Mini Reviews: The Promise of Amazing & Ninth Grade Slays

Title: The Promise of Amazing

Author: Robin Constantine

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 371

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Published: December. 31, 2013

Source: Own

Review: I loved the writing and the two main characters, Wren and Grayson were so cute together. I didn't like what had happened towards the end, how no one really got in trouble, like the so called best-friend. The drama could of been better.

4.5/5 Stars

Read: 9/1/14 - 9/3/14

Title: Ninth Grade Slays (The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod #2)

Author: Heather Brewer

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural, Horror, Vampires

Format: Kindle

Pages: 300

Publisher: Speak

Published: April. 17, 2008

Source: Libary 

Review: I didn't like it as much as the first book, Eighth Grade Bites. In this one, you learn more about Vlad and his vampire abilities. Josh, Henry's cousin comes to stay with them and we learn that he's keeping a secret. Vlad meets new vampires and encounters a vampire from the first book. He has to deal with bullies, the girl he likes, a photographer from the newspaper in school who finds out about him, and a vampire slayer who wants to kill him. The ending was where all the action happened, you learn about who the vampire slayer is, friendships are broken, someone almost dies. 

3.5/5 Stars

Read: 8/15/14 - 9/4/14

Mini Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Title: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Author: Benjamin Alire Saenz

Genre: glbt, romance, contemporary, realistic fiction, historical fiction

Format: Paperback

Pages: 359

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 

Published: April 1st 2014

Source: Library

Description: Dante can swim. Ari can't. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari's features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself.

But against all odds, when Ari and Dante meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be. But there are big hurdles in their way, and only by believing in each other―and the power of their friendship―can Ari and Dante emerge stronger on the other side.

Review: I don't know how to review this book without talking about spoilers so here is a short crappy version. I love the characters. They are so real and the problems they had were real to which makes the book amazing but I didn't like how the characters repeated each other. I love the writing. Its very Quotable. I recommend it. If you have any doubts just give it a try.

Quotes: 

• “I wanted to tell them that I'd never had a friend, not ever, not a real one. Until Dante. I wanted to tell them that I never knew that people like Dante existed in the world, people who looked at the stars, and knew the mysteries of water, and knew enough to know that birds belonged to the heavens and weren't meant to be shot down from their graceful flights by mean and stupid boys. I wanted to tell them that he had changed my life and that I would never be the same, not ever. And that somehow it felt like it was Dante who had saved my life and not the other way around. I wanted to tell them that he was the first human being aside from my mother who had ever made me want to talk about the things that scared me. I wanted to tell them so many things and yet I didn't have the words. So I just stupidly repeated myself. "Dante's my friend.” (I wish I had a friend like Dante)
• “I had a feeling there was something wrong with me. I guess I was a mystery even to myself.” 
• “Senior year. And then life. Maybe that's the way it worked. High school was just a prologue to the real novel. Everybody got to write you -- but when you graduated, you got to write yourself. At graduation you got to collect your teacher's pens and your parents' pens and you got your own pen. And you could do all the writing. Yeah. Wouldn't that be sweet?”
• "What ever happened to reading a book because you liked it?"
• "But I'm not good at making friends. I'm okay with that." (I can relate with this)

4 out of 5 Stars

Mini Review: Two Boys Kissing

Title: Two Boys Kissing

Author: David Levithan

Genre: glbt, romance, contemporary, realistic fiction

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 200

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Published: August. 27, 2013

Source: Library

Description: New York Times  bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. 

While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.

Review: I love this book. love the writing, the words are so deep and real. You can feel what these characters are going through or been through. Its just an Amazing book, I gave it 5 stars and If you love GLBT or is Gay, I HIGHLY recommend it.

