Review: The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise

Author: Katie Sise

Publisher: Balzer & Bray

Page Count:  312 pages, Hardcover

Date Published: April 30th 2013

Find it on Goodreads: The Boyfriend App
Source: Received ARC for review from publisher in exchange of honest review... Thank you!!

In The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise, super-smart, somewhat geeky Audrey McCarthy can’t wait to get out of high school. Her father’s death and the transformation of her one-time BFF, Blake Dawkins, into her worst nightmare have her longing for the new start college will bring.
But college takes money. So Audrey decides she has to win the competition for the best app designed by a high schooler—and the $200,000 that comes with it. She develops something she calls the Boyfriend App, and suddenly she’s the talk of the school and getting kissed by the hottest boys around. But can the Boyfriend App bring Audrey true love?

While I loved the idea of a super-smart, tech-savy girl main character who creates an app, I didn't end up being too big a fan of this book. During the first bit of the story, I was totally into it all. It was a cool idea and I just loved how awesome Audrey was, but after a while, I started getting a little bit annoyed by the whole concept of the app and all the boy-craziness that went along with it. AND then, Audrey's second app came out and that's when I gave up on trying to go along with the book. I just couldn't attach myself to the concept.. It was way too far-fetched for me to enjoy, at least for a contemporary that was supposed to be a fun and easy read. I mean, it's not that I don't believe it could happen, I just wanted something else to happen instead. I really wished Audrey had dug a little bit deeper inside herself like her teacher wished and realised that you can't manipulate someone's feelings through an app. I really wished I had liked this book more, but it ended up going way too all over the place for me to really enjoy. 

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Review: Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Author: Jessica Brody

Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux (BYR)

Page Count:  320 pages, Hardcover

Date Published: March 5th 2013

Find it on Goodreads: Unremembered

Source: Recieved for review from publisher in exchange of honest review... Thank you!

When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.
Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.
Crippled by a world she doesn’t know, plagued by abilities she doesn’t understand, and haunted by a looming threat she can’t remember, Seraphina struggles to piece together her forgotten past and discover who she really is. But with every clue only comes more questions. And she’s running out of time to answer them.
Her only hope is a strangely alluring boy who claims to know her from before the crash. Who claims they were in love. But can she really trust him? And will he be able to protect her from the people who have been making her forget?
From popular young adult author Jessica Brody comes a compelling and suspenseful new sci-fi series, set in a world where science knows no boundaries, memories are manipulated, and true love can never be forgotten.

I have to admit, I'm not too sure how I feel about this book. I picked it up on a whim, not really planning on reading it intensely, but I ended it up finishing it in one sitting.. I literally did not move from the couch for the few hours it took me to read it. So this book wasn't boring, per say, but it didn't exactly excite me very much and I wasn't really able to truly engage myself in the characters. I found it hard to connect to Sera, probably due to the fact that she didn't have any memories, however I also just didn't really care too much about what happened. I found it to be fairly predictable... Most memory-loss stories that have a sci-fi twist seem to be fairly similar and I've read only a few, but I'm sad to say I'm starting to get kind of bored by them. I did like some of the little twists and turns the author made, but I wasn't completely hooked by it all.

I would probably recommend this book for someone who is a big fan of memory-loss books and anything filled with mystery and is looking for a quick read. I did like it, but it wasn't my favourite. 

Happy reading!

~Kristy

Review: The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

Author: Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Page Count: 352, Hardcover
Date Published: May 21st 2013
Find it on Goodreads: The Book of Broken Hearts
Source: e-ARC provided by Publisher (thank you!!!)

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author ofBittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.
Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.
Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?
Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak…unless her sisters were wrong?
Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

The Book of Broken Hearts fits its name well. It broke my heart and put it back together and I loved every part of it.

When it comes to Sarah Ockler, it only takes one book to know that her books aren't all sunshine and unicorn fluffy. There is a deeper part to her books and they are really touching. In this book, Jude, our MC, decides to restore her father's old motorcycle to try and see if it will help his Alzheimer's. She hires a mechanic and realises that he is Emilio Vargas, the youngest brother of the family she swore to her sisters she would never get involved with.

