If You Could See The Sun by Ann Liang

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

 

about book:

In a YA debut that’s Gossip Girl with a speculative twist, a Chinese American girl monetizes her strange new invisibility powers by discovering and selling her wealthy classmates’ most scandalous secrets.

Alice Sun has always felt invisible at her elite Beijing international boarding school, where she’s the only scholarship student among China’s most rich and influential teens. But then she starts uncontrollably turning invisible—actually invisible.

When her parents drop the news that they can no longer afford her tuition, even with the scholarship, Alice hatches a plan to monetize her strange new power—she’ll discover the scandalous secrets her classmates want to know, for a price.

But as the tasks escalate from petty scandals to actual crimes, Alice must decide if it’s worth losing her conscience—or even her life.

my thoughts:

Wow! What a smart and entertaining read! If You Could See The Sun by Ann Liang is a fantastic YA novel that will grab you right from the start and keep you turning pages faster than you can say, 'invisible.' I really enjoyed this book and found it to be such a treat to read. It was lighthearted and cute, but action-packed at the same time. You definitely got a bit of everything within this story and that is what made it so engaging and unputdownable. 

Alice is on scholarship at an elite boarding school in Beijing. In fact, she's the only one on scholarship. And, she feels invisible, so much so that she actually begins to turn invisible. Say what? Yep, Alice finds herself suddenly turning invisible. And, she decides to use this new power to her advantage. You see, her parents can no longer afford to send her to the boarding school  - yes, even with a scholarship, they still have to pay - they just don't have the means. So, Alice figures that she can make money using her invisibility to her advantage. How? Well, she can discover secrets for a price. Hmm...sounds like it could work, right? And, well it does, except, the secrets become dangerous - so much so, that Alice may lose her life. Yikes! And, that is all I will write about this awesome story. You MUST check it out for yourself!!

I would happily recommend If You Could See The Sun to anyone and everyone looking for their next great read - you will are going to LOVE this book so hard!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

about book: (summary from Goodreads)

“I made the wrong choice.”

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

my thoughts:

I just finished this one late last night. I could not put it down. I absolutely LOVED Love & Gelato - it was a fun, sweet read that made me smile.  The book is definitely predictable in every way you can imagine, but that doesn't detract anything from the story.  Its still fun to read about Lina's journey to uncover the mystery in her mom's journal.  You see, Lina's mom passed away and made her daughter promise to live in Italy.  And now, Lina is in Florence with Howard - a man she just found out is her father.  Say, what?! Yep.  A man her mother only mentioned a few months before she died.  And even then, she never told Lina that he was her father.  Nope, her grandmother told her the news in a bid to get Lina to agree to move to Florence.  How crazy and dramatic, eh?  Well, she is now in Florence with Howard and is living in a cemetery - whoa, nelly!  Howard is the caretaker of an American memorial and lives in a house on the property next to his assistant, Sonia.  She knew Lina's mom, Hadley, too.  In fact, she gives Lina a journal that used to belong to Hadley.  At first Lina doesn't want to read the journal or look at any of the photos in it, she's still trying to deal with her mom being gone.  However, the more days that pass by, the more she realizes that she needs to read the journal to find out about her mom, Howard, and Italy.  Through the journal she uncovers secrets about her mother she never knew and even one about herself.  And, with the help of her new friend, Ren (Lorenzo), Lina sets out to see Florence through her mother's eyes and figure out the mystery in the journal.  

Talk about FUN!  I absolutely LOVED reading about Florence via Lina.  In fact, that was my favorite part of the story.  I've only been once and fell in love with it immediately - how could I not?  Reading this book had me picturing Florence and all the sights there are to see - the people, the food, the piazzas, the art, the gelato!!  I couldn't help but get caught up in Lina and Hadley's perspective of Florence as I read through their stories.  It was magical!  You felt like you were visiting Florence right with them and it made reading the book such a treat.  I loved all the statues they mentioned.  I especially enjoyed learning about the secret bakeries - OMG! Are they even real and if so, why do we not have them in America?!  And the Duomo's views are astounding, so reading about them made me wish I were there.  Seriously, reading about Italy was pure bliss.

