Review: Fool Me Twice by Mandy Hubbard

Title: Fool Me Twice.
Series: If Only..., #1.
Author: Mandy Hubbard.
Publication Date: June 5th, 2014.
Publisher: Bloomsbury.
Format: Paperback, 272 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



Mackenzie is determined not to fall for Landon all over again. Not after he dumped her and got back together with his ex. But they are both at Serenity Ranch and Spa for the summer and she can’t just ignore him – especially after he takes a nasty fall and doesn’t remember ever breaking up with her! Now it’s her turn to dump him. And not without a little bit of fun first...

Amazon UK Amazon US Book Depository

Fool Me Twice is a ridiculously cute, sweet, funny and light-hearted book that’ll have anyone grinning like an idiot whilst they’re reading it. It’s full of hilarious scenes, practical jokes and romantic encounters – and although some of the scenes were a little cheesy at times, I didn’t really mind. Mandy Hubbard has a really bubbly writing style and outlook and I just loved her style of writing. Fool Me Twice is fun and quick read, and I’d really recommend any contemporary lover to pick it up and give it a go.

Mackenzie, or Mack, is our main protagonist throughout Fool Me Twice, and I really loved her character! She’s smart, witty, upbeat, funny, and caring. She has this ridiculously quirky personality and sense of style; she even dyed her hair red and blue for Independence Day! Mack was just a really loveable character that you can’t help but laugh along with, and I think if I met her in real life, she’d be someone I’d really want to be friends with. Overall I thought she was a really strong and interesting character and I was rooting for her to be happy right from the start.

Landon is the love interest throughout Fool Me Twice, and the guy Mack wants to get revenge on for breaking her heart. At first, I really didn’t like his character – he seemed too full of himself, and didn’t seem to care what so ever about how much he’d hurt Mack in dumping her the way he did. However, the more the novel progressed, the more I started to like him. It turns out he has this complete other side to him, and can be really sweet and fun. By the time I was nearing the end of the book, I was desperate for a happy ending and for the two of them to work things out and to be together. Talk about a change of opinion!

Although the majority of the characters acted and seemed much more like 16 year olds, rather than 18 (or nearly 18) year olds, it surprisingly didn’t faze me much what so ever. I have a bit of a pet peeve about characters that act stupidly, or if they really don’t act their age – but Mack, Landon and Mack’s best friend, Bailey don’t act like little kids at all - just slightly younger versions of themselves, trying to enjoy their last summer before they go off to University. As for the relationship between Landon and Mack, it was so sweet and beautiful. As much as she tried not to fall back in love with Landon, she just couldn’t help it, even after all did to her. She was willing to forgive and mostly forget the things that happened between them the year before, and at first that frustrated me, but as I read more and more, I found out I really didn’t mind so much after all.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Fool Me Twice. It’s definitely not a book to be taken too seriously, but was generally a really beautiful and kind of heart-warming tale with a lot of humour mixed in! Mandy Hubbard’s writing is fresh, funny and quirky, with a lovely ability to create a lovely backdrop to the story – I could picture the Ranch really clearly in my head! I flew through Fool Me Twice, reading it in just two sittings, and although it’s not perfect, I believe it well and truly deserves the 4/5 star rating I gave it. I can’t wait to read more books in this series and from Mandy Hubbard in the future – she’s definitely an author to keep an eye out for!

Quotes

“Is his horse always that hyper?”
Storm is dancing at the end of the reins, but Landon just maintains his solid grip and walks as if it’s no big deal that a thousand-pound horse is hopping around like a bunny on crack.
“Yeah, pretty much. He’s got his roping saddle on and Storm knows it. He’s such a hothead for roping.”
“Oh.”
“Should we bail?” I ask. “I mean, I don’t know the rules of engagement. Without the aid of explosives or whatever.”
“First, no, you do not let him run you off, and second, dude, explosives! We could blow up his junk!” - Page 39.

It’s out here on the trail where sometimes I think I see deep inside his soul, those moments he’s utterly content, and somehow I finally get him. It doesn’t mean we’re meant to be, doesn’t mean he won’t break my heart.
It just means deep in his heart, he’s something different. The guy who would gallop to the edge of a cliff to save you [...]. He’d share his last drop of water with you, or if your horse went lame, he’d offer you his own and then walk, even if his boots made his feet blister and the sun dang near killed him.
He might still dump you for another girl, but out here, under the never-ending sky, he’s mine. The guy I fall for over and over and over again. - Page 194 & 195.

My reverie is broken when Landon touches my knee, and I turn to him. He leans across the space between our horses, and my eyes slip closed just as his lips touch mine.
As the sun rises over the desert, we kiss. - Page 235.

