Review: The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

Addictive and beautiful, The Disenchantments is one of my favorite contemporaries this year.

The Disenchantments kicks off with two best friends Colby and Bev graduating from high school. Colby is ecstatic because in one week, he will be touring Europe with his best friend Bev. They have planned the tour since the beginning of high school year, and he can hardly wait for them to spend a year together in amazing countries in Europe. Before the much-awaited journey in Europe, the two best friends will spend a one-week last tour with Bev’s girl band, The Disenchantments. But in the first day of their tour, Bev suddenly announces that she can’t go to Europe with Colby because she will go to college. Colby is angry and confused of the sudden announcement, but more than everything he is hurt because Bev has never told him about her plan to go to college. But the show must go on and Colby is their only roadie. With no back-up college plan or any desire to travel alone in foreign countries, Colby must find out during this one-week tour: what would he do next after The Disenchantments’ tour ends?

First of all, I just want to praise Nina LaCour for her wonderful writing! When I was reading it, it was very easy to imagine myself sitting in the backseat of the van along with the members of The Disenchantments. The story in this book is split into eight days, and it was like watching an imaginary movie unfolding before my eyes. The events flow really well and I like to get to know all of these characters. They all bear their own unique characteristics that make them stand out.

Colby is a wonderful protagonist that I really like. He’s an artist with observant eyes and laid-back attitude. He’s the type of guy best friend any girl would love to have. His undying love to Bev is really sweet as well. I love how they have been best friends since childhood. However, Bev is not a character I instantly warmed up with. She is tough, secretive, and confusing, and I didn’t really appreciate her for hurting Colby in purpose. But she has her own reasons for her decisions, and once I get to know her more, I begin to see things that Colby has always seen in Bev.

The rest of the members of the band have stunning qualities as well. Meg is loud, cheerful, and basically the type of girl you would like to hang out with. She’s the type of person whose presence would brighten the whole room. Meg’s sister, Alexa, is the responsible one in the band. She’s almost like their secretary, but it’s cute that she believes so much in fate. When Alexa leads them far away from their destination because she insists to follow what Magic Eight Ball said, it’s such a smile-inducing moment for me. Every character in the book has their spotlight moment, and they feel like my dear friends when I closed the book.

I think everyone can relate easily to issues presented in The Disenchantments. Like Colby, we all have experienced moments when we doubt about what we really wants to do in our lives. We have the vague image of what we want to do, but we don’t know yet what steps we should take to get there. And like Bev, we all have secrets that mold us into what we are now. Each character in this book has their own issue and I think they handle it pretty well in the end.

All in all, The Disenchantments would appeal most to fans of contemporary. I would recommend it to people who are looking for good road-trip books with characters they can identify themselves with. :)

It isn’t complicated, it isn’t surprising. It is simple and sad. She told me thousands of lies, so many that it could take forever to forgive her, and there are so many things I could say back to her right now. About being cowardly. About being deceitful. About being reckless with someone else. But I don’t want to say any of that. Instead, I step toward her and she drops her arms from over her chest. I hold her close and she holds me.

And it doesn’t take forever, all it takes is this.

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I rate this book:

Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

3.5 stars

“I am allowing the world to see you as you truly are,” Kendra said. “A beast.”

Kyle Kingsbury was the typical popular guy that you would find in most books. He is rich, devastatingly handsome, and of course: first class jerk. Kyle thought that with his good looks and his father’s money, he could get away with everything. He was right, until he messed up with the wrong girl.

”You really did invite me to a dance even though you had another date, just to make me look stupid?”

I laughed again. “You actually thought someone like me would take someone like you to dance?”

It is a cruel thing to blow off a girl in a dance, but Kyle didn’t realize that he would finally receive his much deserved punishment this time. Surely no one could punish him, not even his teachers. Only a witch can punish him… a witch who later puts a spell on him, a spell that makes him beastly. In two years, Kyle needs to find a girl who can look past his hideous look and love him, and to break the curse, he has to be in love with the girl as well. Or he would stay this way forever: a beast.

Beastly successfully fascinated me with its surprising depth, well-crafted characters, and flawless writing. When I picked this book, I expected a refreshing modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but I ended up finding more. I love that Beastly is packed with references to many books and authors. It was such a sweet, sweet read that I breezed through the pages.

