Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) by Tahereh Mafi
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Personal Copy
Reviewed by: Jenn
Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / IndieBound

My rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

Synopsis:
tick
tick
tick
tick
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it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her - people with gifts - and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance. 

She's finally free from the The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart - and Adam's life.

        Unravel Me has to be one of my top favorite book of 2013. It was also one of my most highly anticipated book and let me tell you, it was worth the wait. Tahereh Mafi has become one of my favorite writers and this book shows why.

Unravel Me picks up right where Shatter Me end. Juliette is thrust into Omega Point, where she is having a hard time adjusting to her new environment, which is understandable considering all that she went through in Shatter Me. We get our Adam swoons pretty early on and sighhh... If I thought I had forgotten how swoony Adam can be, he definitely reminded me that he is a pretty good competitor against Warner. He has a way with words and gestures that makes me putty in his hands.

I have to admit, that there were several times where I wanted to shake Juliette. She internalizes everything and she was moping around and letting everything happen to her. She didn't know how to be strong. Which brings me to my next point: Kenji. Kenji is favorite character of mine because he is not afraid of telling it like it is. So I loved when he told Juliette to snap out of and to go and do something. That she could either sit there and lament her bad luck or that she could go out there and save herself. She needed a little hard love thrown at her and he did a great job at it.

There were so many things that we learn that even thinking about it, almost a year later, still shocks me. Mafi did an awesome job at keeping her readers guessing all throughout the book. Like with Warner's father and his very surprising connection. Also, we learn a lot about Omega Point and it leader and how it came about.

And for my Warner lovers, the swoons we get in this book, HOMGGG. I get chills just thinking about it. Unfortunately, Team Warner also get their heart broken and are given mini heart attacks several times throughout the book. I worry how this is going to turn out for him.

Basically, this book has to be one of the best sequel I've read and I need for Ignite Me to come out already. I need to know what happens next after that crazy ending. Although I have to admit that I'm sad that I'll be saying goodbye to these character that I've come to know and love. If you haven't already read this, go out and buy it. Now.

Quotes (#38)

This is me this AM you guys. Why must you come so early, Monday? 

It  the beginning of another week and I'm just trying to make it on a positive note. I'm trying something new, let's hope it works. Here's some quotes to get us started:

"Hey, you feel like driving today?" he asks. "I don't want to walk to the bus stop. It's too cold."

"You feel like dying today?"

"Sure. I like risking my life. Keeps things in perspective."- Cynthia Hand, Unearthly

"Why are you crying?"

"Because," she whispered, her voice shaking, "you remind me of what the world ought to be. What the world can be." - Sarah J. Maas, Crown of Midnight

"Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind." - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote

"I ran three miles, staggered into the lobby, and took the elevator back to my apartment. No point to overdoing this exercise junk." - Janet Evanovich, Two for the Dough

"But luxury has never appealed to me, I like simple things, books, being alone, or with somebody who understand." - Daphne du Maurier

"The I had to decide if I needed to wear shoes that kicked ass or were good for ass kicking, on account of there's a difference you know." - Janet Evanovich, Finger Lickin' Fifteen

"Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect." - Margaret Mitchell

Review: Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Wild Cards (Wild Cards #1) by Simone Elkeles

Release date: October 1, 2013

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Source: Personal Copy

Reviewed by: Nahomi

Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / IndieBound

My Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek's counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else's family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain-people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek-someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

     This book was recommended to by my friend Daisel at Owl Always Be Reading, and I'm sure glad I listened. Having already read Perfect Chemistry, I was already a fan of Simone Elkeles writing. Ms. Elkeles brings the same great elements I loved from her other series. She gives us a beautiful story in which I laughed, cried, and fell in love. This novel is told from dual point of views; which I will always say Simone Elkeles is the master of. The way she transitions from chapter to chapter is flawless. I was never lost as to who is speaking and or what's happening in the story. The dialogue is really enjoyable as well. Even though at times, the characters were dealing with loss and other serious issues the dialogue is funny and refreshing. The pacing was perfect, I never felt like the story dragged or was rushed at any point.

