Publisher: HarperCollins

Mini Reviews: Deadly Little Scandals, The Two Lives of Lydia Bird, and Broken Things

Posted August 17, 2020 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments

Despite my saltiness about a mid-series cover change, I was excited to pick up the sequel to Little White Lies relatively soon after reading it (so refreshing to actually remember what happened in book 1, lol). I was a little apprehensive going in because even though the first book ended on a huge cliffhanger, I heard that the multiple timelines that happened in book 2 were convoluted and a bit confusing. While there WAS a lot going on in flashbacks in this book, I didn’t find it too difficult to follow and the story delivered quite a few twists! Seriously, […]

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney | Mini Review

Posted March 15, 2017 in Reviews / 6 Comments

I remember being initially really jazzed up for The Nest last year when it released because it had the making of so many story elements that I loved: New York, trust funds, large family drama, and a fantastically mint colored cover. I had to talk myself out of buying it from Costco on many trips (they seemed to always have it last year!) since I’m trying to be more selective and intentional with the books that I buy, especially if it’s an author I haven’t read before. While I did enjoy the author’s writing style and wouldn’t mind eventually trying […]

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy | ARC Review

Posted September 9, 2015 in Reviews / 7 Comments

My Review I guess sometimes the perfection we perceive in others is made up of a whole bunch of tiny imperfections, because some days the damn dress just won’t zip. Dumplin’ is a book that completely took me by surprise this summer. I found out it was being signed at ALA and, despite the fact that YA contemporary isn’t always what I reach for first, found myself drawn to it. The simple cover, the tongue in cheek tagline (Go Big or Go Home)…I had a feeling Dumplin’ was going to be a hot mess or utter YA perfection. I need […]

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia | Review

Posted July 22, 2015 in Reviews / 6 Comments

“There is no force in high school more powerful than one person’s blunt disagreement.” Made You Up was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year. I envied those who won ARCs of it at YALLWEST, and read many, many reviews raving about the story. However, I found that this novel was another victim of hype. While Alex’s story and disease captivated me, the plot, setting and circumstances were often so absurd and caricaturized that I found it hard to follow along. It’s no spoiler to mention that Alex has schizophrenia; it’s one of the major plot points […]

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 […]

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway | ARC Review

Posted June 18, 2015 in ARCs, Reviews / 10 Comments

*Thank you so much to HarperCollins and Epic Reads for this review copy! Emmy & Oliver holds a special place in my heart. The author, Robin Benway, is a wonderful, lovely human being and I found out from her via twitter that there was going to be an ARC giveaway of her newest title at the Epic Reads tent at YALLWEST, so it became one of my top priorities during the festival. I was so intrigued by the synopsis, as so often kidnapping is perpetrated by parents in a custody battle, and though the cover seemed like a YA romance […]

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 […]

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 […]