Review: Losing It (Losing It, #1) by Cora Carmack

 

I had Losing It for a long while before I finally got around to reading it. The premise sounded interesting and who doesn’t love a little hot for teacher action?

 Bliss is one of the only girls she knows at college to still hold her v-card. In an act of frustration and rebelliousness, she decides to go for it and lose her virginity to a one night stand. Things are going according to plan but just when things get hot and heavy, she can’t go through with it. In an embarrassingly awkward moment, Bliss detangles herself from the sexy guy she was in bed with and runs out. As if things couldn’t get worse, she comes face to face with that tall dark and handsome stranger that very Monday... he’s one of her new professors.

 I’m not sure what it was about Losing It that didn’t hit it out of the park for me. In reading all of these New Adult books, I think I’ve become a fan of reading wildly passionate romances. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I do like when a little “can’t live without you” is involved.

 The tone was just a little... dull, i guess you could say. I never felt that excitement for Bliss and Garrick’s romance like I do in other love stories. I wasn’t a huge fan of Bliss. She was little whiney for my taste, but I did really fall for Garrick. Who doesn’t love a sexy professor?

 The story didn’t get my heart beating faster and I felt more like I was watching a poorly executed chick-flick (a la Leap Year... anyone?) that was more boring than romantic. I know a lot of people love this one so maybe I just wasn’t in the right move. Either way, Losing It wasn’t for me.

 5 out of 10

 Happy Reading :)

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Top Ten Tuesday: YA Crushes

This Tuesday will be mine and Jess's first dive into the world of TopTen Tuesday, a weekly meme/feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. We decided to start off with our favorite topic: fictional book crushes...

Alley's List:

 

1.Jace (The Mortal Instruments)

2. Dimitri  (Vampire Academy)

3. Will (The Infernal Devices)

4. Four (Divergent)

5. Henry (The Goddess Test)

6. Adrian (Bloodlines/Vampire Academy)

7. Finn (The Trylle Series)

8. Daimon (Lux series)

9. Shay (Nightshade)

10. Gale (The Hunger Games)

So originally, I think we were going to try and combine our lists to make one cohesive list of ten... that didn't work out as we were already aruging about what number Four/Tobias should rank (he's number "4" on my list and I didn't even try and do that...). So here are my crushes. As you can probably tell, I love anything  by Cassandra Clare and Richelle Mead, but some outlyers made the cut in Shay from Nightshade and Finn from The Trylle series by Amanda Hocking. Now on to Jess's list!

 

Jess's List:

 

1. Four (Divergent)

2. Ron Weasley (Harry Potter)

3. Henry (The Goddess Test)

4. Tristan (Crave)

5. Ky Markham (Matched

6. James (The Goddess Test)

7. Jack (Everneath)

8. Percy Jackson (circa The Last Olympians)

9. Ethan (Beautiful Creatures)

10. Prinice Kai (Cinder)

So I think it’s clear from my list that I have a thing for emotionally unavailable bad boys and totally lovable nerds. Topping my list is Four, who is the most swoon-worthy of all fictional men in my opinion. And now that Theo James is my mental image for Four, my crush only gets worse.  The rest of the men are totally crushable, and I hold the most special place in my heart for Ron Weasley. What can I say? I love gingers. The most surprising to me is Ky from Matched. Although I was pretty disappointed with the book, I felt very compelled by outsider Ky. Also, on a side note – Percy Jackson probably would’ve never made my list had it not been for Logan Lerman. I can’t unsee it, ladies and gentlemen, and it’s a good thing.

Who are your top ten YA fictional crushes?

 

 

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Review: Sweet Venom (Medusa Girls, #1) by Tera Lynn Childs

 

 

It’s been a really long time since I’ve been able to get into a YA book. I mean really enjoy it to the point that I stay up until all hours of the night reading. Sweet Venom had all of the traits that I love in a YA book: a totally kick ass heroine (in this case, we get three!), tons of action, a touch of romance and the holy grail... Greek Mythology. Man do I love me some Greek Myth. This theme isn’t always done right, but Childs did a fantastic job of bringing the myth of Medusa into the 21st century.

