What's Next (4)

What is What's Next? It's a meme hosted by Icey Books where we share a few books in our TBR pile and let our viewers pick which on we read next. For more information or to participate visit here. 

Last week the book that got the most amount of votes was Second Chance Summer. I read it and really enjoyed it. My review should be up here in the next few weeks (I'm really backed up on reviews). 

I decided that for these I should have some sort of theme. Last week it was contemporary. This week it is going to be NetGalley books. 

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand. 
Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match. 

What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor

Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat. 
His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.
When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.

Diva by Jillian Larkin

Parties, bad boys, speakeasies—life in Manhattan has become a woozy blur for Clara Knowles. If Marcus Eastman truly loved her, how could he have fallen for another girl so quickly? Their romance mustn't have been as magical as Clara thought. And if she has to be unhappy, she's going to drag everyone else down to the depths of despair right along with her.
Being a Barnard girl is the stuff of Lorraine Dyer's dreams. Finding out that Marcus is marrying a gold digger who may or may not be named Anastasia? A nightmare. The old Lorraine would have sat by and let the chips fall where they may, but she's grown up a lot these past few months. She can't bear to see Marcus lose a chance for true love. But will anyone listen to her?
Now that the charges against her have been dropped, Gloria Carmody is spending the last dizzying days of summer on Long Island, yachting on the sound and palling around with socialites at Forrest Hamilton's swanky villa. Beneath her smile, though, Gloria's keeping a secret. One that could have deadly consequences . . .

Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear

Wish. Love. Desire. Live.
Sixteen-year-old Noli Braddock's hoyden ways land her in an abusive reform school far from home. On mid-summer's eve she wishes to be anyplace but that dreadful school. A mysterious man from the Realm of Faerie rescues her and brings her to the Otherworld, only to reveal that she must be sacrificed, otherwise, the entire Otherworld civilization will perish. 

Tell me in the comments which book I should read next! 

July 2012 Wrap Up

Books Read:

1. Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot
2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
3. Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent
4. Something Like Normal by Trish Doller (review coming soon)
5. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (review coming soon) 
6. Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer
7. Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson
8. Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols
9. Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout (review coming soon)
10. Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin (review coming soon)
11. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson 
12. The Thing About the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt
13. Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson (review coming soon)

For Whatever reason this summer I just haven't been reading as much. Last summer I was pretty much reading a book a day, but I've been falling behind this year. I guess I have been busy but I still wish I could to do better. 

Other Reviews:

1. Once by Anna Carey 
2. Fever by Lauren DeStefano
3. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Favorite of the Month:

It's a tie between Smart Girls Get What They Want and The Girl Who Played with Fire

Other Posts of Interest this month:

• Best Road Trip Books
• Hit or Miss Authors
• Favorites of 2012 Thus Far
• I've established a new rating system! See here!

Review: The Thing About the Truth

The Thing About the Truth
Lauren Barnholdt
Publisher: Simone Pulse
Release Date: Junly 10, 2012

In this humorous love story from the author of Two-Way Street, an unlikely romance is the best sort of surprise—but the wrong secret can ruin everything. Kelsey’s not going to let one mistake ruin her life. Sure, she got kicked out of prep school and all her old friends are shutting her out. But Kelsey’s focused on her future, and she’s determined to get back on track at Concordia High.
Isaac’s been kicked out of more schools than he can count. Since his father’s a state senator, Isaac’s life is under constant scrutiny—but Concordia High’s his last stop before boarding school, so Isaac’s hoping to fly under the radar and try to stay put for a change.
When Kelsey and Isaac meet, it’s anything but love at first sight. She thinks he’s an entitled brat, and he thinks she’s a stuck-up snob. So it surprises them both when they start to fall for each other. Kelsey’s happy for the first time in months, and Isaac’s never felt this way about anyone before...But nothing’s ever completely perfect. Everyone has secrets, and Isaac and Kelsey are no exceptions. These two may have fallen hard, but there’s one thing that can ruin it all: the truth.

Prior to Reading: I love Lauren Barnholdt and I was really excited to read this one. 

Review: After being kicked out of her last school, Kelsey is determined to not let her one mistake ruin her life. Overall, I liked Kelsey. She's relatable in the sense that she just wants to get into a good college with good scholarships and is willing to work hard for it and not let anything get in her way. She was very closed off to everyone at first but learned to let up. Like I said, I liked her but she is not exactly a memorable character. And Isaac. He was funny and sweet, but I think he really over-reacted. 

I just found the book very anti-climatic. We spend the book knowing that something major went down and only getting clues as to what exactly happened. We know that Kelsey lied, but not about what. I was expecting something a lot more more dramatic and big. It seemed that everything was blown way out of proportion. And as far as the lie... Isaac had a right to be mad but like I said, he over-reacted. 

After everything was revealed and we found out what went down on Face It Down Day, everything was resolved rather quickly. Too quickly. It just that everyone made such a big deal out of everything, and then it was fine. I would have liked a little more struggle in the aftermath before the end of the book. 

Overall: I am a little disappointed by this edition the the Lauren Barnholdt collection. It's just that I love some of her other books and I wanted to love this one. It was still and enjoyable read; I just wanted more. 

Bronze Medal

New Rating System!

You guys! I've been watching the Olympics this year and I was totally inspired to do a new rating system. I wasn't exactly looking or wanting to do a new system, but I had an idea that I really liked and I wanted to try it out. So, without further ado, here we go!

My New Rating System:

Yes, like I said, this idea was inspired by the Olympics. 