I adore that most parts of the book stay true to the original story of Beauty and the Beast. It’s very interesting to see Beauty and the Beast from Beast’s point of view as well. The transformation of Kyle Kingsbury from a heartless and arrogant guy to a wonderful and kind person didn’t come in one night. The progress is gradual and lovely, and I was very pleased to see that Kyle changes a lot in the end.

Although this is a fairytale retelling, Kyle’s personality still has an echo of real guy. Abandoned by his mother and ignored by his father, it’s no surprise that Kyle turns out to be a self-centered person. When he was turned into a beast, his loneliness was more apparent and it ached me how little his father cares for him. Lindy, the Belle in the story, is just as lonely as Kyle. She has no friends other than her shelves of books, and his father is a horrible person who can sell his own daughter without any concern. The romance is, truly, a story of two lonely people who find warmth in each other’s presences.

Beastly would be a great read for romantic readers who are looking for sweet love story. The scenes between Kyle and Lindy are very cute, adorned with roses, books, and later snow. I can’t wait into dive into other books by Alex Flinn. I have a feeling she would be the newest addition of authors I’m going to stalk. :)

That night, I went to bed without locking the front door. … She was cold. I crept slowly into the hallway and found the linen closet where we kept the extra blankets. I chose one and crept back into the room and fluffed it out, so it fell perfectly over her. I went back to bed and slept as one can sleep only on a cold night in a warm bed. In the morning, she was still there. She came out holding the extra blanket, a questioning look on her face, but she didn’t say anything.

From that night on, I never bolted the door. Every night, I lay awake wondering. Every morning, she was still there.

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I rated this book:

Three cups of tea. I like it.  Recommended to read in spare time.

Review: Beauty by Lisa Daily

Imagine waking up in one morning and finding out that you are the most beautiful girl in town.

Molly, like average teenagers, doesn’t like the way she looks. She is too self-conscious about her appearance, and it doesn’t help that she has the biggest crush to a boy in her neighborhood, Hudson, who isn’t even aware of her existence. After a humiliating incident involving a stuffed monkey, the prettiest girl in her school, and a country-fair-went-wrong, all Molly wants is just to curl up and die. When she’s looking for a spot in the fair to hide herself away, she meets Dharma, a mysterious artist who offered to draw a sketch of Molly. She also offers to listen to Molly’s problem, and Molly agrees.

“It’s just … it’s unfair. I wish I could be like that, you know?” … “Like Ashley.” I picked at a blade of grass, watching the water roll over my toes. “I wish I could be the most beautiful girl in Miracle.”

In a town named Miracle, miracle happens for real. The day after, Molly wakes up and finds out that the distance between her eyes has shortened, her cheekbones become higher, and in result, she has the most beautiful face in Miracle. Now Hudson finally notices her, and the popular crowd wants Molly to join their exclusive group. But what if that’s not what Molly really wants?

I’ve read books with similar plot to Beauty, but it’s still a very entertaining read! It was very easy to get lost in the story. I found myself giggling and squealing along with Molly when everyone in school starts fawning at her feet. It was pretty fun to read the good parts when people worshiped her. The writing, although not amazing, is great and very easy to follow.

Beauty, although extremely predictable, is such a cute read. Sure, there are plot holes and unrealistic parts that bugged me a little, but I just brushed them off and enjoyed Molly’s story. I found the story refreshing after reading too much books with stories that I have to analyze. I think most readers can relate to Molly’s story easily. There is always a time when we wish that we were prettier, that we were as beautiful as girls in magazines. Although in the end, just like Molly, we realize that what matters is the inside, not the outside. :)

Beauty is a short and cute read, and I’d recommend this for younger readers or for those who are looking for a light read. This book is something that you can finish in one sitting, and even though the story is not exactly something new or exceptionally amazing, it’s a fun book to read in your spare time.

And it wasn’t just my features. It was something else too—a certain je ne sais quoi as my dad would say—something that drew my eyes to the mirror and made them never want to look away. Something that seemed to emanate out of me, warm and alluring, like a fire on a freezing night. Something that made me want to step closer, look closer, like there was this magnetic pull to me. I was captivating. I was enchanting. I was … beautiful.

This was not possible.

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I rated it:

Three cups of tea. I like it.  Recommended to read in spare time.

Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

You gave me forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.

Excuse me while I’m crying in the corner because of the excessive amount of tearful moments in this book.

