ARC Book #Review: Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Book Title: Everything, Everything
Author:  Nicola Yoon |Website| Twitter| Tumblr|

Publisher: Delacorte Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Series/Standalone: Stand Alone
Format: Paperback

Cost: $18.99

Pages: 307

How I got it: Book Expo America 2015

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Publication Date: Sept 01, 2015
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Synopsis:

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster. (

Went into this one with vague ideas of what it was supposed to be about. I've said before that being an adult in certain fields or having had experience in certain fields of study can ruin books for me.  When I heard this was about a girl who was allergic to everything I was slightly nervous about it, because I work in healthcare.  I however needed had been.  It was wonderfully done.

This isn't really about a love story even though it has one, it's about relationships. The relationships between mother and daughter, the friendship between Carla (her nurse) and Maddy( the main protag) and of course the relationship that develops between Maddy and Olly (the new kid next door).  Written as Maddy is learning to come into her own and question things she never questioned before, it takes us on a journey.  Maddy unlike most teens has never had a rebellious phase, she can't it would probably kill her. As Olly and his family settle next door she finds herself fascinated by the broken relationships she can witness and witnessing those changes and the lives happening right outside her window push her to want more.

The story just unfolds from there. I was so invested from the get go, and I couldn't help but wonder (since this is my field) why she wasn't being seen by more specialists, and why her mother was breaking all the rules ( and in some states against the actual law) and practicing on her. I was intrigued and wanted to know more about her family and about so much more. I could totally understand her desire for more.

I was totally absorbed by the story and finished it in one afternoon. I loved the underlying story within the story and even how it all played out.  I did however wonder what would happen to Olly when he discovered the lies and how that might play out in his life forward.  At the end it was all worth it and I loved it.

I highly recommend it.  A great summer read.

 ★★★★☆

RECOMMENDATIONS

• The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
• Keep Holding On by Suzanne Colasanti. 

I have to support another Jamaican and this is my first read from her. I can't wait to see how she does in her second book The Sun Is Also A Star. This was an amazing read considering it's her debut. Happy Reading my loves, 

Book #Review: Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

Book Title: Not If I See You First
Author:  Eric Lindstrom |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Poppy/ Little Brown
Genre: Realistic Fiction (YA)
Series/Standalone: Stand Alone
Format: Hardcover

Cost: $18.00

Pages: 320

How I got it: BEA (Book Expo America) 2015

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: December 1, 2015
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Synopsis:

The Rules: 

Don't deceive me. Ever. Especially using my blindness. Especially in public.
Don't help me unless I ask. Otherwise you're just getting in my way or bothering me.

Don't be weird. Seriously, other than having my eyes closed all the time, I'm just like you only smarter.

Parker Grant doesn't need 20/20 vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. Just ask Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart. When Scott suddenly reappears in her life after being gone for years, Parker knows there's only one way to react-shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough on her mind already, like trying out for the track team (that's right, her eyes don't work but her legs still do), doling out tough-love advice to her painfully naive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death three months ago. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened--both with Scott, and her dad--the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Maybe, just maybe, some Rules are meant to be broken.

I absolutely loved this book. I cried, I laughed, I was enlightened by this book.  I mentioned before that I have Keratoconus and how it affects my reading and my life (See here if you haven't seen the post yet).  As I read this book I realized how much more of my life will change if I do go blind, I never realized how much of conversations take place with just our facial features and out emotions being read by others.  It's been a while since I have read a book with a female character who is blind.  These books always hit me harder than others and reading this one was so good and so emotional. I highly recommend it because she is such a wonderful character to read, And she had great character relationships and she grows so well and has awesome well rounded friends and even makes more friends as the story progresses.

I totally loved the lead character, she was brash, funny, witty, ballsy and oh so real.  She grieved and she was so raw with what she was feeling and thinking.  I loved that this book had a love interest but it wasn't about falling in love, it was about finding your way in the world when you realize that no matter how independent you think you are, you still rely on the world and it's common decency when you have a disability.  I loved as the character went through the year she realized that her being blind physically was also causing her to be blind emotionally as well as figuratively.  Because she couldn't see the looks others gave her, she just busted into lives with or meaning to or understanding how her words were taken.  She never saw the reactions, she only heard those that were loud and made for her to hear, but the hurt expressions those she never saw, and you understand how she's also excluded by those who want to carry on without her knowing everything as well.  

