Book Talk: Smoke by Ellen Hopkins

AUTHOR: Ellen Hopkins

PUBLISHED: September 10th 2013 
PUBLISHER:  Margaret K. McElderry Books

PAGES: 543

SERIES/STAND ALONE: Book 2

SOURCE: Book Outlet

CHALLENGES: None

OUTLINE:

Pattyn’s father is dead. Now she’s on the run in this riveting companion to New York Times bestseller Burned, which Kirkus Reviews calls “a strong, painful, and tender piece about wresting hope from the depths of despair.”

Pattyn Von Stratten’s father is dead, and Pattyn is on the run. After far too many years of abuse at the hands of her father, and after the tragic loss of her beloved Ethan and their unborn child, Pattyn is desperate for peace. Only her sister Jackie knows what happened that fatal night, but she is stuck at home with their mother, who clings to normalcy by allowing the truth to be covered up by their domineering community leaders. Her father might be finally gone, but without Pattyn, Jackie is desperately isolated.

Alone and in disguise, Pattyn starts a new life as a migrant worker on a California ranch. But is it even possible to rebuild a life when everything you’ve known has burned to ash and lies seem far safer than the truth?

Video

In a nutshell

Characters

My Journey through Goodreads

October 3, 2018 – Finished Reading October 3, 2018 –  page 342    62.98% October 2, 2018 –  page 342    62.98% "I feel for Pattyn and Jackie" September 28, 2018 –  page 72    13.26% September 28, 2018 – Started Reading October 13, 2017 – Shelved as: books-i-own-not-read August 14, 2017 – Shelved as: to-read August 14, 2017 – Shelved

Fun pictures

Book Talk: Rumble by Ellen Hopkins

AUTHOR: Ellen Hopkins

PUBLISHED: August 26th 2014 

PUBLISHER:  Margaret K. McElderry Books

PAGES: 550

SERIES/STAND ALONE: Stand alone

SOURCE: Book Outlet

CHALLENGES: None

OUTLINE:

"There is no God, no benevolent ruler of the earth, no omnipotent grand poobah of countless universes. Because if there was ... my little brother would still be fishing or playing basketball instead of fertilizing cemetery vegetation."

Matthew Turner doesn't have faith in anything.

Not in family—his is a shambles after his younger brother was bullied into suicide. Not in so-called friends who turn their backs when things get tough. Not in some all-powerful creator who lets too much bad stuff happen. And certainly not in some "It Gets Better" psychobabble.

No matter what his girlfriend Hayden says about faith and forgiveness, there's no way Matt's letting go of blame. He's decided to "live large and go out with a huge bang," and whatever happens happens. But when a horrific event plunges Matt into a dark, silent place, he hears a rumble … a rumble that wakes him up, calling everything he's ever disbelieved into question.

Video

In a nutshell

Characters

My Journey through Goodreads

Status

September 19, 2018 – Finished Reading September 19, 2018 –  page 200    36.36% September 18, 2018 –  page 200    36.36% "The dad is an asshole." September 18, 2018 – Started Reading December 9, 2017 – Shelved as: books-i-own-not-read August 14, 2017 – Shelved as: to-read August 14, 2017 – Shelved

Fun pictures

Book Talk: Burned by Ellen Hopkins

AUTHOR: Ellen Hopkins

PUBLISHED: April 1st 2006

PUBLISHER: Margaret K. McElderry Books 

PAGES: 431

SERIES/STAND ALONE: Series book 1

SOURCE: Book Outlet

CHALLENGES: None

OUTLINE:

I do know things really began to spin out of control after my first sex dream.

It all started with a dream. Nothing exceptional, just a typical fantasy about a boy, the kind of dream that most teen girls experience. But Pattyn Von Stratten is not like most teen girls. Raised in a religious—yet abusive—family, a simple dream may not be exactly a sin, but it could be the first step toward hell and eternal damnation.

This dream is a first step for Pattyn. But is it to hell or to a better life? For the first time Pattyn starts asking questions. Questions seemingly without answers—about God, a woman's role, sex, love—mostly love. What is it? Where is it? Will she ever experience it? Is she deserving of it?

It's with a real boy that Pattyn gets into real trouble. After Pattyn's father catches her in a compromising position, events spiral out of control until Pattyn ends up suspended from school and sent to live with an aunt she doesn't know.

Pattyn is supposed to find salvation and redemption during her exile to the wilds of rural Nevada. Yet what she finds instead is love and acceptance. And for the first time she feels worthy of both—until she realizes her old demons will not let her go. Pattyn begins down a path that will lead her to a hell—a hell that may not be the one she learned about in sacrament meetings, but it is hell all the same.

In this riveting and masterful novel told in verse, Ellen Hopkins takes readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride. From the highs of true love to the lows of abuse, Pattyn's story will have readers engrossed until the very last word. 

Video

In a nutshell

Characters

My Journey through Goodreads

Status

September 27, 2018 – Finished Reading September 25, 2018 – page 140  32.48% September 25, 2018 – Started Reading October 13, 2017 – Shelved as: books-i-own-not-read September 7, 2011 – Shelved

Fun pictures

Book Review: A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody

AUTHOR: Jessica Brody

PUBLISHED: August 2, 2016
PUBLISHER: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

PAGES: 464

SERIES/STAND ALONE: Stand Alone

SOURCE: Bought
CHALLENGES: None

OUTLINE:

When I made the wish, I just wanted a do-over. Another chance to make things right. I never, in a million years, thought it might actually come true...

