Like A Bridge Over Troubled Waters

 

Books: Child of the Prophecy | Heir to Sevenwaters | Seer of Sevenwaters | Flame of Sevenwaters
Genre: Adult Fantasy

Publication Date: March 20, 2002 // November 4, 2008 // December 7, 2010 // November 6, 2012

Source: Borrowed from Library
Previous Books in Series: Daughter of the Forest & Son of Shadows

Goodreads

Child of the Prophecy

"Good and bad; shade and sunlight, there's but a hair's breath between them. It's all one in the end."

After finishing Daughter of the Forest and shortly after that Son of Shadows, I was on a Sevenwaters high. SoS was AMAZING! I couldn’t put it down and I wanted to binge read the rest of the series immediately! So I crack open Child of the Prophecy and…what is this? I did not jive with this book at all. Fainne is our main character, the daughter of Niamh, living with her father learning the art of magic. I won’t give too much away about the plot…mostly because nothing happens. The pain purpose of this book is Fianne is coerced into infiltrating Sevenwaters and trying to destroy them from the inside. This was what drove the entire book. While I find this storyline interesting, it really dragged and nothing really happened. We have a few major events occur but it was in between pages and pages of the same thing. Fianne questioning her mission, who to trust, what to do. It got boring and I did not look forward to reading this book. Add in the complete lack of romance and this does not a Kelly book make. I can love books with no romance. But when the rest of the book has almost zero plot progression throughout, it was a struggle. I trigged through finishing it because I know I wanted to read books 4, 5, and 6 but otherwise I would have put it down. I didn’t even really like the ending and how this part of the story concluded. I felt like it was a little forced and I expected more from the magic of the infamous Islands we’ve been fighting for for the past 1200 pages.

Ball Status

Denied at the Door

Heir to Sevenwaters

"What was between us would be as far above the ordinary congress between man and woman as the stars are above their pale reflections in the lake below."

Now THIS is what I’m talking about. Oh, my gosh! This fourth book in the Sevenwaters series is back on track with all the amazing. This book had it all. Plot, romance, intrigue, mystery. This book I did NOT want to put down. Our main heroine in this book is Clodagh, Sean and Aisling’s daughter. She is a twin to Deirdre who is about to be married. She is sad to see her sister go and during the festive her cousin Johnny and a few of his men arrive to celebrate and play security. Enter Aiden and Cathal. She has a crush on Aiden and Cathal is an asshole…you’ll have to see how the rest of this plays out. Aisling is pregnant, gives birth to a son, who is then taken by the Fair Folk. Clodagh is forced/takes it upon herself to go after him…and here our real story begins…

I LOVED this story. The journey through the land of the Fey, the romance….THE ROMANCE!!! Gah, I loooooved what Juliet Marillier did with Clodagh and *blank space*. It was snarky and hard-won and fought against and I just love love loved it! The rules of the Fey and how they can be one-upped was fantastic. The writing of this story brings the forest and the setting to life and I am so happy I continued with the series because I loved this book. It made up for the abysmal that is book 3. So worth it. Clodagh alone is one of the best heroines I've ever read. She is strong-willed, filled with love, and will go to whatever lengths necessary for her family. And she knows her heart. She knows what is right and what has to be done no matter what anybody else says, when you read the book you'll understand that a little bit more.

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Backstage Pass

Seer of Sevenwaters

"We cannot know the future. All we can do is face it bravely. We should take heed of those we love and respect. But in the end, we make every decision alone." 

I really enjoyed this book overall. I loved being back with the familiar magic that is the Sevenwaters family. This book takes places--mostly--on Johnny's island of warriors. Sibeal is taking time there before she commits to the Druid life and there she rescues a shipwrecked sailor whose memory has vanished from the wreck. She has a connection to this man after saving him and helps nurse him back to health. I liked the dynamic between Felix, the man, and Sibeal. She struggles with her non-platonic feelings towards him and how they conflict with her desire and commitment to be a Druid. I loved the conversations she had with Clodagh. OMG and seeing Clodagh and Cathal! *hearts in eyes times a million* 

Overall I liked the book and the mystery of Felix's past and the shipwreck but the pacing was so off. The synopsis talks about a journey they must take but they don't take that until almost the end of the book. The pacing was just really wonky and I felt myself falling out of the story because it is very slow moving. MUCH better than Child of Prophecy but nowhere near the caliber that is books 1, 2 and 4. Still enjoyable and worth the read!

Ball Status

General Admission

Flame of Sevenwaters

"Our family has survived a long time. We’ve weathered battles and transformations, enchantments and floods and fires. We’ve endured being sent away, and we’ve coped with evildoers in our midst. If I were telling a story of Sevenwaters – and it would be a grand epic told over all the nights of a long winter – I would surely end it with a triumph. A happy ending, all well, puzzles solved, enemies defeated, the future stretching ahead bright and true. With new challenges and new adventures, certainly, because that’s the way things always are. But overall it would be a very satisfying story, one to give the listener heart." 