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Fangirl.
Author: Rainbow Rowell.
Publication Date: January 30th, 2014.
Publisher: Macmillan.
Format: Paperback, 459 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



Cath and Wren are identical twins and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they’re off to university and Wren’s decided she doesn’t want to be one half of a pair any more – she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It’s not so easy for Cath. She would rather bury herself in the fanfiction she writes where there’s romance far more intense than anything she’s experienced in real life.

Now Cath has to decide whether she’s ready to open her heart to new people and new experiences, and she’s realizing that there’s more to learn about love than she ever thought possible...

Amazon UK Amazon US Book Depository

Fangirl has been one of those ridiculously hyped up books that everyone and their mothers seemed to have read and loved. When I first started reading Fangirl, I wasn’t really sure what to make of it, Rainbow Rowell’s writing style is incredibly different from everything I’ve ever read before, and there is a lot more dialogue throughout the book than I’ve ever come across. I’d glad to say I really enjoyed reading Fangirl, and yes, I did fangirl myself a little bit throughout the book. As much as I loved it though, I wouldn’t say it’s the more incredible novel I’ve ever read – and as much as I can see where all the hype has come from, there are just some things that just niggled at me. However, the overall effect and amazing plotlines and characters kept me constantly turning the pages, eager to find out what would happen next!

Cath is our main protagonist, and to be perfectly honest, at first, I really didn’t like her character much at all. I’m not entirely sure why, and I’m finding it pretty hard to put into words my reasoning, but I have a feeling it was to do with the fact that she reminded me so much of myself. Characters I read in novels NEVER remind me of myself, and I usually hate comparing myself to them – because hey, that’s an esteem killer. But there were just too many similarities to ignore. Cath is a reader, a fanfiction lover and writer, she’s shy, would rather stay at home than go out partying, has only a small handful of friends and is relatively smart – I could go on! We just seemed to share so many of the same traits that I found it quite unnerving – but as the book progressed, I grew to really like her character, which unnerved me even more. Cath’s downright refusal to do a lot of new things did kind of irritate me, and I felt I was constantly willing her to grow a pair. But the further you get into Fangirl, the more out of her shell Cath becomes – and it was really brilliant to read more and more and to see her transformation to a slightly more confident college student.

Levi is the love interest throughout Fangirl, and I absolutely adored his character! Levi is the guy who jokes about everything and generally loves being nice to absolutely everyone. It doesn’t tire him out; in fact it just seems to energise him. His character is so up-beat, cheerful, sweet, kind and ridiculously funny – I was constantly laughing at some of the things he came out with. I just couldn’t get enough of his character! He’s not usually the type of guy in books that I tend to like, but he’s just so adorable, I couldn’t help but love him. And yes, Levi, I was rooting for you throughout the entire book!

Cath and Levi’s relationship gets off to a rocky start, at first she thinks he’s annoying and frustrating, but eventually a small friendship starts to blossom. I don’t think Cath even realised she had fallen for Levi until the something happens between them – and I thought that was beautiful. I loved reading scenes with them together, they have this easy and calm relationship, and Levi is able to bring out a relaxed and playful side of Cath that she barely ever gets to see.

Wren is Cath’s twin sister, and by gosh did I dislike her. ALOT. I get that Wren wants a bit of distance, to try and become more of an individual, and I respect that. However, Wren was really rude and downright nasty towards Cath for pretty much the entire book. It’s like she completely shut her out of her life, and I really hated that – you’d think you could try and spare maybe just five minutes to talk to your sister, let alone your twin. Luckily by the end of the book, Wren’s character does a 180, but I still wasn’t keen on her at all. Art is Cath’s and Wren’s dad, and the parent that raised them. I really loved his character, he was so funny and cool. Art was an erratic character, and I loved reading about his relationship with his daughters, Cath especially. The character development in Fangirl was fantastic, and although I didn’t like Wren’s character, she was still solid and interesting.

Overall, I loved reading Fangirl; it was an amazing story with wonderful characters and a plotline that I just couldn’t get enough of. I even fell madly in love with Simon Snow and the story world Cath is obsessed with. I think it would be incredible if Rainbow Rowell actually recreated and published the world of Simon Snow, as I think it’d be incredibly popular! Rainbow Rowell’s writing is beautiful and detailed with this wonderful unique texture to it that I’ve not come across before. Although I thought Fangirl was a far from perfect novel, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and speed through it, even though it’s quite the hefty book! I just couldn’t put it down, and kept just telling myself; ‘Just until the end of this chapter’ and then ‘One more chapter won’t hurt’. The only thing that frustrated me was how abrupt the ending was, not everything was as tied up as I hoped it’d be, and occasionally scenes would stop mid-way through, which I found extremely frustrating. However, I believe Fangirl well and truly deserves the 4.5/5 star rating I gave it, and I’d recommend any with a love of contemporary romance (and Fanfiction!) to give this book a go, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!

