Book Review: Faking Normal.

Title: Faking Normal.
Author: Courtney C. Stevens.
Series: No.
Pages: 321.
Source: For Review (Me My Shelf and I)
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books.
Published Date: 2/25/14.
Links:
Goodreads.
Barnes and Noble

Summary:

"An edgy, realistic, and utterly captivating novel from an exciting new voice in teen fiction.

Alexi Littrell hasn't told anyone what happened to her over the summer. Ashamed and embarrassed, she hides in her closet and compulsively scratches the back of her neck, trying to make the outside hurt more than the inside does.

When Bodee Lennox, the quiet and awkward boy next door, comes to live with the Littrells, Alexi discovers an unlikely friend in "the Kool-Aid Kid," who has secrets of his own. As they lean on each other for support, Alexi gives him the strength to deal with his past, and Bodee helps her find the courage to finally face the truth."

My Thoughts:

It’s been months since the summer, and Alexi Littrell is still trying to deal with and overcome what has been done to her. She can’t sleep through a single night, or go through a day without thinking or being reminded of it. Alexi can’t tell anyone, she’s embarrassed and afraid of what people might say and think of her, as well as the consequences that come along with talking.

Faking Normal starts with Alexi, and her family attending her mom’s best friend’s funeral. She was abused and murdered by her own husband, sending him to jail, and leaving her two sons behind to fend for themselves. Alexi was never close to Bodee, even though their moms were good friends. Her family decides to let him move into the extra bedroom above their garage, so that way he will be able to finish the school year.

Alexi and her two friends take Bodee under their wing. Alexi starts to become closer with Bodee and even spends quality time with him. Who would have known that she can talk to quiet, shy, kool-aid kid? Tell him things she couldn’t even tell her family or close friends? No one knew, not even Alexi, herself.

Alexi has never been in a relationship before, but spends most of her time swooning over Captain Lyrics. A boy she writes song lyrics to on her fourth period desk, and who replies by finishing them. But Alexi’s best friend, Heather, doesn’t believe in Captain Lyrics and tries to get Alexi to go out with Hayden, a football player.

When she finally agrees to date Hayden, Alexi learns that he isn’t anything what Heather described him to be. He’s conceded, makes fun of Bodee, and drinks…A LOT! When he pulls her outside of the dance, and takes her to his truck, he starts kissing her, and lies on top of her. Alexi doesn’t like it, and it brings back memories of the horrible experience she had in the summer. She doesn’t want this, but for some reason she can’t get herself to say no, or say anything at all. She’s choked up and stuck.

Until someone yanks Hayden off her, and starts punching him…it’s Bodee.

At that moment Alexi realizes just how important he is to her, and just how broken the two of them are. But in a strange way perfect for each other. Bodee doesn’t push the subject and doesn’t ask her questions, or say useless sorry-feeling things that don’t mean anything. Bodee helps Alexi finds the confidence to leave Hayden in the dirt, to tell her family of what happened to her in the summer so she can finally become herself again.

Faking Normal is a story of heartache, friendship, true love, and finding yourself all over again!

When I was asked to review this book, I was suckered in by the intriguing synopsis! I was dying to find out what happened to Alexi and who was involved. I did my best to ignore the weird cover, and I’m glad I did because I ABSOLUTELY enjoyed the story inside!

The characters were phenomenal, Alexi was so strong for trying to handle this on her own, and brave for finally letting someone in about what happened. Bodee was the perfect guy to tell. He knew what kind of pain she was going through, even though his wasn’t exactly the same. Both Alexi and Bodee were broken, but together they made each other better, and healthier.

Throughout the story I found myself frustrated and annoyed by Alexi’s older sister. She was COMPLETELY full of herself, and always thought that Alexi was out to get her, or ruin what she had going on. Of course by the end of the book, my mind did a three sixty and I’m proud of the way she handled everything that was thrown at her.

We the readers do find out what happened with Alexi about halfway through Faking Normal, but we spend the rest of the time, discovering and dissecting clues and hints of who did it to her, as well as who Captain Lyrics is.

Such a good read, with such a heartfelt ending! I loved it!

It's Monday, What Am I Reading?

Title: Marked.
Author: P.C. & Kristin Cast.
Summary:

"The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed.  In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire -- that is, if she makes it through the Change.  Not all of those who are chosen do.  It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling.  She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx.  But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers.  When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends."

Thoughts So Far:

With March coming to an end in just a few hours, I will be spending the rest of might night finishing up Marked! This is a series that I've started years ago, but never got around to finishing. After much thought and organization, I've decided to re-read some of the books and continue reading the series! After reading most of the book, I now remember why I was gulping these down in only a night or two! Love Zoey! Excited to write my review!

Monthly Review: March.

Welcome to Turning Pages!

2014 has just been flying by, I can't believe its already April! And that my spring break is officially over today...it's so sad...I already cried about it these last few days, so I won't cry about it anymore right now.

But I'm excited for the new month, because I can look back at all the posts I wrote, as well as start on my new TBR. Here's what I did this month!

