Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler
Release Date: October 1, 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 320
Summary: She never thought a kiss could kill…
Samantha didn’t mean to hurt anyone. She was just trying to fit in...and she wanted to make Zee a little jealous after he completely ditched her for a prettier girl. So she kissed Alex. And then he died—right in her arms.
Was she really the only person in the entire school who didn’t know about his peanut allergy? Or that eating a peanut better sandwich and then kissing him would be deadly? Overnight Sam turns into the school pariah and a media sensation explodes. Consumed with guilt, abandoned by her friends, and in jeopardy of losing her swimming scholarship, she’ll have to find a way to forgive herself before anyone else will.
My Thoughts: Samantha didn’t know any better. She didn’t mean to do what she did. It was an accident pure and simple.
Those are the words Samantha needs to hear herself say. One night she is trying to make another boy jealous named Zee whom she likes when she kisses his best friend Alex. His best friend has a severe allergic reaction and dies. All of this because of a peanut butter sandwich?
Samantha is horrified. She’s given up on swimming, she’s given up on her friends (the few she had because she’s at a new school) and basically her life. Why should she have a happy life when he can’t?
Who I Kissed was an amazing novel. I really enjoyed learning about Samantha’s struggle and seeing how everything turned out. It was an intense beautiful novel.
This novel is very emotional and a definite struggle to read. While on one hand I wanted to keep reading, I also felt kind of depressed because I felt bad for everyone involved.
And, the ending, the way things happened, crazy.
Wow, what a novel. This is one you need to read this year.
Overall: Crazy, intense, real. Oh Samantha, Zee, and Alex I loved hearing your story.
Cover: Like it! It would make me pick it up!
What I’d Give It:
Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 384
Summary: Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett’s unique ability to travel through time and space brings him into Anna’s life, and with him, a new world of adventure and possibility.
As their relationship deepens, they face the reality that time might knock Bennett back where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate—and what consequences they can bear in order to stay together.
Fresh, exciting, and deeply romantic, TIME BETWEEN US is a stunning and spellbinding debut from an extraordinary new talent in YA fiction.
My Thoughts: Oh Anna and Bennett how I loved going on this ride with you!
This novel tells the wonderful romance story of Anna and Bennett who travel together and have a lot of weird moments together. They are adventurous to say the least. Bennett shows up at Anna’s school one day, and she becomes smitten with him. Of course, there is more to his story than the average new boy. He is from the future and he can time travel. Anna is living in 1995 and Bennett is from the future, 2012. They aren’t supposed to know each other or fall in love with one another. They aren’t meant to be together, according to time and space.
Of course this doesn’t stop them. Bennett takes Anna places she could never even imagine going. Anna falls deeply in love with him but she knows there may be consequences and she could lose him any day. He can’t always control where he goes or how long he stays.
Things aren’t all candy canes and sugar plums, Anna and Bennett face a lot of challenges on being together. And Bennett had a mission on why he came back.
Oh, and Anna works in a bookstore, score!
I don’t want to say much else about this, because I don’t want to ruin it. What if you could travel anywhere in the world in an instant, go back in time and do things over? Wouldn’t it be pretty amazing? I say yes!
Time Between Us was a fantastic novel! I loved it so much. It had romance, drama, best friends, time traveling, and everything else I wanted! I loved it! It was sweet and from the first few chapters on, I enjoyed reading it and didn't want to stop when I had to.
Overall: Oh man, I’ll say it again, please read this novel! Time Between Us was nicely done! It was beautiful, it was captivating, and a real page turner! Can’t wait to hear everyone else’s thoughts! Please add this to your 2012 reading list!
Cover: Really like it! It has that beauty feel to it. Could totally see Anna being this girl, and she has pretty hair.
What I’d Give It:
The Waiting Sky by Lara Zielin
Release Date: August 2, 2012
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 224
Summary:One summer chasing tornadoes could finally change Jane's life for the better
Seventeen-year-old Jane McAllister can't quite admit her mother's alcoholism is spiraling dangerously out of control until she drives drunk, nearly killing them and Jane's best friend.
