Cart Yourself Away From ME

Published:  September 1st, 2012
Cart's Top 200 Adult Books For Young Adults: Two Decades In Reviews
By: Michael Cart
American Library Association
ISBN-13:  9780838911587

Put together with insight and obvious affection, Cart's guide spotlights hundreds of great books for a hard-to-satisfy audience.

Review

       So, let me just go ahead and admit it: I am a complete and total moron, who apparently can't read book titles. Ummm...yeah, I totally thought this was his list of the best YOUNG ADULT books from the last two decades!!! Totally missed the whole, ADULT BOOKS for Young Adults part of the title!

       I had read a book of Cart's before, a history of the Young Adult genre, and found it interesting enough. I thought to myself, hey, why the hell not read what basically amounts to a mini-textbook?



       That said, his list of books was all the boring, bestseller crap everyone tells you to read all the time. I didn't see anything on there that wasn't un-interesting to me personally, or straight off a high school's required reading list! Also, what a douchebag (I know he's older than dirt, as he states his first professional library gig was in 1967, but still! How out of touch can you be, especially when being the "authority" on young adult literature?!)! This is a direct quote from his introduction:

"I didn't regret saying goodbye to these early teen books, though I never dismissed them as being baby books, as some teenagers have over the years. On the other hand I certainly didn't regard them as having much literary merit or posing any particular challenge to high school-age readers. So where to turn to find the constituents of my new collection? The answer was simple: I turned to adult books." 

       FUCK YOU, MICHAEL CART. FUCK YOU FOR JUDGING ME (and my fellow readers) AND SAYING YOUNG ADULT BOOKS ARE FLUFF/WITHOUT ANY SUBSTANCE. JUST...URGH!!!!! Perpetuating stereotypes and generalizations FTW, people.

VERDICT:  0.5/5 Stars (Only because this might be useful to librarians looking for adult books to recommend to teens - if they haven't read them all in school already, as most of these are required reading titles I recognize, etc.)

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.*

The Road Not Taken

Expected Publication:  March 17th, 2015

Everything That Makes You

By: Moriah McStay

Katherine Tegen Books

ISBN-13:  9780062295484

One girl.  Two stories.  Meet Fiona Doyle.  The thick ridges of scar tissue on her face are from an accident twelve years ago.  Fiona has notebooks full of songs she's written about her frustrations, her dreams, and about her massive crush on beautiful uber-jock Trent McKinnon.  If she can't even find the courage to look Trent straight in his beautiful blue eyes, she sure isn't brave enough to play or sing any of her songs in public.  But something's changing in Fiona.  She can't be defined by her scars anymore.

And what if there hadn't been an accident?  Meet Fi Doyle.  Fi is the top-rated female high school lacrosse player in the state, heading straight to Northwestern on a full ride.  She's got more important things to deal with than her best friend Trent McKinnon, who's been different ever since the kiss.  When her luck goes south, even lacrosse can't define her anymore.  When you've always been the best at something, one dumb move can screw everything up.  Can Fi fight back?

Hasn't everyone wondered what if?  In this daring debut novel, Moriah McStay gives us the rare opportunity to see what might have happened if things were different.  Maybe luck determines our paths.  But maybe it's who we are that determines our luck.

Review

       I am a sucker for anything that has an alternate reality involved in the narrative.  There's just something about the road not taken that seems to appeal to me on a deeper level.  Does one event really change our lives as much as we think it does?  Moriah McStay helps us try to figure that out with a dual narrative of the same character.  The main difference between the two being that in one reality her face was horribly scarred in an accident when she was five years old.  In the other, that never happened and now she's the local high-school's (girl's) lacrosse team's star player.  She's still the same person though, right?  Not so much, actually.  Meet Fiona Doyle, an introvert who writes songs about all her anxieties and feelings, especially the ones for the boy she secretly likes.  Her counterpart, Fi Doyle, is best friends with the afore-mentioned boy and a star lacrosse player who can't be bothered to do more than the bare minimum with school or any other extracurriculars - lacrosse is her life.  Then Fi has an accident and is sidelined for an entire season.  In that time, she's forced to discover who she is without lacrosse to define her; while Fi is becoming someone else, so is Fiona, who is deciding whether or not to have her scars surgically removed with a skin graft.  Will she still be who she is, when the scars that have defined her for most of her life are almost completely gone, as if it never happened?

       My favorite thing about this book was that while both Fi and Fiona have common threads (people, places, likes/dislikes) in their lives, things ultimately end up differently.  They ARE different people, even romantically.  They end up with different career paths, love lives and family issues.  Fi has to figure out who she is without sports and in doing so, meets the love of her life.  But she lets it consume her and when things go wrong, she downward spirals into destructive self-pity.  It takes some harsh wake-up calls for Fi to pull herself out of the darkness of being alone - by choice.  I had a harder time relating to her than to Fiona, who is struggling to accustom herself to being liked and noticed for any reason other than her scars at first/in spite of her deformity.  She has such a difficult time putting herself on display with her music, even after the scars are gone as an excuse.  Because yes, she was using them as an excuse to not let anyone get close.  Both Fi and Fiona are dealing with huge changes in their lives and ultimately they have to discover a way to rise above it.  