Quotes

"No," Cath said, "seriously. Look at you. You’ve got your shit together, you’re not scared of anything. I’m scared of everything. And I’m crazy. Like maybe you think I’m a little crazy, but I only ever let people see the tip of my crazy iceberg. Underneath this veneer of slightly crazy and socially inept, I’m a complete disaster." - Page 192.

Reagan was sitting up at Cath's desk when Cath woke up.
"Are you awake?"
"Have you been watching me sleep?"
"Yes, Bella. Are you awake?"
"No." - Page 302.

She closed her eyes and kissed him below his chin, behind his jaw, where he was soft and almost chubby, like a baby. He arched his neck, and it was even better than she’d hoped.
"I like you," she said. "So much. I like you here."
Cath brought her hands up to his neck. God, he was warm – skin so warm and thick, a heavier ply than her own. She slid her fingers into his hair, cradling the back of his head.
His hands mimicked hers, pulling her face up to his. “Cath, if I kiss you now, are you going to leap away from me?”
"No."
"Are you going to panic?"
She shook her head. "Probably no."
He bit the inside of his bottom lip, and smiled. His bowed lips didn’t quite reach the corners.
"I like you," she whispered.
Her pulled her forward.
Right. There was this. Kissing Levi. - Page 401 & 402.

Review: A Kiss in the Dark by Cat Clarke

Title: A Kiss in the Dark.
Author: Cat Clarke.
Publication Date: April 3rd, 2014.
Publisher: Quercus.
Format: Paperback, 384 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



When Alex meets Kate the attraction is instant.

Alex is funny, good-looking, and a little shy – everything that Kate wants in a boyfriend.

Alex can’t help falling for Kate, who is pretty, charming and maybe just a little naive…

But one of them is hiding a secret, and as their love blossoms, it threatens to ruin not just their relationship, but their lives.

Amazon UK Amazon US Book Depository

I’ve only read one other book by Cat Clarke before, and that was quite a while ago – however I really enjoyed it and thought Cat’s writing was fantastic and really detailed, unique and interesting. When I first started reading A Kiss in the Dark, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What was this huge secret? How will it affect the couple’s relationship? You find out much more quickly than I expected what the secret is and it really shocked me – I honestly wasn’t expecting it at all! I can’t say much more, otherwise I’m afraid I’ll spoil the whole thing, but I flew through A Kiss in the Dark, finishing it in just two days – I absolutely adored it! A Kiss in the Dark is a fast-paced, compelling and beautifully written novel that’ll keep you engrossed until you’ve turned the very last page.

Alex is one of our two main protagonists throughout A Kiss in the Dark, and I really loved his character. Alex was a kind, funny, and really sweet and lovely character that you just can’t help but fall for (although he’s a bit too young for me!). He’s made some bad decisions, and kept a big secret from Kate but you can tell he’s really battling with himself over the situation. He’s in love with her, and just doesn’t want to lose her – so although I’m not saying that keeping everything a secret was the best idea, I could understand where he was coming from.

Kate is our other protagonist and the love interest throughout the first half of the book. I really adored her character; she was just so cute and sweet! Kate is smart, weird, and really a very loyal and wonderful girl and I loved reading about her. However, when the novel swopped to her perspective, and she found out Alex’s secret, my opinion of her went completely downhill. Eventually, nearing the end of the book, I started gaining more respect for her – but the decisions she made were appalling. I understood that she was hurting and upset, and people do crazy things when they’re like it, but what she did was down-right awful and spiteful. I’m glad, however, that things started to change as the book drew to a close – and I started to love her character once more.

Although Alex’s and Kate’s relationship was slightly insta-love, I actually really loved it. They were so passionate about each other, and everything was so sweet, that I instantly became jealous I didn’t have a relationship like it myself! It was so clear how absolutely besotted with each other they were, that it became a little cheesy at times, which isn’t a huge flaw, but one all the same that irritated me a bit. However, I really loved both their characters. I absolutely loved the ending of A Kiss in the Dark, it sort of bitter sweet, and I believe it ended perfectly. It was left open, which I thought was great, so the reader can decide in their own mind what would happen next. Usually I hate endings like this, but I thought it was perfect in this situation. A Kiss in the Dark is split into two sections; the first in Alex’s perspective, and the latter in Kate’s. As I’ve mentioned on many different occasions in the past, I love multiple perspectives in books, it’s great to get into the heads of the other characters in the story, to see what they see and feel what they feel. Although I loved reading Alex’s point of view, I wasn’t as keen on reading Kate’s – mostly because I found it quite hard to connect to her – even though I loved her character in the first half of the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading A Kiss in the Dark; it was a fantastic and incredible novel that I’d recommend to anyone who loves contemporary romance, but also has an open mind. Cat Clarke’s writing is wonderful and beautifully scripted – I was laughing one moment, and then crying the next. It’ll have you riled up and angry, with your stomach in knots, and shedding tears a few pages later – she really is fantastic and writes some very realistic teen romance. I believe it well and truly deserves the 5/5 star rating I gave it, and although it wasn’t absolutely perfect, it was incredibly well done – with many different twists and turns throughout the story. I can’t wait to read even more from Cat Clarke in the future, she’s definitely an author to keep an eye out for!

