characters that most girls have either read or seen in movies. I think I loved this correlation because it made so much sense to me. Of course these characters from our favorite books and movies would have had pressures on them and it was that link that made me stop and think about what I was reading. These poems are not just wining girls talking about how much the world sucks, they are talking about real issues that face girls in our society today and honestly when I was reading I felt myself getting emotional because no girl deserves to think less of herself because someone else thinks she can be better.

I honestly cannot say better things about this book. I know many people will shy away from it because it is solid poetry but this book has an amazing message and i think it should be read by all because even if you don't like the way its written, the meaning behind it is still incredibly important.

Title: The Art of Getting Stared At
Author: Laura Langston
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, 288 pages
Release Date: September 9th 2014
Publisher: Razorbill Canada
Source: ARC received by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Purchase
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Sixteen-year-old Sloane is given the biggest opportunity of her life—a chance for a film school scholarship—but she only has less than two weeks to produce a video. She also has to work with Isaac Alexander, an irresponsible charmer with whom she shares an uneasy history.

Then comes a horrifying discovery: Sloane finds a bald spot on her head. The pink patch, no bigger than a quarter, shouldn’t be there. Neither should the bald spots that follow. Horror gives way to devastation when Sloane is diagnosed with alopecia areata. The autoimmune disease has no cause, no cure and no definitive outcome. The spots might grow over tomorrow or they might be there for life. She could become completely bald. No one knows.

Determined to produce her video and keep her condition secret, Sloane finds herself turning into the kind of person she has always mocked: someone obsessed with their looks. She’s also forced to confront a painful truth: she is as judgmental as anyone else … but she saves the harshest judgments for herself.


Before I start my review I wanted to say something to my teenage self. I will admit that I was very body conscious when I was in high school and I will admit that it has not fully gone away. I have always been somewhat overweight and I have been teased because of it. But in high school it was not as overt as it was earlier on. I walked around in very baggy clothes to hide the body underneath and if I had a chance to say something to that girl that was hiding behind concert t-shirts and baggy jeans I would say "It gets easier." I won't say that it goes away because I don't think that is possible but it gets so much better. I mean f you would have told me back then that I would be the first of my friends to get married, I would have laughed in your face because getting a boyfriend was something I never thought would happen back then. So yes, it gets so much better.


The Art of Getting Stared at is a book that grabbed me right from the beginning and never let me go. I honestly don't know if I can put into words what this book did to me. But I will try. The portrayal of high school life was bang on, granted I haven't BEEN in high school for about 7 years, from what I remember, this book showed it. And having a main character like Sloane was perfect because she was normal, or what I would call normal. She was obsessed with film and film making and I loved that about her. I loved that she had a passion and she would have done anything to follow her dreams. This was something that i miss in YA because something its all about not being able to follow your dream, but for Sloane there was no other choice. She had to do it.

The relationships in this novel were just as important as Sloane's perception of herself because it were these people were what made Sloane realize that the person on the inside was more important than what you see on the outside. Isaac I think was my favorite character in regards to his relationship with Sloane because he was the reason for her growth. Their relationship felt so real and yet the pace of it was extremely slow. I never thought I would say I loved the slow building of their love but I did. I think if it was any other way it would have taken away from the overall story of the book and the overall message of its not what is perceived but others, but what you perceive yourself to be.

The Alopecia was a very big part of this novel because it was taking over Sloane's life and the way she perceived herself. And I think the author did an amazing job of capturing how panicked a person would be if they were told that they would go bald, especially when they are in an environment that is so focused on looks and perception. Sloane's reaction to all of this broke my heart because I felt for her. I knew while reading that I would have probably felt the exact same way and I honestly don't know if, in the end, I would have been as strong as she was. It was amazing to read a main character with so much growth because it is very rare in today's worlds that a character learns to love herself enough to look in the mirror and not see the person she was, but the person she is today.

Overall The Art of Getting Stared At was a very emotional read and one I think all teenagers need to read because its message is so important and one i wish would be in all YA books. Please pick up this book because it needs to be read, it will change you because it change me after I finished it, and it begs to be read and it deserves all the praise in the world.

Title: Falling Into Place
Author: Amy Zhang
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Release Date: September 9th 2014
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Source: eARC received from publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Purchase
Amazon | Indigo | TBD | Goodreads








On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road.

Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? Vividly told by an unexpected and surprising narrator, this heartbreaking and nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect? Amy Zhang’s haunting and universal story will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver, Gayle Forman, and Jay Asher.