Quotes (there are so many good ones)

• “Love is so painful, how could you ever wish it on anybody? And love is so essential, how could you ever stand in its way?”
• “Things are not magical because they've been conjured for us by some outside force. They are magical because we create them.” 
• “Freedom isn't just about voting and marrying and kissing on the street, although all of these things are important. Freedom is also about what you will allow yourself to do.” 
• “There are all these moments you don't think you will survive. And then you survive.”
• “It is hard to stop seeing your son as a son and to start seeing him as a human being.
  It is hard to stop seeing your parents as parents and to start seeing them as human beings.
  It's a two-sided transition, and very few people manage it gracefully.” 
• “There is no reason that we should ever be ashamed of our bodies or ashamed of our love.”
• “Pink is female - but why? Are girls any more pink than boys? Are boys any more blue than girls? It's something that has been sold to us, mostly so other things can be sold to us.” 
• “We know that some of you are still scared. We know that some of you are still silent. Just because it's better now doesn't mean that it's always good.” 
• “Then he picks up the first book and holds it so Peter can read the title.
  I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This
  
  Peter quiets. Watches as Neil holds up the books one by one.
  
  Just Listen
  Stay
  You’re the One That I Want
  So Much Closer
  Where I Want to Be
  The Difference Between You and Me
  Positively
  Matched
  Perfect
  Wonder
  You Are Here
  Where I Belong
  I’ll Be There
  Along for the Ride
  The Future of Us
  Real Live Boyfriends
  Keep Holding On
  
  When Neil is through, Peter smiles and holds up his hand, gesturing Neil to wait there, to not say a word. He picks out two books from the YA section, then runs to the fiction section for a third. He is still smiling when he returns to Neil and shows his selections one by one.
  
  Take a Bow
  A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You
  Keep Holding On”

  (I love how he put the book titles into a poem message)

              5 out of 5 stars

Review: Love Letters to the Dead

Title: Love Letters to the Dead

Author: Ava Dellaira

Genre: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 327

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Published: April. 1, 2014

Source: Library

Description: It begins as an assignment for English class: Write a letter to a dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain because her sister, May, loved him. And he died young, just like May did. Soon, Laurel has a notebook full of letters to people like Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more; though she never gives a single one of them to her teacher. She writes about starting high school, navigating new friendships, falling in love for the first time, learning to live with her splintering family. And, finally, about the abuse she suffered while May was supposed to be looking out for her. Only then, once Laurel has written down the truth about what happened to herself, can she truly begin to accept what happened to May. And only when Laurel has begun to see her sister as the person she was; lovely and amazing and deeply flawed; can she begin to discover her own path.

Review: I just wasn't feeling this book. I felt sorry for the character because her sister died and her family is grieving. But she was stupid and crazy. She didn't do drugs but she did drink alcohol which I didn't like because she's 15 and I hate underage drinking. She only did drink because of her friends and she wanted them to like her. I didn't like the romance, it was to boring for me. They had like two conversations that was about nothing and all of a sudden they are together. The boy Sky, I didn't understand him either. Laurel did two things that could of gotten herself killed right in front of him and he doesn't tell no one. I just didn't see the love. She needed to stop trying to be like her sister. The ending was ok.

2 out of 5 stars

Review: To all the boys I've loved before by Jenny Han

Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Author: Jenny Han

Genre: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 368

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Published: April. 15, 2014

Source: Library

Description: What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them... all at once?

Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

My Review: Cute and funny. It's not just about the boys, it's also about her family and how close they are. Her older sister, Margot goes off to college leaving Lara Jean with the reasponsabilities of taking care of the house and family. This book had me laughing. Lara Jean reactions towards stuff was funny and believe able. There are also some serious moments too. She puts herself in this predicament and it blows up in her face. I loved the writing, it was real and perfect. I didn't like how it ended, I NEED MORE. I want to know what happens with Lara Jean and xx or the other boy. (Sorry if you don't understand this, I don't want to spoil it)

Likes: 

Kitty the younger sister was the best. She's smart and knows what she wants. She has more of a social life then Lara Jean and she's only 9. She even has a fashion sense. 

Dislike: 

Chris, Lara Jean friend. She seems reckless. She never hangs out with Lara Jean and they don't seem to have a lot in common. I know they been friends since they was kids but I didn't see any friendship there. But she was hardly present.

Genevieve. She was friends with Lara Jean as kids but they grew apart. Also Chris's cousin. She is mean. She is the girl who you would call a bitch. 

Quotes: 

"It's a lot of responsibility to hold a person's heart in your hands" 

"It doesn't matter that they're broken up. He was hers first, which means he's hers always."