The Fault in Our Stars successfully becomes one of my favorite books in 2012. It’s beautiful, brilliant, and heart-wrenching. It’s freakintastic amazing and I just want to hug this book when I finished it. You don’t want to be anywhere within radius of three meters near me because when I finished reading, I was an emotional wreck. Um, I still am.

The Fault in Our Stars is like a small portion of diary of a real sixteen-year-old girl who is suffering with cancer. I like that the story moves forward as the time goes, and there is no flashback moment. It is as if Hazel’s life begins the moment she meets Augustus. And I believe the same applies to Augustus. From the moment they met at cancer kid support group, it is as if the universe has conducted so they can be together. So different yet so similar, I love the interactions between Hazel and Augustus. I love how cynical Hazel can be, and how cheerful Augustus is. They are clearly meant to be, and suddenly, I found myself getting too attached to characters in this book.

What I found interesting about The Fault in Our Stars is, the scenes in this book aren’t meant to jerk tears. When most scenes in other sad books are intended to make readers cry and become emotional, scenes in The Fault in Our Stars are very realistic and true. Things happened because, well, that’s the way the world works. We felt for characters in this book because we read and know their stories. They become our friends, and as the story progresses, I can understand Hazel very well without her needing to describe her thoughts in words. The characters have become something so real, with blood and vein and flesh and thoughts, that I don’t want to part with them, ever.

I love the beautifully composed writing and the well structured plots, but let me talk about the characters. Oh my gosh, Augustus. Fangirl moment here. Augustus-Augustus-Augustus. You’re such an amazing character. How I wish you were real. :’) Hazel. Oh Hazel, I also wish you were real so we can be best friends. You’re so smart and witty and quirky, and I love you even when you’re being stubborn and harsh. Augustus and Hazel are the kind of couple who should marry and have ten kids and get old together. They should have a future where they are holding hands and watching their grandparents playing in the backyard of their house. They are clearly meant for each other, and I just feel so happy that Hazel and Augustus experienced the kind of true love that everyone wishes for in their lives. Time they spend together feels like forever. :’)

In a nutshell, The Fault in Our Stars is like a chunk of life of real cancer girl, and reading it was a wonderful experience. Funny, sad, and ironic, this is the book that will always live in my heart. I encourage you to please, please read it. I hope that just like me, you would fall in love with Hazel, Augustus, and everyone else in the book. And maybe, just maybe… we can be more grateful of little things in our life. :’)

“I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you.” 

 

 

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I rated this book:

Five cups of tea. Genius. Beautiful, haunting, and lively characters. Reading this is an overwhelming experience. Must read at least once in a lifetime!

Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Dear friends,

It’s hard to review a book that you love. Because you always want to do the book justice. Because you want your review to pass your personal standard. Because you want people to understand how much you love the book but you don’t want to gush too much. It’s hard to write a review for the book that you love, because you want to do it ‘right’. It’s kind of crazy that it took me several days just to write this review.

If you need a summary, here it is: The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a story about a freshman named Charlie, and this guy Charlie is extremely naïve to the point of almost unbelievable. Later, he befriends two seniors who expose him to things in real world.

This book is very quotable that I swear, I reblog different quote from The Perks of Being a Wallflower every week in my Tumblr blog. Just Google ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower quote’ and you can see dozens of typographies popping up. I think it's the way Charlie describes things around him. I love Charlie’s voice. Sometimes it’s very child-like, but other times it feels more mature than most people in his age. It’s honest, real, and relatable. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever encountered.

I found little things that Charlie did to his friends are endearing. The way he gives gifts to everyone and doesn’t wish for anything in return. The way he makes mixtape for Patrick and picks winter as the theme. The way he wants to buy books for people he loves not because he wants to educate them, but because he wants them to read the book and fall in love with the story too. Charlie is, in a quirky and extraordinary way, adorable. As I've already said, sometimes Charlie can be child-like, but he is not childish. He grows up, and he learns about things. Charlie makes mistakes, and I can’t say that I agree with everything he does, but he is still one of my favorite fictional characters ever.

I love The Perks of Being a Wallflower because it makes me see things from different perspective. And because I love Charlie, and all the other characters in this book. Because they feel real. As if I can touch, have conversations with them when I read the book.

This book might not be for everyone, and there are scenes like drinking, smoking pot, or sexual scenes that I don’t want to expose to youngsters. But if you’re ever in the mood of something short, beautiful, and special, something that will make you think… please pick this book.