Quotes

When we sat down, Kate scooted her chair across so she was sitting next to me and we could hold hands. When the waitress came over to take Kate’s order she smiled as if maybe she remembered what it was like to be our age and in love. Because I think that’s what it was, even then. I was in love with Kate. I wasn’t sure when I’d started loving her, or exactly what it meant, but that didn’t stop me knowing it. And it made me feel good to know it, even though I had no intention of putting it into words. I didn’t want to freak her out.

I was in love with a girl and she was in love with me. This was what people talked about, what songs were written about, what made the world go round, apparently. Now I could understand what all the fuss was about. I wanted to stop random people in the street and tell them I was in love. But I didn’t, because that would have been weird.

I didn’t move. The snow turned into icy rain. The light in the front room went out. Before long I was shivering uncontrollably. I watched the door even though I didn’t expect it to open again. I wondered how long I could stay out in this cold before I would die. If I curled up into a little ball on Alex’s front doorstep would I be dead by morning? Would Alex come outside, all dressed up for court, and find me frozen to death, a fine layer of ice blanketing my body?
No one would be able to hate me if I was dead.

Review: Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott

Title: Heartbeat.
Author: Elizabeth Scott.
Publication Date: January 28th, 2014.
Publisher: Harlequin Teen.
Format: Paperback, 304 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



Life. Death. And...Love?

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with. But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma - the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia - New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge. Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?

Amazon UK Amazon US Book Depository

I have to say that I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I first started reading Heartbeat. I’d read so many different reviews and heard so many different opinions about it; people seemed to either really love it or they hated it, so I was eager to find out what side of the fence I would fall on. Whilst reading Heartbeat I was teetering on the edge of really enjoying the book and wanting to flush it down the toilet – and by the end, I think I pretty much fell smack down in the middle of both emotions. Heartbeat was far from a fantastic novel, with confusing dialog at times and text that seemed to veer vastly away from the subject it was focused on. However, it was also a very emotional and quite heart-wrenching and beautiful story in its own weird and kind of quirky way.

Emma is our main protagonist, and although I didn’t hate her character – I wasn’t particularly fond of her either. For about 90% of Heartbeat, Emma was a complete and utter bitch to her step-father. I understand that the situation was a delicate and conflicting one, but some of the things she said to Dan were just plain spiteful. However, in the times that Emma acted like a regular human being, mostly when she was around Caleb, Emma turned out to be a really sweet and interesting character. My feelings for her are pretty conflicted, but she was going through a loss that has completely turned her world upside down. By the end of the novel though, Emma’s character turned into someone completely different, not the selfish cow she’d be acting like, nor the focused and grade-a-student she was before, but someone who’d been whole all that grief, but had came out the other end stronger. And I’m pretty sure that’s one of the morals of Heartbeat’s story.

Caleb is the love interest in Heartbeat, and I really loved his character. Everyone knows I love a good bad boy character, and Caleb fits the bill quite nicely. It’s always great to read about a guy trying to live with his choices and situations. Underneath the ex-drug user and grand-theft-auto, there is this amazing character – with a beautiful personality that Emma helps bring to the surface. Emma and Caleb were drawn to each other, like magnets, having so much pain, anger and loss in common that they just seemed to fit together and I loved their relationship. It wasn’t insta-love, they weren’t destined to be together from the start, something just happened in Emma’s life, and her whole being changed, she became a completely different person – and was drawn to someone she’d never considered an option beforehand. Caleb and Emma balanced each other out, saw beneath the lies and the pain and the tears and the anger, and found each other and I thought it was really beautiful.

Overall, I really did enjoy reading Heartbeat, but there were too many flaws for it to gain more than the 3.5 star rating I gave it. It seemed like it took me forever to finish reading this novel, and I just wasn’t as invested in the storyline as I hoped I would be. Heartbeat had the potential to be an incredible novel, but was let down by a writing style that was all over the place and the utter spitefulness of our main character, Emma. Writing this review has been pretty confusing, and to be perfectly honest, my opinions about this book vary from hating it, to crying at some of the scenes. Although I wasn’t the biggest fan of Heartbeat, I still want to read more from Elizabeth Scott in the future. Who knows, maybe with a different storyline and different characters Elizabeth’s writing will thrive – I certainly hope so!

