Come Back To Me by Mila Gray

Come Back To Me by Mila Gray

Release Date:  December 8, 2015

Publisher:  Simon Pulse

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages:  352

Summary:  In this heart-wrenching tale of love and loss, a young Marine and his best friend’s sister plunge into a forbidden love affair while he’s home on leave.

When a Marine Chaplain knocks on her door, Jessa’s heart breaks—someone she loves is dead. Killed in action, but is it Riley or Kit? Her brother or her boyfriend…

Three months earlier, Marine Kit Ryan finds himself back home on leave and dangerously drawn to his best friend Riley’s sister, Jessa—the one girl he can’t have. Exhausted from fighting his feelings, Kit finally gives in, and Jessa isn’t strong enough to resist diving headfirst into a passionate relationship.

But what was just supposed to be a summer romance develops into something far greater than either of them expected. Jessa’s finally found the man of her dreams and Kit’s finally discovered there’s someone he’d sacrifice everything for.

When it’s time for Kit to redeploy, neither one is ready to say goodbye. Jessa vows to wait for him and Kit promises to come home to her. No matter what.

But as Jessa stands waiting for the Marine Chaplain to break her heart, she can’t help but feel that Kit has broken his promise…

Riley or Kit? Kit or Riley? Her brother or her boyfriend? Who’s coming home to her?

My Thoughts: From the first few pages on, I knew this one was going to make me cry somewhere in it. And it did.

We are introduced to Jessa who is a girl with a lot of hopes and dreams but she has a very overprotective father. A lot of times she’s just walking on eggshells around him trying to be the perfect daughter.

Jessa also has a brother named Riley who is in the Marines. Riley is gone a lot but when he does come home, its a fun time for Jessa. Jessa looks up to her brother and loves him with all of her heart. Riley also has a best friend named Kit.  Oh man, Kit. I loved Kit. He was also in the Marines and he was such a cutie. But he’s also a bit of a player, or at least he was most of his life.

Jessa has always had a crush on Kit from the time she was a teenager. The last few years Kit’s also had a crush on Jessa but he’s never let anyone know.

Well, this time when Riley and Kit come home on leave Jessa finds herself falling more and more in love with Kit and vice versa. Their secret relationship starts and its on fire!

I just loved the chemistry between them. And their relationship. Things aren’t always perfect though. They go through alot together and things happen.

I also want to mention this one is more New Adult than Young Adult. Or at least it should be.

As you can tell, things aren’t hunky dory all the time and people die, and people live, and things happen.

Overall:  It’s hard to put this one into words. It was really good in a way but I also at times wanted to skip ahead just to see what happened.  A lot of the book is also spent on moping and that really bugged me. LOL. I just wanted happiness. This one is definitely worth the read though and you might like it a bit more than me. I did really enjoy it but I think for me its more of a 3.5 contemp read.

Cover:  Love it! I’d pick this one up for the cover alone! Very sweet!

What I’d Give It:

Rules For 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern

Rules For 50/50 Chances by Kate McGovern

Release Date: November 24, 2015

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 352

Summary: A heartrending but ultimately uplifting debut novel about learning to accept life's uncertainties; a perfect fit for the current trend in contemporary realistic novels that confront issues about life, death, and love.

Seventeen-year-old Rose Levenson has a decision to make: Does she want to know how she’s going to die? Because when Rose turns eighteen, she can take the test that will tell her if she carries the genetic mutation for Huntington’s disease, the degenerative condition that is slowly killing her mother. With a fifty-fifty shot at inheriting her family’s genetic curse, Rose is skeptical about pursuing anything that presumes she’ll live to be a healthy adult—including going to ballet school and the possibility of falling in love. But when she meets a boy from a similarly flawed genetic pool, and gets an audition for a dance scholarship in California, Rose begins to question her carefully-laid rules.

My Thoughts:  I wasn’t sure what to think as I started Rules for 50/50 Chances but I enjoyed it.

We are introduced to Rose who has been watching her mother deteriorate pretty fast.  Her mother has the early onset of Huntington Disease and it seems to be getting worse over time. Sometimes she’ll seem okay, others not so much. Rose is so scared she also has this gene. She wants to live her life to the fullest but it's hard for her. She wants to go to ballet school and have a successful career.