The final book of the Sevenwaters series has its ups and downs. I was super excited to get Maeve's story and get to know her. I really liked her characterization. I found her quiet strength amazing and her anger towards her mother refreshing. I know that sounds weird but Aisling has always annoyed me for some reason. And I, with Maeve, couldn't stand her stuttered response other daughter. Sean's reaction though, oh be still my heart. I adore Sean and think he is an amazing father. His first private interaction with Maeve gave me the warm fuzzies, as did when he saw her for the first time in 10 years. Love love love him. Speaking of love, Finbar plays a prominent role in this book and I loved him!!! He's so precious and smart but at the same time precocious and haunted. I loved getting to know him and seeing his relationship with Maeve bloom.

The magic of this book is another strong point. Mac Dara is causing mayhem and really causing problems for Lord Sean and his neighbors. I won't go into too much detail but know that the ending of this book and how the magic all fit together was unexpected and AMAZING! I didn't see the twists coming at all and the last 70 pages went by so fast and were so incredibly good. My criticism of this book is in the pacing. As I said, the last 70 pages were amazing, 5 star worthy, but the first 360 pages were SO slow. I struggled at multiple points to get into and stay in the story. As with Seer, editing and pacing correction would have seriously improved both books and made them on par with books 1, 2 and 4.

Ball Status

General Admission

Overall, this series is worth the read. 100% worth the read. It has its ups and downs but the setting and story Sevenwaters is fantasy at its best. 

Too Much Pride, Too Much Prejudice

Genre: Adult Contemporary, Re-Telling

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 336

Publication Date: August 25th, 2015

Source: ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

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Previous Books in Series: Standalone

Goodreads Description

Kim and Harry are total opposites who happen to have the same favorite people in the world: Kim’s older sister, Eva, and her young son, Otis. Kim has never seen what her free-spirited big sister sees in a stuck-up banker like Harry and has spent her childhood trying to keep him out (must he always drive the most ostentatious cars and insist on charming everyone he meets?), while Harry’s favorite occupation is provoking Kim.

Both Harry and Kim are too stuck in their prejudices to care about what’s really going on beneath the surface of each other’s lives. They’ll never understand each other—until the worst of all tragedy strikes. Faced with the possibilities of losing the person they both love most, long-buried secrets come to a head in ways that will change both Harry and Kim forever.

As in her “hilarious, poignant, and profound” (Daily Mail) novel For Once in My Life, Marianne Kavanagh tackles the bonds of family, friendship, and love through sophisticated storytelling. Don’t Get Me Wrong is a witty and heartwarming book that will charm readers everywhere.

When I saw this book on NetGalley I was super excited to see it was a retelling of Pride and Prejudice. The wonderful people at Atria sent me a review copy but unfortunately the book just didn't work for me.

The Writing
The pacing of this book just felt off and all over the place to me. It's divided up into years starting with 2015 and then highlighting events of certain years from 2006 to present day. This didn't work for me. There are jarring POV switches between Kim and Harry. There are also out of nowhere small vignette type paragraphs from Kim's friend Izzie that made no sense to the overall plot. There felt like there was zero flow not only between years but within the years as well. In fact, the whole thing felt like loosely strung together anecdotes from Kim and Harry's lives. It didn't ebb. It didn't flow. It was like one big run on sentence that I just didn't like. I felt disconnected from the story and characters and found myself skimming once I was about halfway through. We also jump multiple years at one point with a few gracious sentences given to us as what's been going on for the past 3 years. It was extremely odd and didn't help me feel connected to these characters whatsoever.

The Characters
I know this was based on Pride and Prejudice so I knew loosely what to expect however I didn't expect to dislike the main heroine quite so much. I'm not trying to be mean but to put it bluntly...Kim was a bitch. A huge bitch. And not a redeeming or fun one. She was out of control mean to Harry all the time. And while we get the sense, if you know the background story of P&P, that he has liked her all along I have no idea why. I didn't get a sense of what draws him to her at all and we still don't get an explanation as the end except the elusive, why does anyone know why we fall in love with certain people. Excuse me, but I don't live in a manic pixie dream world and you shouldn't either Mr thirty something grown man. There were zero positive qualities he could have gleaned from his interactions with Kim and she was over the top mean to him. Not snarky. Not sassy. Not cute. MEAN. It made me uncomfortable as it did ALL the people around them in all the group situations they were in when she would yell at him in front of multiple people. Rude.

Harry was okay. His one fault in my eyes was loving Kim. He was a good person. Kind and thoughtful about others. He was an amazing friend to Eva and had so many amazing qualities about him that he never saw in himself. But he loved Kim and took her abuse for nothing for years and I just didn't get it.

