Tuesday 28 February 2017

Top Ten Tuesday #103: Top Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks topic is Top Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon

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  1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
  2. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
  3. Perfect Timing by Robin Mellom
  4. Fighting for Keeps by Jennifer Snow
  5. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
  6. Crash Into you by Katie McGarry
  7. The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
  8. Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles
  9. Another Little Piece of my Heart by Tracey Martin
  10. The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

Elien




Monday 27 February 2017

EOM Wrap Up February

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I have read 6 books this month:

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr
Legacy (Andalucian Nights #3) by Hannah Fielding
Yours and Mine (Freshman Forty #2) by Christine Duval
The Paraoh's Cat by Maria Luisa Lang
The Glittering Court (The Glittering Court #1) by Richelle Mead
The Last Shadow Gate (The Shadow Gate Chronicles #1) by Michael W. Garza

I have reviewed 7 books this month:

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Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands #1) by Alwyn Hamilton
Will I See? by David Alexander Robertson
Ever the Hunted (Clash of Kingdoms #1) by Erin Summerill
The Memory Book by Lara Avery
Yours and Mine (Freshman Forty #2) by Christine Duval
The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr
All the Forever Things by Jolene Perry

Other Posts:

Waiting On Wednesday #141: Midnight Jewel (The Glittering Court #2) by Richelle Mead
Waiting on Wednesday #142: Dividing Eden (Dividing Eden #1) by Joelle Charbonneau
Waiting on Wednesday #103: Coming up for Air (Hundred Oaks #8) by Miranda Kenneally

Top Ten Tuesday #102:  Ten Books I Loved Less/More Than I Thought I Would

Elien

Thursday 23 February 2017

Review: All the Forever Things by Jolene Perry

30201517Title: All the Forever Things
Author: Jolene Perry
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Publication date: April 1st
Pages: 288 (hardback)
Source: Netgalley







From growing up in the funeral home her family runs, Gabriella knows that death is a part of life and nothing is forever. Yet Bree, her best friend, has been a constant; it's always been the two of them together against the world. But when Bree starts dating a guy the worst guy from the ultra-popular world, suddenly she doesn't have time for Gabe anymore. Now the only one at school who wants to spend time with "Graveyard Gabe" is Hartman, the new guy, but Gabe, not wanting to lose her mind over a boyfriend the way Bree has, holds back. It takes a very strange prom night (with the family hearse instead of a limo) for Gabe to truly fall for Hartman. But when she leaves the after-prom party with him, she's not there for Bree or for the deadly accident that happens that night. Bree survives, but will she and Gabe ever be able to rebuild their friendship?"


So far I have read a couple of books by Jolene Perry and they have always either been a hit or miss for me. I am glad to say that All the Forever Things was a hit. I truly enjoyed reading this book from the first until the very last page.

One of the things that I enjoyed the most about this book that it explored the meaning of death. It is something that people do not talk about often mainly because it is a hard topic. But sadly enough it is also a part of life so I believe that it should be addressed more. And I think she did a pretty good job of addressing it. Gabe grew up in a funeral home, so she is around dead all the time. For her it is part of everyday life so she does not get why people get so upset over it since everyone knows that it will happen eventually. The least you could say is that she had a complex relationship with death. In some ways she got really detached from her emotions because she needed to do that to survive or at least she thought she had to do that.

I really enjoyed Gabe as a character, she might come across to some people as selfish but I did not see her like that at all. What I saw was a girl that did not have a lot of friends and tried to keep the one friend she really had close to her. And yes when that friend was slipping away from her she made some wrong decisions but overall I think she did her best to please everyone. Bree on the other hand I found to be selfish, they had been best friends for years but then a boy enters the picture and she basically tosses her friend to the side. I really hate it when people do that because in the end they always come crawling back. Another character that I did enjoy was Hartman, he really complemented Gabe well. He made her see again that it is okay to feel things and that she should really live her life. And for that alone I already liked him.


Overall I really enjoyed this book. It might have been a book mainly focused on romance but it also dealt with so many other topics and that is what made this book so good. I am glad that I decided to pick up this book by Jolene Perry because she has proved again to me that she can address a heavy topic in a way that does not make it too depressing and sad. 

Elien



Wednesday 22 February 2017

Waiting on Wednesday #143: Coming Up for Air (Hundred Oaks #8) by Miranda Kenneally


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It spotlights books that have not yet been released, but ones that you should pre-order today! This week's book that I am anxiously awaiting is:

Coming Up for Air
by Miranda Kenneally

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Swim. Eat. Shower. School. Snack. Swim. Swim. Swim. Dinner. Homework. Bed. Repeat.

All of Maggie’s focus and free time is spent swimming. She’s not only striving to earn scholarships—she’s training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and cheers her on. But Levi’s already earned an Olympic try out, so she feels even more pressure to succeed. And it’s not until Maggie’s away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the “typical” high school experience she’s missed by being in the pool.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year. First up? Making out with a guy. And Levi could be the perfect candidate. After all, they already spend a lot of time together. But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to lose to win?


