June 30, 2014

Monthly Review: June.

June has been absolutely crazy! My first year in college came to an end, I went on a road trip across the state with my friends, and a lot more that I can't even think of right now. June has been a busy month for me, and I did my absolute best to keep up with reading as well as blogging.

I know, that I didn't post a giveaway, like my new years resolution said I would, but NO WORRIES! I'm posting two in July instead! Also I have yet to pick the winners for the four ARC giveaway from May. I will be doing that as well as posting those two giveaways before the end of the week.

So let's take a look at what happened at Turning Pages this month!

Book Reviews:

Big Fat DisasterTiger's Voyage (The Tiger Saga, #3)Tiger's Destiny (The Tiger Saga, #4)Gone (Dream Catcher, #3)


Just One Day (Just One Day, #1)Because of Low (Sea Breeze, #2)


It's Monday, What Am I Reading:

Changeling (Order of Darkness #1)Just One Day (Just One Day, #1)If I Stay (If I Stay, #1)


Wednesday Memes:

Ruin and Rising (Grisha Trilogy Series #3)ComplicitSinner (Wolves of Mercy Falls/Shiver Series)


This Week's New YA Releases:

On the Fence by Kasie West: Book CoverWhen You Were Here by Daisy Whitney: Book CoverSiege and Storm (Grisha Trilogy Series #2) by Leigh Bardugo: Book CoverRight of Way by Lauren Barnholdt: Book Cover


Other:



It's Monday, What Am I Reading?

If I Stay (If I Stay, #1)Title: If I Stay.
Author: Gayle Forman.
Summary:

"On a day that started like any other,

Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, admiring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. In an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left. It is the most important decision she'll ever make.

Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting, and ultimately uplifting story about memory, music, living, dying, loving."

My Thoughts So Far:

I haven't gotten into this one yet, with having finished reading Just One Year this morning. I plan on spending the rest of the night in bed with this book. I'm excited to see what my friend Shawnee and ALL other book bloggers loved so much about this book! This is the book I've been looking forward to the most in this Gayle Forman reading week!

Have you read this one? Do you want to go see the movie? Have you seen the trailer yet!!?


June 29, 2014

Audio Book Review: Because of Low.

Because of Low (Sea Breeze, #2)Title: Because of Low.
Author: Abbi Glines.
Series: Yes, #2.
Source: Publisher.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster.
Published Date: 2/7/12.
Links:
Book Depository
Goodreads

Summary:

"Playboy Cage owns the apartment, and he hosts a revolving door of people, in and out, at all times. Most of them are long-legged hot girls who are never there more than a night or two. When Cage’s new roommate, Marcus, enters the picture, he’s just looking to nurse a broken heart. But there’s one particular semi-frequent regular who catches his eye.

Willow—“Low”—is the one Cage wants to marry. But the two of them are night and day, and Marcus can’t see how Low puts up with all of Cage’s womanizing. What she really needs is a real man....like good-looking and sensible Marcus. But that’s going to get real complicated and real messy—real fast."

My Thoughts:

Because of Low, is the second installment in the Sea Breeze series, and follows the romance between Marcus and Willow.

Neither of the two are living perfect lives. While Willow has struggled through most of her life, and has just gotten kicked out of her sister's house, Marcus has had it pretty good, up until his dad was caught having an affair.

Willow is looking for somewhere to live, and Cage's apartment seems to be the only place open to her. She knows how Cage is, and that he chases any type of female to their bed, but she also knows that he will always be there for her. They have a weird kind of relationship, but Cage is very protective and caring over Willow.

Marcus on the other hand is moving back home from college to help his sister, get their mother through this horrible divorce. He doesn't want to live at home, so he decided to rent an apartment with a roommate.

Just so happens to be that his roommate is Cage. When he sees Willow and her extremely bright red hair, he can't help to realize just how pretty this girl is...but also that Cage doesn't deserve a girl like her.

The two quickly become close, when both of them start to spend a lot of time at the apartment, but both agree that they should respect Cage's position in this entire situation.

Things seem to be going pretty good, until Willow and Marcus discover they have a lot more in common than they could have ever imagined. It's Marcus's choice between his family or Willow....which will he choose?

....read the book...

Final Verdict:

I have to admit, that Abbi Glines's books are my secret obsession. For some reason I'm into the whole love, drama, and back to love again. I can't seem to get enough of it.

There are a lot of characters in this series, especially because new ones are introduced in every installment, and are brought back up again in later books. So while I guess you don't have to read these ones in order, I TOTALLY recommend you do!

Willow was down to earth, which all (main) girls in this series are; I LOVE it! I like her relationship with Marcus, but I also find her relationship with Cage interesting. She knows that he sleeps around A LOT, but she knows that she can ALWAYS rely on him. Cage and Willow have been close since they were young, and his position as her protector has existed since then.

