REVIEW: The Night We Said Yes (The Night We Said Yes #1) by Lauren Gibaldi

The Night We Said Yes (The Night We Said Yes #1) by Lauren Gibaldi

Publication Date: June 16, 2015

Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: Book Purchased by Reviewer

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble


My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.

But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan.

And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.

The Night We Said Yes is perfect for anyone looking for a cute and fun read. Filled with romance and heartbreak and lots of questions to keep you intrigued and happy while reading. We go back and forth between the past and present with our main character, Ella, and her ex boyfriend/current love interest Matt. All we know is that Matt up and left Ella a year ago without any explanation or reasoning as to why. Then on this very special night he shows up again and Ella's world is thrown for a whirlwind. We're the lucky few that get to go on that whirlwind journey with her to learn why he left and why he's back and why he's looking at her like he still cares about her. SO MANY QUESTIONS....

I always think there's something special about a book that takes place in one day. So many options and possibilities about what can happen and where the story will go in the short time we're in this world with the characters.  I like stories with positive outcomes and growth and lots of love so this book was right on target for me. The idea of having just one night to say yes to everything with no fear or hesitation. Well, maybe a little hesitation but at some point you just end up having so much fun you dont even second guess anything anymore. It feels carefree and beautiful, just the kind of night I'd LOVE to have with my own friends and boyfriend!

Ella, our MC, was relatable in the sense that we can all feel her pain and sadness (and anger) when it comes to the breakup and Matt just disappearing then reappearing in her life. She wants answers and she';; do anything to get them...no matter how upsetting they may be! So even though she did seem a tad immature to me I still liked her because I related to her in many ways.

Then we have Matt, bad boy that up and left out MC for no apparent reason!! Well he eventually tells Ella why he left, and even though I don't think it's the most valid excuse I also realize that it is to him so who am I to argue with that!?

Overall, I loved the story and the magic of a night filled with yes' and endless possibilities! So if you love fun, cute reads with a little romance and a lot of whimsy then pick this book up and give it a shot! This one was an especially fun read for me!

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: If You Wrong Us by Dawn Klehr

If You Wrong Us by Dawn Klehr

Publication Date: October 1, 2015

Publisher: Flux
Source: Book Purchased by Reviewer

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):


Becca and Johnny become entangled after a car crash steals the lives of two people they love. Officially, the crash is an accident. But Becca and Johnny are convinced: someone did this.

As they plot revenge against the person responsible, a bond—intense, unyielding, and manic—takes hold of them. And in an unexpected turn of events, they fall for each other.

Or so they think.

In an upside-down world where decay is beautiful and love and hate become one, Becca and Johnny find themselves grappling with reality. Nothing is exactly what it seems, including what they've come to believe about the crash. Question is: will they learn the truth before it's too late?

No. The question is: when they learn the truth, will they care?

I fell in love with the synopsis of this book when I randomly saw it one day at B&N. I love going to bookstores to find all the books i've been eagerly waiting for but i'm also a big believer in fate leading me to random books. So I instantly knew I would love this one.

This book goes back and forth between the POV's of Becca and Johnny. Alternating between the present in Johnny's view and the past in Becca's view. The event that brings these two together is a car accident involving Becca's twin sister, Johnny's mother, and a third party who shall remain nameless for the time being.

Before the accident, Becca and Johnny had no concrete connection to each other. Then, in a chance meeting at the accident site, they became closer and began their journey down this twisted and sad rabbit hole. In an attempt to exact revenge on the person Becca believes to be the culprit behind the car accident, they both do things that they regret. From beginning to end, being able to see the character arc for both of these two MC's was incredible. The Becca and Johnny that we see in the beginning of the book are not the same Becca and Johnny we see at the end of the book.  Being able to watch these two separate view points unfold had me captivated the entire time--hook, line, and sinker!

Becca becomes completely obsessed with getting revenge on the person she thinks is responsible for the death of her sister and she convinces Johnny to join her in her plan. Without giving away too much, i'll let you know that one of the two narrators was slightly disturbed and seemed a bit unstable throughout the book. The other narrator was completely naive and gullible. Seeing the true personalities of these characters while listening to their thoughts about each other was so fun to read. I also really loved that little plot twist in the end. It completely threw me off and I had no idea it was coming.

Overall, this book was a fun and quick read and i'm so happy I picked it up. Though there were a few unanswered questions in the end, they were minor and didn't take away from the story. If this book is on your TBR, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

REVIEW: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Publication Date: October 27, 2015

Publisher: Delacorte Press
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):

Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo secretly dreams of becoming a writer—a newspaper reporter like the trailblazing Nellie Bly.

Wild aspirations aside, Jo’s life seems perfect until tragedy strikes: her father is found dead. Charles Montfort accidentally shot himself while cleaning his revolver. One of New York City’s wealthiest men, he owned a newspaper and was partner in a massive shipping firm, and Jo knows he was far too smart to clean a loaded gun.