       I loved the writing style, the dialogue and the interactions between the characters.  This book punched me in the gut and it was in the best way.  That said, I do think it was semi-unrealistic for Fi to pull out of her downward spiral so easily.  And her Northwestern problem would NOT have been so easily resolved in the real world.  With some minor believability problems aside (and yes, with an alternate-universe as the lynchpin, that is an oxymoronic statement!), I really enjoyed this book.  I highly recommend it for people who enjoy messing with events, reality and reading about different versions of people.  Also, there is some super-sweet romance in this book.  I have to say, I liked Fiona's romance a lot better than Fi's though.  I was swooning a little bit! :D

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

**I reviewed this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is March 17th, 2015.**

Boys Apparently DO Knit

Expected Publication:  March 24th, 2015 (Originally January 1st, 2014)

Boys Don't Knit (Boys Don't Knit #1)

By: T.S. Easton

Feiwel & Friends

ISBN-13:  9781250053312

Knitting is a man's game.

After an incident regarding a crossing guard and a bottle of Martini & Rossi (and his bonehead friends), 17-year-old worrier Ben Fletchermust develop his sense of social alignment, take up a hobby, and do some community service to avoid any further probation.

He takes a knitting class (it was that or his father's mechanic class) under the impression that it's taught by the hot teacher all the boys like.  Turns out, it's not.  Perfect.

Regardless, he sticks with it and comes to find he's a natural knitter, maybe even great.  It even helps ease his anxiety and worrying.  The only challenge now is to keep it hidden from his friends, his crush, and his soccer-obsessed father.  What a tangled web Ben has weaved...or knitted.

Review

       Let's just lay it all out on the line: I know absolutely NOTHING about knitting!  I have a couple friends who know how, and I've always thought it would be cool to learn, but I know nothing about it.  Also, I don't read a lot of YA books with male protagonists.  Mainly because I feel like a lot of the ones I've picked up have protags that are either complete assholes or so unrealistic that they might as well be the next Disney Prince!  Yes, nice guys exist and so do awful ones.  Most REAL guys (adult, teenage and child) are some combination of the two though, rather than one extreme or another.  T.S. Easton really captures that fact with Ben Fletcher.  Not perfect by any means, 17 year old Ben allows himself to get into sticky situations by going along with his harebrained friends.  After an incident with some stolen liquor, a lollipop lady and a damaged vehicle, Ben is on probation.  He has to keep a diary to hand in to his caseworker and complete community service to show his reform.  Part of this is a college class.  Not wanting to be in his dad's mechanic class, Microsoft Office (too easy/boring), or pottery, he goes with knitting (the teacher is supposed to be a hot, younger woman).  Turns out the teachers listed were wrong and it's his crush's Mom and now Ben's stuck.  But guess what, he's a natural knitter - and he really enjoys it!

       Basically, this book is set over the course of eight months and told through Ben's diary entries.  We get to meet his soccer/car obsessed Dad, his often on tour magician Mom and his crazy little sister Molly.  Also in supporting roles are his very memorable friends (one of whom he's editing an erotic book called "Fifty Shades of Graham" for!) who get him into plenty of trouble, Mrs. Frensham i.e. the lollipop lady he practically ran over, Megan (the girl he likes), the hot teacher Miss Swallow, and the women from his knitting class.  Everyone is well characterized, and we see Ben grow from someone unsure of himself and more of a follower, to a young man who has found something he loves to do and refuses to apologize for it.  Along the way he makes friends with some unlikely people and we get to see his big heart and hilarious turn of phrase.  I laughed out loud mutliple times while reading this, especially at Ben's mounting lies and the box of "shame" he hides under the bed with his knitting stuff.  The knitting competition at the end is the stuff comedies should be made of!  All in all, I super enjoyed it.  I am beyond the high school angst and Facebook obsessing over a crush, so I did roll my eyes a little.  But I highly recommend this book, because it's so much more than that.  Can't wait to read the next one!

VERDICT:  4/5 Stars

**I reviewed this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is March 24th, 2015.**

Another Murder, Another Day...

Published:  August 12th, 2013

Sleepy Hollow

By: Dax Varley

CreateSpace

ISBN-13:  9781499785999

Katrina is still haunted by her encounter with the Headless Horseman -- the night he beckoned to her.  Now he has risen again, slashing heads and terrorizing the quiet countryside.  Her only joy during this dismal darkness comes when Ichabod Crane, a gorgeous young man from Connecticut, moves to Sleepy Hollow and their attraction turns to romance.  When the Horseman marks Ichabod as his next victim, Katrina, despite dangerous efforts to save him, sees no other choice than for them to flee.  But the Horseman awaits.  Now it's up to her to sever the horror and alter the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Review

       Another retelling of the original Washington Irving story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  I went into this excited, but wary, because as a retelling from the female perspective (Katrina) it was a bit of a dicey concept.  You're talking about a girl from the late 1700s.  Just how interesting could she be, without the author making her too modern for the novel to work in the context it's meant to be in?  And that kind of turned out to be the biggest problem for this particular book.  In making Katrina a strong, independent girl, with dreams that extended beyond her life in the Hollow, the author also made her home life a bit unbelievable.  She and her friend Elise are entirely unchaperoned and allowed to chase after young men like there's no tomorrow.  Elise's obsession with Ichabod and the way she is all up on him is decidedly inappropriate for the late 1700s - it would have been absolutely disgraceful in real life.