Quotes

When someone you love...when they die, you want it undone. You'd do anything to have them back, and it's easy to believe that if only this had happened or that had happened, everything would be fine. And that's what makes you angry. What makes you hate. You don't want to believe that sometimes bad things happen just because they do.

I see what grief does, how it strips you bare, shows you all the things you don't want to know. That loss doesn't end, that there isn't a moment where you are done, when you can neatly put it away and move on.

We just look at each other, and I don't care that he's gorgeous and screwed up. I care that he really gets what's going on. Sees it. Sees me.

Review: Red by Alison Cherry

Title: Red.
Author: Alison Cherry.
Publication Date: January 2nd, 2014.
Publisher: Quercus.
Format: Paperback, 320 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



Top student. Beauty queen. Girlfriend of the hottest football jock. Felicity’s got everything. And it’s all down to her red, red hair.

Felicity lives in Scarletville, the world’s only redhead sanctuary, where red hair is celebrated, protected – and the key to success.

But Felicity has a secret. A red hot secret. And if anyone finds out, she’s finished.

Because Felicity’s a natural blonde.

And in Scarletville, blondes need not apply.

Amazon UK Amazon US Book Depository

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I first started reading Red, something quirky and funny maybe? The whole concept and idea around the book is pretty ridiculous, yet fantastic and really funny at the same time. Red was a really exciting read, with an interesting plot and bubbly writing style. I’ve never read anything like Red before; it’s completely unique and kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. I’ve read quite a few reviews that said this novel was absurd, and I agree with them in a way, it is absurd – but that’s part of the charm of the novel and I loved every minute that I was reading it!

Felicity is our main protagonist in Red, and I absolutely adored her character. She’s under a lot of pressure from her mother to be the best she can be, and to win the Beauty Pageant that Red focuses on and I couldn’t help but feel extremely sorry for her. Felicity has tried to contain who she really is; someone who hates the competitions and the lies. Someone who loves art and just wants to be herself, even though she feels she can’t be. I felt like I really had a connection with Felicity’s character and thought she was really relatable. All my siblings have red hair, and although I’ve never disliked my dark-brown hair, I can understand how Felicity just wants to fit in with her family.

I loved how all the secondary characters were really well developed and all had their own personalities and different quirks, even if I didn’t like their characters much at all. Jonathan is the boy that changes everything for Felicity and I loved him right from the beginning. Jonathan saw who Felicity for who she really was, and didn’t question it. He was a really adorable character; shy, kind, caring and all around loveable! Moving onwards - I really disliked Felicity’s mother, Ginger - she drove me round the bend and I visualised shoving her off a cliff on more than one occasion. I found it incredibly hard to comprehend how Ginger could go on shoving her own dreams onto her daughter. I understand that Ginger just wanted her daughter to fit in and have lots of opportunities, but she made her entire life a complete and utter lie – it was almost as if she couldn’t love her daughter properly unless she kept dying her hair. The whole situation was filled completely with drama and angst and was pretty messed up – but I suppose that’s what made the book what it is.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Red – it was a light, refreshing read with a really wonderful look into the stereotypes in the world. With its wonderfully written characters and overall drama – it’s definitely a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Alison Cherry’s writing was really brilliant and beautiful with the perfect amount of humour and seriousness mixed together to create a fabulous novel! I’d definitely recommend Red to anyone with a sense of humour (even if you’re not a redhead), although I wouldn’t recommend anyone to take it too seriously, as it’s obviously not meant for that – apart from maybe the morals of the story. The only reason Red is getting a 4.5/5 star rating instead of a 5/5 star rating is because I kind of wished the ending had been a little more resolved. I thought there were a lot of loose ends that I thought need tying up and it was all kind of abrupt. However, none of this deters from the fabulousness of this novel. I can’t wait to read more from Alison Cherry is the future; she’s definitely an author to keep an eye on!

Quotes

The mayor’s undersized orange mustache twitched like an agitated chipmunk, and Felicity had to work hard not to snicker. - Page 05.

There had been so much sweetness and longing in his expression.
Nobody had ever looked at her that way.
She hadn’t even known she wanted that kind of attention until now, but suddenly she wondered how she had ever managed to live without it. - Page 65.

Felicity looked up and met his eyes. They were warm and gentle and full of unconditional acceptance. She knew he was seeing her – really seeing her – and that he liked what he saw, red hair or not.
She put the booklets down on the trunk of her car.
And then she kissed him. - Page 308.

Review: Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison

Title: Anything to Have You.
Author: Paige Harbison.
Publication Date: January 28th, 2014.
Publisher: Harlequin Teen.
Format: Paperback, 304 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



Nothing should come between best friends, not even boys. Especially not boys.

