Waiting on Wednesday (12)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.


Hey, y'all! Guess what day it is! IT'S WEDNESDAY! You can probably tell by the title.....or the giant banner...! Keep reading for the book I'm waiting on this Wednesday! :D

My pick this week:

Title:To All the Boys I've Loved before

Author: Jenny Han

Publication: April 22nd 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters…

 

Guys.....I WANT THIS BOOK! The summary is so small, yet so interesting! I wanna read it SO bad! But I have to wait until next year! GAHHHHH!! >.<

Anyway, are you as excited for this book as much as I am? Do you find it even a tiny bit interesting? What are you waiting on this Wednesday? :)

BOOK REVIEW: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

 Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Published: September 29th 2011 by Dutton Books

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive 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, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--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.

Rate: 5 out of 5 stars

My thoughts: 
     I am so gitty because of this book! I was one lucky person, when I found this book at the bargain store for only $1.99. I was about to go to Barnes and Noble to buy this exact book, but I stopped at the bargain store, and there it was!
   A little about the story: Every outfit Lola wears is over the top, and magnificent. Why? Because she's an aspiring costume designer. Lola's life is great. She's dating a hot rocker boyfriend, she has big plans for her winter formal, and her future is even bigger. Everything is perfect....until the Bell twins move back into the house next door. As they step back into Lola's life, all her plans start falling apart, and she, once again, finds herself falling for the boy next door.
     Lola.....Lola, Lola, Lola, Lola, Lola.......I wish I had you as a friend! I really liked Lola. Her crazy outfits were super cool, and her imagination is big! If you read the book, you can tell Lola has some problems. Her mom is a wreck, her parents are super strict, and she had a few opinions about her body image. Some of her problems are normal teen things, though. I felt i could relate to her just a little. I also loved her personality. she was fun to be around! And she wasn't afraid to show who she really was. I got a little irritated when she didn't just admit she loved Cricket. It took until 2/3 of the book, for her to confess she loved him. This was me through out most of the book:

     And Cricket...Oh, Cricket! How I wish he was mine! Lately, I've had a thing for the nice guy in alot of books! But I'm pretty sure alot of people love Cricket. It's inevitable! I loved how he was totally devoted to Lola the whole time. He Loved her ever sense they were kids, and still loved her after all the problems that happened! And he has a Fashion sense, so that's a plus!

     I found the writing really good! The reviews on good reads are all over the place, so my opinion might be different from the next person, but I personally loved the first book, as well as the second.  

     In a nutshell, this book was great! Not only do you get a great new set of characters, but a few known character show up! Characters by the names of Anna, and St. Clair! Yup, they're in this book! And they're Lola's friends! They don't play a big part in the book, though. They're more like the icing to the cake.

    

P.S.:Can't wait for the last book! I'm a bit irritated at the cover changes, though! Not good for a girl with OCD!

Quotes:

“So do you believe in second chances?" I bite my lip.
"Second, third, fourth. Whatever it takes. However long it takes. If the person is right," he adds.
"If the person is... Lola?"
This time, he holds my gaze. "Only if the other person is Cricket.” 
― Stephanie Perkins, Lola and the Boy Next Door

“Perfect is overrated. Perfect is boring."
I smile. "You don't think I'm perfect?"
"No. You're delightfully screwy, and I wouldn't have you any other way.” 
― Stephanie Perkins, Lola and the Boy Next Door

“What just happened?"
"Your father invited the former love of your life in for pie."
"Yeah, that's what I thought.” 

― Stephanie Perkins, Lola and the Boy Next Door

“Remember that day I made you the elevator?” he suddenly asks.
I give him a faint smile. “How could I forget?”
“That was the day I had my first kiss.”
My smile fades.
“I’m better now,” He sets the apple beside me. “At kissing, just so you know.” 
― Stephanie Perkins, Lola and the Boy Next Door

BOOK REVIEW: Josie Griffin is NOT a Vampire by Heather Swain

Josie Griffin is NOT a Vampire 

by Heather Swain

Published September 13th 2012 by Speak

A hilarious take on the paranormal trend--Twilight meets The Breakfast Club!