       Also, the mystery of the Headless Horseman riding again, the murders and his motive for them, was very boring once it was revealed.  You spend the entire book trying to figure out how everything ties together and then in the last few pages finding out the identity of the "Horseman" really didn't make any sense and the reason for his haunting was stupid.  It had no connection to Katrina, so it really was weird why he haunted her - he had no reason to, as she wasn't part of his revenge.  And the hinting at the original Horseman haunting her was never followed up on, which was also disappointing.  The killing of Brom Bones disappointed me too, especially after Katrina seemed to realize that he was the better choice, over Ichabod Crane anyways.  He rescues Katrina from an impossible situation and almost certain death (while Ichabod just sits back and watches it all happen!) and then oops; Sorry, he's beheaded too!  He spent most of the book seeming like an asshole, then in his last few pages he became someone I cared about.  Brom also had hella more personality than Ichabod (even if it was mostly annoyingness and sexism).

     The romance between Ichabod and Katrina was very lackluster, insta-love type stuff and his behavior is very rakish towards her for the time period.  The way they carried on was absolutely scandalous.  And no one does anything about it!  All in all, it did have some wit to it and was amusing to read at certain points.  But mostly this book was boring, with characters who acted averse to their historical time period and a badly thought-out mystery.  I would recommend that if you're looking for a Hollow retelling, that you read Crane by Stacey Rourke instead!

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

*I  received this book from CreateSpace, on NetGalley.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book was published on August 12th, 2013.*

Bright and Fake Things...

Expected Publication:  January 6th, 2015

All the Bright Places

By: Jennifer Niven

Knopf

ISBN-13: 9780385755887

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor & Park in this compelling, exhilarating, and beautiful story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

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 Violet and Finch 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.

Review

     Violet used to be a happy-go-lucky cheerleader, and all-around popular high school student, who ran a blog with her sister Eleanor.  She was involved in extracurricular activities and had the perfect boyfriend.  Then she was in a horrible car crash that took away her sister, and left her drowning in her grief.  Now, almost a year later, Eleanor is barely making it day by day.  So when the school weirdo, Finch, finds her up on the ledge of the bell tower and talks her down, Violet is kind of annoyed with him.  Finch begins inserting himself into her life, with his inability to understand the word "no" and his larger than life, quirky personality.  Partnered for a project on state "wonders," Violet begins to let her guard down and live life again.  But Finch, who is struggling with crippling depressive episodes, is sliding further down as Violet climbs her way upward.  Can they save each other, or will their story be unable to find a happy ending?

     I have superbly mixed feelings about this book.  On one hand, the portrayal of depression in the character and behaviors of Finch, was very realistic and I appreciated that the author didn't diminish his struggles and make everything get resolved magically at the end of the book.  On the other hand, Finch's quirky, variant personality was a little too "different."  It was a case of the author trying to hard to make him interesting, unpredictable and relatable.  If I want to care about a character, he doesn't need to be so unique as to almost circle around again to Gary Stu status.  Violet was the opposite.  I really thought she was extremely dull, lifeless and just all-around two dimensional.  I understand that she's still grieving her sister, but it was like she was the personification of the color gray.  I liked the writing style and the literary quotes.  Some of the one-liners were awesome.  I just feel like this book spent so much time trying way too hard to be the next big thing, that it delved into cliche territory and overreached itself.  And the ending was believable, but at the same time, contrived to make the reader emotional and tearful.  I myself was emotionless and scoffing.  Overall a decent effort and definitely points for beautiful writing.  But really nothing all that memorable or special.

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is January 6th, 2015.*

You Would Cry Too If It Happened To You

Expected Publication:  September 30th, 2014

Party Games (Fear Street)

By: R.L. Stine

St. Martin's Griffin

ISBN-13:  9781250051615

Her friends warn her not to go to Brendan Fear's birthday party at his family's estate on mysterious Fear Island.  But Rachel Martin has a crush on Brendan and is excited to be invited.  Brendan has a lot of party games planned.  But one game no one planned intrudes on his party -- the game of murder.  As the guests start dying one by one, Rachel realizes to her horror that she and the other teenagers are trapped on the tiny island with someone who may want to kill them all.  How to escape this deadly game?  Rachel doesn't know whom she can trust.  She should have realized nothing is as it seems...on Fear Island.  

Review

     When I was a kid I used to devour R.L. Stine's books, like they were my favorite candy or something!  I read most of the Goosebumps books, plenty of the off-shoot series, and the choose your own fate books.  But my absolute favorites, were the Fear Street books.  Something about that creepy Fier/Fear family and their curse (along with their tendencies towards evil) really drew me in to their world.  Most of the stories take place on Fear Street itself, which seems to have absorbed its namesake's evil.  Some are about the history of Fear Street and some are about the present.  My favorites were always the ones that combined the two (i.e. the Fear Park trilogy, the Fear Street Saga series, & the Fear Street Sagas [completely different and not to be confused]).  This wasn't one of them, but that's okay!  I was still extremely excited to read it.  There's still a very childlike part of me that loves a good scare.

