REVIEW: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Name: If I Stay

Author: Gayle Forman

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile//Speak

Release Date: April 2, 2009 (US)

Pages: 201, Hardcover

Source: Audiobook Library

Rating: 4 Teacups

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...
A sophisticated, layered, and heart-achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make, and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

I'm so glad to say that reading If I Stay the second time around was much more enjoyable. When I read this book previously 2 years ago, I didn't like it much at all. Music? Blegh. BOOOORING. I was particularly annoyed by books about girls in comas, too. But reading it again, I feel like I understood it so much better and it was beautiful. I was so naïve back then.

GAW-JUS WRITING

Gayle Forman's writing is definitely unique and flawless in her own way. I loved it--it's lyrical and it just WORKS, kay? It all flows together and it makes reading the story really enjoyable.

UNIQUE PLOT

If I Stay doesn't follow the usual plot line. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm talking the beginning- climax- solution thing. If I Stay kind of has two stories going on, if you will. Some present day happenings at the hospital, but mostly memories of Mia's past. While the plot wasn't FAST PACED or anything, it's calm and still great. Again, it just WORKS OUT.

GENUINE CHARACTERS

I really could connect with the characters. While Mia and I have no similarities, I liked her still. Her love for music and the cello was passionate and eye-opening. Let's not forget about Mia's family and friends--I couldn't have asked for a better cast of characters. They were all so wonderful!

In all, If I Stay is a must-read contemporary novel for music fans, or heart-wrenching lovers. You won't want to miss out on Forman's beautiful writing style, exclusive plot, and authentic characters!

Audiobook review: My first impression of the audio was that the performer's voice was too old and mature for Mia's voice. But after awhile, I realized that it was perfect and soothing, and it totally made the book THAT much better. Definitely check out the audio if you can!

4 Teacups for If I Stay!

Waiting on Wednesday #10

Waiting on Wednesday is a fabulous meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!  It's a wonderful chance to share the books we're eagerly anticipating and to find out what our fellow bloggers are looking forward to reading!

Jen's eagerly anticipating...

To want what you’re not supposed to have…
She is only nineteen.
She is his new stepfather’s daughter. 
She is still naïve and innocent due to spending the last three years taking care of her sick mother. 
But for twenty-four year old Rush Finlay, she is the only thing that has ever been off limits. His famous father’s guilt money, his mother’s desperation to win his love, and his charm are the three reasons he has never been told no.
Blaire Wynn left her small farmhouse in Alabama, after her mother passed away, to move in with her father and his new wife in their sprawling beach house along the Florida gulf coast. She isn’t prepared for the lifestyle change and she knows she’ll never fit into this world. Then there is her sexy stepbrother who her father leaves her with for the summer while he runs off to Paris with his wife. Rush is as spoiled as he is gorgeous. He is also getting under her skin. She knows he is anything but good for her and that he’ll never be faithful to anyone. He is jaded and has secrets Blaire knows she may never uncover but even knowing all of that…
Blaire just may have fallen too far.

GUYS. I haven't read anything by Abbi yet but I SO NEED TO. These New Adult contemporary romances are my guilty pleasures. LIKE HARDCORE. And this one sounds amazing! And that cover is SO summer-y and pretty. And... steamy. ;) Coming out December 2012!

Bev's eagerly anticipating...

He makes good girls...bad.
Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.
Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:
Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days.
Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions deeply buried.

I've been waiting for this since I saw the cover reveals on all the blogs!  I don't know about you but the guy on the cover is... HOT. And then I read the blurb.  A hot guy who steals souls.  Oh my god, just give me this already!!!! The protagonist is called Dante, for goodness sake! DANTE...

What are you anticipating this week? Link us up!

Happy reading,
Beverley and Jen xxx

REVIEW: Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Name: Saving June

Author: Hannah Harrington

Publisher: Mira Ink

Release date: June 1st 2012

Pages: 336 

Source:  For review from publisher (via Net Galley)

Rating: 5 stars

Your sister is dead. Nineteen songs can tell you why. Only one boy can help you understand.
Harper Scott's older sister, June, took her own life a week before high school graduation, leaving Harper devastated. So when her divorcing parents decide to split up June's ashes, Harper steals the urn and takes off cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going-California.
Enter Jake Tolan, a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession...and an unknown connection to June. When he insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what Harper needs. Except...Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn her life upside down again.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Beverley's Review

Saving June is an achingly beautiful novel of a girl desperate to piece together the broken fragments of her life.  Her sister's sudden suicide leaves her with an endless list of unanswered questions: Did she really know June?  Could she have stopped it?

