Genre: Contemporary

Book Buddies Review: Even in Paradise

Posted June 22, 2015 in Book Buddies Reviews, Reviews / 4 Comments

Cristina & Lauren Read: Book Buddies is a discussion style review I participate in every other month with my friend Lauren who runs the blog Bookmarklit. We choose a themed book for the month, read it, and the have a discussion where we both discuss themes and aspects that really stood out to us.Book Buddy Reviews are posted during the last week of the month.You can see our review in a Q&A format with half posted here, and half on Lauren’s blog! 1)Did the Buchanans charm you? Do you think the author achieved the desired effect of making them a […]

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen | Review

Posted June 16, 2015 in Reviews / 3 Comments

“There has to be a middle. Without it, nothing can ever truly be whole. Because it is not just the space between, but also what holds everything together.” *Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for the review copy! I’m no stranger to Sarah Dessen novels. Back in my much younger teen years, I devoured Sarah’s first seven novels, chronically checking them out from my local library every summer. The release of Saint Anything had me nostalgic for Sarah’s quietly profound contemporaries, and within one week I aquired three of her novels, fully intending to make my way through as […]

Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot | ARC Review

Posted June 1, 2015 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 17 Comments

*Many thanks to HarperCollins for this review copy! This was one of my most anticipated books of 2015. There were literally squeals of happiness when I found out I was getting more of Mia’s story. And it did not disappoint. I was thrilled to have gotten an ARC of this at YALLWEST considering I was in the middle of an entire series re-read in preparation for the new installment. I was over the moon and rushed home and binge read the last few installments so I could get to this one. I had 100% faith in Meg Cabot that she’d […]

Immaculate by Katelyn Detweiler | ARC Review

Posted May 29, 2015 in Reviews / 16 Comments

* Thanks so much to Penguin Young Readers for this review copy! The synopsis for Immaculate is evocative, instantly grabbing readers’ attention with its contradictory premise- a pregnant virgin- and its undeniable mystery. From the instant I came across the synopsis I knew I had to read it, despite a hesitation about how the topic of immaculate conception would be handled. Would it be preachy? Would it be a religious book, or rather a mystery to uncover a scientific explanation by the end? Would it be an “issue” book about the hardships and stigmas of teen pregnancy? Immaculate draws bits […]

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler | ARC Review

Posted May 28, 2015 in Reviews / 10 Comments

*Many thanks to Simon & Schuster for the review copy! I love fairytale retellings and adaptations, so when I discovered that The Summer of Chasing Mermaids was a contemporary story influenced by The Little Mermaid, I knew I had to read it. Contemporary novels that take influence from myths and legends are often so creative, and I deeply admire Sarah Ockler’s talent at weaving in influences of the famous tale into a beautiful and emotional contemporary novel. This book had a lot more depth than I was expecting. At first glance it may seem like a fluffy, beach read but […]

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider | ARC Review

Posted May 26, 2015 in Reviews / 0 Comments

*Thanks so much to HarperCollins and Epic Reads for this review copy! “It’s strange how we can lose things that are still right there. How a barrier can go up at any moment, trapping you on the other side, keeping you from what you want. How the things that hurt the most are things we once had.” I’ll be the first to admit that the “sick lit” trend is not one that generally appeals to me. After The Fault in Our Stars really underwhelmed me, I have tended to stay away from terminally ill teens in literature. Yet when I […]

The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak | ARC Review

Posted May 18, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

*Thanks to HarperCollins and Epic Reads for the ARC! I went into The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak expecting a cute, quirky contemporary read. It relies heavily on a convention setting, and having received the ARC at YALLWEST, I thought it would be a fun read, having just been to a convention myself. I haven’t read anything by the author previously, so I didn’t many expectations. Unfortunately, despite not anticipating anything spectacular from this book, it still underwhelmed me with characters that lacked depth, an improbable plot bordering on absurd, and a overall younger feel. Like any unlikely love […]

Making Pretty by Corey Ann Haydu | ARC Review

Posted May 12, 2015 in Reviews / 2 Comments

Making Pretty captivated me by throwing a curve ball at me within the first 70 or so pages that I could not ignore; a plot twist so disturbing that I had to keep reading the book even though there were several things about it that did not work for me. So instead of DNF-ing it, I plowed through 300+ pages of seventeen year old Montana’s narrative to find myself at the end of it feeling a lot of things, though “liking” this book is unfortunately not one of them. While Haydu crafts a story with intensely messy family dynamics and […]

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver | Review

Posted May 6, 2015 in Reviews / 6 Comments

“That’s what life is, pretty much: full of holes and tangles and ways to get stuck. Uncomfortable and itchy. A present you never asked for, never wanted, never chose. A present you’re supposed to be excited to wear, day after day, even when you’d rather stay in bed and do nothing.” Vanishing Girls is the novel that made me appreciate Lauren Oliver’s writing. Varying between lyrical and dark, Oliver’s prose sets a tone for the novel that’s much like the book’s cover: slightly mysterious, but more disturbing the deeper you go. Tackling tougher topics and darker twists than I’ve found […]

Just One Night by Gayle Forman | Mini Review

Posted April 27, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

“The truth and its opposite are flip sides of the same coin.” I’m so glad I was able to read this series when it was completed, because if not the wait for finding out how Willem and Allyson’s story concluded would have been excruciating. This novella is short and sweet, and finally gives life to that agonizing ending of both Just One Day and Just One Year when Allyson and Willem are finally reunited again. The narrative is told through a third person perspective, which is a little jarring since the previous books were narrated by either Allyson or Willem. […]