Goodreads

Why I Can't Wait


I absolutely love Miranda Kenneally's books. They are perfect contemporary reads for the summer and by the time Coming Up for Air gets released it will be summer so it's perfect!

Expected publication date: July 1st 2017

Elien

Tuesday 21 February 2017

Top Ten Tuesday #102: Ten Books I Loved Less/More Than I Thought I Would


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Broke and Bookish. This weeks topic is Top Ten Books I Loved Less/More Than I Thought I Would

I divided this one in five books that I loved less and five books that I loved more.

More:

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The Memory Book by Lara Avery
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes


Less: 

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Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
The One by Kiera Cass

Elien

Monday 20 February 2017

Review: The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

30849412Title: The One Memory of Flora Banks
Author: Emily Barr
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: Penguin
Publication date: January 12th 2017
Pages: 303 (paperback)
Source: Netgalley






Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has no short-term memory. Her mind resets itself several times a day, and has since the age of ten, when the tumor that was removed from Flora's brain took with it her ability to make new memories. That is, until she kisses Drake, her best friend's boyfriend, the night before he leaves town. Miraculously, this one memory breaks through Flora's fractured mind, and sticks. Flora is convinced that Drake is responsible for restoring her memory and making her whole again. So when an encouraging email from Drake suggests she meet him on the other side of the world, Flora knows with certainty that this is the first step toward reclaiming her life.

With little more than the words "be brave" inked into her skin, and written reminders of who she is and why her memory is so limited, Flora sets off on an impossible journey to Svalbard, Norway, the land of the midnight sun, determined to find Drake. But from the moment she arrives in the arctic, nothing is quite as it seems, and Flora must "be brave" if she is ever to learn the truth about herself, and to make it safely home.
 


I read The One Memory of Flora Banks right after I had finished another book that dealt with memory loss. Maybe I should not have done that since now I could not help stop myself comparing both books even though they dealt with two completely different types of memory loss.
I have to say I don’t think I have read a book before that is similar to this one. Flora suffers from amnesia and a couple of times a day her mind resets itself. Therefore she still sees herself as a young child since those are the last real memories she has. But then one day she kisses a boy and she remembers. And this moment is a start of an adventure for Flora.

There were a couple of things about this book that I did not like that much about this book. One of the things was that it was pretty repetitive a lot of the time. I get that the main character suffered from amnesia but some parts of the book were a copy and paste of events that had happened before. Not even a word had changed and that is something that I could not deal with.  I do understand that somethings had to be repeated since Flora forgot everything but the author could have done it in a more adventurous way I guess. Another reason why this book was not really for me was because I just could not wrap my head around it that a kiss from the boy is the only thing she remembered in years and that after that happened nothing else changed in regards to her mental health.

One of the only things that I truly enjoyed about this book was the adventure. Flora embarked on an adventure that took her to some really wonderful places. And the people she met along the way were fun enough to read about. But I think I would have enjoyed it more if her adventure had not been all about finding the boy she kissed. I believe that this book could have done so much better if it hadn’t centered so much around romance.

Overall this book was just not for me. I can see why some people enjoy it but for me it was just too unrealistic in a lot of ways. And a book that tackles a concept like amnesia should not be unrealistic in my opinion. 


Elien

Thursday 16 February 2017

Review: Yours and Mine (Freshman Forty #2) by Christine Duval

 

34078674Title: Yours and Mine
Author: Christine Duval
Series: Freshman Forty
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Publication date: February 10th
Pages: 158 (kindle)
Source: received from author
Buy link: Amazon






The highly anticipated sequel to Positively Mine….

Picking up from the dramatic ending of Positively Mine, Yours and Mine continues the Freshman Forty series as we meet Danny Santoro, Laurel’s baby’s father, for the first time.

It’s been almost a year since he last saw her, that sultry morning she walked off the beach before dawn had even cracked the August sky. It seemed from her silence, she was out of his life forever.

But Laurel’s timing couldn’t be worse to tell him he’s a father. The last year hasn’t been easy. Danny’s own father was arrested for a DUI, his mother moved out, and Danny started sleeping with his brother’s old high school, drug-abusing girlfriend.

After Laurel shocks him with the news, she attempts to relinquish Danny of any parental responsibility leading to a heated custody battle. In an unorthodox arrangement, an eccentric judge orders Danny and Laurel to spend alternating nights with each other for the upcoming school year.

Told from Danny’s point of view, Yours and Mine explores the second chapter of a romance that never got off the ground, the challenges of young parenting, and the hope of rekindled love.


A couple of years ago I first read Positively Mine and I absolutely loved that book. Laurel is such a great character to read about so I was thrilled to find out that the sequel would finally be released.

Yours and Mine picked up right were Positively Mine left off, but this time the story was told from Danny’s point of view. Laurel hid her pregnancy from everyone, including from Danny the baby’s father. So when she drops the bomb on him that he has a three year old daughter well it is a lot to take in. But I was surprised at how well he took it all in. During the first book Laurel always made him sound like a complete jackass so that is also what I expected him to be. But I could not be more wrong. Of course he is not perfect but he is a really good guy actually. He cares for his family and would do anything for them. So now that also includes his little baby girl.

