ARC Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?
Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart? (YA – Mature) ~goodreads

Review:
There are a few genres that I don't enjoy reading. Historical and fantasy would be at the top of that list. Usually when i read about high courts, doomed duchess', arranged marriages and political intrigue I'm bored to tears. Yet, when I read Grave Mercy, which contains all these elements and more at a whopping 564 pages, I was completely swept away. I connected with everyone. Whether they be good, bad or something in between; and there is a lot of moral ambiguity in Grave Mercy.

From the moment I met the young Ismae I was hooked. Rescued just in the nick of time from an abusive arranged marriage, she is whisked away to the convent of St. Mortain to serve as the handmaiden of death.

I may not be a fan of historical or fantasy but I am a huge fan of cold assassins! Ismae and the other girls brought to the convent are trained in the ways to kill a man using stealth, poison and seduction. The girls have all been abused by men in some way and readily embrace their new life and service to their God without question. Although this book is considered historical fantasy, I felt it had more of a darker medieval tone and that darkness is what won me over.

Ismae is definitely one of my favorite heroines. She's vulnerable but practical. She doesn't have super human strength but knows how to use the weapons and training afforded her in a ruthless and cunning way that will chill you. She believes the convent saved her life and has no problems carrying out vengeance on their behalf to anyone who receives the marque of Mortain. Her absolute faith in what she's doing and dedication to Mortain’s will wins you over even though you know that luring and killing men is wrong. And how could you not love a girl who's armed to the teeth with knives and poisons under her beautiful gown?

Once Ismae leaves the convent and is assigned to protect Duchess Anne of Brittany, she finds herself on her own to interpret the convent & Mortain's wishes. While posing as a mistress to Gavrial Duval, the Duke’s bastard son and brother to Anne, she finds that the convents direct orders don't always match with the facts before her very own eyes or with the strong sense of guidance she feels from her God in time of need. This leaves Ismae conflicted over whether she should carry out her assignments without question in vengeance or act with mercy against her convent's wishes. I love when characters begin to question their own belief system and are allowed to grow as a result of that.

The elements of fantasy, magic, and romance are used sparingly in this novel as character development takes center stage . The romance was slow and sweet making it believable. Because of the sheer length and scope of Grave Mercy, a number of richly layered relationships are able to be introduced and develop. All of them were just as fascinating to me as the romance.

This book reads as a stand alone but is the book #1 in the His Fair Assassin series. Each book will focus on a different girl from the convent and there are enough loose threads to leave you wanting for more while still wrapping up all the main plot points nicely.

Rating: 3.8 out of 4 A little slow to start but I had that rare reading experience of being completely engrossed in this world for 3 days and I never want to leave. I loved these people like friends and family. I honestly could have read another 100 or so pages about them. Ismae is a strong heroine worth emulating and Duval, with his strong convictions and loyalty, is hero worth loving.

R.L. LaFevers website | twitter | Facebook
Source: Netgalley & Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for my honest review
Buy the book!  Grave Mercy: His Fair Assassin, Book I (His Fair Assassin Trilogy) Release date - April 3, 2012

Review: Where You Are by Tammara Webber

Graham Douglas doesn’t do romantic relationships, but he was knocked for a loop when he met Emma Pierce on the set of his last film. As they grew closer, he did everything in his power to keep from falling for a girl being pursued by superstar Reid Alexander. Now home in New York, his life is once again under control, until Emma appears and shows him how not over her he is.

Emma Pierce is forsaking an up-and-coming Hollywood career to embark on a life she’s only dreamed of—the life of a regular girl. After spending months burying her feelings for the two night-and-day guys who vied for her heart while filming her last movie, a twist of fate puts her in a coffee shop in the middle of Manhattan with the one she still misses.

Brooke Cameron was a fresh-faced Texas girl when she arrived in LA. Now she’s a beach sitcom star turned conceited heiress on the big screen. Having just survived three months on location with her ex—Hollywood’s reigning golden boy—she’s older and wiser and has set her sights on her close friend Graham. The only thing standing in her way is the girl he can’t forget.