I loved that she was shown that her rules while they may protect her, they also imprisoned her as well.  I loved the progression of growth for her, her new friendships, the old friendships rekindled, the adults in her life that she has to train to treat her right and her own personal understanding as she realized that she was missing out on so much because she wasn't willing to change a little.  I learned so much about how the blind navigate the world and how different it can be for each person.  I loved the talk about the special Olympics, especially because she is a runner which I was in high school and this made me love her even more.  The scenes where she is running and you realize so much of who we are is tied to sight, and how much we need others to not be there to harm us, especially when she was running in the small park by herself. When the teacher approached her just like her the hair stood up on the back of my neck, because in that moment we realized just how vulnerable she truly was.  And this is when she begins to understand her world wasn't how she knew it.

This story was extremely emotional and yet so good, no crazy high school drama, just the regular student body stuff and yet, it was written in a way that made you feel as if you were their and apart of the student body.   I loved that she had so many great friends, and wasn't just a 'loser' nor the 'special butterfly'.  She was just real and I loved it so much.  I couldn't put it down.

I highly recommend, not just because the characters are diverse, but because they are well written and the story is engaging adn because we finally get to have a character who is and isn't special.  And when you read it you will understand what I mean by that.  I would have totally loved to have been her firend in high school or college, she is pretty kick ass.

 ★★★★★

This is going on my top favorites of 2015 list, I hope you will read it and enjoy as much as I did, if you've read it why not share your reaction down below, and as always my loves, 
Happy Reading

Book #Review: The Storm (The Rain 2) by Virigna Bergen .@Sourcebooks .@VeeBergin

Book Title: The Storm ( The Rain 2)
Author:  Virginia Bergin |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Sourcebooks
Genre: Young Adult Dystopia
Series/Standalone: Series Book 2
Format: ebook, Paperback

Cost: $16.99

Pages: 336

How I got it: BEA 2015

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: October 2015
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Synopsis:

"I'll tell you a weird thing about apocalypses - a thing I didn't even know until I was in one: they seem pretty bad, don't they? Well, take it from me: they can always get worse." Three months after the killer rain first fell, Ruby is beginning to realise her father might be dead . . . and that she cannot survive alone. When a chance encounter lands her back in the army camp, Ruby thinks she is safe - at a price. Being forced to live with Darius Spratt is bad enough, but if Ruby wants to stay she must keep her eyes - and her mouth - shut. It's not going to happen. When she realizes what is going on - the army is trying to find a cure by experimenting on human subjects - Ruby flips out . . . and makes an even more shocking discovery: she's not useless at all. The Storm begins . . .

****May Contain Spoilers****

This is a wonderful conclusion to this series, I loved it.  Once again we are back in the world of Ruby and it has expanded a bit, Ruby has set out on a journey and as the only survivor in her town she's not taking being alone really well.  After the events of book 1 (see review here), Ruby is back home and trying to come to terms with the changes in her life.  The world has changed, things that were once oh so important aren't now and she's gotta focus on her survival.  Ruby is struggling with a burden she has never had to deal with before; before the rains came she had none of the responsibility she has now and she's not sure how to handle it all.

I loved the realism of her breakdown from spoiled teenager to survivor.  It was both heart wrenching and gratifying to see her work on the things that mattered, while trying to stay sane.  We wonder all the time how long will the veneer of civility last and as we read Ruby's accounting we begin to understand that it might not last long at all.

This story goes beyond Ruby though and we begin to see what is happening to other survivors, see how others are coping.  And man does the action keep coming, the scary moments keep piling up and you know that something is going to break.

My sister and I talked about the fact that in the Hunger Games how clear the PTSD was (not so much the movies but definitely in the books) I was glad to see some acknowledgement that these events change the ones who live and eventually sheer brutality will allow only the strong to survive.  Even though Ruby is facing some scary times, she still tries to embrace being a teen, she tries to learn all she can that will help her survive and in the end she accidentally discovers something about herself and about a few others.  I really felt for Ruby in the beginning when we realized how far down the rabbit hole she had traveled, seeing from someone else's eyes how bad it's gotten is what wakes many people up and that's totally what makes Ruby realize something has to change.

