Tag: contemporary fiction

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson- Review

Posted July 19, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

If Sarah Dessen is the Queen of the Contemporary Summer YA Novel, the Matson is hard at work becoming her successor. This is the second novel by Matson I’ve read and her ability to create an immersive summer experience for her characters seems to be her trademark. I read this on the beach while I was at Aulani, and it was the perfect beach read- a light surface story with heavier feelings cloaked beneath the surface. The plot of Second Chance Summer is two-pronged: Taylor’s dad is terminally ill and her family is spending the summer bonding and coming to […]

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira- Review

Posted July 9, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 8 Comments

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira My rating: 3.8(ish)/5 Stars Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Macmillan)(April 2014) Length: 327 pgs Format: Hardcover, checked out from my local library Goodreads Synopsis: It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about […]

Stacking the Shelves [2]

Posted June 27, 2014 in Stacking the Shelves, Weekly Features/Memes / 6 Comments

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly feature hosted by Tynga’s Reviews where bloggers share the books that they’ve added to their shelves this week, whether borrowed, bought, virtual, physical, etc! So a bunch of books I had requested came in all at once at the local library (funny how they always seem to come in at once, huh?) I’ve really been anticipating Love Letters to the Dead due to a couple of factors: 1) The cover is absolutely gorgeous and 2) Stephen Chbosky, author of the Perks of Being a Wallflower, has spoken so highly about it. I’m about a […]

The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt- Review

Posted June 25, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 6 Comments

The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt My rating: 2/5 Stars Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (2014) Length: 304 pgs Format: Hardcover, checked out from my local library Goodreads Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Holly wants to remember her Grandpa forever, but she’d rather forget what he left her in his will: his wedding chapel on the Las Vegas strip. Whatever happened to gold watches, savings bonds, or some normal inheritance? And then there’s Grandpa’s letter. Not only is Holly running the business with her recently divorced parents, but she needs to make some serious money—fast. Grandpa also insists Holly reach out to Dax, the grandson […]

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green- Review

Posted June 15, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 8 Comments

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green My rating: 3.5/5 Stars Publisher: Penguin (2012) Length: 313 pgs Format: Paperback, purchased from Target Goodreads Synopsis: 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. My Review: Ok, full disclosure: I didn’t cry. Not a drop. This book didn’t have me swimming in feels. But this does not mean that I […]

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz- Review

Posted June 9, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 9 Comments

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz My rating: 3.5/5 Stars Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (February 2012) Length: 359 pgs Format: Paperback, purchased from Amazon Goodreads Synopsis: Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And […]

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson- Review

Posted May 15, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 5 Comments

I’ve heard so much about Matson over the past few weeks due to her upcoming release of Since You’ve Been Gone, so I was determined to get my hands on one of her books and try out her contemporary style myself! And I was pleasantly surprised, because not only was the book charming, but it’s the best road trip book I’ve ever read. Matson does an incredible job making you really feel like you’re on the road with Amy and Roger, and gives incredible purpose to each stop they make, whether it’s Yosemite or a tiny gas station on highway […]

Stacking the Shelves [1]

Posted May 10, 2014 in Stacking the Shelves, Weekly Features/Memes / 3 Comments

Today is my first time participating in the weekly meme hosted over at Tynga’s Reviews where bloggers share the books that they’ve added to their shelves this week, whether borrowed, bought, virtual, physical, etc! Borrowed from my Local Library: I started Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour first since I’ve seen so many bloggers freaking out over Morgan Matson’s newest book Second Chance Summer. This is my first read by Matson and I’m finding her style is easy to get into and comfortable, and listening to the narration is like chatting with a good friend. An Abundance of Katherines is my […]

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler- Review

Posted May 10, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler My rating: 2.5/5 Stars Publisher: Plume (A division of Penguin) (2013) Length: 320 pgs Format: Paperback, gifted to me Goodreads Synopsis: Meet the Cooke family. Our narrator is Rosemary Cooke. As a child, she never stopped talking; as a young woman, she has wrapped herself in silence: the silence of intentional forgetting, of protective cover. Something happened, something so awful she has buried it in the recesses of her mind. Now her adored older brother is a fugitive, wanted by the FBI for domestic terrorism. And her once lively mother […]

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith- Review

Posted May 3, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 6 Comments

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith My rating: 4/5 Stars Publisher: Poppy/Little Brown (2012) Length: 236 pgs Format: Hardcover, checked out from my local library Goodreads Synopsis: Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything? Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan’s life. Having missed her flight, she’s stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley’s never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport’s cramped waiting area. His […]