Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira

Published: April 1st 2014

Source: Won a copy via goodreads first reads program

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18140047-love-letters-to-the-dead

SYNOPSIS

It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person.

Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to the dead—to people like Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, Amelia Earhart, and Amy Winehouse—though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating the choppy waters of new friendships, learning to live with her splintering family, falling in love for the first time, and, most important, trying to grieve for May. But how do you mourn for someone you haven't forgiven?

It's not until Laurel has written the truth about what happened to herself that she can finally accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was—lovely and amazing and deeply flawed—can she truly start to discover her own path.

In a voice that's as lyrical and as true as a favorite song, Ava Dellaira writes about one girl's journey through life's challenges with a haunting and often heartbreaking beauty.

REVIEW

I had heard a lot about this book prior to receiving it for review, there was a lot of hype about it, and everyone was super excited based on the synopsis, and this sometimes does not go so well for me, but this one was different, it lived up to the hype for me. 

There are a lot of different topics covered in this novel, from family to love to molestation and most importantly death. This is a lot for a teenager to handle, however, unfortunately, I think that some of these things are becoming all too familiar with some these days. 

We follow the diary like entries of Laurel, she was given an assignment in English class to write to someone famous whom is dead, and she chooses to take the assignment and run with it, and uses it to make almost diary entries to these famous people and gives them specific examples of why she is writing to them, and what it means to her. The author got it bang on here, and there were people that Laurel wrote to that I had no idea who they were, however, that did not take away from the reading experience at all as it is explained during the letter who that person is, and what bearing it has on her situation.

It doesn't take long to get through this book, however, it does not take away from the importance of it, I think that anyone going through their teenage years would for sure get something out of this. There are beautiful poems that are littered through this book, and I will for sure be picking up some books by the authors so that I can read more, and for that I thank the author for opening up my reading experience.

Laurel struggles with her parents divorce, and most importantly the loss of her older sister. This is something that I could never imagine (the loss of my older sister), and it is made worse by the fact that Laurel was there, and there is something that she is hiding from everyone that makes her feel like it is her fault. 

I think that the author did a great job with pacing, at first I found it a little slow, but then I realized that it had to be like that due to the way that she was playing out the story. If you are looking for a great contemporary, this one is for you, but keep in mind there are heavy topics covered, it is not a happily ever after book, which I appreciate as in these situations it definitely takes time to get through these things.

I give this book a 3.5/5, but on goodreads they don't do half stars, so I evened it out to a 4. If you have read this book I would love to hear from you, or even if you haven't, but are wanting to, I would still love to hear your thoughts!

Virgin by Radhika Sanghani

Published: August 5th 2014

Source: Copy was provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20257054-virgin

SUMMARY

Okay, I admit it...I didn't do it.

Yet.

This is normal, right? I mean, just because everyone I know has talked like they've done it doesn't mean that they're telling the truth...right?

It's not like I'm asking for that much, I don't need the perfect guy, I don't need candlelight or roses. Honestly, I don't even need a real bed.

The guys I know complain that girls are always looking for Mr. Right - do I have to wear a sign that says I'm only looking for Mr. Right Now?

Sooooo.....anyone out there want sex? Anyone? Hello? Just for fun?

I am not going to die a virgin. One way or another I am going to make this happen.

Hey, what have I got to lose? Besides the obvious.

REVIEW

This is the funniest book I have EVER read! 

We follow Ellie Kolstakis through her adventures is being a 21 year old virgin, however, this is not just a story about her losing her virginity, it is so much more than that. It is a story about family, love, friendship, and the trials and tribulations about trying to grow up a "normal" girl.

Ellie goes in to great detail about what being a 21 year old virgin means to society, and what kind of pressure that can put on a person. We all like to think that we are normal, but what does that really mean? Why it is not normal to be a virgin at 21? Who made that decision? 

Ellie has a best friend Lara whom she talked to about everything, however, even with our best friends, sometimes there are things that you just don't feel like you can talk about, like how to perform oral sex for example, a lot of people assume that everyone knows what they are doing, but where do we learn these things from?

I think that the author did a fantastic job at giving people prospective on what it is like growing up a girl, and how many things are left out for us. Who ever told us to expect hair growing all over our bodies, and what we are "supposed" to do with it. There is a scene where Ellie gets her first bikini wax, and what a debacle that turned in to, and what it left her looking like, and I was in tears I was laughing so hard. 

