Tag: genre: contemporary

• Book Review: “Girl Online” by Zoe Sugg

  Posted at 8:15 am by Laura, on January 18, 2015

  Girl Online by Zoe Sugg 

  Publisher: Keywords Press/Atria
  Published: November 25, 2014
  Genre: young adult, contemporary, romance 
  ISBN: 9781476797458
  Goodreads: 3.81
  Rating: ★★★

  Penny has a secret.

  Under the alias GirlOnline, Penny blogs her hidden feelings about friendship, boys, high school drama, her quirky family, and the panic attacks that have begun to take over her life. When things go from bad to worse at school, her parents accept an opportunity to whisk the family away for Christmas at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. There, she meets Noah, a gorgeous, guitar-strumming American. Suddenly Penny is falling in love—and capturing every moment she spends with “Brooklyn Boy” on her blog.

  But Noah has a secret, too, one that threatens to ruin Penny’s cover—and her closest friendship—forever.

  Penny has a lot of thoughts, and she’s encouraged to write them down to keep them from bouncing all around her head. So she starts a blog. It’s a very successful blog, with wide readership and encouraging, loving comments. Penny can connect to these people — but not so much in real life. She’s a klutz, she gets panic attacks, she’s awkward around toxic people in her life. Her only friend is her gay next door neighbor, another outsider who goes to a different school. When Penny’s mother is given a special job in NYC for Christmas, her whole life turns around completely: she meets Noah, a boy who seems to understand her without her explanations. But there are things she doesn’t know about Noah, and discovering these secrets could turn her world — and his — upside down.

  I watch Zoella’s videos off and on — my brother and I especially love the ones she and her brother do together — and when I saw she wrote a book, I couldn’t wait to read it! There’s been debates out there about a ghost writer doing most of the writing, and whether or not that’s true, I can say without a doubt that this book is entirely in her voice. Reading it felt like listening to her in her videos. And because of that, I fell in love with Penny.

  Penny is awkward and panicky yet adorable and intelligent. She knows how to connect with people — even if it is through her online portal and anonymity. This is what makes her so sweet and relatable for today’s audience. Her best friend Elliot is wonderful too — and his flawed moments are so genuine and real that their friendship felt modern as well. Best friends are never perfect. Best friends share secret jealousies as well. And best friends always come back together over a good milkshake!

  While Noah was amazing as well — so very kind and considerate with Penny — I focused so much more on the pacing of the novel. I was relieved to see that the “whisking the family to NYC” bit was about 100 pages in rather than right away. This allowed for a solid understanding of who Penny is, the dynamics with her family, with Elliot, with Elliot and the family, and between Penny and her school friends. We get a proper peek into her life before it’s turned around completely on the family trip. Even when Penny comes home from the magical NYC holiday vacation, nothing feels rushed.

  Finally, I loved how Sugg handled online criticism in the book. Penny loves her blog, and more so because her readers love her. But when she comes home from NYC and secrets leak, she’s the victim of a lot of online hate. And it really messes with her. Anyone in the digital age can relate — and who more so that a YouTube sensation vlogger-turned-author? Thank you, Sugg, for sharing another version of bullying. I especially loved this part of Penny’s blog:

  Every time you post something online you have a choice.

  You can either make it something that adds to the happiness levels
  in the world — or you can make it something that takes away.

  …Next time you go to post a comment or an update or share a link,
  ask yourself: is this going to add to the happiness in the world?

  There were a few small, quirky Britishisms and Americanisms scattered around. The voice was fun and sweet, and very young teenager. This is perfect for someone just getting into YA fiction — and if you’re in for a holiday read! Give this to another digital-type friend — they’ll probably really relate to this too!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 3 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: holiday, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “I Was Here” by Gayle Forman (ARC)

  Posted at 7:45 am by Laura, on January 15, 2015

  I Was Here by Gayle Forman

  Publisher: Viking Juvenile
  Publishing Date: January 27
  Genre: young adult, contemporary, new adult
  ISBN: 9780451471475
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★★

  When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, who broke Meg’s heart. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

  Cody’s sick of the memorial services and candlelight vigils. These people didn’t know Meg, not like she did. They were two peas in a pod, unstoppable together. And now Meg’s gone — Meg, the sparkling girl full of life and energy, the girl who went and drank poison in a hotel room and planned every last detail of her death. Cody agrees to pack up Meg’s stuff at college, and discovers that Meg was hiding more than her death wish. Angry at the secrets and torn up with grief, Cody decides to sift through Meg’s email and internet history, hoping it can clue her in on her best friend’s final months. What she finds is more than she bargained for.