Reid Alexander can sum up his life in one word: boring. Between film projects, there’s little going on outside of interviews, photo shoots, and the premiere of the film he finished last fall. The next-to-last thing he expects is to get a second chance with Emma, the girl who rejected him. The last thing he expects is for his still-bitter-ex to be the one to offer it to him on a platter.

Author Recommendation: Mature Young Adults (language, drinking, sexual situations)

*NOTE: No spoilers for Where You Are but some spoilers from Between the Lines (bk #1)

Review:
I have to be completely honest here. I wasn't sure I wanted to read this book. I loved Between the Lines (the first book in the series) and felt it had a very satisfying ending. I wouldn't have minded a book with new character POV's but when I read it would be about the same four people as the first book and with the same romantic entanglements I was leery. It sounded like a rehash of the old plotline to me.

I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised.

Graham and Emma have a chance encounter after filming of their movie School Pride has ended and decide to take the plunge to become more than friends. Theirs is a tenuous relationship. The sparks are definitely there. These two are great people and great for each other. However, they come with some baggage and reservations mainly in the forms of former costars Reid and Brooke. Where You Are is told from all four POV's. This allows us to see everyone's motivations and reactions.

Reid and Emma had a brief relationship during the filming of School Pride that still bothers Graham. Brooke now has her sights set on Graham with a laser beam focus. Although filming has since wrapped, there are promotional events, interviews and the movie premiere that throw the four together again and bring up old feelings. The terrible twosome of Reid and Brooke team up to create doubt within Emma and Graham's blossoming relationship and really no good can come of that when these two sworn enemies join forces.

It is a testament to Tammara Webber's writing that I did not throw this book across the room. I despised certain actions by the characters but somehow (I don't know how she does it) Tammara stays 100% true to the characters so I accept it with baited breath hoping everything will work out right in the end.

The tone for Where you Are is very different. While Between the Lines was all about experimenting and wild parties, Where you Are is all about taking things slow, being responsible and consequences to ones actions.

A good portion of this book is spent watching Emma & Graham's relationship slowly develop. I mean slowly, we get all the deep conversations, Skype chats and romantic declarations which is probably going to be boring for some, but for me I always feel like we get short changed on this side of the relationship in books. The book usually ends right when the relationship is getting started. I really enjoyed them. They have some very difficult decisions to make if they want their relationship to work so I really enjoyed how responsible they were about everything. I found them to be very romantic.

Have no fear though, Reid and Brooke stir up enough trouble for our sweet couple to keep things interesting. I would say that Reid is still almost 90% unredeemable but there are glimpses of the other 10%. It's his (occasional) kindness and potential that keep me rooting for him even though I didn't want him to get the girl.

Brooke. Ahhhh Brooke. I think she falls into the 99% unredeemable category. She took her scheming to win Graham over to extremes that are are pretty unforgivable in my eyes. I understand what made her this way and maybe felt a twinge of sympathy but man oh man I hated her.

One thing that did bother me was Graham's reaction to Brooke's scheming. They have been good friends for 4 years and he does know another side to her but he was just too passive during one or two of her more aggressive maneuvers. That was fitting with his personality and he was still insecure about Reid but still. He should have made Emma's feelings a higher priority at the very least.

The ending leaves me pretty excited for book 3- Good For You (the last book in the series - available December 2011) It's spoilery so I'll just leave this link to Tammara's site and if you want to know about the next book head over there.

Rating 3.5 out of 4: Tammara Webber has a real gift of writing engaging, yet complex YA characters that keep me coming back for more even though I occasionally want to smack rather than hug a couple of them. lol

Find the author: Blog | Facebook | Twitter
Buy the book!
Where You Are: Between the Lines Book #2: Amazon ($2.99)
Between the Lines - Book #1: Amazon ($2.99) Source: Book provided by the author for my honest review.

Review: Sophie & Carter by Chelsea Fine

While other high school seniors are dreaming about their futures, Sophie and Carter are just trying to make it through each day. Carter is overwhelmed by issues at home as he struggles to support his mother. Meanwhile, next door neighbor Sophie is left to care for her three younger siblings in place of their absent and troubled mother. All that holds these two best friends together is each other, and knowing that each night they'll sit together on Sophie's front porch swing and escape from their troubles, if just for awhile. But as their relationship reaches a turning point and high school graduation near, will their friendship become something...more?