Natalie and Brooke have had each other's backs forever. Natalie is the quiet one, college bound and happy to stay home and watch old movies. Brooke is the movie—the life of every party, the girl everyone wants to be.

Then it happens—one crazy night that Natalie can't remember and Brooke's boyfriend, Aiden, can't forget. Suddenly there's a question mark in Natalie and Brooke's friendship that tests everything they thought they knew about each other and has both girls discovering what true friendship really means

Amazon UK Amazon US Book Depository

I’ve only read one other book by Paige Harbison before, and I really enjoyed it – so I was very much so looking forward to reading Anything to Have You. I’m glad to say I was not disappointed and thoroughly enjoyed it! Anything to Have You is a fun, fast paced read with an emotional rollercoaster that’ll leave any love addict breathless. Although I thought the plotline was pretty predictable at times, there were plenty of twists and turns and I thought it was a really wonderful read that I just couldn’t put down!

Natalie is a quiet, smart and apparently gorgeous girl who prefers to stay in watching movies than to go out partying like her best friend. I loved Natalie’s character instantly, mainly because she was so relatable and always honestly tried to be the best friend she could. I was never the partying sort when I was younger, and preferred the quiet life, so I could totally understand what she was feeling. Sure, Natalie made quite a few mistakes throughout the book, but everyone does, it’s normal – and we’ve just got to live with the ones we do make. Natalie was a kind, caring and funny character that I just couldn’t help but love.

Brooke is a complete and utter social butterfly, with a flighty, bubbly and restless attitude to match. I had mixed feelings about her character whilst reading Anything to Have You, and I often thought it seemed like Brooke had two completely different personalities. Sure, Brooke could be a lovely character, kind and caring and funny, but she was also selfish, over-erratic and very self-obsessed. I didn’t like the way she treated Natalie a lot of the time, and I also thought she was way too pushy and put way too much pressure on Natalie.

The novel is split between our main character Natalie and her best friend Brooke’s perspectives, I definitely wasn’t expecting this and I really loved reading the storyline from Brooke’s point of view. I thought it was great to read about how she was really feeling, even if I didn’t like her character that much. As for the romance, there was little, but I loved it. I was rooting for Natalie and Aiden, the main love-interest in Anything to Have You, right from the beginning! Right off the bat I thought that Natalie and Aiden made a much better couple and to be perfectly honest, I didn’t think Brooke deserved him at all. I hated how poorly Brooke treated Aiden, as he really was a kind and stand-up guy who seemed to care a great deal.

Overall, I think Paige Harbison’s writing is really fantastic, and I think that it’s incredible how well she’s able to capture teenage emotions and create a storyline that’s not only interesting and fun but believable as well! I really don’t seem to understand why I’ve seen so many lower/negative ratings of Anything to Have You, sure, there are plenty of flaws – but there are also plenty of great things as well. I think it well and truly deserves the 4/5 star rating and I can’t wait to pick up even more from Paige Harbison in the future; she’s definitely an author to keep an eye out for!

Quotes

“I act how I act because the feeling is so addictive. The feeling that you are the girl in somebody’s montage. Even when a romance is a short-lived and lame, and disappointing, there’s that moment...that moment where you feel like...a girl. Not a queen, not a goddess, not a supermodel. A girl, in the way that boys are supposed to think about us. Like the golden sunlit, breeze-in-the-hair girl that we all want to be.”

" ...hanging around drinking disgusting beer that tastes like sewer water and taking shots of raspberry-flavored nail polish remover while someone's mom is out of town is not fun to me."

I bit my tongue and turned to him. His eyes scanned my face. My heart swelled. I didn’t just want to spend time with him. Or flirt with him. I didn’t even just want to kiss him or put my hands under his t-shirt. I wanted him to be my person. The one I could call when I was upset, happy, angry, any of it. And I wanted to be the person he needed.

Review: Stella by Helen Eve

Title: Stella.
Author: Helen Eve.
Publication Date: January 2nd, 2014.
Publisher: Macmillan.
Format: Paperback, 362 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



Seventeen-year-old Stella Hamilton is the star blazing at the heart of Temperley High. Leader of the maliciously exclusive elite, she is surrounded by adulation, envied and lusted after in equal measure. And she is in the final stage of a five-year campaign to achieve her destiny: love with her equally popular male equivalent, and triumph as Head Girl on election night.

By contrast, new girl Caitlin Clarke has until now lived a quietly conformist life in New York. With the collapse of her parents’ marriage she has been sent across the Atlantic for an English boarding-school education, only to discover that at Temperley the only important rules are the unwritten ones. It’s a world for the beautiful and the dangerous, and acceptance means staying on the right side of Stella Hamilton, the most beautiful and dangerous of them all.