  This is not a YA book about suicide. This isn’t even a YA book about healing and forging beautiful friendships. It is a YA (what really needs to be the proper NA) book entirely about grief and coming to terms with difficult situations. Cody does form unlikely friendships and she does, in a way, heal, but she takes you on her journey through grief and all the distraught emotions that come with it.

  Cody and Meg’s bond is very clearly a strong one, filled with love and respect and trust. A small, unspoken rift occurred shortly after Meg left for college near Seattle and Cody stayed in their tiny “hick” town. But Cody’s absolutely sure it wouldn’t take a rift in their friendship to force Meg over the edge — she was too full of life. Meg had timed a good-bye email to be sent to her parents and to Cody shortly after she committed suicide, and Cody hopes she can find answers there. Snooping on Meg’s computer started off innocently enough, but when Cody finds a gap in Meg’s sent mail, she knows something was up. Privacy is a luxury not afforded for the dead, and the people Cody meets along the way that help her on her quest teeter between respecting a deceased friend’s privacy and appeasing their desire for relief.

  Like If I Stay, I was neither here nor there with the love story. It was something of a third or fourth interwoven plot line, one that still felt genuine but was not the drive. Cody’s determined to understand her friend’s death, struggling to keep a distance from Meg’s housemates and failing, and trying to figure out where she fits into Meg’s family now that their daughter is gone. While the love story bloomed naturally, with the expected difficulties and divided emotions, it’s definitely more of a side-plot. This novel is, first and foremost, about friendship.

  Forman managed to tackle yet another tough issue in modern young adult lives with taste and authenticity. Every character the reader happens upon is a genuine human, equally talented and flawed, loving and hateful. Grief is a very powerful emotional process, especially when someone so bright dies so very young. Well done, Forman.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Viking for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 0 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: new adult, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Geek Girl” by Holly Smale (ARC)

  Posted at 8:15 am by Laura, on January 12, 2015

  Geek Girl by Holly Smale 

  Publisher: HarperTeen
  Publishing Date: January 27 (originally published in UK, Feb 2013)
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780062333575
  Goodreads: 3.86
  Rating: ★★★★★

  Harriet Manners is tired of being labeled a geek. So when she’s discovered by a modeling agent, she seizes the chance to reinvent herself. There’s only one problem: Harriet is the definition of awkward. Does she have what it takes to transform from geek to chic?

  Geek Girl is the first book in a hilarious new trilogy. It was also the #1 bestselling YA debut of 2013 in the UK, where it was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Best Book for Teens. With all the humor and fabulous shenanigans of Louise Rennison’s Confessions of Georgia Nicolson and Meg Cabot’s The Princess Diaries, Geek Girl is about to become an international superstar.

  Harriet Manners is definitely the girl to take on trivia nights — she watches documentaries, researches random events, figures, and cultural concepts for fun, and stores it all away in that big brain of hers. Unfortunately, she’s a “polar bear in a jungle,” a misfit in her class, and bullied every day for being a geek. She only has one friend, Nat, and Holly promised Nat she’d go to Birmingham with her for a fashion event. It’s Nat’s dream to be involved in the industry, so when Holly is discovered by a modeling agent, it causes quite the rift between the girls. Not to mention Holly’s confusion over her sudden fame in the fashion world. How is she supposed to transform from a geek to a model when she’s attacked by every loved one?

  Harriet is incredibly charming, witty, and funny. Strange things happen around her each day at every turn, and watching her stumble through the social etiquette made me both laugh and wince. This girl is intelligent, but her social fumbles really place her as an outcast. For example, before she’s whisked away to Russia for a fashion shoot, she stays up all night researching the history of fashion, and ends up spouting trivia to other models that are completely unrelated to current fashion trends, like the origin of cufflinks.

  Everything about Geek Girl is a comedic whirlwind of snappy dialogue, fast action, and exaggerated caricatures. A quick read, and despite the humor and wit, it truly does speak volumes about bullied young adults with unbridled enthusiasm and curiosity. It takes time — as it does for everyone in life — to realize she doesn’t need to blend in to be spectacular, to conform with others and lower her intelligence to be liked and popular. She’s perfect the way she is, “polar bear in a jungle” and all.

  I’m very excited for this to be published in the US! Stacey gave great reviews for the trilogy, so brilliant that I was upset to find it was a UK publication. This will be a major hit in the US, and I can’t wait to read more on Harriet Manners!

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from HarperTeen for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2015 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “All the Bright Places” by Jennifer Niven (ARC)

  Posted at 8:30 am by Laura, on December 18, 2014

  All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

  Publisher: Knopf
  Publishing Date: January 6
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780385755887
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★★★

  Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

  Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

  When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

  Theodore “Freak” Finch fluctuates between Awake and Asleep states, only it’s different from being awake and sleeping. One day he’s fine and energized and full of life; time passes, and later he’s disconnected, his only desire is to crawl into someplace dark and warm. He’ll come out some time later — a long time later — and he does this so often his friends and family think nothing of it. Violet Markey, once a cheerful and popular girl, is also disconnected from the world, blaming herself for her sister’s death in their shared car wreck. Brought together at the top of the school’s bell tower and  later in their US Geography class, Finch and Violet’s lives collide. She keeps him Awake, he keeps her Alive; together, they remind one another what it means to live, to wander, to find adventure, and sink into beauty. But as Violet’s world expands, Finch’s shrinks, to the point where she is his only star.

  When the publishers market this as The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor & Park, they weren’t kidding. Grab yourself a box of tissues, read up on mental illness, and grab a map of Indiana. You’re in for a very raw, emotional, enlightening, and literal journey.

  I want to meet Niven. I want to meet her and hug her and thank her. I want to bow at her feet. I want to buy all the copies ever of this book and give them to all of my friends — my undergraduate peers in the psychology department, the friends and coworkers with mental illnesses, the friends and family who are survivors of death and suicide. I want them to see that it is possible to write and read a book that touches upon these subjects exactly how it’s experienced, and yet treats them with love and respect and dignity.

  This is a book about death. It is not glorified nor is it shamed. This is a book about mental illness. It is not treated lightly nor does it sadden the reader — it’s enlightening. It’s refreshing. It’s filled with love and beauty. It’s a roller coaster ride, and Finch and Violet are our guides. Indiana is the back drop — and I’m so thrilled at how beautiful Niven paints this state. For once, Hoosier country isn’t simply defined by TFiOS, but this next great YA novel.

  It truly is great. I can’t even give this a proper review without accidentally revealing everything about this book. Just know that this is the book readers of all ages are waiting for.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this copy from Knopf for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 7 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Top Five Books of 2014

  Posted at 8:40 pm by Laura, on December 17, 2014

  The most difficult post of the year: selecting five fantastic books from the 66, as of December 17th, I read this year!

  

  Goodness. This year was full of discoveries. If last year was deemed The Year of Gothic Literature, this could be called the ARC Frenzy (so. many. ARCs.) or The Year of Contemporary YA. Seriously, why hadn’t I read Gayle Forman sooner? Or Rainbow Rowell? Or Stephanie Perkins? They’re definitely my top YA authors now — I will follow their publishing career to the ends of the earth. This was also the year I stumbled upon Morgan Matson, Jenny Han, and Huntley Fitzpatrick. What a fun experience!

  In no particular order, here are my Top Five Books of 2014!

  For more favorites: Top Five of 2013, Top Five of 2012. To see the full list of books I read in 2014, feel free to see my Goodreads Challenge!

  

  

  

  Outlander by Diana Gabaldon || Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins ||
  Just One Day by Gayle Forman

  A time-traveling historical fiction with a dash of romance, now a hit TV series, is totally worth the volume of words and pages. If you haven’t giggled in a while, travel to Paris and relive your first romance! And finally, one magical day abroad can change your life forever.

  Clearly there’s a foreign theme going on…

  

  

  Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell || Prisoner of Night and Fog by Anne Blankman

  Break personal barriers and overcome anxiety your freshman year in college, or shatter your entire belief system to save hundreds of people your uncle despises. These young women are daring in their own way!