The Communication
Oh, here's another fault of Harry's I forgot. He's a grown man that can't tell a girl how he feels. Yes, I understand the homage to P&P but it's believable for men not to not only not tell women their feelings but to not even talk with women unless sanctioned by chaperones and the like. In 2015? Life is not so sheltered. I get the fear of rejection but this went on almost a decade. Man up, bro. I'm over this compete lack of communication. It's not cute. It's not endearing. Now shits just getting weird. I can empathize with trying to make it a parallel to P&P but this just didn't work at all. It didn't make sense for the overall plot and to add insult to injury a huge tragedy happens that gets brushed over, isn't developed, and then is just...over. It was too much emotion with so little foundation to the tragic situation. Over it.

Denied at the Door
If you like Pride and Prejudice....stay away from this book.

Calling This One A Loss

"Sometimes it's the scary things in life that are the most worthwhile."

--Cora Carmack, Losing It

Genre: NA Contemporary

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 288

Publication Date: February 26th, 2013

Source: Bought

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Previous Books in Series: First book in series

Goodreads Description

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren’t embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She’d left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

Mini-Review

So I had high hopes for Losing It. I had heard really good things about it and was looking forward to reading a book about a girl striving to lose her virginity. Bliss is a second semester senior in college who still has her V card and confesses this to her friend one night who immediately sets up a plan to get her to lose it...that night. My problem with the story kind of starts here to be honest. Her friend Kelsey pretty much sounds like the worst friend in the world. Hey, BFF I'm gonna confess this kind of embarrassing secret that I'm a virgin and have obviously waited 22 years to have sex and what's the friend's advice? Let's go out and find you a one-night stand to get it over with. Excuse me? Back up the train because nobody is coming into this station after 22 years of waiting, in my opinion. Bliss tries unenthusiastically to shut her friend down and that's not how she is and her friend doesn't listen. I really could not stand Kelsey for the rest of the book. She is pushy, doesn't listen, and I just think her reaction to Bliss' confession was the worst ever. I mean, if it was Bliss' choice to want to lose her virginity that way, all the power to you but she didn't want it to be that way. She clearly did not want to go to a seedy bar and find a random guy to bone. Her friend should have recognized that and know what kind of personality Bliss has to know that is not her style. To each their own. I actually didn't mean to go off on a tangent about the friend but as I started writing up the summary I was all, hey! This friend sucks! sorry not sorry. Anyways! Moving on...

So Bliss reluctantly goes to a bar to get laid, sorry I couldn't help myself with the crassness, and ends up meeting a cute British boy names Garrick. She tries to do the deed but it ends in complete failure. Bliss is awkward as all hell and can't go through with it. Good for you. She also realizes in the midst of talking to Garrick that she actually really likes talking to him and would like to see something more. I really did like Bliss' character, albeit superficial, because her awkwardness with the opposite sex is super endearing and realistic for most 20-something women if we're being honest. We're all a little awkward so I really like that she was written this way. Garrick is pretty swoony as well. He is British...I mean, that's really all I need to say but I guess I'll go a little further. He's smart, an actor, charming, and very witty. He also continues to push Bliss in a good way in regards to their feelings. She is nervous and weird around him but he sticks around knowing he likes her. I did like this even though with how she acted towards him, 98% of men would have deemed it not worth it because she really does put out signals of being uninterested. Whatever.

My real issue with this book was its superficiality. I read a good amount of New Adult fiction and I was really surprised with how little character development went on in this book. I feel like I know nothing about who Bliss and Garrick really are. We get a little insight into how Bliss' mom is but beyond that...nothing. I have no idea what drives them, what their passions are, what makes them tick, nada, nothing, zilch. When I think of the NA genre with authors like Jay Crownover and Karina Halle and Amy Harmon and Lisa Desrochers, I find this book almost a joke with how little development we get. The deep issues the previous authors tackle and their rich description of their characters makes books like Losing It pale in comparison. I feel like books with this type of writing and non-existent character development is what gives NA a bad rap.

With that said, I know a lot of people who really enjoyed this book. I did think the witty banter and repartee was amusing. It was a quick read but it just didn't do anything for me.

Denied at the Door

If you're looking for a fun and mindless read with no emotional meat to it, this book might be for you.

Now Let Me Show You...

"I'm over it.
Your priorities realign at light speed when you get shanked."

--Ann Aguirre, The Shape of My Heart

Genre: NA Contemporary

Publisher: Harlequin

Pages: 352

Publication Date: November 25th, 2014

Source: eARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

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Previous Books in Series: I Want It That Way & As Long As You Love Me

Goodreads Description

Some people wait decades to meet their soul mate. Courtney Kaufman suspects she met hers in high school only to lose him at seventeen. Since then, Courtney's social life has been a series of meaningless encounters, though she's made a few close friends along the way. Especially her roommate Max Cooper, who oozes damaged bad-boy vibes from every pore.

Max knows about feeling lost and trying to move beyond the pain he's been on his own since he was sixteen. Now it's time to find out if he can ever go home again, and Courtney's the only one he trusts to go with him. But the trip to Providence could change everything because the more time he spends with Courtney, the harder it is to reconcile what he wants and what he thinks he deserves.

It started out so simple. One misfit helping another. Now Max will do anything to show Courtney that for every heart that's ever been broken, there's another that can make it complete.