What I liked most about this novel is that the main characters' are more like partners, they're on the same level. Ashtyn is just as capable of defending herself as Derek, and they both need saving but for different reasons. This isn't your typical damsel in distress story, where the love interest swoops in and saves the day. Ashtyn is a well respected football player, so much so, that the team made her captain her senior year. She works just as hard as the guys if not harder to prove herself. She is working hard to help her team get to the state championships, even if it means teaching Derek how to play football (lol, you'd have to read to know why this is so hilarious). 

Derek seems like he doesn't have a care in the world, but is a soft and mushy teddy bear on the inside. He has the typical attributes of a swoony boy; sweet, bad boy, HOTTT (that's right he got an extra T), did I mention he has a southern accent (I am just a sucker for accents), oh and did I mention that he is polite and can cook. For several reasons Derek is a good boy gone bad and trying to stay that way. All I can say is that he puts up a good fight. I love chemistry between Ashtyn and Derek. There relationship progresses slowly and at times seems like it might not happen, but when it does I absolutely love how it ends up. 

Look, I can go on and on about how I love this book and all of it's characters, and the writing: But, the only way you'll truly know the awesomeness of this story is if you read it. So, what are you waiting for... go read it. You won't be disappointed Wild Cards is a great story that is wonderfully written. 

P.S. For more about the book, and the four part mini series book trailers go here.

P.P.S. I am so excited about the second book and I can't wait for it to come out!

Book Blitz - Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins

Stir Me Up by Sabrina Elkins

Release Date: 10/01/13

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Summary from Goodreads:

Cami Broussard has her future all figured out. She'll finish her senior year of high school, then go to work full-time as an apprentice chef in her father's French restaurant, alongside her boyfriend, Luke. But then twenty-year-old ex-Marine Julian Wyatt comes to live with Cami's family while recovering from serious injuries. And suddenly Cami finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.

Julian's all attitude, challenges and intense green-brown eyes. But beneath that abrasive exterior is a man who just might be as lost as Cami's starting to feel. And Cami can't stop thinking about him. Talking to him. Wanting to kiss him. He's got her seriously stirred up. Her senior year has just gotten a lot more complicated….

Available from:

 

Excerpt

Julian’s in cutoff sweats and no shirt and he’s trying to reach from the weight bench where he’s seated to the door handle of the small fridge, which is just a few inches too far away from him. From my hiding spot by the doorway, I can see his surprisingly V-shaped bare back, and the rise of muscle that runs from his shoulders to his neck, and the cut of his arms. I clear my throat and he turns. Okay, there are guys who are utterly ripped, like bodybuilders. That’s not Julian. He’s not stacked like a bodybuilder. He’s just… buff, in this way, in this utterly sensual way. Like his pecs aren’t huge and bulging, they’re just pronounced enough. His chest, like his back, is broad and his body tapers in at the waist, leading to another hint of a V-shape pointing down from his hip bones, and above this the shadowy lines of a six-pack. 

He sees me. “Hello.” 

My insides clench. Suddenly, I can’t look at him. “Can’t sleep?” 

“No. I figured I might as well do something useful.”

“But now you’ll have to get your wheelchair all the way back up to the house.”

I glance at him and catch him studying me. “Yeah, I guess I will.” 

Probably on account of his injuries, Julian is stretching out his left leg and leaning back on the bench instead of just bending the leg and sitting normally. This is what’s giving me such an amazing view. Of his sweatiness. The sweat has dampened his hair, it’s filming his skin. There are a handful of scars on his chest, and with his head back a little like it is, my eye can trace the line up those scars in a kind of zigzag pattern. I gulp down some air and hope he can’t hear it. 

But he must, because that curve at the corner of his mouth deepens a little. “Can you come here a minute?”

