Wrap-Up: January 2014


Hey book nerds! :) I'm sorry this post is super late this month, but things have been hectic around my home over the last week or so! I've moved rooms, and there were piles of books and other random stuff all around my old room, and in my new one! My brother's used to have their own rooms, and my sister and I have shared a room since we were little kids. However, now my mum thought it was time to put the boys together and let me and Mia have our own space - mostly because it's more fair, and my brothers get along much better than me and my sister do. Everything has been moved now and I now have my own room. :D All my books fit nicely in the wardrobe, but there is literally no more space to buy any more! ^^; I do, however have a bunch of books to show you in my February Book Haul, which I'll be working on as soon as I can. :) I'm still having a bad time with my depression, so I'm sorry that I’ve been so absent - unfortunately I'm still going to need to take some more time off blogging (aside from the necessary posts), until I feel a bit better. I hope you'll all understand! :3 Anyway, that's it for today - I hope you all have a great week.


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Books Read In January 2014
  • Stella by Helen Eve.
  • Frostbite by Richelle Mead.
  • Resist by Sarah Crossan.
  • Trust In Me by J. Lynn.
  • Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick.
  • Anything to Have You by Paige Harbison.

Total: 6 books read.
Click on the link to be taken to the review.

What books did you read in January 2014? Don't forget to leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out! ^.^ Happy Reading! (:




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


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.



Hey book nerds! :) I'm so sorry for my absence recently, things have been going quite awfully for me recently, and I've not had the motivation or the want to post anything. I'm so sorry! D: If any of you don't know, I suffer from depression, as well as a variety of other mental health issues - and I've just been having a crap few weeks. I will try and post some more, but I can't promise anything, and I may need to take a short break from blogging for a little while, at least until I start feeling a bit better. I hope that's okay with all of you! I'm also having concentration problems, so my reading rate has slowed right down - but I'm currently reading Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick, and I'm really enjoying it so far, it's really fun. Anyway, that's it for today, I hope you all enjoy this month’s book haul - it features an un-boxing as well, which I think is pretty exciting! :D Talk soon guys.

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Photos And Book Information
Red by Alison Cherry.
Darkest Fear (Birthright, #1) by Cate Tiernan.

A BIG thanks to Quercus who sent me a copy of Red for review - I can't wait to read it! Also a big thanks to Hodder who sent me the copy of Darkest Fear for review. :)



Fracture (Fracture, #1) by Megan Miranda.
Vengeance (Fracture, #2) by Megan Miranda.

A HUGE thanks to Bloomsbury who sent me these copies of; A Breathe of Frost, Fracture and Vengeance for review. I've already reviewed Fracture and I can't wait to read the others! ^.^


Stealing Parker (Hundred Oaks, #2) by Miranda Kenneally.
More Than This by Patrick Ness.

Rules of Summer (Rules of Summer, #1) by Joanna Philbin.
Dark Storm by Sarah Singleton.

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt.
The Testing (The Testing, #1) by Joelle Charbonneau.

Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara.
Unbreakable (The Legion, #1) by Kami Garcia.

My Heart for Yours (My Heart For Yours, #1) by Steph Campbell & Jolene Perry.
Rise (Eve, #3) by Anna Carey.




Soulmates by Holly Bourne.
Dead Jealous (Poppy Sinclair, #1) by Sharon Jones.


Cruel Summer by James Dawson.
Misfit by Jon Skovron.

Flawless (Pretty Little Liars, #2) by Sara Shepard.
Awaken (Awaken, #1) by Katie Kacvinsky.

Fury (The Fury Trilogy, #1) by Elizabeth Miles.
Betrayal (Immortal, #2) by Gillian Shields.

I was so excited when I got this book in the post, and then I realised that it was SIGNED by the author, Elizabeth Miles and I squealed like an idiot!!! :D


Vortex (Tempest, #2) by Julie Cross.
What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton.



E-books Bought

Comes The Night by Norah Wilson.
Spiral (Spiral Series, #1) by Jacqueline Levine.
The Bane (The Eden Trilogy, #1) by Keary Taylor.
No Turning Back (Full Circle, #1) by Casey Peeler.

Of My Own by Mary Ryland.
Emerge (Evolve, #1) by S.E. Hall.
Beautiful Mess by Jennifer Preston.
Vampire Shift (Kiera Hudson Series One, #1) by Tim O'Rourke.

Deeper by Blue Ashcroft.
Heiress of Lies (Bloodtruth, #1) by Cege Smith.
Starbright (Starbright, #1) by Rachel Higginson.
Dominion (Guardian Angels, #1) by Melody Manful.


Holy cow, that’s a lot of books! :D I think I'm finally ready to admit I have a problem...^^; I'm really not sure how many book hauls there will be in the future, as I've totally run out of room, but we'll see. ;) I'm really excited for all of these books. :D I've finally gotten all of the Vampire Academy books, so I can now continue on with the series and marathon it some time! I'm also so happy to have a physical copy of Pushing the Limits, I'm loving the new covers. :P I have an e-book of it, because I hated the old cover and refused to buy it, but now it can sit happily next to my other Katie McGarry books and look pretty. :3 For my favourite covers, I'd probably have to say that it's the new covers for Fracture and Vengeance! They're just so stunning... As for the e-books, you know the drill! All of them were freebies on Amazon at the time of purchase. :P I really refuse to pay lots of money for them at the moment. I think my favourite cover is probably Beautiful Mess, I LOVE the colouring and everything - it's so pretty. (: Have you read any of these books? Let me know! ^.^



What books have you brought or received lately? Leave me a comment or a link to your blog post and I'll be sure to check it out. ^.^ Happy reading! (:




Title: Resist.
Series: Breathe, #2.
Author: Sarah Crossan.
Publication Date: October 10th, 2013.
Publisher: Bloomsbury.
Format: Paperback, 360 pages.
Source: Provided By Publisher.
My Rating:



Everyone knows that life beyond the pod is possible. But they are trapped – each breath controlled by the Ministry.

The grove was the rebels’ chance of freedom. Now the Ministry has destroyed it and survivors must search for hope elsewhere. Alina leads the way to the only remaining Resistance base, Sequoia. There she uncovers a radical plot that could wipe out the Pod...and all those in it. Together with Quinn, Alina must escape Sequoia and save the people they love.

A brave new world is at stake.


Resist is a really fantastic and interesting conclusion to the Breathe duology that I just couldn’t put down! It took me a while to get back into this series, as I read the first book about a year ago. However, after looking up some spoilers online – I soon managed to return to the amazing world Sarah Crossan has created. The whole prospect behind Resist and Breathe is really quite creepy because of how easily it could happen to us. There are a lot of things going on throughout Resist to keep anyone on their toes; a war is happening, new alliances are forming and the boundaries of friendship are being tested. The fun doesn’t stop there though, as there are also quite a few plot twists and dark secrets that you learn throughout Resist and I absolutely adored it!


Resist is told in the perspective of four teenagers, three we’re the main protagonists throughout the first book, Breathe and another is a completely new one altogether. I love multiple perspectives in books, as I think it’s really great to see the other side of a conversation, and how the other characters are feeling. I kind of feel like I mention this every time I review a novel with multiple perspectives, but that’s just my opinion – and I stand by it whole heartedly! I think you’d find it hard to find someone who doesn’t want to read a few paragraphs in the perspective of some of their other favourite characters, especially when romance is involved.

Alina and Bea are the two female protagonists throughout Resist, and I really loved them both. I thought that their characters were really well developed, and were easily likable. Alina’s character has changed so much since book one, and I loved the changes I saw in her. She became more caring and thoughtful and was just an awesome character to read about. As for Bea, I thought she had grown a lot since book one as well; gone is the jealous and frail girl from the beginning of Breathe. Bea is back in this book and she’s fighting hard for the ones she loves, and I thought that she was amazing and really brave.

Quinn and Ronan are the male protagonists throughout this novel – and they were both wonderful. I liked Quinn’s character, but probably not as much as I did in the first book. Although he finally realised his feelings for Bea in book one, I thought he seemed to take them a bit for granted in Resist – but that’s just my opinion. As for Ronan, he was a complete surprise, as I hadn’t expected to be able to read chapters in his perspective and I adored his character. Ronan is so unlike his father, and actually takes a step back and notices what’s going on around him – and it was great to see him choosing the right side – even if it meant going against his family and everything he’s ever known.

Although Resist took quite a few chapters to get into, once it got started it was full of action, adventure and suspense! I did find that everything the characters attempted to do was done so very easily – with very little trouble in doing so. At times a lot of it seemed too unbelievable and it frustrated me that our characters didn’t come across big enough obstacles to face. I also thought the ending was left way too open, and I didn’t think it answered enough of my questions – but it was still a great finale.

Overall, I thought Breathe was a brilliant and wonderfully done novel, and I love pretty much everything about this series! I believe it well and truly deserves the 4/5 star rating, and if it weren’t for the points I’ve mentioned, it may have gotten 5/5 stars. Sarah Crossan’s writing is really brilliant and beautiful - and she’s able to create loveable characters and an incredibly detailed world. I’d recommend this book, and series, to any dystopian lover or post-apocalyptic fan, as they really are thrilling and wonderful books. Sarah Crossan is definitely an author to keep an eye on, and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future!


Quotes
It'll be better than death.
It has to be better than death.
Doesn't it? - Page 100.

‘Am I finally being made a dame? If so, I’d like to request a transfer to the royal chambers and a servant to do my gardening for me,’ Maude says. ‘Also, I need a foot rub.’ - Page 182.

I just run. I run as fast as my lungs and legs will carry me.
The voice comes at me again. It’s Silas. ‘Run, Alina! ALINA!’
But he doesn’t need to worry. ‘ALINA!’ he shouts.
And I smile. - Page 346.