We see how the world is doing and dealing and how the governments and the military is reacting to the cataclysmic events (not well as you can imagine).  As the story progresses and Ruby gets one of her greatest wishes and we are given a chance to see how those left behind are doing, we run back into the court of crazy kids from her journey into London last time and meet some new big bad.  I loved that the story didn't really let up, that there was so much going on, but we only got to see what Ruby could see.  And because Ruby isn't the smartest person in the room, we weren't' getting the full scope because as a teen, even now, Ruby tunes out on authority figures quite a bit.

As we watch the story unfold you can't help but shake your head at the share audacity of some and realize that sadly this is probably going to be the reaction of many.  I enjoyed seeing all the characters from before, watching Ruby try not to forget that she was higher on the social hierarchy in school so she shouldn't' even be talking to the Spratt, but he totally still has her phone and she wants it back!! I loved seeing the new characters, and their interactions with Ruby.

And this book still pulled no punches Ruby gains and losses so much in this novel. She has some serious moments where I wanted to shake and scream at her, and man in the end when it all starts to go down I just wanted to hold her and rock with her. I felt Ruby's reactions were so genuine and I felt her heartbreak when she began to accept and understand some of the things her mother used to say, things that as a kid she never took seriously.  Loss was her friend from the beginning as it was for so many and yet Ruby still fought on.  I wanted to punch all the villains while at the same time as an adult looking at the circumstances I totally understand their need for answers, but certainly not the greed.

I loved this book and was happy with the conclusion because seriously that ending was too funny and sweet.  It would be nice for a little novella telling us how humanity is doing, but I liked the way it was ended just fine.

I loved the quirkiness of the writing, the author's attempt at not using curse words but letting us know that in reality curse words would be flying right about now, was so much fun, I enjoyed trying to figure out which curse would go with the situation at hand.  Ruby's voice was so much fun, and so right and so awesome.  I really enjoyed seeing it all from her point of view, I might have made some better choices but as she says, she's just a 15 year old girl and she's doing the best she can.

★★★★☆

How do you think you would survive?? Share down in the comments and or course, Happy Reading

Book #Review: Your Voice Is All I Hear by Leah Scheier .@Sourcebooks .@leahscheier

Book Title: Your Voice Is All I Hear
Author:  Leah Scheier |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Sourcebooks
Genre: Young Adult
Series/Standalone: Stand alone
Format: ebook

Cost: $9.99

Pages: 336

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
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Synopsis:

"I was the one he trusted. I was the one he loved, the only one who believed him, even when his own mother had locked him up and thrown away the key. And now, I was going to pass down the white tiled hallway, knock on his doctor's office door, slam his secret notebook on her desk and make her read it, make her understand what he was hiding, make her see what only I had seen." April won't let Jonah go without a fight. He's her boyfriend-her best friend. She'll do anything to keep him safe. But as Jonah slips into a dark depression, trying to escape the traumatic past that haunts him, April is torn. To protect Jonah, she risks losing everything: family, friends, an opportunity to attend a prestigious music school. How much must she sacrifice? And will her voice be loud enough to drown out the dissenters-and the ones in his head?

This has got to be one of the most frustrating but good books I've read in a while. I both liked April and wanted to yell at her; then I had to remember that she's just a kid dealing with something even adults struggle with and I had to roll the attitude back several steps. 

This isn't your typical teen romance, April meets and starts to date the new boy in school, when he made a few choice words that made the teen school queen hate him.

 I already love the lead and I totally get that feeling.  At 6% there is a moment that makes me laugh so hard, then again at 12% her snark is so infectious it makes me love her even more.  At 13% there are female fighters that April could have listed instead of just men, she could have listed Laila Ali for example and she wanted modern MMA fighters there is always the Queen Ronda Rousey. Then at 14% April hit a whole new level of stupid, ugh girl no time to recover because you're a freaking idiot.

I understand that the female lead April felt she should stick with the young man because he was the first guy to show real interest in her, however I felt she had an unhealthy level of devotion for a relationship that was at first only weeks old.