And all the books you've read have been read by other people. And all the songs you've loved have been heard by other people. And that girl that's pretty to you is pretty to other people. And you know that if you looked at these facts when you were happy, you would feel great because you are describing "unity."

It's like when you are excited about a girl and you see a couple holding hands, and you feel so happy for them. And other times you see the same couple, and they make you so mad. And all you want is to always feel happy for them because you know that if you do, then it means that you're happy, too.

Love always,
Hilda 

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I rate this book: 

 Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

Review: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Two people who seem very different outside.

Echo craves for ‘normal’ sense in her life. After the attack that ruins her life, everyone in the school thinks that she’s a freak. Echo is ready to give out anything to remember the night she was attacked. The night she went from popular into outcast. If she can get her memory of the night back, everything will turn back to normal. Normal.

After the beating in his first foster house, Noah is labeled unstable by the system. The only thing that keeps Noah’s head barely out of the water is his younger brothers. He has to get custody of them. If only he can get hold of the private file about his brothers’ foster parents, he can prove to the system that he’s supposed to be the one who raises his brothers.

When Noah brings Echo to a plot get into their file in their guidance counselor office, that’s what their relationships should be. Partner-in-crime. Friends, maybe. But not lovers. Sparks fly, but surely they are not meant to be?

Two wrongs don’t make a right.

And yet, they do.

Pushing the Limits is sexy, crazy, and realistic. It deals with heavy issues and sometimes, it can be very depressing. If I hadn’t braced my heart for the blows coming, I would have been a mess right now. The characters are very realistic, and the plots are so carefully written that I felt like flowing through the story.

Echo and Noah might be the most defensive characters I’ve ever read. I didn’t warm up to them instantly, but in the end I cared for them like a good friend. They are definitely not perfect, but together, they are strong enough to face whatever in front of them. Echo and Noah… they mend each other’s broken heart. It’s very strange and ironic that both of them think that the other one is too good for them.

Sexual tension between Echo and Noah is so palpable, like blazing fire. As if the air gets electrocuted just by having the two of them near. Trust me, it’s practically impossible not to fall for the romance in the story.

He shifted so that his body rested beside mine, his leg and arm still draped over me. I felt small under his warmth and strength. His chocolate-brown eyes softened. “Being with you feels good. Touching you—” he tucked a curl behind my ear “—feels good. I have never wanted anyone like I want you. There’s nothing you can do wrong when just breathing makes everything right.”

I love the POV in Pushing the Limits. Since this book has dual POV, we have privilege to get inside Echo and Noah’s head. I love discovering shocking things, like Echo’s scars, from Noah’s POV. Noah’s thoughts about his brothers got me a bit teary, because there’s no doubt how much he loves them and how he puts his brother as top priority. Echo’s dark moments felt even more realistic because we experienced them with her. I also really enjoyed the bits of mystery of the night Echo got attacked because we are as much in dark as the characters in the story.

Pushing the Limits is a wonderful read and although some may be put off because of the drama in the story, I really like the character development in this book. Watching them grow up is my pleasure, and I just want to give a big hug to Echo and Noah in the end. They were faced with problems that no teenagers should have ever faced, but after all, they survive.

Because growing up means making tough choices, and doing the right thing doesn’t necessarily mean doing the thing that feels good.

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I rate this book:

Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

Review: The Jelly Bean Crisis by Jolene Stockman

And I really want to want this. But this is my life, my whole life. And it’s more than just success, you know? I want to be happy.

Poppy Johnson is the kind of girl who has her life mapped out. For her, it was simple. She was born to be on Wall Street, and the first step to be an investment banker is by studying at Columbia. She has jelly bean theory to help her reaching her dream. Eat the yucky green jelly bean first, because then the delicious red ones would taste more amazing. Poppy applies the theory to everything in her life. School is her green jelly bean, and it’s the hard work that she has to do before getting the life that she really wants. But after standing so close to the gate of her dream, Poppy starts to freak out. Is it really her dream to become an investment banker? What if her jelly bean theory has been wrong all this time?

The Jelly Bean Crisis exceeded my expectation. I went to this book with something adorable and sweet in my mind, but this book blew me away with the inspiring message behind and the mature yet relatable main character. Poppy is a great character I adore. She reminded me of people I know in real life (aka me), and I’m sure that every teenager can identify themselves with Sophie. Who doesn’t feel scary about the future? When you are sixteen, it seems like every little turn you take can bring your life into a whole different direction.

