review: last seen leaving by caleb roehrig

Flynn's girlfriend has disappeared. How can he uncover her secrets without revealing his own?

Flynn's girlfriend, January, is missing. The cops are asking questions he can't answer, and her friends are telling stories that don't add up. All eyes are on Flynn—as January's boyfriend, he must know something.
But Flynn has a secret of his own. And as he struggles to uncover the truth about January's disappearance, he must also face the truth about himself. ~ Goodreads

Source: ARC provided by the publisher via ALA16

Review:

Thrillers are so hit or miss for me. The procedural aspect bores me, I hate when an author keeps misdirecting me to the point of my not caring who did it and there is usually a lack of relationships so there’s no one to root for.

Roehrig avoids most of these issues by giving us a very relatable 15 year old Flynn as the main protagonist. After an argument, Flynn’s ex-girlfriend January has gone missing and the police show up at his house for questioning. Flynn has a pretty big secret he wants to keep from everyone but is just as worried as everybody else about her disappearance, leading him to do a little snooping on his own. He discovers that the things January told Flynn about her new swanky private HS and job don’t match with reality and he might not know his best friend and ex girlfriend as well as he thought he did.

There are clues to January’s disappearance peppered throughout with plenty of suspects – her politically ambitious step father, his ruthless campaign manager, her pervy step brother, unhinged mother and a number of other people but I felt this was all delivered in a low key way that let you discover the clues on your own and make your guess rather than saying he/she’s the killer! Never mind they aren’t! Psyche! Not that there isn’t any misdirection but it felt natural to the story for me.

Then we have Flynn’s path to self discovery and acceptance via his search for January. Although January is mostly seen only through flashbacks, she’s just as vibrant a character as Flynn.

The author does a fantastic job of weaving Flynn’s memories of his time with January with his present predicament and new blossoming romance. I cared about all parties involved, worried for the outcome and was rooting for Flynn’s happiness.

There were a few awkward transitions between scenes with Flynn and, Kaz, the boy helping him investigate. They would be having a rather intense personal conversation – get sidetracked by the case – then it would pick up a few days later. I would have liked to see how they ended those encounters but that’s a minor nitpick.

I read very few mystery/thrillers so your mileage may vary on whether this works for you. For me Last Seen Leaving was moody, tense and surprisingly sweet and had the right balance of chills and character complexity. I would describe it as a genre cross between coming of age and a thriller. I’m really looking forward to Caleb Roehrig’s next book – White Rabbit.

monday ramblings...TBR milestone

I reached a pretty big milestone in August.

I. Finished. All. My. ARC’s.

So what does this mean?  Have I read all my books? Am I never requesting a book again? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Welp, it means that since I started going to BEA/ALA and accepting review arc’s years ago – I’ve been drowning in them. Last year I became determined to read and review them in a timely manner and I’ve been sorting and dutifully making my way through.

No, I haven’t read ALL my books (and I’ll expand on that in a minute) but everything I accepted since last year has been read – still working on the review part though. lol

*These are all physical ARC’s – I don’t really have a Netgalley problem so I’ve always been caught up there. I only allow myself 2 books at a time and need to review before I allow myself to request another title.

Going into the future I will only accept or request books that really appeal to me but I’m following my Netgalley rule – only 2 or 3  at a time and no more until I review them first.

I feel like a HUGE burden has been lifted off of me. And it’s a little scary too. For so long review books have guided my reading - for good and bad. Now I need to decide what to read on my own and I’m such a mood reader that’s not necessarily a good thing, I could end up not reading anything! lol

Now, for the down side.


via GIPHY


My other goal was to read more of my existing TBR pile. That includes ARC’s, some from as long ago as 2011 (*hangs head in shame*) that I totally just gave up trying to read on time and other books that I bought over the years. This was my pic of them all laid out in my kitchen from January. 139 books. I’ve only read maybe…10? And added 10 so…yeah. #epicfail

This is what I’ll be working on next. I would love to whittle that pile down to 50 books by the end of the year. I’m a fast reader but I’m not sure that’s possible. See above…mood reader.







August Wrap-Up

I read 19 books – view the Goodreads shelf
Favorites: Trust with a Chaser  by Annabeth Albert and Last Seen leaving by Caleb Roehrg, In Memoriam by Nathan Burgoine

Enjoyed/cute: Lights, Cowboy, Action by Cindi Madsen, Noteworthy by riley Redgate, Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen, Facing West by Lucy Lennox

Goodreads Challenge

2017 Reading Challenge

Karen has read 156 books toward her goal of 180 books.

hide

156 of 180 (86%)

view books

I’m stunned by how many books I’ve read this year. It doesn’t feel like I’m reading this much but I keep having to raise my goal. I picked 180 this time around.