As his disease progressed you realized that April's denial also added to his burden because she refused to admit something was wrong.  Jonah need her help and she only admitted something was wrong way later.  And only after there were some serious consequences,   I loved that this book didn't judge that it showed how devastating the disease is for those related and in love with someone who is spiraling down. Each incident was followed by denial by all those involved because no one wanted something to be wrong.  His mother's reaction in the doctor's office?? Yeah girl stop burying your head in the sand.    It was heartbreaking to read and it made me wonder how Jonah felt as he realized he needed help but others wouldn't see it because they had their own fears.

April's desire to be ignorant irritated me so badly because by ignoring it she was 'othering' him without realizing it.  Because only those 'other' people not Jonah.  The 'real' Jonah wasn't like this was her train of thought and that only seemed to push Jonah further away.  Her experiment however?? Made me cry.  When she humbled everyone??  And showed how desperately ill Jonah was.  Even as I write this I tear up.  Her classmates reactions were so raw and I just.  I needed a moment as the enormity of that scene sunk in.

I really loved the ending, it was perfect, not a perfect ending but a good one that let's you know the story continues in even if you're not reading it.  You get to kind of create your own perfect ending.

This was a great therapy positive book and I loved that they discussed the stats behind the disease and what can trigger it.  I love this so much and even though I had issues with April hiding parts of the relationship that could have had seriously consequences I give it five stars for a great look at the spiral down.

It wasn't until later that I found out that the author is a doctor, which totally explains why she was so good at creating the world that Jonah and April live in.

I really enjoyed the novel and the way everything was unrolled and I want everyone who wants to read more diversely to check this one out.  It's a great look at how the people around the sufferer deal and how this affects more than the person who had the disease.

★★★★☆

Happy Reading

Book #Review: Scorched (Frigid # 2) by J Lynn .@JLArmentrout

Book Title: Scorched (Frigid 2)
Author:  Jennifer L Armentrout|Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Spencer Hill COntemporary
Genre: New Adult Romance
Series/Standalone: Book 2
Format: Trade Paperback

Cost: $9.95

Pages: 238

How I got it: Book Expo America 2015

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
Publication Date: June 15, 2015
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Synopsis:

Sometimes life leaves a mark… Most days, Andrea doesn’t know whether she wants to kiss Tanner or punch him in the gut. He is seriously hot, with legit bedroom eyes and that firefighter body of his, but he’s a major player, and they can’t get along for more than a handful of minutes. Until now. Tanner knows he and Andrea have had an epic love/hate relationship for as long as he can remember, but he wants more love than hate from her. He wants her. Now. Tomorrow. But the more he gets to know her, the more it becomes obvious that Andrea has a problem. She’s teetering on the edge and every time he tries to catch her, she slips through his fingers. Andrea’s life is spiraling out of control, and it doesn’t matter that Tanner wants to save her, because when everything falls apart and she’s speeding toward rock bottom, only she can save herself. Sometimes life makes you work for that happily ever after…

I loved this book even more than I loved Frigid.  This book was a great discussion on health and a real look at how overall health affects mental health, and how mental health can affect behavior.  I absolutely loved this.  There were so many truths in this one. Omgosh, I loved how this all came together, I mean we knew they were going to get together but holy heck I didn't know it would go down like that.

This one was seriously about friendships even more so than the first book (which is saying alot because I loved the first book).  The love and support she didn't see, the struggle she had in accepting herself, her limitations and issues, Omgosh made her so relateable.  I loved that unlike some new adult characters she wasn't rescued by love of a mn but by...nope that's a spoiler.

I loved that this was so character driven no big mystery, very few crazy dramatic moments, most of these were created by the character however and it leads to growth.

Each time she came to a realization I loved it.  As she confronted and faced some of her mistakes it made her more real and so relateable.  I loved how as she faced issues, they were generally triggered by a relationship milestone with Tanner, Tanner was such a great character who wasn't judgmental or perfect, but he also didn't hold back when he wanted the truth or wanted to share who he was with her. I loved the interactions between all four friends, and especially loved seeing how much Syd and Andrea were integral to each other's lives.

I laughed reading this, I teared up when we got to some scenes.  I wanted to shake her when she made stupid decisions.  Freaked out like she did and got all kinds of turned on when they got down to some serious sexy times.  I loved Tanner as well because he awesome and owned his mistakes all though I wish we got even more from him and learnt how he came to have some of the beliefs he had.  We got glimpses of him and his background and how that helped to impact the man he is today, I would have loved more.

