FAVORITE FRIDAY (#16)~ The Program (The Program #1) by Suzanne Young

Have a favorite book? Series? One that you've just read or are currently reading? Favorite Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Books and Swoons where they spotlight some of their favorite reads. Everyone is welcome to join. Just enter your information on their linky or leave them a comment.

This week's Favorite Read is:

The Program (The Program #1) by Suzanne Young

Release Date: April 30, 2013

Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Synopsis:

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blanks slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. and The Program is coming for them.

Why it's one of my Favorite Reads:

This book was such a great story. I think it appealed to me the most because it seems like something that can actually happen. That thought alone is pretty scary. The author did an amazing job writing the characters and scenes.

What's YOUR Favorite Book? Stop by Books and Swoons to share yours :)

REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1) by Katie McGarry

Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road #1) by Katie McGarry
Publication Date: May 26, 2015

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: ARC 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: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father--the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent--but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're...family. And while Emily--the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member--is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

 I have to admit that i'm new to the Katie McGarry fan club...but i'm definitely in it for the long haul. Nowhere But Here was so beautifully written, that i'm officially adoring Katie McGarry. It's rare when an author can make a 500-page book feel like it's not 500 pages, but Katie McGarry did just that. The pacing of the story and events was perfect and reading this book just flows so naturally. I love that her writing has that effect.

We start out meeting seventeen-year-old Emily, who hasn't seen her biological family for years. After getting news that a family member has passed, Emily's mother decides that she wants to go to pay her respects and she wants Emily to do the same. Nobody wants to avoid this trip more than Emily, but she knows there's no convincing her mother to change her mind. Once they arrive, certain truths are revealed and the story begins with Emily having to stay a bit longer than she expected.

I loved the characters in the story so much but I have to admit that in the beginning I hated Emily's father, Eli. I just couldn't understand why he had so many secrets and what it was he was trying so hard to hide from Emily. After learning the truth about everything, it became clear to me that he truly did love his daughter, he just couldnt allow himself to show it so much.

There were SO many feels in this book. The chemistry between Oz and Emily was so deliciously yummy that I couldn't stand it. And I love that it didnt seem forced. They actually couldn't stand each other in the beginning and then they slowly ended up liking each other. And OHMAGOD those kissing scenes. I mean seriously, it was so yummy! Oz is seriously swoony!!! I love his loyalty and fierce sense of protection to Emily. And I LOVED that it was about a motorcycle club. Something about that was so sexy and exciting. I feel like i've missed my whole life knowing about this lifestyle and I need to find my way to be a part of it. It's an obsession, but i'm working on it.

So overall, I really loved this book and I can't wait for the rest of you to read it and love it as much as I do!!

GIVEAWAY:

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REVIEW: Burn (Michael Bennett #7) by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Burn (Michael Bennett #7) by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Publication Date: September 29, 2014

Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Source: ARC received from Publisher at Book Expo America 2014
Guest Reviewer: Doris aka La Chiquita

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: 3 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Detective Michael Bennett and his family come home to New York City. The ruthless crime lord who forced them into hiding is down for good. Bennett takes over a chaotic Outreach Squad in Harlem, a caller claims well-dressed men held a bizarre party in a condemned building. Report is dismissed until a charred body is found there -- leading to underground depravity

What do you get when you mix the children from the sound of music, the private detective from the 1950's black and white films, add in a sprinkle of California scandal, two cups of New York City sound, and all the Irish beer in Ireland? Burn by James Patterson.

I will say this, I don't like starting a series in the middle. It can go either way, I absolutely love the series and have to know what came before, or I will feel so lost in the private jokes and character relations that I feel more like an intruder than a reader. Having said that I also have to admit that my taste for thrillers and action books go to the darker spectrum. I am a huge fan of Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson, they have set the standards pretty high on the thriller threshold for me to consider it a page turner. Though the plot line of this book made me raise and eye brow, I gotta say the execution of the plot line was... meh.

The story starts in California, Michael Bennett is testifying on a big case to put away some serious players in a local cartel. After the trail, he is released from protective custody and returned back to the hustle and bustle of New York City. The Bennett clan is 13 members deep. There are 10 adopted kids of ranging ages and sexes, Michael the detective, Mary Catherine the nanny and Michael's grandfather. Though you would think the family dynamic would be a bit cray-cray it actually works. The saint of a nanny is on top of all the daily needs of the family and the needs of the detective. You read right swooners, the nanny is making goo-goo eyes at the detective. This relationship has been off and on through out the series it appears, but as of this book it's pretty on.

              

When the detective gets back to the city, he is anticipating to be given a promotion and all the accolades a returning veteran of the NYPD should receive. What he actually gets is a nice spoonful of disappointment. Not only is he not returning to solving high profile cases but he is made the head of a department of misfit cops. What does this department handle? All the public complaints that the neighborhood has and New York being New York there's a ton of that. Even so, he stumbles onto case of sexual cannibals that whips his department into shape and makes him rethink getting his own departments was so bad as he first thought. The crime story is more of an after thought to his family life and relationship to Mary Catherine.

If you are looking for a book with sarcastic banter and a hint of crime, then this series might be for you. As for me? I'll stick to the broken detectives and defective psychopaths they chase.