So what are you guys looking forward to reading this September? What are your goals for the rest of the year?

* I'm drafting this while waiting for Irma to hit FL. I may not have power or internet for a few days so I'll reply/visit blogs once I can again.

**We survived Irma! Just lost a few limbs but our power stayed on the whole time. I lost internet after it passed but that's about it. We were VERY lucky - it broke up just before hitting us. The county I live in did suffer a lot of tree damage and power loss so it's chaos out on the streets but I'm fine.

We're cleaning up around the yard and putting the house back in order after all the preparations so I probably won't be posting or visiting blogs for a few days.

Have a great week!!

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Question: Are there genres that you keep trying only to be disappointed?

Answer: YASSSSSSSSS!!

Sci-fi – in general but specifically time travel, multiverse (sorry Roberta lol).

Why? Sci-fi in general because I don’t understand a lot of the jargon so I just hear – “Captain W blasted the neutron designator capacitator into the dartrekian cosmiplasma”  & that makes reading haaaaard…*whines* lol

Time travel & multiverse specifically because it seems no matter what plot you follow – it can be erased in an instant with time travel or the mutliverse explanation.

This is not always the case, of course, but I’ve seen many a poorly written tv show or book use that gimmick to write themselves out of a corner. Like, if someone died - yay! They're alive now! Which is a good thing, I guess but then you can't trust anything you're watching anymore.

I especially hate it when it comes to romance. I like everyone to be happy and working to their HEA. Don’t take away my HEA. Don’t have them dating other people in different times and different universes.


via GIPHY

Thrillers/mystery – Why? I get bored. I can usually figure everything out by the first chapter (occasionally by the blurb! It’s happened twice) & I hate investigations and interviews lol

The Fae – Why? I want to like the fae but this is another – they lie so much that it’s frustrating and means that almost everything can be reversed plot wise. Again, if I can’t trust anything I’m reading then I don’t get invested and stop caring.

Historical fiction – Why? So boring. So. boring. lol



via GIPHY

Exceptions!

There area always exceptions and the key to mine is romance or a solid character that I can connect to.

For example, for sci-fi, I love Murderbot by Martha Wells (Goodreads)– Murderbot is snarky with a tender underbelly that he himself doesn’t quite understand. He also mixes a lot of of pop culture (tv binge watching) with the sci-fi lingo and that helps keep me grounded with the story. His love for his crew and the people he meets gives me an emotional connection.

Chaos Station trilogy by Jenn Burke, Kelly Jensen (Goodreads) – you can always hook me with a good romance and Chaos Station has it – as well as a fantastic supporting crew and rip roaring space adventure.

The Dred Chronicles by Ann Aguirre (Goodreads) is another gritty, Prison Break in space, sci-fi adventure that I loved.

A few fae books I enjoy are The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (Goodreads) – this is mostly because I like Jude – a human in a fae world and the fact that she has to navigate so many treacherous people in her life. I hope she takes them all down! And I think all the fae misdirection is done well. Once the truth is unraveled, you can see how there was no other outcome. It makes sense. It's not just there to throw the reader off or escape a messy plot. I do have a few other issues with the series but the fae aspect isn’t one of them.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black (Goodreads) – this felt more like a Grimm fairy tale, so even though it had the usual fae trickery, I loved how it played out.

Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig (Goodreads) – this was a fun, twisty little YA thriller with a coming of age twist/romance that kept me hooked.

I do like historical romances but ones that are probably historically inaccurate lol I like the women to be fiesty or for them to be about something other than the typical Duke and a ruined woman. I hate the ton and details about life in those times.

I love K.J. Charles M/M Society of Gentleman series (Goodreads) and I’m looking forward to reading Alyssa Cole’s The Loyal League series (Goodreads). Both are about different people/classes than the usual HR.

TBH – I’m somewhat of a lazy reader and I like to escape and be happy while reading. If I get too far from that zone or happiness is not in sight – then it’s usually not the right book for me. No matter what genre. But if you can offer me that – then I will take a gamble in a genre I usually avoid.

So I never say never.

Are there any genres that you typically avoid?

monday minis: Pitch Dark & White Rabbit

Hey there! I’m still in some weird blogging/reading limbo – not quite a slump – but I’m reading reeeealy sloooow (for me) and blogging sporadically.

I also hurt my wrist so I'm a little slow in commenting on your blogs but I'm getting there!

I am making some real progress on my physical TBR pile though! I haven’t counted, so I don’t know the #'s. but it feels like I’m clearing out quite a few books and there are shelves that are empty! Of course, new ones come in (I have gotten an influx of unsolicited arc’s for some reason) but overall I’m happy and feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of me. I actually think that lack of pressure is what's changing how I read and I might talk about that in a post soon.