     This book centers around a girl named Rachel Martin, who is the definition of average.  She's nothing special lookswise, her sister got all the brains, she has a hard time socializing, and her family isn't wealthy.  In fact, Rachel's father lost his job recently and now works at the Wal*Mart a town away at significantly less pay.  Her Mom has been sick with Lyme disease and unable to work.  So Rachel has taken a job waitressing at Lefty's, the local teen hangout, to help with the bills.  Imagine her surprise when wealthy, interesting (if somewhat geeky) Brendan Fear invites her to his birthday party out on Fear Island.  She's always had a crush on Brendan, so she ignores the warnings of her best friend Amy and slightly creepy, possessive ex-boyfriend Mac.  She's going to the birthday party and she has a good time doing it - until people start turning up dead.  Is Rachel going to be the next victim?  Is the island really haunted?  Can she get out of there alive, or will the Fear family's curse of evil claim another victim?

     There have been better books in this series.  But there have been worse too and people need to remember, it's a less than 200-page, pulpy teen horror book.  It's not meant to have deep character development or even be that well-written.  It's sole purpose is to provide the aforementioned horror and bring some scariness into your life!  It was fun reading for me, even if it wasn't the next YA classic novel.  It had some especially creepy scenes, including the deaths (or were they?) of the other kids and a pit on the island that Rachel gets trapped in.  Probably the only thing I really though was overkill, was the taxidermist ghost.  It wasn't creepy, just kind of bizarre.  Also, Brendan Fear is a gamer geek and doesn't really have that spark of sadistic evil in him quite like the other men and women of his lineage.  It was a little disappointing.  The whole thing with the murders was something I had figured out almost immediately.  But then a secondary plotline I wasn't at ALL expecting hopped on the train!  Overall, I enjoyed reading it.  This book definitely took me back to a less complicated time and made me feel creeped out in the most delicious way.  I think it's a great step back into the pond for R.L. Stine and a good introduction to the series for new readers.  A solid effort, for the pulpy novel it is.

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

*I  received this book from St. Martin's Griffin, on NetGalley.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  The expected publication date is September 30th, 2014.*

Shattered Hearts and Broken Things

Expected Publication:  December 23rd, 2014

This Shattered World (Starbound #2)

By:  Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Disney-Hyperion

ISBN-13:  9781423171034

Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.

Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reasons for hating the insurgents.

Rebellion is in Flynn's blood.  Terraforming corporations make their fortune by recruiting colonists to make the inhospitable planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children.  But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.

Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelenting war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her as prisoner.  But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever.  He and Lee escape the rebel base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.

Review

     This had all the important things that the first book had: adventure, outer space intrigue, romance and character development.  Lots of conflict to keep me busy as a reader.  Yet, I didn't quite connect immediately with Lee or Flynn, quite like I did with Tarver and Lilac in the first book.  Maybe because Lee and Flynn seem to have a much clearer understanding of who they are and where they belong, etc. (not that this lasts for the entire book, but it didn't draw me in to have such self-assured characters).  Maybe it's because I'm such so insecure myself.  Also, Flynn came across as a pretty big idiot.  You're part of a fairly big rebellion, and your first instinct is to kidnap one of the opposing leaders when you have the chance.  Did he honestly believe he could convince his people to peacefully let her go once they had what they wanted?  As if!  Dreamworld buddy, total dreamworld - especially since his sister had been a violent rebellion leader herself, executed for her actions.

     Honestly, Lee was my favorite character and I still wasn't all that attached to her for whatever reason.  I did enjoy the flashbacks into her past.  It gives a deeper insight into the character, especially when you realize the purpose behind them and why Lee never seems to acknowledge these remembrances/hallucinations at all.  The romance in this one just felt too cliched and rehearsed to me.  It never really rang true.  I seem to be in the minority here, so don't mind me - form your own opinions!  So as not to spoil all that much, I will say that the ending resolves the conflict very nicely.  I think any further books will be about different characters again.  The conflict with the corporation owned by Lilac's father has a lot more mileage left in it for Kaufman and Spooner before it starts to get tired.  My favorite part was cameo by Lilac and Tarver (both of whom play a part in the climax of the action, near the end of the book).  I recommend reading this if you've read the first one and it really is a solid second series book.  It just wasn't anything special to me personally.

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

**I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is December 23rd, 2014.**

Sweet as a Magnolia Blossom

Published:  August 5th, 2014
Magnolia 
By: Kristi Cook
Simon & Schuster
ISBN-13:  9781442485358

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty.  Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbeques, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage.  So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents' wishes.  They're only seventeen, for goodness' sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other!  Jemma can't stand Ryder's nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing more than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn't exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma's and Ryder's true feelings for each other as the two discover the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.

Review

     Jemma Cafferty is pretty much the perfect daughter for her parents: obedient, sweet, cheerleading and straight A student.  But she's beginning to want more for her life than they do, starting with film school in far away New York City.  Ryder Marsden is the local high school's football hero, the golden boy-next-door and he used to be Jemma's childhood friend.  Their families have been tied together for generations, since the Civil War when one of her ancestors saved one of his from death.  The Caffertys and the Marsdens have been wanting to unite by marriage but there's never been an eligible boy/girl pair - until now.  Too bad Jemma and Ryder had a falling out in eighth grade, and have hated each other's guts ever since!  But with a family emergency throwing Jemma's household for a loop and sending her parents away right before a hurricane blows in, can Jemma work with Ryder to secure the house and the animals through the raging storm?  And will they finally clear up an old misunderstanding, that's been keeping them separated for far too long?

