Review: Never Fade

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can't believe it ends there!!! If I could get book 3 now, that'd be fabulous!

Never Fade picks up right about where TDM leaves off...Ruby is working with The Children's League. But we soon discover that there are bad things happening amongst the League, kids are being killed and not everyone is as innocent as they may seem.

Ruby is still the strong MC that she was in TDM and she remains fierce and loyal in Never Fade. She's learned to control and manipulate her power now and it comes in handy many times throughout the book.

We meet some great, new characters and get to see some of the characters we met in TDM again. Together the old and new characters make quite the team.

The amazing world that Bracken created in TDM continues to unfold and be more amazing in NF.

Never Fade has everything...humor and drama, fighting and loving, friendship and enemies. It was the perfect sequel, but the ending definitely leaves you hanging and wanting...no, NEEDING book 3 now!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy.

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Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Dare You To by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dare You To surprised me... in so many good ways!! I, like many others, wasn't a fan of Beth's in Pushing the Limits and I didn't think any relationship could top Echo and Noah's. Well, Katie McGarry proved me wrong!

We met Beth in Pushing the Limits - dark clothes, ripped jeans, piercings and tattoos. Bitter and angry at the world. Strong relationships with Noah (like siblings) and Isaiah (best friends). In Dare You To we learn so much more about Beth - she's lived a tough life. She takes care of her alcoholic, drug addicted mom. One of the people she trusted most as a child, her uncle Scott, left her behind when she was young. Hard to imagine her loving dresses and ribbons as a little girl, huh? She did though... and some things never change.

Beth meets Ryan at Taco Bell. Ryan is trying to get her name and number; not so much because Beth is his type, but because he was dared to by his best friend Chris. And Ryan always wins!

Ryan is the star pitcher for his high school's baseball team. He's hot and has dimples! He's smart, funny and has the perfect life and the perfect family... according to some. His family isn't so perfect behind closed doors though; his family is hiding something...something that if the small town found out, it would destroy their perfect image.

After an incident, Beth is forced to move away from her mom in Louisville to live with her uncle Scott and his wife, in her childhood hometown, Groveton.

Who else is in Groveton? Ryan :D

With Ryan's "I always win" demeanor, he chases Beth; determined to win! However, he quickly learns that he doesn't want Beth to be a dare... he wants more!

Their relationship is certainly not an insta-love relationship. Beth fights her feelings and refuses to admit that she's falling for Ryan. Thankfully, he doesn't give up and once he has Beth, he promises to never let her go (in a swoony way... not a creepy possessive way, of course).

Ryan lowers his forehead to mine. His warm breath fans over my face. "I will never let you go."

Ryan and Beth help each other face their problems and are there to support each other through the ups and downs. And they both experience quite a few downs, but their ups... *sigh*, their ups are pretty amazing!

I hold the bottle out into the rain and watch as the steady flow slowly fills it. When there is enough, enough that Beth can clearly see, I close the bottle and hand it to her.
She raises a skeptical eyebrow, but accepts the bottle.
"It's our rain, Beth."
Her head barely shakes to show her confusion while I rub the back of my neck and search for my courage. "I told you I loved you in this rain and when you doubt my words, I want you to look at this bottle."
Beth's forehead wrinkles and she stares at the gift I've given her. "I don't..." she starts. "I don't have anything to give to you."
"You're here," I answer. "It's all I want."

During the time she spends with Ryan, Beth also begins to rekindle her friendship with her childhood best friend, Lacy. Lacy is the definition of a best friend; this girl will have your back even if it means having to throw some hits!

And speaking of best friends - We see a bit of Isaiah throughout the story too. He's still Beth's rock and she depends on him to anchor her down... until things are revealed and their friendship becomes rocky.

Dare You To is filled with relationships; love, friendship and family. The one that may have gotten to me almost as much as Ryan and Beth's is the one with Ryan and his brother, Mark. These two made me tear up.

So to sum it all up... I loved Dare You To. I loved the characters and their relationships. I loved the drama. I loved the cheerful and cheesy moments. Katie McGarry did an excellent job writing another amazing story. I can't wait for book #3.

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Review: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Pivot Point by Kasie West
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 stars!

After taking a few days to digest, I'm still in awe. Pivot Point was a great, great, great book!!