In the meantime - here are a few mini reviews for books I enjoyed!



Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda
Sci-fi/horror - YA

Set against a future of marauding space scavengers and deadly aliens who kill with sound, here is a frightening, fast-paced YA adventure from the author of the acclaimed horror novel, Shutter.

Tuck has been in stasis on the USS John Muir, a ship that houses Earth’s most valued artifacts—its natural resources. Parks and mountains are preserved in space.

Laura belongs to a shipraiding family, who are funded by a group used to getting what they want. And they want what’s on the Muir.
Tuck and Laura didn’t bargain on working together, or battling mutant aliens who use sound to kill. But their plan is the only hope for their crews, their families, and themselves.

In space, nobody can hear you scream . . . but on the John Muir, the screams are the last thing you'll hear. ~ Goodreads

Source: arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

My Thoughts: Pitch Dark dives right in and doesn’t let go. That’s both a pro and a con. For almost 1/3 of the book, I was completely lost when it came to some of the slang (for example, one of the characters says *wedge me* instead of swearing – like when BSG uses frak instead of fuck) and it just seemed like such a silly term it kept distracting me. Tuck said *bruh* a lot and no. just no. I’m not a huge sci-fi reader and a lot of the technical aspect went right over my head.

However, the characters are are tough as nails, adaptive and snarky, the action unrelenting and gruesome with an eerie sense of terror looming around every corner. There’s a slight romance between Laura (pronounced Lao-ra) and Tuck but it’s not overbearing – they’ve got shit to do – like fighting off creepy af monsters.

Pros: strong characters, sci-fi/horror mash-up while touching on values, privilege, eco-terrorism and family, with lots of gory action (I’ve read gorier but this was pretty good for YA – think Aliens level gore)

Cons: not a lot of answers or explanations for things, a lot of terminology and phrases that were confusing at times until you got used to the writing.

Despite a few quibbles, I really enjoyed this one and finished it in just a few hours.


White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig
Thriller/Mystery/LGBQT, YA

Rufus Holt is having the worst night of his life. It begins with the reappearance of his ex-boyfriend, Sebastian—the guy who stomped his heart out like a spent cigarette. 

Just as Rufus is getting ready to move on, Sebastian turns up out of the blue, saying they need to "talk." Things couldn’t get much worse, right?

But then Rufus gets a call from his sister April, begging for help. And then he and Sebastian find her, drenched in blood and holding a knife, beside the dead body of her boyfriend, Fox Whitney.

April swears she didn’t kill Fox—but Rufus knows her too well to believe she’s telling him the whole truth. April has something he needs, though, and her price is his help. Now, with no one to trust but the boy he wants to hate yet can’t stop loving, Rufus has one night to prove his sister’s innocence…or die trying. ~ Goodreads

Source: arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts: Even though I’m not a fan of thriller/mysteries, I loved Roehrig’s debut YA novel – Last Seen Leaving – and couldn’t wait to read White Rabbit. While the mystery aspect didn’t work quite as well for me here as it did in LSL, I love the way the author writes his characters and how he manages to interweave seemingly unrelated threads – like romance, first love, coming out, and issues of class and bullying – with an overarching mystery and impending danger. Themes that were present in both of his novels thus far.

The reason Rufus and his ex- Sebastian are investigating a series of murders rather than going to the police is a tad flimsy but there’s a good enough explanation that I bought into it. But after questioning the suspects and realizing their answers are being given piecemeal, I grew a little wary and bored going back to the same witnesses multiple times, only to get an abrupt ending.

Same as above: despite a few quibbles, I really love Roehrig’s voice, realistic characters, dialogue and all their relatable issues and look forward to reading whatever he comes up with next. I would LOVE for him to write a straight up contemporary! 

2017 Reviews

A.
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett (YA, Contemporary) 💓
Alex & Eliza: A Love Story by Melissa de la Cruz (YA, Historical romance)
All In Pieces by Suzanne Young (YA, Contemporary issue/romance)
At Attention (Out of Uniform #2) by Annabeth Albert (M/M, contemporary romance) 💓
Autumn (Crow City 2.75) by Cole McKade (M/M, Contemporary Romance)

B.

Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios (Contemporary, YA) 💓

C.
Coming Up for Air (Hundred Oaks) by Miranda Kenneally (YA, Contemporary) 💓
Covalent Bonds (Red Moon Anthologies Book 3) various authors (Adult, romance)

D.

