Review for Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: September 29th 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Books Made of Awesome
Rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Bought

Goodreads Summary:
"Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.


When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door."

Review
Stephanie Perkins. Wow. This lady and her books blow my mind. Stephanie Perkins doesn’t just write a book, she creates actual magic. Seriously it’s like she has a check list of all the things that would make THE perfect book throws them all in a pot, adds her secret Stephanie sparkle and ta da! Result the kind of books girls could only ever dream about- until now.

Last year I was blown away by Stephanie’s debut Anna and the French Kiss. I thought never could there be a more perfect contemporary read and then along came Lola in her combat boots and Marie Antoinette dress. Guys I LOVED it, and I heart it so much harder than Anna. I knew I was going to love this book but no way did I expect it to surpass my affections for Anna and the smart arse but oh so sexy St Clair but it totally did you wanna know why? Two words, Cricket Bell.

So let me just talk to you guys about Cricket. I love him. I love him so much that every time I walk past this book on my bookshelf I have to pick it up and hug it. You can all keep your Etienne St Clair because Cricket is MINE. Seriously I know I’m totally fan girling right now but Cricket is SUCH a good guy. The nicest guy you’ll ever read about. You know in all of those books where the hot sexy guy gets the girl and the sweet best friend who’s loved her forever goes home with his tail between his legs? Well this book is about the nice guy, the kind of guy your parents would want you to date, coming first for once and doing it for the good guys! *Fist pumps for the good guys.* I loved that about this book and I don’t just want my own Cricket I want Cricket, period.

Lola and the Boy Next Door has the sweetest love story. It’s the story of two best friends falling in love. It’s about the guy you grew up with who knows everything about you good and bad and wants to take you out anyway. It’s about that guy who sees you dancing around your room in your PJ’s with no make-up on and flat hair and loves that version of you best. Lola and Crickets story has this innocence and pureness to it that I loved so much more than Anna and St Clair’s story and whilst this book features them as secondary characters after a while I was like “Anna who? Go back to Lola and Cricket I want more of them!”

I loved Lola and I loved Cricket, I loved the writing, the plot, basically everything about this book. Every page was perfect and I couldn’t get enough. I actually read the last few chapters with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat and when I read the last sentence (the most perfect and romantic sentence in history!) I just burst into tears and cried over it and thought about it forever. But I wasn’t crying because I was sad. This book made me so happy that I cried great big happy tears. I mean can I get any clearer than that about how much I loved this book? Lola and the Boy Next Door is a special, special story and whilst I’m excited for the next and last companion novel to Anna and Lola, Isla and the Happily Ever After I kind of just want it to be called Lola, Cricket and the Happily Ever After and to read book after book about them forever. Stephanie Perkins please would you fuel my addiction? But in the meantime whilst I’m waiting for my bookish fantasies to come true I’ll be re-reading Lola and the Boy Next Door over and over and will be raving about it like a fan girl to everyone I meet. This book has brought out my crazy book nerd you have been warned.

Review for Soul Beach by Kate Harrison

Soul Beach by Kate Harrison
Publisher: Indigo
Release Date: 1st September 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Goodreads Summary:
"When Alice Forster receives an email from her dead sister she assumes it must be a sick practical joke. Then an invitation arrives to the virtual world of Soul Beach, an idyllic online paradise of sun, sea and sand where Alice can finally talk to her sister again - and discover a new world of friendships, secrets and maybe even love . . . . But why is Soul Beach only inhabited by the young, the beautiful and the dead? Who really murdered Megan Forster? And could Alice be next?"

Review
As soon as I heard about Soul Beach I just knew it would be a book that I was going to love. This year I’ve quickly become a big fan of the young adult thriller trend and Soul Beach is up there as one of my favourites from this genre.

The book is told from sixteen year old Alice’s point of view but every so often between chapters there are a few paragraphs told from the killer’s perspective. The book actually starts off with the murderer narrating which I thought was fantastic as it jumps straight into the mystery. Right from the very first chapter you’re spooked and I was sucked into this book right away.