     I loved the growth and development we see on the part of both Emma and Ryder.  They start out in blinded dislike, and the storm causes them to look at each other in completely different ways.  The ways Emma is a less-than fragile southern girl, full of etiquette but also able to outshoot any man in town and with a gun that she's given a name.  Ryder is dealing with the pressure of being his parents' only child and therefore the only one to shoulder all their hopes and dreams of the future.  Basically, Ryder and Jemma are star-crossed because they are both stubborn, and so contrary that they refuse to give one another a chance, solely because of their parents' expectations.  The romance is a slow-build and it is pretty swoon-worthy!  Even though it takes time for them to come around, once they do it is HOT, HOT, HOT!!!  The family dynamics in this one are also something that is wonderful.  With the crisis going on in Jemma's family, we get to see the relationships between her, her sister, their mom and their dad, as they cope with something they have no control over.  Plus, nothing like a natural disaster to bring people together!  Overall, a sweet fluffy, contemporary YA romance that has a cute beginning, middle and a fitting ending.  I'd definitely recommend it unless you need your books to be conflict-heavy and don't like fluff!

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is August 5th, 2015.*

Creeping Up Behind You

Published:  April 15th, 2014
Don't Look Back
By: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Disney Hyperion
ISBN-13:  9781423187738

Samantha is a stranger in her own life.  Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all - popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her before that night.  As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it's one she no longer wants any part of.  The old Sam took "mean girl" to a whole new level, and it's clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies.  Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery.  She's getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she's falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her - even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts of what happened to her that night isn't just buried deep inside of Sam's memory - someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet.  All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on.  But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

Review

     Sam is found wandering barefoot and bruised, far from home and with no memory of anything in her life before that moment.  She's been missing for days, and while everyone is relieved to see her, there is just one important question left: where is Cassie?  Sam's best friend disappeared at the same time as she did and hasn't returned, or been heard from since.  With the help of her parents and her twin brother Scott, as strange to her as they may be, Sam feels like she might be able to get a handle on herself soon.  But then she goes back to school and finds out that she is basically head bitch, and her boyfriend Del is far from the perfect guy everyone thinks.  The only one she seems to be able to trust is Carson Ortiz, the son of her family's groundskeeper.  They used to be friends, and he looked out for her even after Sam started treating him like a dirtbag.  Mysterious notes begin showing up in impossible places and the hidden secrets and lies of everyone in Sam's life make everyone a suspect.  Where is Cassie and what really happened to her?  Most frightening of all, is Sam going to be next?
     I have been a fan of Jennifer Armentrout's since I first read Obsidian, the first book in her Lux series (one of my first review books, actually).  So now, more than a few books later, I was intrigued to see her take a hand at mysteries in a style that reminded me a bit of the Lois Duncan books I was obsessed with in the late 90s to early 2000s.  The writing itself is extremely solid and gives just enough description to draw you in, just like with all her other books.  I kept reading, because I desperately wanted to know what happened next!  I quite liked Sam, though she did seem to take the amnesia thing rather too well.  And the attitude of acceptance towards the possessive and borderline brutish behavior of her so-called boyfriend Del, was a little bit off-putting.  It's mostly a matter of how you would react in a situation where you have no memories of anything or anyone, to tell you who to trust or how to act/react to things that are happening.  Especially when you're in a situation where someone potentially murdered your best friend/frenemie and could murder you if you recover from your amnesia.
     The build-up and resolution the the mystery of Cassie's disappearance/death was not all that surprising.  I was pretty sure by the time I was about halfway through who had done it.  Jennifer managed to drop a couple really emphasized remarks that served as some big, honkin' clues to who the murderer was and what exact motive they might have had.  It was very neatly tied up and I enjoyed the character transformation that Sam undergoes throughout the book and I liked that by the time the end came, she did get her memory back.  Change isn't true change until you can make a choice based on all the facts and experiences involved.  The brother/sister relationship rebuild between Sam and Scott was wonderful and yes, they didn't get along all the time.  But that's what made it that much more realistic.  And he stood by her, even when they had previously been enemies and he could've been an asshole instead.  True family bonds, people, are a thing of beauty.  The romance between Carson and Sam was pretty swoony and I enjoyed it, but I was also glad it wasn't the focus of the entire book.  All in all, I enjoyed this one but it was a little more two-dimensional than Armentrout's normal work and the mystery could've used something extra.

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Selling Hell To a Bishop

Expected Publication:  September 16th, 2014

Sway

By: Kat Spears

St. Martin's Griffin

ISBN-13:  9781250051431

In Kat Spears' hilarious and often poignant debut, high school senior Jesse Alderman, or "Sway," as he's known, could sell hell to a bishop.  He also specializes in getting things people want -- term papers, a date with the prom queen, fake IDs.  He has few close friends and he never EVER lets emotions get in the way.  For Jesse, life is simply a series of business transactions.

But when Ken Foster, captain of the football team, leading candidate for homecoming King, and all-around jerk, and hires Jesse to help him win the heart of the angelic Bridget Smalley, Jesse finds himself feeling all sorts of things.  While following Bridget and learning the intimate details of her life, he falls helplessly in love for the first time.  He also finds himself in an accidental friendship with Bridget's belligerent and self-pitying younger brother who has cerebral palsy.  Suddenly, Jesse is visiting old folks at a nursing home in order to run into Bridget, and offering his time to help the less fortunate, all the while developing a bond with this young man who idolizes him.  Could the tin man really have a heart after all?