Rose meets a boy named Caleb. His family also suffers from another genetic curse. Sickle Cell. He knows the heartbreak and trouble of living with people with a genetic disease. I loved Rose and Caleb’s relationship. It started off slow and picked up! I loved the moments with him and seeing them together.

I really felt for Rose. I would want to know too if I carried the gene. It would drive me crazy watching my family deal with things hers did and not knowing.

Rules For 50/50 Chances was a really wonderful debut. The ending. wow. I don’t know if I’d agree with happened but I try to see things from both sides.

Overall: I did enjoy this one. I think at times, I wanted to know how it was going to end right away but I made my way there even though I wanted to skip ahead! HAHA!

Cover:  Like it! I’d probably pick it up! Made me wonder what is about. 

What I'd Give It:

Captive by A.J. Grainger

Captive by A.J. Grainger

Release Date: November 3, 2015

Publisher: Simon And Schuster Books For Young Readers

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages:  272

Summary:  When a teen is held hostage, her efforts to escape uncover a conspiracy that forces her to question everything in this psychological thriller with a twist of forbidden romance.

They told her not to worry—

because the man who shot her father was in custody.

They told her that she was safe—

because security had been increased.

All it took was one opportunity, one breach,

and then she was theirs. Kidnapped, confined, alone.

They told her she could go home when their demands were met.

That it wouldn’t take long, because she was the prime minister’s daughter.

But it has been days, and still no help has come.

She wonders when they will tire of this game and kill her.

She cannot wait around for that to happen; she will escape. She has to.

My Thoughts: Honestly, when I started this one, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it or not. Sometimes I like kidnapping books, other times I do not.

I really liked it. I thought it was a good one. I enjoyed the plot, but I also liked the characters more than anything.

We are introduced to Robyn who is just a normal teenager. She has most teenage problems, except for one exception. Her dad is the prime minister of the UK. This means her life is always in danger. Something could happen to her or her family. Terrorists, threats, a lot of things really.

When Robyn gets kidnapped it is quite the whirlwind for her. Two of the kidnappers were pretty mean, and jerks. I didn’t like those two at all. Both of them rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning. But, there was another one. His name was Talon. I really liked him a lot. I wanted him and Robyn to become friends. I found myself rooting for him many times during the book.

I felt at times this book  was very fast paced however it did feel like her kidnapping lasted forever. At times, I just wanted her to be found or to escape.

I really liked learning about her relationship with her dad and her little sister. I liked her family a lot even if things weren’t perfect.

I think I liked the parts between Talon and Robyn the most out of the whole novel. But I never really felt completely right about it either. It was a hard one to grasp.

Overall: I did really enjoy this one all in all. I liked Talon and I understood why he was the way he was. It was just hard wanting Robyn to like Talon because he was in on the kidnapping but I always liked the scenes with them. I really liked Captive a lot.

Cover: Its mysterious enough for you to want to read it!

What I’d Give It:

The Jock And The Fat Chick by Nicole Winters

The Jock And The Fat Chick by Nicole Winters

Release Date: October 13, 2015

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 250

Summary:  No one ever said high school was easy. In this hilarious and heartwarming debut, one high school senior has to ask himself how much he's willing to give up in order to fit in.

Kevin seems to have it all: he's popular, good looking, and on his way to scoring a college hockey scholarship. However, he's keeping two big secrets. The first is that he failed an assignment and is now forced to take the most embarrassing course ever--domestic tech. The second is that he is falling for his domestic tech classmate, Claire.

As far as Kevin is concerned, Claire does have it all: she's funny, smart, beautiful, and confident. But she's off-limits. Because Kevin knows what happens when someone in his group dares to date a girl who isn't a cheerleader, and there's no way he is going to put himself—or Claire—through that.

But steering clear of the girl of his dreams is a lot harder than Kevin thought…especially when a cooking project they are paired together for provides the perfect opportunity for things to heat up between them outside the classroom….

Epic Reads Impulse is a digital imprint with new releases each month.