The thing with this book is, I'm kind of biased towards a few aspects of it. I am a huge sucker for motorcycles. My dad has one and I remember growing up with him working on it in the shop and me taking rides in the side-car on sunny days. I LOVE motorcycles. If I can convince my parents/when I turn 18, I definitely want to one day own one. So, with this book having a lot to do with motorcycles, it drew me in and kept me there. Also, I know someone with Alzheimer's and I know how tough it can be to see a loved one forgetting things so quickly and stuff like that.

The summary makes this book sound a lot more boy-related and a lot less than what it's really about. Yes, there's a boy and yes he's adorable and charming, but this book really focuses on family. There's a lot to do with Jude and her sisters and their relationship, as well as with her father. Her sisters kind of annoyed me at times, as they were kind of controlling of Jude, but I also understood, I guess. With Jude's Papi, it was different. I loved his sass and his attitude, but his meltdowns were quite sad and definitely broke my heart. That was one thing I loved about this book. It wasn't just about the broken hearts you get from the boy/girl who breaks your heart. It's about all the relationships and how they can all break your heart. Yes it's rough and yes it's painful, but maybe that broken heart will bring someone into your life to help mend it.

I really liked Jude as a protagonist. It took me about 50 pages to really enjoy her voice, but once I got into the book, I really connected with her. She's witty and sassy and totally awesome but also scared and emotional and it was nice to see two different sides of her. Then there was Emilio. At first I was kind of thinking he was another typical bad boy, ugh, but I realised, with Jude, that he was a lot more than that. He had many layers to him and wasn't as simple as I thought.

In all honesty, I cannot describe my love for this book enough. It was filled with the character's culture (Argentinian-American) and infused with emotion and humour. Yes, that's right, it was also funny, to put the cherry on top. Do not be fooled by the synopsis. The Book of Broken Hearts is touching and compelling and poignant. Yes it made me cry (just a little, I swear!) but it also made me laugh and that's my type of book. I highly recommend picking this book up.

Happy reading!
~Kristy

Review: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Author: Elizabeth Fama

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Page Count: 304 pages, Hardcover (I read the ARC)

Date Published: September 4th 2012

Find it on Goodreads:Monstrous Beauty

Source: An ARC was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:  4/5

 Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.





 My Thoughts: Dark and exciting!

When you hear 'mermaid book' what do you think of? Probably a light, fluffy story that's kind of cheesy, right? Think again. Monstrous Beauty has turned that expectation upside down with this moody, beautiful, dark, tale. This is definitely not a book for the fainthearted, nor those who enjoy more of a lighter read. It involves a lot of things that are scarcely touched in YA and it is definitely not your typical Little Mermaid tale. 

The book had my heart racing and it was difficult to put down half the time.The prose was haunting and there was something about the book that had me on edge at times. There were moments where it was slow, especially during the chapters in present day with Hester, but that's probably because Syrenka's story was just so captivating. Hester paled a bit next to the deadly siren, as most of the things she studied, we find out or can predict from reading Syrenka's chapters. The alternating between the chapters set in the 1870's and present day was so well done, impressive really. Both narratives were similar, but we learned so many different things from each

I thought this book was fabulous. It kept me reading late at night and I loved how different it was compared to other 'mermaid' stories in the YA genre. There was so much history and mystery involved, and that made it fun and interesting. There were only rare dull moments, with fantastic characters and an incredible story. There were plenty of plot twists and unexpected turns that keep the reader guessing and it was complex and unique and a total delight. 

Happy reading!
~Kristy 


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Review: Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield

Author: Kat Rosenfield

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Page Count: 277 pages, Hardcover

Date Published: July 5th 2012

Find it on Goodreads: Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone

Source: ARC sent by publisher

An arresting un-coming-of-age story, from a breathtaking talent

Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.

Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to 

the truth about Amelia's death.

 My Thoughts:

I was so ecstatic when I received an ARC of this book. The cover is absolutely phenomenal and the plot sounded terrific. I had just started getting back into murder mystery type books and so I was very excited. Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone was a beautifully written novel. The prose was gritty and mesmerizing, with an almost poetic-like style. Very contemplative and a lot of detail. It's an intense,  slow read, but the style of writing is so different from what I usually read, so that didn't matter too much to me. The only thing that bothered me was that it wasn't entirely clear if Becca was looking back on past events or if something was happening in present time. I was a little disorientated, and confused as to who was where and what was happening, but it ended up being better.

