The List by Siobhan Vivian

The List by Siobhan Vivian
Publisher: Push
Publication Date: April 1, 2012
Number of Pages: 332
Genre: Young Adult
Source: personal purchase

Summary {via GoodReads}:
An intense look at the rules of high school attraction - and the price that's paid for them.

It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn't matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.

This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, "pretty" and "ugly." And it's also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.

She thinks: Every woman - teen, preteen, adult - needs to read this book. It perfectly addresses how we judge ourselves and, let's face it, each other based on appearance. The girls in the book are all affected in different ways by appearing on the list, from eating disorders to bullying. It touches on each dynamic and feeling each girl might encounter based on their place on the list. Each girl's struggle with being on the list is perfectly tied to their grade and maturity level. You can feel the pain and confusion and delight on the page. And, just because you're picked the prettiest doesn't mean that you won't have your own set of struggles. This book is real, and I am grateful for that.

Before You by Amber Hart

Before You (Book One) by Amber Hart
Publisher: K-Teen {Kensington Books}
Publication Date: July 29, 2014
Number of Pages: 320
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Source: eARC via NetGalley

Summary via GoodReads:
Some say love is deadly. Some say love is beautiful. I say it both.

Faith Watters spent her junior year traveling the world, studying the exquisite places, before returning to Oviedo High School. From the outside her life is picture-perfect. Captain of the dance team. Popular. Happy. Too bad it's all a lie.

It will haunt me. It will claim me. It will shatter me. And I don't care.

Eighteen-year-old Diego Alvarez hates his new life in the States, but staying in Cuba is not an option. Covered in tattoos and scars, Diego doesn't stand a chance of fitting in. Nor does he want to. His only concern is staying hidden from his past - a past, which if it were to surface, would cost him everything. Including his life.

At Oviedo High School, it seems that Faith Watters and Diego Alvarez do not belong together. But fate is as tricky as it is lovely. Freedom with no restraint is what they long for. What they get is something different entirely.

Love - it will ruin you and save you, both.

She thinks: To be honest, I'm not really sure what I think of this book. It has me perplexed. I thought about this book for three days before I wrote this post. I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to say. So, I'll say this: the plot is definitely addicting, and I found myself not wanting to stop reading at the end of my lunch break. However, I am staunchly against present tense narration. I just don't like the way it feels when I read.

Now, despite my aversion to present tense narration, I liked the A Walk to Remember vibe that was going on. Good girl/pastor's daughter falls for bad boy who is misunderstood. I liked the twist on the tale in which the good girl has some demon's in her closet too. They supported each other, and it was beautiful.

At the same time, it felt a little preachy about how life ruining gangs and drugs can be. At one point towards the end, the author has this small moment where you just know she wants you to understand how she feels about young people having to resort or choosing to live those lifestyles. She wants them to understand that they have other options, and I do too. I just wish that particular moment wasn't so in your face.

Other than that, I enjoyed the book for what it was. At one point, I was crying and silently screaming in my head (because the mister was already in bed), "WWWWWHHHHHHYYYYYY?" But, I'll leave you to read the book and figure out that particular moment for yourself. Sigh. The love story is beautiful...if not a little rushed, as I find with most of the YA books I love so much. It is definitely a book that I would check out from the library.

See what others are saying about Before You by Amber Hart:

• Celeste @ The Book Hookup
• Jenea @ Books Live Forever
• Nick @ Nick's Book Blog

Ready to Wed by Cindi Madsen

Ready to Wed by Cindi Madsen
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Publication Date: July 22, 2014
Number of Pages: 350
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: eARC via NetGalley

Summary via GoodReads:
Dakota Halifax loves to be in love. In fact, as one of Las Vegas' premier wedding planners, she's built a whole career around romance. Which is why her own wedding has to be nothing short of perfect. And then her fiance' jilts her. While she's waiting in her wedding dress. On a cruise ship already out at sea. Once back on dry land, Dakota tries to pour her heart into her business and weekly wedding advice column, Get Ready to Wed. But how can the heartbroken celebrate others' true love? When she reconnects with her childhood best friend, surprisingly sexy and all-grown-up casino bouncer Brendan West, Dakota wonders if maybe she can fall back in love with being in love.

But then her ex reappears, begging for another chance, and suddenly Dakota questions if she'll ever understand love. Can someone once-burned and twice-shy ever find her way down the aisle again?

She thinks: I had high hopes for this book because I wanted a light read. It sounded like a humorous plot, and it started out that way too. It quickly took a turn into not exactly "weird" but overly predictable. Dakota is trying to figure out her life after being left at the altar when her long lost friend comes back into her life. As soon as he showed up, I knew what was going to happen. Somehow, it wasn't as satisfying as I wanted it to be. It happened too quickly and then there was too much drama after it happened for me to like the book completely. Waaaaahhhhh. Yay for happy endings though!!

See what others are saying Ready to Wed by Cindi Madsen:

• Heather @ Turning Pages
• Angela @ The Reading Cave

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: June 3, 2014
Number of Pages: 352
Genre: Young Adult
Source: borrowed from local library

Summary {via GoodReads}:
John Green's The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, incredibly honest, and emotionally poignant novel. Cammie McGovern's insightful young adult debut is a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about how we can all feel lost until we find someone who loves us because of our faults, not in spite of them.

