Top Ten Tuesday: Fall TBR (21)

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.This week's topic is Fall TBR!

1. Spark by Brigid Kemmerer - I loved Storm and can't wait to read the sequel!!!

2. All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin - Because I just got the next one in the mail, I guess I should read it, eh?

3. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa - Halloween is coming up and I feel the need to read something with vampires!


4. Reached by Ally Condie - IT'S FINALLY COMING OUT!!!

5. Hidden by P.C. & Kristin Cast - I might have to read the entire series over again to understand what's going on in this one, but I'm pretty excited!!!

6.Origin by Jessica Khoury - I've been waiting for this one for so long! CAN'T WAIT!!!

7. Cinder by Marissa Meyer - I just got this one for 6$ and I can't wait to read it!

8. Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick - YAY!!! Even though the third book disappointed me a bit, I'm so thrilled the final book is coming out!

9. Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock - I've been dying to read this, so hopefully I'll get the chance to soon!

10. Foretold edited by Carrie Ryan - I need to read the Dimitri/Rose story in it by Richelle Mead!!!!!!


Hopefully I'll be reading all of these this fall! If not, maybe winter? Leave me a link to your TTT for this week and I'll check it out!
~Kristy

Review: Every Day by David Levithan

Author: David Levithan

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Page Count: 336 pages, Hardcover (I read the ARC)

Date Published: August 28th 2012

Find it on Goodreads: Every Day

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

Rating:  5/5

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.
With his new novel, David Levithan has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

My thoughts:  One of my new favorite books!

 If you've been following my reviews for a bit now, it should surprise you when I say that I cried like a baby with this book. But to be fair, not while I was reading it. No, during the read I teared up a few times in some certain parts, but never actually cried. But when I finished the book? Well, let's just say it was 2am and I was so overwhelmed by the beauty of this book that I just couldn't stop the tears. I didn't want the book to end! 

This question is one that almost everyone has probably asked or wanted to ask once in their lifetime. It's such a big question, one that holds an infinite amount of possibilities. But Levithan took the idea of switching bodies and made it into a novel that blew my mind. A's whole existence was relying on another person's body. A has no gender, no race, no sexuality, no family. Nothing that really defines us in life. He goes day to day in another person's body, living their lives as if he were them. It fascinated me, this whole idea! 

I literally don't know what else to say! I just LOVED this book! It has amazing morals and messages about equality and integrity, made me very emotional at some points, and the romance was just too sweet! I loved the complex emotions Rhiannon had involving A, but how she wanted to be with him/her so much at the same time. Then there was the whole thing with her being wary around him/her  when he/she was in the body of a girl but he/she had to convince her that it was still the same person. No difference. That kind of thing just hit me hard and had this huge effect on me. The way Levithan writes is so fantastic. I feel like this book could be displayed in a museum, because it is pure art. 

And then we get to the ending, and it just tore me up inside. I had stayed up all night reading it, and for good reason. I closed the book and the tears unexpectedly started falling. I couldn't control them! WHY DO AUTHORS DO THIS TO ME!?!?!? The ending was just.... ASIKGHAOSGALKHFS!!!! You know!?

Anyway, I'm not sure if anyone will actually get much out of this review, but I have tried to write it about 4 different times, and this is the best I could come up with. Every Day is one of those books that I will be reading for as long as I live. I am so grateful to the publishers for sending me an ARC! But I'll definitely be buying the hardcover, too!!!

Have you read this book yet? Let me know what you thought in the comments below!!!
~Kristy

Stacking the Shelves (15)

Stacking the Shelves is a book haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews -This is a great way for us to share what books we added to our shelves each week!

For Review: 

 Thanks to Feiwel & Friends, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Knopf Books!!! (All ARCs)

I haven't read the Halo series yet, so there might be a giveaway with the ARC of Heaven sometime in the future, if I don't end up reading the first two! (You guys know how I am about angel books...) I'm in the middle of All These Things I've Done, so I'm excited to have the sequel ready for when I finish! Plus, I've already read Ever Day and LOVED IT! 5 Star review to come!

That's what I got this week! Leave me a link to your haul and I'll check them out!

~Kristy

The Modified Cover Reveal + Giveaway!

 I'm super excited to be taking part in the cover reveal and swag giveaway for The Modified by C.A. Kunz, hosted by Young Adult Novel Reader Blog Tours!

 The Modified

C.A. Kunz

What would you sacrifice to save the one’s you love? To save the one who holds your
heart? To save the world?

