In Their Footsteps; A Parisian Tour of Anna and the French Kiss

Hi Swooners,

So after a whole two months of being back in the U.S. I'm finally able to share with you the details of my Anna and the French Kiss Tour I embarked on in August.

For those of you wondering what I'm talking about, Anna and the French Kiss is a book by Stephanie Perkins and it's basically a beautifully written story about a boy and a girl that fall in love in Paris.

 

My passion for Paris grew exponentially once I read Anna and the French Kiss. So of course once I realized that my dream of going to Paris was actually coming true I knew that I had to make it Anna related. So here are the details of Anna and the French Kiss Parisian Tour :)

I had to stop by the Rodin Museum and take a picture of "The Thinker"

Love Lock Bridge (they removed all of locks on the actual bridge but left the part of the bridge that was on the sidewalk <3

Locks on Love lock bridge 

My favorite picture of the ferris wheel

Remember when Etienne and Anna went on the ferris wheel ride :) 

Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge

Just a regular girl watching her dreams come true <3

Pointe Zero Notre Dame

I learned that there are actually other Pointe Zero locations in Paris but only went to this one for obvious Anna reasons :)

Notre Dame

Pantheon and The Louvre

Cinema Le Champo

The view from my hotel. Hotel du Louvre right across the street from the Louvre

Shakespeare and Company Book Store

  

My attempt to get pictures inside of Shakespeare and Co. (no photos allowed) 

The beautiful tote bag and books I bought from Shakespeare and Co. :)

Arc du Triomphe, the Champs-Elysees and The Luxemberg Gardens 

So this is just a small recap of my trip to Paris. I have so many more pictures that I would love to post but since those aren't really Anna related I thought i'd spare you. Plus I have waaaaaayyyyy too many to share. Overall I had such an amazing time and I am so thankful that I was able to fulfill this dream of mine. 

Thank you to everyone that enjoys looking at these pictures just as much as I enjoyed taking them. Books are my life and my inspiration for everything!

REVIEW: If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

Publication Date: April 1, 2013

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Source: Book Purchased by Reviewer

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

I wasn't with Finn that August night. But I should've been. It was raining, of course. And he and Sylvie were arguing as he drove down the slick road. No one ever says what they were arguing about. Other people think it's not important. They do not know there is another story. The story that lurks between the facts. What they do not know-the cause of the argument-is crucial.

So let me tell you.

I can't handle my emotions right now! One moment please...

This book has left me reeling from the moment I put it down. I just can't understand how the author could do this to me. To all of us! Let me take a moment to explain.
 
From the minute you read the synopsis you know that a terrible thing has happened in this story. At the moment it's not so terrible though because you don't know the characters. There are no emotional ties between you and them. But as soon as you start to read the book and get to know the characters you instantly fall in love with them. This is what makes this book so difficult to read. The entire time you're reading it and falling in love with the characters, you know that something is going to happen to one of them and you're secretly praying that it doesn't. Maybe the author was joking you think, just trying to get your attention. But NOPE! That is not the case at all. Laura Nowlin is officially the master of heartbreak. She tricked me and made me fall in love with someone that she knew I couldn't keep. I hate her for this! But I have to admit that it makes the story unique.

Autumn and Finny are best friends. Their mothers are best friends. They are also neighbors. Throughout the years they begin to drift apart and are in relationships with different people but somehow end up back together again. We see their relationship from the beginning of high school to the end and get to see the transformation throughout.

As a character I actually really like Autumn. She's kind of a weirdo and everyone knows it but she totally owns it. I admire that she was never embarrassed to just be herself. Of course when it comes to Finny, I think she was completely blind to the affections he had for her. It couldn't have been more obvious if neon signs were flashing in her face! I think she tried really hard to pretend she didn't notice sometimes.