The more Jo uncovers about her father’s death, the more her suspicions grow. There are too many secrets. And they all seem to be buried in plain sight. Then she meets Eddie—a young, brash, infuriatingly handsome reporter at her father’s newspaper—and it becomes all too clear how much she stands to lose if she keeps searching for the truth. Only now it might be too late to stop.

The past never stays buried forever. Life is dirtier than Jo Montfort could ever have imagined, and the truth is the dirtiest part of all.


So this is my first Jennifer Donnelly novel and I have to say that I absolutely loved it and can't wait to get my hands on more of her work. Historical fiction has never really been my cup of tea, but when it has a young adult feel like this one it definitely hits the spot. Jo Montfort is a bright young woman with a bright future. Even though her family has mapped out her entire life, she always has the urge to do and be so much more than what she is. I find that she has to constantly hold back her true self. Jo stands out as a rebel with a penchant for trouble and when she meets Eddie Gallagher she finds herself becoming the person she was always meant to be.

Jo has such a brave and strong personality and it got to shine bright every time she was investigating with Eddie, but there were some situations that I feel like she really could have avoided if she had just listened to him instead making her own decisions. I loved that Jo had so many big dreams for herself during a time when her freedom was so very limited. I especially liked that there were so many strong females available for her to be so heavily influenced by. The tragedy behind her fathers mysterious death was just as frustrating for her as it was for me because there were so many factors that we learned and in the end it's like she didn't even know her father all that well. I always feel bad when characters find out harsh truths about a person they loved.

I have to say that my absolute favorite character was Fay. I feel like Fay was such a real depiction of what it's like to have a hard life in any time period. She was such a strong character and a little bit scary in the beginning but once you got to know her you saw how fiercely loyal and protective she was. She saved Jo more times than I can count and the friendship they form over time was my favorite relationship to see. Fay needed a real friend and Jo needed a reality check so the two of them were able to learn so much from each other. I also loved that Fay wasn't forgotten in the happy ending department because of all the characters in this story, no one deserved it more than her.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for any Historical Fiction junkie and even all YA lovers because this book was the perfect mix of both!

REVIEW: How to Rid Your Swimming Pool of a Bloodthirsty Mermaid (Slug Pie Story #2)

How to Rid Your Swimming Pool of a Bloodthirsty Mermaid (Slug Pie Story #2) by Mick Bogerman

Publication Date: July 24, 2014

Publisher: Slug Pie Stories, LLC
Source: Received from Publisher 

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

*This book 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):

All Mick Bogerman wanted to do was teach his little brother how to swim in the coolest swimming pool in town. He didn't ask to take care of a bunch of Sea-Monkeys while he was there. He certainly didn't mean to morph one of them into a mermaid by feeding it genetically enhanced super food. No one is more surprised than Mick when the creature starts luring unsuspecting adults into the deep end of the pool. Adults who don't resurface. Join Mick as he battles a powerful adversary: a bloodthirsty mermaid who hypnotizes with a golden gaze, shatters glass with a piercing shriek, and reveals her true menacing self by the light of a full moon.

Here we are again with the coolest kid i've ever met, Mick Bogerman. I mean seriously guys, this kid gets into the craziest adventures i've ever seen. This time we meet Mick and his little brother Finley as Mick wants to teach him how to swim. After the whole debacle that was Zombie Cave Mick is worried his brother not being able to swim will eventually spell doom, as it almost did in Zombie Cave! I won't give you any details of that book without you reading the book first, but I will say that it's so much fun and kind of scary. See my review here.

The mermaid swimming in PJ's pool used to be just a sea monkey, until Mick accidentally gave her some super food when PJ asked him to feed the sea monkeys. Yes, that means there was more than one in the bowl. I'm sure you can use your imagination to figure out what happened to the other sea monkeys after they ate the super food and ended up with only one mermaid in the pool. The events that ensue are pretty crazy and I have to say that I think this is the "darkest" Bogerman story so far. I wish I could give you more information on the book but since they are so short anything I say will give away the story.

Just know that overall, it was so much fun to read and I highly recommend it to everyone who loves middle grade books.

REVIEW: Toxic by Kim Karr

Toxic by Kim Karr

Publication Date: July 7, 2015

Publisher: NAL Trade
Source: Received from Publisher 

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

*This book 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):

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not...

New York Times bestselling author Kim Karr turns up the heat in a smoking hot, emotionally compelling new novel that takes you into the world of Manhattan’s elite.

In Toxic, Jeremy McQueen, a sexy, intense, sometimes brooding entrepreneur goes after what he wants—the woman he left behind years ago. Phoebe St. Claire, a put together, in control socialite-turned-CEO has been drifting through life searching for something she thought she'd never find again—the right man to share her future.