Soul Beach has several mysteries to it. What is Soul Beach? Who created it? Is Megan really dead? And if so who killed her and why? Will Alice be next? The book is chock full of suspense and I had no idea where this book was going or what was really going on. Soul Beach has an addictive, unique plot and I was so caught up in the story that I could hardly put it down. I couldn’t even bare to go online whilst I was reading this I was that creeped out by the seemingly perfect “paradise” of the dead online beach that at times seemed to have Alice strangely addicted.

This is the kind of book where I don’t want to go into anything too much as its important with books like this not to give too much away but I will say that I loved the end of this book. I felt that Kate Harrison gives you just enough to feel like the book has a proper ending but in a way that still leaves things open for the next two books in the trilogy. It’s also one of those clever endings that resolves some of your original questions but also opens up lots of new possibilities and leaves you with new ones in their place.

Overall I thought that Soul Beach was a unique and welcome addition to the young adult thriller genre. I didn’t want this book to end and when it did I started immediately pining for book two. If you’re looking for an original, modern day, teen thriller that will make you see social networking in a whole new light then Soul Beach is a must read!

October's Readers Choice and November Vote!

Readers Choice is my brand new feature where readers of the blog can vote for which book off my To-Be-Read pile they would like to see me read and review the following month. For more details check out my introduction post here.

October's Readers Choice is The Taker by Alma Katsu

"True love can last an eternity...but immortality comes at a price...


On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.


Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley."

The Taker was a firm favourite in last month’s vote and stormed ahead as your winner. I think this sounds like a fantastic read for the Halloween period and something very different and unusual as well! I’m really looking forward to tucking into this gothic tale and will have it read and reviewed for you soon! As always thank you to everybody who voted if your choice didn’t win this time check out this month’s nominees and have your say for next month!

November will sadly be my last Readers Choice for this year with the month after being Christmas and New Year and the month after that my birthday month I’m taking a little break with this feature but it will be making its return in February! I really love doing Readers Choice but will be taking a more relaxed approach to blogging during December and January to be able to have some well-earned chill time with my family. Keeping that in mind my theme for Novembers Readers Choice is Book’s I’ve Been Dying to Read but Just Haven’t Got Around to Yet. This month’s nominees are all books that I’m so desperate to read and with the end of the year creeping up on us I can’t believe I still haven’t gotten around to them! So what do you think? Which book do I HAVE to have read by the end of this year? This month is full of popular choices so I think it will be a close one! Voting’s open to anyone and everyone whether you’re a follower or not and you can vote once for any reason you like whether you’re interested in the book and want me to review it, loved it and want me to check it out, or simply think it sounds like the best of the bunch! All votes are very much appreciated so thank you to everyone who takes the time to fill out the form!

Novembers Readers Choice Nominees: Book’s I’ve Been Dying to Read but Just Haven’t Got Around to Yet!

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything- including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances.

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
How do you defy destiny?

Helen Hamilton has spent her entire sixteen years trying to hide how different she is—no easy task on an island as small and sheltered as Nantucket. And it's getting harder. Nightmares of a desperate desert journey have Helen waking parched, only to find her sheets damaged by dirt and dust. At school she's haunted by hallucinations of three women weeping tears of blood . . . and when Helen first crosses paths with Lucas Delos, she has no way of knowing they're destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on repeating throughout history.

As Helen unlocks the secrets of her ancestry, she realizes that some myths are more than just legend. But even demigod powers might not be enough to defy the forces that are both drawing her and Lucas together—and trying to tear them apart.

Rosebush by Michele Jaffe
Instead of celebrating Memorial Day weekend on the Jersey Shore, Jane is in the hospital surrounded by teddy bears, trying to piece together what happened last night. One minute she was at a party, wearing fairy wings and cuddling with her boyfriend. The next, she was lying near-dead in a rosebush after a hit-and-run.

