Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle #2) by Rachel Hawkins

Miss Mayhem (Rebel Belle #2) by Rachel Hawkins

Release Date:  April 7, 2015

Publisher:  G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Age Group:  Young Adult

Pages: 288

Summary:  Life is almost back to normal for Harper Price. The Ephors have been silent after their deadly attack at Cotillion months ago, and her best friend, Bee, has returned after a mysterious disappearance. Now Harper can focus on the important things in life: school, canoodling with David (her nemesis-turned-ward-slash-boyfie), and even competing in the Miss Pine Grove pageant.

Unfortunately, supernatural chores are never done. The Ephors have decided they’d rather train David than kill him. The catch: Harper has to come along for the ride, but she can’t stay David’s Paladin unless she undergoes an ancient trial that will either kill her . . . or make her more powerful than ever.

My Thoughts:  I really remembering liking the first one in this series so I was hoping I would like the second one. And I did.

We are back with Harper and her crazy life. She is still guarding David, her newish boyfriend who also has come into some of his own powers and identity. And, than there is Bea. Sweet best friend Bea who might also end up protecting David someday.

I don’t think this one was as great as the first even though I did like it. I just love Harper’s banter and her wicked sense of humor. But I did like how Harper competes in the Miss Pine Grove Pageant even though a lot of the story does focus on that.  

I think this is definitely worth reading and if you liked the first one you’ll be glad to be back with all the characters and back into their world.

Overall:  I still really like David. Just something about him draws me in. And I still like the way Harper and David get a long. If there is a third one, I’ll be picking up. This one is probably more a of a 3.5 cupcake rating for me.

Cover:  Like it. It fits with the story pretty perfectly!

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:

Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson

Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson

Release Date: September 22, 2015

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 448

Summary:  The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar fantasy tropes.

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research.

My Thoughts: Honestly, this is probably not something I normally would read. It almost had that “historical” touch to it that I try to steer clear off. But, I really enjoyed it and felt myself thrust into this magical world.

We are introduced to Lee who has a mother and father she lives with. The family struggles to survive day to day but they make it. They hunt and eat the food they catch. They do the best they can. Lee also has a natural gift of finding gold. But nobody must know this!

Lee also has a best friend named Jefferson. I really liked him and I liked hearing about the tales with him in it too.  I also liked seeing things that happened to him and his experiences.

Lee goes through some stuff (don’t want to give too many details here) and Lee sets out to travel and meet Jefferson somewhere along the way. He leaves before her so she has to try to find him along the way. Things don’t go very smoothly for Lee. First, she gets robbed and left with pretty much nothing. And, yet it could have still been worse.

Than she does meet up with a decent family even if they are rough around the edges.

I honestly want to rave about this one and go on and on but I just feel like too much happens and it's just so intense and deep and there's just too much story to tell.  Granted this one is very different from Carson’s other novels, I really liked it. I liked the characters and the plot. I could just relate so well to Lee and everything she has been through.

I also liked the relationship between Lee and Jefferson. It was cute yet alluring yet comforting.

Overall: I really did want to write a lot more about this one, I wanted to give more details but I feel as if I say too much I’ll give away too many key points. I’ll just leave you with this, its a good one and I hope you read it.

Cover: Like it. The colors go so well together and it's mysterious. I would definitely pick it up!

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: