Review: Crash Into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

From Goodreads

Isaiah got his heart crushed by the one woman he thought he could trust. Having been abandoned by his mother & bounced around the foster system for years, he's a bit prickly. He's got a great family (meaning the people he has chosen as family) who will do anything for him, but that still doesn't make him any less intimidating. In walks the gal with a car he's drooling over & the attitude to go with it. Rachel is the token daughter in a family filled with secrets & lies. To escape the pressures at home, she speeds around in her Mustang. When things go sideways at the street race the night she meets Isaiah, nothing will ever be the same.

You guys know I love me some Katie McGarry books. As I said in my WoW yesterday, I may not be able to wait for the boxed set to buy this book. Isaiah has been my favorite character all along, so to have a book featuring him was almost enough to make me squeal. I couldn't have imagined it would get even better when we get introduced to Rachel.

Both of these teens are stubborn & hard-headed to their own detriment, but the benefit of others. They are loyal & trustworthy despite having shady tendencies. Getting to learn about their vastly different, yet eerily similar backgrounds was a lot of fun and made this a unique read. I don't know a lot about cars, but even I appreciated the muscle displayed during the racing & mechanic shop scenes.

McGarry has an entertaining writing style since we get the story from both perspectives. It would be repetitive if done by almost anyone else, but the lens she uses to show us the interactions is what really drives the story home for me. I adored getting to see the parts of these two characters that almost no one saw & how they allowed each other to see what they couldn't actually face themselves. 

While the romance was a little speedy in my opinion (I'm not a fan of insta-love because for me it's not very realistic) it worked well for how this story played out. There is definitely some language, violence, minor drug scenarios (although little to know actual usage mentioned), these things all served their purpose.

Personally, I am the biggest fan of the fact that Katie isn't afraid to break her characters; both emotionally & physically. You'll just have to read to find out what I mean. :)

ARC graciously provided by Around the World Tours

I sent this video to Katie since a lot of the lyrics remind me of scenes in this book & Isaiah in general. I know it's long, but it is well worth it. Enjoy!

Waiting on Wednesday: Crash into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

So I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of this work/life/blog balance. Still not perfect, but I'm determined to get things situated. I'm really excited for my book this week (even though I just finished reading it). Crash into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry is set for a November 26 release & I may actually buy this one. I was kind of hoping that they would make a box set of these books soon so I can just buy that, but this one might be too good to wait for that. Check out the summary below.

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

From Goodreads

What I love about these books (and the Fairytale Retellings by Jackson Pearce) is that they are a loosely tied series. Not all characters are major players in other books & each book focuses on a different relationship. Of the three so far, I think this one is my favorite. I LOVE Isaiah & love that Katie isn't afraid to break her characters. Check back tomorrow for my review of Crash Into You! What are you waiting on this week?

September Genreflecting: Review: Lyddie by Katherine Paterson

When Lyddie and her younger brother are hired out as servants to help pay off their family farm's debts, Lyddie is determined to find a way to reunite her family once again. When Lyddie hears about the mill jobs in Lowell, Massachusetts, she heads there with the goal of earning enough money to reunite her family. 

Six days a week from dawn to dusk Lyddie and the other girls run weaving looms in the murky dust - and lint-filled factory. Lyddie learns to read - and to handle the menacing overseer. But when the working conditions begin to affect her friends' health, she has to make a choice. Will she speak up for better working conditions and risk her job - and her dream? Or will she stay quiet until it is perhaps too late?

From Goodreads

The industrial revolution in the United States was just as harsh on the population as in Europe. With constant in-fighting among all the companies & factory owners, the workers suffered heinously. Lyddie is no exception. 

When her father runs off in search of better fortunes for his family, leaving behind several young children [of which Lyddie is the eldest] and a mentally unstable wife, Lyddie steps in to manage the family's affairs. It's not long until her mother finally loses it and ships Lyddie and her younger brother off to work out the debts their father incurred while she prays for salvation with the two youngest children.

At first Lyddie dreams of returning to her family's farm & getting things back to the way they used to be. She holds on to the good memories she has while working her way towards a better future. Unfortunately the lights on her dreams are dimming with each bit of news she receives. Will she survive the tumultuous factory setting & thrive or will she just become another casualty in the war of progression?

Lyddie is an incredible read. While at times difficult to comprehend given the vernacular used, it still paints a realistic and accurate portrait of life in the industrializing era of United States history. Lyddie displays so much character & strength as she tries to do what's best for her family. What she sometimes forgets though is that she is still just a child herself and cannot solve every problem.

The setting & social issues represented in this book are spot on. From the Quaker family, to abolition, to hiring help, this book is an impeccable representation of a bygone time. While I do not wish to live it, the history that it represents is very important to the development of today's society. I find it incredibly fascinating that I can pinpoint to certain situations & scenarios that lead to particular events in history. This may be a small, rural area story, but that makes it even more vital to the history component. It shows that the situation was the same all over the place.

There wasn't a finalized resolution to the story & I think I prefer it that way because it allows me to dream up my own ending for Lyddie's life.

What are some of your favorite historical fiction books?

Review: The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate

The September Genreflecting post has been moved to Monday. It will resume its Friday position next week. Thank you!

When Iola Anne Poole, an old-timer on Hatteras Island, passes away in her bed at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in her rental cottage, Tandi Jo Reese, finds herself charged with the task of cleaning out Iola's rambling Victorian house.

Running from a messy, dangerous past, Tandi never expects to find more than a temporary hiding place within Iola's walls, but everything changes with the discovery of eighty-one carefully decorated prayer boxes, one for each year, spanning from Iola's youth to her last days. 

Hidden in the boxes is the story of a lifetime, written on random bits of paper--the hopes and wishes, fears and thoughts of an unassuming but complex woman passing through the seasons of an extraordinary, unsung life filled with journeys of faith, observations on love, and one final lesson that could change everything for Tandi.

From Goodreads

Tandi Jo is about as lost as a person can be in life. A former professional horse jumper who grew dependent upon prescription drugs after a career-ending accident, she finds herself recovering from her addiction (and hiding from her soon-to-be-ex husband) with her two children on Hatteras Island. As the tenant in Iola Anne Poole's bungalow, she is the unlucky person to find Miss Poole after her passing. Tasked with cleaning out the house for the church that now owns the property, Tandi Jo finds herself enveloped in walking down Iola Anne's past via the letters to Father in dozens of prayer boxes.

While juggling hiding from her ex, trying to make a budding relationship grow, and wrangling a wild teenager & reserved pre-teen, Tandi Jo finds herself really connecting with Iola Anne in a way that never happened while the older woman was alive. Through the letters Tandi Jo is slowly crawling back to where she ought to be in her life & her children's lives.

This was an incredibly powerful book. Subtle, but tempered just so, The Prayer Box is an uplifting and unique book. The characters are quite memorable and the setting is impeccable. Being a Carolina girl, I'm not ashamed to say I'm a little biased, but the lifestyle of the Outer Banks gave this story a little something extra because of the situations that presented themselves through the book.

While I'm not usually a fan of inspirational/Christian fiction, this book is more affirmation-driven than necessarily religious. Tandi Jo undergoes a personal transformation while reading Iola Anne's letters to God, but the content of those letters isn't preachy. It's just a simple woman ruminating over situations and events in her life. It was fascinating watching the subtle changes in Tandi Jo as the story progressed.

Even more appealing to me though were the relationships. Raising children is difficult, but raising them alone when you've been mostly absent from their lives for the past few years is bound to cause some waves. Seeing how those interactions change over time & examining Tandi Jo's working relationship with the locals gives the story its meter and pacing.

This is a great crossover book because there are lessons to be learned for all age groups. I think there are so many different ways to see what transpires during this novel that everyone can take something away.

August Genreflecting: Review: Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins

When her father loses his job and leaves India to look for work in America, Asha Gupta, her older sister, Reet, and their mother must wait with Baba’s brother and his family, as well as their grandmother, in Calcutta. Uncle is welcoming, but in a country steeped in tradition, the three women must abide by his decisions. Asha knows this is temporary—just until Baba sends for them. But with scant savings and time passing, the tension builds: Ma, prone to spells of sadness, finds it hard to submit to her mother- and sister-in-law; Reet’s beauty attracts unwanted marriage proposals; and Asha's promise to take care of Ma and Reet leads to impulsive behavior. 

What follows is a firestorm of rebuke—and secrets revealed! Asha’s only solace is her rooftop hideaway, where she pours her heart out in her diary, and where she begins a clandestine friendship with Jay Sen, the boy next door. Asha can hardly believe that she, and not Reet, is the object of Jay’s attention. Then news arrives about Baba . . . and Asha must make a choice that will change their lives forever.

From Goodreads

Secret Keeper was unlike any other book I've read. Set in the tumultuous times of 1970's India, we follow the story Asha, her older sister Reet, and their mother as they adjust to life with their in-laws and without their father. Suffocating under the oppressive and strict rule of her Uncle, Aunt, & Grandmother, Asha escapes into her journal writing on the roof and by pushing boundaries. Not comfortable with giving up her liberty, Asha clings to the hope that the day that her father sends for his family will come soon.

Things don't go nearly as smoothly and Asha's patience begins to run out. With options dwindling by the day, she chooses to take matters into her own hands as much as possible. In a setting where her opinion is of little to no value and her place is decided for her, will she ever learn to fit in or will she have to fight for every little thing her father always wanted for her and their family?

I was completely blown away by this book! Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen next, I found myself shocked by what actually happened. It was in those moments that I realized that I had been conditioned to expect certain events to occur in my books. Which if they were set in modern day (or even historical) America, I might have been right. The cultural differences really made this book stand out to me. While some might write off Asha as weak or submissive, I think her actions in this book show great courage when viewed in context. 

There was so much more going on under the surface of this book. It was as if every action or event had a double meaning, the meaning for the story and the meaning for society. I think it was beautifully written with just enough contextual clues to give the reader an overview of the historical and cultural importance of events transpiring without bogging down the storyline. 

Most importantly, I think this book is a gateway book. I was so engrossed in it that it made me want to read more books like it. These can be the best way to meet new cultures and experience life in someone else's shoes. This book did an incredible job showcasing how teenagers in all societies are really the same because they struggle with themselves and their place no matter what situation they are in. I think I prefer this kind of book that follows someone within their own culture because I think it presents a more multi-dimensional presentation of the society without focusing on the differences between groups.

I hope you'll all take this long weekend (for those of us in the US celebrating Labor Day on Monday) to expand your reading horizons if you haven't done so recently. It's really worthwhile.

Waiting on Wednesday: Premeditated by Josin L. McQuein

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Words cannot adequately explain how intrigued I am by Josin L. McQuein's
Premeditated that is set for an October 8 debut! While I prefer the minimalist Goodreads summary, I have also provided the Amazon summary to help you get a better clue as to what will be happening in this story.

• A week ago, Dinah’s cousin Claire cut her wrists.
• Five days ago, Dinah found Claire’s diary and discovered why.
• Three days ago, Dinah stopped crying and came up with a plan.
• Two days ago, she ditched her piercings and bleached the black dye from her hair.
• Yesterday, knee socks and uniform plaid became a predator’s camouflage.
• Today, she’ll find the boy who broke Claire.
• By tomorrow, he’ll wish he were dead.

From Goodreads

If you enjoyed Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why, you will race through the pages of this YA novel as 17-year old Dinah pieces together the mystery that surrounds the near death of her 14-year old cousin Claire. 

While Claire is holding on her for her life in the hospital, Dinah goes in search of the boy Claire writes about in her journal. The boy who forced her to do something she didn't want to do. The boy who caused her such humiliation that the thought of having to live one more day was just too much. 

Dinah is on a mission for revenge, but as things start to unfold, her plan isn't as simple as it seemed. 

From Amazon

There are so many questions that I don't even know where to begin! While I'm sure we've all had revenge scenarios play out in our minds, I don't think I've ever seen one presented this way. Normally we see the victim avenging themselves, but I think I like the idea of someone doing the avenging for them; especially in the type of scenario that I'm perceiving here. Either way, I seriously can't wait to since into this book! 

Have any of you read it? What are you waiting on this week?

ARC Review: Unthinkable (Impossible #2) by Nancy Werlin

Major Spoilers for Impossible below

This much anticipated sequel to the New York Times Bestseller Impossiblea fantasy full of suspense, mystery, and romance will appeal to fans ofBeautiful Creatures, Raven Boys, and Wicked Lovely.

Fenella was the first Scarborough girl to be cursed, hundreds of years ago, and she has been trapped in the faerie realm ever since, forced to watch generations of daughters try to break this same faerie curse that has enslaved them all. But now Fenella’s descendant, Lucy, has accomplished the impossible and broken the curse, so why is Fenella still trapped in Faerie?
 
In her desperation, Fenella makes a deal with the faerie queen: If she can accomplish three acts of destruction, she will be free, at last, to die.  What she doesn't realize is that these acts must be aimed at her own family and if she fails, the consequences will be dire, for all of the Scarborough girls.
 
How can she possibly choose to hurt her own cherished family not to mention the new man whom she’s surprised to find herself falling in love with? But if she doesn’t go through with the tasks, how will she manage to save her dear ones?

From Goodreads

Fenella Scarborough, the originator of the Scarborough curse broken by Lucy in Impossible, has wanted to die for quite a long time. Four hundred years to be exact. Ever since she was swept into faerie and the curse laid upon her family lineage she has cursed her captor. Now that the family curse is broken, she had hoped that she would be allowed, at long last, to greet death with open arms. Naturally things are not that simple.

Fenella begs the faerie queen to allow her to die. She is given a task: if she completes three acts of destruction, against her own family, she will be able to live out the rest of her days. If she fails, her familial curse is regenerated to be laid upon all new generations of Scarborough girls. Unsure of her abilities, and with the assistance of the faerie queen's brother in animal disguise, Fenella makes her way into the human realm to earn her freedom at long last. More challenges than she could have possibly anticipated arise and force her to question her resolve. Can she really inflict such cruelty on her own family?

I must say that this was a different turn than I was expecting for this sequel. Much darker than its predecessor, Unthinkable strikes a final balance between the determined optimism of the first book and the cruel negativity in this one. When taken into account all that she has suffered and the extent of her situation, it's not hard to understand and even sympathize with Fenella. She really never meant for anything bad to happen when the curse was originally laid, but 400 years of captivity and untold hardships had made her a brutally determined woman.

I can see where some might find themselves annoyed or even furious with her choices, but when taken into account with the reality she was facing, it's not nearly as awful as it could be. Having spent so long with the faeries I believe that Fenella is a master at double speak & slight of tongue when it comes to her own actions. This gives the reader a lot more leeway into understanding her choices.

Stepping back into Lucy's life after we left her so well-off was a bit saddening, but laid the perfect groundwork for this tale. Since this family already knew Fenella's background & about the faerie world in general, the story could simply pick up practically where it left off. The new interactions between the characters, as they have now settled into a mundane life, are different and allow for new scenarios to play out with Fenella mixed in. Even better, there is a new man in the picture who causes Fenella untold amounts of strain as she wrestles with herself.

This was a long book and it took a bit to get going. Once things started happening though, I really just flew through the pages. The pacing is just right so that things calm down when they need to, sped up at the right parts, & even allow for little side jaunts into romance or humor. I hope some of y'all like it as much as I did!

ARC graciously provided by Around the World ARC Tours

ARC Review: Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

From Goodreads

Simone's book summaries are always so great! They hit all the high points without giving away too much. I'll let this one do the summarizing for me so that I can go ahead and tell you to put this one on your To Be Read list.

Ashtyn is a sweet girl. Having lost everyone in her life either physically or emotionally is bound to take a toll. I was surprised to find that she was a delicate balance of strength & frailty. I really liked how she was struggling to define herself. She was good at something unconventional for a female & could walk that hard road, but she still wanted to be a good girlfriend and "normal" girl. We see her visible struggle with these two sides of herself while still trying to remain honest.

Derek is a a good boy acting out to get attention. Also an abandoned teen, instead of going out of his way to try to fit in, he has done the opposite. By rebelling against everything even remotely structured & filling his time with angst and pranks, he's really exposed his vulnerabilities. By going on the offensive, he believes he is protecting himself when really he's doing more damage.

These two came together under extremely unique circumstances and blew each other's worlds apart. The background and setting played a minor role in getting things hopping; it was really the culmination of past events that pushed the story forward. I think adding sports into the mixture of Simone's normally delinquent-filled books added a little something extra. It gave the characters' bond more depth than I had anticipated.

While there were a few dropped sub-plotlines& minor holes in stroy arc execution, it wasn't anything to get me worked up. I'm sure most people might not even notice them. :) I can't wait to see what she brings out in the next book. While I don't think it'll star the same characters, I do think it'll be just a bit a hit.

June Genreflecting: Review: Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

Ever since she was a child, Rebecca has been enchanted by her grandmother Gemma's stories about Briar Rose. But a promise Rebecca makes to her dying grandmother will lead her on a remarkable journey to uncover the truth of Gemma's astonishing claim: I am Briar Rose. A journey that will lead her to unspeakable brutality and horror. But also to redemption and hope.
From Goodreads
What grandmother doesn't tell fairy tales to her grandchildren? Gemma is a natural storyteller, but she only ever tells the same story, the exact same way every time. Briar Rose, or as most people know her Sleeping Beauty, is a familiar tale about love, loss, and rallying your strength after the loss. For Rebecca's whole life she's heard Gemma tell the tale. She's heard it so much that she even knows it by heart, including the part where Gemma swears she is the girl in the tale. Rebecca makes the promise to discover the truth behind the story to her dying grandmother. The adventure that ensues is one that no one could have foreseen.
Told in alternating chapters of present day situations and Gemma's version of the fairy tale, Briar Rose is sorrowful, but important book about survivors. Being the descendants of Polish Jews, you can't expect that everyone made it out of the Holocaust alive, but the truth is even more shocking than that. Since we don't know the grandmother's version of the fairy tale from the beginning, we learn it as we move through the story so that we can piece the whole puzzle together.
Expertly researching and written, this book is a testament to Holocaust fiction. It was a unique twist on an otherwise dark story. That's not to say there aren't some dark portions to the tale, but it was considerably less than I was expecting with something of this nature. What really drew me in was the hidden truth. There are so many clues and so many directions they point in that even the characters are overwhelmed, but they are fairly easily navigated & accounted for until the complete truth is clear. 
As for the fantasy element, this was no where near a normal fantasy. It falls under the fairy tale retelling section, but just barely. The whole premise is based around the Briar Rose story and while true life does mirror the fairy tale, it takes until the end of the story for us to really see that. Normally in retellings you get the sense of deja vu or something that automatically reminds you of the original tale. That being said, it still counts and is a special version of a retelling. You can't go into it thinking you're going to get a regular story, but what you get is so much more.
Be sure to come back next Friday when I review Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore and host a giveaway!

ARC Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

From Goodreads

Caymen Meyers usually feels as isolated as the dolls in the doll shop below her apartment. She leaves school every day at noon to work in the shop that her mother owns so that they can continue to eek out their simple existence and is the illegitimate child of her mother's teenage tryst with a well-off young man who cut all ties with her mother as soon as she announced her pregnancy. Naturally this has lead to a unique life on the fringe of poverty. Caymen doesn't want for much other than her continued friendships with other misfits and maybe a little good fortune for her mother.

In walks Alexander "Xander" Spence. The grandson of one of the doll shop's main patrons and heir to a large international hotel chain, he oozes wealth, status, and confidence. While infuriating and enticing Caymen with his comfortable lifestyle, he seems to find himself drawn to her sarcasm and wit. Befriending her is easier than he thought, but definitely more than he bargained for.

The two begin a precarious dance wherein they spend inordinate amounts of time together without ever really admitting what they're looking for with the other. The imbalance of their relationship comes to a head when the two are confronted with just how different their two worlds are from one another. Can they reconcile their differences while accepting their similarities?

The Distance Between Us is a standard wrong-side-of-the-tracks love story with some original details. Caymen's animosity and blatant trust issues with people of a wealthier persuasion coupled with her dry humor create a sort of anti-hero. You're not sure if you really want her to succeed because of just how unfair she's being, but you also sympathize with her plight. Xander is a typical heir figure in that he feels burdened by all the pressure to take up the family business when he's really just trying to find himself. Of course these two happen upon one another and get tangled up in each other's messes. As cliche as it sounds, I didn't mind it all that much because the details were what made the story fun.

Their "career days" where they explore the idea of specific careers (including grave digger) were such a great venue for character exploration because by getting them out of their element, we get to see who they really are on their own. Even the supporting characters had their chances to shine occasionally in both group situations and one on one discussions.

I will say that there were a few things that didn't add up by the end of the book. The situation with the doll store, a mystery man, and Caymen's mother's health were all connected, but never elaborated upon or explained. You could make educated guesses as to what they all meant, but it would have been nice to have some official closure. There was also some issue with Caymen's lineage. I know that miscommunication happens and that assumptions are some of the worst things in relationships, but the shroud of mystery and sudden revelation was all a bit awkward.

It's possible that the few things that bugged me will get cleaned up before final printing, but no guarantees. If you're looking for a light, summer read then this has "BEACH" written all over it. Enjoy!

ARC graciously provided by Around the World ARC Tours for honest review

Review: The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Goodreads

As many of you know, I am a pretty big fan of Maggie Stiefvater. Her Mercy Falls trilogy was amazing & while I was disappointed with The Scorpio Races, I naturally had to try The Raven Boys. With all the hype surrounding this book, I was surprised to find myself underwhelmed. That's not to say I didn't like the book because I definitely did, I just didn't quite realize what kind of a book I was going to be reading.

To say that this is a puzzling book would be imprecise. It's not that the book is too complicated, it's really just a very busy book. There is constantly something going on, so much so that I felt like I was constantly being pulled in first one direction, and then another. Add in the changing points of view, which really added to the story, and the supernatural element, and you've got yourself one heck of a story. What it all boiled down to though were the character interactions & overlap. There were so many layers of connectivity that at times I felt like I could anticipate who was going to say something next or at the very least predict their reactions.

I will say this, Maggie does an incredible job handling the amount of information she throws at you. Since this is obviously going to be a series, there was some ground information that had to be laid out in order for us to move forward. These basic rules & guiding principles allow us to follow along the constantly twisting plot line. They become fundamental when dealing with the supernatural elements. While we're rooted in the real world, when you start messing with these elements, there need to be predetermined rules for how our world interacts with the "other". Maggie is able to break things apart & disperse them at pivotal intervals rather than dumping everything on you at once and expecting you to remember it all. This allowed me to progress through the book at a more leisurely pace while I processed just what all had taken place.

Unfortunately I had trouble really identifying with any of the characters. While I felt like I could predict their actions & reactions at times, I didn't feel any emotional connection to any of them. They actually seemed kind of flat to me; rather than being the multi-faceted characters I've come to expect, they felt kind of calculable. That may just be my perception & it didn't really effect my feelings about the book, it just made it a bit difficult to get through at times because there wasn't any "need to know" driving force.

Overall I'd say it was just okay. I'm not dying to read the next installment, but I figure I'll pick it up at some point in time. Am I alone in my assessment or does anyone else feel the same way?

May Genreflecting: Review: The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin

After seventeen-year-old David is forced to stand trial for his girlfriend's death, he is sent to live with his aunt and uncle and their young daughter, Lily, to avoid the media frenzy. But all is not well at his relatives' house. His aunt and uncle are not speaking to each other, and Lily seems dead set on making David's life a torment. And then there's the issue of their older daughter, Kathy, who died under mysterious circumstances a number of years back. As things with his family grow more and more tense, David starts to wonder: Is he the only one who's hiding something?

From Goodreads

I had read another book by Nancy Werlin & really enjoyed it. The Killer's Cousin though is a whole different animal than Impossible. This suspense novel leaves you just enough in the dark about what's taken place prior to the beginning of the book that you're just a bit confused. You know that something terrible has taken place & that the main character David is escaping persecution based on a murder charge, but you don't get the whole story until the end of the book. As you watch David interacting with his estranged family & the students at his new school, you begin to understand just how isolated and different he really is from everyone else.

All is not well in his aunt & uncle's home as evidenced by their silent treatment of one another and the strained familial bonds are taxed even further when the subject turns to their surviving daughter, 11 year old Lily. She seems a bit peculiar at first, but quickly becoming menacing. Before you know it, the book seems to turn into a horror film where the parents are oblivious to the destruction going on around them. As David sorts through his emotions & experiences over the last year, he's also trying to figure out what's really going on in this family and why he gets the feeling that it has something to do with the way his older cousin Kathy died.

Despite its age, this is a pretty good suspense novel. There are definitely some things that cause it to be dated (VHS tapes, the novelty of "the Net", the X-Files as a popular tv show) if you skip past that background noise and focus on the main story, it's really quite timeless. We spend a great deal of time with David and his thoughts which gives us a very specific vantage point to view the series of events he sees unfolding. I really enjoyed watching him piece things together while still struggling with his identity and self-esteem.

This book definitely followed the pattern of a suspense novel in that we spend the entire novel dreading the discovery of the truth of some past event. While normally we're dreading/anticipating a future event, I think this reversed system worked well considering that there were two mysterious events to be reconciled. The anticipation of David's discoveries is palpable throughout the novel giving you the sense of foreboding and edginess.

Next week I'll be reviewing All Unquiet Things and hosting a giveaway so be sure to check back in next Friday!

ARC Review: Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.

Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…

From Goodreads

There are a few names that will get my attention when it comes to books. Jennifer Echols is one of the fastest ways to get me to focus on what you're saying. Her books are just so real. She does contemporary romance, almost always with a theme, unlike anybody else. Such a Rush, Forget You, & Love Story are some of my favorites by her. I think part of the draw to read her work stems from the memorable situations & characters she creates. Like I said, there is always a theme in her books. Planes, writing, and music have all taken center stage in her books allowing a wonderful medium in which to create the ideal situation for her stories.

Bailey's story is unique because she's not struggling to prove herself; she is an accomplished musician. She's struggling to create her own self rather than the self that everyone is trying to thrust upon her. Her parents expect one thing, her sister another, & the new band she joined definitely has other opinions in regards to her actions. She has to decide what's best for her & it's clashing with her relationships.

Sam is a fairly typical wannabe-megastar musician except that he's almost as conflicted as Bailey. While he has a clear sight on his ultimate goal, he's conflicted about the best way to get there; not who he has to go through, or what it's going to cost him, he simply knows he has to get a recording contract. He sees an opportunity in Bailey that he didn't necessarily plan on, but the disharmony between his heart's desire & his career goal are striking all the wrong chords with everyone.

Naturally this book is set in Nashville as it is about country music. I really like the breath of fresh air with the musically style. By throwing in the curve balls with the band's musical stylings I think Jennifer has done a fabulous jobs blending classic country with modern music. I would LOVE to have actually been able to hear some of these renditions. 

The only think that I can think of that would have made this book even better would be some closer glimpses at Bailey's life between the announcement of her sister's contract & the accident that lands her in her grandfather's care for the summer. We get some big details that are pertinent to plot development, but I think there could have been some more set up just so that the reader is better able to more closely identify with the protagonist.

While there is only one actual steamy romance scene, plenty of sexual acts are alluded to between Bailey & several guys. The same can be said for Sam & his girlfriends. For what they are, I don't think they're any more risque than you might read elsewhere in YA. There is also small mentions of drugs & drinking and driving, but they are used in a cautionary way. I liked how she handled these situations because sometimes when I hear that a book is about the music scene all I can think about it sex, drugs, & rock 'n roll. This was not the case in this book and I loved it!

Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson #7) by Patricia Briggs review

Obviously MAJOR SPOILERS abound as this is the 7th book in a series.

Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more…

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

From Goodreads

If you've read my blog long, or even if you're new around here, you might know that I ADORE the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. I found this series fairly early in the game, right before the 4th book was published. I devoured them all and eagerly await the next installment every time. Unsure if they were "appropriate" for my blog audience, I refrained from reviewing them for quite some time. When I finally did bite the bullet, I did 2 sets of mini-reviews that cover the first 5 books (1-3, 4-5) and have subsequently reviewed each released book since then. Even more exciting was the fact that I finally got the chance to meet Patty at a signing for this book! It made all the difference in the world to hear her talk about her characters and actually read to us in the voices of those characters. But enough rambling, let's dig into the review!

Some time has passed between the ending of River Marked and the beginning of this book. Mercy has healed from her wounds and is settling in as the alpha's mate. Now residing in the Hauptman household, she is also officially step-mother to Adam's daughter Jesse. The easy-going nature of this relationship is what lulls you into a fall sense of security because right from the get-go we know something is wrong when no one from the pack can be reached.

There is a lot of suspense and detective work that has to go into discovering just what has happened to the pack. Making things even more difficult is the shear number of those involved. Despite these obstacles, and being a bit out of her element being the one solely in charge of the well-being of any and all pack members, Mercy shines throughout the book. Her dedication to the ones she loves can lead her into trouble if she's not cautious, as it naturally does in this book, but she wouldn't be Mercy if she didn't fight tooth and claw.

What made me really love this book, as opposed to the "meh" feeling I had for the last one, was the reappearance of some long-missed companions. There are a lot of beings and characters in Mercy's world and we don't often get to see many of them as often as we'd like due to other storylines. This book however saw the return of many characters that I had missed and their interjection allowed us to see how Mercy has grown and changed since the series first started. She is no longer just a shapeshifting mechanic working for a fae in a local shop, aggravating her werewolf neighbor with broken down vehicles, but otherwise trying to stay out of the supernatural world. Rather than hide from this world that she can't help but be a part of, Mercy has embraced her role in it and is a bit more careful in her actions.

If you haven't read the series yet, give it a go. There's hardly any romance, but lots of supernatural action that will keep you wanting to read. If you're a bit squeamish though, be forewarned, as these are werewolves, vampires, & fae who don't always necessarily have the best interests of humans in mind.

Do you read this series? What do you think? Do you have any other series that are like it that you love? 

Dare You To by Katie McGarry review

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

From Goodreads

All Beth wants to do is live a nice quiet life with her mom. Too bad nobody else seems to want that. After one too many run-ins with her mother's on again, off again, drug dealing, abusive boyfriend, Beth finds herself sentenced to a new life with her estranged uncle. To make matters worse, the cocky jock who tried to pick her up at the Taco Bell is to be her uncle-approved guide in her new town and high school. 

Ryan's life isn't nearly as hard as Beth's, but it's nowhere near as perfect as everyone believes. With an absent older brother and feuding, manipulative parents, baseball is Ryan's only hope for escape. A golden recommendation from Beth's uncle would clench Ryan's hopes of getting drafted into the majors, but Beth's different than any girl Ryan's ever dealt with. It's a good thing he loves a challenge.

Angst, attitude, and attention are the three big starter elements to this unlikely love story. This book is about so much more than their romantic love, it's about love in all its forms. So many relationships in this book are strained and tested because of the different kinds of love that we choose to accept. Rather fast-paced, but believable, Dare You To has continued to further my belief that Katie McGarry knows how to write a  moving and spirited book about love trying to overcome the most difficult of obstacles.

Beth doesn't really stand out to me as a unique character. She's a rebellious teenager, with a dark family secret, and an alcoholic, absentee mother. She rebels in the typical fashions, but has found companionship among similarly discarded teens. Naturally when she is given the opportunity to move to a new life and start over, she resists. What makes her different than what I expect most characters to do is that she never actually accepts her new life. She doesn't gradually forget about her former existence, it taunts her every waking moment. Beth isn't ready to let go & it causes lots of hiccups in her new town.

To me, Ryan is the stand out character in this story. There are so many things about his make-up that aren't typical, but that when put together in him, make him all the more desirable. The foundation of his moral compass is pure & strong. I didn't think there were many guys like him around in YA today. You'll have to read the book to fully appreciate & understand what I mean.

The background characters were actually quite active in the story. At least 75% of them directly contributed to the way the story progressed. Without their actions, so many things wouldn't have happened. I do wish we had seen more of Beth's uncle, but that's just my preference. I think Katie has done an exemplary job of creating some of my favorite YA contemporary romance because of its warmth and credibility. I really look forward to her next work!

ARC graciously provided by Around the World ARC Tours