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than they ever realized.

When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

She thinks: This book had a lot of potential. The story was compelling and had a great plot. I loved that Amy and Matthew helped each other grow and learn despite their own struggles. I can see why it was compared to Fault in Our Stars and Eleanor and Park. I just....wanted more but less at the same time.

That sounds very convoluted, but it's true. I wanted Amy and Matthew to grow more and more quickly. To me, it felt like the book dragged on more than it needed to, and I don't think it needed to end the way it did. There were other and, in my opinion, better places to end the book. I hated that I had to push myself through some of the scenes so I could get to the end because it was a little repetitive. Amy and Matthew kept coming up against the same struggles over and over again, which they had to conquer in different ways. It wasn't my favorite.

Don't get me wrong though. I liked the book! I am so grateful to get to look into the thoughts of these characters. Too often we take for granted all that we have and are able to do. This book lets you see that every person has their own internal demons to control. Oh, sweet Matthew broke my heart at every turn of the page. I know it's not real, but I'm glad he had someone like Amy in his life to give him guidance and help him acknowledge his OCD. Sigh.

See what others are saying about Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern:

• Tara @ The Library Who Doesn't Shhh
• Blythe @ Finding Bliss in Books
• Kristen @ My Friends are Fiction
• Anna @ Anna Reads
• Estelle @ Rather Be Reading

Pride, Prejudice, & Cheese Grits by Mary Jane Hathaway

Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits {book one} by Mary Jane Hathaway
Publisher: Howard Books
Publication Date: June 10, 2014
Number of Pages: 352
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: eARC {via NetGalley}

Summary {via GoodReads}:
This hilarious Southern retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice tells the story of two hard-headed Civil War historians who find that first impressions can be deceiving.

Shelby Roswell, a Civil War historian and professor, is on the fast track to tenure - that is, until her new book is roasted by the famous historian Ransom Fielding in a national review. With her career stalled by a man she's never met, Shelby struggles to maintain her composure when she discovers that Fielding has taken a visiting professorship at her small Southern college.

Ransom Fielding is still struggling with his role in wife's accidental death six years ago and is hoping that a year at Shelby's small college near his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi, will be respite from the pressures of Ivy League academia. He never bargained for falling in love with the one woman whose career - and pride - he injured, and who would do anything to make him leave.

When these two hot-headed Southerners find themselves fighting over the centuries-old history of local battles and antebellum mansions, their small college is about to become a battlefield of Civil War proportions.

She thinks: So, I wouldn't really call this a retelling but more of an adaptation. It follows the general plot line of the classic Jane Austen novel, but I don't consider it an actual retelling. There were too many differences. I liked trying to figure out which characters were which, since they all have different names, and I liked the extra depth Ransom has. It makes his actions much more understandable.

{via youtube}

However, there were some moments that I thought were just too far fetched in order to make the story echo the original Pride and Prejudice. And, while I get why it needed to be done, I wish it could have been done another way. There either needed to be more lead up to those particular parts of the plot, or it should have been left out all together. I felt as if towards the end of the book random bits and pieces were just thrown in to the story.

All that being said, I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to Elizabeth & Darcy fans! In fact, I already have.

See what others are saying about Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits by Mary Jane Hathaway:

• Chelsea @ Magical Musings
• Rissi @ Dreaming Under the Same Moon
• Vi @ She Read Until the Lights Had Long Sing Gone Out

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I've Loved Before {book one} by Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: April 15, 2014
Number of Pages: 288
Genre: Young Adult
Source: borrowed from local library

Summary {via GoodReads}:
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: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

She thinks: If I was still in high school, I think I would have loved this book. Being out of high school for ten years or so now, I couldn't relate to it as much as I would have liked. Lara Jean seemed very immature in my eyes. I'm not sure I know many sixteen year olds who still call their Dad, Daddy, all the time. I can understand doing that occasionally but not constantly. When I first started the book, I thought Lara Jean was twelve. However, I can say that I could see her growth as a person through the book, but it was very minuscule. I'm hoping it is more noticeable in book two!

I did like the very real fears Lara Jean had at times. I can remember being scared out of my mind when I drove by myself for the time and doing things even though I knew it was going to come back and bite me in the butt. I just wish she hadn't been as immature and dependent. It turned me off to her almost immediately, but that could just be because I subconsciously identify with those traits. Who knew this book would make me think so much about how much I've matured since high school?! Such an embarrassing time in my life. You too??

Okay...back to the book...

The ending most certainly did not make me happy. It just stopped, and I wanted to know more!!!! But, I guess that means I'll have to read book two so I know what happens because oh the swoons! Every time I think about the last note she reads at the end of the book, my heart melts just a little more. Oh, if only my mister would leave me notes like that once in awhile.