E.
Enemies Like Us by Anikka Martin, Joanna Chambers (M/M romance) 💓

F.
Faking It (A Ringside Romance Novel) by Christine D'Abo (M/M, contemporary)

G.
Geekerella by Ashley Poston (Contemporary, YA) 💗
The Great Hibernation by Tara Dairman (Mid-Grade)
Grit by Gillian French (YA)

H.
Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven (YA contemporary)

I.
I Believe in a thing Called Love by Maureen Goo (YA, Contemporary Romance)
In Memoriam by Nathan Burgoine (LGBQT, Contemporary, novella)
In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody (YA Contemporary)

J.

K.

L.
Last Seen leaving by Caleb Roehrig (YA, Contemporary, Thriller, LGBQT) 💓

M.
Madly (New York #2) by Ruthie Knox (Adult contemporary romance)
Mature Content (Cyberlove #4) by Megan Erickson & Santino Hassell (M/M, Contemporary Romance)
Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu (YA Contemporary)
Ms. Marve, Volume 1: No Normal (Graphic Novel)
My (Not So) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella (Contemporary Romance)

N.
No Good Deed by Kara Connelly (YA, Contemporary Robin Hood Re-telling)
Noteworthy by Riley Redgate (YA Contemporary)

O.
Operation Prom Date (Tactics in Flirting #1) by Cindi Madsen - Contemp romance, YA💓

P.
Paint the Stars by Nyrae Dawn, Christina Lee (NA, M/M, contemporary) 💓
Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani (YA, Graphic Novel)
Perfect Ten by L. Philips (YA, LGBQT, contemporary)
Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures #1 by Jackson Pearce and Maggie Steifvater (mid-grade)

Q.

R.

S.
The Sumage Solution (San Andreas Shifters #1) by G.L. Carriger (M/M, PNR)

T.
Tender with a Twist (Rainbow Cove #2) by Annabeth Albert (M/M, contemporary romance) 💓
Trust Me (Paris Nights #3) by Laura Florand (Adult Contemporary Romance)
The Truth About Happily Ever After by Karole Cuzzo (YA contemporary)

U.
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (YA, Contemporary, LGBQT)

V.

W.
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour (YA, LGBT)
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (YA, Contemporary Romance)
Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen (YA Contemporary)
Wolf by Wolf Duology by Ryan Graudin (YA, Alternative History, Paranormal)

tell me something tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is hosted by Rainy Day Ramblings and discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging.

I’ve tried to branch out a bit with my reading this year. TBH – I like what I like - and when I veer from that it doesn’t usually end well but I did find a few reads that were out of my comfort zone that I enjoyed in 2017.

Question: What were your favorite surprise reads of the year?



In Memoriam by Nathan Burgoine – In Memoriam was only 46 pages long but is a story that has stayed with me. It’s about a man dying of brain cancer and is trippy, non linear (something I usually hate) and surprisingly funny. I wasn’t expecting something so emotionally intense from a novella. My review



Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1 No Normal by G.Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, Jacob Wyatt – I have found graphic novels to be difficult to navigate and follow in the past but Ms. Marvel was a joy to read. Great story, characters and illustrations. I’ve since downloaded vol. 2 and it’s spurred me to try a few other GN’s. My review



Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig – I don’t read – or enjoy- many thrillers/mysteries but I loved this one! Flynn was a such a relatable MC and his coming of age story combined with a touch of romance and mystery was the perfect balance for me. My review



All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells was sci-fi that I could understand and have fun with. Murderous robots with feelings and snarky dialogue, nefarious plots and betrayals FTW. Goodreads



Agents Irish and Whiskey trilogy by Layla Reyne – Another genre – thriller/suspense – that I don’t usually enjoy but this series had me hooked and I binge read the whole thing in a few days. My series review

What 2017 reads took you by surprise?

august reading goals & july wrap-up…

August Reading Goals:


I’ve done an EXCELLENT job a limiting ARC’s and only have one to read for August.

In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody

I’m really hoping to finally tackle my physical TBR pile and read MY OWN DAMN BOOKS!

I have two blogs tours coming up and then I think I’m tapping out with them. I hadn’t done any in years but wanted to give it another try now that I’m blogging regularly again. I’m just not cut out for a lot of pre-scheduled posts and pubs that don’t bother to send out promo materials or promote your post or a supposed tour that has no central organization. Ehhh…not worth it. Unless it’s something I REALLY love. But I can promo it just as well my own way. Harumph! lol

*Note: I’m not slamming ALL pubs or tour groups. Some were very good! It’s just more work than I feel like doing right now.

July Wrap-Up: It was apparently a good reading month for me. I say apparently – because it was hot as hades here, I felt cranky and was sick for a week – yet I managed to read 21 books and I don’t recall when I did that. Here’s the July Goodreads shelf link if you’re interested. It was an average reads kind of month. Nothing really stood out.

I reached my 2017 Goodreads reading goal of 120 books read so I upped it to 150 books. Please don’t feel awful if you’re not reading at that level! I’m just sharing the info. I have had years with major reading slumps where I couldn’t get through anything I started or only read 12 books a year!

