Book Review: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre

AUTHOR: Ann Aguirre
PUBLISHER:  Feiwel & Friends
PAGES: 328
STAND ALONE/SERIES: Stand alone
SOURCE: E-Arc from Netgalley
OUTLINE:
Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted.

Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. He’s got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. He doesn’t expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage.

But love doesn’t mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again…

MY THOUGHTS

Can I just say how much I absolutely adored this book. 

I continue to be amazed by Ann Aguirre's writing. I've enjoyed her Dystopian books, NA books, and now her contemporary book. ( I still have to read Mortal Danger, but I have faith.) I think in my heart of hearts I knew I would love The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things because it has the feels that her NA books have, but with a younger protag. :)

Sage definitely had a hard life growing up, but she tries her best 

to be positive and do everything she thinks is right so as not to upset her life now. We all know that sometimes life doesn't allow us to do that though, and we will eventually slip. When we do slip it is up to us to stay in control, and I think for the most part Sage did just that. At times Sage referred to Shadow Sage (which at times was annoying, but we later learn what  she was meaning to tell us with that.) I love that even through the hardest of times she marched through it like a solider, and to me that's what makes a character memorable and real. I know had I been her I probably would have been broken and possibly not even fixed. (Yeah it's alright I'm a baby I admit it.) She looked beyond the exterior of people, and found good in them. I love that she didn't give up on Shane, or her best friends.

Speaking of Shane.....Can I just swoon for a moment...

........

......sighs......

........

Ok! I loved Shane from the get go, and to watch Sage and Shane come together and compliment each other like they did was great. Even when Shane didn't want "help" Sage was there.

I'll admit I became a bit of a nervous wreck at the end when stuff happened, but sometimes things have to happen. life's not all fairytales and rainbows.

Blog Tour: Excerpt and Giveaway: The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things by Ann Aguirre

About THE QUEEN OF BRIGHT AND SHINY THINGS:

Sage Czinski is trying really hard to be perfect. If she manages it, people won’t peer beyond the surface, or ask hard questions about her past. She’s learned to substitute causes for relationships, and it’s working just fine… until Shane Cavendish strolls into her math class. He’s a little antisocial, a lot beautiful, and everything she never knew she always wanted.

Shane Cavendish just wants to be left alone to play guitar and work on his music. He’s got heartbreak and loneliness in his rearview mirror, and this new school represents his last chance. He doesn’t expect to be happy; he only wants to graduate and move on. He never counted on a girl like Sage.

But love doesn’t mend all broken things, and sometimes life has to fall apart before it can be put back together again…

To See what I thought about The Queen of Bright and Shiny Things go to my review.

Excerpt #5:

Mustering all my courage, I tap lightly on the door. Immediately, I hear movement inside and I brace for one of his parents to yell at me. Instead, Shane cracks the door, then freezes, staring at me in utter astonishment. The first thing I notice is that he has a second bruise, a newer one, to match the black eye Dylan gave him a few days back. And he didn't get it at school.

“What're you doing here?” he demands.

Yeah, he's not happy. I decide only absolute honesty will serve. “I was worried about you. And I brought your homework.”

“Thanks.” His anger blurs into confusion. Shane looks like he can't decide what he wants to ask next, a series of questions flickering on his face, but eventually he steps back. “You may as well come in, now that you're here.”

Inside, it's cleaner than I expected. The kitchen has old linoleum and there's scratched paneling all over the place. Everything is worn, old-fashioned, and threadbare, but somebody looks after this place. I'd bet money that person is Shane. A small living room adjoins the kitchen. I imagine there's a bath down the hall, which ends in two small bedrooms.

“Your parents won't mind?” I ask, stepping in.

“My mom's gone. And my dad isn't here.”

By which I presume 'gone' means for good and 'not here' indicates at the moment. So he lives with his father, who's probably the one who messed up his face. Otherwise, he doesn't seem sick, so he must've skipped to hide the evidence. I close the door behind me, then dig into my backpack. First I produce his list of assignments, as promised. Next, I get out the drinks and food I brought, not much, just some chicken soup sealed in a cup, bottles of juice, and two pieces of fruit. He watches with an expression of blank astonishment.

Finally, he gestures. “Is that for me?”

“The soup and juice are. And the orange. I thought you were sick.”

“God,” he whispers. “What am I supposed to do with you?”

I try a smile. “I hope that's a rhetorical question.”

“Seriously, how did you find me? And why did you ride all the way out here?” His jaw ticks and he glances away. I barely hear his last mumbled question. “Why do you care when nobody else does?”

Buy Links:

Amazon|Barnes & Noble|iTunes|Kobo|Books-a-Million|Powell's |IndieBound

About Ann Aguirre:

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author and RITA winner with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. Ann likes books, emo music, action movies, and she writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens, published with Harlequin, Macmillan, and Penguin, among others.

Links:

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Blog Tour: Playlist: As Long As You Love Me by Ann Aguirre

Here it is on Grooveshark

These are the songs:

Looking for Shelter—Good Old War

Across the Ocean—Azure Ray

Hard Out Here—Lily Allen

This one is particularly appropriate. I knew Lauren would be judged by readers because heroines are held to a much higher standard than heroes. Heroines aren’t allowed to lie, even for a good reason. They aren’t permitted to make mistakes, lest they be dubbed TSTL, whereas heroes can sin in all sorts of interesting ways and their badness just makes them hotter. This song encapsulates that reality.

A Moment Changes Everything—David Gray

May It Be—Enya

There’s a fun moment in the book when Lauren is startled to hear that manly, furniture-building Rob listens to Enya. His quirky musical taste establishes that he’s multi-faceted, and it’s just really sweet when she finds out how sensitive he can be.

It’s Time—Imagine Dragons

If I Had a Heart—Fever Ray

This Isn’t Everything You Are—Snow Patrol

This song is basically Rob and Lauren’s anthem. Neither one of them have been living up to their full potential, Rob because he lacks confidence and Lauren because she’s losing the battle with her anxiety. Together, they’re both capable of being more and achieving more, but they have to learn to stand alone before they can be together. This song is telling a story but the mood definitely parallels that realization; it’s very melancholy and perfectly right.

Wrecking Ball—Miley Cyrus

In Your Arms Again—Josh Ritter

Unpretty—TLC

Ho Hey—The Lumineers

Hey Ya—Obadiah Parker

Come & Find Me—Josh Ritter

This is totally their happy ending song. I played it when I was writing the last chapter(s). I think of it as Rob’s personal message to Lauren. He would’ve waited for her forever, and if she never made up her mind to get back with him, he would’ve eventually come to her to start winning her heart all over again. Because Lauren is the only one for Rob; he believes that to the bottom of his beautiful soul, and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to be with her.

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes all kinds of books, emo music, action movies and Doctor Who. She writes all kind of fiction in multiple genres, both YA and for adults.

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Check out Small Reviews Enclave Comparison

REVIEW VS REVIEW

Okay, I was super excited to be able to join in on one of Small's Review Comparison. What book you ask? Well it was Enclave by Ann Aguirre. It was probably one of the first Dystopian books that I actually enjoyed. I'm pretty excited for the second book to come out in 2012. Can't wait for more Fade!

Did I mention that this would make for an awesome movie. Seriously! Have you seen the book trailer for it? If not go to youtube and type it in, or go check out my review. (I think I put the video up)

That is all.