Review:

Sophie & Carter is a little gem of a story that I'm thrilled to have discovered.

I have been reading quite a few "issue" books (Every You, Every Me, You Against Me) that were wonderful but left me in a dark place for days after reading.

Sophie & Carter deals with prostitution, domestic violence, mental illness and a few other things thrown in for good measure but I could not have been happier while reading this one.

Both Sophie and Carter have suffered through years of abuse and neglect at the hands of their parents. Since they are neighbors, they have witnessed each others suffering over the years. They pretend not to know each other at school (it helps them keep their home life & troubles separate from their school life where they can be normal) but every night they meet on Sophie's front porch swing to talk about their day.

They have come to rely on each other for support and while Sophie knows she's in love with Carter, he's just coming to the realization of how much she means to him.

Told in alternating points of view we get to see how difficult life has been for each of them but also see the joy they bring to each other.

Sophie is just a delight to know. She's taking care of her brothers & sisters, lovingly nicknamed "the littles", all alone. She is one brave girl. During her POV's I felt like I was sitting at her kitchen table having a cup of coffee chatting about her story. I want to be her BFF.

Carter is swoon worthy as a boy who is unbelievably patient, kind and loyal despite his background.

This is a very short book so I don't want to spoil too much. Chelsea Fine has packed a lot of history and emotion into a little space. Despite the subject matter, Sophie & Carter is also a story filled with heart and hope. Seriously guys - check this one out! You won't be disappointed and it only took me about 3 hours to read.

Rating: 4 out 4 BIG story wrapped in a little package.

Book trailer for Sophie & Carter:

Find Chelsea Fine: website, Blog (really fun blog!), Twitter, Facebook

Buy the book! paperback, Kindle (for the ridiculously low bargain price of $2.99!!)
Publisher: Acacia Publishing, Inc. - June 20, 2011
Source: Purchased - e-book
Qualifies for the: 2011 Debut Author Challenge, Young Adult Contemporary Challenge 2011

Review: Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

In this high school-set psychological tale, a tormented teen named Evan starts to discover a series of unnerving photographs—some of which feature him. Someone is stalking him . . . messing with him . . . threatening him. Worse, ever since his best friend Ariel has been gone, he's been unable to sleep, spending night after night torturing himself for his role in her absence. And as crazy as it sounds, Evan's starting to believe it's Ariel that's behind all of this, punishing him. But the more Evan starts to unravel the mystery, the more his paranoia and insomnia amplify, and the more he starts to unravel himself. Creatively told with black-and-white photos interspersed between the text so the reader can see the photos that are so unnerving to Evan, Every You, Every Me is a one-of-a-kind departure from a one-of-a-kind author. (YA)

Review:

Every You, Every Me is unlike any book I've ever read. It is told though a series of photographs and strikeouts. According to the acknowledgments, author David Levithan saw a photograph (now the cover of Every You, Every Me) on the refrigerator of his friend, photographer Jonathan Farmer, and came up with the concept of writing a photographic novel. In a collaborative effort, Jonathan would send David a photo and he would write the novel incorporating the pictures. Jonathan didn't see the story until it was complete and David didn't know what photo would be sent next.

Every You, Every Me was emotionally draining but SO good.

Evan is struggling without his best friend Ariel. We don't really know what has happened to her or where she has gone at first, although there are hints. Ariel's personality burned bright, experiencing wild highs along with wild lows, dragging everyone who loved her into her orbit. Evan clearly worshiped and loved Ariel but had to watch as she fell in love with Jack. Even so, he's always felt a unbreakable connection to her that he felt no outsider could touch.

Now that Ariel is gone, Evan is left with Jack, the only other person who knew Ariel the way he did. They are both in pain from "what they did to Ariel". Again we aren't really clear as to what exactly that was. Someone starts leaving pictures for Evan to find. Pictures of his time with Ariel, pictures of Ariel with strangers (to Evan), meaning that she led a life without him or Jack. A life he didn't know about. This is a psychological mystery where we are not only left to discover the person stalking Evan and Jack but also are left wondering about Evan's slipping grasp on reality.