I think Poppy had to relax because after all, she’s only sixteen. It’s okay to make mistakes and have doubts in mind. She’s still young and it’s her life anyway to spend in any way she wants. Although I completely understand Poppy’s parents worry and her teachers’ reaction to her, I’m glad that Poppy still insists to take time to find her passion in life. In the end, she reaches a conclusion and I felt happy for her.

The Jelly Bean Crisis is the book that I would recommend to any teenager because Poppy sets a good example about finding what you really want to do in life. It’s enticing, sweet, and brilliant, and when you realize, you would find yourself cheering for Poppy in her short journey about finding her true passion in life.

Turns out the Jelly Bean Theory worked on a lot of things. I started brushing my teeth before letting myself read at night, I would finish my homework before watching TV. The theory has worked for home, and for school… but now, standing at the podium, I can’t see how it’s worked for me.

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I rate this book: 

Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

Enormous thanks for ATOMR Book Blog Tours and Jolene Stockman for providing me the review copy! You can check out the full schedule for the tour here. :)

Review: The Color of Snow by Brenda Stanley

3.5 stars

“What color is the snow?”

“White,” I said, sharply.

Stephanie squinted and took a deep breath as she looked out at the field. “How do you know it’s white? Who taught you that snow is white?”

Sophie is the girl who lived in a cage. For seventeen years of her life, she has lived in isolation with her father. Her father told her that this is for their own good. The outside world is bad, and this is his way of protecting her. Bars in her windows and tall chain-linked gate are supposed to be Sophie’s barrier to the outside world. Her father did all these things to protect Sophie… wasn’t he?

Papa didn’t mean to kill Damien. He shot him because he wants to scare Damien… not because he wants Damien dead. There is no mirror in their house because it takes away from focusing on God. Sophie is a curse and she has to keep hidden, because anyone who loved her would die. Sophie’s mother is dead because of her. Sophie has always believed her father, but when things happen and she has to live with family she believes hating her, secrets start to come out. Now it’s time for Sophie to choose which side she has to believe.

I’m not very fond of drama on every page, but I’ll make exception for this book. This book is full of raw emotions and surprising twists. It’s a very complex story when a girl has to suffer because of what generation before her did. The characters in this book are vivid and very realistic. I’m so relieved that Sophie meets Stephanie, her step cousin. Stephanie helps Sophie questioning about the life she has always known. She’s truly a best friend to Sophie.

The curse is not something that I expected. Brenda Stanley did an amazing job of showing us parts when Sophie’s parents met. The author leads us to believe that the curse might really exist. I was taken to a journey with Sophie to unravel the secret behind her birth and the curse that was said put upon her. The ending is full of hope and I’m really glad how it turns out. Sophie may always be the girl who lived in a cage, but in the end she learns how to free herself.

I knew it was for the best and tried to accept why it was necessary. But even though I had never been to another person’s house or seen another girl’s bedroom, I knew in my heart that this wasn’t right…that I wasn’t normal. My isolation was even more apparent, and for the first time in my life, it mattered.

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I rate this book:

Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

Many thanks to Tribute book for kindly providing me the review copy! :)

 

Review: Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer

Get smart. Get everything.
 
Three best friends Gigi, Bea, and Neerja thought that high school is nothing. When they get into one of Ivy League colleges, they would have anything they want: the cute boys, the grades, and the happy-ever-after. Who needs high school when they can have Ivy League college waiting?

But when the girls see the empty yearbook of Neerja's genius older sister, Parad, a bunch of questions about success versus happiness raised up. Now it's their mission to ensure they got everything they deserved from high school, whether that was grades, fame, guys, a totally full yearbook. After all, if they were supposedly so smart, this should have been a piece of cake... right?
 
Oh my goodness. I think this book might be one of the most brilliant contemporaries ever. Plus, it has such amazing title that I want to put it on my shirt! I love this book so much to the point I want to marry it. Er… figure of speech.

This book is unlike any other contemporaries I’ve ever read! It’s witty, funny, adorable, romantic, and so smart! If you multiply each good point I mentioned one hundred times, then you finally get the result: this book!