5 out of 5 stars

Review: OCD, The DUDE, and ME by Lauren Roedy Vaughn

Title: OCD, The DUDE, and ME

Author: Lauren Roedy Vaughn

Genre: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Humor

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 240

Publisher: Dial

Published: March. 21, 2013

Source: Library

Description: With frizzy orange hair, a plus-sized body, sarcastic demeanor, and "unique learning profile," Danielle Levine doesn't fit in even at her alternative high school. While navigating her doomed social life, she writes scathing, self-aware, and sometimes downright raunchy essays for English class. As a result of her unfiltered writing style, she is forced to see the school psychologist and enroll in a "social skills" class. But when she meets Daniel, another social misfit who is obsessed with the cult classic film The Big Lebowski, Danielle's resolve to keep everyone at arm's length starts to crumble.

My Review: A must read. This book is written in essay, email, journal form. Its funny and a little sad. Danille is always putting herself down and think she doesn't deserves to be loved. Towards the end you will see she went through something tragic that made her the way she is now. 

Likes: 

• The Characters are likable and funny.
• Danielle likes to read and dress up as characters
• It took me awhile to get used to the way its written, but now I can't imagine it any other way.
• Daniel was a funny character, I wasn't expecting him to be what he is (sorry I don't want to say it and spoil it) It never crossed my mind until he said it. 

Dislike:

• Danielle crush was a jerk.

Quotes I like:

• "The world is not respectable; it is mortal, tormented, confused, deluded forever; but it is shot through with beauty, with love, with glints of courage and laughter; and in these, the spirit blooms..." -George Santayana
• According to her "libraries have shelves." I told her shelves are not included in the technical definition of "library" (pg. 3)
• ...to lose myself in a fantasy, where I convince myself that someday I will be somewhere other than right here. (pg. 9)
• They want me to socialize, not have my head in a book the entire time. (pg. 15)
• But unlike life, which is why it's great to read books, everything works out for the two of them in the end. (Danielle was talking about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. pg. 19)
• There is no barrier strong enough to protect you from life. It finds you. Friends come even if you are not looking for them. Loss finds you even if you aren't ready. (pg. 199)

4 out of 5 stars

Review: (ARC) Summer on the Short Bus by Bethany Crandell

Title: Summer on the Short Bus

Author: Bethany Crandell 

Genre: Contemporary, Realistic 

Format: Paperback (ARC)

Pages: 256

Publisher: Running Press Kids 

Published: April. 1, 2014

Source: Own (won from yabookscentral)

Description: Cricket Montgomery has been thrown under the short bus. Shipped off to a summer camp by her father, Cricket is forced to play babysitter to a bunch of whiny kids—or so she thinks. When she realizes this camp is actually for teens with special needs, Cricket doubts she has what it takes to endure twenty-four hours, let alone two weeks.

Thanks to her dangerously cute co-counselor, Quinn, there may be a slim chance for survival. However, between the campers’ unpredictability and disregard for personal space, Cricket’s limits get pushed. She will have to decide if suffering through her own handicapped hell is worth a summer romance—and losing her sanity.

My Review:

I'm really in between with this book. In the beginning you see Cricket as this spoiled brat who speaks her mind. Her dad forced her to go to this camp because of something she did. But as time goes she finds out more about the camp, herself, and the Counselors. I didn't really like the romance, I loved other books where the characters fall in love in one day but this didn't catch my attention. Cricket didn't want to be in the Camp and then Quinn finds outs. I don't want to spoil anything but in the end Cricket does change. It was funny, it had me laughing at some parts.

3 out of 5 Stars

Mini Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Anna and the French Kiss (#1)

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Format: Paperback

Pages: 372

Publisher: Speak

Published: August 4, 2011

Source: Library

Description: Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend. 

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Review: I LOVED IT! All the characters were likable except the ones that weren't. Anna and St. Clair moments together were so cute, I was like hurry up and get together. It was funny, some parts had me laughing out loud. I also loved the drama and fighting, too me it was just right, a perfect balance of humor and drama. I usually hate when someone's in a realationship and another person  likes them, and they take forever to get together but this was different because the girlfriend wasn't really there. I love Stephanie Perkins writing in this.