  Some honorable mentions include Indiana author Sharon Biggs Waller’s A Mad, Wicked Folly, the Buffy-esque series starter Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins, and quietly beautiful The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston. There are two great books coming out in January 2015 that I read this year and loved (and will most likely make it into the Top 5 of 2015!), Geek Girl by Holly Smale and All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven — reviews to come.

  Which books made it to your Top Books of 2014 list? 

  Posted in books, Update Post | 7 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: romance, genre: young adult

• Book Review: “First Impressions” by Charlie Lovett (ARC)

  Posted at 7:45 am by Laura, on October 6, 2014

  First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen by Charlie Lovett 

  Publisher: Viking Adult
  Publishing Date: October 16
  Genre: contemporary, historical fiction, mystery
  ISBN: 9780525427247
  Goodreads: —
  Rating: ★★★.5

  Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield.  Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice—and ultimately threaten Sophie’s life.

  In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie’s quest to uncover the truth—while choosing between two suitors—and a young Jane Austen’s touching friendship with the aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books.

  Sophie Collingwood’s life is dedicated to books. Thanks to her Uncle Bertram’s enthusiasm for literature, she too began collecting and reading books at a young age. When her uncle dies outside his apartment unexpectedly, Sophie is certain it was murder. Upon arriving at his apartment, she finds it completely bare of books — and after acquiring a job at an antiquarian bookshop, she makes it her personal mission to find Bertram’s murderer and his personal library. Soon enough, she becomes entangled in a mystery connecting her family to Jane Austen’s career, and she must decide if it’s a secret worth dying for.

  Lush and exquisitely told, Lovett’s dual narrative between present-day Oxford graduate Sophie Collingwood and the young Jane Austen — prior to her publishing career — is a rich, cozy read. I think Austen fans will enjoy this interpretation of the beginnings of Pride and Prejudice, and I certainly enjoyed the mystery and thrill in Sophie’s life. Threatening phone calls to obtain a rare book that may or may not be connected to Austen can definitely make a bookworm’s heart pound. Between Oxford and London, libraries and bookshops, graveyards and old estates, Sophie’s narrative is exciting for the bookish researcher. Jane’s narrative is calmer, revealing a growing friendship with an old cleric who also enjoys literature. His influence on her books is profound, and their connection deep and unyielding.

  I cannot pinpoint why exactly I didn’t give this four or five stars. It’s one of those books that, once you begin reading and fall into the rhythm of the narrative, you can’t put it down. Seeing as I had to repeatedly put it down for other responsibilities in my life, I didn’t quite fall into it like I wanted to. The mystery is justifiably intriguing, the hunt for books engaging, and the threat to reveal the truth behind Austen’s most famous work terrifying. I liked it. Bookworms will too!

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Viking for review!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 3 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fiction, genre: historical fiction, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “A Little Something Different” by Sandy Hall

  Posted at 7:30 am by Laura, on September 10, 2014

  A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall 

  Publisher: Swoon Reads
  Published: August 26
  Genre: young adult, romance
  ISBN: 9781250061454
  Goodreads: 3.84
  Rating: ★★★★

  Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese good, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is a little aloof, Gabe is shy, and it looks like they are never going to work things out.

  But something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at the local Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV series. The bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes Lea and Gabe were meant to be together.

  Fourteen points of view, and none of them are Lea and Gabe’s. Like watching a TV show or living vicariously through friends, join a barista, bus driver, bench, brother, three friends, two classmates, a squirrel, a professor and her wife, a Chinese take-out guy, and a waitress as they observe the nervous Lea and shy Gabe circle around one another for an entire year. Mixed signals, misunderstood words and body language, and near misses capture the hilarity and innocence of first love.

  I have to admit, I read this book at just the right time. I needed something light and quick and adorable — this was just the ticket. (Plus, seriously, there’s a squirrel’s POV in this book. Bingo!)

  While at times it seemed ridiculous these two could be so shy and awkward around one another, the friends and observers were incredibly understanding to their situation. Here’s this freshman girl, excited and nervous about college but ready for something new — and along comes this tall, awkward older guy who seems interested in her but incredibly shy. She has next-to-no experience, so her friends offer words of encouragement and advice that backfire when Lea puts it into action. Now, here’s this shy older guy, once a baseball star but no longer on the college team and without a scholarship. He seems to have trouble hearing the people around him, and has gone through some tough stuff in the last year that’s pulled him out of school. Top it off with being a shy, quiet guy, and his friends completely understand why he’s not making any moves.