When former good girl turned rebel Josie Griffin gets busted for what was in her mind perfectly acceptable revenge on her cheating dog of a boyfriend, she lands herself in anger management therapy. It could be worse: it could be juvvie, or she could be a zombie cheerleader like the rest of her former friends. But there's something strange about therapy--these are not normal kids. There's the wannabe ladies man with a weird accent, Johann; the blindingly gorgeous Helios; Avis with his wild dreads; and Tarren, the sprite of a girl with a wicked temper. And all of them keep talking about "powers." Josie knows that has to be impossible, but strange things start happening, and nothing weird ever happens in Indiana. After all, there's no such things as vampires, werewolves, Greek gods, or fairies . . . right?

Rate: 3.5 out of 5 stars

My Thoughts:
     This book was super small! Only 272 pages. Yet, it took me a while to completely read the book.. 2 weeks to be exact. Why? It wasn't a very well known book.  It didn't have many written out reviews on goodreads, so I blew it off a ton! 
     I specifically remember looking at it at Barnes & Noble, picking it up, then calmly setting it down thinking, "Hmm...maybe not this one". Then, my mom took me to the bargain store, and there it was......for only $1.99. I thought, "HEY, WHY NOT?!?!" (Funny how my mind completely changed, once the price went down. LOL)
     Anyway, the book was actually quite good.
     Josie is just a regular (human) girl, who just went throw a tough breakup. By tough, I mean her boyfriend hooked up with her best friend, & her other best friend knew about it the whole time and didn't tell her a thing. And bashing in his windshield, didn't do anything but land her in anger-management therapy. 
     Just when her life couldn't get any worse (or weirder for that matter), all the kids in her anger management class seem to think they're make-believe creatures. And they think Josie is too.
     The book starts off with Josie going to court. I didn't really know how I felt about Josie at first. she explains how she used to be a "good" girl. She used to be a cheerleader, got good grades, followed the rules and did what her parents told her. But that all changes when she catches her boyfriend cheats on her.  She quits the cheerleading team, stops wearing the same clothes, starts doing what she wants, and I kinda felt like she was.......fake? The way she does a 180 on her personality confused me, and made me wounder, which one is the real Josie? 
     As I read on, I started warming up to her. But My favorite character has GOT to be Johann. He is super hilarious. But I loved all of the characters. Helios was charming, yet he had a bit of bad boy in him. Avis, the wear, was awesome as well,(SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER) and I couldn't stop laughing when it's revealed that he isn't a werewolf, but instead is a were chicken. And who couldn't love the little read-headed Terran. All her spells were funny and left me wishing I had magic.
     I just wish there was more romance in the book. Josie and Helios don't actually start there little crush until about the middle of the book, and even then, all they did was kiss. JUST.ONE.KISS. I WANTED MORE! LOL
     All in all, this book was a funny and I loved.  I deducted a point and a half for Josie's weird stars, and because of the little romance this book has. But this book was great! Keep in mind this book is lighthearted, so don't expect any super serious stuff. 

Quotes:

“There goes the world's wimpiest vampire.” 
― Heather Swain, Josie Griffin is Not a Vampire

Stacking the Shelves (12)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews featuring books added to our shelves and sharing our excitement for them.

Bought:

Exchanged:

I got a bunch of great books this week! I'm super excited to read them all! Which should I start reading first? 

What's new on your shelve this week? Let me know in the comments below! :)

COVER REVEAL+BLURB: 5 Miles by Nadege Richards

5 Miles (Breathe Novels #1) 

by Nadège Richards

Genre: NA Contemporary Romance

Release Date: Sept. 16th 2013

“This is a story about survival. Letting go and learning to let in. Getting along and moving on. There’s no make-pretend or fairytales. This is a story about the truth of life. The things left unsaid…”

--

It’s been four years since that night at the river. That night on the alabaster hill where Trinity Ayala swore on her soul that she’d fallen in love with a heart-breaker, willingly.

2 months, 7 weeks, and 1,460 long days. They were carefree—limitless and infamous, he’d told her.

But after the accident that nearly cost her everything and her father called it quits and ditched, Trinity vowed to make something of herself and someday leave town with hopes of becoming a writer.

Four years is a lot of time. Enough time to forget Elijah Marciano and move on from her life on the streets. But when she runs into the hazel-eyed dare devil from her childhood at a fraternity party, one drunken night of passion lands her back in his clutches. And he’ll do anything to keep her there, even if it means turning her away from her fiancé and the mirage of a life she’s built to forget her past. Trinity soon finds herself shrouded in a world of heartbreak, betrayal, and one ugly affair with no way out.

Only, Eli—once the troubled kid from apartment 309—has a few secrets of his own. Secrets he’s kept hidden for months, and Trinity is no better. When they discover just how deep the lies run, vows are broken and, in the end, hidden truths are bared to the open.

Their love will be INFAMOUS

 Excerpt:

Eli liked things he could control, I knew, and where feelings are involved, his control wasn't.

So instead he hid from the things that'd make him regret or forget. The things that would give him any reason to doubt or give up. And who the hell was I to tell him he was wrong?

I was nobody.

The things that could be controlled, though, was this moment.And Elijah kissed me like it was a natural-born instinct. We had our story and they had theirs. No, ours wasn't exactly beautiful or magical, or any of those things they made us believe in. Most often than not, we cried and were reckless with every decision Those feelings we held onto in that moment we ever-changing; we did the impossible and never doubted for a second that we'd do it again. because in our story, there were no rules to hold us back or people to judge or misuse us. We were limitless.

About the author:

Born in New York City and raised in Pennsylvania, Nadege has traveled to five other states and two countries, but aspires to travel the world some day. Her name is of French origin, though she's never been to France. Forever a lover of art and all things pertaining to Literature, she hopes to obtain knowledge from her writing career, rather than popularity or fame. She wrote her first story about aliens and goats in the 8th grade and has had a passion for story-telling ever since. Her friends and family are her biggest inspiration, and the occasional cup of coffee. She enjoys being part of the Indie community and sharing her stories with the world.

Her debut novel, Burning Bridges, is her first completed novel. It isn't her first attempt in the writing world, but it's a tale about two lovers she hopes will change the way people view one another, in both big and small ways.

What do you think of the cover? Are you excited for this book?

Let me know in the comments below! :)

Stacking the Shelves (11)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews featuring books added to our shelves and sharing our excitement for them.

Won:

*HUGE thanks to Giselle from Xpresso Reads an Penguin* 

Exchanged:

*Thanks to Mimi Zane, Terri Matlock, &  littlehanachan*

Bought:

That's what i got this week! What do you guys think? I am EXTREMELY happy!

What's new on your shelves this week? Let me know in the comments below! :)

Waiting on Wednesday (11) *Posted on a Thursday*

 "Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted @ Bending the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Oops, I'm posting this on a Thursday  Anyway, I haven't been posting for quite some time, but I hope to start posting 2 reviews per week now.

Plus, I got a new blog design, made by Lisseth at Read-A-holicZ.

Isn't it beautiful!

 My Pick this Week:

The Fall of Five (Lorien Legacies #4) by Pitticus Lore

Publication: August 27th 2013 by HarperTeen

The Garde are finally reunited, but do they have what it takes to win the war against the Mogadorians?

John Smith—Number Four—thought that things would change once the Garde found each other. They would stop running. They would fight the Mogadorians. And they would win.

But he was wrong. After facing off with the Mogadorian ruler and almost being annihilated, the Garde know they are drastically unprepared and hopelessly outgunned. Now they’re hiding out in Nine’s Chicago penthouse, trying to figure out their next move.

The six of them are powerful, but they’re not strong enough yet to take on an entire army—even with the return of an old ally. To defeat their enemy, the Garde must master their Legacies and learn to work together as a team. More importantly, they’ll have to discover the truth about the Elders and their plan for the Loric survivors.

And when the Garde receive a sign from Number Five—a crop circle in the shape of a Loric symbol—they know they are so close to being reunited. But could it be a trap? Time is running out, and the only thing they know for certain is that they have to get to Five before it’s too late.

The Garde may have lost battles, but they will not lose this war.

Lorien will rise again. 

Guys, I have been waiting for this book since last August! The first 3 books are awesome, and this series is one of the few sci-fi books I actually read.

But man, am I excited! The last book left me with so many questions! 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday? :)

BOOK REVIEW: Graceling (Graceling Realm #1) by Kristin Cashore

Graceling (Graceling Realm #1) 

by Kristin Cashore

Published:October 1st 2008 

by Harcourt

His eyes, Katsa had never seen such eyes. One was silver, and the other, gold. They glowed in his sun-darkened face, uneven, and strange. She was surprised that they hadn't shone in the darkness of their first meeting. They didn't seem human....

Then he raised his eyebrows a hair, and his mouth shifted into the hint of a smirk. He nodded at her, just barely, and it released her from her spell.

Cocky, she thought. Cocky and arrogant, this one, and that was all there was to make of him. Whatever game he was playing, if he expected her to join him he would be disappointed.

In a world where people born with an extreme skill—called a Grace—are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Rate: 4 out of 5 stars

My thoughts: 

     How do I begin....this book was pure awesomeness! I grabbed this book at random at the book store. I had no idea what it was about, but, man, am I happy I picked it up! 
     Let me point something out, though. Going into this book, I felt as if it was a little flat. Interesting, but flat. At first, there didn't seem to be any plot and character development. And the characters were kinda.......unoriginal. As if I'd already read about them a hundred times before. This went on for all of part 1 in the book. (For those of you who don't know, there are 3 parts in the book) But going into part 2, I was struck in the face with a fantastic literary whirlwind. 
     The characters start out as skeletons with bare details and simple traits. Then, before your eyes, they begin to grow! They change before your eyes into real people. Katsa didn't really have a great personality in the beginning, because she basically just followed he uncle's rules. She did everything he told her to do, just like a little puppy dog. He trained her to not question anything, and to harm people without emotion, and she did exactly that. 
     But when Po comes in, she starts having a change of mind. She starts questioning herself. Why is she doing this? Why can't she stop? Why does she have to do what her uncle tells her to do? And just like that, Katsa becomes her own person. She goes on a task, and instead of hurting a man, she lets him live, and disobeys her uncles orders. 
     I LOVED Po. Although, his name often reminded me of Po from Kung Fu Panda, he was just so swoon worthy! (Katsa's name also confused me alot. Whenever I started reading, I would mindlessly say "Katniss" instead of "Katsa") Po's ability to read people's minds was a great advantage. When Katsa agreed to leave with him, he was able to tell if people were coming, or if animals were near.
     He would come handy in a zombie apocalypse....just a thought.
The story line was great. After part one, Katsa and Po are on there way to a different kingdom, and the action quickly picks up, when they figure out who the villain in the story is.
     You also meet Bittlerblue. Bitterblue is Po's young cousin who you meet, when Katsa and Po rescue her. I'm not gonna say why they rescued her, because I'm trying to keep spoiler at minimum. But I loved Bitterblue. Her character brought innocence into the story. She was just a little 10 year old girl who needed rescuing  yet she became such an important character later on in the story.
     This book was amazing. I loved it, and do not regret reading! I deducted a star because of the slow start, but the rest of the book, is great! The book is part of a trilogy, so I am super excited to read the next book! 

Quotes:

“I'm not going to wear a red dress," she said.
"It would look stunning, My Lady," she called.
She spoke to the bubbles gathered on the surface of the water. "If there's anyone I wish to stun at dinner, I'll hit him in the face.” 
― Kristin Cashore, Graceling


“What are you grinning at?" Katsa demanded for the third or fourth time. "Is the ceiling about to cave in on my head or something? You look like we're both on the verge of an enormous joke."
"Katsa, only you would consider the collapse of the ceiling a good joke.” 
― Kristin Cashore, Graceling


“Skye kissed her forehead. "You saved my life."
Katsa smiled. "You Lienid are very outward in your affection."
"I'm going to name my firstborn child after you."
Katsa laughed at that. "For the child's sake, wait for a girl. Or even better, wait until all your children are older and give my name to whichever is the most troublesome and obstinate.
Skye burst into laughter and hugged her, and Katsa returned his embrace. And realized that quite without her intending it, her guarded heart had made another friend.” 
― Kristin Cashore, Graceling


“I'll teach you how to defend yourself, how to maim a man. We can use Po as a model.''Wonderful,' Po said. 'It's quite boring really, the way you beat me to death with your hands and feet, Katsa. It'll be refreshing to have you come at me with a knife.” 
― Kristin Cashore, Graceling

“I wanted you to go away, because it hurts to be with you when I can't see you." - Po” 
― Kristin Cashore, Graceling

Stacking the Shelves (10)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews featuring              books added to our shelves and sharing our excitement for them.

Bought:

WOW! It's been a LONG time since I last posted (because of school). I passed my finals! You are now looking at a high school Junior.  

I got a bunch of new books! And I read a few books, too! Those reviews will be up sometime this week! 

So...what book should I start next?  Let me know in the comments below! :)

What's new on your shelves?