Sixteen-year-old Ellison Sparks is having a serious case of the Mondays. She gets a ticket for running a red light, she manages to take the world’s worst school picture, she bombs softball try-outs and her class election speech (note to self: never trust a cheerleader when she swears there are no nuts in her bake-sale banana bread), and to top it all off, Tristan, her gorgeous rocker boyfriend suddenly dumps her. For no good reason!

As far as Mondays go, it doesn’t get much worse than this. And Ellie is positive that if she could just do it all over again, she would get it right. So when she wakes up the next morning to find she’s reliving the exact same day, she knows what she has to do: stop her boyfriend from breaking up with her. But it seems no matter how many do-overs she gets or how hard Ellie tries to repair her relationship, Tristan always seems bent set on ending it. Will Ellie ever figure out how to fix this broken day? Or will she be stuck in this nightmare of a Monday forever?

Video

In a nutshell

I've read one other book by Jessica Brody (52 Reasons to Hate My Father) and really enjoyed her characters. They are the perfect blend of real, snarky, and ever changing. A Week of Mondays was no exception to this formula. 

I'm not going to say I didn't go into this thinking it would be WAY similar to another book. I'd like to say that I  don't think that after reading this. The only thing I can say that was more or less similar was the "reliving the same day day over and over again* 

The book is broken down into 7 Mondays, and at the end of each Monday we get a chapter that takes us back to how Ellie met Tristan which I really found interesting because we learned how they became a couple.

Characters

As I said up top I love her characters. They are flawed, and  that makes them a bit more relatable to me. 

I believe that Ellie learns something new each Monday that she lives, and despite almost always getting dumped she becomes more aware of who she is and what she has.

Owen is that best friend who secretly has a crush on Ellie. I love these type of best friends because at first they may seem unimportant but in the end they become something. They sometimes have it harder then the MC and still remain grounded (usually).

Ending

I loved the ending it definitely had the HEA that I love to  see, but it did it so easily after the the crazy week of Mondays Ellie went through. It wasn't explained as to why or how it happened. I know that sometimes it doesn't need that, but I'm curious.

My Journey through Goodreads

READING PROGRESS

May 2, 2017 – Started Reading

May 3, 2017 – 

page 50

 

 10.78%

May 5, 2017 – 

page 151

 

 32.54% "I love the way the author writes her characters."

May 5, 2017 – 

page 222

 

 47.84% "I'm the freakin' soft drink of girls- Ellie"

May 6, 2017 – 

page 346

 

 74.57% "I love it. the author added one of her other books into this one by making it a magazine cover that ellie picked up."

May 7, 2017 – Finished Reading

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:

Website|Facebook|Twitter|Tumblr|Goodreads|Newsletter SignUp

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#BookBlogWriMo Day 18: What's my favorite subgenres

Fave Subgenres

Hi dear readers! Welcome to day 18 of the #BookBlogWriMo!

11/18 – Favorite Subgenres - Self-explanatory.

 Paranormal Romance
Don't judge me! No matter how many time I read about Vampires, Werewolves and the likes of them I will forever love it.

Dystopian

When I first started reading YA I wasn't really a fan of Dystopian, but I've come to learn that this is maybe one of my favorites. I guess there's just something about rising up against a world you thought was perfect and then find out it's not all rainbows and unicorns.

Contemporary

I guess sometimes I just need a bit of a real feel.

Book Review: 17 First Kisses by Rachael Allen

Author: Rachael Allen
Publisher: HarperTeen

Series/stand alone: Stand alone
Release Date: June 17th 2014
Pages:

Source: Edelweiss

Outline:

No matter how many boys Claire kisses, she can’t seem to find a decent boyfriend. Someone who wouldn’t rather date her gorgeous best friend, Megan. Someone who won’t freak out when he learns about the tragedy her family still hasn’t recovered from. Someone whose kisses can carry her away from her backwoods town for one fleeting moment.

Until Claire meets Luke.

But Megan is falling for Luke, too, and if there’s one thing Claire knows for sure, it’s that Megan’s pretty much irresistible.

With true love and best friendship on the line, Claire suddenly has everything to lose. And what she learns—about her crush, her friends, and most of all herself—makes the choices even harder.

In her moving debut, Rachael Allen brilliantly captures the complexities of friendship, the struggles of self-discovery, and the difficulties of trying to find love in high school. Fans of Sarah Ockler, Susane Colasanti, and Stephanie Perkins will fall head over heels for this addictive, heartfelt, and often hilarious modern love story.

THOUGHTS:

If you checked out my little blog tour post yesterday then you know a little bit of what I liked about 17 First Kisses.  If you didn't, then you can either read on, or check the post (it's linked above) to basically get the quick edition. :) 

Book Review:The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

AUTHOR: John Green

PUBLISHER: Dutton Books
PAGES: 313
STAND ALONE/SERIES: Stand Alone
SOURCE: bought
OUTLINE:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten. 

THOUGHTS

So you've seen the book, read some of the reviews on-line, read the book, laughed with the characters, cried with the characters. What else is there to do now? I'd say sit and contemplate the book, or go see the movie when it comes out in June. Whatever you do bask in the real-ness that is TFiOS. I'm not going to sit here and say that I bawled my eyes out during the book because I didn't. It takes a lot to make me cry when reading a book (or watching a movie/tv show for that matter) which is odd considering I'm an emotional wreck when I see people I care about down and out. I get this down and out feeling as well. It could be that I have an emotional connection to these said people. 

While I don't know how it feels to have cancer, or know someone that does. I do know what it's like to have someone you care about and love go through daily life with pain all the time. Some days are always going to be better then others. Just like my husband, having me and his family for support. Hazel has her family (sometimes overbearing, but none the less caring) and Augustus and the support group to be there for her. even when things looked bad she saw the hope because of Augustus.