Book Reviews:

Shadowfell, by Juliet Marillier.

Smart Girls's Guide to God, Guys and the Galaxy, by Susie Shellenberger.

Don't Even Think About It, by Sarah Mlynowski.

Mind Games, by Kiersten White.

Perfect Lies, by Kiersten White.

The Death Cure, by James Dashner.

It's Monday, What Am I Reading:

March 3, 2014.

March 10, 2014.

March 17, 2014.

March 24, 2014.

Wednesday Memes:

Waiting on Wednesday (March 5, 2014).

WWW Wednesday (March 5, 2014).

Waiting on Wednesday (March 12, 2014).

WWW Wednesday (March 12, 2014).

Waiting on Wednesday (March 19, 2014).

WWW Wednesday (March 19, 2014).

Waiting on Wednesday (March 26, 2014).

WWW Wednesday (March 26, 2014).

This Week's New YA Releases:

March 1, 2014.

March 8, 2014.

March 15. 2014.

March 22, 2014.

March 29, 2014.

Book Hauls:

March 9, 2014.

March 18, 2014.

Other:

TBR March

Boys Boys Boys

Books to Movies

March Giveaway

Blog Tour Playing Pretend

The Maze Runner Movie Trailer

Giveaway Winner

Reviews on Youtube

This Week's New YA Releases!

Welcome to Turning Pages!

Paperback:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Saenz.

Inferno, by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Daylighters, by Rachel Caine.

Dark Triumph, by Robin LaFevers.

The Fall, by Robert Muchamore.

Panic, by Sharon M. Draper.

Thousand Words, by Jennifer Brown.

Reboot, by Amy Tintera.

The Grass Is Always Greener, by Jen Calonita.

Truth or Dare, by Jaqueline Green.

Going Vintage, by Lindsey Leavitt.

Hardback:

Illusion, by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Dorothy Must Die, by Danielle.

The Ring and the Crown, by Melissa de la Cruz.

Love Letters to the Dead, by Aca Dellaira.

The Last Forever, by Deb Caletti.

Salvage, by Alexandra Duncan.

Sekret, by Lindsay Smith.

Cold Calls, by Charles Benoit.

Book Review: The Death Cure

Title: The Death Cure.
Author: James Dashner.
Series: Yes, #4.
Pages:325.
Source: Purchased.
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers.
Published Date: 10/11/11.
Links:
Goodreads.
Barnes and Noble.

Summary:

"Thomas knows that Wicked can't be trusted, but they say the time for lies is over, that they've collected all they can from the Trials and now must rely on the Gladers, with full memories restored, to help them with their ultimate mission. It's up to the Gladers to complete the blueprint for the cure to the Flare with a final voluntary test.

What Wicked doesn't know is that something's happened that no Trial or Variable could have foreseen. Thomas has remembered far more than they think. And he knows that he can't believe a word of what Wicked says.

The time for lies is over. But the truth is more dangerous than Thomas could ever imagine.
Will anyone survive the Death Cure?"

My Thoughts:

With The Maze Runner coming out in just mere months, and having read The Death Cure many weeks ago, I figured it was about time I started writing my review and finally have it posted. I guess it took me so long to force myself to sit down and start discussing my opinions, because I had no clue what my opinions were!

I absolutely loved The Maze Runner, SO MUCH that I even forced my boyfriend, who NEVER reads, to read it, and tell me everything think he thought about it. When it came to The Scorch Trials, I loved it just as much! I was so happy that there were no signs of second book syndrome, and I gulped that one down just as quickly as I did with The Maze Runner...still trying to convince my boyfriend to read it...

But when it came to The Death Cure I was nervous. Many bloggers said that they didn't find this one as satisfying as they did the first two, and were disappointed in it. After reading The Death Cure, and knowing what all those reviews were talking about, I see where they were coming from.

The Death Cure takes off right where The Scorch Trials ends, the Gladers are at the WICKED facility where they are offered their fully restored memories through a surgical procedure. At first Rat Face gives them the option to opt out, and keep their memories in the past. But after only three Gladers decide to deny his offer, Thomas, Newt and Minho, Rat Face gives them a rough wake up call the next day, by strapping them into the surgery chair anyways.

Thomas is completely surrounded by guards and knows that there is no way out of this, even Brenda and Jose who Thomas relied on are actually working for WICKED. But before he can even register, Brenda has a plan to get him, and the two others out.

The five escaped, realizing that Teresa and the other Gladers have already left as well. When the group of five run into Gally, and are informed that he works for a rebellion group called The Right Arm, they discuss their plans of taking WICKED down, and Thomas plays a huge role in it.

Thomas is supposed to go back to the WICKED compound and sacrifice himself for science and when he does he discovers that more munies (people who are immune to the flare) have been captured and sent into the maze. The Right Arm wants to blow the whole place up, and even after being offered a train ride to safety, Thomas knows he has to save his friends, and the people in the maze....