This is most definitely a book for older teens and adults. It deals with a lot of dark subjects and is also not for those who have a faint heart. The book opens with a sex scene that is not explicit, but is still 'there'. There are brutal murders that take place, with quite a bit of detail. Not so much that it made me not want to read, but I did cringe at one point or another. The book weaves through both Becca's story during the aftermath of Amelia's murder, and Amelia's life before her death. That was really well done. I enjoyed reading both girls' stories very much. There was also a lot of emphasis on life in a small town and how Becca just wanted to leave, and I really felt her pain. I don't live in that small of a town, but I could still relate to Becca's challenges. 

If you enjoy books that are written in a style that is more artistic and almost interpretive,  Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone would be an excellent book. It's filled with superb writing and  has a plot line that focuses a lot on the idea of not coming of age. It is definitely not for someone who perhaps has a faint heart and is disturbed easily. But if you can put up with some vague-ish details of a murder, I'm sure you'll be fine whilst reading this book. I personally really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to what Kat Rosenfield will be writing next.


Have a great day/night everyone!
~Kristy

Review: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer

Author: Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer

Published: Emily Bestler Books/Atria/Simon Pulse

Page Count: 358 pages, Hardcover

Date Published: June 26th 2012

Find it on Goodreads: Between the Lines

Source: ARC courtesy of Simon & Schuster Canada

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult and her teenage daughter present their first-ever novel for teens, filled with romance, adventure, and humor.What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?     Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.     And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom. Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

My Thoughts: I think the idea of this book is great, but could have been executed differently to make it more enjoyable to a large audience.

I had a really difficult time getting into this book. The story was great, but it wasn't easy adjusting to all the different fonts and point of views. The story is told from three different perspectives: Oliver's view, Delilah's view, and then we have the actual fairy tale, Between the Lines. And each POV is written in a different font. Which is really, quite annoying, to be blunt. I know that really doesn't matter in the long run, but... well... it kind of irked me. The illustrations are excellent, though. I'm really excited to see them in color; They truly add so much to the book. If you're into fairy tales, as I am, I'm sure you'll enjoy this book. It's filled with everything a great fairy tale should have, but so much more, too. It has many moments where I just sat there and sighed happily, because it was so cute and fluffy. That's exactly what this book is. Cute and fluffy. All of the characters are extremely likeable. Delilah, the girl who is in the 'real world' was easy to relate to, with the fact that she's an outcast who escapes within her books. Yeah, that I can relate to... A lot. I also really liked Oliver. He was cute and complex, with such a need to escape his continuously repetitive life. Can you imagine having to act out the same story you entire life, on the command of someone else? Although I liked the two protagonists, I really loved the other supporting characters! Frump and Socks were so adorable!

As much as I may have liked the characters and the concept of this book, it still wasn't all that I wished it to be. I believe this has been said multiple times now, but I think this book would be better suited for girls ages 11-13. It has simple, juvenile language and it lacks a certain aspect that YA should have. If I had read this book back when I was in middle school, I'm sure I would have loved it. But reading it at this age has me not loving it, but not hating it. There were some holes in the story that could probably be overlooked by others, but I like to think that I'm a fairly experienced reader and so, I notice these things. Also, I'm not that big of a Jodi Picoult fan. I've just never gotten into her books. I think her daughter will grow to be a great writer, if that's what she plans to do, but I feel that she needs to try stepping away from her mother's usual style of writing, even if this book wasn't in Picoult's usual genre.

Once again, this is a book that is great if you're looking for something that doesn't make you think too much. A book that will make you say "aww," and  reminisce about all those dreamy book characters you've fallen in love with. (Admit it, there's got to have been at least one!) It's always been a dream of mine to be able to speak directly to the characters in the books I read, so I openly envy Delilah. I'm sure a lot of readers can relate. Between the Lines was a great book to be released at the beginning of summer. It will please those who need a quick read for the beach. But if you're hoping for something that is darker and less Disney-esque, this isn't the book for you.

Happy reading!
~Kristy