Ellie and Lara have a falling out, and Ellie meets a new friend Emma who is what she calls herself proudly, a slut. Ellie decided that she was going to put that to good use, and get as much information from her as she could, without drawing attention to the fact that she is a virgin, as Emma thinks that she is already well versed in that area. Emma gets her out of the house, to clubs and gets her to open up and see what happens. It works out well for Ellie, and she meets new people and has some new experiences, ones that she probably not have had with Lara.

I could rave about this book for hours, and I will, just leave a comment if you have read it yet, and we can chat. For now, I will leave it at this book is a fantastic read for everyone, women because they will probably remember having some of the same experiences, men because it will give them a better insight in to the female psyche and what we go through from a very young age.

I give this a 5/5 absolutely, and I HIGHLY encourage everyone to pick this book up, let me know when you do, I would love to hear from you!

Going Over by Beth Kephart

Published: April 1 2014

Source: Won a copy on Goodreads

SUMMARY

In the early 1980s Ada and Stefan are young, would-be lovers living on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall--Ada lives with her mother and grandmother and paints graffiti on the Wall, and Stefan lives with his grandmother in the East and dreams of escaping to the West.

REVIEW

I really enjoyed this book, it really makes you sit and wonder what it would be like to live in this situation, and I just could not imagine! There are a lot of feels in this book, and the characters are fantastically written.

We meet Ada first, and she is living in West Berlin with her Mother and Grandmother, and she works at a day care. She is in love with Stefan, whom lives with his Grandmother in East Berlin, their dream is for Stefan to escape and come and live with Ada on the West side.

Can you imagine having the love of your life torn away from you by a wall that either of you is not allowed to cross because of the government? I know I can't. 

While Ada is on the West side trying to live her life, we see how much this tears her apart inside, and how it affects everyone around her. She is unaware that Stefan is on the East side trying to find a way to her. 

This is a story of true love, the struggles of life in Berlin in the early 1980's, and what it means to be family, whether by blood or not. I would recommend this book to anyone, I gave it a 4/5.

Arise by Estevan Vega Book Blitz

EXCERPT

The patterns of his nightmare were a disease. Arson hated the hallways, the rooms—they all had the same ruined look: identical flaking, green-black walls and dead windows. His rage had spawned a reckless trail of flames that wandered beyond and behind their cautious footsteps. Faded lockers had hindered some of his harshest memories from being exposed; nevertheless, he noticed that a sequence of metal cages had been pulled open, bent. Rust formed along the lockers’ twisted edges. A leak from the ceiling now trickled down to corrupt their feeble frames. It didn’t take long at all for things to decay in this place; that much was obvious. Arson’s pulse quickened at the sight of all the torn-open realms.

Adam approached each step with a certain fearlessness Arson desperately wished he possessed. A steady pace that suggested he was looking for something and was close to finding it. But all the silence was driving Arson crazy. He had so many questions, about his powers, about sliding, about why he was plagued to live memories that weren’t his. If Adam could enter another’s subconscious by sliding, did he too have to endure someone else’s intense past? Had he ever before gotten stuck inside of a nightmare like this?

Arson’s eyes opened and shut rapidly, as if his body—or, the body of his mind—knew that doing so was a waste of time. He took a deep breath. As much as he wanted to know the answers to all of his questions, there was one mystery he needed solved first. It was the one thing that mattered above all. He’d been distraught over it since he got trapped in this distorted reality, prior to Adam’s arrival, which had only made everything even more of a blur. Was Emery still alive?

Why hadn’t she broken through?

Why hadn’t she crossed into this supernatural existence?

Why hadn’t the vision of his escape been real? He’d held her against his chest. He’d felt her skin on his skin. Emery was real; all of it was. Arson knew he had mutilated every last one of the sick fiends who had fed him lies and injected him with poisons. They all turned to ash in a matter of minutes. He’d risen out of his coma already and ended their scheme. In fact, he was there again now, his body unleashing a torrent of wrath, power he barely could control. With one breath, he’d watched a doctor become dust. Just by thinking it, his father’s heart had incinerated. The asylum was laid to waste, and Emery’s beautiful smile was first to welcome him back to the real world. If he entertained this reality long enough, maybe he’d smell her again, feel her hair slide across his knuckles, and even sense his knees quiver as her warm breath tickled his neck. He would never let her go. 