Not everyone is happy under the Hamilton rule. But fighting the system means treading the same dark path as Stella – and if Caitlin puts a foot wrong, it’s a long way to fall...

Amazon UK Amazon US Book Depository

Stella is a really fun, interesting and fascinating debut novel that I just couldn’t put down. It reminded me very much of an up to date Mean Girls, with a pretty similar storyline – although Stella was much, much better! Stella really reflects the bitchiness, cruelty and shallowness of today’s society of teenagers – well, most of them. I really had no idea what would happen next whilst reading Stella, and even though I kept guessing what was around the next corner, I was never right. There are so many different twists and turns throughout this book, and an ending that will leave you wanting more, even after the last page has been turned.

Stella is our first main protagonist and to be honest, when I first started reading this novel, I wasn’t sure what to think of her. Of course, Stella is the most popular girl in school and very cliché at that – she’s also very self-centred and is usually rude to everyone, including her friends. However, I found myself becoming very absorbed by her character and personality, and thought she was really interesting to read about. Although she was selfish, I thought that she had a different side to her, one that she didn’t want anyone else to see. A side that’s still grieving for her older sister, and worried about how quickly her younger sister is growing up and how she will turn out. A side where she is able to love passionately, even though she’d never show it. I thought Stella was a really well developed character that I just couldn’t help but love.

Caitlin is the second main protagonist and I very much liked her character at the beginning of the novel. She was very smart, kind and seemed like generally a very nice, decent and honest person. However, as the novel progressed, Caitlin begins to change. It’s really subtle at first, but when you look back over the previous pages – it’s weird to see how different she became in such a short amount of time. Unfortunately, I really didn’t like the person she ended up as. She was rude, too full of herself and quite frankly, she annoyed the hell out of me. I hoped that she’d eventually see the type of person she’d become, but unfortunately she didn’t – and she was just as self-obsessed at the end of the book, which I thought was a real shame. I just didn’t feel like I connected with her character, and if it weren’t for the fact that I liked Stella’s character, the book may have received a lower rating.

I didn’t particularly care for either of the love-interests, Luke and Edward, in Stella either. I thought they were both rather boring and very un-developed. They also both seemed to lack personality and acted like jerks a lot of the time. I was hoping there would be more romance throughout the book, but I realised too late that love is definitely not the main focus of Stella. I did also feel like it was slightly misleading with the statement that it had thriller aspects in the book, because in my opinion – there weren’t any at all. Don’t be deterred by this though, there’s plenty enough of a back-story and mean girl drama to keep anyone occupied whilst reading Stella!

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Stella – it was fast-paced and intriguing novel that kept me enthralled until the very end. Although it was a little confusing at times, mainly because I didn’t realise that Stella had two sisters, it was great read that I’d recommend to any contemporary lover who loves a bit of mean girl action! I believe it well and truly deserves the 4/5 star rating – and I think Helen Eve has some amazing writing skills. Although they could be fine-tuned in places, Helen really has a quirky, fun and beautiful writing style. I definitely can’t wait to read more from this author in the future as she really is remarkable.

Quotes

‘Surely someone told you?’ Lila said. ‘You can’t just join the Stars, you know. It’s called earning your Stripes.’

I once believed that I didn’t exist except as a projection of Siena’s part and Syrena’s future; that I were merely an intersection of their characteristics, suspended in time. Now we merge and mesh into one sister until our duplications don’t invalidate us, but bind us in an endless constellation. My sisters show me that beauty doesn’t have to be our destruction; it can be our inspiration. And all the time I’ve been painting my inspiration, I haven’t been painting myself.
I’ve been painting what we are to each other.

I see Luke, my one rebellion, who showed me that I could have something more than the rigid path I’d chosen. Luke, who shattered my careful plans into beautiful oblivion. Luke, who hardly saw the girl I could have been, but who never gave up on the girl I was.

Review: Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler

Title: Afterparty.
Author: Ann Redisch Stampler.
Publication Date: December 31st, 2013.
Publisher: Simon Pulse.
Format: Paperback, 401 pages.
Source: ARC Provided By Author.
My Rating:



Emma is tired of being good.
Always the dutiful daughter to an overprotective father, she is the antithesis of her mother -- whose name her dad won't even say out loud. That's why meeting Siobhan is the best thing that ever happened to her...and the most dangerous. Because Siobhan is fun and alluring and experienced and lives on the edge. In other words, she's everything Emma is not. And it may be more than Emma can handle.

Because as intoxicating as her secret life may be, when Emma begins to make her own decisions, Siobhan starts to unravel. It's more than just Dylan, the boy who comes between them. Their high-stakes pacts are spinning out of control. Elaborate lies become second nature. Loyalties and boundaries are blurred. And it all comes to a head at the infamous Afterparty, where debauchery rages and an intense, inescapable confrontation ends in a plummet from the rooftop...