  What I loved most about this book was the fact it’s never — not once! — told through Lea or Gabe’s perspective. The reader is forced to be a third-party observer just like everyone else. I loved that! It felt just like watching my friends (and complete strangers!) tip-toe around one another, the small steps towards love. Each section was just long enough to get a good scene in, and just short enough to make you want to read more and into another’s perspective. I blew through this, I enjoyed it immensely.

  For a first Swoon Reads publication, this is incredibly fun, adorable, lovely, and sweet! Well done!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Eleanor & Park” by Rainbow Rowell

  Posted at 9:55 am by Laura, on August 16, 2014

  Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

  Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
  Published: February 2013
  Genre: young adult
  ISBN: 9781250012579
  Goodreads: 4.2
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  Eleanor… Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough…Eleanor.

  Park… He knows she’ll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There’s a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises…Park.

  Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

  Eleanor knows she’s odd. She’s not only the new girl in school, but she stands out with her wild clothes, messy red curls, and heavier build. It doesn’t matter that she’s quiet and intelligent and keeps to herself — somehow, someway, kids pick on her from the moment she steps onto the school bus. Park, a comics-and-music aficionado, pities her for others’ cruelty, and tells her to sit with him on these torturous bus rides. Little do they know they’ll become more than bench partners, more than friends who swap mix tapes and share comics, more than a boy and a girl who glance shyly at one another. But not all good things can last, and Eleanor, trapped in an abusive household, attempts to make Park understand that love can’t be forever.

  

  I don’t know why I waited so long to read this. It was like my fear of reading Fangirl, that it would hit too close to home, or it would break my heart too deeply, or that I’d crumble to pieces. I didn’t know how I could read about these two misfits and their tough battles and still find enjoyment in this book, in all its pain. But I love Rowell’s writing. And I had to trust all those authors on the back of the book that I admire (John Green, Gayle Forman, Stephanie Perkins) that this book was worth it.

  And I’m so glad I read it.

  Eleanor finds a home in Park. Park finds love and belonging in Eleanor. Eleanor’s home life is a scary, abusive one. Park’s is filled with comfort and a touch of masculine expectation. Though both misfits — her for her appearance and he for his half-Korean background — their experiences and insecurities and emotions are infinitely universal. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, the first time you fall in love is the same as a stranger’s. One morning you wake up and realize that you’re into someone — you look forward to seeing them, you want to know everything about them, you want to hear their opinions. You want to lift them out of their doubts and fears, you want to defend them with your life, you want to share in the joy and laughter. Eleanor and Park are beyond confused about why the other is in love — they each cannot see beyond their own insecurities — but they grab hold and clutch to it like their lives depend on it.

  And it’s so beautifully done. While the ending is left a teensy bit open, there’s enough clarification that there’s a possibility for a happy ending. Or, if not a happy ending, then one of positive closure. Neither character is perfect, which makes me love them more.

  What else am I supposed to say? If you haven’t read this yet, do so now.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 5 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “My Life Next Door” by Huntley Fitzpatrick

  Posted at 1:57 pm by Laura, on June 19, 2014

  My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick 

  Publisher: Speak
  Published: June 2013
  Genre: young adult, romance, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780142426043
  Goodreads: 4.06
  Rating: ★★★★★

  Life in Samantha Reed’s home is neat and clean and orderly — precisely planned by her local politician mother. Next door, at the Garretts’, things are loud, messy, and irresistible. And when Jase Garrett climbs the trellis outside her bedroom and enters her life, she finds herself falling passionately in love with him and everything he brings with him. The only hitch is, she’s got to hide it from her mother. Then something unthinkable happens, and Samantha is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

  Ten years ago, when the large Garrett family moved in next door, Mrs. Reed made her daughters promise never to interact with the Garretts. But Samantha was always intrigued by this boisterous, loving family, and would watch them through her window and wonder what it was like to have so many caring people in one’s life. One night, Jase Garrett, the third child in a line of eight, climbs up to her window and asks if she needs rescuing, like a princess locked in a tower. From that night on, Sam’s life is entwined with the Garretts’ — every meltdown, every meal, every new word for the baby. But as she embraces that loving chaos, she notices more and more her mother’s political antics and double-crossings, and begins to wonder which life she really belongs in.