Quotes:

• “For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.”
• “Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?”
• “I love you as certain dark things are loved, secretly, between the shadow and the soul.” 
• “Why is it that the right people never wind up together? Why are people so afraid to leave a relationship, even if they know it's a bad one?” 
• “Why do I care so much about him, and why do I wish I didn't? How can one person make me so confused all of the time?” 

5 out of 5 Stars

Read: February 26, 2014 - March 14, 2014

Review: Saving Fancesca by Melina Marchetta

Description: Francesca is stuck at St. Sebastians, a boys’ school that’s pretends it’s coed by giving the girls their own bathroom. Her only female companions are an ultra-feminist, a rumored slut, and an an impossibly dorky accordion player. The boys are no better, from Thomas who specializes in musical burping to Will, the perpetually frowning, smug moron that Francesca can’t seem to stop thinking about.
Then there’s Francesca’s mother, who always thinks she knows what’s best for Francesca—until she is suddenly stricken with acute depression, leaving Francesca lost, alone, and without an inkling who she really is. Simultaneously humorous, poignant, and impossible to put down, this is the story of a girl who must summon the strength to save her family, her social life and—hardest of all—herself.

Review: It was OK. I wasn’t really felling this book, but I pushed myself to read it because I wanted to know how it ended. I got confused at times who was talking and what the conversation was about. The Romance was kinda boring. Her Mom depression, Idk everything was just solved towards the end. It seemed rushed to me. I really wanted to read this, glad I did. But it just wasn’t the right one for me.

2 out of 5 Stars

Read: September. 15, 2013 - September. 24, 2013

Review: Saving Max by Antoinette Van Heugten

Description: Max Parkman;autistic and whip-smart, emotionally fragile and aggressive—is perfect in his mother’s eyes. Until he's accused of murder.
Attorney Danielle Parkman knows her teenage son Max’s behavior has been getting worse—using drugs and lashing out. But she can't accept the diagnosis she receives at a top-notch adolescent psychiatric facility that her son is deeply disturbed. Dangerous.

Until she finds Max, unconscious and bloodied, beside a patient who has been brutally stabbed to death.

Trapped in a world of doubt and fear, barred from contacting Max, Danielle clings to the belief that her son is innocent. But has she, too, lost touch with reality? Is her son really a killer?

With the justice system bearing down on them, Danielle steels herself to discover the truth, no matter what it is. She’ll do whatever it takes to find the killer and to save her son from being destroyed by a system that’s all too eager to convict him
.
Review:  Here (WARNING, MAJOR SPOILER) IF YOU ARE GOING TO READ THIS BOOK, DO NOT READ THIS.
(NO SPOILERS HERE) I loved the book, great pace, the suspence was really great. the end was surprising. great details. I could not put it down. (I read on the authors blog and she said she is working on a sequel. I CAN NOT wait for that!)

5 out of 5 Stars
Read: August. 20, 2013 - August 22, 2013 2:20am

Review: Boy Toy by Barry Lyga

Description: Josh Mendel has a secret. Unfortunately, everyone knows what it is.
Five years ago, Josh’s life changed. Drastically. And everyone in his school, his town—seems like the world—thinks they understand. But they don’t—they can’t. And now, about to graduate from high school, Josh is still trying to sort through the pieces. First there’s Rachel, the girl he thought he’d lost years ago. She’s back, and she’s determined to be part of his life, whether he wants her there or not.Then there are college decisions to make, and the toughest baseball game of his life coming up, and a coach who won’t stop pushing Josh all the way to the brink. And then there’s Eve. Her return brings with it all the memories of Josh’s past. It’s time for Josh to face the truth about what happened.
If only he knew what the truth was …

Review: The Book was well written. It talks about a major issue that happens in real life. I read this a day and finished at 1am. Could not put it down. I can’t believe Josh was worrying about this teacher who molested him, about what she’s doing after she got out of jail. And that he still blames himself even though it wasn’t his fault. He was young boy going through puberty and had a crush on his teacher, she saw that and took advantage of that. She manipulated him into thinking that he loved her and she loved him. She took his teen years from him and a lot more. I can’t believe his parents, they made me mad, all they would do is yell and his mom was seeing someone else. They didn’t find it weird that their son was spending time at his teacher house. I also hear about teachers having sex with kids and it makes me cringe, I don’t understand why they do that. Never Want too. I was annoyed when Josh kept boosting about his batting average and other baseball numbers. Disappointed he lost his friendship with Zik and how it just ended. I was more interested to read the past about Josh and Eve and how everyone found out their secret. When he last saw Eve, I’m glad that nothing happened. I was scared because he wanted her to touch him. I’m glad he found closure and found love for Rachel. I didn’t really like Rachel in the beggining, but I she lost a friend and someone she liked. In the end I liked her because she was trying to encourage Josh. I was annoyed when Josh kept boosting about his batting average and other baseball numbers. I’m also glad he choose to follow his dream.