Grace moves to San Francisco with her family to start over. It’s a new place, and a new beginning to start fresh. Everything seems to be going well until she sees (and smells) a Minotaur at a dim sum restaurant in Chinatown.

Gretchen is exhausted. She has been fighting monsters for about half her life and the middle of the night wake up calls are seriously getting in the way of her sleep and trying to juggle high school.

Greer has her life planned out. She’s got a perfect boyfriend, the best reputation and the kind of classy and expensive style most girls dream about. So when two girls that look exactly like her show up at her door to tell her that she’s a descendant of a snake-haired monster of myth and that they need her help to fight monsters, who can blame her for slamming the door in their faces? Sweet Venom tells the story of three twins the must unite and take on what the fates have in store for them to save those that mean most.

I’m usually not a huge fan of multiple points of view in a story. I like to hear from one person and get one perspective. While the alternating POV chapters with the three different girls were a little confusing at first, they really added to the story in a way that made you pull for each character.

Grace is the peacekeeper and the one trying to keep the sisters together with a smile on her face. Gretchen has a kick ass and take names later attitude and Greer...well Greer is kind of a stuck up snot. But their differing personalities were so fun to read and their interactions ranged from hilarious to heartwarming.

Obviously I fell in love with the characters, but the best part of Sweet Venom was the mysterious plot. Childs kept me on my toes with a balance of mystery, world building and action. I was never bored and I was always wanting more. In reading Sweet Venom, I can tell that it’s only the beginning in what I expect to be a fantastic series. We now have our characters and world established and it can only get better from here. I tend to be turned off by books that feel like the sole purpose is to introduce characters and the world, but Childs unique way of storytelling made book one a springboard for me to want to dive into the Medsua Sisters series head first.

Sweet Venom is a mix of Percy Jackson, the Shadowhunters from the Mortal Instruments and the sassy style of Paranomalcy. It’s a fun and sweet story that will leave you begging for book 2!

8 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Stacking The Shelves

This week I bought myself a Kindle Paperwhite, so naturally I had to go and buy a ridiculous amount of books to break in my new toy! I went on Goodreads and found all the suggested books for me, and I picked the ones that sounded most interesting. Some were major hits and others were misses (I'll be sending lots of review your way this week) but I'm glad I had some new reading material.

Here's what I picked up this week:

What books are stacking your shelves? Comment below!

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Review: Waiting For You by Shey Stahl

I saw some pretty intensely positive reviews for Waiting For You and so I decided to give it a try. It’s a coming of age tale where a dark and dangerous boy falls in love with the seemingly perfect girl next door.

Bailey has a perfectly planned out life. She’s the top of her class, has the perfect boyfriend and a future laid out by her parents. At graduation, she’s set to deliver the generic valedictorian speech to her peers about investing in their future and following their dreams when something just clicks. Bailey realizes that she doesn’t want the cookie-cutter life her parents forced down her throat and so she does something no one expects her to do: she gets in the car with the bad boy in town, her childhood best friend, and goes on an adventure across the country to find herself.

To be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of Waiting for You. I had a lot of problems with this story, but the main issue was the pacing. The story felt like the longest book I’ve ever read. I kept thinking to myself, “Another trip? More people to meet? Another fight?!” I checked and this isn’t even close to the longest romance I’ve read all year....it just felt like it. The plot was choppy and it made it hard for me to keep my full interest locked in on the book.

The characters were not my favorite either. Bailey and Dylan are two whiny teenager who have real problems, but choose to run away together to enter into a destructive relationship. Now this could be the mid-twenties in me talking, but I was more annoyed than enamored with the couple. Man up! Deal with your issues and your family and if you’re not going to, at least make me believe in your adventurous bad decision making tirade. The pair weren’t very likeable making it hard to cheer on their runaway train wreck.