I loved the discussions that took place, the people in her life who finally confronted her and made her look at how her decisions affected them as well.  It was just an amazing read, and I kept reading because I didn't want to put the book down before I knew how it ended.  Man listen those last few scenes??!! Jennifer pulls no punches when going all out on teaching our main character some serious lessons.

I personally loved that even though romantic love was a part of the solution it wasn't the entire solution.  Being with Tanner didn't miraculously cure her of all her issues in fact I would say being with Tanner made her confront a few issues she let slide.  I also love that this was a therapy positive novel and that the characters were aware that their privilege helped to make their consequences lighter than for others (I thought that was really awesome of Jennifer to point out).

I'm not sure what's next in this series, if there is anything else, but if Jennifer writes it, I'm getting it.  I highly recommend for those looking for a positive story featuring issues with mental health that doesn't attempt to make it seem like it's not a real issue or a real disease.

 ★★★★★

Happy Reading

YA Book #Review: Powerless (The Hero Agenda 1) by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs .@sourcebooksfire .@teralynnchilds .@tracywolff

Book Title: Powerless
Author:  Tera Lynn Childs  |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Series/Standalone: Series Book 1
Format: ebook, Trade Hardcover

Cost: $16.99

Pages: 295

How I got it: BEA 2015 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
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Synopsis:

Kenna is tired of being "normal". The only thing special about her is that she isn't special at all. Which is frustrating in a world of absolutes. Villains, like the one who killed her father, are bad. Heroes, like her mother and best friend, are good. And Kenna, unlike everyone else around her, is completely ordinary— which she hates. She’s secretly working on an experiment that will land her a place among the Heroes, but when a Villain saves her life during a break-in at her lab, Kenna discovers there’s a whole lot of gray area when it comes to good and evil and who she can trust.. After all…not all strength comes from superpowers.

This was one of the most fun books I have read all year. I kept telling myself one more page, then I'll go to sleep, before I knew it, I was done and it was 330 am in the morning.  I loved this story. I laughed, I cackled, I gave it dirty looks, and I just couldn't put it down. I was totally enchanted and didn't stop reading until I got every last drop from it.  I kept looking at the pages left and freaking out that there was so much more story left. and man did these ladies leave us a cliffhanger.  I can't tell you how much this story made my day.  It was good I mean really good.  Filled with lots of actions, small mysteries and of course an overarching mystery as well.  I loved the way this story built and created a story without trying too hard to create a huge world.

Kenna isn't your typical character, an ordinary girl in a world of superheros she's got plans to make them respect her as well as seek revenge for what happened to her many years ago.  She was funny, relateable quirky without being too far out and man did she have some epic lines.  She totally made the story worthwhile.    The story is told from her point of view and I loved that she wasn't just a wonderful character, she was also smart, she didn't just throw herself into danger, she had a plan, and when it didn't work out she had a back up.  She never pretended to be more than she was and I loved her for that.  Her moments of vulnerability made her a more rounded and relateable character and I couldn't wait to see her growth.  Her friends were also funny and her best friend was so wonderful as well, complex, flawed and still a kick ass chick.

This story wasn't just about a romance (of which there are two really good ones), or all action (of which there is plenty) or the mystery (again of which there is plenty), it felt like tuning in a catching up with a great story, like what a good tv show should be, a mystery for this episode but something that makes you tune back in next week.  The cast of characters were entertaining, and witty, silly at times, but felt real and very much like the teenagers they were.

I loved the way information about their world was shared without information dumping, nor did it drag out, things happened and unfolded naturally and in a way that pulled you along and allowed you to feel like you were there and already understood how the world worked without complicated explanations.  I loved that, I got to see the characters instead of being told who and what they were.

I will say I guessed a few plot points, only because I'm a suspicious kind of woman, but I felt they were worked into the plot extremely well.   I enjoyed the humour, the conversations, the inner monologues of Kenna, the romances we see and the knowledge that we are going to get to explore more of this world and the others that are here.

What really made me love this story wasn't just all of these, but the real moral of the story. Not everything can be black and white, and titles are only that, the people wearing them may not always live up or down to them. And I loved Kenna's discovery and how it challenged her world view.

 ★★★★1/2☆

Happy Reading and I hope you really enjoy it