Lets's Talk: Finals and what not..!

 

So.......I don't know if you've noticed, but I haven't been posting many reviews lately. I have a pretty good excuse, though. And that excuse is......(drumroll)....

..FINALS!

:P

 

Stacking the Shelves (9)

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:

For review:

 That's it for this week! What do you think of the books? Have you read them?
Whats new on your shelf this week? :)

COVER REVEAL+GIVEAWAY: All In by Marta Brown

All In by Marta BrownPublication date: May 28th 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

On the picturesque island of Martha's Vineyard, there are two kinds of residents. Locals and Stays.

Local boy, Lane McCarthy, plans on spending his summer working at the country club to save money for college in the fall, while summer stay, Ashley Whitmore, and her elite group of friends are only there to play.

As the summer heat goes up on the island, so does the ante, when both Lane and Ashley must decide what they’re willing to wager in order to follow their dreams… and their hearts.

With stakes as high as the surf, and hopes as high as the midday sun, will they risk everything and go all in?

GOODREADS

Author:

 

 

Marta Brown grew up in the Pacific Northwest and was a teenager when Doc Martens, Pearl Jam and flannel were the norm and Dylan loved Kelly forever (Beverly Hills, 90210 shout out).

She still lives just outside Seattle, now with her husband and cat, and loves the rain.

When she’s not writing about cute boys, first kisses and the magic and wonder of being seventeen, she’s watching The CW. And she sleeps in. Late.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter

 

 

Giveaway:
 

25$ Amazon Gift Card

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (10)

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

My pick this week:

 Allegiant (Divergent #3)

by Veronica Roth

Publication: October 22nd 2013 by Harper Collins Children's Books

Pages: 496

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 book is definitely on my TBR list! It's practically on the top!  And they just recently released the cover. I thing it's GORGEOUS! Isn't it?!?

What are you waiting for, this Wednesday. Let me know in the comments below! :)

COVER REVEAL: Barbie World (Barbie Girl #2) by Heidi Acosta

Barbie World by Heidi Acosta
Series: Barbie Girl, #2
Publication date: May 2013
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

“One Night is all it took to change everything between Barbie and me. One night to potentially lose the girl of my dreams forever. How do I prove to her that she can trust me? That all I want to do is protect her carefully guarded heart. I need to prove to her that I want to be a part of her world. But How? ”

Dylan lost Barbie once before, now he is determined more than ever to win her heart and trust back. Easier said than done, especially with the new hot guy in town who is in a rock band and is the complete opposite of Dylan.

Barbie has been hurt beyond repair or so she thinks. It would be easier for heart to decide if she didn’t have to protect her little brother. And if Dylan would just put on a shirt! Dylan is not making this easy on her. It helps to have the distraction of the new guy in town cute bad boy Kai. But even though her heart is damaged it still knows what it wants.

When Barbie learns she has a family and with the help of Roxie and Kai, oh and Third and Dylan. They embark on a journey to help bring Barbie closer to a past she never knew existed.

Heidi Acosta brings you the heart felt story of friendship, love and heartbreak in the second book in of the Baby doll series Barbie World.

Goodreads 

Author:

Heidi Acosta was born on Long Island, New York. Moving around a lot when she was younger, she has lived in New York, Arizona, New York (again), Washington, Georgia, and Florida, in that order. Each place offered her something special, but she will always consider New York her home.

Heidi started writing as soon as she could spell. When she was three, Heidi’s mother gave her a copy of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods; thus beginning her lifelong love affair with literature.

Writing soon also became a form of therapy for Heidi, when she realized that no matter what was happening in her life, she could find emotional escape while writing. Some of her earliest stories featured her as a princess who explored new worlds with her horse Buttercup. If it sounds romantic, it wasn’t, there was no prince charming in those fairy lands (boys where yucky).

Heidi now resides in Florida with her husband, very active daughter, one hyper Chihuahua, two sweet cats, and one very fat moody cat. 
 

 

Website | Goodread | Twitter | Facebook

 What do you think of the cover? Let me know in the comments below! :)

BOOK REVIEW: Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1) by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1) by Stephanie Perkins

Publication: December 2nd 2010 by Dutton

Pages: 372

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Rate: 5 out of 5 stars

 

My thoughts:

 

     There are 2 reasons why I LOVED this book. But your gonna have to read on, to find out.

     In Stephanie Perkins Anna and the French Kiss, 17 year old Anna, is sent away to Paris, for her senior year. Anybody else would be ecstatic to go...But Anna sure isn't. On top of the fact that she doesn't speak a lick of french, she's absolutely homesick, lost, and knows no one. It doesn't take long before she's befriended by a group of friends. Meredith, Rashmi, Josh, and St. Clair (Etienne). She finally found friends in Paris, when she starts having feelings for St. Clair. There's just one problem. He has a girlfriend. Anna is falling in love with someone who she can't have. Will Anna end up with the guy she likes, or not? It is, after all, The City of Lights...and Love.

     First off, I went into this book a little incredulously. There was tons of great reviews on goodreads, and I got super excited when I bought Anna and the French Kiss, But I knew it wasn't such a good idea, because a good majority of the contemporary books I read turn out to be too corny, or too cliche. So my standards for this book were set a bit low. After a few chapters, I was happily surprised that I was really liking it.

    Second: the characters. Stephanie's characters are just so likable. You instantly fall in love with St. Clair, and Anna. Even though they are far from perfect. It's stated in the book, that Anna has a gap in between her teeth, and she has a white bleached strand in her hair, that make her look like a skunk. And St. Clair has crooked bottom teeth, and is actually shorter then Anna. ( I found this really funny!!)

     The writing in this book is really good. It has a sort of cutesy ting to it, which makes it such a great boy crush book. She writes about the characters so nicely, and does a great job at getting every little detail about a crush down. The angst, the awkwardness, the total cheese fest. It was so awesome.

     I fell for this book so much, that I even went to my parents, asking to go study in Paris. I mean, who wouldn't want? Sadly, by family is rational (and broke) and said no.

     I loved the good-natured humor. It will have you smiling way after finishing it. Looking forward to buying Lola and the Boy Next Door.

 

Quotes:

 

“French name, English accent, American school. Anna confused.”
― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss

 

“Soap?"
"School of America in Paris" he explains. "SOAP".
Nice. My father sent me here to be cleansed.”
― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss

 

“Most people in Atlanta don't have an accent. It's pretty urban. A lot of people speak gangsta, though," I add jokingly.
"Fo' shiz," he replies in his polite English accent.
I spurt orangey-red soup across the table. St. Clair gives a surprised ha-HA kind of laugh, and I'm laughing too, the painful kind like abdominal crunches. He hands me a napkin to wipe my chin. "Fo'. Shiz." He repeats it solemnly.
Cough cough. "Please don't ever stop saying that. It's too-" I gasp. "Much."
"You oughtn't to have said that. Now I shall have to save it for special occasions."
"My birthday is in February." Cough choke wheeze. "Please don't forget.”
― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss

 

“Madame Guillotine gets mad at me. Not because I told them to shove it, but because I didn’t say it in French. What is wrong with this school?”
― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss

 

“The only French word I know is oui, which means “yes,” and only recently did I learn it’s spelled o-​u-​i and not w-​e-​e.”
― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss

    

Waiting on Wednesday (9) (Posted on a Thursday...OOPS)

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

BOOK REVIEW: Hush Hush( Hush Hush #1) by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush #1) by Becca Fitzpatrick

Publication:October 13, 2009 by Simon & Schuster BFYR 

A SACRED OATH 
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life

Rate: 4 out of 5 stars

My Thoughts:
     I read this book back in 2010, and I remember really liking this book, but sadly, I still hadn't started this blog by then. So I basically finished it, talked to myself about all the good and bad points of the story, and added it to my shelf, to never be reviewed. Until now. I found it, while cleaning and rearranging my book self, and the first thing that popped into my head was "Oh, this book was good", until i quickly realized that i didn't remember a thing about the book. Just the basics. So I re-read it, right then and there. (I actually skimmed some of the parts I DID remember.)
     In Becca Fitzpatrick's bestseller, Hush Hush, Nora Grey, an average high school student, is struggling with the death of her father. While in her biology class, the teacher makes a new seating arrangement, which brings Nora face to face with the dark and dangerous Patch Cipriano. Nora, then starts having visions of near death experiences, and the feeling that someone is following her. As things get weirder and weirder Nora's life turns into anything but average.
      Lets start with characters. (like always) I really liked Nora, except that, on the second time I read Hush, Hush, she seemed sorta.......stalker-ish. For example: she gets her best friend, Vee, to distract the office ladies, just so she can check out Patch's files. She DOES get to check out his files and find out his last name, right after finding out that Vee forged a bomb threat, as a distraction. Another example: When she and Vee (and 2 other guys, who i don't really remember their names, and am too lazy to open the book up and check) go to a Mexican restaurant (which is where Patch works) she takes a disguise, so that she can question Patch's co-workers. A little weird, don't you think. And by disguise, I mean blond wig, a skirt, fishnet leggings, and some hooker high heels.  Patch eventually catches her, and.......yadda yadda yadda. (NO SPOILERS)
     But to be quite honest with you, these parts really made me laugh. They were things i would have never done, which made for some laugh out loud moments. All and all, Nora was a pretty nice character.
     Now to Patch. Patch was a different story. I really didn't like him. At all. I thought he was just another guy flirting with a girl. Then I started catching on to the fact that he was a fallen angel. I started liking him a little more. AND THEN, I read that, Patch intended to kill Nora the whole time. Then I thought "YES! SOME DRAMA, AND JUST A BIT OF PSYCHO-NESS!" I really started liking this book around that time.
     The thing I liked the most was the writing style. Becca Fitzpatrick's writing really sucked me into the book. It made the characters seem more....Human. And natural. And real. Even though they are anything but. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Twilight. Or just YA romance.

Side note: OMG, Look at the cover. Is that not one of the most beautiful covers ever. I actually first bought the book because of the cover. Guilty!! :D

Quotes:

“Say 'provoking' again. Your mouth looks provocative when you do.”
― Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush, Hush

“You possess other people's...bodies."
He accepted that statement with a nod.
"Do you want to possess my body?"
"I want to do a lot of things to your body, but that's not one of them.”
― Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush, Hush


“I don't go out with strangers," I said.
"Good thing I do. I'll pick you up at five.”
― Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush, Hush

“Coach: "All right, Patch. let's say you're at a party. the room is full of girls of all shapes and sizes. You see blondes, brunettes, redheads, a few girl with black hair. Some are talkive, while other appear shy. You've one girl who fits your profile - attractive, intelligent and vulnerable. Dow do you let her know you're interested?"
Patch: "Single her out. Talk to her."
Coach: "Good. Now for the big question - how do you know if she's game or if she wants you to move on?"
Patch: "I study her. I figure out what she's thinking and feeling. She's not gonig to come right out and tell me, which is why i have to pay attention. Does she turn her body toward mine? Does she hold me eyes, then look away? Does she bite her lip and play with her hair, the way Nora is doing right now?”
― Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush, Hush

“Cheshvan starts tonight," Rixon said, "What are you doing arsing around in a graveyard?"
"Thinking."
"Thinking?"
"A process by which I use my brain to make a rational decision.”
― Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush, Hush

Stacking the Shelves (8)

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

 

COVER REVEAL AND GIVEAWAY: Addicted to You (Addicted, #1) by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie

 Addicted to You (Addicted, #1)

by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie

Publication: July 1, 2013 

Two addictions. One lie.

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.

**This is a New Adult book recommended for readers 18 and up**

What I think:
     I'm gonna keep this short, simple and sweet. I think this cover is beautiful. The girl on the cover is very pretty, and the whole hair-blowing-in-the-wind-think going on is really cool. The cover was created by Hafsah at Icey Designs, and I think she did a beautiful, simple, yet intricate design for Krista and Becca's book.
     You can check out Krista and Becca's blog, Nawanda Files, by clicking HERE.

Giveaway
 

Your choice of a New Adult book.

Opened Internationally

(As long as the Book Depository ships to you)
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

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

My pick this week:

 

Blackout (Blackout #1)

by Robison Wells

Publication: October 1st, 2013 by HarperTeen 

Laura and Alec are trained terrorists.

Jack and Aubrey are high school students.

There was no reason for them to ever meet.

But now, a mysterious virus is spreading throughout America, infecting teenagers with impossible powers. And these four are about to find their lives intertwined in a complex web of deception, loyalty, and catastrophic danger—where one wrong choice could trigger an explosion that ends it all

How awesome does this book sound?!? I need this book! What do you think of Blackout? What are you waiting for this Wednesday? Leave your comments below!