Then there was the immature fighting. They fought, they made up, he got angry, she got angry, he thought she cheated, he got angry again. So. Much. Drama. And not in a good way. I love a story with some twists and turns but the immature bickering had me wanting to pull out my hair and punch the two of them in the face.

Overall, I thought Waiting For You drug on way too long and the two love interests were not easy to like. I’ve read a similar story called The Edge of Neverand it was done so much better. The runaway adventure was believable, the characters were touching and heart-stoppingly sweet and the overall message left you in a melted puddle of happiness on the floor. This one wasn’t for me guys.

2 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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Review: Beautiful Creatures (The Caster Chronicles #1) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

I had never heard of Beautiful Creatures before the movie came out. One of my former employees told me one day about her frustration that the movie didn’t match up to the book (spoiler alert: they are TOTALLY different). I put Beautiful Creatures on my reading list shortly after hearing her talk about how much she loved the book.

Beautiful Creatures is narrated by 16 year old student Ethan Wates. Ethan is stuck in the small town of Gatlin, South Carolina where nothing exciting ever happens and being different is a social crime. Ethan has been experiencing strange dreams of a dark haired girl, in which he is trying to rescue her. The dreams seem so real –he can smell the girl’s scent of lemon and rosemary, and he often wakes up in the middle of the night with marks on his body that are consistent with what happened in his dream. The girl haunts his dreams, until one day she appears right at his school. The girl Ethan’s been dreaming of is none other than Lena Duchannes, niece of the town shut-in Macon Ravenwood and new student at Gatlin High school. But with Lena’s arrival comes a slew of odd occurrences, as well as a whole new world Ethan never knew existed.

I love this book. I file this book under one of my favorite books of all time. I typically have trouble relating to a male narrator, but Ethan was so adorable and funny that I had no trouble putting myself in his shoes. I also loved Lena’s character. She is struggling with herself, carrying a family curse while trying to have just a shred of normalcy before her life spirals out of her control. Although she is guarded, and at times temperamental, I couldn’t help but root for her and love her at the same time.

One of my favorite parts of this book is how the author explored the themes of light and dark. Lena, as a Caster, will be claimed for the light or dark on her 16^th birthday. Most Casters choose to claim themselves, but due to a family curse where her ancestor Genevieve traded her soul for a mortal’s life, members of Lena’s family are unable to choose. Lena spends the entire book debating on her true nature. Although she is kind and sweet, she is also angry and impulsive. Ethan is convinced that Lena will be claimed for the light, but Lena possesses a maturity to know that it’s not that simple. Lena discovers along the way that it’s impossible for a person to be all light or all dark. Everyone harbors a dark side, but the important thing is choosing to be good. With the choice out of Lena’s hands, she is fearful for what her future holds for both her and Ethan.

I also love the other characters present in the story. Ethan’s best friend Link is your classic sidekick, always showing up to lighten the mood or to support Ethan and Lena. Macon Ravenwood, the supposed hermit, is really a complex and awesome character. He is outspoken, funny, and very protective of Lena and I loved seeing him shake things up in Gatlin! This book introduces many characters but they all help the plot develop. 

I think this book is a fantastic read. I couldn’t put it down once I started, so definitely clear out a Saturday if you’re looking to sit down and read this one. It’s a long book but I felt like every page was necessary. I loved watching Ethan and Lena’s relationship blossom, and watching Lena develop into a strong woman and Caster. I highly recommend Beautiful Creatures.

Side note: while the movie is 100% different from the book, I highly recommend it. It is so cute, funny, and well written that I couldn’t help but love it. As long as you keep in mind that it won’t be following the book, you shouldn’t be too upset.


8 out of 10

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Review: The Elite (The Selection, #2) by Kiera Cass

With that out of the way, I can tell you all about my utter frustration with The Elite. I read The Selection a few days ago and I couldn’t get enough. Alley had a copy of The Elite, so of course I borrowed it the day after I finished the first book and devoured it. And while I was prepared for a whirlwind of emotions, I wasn’t prepared for the disappointment of finishing the book.

Warning: If you have not read The Selection and don’t want to see any spoilers, don’t go any further!

The book picks up where The Selection left off, with six girls left vying for Prince Maxon’s heart. I’d like to go further into the plot – but that’s really it. This entire book is just about the six girls fighting each other, completing various tasks, and having various mental breakdowns. Essentially, in the beginning Maxon is ready to commit to America, and America is unsure about her feelings for Maxon versus her feelings for Aspen. Maxon takes America’s indecisiveness as an opportunity to get to know the other girls. Along this way, he finds himself genuinely attracted to one of them, and then begins to push America away. America, already scared about her feelings for Maxon and the idea of becoming a princess, begins to move further towards Aspen.

This book elicited many emotions from me, and I believe that’s exactly what Kiera Cass wanted. In The Selection, I was the world’s biggest Maxon fan and I HATED Aspen. I guess Cass had to give Aspen some redeeming qualities in this book to make everyone unsure of whom America would eventually choose. While I definitely fell in love with Aspen a little in this book, I found myself infuriated at Maxon’s behavior. He became a selfish child, purposely giving America the runaround only to later claim he didn’t mean to. He pursues relationships with the other girls all the while telling America she’s the only one he’s interested in. He wasn’t very honest. Now that’s not to say America didn’t have her demons, because she was definitely doing the same thing, but I just found myself getting frustrated at the back in forth. One minute they were sure of each other, the next they were drifting apart. It was like a bad Taylor Swift song.

My number one pet peeve about trilogies is the quality of all three books. Many times authors have a great idea for the first book, and a phenomenal idea for the last book. In order to make it a trilogy, however, there has to be a middle book. And this is one of those times where I feel like the middle book could’ve been split between the first and last books. Aside from some rebel attacks that were essential to the plot, this book was a whole lot of America crying and being self-destructive, and Maxon acting like a playboy.

In the end, I was very frustrated with this book. But confusingly, I was enraptured. I couldn’t put it down and I read it all in one sitting. My heart was thumping and I felt it breaking along with America’s. In terms of writing, Cass has very few rivals in her ability to make you feel what her characters are feeling. I just wish this book had been more plot substance and less back and forth. If Cass’ objective was to make you feel one hundred different emotions in one book, she clearly accomplished that.

I honestly can’t wait for the final book, The One, to come out. This series has my emotions built up and I’m ready to see what path America chooses.

6 out of 10

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Blog Stop + Giveaway: Addicted to You (Addicted, #1) by Krista Ritchie and Becca Ritchie

I am so excited to be a part of promoting Addicted to You by Krista and Becca Ritchie. These girls are some of my favorite bloggers around and when they announced their foray into the world of NA novels, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Addicted to You!

No one would suspect shy Lily Calloway’s biggest secret. While everyone is dancing at college bars, Lily stays in the bathroom. To get laid. Her compulsion leads her to one-night stands, steamy hookups and events she shamefully regrets. The only person who knows her secret happens to have one of his own.

Loren Hale’s best friend is his bottle of bourbon. Lily comes at a close second. For three years, they’ve pretended to be in a real relationship, hiding their addictions from their families. They’ve mastered the art of concealing flasks and random guys that filter in and out of their apartment.

But when they go on a family boat trip, surrounded by open seas and limited male bodies in sight, Lily’s confronted with a big fear. Only one guy onboard can fill her addiction, and she’s sworn off going there with Loren Hale ever again.

Now the only person who can truly help her can barely help himself.

It's always a challenge when you have a relationship built with an author, or in this case authors, and you review their books. If you don't like it, do you say that you do? How will they feel about my review?! All of these things were going through my head prior to reading ATY. I have to say that in reading this steamy NA book, all of my nerves went out the window and I couldn't wait to not only let Becca and Krista know how awesome their book is, but also to tell the world!

From the first pages, you're completely sucked in. Lily and Loren's relationship is sort of a mystery to start. Clearly Lily has some major issues. I mean, the first time we see her she's trying to sneak out of a frat house without having to embarrass herself with a walk of shame (and it's not the first time). Then Loren comes to her rescue at the door. Initially, I thought Loren would be the good guy to her bad girl. Her knight in shinning armor if you will. But that's not necessarily the case to start. Loren has his share of issues too. Both Lily and Loren deal with addicting, but two different forms. One addicted to sex, while the other the bottle. It was an interesting dynamic to their relationship and made it really hard for me to put the book down.

I wasn't real wild about the characters at first. I mean, if I met either of them on the sidewalks of my college campus, I'd know they were trouble ten feet off! Then the tension heated up and you couldn't put it down!

All in all, I absolutely loved Addicted to You. It's the perfect summer read! There is romance, angst, and it's all kinds of edgy situations. If you're looking for a hot read for the summer, you won't be able to put Addicted to You down!!

9 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

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About the Authors!

Becca Ritchie is a carnivore of pop culture, television, film and of course YA and NA books. While in college, she worked at The CW television network and put her vampiric knowledge to good use, blogging about hit series and swooning over actors’ abs. When she’s not blogging, she writes novels and has teamed up with her twin sister for their New Adult novel ADDICTED TO YOU. Available July of 2013.

Krista Ritchie is the mind behind popular trading website YA Book Exchange and created Nawanda Files, a book blog that also features books into movies news. When not pouring over entertainment news and the newest releases, she spends her time conducting research in a genetics lab. She’s happy to join forces with her sister, harnessing their twin powers to produce the first in a New Adult series.

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Review: While It Lasts (Sea Breeze, #3) by Abbi Glines

 

After reading Because of Low and being introduced to bad boy, Cage York, I couldn't wait to get my hands on While It Lasts!

Cage’s partying ways have finally caught up to him. After one night of having a little too much to drink and getting behind the wheel, he finds himself with a DUI and in danger of messing up his future set to get himself out of Sea Breeze. His coach sends him to work on a farm for a few weeks to teach him some responsibility. The smelly, hot, and girl-less farm life is not how Cage wants to spend his summer. When he finds out that the farmer’s daughter is drop dead gorgeous, he thinks his time on the farm could actually be fun. That is until he tries talking to her.

Eva the ice queen wants nothing to do with the delinquent working on her Daddy’s farm. After tragedy strikes and her carefully laid plans for her life are shot to hell, she’s content with a solitary life. But it’s hard to resist Cage’s charm and she finds herself strangely attracted to boy living in her Daddy’s barn.

I will tell you that I’m a little biased when it comes to farmer’s daughters stories. I grew up reading my mom’s old cowboy romance novels and I’m a sucker for boots wearing, hay bailing, honk tonk inhabiting guys. While Cage isn’t necessarily a cowboy, Eva is your typical farmer’s daughter who falls for the hired hand and let me tell you, Glines gets steamy with this one! Her books seem to get sexier and sexier and you won't find me complaining!

I loved Eva and Cage’s story. Cage has a chip on his shoulder and an axe to grind while Eva has to overcome her tragic past. Together they find love, passion and a friendship that neither one of them expected.

This is my favorite book in the Sea Breeze series and it’s definitely not one to miss!

9 out of 10

Happy Reading :)

 

Here is the updated cover!

 

 

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Review: Matched (Matched, #1) by Ally Condie

Where do I start with this book? I originally discovered it while checking out books for fans of the Divergent series. I’m a big fan of post-apocalyptic/dystopian society novels. After I read the synopsis for Matched, I was hooked. I had to get my hands on it. Well luckily for me, my personal library (AKA Alley) already owned a copy that she was willing to lend me. That very night, I dove in to the book.

Cassia lives in a society where everything is decided for you – who you marry, what you do, when you die. At the age of 17, all willing members of society are “matched,” a process where the Society pairs two people who are statistically compatible and will produce the most genetically sound children. Cassia is excited for her match banquet, and even more so upon finding out that her match is her best friend Xander. But when Cassia goes to review the micro-card The Society gave her with Xander’s information, Xander’s face is not the one Cassia sees. Instead, Cassia sees the face of Ky Markham, an outsider from a different province who was never supposed to be in the match pool. The Society assures Cassia that seeing Ky’s face was a mistake, and that she was truly matched with Xander. Cassia can’t seem to accept this answer, and the lingering doubt causes her to question The Society and their matching practices.

I wanted to love this, I really did. I was into the synopsis, the first chapters were going well, and then somewhere in the middle it just fell flat for me. I like for an author to give little pieces of information along the way. Halfway through the book, I still knew almost nothing about The Society, or how it came to be. I don’t even know where Cassia’s province was located. There was talk of her province and other provinces, but no mention of how they were all inter-related. It appears that Cassia’s country was born from America, but Conde left me guessing as to what had happened to the USA. I had no idea how The Society came to power, why the people were so obedient, or who was even running The Society. Conde keeps referring to high-ranking members of The Society as “officials” but never gives them names, and you almost never see the same “Official” twice. It was hard to keep up with. Other authors (like Veronica Roth or Marissa Meyer) give the readers small pieces of information about how the society came to be along the way, to help hold the story together. All I knew by the end was The Society is a bunch of killjoys with crazy rules, and everyone just decided to follow them.

I was hoping the story would pick up after Cassia’s first few interactions with Ky, but the entire book continued to be one stolen moment after another. To give Conde credit, the moments Cassia had with Ky did have my heart fluttering. Conde’s writing has a way of making you feel your first love all over again. I looked forward to each time they were able to see each other, and the development of their relationship had me cheering them on. Conde also created a very likeable character in Xander, so much so that I found myself changing sides regularly on who I wanted Cassia to be with.
By the end of the book, I was disappointed. The book moved so slowly, and the end of the novel really should’ve been what happened in the middle. It was frustrating to read all the way to the end, only to be left with many questions and dissatisfaction at the movement of the story. Matched is the first book in the series, with Crossed being the second book. I haven’t read it yet, but from what I gather, it seems as those Conde could’ve combined the two books into one and had a more cohesive story. I will be reading Crossed, but mostly because I feel like I have to finish the series in hopes I’ll have some idea of what the heck is going on.

Overall, the book was a decent read. While I wouldn’t necessarily go around recommending this to all my friends, I would also say it wasn’t a total wash either. Cassia is a likeable character, and the development of her relationships with both Xander and Ky had me on the edge of my seat. The glue that holds this book together could have been the information about her mysterious society, and without that information the book just seemed odd. Conde obviously piqued my curiosity enough that I’ll finish the series, but I have serious doubt going into the next book. I’m hoping Crossed will answer all those questions left unanswered by Matched.

5 out of 10

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Waiting on Wednesday (21): Allegiant (Divergent, #3) by Veronica Roth

It's Wednesday again! Today, we're featuring a book that majority of the blogosphere is clamoring to get their hands on this October and I know Jess and I are right along with them...

Allegiant (Divergent, #3) by Veronica Roth

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?

What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?

What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent

This much anticipated finale to the Divergent trilogy is all I can think about reading. After recently rereading the first two in the series myself, Jess  took off on the YA train and read both Divergent and Insurgent in about 2 days. All this movie news doesn't make it any easier to be less excited, but it gives us even more to look forward to in the meantime.

What are you waiting on?

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Updates!

Happy 4th of July everyone! Wedding planning and work took up all of my time last month and while I was still reading like a crazy person, I didn't have much time for blogging. Becuase this seems to be like a regular occurance, I've decided to take on a second blogger!

Her name is Jess and she loves reading (obviously) and is flying through book after book after book. We're still working out the kinks and so expect some changes around here and reviews from both of us! We're super excited and can't wait to get things underway!

Happy Reading :)

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