Genre: Contemporary


Monday, November 04, 2013

Review: Crash into You by Katie McGarry

Posted by 25 Comments

I received this book for free from Harlequin Teen in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Crash into You by Katie McGarryCrash into You by Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing the Limits #3
Published by Harlequin Teen on November 26th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, YA
Source: Harlequin Teen
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Isaiah has been a favorite character of mine since book 1. He’s got a badass look but the kindest heart and most gentle soul. Crash Into You, written in his POV, made me adore him even more. We get to see what’s going on in that hard-to-crack head of his. Having had a difficult childhood in the foster care system, he’s developed a rough edge, but to give a big eff you to stereotypes he’s positively one of the most generous and loyal person I know (yes I have met him in real life – be jealous! >.<). He doesn't always get the best hands to play with, though, which makes it all the more harder to watch - the more he tries to stay out of trouble, the more it seems to find him. In turn, you get this urgent need to know how everything turns out Right. This. Minute! This book will see a lot of 3AMs! It also brings to light the heartbreaking, but real issue of kids aging out of the foster care system. This is something teenagers face at an age where they have yet to figure themselves out, let alone the harsh world they suddenly find themselves in - most times alone. Standing by Isaiah is the delicate, but radiant car obsessed Rachel. Rachel is a private school, straight-A, good girl type, at least until she decides to drag race herself into trouble. Her innocent nature could have easily been overwhelmingly annoying, but instead she gives the book so much heart and perfectly balances out Isaiah's tough shell. She does come with her own secrets, which she hides from not only Isaiah but her whole family. While it's undoubtedly a sad situation she was born into, I appreciated the lack of an extreme worst-case-scenario that seems oh-so-popular in contemporary fiction - particularly in New Adult. Overall I found Rachel likeable in an effortless sort of way, plus she comes with a handful of brothers to add to an already fantastic cast. As usual, from protagonists to the smallest of roles, every single character is molded with a personality and life of their own. I especially loved Rachel's brothers who are all distinctly quirky and older brother like. Though what stood out to me was how bigger of a role the characters from the previous books had in this one compared to its predecessor. We get longer and more significant glimpses at Noah and Echo, both being fairly important in this story, actually. Beth also makes a few appearances that leads to some developments on that front as well. On the subject of Beth, I'm happy that she and Isaiah didn't end up together. It seemed like the obvious choice from book 1, but after reading Beth's and Isaiah's individual stories it's clear that a romantic relationship between these two would have been a disaster. They need someone to balance their bold personalities out; they would have likely crashed and burned. In contrast, the romance between Isaiah and Rachel is full of sparks and raging chemistry. Not having been a fan of the hot and cold nature of Ryan and Beth's relationship, it was with relief that I found this one drama free in comparison. Don't get me wrong, they do have their share of bumps in the road, and although some of it could have been avoided had they communicated better, it was much easier to emotionally immerse myself in this relationship. One thing about Eric, the "villain" of this story, is that I didn't completely feel the fear that he was rubbing off on everybody. Sure he has "friends with bats" but this is a 19year old kid that people treat like a mob boss! This was obviously not even enough to steer my rating, but I wouldn't have minded more show of the power he wields. After all is said and done, what may be the best part of the book is finding out it's not over!

3d081dae00a511e3bccd22000ae91234_7

five-stars
5 Hot Espressos


Find my review of Pushing the Limits (Book 1), here!


Find my review of Dare You To (Book 2), here!


Review: Six Months Later by Natalie Richards

Review: Six Months Later by Natalie Richards

Posted by on 11/01/2013 • 21 Comments

I know I’m in the minority here but I think all the 5 stars gave me too-high expectations for this one. It is very close to a 4 star read so I’m far from hating it but, I expected more – or at least different.