The photograph element is used to great effect. When Evan discovers a photograph in his locker or by the road, we see it along with him. It gave an element of being "in" on the mystery and the chilling feeling of being watched. As the sender gets more aggressive also sending notes declaring that he/she knows what Evan & Jack did to Ariel, Evan becomes consumed with finding this person. Sometimes to the detriment of his own sanity.

The strikeouts took some getting used to. I felt like I was reading two different stories at first but once you get used to it, you realize just how much it adds and Every You, Every Me shouldn't be told in any other way. The strikeouts are a way for Evan to tell his story in addition to giving us glimpses of his and Ariel's past, as well as hearing Evan's thoughts unedited to let us see his real fears. Evan's head is a sad and lonely place to be in but the strikeouts allow for the range of emotions we need to complete the picture.

I have to admit I don't really like psychological mysteries or thrillers and that this one didn't grab me too much on that level either. On the positive side, I thought I had the mystery of Ariel all figured out but then something happened about halfway into the book that changed everything I thought I knew up to that point and made me question my assumptions. The resolution was satisfactory but felt a little melodramatic, with a tidy conclusion compared to the almost cluastrophobic intensity of the rest of the novel.

Rating: 3.5 out of 4 Original, clever and unrelenting in it's intensity. Every You, Every Me had me in a dark place for a few days after reading but it was worth it.

Find the author: website, Facebook, Goodreads
Buy the book! Every You, Every me
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers September 13th, 2011
Source: Received through the Amazon Vine program for my honest review

*This book qualifies for the YA Contemporary Challenge hosted by The Undercover Book Lover

Review: You Against Me by Jenny Downham

If someone hurts your sister and you're any kind of man, you seek revenge, right? If your brother's been accused of a terrible crime and you're the main witness, then you banish all doubt and defend him. Isn't that what families do? When Mikey's sister claims a boy assaulted her at a party, his world of work and girls begins to fall apart. When Ellie's brother is charged with the crime, but says he didn't do it, her world of revision, exams and fitting in at a new school begins to unravel. When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide. Brave and unflinching, this is a novel of extraordinary skillfulness and almost unbearable tension. It's a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it's a book about love - for one's family and for another. (YA, Fiction)

Review:
You Against Me is a story told with so many layers that I really struggled to write this review.

First and foremost it is the story of two families torn apart by an accusation of date rape. Ellie's older brother Tom is accused of raping Mikey's sister Karyn. Of course your first instinct is to close ranks and protect your sibling from the accusation or from Mikey's side, seek revenge for his sister.

Told in the alternating POV's of Mikey who has to ask himself; how far will he go to seek revenge? Will he use an innocent person to achieve his goals? and Ellie who has to come to terms with the fact that her brother may be guilty and she may be the key to helping Karyn. The choices they make will have ripple effects that have the potential to destroy their families and their own futures.

As if that isn't heartbreaking enough, Mikey & Ellie fall in love. Not only is You Against Me about the impossible choices they must make, it's also about a boy & girl and their struggle to be together. Not just with the rape hanging over their heads either. They come from very different socio-economic backgrounds. Mikey is the glue holding his very poor and dysfunctional family together. His mom is an alcoholic, his sister is barely functional after the rape and he is trying to make his youngest sister's life as normal as possible. All while holding down a job and keeping the social workers from ripping his family apart. His dreams don't really matter anymore. Ellie is from a wealthy, yet controlling family where appearances are everything. She is often left in the shadow of her brother and ignored by her demanding father.

In Mikey, Ellie finds someone who cares about how she feels and appreciates her on her own merits. Mikey finds a girl who he can be himself with. He starts to appreciate the quiet moments and believe in the future.

I may be reading too much into this novel but I thought Downham was trying to express different views about sexuality, relationships and consent. The Tom/Karyn dynamic takes on the issue of what constitutes consent. Downham keeps the facts vague right until the end so you really have to look at the whole picture and not make snap judgements.

Then she takes on the issue of sex in whole different light with Mikey and Ellie. I found Mikey's growth to be the most fascinating aspect of the book. Mikey is by no means a rapist but he doesn't have much respect for women either. Two weeks is a long term relationship in his eyes and sometimes doesn't even get the girls clothes off before he's having sex. After his sister is raped he starts to view sex & women through this new prism. His relationship and feelings towards Ellie are so touching and beautiful. I see Ellie as controlled, or at the very least submissive and second to the men in her life. Her relationship with Mikey, although a little Edward/Bella "I'm so in love with you/I can't live without you" to me, allows her to see her self worth and gives her the strength to start standing up for herself.

Almost every character in this book has to face some sort of demon and choose between self preservation or self sacrifice. It's really fascinating to see what people will do when cornered. It's not always a pretty picture.

The ending is a very good one but without everything tied up in a neat little bow which was fitting. There are a few lose threads but I think it will still leave you happy.

Rating: 3.5 out of 4 This is a surprisingly complex story. No one is cookie cutter perfect and even Tom, the accused rapist, isn't written as one dimensional. It's a story of impossible choices, family loyalty and forbidden love. You Against Me made me squirm, made me think and made me smile.

Bonus: You Against Me takes place in the UK. I didn't always understand what everyone was saying…I had to ask my friend across the pond a few questions lol but the setting really worked for this story.

Buy the Book! You Against Me
Publisher: David Fickling Books September 13, 2010
Source: Amazon Vine program for my honest review

Review: Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Luis Fuentes has always been sheltered from the gang violence that nearly destroyed his brothers’ lives. But that didn’t stop him from taking risks—whether he’s scaling a mountain in the Rockies or dreaming of a future as an astronaut, Luis can’t stop looking for the next thrill.

Nikki Cruz lives her life by three rules—boys lie to get their way, don’t trust a boy who says “I love you,” and never date a boy from the south side of Fairfield. Her parents may be from Mexico, but as a doctor’s daughter, she has more in common with her north-side neighbors than the Latino Blood at her school. Then she meets Luis at Alex’s wedding, and suddenly, she’s tempted to break all her rules.

Getting Nikki to take a chance on a southsider is Luis’s biggest challenge, until he finds himself targeted by Chuy Soto, the new head of the Latino Blood. When Chuy reveals a disturbing secret about Luis’s family, the youngest Fuentes finds himself questioning everything he’s ever believed to be true. Will his feelings for Nikki be enough to stop Luis from entering a dark and violent world and permanently living on the edge?

Review:
I adored Perfect Chemistry but I was a little disappointed in Rules of Attraction, so I honestly wasn't expecting much from Chain Reaction. I felt compelled to buy it though, despite my book buying ban. Such is the lure of a Simone Elkeles - Fuentes brother book.

I think this is going to be the weirdest review I'll ever write. I disliked almost everything about Chain Reaction and yet I still loved it. Loved. Whaaaa???? Yeah - I don't get it either, but there you have it.

We don't know much about Luis except for a few glimpses in the previous books from his brothers perspectives. We know he's smart and he's managed to stay out of the gangs and violence that his brothers had been unable to avoid. For some reason I was expecting a different twist when it came to Luis's story. Maybe he would be the good one and the girl would be the wild gang banger he saved….lol

Luis is a brash ladies man right out of the gate which kind of turned me off at first. None of it fit with what I thought I knew about Luis. After first meeting him the story skips ahead a few years and this was the Luis I liked. He's intelligent but still has that Fuentes brothers fire in the blood. Luis differs from his brothers in that he knows what he wants, when it comes to his future and when it comes to Nikki. That's one thing that I really liked about his personality. He didn't waffle a lot like Alex and Carlos.

I really liked Nikki; she's smart and level headed. She has trust issues after dating Marco who chose to join the gangs over her. They had a very traumatic break up. She sees Luis as yet another gang banger she can't trust so her mistrust and caution is well founded. She really grounded the story for me and gave me someone to relate too. She's strong yet vulnerable and doesn't take any crap from Luis. Perfect.

So here's the thing. Chain Reaction is almost a carbon copy of the first two books. Same chemistry teacher, same gang problems, another tempting, slutty girl straddling Luis while drunk. Why on earth do they keep going back to live in the same place where they keep getting sucked into the same gangs? Why doesn't anyone notice what's going on with Luis? Why doesn't Luis just get his brothers advice? Why is he hanging around with Marcos? His life was pretty perfect before they moved back to the old neighborhood. Elkeles writes a decent explanation but I just wasn't buying it after all the trouble Alex and Carlos went through. And I was frustrated that here I was reading almost the same story again. However, I loved Luis and Nikki together. They have amazing chemistry; it's off the charts hot. (And that's why they call it The Amazing Chemistry novels!) I just really liked both of them, so I went with the flow and enjoyed their story anyway. Simone knows how to write this stuff and can make me care even while I'm scratching me head in confusion.

We get our conclusions for all the brothers and their loves. Alex/Brittney & Carlos/Kiara. But wow - that felt forced. The Alex & Brittney wedding scene? Hmmmm. I can't really spoil it but that was really an issue for their own novella or something. We get our epic epilogue of epicness. Call me crazy but I love it. I like to know what everyone and their children is up to 10 years from now.

It was formulaic and cheesy at times but I adored Chain Reaction and read the whole thing in under a day. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the formula and I'll be right there buying whatever Simone Elkeles writes next.

Rating: 3.5 out of 4 Out of the series, Perfect Chemistry is still my favorite but Chain Reaction is a close second.

Find Simone: Elkeles: website, Facebook, Twitter
Buy the book! Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry Novels)
Publisher: Walker Childrens August 16, 2011

ARC Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

 For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket - a gifted inventor and engineer - steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. (YA - 14 and up)

Prelude to a review: I was discussing on Twitter how it's often harder to write a review for a book you LOVE LOVE LOVE. @MarcellineCazz responded by saying "Cuz you want to share EVERYthing, but don't want to spoil ANYthing, and you want EVERYONE to read it, so you don't know WHAT to say!"

Perfect - just perfect. that's exactly how I felt when trying to write this review. I wanted to say it's so great when Lola _______, or ZOMG didn't you just fall in love with Cricket when he _______? There are so many quotable lines in this book I could get sued for plagiarizing or something if I reprinted them all. 

So what follows is my woefully inadequate review of Lola. It's wonderful. Pre-order it. Grab a cupcake and sit back and fall in love with Lola.....

*Note: Yes, I am aware I am doing the thing I hate most. Overhyping a book. Can't help it - I love it.

Review:
Lola! I love L-o-l-a Lola, lo-lo-lo-lo Lola! Or more precisely I love the "boy next door" but we'll get back to him in a minute (swoon)

In the companion novel to the wildly romantic and successful Anna and the French Kiss, author Stephanie Perkins introduces us to Lola, She comes on a little strong at first and while I liked her, I didn't love her immediately. She's very dramatic and quirky with a definite style of her own. Lola's motto is: "I don't believe in fashion. I believe in costume", But she's a good girl…mostly. She doesn't smoke or drink but she does have a much older boyfriend Max that her best friend and family don't approve of since Lola is 17 and Max is 22.

At first the book seemed to try a tad too hard at being topical and politically correct but once Perkins introduces everyone things settle in and the story starts to flow.

Stephanie Perkins is a master at writing the teenage experience in an honest way. We know that Max isn't right for Lola and that the age difference is an issue but we can also see where Lola is coming from. Max isn't written as a throw away villain of a boyfriend. He actually seems pretty nice (at first). We slowly start to see the chinks in Max's armor as the story progresses, just as Lola does. Max and Lola aren't cut and dry. They are both damaged by past parental experiences and I could understand their draw to each other just as well as I could see the damage they would cause to each other in the future. They have an intense, unhealthy relationship.

Then in walks Cricket. I love how Cricket "takes up space with his energy, with an enthusiasm he can't quite control." He doesn't walk in, he bounds in. He doesn't glance at Lola, he turns and faces his whole body to her before he speaks. He has a "difficult equation face". He's shy and holds his feelings close but when he reveals them it all comes tumbling out inonebigsentence! He's nerdy, he's cute, he's smart and I'm totally, TOTALLY in love with Cricket Bell!

For fans of Anna and the French Kiss you're in for a treat. They are both present in Lola. Not just as a quickie - oh look Anna & St. Clair! They play an integral part to Lola and Cricket's story which I love.

Reading Lola made me feel like I was surrounded by a million happy things..…cupcakes and puppies and kittens and rainbow's and balloons! I read it three times before I had to pass it on to the next person. I almost cried….I did not want to let my precious….I mean …..my friend Lena's book go. I have a copy on pre-order because this ones a keeper!