Jane has only one place to turn: her older brother Ethan, who left the problems at home years ago for college. A summer with him and his tornado-chasing buddies may just provide the time and space Jane needs to figure out her life and whether it still includes her mother. But she struggles with her anger at Ethan for leaving home and feels guilty--is she also abandoning her mom just when she needs Jane most? The carefree trip turned journey of self-discovery quickly becomes more than Jane bargained for, especially when the devilishly handsome Max steps into the picture.
My Thoughts: I really loved this one! The part about tornadoes grabbed my attention right away!
We are introduced to Jane who lives with her mother. Her mother is an alcoholic and that's all Jane has ever really known. Jane has been the mom of the family, taking care of herself mostly.
One day, Jane’s mom gets into a car accident with Jane and her best friend inside. Jane knows something needs to change. She decides to get away for a while and goes to stay with her brother. She is on the road chasing tornadoes with him. She takes pictures for the website. She loves taking pictures.
Jane gets to know her brother better, herself, and it doesn't hurt there is a cute guy on the road as well.
I don’t want to give everything away about this one. It was such a fun and bittersweet read, and probably one of my favorites of the year. I just loved Jane’s character and I loved her voice.
And the romance, oh sweet!!!!
Please add The Waiting Sky to your TBR pile now!!
Overall: Loved it! Raced through this one and didn't want it to end. That is how you know a book is good! Really loved everything about this one!
Cover: So pretty! Love the tornado in a bottle!!! Awesome!
What I’d Give It:
Feedback (Variant #2) by Robison Wells
Release Date: October 2, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 356
Summary: Benson Fisher escaped from Maxfield Academy’s deadly rules and brutal gangs.
Or so he thought.
But now Benson is trapped in a different kind of prison: a town filled with hauntingly familiar faces. People from Maxfield he saw die. Friends he was afraid he had killed.
They are all pawns in the school’s twisted experiment, held captive and controlled by an unseen force. As he searches for answers, Benson discovers that Maxfield Academy’s plans are more sinister than anything he imagined—and they may be impossible to stop.
Variant blew readers away with its breakneck pacing, flawless plotting, and impossibly high stakes. It earned starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and VOYA, which described it as “an exciting, edge-of-your-seat read that combines psychological themes from works like Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Ender’s Game in a truly unique way.”
In Feedback, Robison Wells delivers all the answers you’ve been craving—with enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing until the very last page.
My Thoughts: I remember last year when I read Variant. I thought it was really good. It was kind of odd, but good.
If you haven’t read Variant yet, do not read this review! Feedback reunites us with Benson Fisher. Benson and his friend Becky have escaped the school finally and are out in the woods when they run into Jane. The real Jane. Becky is close to death but Benson won’t let her go. If he has to carry her, he will!
Jane introduces Benson to a group of students he already kind of knows. Most of them at the school were either robots or have gotten sent to detention. The robots are the dupes of these kids. Basically their emotions are tied together and when they go active, they can feel their feelings and what is going on, as known as feedback. All these kids are forced to live in this small town and make it function. They can’t leave, they have no way to leave. They don’t even know how far it is to get to other people.
Feedback focuses on Benson and the gang trying to find out a way to escape and get to civilization and find a way to get everyone out in the real world and expose the school. It sure isn’t an easy task since the leaders of the school come and monitor all of them. They have trackers that make it physically impossible to leave. Whenever they come on the property Becky and Benson must hide and fast.
Variant had such a major cliffhanger I couldn’t wait to read Feedback! Honestly, I really enjoyed Variant and I also enjoyed Feedback but not quite as much. Almost. Almost. At times though, it felt like it got slow and nothing was really happening but then it would speed up again.
I’m happy to say this. I’m glad that all those characters I thought who died didn’t die. Especially all of those who were sent to detention. I’m glad they weren’t murdered.
Feedback was an enjoyable read, and I’m happy to be back with Benson and to see him figure out what to do. But, to warned! I need another book now!!! The cliffhanger didn’t leave me with my mouth hanging open like Variant did, but I need to know what happens next!
Overall: Really liked it a lot. Less talk, more action! haha! When does the next one come out again? Give this series a chance but make sure you have both books when you read them!!! Or else after Variant, you’ll want to throw it across the room!