Review

     So, this book turned around my reading slump in the best of ways.  I feel like there has been very little amazing contemporary romance/whatever in my reading so far this year.  I actually picked this up expecting absolutely nothing, and the description of this as yet another Cyrano De Bergerac knock-off did nothing to interest me.  I got this through the tour site I'm part of on a fleeting whim.  Boy am I ever glad that I did!  This one is told in first-person, by the main character Jesse, whose sense of humor and choice of language leave a lot to be desired.  Not to mention the less than legal activities he is most well known for among the other kids at his school - even the adults come to him asking for favors!  The overall tone and balance of emotion and humor reminded me of two of my favorite contemporary reads of last year, Cherry Money Baby and Firecracker.

     Jesse "Sway" Alderson is the go-to guy for anything you want: drugs, exam papers, favors of an indeterminate nature and whatever else you want - for a price.  So when Ken Foster, the moronic asshole captain of the football team, comes to Jesse asking for help with getting the saintly Bridget Smalley as his girlfriend, Jesse agrees to do it.  But following Bridget around and getting to know her causes Jesse to grow a conscience and fall in love.  How can he let Bridget be with Ken, knowing the whole thing is a lie?  And what effect will all the deceit, growing feelings and new friendships out of random circumstance have on the rest of his life?  Can Sway make things right, or will Jesse be stuck cleaning up the biggest mess he's ever made?

     Jesse doesn't care to censor himself.  He just says whatever pops into his head first, consequences be damned, and I truly admire that!  There are a lot of people in his life: his gothy and sarcastic best friend Joey, his distant alcoholic father, Carter from the football team, a drug dealer named Digger, truly scary supplier Skinhead Rob, and his ex-girlfriend Heather.  But he never really connects to anyone until he meets cranky Mr. Dunkleman at the old folk's home and uses him as his pretend grandfather.  Another nail in the coffin was the shine he takes to Bridget's kid brother Pete, always calling him on his shit and never treating him as disabled because of his condition.  He calls Pete retarded to his face!  The romance in this was sweet, but this book was more about self-realization than anything.  What can we do to fix things, when we realize that our entire life is built around a philosophy that could cause us to lose the one thing we actually want?  Another big part of this book is Jesse coming to terms with living again after his mother's death by way of pill overdose.  He doesn't know whether to feel everything or nothing at all.  I loved that the ending isn't wrapped in a neat little bow, with every loose thread tied up.  We never do see whether Pete and Jesse get close again after their blowout.  Or the fallout of Skinhead Rob's ultimatum.  The open-endedness was nice for a change though.  A lot more like real life!  I absolutely love this book and if you want to be an emotional yo-yo, you should just pick it up already!

Favorite Quotes:

"Why do you call him that?" Pete asked.  "Sway?"

"Because he is sway," Carter said simply.  Pete looked at me but I just shook my head and turned to stare out the plate glass window at the deserted main street.

"But what does it mean?" Pete asked.

"You never heard of sway?" Carter asked, baffled by Pete's question.  "No."

Carter shrugged.  "Sway ain't somethin' you can define.  A brother who's got sway is the man -- don't have to try to be cool, just ...is.  Jesse's as cool as the underside of my pillow.  He's so slick, he could convince you that I'm white, have you believin' it like it's gospel."  

Carter turned his attention to me as he said, "I thought you were ed-you-catin' this boy."

In the haze between consciousness and oblivion I mumbled crazy shit and started to shake with the cold.  Joey covered me with a blanket, then curled up on her narrow bed beside me and held me close as she stroked my hair.  Carter sat behind the bend in my legs and they warmed me with the heat from their bodies.

"I wanted to die," I said into my chest, my voice a grunt as I jerked with another shudder of cold.  "I want to die."

"I know," Joey said, and shushed me and kissed me on the forehead.  "I know.  But you can't die.  If you die, I'll be all alone."

"Shit," Carter said, and I felt him start to shake with quiet sobs as I drifted into the black.

Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" drifted through the air from Joey's iPod, and I remember thinking how appropriate it would be to die listening to that song.

VERDICT:  5/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is September 16th, 2014.*

Witch Rhymes With.....

Published:  June 10th, 2014

Hexed (The Witch Hunter #1)

By: Michelle Krys

Delacorte Press

ISBN-13:  9780385743372

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made.  Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won't stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school.  Who wouldn't want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes.  And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen.  But it's when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie's world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties.  If she doesn't get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die.  And that's seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she's a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie's about to uncover the many dark truths about her life -- and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

Review

     This book started out weird, but it had some potential.  The main character, Indigo "Indie" Blackwood, is a beautiful, popular high school cheerleader.  Her biggest problem right now is her competitive frenemy Bianca, who may or may not be attempting to steal Indie's hot footballer boyfriend, Devon.  So when some guy seemingly kills himself and Indie witnesses it, things begin to fall out of wack.  He's holding a paper with the address of Indie's family occult shop on it.  But it doesn't mean anything, right?  Then the family Bible is stolen, and it's up to Indie to retrieve it before there are horrific consequences - like end of the world-type consequences!  It turns out that the Bible holds the key to killing witches, and the sorcerers they are at war with would like nothing more than to unlock the secrets.  Since Indie is apparently a witch, it could be her own life on the line.  With the help of Bishop, a hot and mysterious member of "the Family" (the main Witch community heads of power), and her nerdy neighbor Paige, it's up to Indie to save what's left of her family, her own life and the rest of her race.  Can the three of them do it before it's too late?