After reading and loving I Want It That Way & As Long As You Love Me, I was SUPER looking forward to The Shape of My Heart. However, this final book in the 2B trilogy did not jive with me. The beginning of the book introduces us to Courtney, the new roommate, and apparently Max's BFF for quite awhile. This was the first indication that I didn't know how I was going to connect with the romance. Why? Courtney wasn't really present in the other books beyond her moving in after Lauren moves out. There are many references to Courtney and Max being BFFs and I just didn't know that or feel that. I felt like I was told they have this massive history of friendship without actually being shown it. I understand each novel is a standalone but even though we didn't see Rob and Lauren's history, I felt that book showed more of their feelings. 

But back to this book. I really enjoyed the beginning. I love Courtney's character; I love her sarcasm and how down to earth she is. She is a cool chick who really doesn't give a fuck what other people think. Love that. But her character soon started to wear on me...big time. I also personally struggle to accept a compliment, what girl doesn't?, but every.single.time. that Max tried to be serious with her and discuss their relationship she HAD to make some wisecrack joke. It was INFURIATING. I wanted to shake her! Just shut.up. and let him tell you how he feels. Personally, if I were Max, I would have walked out. Her sarcastic comments and inability to be serious was condescending and belittling. I would have been mortified if I were Max and never would have brought it up again. What started off as me loving Courtney's fire and sass and her consistency in having Max's back, ended with me wanting to muzzle her so Max could get out his feelings. 

I had surprisingly little opinion in regards to Max having read the last two books. I was excited for his story but didn't have any overwhelming opinions either way about him. Max was a little broody and melodramatic to be honest. There is one scene in particular where Courtney jokes about rough sex and him man-handling her, and he snaps. MILD SPOILER ALERT----We find out later he witnessed a GANG RAPE on a woman. Um, Max. I hate to break this to you but a fucking gang rape is a whole other universe from rough sex. It was mind-boggling for him to associate those two very different acts together. It was just...unnecessary and contrived to heighten drama.

The plot of the story was realistic and I did love how Max brought Courtney to his awful family...and vice versa. The climax of the drama at the end, again, felt a little contrived. The separation wasn't completely necessary in my opinion and I think a lot of that stems from Max having to work through his own emotional issues. I appreciated this because I believe we have to love and accept ourselves before others will so this aspect of the plot I did enjoy. The epilogue was fantastic because I REALLY  wanted to catch up with Lauren and Rob and Nadia and Ty! Really great touch for the final book. Well done. 

Denied At The Door

I love the other two books of this series and this one just didn't work for me.

Sometimes It's Just Ugly

"The only impressive thing about this apartment is the bookshelf in the living room.
It's lined with dozens of books,
which is more of a turn-on than anything else
that could potentially line his barren walls."

--Colleen Hoover, Ugly Love

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 336

Publication Date: August 5th, 2014

Source: Bought

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Previous Books By This Author: Hopeless & Losing Hope & Maybe Someday & Slammed & Point of Retreat & This Girl

Goodreads Description

#1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with a new heart-wrenching love story.

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn't think it's love at first sight. They wouldn't even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn't want love, she doesn't have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don't expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can't handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly

I can't really do a breakdown of this review because I have so many conflicting feelings I need a steady output of words in order to begin to dissect what went on in this book. Let me first state that I love Colleen Hoover. LOVE. Hopeless is one of my all-time favorite books. I have read everything else she has written and loved. So it was a no-brainer to preorder Ugly Love and read it basically the week it got here. TBR pushed over to read...why oh why did I read this book?

I liked it in the beginning...aka the first chapter. Tate comes across as very direct, take no shit, I know who I am and I don't fall for skeezy guy bullshit kind of girl. And she just graduated nursing school. Winning. Love story about a nurse. Off to a good start...it all went to hell in chapter 2. Every other chapter is a flashback from Miles' (the guy) POV from six years earlier when he meets and falls in love with Rachel. Now that last sentence is being generous because Miles doesn't fall in insta-love, he falls in insta-OBSESSION. I wish I could copy and past the second chapter for you to read. It's absolutely ridiculous. He sees her and he's in love *cough* obsession. He discusses at length how she nods her head. How he's going to fall in love with her nod. She's going to have all his babies. He repeats several times, 'I am going to fall in love with you Rachel.' Um...can you please elaborate as to WHY you fall in love with her. What qualities does she possess as a young woman that makes you head over heels about her. As these flashbacks progress we get no explanation as to why he loves her...he just does. I felt less than zero connection to this relationship. We don't get any idea of what Rachel is like, her interests, her values, NOTHING. OH and the chapters are written almost in verse. Everything is centered in the middle of the page. It was beyond annoying. I hated these chapters. I hated this Rachel because she was ruining the entire story for me because I could not comprehend what it was about her that would make Miles be so obsessed with her. These chapters gave me anxiety because you know it was building up to something big.