About the Author

Sabrina Elkins, author of Stir Me Up, has also worked as a journalist, movie copywriter and prep cook. She graduated from USC and currently lives with her husband and three children in the greater Los Angeles area.

Sabrina loves hearing from her readers, and encourages you to visit her at

www.sabrinaelkins.com, on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

***Author Links***

   

GIVEAWAY:

Win 1 of 3 stockings filled with holiday candy, chocolates, a hand-crafted Christmas charm bracelet and $10 Amazon gift card.  Open Internationally. Void where prohibited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:

Review: Season of Second Chances by Brighton Walsh

Season of Second Chances
By Brighton Walsh
Expected Release Date: Dec. 5, 2013
Publisher: Carina Press
Source: Gifted by author
Reviewed by: Jenn
Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / Kobo

*I received an eARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.*

My rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars

Synopsis:
When a storm strands Claire Hanlin in Chicago on Christmas Eve, the last person she expects to come to her rescue is Logan Dawes, the man she almost married two years ago. The chemistry between them is dangerously potent, but with nowhere else to go, Claire accepts Logan's offer to stay with him for the night.
Back in the home they shared, surrounded by reminders of Logan and his young daughter, Claire begins to realize how much she misses the family she almost had. After a few cups of Christmas cheer, she falls right back into her ex's arms - even though she knows it means setting herself up for heartbreak all over again.
The magic of the season has thrown him together with the woman he's never stopped loving, and Logan's not about to pass up this gift. He's not the workaholic he was two years ago - his family comes first. Now all he has to do is prove it to Claire, before the snow stops and flies out of his life for good.

           Season of Second Chances will be one of those books that I will always reread whenever I'm in the mood for a fluffy read. It left me feeling like all was right in the world and Logan has to be the hottest dad I ever read. There were several scenes that had me swoony-sighing all over the place for him. I'm skeptical about having kids myself, but if I can get a husband that will be great as a dad like Logan,  I'll do it. The characters are so well thought out that you feel like you know them and see their idiosyncrasies in yourself.

Claire is the sassy woman who still loves Logan and would do anything for him but holds her ground. I love that, although she wants to be with Logan, she won't stay in a relationship that does not prioritize her. She knows that she's not going to be number one in Logan life because of his daughter, Sophie, but she can't accept having his job take a bigger priority than her. Instead of being swept away by only his words, she needs for him to prove that he has changed.  In most romance novels, I typically see the woman changing her ways for a man who doesn't change himself and I love that Claire still managed to remain true to herself. With every book I read from Brighton, she creates female characters that knows what they want and who hold their ground.  

There were some sexy times that certainly left me wanting more. While it not the most steamiest I've read from Brighton, it works really well. You don't feel like it really needed or that you're missing out on anything. The plot is never slow but it doesn't feels like scenes are being rushed or that events are happening before it should, which is hard to do in a novella. 

This novella is the perfect holiday read and I'm so glad to be getting more of Brighton's words. I don't know how she does it, creating worlds in a small words count but feels like they it a full length novel. I hope everyone gives Season of Second Chances a read, you won't regret it. And if you need more reasons to read it, here's the link to Brighton's Pinterest inspiration board for Logan or as he is more commonly referred as, Hot Single Dad. You're welcome.

Waiting on Wednesday (#37)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Morning swooners!

This week pre-publication "can't wait to read" selection is:

Infinite by Jodi Meadows

Expected Release Date: January 28, 2014

Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

Synopsis:

DESTRUCTION

The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake-an alarming rumble from deep within the earth-and it's only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Souls Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.

FLIGHT

Ana's exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They'll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan's ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm's reach.

CHOICE

The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn't know is whether she'll have the chance to finish the one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all.

I'm excited to see how the Jodi Meadows will end this beautiful series! 

Swooners what are you waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 2014 Releases I'm Dying to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the wonderful girls at The Broke and The Bookish. Every week the girls come up with a subject and we have to answer them.