Addie Coleman is a junior at Lincoln High. Addie lives in the Compound with everyone else that has special abilities. Addie is a Searcher; when she's directly given a choice, she has the ability to see what each path would lead to for her.

Addie is given a difficult choice - after her parents reveal that they are divorcing, she has to choose whether to stay with her mom in the Compound or move with her dad to Dallas; living with the "Norms".

The story alternates between each path Addie is searching and for the most part, it was easy to follow along and not get confused. It worked perfect for the story!!

On one path, we meet Trevor. Trevor is hot, quiet and laid back. He played football until he was injured. He loves comics. Perfect guy, right? RIGHT!! Addie and Trevor become best friends and they're perfect best friends... until they become a little more than best friends.

"Don't best friends hug before they go anywhere?"
I smile. He thinks he's being funny, but I can play this game. "As a matter of fact, they do." I slide my hands past his ribs and under his arms.
He wraps his arms around me, and I relax into him with a happy sigh. But then he starts rubbing my back, and tingles spread down my spine. "Best friends don't rub each other's backs," I tell him.
His hands stop moving, but then they press me closer to him.
...
"Will you let me read the handbook so I know all the rules?"
"Yes. I will."
He bends down and rests his forehead on my shoulder, his breath warming my skin. Why haven't I pushed him away yet?
"Does the handbook cover this?" he says.
I nod.
His lips tickle my neck as they move along it. Is he trying to drive me crazy? "It definitely says no."
...he takes my face in his hands and presses his lips to mine.
...Holy crap, Trevor the nice guy is an amazing kisser.
He pulls back slightly and meets my eyes. "So when can I get a copy of this friendship handbook?"
"Friends? Who said anything about friends?"

And their relationship beyond friendship is perfect. Are you sensing the trend here? :D

On the other path, we meet Duke. Duke is the typical dreamy football quarterback that all the girls want. But he doesn't want any girl; he wants Addie. I'll admit, while I love Trevor, I did fall under Duke's spell, but he's not the one I'd pick for Addie.

"I think I'm just waiting for reality to hit. I don't understand why you'd want to be with me. We're so different."
"Different is good. Right? I wouldn't want to date myself." He kisses me softly. "I'm falling for you, Addie. Don't break my heart."

On both paths there's a mystery, which adds to the interest and excitement. When the two paths overlap, it gets that much more interesting and exciting.

The supporting characters really helped add to the already great story; Addie's Compound best friend, Laila - this girl is blunt, but fun!! Trevor's best friend, Rowan - he keeps the mood light and cheerful!

I thought this book was excellent; definitely a page-turner! My interest was captured from page one and held through the very end. I'm very excited to see where this series goes and I will definitely be reading more of Kasie West!



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Review: Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Slammed by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pretty much everything I want to say has already been said.

Layken moves to Michigan from Texas with her mom and brother after the sudden and unexpected death of her dad. She's bitter about the move and she doesn't hide her anger. But that all changes when she meets Will; hotty neighbor guy!! There's instant attraction between the two and on their first date Will takes Lake to a club where Slam poetry is performed.

Lake is excited about where her relationship is going with Will... until they discover something. Something that prohibits them from continuing their relationship. Will makes the decision that they can only be friends. This is a tough decision to follow considering they're still incredibly attracted to each other, Layken has began falling in love with Will, they're neighbors and their little brothers are best friends!!

Then Layken is hit with another life-changing event. After being angry and in denial about the situation, with the help of her friend Eddie (whom I absolutely adore) and Will, she's able to accept what life has handed her and makes the best of the crappy situation.

Poetry is a key factor in Slammed. Through the poetry I learned so much about each of the characters. I loved it!

I really enjoyed this book... but DUH! it was written by Colleen Hoover :D I'm anxious to read the next 2 books... which thankfully, I have waiting for me!

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Review: The Darkest Minds

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holy crap...

I've taken a couple of days to digest this book and I still don't know if I can write this review. Only one way to find out I guess...

In The Darkest Minds we learn that IAAN is a "disease" that is killing children. The children that do not die discover they've developed an ability. Abilities that range from being able to crack complicated/secret codes, telekinesis, mind reading and mind control.

Ruby Daly learns on her tenth birthday that she has changed and something has happened, something so drastic that it causes her parents to send her camp Thurmond.