The questions and grief and not knowing what to do next lead her to Jake, a mysterious boy whose nature of connection with June is unknown.  With her best friend, Laney, they take off on a summer road-trip in a bid to scatter June's ashes in California, a place she dreamed of visiting before her death.

Saving June is definitely not a light-hearted read, it is heart-wrenching and tear-inducing.  It will take you on an emotional rollercoaster filled with love, loss, friendship and grief.  The best part of the book, for me, was the powerful emotions conveyed in each page.  Hannah Harrington writes sensitively yet realistically and deals with the topic of suicide wonderfully.  Her writing completely overwhelmed me and there were parts where I just felt choked; I was amazed by her ability to describe the pain and angst so vividly.

Therefore, sympathising with the characters wasn't difficult.  Harper is a likeable character with whom I empathised from the start.  I came to understand her grief and how hard life was for her and I wanted so desperately for her to find closure.  Thankfully, she had the most amazing best friend by her side.  Laney is one of those friends people spend their whole lives wishing for.  Her selfless, caring personality filled me with such admiration for her as a person.

The road trip had it highs and lows and they had some pretty crazy encounters.  What I loved was that Jake really grew on me as the journey progressed. Both Harper and I learnt more about him and I came to appreciate his honest, sensitive side.  Unfortunately he didn't make my list of potential book boyfriends but this is only because he's the sort of guy who would make a better friend, someone who will listen and lend you a shoulder to cry on.

Throw in loveable characters, witty narration, a wild road trip and buckets of emotion and you get Saving June.  It has all the elements of an enjoyable read, plus more.  Hannah Harrington has crafted such a heart-breakingly raw story out of something so devastating and life-shattering: a novel which has made my Favourite Contemporaries of the Year list.  Saving June will make you think and most importantly, help you realise that you shouldn't take your loved ones for granted.

5 teacups for Saving June!

*Thanks to Mira Ink for providing me with an e-copy via Netgalley*

Let's Talk About.. Blogging: Back In the Day v.s. Now

It's been nagging me for quite some time now. Many of you know that I actually started book blogging a year ago, but from back then, I've jumped from blog to blog. At the time, blogging was really different. Do not get me wrong, I am in no way stating that I am an "old blogger", or "professional blogger", or that I have tons of experience. I've just noticed a lot of change in the blogging atmosphere. Quite frankly, it scares me a bit.

Do you remember, a year ago, when blogging was all about sharing your love for books with other book nerds? Do you remember the joy and carefree-ness of it all? Is it the same today? Sure, most bloggers still find it extremely fun and they treat it like a hobby. But others, I feel… have unintentionally changed the reason why they started blogging. And that reason is to get advanced reader copies/review copies. People are getting greedy. A year ago, I started blogging because I loved talking about books. And somewhere along the way... honestly, I feel like I've fallen into the trap… to get books. It scares me that I REALIZE I'm blogging to get free books. IT'S TERRIBLE. I must change this.

To be honest, I think at least half of the bloggers out there share my terrible problem. So much drama has happened and people have gotten so demanding that I think it's just CHANGED everyone in some way or another. With more bloggers joining the blogosphere each day, blogs are becoming more competitive. These days, it's all "Bloggers who get the most books for review are the most popular blogs." At least, that's what I think. And then I think, all the little or less-known blogs have to try to live up to that, and people just start gaining followers the wrong way to become that "bigger blog".

Again, the greed. People are just starting to grab as many ARCs as possible and that's just… wrong. Like I said, I've fallen into this very trap. Awhile ago, I got all obsessed in getting review copies, because of wanting to live up to those "bigger blogs". But now, I'm just stressed and it's making blogging not-so-much fun. I've decided for myself that I definitely need to hold off on review copies for awhile.. if you think about it, it is completely disrespectful to the publishers out there who have provided us readers with review copies, and then you just.. don't review them? Yeah, not cool. 

My point is, I think every blogger should just sit down, and think for a minute. How has the book blogging society changed you? Do you need to take a breather and hold off on review copies? What about you bloggers who were around a year ago? Do you think the blogoverse has changed? In what way?

**All opinions are my own.**

HAPPY reading,

Jen xx

REVIEW: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Name: Everneath

Author: Brodi Ashton

Publisher: HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray

Release Date: January 24, 2012 (US)

Pages: 370, Hardcover

Source: Audiobook Library

Rating: 3 Teacups

"Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.
Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.
As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen."