As for the story itself - I really did enjoy it.  I loved getting to know Lina and her mother.  The journal entries were such a great way to have us meet Hadley.  I thought Lina was so brave to jump right into this new life (even with all of her reservations) that had been forced upon her.  And the idea that the  two reasons to stay in Italy are love and gelato is simply the best.

I would definitely recommend Love & Gelato to fans of YA fiction - you are going to LOVE this book!!

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

(Thank you to Blogging For Books for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

The story of a girl, a boy, and the universe...

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

my thoughts:

Nicola Yoon's debut novel Everything, Everything was my favorite YA book of 2015.  The story was just so damn good and brought out all the feels in me, that I couldn't help but fall in love with it.  So, when I was provided with the opportunity to review her sophomore effort, The Sun Is Also A Star, I jumped at the chance. How could I not?!  I just knew that I was going to be in for a special treat.  And let me just say - I was right!  The Sun Is Also A Star is even better than Everything, Everything.  I received my book today and couldn't help but dive right into it.  I sat down with a cuppa and settled down to read a few chapters.  I wound up finishing the whole book in one sitting - I just couldn't stop reading.  I found myself falling in deeper the more I read, so I kept on reading until I turned the very last page.  Talk about reading bliss!

The Sun Is Also A Star is truly a must-read for fans of Nicola Yoon's first book, Everything, Everything and for fans of YA fiction.  I absolutely LOVED it!  The story explores first love, heartbreak, loneliness, race, destiny/fate, and so much more.  It follows Natasha and Daniel as they spend the day falling in love and sharing secrets with one another.  Its romantic, sad, sweet, exciting, and basically every feeling you can imagine when thinking about love.  We get both perspectives as the story alternates between the two; it provides us with such a rich and clear understanding of how both Natasha and Daniel view their situation and their lives.  They were such great characters to follow around NYC - funny, flawed, realistic, and relatable.  I wanted to spend even more time with long after I finished the book.  The way these two talked about science, love, connections, and family with each other was enthralling.  I loved getting to know them both.  Their story was beautiful. 

Nicola Yoon has written another amazing love story with The Sun Is Also A Star.  Its heartwarming, engaging, and entertaining.   I would happily recommend this book to anyone and everyone looking for their next great read - you will LOVE this book!!



I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review.

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

(Thank you to Literary Lushes for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

When it comes to love, sometimes one plus one equals more than two...

For eighteen years Wren Gray has been the model daughter, which in her family means all As, zero boyfriends, and early acceptance into a pre-med program.  But as high school graduation nears, so does an uncomfortable realization.  Pleasing her parents once overlapped with pleasing herself, but now...not so much.  Wren needs to honor her own desires, but how can she if she doesn't even know what they are?

Charlie Parker, on the other hand, knows exactly what he wants.  A gentle boy with a troubled past, Charlie has loved Wren since the day he first saw her.  But a girl like Wren would never fall for a guy like Charlie - at least not the sort of guy Charlie believes himself to be.

And yet certain things are written in the stars.  And in the summer after high school, Wren's and Charlie's souls will collide.  But souls are complicated, as are the bodies that house them...

Deeply sexy and achingly romantic, this gorgeous novel, from one of young adult literature's most distinctive voices, explores that time between high school and college when life seems to be just beginning, and everything - including true love - is possible.

my thoughts:

