Day: December 15, 2014

Review: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Posted December 15, 2014 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

boys ive ever lovedRowena’s review of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

I haven’t read very many things from Jenny Han but this book is one that I’ve wanted to read for a while because the premise sounded great.

After Lara Jean’s mother died, it was just the three Song sisters and their Dad. Margot, the oldest sister was the boss. She took care of everyone and was the fill in Mom that their youngest sister Kitty needed but when Margot went away to college in Scotland, it was Lara Jean’s turn to step up and handle business. Too bad once Margot left, Lara Jean, the good sister who stayed home and never got into any trouble, got a life that kept getting more and more complicated as the pages turned.

You see, Lara Jean has never had a boyfriend but she’s had a lot of crushes. She’s never told any of her crushes that she liked them but she did write them each letters telling them how she felt and then hid those letters away in a box. When somehow, those letters get sent out and her old crushes (and one crush that never quite went away) start confronting her about what was in their letters, Lara Jean freaks the hell out but over the course of the book, you really see Lara Jean come into her own. She becomes a lot more confident in herself and in life.

I really liked this book. I think the only gripe that I had with this book was the ending. It wasn’t a romance novel kind of ending but it wasn’t the worst ending either, but still…more would have been appreciated.

Lara Jean was the perfect protagonist. I thought she was so normal and loved her quirky personality. My heart hurt for her when I read her letter to Josh, her sister’s ex-boyfriend and one of her best friends.  She made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion and I loved seeing her relationship with her younger sister, Kitty grow. They were such normal sisters and I liked the team they made once Margot left the nest.

Also? I knew right from the jump who sent those letters out. I couldn’t believe Lara Jean didn’t know.

Jenny Han tricked me because I thought the love interest was going to be one person and then PLOT TWIST, turns out, he’s someone else. The whole time we’re getting to know the love interest, I’m thinking, “Why are we getting so much of this guy? He’s great but what about the other guy?” and then as the story progressed, I started thinking, “Sorry other guy, you don’t stand a chance against this guy.”  I see what you did there, Ms. Han. Good job. The love interest was great. Just fanfreakingtastic. I came to adore the heck out of him. He was much more suited for the person that Lara Jean was now than the other guy.

This book really had it all. I laughed, I got teary eyed and I sighed all over the place. It was great fun and I’m definitely going to be reading more by Jenny Han. This was a great book, even if I wanted a bit more in the end. It was worth the price and the time that I spent on it.

Grade: 4 out of 5

This book is available from Simon & Schuster Books for Younger Readers. You can purchase it here or here in e-format.

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Monthly Reads: November 2014

Posted December 15, 2014 by Holly in Features, Giveaways | 11 Comments

monthly reads

Holly: November was a pretty sad reading month for me. I read 18 books, but most of those were re-reads of Patricia Briggs books. I re-read both the Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega series’.  Of the 18 only 6 were new reads.

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison (re-read) | 4.75 out of 5
Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Blood Bound by Patrcia Briggs (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs (re-read) | 4 out of 5
River Marked by Patrcia Briggs (re-read) | 3.75 out of 5
Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Night Broken by Patricia Briggs (re-read) | 3.25 out of 5
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Fair Game by Patricia Briggs (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs | 4.5 out of 5
After the Rain by Renee Carlino | 3.75 out of 5
Hero by Samantha Young | 3.5 out of 5
Caged in Winter by Brighton Walsh | 2.5 out of 5
Quicksilver by Claudy Conn (DNF) | 2.5 out of 5
The Killing Moon by V.J. Chambers | 2.75 out of 5

Discarding rereads, my favorite read of the month was Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs. It’s a collection of short stories – some of which I’d read before – with several new, never-before-published, stories. It was that book that prompted my re-read of all the Mercy Thompson books. My least favorite read was The Killing Moon by V.J. Chambers. The premise was really interesting and the story started out great, but it turned out to end in a cliffhanger. Since the MC tended to internalize and there was a lot of angst on her part, I have zero desire to read more of the same in two more books.

Rowena: I only read 8 books that weren’t re-reads in the month of November. That’s kind of sad but my reading always slows toward the end of the year so I wasn’t exactly surprised.

Here’s what I read:

Losing Control by Jen Frederick | 3 out of 5
Two of Us by Elizabeth Eulberg | 4 out of 5
Taking Control by Jen Frederick | DNF
It’s Not Me, it’s You by Mhairi McFarlane | 4 out of 5
Even in Paradise by Chelsea Philpot | DNF
Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean | 4 out of 5
Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare| 4 out of 5
Forbidden by Suzanne Brockmann (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Ladies Man by Suzanne Brockmann (re-read)| 4 out of 5
Hero by Samantha Young | 3.5 out of 5
Where She Went by Gayle Forman (re-read) | 4.75 out of 5
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (re-read) | 4 out of 5
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen (re-read) | 4 out of 5

My favorite reads (that weren’t re-reads) of the month go to Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean and Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare. Both books were so good. I was so happy with the end of the Rules of Scoundrels series and I adored the latest installment in the Castles Ever After series by Tessa Dare. Both books were wonderful treats in this gloomy weather and I definitely recommend both books.