  This is so much more than a summer romance. There’s a whole topic on family and familial relationships, the interactions between each child and “it takes a village” concept in the Garrett household. It’s so beautiful and chaotic and fun. There are so many children to keep track of, and yet each character is so fully developed — with their own speech, interests, life outside the Garrett house — that it’s easy to remember them. Especially George. Sweet, sweet George. There’s another topic on parental controls, when too much is too much, when habits become obsessions, when hypocrisy becomes apparent. Mrs. Reed was so frustrating, but Sam handled her and the situation so well, so authentically, so realistically.

  Sam. Sam and Jase. Jase. Their relationship was perfection. I don’t mean this in a “so picture perfect it can’t be real” kind of way — but in how relationships ought to be and the way many are. Trusting and loving, patient, open. Even when there are riffs, the two manage to communicate without drama and angst (unlike the situation with Sam’s best friend Nan, and Nan and her boyfriend Daniel). They were wise beyond their years, and it was so refreshing to read. Yes, they’re madly in love, and lust after one another, but they’re also serious and playful, they help each other at work and at home. Sam embraced the village aspect of the Garrett household so well, it’s as if she was meant for it. And she realizes this after the big blow-out towards the end between the Garretts and her mother.

  Fitzpatrick is one to watch. I’m putting her up there with Dessen (joining the ranks with Forman!). Not everything in the end works out perfectly, but there’s enough of a satisfying ending to the book that hints at a bright or better future for Sam and Jase, for the Garretts, for Nan and her brother Tim, for Mrs. Reed. There’s a road to recovery for some, a road for peace for others, and a road of happiness and trust. Ugh. Thank you, Fitzpatrick! Well done.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• Book Review: “Where She Went” by Gayle Forman

  Posted at 7:00 pm by Laura, on June 14, 2014

  Where She Went by Gayle Forman 

  Publisher: Speak
  Published: April 2012
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780142420898
  Goodreads: 4.17
  Rating: ★★★

  It’s been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam’s life forever.

  Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard’s rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia’s home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future – and each other.

  Adam and his band, Shooting Star, are rock stars. They’re plastered across tabloids, interviewed on shows and in magazines, sell platinum records, and win awards. Though Adam has achieved his dream, he’s not content with it one bit. Mia isn’t in his life, and he’s not sure how or why they fizzled. The night before he leaves for London to begin a second world tour, he wanders Manhattan incognito and stumbles across a poster of Mia performing in Carnegie Hall. After word reaches backstage of his appearance, Mia summons him to her dressing room — and their night of reconnections and long-awaited answers begins.

  Forman excellently writes companion books. There’s something about hers that I enjoy much more than trilogies. Two perspectives at two different periods in time — it works very well. Adam’s voice is different from Mia’s, and rightly so. Adam is overwhelmed with stardom and still devastated over Mia’s absence, so everything in his life instead becomes public knowledge — facts about the band, about the music written, about his history — and his voice is like that of the walking dead. At least, it’s deadened until Mia enters the picture once more. His emotions run high, the writing becomes lyrical like Mia’s voice from If I Stay, and his passion for music rather than the dull facts begin to shine through. Well-crafted.

  However, I was torn between enjoying this book for what it was — a glimpse into the future and aftermath of the accident — and thinking it was a bit indulgent. Like I said in my review for If I Stay, I was more invested in Mia’s journey, the music, her parents’ love, than I was in her relationship with Adam. This book entirely revolves around that. Yes, it shows the way trauma wrecks everyone involved, not just the direct victims, and yes, it explores heartbreak, rejection, and closure, but it was very much focused on Adam’s distraught feelings and angst. I’m not sure how else this book could’ve been written, though.

  The point is, I enjoyed it but it didn’t make me feel as deeply as If I Stay.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2014 | 5 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: romance, genre: young adult, goodreads, review

• 

• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

• Search the Blog

  Search for:

• Currently Reading

  

• Book Review Rating Key

  ★★★ — It’s good
  ★★★★ — It’s great
  ★★★★★ — OMG LOVE!!!

• Recent Posts

  • MSWL for 2026
  • Favorite Reads of 2025
  • Deal Announcement: Nina Moreno, YA Romance
  • Deal Announcement: Sharon Choe, YA Fantasy
  • Deal Announcement: Hanna R. Neier, MG Historical/Contemporary