Gigi is my newest favorite heroine. She’s super smart, beautiful, and funny. She’s just what I need after reading too much self-proclaimed smart heroines who keep making reckless choices. I really like Gigi because she’s very relatable. The friendship she has with Neerja and Bea is very adorable too. They are clearly best friends for life! I’m the happiest person when Gigi learns to speak up in public. When she still runs for student representative although it means she has to become opponent with her crush Will, I was so proud of Gigi!

Now, Mike. Mike is the guy who gets involved with Gigi in cheating scandal. At first, I thought he is just like other jocks. But then I see the other side of him, and I fell in love. Mike is smart, funny, protective, and sweet beyond words. I swooned every time he appeared. I rooted for Will at first, but afterward, my heart belongs to Mike and his brilliant mind.

I don’t think I can recommend enough of Smart Girls Get What They Want. Fans of contemporary would heart this book, but I think anyone with love of books would find this book very entertaining. I know that this is hardly a review, more likely a gushing, but when you love a book too much… you can’t help it, right? ;)

“Dude,” Bea said. “So true. I say we go for it. Ski team. Student rep. The play. Gigi’s right. Let’s not think and, for once, just do.”

We squeezed our hands together. We could do this. We had to. Because high school only comes around once, and I would hate to look back and think I didn’t make the most of every moment because I was scared of what other people thought. Other people never think that much about you anyway.

Eleanor Roosevelt said that.

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 I rate this book:

 Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

Review: Knee Deep by Jolene Perry

We all know it’s Shawn and Ronnie forever.

Shawn and Ronnie have been in love since they’re twelve years old. Shawn is Ronnie’s first kiss, first love, first boyfriend, and first everything. Shawn was once the sweet boy who prepared Ronnie a very special picnic because he said the coolest girl in the world needs the most perfect spot for her first kiss. Ronnie believes that twenty years after, she would still be with Shawn, in love.

This is their senior year and Shawn starts acting weird. He is easily irritated, irrationally possessive, and tense all the time. His outbursts start leaving bruises on Ronnie’s body. Ronnie keeps making excuses for Shawn’s strange behaviors. It must be temporary, because she can still see glimpses of the guy he fell in love with. Love means keeping up with your loved one in the hard time… right?

Things begin spinning out of control, and Ronnie is desperate to fix everything and has her perfect life back. Ronnie plays Juliet in a play while her best friend, Luke, plays Romeo. Shawn is the love of her life, but why does her heart flutter every time she sees Luke? Why does everything feel so easy and comfortable with Luke? When Ronnie’s and Juliet’s feeling mingle, she can’t see the difference between Juliet’s lines and her words anymore on stage.

Knee Deep is the kind of book that will suck you from the first passage. The descriptive words are beautiful and the atmosphere between the characters is so thick. I keep feeling that something bad is going to happen, and the tension makes me uneasy, nervous, and breathless at the same time.

It’s not like I can’t understand Ronnie. She’s a character I like from the beginning. She has overwhelming desire to fix anything wrong so she has always been the first who offers peace after her argument with Shawn. I think deep down, Ronnie has already known that there’s a crack in their relationship. She only refuses to see the crack, because she’s supposed to have her happy ending with Shawn.

They are in a destructive relationship, and throughout the book I just want Ronnie to admit it. Shawn might be Ronnie’s perfect guy once, but now, he’s a ticking bomb waiting to explode. For the life of Ronnie, I just want to shout out at her to please, please do what you know you have to do if you want to save your life.

Knee Deep is a wonderful book and I admire how much the characters’ feeling exposed in the story. Ronnie does make mistakes, but in the end she learns that sometimes, some things are not meant to be. This book deals with fairly hard issues and I’m very glad to tell you that the result is amazing.

There’s something incredible about being loved by someone I’ve known for so long. Like he knows me, loves me, and yeah, it’s this thing I can count on. Solid. Stable.

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I rate this book:

Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

 
Many thanks to Tribute Books and Jolene Perry who have kindly provided me a copy of this book! :)

Review: Retro Geeks by Karen Mueller Bryson

This book is completely and totally adorable. It has all the elements needed to make perfect and Disneyesque book: two geeky and lovable heroines, mean popular girls, not-so-bright jocks, annoying sibling, and swoon-worthy heroes!

Molly and Ally are self-proclaimed geeks. Boy, do I ever meet any clumsier character than them! Imagine this. Their physical coordination is so bad that they hit each other every time they try to do high-five! But the girls are also adorable in every sense possible. They love to dress in 80s attire, and they’re not afraid to be different. Although there are times they lose themselves somewhere in their effort to be popular, you can expect them to get their chins up and stand up straighter!