I really do not know how to start this review because this book was beyond words. I honestly do not know if I can even express how and why I loved this book so much without ruining the book for everyone. But I will try my best :)

I think the main reason I loved this book so much was the way it was written. I have never read a book like this one before in my life. And the main reason is because of the narrator. As we start reading we don't actually know who the narrator is, all we know is that they are outside of the story and are able to see everyone and report back to us readers. I loved this way of telling the story because we not only got to see Liz, our main characters story and what she was going through, but we also got to see everyone around her, and how she effected them.

Liz was a character that I don't really think we are supposed to like. She admits, even to herself that she is not the greatest person but for me  found so many redeemable qualities in her and you struggle with her character throughout the book. I especially felt this when we see Liz with her friends and I think these instances were my favorite part because the interaction was so real to me. Liz was turning into a person she didn't want to be, but she was stuck and she had no idea how to become the person she wanted to be. High school for Liz was all about image and perception and she hated the perceptions others had of her. And we watch as she struggles with the fact that she cannot escape who she has become and has to face it head on.

The end. I cant really say much because it would ruin the entire book for you, but I loved it. It felt real, genuine, and I loved every second of it. Was everything magically better for everyone involved? of course not but there was hope at the  end if this book and I think that is the best thing that could have happened. I could not have pictured another ending for this book. It was perfection.

Title: Rites of Passage
Author: Joy N. Hensley
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Contemporary, Military
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: September 9th 2014
Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: eARC provided from publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

Purchase
Amazon | Indigo | TBD | Goodreads








Sam McKenna’s never turned down a dare. And she's not going to start with the last one her brother gave her before he died.

So Sam joins the first-ever class of girls at the prestigious Denmark Military Academy. She’s expecting push-ups and long runs, rope climbing and mud-crawling. As a military brat, she can handle an obstacle course just as well as the boys. She's even expecting the hostility she gets from some of the cadets who don’t think girls belong there. What she’s not expecting is her fiery attraction to her drill sergeant. But dating is strictly forbidden and Sam won't risk her future, or the dare, on something so petty...no matter how much she wants him.

As Sam struggles to prove herself, she discovers that some of the boys don’t just want her gone—they will stop at nothing to drive her out. When their petty threats turn to brutal hazing, bleeding into every corner of her life, she realizes they are not acting alone. A decades-old secret society is alive and active… and determined to force her out.
At any cost.

Now time's running short. Sam must decide who she can trust...and choosing the wrong person could have deadly consequences.


I will forewarn you that this review will be a gushy one because this book blew me out of the water. I did not expect what I read when I picked it up. Rites of Passage is full of strong and complex characters that grab you from the moment you meet them to the very end of the novel. I seriously could not put this book down once I started reading it. I thought about it every time I had to put it down and do other things and I found myself trying to find opportunities to stop what I was doing and read because I needed to know what would happen. This book was brilliant.

What i think I liked the most about Rites, was that it was not about a forbidden love story...which I will admit did happen eventually. But what this book was about was Sam and her ability to stand strong against even the most adverse situations. Sam herself was the highlight of this book because she was herself, no matter what happened. She cared more about proving that she could go through military school than being a regular teenager. Because of her family name she knew that there was a very large and very bright target on her back and so that made her struggle that much worse. But the way she held herself and the way she cared about those around her was amazing to read. She was a great narrator and main character and to be honest a great role model for teen readers. Sam set her mind on something and let nothing stand in her way, even when those around her were telling her to give up.

Yes, Rites of Passage is about Sam and her struggles in an all boys military school, but it is also about family and friends and how to navigate all at once. I think the relationships Sam had with not only her family but her friends as well told a lot about her to us readers. She cared so much about those around her that she would always make sure they were okay before herself. But what I think I liked the most was the family dynamic and how screwed up it was. At times it was very hard to read how they treated each other because we saw how much Sam needed them, but it made for great conflict and tension which was great to read.

Now we get to the best part of the book, and that was the secret society that was trying to get Sam and her female counterparts kicked out of the school. I think this was my favorite part of this story because of how real it felt. The main villain was written to the point where i wanted to go into the book and kick his ass for for everything he was doing not only to Sam but to all the girls. This society made this book a sort of mystery novel that I never expected. I wanted to know who they were and what their endgame was, and oh boy. The endgame was so messed up, but made for a great read.