“Cut it out,” Adam said with a rough nudge. “You wanna get out or stay in la-la land? If we plan on escaping, keep all that sentimental garbage at bay. You need to be able to tell the difference between what’s real and what isn’t. Your ‘breakthrough’ never actually happened. This place just made you think it did. Get over it.”

“This is my nightmare,” Arson snarled. “My mind created it. I can control it.”

“Can you?”

No reply. Arson just kept walking.

“Some people say you can control what happens in your dreams. I say maybe, if you’re strong enough.”

“I am. Look around you.”

Adam studied the fiery shapes blazing around them. Colorful flowers that bloomed into the bodies of creatures only a teenage mind could fathom. Dragons and bats and spiders and combinations of reptiles and mammals blended together. An intoxicating splash of sapphire, crimson, and golden light.

“Okay, showoff. But starting fires doesn’t mean you can control everything that happens here. There’s some stuff that goes way back. It’s deep in your subconscious. I’ll bet you don’t even know half the stuff that’s locked in here with us. Or even remember it. I’m talking memories, ideas, bad dream kinda crap. It’s no wonder you haven’t gotten out yet.”

Adam spoke like a frustrated teacher. As they walked by another classroom, Arson was instantly reminded of several teachers he hated. Maybe Adam’s voice was theirs.

“It makes sense if you just think about it for a second. Your mind is a powerful computer. It’s capable of storing images you may have only seen once, thoughts you probably didn’t even mean to think. You read a book, and in that book a woman gets brutally murdered. Your imagination takes a picture with the words that described the action. That picture is now floating around in your brain, forever. You hear a song and it makes you angry. Watch a movie and you get excited because some couple is going at it. All of those things—the lusts, the fears, confusion, hatred—it all lives in here. A part of us can contain it only for so long, but when you’re stuck, like this, all bets are off. There is no delete button, no shut-off switch. You get the good with the bad. Unfortunately, your mind seems to like letting out all the bad. Not to mention, in here, you’re weaker.”

“You make it seem like I’m powerless.”

Adam stopped midstride and scratched his temple. His eye twitched when he spoke. “You’re missing it, Arson. It’s not just about power.” Adam snapped his fingers, and his thumb lit like a candle. As the flame crossed fingertips, a grin toyed with his mouth. “See? You could be your own personal superhero in here if you want, but that wouldn’t be enough. You still wouldn’t get out. Because that’s not how it works.”

“I know, the code and whatever.”

“Hey, lose the attitude. I’m trying to help you. There is a specific code that should be able to set you free. Maybe if you got over yourself and started thinking about the future instead of drowning in the past you might be able to help me find the locations of these codes. And just maybe, we get out of here alive.”

Adam quenched the fire in his palm and continued walking.

“Wait a second. You mean it’s possible for me to die in here?”

Adam abruptly replied, “I’ve seen some strange things in my years, but like I said, this is different. All bets are off. Anything’s possible.”

“But if I die in here, maybe I just wake up.”

“You’re in a coma, Arson. Your real-world body will atrophy. A day in here can wear on you out there. Given your weak physical state, if you die in this place, I don’t think you’re just gonna wake up. Besides, if you do, it’ll just keep going. More experiments. More tests. It’ll never step until we end it. I can help.”

A tidal wave collided with Arson’s mind. He was close to drowning, couldn’t breathe. His thoughts crashed into one another—a jumbled, fearful mess. “But these are my thoughts—”

“Most of them.”

“Right. They can kill me?”

“An idea is more dangerous than a bullet. One thought can destroy you. It’s perfect, in a sick way, how the mind works. A nightmare of your own design. You’ve got some freaky stuff in here.”

If I could see your brain, I’m sure I’d be shocked too, Arson thought.

“Maybe you would be, maybe not,” Adam said.

“I hate it that you can do that.”

“We’re in your head, remember? I can feel everything you think. For all intents and purposes, I’m just another memory. I slid into your mind and chose Danny’s shell because he isn’t a threat. A lot of other things in this place are.”

The heat from the fire he created was starting to push into his pores. Arson began to sweat. “If what you said is true, you know, about the memories and the things trapped in here with us…why should I trust you?”