Retro Geeks is a fun and light book you would love to read in one sitting, just like me! I really hope that this book could be adapted into ad TV show someday, because it’s just too fun to miss! Get ready to read the misadventure of Molly and Ally, and how they find out that the only thing better than being popular girls is being their own quirky, unique individuals.

Dylan pulled up the pig's intestines for the girls to see. “The intestines, of course.”

The girls gagged once again. The intestines looked like the school cafeteria’s pasta delight.

“Prom should be quite a romantic evening for the right couple,” Dylan remarked as he gazed longingly at Molly.

But the girls could not take their eyes off of the horror show that was the dissected pig.

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I rate this book:

Three cups of tea. I like it.  Recommended to read in spare time.

Many thanks to the author and YA Bound girls who provided me the review copy! Don't forget to check out the rest of the tour because some blogs offer copies of this book! :)

Review: As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

Viola Cohen wants to feel like she belongs to something bigger, someone special, someplace amazing. Ever since her boyfriend Lawrence broke up with her and announced that he’s a gay, she never feels the same anymore. She’s the Invisible Girl, the kind of girl who has a handful of close friends and many acquaintances, but doesn’t belong to anything. And now, she’s just sad all the time.

He’s a genie who comes to grant Viola’s wish. He’s good in genie standard: never breaks out rules, never gets too attached to human, and always leaves human world as soon as possible. Like a fairytale, he gives Viola three chances to make a wish. He doesn’t have name, so Viola gives him name: Jinn. Jinn wants Viola to wish quickly, but how could Viola wish for something if she doesn’t even know what she wants?

“I mean, I know what I want to wish for--to belong somewhere, to something, with someone. But I want to belong only so I can...feel complete again, instead of broken apart from losing Lawrence—“

As You Wish is a lovely and quick read. I meant to read only a few chapters, but I found myself finishing the book in one sitting. Viola and Jinn are wonderful characters. I really like books with characters that grow up throughout the story. Viola is such a relatable character. Her flaws make her even more real. She’s too kind to wish for Lawrence, and she refuses to be so pathetic by wishing to belong. It’s very easy to connect with her. I love Lawrence’s character too, and how supportive he is to Viola and Jinn’s relationship. The moment when sparks flying between Viola and Jinn makes me want to go ‘aww’.

I’m not usually a fan of multiple POVs, but I like both Viola and Jinn’s voices in the book. Things that might seem confusing to Viola seem crystal clear for Jinn, and vice versa. They live in very different worlds, but both care for each other deeply. The ending is perfect, and the message behind the story is so powerful. Wishes can give you anything you want, but it all depends on you to be happy.

I like As You Wish very much and this makes me want to read more books from Jackson Pearce. Totally a recommendation. As You Wish is a book that digs deeper beyond a story between a girl and a genie that fall in love. It’s a story about finding your own happiness and discovering the real you.

"I can't go away unless you wish!" I shout, my temper finally at its breaking point.

"And what happens if I don't wish?" she wheels back.

My breath freezes in my lungs. It was a direct question, so I have to reply. I swallow hard, hoping my voice won't quiver when I answer.

"Then I die."

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I rate this book:

 Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

Review: Cat Girl's Day Off by Kimberly Pauley

Natalie can speak to cat. It sounds like a cool ability, but compared to her family’s ability, hers sounds like a ‘party trick’ talent. Her older sister has three super cool Talents, including being a human lie detector. Her younger sister can ‘disappear’ like a chameleon. Her mother has really high IQ and laser vision. Her father’s nose is hypersensitive and he can tell each bit of chemical component in things.

When Natalie’s friend Oscar shows her a funny video of a crazy cat attacking her famous owner, Natalie understands instantly what the cat’s problem. The pink cat in the video screams for help, and Nat is the only person in the world who understands him. Some people’s lives are in danger, and it all depends to Cat Girl and her spunky friends to save the day…

If there were a ‘lovely book award’, Cat Girl’s Day Off would be one of the biggest candidates. With brilliant dialogues between a snobby pink cat and a girl with purple streak in her hair, this book delivers tons of fun and laughter scenes. I almost feel sympathetic to see Natalie dragged by her celebrity-obsessed best friends to movie sets. It’s her unwillingness to get caught up in the mystery that made me want to smile. But Natalie has real sense of justice and in the end you can expect her to be the superhero.