Amazon UK Amazon US Book Depository

Afterparty is a really wonderful novel with an incredible opening paragraph that I’m sure will grab anyone’s attention. I often found myself giggling whilst reading this novel, as Ann Stampler’s writing is really funny and I loved how our main protagonist had a ‘moral compass’, which was always trying to point her in the correct direction. I did find myself confused on many different occasions throughout Afterparty. It seemed like it would go off track completely for a few paragraphs and then be suddenly back. I also felt like the sentences just kept rambling on about pretty much nothing, and as much as it seemed like Ann was trying to make a point – she just didn’t seem to get there. The majority of the time this happened when Emma was talking – maybe it’s just a quirky feature in her personality? I don’t know, but don’t get me wrong, if you can put aside these certain problems, Afterparty really is a fantastic book with a wonderful plot – and luckily for me, I managed to do so because I was so engrossed in the story.

Emma is our main protagonist and I really liked reading about her. She has an over-bearing dad with strict rules and is struggling with the decision to continue to be a good-girl, like she’s been her whole life – or try something new and break some of the rules her dad has set. I thought Emma was an incredibly good friend, I know I wouldn’t have put up with all the crap that Siobhan, her new best friend, did to her at all. She was also a very patient, kind, caring and overall a lovely character. I really loved how Emma slowly started to hate Siobhan, and I found it incredibly funny to see the process. At first, Emma bent over backward to please Siobhan, and did pretty much everything she said – but as the novel progressed you really got to see how much Emma started to resent Siobhan and see her true colours. Of course I felt bad for Emma – but to be honest, I don’t know why Emma didn’t dump her sooner!

Siobhan is Emma’s best friend, and from the first moment they meet – they suddenly become inseparable. I started off not minding Siobhan’s character, and I thought she was really upbeat and interesting with a quirky personality, but as the novel progressed, I started to really dislike her (I’m pretty sure you’re meant too!) Siobhan becomes more and more controlling the further you get into Afterparty, she’s also gets very moody and becomes very unpleasant and downright evil. What I found slightly annoying, was the repetitiveness of Emma and Siobhan’s arguments and fall outs. She and Siobhan fight, then make up, then fight again and make up once more! It was also always the same argument; about how Emma finds it difficult to break the rules because of her dad. Although in the end I didn’t like Siobhan’s character, it was quite interesting seeing her slowly go crazy and become so obsessive.

Dylan is the love-interest in Afterparty, and to be honest – I had really mixed feelings about him. One minute I really loved his character, the next I was wondering why the hell Emma was pining over him so much. I suppose Dylan did have his good points, he was sweet, funny and really did seem to care about her – but I questioned a lot of his decisions. I also found it really irritating that he’d just straight out believe everything Siobhan said to him about Emma, even if things weren’t perfect with him and Emma at the time. I also really didn’t like the fact that Dylan was portrayed as such a perfect character – when all he’d ever do was skip class and get stoned, then borrow Emma’s notes because she attended class. It was totally obvious that Emma liked him, and even though he said he’d liked her too at the time – he did some really jack-ass things.

Over though, I really did enjoy reading Afterparty – and sped through it really quickly! Ann Redisch Stampler’s writing is really different from what I’ve read before, but really engaging, fun and quirky all the same. For example; it took me quite a while to get used to reading sentences like ‘I am sorry’ instead of ‘I’m sorry’ – this is definitely not a criticism, as there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. It was just a surprise to read the writing with such a traditional format. I do however, believe that Afterparty well and truly deserved the 4/5 star rating, it was really fantastic and page-turning book that kept me in suspense until the very end! I’d recommend this book to any contemporary reader, especially someone who loves some good old girl drama. I really believe Ann Redisch Stampler is definitely an author to keep an eye on!

Quotes

"Watch this," she says. "New game. It’s called shock-the-dork."
She walks over to two middle-aged guys who look a lot more clueless than the one she usually likes going after. She waves a cigarette at them; they grope for their lighters, matches, whatever it takes to keep her happy. She’s all giggly and girly until one of them offers her another drink and she shrieks. "No! I will not meet you in your hotel room! I’m sixteen years old! What’s wrong with you?"
The men throw money on the bar to pay for their half-drunk drinks and sprint toward the escalator.

"I am not clinically depressed or suicidal or insane. I just want to kill Siobhan, is all."

Siobhan, when she’s annoyed, doesn’t keep it to herself.
In the morning, the slamming theme extends to her locker, books on desktops, and snack trays at break. When she talks to me, I (and everybody else within a hundred yards) can tell she’s seething.
Dylan says, "Should I avoid dark alleys and homeroom? Eat lunch with me. I’ll protect you if she creeps up and tries to hit you with a lunch tray."