My Thoughts:  We are introduced to Kevin who is really into sports. He plays hockey and all he can really think about at the moment is getting a hockey scholarship. He lives at home with his mom and mostly lives off junk food and whatever he can find at the moment. Kevin is part of the popular crowd and all the guys aren’t very considerate really. They constantly make jokes about the girls who are overweight or have extra meat on their bones.

His coach realizes how bad he’s eating and that he isn’t doing the best at some of his classes and ends up making him take a domestic class! He gets to learn how to cook!  Sounds fun, right? Not to Kevin! If anyone finds out he’ll be so embarrassed!  

Well, he ends up in the class and finds himself really liking it. He starts eating healthy and actually making himself the right kind of food. He also meets a girl named Claire. I really liked her. But of course, she’s a bit of a bigger girl. Her personality was awesome! I never really saw her as anything else but Claire. But of course Kevin finds himself falling for her but he’s scared to admit it to anyone in fear of them making fun of her and embarrassing himself.

I did like this one. I loved the cooking moments and getting to know Kevin and Claire. I also liked Claire’s parents. I did have a little bit of trouble with Kevin’s voice at times. I always just like reading girl narrators better. I relate more. And, there was some crude language but that didn’t really bother me.

I was happy with how things ended up turning out, even though there were a lot of bumps in the road.

Overall: I would probably give this one a 3.5 cupcake rating. I liked it but I didn’t love it. And it did interest me as I read through it. I liked Kevin even though I struggled a little bit with him. I also laughed out loud a few times!

Cover: Like it! Like the colors!! 

What I'd Give It:

Future Perfect by Jen Larsen

Future Perfect by Jen Larsen

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Publisher: HarperTeen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 320

Summary:  Every year on her birthday, Ashley Perkins gets a card from her grandmother—a card that always contains a promise: lose enough weight, and I will buy your happiness.

Ashley doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with the way she looks, but no amount of arguing can persuade her grandmother that “fat” isn’t a dirty word—that Ashley is happy with her life, and her body, as it is.

But Ashley wasn’t counting on having her dreams served up on a silver platter at her latest birthday party. She falters when Grandmother offers the one thing she’s always wanted: tuition to attend Harvard University—in exchange for undergoing weight loss surgery.

As Ashley grapples with the choice that little white card has given her, she feels pressured by her friends, her family, even administrators at school. But what’s a girl to do when the reflection in her mirror seems to bother everyone but her?

Through her indecisions and doubts, Ashley’s story is a liberating one—a tale of one girl, who knows that weight is just a number, and that no one is completely perfect.

My Thoughts: I’ve already read a few books this year about weight loss. And, while I’m trying to lose weight, I know its hard! Really hard!

We are introduced to Ashley who is a bigger girl. She’s pretty much accepted that she’s not skinny and she’s ok with the way she looks for the most part. She’s used to her body.

Every year her grandmother tries to offer her something to make her lose the weight. I know, I know this sounds horrible and it is, but I think the grandmother does just want whats best for Ashley even though this isn’t really the best way to go about it. I liked the beginning of the story. Ashley was a character to really like and root for. But, by the middle it just wasn’t holding my interest like I like books to do. I usually fly through them and this one just had me putting it down more than picking it up.  I just had a hard time really getting into it.

I liked this one enough and I liked the ending the most. I just had a hard time with it. I liked the side characters too. I liked Ashley’s dad, and her friends.

Overall:  I liked this one enough, I did finish it. I just couldn’t stay in tune with it I guess.  I can see where some will love this book to pieces but it was just okay for me. Which is ok by me since I can’t love every single book I read!

Cover:  Like it! Love the blueish color. Also the dresses!

What I’d Give It:

Not After Everything by Michelle Levy

Not After Everything by Michelle Levy

Release Date: August 4, 2015

Publisher: Dial Books

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages:  336

Summary:  A gritty but hopeful love story about two struggling teens—

great for fans of The Spectacular Now, Willow, and Eleanor and Park

Tyler has a football scholarship to Stanford, a hot girlfriend, and a reliable army of friends to party with. Then his mom kills herself. And Tyler lets it all go. Now he needs to dodge what his dad is offering (verbal tirades and abuse) and earn what his dad isn’t (money). Tyler finds a job that crashes him into Jordyn, his former childhood friend turned angry-loner goth-girl. She brings Tyler an unexpected reprieve from the never-ending pity party his life has become. How could he not fall for her? But with his dad more brutally unpredictable than ever, Tyler knows he can’t risk bringing Jordyn too deeply into the chaos. So when violence rocks his world again, will it be Jordyn who shows him the way to a hopeful future? Or after everything, will Tyler have to find it in himself?