Cat Girl’s Day Off has enough mystery, light romance, and craziness to keep you engaged in the story. Plus, lots of cats! As a cat person, the whole cat-talking thing earns extra brownie point from me. Who doesn’t want to exchange snarky remarks with this furry creature? The pink cat in this story, Rufus Brutus the Third (or you can call him Tiddlywinks), certainly has attitude, but he’s so fabulous that I’m willing to adopt him as my pet.

I hope that someday I could see this book adapted into a movie or TV series. There are so many things-gone-wrong scenes in this book that makes me wish to watch it played by real actors. Cat Girl’s Day Off makes a remarkable story for teenage readers, and I think I would enjoy this story even more if I were younger. However, if you’re generally a cat whisperer like me and in need of something light and easy to read, then this book should be your first choice! Natalie and her friends (including a number of exceptional cats) will bring you along in their crazy and hilarious adventure.

Oscar snorted but then turned serious. “You have to do something,” he said. “It’s your duty.”

“It’s my duty? What are you talking about?” I turned away from the window to look at him.

Oscar tapped the seat in front of him for emphasis. “You’ve seen Spider-Man,” he said. “‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ It’s your duty to do something about Easton. You’re the only one on the planet who could’ve seen that video and known something was wrong. That’s kismet.”

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 I rate this book:

Three cups of tea. I like it.  Recommended to read in spare time.

Review: This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

This lullaby is only a few words
A simple run of chords
Quiet here in this spare room
But you can hear it, hear it
Wherever you may go
I will let you down
But this lullaby plays

Remy doesn’t believe in love. Her mother’s fifth marriage only encourages her to stop believing in the nonsense. To her, love means having fun with guys, making sure that they know the relationship won’t last long, and leaving before things get complicated. No worries. No entanglements. The no-strings-attached rule has worked well for Remy, until her encounter with Dexter. Dexter is the only exception from the long list of Remy’s perfect exes. He’s messy, hyperactive, and a musician with seemingly no future. Remy has vowed to herself to think of Dexter only as a summer boyfriend, but what if Dexter wants more? What if their relationship means something more than just summer fling?

This is official: Sarah Dessen is the best when it comes to contemporary YA. Her books may follow similar path, but each of it remains unique and special. Some people may find the slow pacing in her stories boring, but I think that’s what makes her books amazing. The progress in the relationship between the main characters is very subtle. There are so much deeper meanings in the sweet little things they do. I really like it that what starts the relationship is always offer of kindness and friendship.

In the last part of the book, it’s always the heroine who takes the important action to alter their story. I think that’s very crucial, because then it means there is no magical salvation or something like that. Dexter may help Remy to believe in love, but he can’t fix Remy’s problem with her mother or her sarcastic attitude toward people around her. Remy has to be the one who takes the last step if she wants to change herself.

I think my most favorite part of this book is the time when Remy thinking to buy plastic ware for Dexter. Dexter is living with his band mates in a house where the only dish-ware consists of one ceramic plate, a few mismatched forks and knives, gas-station freebie coffee mugs, and some paper goods. Remy, being a neat freak and perfectionist girl, wants to buy plastic ware for Dexter but she is afraid that the gesture means so much more. This is her first time she is tempted to buy something more permanent than a Zip Coke for his boyfriend. It is very cute to watch her struggling whether or not to buy Dexter plastic ware. I have no idea that something as simple as forks and spoons can be a really romantic thing in a book.

Remy is one wonderful character I warmed throughout the story. I really like her rational thinking and how she is very protective of people she loves. Dexter might not be my favorite Sarah Dessen hero, but he is certainly very funny and sweet! The songs he writes, like The Potato Song, are simply ridiculous but somehow, it makes him even more adorable. I would recommend you to read This Lullaby during summer time because then you can also experience the humid, hot summer nights when Remy and Dexter fall with each other.

And so, while the rest of the world went on unaware, drinking their coffee, reading the sports page, and picking up their dry cleaning, I leaned forward and kissed Dexter, making a choice that would change everything. Maybe somewhere there was a ripple, a bit of a jump, some small shift in the universe, barely noticeable.

I didn't feel it then. I felt only him kissing me back, easing me into the sunlight as I lost myself in the taste of him and felt the world go on, just as it always had, all around us. 

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I rated this book: 

 Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.