My least favorite read of the month goes to Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot. I just couldn’t get into it.

This month we’re giving away:


Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs – print or digital, winner’s choice
Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare – print or digital, winner’s choice

If you want to be entered to win, leave a comment on this post telling us what your favorite – and least favorite – reads of the month were. Also, be sure to tell us what book you’re interested in reading. You can put your name in for more than one book, but you’ll only be allowed to win one, so choose wisely.

So…what was your favorite read of the month? And your least favorite? Use the Rafflcopter Widget below to enter! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Guest Review: One Song Away by Molli Moran

Posted December 15, 2014 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Guest Review: One Song Away by Molli MoranReviewer: Tracy
One Song Away by Molli Moran

Publication Date: December 1st 2014
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
three-half-stars

Her songwriting career isn't taking off, but a new relationship might be the big break she's been needing... Sophie-Claire Wright's life is like a bad country song on repeat. She keeps running into her cheating ex, her songwriting career isn't taking off, and her roommate just kicked her out of their apartment. With nothing to lose, she decides to do the one thing she said she'd never do: she moves back home. She left her small Southern town with big dreams, but now she's going home with empty pockets.

Life moves at a slower pace in Sophie's blink-and-you'll-miss-it hometown, but her well-meaning, matchmaking mama doesn't have a slow gear. Sophie invents a boyfriend to hold off her mother's efforts, but she's out of luck when her mom wants to meet him. Sophie panics until she runs into Jake Cooper. Her high school crush (and former best friend) is back in town, too, and when he asks her for a favor, she agrees...on one condition. He says he'll be her fill-in boyfriend, so it should be simple: re-introduce him to her family and then "break up" with him after a few weeks.

Sophie is sure she'll be able to resist Jake this time. Sure, she was in love with him years ago, but that was then. This is now, no matter how great he looks, or how she feels around him. But she didn't bargain for moments that feel all too genuine. Dates that don't seem fake. Kisses that leave her shaken and wanting more. Sweet moments where she forgets they aren't really dating. And she didn't count on old feelings resurfacing and complicating their arrangement-which is starting to feel less like acting and more like the real deal.

Soon, Sophie can't tell which kisses are real or fake, but she knows she's in deep...and she thinks Jake is, too. When she gets a chance to go back to Nashville and chase her dreams again, she has a choice to make: stay or go? Continue hoping that the life she wants is one song away, or finally write her own song?

 

Tracy’s review of One Song Away by Molli Moran

Sophie-Claire’s life isn’t going as she thought it would. After high school she moved to Nashville where she wanted to pursue her dreams of being a singer/songwriter. That’s not happened the way she thought it would and she’s not happy about it. Then her boyfriend cheats on her and her roommate tells her she needs to move out – things weren’t looking up. She has no money to get another apartment so she ends up moving back to her hometown. She knows she can’t live with her parents for the long haul so starts immediately looking for a job.

Sophie runs into Jake who was one of her best friends in high school and also her first love. He offers her a job at the coffee shop he owns and she’s thrilled. She never actually told Jake how she felt about him but believes now that she’s an adult she can work for him and continue to be friends with him. Unfortunately she told her matchmaking mama that she had a boyfriend (when she didn’t) so she asks Jake to be the fake boyfriend. Jake agrees but soon Sophie finds herself falling in love with Jake all over again – only this time it’s an adult love that she may not be able to survive if he doesn’t feel the same.

Sophie was an interesting character. At times she seemed to really like herself and have herself totally together (well, except for that whole job/living situation) but at other times she completely confounded me because she seemed to have such low self-esteem. I can’t say that the two sides coalesced all the time in my mind. I can’t say that I agreed with all of her actions throughout the book. When she finally confessed to Jake and he became more than shocked at her confession she wouldn’t let him get a word in edgewise and allow him tell her how he was feeling. She assumed she knew and that irritated me as it ended up being a one-sided conversation almost entirely.

Now the story was told from Sophie’s POV so I didn’t get too much insight into Jake except what we learned from Sophie. I saw a guy that was incredibly likable and all signs pointed to him falling in love with Sophie. She couldn’t see that, however, and when she did hear him stating that he was actually with her, and she realized that their relationship wasn’t fake any longer, she pushed him away and couldn’t deal with it. I just didn’t get that. Why would she do that when she was finally getting everything she’d wanted? I was confused. Then, after the love confession Jake, imho, should have run to her, groveled and spoke his mind but he let her be alone until she was ready to talk to him. Not my idea of going after what you really want.

Despite some of the issues I had with the last part of the story the first ¾ of the story was quite good. I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Jake and Sophie grow and flourish. It was a story with pretty high emotion and not necessarily a light read but I thought it worked in the story’s favor. I really enjoy friends to lovers stories and while this one had a few hiccups for me it was a good one overall.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This title is self-published. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

three-half-stars

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