“Maybe you can’t.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Estevan Vega used to hate reading and sucked at writing…until a 5th grade writing assignment changed everything. With the help of his father, a spark was ignited into his imagination. When he was 12, he got the crazy idea to write a book and threee years later decided to release it. Since then, he has unleashed 7 books and a number of shorts stories which have been read around the world. Known for weaving a poetic style with raw and realistic characters, he has set himself apart in the literary world, often blending several genres together. The Arson Saga is his most praised and most popular work. Arise, book 3 in The Arson Saga, has just released. Read way too much. East mint chocolate chip ice cream. Spread the fire!

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Summer at Paradise Ranch Blog Tour

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21960169-summer-at-paradise-ranch?ac=1

Purchase links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Paradise-Ranch-ebook/dp/B00JTH03CK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1398096891&sr=1-1&keywords=summer+at+paradise+ranch

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/summer-at-paradise-ranch-rbarri-flowers/1119304779?ean=2940149201709

SUMMARY

Four months shy of turning sixteen, Lexi Montoya was still trying to come to terms with her parents’ divorce and her mom's remarriage to a man she met online, relocating to Maui, Hawaii.

Choosing to remain with her dad in Seattle, Lexi had planned to spend her first summer since the divorce hanging out with her boyfriend, Matt, and best friend, Robin. But her dad had other plans, insisting she spend the summer visiting her mom and stepdad at his ranch called Paradise Ranch in Wailuku, in west Maui.

Lexi went there with an attitude. Then she meets a cute Hawaiian guy named Mitsuo, is thrown into a love triangle, become friends with a teen girl living on a ranch next door, April; rides her first horse-- an Arabian mare named Poppy-- learns to hula dance and surf, and finds herself embroiled in a dangerous rescue mission when Poppy and another horse named Casper go missing from her stepfather’s ranch.

By the time her tropical summer adventure comes to an end, Lexi hates to leave Maui and say goodbye to Mitsuo. But can she stay when Matt is waiting for her back at home to pick up where they left off? Or will he lose her to a summer romance?

REVIEW

This book was really cute, just what I needed. We first meet Lexi, who has to go to Hawaii and spend the summer with her Mom, which she is not happy about as she feels as though her Mom betrayed her and her Father by leaving them and going and marrying someone else. She has a boyfriend that she would prefer to spend the summer with, but her Dad thinks that it is better for her to go and spend time with her Mom and try to salvage the broken relationship.

When she gets to Hawaii there is definite tension between her and her Mom, you could feel it even as you were reading it. You can understand why she is upset with her Mom, until you find out her Mom's reasons for leaving, which you do, and it does start to get the relationship back on track, especially with having her stepdad there as well, he is a very gentle person.

Lexi meets new friends at Paradise Ranch, and she starts to actually enjoy her summer there after a few weeks, and even finds a guy that she starts to like beyond friends and does not know what to do about it.

I enjoyed all the characters in this book, and the plot line, it gets a 4/5 from me.

Ready For You by J.L. Berg Blog Tour

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18621204-ready-for-you?ac=1

SUMMARY

A second chance at first love. 

Eight years ago, Garrett Finnegan’s world shattered the day Mia vanished from his life. He’s been struggling to pick up the pieces ever since. Haunted by memories and ghosts of the past, he chooses a solitary existence rather than risk his heart again. 

Mia Emerson has made one wrong decision after another but none worse than walking away from the boy who stole her heart so long ago. When her new life is turned upside down, she finds herself returning to her roots and the hometown she left behind. Maybe now she can find a way to heal from the devastating mistakes of her past.

When a chance encounter brings these former lovers together, passion reignites in a way neither is prepared for. Can Garrett move beyond his anger and find a way to forgive? Will Mia’s insecurities and fears cause her to once again flee the life she’s destined to live?

Garrett and Mia will soon discover that they must journey into the past to find their way home.

REVIEW

This book came along exactly when I needed it, a nice cute contemporary romance to get me out of a reading funk.

We first meet Mia and learn some of her story, and it is not an easy one, she is not looking forward to returning to her hometown and the ghosts that linger there. 

We then meet Garrett and find out his side to the story, and no situation is ever the same to to different people. When he sees Mia again for the first time it stirs up all the old emotions that he thought were gone forever.

They decide to become friends again and see how that plays out for them, and as you can imagine, it is more difficult then either of them would think. There are things that Mia is keeping from Garrett that I didn't see coming and it was a good plot twist.