Cover: Like it! It totally goes with the first cover! At least we kind of know what Benson looks like, kinda.
What I'd Give It:
Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally
Release Date: October 1, 2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 256
Summary: Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.
Now Parker wants a new life.
So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?
But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?
Companion to CATCHING JORDAN.
My Thoughts: You don’t have to read Catching Jordan to read this, but I still suggest you do! Read it first!
Back in September I was soooo excited when I first got a glimpse at Stealing Parker on goodreads! So Excited! After reading Catching Jordan and falling in love with it, I knew I would read whatever Miranda wrote next.
Stealing Parker is just as sweet and excellent as Catching Jordan was. Aren’t these titles catchy?
Catching Jordan was a wonderful debut. But unlike football, I do actually enjoy baseball. I played when I was younger, I watched it on tv, so I know a little bit about it.
We are introduced to Parker whose known around town to kiss a lot of boys. Ever since her mom left to pursue a relationship with a women, Parker has lost weight and quit the softball team and she wants everyone to know she’s not like her mother, so she kisses a lot of boys. Even Parker’s church is talking about her mother. Everyone knows. Parker dropped the weight so she doesn’t look butch, and all she does is hang out with her best friend Drew.
Lets talk about the main characters for a second.
Parker was exactly the kind of main character I want to read about. She’s bright, talented, full of courage, caring, strong spoken, and funny. She’s the kind of girl I’d end up friends with. Even though she has problems with her family, you can see how much she truly loves them.
Drew who is Parker’s best friend. Drew was a sweet guy. He would stick up for Parker when nobody else would. He would fall asleep in Parker’s bed watching Harry Potter. He was brave enough to be who he was and admit it to his friends.
Corndog who is Drew’s other friend. Corndog was pretty darn funny. Who drives a lawnmower down the street to see how fast it would go? Corndog was a pretty nice guy.
Brian who is the assistant baseball coach. First thought when reading the summary, hot baseball coach, yum.... But then again, Parker is only 17, even though you know it is bad, you still want to read about this relationship. You want to know what is going to happen. Brian should have known better but he was young and didn’t have much experience with this kind of thing.
And yep, Jordan and Henry are mentioned in the book!
Parker is popular, but I don’t quite know if its in a good way, at least not since her mom left. All the boys make jokes to her about putting out, they tease her, and Corndog tells her not to hurt Drew. He just assumes he’s next up on her to do list. Crude. Parker is also smart, she’s so smart she was competing with Corndog for valedictorian. She’s going to go to a great college and she’ll have an amazing future.
Now, lets talk about the plot. Okay, so a 6 year age difference? This isn’t that big of a deal in the real world, except that Parker is still a minor. But you still think to yourself, a hot older guy, a book about baseball, best friends, and a guy named Corndog. You just know this book is gonna be funny and great.
And it was... Simple as that. It was freaking awesome, and I loved it. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, I loved Parker, Drew, and especially Corndog. And I even liked Brian there for a while. There were so many moments throughout the novel that my heart warmed. From the minute Parker picks up Bo to the moment Drew tells Parker his secret. This book is full of win win win!!!
From a catchy title, to a beautiful cover, to a amazing story, this novel is everything I wanted it to be and more. Well done, Kenneally, well done! Thanks for making me truly happy and giddy while reading this novel! Now, I shall go hop down the road like a bunny with a huge smile on my face!!!
I was even surprised how many secrets come out through the novel, and who Parker ended up with. I was a little surprised when that happened, because when I started the novel, I thought it was going to be someone else.
Overall: Loved Loved Loved! One of my favorites of the year. If you like stories about forbidden relationships, this is the book for you! If you like books about friends and baseball you’ll enjoy this! Or if you're a fan of contemporary YA, you’ll love this as much as me! Truly a wonderful, delightful, and amazing novel! Kenneally, please write faster!
Cover: Oh gosh, it's amazing. I love the way they are laying there holding hands, and the baseball glove is between them. I also love how we can’t quite see their faces. And the grass! It just makes me want to go lay outside right now!
What I'd Give It:
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