Kenley Grayson is all too familiar with these questions. After Earth is thrust into its first intergalactic war with an unknown race called the Bringers, our military forces begin to suffer heavy losses. Desperate for a solution, the Allied Federation issues a worldwide draft for every able seventeen-year-old to enlist. As Kenley turns seventeen, she finds herself thrown into the very war that took her older brother’s life. This year’s draft is a little different than in the past though. A new program, known as the Magnus Project, has been introduced, and only the best and brightest qualify. Kenley is amongst a select few whom are chosen to join this elite group of soldiers, and as a part of this project,
undergoes a modification procedure that leaves her and her peers endowed with powers beyond their wildest dreams. As Earth continues in its struggle against the Bringers, Kenley is transported to a high-tech training facility, the Magnus Academy, to prepare for the major battle that lies ahead. It’s here that she meets the California heartthrob, and son of a legendary war hero, Landon Shaw. As
unexpected feelings toward Landon begin to develop, Kenley wonders if this is the right time or
place for romance to bloom, especially when those feelings start to interfere with her training. With the weight of the world on her shoulders, Kenley is constantly reminded of how important she and the rest of the Magnus cadets are to the fate of humanity. She is one of the Modified, Earth’s last line of defense against utter destruction.

The Modified releases this Fall! Like the cover for The Modified? Well then head over to Nathan Szerdy’s website and peruse his amazing collection of works. He has some amazing stuff!


The mom and son author duo, C.A. Kunz, thoroughly enjoys writing about things that go bump
in the night and futuristic action-packed romances while drinking massive amounts of English
breakfast tea and Starbucks coffee. To find out more about this duo and their books visit their
blog, or find them on Facebook and Twitter!

 Along with the cover reveal, the authors are giving away some swag! Enter in the rafflecopter below for your chance to win some of the swag shown!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a great day/night!
~Kristy

Review: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Author: Morgan Matson

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Page Count: 468 pages, Hardcover (I read the Paperback edition, 468 pages - Simon & Schuster UK)

Date Published: May 8th 2012  (first published June 7th 2012)

Find it on Goodreads: Second Chance Summer

Source: Purchased

Rating:  4/5

 Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.
Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.
As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

 

 My Thoughts: What seems like a fluffy, cute read is actually a story filled with depth and had me in tears multiple times. 

The description doesn't really do this book many favors. It makes it seem like a mindless summer read that you'll forget in a few days. But it was absolutely not that. This is a book about family, friendship, love and forgiveness. After reading Pushing the Limits, I really wanted something to get my mind off of things and to try and cheer me up. While this book was fantastic, it was also not the book to do that with. I absolutely loved Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, so I was super excited for this book to come out... I think a lot of people can agree with me on that. This is the perfect book for lovers of contemporaries that aren't filled with instluv and cheesy story lines. 

The Edwards family charmed me from the very beginning. I loved how distant they are at first, and the fact that their old cabin and a stray dog can help bring them together during a really horrible time. Taylor's dad is sick with terminal cancer, so they decide to spend one last summer at their old summer cabin. There they begin to reconnect and learn more about each other than ever. The entire family felt so real... They were all people I can imagine staying in the cabin next to mine. I LOVED Taylor's brother... I have a real weakness for those adorably awkward brothers in YA. Then there was her little sister, who reminded me of myself two years ago, actually. Always dancing around the house, my family avoiding  my kicks and leaps because it's completely normal. Matson got the 'young dancer' spot on. Then there was the mom and dad. Obviously it was hard not to love Taylor's dad. And I felt so much for her mother. She had to be so strong whilst watching her husband slowly die... Matson had me tearing up in some of the scenes with Taylor's mum. 

The only thing I can say that really disappointed me about this book was the big 'betrayal' that Taylor committed. The way the author built up tension and suspense as to what it was, when it was finally revealed, I was a bit like, 'Huh?'. It was made up into this huge thing, that ended up being really overemphasized. If there had been more focus on the relationship between Taylor and her father, and less about the not-so-dramatic past, this book would have gotten five stars out of me. Although this book was also about Taylor rekindling her old friendships and relationship with Henry, my favorite scenes were the ones with her family. Yes, her friendship with Lucy was important, as well as her romance with Henry, but there were a few times where I felt the book start dragging along and not have much going on. But at the same time, I felt there were plenty of times where the author did the perfect amount of detail, and made the book filled with emotion and detail that was personal to the characters. I don't know if that makes any sense, but it did in my head...  I did like Henry, he was cute and sweet and the relationship between him and Taylor took time and forgiveness, so that was an absolute plus. But I wish we could have delved a little bit more into who he was. We learn a bit about his past, but not much more about him. Then there was Lucy, Taylor's ex-best friend. She was hard to like at first, but eventually grows on you. 

This is a great book for the summer, if you enjoy books that will have you reaching for the tissue box half the time! It's got a story that is filled with real characters and a real story. There were so many things that Matson included in the story that made it so much better, like the fact that Taylor's father wanted to do as many things that he hadn't done before he passed, or the fact that Taylor and Lucy help Gelsey and her new friend have an epic sleepover. It was things like that that made this book amazing to me. I'm really loving Morgan Matson's works, and am looking forward to what she comes up with next!

Have a great day/night!
~Kristy