See what others are saying about To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han:

• Heather @ Heroes and Heartbreakers
• April @ Good Books and Good Wine
• Sara @ What a Nerd Girl Says
• Jamie @ Perpetual Page Turner
• Sara @ Step Into Fiction

The Best Man for the Job by Lucy King

The Best Man for the Job by Lucy King
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication Date: June 1, 2014
Number of Pages: 224
Genre: British Chick Lit, Romance
Source: eARC {via NetGalley}

Summary {via GoodReads}:
The wedding guest from her past...

For Celia Forrester, Marcus Black - her brother's best friend - was always totally off-limits. Especially after The Night That Nearly Happened. It was years ago, but Celia remembers it for all the worst reasons! But now, Marcus is back in the picture - he's the best man at her brother's wedding and more gorgeous than ever.

It's all kinds of inappropriate, but giving in to temptation looks like the best way for Celia to get Marcus out of her system. But their one night comes with consequences. And this time, it won't be fifteen years until they have to face them...but nine months!

She thinks: If you need a predictable and light read, then this is the book for you. The story is a little choppy - you come in randomly, play catch up a little bit, and then are left with a quick ending. I will say that the ending is satisfactory though, as if we could expect anything less from a Harlequin book. Plus, if you like your books on the steamy side, then you will like this one.

I was confused by the motivation of the characters in the book though. I couldn't figure out what was driving them as much as King tried to explain it. I didn't not get as invested in the characters as I usually do with books so I definitely do not have a book hangover. In fact, it took me a couple days to get into the book, but once I did, I breezed through it. Honestly, I was hoping for more from the book.

If you're at the library and in need of something to read, pick this one up. It'll placate you while you search GoodReads or Google or whatever search engine you use to find books for your next exciting read.

The Last Word by A. L. Michael

The Last Word by A. L. Michael
Publisher: Carina UK
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
Number of Pages: 288
Genre: British Chick Lit
Source: eARC {via NetGalley}

Summary {via GoodReads}:
Tabby Riley's online life was a roaring success. Her blog had hundreds of followers and legions of young fans ardently awaited her ever Tweet. Her real life was a bit more of a disappointment. Living in a shared flat in North London, scratching a living writing magazine articles on 'How to Please Your Man in Bed' wasn't where she thought she'd be at twenty-six - especially when there was a serious lack of action in her own bedroom.

Until she was offered the job of her dreams on online paper The Type - and gained a sexy new editor, Harry Shulman, to bounce her ideas off. Tabby had previous bad form when it came to falling for well-dressed, smooth-talking editors, so no way was she going there again...ever! But had she got a little too use to hiding behind her laptop screen? Perhaps it was time for the real Tabby Riley to come out and have some fun!

She thinks: This book is a cute read for a Debbie Downer kind of day. If you are in the mood for a sassy woman as a main character who has feelings and insecurities but a guy falls in love with her anyway, then this is the book for you! The relationships in the book feel real and aren't the typical cookie cutter types that you find in regular Chick Lit. They have a purpose other than to move the plot along, and I enjoyed getting to know the other characters too. Tabby is a little whiny {what woman isn't some days though?}, but her gal pals slap her right back into place with their logic and poignant words. This book made me long for college when I was hanging out with my girls all the time. Miss you ladies!!

Paradigm by Ceri A. Lowe

Paradigm {Book One} by Ceri A. Lowe
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: June 13, 2014
Number of Pages: 382
Genre: YA Dystopian Fiction
Source: eARC {via NetGalley}

Summary {via Press Release}:
What if the end was just the beginning?

Alice Davenport awakens from a fever to find her mother gone and the city she lived in ravaged by storms - with few survivors. When Alice is finally rescued, she is taken to a huge underground bunker owned by the mysterious Paradigm Industries. As the storm worsens, the hatches close.

87 years later, amidst the ruins of London, the survivors of the Storms have reinvented society. The Model maintains a perfect balance - with inhabitants routinely frozen until they are needed by the Industry.

Fifteen-year-old Carter Warren knows his time has come. Awoken from the catacombs as a contender for the role of Controller General, if it is his destiny to succeed - where his parents failed. But Carter soon discovers that the world has changed, in ways that make him begin to question everything that he believes in. As Carter is forced to fight for those he loves and even for his life, it seems that the key to the future lies in the secrets of the past...

She thinks: This book could be more coherent and cohesive, but the last 3 chapters were absolutely enthralling. I spent the first part of the book trying to figure out the dynamics of the characters and trying to decipher how the chapters were comprised. It was a push to get past all the backgrounds of the characters and the flashbacks they kept having. I kept having to stop reading to go back and reread something to make sure I hadn't missed a key plot element. Lowe speaks to her readers through flashbacks and reminiscing, which, I have to admit, took some getting used to at first. Also, there is a lot of information to swallow in order to understand the actions of the characters. But, once I got about halfway through the book, I couldn't bear to put it down. The humanness {is that even a word?} of the characters will make your heart ache, and you will want to make the world a better place because of this book. You might even need some tissues; I know I almost had to grab some towards the end. The truth will set you free!

This book is part of series, and I am very much interested to know how it concludes. For book one, I have rated it as a cupcake. It is not one that I would go out and buy, but I would definitely borrow it from the library  or a friend in a heartbeat. And, never fear, I'm suffering from a book hangover because of Paradigm. Um...when do books two and three get released??