     Obvious issues with it, but it doesn't sound like it could be all that bad, right?  WRONG!!!  What starts out with the basic threads to lead into a coherent and more detailed plot, devolves into a complete and total train wreck.  Indie herself displays almost constant stupidity after finding out about the reality of magic, witches and the evil sorcerers after the family Bible and by association, her.  She keeps rushing headlong into dangerous and intense situations, under the guise of stubbornness when really she's just too dumb to reason out a better solution.  Both of the guys Indie is involved with are sexist, asshole pigs.  Devon cheats on her with her "best" friend Bianca, and then has the gall to ask her to go to Homecoming with him, just because they already had plans!  And Bishop, the "mysterious" bad-boy type, is a dickwad to Indie.  He basically talks circles around her, neglects to actually explain anything about being a witch and makes fun of her at every opportunity he gets (for being a cheerleader, her clothes, the way she talks, even the girl her boyfriend chooses over her).  And this d-bag is someone I'm supposed to like?  Not mention his tattoo of naked Betty Boop on his neck.  What a f**king pervert.  The love triangle later on with a girl named JEZEBEL (yes, you read that right! NO SUBTLETY!) just worsens my opinion of all these characters, if you can even call them that.

      The battles with the sorcerer henchmen are a pathetic cluster fuck, and even the scene when SPOILER Indie's mom is put into a movie screen and killed by a savage tiger SPOILER was more of a WTF confusion moment than anything else.  The mythology of the witches was convoluted and attempted some genealogical, DNA explanation that made about zero sense to me (not that I'm all that scientifically knowledgeable - but my 10th grade Bio education calls bullshit on this one).  Also, the revelations about her Mom's witch status and her irresponsible Aunt Penny's, made no sense in the context they were used.  The fact of what Aunt Penny was hiding made no sense - unless she's evil.  Probably what will happen in the next book.  Not to mention, "Hey guys, I know you've been looking for the SPESHUL BIBLE THINGY but it's an EFFING DECOY!!!  The only character I didn't want to drop kick in this book was Paige, who was way too nice to Indie, who was obviously using her for her own gain.  And also, a fucking Jay-Z concert?  Why not just a freaking dinner-movie date?  Or something that was, y'know, in the realm of actual believability?  I'm going to stop here, although the scenes with the magic and their pitiful plotting and description (i.e. next to none) take the cake.  I am only marking this as high as I am because of the fact that I finished it.  Won't be torturing myself further.

VERDICT:  1/5  Stars

**I  received this book from Delacorte Books, on NetGalley.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book was published June 10th, 2014.**

Stubborn Blog Tour - Review and GIVEAWAY ($20 INT. Amazon Gift Card)!!!!!

TOUR SCHEDULE: http://www.itchingforbooks.com/2014/02/blog-tour-sign-upstubborn-by-jeanne.html

Release date: January 6th 2014

Purchase: Amazon

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19211063-stubborn

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

With a train ticket, a bad attitude, and an unfortunate scribbling of obscenities across her forehead, seventeen-year-old Avery Ross is tossed out of the frying pan and into the fire when she’s sent from New York to the vast oil field region of North Dakota. When a green-eyed boy with a sultry Texan accent comes to her defense, Avery has no clue that his actions will lead her into a passion-charged summer, full of temptation and loss. 

Defiant and relegated to work at her aunt’s boarding house, Avery discovers a connection between her aunt and the striking boy. He and his brothers are seeking revenge for the wrongful death of their sibling, and Avery becomes entangled in their battle over oil rights, loyalty, and love. Avery falls for the brooding, younger brother, Gabriel Halden, against her aunt’s forewarnings and creates more tribulations than any of them could anticipate.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeanne Arnold is the author of STUBBORN and other young adult romances. At a young age she found her creative outlet in art, and for years her fictional characters came to life in drawings and paintings, until they demanded a voice. Now they grace the pages of her stories. Jeanne shares her time with her fictional teenage counterparts and her human family in Central New York. 

www.jeannearnoldbooks.com | http://twitter.com/jeannesbooks

Review

     Avery has been sent to oil field rich North Dakota after getting in trouble at home.  Summer with her Aunt Meggie isn't something she's expecting to be very interesting.  After all, she's not there to have fun.  Then she meets the Halden brothers and they totally turn her life upside down...especially the youngest one, Gabriel.  But the boys are still recovering from the death of their older brother Eli, especially Gabriel who it hit the hardest.  Gabe is also still trying to take down Hunt, the guy he holds responsible for the drunk driving accident that killed Eli - and the guy that stole his girlfriend Jordan, who was also in the car.  Avery has her own issues and Gabe definitely isn't looking for a girlfriend, and flat out tells her so.  But they keep being drawn together, inexplicably and sparks are flying.  Now if only it didn't seem like his brothers (epsecially suggestive, flirtatious Caleb), her Aunt Meggie, and the whole universe were conspiring to keep them apart!  Can Avery get through to Gabe before it's too late, or will he just let her slip through his fingers?