Both Laurel and Danny are trying to adjust to their new life as a parent. It definitely does not help that they live hundreds of miles away from each other and that they are both attending university and working. And it definitely does not help. And at first Laurel is not willing to compromise much but after the court arranges the custodial rights for both they have no other option than to spend time in each other company. Through the struggles they face the reality of what co-parenting entails. Slowly they start to learn how to be around each other again. And I love how they started to bond as characters again slowly. I am glad that the author did not rush their relationship in any way.
At times I had some troubles with Laurel in this book. I really liked her in the first book but at times she really came across a spoiled child in this book. Especially at the beginning when she did not want to compromise. She clearly was not thinking about her child best interests but in her own interests. And at that moment Danny just did not fit in her life. But I am glad that she turned around during the book and became more mature.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I loved that the story continued right where it had left of, otherwise it would not have felt right. The book was fairly short and fast paced which made it really quick to read and that was exactly what I was looking for. Although I would have preferred it if the conclusion of the book had been a bit longer I still enjoyed it well enough. I cannot wait to read more books by Christine Duval.



Author Bio 


Christine Duval lives in New Jersey with her family. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Women Who Write, and the Authors Guild.
When not creating fictional characters or organizing carpools, you can find her walking through houses and writing about them for an upscale real estate company. She also has an extensive social media background and has worked for several well-known magazines.
Find her online at www.christineduval.com or on Twitter @christineduval1.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Elien


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Monday 13 February 2017

Review: The Memory Book by Lara Avery

30316954Review: The Memory Book
Author: Lara Avery
Genre: Contemporary, Romanc, Young Adult
Publisher: Hachette
Publication date: January 26th 2017
Pages: 357 (paperback)
Source: Netgalley







“They tell me that my memory will never be the same, that I'll start forgetting things. At first just a little, and then a lot. So I'm writing to remember.” 

Samantha McCoy has it all mapped out. First she's going to win the national debating championship, then she's going to move to New York and become a human rights lawyer. But when Sammie discovers that a rare disease is going to take away her memory, the future she'd planned so perfectly is derailed before it’s started. What she needs is a new plan.

So the Memory Book is born: Sammie’s notes to her future self, a document of moments great and small. Realising that her life won't wait to be lived, she sets out on a summer of firsts: The first party; The first rebellion; The first friendship; The last love.

Through a mix of heartfelt journal entries, mementos, and guest posts from friends and family, readers will fall in love with Sammie, a brave and remarkable girl who learns to live and love life fully, even though it's not the life she planned.


A life-affirming, heart-breaking and dazzling novel for fans of All the Bright Places and The Fault in Our Stars.
 


It has been a long time since a book had left me feeling the way The Memory Book did. After I finished the book so many different emotions were running through me, happiness, sadness, satisfaction...

Sammie has recently been diagnosed with Niemann-Pick type C, this disease makes that young children will suffer from progressive dementia. Sammie had her whole life planned out, she studied hard during high school so that she could get into the university she wanted and eventually become a lawyer. But the disease slowly takes all her dreams away and Sammie has to learn to live with her new reality. That’s where the memory book comes in. In order to remember what happened every day and what is happening to her she creates a book that contains her memories from that day. And she does not leave anything out it is fragments of good and bad things and sometimes really sad things. The concept of the book was really nice, reading fragments of her life. I do not think I have read anything similar before.  And I think that writing the book in this way makes the story also seem more real.  

It is really easy to like and connect with Sammie. By reading her memories you sort off become a part of her. It was also wonderful to see how strong Sammie was as a character. She does not want to let the disease determine her life. She wants to live her life on her own terms. Sammie also made so much progression throughout the book. During high school she was always so focused on school work that she never really took the time to connect with her fellow student. But her disease forced her to see some things differently in her life. I was really moved by Sammie’s story; it is hard to see how she is trying to balance her life between what is realistic and her original life goals. I also think that the author did an excellent job at portraying how dementia also affects the people that are close to the patient. The author captured the sadness, helplessness and anger very well.

I absolutely loved this book. When reading it I really found it impossible to put it down. The book was so captivating and I was really engrossed in it. And this book also hit really close to home, my grandma has dementia so I feel the struggle that Sammie’s family has to go through as well. But oh boy I was not prepared for the ending. It left me absolutely shattered, but at the same time this book could not have a more beautiful ending. My favorite read of the year so far!


Elien

Friday 10 February 2017

Cover Wars #1

Afbeeldingsresultaat voor ya us vs uk covers



Book covers are very important to most book lovers. We all want the prettiest cover on our shelves of course. And a lot of the time their is a big difference between UK and US covers. Once in a while I will post of batch of books with different covers and then it is up to you guys to pick the one you like best!

US on the left, UK on the right:

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Paper Towns by John Green

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Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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Pushing the Limits by Sarah J. Maas

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Divergent by Veronica Roth

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Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Elien