The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is the first book in her 'Summer' series. I have not yet read the last two, but I will as soon as I can. I really, really wanted to like this book, but it just did not live up to my expectations. I'm hoping that It's Not Summer Without You will be better!

Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
My Rating: 3/5 ~It was okay. I liked it, but it seemed quite generic.

 Goodreads Description:

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

To be frank, I cannot say how many things about this book that irked me. The first, was that we did not find out what Belly's real name is, until the middle of the book! I'd love to know at least the first name of the protagonist if I'm going to read the book! Also, I feel like the switching back and forth between past and present was really confusing and choppy. Most times it just made me dislike Belly and the overall book more. Belly, or as I finally found out, Isabel COMPLAINS NON-STOP. Nothing is ever good enough. Ugh! Get over yourself. You have two, no wait... three, (don't forget her little summer fling, Cam!) guys hanging off your shoulder and all you do is complain about them. Gosh, I'm ranting a lot in my reviews lately... sorry guys! Anyways, Belly states that the best part of the year for her is summer, but I didn't really get that vibe. She never seemed truly happy. I felt as if her thing with Cam, the whale-watcher guy, was sort of random and didn't end smoothly -as in, I didn't know if it was over or not until almost the end, because it wasn't very clear. I really liked Susannah though. She was really the only character I cared about in the entire novel. But then, it felt like that was the same for Belly, now didn't it? There are then the boys. Jeremiah was sweet and funny, Conrad was moody and deep and Cam was just a fling. Her brother Steven made me stop and think about how my little brothers will be like when they're older, and he seems to be a pretty good fit. Then, there is Belly's mother. I felt so bad for her. She didn't deserve the way her daughter treated her! No mother who secretly buys her daughter a dress that is much to fancy, deserves being treated like dirt.


Honestly, I think the thing that made me dislike this novel the most was the characters. Should I start rating separate parts of a book on here? I could do characters, voice, setting, plot, etc. If I'm ever confused about how I should rate a book, that's what I do on a piece of paper and then average it out. Maybe I will begin  to do that, in my next review. For now, I'll say this: I liked this book enough, but I probably won't ever read it again. I will try and read the next two books, but they are not my first priority. Jenny Han is a good author, but I felt as if this book was just a bit weak. There are tons of mixed reviews on this book. Some people giving it a 4 or 5, others a 1 or 2. So I thought I'd go in the middle!


I won't be doing a Teaser Tuesday tonight, as I'm rereading The Hunger Games and I haven't started anything new since I finished Born Wicked! Let me know about the rating system you'd prefer!


~Kristy

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Wow. Just... wow. Don't let the fluffy title fool you into thinking this is just a silly, girly beach read. This book is a tear-jerking story that will 'break your heart and put it back together again'. 


Author: Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
My Rating: 4.5/5 ~ It was fantastic! Tissues may be necessary!


Goodreads Description:
"Don’t worry, Anna. I’ll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won’t say anything?"
"Don’t worry.” I laughed. “It’s our secret, right?"

According to Anna’s best friend, Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there’s a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there’s something she hasn’t told Frankie–she’s already had her romance, and it was with Frankie’s older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

TWENTY BOY SUMMER explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every beautiful moment life has to offer.


*Sorry if there's some minor spoilers... nothing drastic though.*

I think I've read this book three, four, maybe five times now. But as I don't have it on my bookshelf, I can't be sure.  But I have definitely read it more than once. It is that good. Anna's relationship with Matt was super romantic and sweet... it wasn't your classic 'forbidden' romance. It was more just their little secret. Although, I wondered at some points about why Matt was keeping it a secret from Frankie for so long... I get that he's a protective older brother, but seriously? Okay! So you like your little sister's best friend and she likes you! Just tell Frankie! She'll get over it! She is not THAT fragile! Well... here's the thing about Frankie. She was very one-dimensional in my opinion. Until the end, there was hardly anything going on in her head other than boys, boys and more BOYS!!! But then, there was the whole thing with the diary and I couldn't stand her and then I liked her again and... Anyways, I'm getting way off the tangent. I should talk about Sam. Oh, Sam. Every girl dreams of going to California and meeting someone like Sam. The boy who will sweep you off of your feet and let you forget all about your dead, secret boyfriend. (Alright, maybe that's not the case with every girl, but hey... it's Anna's story, right?) He's the guy that teaches you to surf, the one that you sneak out every night to go see, and eventually... gasp! Lose your 'V-card' to! Sounds like the most cliched summer-romance novel ever, right? In ways, yes it was. But it was also so much more. The emotions that you feel from Anna take over. I seriously thought I was vacationing in Zanzibar Bay at some points! (Don't I wish?) Towards the end was when I most needed a pillow to hug, or to curse silently at one of the characters (whom, I will not say). The author's writing flows amazingly, making you feel like you were part of the novel and I was left wanting so much more, even though the story ended very nicely. 