Morning lovelies, 

For this week list, it the 2014 releases that we're currently dying to read. I have so many series that are ending next year and some sequels I can't wait to get my hands on. Here;s what I'm dying to read:

1 - The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 

Michelle said that there won't be ARCs of this book but if I can get my hands on this book, like, now, I would die a happy girl

2. Untitled (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas - This book doesn't even have a title, cover or a synopsis, but I've been ready for this book since I finished Crown of Midnight back in August.

3. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi 

I'm so curious to see how this series ends and to find out what will happen to my beloved Warner.

4. The Treatment by Suzanne Young

The Program was one of my favorite books that I read this year and I can't wait to see how Suzanne has in store for Sloane and James.

5. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

I've been waiting for this book since 2011 and knowing its release date has been pushed back several times makes me hesitant to get excited for it. I know Stephanie has explained why it been taking so long, so I just be sitting here, waiting.

6. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

I feel in love with series when the first book came out but I haven't read book 2 yet just because I knew that the book hangover I would have with it would just kill me. But now I get reread book 1 and finally book 2 knowing that my wait is short.

7. What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

This sounds like such a fluffy read and I've heard so many good things about this author that I know I will just love it.

8. On the Fence by Kasie West

Just like with Huntley Fitzpatrick's What I Thought Was True, I've heard nothing but praise for Kasie West. So I'm adding what looks like another fluffy read to my TBR list.

9. Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins

Having read her Hex Hall series, I know Rachel will not disappoint with this book. 

10. Sublime by Christina Lauren

If you've been to the blog, you know we love Christina Lauren around here. We've devoured their Beautiful Bastard series in a sitting and when they announced their YA book, I knew I they were going on my "Needs-to-get-my-hands-on-ASAP" list. 

That is it for me today. Just looking at the list  makes me vibrate with energy and get my grabby hands excited. What are your top 10 2014 books that you're dying to get your hands on?

Blog Tour Stop: Review: Rewrite Redemption by J.H. Walker

Rewrite Redemption by J.H. Walker
Release Date: January 25, 2013
Publisher: J.H. Walker
Source: Gifted for Blog Tour
Reviewed by: Nahomi
Links: Amazon / Goodreads

*I received a copy of this book for part of a blog tour but it did not influence this review in any way*

My Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars

Synopsis: 

She's sixteen. He's seventeen. They don't know each other...at least not yet.

She has a secret and her whole life revolves around keeping it. Every few months and with little warning, she simply disappears, pulled into the past for hours or even days. She's terrified it will happen in front of someone, changing her life forever. So far, the only witnesses have been her parents, and that didn't end well. She has no control over it and no idea why it happens to her. 

She wants answers..

He has answers-at least he understands what's going on. He has a secret, too. He's part of an organization that goes back in time to rewrite reality. But he also has a problem. He broke the organization's number-one rule by altering his own timeline. As punishment, he's been blocked from time travel, which is most unfortunate. Because the changes he made to his timeline, accidentally resulted in disaster for his family. A disaster he's now prevented from repairing. No one can travel beneath the organization's radar except a Shadow. But they're rare, so rare he's never even met one.

Then he moves to her town.

    I was really excited to have the opportunity to review this novel, because the premise sounded really exciting. I hadn't read any other stories about time travel, but I always found the concept really interesting. In Rewrite Redemption we meet A.J. and Constantine our main characters, who can travel back in time and have very broken family lives. The story is written in dual points of view from both A.J. and Constantine's to give the reader a more complete vision of what is happening.

A.J. gets pulled back in time but doesn't understand what or why this is happening to her. She blames her "strangeness" for her horrible family life. Through most of the novel A.J. tries to be invisible, not to be noticeable; in case she ever just disappeared during school. I feel like throughout the novel A.J. showed significant character growth. She goes from a girl who hid behind a big black hoodie and sunglasses to someone who came out of her shell and began being more social and confident.

Constantine was a little more difficult to relate to. He was the older of the two, but man he had a big pity party for most of the book. I understand that he feels guilty because of what changing his timeline did to his family but he does not come off as 17 at all. He is impatient and impulsive for most of the story. As the story progresses he does evolve and show some maturity which he lacked in the beginning.