2017 Reading Challenge

Karen has read 131 books toward her goal of 150 books.

hide

131 of 150 (87%)

view books

I’m currently reading Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig – a YA thriller . That’s not my usual genre so it’s really different for me but I’m enjoying it a lot.




I bought a new Paperwhite that had a weird, meandering journey before it made it to my house. I bought it on Amazon Prime Day, with a a few other items. For some reason, my Paperwhite went to Greg from Book Haven. lol Earlier that month he had won a giveaway on my blog and I guess Amazon thought he should have won a bigger prize?? Everything else I ordered came to my house except that. Luckily, it went to someone nice enough to send it back to me!!! THANK YOU Greg!

That’s a wrap!

What are your reading goals for August?

tell me something tuesday: looking back at 2017 goals

Tell Me Something Tuesday is hosted by Rainy Day Ramblings and discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging.

We’re kicking off 2018 (eep!) by looking back at how succesful we were at meeting our goals in 2017.

Goal check for 2017

Bookish

* I’m not big on setting goals or making resolutions but one thing I really wanted to do was to clear out my physical TBR pile. The majority of the books were from various book cons (ALA/BEA) dating all the way back to 2011 and I had about 15-20 that were current review books.

I started with 139 books and ended around 80-ish. I counted in 84 in October and then read a few more since then.



                      before                                                        after

That’s….okay. I would have liked to do better but it’s a more manageable pile so I’m mostly happy with how I did. And I’m totally caught up on review books!

* I continued to keep Kindle downloads and Netgalley under tight control.

* My Goodreads reading goal started at 75 and then I kept upping it – finishing the year with 209 books read! WOW! I haven’t read like that in YEARS! It wasn’t my plan to read that much and honestly, a lot of those were novellas.

* I wanted to dabble in other genres and with audio books. That had mixed results. I discovered that audio books just aren’t for me. I can’t multi task while listening and if I sit still then I get distracted or fall asleep. It’s just easier and faster for me to physically read the book. I did discover a love of podcasts though so it’s still a win.

I wanted to read more thrillers/mysteries but only read one (Last Seen Leaving by Caleb Roehrig & I enjoyed it!) and give graphic novels a try and that went pretty well. I need to test my tastes with a few more – I’m trying Saga next but I think I’ll continue reading them.

* As for blogging – I just wanted to hang in there for another year and I did. So yay! I found out that I don’t do well blogging way ahead. I end up feeling out of touch with the posts by the time it comes up. And I found when I’m bored I like to change my header/buttons and spend too much on digital clip art lol It’s probably annoying/confusing to you guys but I’ve embraced the whole – it’s my blog I do what I want/what works for me philosophy! When I worry about stats or to write posts specifically for views I lose all the joy of blogging. (P.S. That’s ME – you do you!!!! – no judgement!)

*Speaking of still here blogging – you can enter my 8 year blogiversary giveaway here

Personal



Working out/variety to my workouts. I follow along with Fit Readers – hosted by The Geeky Blogger and That’s What I’m Talking About. I love how low key they both are about this so it works for me. You can write a weekly post, just # tag it on social media, join the FB group or nothing. Any fitness level is welcome. I find the hashtags from other bloggers on twitter to be motivating and to give me a gentle reminder to get moving even if it’s just a walk around the block.


Like I said, I don’t make resolutions – instead I chose a word to guide me through the year. I chose JOY for 2017 because I knew it was going to be one of those kinds of years where there’s lots of turmoil and negativity and it was! The word helped me remember that no matter how much chaos is going on in the world to take time and find joy. Past words have been disconnect, laugh, simplify. They tend to stick with me even after the year is over so this really works for me. I think I’m choosing a phrase for this year.



 


So that’s a wrap for 2017!

Next week is Goals for 2018!

How did you do with your goals in 2017?

friday fast 5!

1.

Love, Simon

I don’t usually get too excited about book to movie adaptations but I’m cautiously optimistic abut the big screen version of Simon Vs the Homosapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli.

It was a super cute book that already had a screenplay vibe and should translate quite nicely.

“Everyone deserves a great love story. But for Simon it's complicated: no-one knows he's gay and he doesn't know who the anonymous classmate is that he's fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, scary and life-changing.”

2.

Fierce Reads Fall Tour Interview & Giveaway

My blogging buddy (& one of my favorite people 😍 Brooke - from Brooke Reports, was lucky enough to interview the Fierce Reads authors of Moxie, Last Seen Leaving, Wild Beauty, You Bring the Distant Near, during one of their stops. Brooke did such a great job asking really fun questions.

Check out her post & enter the giveaway for a Fierce Reads Fall Tour Prize Pack!

3.

Florida Fall!

We’re finally getting a few cooler mornings and less humidity so I was able to get out and take a nice long walk at my favorite local park.

4.

Fonzi got his first Starbucks Pup Cup (a cup of whipped cream)

He loves going to Starbucks and getting tons of attention but for some reason he’s never gotten the pup cup. The barista gave him a HUGE cup! I did not let him have it all and he was not thrilled but graciously shared with Indy and Figment when he got home.

5.

Sofi Tukker – Best Friend

feat. Nervo, The Knocks & Alisa Ueno

This song is a little kooky but catchy!

My 2017 playlist for songs featured on the blog

ICYMI on the blog this week:

Tell Me Somethng Tuesday: Team Wolf or Vamp?
Fall Theme Tag

Happy TGIF everyone!

And as always - what should I be be reading, watching, listening to this weekend?

Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance. (YA)

Review:

I was terrified to read Where She Went. Would it be as good as If I Stay? Would it be so depressing and gut wrenching that I would left in a quivering heap on the floor when I finished?

No worries - In fact I think I loved Where She Went even more than the first book. Most of this is due to the switch to Adam’s POV. Our dear sweet Adam is in a very dark place right now. It has been three years since he’s seen Mia.  She left him but he doesn’t know why and it has left a huge void in his life.

His band has taken off, he has a beautiful movie star girlfriend so everything should be great. Instead Adam is gripped by panic attacks, he’s smoking, taking pills, throwing temper tantrums and barely speaking to any of the band members.

I enjoyed reading about Adam’s rise and fall in the music business almost as much as about his relationship with Mia. We keep seeing these young fresh faced starlets - so wholesome - become famous and then hit a downward spiral and become washed up by the time they hit their mid 20’s. Adam’s portrayal gives us a good glimpse at how this could happen to even nice kids. At first groupies throwing themselves at you is fun and a great way to forget but it quickly turns into something else and you end up barricading yourself away from people. Someone always wants something from you. The music becomes less important vs the “branding” and sales.

But back to Adam and Mia!  

One promise made in desperation. Adam made a vow to Mia if she would just wake up from her coma.

“If you stay, I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll quit the band and go with you to New York. But if you need me to go away, I’ll do that too.”.......”I’ll let you go. If you stay.”

In If I Stay Mia was in a horrific car crash that killed her entire family (mom, dad and younger brother Teddy) leaving her the lone survivor. Where She Went picks up from there letting us know what happened after Mia woke up. It’s not pretty and there was no happily ever after.

I know I’m often complaining that YA novels of late have unrealistic happily ever afters and neat conclusions. The reality is that most 17-18 year olds don’t marry their first love and stay with them forever so this development felt very real no matter how difficult it was to read.

Mia needed to get away from painful memories and that meant leaving Adam too. I don’t think I can ever come to terms with how she did it. It was a cold and cowardly way to handle it but having said that, I get her reasons. They make sense to me. I also believe that Mia is in as much pain as Adam about their separation. The guitar scene proves that Adam has always been on her mind too.

Adam has been pining for 3 long years. He has moved on somewhat but even in his choice of girlfriend is somehow tied to Mia. This could come off as whiny but what Adam & Mia went through is more than the what the average couple goes through - at any age - never mind teenagers, so I could see how that would scar Adam so much.

When Adam and Mia cross paths in NYC one seemingly unlucky Friday the 13th, Adam is at his breaking point. They spend a night in the city before they will be separated once again by obligations to their music and careers.

The prose is just beautiful and slowly unravels all the demons that these two possess. They dance around the bigger issues at first but through Adam’s flashbacks we get such a vivid picture of their relationship before and after the accident and then into Adam’s decent. Even though Mia’s family is gone they are such a large presence in this novel. I’m floored by how well Forman integrated so many views into one story without making the book feel rushed or overcrowded with characters.

When the “big” issue is confronted I admit I was pissed at Mia and her seeming indifference to what she put Adam through. Both of them are in the media spotlight now and I think they believe each other’s press image. They both think the other is doing great now. So Mia was reluctant to dredge things up again. That’s definitely not the case - for either of them.

I don’t want to spoil the end so I’ll stop here but all I can say is well done Gayle Forman! When I first heard about Where She Went I wasn’t sure a sequel was necessary and I didn’t think it could live up to it’s predecessor but I was so wrong.

Rating: 4 out of 4 Verdict - it was as good as If I Stay and yeah, there was some crying involved but I loved it.

It's a Wrap (up)...

Well, look at me! I've been posting twice a week for about 3 weeks now. How long will I last? lol

Here's a wrap-up of my week for inquiring minds...

LIFE:

Kevin ordered this gorgeous ceramic batter bowl by Jefferson Street Ceramics, for our anniversary but it didn't get here on time - but here it is! Look how beautiful! It has a spout for pouring and is microwave, dishwasher safe but I'm afraid to use it. 

I also have their ceramic pie wights. Everything is handmade and at pretty reasonable prices for quality in comparison to many other places. 

We had 5 sunny, wonderful days and it's pushed all the Cherry Blossoms, Magnolias and spring bulbs into blooming. We took full advantage of it going to the Portland Japanese Garden taking a short hike after and eating dinner outside every day. But alas...we are back to standard PNW spring - rain everyday for the foreseeable future and 50's. It was nice while it lasted and completely boosted my spirits. 

BAKING:

I forgot to take a pic, but I made 7 grain bread - which is a basic white bread with 7 grain cereal (I used Bob's Red Mill). Really good and great as toast or for sandwiches. 

Sunday, I got fancy with my eggs and made Parmesan Cloud Eggs with this recipe from Eating Well. It does take a few extra steps - separating and whipping the egg whites - but was still super simple and looked so fancy. Everyone was curious about how it tasted and the texture of the egg whites is odd at first but they have parmesan cheese (and I added chives) so that added a nice sharp/salty flavor. We liked them and I will make them again. 

I also baked Irish Cream Coffee Cake from the NYT. The Irish cream liqueur tasted SO yummy in this (even though I don't drink alcohol) but the original recipe is ridiculously unhealthy - even by dessert standards. 622 calories; 32 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat;42 grams sugars. I made a few tweaks to make it health(ier) for Kevin's co-workers with various issues. I used a simple cinnamon, cocoa powder, sugar layer in the center instead of the crumble and for the top I only used half (if that) of the crumble mix and used oat flour, way less sugar and plant based butter. It was delish but, honestly, did not even need the topping. I would make the cake part again. 

READ:

Zip. Nada. But I did got to a new local, indie bookstore that was adorable and bought books and other little things I do not need lol

WATCHED:

Also not much. I had my bff weekly, virtual movie date and we watched 27 Dresses which was just added to Netflix. It's been a while since I've seen but it held up and we both loved it - although watching now - we saw red flags with the love interest (stole and red her planner/tore out an appointment page) lol But this is a rom com and he will be wonderful and those traits will not turn into anything bad. 

I think Kevin and I are watching the new Willy Wonka this weekend. 

Finally, I have this pretty pic from the Japanese garden. We were there early, when the sun was just starting to peek through and it cast this lovely rainbow on the stairs as we were leaving. 

Have a great weekend

&

let me know what you've been up to!

Speed Date: The Chaos Station series by Jenn Burke, Kelly Jensen

The Chaos Station series (will be a total of 5 books – 3 published so far) is an exciting blend of romance (m/m) and adventure with an excellent cast of characters. Each book digs a little deeper and is better than the last.

1st date: Chaos Station (Chaos Station #1) ~ Goodreads (purchased)

We meet Fixer, a former prisoner of war, and his rag tag crew of friends from the Chaos (think Firefly). Things turn upside down when a man named Zed shows up to hire the crew to rescue a friend.

Zed – known as Zander to Fixer – is his long lost best friend and former lover that he hasn’t seen in nine long years. For Zander’s part – he thought Fixer (Flick) was dead. Devastated, he signed up for an experimental military program to become a super soldier. Only now the military cut him and his fellow soldiers loose, leaving the elite team on their own to deal with the side effects that are slowly killing them.

Oh the angst! GOOD angst! Both men are thrown for a total loop when they realize the time they’ve wasted thinking the other was gone. It takes a while to get over their fears and Zander’s health is declining at such a rapid rate that a full reconciliation is kind of off the table for now.

What makes this book work so well are the friendships. It’s not only about the romance. Great balance!

Nitpick: The nicknames: Felix, Flicker, Fixer & Zed, Zander – that was super confusing at first but makes sense as you go along.

~ Can’t wait for my next date – can we continue this date right now??!!

2nd date: Lonely Shore (Chaos Station #2) ~ Goodreads (purchased)

This is the first series I’ve binged read in a long time. Yes, at it’s core, it’s about the relationship between Zander and Felix but the crew and they way they have bonded is the best part. It’s nice to read heroes that are allowed to have platonic but meaningful relationships with other characters.

Lonely Shore amps up the despair as they rush to save Zander from the alien poison that makes him a lethal fighting machine but is also slowly driving him mad and killing him.

Super cool twist at the end that has a major impact on everything moving forward.

~ That was intense – Chaos group hug please. But I need to see you again – like right now.

3rd date: Skip Trace (Chaos Station #3) ~ Goodreads (e-arc provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review)

Wheeee! I love when a series focuses on ONE couple! It’s not as if Felix and Zander don’t still have issues. This time it’s Felix who is having a difficult time as he deals with the fallout with Zander from Lonely Shore and flashbacks to his time as a prisoner of war – something he hasn’t really dealt with yet.

After the game changing events in Lonely Shore, I thought the authors might have backed themselves into a corner and were going to use a particular plot device (sorry can’t say without spoilers) to worm their way out whenever things get difficult for Zander but noooo. The solution to Zander’s problems come with more complications and leave the crew of the Chaos open to all kinds of amazing adventures.

Current relationship status: Going steady! Romance, aliens, a crew that is loyal and flies by the seat of their pants. Love it and can’t wait for the next adventure!

* You can check out the Chaos Station website for excerpts if you want to sample first.

Review: all these things i've done by Gabrielle Zevin

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family. (YA)

Review:
all these things i've done has a fascinating premise that doesn't completely hold up. Boy did I struggle with this review. I absolutely loved the first half of this book and then it kind of fell apart for me.

It's 2083: chocolate and coffee are illegal!! Horrifying right?? Author Gabrielle Zevin has crafted a tale that feels very plausible. Poverty is rampant, water is regulated, chocolate and coffee are illegal, oranges are a rare luxury. The politicians are corrupt often accepting bribes from the local crime bosses. It could happen….it has happened. It felt very reminiscent to the prohibition era but with a modern twist.

This book has been described as a dystopian and there are certainly elements of that but it felt more like a crime/mafia novel to me. Anya Balanchine is the surviving daughter of local crime boss who dealt in the illegal chocolate trade.
Although she's not rich, Anya's father has left her family comfortable and as his daughter she is able to afford small luxuries, not to mention keep a secret chocolate stash.

Life is not easy for Anya though, at 16, she has already seen her share of heartbreak. Her mother was killed in a mafia related hit that left her older brother Leo with a disability and seizures, her father was gunned down in front of Anya and her baby sister Natty. Anya is struggling under the weight of responsibility for her siblings after her father's murder. Her grandmother is their guardian but her health is failing, only being kept alive by machines.

I can't even tell you how much I adored Anya. She is the rare YA female character that I admired and respected. The well being and safety of her family is her number one priority. She makes mistakes but isn't afraid to humble herself if it means helping her siblings or grandmother.

When Anya meets Win she finally finds someone who understands the hardships she's going through and is there to provide an escape for her. Win is an adorable quirky sort who wears funny hats and always knows the perfect thing to say. He's also the son of the new local assistant DA who has a tough on crime stance. Having his son dating the daughter of a notorious crime lord doesn't fit in well with his image and he makes that abundantly clear to Anya.

A few problems I had: I know everyone is living a hard life because they said so…. but they were also pretty much going about their business without too much trouble. I know I would be devastated if I couldn't have chocolate and downright evil if I didn't get my cup of coffee each morning but it's hard to understand how this is that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. Zevin never explained how any of this came about either. Why was alcohol legal but not chocolate? The shortage of water and paper seems much more frightening to me but because of Anya's family ties the story focused on the chocolate.

The first half of the book is focused so tightly on Anya and her family and I loved reading about them. Then an incident where Anya's ex-boyfriend Gable Arsley is poisoned by chocolate takes place and she is accused of trying to kill him. Some truly horrifying things happen to Anya but once she is cleared the focus shifts to the mafia and Anya taking control of the family business. Maybe it's just me but I wasn't really all that interested. Her personality also seemed to change. That was ok with me - she needs to play the game and get involved with the family business whether she wants to or not to keep her family safe but so many events and conversations seemed to place off the page that I missed the intensity of the first half of the story.

I guess that would be my biggest complaint. During the second half, all those slowly crafted relationships with Win, her best friend Scarlet and others seemed to just drift. Scarlet and Anya had stopped talking but I never even realized it happened until they made up. She kept leaving Win behind and he would just.... go home….I guess. I was particularly disturbed by Win & Scarlet's seeming to overlook a past incident between he and Anya.

This is a series and there is a quite a bit of foreshadowing, particularly with the Japanese Mafia and it's leader Yuji Ono. all these things i've done seems to be trying to tell two tales….that of star crossed lovers - Win & Anya (I loved them at first but just wasn't seeing it in the second half) and the rise of a mafia princess. It might have worked better for me if those two threads were tied together throughout the book but the late switch in narrative felt jarring.

Rating: 2.5 Fans of dystopia or mafia tales will probably enjoy this one more than I did. Although I was absolutely riveted by the first 200 or so pages I felt confused and slightly bored by the last 140.

Find the author: website, Facebook, Twitter, tumblr
Buy the Book: all these things i've done
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (September 6, 2011)
Source: Free copy provided by Amazon Vine program for my honest review.