Guess what popped into my head as I read Lauren Myracle's, The Infinite Moment of Us?  I'll give you a hint - think 80s film featuring a guy holding a boom box (playing Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes) outside his girlfriend's window.  If you guessed, Say Anything, then you are correct.  Yep, I could not help but think of Lloyd Dobbler and Diane Court, as I read about Charlie Parker and Wren Gray.   Why?  Well, because when Charlie tells his best friend that he is going to ask out Wren, he's told that she is in a "league of her own" and that he shouldn't bother.  Of course, Charlie's mind is set and the next thing you know his lips are touching Wren's lips.  Yep, turns out that Wren has had her heart set on Charlie, especially after the moment their souls collided at school one day - basically, they had a moment and in Wren's mind that was it (she was sold on Charlie Parker).  I know that the speed at which Charlie and Wren's relationships moves along, isn't the same as Lloyd and Diane's, but their first love experience really reminded me of Lloyd and Diane's.  I think that is why I loved the story so much.  Don't get me wrong, there are vast differences - like, foster homes, child abuse, suicide attempts, and Project Unity.  But the overall theme is first love and the ups and downs that come with it.  I loved reading about Wren choosing to follow her heart, and Charlie loving his family so fiercely - these two really made the perfect couple.  The only problem I had with the book was the overuse of the word 'baby' - I swear Charlie ended every sentence with the word 'baby'.  Ugh!  It drove me bonkers!  But that was really my only quibble with the book.

At the end of the day,  I enjoyed getting lost The Infinite Moment of Us - it made me smile, cry, and then smile again.  Plus, it made me want to buy Say Anything on DVD, so that I can get lost in Lloyd Dobbler and Diane Court's love story.  So, yes, I would definitely recommend this novel, especially to fans of YA lit and romance stories.

Thank you to Literary Lushes for providing me with a copy of this book and for having me on the ARC Tour of The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle!

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Hmmm. I'm not sure what to write about these three books. I finished them nearly a month ago and at first I was excited to sit down and write about them, but the more I thought about it, the less enthused I became.  The truth is that whilst I enjoyed the first two books and the majority of the third, I wound up disappointed with the ending.  Its as if that ending marred my perspective of the books and well, I decided that perhaps not writing anything was the way to go. Of course I've changed my mind and figured I'd write a little something about the three books that seemed for a time to dominate bloggers' posts and bookish forums. Here goes:

For the remaining few who have yet to read these books I'll provide a little summary without any spoilers.

Every year the Capitol holds a competition called The Hunger Games, which consists of 24 contestants (1 boy and 1 girl from each district - must be under the age of 18) participating in a survival of the fittest type of event.  Each child will have to defend themselves by any means (which means killing each other) in order to remain the last person standing in order to claim the victory prize of being a champion and hero for their district.  Katniss Everdeen takes her younger sister's place in the competition and finds herself struggling to stay alive within the Games and also battling feelings toward her new friend/partner, Peeta (also from District 12).  After the competition ends we find the champions adjusting to life back home and having to deal with consequences following their unprecedented win (two people won instead of one). Soon enough they are back in a game reminiscent of The Hunger Games and must battle their way against new enemies in a bid to win back their lives.  Of course that competition ends with consequences and we soon find our protagonists thrust into the middle of an all out war against the Capitol.  And so the Mockingjay is born. 

There you have a summary of sorts about what happens within the three texts.  As for my thoughts, here goes:

Truthfully, I did enjoy the books. I found them to be entertaining and well written, with a number of memorable characters.  In fact, I can understand why several bloggers had 'Team Peeta' and 'Team Katniss' badges on their sites - to show support for a character that easily becomes one of your favorites with his/her story of struggle and desire to win a battle that not only seems bleak, but completely impossible. These are characters that show you how love can propel people to do things that they would never have imagined themselves capable of. As for these competitions that they had to endure, well, that in itself was rather horrific and completely necessary in providing the framework for the upcoming war in the final installment.  A war which had the citizens of Panem rallying together against the Capitol that had exploited and demeaned them for so many years and all at the expense of keeping the Capitol entertained and well fed.  Truly gripping stuff. In fact, I was so immersed in the story that when it got to the part where the parachutes exploded toward the end, I was blindsided.  Not because of the trickery involved with the parachutes, but with the direction the story took.  It was most definitely not what I expected.   From that point on, Collins lost me.  I felt as if she rushed ahead to get Katniss and Peeta where she wanted, instead of continuing with the ease and progression, she had utilized throughout her story.  Of course, many people loved the ending and felt satisfied, so perhaps I'm one of the rare few who was disappointed. Either way, these three books are definitely worth a read.  They are what good YA fiction is all about. 