I hated Rachel because in the present day, Miles is beyond screwed up. Which, anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE a good screwed up, emotionally scarred male specimen. It's my MO. However, it's been SIX YEARS. WHAT the fuck happened that could make you this screwed up and swearing off all women for six years. And YES, I'm well-aware this was the point of the story but it just didn't sit well with me. I am all about discovering what the big dark secret of the past is but Miles didn't do or show any type of redeeming qualities that would me me WANT to stick around and give him the benefit of the doubt. And this is where my dislike of Miles started. I think this book shows how absolutely weak men are. Heaven for-fuckng-bid a man is ever hurt. Heaven forbid a woman wrongs a man or something emotionally damaging happens to him because he will be destroyed for the rest of his life. This example isn't just this book, either. I've seen it in a lot of stories. Oh the guy had his heart broken ONE TIME. Boo fucking hoo. How many scorned women are there out there? How often do we read stories about women or have friends who have been hurt time and time again and what do we tell them? Keep trying. You'll find somebody who treats your right. Keep opening up your heart, be open. Men? Oh hell no. They're ruined after one bad relationship. Let me play the world's tiniest violin for you. Man up, bro.

So let's get back on track to Tate and Miles. These two come to a mutual agreement to just have sex because they are both attracted to each other. Tate agrees in hopes he eventually falls in love with her...*blank stare*...and Miles has two rules. 'Don't ask about his past and don't ever expect a future.' Real nice. Can't ask about his past, can't process the feelings. Insert eye-rolling. Tate. Oh, Tate. You are the friends I can't stand because you don't see what's right in front of your face. He's using you. You let him use  you. You stick around in hopes he changes for you and if this wasn't a book, this would not have a happy ending. I've seen this story play out in real life SO many times and it's ugly. Pun intended. Miles treats Tate like his girlfriend one minute and like a two-bit whore the next. I think I yelled, 'You fucking asshole' at least three times. He is absolutely emotionally demeaning. There is one scene in particular, well actually there are several, that he so blatantly uses her and treats her like garbage I am shocked that more people are not calling bullshit on this book. I almost want to call him emotionally abusive. Something he does after sex and something he says during sex in two particular scenes were just...below the belt and unforgivable. It broke my heart to read because I don't care what you've been through as a person or what you think you deserve but it is NEVER okay to treat somebody the way Miles treated Tate and EVERYONE deserves to be treated better than he treats her. I know a few friends who hated Tate and how pathetic she was. I wanted to hate her but I just didn't have it in me. I know the real life Tates and all I feel is pity. Tate didn't bother me as much as Miles because Miles, while verbally consistent with his no-commitment, acted like he wanted her to be his girlfriend. So I give Tate a pass on this because it's very easy to see why she stick around. He definitely displays intent of liking her for more than just sex. And actions speak louder than words, you asshole. 

What next? OH! I'm a nurse. I have read all of Colleen Hoover's books and with the exception of the Hopeless series, there are GLARING medical mistakes in all her books. This. Drives. Me. Nuts. Simple things that could have been avoided with just asking a nurse. One example? Tate gets a part time job in the Emergency Department...as a new nurse...in California...this is so nearly impossible I laughed out loud when I read it. It is basically impossible to be hired as a graduate nurse in an Emergency Department because of how quick thinking and fast paced it is. A new nurse does not have the experience or knowledge to be able to adapt and safely take care of patients. AND California has such an abundance of new nursing graduates that at a San Francisco, aka big city hospital, ER a new nurse would NEVER get hired. The floor I work on is a general surgical floor and had 2 open Graduate Nurse positions...500 people applied just to put that into perceptive. A specialized floor like an ED would never hire a brand new nurse, part time mind you, having not worked there previously for them to know she can handle the pace. Also, later on Miles cuts the palm in his hand so deep that he needs stitches. What does Tate do? She stitches up his hand in the bathroom with a needle and thread...I cannot even begin to tell you how fucking idiotic and unbelievable this is. ONE, you're a new nurse, you barely know how to do anything and even if you worked for 10 years, NURSES DON'T DO SUTURES, that is a physician's job. AND they wouldn't do it with a household needle and thread EVER because do you know the risk of infection? Holy shit Miles, you're gonna lose your hand. If it's deep enough for stitches, it probably also has nerve damage seeing that it's in the palm of your hand. JFC I couldn't take this. 

I know what you're thinking...Kelly, you're being dramatic. Well just to show you I'm not being dramatic, I asked my nurse friends to help me out here...

Phew. Ok, I'm exhausted. Now as I got the end of the book and discovered WHY Miles is so closed off, I started to feel a little bad. It's a big reveal. Somewhat expected-ish. And I can kind of understand how something like this would really damage somebody emotionally but he takes it so far it's just ridiculous. I have no more words. I hate that I disliked this book. I wanted to love it but there was just too much unnecessary angst and I hated how horribly Tate was treated by him. Girlfriend needed to run for the hills. I know it's hard to be objective when you are in the situation but c'mon. I love books that give you amazing love stories that are just on this side of impossible, but this just wasn't realistic at all to me. Things like this don't end well in real life. I've seen this scenario played out with friends a dozen times. And if you find this review offensive, I can't say I'm sorry. It's heated and angry but this is why I started my blog. To have a cathartic outlet in order to get my feelings out about a book I read...and I clearly had a lot of feelings.