Marcus wasn't the usual rough and tough guy that you see featured in this series; that only open up to the girl they love. But Marcus also cares a lot about his family. Even though his father cheated, you can tell he doesn't want to give up on him. Marcus obviously cares a lot about his mother and sister, but he completely melts my heart when he starts taking care of Willow's niece as well.

The ending? Don't even get me started! There was a MASSIVE twist, which I didn't really see coming, but that shattered, not only Marcus and Willow's worlds, but also mine. And then the real ending was so perfect and glued my heart back to where it originally was!

I love this series, and I'm excited to get started on the upcoming books!


June 27, 2014

Gayle Forman Reading Update #2.

It's been a few days, and with a camping trip behind me, with summer classes just starting, and with my brother's girlfriend coming over to visit, along with a few other things (like my dad's birthday) I've been able to almost finish reading Just One Year!


Though I called it "Gayle Forman Reading Week" I plan on going until I finished all four books, even if that doesn't happen in exactly a week!

With only a few chapters left in Just One Year, I can easily say that I enjoyed Just One Day, but am enjoying Just One Year EVEN more! I like when stories take place in multiple narratives, but I find it interesting that two books are used to basically tell the same story.

In my review of Just One Day, I wrote that I liked Willem, but I'm really not into foreign guys, especially ones that are players. I started this second book, and read most of it with that same idea of Willem in my head, but throughout the last half of the book, it quickly changed.

As the reader you get to see a different side of Willem, that girls and his friends don't, and sometime he himself doesn't either.

I can't talked about the ending just yet (I'm saving that for my review), because I haven't gotten to it!

Have you read these books? What was your first impression on Willem? What about after reading Just One Year?


This Week's New YA Releases!

Welcome to Turning Pages!

This is a meme hosted here at Turning Pages, showcasing all of the new YA books coming out within the next seven days. Interested in any of the books mentioned below? Click on the books title, it'll take you to that book's Book Depository page, where you'll be able to read more about it!

Paperback:

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick: Book CoverOn the Fence by Kasie West: Book CoverBetween the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke: Book CoverDream Boy by Madelyn Rosenberg: Book Cover


Vortex (Insignia Series #2) by S. J. Kincaid: Book CoverA Midsummer Night's Scream by R. L. Stine: Book CoverThe Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafón: Book Cover


Hardback:

Sinner (Wolves of Mercy Falls/Shiver Series) by Maggie Stiefvater: Book CoverThe Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson: Book Cover



June 25, 2014

Book Review: Just One Day

Just One Day (Just One Day, #1)Title: Just One Day.
Author: Gayle Forman.
Series: Yes, #1.
Pages: 368.
Source: Purchased.
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile.
Published Date: 1/8/13.
Links:
Book Depository
Goodreads

Summary:

"When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines."

My Thoughts:

Just One Day, follows Allyson's one crazy adventurous day in Paris with a complete stranger named Willem. She doesn't have any idea who he is, except that he a Dutch actor and takes part in a street play of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Allyson's friend has a weird feeling about this, but lets her go ahead anyways, but only with the promise of being back the next day.

Allyson has felt like a tourist her entire trip, looking at monuments, learning about each and every statue, and walking in a big group of other teenagers also taking this trip. But for the first time in the last two or three weeks, Willem is showing her a different side to Europe, one you can't see on a tourist trip.

After a day filled with sight seeing, eating, and roaming the streets of Paris, the two settle down for night, and get close. Within only a few hours Allyson explains her feelings to Willem, and knows that this is love at first sight. What seems like the perfect end to their day, comes shattering down, when Allyson wakes up, and realizes that Willem isn't there anymore, and that all of his stuff is gone.

Trying to find him, and calling out his name, Allyson doesn't know what to do, and where to go. Willem is gone, she's in Paris, and can't speak a word of French. Allyson has no other option but to call the tourist group leader, and hope that she can help.

Months have gone by, and Allyson isn't exactly living the college dream, but struggling through it. She knows what she has to do, and she can feel the pressuring building up from her mom. But college, and her mom's pushiness doesn't keep her mind from wandering back to the summer time, and back to that one day.

Allyson knows she shouldn't think about it, her best friend told her many times not to, but she can't help but wonder what REALLY happened. If she got the chance to go back to Paris, would she? Would she be able to handle all the memories that will come swimming back?

Final Verdict:

I wasn't too sure how Gayle Forman would pull of the story focusing on one single day, but Just One Day spends the first half of the book, on a single day in Paris. Then second half of the book, skims through months of college, what ifs, regrets and memories. I actually liked the way this book was organized, and that we got the full taste of the one perfect and happy day, and kind of quickly went through the months of pain and sad days.

My first assumption of Allyson was, DANG SHE'S CRAZY, SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THE GUY!! She's on this trip that her mom basically made her go to, and hasn't had one bit of fun the entire time. Then after saying two things to a guy, and watching him street perform, she decides to head off with him (by herself) to spend an entire day (including a night) in Paris! Isn't that just crazy?