The government has created "rehabilitation camps" throughout the US; camps where they promise to try and "cure" your child. Upon entry to the camp each child is assigned a color based on their abilities (green, blue, yellow, orange and red). But we quickly learn that these camps are nothing more than a prison for these kids with PSFs (Psi Special Forces) guarding and forcing the children to complete menial tasks.

Six years later Ruby escapes Thurmond with the help of Cate, but quickly discovers that Cate may not be as friendly as she seems. As Ruby is running from Cate, she meets Liam (blue), Chubs (green) and Zu (yellow). Liam shares that they're in search of East River. East River is a place created by Slip Kid for children with abilities to seek safety. Their journey isn't without complications and trouble though.

During their journey we watch as friendships are formed and bonds are created. Zu becomes a little sister figure to Ruby and Zu wastes no time trying to play dress-up with Ruby :D

Chubs eventually warms up to Ruby, but thankfully he never loses his snark because if he did, he wouldn’t be Chubs!

"Thanks for stitching me up," I said. "I'm looking a little Frankenstein, but I guess it's appropriate, all things considered."
Chubs gave me a weary sigh. "Frankenstein is the name of the doctor that created the monster, not the monster itself."
"Couldn't let that one go, could you?"
"Don't get on my case about it. You're the one that doesn't know her classic literature."

I quickly developed a soft spot for Chubs.

Then, of course, there's Liam. Handsome, protective and loyal Liam. Ruby and Liam don't have the insta-love connection which I love more and more. But once there is a connection; Liam brings on the swoon.

Did you know...you make me so happy that sometimes I actually forget to breathe? I'll be looking at you, and my chest will get so tight...and it's like, the only thought in my head is how much I want to reach over and kiss you."

Or

"We want you," he said, his hand slipping through my hair to cup the back of my neck. "We wanted you yesterday, we want you today, and we'll want you tomorrow. There's nothing you could do to change that. If you're scared and you don't understand your crazy abilities, then we'll help you understand - but don't think, not for a second, that we would ever just leave you."

In The Darkest Minds there are twists and turns, hearts mended and broken, relationships developed, promises made and loyalties challenged. I really enjoyed the world Alexandra Bracken created. Her writing is amazing; the descriptions really have you believing that you are there. The ending though... ugh!!! I still can't believe it...I understand why it had to happen, but it doesn't make me like it any better. Thankfully I have book 2 waiting for me to begin... which will be immediately, of course :D



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Summer Lovin' Read-a-thon

Review: Golden

Golden by Jessi Kirby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Golden stars!

This book... *sigh*... it was amazing. The descriptions, the words, the relationships... all beautiful. This is the first Jessi Kirby book I have read, but after reading Golden, I definitely plan on reading more of her work.

Parker Frost is a 17 year old, high school senior. She's been a good girl; she's stayed on the course that her mother approves of. Parker is the TA for the high school's English teacher, Mr. Kinney. Every year after spring break he gives his class a black-and-white marbled composition notebooks (we all know the ones, right?) and their only assignment is to write in it. Then on graduation day, you return the notebook to Mr. Kinney and ten years later, he mails them back to their authors. And as Mr. Kinney's TA, Parker is giving the task of mailing out the notebooks that the students 10 years prior had written. As Parker is addressing the notebooks, she comes across Julianna Farnetti's.

Julianna and her boyfriend, Shane Cruz, were the town's golden couple and they died tragically during a winter storm that ended with Shane's jeep in Summit Lake.

Parker is curious what Julianna wrote in her journal and with a conversation she recently had with her best friend Kat about doing something "unexpected, worthwhile and big" she decides to take the notebook. Eventually she begins reading it and the entries she reads about Julianna lead her, Kat and her long-time crush Trevor Collins on a road trip to discovery. There are twists and turns and full circles completed.

During the story we learn about the friendship between Kat and Parker and I adore it. They have such a true friendship, one that I would want for my own daughter some day. They're honest and always there for each other, regardless.

We also get to witness the beginnings of a relationship between Parker and Trevor. *sigh* This boy... he's pretty great. Parker's been crushing on him for years and they shared playful banter many times, but she never acted on her feelings. When she finally does, it's tummy fluttering.

Golden makes you stop and think about this "...what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" regardless of how old you are. There are parts of the story that will have you questioning your beliefs in fate and destiny. There's some mystery, there's friendship and there's romance. What more could you want?

I highly recommend this book... to any and all age groups!! It's such a beautiful story and I absolutely loved it!


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