To end on a positive note, this book could have been 5 stars. I liked the overall general concept of a broken man learning to fall in love but it was just gone about the wrong way in my opinion. 

How This Book Could Have Been 5 Stars:

NO Flashback chapters

NO chapters written in verse and aligned in the center of the page

Chapter's with Miles' present day POV

Learning his secret early on from his POV so we can empathize with his pain

Making Rachel as likable as Maggie from Maybe, Someday so I can root for her and not hate her

Denied at the Door
I just couldn't handle this one.

He Loves Me Not

"Obviously there are one trillion things that could be worse about my life.
Not having a boyfriend at any given moment bothers me very little.
Not having ever had one bothers me only slightly more, only because I want to know that I'll get to fall in love at least once, for real."

--Katie Heaney, Never Have I Ever

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction, Memoir
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 272
Publication Date: January 14th, 2014
Source: eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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Goodreads Description

 "I've been single for my entire life. Not one boyfriend. Not one short-term dating situation. Not one person with whom I regularly hung out and kissed on the face."

So begins Katie Heaney's memoir of her years spent looking for love, but never quite finding it. By age 25, equipped with a college degree, a load of friends, and a happy family life, she still has never had a boyfriend ... and she's barely even been on a second date.

Throughout this laugh-out-loud funny book, you will meet Katie's loyal group of girlfriends, including flirtatious and outgoing Rylee, the wild child to Katie's shrinking violet, as well as a whole roster of Katie's ill-fated crushes. And you will get to know Katie herself -- a smart, modern heroine relaying truths about everything from the subtleties of a Facebook message exchange to the fact that "Everybody who works in a coffee shop is at least a little bit hot."

Funny, relatable, and inspiring, this is a memoir for anyone who has ever struggled to find love, but has also had a lot of fun in the process.

The Idea. Reading the description I thought that book karma was going to come to me...funny how karma works, eh? You get it when you least expect it and when you expect it, it stays far, far away. The idea that another mid-20s woman has never had a boyfriend in her life spoke to me because...well...that opening quote of the description is my life. So needless to say, I thought I would be able to relate to this completely and I was so excited about it. However, after the first 10% or so it went downhill for me. BUT the idea of the novel is great. I wish it would have affected me a bit more...see below...

The Voice. Katie has a very distinct voice. She can be humorous at times. But overall, I found her narration to be irritating. I wasn't enjoying reading it. Her constant self-deprecating attitude grated on my nerves. While she did make some very amusing observations about the hierarchy of the social classes known as middle school were spot on, the rest of the book was not insightful. I anticipated a book filled with anecdotes that boiled down to really poor luck and asshole men. What I got was a socially awkward young woman who consistently blamed others for not having a relationship. I was annoyed! I'm sorry! There were guys that were interested in her and she ran the other way. We all had celebrity crushes but the extent she talked about them made me almost uncomfortable to the point of wondering if the author needed a little (major) dose of reality. I think she was in love with the infatuation and the unknown of having a crush. I'm not an expert on relationships (obviously) but I felt like somebody needed to tell her that men are simple creatures. At one point in the book she didn't know if this guy liked her after going out several times over the course of a few weeks but he never kissed her or made a move. Um, newsflash: men are easy. If they like you, they're gonna kiss you. If they want to date you exclusively, nothing short of you telling them flat out NO will stop them. Men are competitive, they don't want to lose a girl they are interested in to somebody else. They will claim you. Wise up. You need some better advice or some new friends to tell you this.

The Pacing. While it was overall a quick read, I felt that at the exact 50% point the book needed to wrap up. I think the second half dragged on and elaborated on things that didn't need to be elaborated on. It was a 272 page book that got real old, real fast for me. It felt like a lot of repetition and I was hearing the same story over and over again.

The Intention. What was the point of this? Is Katie looking for love? Or looking for a best friend to live with for the rest of her life? I was very confused by the overall intention of the book. It didn't feel like the author wanted to find love as much as she wanted to be in an exclusive BFF relationship with her friend Rylee. The book talked about her misadventures (or lack thereof) in dating and then all of the sudden she's talking about Rylee and how much she means as a best friend and how Rylee is her soulmate...huh? The obsession with keeping her friend single and all to herself was very odd to me. I think the author is looking for more acceptance as a human being in general rather than finding a partner in life.

The Excuses. Uh, we GET IT, you're a feminist. Congrats? Being a feminist and having a boyfriend are not mutually exclusive. I got the vibe that she was setting an underlying tone that no man could handle her and her independent woman attitude. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I really didn't want to read the word feminist again when it came out of nowhere and was completely not in context with the situation at hand. It's not like there were any situations where every guy that was interested in her turned her away because she was the f-word. It's not a swear word. Being a feminist basically means you think women should have the same rights as men, not that you have to verbally castrate them to be legitimate equals.