Finny, of course, completely stole my heart. He wasn't some alpha male ego type. He was kind and considerate and had no problem blushing when Autumn pretty much did anything. I really liked that about him. I feel like the story should have been opposite. He should have been the MC. I would have loved to hear his thoughts. Especially when Autumn was around. Once they finally "connected" it was pretty much the happiest moment of the book. Shadowed only by the tragic accident that shortly followed.

Leading me to my biggest peeve of the book. My only peeve actually. That ending! I feel like the author ruined the entire book with the last chapter. Finny deserved better. So did Autumn. That was nowhere near the ending I'd imagined. I can't deny though that even though i'm furious with how it ended my heart still aches for it. Knowing how everything went down and how unfair and hopeless it felt. Without that ending this would have been a five star review. The ending dramatically dropped it. Would I recommend it? I'm not sure...Maybe.

FEATURE: Waiting on Wednesday (#10)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Hi Swooners :-)

This week my "can't-wait-to-read" pre-publication selection is:

The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Expected release date: June 10, 2014

Links: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

So there's no synopsis of the book on Goodreads (or anywhere else!) which is making me absolutly CRAZY!!! I mean, half the time those things never really quite match the book anyway, but at least it's something to hold on to until the book releases...CANT.FRICKEN.WAIT!!!!

REVIEW: Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood

Star Cursed (Cahill Witch Chronicles #2)  by Jessica Spotswood
Publication Date: June 18, 2013
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Source: Book Purchased by Reviewer
Buy it at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Summary (from Goodreads):

With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate’s friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers- if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves.

Cate doesn’t want to be a weapon, and she doesn’t want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood’s schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she’ll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war.

In the highly anticipated sequel to Born Wicked, the Cahill Witch Chronicles continue Cate, Maura and Tess’s quest to find love, protect family, and explore their magic against all odds in an alternative history of New England.

That ending though…THAT ENDING!!!! My emotions are too much right now...READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

The feelings I have right now are too tremendous to properly describe for you…but I’ll try my best to give you a good review without my emotional baggage tagging along...

Let me start by saying that I LOVE everything about this book. Which only makes this review even harder to write because I have absolutely nothing bad to say about it...the only "bad" thing that I can say is that the ending of this book left me DEVASTATED!!!! But it was so heartbreaking that it was GOOD!!! So you see where my issue is!

Anywho, lets start with the progress of our characters. Particularly our favorite witches, the Cahill sisters.

Cate, the eldest sister, we left off in Born Wicked thinking she was the prophesied witch that everyone was looking for. She has matured so much in this book it amazes me. She went from babying her sisters to actually letting them be themselves and it was such a beautiful thing! She has also learned so many things, magical and otherwise, that it makes me feel a sort of "pride" for her. Especially when she realizes that her magic isn't all bad, something happy for her in a world of sorrow and secrecy. 

Maura, on the other hand, was such a disappointment for me (I guess I DO having something negative to say lol) her character seems like she really hasn't learned anything from her experiences. The only real change I see in her is that she is better at being conniving, spiteful and all around sinister! Such horrible (and WICKED) features!!! There are moments in the book when you can see how truly vulnerable she is, and though those moments are far and few in-between, my heart actually breaks for her in those moments. That is until her fits of jealousy emerge and you see how horrible she can be. The things she says and DOES to her sisters is just heartbreaking...HEARTBREAKING!!!

Tess, Ah we learn so much about Tess in this book. She was already a great character in Born Wicked, but we see her in a much more mature role in Star Cursed. She is such a powerful witch and loving sister that it hurts me to see all the drama that unfolds with these three girls.

And lastly, Finn!!! The life of my heart, I CANNOT even speak about him right now. My heart still hurts too much to form anything other than gut wrenching squeals and tears. I know this statement creeps into semi-spoilery waters, but there are no other words right now.

So finally, I hope that after what's been said you can still find as much joy in this book as I did because it really is a great sequel to the Cahill sisters journey and I am just as frightened at what's to come for Cate, Tess and Maura AND Finn as Cate is, but I know that Mrs. Spotswood will give them the ending that they deserve.