I can understand why so many love it though. Suddenly waking up with no memory of the last 6 months is a very terrifying premise. One that had me completely stupefied, and thus absolutely engrossed. Chloe’s narrative is written with all the disorientation, annoyance, and anxiety of someone who may or may not be going crazy. As you can expect no one believes the “nonsense” she seems to be spouting. She’s an easy to like character with a fierce determination to get to the…

Review: Bold Tricks by Karina Halle

Review: Bold Tricks by Karina Halle

Posted by on 10/24/2013 • 16 Comments

*Spoiler free for the series*

Gah this book almost killed me! What an incredible finale! Bold Tricks ends The Artists Trilogy in the most action-packed, emotional way. Some of it is bittersweet, most of it will make you hold your breath in anticipation; I couldn’t have asked for a better ending. *Bows to Karina*

This is the road to the end, and like all endings should be, this one is a page-turner like no other. Intense moment after intense moment, Bold Tricks brings us into a whirlwind of emotion, passion, and disbelief. In other words, it’s a bloodbath! But honestly, what else would you expect from Ellie, Camden, and Javier together on the run? The biggest drug cartel is on the hunt for them, while they’re on the hunt…

Review: Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Review: Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

Posted by on 10/21/2013 • 20 Comments

As my first verse novel, Freakboy really surprised me. Not being a fan of poetry I was expecting verse novels to give me the worst kind of reading experience, but it was actually really moving and easier to get into the flow of it than I would have thought. The subject matter was also original and gave me a new insight in the subject of LGBT. I’ve read plenty of books about gay teens with confused sexualities and such, but this was my first time into the mind of a confused transsexual.

Freakboy is told through the eyes of 3 teenagers, Brendan being our protagonist. Brendan is confused about his gender, nothing being black and white – as expected with this type of story. Even after he learns about transsexuals,…

Cheryl Rainfield’s Top Thrill Reads + Giveaway!

Cheryl Rainfield’s Top Thrill Reads + Giveaway!

Posted by on 10/20/2013 • 7 Comments

Hi everyone! I have a special treat for y’all today! The Stained blog tour is stopping by with a fun top 5 list from Cheryl, as well as a fantastic giveaway! First let’s have a look at what Stained is all about!

Cheryl’s Top 5 Thrill Reads

Sometimes I don’t read a lot of thrillers, because my life was like a thriller–full of terror, anxiety, my pulse racing almost constantly–and I still need to learn to calm down. (smiling) It makes it easy for me to write with high intensity–it’s what I know. Other times, it’s what I want to read because it’s what I know and enjoy. I read a mix of YA and adult thrillers when I read them. Here are some of my favorites…

Review: Storm Watcher by Maria V. Snyder

Review: Storm Watcher by Maria V. Snyder

Posted by on 10/17/2013 • 14 Comments

This was my first book by Maria V. Snyder, though it was also a Middle Grade. It’s a quick, short read about a boy terrified of storms and a passion for dogs.

After having lost his mother, Luke is still adjusting to having this big hole in his life. He gets a summer job at a dog kennel where they breed and train dogs. It’s a perfect book for dog lovers. We get into dog training, especially tracker dogs, which I find kind of fascinating. But the best part of this novel for me was its characters. We have this boy who’s so sweet. His emotions and blame for his mother’s death broke my heart. I also loved the bond he has with his family. Even though they were…

Review: Reality Boy by A.S. King

Review: Reality Boy by A.S. King

Posted by on 10/11/2013 • 21 Comments

This story was absolutely messed up and also incredibly fascinating, with one of the most dysfunctional family units I have yet to come across. Reality shows are all the rave in the recent years, Reality Boy is the best example of how these shows are the opposite of reality. Do we ever stop to think of the psychological toll they take on a child? Especially when too young to understand how life can be so unfair. Network Nanny, the show in this book, is not very far off from our own running Reality shows. How do you think the kids in Supernanny will grow up with everyone at school, in their whole town, have seen them at their worst? Imagine your childhood tantrums shown on national TV! More often than…

Review: Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Review: Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Posted by on 10/04/2013 • 20 Comments

A true feel-good book, Wild Cards is the “happily every after” story we all need once in a while. It may have clichés, but you read this book for the sappy, yet edgy romance that it is.

Ashtyn and Derek make up our dual perspective in Wild Cards. I found them both amusing but I connected with Ashtyn the most. Football captain with abandonment issues, she doesn’t make things easy on herself. I didn’t quite understand why she let her ex-boyfriend get the best of her, however. It was obvious he was cheating on her and although she has trust issues she seemed to not really care. That bothered me a bit, but her fierce determination is what made me root for her. She’s set on proving she’s just as…