Our passion was boundless. Our lust untamed. And our desire endless. He was the only man who ever made me feel alive. Then, I betrayed him.

When he reappeared, I didn’t question it. Trust rarely survives the wrecking ball, so when he let me in back in—I didn’t hesitate.

Maybe I should have.

What began as a bid to save my family business, turned into a second chance at love. It felt so romantic. Working together, side by side, with the man I loved. My dream come true.

Nothing is as good as it seems.

We had our issues, but then again, every couple does. It wasn’t jealousy, or our too-hot sex life that I should have been worried about.

It was his darkside.

I never saw the end coming, until it slammed me in the face. The question is—did he?

Was revenge his plan all along?b

****

Sometimes you have to wonder if your life is too good to be true.
Is it real or just an illusion?
Does the man lying beside you really love you like he says he does?
If the answer is yes, you’re meant to live happily ever after.
If the answer is no, you’re living my life, and nothing will ever be the same.

What you do about it—that’s up to you.

Me, I’m in too deep and there’s no getting out.

I’ll take whatever I can get for as long as I can because I know when it’s over…

I’ll never find another man like him.

Ever!

Jeremy McQueen and Phoebe St. Claire have more in common than anyone could ever realize. They meet in their early twenties and begin a relationship that completely intoxicates them from the moment they meet. After a misunderstanding, a jealous reaction, and a huge secret they break up and Jeremy moves away. After a few years pass and both Jeremy and Paige have matured and moved up in their careers, they run into each other and things start to heat up again.

What I love about this book is that the characters are so great to read. I'm not normally a jealous person but I find it easy to understand everything that these characters say to each other when certain things get discovered and jealousy rears its very ugly head. The backstory about how they are connected seemed a bit far off, but overall I think it added to the drama. 

I have to say that I loved reading this book so much!! Mainly because Jeremy McQueen is one of the swooniest guy i've ever read and I literally can't stand that he isn't real! I mean seriously, how can we live in a world where he doesn't exist?!?! Jeremy is strong and brave and brute, but also shows his softer side when he is charming and caring and oh so swoony. Everything he says seeps with sexuality. 

Phoebe St. Claire is strong in her own ways but her insecurities lead her to conclusions that are often inaccurate and can leave her broken down. She seems to have difficulty establishing herself and relies too much on validation from others, particularly Jeremy. While reading this book I noticed that she was the one that had the most insecurities and distrust for Jeremy. At times I thought it was uncalled for and unnecessary. Their love seems toxic because all they do is keep hurting each other but in the end they prove that their love is stronger than anything that comes their way and they are always willing to fight to keep what they have. 

Overall, I really loved reading this book and found it really difficult to put down. The swoons were real my friends. So go forth and grab your copy today!

REVIEW: How to Navigate Zombie Cave and Defeat Pirate Pete (Slug Pie Story #1) by Mick Bogerman

How to Navigate Zombie Cave and Defeat Pirate Pete (Slug Pie Story #1) by Mick Bogerman

Publication Date: July 24, 2014

Publisher: Slug Pie Stories, LLC
Source: Received from Publisher 

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

*This book 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):

Armed with a pitchfork, miner's hat, and map, Mick Bogerman dares to hunt for pirate treasure in Zombie Cave. His little brother Finley is tied up at the beach. Literally--Mick tied him up. No one needs a little brother tagging along when you're going to slay the undead. But Mick soon wishes he;d taken some human company with him, because lurking in every corner, reaching from every crevice, is another hungry corpse. No wonder the place is named Zombie Cave! And finding treasure in the twisty tunnels is a lot harder when your map disintegrates. And man-oh-man the cold, dark tide chases fast. But the worst part about fighting off ravenous flesh-eaters is the one monster deadlier than a regular zombie...the worst of the worst...Pirate Pete.

Mick Bogerman is a cool kid. At his age I was still playing with Barbie's and discovering boy bands. Not Mick and his little brother Finley though, they go on adventures everyday! In this adventure Mick finds his way to Zombie Cave to find Pirate Pete's treasure. He thinks Finley can't handle himself, so he tricks him and leaves him somewhere else so he can conquer Zombie Cave alone. But Mick completely underestimates the zombies and their strength. Turns out, his little brother is his best friend and savior in this book.

Mick is such a great character because he's headstrong and determined. For Mick, it doesn't matter what anyone says or does, he knows what he wants and he knows how to get it...well sort of! He is still a kid after all and his ideas are a bit crazy and dramatic. Which of course I love because that's exactly what makes the book so much fun to read and live in. Finley, on the other hand is one smart kid. He figures out how to escape and find his brother just in time. Finley is such a lovable character because he is smart and headstrong just like his brother, but he has such a go-with-the-flow attitude.

Overall I really loved this book. The story line was fun and believable (if you're a child at heart like me hehe) and it's really catchy for all kinds of people that read it. Children and adults alike :)