ZERO: TOM LEVEEN

This one took me awhile to get into because the writing style was a bit choppy for me. I am not sure if I got used to the author's flow or if the sassy breaks became less frequent. Either way I really got into this story. I totally love post HS graduation stories and I wish there were more of them, but it only makes this book more special. 

BOOK BLURB:

For aspiring artist Amanda Walsh, who only half-jokingly goes by the nickname Zero, the summer before college was supposed to be fun—plain and simple. Hanging out with her best friend Jenn, going to clubs, painting, and counting down the days until her escape. But when must-have scholarship money doesn't materialize, and she has a falling out with Jenn that can only be described as majorly awkward, and Zero's parents relationship goes from tense to relentless fighting, her prospects start looking as bleak and surreal as a painting by her idol Salvador Dali. Will life truly imitate art? Will her new, unexpected relationship with a punk skater boy who seems too good to be real and support from the unlikeliest of sources show Zero that she's so much more than a name.

The only reason this isn't a total 100% winner for me is because there were just some things that didn't jive with my personal values. However, as a character portrayal this book is right on and kept me wondering what choices Zero was going to make about her future. I really liked her and felt for her insecurities. Also I loved that the book followed the highs and lows of her romantic relationship. Overall a great read.

 

Read more about this new release HERE. 

I received an advanced eBook of this from NetGalley for a fair review. 

BREAKING BEAUTIFUL: JENNIFER SHAW WOLF

                 

                

This book was a surprise for me, and I don't get surprised that much these days. At first you think you are reading just a normal "girl gets in car accident can't remember what happened isn't pretty anymore and has to deal with a dead boyfriend" kind of book. But it is actually this really well woven mystery as Allie's world unfolds and she puts the pieces together from that night. Flashbacks are seamlessly added as Allie starts to remember bits and pieces of the past she had with an abusive boyfriend. 

Now normally books with girls that have some big secret and won't tell totally annoy me, but for some reason Allie fit the bill of a girl who was abused so well I understood why she was keeping things to herself. 

BOOK BLURB:

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.
 

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

This isn't my normal kind of read, but if you like a suspense and mystery kind of romance then you should think about giving this book a try. 

I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley for a fair review. You can read more about this book HERE.

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THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: JOHN GREEN

The only reason I even read this is because my husband, who does not care about new books heard that this was a must read, and despite my hesitations he put me on the very long library waiting list. This book had to work extra hard to win me over. I disliked Green's first book "Looking for Alaska", and after I read and hated "Paper Towns" I just figured I was not going to be someone who believes the YA sun rises and sets on John Green. Of course I don't think Green even writes YA, but writes more books for adults about teenagers. I kind of wonder if Green ever felt like a teenager, because his characters never freaking sound or act like them.

But here his freakishly sassy dialogue worked for me, and overall this felt like it was written by a completely different person than his previous books. This was raw and sad and still kind of pretentious. I think Green won me over when overly handsome Augustus starts making jokes about their support group leader saying they were "literally in the heart of Jesus" while they are meeting in a church. It reminded me when I was teaching a class in Sunday school and this guy that bugs me said "we are literally the nails in Jesus' hand", and I thought nope we are NOT literally nails. But instead I just smiled and moved on because I am nice like that. So anyway, after that overly witty repartee with our main characters in the book about the correct use of "literally" I was in it for the long haul and all the freaking tears that come after it.

BOOK BLURB:
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

I'm certainly not the only person who liked this book, get opinions from thousands of other people HERE.

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS: STEPHANIE PERKINS

If you read YA at all, this is probably a book you already have read and maybe own. I have shared this book with so many people (mostly over the age of 30) and they usually love it. For me, it is an all time fave and I just felt like talking about it again. This is the first book I recommend to people who are hesitant to try a YA book. If they don't like it then I know that they probably won't like any more books about teens, because this one is so good.

Perkins does such a great job of making her characters alive. They banter adorably, but not unrealistically. They all have these little quirks that make them real and human. Plus in Anna, she nails the romantic tension. This is a book I can read over and over and over again and I still get giddy all over.

BOOK BLURB:
Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near - misses end with the French kiss Anna - and readers - have long awaited?

If you are one of the people who have not yet read Anna and the French Kiss, what are you waiting for? And also I am always jealous of the people who get to read it for the first time, and get to fall in love right along with Anna.

Read more about it HERE.

LET'S GET LOST: SARRA MANNING

This is the first time I have ever loved such an unlikeable character. Isabel is a really mean and snarky girl as you begin this book and the only thing that kept me from still reading about her was that she was a very funny mean girl. As the reader, you know she is unhappy and as the book unfolds her layers are revealed in a very interesting way. This was one of the most realistic portrayals of a broken girl I have ever read, but it is not depressing because, like I said, Isabel is hilarious.Also the romance element of this story is real and sweet.

BOOK BLURB:
Isabel is the girl who rules the school with an iron fist and a gang of minions who do her bidding. Her friends are scared of her, her teachers can't get through to her, and that's just the way she likes it. With her razor-sharp edges and tall walls, nothing gets to Isabel—and no one, but no one, is ever going to discover her dark, sad secrets. Then she meets Smith. And Isabel learns that sometimes when all the expectations and pressures are too much, you just need someone to help you get lost.

This takes place in the UK and it kind of fits the stereotype that I seem to have that kids there grow up faster (drinking, sex, drugs etc.) than they do in the US. Nothing overly explicit, but it is not a squeaky clean read.

Read more about it HERE.