REVIEW: Perfect (Flawed #2) by Cecelia Ahern

Perfect (Flawed #2) by Cecelia Ahern

Publication Date: April 4, 2017

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: Received from Publisher 

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

*This eARC was received from the publisher, but it did not influence this review in any way *


My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Celestine North is Flawed.

Ever since Judge Crevan declared her the number one threat to the public, she has been a ghost, on the run with Carrick, the only person she can trust.

But Celestine has a secret—one that could bring the entire Flawed system crumbling to the ground. A secret that has already caused countless people to go missing.

Judge Crevan is gaining the upper hand, and time is running out for Celestine. With tensions building, Celestine must make a choice: save just herself or risk her life to save all Flawed people.

After Flawed, we find Celestine on the run from the Guild and trying to figure out how to reconcile her life while also making an impact on the lives of the Flawed community in which she is now a part of. Through all of the chaos that goes on in this story I love that there is so much character development for Celestine and her friends. Her growth into a women of character, strength, and grit was so refreshing to see because in the first book she was selfish, naive, and just overall annoying to read. I love that we get to see a totally different side to her sister, as well. I think all the characters went through a major come up in this book and we got to see who was really there for Celestine and who wasn't.

This is a story about prejudice, bravery, and the human condition. I loved (and secretly hated) the concept of this dystopian world because it felt way too real for me. It left me with the taste of possibility as I considered our current society and the capabilities of hateful people and how far they're willing to go. The pacing of the story felt a lot smoother than the first book which made it a lot easier to follow and kept me interested the entire time.

Overall, this was one the best follow up's to a series i've read in a while. I loved this duology as a whole but this book really brought everything together and gave the story a good close with resolution.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys reading Dystopians. If you haven't read it yet--what are you waiting for!?

REVIEW: Flawed (Flawed #1) by Cecelia Ahern

Flawed (Flawed #1) by Cecelia Ahern

Publication Date: April 5, 2016

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: OwlCrate Subscription 

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

You will be punished…

Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found flawed.

In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where perfection is paramount and flaws lead to punishment. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.

All the stars for this one, guys! I mean I absolutely loved reading this book!

The society in this world is one where doing unethical things will deem you a flawed person. Illegal acts are handled the same way as our current society but unethical acts are handled a bit differently. If you perform an unethical act, you are tried for said act. If you are found guilty of being flawed, which everyone usually is, the judges will determine what branding you will receive as punishment to let the world know that you were unethical and branded flawed by society. That premise alone was enough to keep me intrigued the entire time just waiting to see how everything turned out.

Celestine, our MC, is a teenaged girl who always follows the rules...until one day she doesn't. For purposes which are unclear to her family and friends at the time, Celestine breaks the rules to help a Flawed citizen in front of a large group of people. I think her actions were admirable for doing what she did and I love the person she becomes after she finally realizes that what she did was not an accident. Realizing that human kindness is not a flaw at all was inspirational to read and the people of this society needed this dose of reality because their views were seriously skewed!

Overall, I truly loved reading this book and losing myself in this world with Celestine and her friends. I can't wait to get my hands on the next installment, Perfect. 

REVIEW: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Publication Date: June 16, 2015

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: Gifted to Reviewer 

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):


If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

This book is called Every Last Word and you know what? For me that's what it was. I literally cannot even find the words to describe how I feel after reading it. I was completely enamored with this book from the moment I opened it and as soon as I turned the last page and closed the cover for the final time. I knew that I was in utter shock of how impressed I was with how the story turned out. To sum it up, i'll give you three words (in honor of Sam)-- glue sticks galore!

This story touches a little bit on depression and anxiety while also focusing on mental disorders and bullying. These are all some really important and heavy topics. I think this normally would have been fairly difficult to accomplish successfully, but the author does such a wonderful job at combining all these topics into one story while also giving it a realistic feel and a romantic feel at the same time. Kudos, Ms. Stone, for a job well done!

Sam, the MC who has OCD, was such a great character to meet and grow with. I loved seeing her growth from the beginning of the story to the very end. I think her story was believable and relatable to many young readers, even ones who don't have OCD, because many people go through the same situations as she did. From the crazy, backstabbing friends to the unplanned love interest with the most unlikely person...these things really happen and many people can relate to how everything was dealt with throughout the book.

Something else that I really loved about this book was the poetry. I've been a huge fan of poetry my entire life and from the moment I read that first poem to the moment I read the very last poem, my heart was so very full. It's such a great talent to be able to express yourself through poetry and I loved how the author was able to express so many emotions and sentiments through the eyes of so many different characters. It's a skill not many people (including authors) possess. 

Also important to note that I feel like I need to search the world to find my own version of Caroline because I truly believe that she is the best friend I never had (even though I already have the BEST best friends lol.) She's such a strong and loyal friend to Sam and it breaks my heart when we finally see how her story plays out. I wish that I could bottle up her essence and use it whenever I need to feel brave or smart or caring because those are just some of her qualities that I could always use more of. She's an inspiration to us all. 

Overall, I really loved this book and I wish I could expand my knowledge of the english language just so I could properly describe to you all what this book truly means to me. It's definitely a must read. If this book isn't already on your TBR--add it pronto!