But after being introduced to Allyson's uptight mom, who wants to control every single aspect of her life, I quickly understood why she did it!

Besides Allyson, I also liked her best friend, her dad, her grandmother, and Dee! I'm a little sad that Allyson and her best friend kind of parted ways after their trip, but I still really liked her at the beginning of the book. Both Allyson's grandmother and dad, bring some humor into the story when it comes to her over controlling mother. Dee on the other hand is my absolute favorite character, simply because he is so different, but also SO comfortable in his own skin!

Overall, Just One Day was a really good read! The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, but the GOOD kind! If I wasn't already reading Just One Year, I would be telling you just how EXCITED I am to get my hands on it!


Waiting on Wednesday

Sinner (Wolves of Mercy Falls/Shiver Series)Title: Sinner.
Author: Maggie Stiefvater.
Summary:

"Cole St. Clair has come to California for one reason: to get Isabel Culpeper back. She fled from his damaged, drained life, and damaged and drained it even more. He doesn't just want her. He needs her.

lost.

Isabel is trying to build herself a life in Los Angeles. It's not really working. She can play the game as well as all the other fakes. But what's the point? What is there to win?

sinner.

Cole and Isabel share a past that never seemed to have a future. They have the power to love each other and the power to tear each other apart. The only thing for certain is that they cannot let go."

Release Date: 7/1/14.

Why I'm Waiting:

UHM! I LOVED Maggive Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy! And I have been dying to read more of her writing!! When I saw this book, and heard that it was coming out, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I have to say that I'm not a fan of the cover (at all), I'm pretty excited to see Cole and Isabel's story; it sounds SOO good!


June 21, 2014

Gayle Forman Reading Update #1

Yes, I've dedicated an entire week (or so, probably more) to reading nothing but books written by Gayle Forman. Why? Because If I Stay is coming out in theaters at the end of August, and I had yet to read any of her books.

Already a few days into the week, I haven't been able to read as much as planned, because of a vacation I took with friends. I was hoping to maybe read during the long car ride, but didn't really get the chance. But since I've been back, I've been reading non-stop (between unpacking, cleaning, and trying to get back into my workout schedule).

With only a few pages left, I'm almost finished reading Just One Day! And plan on getting a good way into Just One Year tonight!


Just One Day (Just One Day, #1)

Just One Day has a 4.08 rating on Goodreads, and has numerous AMAZING reviews throughout the book blogging world; absolutely everyone seems to be loving, just like the rest of Gayle Forman's books!

I'm one of those people.

I'll have to admit, I wasn't too sure how I was going to feel about this one at the beginning. Allyson is a quiet girl, does all the right things to please her parents, but out of nowhere decides to take off with a strange to spend the day in Paris with him.

But after reading a bit more, because I couldn't put the book down, I started seeing why Allyson did what she did, and the repercussions of the choices she made. It's interesting and emotional.

Like I said, I still have a few pages to read, and I want this to be more of update and not an entire review, so I guess I'll just leave it at that! But I did find a few quotes that were either interesting or made me laugh....

"I clap until my hands sting. I clap as if doing so can prolong the evening, can translate form Twelfth Night into Twenty-Fourth Night. I clap so that I can hold on to this feeling. I clap because I know what will happen when I stop. It's the same thing that happens when I turn off a really good movie-one that I've lost myself to-which is that I'll be thrown back to my own reality and something hollow will settle in my chest."

"'La beaute est une enchanteresse, et la bonne foi qui s'expose a ses charmes se dissount en sang.' he says. 'It's from Much Ado About Nothing.' 'What does it mean?' Willem gives me that look of his, licks his lips, smiles. 'You'll have to look it up.'"

"'Tell your grandma to send some more of those twisty ones [cookies] with the poppy seeds.' 'Rugelach.' 'I can't say it. I just eat it.' 'I'll tell her.'"


This Week's New YA Releases

Welcome to Turning Pages!

This is a meme hosted here at Turning Pages, showcasing all of the new YA books coming out within the next seven days. Interested in any of the books mentioned below? Click on the books title, it'll take you to that book's Book Depository page, where you'll be able to read more about it!

Paperback:

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga: Book CoverA Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard: Book CoverWise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin: Book CoverWhen You Were Here by Daisy Whitney: Book Cover


Poison by Molly Cochran: Book CoverAwkwardly Ever After by Marni Bates: Book CoverHereafter (A Shadowlands Novel) by Kate Brian: Book CoverUnder the Empyrean Sky by Chuck Wendig: Book Cover


Hardback:

In the End by Demitria Lunetta: Book CoverLicense to Spill (Pretenders Series #2) by Lisi Harrison: Book CoverComplicit by Stephanie Kuehn: Book Cover