Favorite scene: "naked tiger woman" - Read the book and get back to me. That whole section is one of my all time favorites of any book.

Rating: 4 out of 4 Hands down my favorite book of the year.

Find Stephanie Perkins: Website, Blog, Twitter

Source: The AWESOME, fantablulous & did I mention AWESOME? Lena Beana from Addicted 2 Novels (thank you so much for bringing reading joy into my life!)

Buy the book! Lola and the Boy Next Door
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: September 29, 2011

ARC Review: Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.

Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.

Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger, Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth. (YA) Release date June 7, 2011

Review:

**Happy Dance**

Ooh …it makes me very happy when a sequel to a book I loved measures up to the first and Queen of the Dead does just that.

Alona and Will are back, still bickering and taking baby steps in their burgeoning relationship.

Will can see dead people and that almost ruined his life until the recently departed Alona became his spirit guide acting as a go between for all the ghosts that are trying to get Will to complete their last wishes. They drive each other crazy at times but they have formed an unbreakable bond and always watch out for each other.
Suddenly there is a new player in town, Mina, another young seer like Will. For those of you who have read The Ghost and the Goth, you know how lonely Will’s life has been being the only one of his kind. So it’s understandable that he would take an interest in Mina and the information that she can give him about his “gift” and even his father.
As you would expect Alona is not pleased….at all. Hell hath no fury like a teenage beauty queen, spirit guide scorned. Alona is dealing with her own troubles. Her parents seem to be moving on without her and she’s confused about her feelings with Will and adjusting to a death that she has little control over. Will is her anchor - but what if he leaves?
Stacey Kade once again takes a premise and characters that could be one dimensional and cutesy and imbues them with tenderness and depth. Will could come off as a whiny goth complaining about his gifts but instead he puts himself out there. Sure he stumbles and makes mistakes but he becomes a better person for understanding his weaknesses and strengths. Alona could be the simplistic, shallow, self-absorbed cheerleader and she is…up to a point. She’s also smart, principled, brutally honest and fiercely devoted to Will. I just can’t help but love them and their snarky banter when they are together. I think if I had one complaint is that I wished they were together more throughout the book.
I can’t really talk much about the plot without giving too much away. There are plenty of twists and turns and the story turned out to be about something completely different than I thought it would be going in. Love that!
The ending, while not a cliffhanger gives the reader a lot to ponder about where Alona & Will’s story goes next. I have a theory but since I’m wrong almost 99.9% of the time I’ll try not to drive myself crazy, considering I have to wait well over a year for the final installment of the series.

Rating: 3.5 out of 4 I really enjoyed this one! I’m sad that I have to mail the ARC on – I’ll be buying my own copy when it comes out in June!

Author's website: http://www.staceykade.com/
Twitter: @staceykade
Pre-order the book! Queen of the Dead (A Ghost and the Goth Novel) (The Ghost and the Goth)
**Thank you to Aten Ra from Just Another Book Blog for hosting the blog tour for Queen of the Dead as part of her Different Area Codes book tours.

2011 YA Contemporary Challenge

I have to admit I'm not a big fan of book reading challenges. Once I sign up I feel pressured to read the books in a hurry and I usually can't complete the challenge and feel like a total loser.

The only one a signed up for this year was the Story Siren's Debut Author Challenge.

Then I came across this one hosted by Reggie from The Undercover Book Lover.

I LOVE this one! She will be focusing on Young Adult Contemporary books as a way to spotlight some of the great books that are out there that may be overshadowed by the plethora of paranormal YA's.

Here's a little bit of info about the challenge from Reggie's blog:

What is contemporary? It's the genre wherein the events can happen in real life at the present time. The characters in the novel can be present in real life.

Goal: To read a minimum of thirteen young adult contemporary novels published in 2011.

(my favorite part - I can TOTALLY read 13 books in a year!!)

Reggie has a list of books to get you started - a sign up form and a Mr. Linky to post your reviews throughout the year. She will also be having tri-monthly giveaways for the people who link their reviews.

If you're interested, go sign up HERE and try to get some attention for a few great books that might slip through the cracks otherwise!!

And THANK YOU Reggie for hosting this!