Final Verdict:

OHH GOODNESS, where do I start?

There was so much that happened in this book and I have no idea how I'm going to fit it all into a single review, without it being ten miles long. So I'll keep it short and make bullet lists.

What I LOVED:

• Thomas! As always, he was amazing! In The Death Cure, Thomas did have a few tough things to do and watch. He had to witness his best friend, Newt turn into a Crank and shoot him in his head (Newt asked him to), and he watched the girl he was crushing on in the first two books die.
• Brenda and Jose, and the fact that they were actually working for WICKED! I had no idea, and I would have never guessed!
• That Gally came back, and played a pretty BIG role!
• But most of all I loved that we got to see some of the outside world. That we witnessed how things were being run between munies and cranks being seperated. That the Right Arm was rebelling and planning to take down WICKED. I liked going outside of the maze, to see the world Thomas and the Gladers were living in and facing!

What confused me:

• The Gladers not wanting their memories back. I understand that no one wants Rat Face working on their brains, but who wouldn't want their memories back? The entire first two and even the third book, you wonder what happened to you, who you are, and why you're even a part of this, but given the chance you don't want to find out? HUH?
• Thomas's lady friends. Thomas had a thing for Teresa most of the first book and second, and had a thing for Brenda in the second and third book. But how can you just skip away, holding hands with Brenda, right after Teresa died? Thomas spent so much time contemplating and thinking about both of them, that I feel Teresa sacrificed herself, to let Thomas be with Brenda? Just a weird way to go. "Oh Teresa, she's dead, want to go out now Brenda?" "Teresa, who?"
• The government and it's choices. Why would the government release this Flare, to "control" people...without ever testing it? Without ever learning what some of the side effects would be? Like...I don't know...turning into a CRANK!!

Final Comments:

• I want to read The Kill Order!! This story revolves around two different main characters when the Flare first started to spread! I'm dying to see how the world came to such a horrible state! 
• Is it September YET?
• Uhh, once I watch The Maze Runner, I can die happy...!

WWW Wednesday

Welcome to Turning Pages!

What am I currently reading?

Just last night I started reading Big Fat Disaster, by Beth Fehlbaum. Only ten percent into it, and so much has already happened! I already hate Colby's sister, despise her mom, and really feel for Colby's entire situation. I'm interested in seeing what will happen now that her father has packed his bags, both with Colby's family and with his government election. Have you read Big Fat Disaster yet? Let me know what you think!

What did I just finish reading?

Yesterday, before diving into Big Fat Disaster I finished reading Gone, by Lisa McMann. I enjoyed the first two books in the Dream Catcher series, and I enjoyed this one as while. But not as much. I felt that Gone spent a lot of the time, tying up loose ends for Janie's family and relationships, instead of focusing on her powers. My review should be up in the near future.

What do I plan on reading next?

Depending on how soon I finish reading Big Fat Disaster, I will either be reading a book from this month's TBR pile or from next month's. If it's from the March TBR pile, it will either be Marked by P.C. & Kristin Cast, and/or Perfect by Sara Shepard! Excited to continue both of these series.

Waiting on Wednesday

Title: Love Letters to the Dead.
Author: Ava Dellaira.
Summary:

"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."

Release Date: 4/1/14.

Why I'm Waiting: What am I not waiting for in Love Letters to the Dead! The entire book sounds interesting, heartbreaking, and truly inspiring! I'm excited to see what she tells May and Kurt in her letters, and to watch Laurel accept what has happen to her, and finally be able to overcome it. I haven't read a book from Ava Dellaira but this one sounds truly amazing!

Reviews? On Youtube?

As some of you might know, or have realized, I've started making Youtube videos. AND I know that they aren't the best and they aren't edited perfectly! BUUT I'm working on it and learning new things every day!

I enjoy showing the books I purchased and the books that I plan on reading for the upcoming month, its just MUCH more fun than simply posting pictures and the link to Goodreads. But after making a few videos I've been considering making more, besides Book Hauls and TBRs.

Some video ideas:

• Series Review. I would much rather review single books on my blog, and be able to write down my complete feelings and thoughts. I feel like reviewing one book at a time on video would be kind of boring, so instead I figured I would review series, once I've completed them. 
• Giveaways. I like posting giveaways on my blog, I think they are so much fun! In 2014 I set a goal for myself to have at least one giveaway each and every single month of the year. Quite a few people enter, and fill out the rafflecopter, but I feel that making a video, and posting it, will spread the word much farther!
• Read-a-longs. This one, right now, is still REALLY high in the air. I like the idea of multiple people reading the same book, at the same time, and being able to discuss it. But I have no clue how I would accomplish doing this.

So those are just a few ideas. I've decided to go ahead a record a series review, just to test it out and see how it goes.

Mind Games & Perfect Lies Review

PLEASE! Let me know what you think. I'm still working a lot of things out, like recording, getting comfortable in front of the camera, editing, and how exactly I want to do these video reviews. Also if you have any other video ideas, I would love to hear your suggestions! Thank you!