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

I've always loved learning about Greek mythology, so when I found out that Everneath is based off of the Hades and Persephone myth, I've been excited ever since. Truth be told, Everneath is my first retelling story that I've read about Hades and Persephone! Sadly, however, I found many flaws in the story that I couldn't enjoy much. The characters were flat and boring, and there was that cliché paranormal love triangle aspect going on. The only thing I really enjoyed was the plot and world-building.

THE OH-SO-DREADED LOVE TRIANGLE

You all know what I'm talking about. That love triangle that typically happens in paranormal romance stories. Well, here it shows up in Everneath (I know it's greek mythology, but I'm counting it as paranormal). Guys, I used to like love triangles. I still do. If they're done correctly and not annoyingly. It was pretty aggravating in Everneath, unfortunately. None of the boys were flattering in my opinion, and it just did not work for me.

BORING, AND FLAT AS A PANCAKE

Nothing is worse than characters that aren't entertaining and fun to read about! I couldn't connect to any of them, and there was no spark. I was especially disappointed with Jack--the fact that Brodi Ashton made him a cliché boy. The football player, floppy brown hair… Can we get something new here?  And Nikki was so indecisive that it just ended up annoying me. None of the characters stood out.

AWESOME WORLD

I have to say, the plot and world-building was quite great. The world was very believable for me, and I kept wanting to know more about it. Along with the Everneath world itself, the plot delivered exciting twists. The storyline was able to keep me reading until the end.

All in all, I was quite disappointed with Everneath. I expected a lot more out of it, but didn't get what I wanted. It's decent, but it definitely won't be a memorable read that will stay with me. Although, if you're looking for a greek mythology story, I would still recommend giving this one a try!

Audiobook Review: I definitely suggest reading the book, physically. The audio wasn't my favorite--the narrator sounds a little too robotic and caused the character to sound like she was droning. Acceptable, but it could have been better.

3 teacups for Everneath!

REVIEW: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Name: Where Things Come Back

Author: John Corey Whaley

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Release Date: May 3, 2011 (US)

Pages: 228, Hardcover

Source: Library

Rating: 5 Teacups

Just when seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter thinks he understands everything about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town, it all disappears. . . . 
In the summer before Cullen's senior year, a nominally-depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he spots a species of woodpecker thought to be extinct since the 1940s in Lily, Arkansas. His rediscovery of the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker sparks a flurry of press and woodpecker-mania. Soon all the kids are getting woodpecker haircuts and everyone's eating "Lazarus burgers." But as absurd as the town's carnival atmosphere has become, nothing is more startling than the realization that Cullen’s sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared. 
While Cullen navigates his way through a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young missionary in Africa, who has lost his faith, is searching for any semblance of meaning wherever he can find it. As distant as the two stories seem at the start, they are thoughtfully woven ever closer together and through masterful plotting, brought face to face in a surprising and harrowing climax. 
Complex but truly extraordinary, tinged with melancholy and regret, comedy and absurdity, this novel finds wonder in the ordinary and emerges as ultimately hopeful. It's about a lot more than what Cullen calls, “that damn bird.” It’s about the dream of second chances.

[summary taken from Goodreads]

Jen's Review

Where Things Come Back is a touching story about religion, missing brothers, and woodpeckers. Wait, what? Yes, you heard me right. WOOD FREAKING PECKERS.

As mentioned above, Where Things Come Back is quite heavy on the religion. Now, if you've been following me on Twitter for a while now, you probably know that I HATE World History class, and when we were learning about world religions, it was pretty much death for me. When religion was first brought on in the book, all I could think was, "Oh no, here we go AGAIN." But after awhile, I got used to it, and it actually was kind of… nice. The religious aspect part of the story was more there to symbolize hope, I think. It was a nice touch, as well as beautiful.

The story itself is complex and as many little storylines in the story. In Where Things Come Back, the story is told between different point of views, between Cullen Witter, the main character, Benton Sage (a religious boy in Ethiopia), and even Cabot Searcy (arrives later in the novel). All of their stories somehow intertwine and it is quite magical to see it happen. There is even areas in the novel where Cullen takes the reader back to his past.

Where Things Come Back is such a unique story. I mean, have YOU ever read a YA fiction novel with woodpeckers involved? I know I haven't, until now. The aspect of woodpeckers included in the story was totally random, and totally relevant. It's spontaneous, but it makes sense for it to be there. Everything fits and came together very well.