The plot is a little slow paced and tends to get bogged down by a lot of detail. There isn't always a ton of details, but sometimes the details drag down the pacing of the story. I enjoyed the dialogue and felt that a lot of the issues that the main characters were dealing are relevant to whats happening today. I felt this gave the novel the touch of realism it needed to keep the story believable. 

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here.

About the Author

J.H. grew up in Central America. She now lives in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies with her photographer husband and many, many books. In addition to her never-ending study of human behavior, she's a political junkie and a certified tree hugger. Rewrite Redemption is her debut novel.

Author Links: Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Twitter

Quotes (#37)

Good Morning Swooners,

Mondays kick my butt on a normal basis, but this is my first day back from the holiday weekend and I'm especially not ready to deal with the work week ahead. I hope you had a lovely weekend whether it was a holiday or not. I am thankful though, for the extra days off I was given to be with family and friends. Hope Monday treats you well.

"There is no friend as loyal as a book." - Ernest Hemingway

"Maybe our favorite quotations say more about us than about the stories and people we're quoting." -John Green

"There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness... Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget, that until the day God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words, 'Wait and Hope." -Alexander Dumas

"You can't be happy unless you're unhappy sometimes." - Lauren Oliver, Delirium

"Everything tells me that I am about to make a wrong decision, but making mistakes is just part of life. What does the world want of me? Does it want me to take no risks, to go back to where I came from because I didn't have the courage to say "yes" to life? - Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes

"Mom says it's because she has PMS. Do you even know what that means? I'm not a little kid anymore. It means pissed-at-men syndrome." -Nicholas Sparks, The Last Song

"No woman really wants a man to carry her off; she only wants him to want to do it." 

- Elizabeth Peters

"I might be in love with you.' He smiles a little. 'I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though."

- Veronica Roth, Divergent

"Life is short, Break the Rules. 

Forgive quickly, Kiss SLOWLY.

 Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably 

And never regret ANYTHING

That makes you smile."

- Mark Twain

Review: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Source: Personal Copy
Reviewed by: Jenn
Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / IndieBound

My rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars

Synopsis:
Set over the course of one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits - smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you'll remember your own first love - and just how hard it pulled you under.

I had really difficult time writing this review and I spent weeks and weeks working on it and I still feel like I can't properly do the book justice. I guess I'll just break things down:

1. It doesn't feel like Young Adult
   - Eleanor and Park are wise beyond their years
   - There are issues and topics that are normally not seen or dealt with in YA books.
2. Swoony but realistic
    - We have to remember that this is first love but I just found it to be so cute and made me all happy sigh and reminding me of my first crush.
3. Eleanor
   - I loved her
   - Strong and independent and doesn't change herself for a boy, not even Park. My kind of girl.
   - I want to be a friend to her, she needs one. If there ever was girl that needs a girlfriend, it Eleanor. There were so many times that I just wanted to take her and hug her and just shield her from the world.
4. Where the hell was Department of Children and Family in this book?! Her mom made me rage. Richie = squm. Remember what I said about issues not normally seen in YA books? It comes into play here. 
5. Park
   - The sweetest boy ever. Seriously.
   - During the drive to Minnesota
      - Broke my heart how sad and angry and hurt he that she was asleep. He was so conflicted. He wanted to spend time with her but he knew that she need to rest and escape for a little while. 
      - Also broke my heart at how he was after she was gone. The feels.
  - Loved how he fell in love. How things suddenly changed for him. So realistically done. Kudos to Rainbow for doing such a great job.

I really enjoyed this story. It was so well done and Rainbow managed to bring back all the memories of first crushes and first love and how exciting and nerve-wracking things are when you're a teenager. I wouldn't mind if Rainbow decides to do a sequel but it not something that I'm absolutely dying for. I guess my heart can only take so much angst. But on a side note, anybody want to take guesses with me and what those three words were?