Everyone believes it was an accident, despite the phone threats Jane swears were real. But the truth is a thorny thing. As Jane's boyfriend, friends, and admirers come to visit, more memories surface-not just from the party, but from deeper in her past . . . including the night her best friend Bonnie died.

With nearly everyone in her life a suspect now, Jane must unravel the mystery before her killer attacks again. Along the way, she's forced to examine the consequences of her life choices in this compulsively readable thriller

The Demon Trappers: Forsaken by Jana Oliver
Riley has always wanted to be a Demon Trapper like her father, and she's already following in his footsteps as one of the best. But it's tough being the only girl in an all-guy world, especially when three of those guys start making her life more complicated: Simon, the angelic apprentice who has heaven on his side; Beck, the tough trapper who thinks he's God's gift, and Ori, the strikingly sexy stranger who keeps turning up to save her ass.

One thing’s for sure – if she doesn’t keep her wits about her there’ll be hell to pay...

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life - and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This vote is now closed check out the results here!

Winner of Daughter of Smoke and Bone Announcement!

and the winner is as selected by Random.Org...

The Library Owl

Congratulations to the winner! I hope you love this book as much as I did. I'll be sending an email to you shortly to confirm your win please reply within the week so I can get your book sent out to you.

Big thank you's to everybody who entered!

Happy reading till next time!

Review for September’s Readers Choice Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Publisher: Corgi (Random House)
Release Date: 7th July 2011
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Paranormal, Ghosts, Witches, Romance
Rating: 2/5 stars
Source: Received from the publisher for review

Amazon Summary:
"Amy Goodnight's family are far from normal. She comes from a long line of witches, and grew up surrounded by benevolent spirits and kitchen spells. All fairly harmless, but Amy can't wait to get to college and escape the "family business".


But things take a darker turn when she and her sister Phin spend the summer looking after Aunt Hyacinth's ranch. Amy is visited by a midnight spectre who is clearly trying to send her a message. It seems that the discovery of an old grave on a neighbour's land has been the catalyst for an apparent ghost uprising.


Aided by local friends and Ben, the handsome cowboy who just can't take his eyes off Amy, the sisters investigate. And they soon find that there's something strange and dangerous going on, deep in the heart of Texas..."


Review
So it actually took me a while to get into Texas Gothic. It felt like it took a good hundred odd pages for me to really settle into the story and throughout that time I felt like giving up on this book several times. Looking back now that I’ve finished I kind of wish that I hadn’t bothered.

The thing is I just didn’t like the actual story itself. It reads a little bit like a Scooby Doo mystery and I’ve never been a fan of Scooby Doo. From the back of the book I expected a lot of cool paranormal goings on with the main character and her family being witches but to be honest they were kind of boring witches. I felt that the paranormal aspect of the book was barely there instead it was definitely more of a mystery which would have been fine except I found that side of it a bit dull as well and sussed out all the plot twists and who the bad guys were from the beginning. So the twists didn’t come as a surprise to me making the plot just feel really amateur and underdeveloped. Basically and I know this sounds harsh but the book just wasn’t all that interesting to me.

That being said I will give props where props are due. There were things I did enjoy about this book. Texas Gothic has a really hot and sexy romance between our heroine Amy and Ben the smokin’ local cowboy. The dialog between them sizzled and gave the Texas desert a run for its money in heat! I also really liked the characters especially Amy. She got on my nerves at the beginning with her so desperately wanting to be normal I found that to be a little unbelievable and irritating I mean who wouldn’t want to be a witch and be able to do super awesome spells? But as she rediscovered her Goodnight roots and started to develop an unwanted attraction to Ben I bonded with her more. Amy and Ben make a fiery, quick witted duo who I really wanted to see get together.

Overall Texas Gothic wasn’t really for me but that was mainly down to the issues I had with the plot because plots really what makes a good book for me. If you’re a plot kinda person yourself you may want to give this one a miss but if your all about the hot and sexy romance by all means give this one a go as Amy and Ben have chemistry to boot!