Happy Reading!!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Oh my. I don't even know what to write about this excellent book. I am still in awe of what I just finished reading. I laughed, cringed, winced, and cried (cried, cried, cried). I was completely mesmerized with Liesel's story. I was blown away at how talented a writer Zusak (whose work I had never read until now) is. He created a novel that was so engaging I couldn't even concentrate on anything else. I just wanted to read and read and do nothing else. I hadn't read a book this good in such a long time and this one really knocked me over. I absolutely am in love with The Book Thief and will be telling all of my family and friends about it. In fact, I am sure that I will be gifting this book to quite a few people this year. Just thinking about this book brings a smile to my face because it awakened something in me that had been dormant for quite some time now. It awakened my hunger for literature. Don't get me wrong, I love to read and am always looking for new reads wherever books are sold, but lately I hadn't really been impressed or inspired by anything that I'd been reading. I mean truly inspired, to the point where all I want to do is read and be intellectually and emotionally stimulated by literature (like when I was in grad school). Like when you discover something new to you and all you want is that one thing, because you need to satisfy your craving. Well, I guess the books I had been reading lately weren't up to scratch and well, The Book Thief showed me that great books are out there, I just need to find them. So, now I am on the look out for new reads that will inspire me to read even more. If you have any recommendations for some amazing reads, leave me a comment and let me know!

By the by, here is a synopsis of the book for those of you who have yet to read it (taken from the back of The Book Thief):

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Grave Digger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father , learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found. But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up and closed down.

I'm not going to write a review, but just urge everyone to pick up a copy and read this wonderful book. Enjoy the excellent writing, memorable characters, and captivating story for yourself.

And as for me, I'm back to reading TBK. Happy Reading!!!

The Vampire Diaries

Alright, so I caved and re-read some really bad books this past weekend. I couldn't help it! I was drawn to them for some reason. And yes I wrote "re-read" - I read these books when I was about to begin high school and I just loved them (of course I was 13 turning 14, so what can I say). Anyhow, the books are The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith and they chronicle the love triangle between Elena, Stefan and Damon. Elena is mortal and the queen bee of her high school. Stefan is new in town and quite handsome, so he has all the girls crushing on him. Damon is Stefan's older brother and loves to live dangerously. Both Stefan and Damon are vampires and have come to Fell's Church for very different reasons: Stefan wants a fresh new start and Damon wants to torment his brother. Elena finds herself
drawn to both brothers and must choose between them. And there you have the plot in a nutshell. So, what happens? Well, Stefan and Elena are in love, but Damon brings out feelings in Elena and in the end they both make her a vampire and then she is still torn about which brother to choose (although it is usually Stefan, the good brother, that she is more drawn to) and then Stefan and Damon's first love comes back to kill them all and Elena sacrifices herself in order to save her town and the people she loves and Stefan and Damon are left heartbroken. Of course the last book has Stefan and Damon returning to Fell's Church to help Elena's old friends deal with a new evil in town and eventually Elena makes her return and there you have it. Oh and Elena chooses Stefan. The end (okay, not really the end, because apparently there is a new book out that talks about Elena and her return from death and reunites the whole gang again, but I haven't read it so I don't really know how bad or good it is). As for the writing in The Vampire Diaries, well, it's okay: the characters are pretty much stereotypical versions of high school kids (queen bee, jock, serious student, jealous rival, etc.) with a couple of vampires thrown in for fun. As for the story lines, well, nothing too original about them, but fun to read nonetheless. Overall, it was fun to read these books again, because it reminded me of when I was young and how bad my taste in books was back then (not really, I loved reading Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine). I guess not all YA books are for adults, huh? However, I got my fix of fluff reading out of my system and I am back to reading Columbine, which is so good- can't wait to review it! And I have started S & S & Sea Monsters and so far I have laughed out loud several times - love it!! As for In The Woods, well that has taken a back seat for now, but I will dive back into it when I finish Columbine. I have to figure out which books to read for the Clear Off Your Shelves challenge and for another challenge I am doing on goodreads. So many challenges!! Hope you all are having a great week and enjoying the fact that fall has arrived. Happy Reading!!