No. I know a lot of people enjoyed this book so my expectations were probably a bit too high. But the lack of direction of the book and overall theme confused me and left me irritated. Maybe you'll get more of a laugh I did but this book wasn't for me. However, if you'd like to know some seriously depressing-but-the-story-funny-now-years-late pseudo-dating experiences, I could give you an earful. 

As Always, Be Brave

"I'll say it one last time: Be brave."
--Veronica Roth, Allegiant

Genre: YA Dystopia

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, 531 pages

Publication Date: October 22nd, 2013

Source: Bought
Goodreads
Previous Books in Series: Divergent & Insurgent

Goodreads Description

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

The Belle

Um...Where do I even begin with this? Ok. I'm gonna be honest and it's not going to be the popular opinion. What did I like about Allegiant? One thing--the ending. *dodges tomatoes being thrown* But seriously. While it was NOT what I imagined happening or ever wanted to happen, it felt real. It sucks but it was realistic and I give Veronica Roth mad props for writing what she did. It couldn't have been easy and I know she's getting a lot of anger from fans about it, but I thought the controversial ending was the best part. Why? Because it was the only part that felt organic and honest. However, ending as it did, what I REALLY wanted was for this ending to be founded in something super worthwhile...Let's now go to The Beast of the story...

The Beast

What didn't work for me? Um, everything EXCEPT the ending. The entire story was boring and felt super contrived. The plot felt pointless and was a useless filler until the *shocking* ending. I read it quickly, but to be honest, I had no idea what was going on. It felt like nothing was happening. I remember looking and being on page 420 and still waiting for the story to start. The non-shocking part of the ending I'm still confused as to why it was necessary. I just felt like nothing happened and the entire story bored me.

The dual POV, while great in theory, really lacked in execution. There was absolutely no distinction between Tris and Tobias' voices. I didn't even remember whose chapter I was reading most of the time. SPEAKING of Tobias. Where did he go? I mean, he had chapter in Allegiant but where was the strong, capable, I-don't-take-no-shit-and-fear-itself-fears-me Tobias? What a little bitch he was. He whined and complained and made horrible and rash decisions. He was gullible and insecure and a total baby most of the book. Where is Four?!? I want to know! Where did he go?! Terrible. Tobias was a top book boyfriend for me...now I'll have to say Four in Divergent and Insurgent because his representation in Allegiant was pathetic.

The entire Genetically Pure and Genetically Damaged--GP and GD--plot point was contrived and unnecessary. The idea that "pure" people are oppressing and ostracizing the "damaged" was so ridiculous that I was laughing at the story half the time. It just felt really stupid for lack of a better phrase. Unnecessary and, again, it felt like a filler to get from beginning to end.

Overall, the book was boring and pointless and while the ending was brave and unconventional, it was raw and honest and real. It was a tremendously disappointing ending to what began as an AMAZING series.

Should You RSVP to this Ball?

No. I mean, if you've read the first 2 books, read it to know finish the series...maybe. Don't, by any means, make this a priority if you have better things to read. Sad but true.  

Disney Deathmarch

"Unlike all these fools in my class,

I didn't expect high school to be this 

incredible, mind-blowing experience.

High school was like purgatory.

You just had to wait it out

until you got to the real deal."

--Heather Walsh, Dented Cans

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, 150 pages

Publication Date: November 2nd, 2012

Source: Copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads

Goodreads Description

A family secret is revealed during an ill-fated—yet hilarious—trip to Disney World.

Sixteen-year-old Hannah Sampson knows her family is not what you would call normal. Her father compulsively buys dented cans and has a particular fondness for cans without labels, which are extremely discounted because their contents are a mystery. Her mother takes countless pictures of her family and then glues them down into the pages of her scrapbooks, but does not allow anyone to look at them. Ryan, Hannah’s mischievous fourteen-year-old brother, is headed straight for the remedial track at the local community college, if he’s lucky. Ben, her eight-year-old brother, is a walking sound effects machine, who prefers to communicate with noises rather than words. While Hannah is focused on escaping her working-class Connecticut suburb, she also finds herself being tugged back home as she worries about her brother Ben.

Hannah’s parents inflict one last family vacation on the Sampson children, a trip that goes comically wrong almost from the get-go. Hannah is forced to confront her family’s past in Disney World, of all places, when an emotional argument prompts her parents to disclose a secret they have been keeping from the children for sixteen years. Ultimately, she must decide whether to leave her hometown and not look back, or to focus on helping her family.

My Thoughts

So initially upon being asked to review this I was very excited because, hello?! family trip to Disney World? Love it! Unfortunately this book just didn't get along with my Disney ideals. I am all about snarky, opinionated, and very observant characters but I didn't really get Hannah...or any of the characters. I felt very detached from them and could never really grasp the point of view they were coming from. Hannah was extremely pessimistic to the point of really irritating me. I can be extremely cynical myself but as much as that is a part of my personality, I have such a soft spot for all things Disney and happily ever after. Hannah rags on Disney's consumerism and lack of magic the entire trip. So personally because of my own interests, I was unable to identify with this character. I just really didn't understand where all her anger came from. 