My Thoughts:  Wow, oh Wow, I loved this one!  

We are introduced to Tyler who had everything going for him. Popular, pretty cheerleader girlfriend, on the football team, okay family! And smart and plans to go to a great college.

Until one day he comes home and finds his mom dead. She committed suicide. After this, Tyler’s whole world just shifts. His dad loses it and is always drunk and angry. And he beats Tyler up. He’s emotionally and physically abusive. Tyler still goes to school but only when he feels like it and nobody seems to really care. He quits the football team and just lets his dreams go down the drain. He feels responsible for his mom’s death. He feels like his life is meaningless now.

Tyler ends up getting a job at a photography studio and things start to look up. He meets a new girl named Jordyn. Well he really already knows her, but now he really gets to know her. In a new way.

I want to say so much about this one, but it’s one of those where I just can’t put into words how much I enjoyed it. I read right through it within a day. I really really loved it. And it’s from a boy’s point of view which I normally don’t find myself enjoying very much. Tyler was real and so raw. I understood him and it was heartbreaking at times. And his dog. Oh that scene with Captain I teared up and thought I was gonna just cry and cry!

And learning everything I did about his mom and his family just made me have so many feels. It probably doesn’t help that I lost my mom this year as well. This was just heartbreaking and so raw but I enjoyed reading about Tyler and how he overcame everything.

Overall: I could probably write a whole great review on this one even more than I already have. I liked it that much!!!  Definately add this one to your TBR right now!

Cover: Love it! I’d have to pick this one up if I saw it! It’s just sooo sweet and neat!

What I’d Give It:

Hello I Love You by Katie Stout

Hello I Love You by Katie Stout

Release Date: June 9, 2015

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 304

Summary:  A teen escapes to a boarding school abroad and falls for a Korean pop star in this fun and fresh romantic novel in the vein of Anna and the French Kiss.

Grace Wilde is running—from the multi-million dollar mansion her record producer father bought, the famous older brother who’s topped the country music charts five years in a row, and the mother who blames her for her brother’s breakdown. Grace escapes to the farthest place from home she can think of, a boarding school in Korea, hoping for a fresh start.

She wants nothing to do with music, but when her roommate Sophie’s twin brother Jason turns out to be the newest Korean pop music superstar, Grace is thrust back into the world of fame. She can't stand Jason, whose celebrity status is only outmatched by his oversized ego, but they form a tenuous alliance for the sake of her friendship with Sophie. As the months go by and Grace adjusts to her new life in Korea, even she can't deny the sparks flying between her and the KPOP idol.

Soon, Grace realizes that her feelings for Jason threaten her promise to herself that she'll leave behind the music industry that destroyed her family. But can Grace ignore her attraction to Jason and her undeniable pull of the music she was born to write? Sweet, fun, and romantic, this young adult novel explores what it means to experience first love and discover who you really are in the process.

My Thoughts:  Oh man, this one has some good and bad reviews so I was a little weary. But, I really did like it. And it was a very fast read for me!

We are introduced to Grace who has decided to leave Tennessee and go away to a boarding school in Korea. Talk about a long ways from home. If it was me, I probably couldn’t do that. Too far away! Grace’s family is pretty well known. Her brother was famous, and her dad is a record producer. A lot of people in the United States know the family.

Grace gets a really great roommate. Her name was Sophie and I loved her!  Sophie also has a twin brother named Jason. Jason is in a popular band in Korea, along with two other guys. So, Grace doesn’t quite get away from the reporters and the publicity like she had hoped. Hanging out with Sophie and the band turns a public eye on Grace but nobody really knows who she is, for a while.