I liked the character development in this book, it fit the story perfectly. Overall this story gets a 4/5 from me!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J.L. Berg is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ready Series. She is a California native living in the beautiful state of historic Virginia. Married to her high school sweetheart, they have two beautiful girls that drive them batty on a daily basis. When she's not writing, you will find her with her nose stuck in a romance novel, in a yoga studio or devouring anything chocolate. J.L. Berg is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC.

Website: www.jlberg.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorjlberg 

Twitter: @authorjlberg

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/authorjlberg

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Gypsy by Trisha Leigh Blog Tour

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21519379-gypsy

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Cavy-Files-Trisha-Leigh-ebook/dp/B00K7IVN38

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gypsy-trisha-leigh/1119446808?ean=2940149380565

SYNOPSIS

Inconsequential: not important or significant.

Synonyms: insignificant, unimportant, nonessential, irrelevant

In the world of genetic mutation, Gypsy’s talent of knowing a person’s age of death is considered a failure. Her peers, the other Cavies, have powers that range from curdling a blood still in the vein to being able to overhear a conversation taking place three miles away, but when they’re taken from the sanctuary where they grew up and forced into the real world, Gypsy, with her all-but-invisible gift, is the one with the advantage.

The only one who’s safe, if the world finds out what they can do.

When the Cavies are attacked and inoculated with an unidentified virus, that illusion is shattered. Whatever was attached to the virus causes their abilities to change. Grow. In some cases, to escape their control.

Gypsy dreamed of normal high school, normal friends, a normal life, for years. Instead, the Cavies are sucked under a sea of government intrigue, weaponized genetic mutation, and crushing secrets that will reframe everything they’ve ever been told about how their "talents" came to be in the first place.

When they find out one of their own has been appropriated by the government, mistreated and forced to run dangerous missions, their desire for information becomes a pressing need. With only a series of guesses about their origins, the path to the truth becomes quickly littered with friends, enemies, and in the end, the Cavies ability to trust anyone at all.

REVIEW

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but it was wonderful! I cannot wait to see where the rest of the series goes. This book reminded me of X-Men when they were teenagers with all the different powers that they had.

We first meet Gypsy in the book whom is at a sort of boarding school for "cavies" which are people with special powers. She has always dreampt of having a normal life with her parents, but she has no idea what happened to them. 

There is a man that shows up at the school one day pretending to be lost, and then all hell breaks loose, the police show up and take all the cavies out of the school and bring them back with their parents (they were able to track them down using DNA). So all their worlds are turned upside down when they have to go live with their parents whom have no idea about the powers that their children hold.

Gypsy's power is that she is able to see the year that people are going to die when she touches them, and this gets her in to some trouble when she starts going to a normal school and meets some of the students in her class and she sees that one of them is going to die at 18, just a year from now, and she doesn't know what to do about it. Then she meets another student, and when she shakes his hand, there is nothing, no number at which he is going to die, and that is the first time ever that that has happened to her.

The story takes off from there and it is a roller coaster the entire time with the twists and turns with who is on the cavies side and who is not. I highly suggest you pick this one up, you will not be disappointed! This one gets a 4/5 with high anticipation for book #2!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Trisha Leigh is a product of the Midwest, which means it’s pop, not soda, garage sales, not tag sales, and you guys as opposed to y’all. Most of the time. She’s been writing seriously for five years now, and has published 4 young adult novels and 4 new adult novels (under her pen name Lyla Payne). Her favorite things, in no particular order, include: reading, Game of Thrones, Hershey’s kisses, reading, her dogs (Yoda and Jilly), summer, movies, reading, Jude Law, coffee, and rewatching WB series from the 90’s-00’s.

Her family is made up of farmers and/or almost rock stars from Iowa, people who numerous, loud, full of love, and the kind of people that make the world better. Trisha tries her best to honor them, and the lessons they’ve taught, through characters and stories—made up, of course, but true enough in their way.

Trisha is the author of THE LAST YEAR series and the WHITMAN UNIVERSITY books. She’s represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.

Website: http://trishaleigh.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2715400

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trisha.ziegenhorn

Twitter: https://twitter.com/trishaleighKC

Tumblr: http://trishaleighkc.tumblr.com/

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/trishaleighkc/

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