She wasn't all bad though, she had very great points as a character. She is a fantastic advocate for her strange but completely endearing younger brother Ben. She was the only one who stood up for this boy who was babied by the rest of his family. That was another thing that didn't really add up to me. This boy was 8 years old and barely spoke. It was constant white elephant in the room. Not to mention the family's other odd habits. The father's obsession with buying dented cans, the mother's constant and secretive scrapbooking. The synopsis leads us to believe a huge family secret is about to be uncovered, yet we don't get this revelation until the very end...and it still doesn't really explain anything. Things just didn't add up to me.

Each character at times has their high points and I found myself taking each character's side at one point or another but overall they were all equally obstinate and stuck in their ways. I can appreciate the viewpoint of a family that isn't perfect, that has flaws, that is not cookie cutter and I like that. But these people could not see the good in front of them. The constant bickering abut the negative aspects of Disney World really broke my heart to be honest. While everything is overpriced and yes, I agree that the fact that Africa is not represented in EPCOT is a totally disgusting oversight, like the parents said, not everybody's families get to go to Disney World. A vacation like that is a blessing and needs to be recognized as such. 

The writing of this book was good, don't get me wrong. It just wasn't for me. I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy the sarcastic observations about life, family and all things Disney but unfortunately this book and I didn't see eye to eye.

Bonnie and Clyde Gone Wrong

"I had nowhere to go.

Besides, when I talked to the other kids,

they would make fun of me because I spoke like the books I read.

Used word like 'fretted.'"

--Kristin Halbrook, Nobody But Us

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: HarperTeen, 272 pages

Publication Date: January 29th, 2013

Find on Goodreads

Source: ARC received from Epic Reads in giveaway! :)

Goodreads Description:

They’re young. They’re in love. They’re on the run.

Zoe wants to save Will as much as Will wants to save Zoe. When Will turns eighteen, they decide to run away together. But they never expected their escape to be so fraught with danger....

When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can’t run fast enough.

Nobody But Us, told in alternating perspectives from Will and Zoe, is an unflinching novel, in turns heartbreaking and hopeful, about survival, choices, and love...and how having love doesn’t always mean that you get a happy ending. 

My Thoughts

Alright. Like I've stated on Twitter and you can see one of my recent Top Ten Tuesday, I don't dive into YA Contemporary too frequently. I don't know why. I adore John Green and everything he writes, but I don't know, it just seems like a lot of the synopsis' of the contemporary genre don't grab my attention. Normal every day people in the normal every day world is very out of what I'm used to. Maybe I feel as if a dystopian world isn't occurring or the protagonists aren't fighting some epic battle or evil force that love can't exist...I don't know what my problem is...crazy is probably the answer :) 

Regardless of my own trepidation I have resolved to step out of my comfort zone and read more YA contemporary. This book was my first step and I wasn't completely disappointed. I liked this book enough but it didn't wow me. The two main characters, Zoe and Will, both come from very rough backgrounds; Zoe's father beats her up constantly and Will is basically an orphan because his mother left him at a neighbor's as a child and never came back so he lives in a group home in Zoe's town. When Will turns 18 they decide to get out of their situation, leave and start a new life for themselves. However, not all of this goes as planned.

The beginning of the book I really liked, about the first 1/3 of it I was really enjoying the story. My heart bled for these kids. They got dealt a real crappy hand in life and all they want to do is better the situation that life gave them. The writing in these scenes is excellent. I felt their desperation, their happiness, their hopelessness, their hope, all in their respective situations. I was rooting for them to succeed in making their lives better with each other.

But then around the middle of the book things started to slow down. The situations they found themselves in became repetitive like the story-line was on a continuous loop. I had a few deja-vu instances where I asked myself, 'Didn't we just do this?' And how the relationship evolved I am still unsure of how I feel about it. I liked how they were each able to find the good in the other person but they clung to goodness they saw in the other person and didn't see anything else. Will has a severe temper that got them into more than one mess. Zoe, who if we forgot has an abusive father, recognizes the similarities in behavior...but that's about it. She sees it and instead of turning away from him, becomes even more attached; another vicious cycle?

The middle of the book was very slow moving for me but then the last, I don't know, maybe 90 pages is on warp speed. It felt rushed. The momentum and climax of the story only started happening in the very end and it felt like too much too quickly. I felt the end was a little abrupt. I did really like how the author had short, quick chapters back and forth between Zoe and Will but how the story ended...I don't know, it didn't sit well with me. The red flags that were occurring were overtly ignored. The relationship was not a particular good one and I felt like it was romanticized inappropriately. 

Overall, I thought the book was okay. It wasn't great, it had moments I enjoyed but just didn't follow through for me.

Don't worry guys! I'm not shunning contemporary because I didn't love this book! I have quite a list waiting for me of recs from amazing book friends :) Until next time!