And may I talk about Cullen for a second? I have weird feelings about Cullen. For me, I couldn't really identify a character trait to describe him. It's quite hard. He wasn't full of fun, but he wasn't boring and selfish either. But he was one thing--interesting. He has so many thoughts and ideas and the way he analyzes things is very entertaining to read about.

Lastly, Mr. John Corey Whaley's writing. It was hard to get into at first, because of the complexity I'm not normally used to. But his writing quickly becomes soothing and easy-going. I loved it.

Where Things Come Back earned an abundance of awards for a reason, because it's a breathtaking story that leaves the reader pondering. If you liked Jellicoe Road or The Perks of Being a Wallflower, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

5 Teacups for Where Things Come Back!

Showcase Sunday #7

Showcase Sunday is hosted by the lovely Vicky over at Books, Biscuits, and Tea! It's a great way to share what you have received the past week and to also gush over the wonderful books other bloggers have added to their bookshelves!

Beverley's New Books:

For Review:

Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black: I'm super-duperly happy to be getting a chance to read this 4 months before its release! I love how the proof copy came with a beautiful cover, don't you love it?

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter: Eeeeeee!!!!!!!! So frikkin' excited to read this one!  Some of my favourite bloggers gave it amazing reviews so I can't wait to experience it myself :D

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan: Jen wrote a glowing review on one of Levithan's other books and I've heard many great thing about this so hopefully I'll enjoy it!

Saving June by Hannah Harrington: My first approval on NetGalley! Whoop whoop! I'm currently reading this and I'm absolutely ADORING it :)

Possession by Elana Johnson: This is for a blog tour and both Jen and I will be reviewing it so keep your eyes out for it :D

6 Seconds of Life by Tonya Fitzharris: Another e-book for blog tour review.  Can't wait to read this: it deals with suicide and I'm eager to see how the author deals with such a sensitive matter.  Probably won't be reading this straight after Saving June, huh?

*Many thanks to Bloomsbury, Mira Ink, Harlequin UK, Elana Johnson and Tonya Fitzharris, and the blog tour sites representing them*

Won: 

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth: Those of you who are close readers of the blog may remember I won a copy of Divergent a while ago.  Well, after that I won another giveaway for Insurgent and it took quite a long time for it to arrive so I'm guessing that's why I got a complimentary copy of Divergent as well.

What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang: OMG!!!!!!!!! I practically squealed when I opened the package to reveal this beauty!!!! I'm so so so so excited to read this since I've been waiting forever for its release!!!!! And I just ADORE the UK cover XD

I probably won't have many books to showcase over the next few weeks as I am stopping requesting/accepting review books. My TBR pile is HUGE right now and the pressure is building up at school so I want to take things slowly.  I'm sure you can all just gush over Jen's hauls ;)

Jen's New Books:

Borrowed:
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff: I got this one from Netgalley a couple of months ago but I never read it because I heard it's quite difficult to read it as a galley. Unfortunately, I won't be getting to this one because I don't have time. :(

Survive by Alex Morel: I've been eyeing this one for a long time ever since it came out. But again, I won't be getting to this one either. :(

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White: Listening to this one on audio right now, and it's not my favorite.

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready: So excited to start this on audio soon! Paranormal audios for October FTW!

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready:  Book 2 oh yes.

Review:
Swipe by Evan Angler: I heard really great things about this one so I'm excited to start this MG dystopian series!

Sneak by Evan Angler: Book 2!

The Wild Ones by M. Leighton: For a tour! I'M SO FREAKING EXCITED TO START THIS ONE!!

Timeless by Michelle Madow: I should probably start this series really soon... -__-

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson: This is the sequel to THE NAME OF THE STAR, which, of course, I have not read. I'm a bad blogger.

**Much thanks to Thomas Nelson, M. Leighton, Michelle Madow, Penguin Book Group, and Netgalley!

Bought (All were Freebies on Amazon) 
Forever Mine by Elizabeth Reyes: Bev just reviewed this one! Click here to read her review. :)

Ethereal by Addison Moore: Apparently this one has movie rights? Sounds interesting!

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs: Funny, I bought this one the day after Bev interviewed Tera on the blog. :) I've been wanting to read this one for FOREVER.

Dirty Blood by Heather Hildenbrand: I've been eyeing this one for awhile too, but just never got it. Sounds good thought!

Blood of Anteros by Georgia Cates: I've been hearing awesome things about Georgia Cates, so I decided to pick up one of her books!

What did you get this week?

Happy reading,
Beverley and Jen x