4 out of 5 Stars
Read: August. 22, 2013 - August. 23, 2013 1:20am

My Realistic Fiction

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

Description: Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan’s life. Having missed her flight, she’s stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley’s never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport’s cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he’s British, and he’s sitting in her row. 

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it. 

My Review: I really liked it. Hadley grew on me. She felt abandoned by her father who never came back from a buisness trip in England and falling in love with a another women while still being married. That was wrong. Charlotte was nice, for some reason I knew she wasn’t going to be mean. I was surprised by Oliver going to his Dad’s funeral and about what his dad did. That was a sad moment. I loved the moments between Hadley and Oliver, but I wish there was more. Now I need to go to the Airport and maybe find the Love of my life :)

4 out of 5 stars

Read: August. 5 - August. 7 2013 2:42 am

Review: Forbidden

Description: Seventeen-year-old Lochan and sixteen-year-old Maya have always felt more like friends than siblings. Together they have stepped in for their alcoholic, wayward mother to take care of their three younger siblings. As defacto parents to the little ones, Lochan and Maya have had to grow up fast. And the stress of their lives--and the way they understand each other so completely--has also also brought them closer than two siblings would ordinarily be. So close, in fact, that they have fallen in love. Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right. As the novel careens toward an explosive and shocking finale, only one thing is certain: a love this devastating has no happy ending.

My Review: It's 2:00am and I just finished this book. I don't think I can read another book for weeks. This book will always be on my mind. I don't really have anything to say. It was good, crazy. I couldn't wait to get to the ending and now that I did, I don't even know what to think right now. I have a headache and feel like crying. If you haven't read it, READ IT!!

5 out of 5 Starts

Read: April.16 - April.18, 2013

Review: Chopsticks

Description: After her mother died, Glory retreated into herself and her music. Her single father raised her as a piano prodigy, with a rigid schedule and the goal of playing sold-out shows across the globe. Now, as a teenager, Glory has disappeared. As we flash back to the events leading up to her disappearance, we see a girl on the precipice of disaster. Brilliant and lonely, Glory is drawn to an artistic new boy, Frank, who moves in next door. The farther she falls, the deeper she spirals into madness. Before long, Glory is unable to play anything but the song "Chopsticks."

But nothing is what it seems, and Glory's reality is not reality at all. In this stunningly moving novel told in photographs, pictures, and words, it's up to the reader to decide what is real, what is imagined, and what has been madness all along....

My Review: ** spoiler alert ** I didn't hate it or really like it, so I'm in between. At first I was a bit confused but as I read or looked at the pictures more I got. Glory and Frank fall in love. Glory father takes her to Europe to play piano. She doesn't like it, misses Frank. Frank hates the school. He hates living in the Bronx. He wants to leave and wants Glory to follow him. I think Glory was pressured into playing piano because of her dad and not wanting her to see Frank. So as I can see at the end, she goes to Argentina where Frank said he was going back home too. I would be wrong but that's how I seen it.

2 out of 5 Stars

Read: April.14 - April.14, 2013

Review: My Misadventures as a Teenage Rock Star

Description: Rock ’n’ roll isn’t just about sex and drugs. It’s about self-expression, lasting friendships, and self-empowerment. That’s what Alex learns after she starts playing bass for a rock band in this almost true story. Joyce Raskin, author and musician, culls from her memories to create this funny, touching, and honest look at what it’s like to be a teenager, a girl, and a rock star all at the same time. 

Also included are a note from the author, instructions on how to play basic guitar chords, advice on songwriting, and more!

My Review: I didn't like the main character and this book just wasn't for me. I stopped reading it. 

1 out of 5 stars

Read: April.11 - April.16, 2013