I really did like Jason. From the get go, I liked him. He was kind but kind of mysterious. But he was also a jerk at times. He was just very guarded. I think he was a sweet guy, just guarded. I really liked getting to know Jason and the bandmates.

I also liked reading about Korea and the food and the traditions there. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

I really liked the plot of this one and how Grace realized a lot and grew a lot in such a short time.

Overall: I really liked the characters in this one! I loved getting to know Grace and Sophie and the boys. I really enjoyed getting to know their families too. Especially Jason’s mom.  I thought this one was a cute novel!

Cover: Love it! If I saw this one in the store, I’d pick it right up and buy it. Its cute!

What I’d Give It:

What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler

Release Date: September 22, 2015

Publisher:  HarperTeen

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 336

Summary: Kate Weston can piece together most of the bash at John Doone’s house: shots with Stacey Stallard, Ben Cody taking her keys and getting her home early—the feeling that maybe he’s becoming more than just the guy she’s known since they were kids.

But when a picture of Stacey passed out over Deacon Mills’s shoulder appears online the next morning, Kate suspects she doesn’t have all the details. When Stacey levels charges against four of Kate’s classmates, the whole town erupts into controversy. Facts that can’t be ignored begin to surface, and every answer Kate finds leads back to the same question: Where was Ben when a terrible crime was committed?

This story—inspired by real events—from debut novelist Aaron Hartzler takes an unflinching look at silence as a form of complicity. It’s a book about the high stakes of speaking up, and the razor thin line between guilt and innocence that so often gets blurred, one hundred and forty characters at a time.

My Thoughts: This is one I probably wouldn’t normally read but I did it on a whim one day. And, I thought it was good but I just didn’t find myself too into it or the actual plot. It just wasn’t the right one for me I think.

We are introduced to Kate who has liked a boy for a while. His name is Ben and she’s known him a long time. In her eyes, Ben is perfect. But he always seems to have a girlfriend and Kate is just the “friend.”  One day, Kate gets really drunk and gets a ride home from Ben from a party. At this party, a picture is taken of another girl. The picture makes its rounds, and the girl files a rape claim. Of course, in this town the school and most of the town turn against the girl. Kate doesn't know what to think. Kate wasn’t really there and she wants to stay away from the situation.

Of course, Kate ends up getting in the middle and she has some tough decisions to make. I don’t want to say the whole plot of this one. Or what happens. Part of me was surprised by the ending, the other part, not so much. I had a feeling that was what was going to happen.

This was a good one, it just wasn’t the right one for me. I like cookie cutter happy endings where everything makes sense. This one was just ARRGGGG.

Overall:  This one will definitely make you think about things. I rooted for Kate and for her to do the right thing. And she deserves a really great guy! I'd say this is probably a 3.5 rating for me.

Cover: Like it! Love the door handle! It fits!

What I’d Give It:

The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath And The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Release Date: May 12, 2015

Publisher:  G.P. Putnams Sons Books For Young Readers

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages:  416

Summary:  One Life to One Dawn.

In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.

Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?

Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.

My Thoughts:  I’m not really sure what to say about this one. I’m a little bit torn. We are introduced to Shahrzad whose best friend has been murdered. She was one of the girls who became Khalid’s wife and was murdered just as many girls before her had been.

I really did enjoy it. I however had a hard time getting into it. The first half I just felt like dragged on. I wasn’t into the plot or the characters very much. I just didn’t relate to them and I didn’t care for them.

But by about the midway point I started getting sucked right into the story and I had to know what was going to happen next. I enjoyed Shahrzad getting to know Khalid and seeing a side of him she did not expect.  I liked their encounters. I also liked all the side characters as well. They each were so bright and beautifully written.

I just had a feeling there was more to Khalid’s story than what everyone thinks and I was very right. I knew it would be something like that even though I wasn’t sure what.  

Overall: I found myself really enjoying this one even though I had a hard time with the beginning.

I started to care about the characters and by the time the story ended, I wished I had the second book. I really liked all the characters even the not so good ones. I also want to know what happens next.

Cover:  It’s not too bright and colorful but if I had seen it in on the shelf, I’d probably pick it up!

What I’d Give It: