*REVIEW* Triangles

Synopsis:

A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?

In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.

Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.

She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?

Triangles sounded like it would be a lot of fun and mostly, it didn't disappoint. The beginning was a little rough but once things got moving, it ended up being a cute and meaningful tale.

Triangles introduces us to Autumn, a teenage girl dealing with the fallout from serious family drama. Her father passed away years ago and a horrible accident has left her mom in a coma, leaving her older sister as her sole guardian. Tensions have been high so Autumn is thrilled to be going on a cruise to leave all her problems behind. Little did she know, her problems would follow her with a vengeance...

As the cruise ship enters the Bermuda Triangle, each day Autumn wakes up facing a new and highly altered reality. She finds herself in a serious relationship with a smoking hot guy who is a little aggressive with his sexuality, a very serious relationship with a boy who has been following her around in her real life like a puppy dog, and she even wakes to find herself living the life of a cancer patient. The same themes from her real life flow through her altered realities leaving Autumn struggling to figure out what lessons she should be learning. Will Autumn manage to figure things out in time, or will she be trapped in an altered reality for the rest of her life?

Sooooo... all in all, this ended up being a really good book. But let me tell you, I DESPISED Autumn in the beginning of this book. Like really and totally despised her. I was hoping she would fall overboard to never be heard from again! I found her unnecessarily cruel, moody, bratty, and obnoxious. But as the book goes along, you start to see the things in Autumn's past that have led her to be the way that she is. And believe it or not, you start to feel empathy for the little witch.

By the end of the story, you can't help rooting for her, and especially for her and Joey. What a sweetheart! Seeing Autumn work through her feelings of guilt, loss, and fear is really special and the ending will make you smile. See for yourself when it releases next month. Enjoy! And as always, HAPPY HAPPY READING! *XOXO*

Expected publication date: June 18, 2013 by Spencer Hill Press

*REVIEW* The Distance Between Us

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME! I literally read this book in less than 24 hours... 24 hours that included a full night of sleep and a full day of work. I had my nose buried in this book every chance I could get, it was that addictive. Putting it down felt like TORTURE. Right this very second, LEAVE THIS PAGE and go add this book to your TBR list. Immediately!!! You will not be sorry! Read on to find out why.

The Distance Between Us introduces us to Caymen, a teenage girl who lives above a doll shop with her mom. Her mom had gotten pregnant when she was younger by a rich boy, a boy who ran for the hills. Caymen's mom was also disowned by her parents so it has just been Caymen and her mom, living paycheck to paycheck, for as long as Caymen can remember. Making fun of rich customers has become a hobby and Caymen never imagines she will look at a rich person any differently... that is, until she meets Xander.

Xander is special, different, and surprising, and though she tries to fight it every chance she gets, Caymen finds herself falling for him despite his immense wealth. A shocking revelation comes to light though that makes Caymen doubt everything Xander has told her, and everything they were building with each other. Caymen also realizes that there is a lot she has been kept in the dark about, things that could change her life forever. Will Caymen learn the truth about who she really is? And even if she does, will it be too late for her and her mom to move forward with each other? All is revealed in this phenomenal tale by Kasie West.

THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK!!!! Please do yourself a favor and SERIOUSLY add this book to your TBR pile right this very second. It was unbelievably addictive, awesome, romantic, funny, and more! I LOVE Caymen. One, her name is so original and adorable and she is SO incredible. I love her wit and her humor and her STRENGTH. Girlfriend has got it going on and is one of those characters that everyone is going to fall in love with. And Xander? SWOOOOOOOON!!! PERFECT YA boy: hot, sweet, caring, observant, persistent, romantic, and yeah, rich. HELLLOOOOO! What's not to love? The chemistry between those two is so hot and jumping off the page, you'll have to drop the book!

Can you tell I liked this one just a little bit? It is going to be one of THE books of the summer. PERFECT beach read that you will not want to put down. So bring an umbrella and a ton of sunscreen cause you will be on that beach for hours, unable to unhook yourself from this story. Enjoy!!! SNAP it up July 2nd and then spend the day falling in love with it just like I did. Happy Reading! *XOXO*

Expected publication date: July 2, 2013 by HarperTeen

Waiting on Wednesday (41)

Synopsis:

In the tradition of Go Ask Alice and Lucy in the Sky, a harrowing account of anorexia and addiction.

She was a good girl from a good family, with everything she could want or need. But below the surface, she felt like she could never be good enough. Like she could never live up to the expectations that surrounded her. Like she couldn’t do anything to make a change.

But there was one thing she could control completely: how much she ate. The less she ate, the better--stronger--she felt.

But it’s a dangerous game, and there is such a thing as going too far...

Her innermost thoughts and feelings are chronicled in the diary she left behind.

Expected publication date: June 4, 2013 by Simon Pulse

I cannot wait to get my hands on this book. I work in a high school as a counselor and see girls struggle with eating disorders frequently and think that this book will be really good for me, not only as insight into how a sufferer thinks and feels, but as a jumping off point of conversations that can sometimes be very difficult to have. Books with meaning are often the ones that stay with us the most. Here's hoping this book lives up to all I'd like it to be.

*REVIEW* The Vow

Synopsis:

No one has ever believed that Mo and Annie are just friends. How can a guy and a girl really be best friends?

Then the summer before senior year, Mo’s father loses his job, and by extension his work visa. Instantly, life for Annie and Mo crumbles. Although Mo has lived in America for most of his life, he’ll be forced to move to Jordan. The prospect of leaving his home is devastating, and returning to a world where he no longer belongs terrifies him.

Desperate to save him, Annie proposes they tell a colossal lie-—that they are in love. Mo agrees because marrying Annie is the only way he can stay. Annie just wants to keep her best friend, but what happens when it becomes a choice between saving Mo and her own chance at real love?

I was really excited to read The Vow, but that excitement quickly turned to disappointment as the beginning of this book was very slow and frankly, a little boring. Thankfully, the end redeemed the book quite a bit and it ended up being a decent read. I rated The Vow 3 of 5 stars on Goodreads.

The Vow introduces us to Annie, a teenage girl living a smothered existence due to her parents and their extreme overprotectiveness. Lena, Annie's older sister, disappeared on an ordinary walk home and the fallout from that event has shaped Annie's and her parents' lives in many ways. The one amazing thing in Annie's life, other than her art, is Mo, her best friend. Mo's family is from Jordan but Mo has lived in America his whole life... that is, until his father loses his job, and his work visa, and the entire family must leave the country or face deportation.

Annie comes up with the perfect plan-- her and Mo will get married, enabling him to stay in the country he loves. Unfortunately for the friends, this is not as simple of a plan as they originally thought. Legal issues force Annie to hurt those she loves the most, including the new boy in her life. Friendship, loyalty, legality and more collide in this tale by Jessica Martinez.

Like I said before, the beginning of this book is SLOOOOOOOW. I knew the premise from the synopsis and it felt like we were just NEVER going to get there! But mid-way through, the book picks up some steam and things get very, very interesting. I'm glad I stuck it out because to be honest, I was about to call it as a DNF about 100 pages in. I'm glad I didn't because it ended up being a decent book that I think many people will end up enjoying. You just have to stick with it through it's snail-pace beginning.

To see for yourself, snap it up when it becomes available mid-October. Enjoy! And as always, HAPPY HAPPY READING! *XOXO*

Expected publication date: October 15, 2013 by Simon Pulse

Weekend Plans: Iron Man and Relay for Life

I've got QUITE the weekend planned... I am OBSESSED with Iron Man and am sooooooo excited about Iron Man 3 coming out TODAY!!!! The husband and I are headed to the theater right after work to catch the movie in IMAX 3D. Bring on some RDJ! *squeeeeeee*

Then tomorrow it's all about giving back... the family and I are headed out to Relay for Life to help raise money for cancer research. My family, as I'm sure many of yours, has been touched by cancer and it feels good to be able to give back. Makes for a super long weekend but it's definitely worth it.

I hope you all have a wonderful and productive weekend this first weekend in May. And Sunday is Cinco de Mayo, y'all! Have something spicy and live up your day! Enjoy! *XOXO*

Teaser Tuesday: Faery Tales and Nightmares

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading!

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Today's teaser comes from Faery Tales and Nightmares by Melissa Marr:

Irial took a long drag from the now lit cigarette before speaking. "I'm better at this game, Niall. You can be the intimidating, bad-tempered king to everyone but me. We both know that I wouldn't raise a hand to stop you if you wanted to take all of your tempers out on me. There's only one person I'd protect at your expense... and her life span is but a blink of ours." pg. 258

It's no secret that I'm a huge Melissa Marr fan... I looooove her Wicked Lovely series so it's shocking to me that I'm just now reading this book. To be fair, I had read many of the short stories before, at least a majority of the ones based in the Wicked Lovely universe. While the Dark Court is not my favorite, I've enjoyed reading the stories in this book. And I'm just now about to start reading the first short story that has my Keenan in it! *swoon*

The other short stories in the book? Meh. But for me? It's all about the Wicked Lovely faeries so it's ALL good. Enjoy! *XOXO*

Blast from the Past: Clockwork Angel

So I decided to re-read Clockwork Angel because I read it back in 2010 and the details were all a bit hazy. I remembered that I LOVED the book, but wanted to reaquaint myself with it before moving on to read the second and third books. I am SO glad I made the decision to re-read it because it was just as good as I remembered, if not more so! I'm now plowing through the second book, Clockwork Prince, and cannot wait to see how it all ends up.

Click here to read my original review of Clockwork Angel, and if you haven't given The Infernal Devices a go yet, what are you waiting for? Truly phenomenal. Hope you love them as much as I do! And as always, HAPPY HAPPY READING! *XOXO*