     I kind of fell in love with this book.  The summary doesn't really do it all that much justice!  I loved Avery as a heroine so much!  She's just a regular, smart-mouther, tough as nails girl - but she definitely has a vulnerable side that she tries to hide from everyone.  I loved the reasons for the swear words on her forehead!  She consistently made me laugh out loud and her banter with Gabe and his brothers, Caleb and Lane (Caleb especially), was hilarious.  I loved the complexity to these characters, and how even when Gabe was pulling away he'd have moments that completely melted your heart.  And Caleb was a lascivious asshole, who kept hitting on Avery but Jeanne still managed to make me like him!  Probably my least favorite thing was how Jordan was portrayed as a complete and total moron, and like she could've left Hunt's abusive ass at any time.  Anyone who's ever suffered abuse of any type knows that its never that easy.  As one of my favorite T.V. characters ever once said, "We accept the love that we think we deserve."  It is extremely true, not to mention she was motivated by a fear for her own life as well.  Not that I liked the character (she was a sometimes underhanded, bitch in my opinion).  But the abuse storyline could have been played out better.  

     Aunt Meggie was wonderful and I loved the subplot involving her own romantic life and I loved Avery's cousin Josh (maybe a book about him in the future?), who was typical teenage boy, but loyal to a fault.  And you could tell he really loved his Mom and his cousin.  The characters and situations were just SO REAL in this book!  Getting caught making out in the car by a family member, climbing in bedroom windows, and no one was a "damaged drug-addict/rock star/billionaire that needed saving (I don't count Gabe, because its his Dad's money not his).  This was a New Adult book that I could be proud to recommend to a friend and it definitely stands out from the crowd.  Never once did I feel like I was reading a Mary Sue, written in by the author trying to live through her character.  This book exemplifies what I love about romance and the reality that sometimes teenagers are stupid and do stupid things - that doesn't mean that they can't surprise us.  I highly recommend this one!

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

**I received an ARC from the author and tour host for the purpose of this blog tour. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published January 6th, 2014.**

**GIVEAWAY**

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First Impression: A Shadow Maven Paranormal Blog Tour - Review and Giveaway!!!

TOUR SCHEDULE: Itching for Books: BLOG TOUR~First Impression by Pauline Creeden

Release date: March 31st 2014

Publisher: Altwit Press

Purchase: Amazon

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20618864-first-impression

BOOK SYNOPSIS:

Chira Kelly thought she didn’t need anyone…until she met Ben. 

Because of one ugly rumor, Chira lives as an outcast at her school. Which is fine with her, because she works better alone. Always has, always will. And at least she has her one and only true friend, Tasha. 

When Tasha insists that they join a group to visit a possibly haunted abandoned old schoolhouse, she's wary, but joins her friend. Because of that decision, their lives are in jeopardy as a malevolent spirit targets the group. Tragedies and accidents pick them off one by one, and Chira finds herself drawn to the one person who can see the truth. But can he protect her?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy. 

www.paulinecreeden.com | @P_Creeden | facebook.com/paulinecreeden

Review

      The quick and dirty: this book is the story of Chira Kelly, a teenaged outcast with only one friend, a girl named Tasha.  The two girls look out for each other and take on the world together.  But things start to shake up when the new kid, Ben, starts to become a permanent fixture in Chira's life.  Especially after the incident at the haunted old schoolhouse, where Tasha ends up in a coma after being hit by a car and ther other classmates involved are being picked off one by one.  Can Ben and his cousin Matt find a way to keep Chira safe, or is she the next to be "taken care of"?  And is it something supernatural like they think, or something all too human that is getting rid of the kids?

     This is a pretty short novel, clocking in shy of 200 pages.  It reminded me a lot of those paperback thriller books I used to read as a teen, like the Fear Street books and the Vampire Diaries series.  I really enjoyed the characters in this book, with Chira being a strong heroine who refuses to just let a guy take over her life.  I loved the strong friendship between her and Tasha, which included a love between her and Tasha's family (her parents and little brother) that was very much real.  It's very present in the book when Tasha is hit by a car and put into a coma.  Chira is practically a family member, with the way she's treated.  Which is good for her, because she has a mean, verbally abusive stepfather at home and a mother who loves her, but is always working.  I agree with other readers that this one takes quite some time for anything to happen, but I was enjoying myself anyways, just reading about the characters!  

     Probably my main complaint would be how rushed the mystery aspect seemed.  I felt like the disappearances/murders in the neighboring county were thrown in at the last minute, to give some very unsubtle foreshadowing as to how it would all resolve.  It was like the author couldn't quite choose between a completely supernatural mystery and a mundane one.  It felt slightly confused to me.  The dynamic of Chira, Ben (the guy she's crushing on) and Matt (his cousin) builds into a strong friendship by the end of the book.  Their scenes during lunch period on the roof cracked me up!  Overall, I enjoyed it and I'd be interested in reading more by this author.  It was a quick, fun read! :D

VERDICT:  3.5/5 Stars

*I received an ARC from the author and tour host for the purpose of this blog tour. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published March 31st, 2014.*

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