I realize that this review may be a little vague, but that is solely because I want anyone who has not read this yet, and who thinks that they will enjoy it -even the tiniest bit- to find a copy and READ IT! I don't want to give away much, as it is such an excellent story when you don't  know what is going to happen. (Says me, who's read it multiple times.) Okay, okay, it's an excellent read anytime you read it! Grab the tissue box... you'll be needing it!


Alright, that's it for now!
Good night everyone, I'm going to bed! 
~Kristy

In My Mailbox (5)

This weekly meme is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Every Sunday I'll put up which books I bought, borrowed or hopefully one day received for review. This way you'll have a little sneak peek on the reviews to look forward to soon!

I got a few books from the library and then... *sigh,* I did buy one from the store yesterday.  I told myself I wasn't going to buy a ton of books anymore, but I couldn't just quit cold-turkey! I was hoping to order some books off of amazon.com, but we are switching over our banks, so I can't order anything at the moment. I will soon though, so I will finally be able to get Incarnate  and Everneath! Yay!!! But for now, I'll tell you what I got this week!

Purchased:

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood.

Borrowed from Library:

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Abandon by Meg Cabot

Stay by Deb Caletti

Stolen: A Letter to My Captor by Lucy Christopher

Fallen by Lauren Kate

That's all for this week!
If you've posted your IMM, link it in the comments below and I'll be sure to check it out!
~Kristy

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

How many of you are as annoyed as I am that we have to wait a year until Requiem comes out!? I finished Pandemonium in a day and a half and I am banging my head against the wall because I cannot wait for the final book in this incredible trilogy! Delirium ended on such a cliff-hanger and this book is no exception in the rule that Lauren Oliver is queen of all crazy-frustrating, throw-the-book-across-the-room endings!

Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperTeen
My Rating: 4.5/5 ~ It was fantastic!

 

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

**INEVITABLE SPOILERS for those who have not read or are still reading Delirium.**

The story is told though alternating chapters of Lena in the Wilds and then working for the Resistance. Although this worked really well for the story in general it confused me at some points. It was also very frustrating when I wanted to know what was going to happen in the Then chapters, but I had to read the Now chapter as well! I would really love to give this book 5 stars, because the second half of the book deserves it completely, but the first half was a little bit hard for me to get through. There were some points where I didn't understand what was happening with the Resistance and all in all was just plain confused. I think it was because of the fact that Alex was gone. I am still totally team Alex. Julian should go crawl in a hole. Lena really frustrated me at some points! She hardly made any effort to find out if Alex was alive or not. I understand that it would be hard for her to talk about him, but I would also think that she would do anything to find out the truth about where he is and if he was dead. But her falling in love with Julian frustrated the heck out of me! It was only, what... six months after Alex was captured!?  

 How can she forget that?!?!?!?! He's the ONE! I was really worried about Lauren Oliver making this series into a love triangle, but you know what? Screw it... TEAM ALEX FTW. Julian is sweet but Lena needs Alex! Anyways, sorry for that little rant... Anyone who has finished Pandemonium: what did you think of the ending? Did you shriek in frustration like I did?! We have to now wait until February 2013 for the final book! *sob* How horrible!!! :'(


To anyone who has not yet read Delirium, go to the library, go to the bookstore, order it online, I don't care. You have to read this series if you have even the slightest interest in dystopian romances.

Let me know what you thought of Pandemonium and if you think it lived up to Delirium!
~Kristy

Totally Exciting Cover Reveal!!!

I cannot explain how excited I was when I saw this. I just got home and was checking Ally Condie's website and I saw her post "I have some news..." OF COURSE I clicked on the link because for any of you who have read Matched and Crossed, you would know that we haven't found out even the title of the third book in this amazing dystopian trilogy, let alone the cover and I am always looking for a hint to what it may be. 

 Well.... 

 

Isn't this gorgeous!? I was so hoping that Cassia would be standing up in the glass ball! Of course, we all knew that the cover would be red, but I wonder what that will mean in relation to the story. I love the theme that continued with this cover. For Matched, Cassia was crouched inside a sphere, pushing out and Crossed had a picture of Cassia punching the orb, on her way to escaping. This whole thing with her finally escaped from the ball is a good sign! Also, I think 'Reached' is a great title... I wonder if it means that Cassia finally reached her goal of defeating the Society? Or maybe it signifies something entirely different.
What do you think of the cover? Do you like the title? Let me know!
If you haven't already read Matched by Ally Condie, I'd suggest you pick a copy up, that is, if you enjoy dystopian series.

~Kristy
***To see the complete post on this go to: http://shelf-life.ew.com/2012/03/02/matched-trilogy-by-ally-condie-see-the-cover-and-title-for-the-third-and-final-book-plus-condie-answers-burning-questions-exclusive/. Enjoy!***