So from now on, every book will get a medal instead of a star rating. I like this because it is a lot more relative. There's no number to, it's solely just how I feel about a book. 

Let Me Break it down:

Gold-This book was really awesome. I absolutely loved it!

On terms of old system: (this isn't exact; I won't be choosing a medal based on old rating, just how about a book). Gold: This would be about a 4.5 on the old rating.

Silver Medal: I enjoyed this book quite a bit. There may be a fault or two, but that didn't take much away from my enjoyment of the book. 

In Terms of Old System: About a 3.5 or a 4

Bronze Medal-I had a few issues with this book, but there are parts that I enjoyed. Overall, an okay book. 

In Terms of Old System: about a 2.5 or a 3.

And, of course, books that I do not feel even gets a bronze will receive this:

Did Not Medal

On Terms of Old System: lower than a 2.5

This means that I pretty much did not like the book at all. I'm not expecting to get too many of these because if I don't like a book that much, I probably won't finish it. But just in case, here it is. 

If you noticed, the gold is only about a 4.5. I have hardly ever given out a 5, which is above and beyond every one of my expectations and it was absolutely perfect in every way. I'm not expecting to get many of these, because I don't even think I have in the past. But, just in case, there is this special reward:

The Platinum Medallion- Not only did I love this book, but it was absolutely perfect. 

Trust me, I will not be giving this one out on a whim. Hopefully I will give it out one day, but it may be a while.

So, I"m pretty excited about this!

Tell me, what do you think?

Book Haul + Week in Review (98)

This post is dedicated not only to sharing all the books I've received this week but also to share this week's happenings on my blog. This is inspired by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer's The Sunday Post. Also, the title Book Haul is provided by Katie's Book Blog. 

Books Received:

For Review:

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the copy!

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Library:

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid

When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen

Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong

Happenings on Book Fanatics

Reviews:

Flirting in Italian by Lauren Henderson (3 star review)

Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer (4.5 star review)

Other Posts of Interest:

Favorites of 2012 So Far

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Vivid Worlds

What's Next (3)

What did you get this week?

Any posts this week you want me to see? Leave a link!

Favorites of 2012 So Far

We are just past half way through the year and I decided that it was time to share some of my favorite books this year. It seems like last year that there were no books that were absolutely amazing, but this year has changed that!

Not of all the books are released this year, but I've read them all in 2012. 

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

I read this book a few months ago. This is a book that I stayed up until the wee hours of the night to finish, despite the length. 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson

You guys! This book is amazing, this movie is amazing. I just love it! 

Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

I was so surprised by this book! It is super fun and super cute. It's the funniest book that I've read in a while. Maybe ever!

Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson

I'm not a huge Maureen Johnson fan, but this book is amazing! Adventure, treasure hunt, romance, Italy. What more can you ask for?

Now, I've read quite a few other great books this year, but those are the ones that blew my mind! 

What are you favorite books of this year so far?

What's Next (3)

What is What's Next? It's a meme hosted by Icey Books where we share a few books in our TBR pile and let our viewers pick which on we read next. For more information or to participate visit here. 

Last week, it was actually a tie between Masque of the Red Death and Dearly Departed. I just chose Masque of the Red Death to read. It was pretty good and my review should be up her in the next couple of weeks. 

This week I chose some contemporaries. Summer is ending soon. These all look like great summer reads, and I want to get in as many as I can while I can!

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson 

From the Flying Start author of Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, a powerful novel about hope in the face of heartbreak. 
Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

Being Friends with Boys by Terra Elan McVoy

Charlotte and Oliver have been friends forever. She knows that he, Abe, and Trip consider her to be one of the guys, and she likes it that way. She likes being the friend who keeps them all together. Likes offering a girl's perspective on their love lives. Likes being the behind-the-scenes wordsmith who writes all the lyrics for the boys' band. Char has a house full of stepsisters and a past full of backstabbing (female) ex-best friends, so for her, being friends with boys is refreshingly drama-free...until it isn't any more.
When a new boy enters the scene and makes Char feel like, well, a total girl...and two of her other friends have a falling out that may or may not be related to one of them deciding he possibly wants to be more than friends with Char...being friends with all these boys suddenly becomes a lot more complicated.

First Comes Love by Katie Macvinsky

Like his name, Gray is dark and stormy. Dylan, a girl always searching for what’s next, seemingly unable to settle down, is the exact opposite: full of light and life. On the outside, they seem like an unlikely couple. But looks can be deceiving and besides, opposites attract.
What starts as friendship, turns into admiration, respect and caring, until finally these two lone souls find they are truly in love with each other.
But staying in love is not as easy as falling in love. If Dylan and Gray want their love to last, they’re going to have to work at it. And learn that sometimes love means having to say you’re sorry.

One Moment by Kristina McBride

This was supposed to be the best summer of Maggie's life. Now it's the one she'd do anything to forget.
Maggie remembers hanging out at the gorge with her closest friends after a blowout party. She remembers climbing the trail with her perfect boyfriend, Joey. She remembers that last kiss, soft, lingering, and meant to reassure her. So why can't she remember what happened in the moment before they were supposed to dive? Why was she left cowering at the top of the cliff, while Joey floated in the water below-dead? As Maggie's memories return in snatches, nothing seems to make sense. Why was Joey acting so strangely at the party? Where did he go after taking her home? And if Joey was keeping these secrets, what else was he hiding? The latest novel from the author of "The Tension of Opposites," "One Moment" is a mysterious, searing look at how an instant can change everything you believe about the world around you.