I loved this book so much that the end felt a little too open ended for me. I wanted to know more about these character and what would happen to them after everything settled down. There were so open ended questions that weren't exactly answered but to be honest I didn't care, because this book was just that good. I would love if the author would write a follow up to these characters so we can see how they are doing, but for now i will keep the ending i have in my head, because its awesome :)

Title: Trial by Fire
Author: Josephine Angelini
Series: The Worldwalker Trilogy #1
Genre: YA Paranormal, Witches
Format: Hardcover, 384 pages
Release Date: September 2nd 2014
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: eARC received from publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Purchase
Amazon | Indigo | TBD | Goodreads








This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.

Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.

What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.


I love Josephine Angelini because she has a way of creating a world so amazing, and characters that intrigue us as readers and I could not wait to get into this new series. And the fact that it has to do with witchcraft made me want to read EVEN MORE!

What I think I liked about this book was the way it was written. It started off as a contemporary and I loved that because it gave us a chance to get to know certain characters without having to explain the surrounding world and have it be a distraction. being about to get to know Lily in today's world made me fall for her way before her world gets turned upside down. Lily was a very different character in the beginning than she was at the end, and watching her go through that growth was amazing.

The world building in this novel was extraordinary, I think what I liked the most about the world in this novel was the fact that it was the same city, but different times in history. Salem is known for Witchcraft and so it makes sense that this book had a lot to do with that topic, and knowing me and my interest in the subject, I was in. What I think I liked the most about this book was its combination of genres. It begins as a contemporary, then leads into time travel because our main character goes back in time to when Salem was run by witches, and then there is the paranormal with magic and the like. All of these different genres were combined to make one of the best books I have read this year.

Characters were very important in this book because they were paralleled in each world and that made for some interesting interactions. On one hand we meet one character that we hate, but then we meet them in another world and they are completely different. Waiting Lily navigate this aspect of the book was great because it showed her growth as a character and how she stopped making assumptions based in that persons "past." Every character in this book had a purpose whether they were in the past or present they had a direct impact on the story and on Lily herself.

There was a subtle love story in this book but it was intense as any I have ever read. There were certain scenes where I had to put the book down because they were so steamy! Not in a overtly sexual way, but just in the sexual tension kind of way and I loved that. I loved their relationship and I cannot wait to see where it goes because the way this book ended makes me want the second book right now!

Title: I Want It That Way
Author: Ann Aquirre
Series: 2B Trilogy #1
Genre: Contemporary New Adult
Format: Paperback, 352 pages
Release Date: August 26th 2014
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Source: eARC received from publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Purchase
Amazon | Indigo | TBD | Goodreads








Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she's determined to make them come true—for her parents' sake as well as her own. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, she barely has time to think, let alone date. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B….

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can't risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, a social life is out of the question. The last thing he wants is for four noisy students to move into the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia's and Ty's paths cross, and soon they can't stay away from each other.

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can't know what you truly need until you stand to lose it.


I love New Adult, but if I am honest I have to say that it can get a bit tired after a while, and i think its because the stories are always the same, with some kind of secret that no one knows and a past that is so horrible that once someone finds out everything changes. So I always go into this genre with interesting expectations, but when I finished this book I knew I had read something incredibly special, and something unlike any NA book I have read in a long time.

Nadia, our main character was quickly a favorite of mine because she was written for us to relate to her on every level. Her struggle at school to keep her scholarship, she struggled to keep her job at the local daycare center, her struggle to keep her friendships afloat admits some crazy drama. All of these things made her a character we, as readers, could relate to, and I loved that.Nadia was a strong fierce character who any girls should aspire to be. Ty, Nadia's love interest was just as amazing. He was sweet, caring and hot. But the fact that he was a single dad just made everything him about him heightened. The way her acted towards his son was probably my favorite part of the book. Without telling us anything we saw who Ty was and what kind of guy he was.

The romance between Nadia and Ty was amazing. I loved every aspect of it because Ann Aguirre has a way with sexual tension and man was it amazing to read. I loved that. And because this was New Adult there has to be a conflict that tears the couple apart and what I think made this book so amazing for me was how real the conflict was. It had nothing to do with someone past, or someone doing something wrong. It was just life getting in the way and the characters not being ready for what their relationship would mean in the end.

Overall this book was amazing. I loved every aspects of this story, from the characters to the conflict, to the secondary characters that definitely made this book that much better. If you are look for a fresh new voice in the New Adult genre, the this book is the book for you. A must read for sure!