What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Publisher: Poppy
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 320
Summary: How can you talk about something you can’t remember?
Before the ski trip, sixteen-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy was a cheerleader (at the bottom of the pyramid, but still...), a straight-A student, and a member of a solid trio of best friends. When she ends up on a ski lift next to handsome local college boy, Dax Windsor, she’s thrilled; but Dax takes everything from Sid—including a lock of her perfect red curls—and she can’t remember any of it.
Back home and unable to relate to her old friends, Sid drops her college prep classes and takes up residence in the A/V room with only Corey “The Living Stoner” Livingston for company. But as she gets to know Corey (slacker, baker, total dreamboat), Sid finds someone who truly makes her happy. Now, if she can just shake the nightmares and those few extra pounds, everything will be perfect... or so she thinks.
Witty and poignant, Colleen Clayton’s stunning debut is a story about moving on after the unthinkable happens.
My Thoughts: It was probably a bad idea reading this one back to back with another rape (sexual abuse) book but I didn't know what it was about when I started it. I just knew I wanted to read it.
We are introduced to Sid who is a hefty girl. She is also a cheerleader and has bright red hair. She has two best friends and is a good student. She has her life together for the most part. The only thing missing is a boyfriend. A real life boy who wants to be with her.
Until she meets him on a school ski trip. He’s everything. He’s cute and older. He’s sweet. His name is Dax. He invites her to a party and she jumps at the chance. She goes to the party, to realize its just him and her and she gets more than she bargains for. The next day she wakes up and is surprised. She’s at a loss for words.
Time goes on, and she loses everything that is important to her. She also develops another unhealthy habit. Oh gosh.
She also meets a boy in AV. His name is Corey. He’s everything she doesn't want in a guy, or so she thinks at first. He’s a slacker, pothead, and has been in juvie. However, Corey isn't what he seems either. He has his own set of problems, and things to deal with.
What Happens Next was a great book. I honestly liked it a lot despite the negative things that had to go on. I wasn't thrilled with seeing Sid hurt. I didn't want her to have to go through this crap. Her best friends bailed on her, everything just sucked.
I also liked the dog in the story. Man, that was so cute! I just fell in love with that doggy!
Corey and Sid are an unlikely pair, but it just fits. I really liked them together, and I loved learning more about Corey and his home life. I also was very happy with the way things ended.
What Happens Next is a wonderful debut, and if you're like me and like contemps, please add this to your reading list now.
Overall: I really enjoyed this one. I didn't give it 5 cupcakes because there were a few parts I could have done without, like the puking part. Didn't she have enough on her plate already? But, it was a great book and I’m glad to see how much the characters grew, and how right Sid and Corey were right for one another. Great story, Clayton!
Cover: Love it! It just fits somehow, and I love the colors and the way this one looks!
What I'd Give It:
Live Through This by Mindi Scott
Release Date: October 22, 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 304
Summary: From the outside, Coley Sterling’s life seems pretty normal . . . whatever that means. It’s not perfect—her best friend is seriously mad at her and her dance team captains keep giving her a hard time—but Coley’s adorable, sweet crush Reece helps distract her. Plus, she has a great family to fall back on—with a mom and stepdad who would stop at nothing to keep her siblings and her happy.
But Coley has a lot of secrets. She won’t admit—not even to herself—that her almost-perfect life is her own carefully-crafted façade. That for years she’s been burying the shame and guilt over a relationship that crossed the line. Now that Coley has the chance at her first real boyfriend, a decade’s worth of lies are on the verge of unraveling.
In this unforgettable powerhouse of a novel, Mindi Scott offers an absorbing, layered glimpse into the life of an everygirl living a nightmare that no one would suspect.
My Thoughts: What a gripping novel! I really liked this one a lot because it was so in tune with everything one would probably feel if this happened to them.
I wasn't sure exactly what was going on at first, I was a bit confused, but I understood it pretty quickly.
We are introduced to Coley who lives with her mom and her step dad and his family. She also has an older brother who goes back and forth sometimes between home and college. She is also dating a new boy named Reese and is content with him. She is trying to enjoy her life the best she can after having problems with her best friend, and trying to stay on top of things.
Gosh, sexual abuse is horrible. I don’t even know what to say or how she must have felt. I wanted to punch him so bad. How can he do that to his own sister, and she feels like she had to have done something to provoke it, UH NO! She didn't deserve what her life was and how long it had been going on, and nobody noticed, ick!
I don’t even know what to say except this book was gripping because it was so hard to read, yet I needed to know what was going to happen. I think the only bright spot through this was Reese. I really liked him alot.
Please read this, make everyone you know read it, just to learn from it, just to gain something from it. Perspective.
Overall: I want to say this novel is wonderful, but it just doesn't seem like the right word, because its also dark and horrible, and at times I was frustrated by the way it made me feel. Oh Coley, I wish I was your friend, and could be there for you when you need me. All in all, this is one girls should read, and boys too. This one was really powerful. I’m glad my library owns it now!
Cover: Like it! I would for sure pick it up at the store!
What I'd Give It:
Black City by Elizabeth Richards
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 384
Summary: A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war. In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable--they fall in love. Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash's long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they're caught, they'll be executed--but their feelings are too strong. When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths.
My Thoughts: When I first started this one, I wasn’t sure what was going on. It was somewhat hard to understand all the terms but it clicked pretty fast.
We are introduced to Ash who is a half darkling and Natalie who is the Emissary’s daughter. In this world, the Emissary is powerful. Any kind of romance is forbidden between humans and darklings.
Natalie meets Ash and is drawn to him. The chemistry is there from the get go even though they dislike each other. She also ends up attending his school and meeting a couple new friends.
Because Ash is a darkling she should stay away from him. Darklings are a type of creature that feeds on blood with fangs but they aren’t actually vampires. There are also all different kinds of darklings.
Ash and Natalie become friends and more happens from there. Behind the scenes there is a lot going on with the Emissary and the way of the world. People want darklings dead, they don’t want to live with them while others believe that they should co-exist.
Everything stands in the way of Ash and Natalie being together, other people, the law, lots of things.
There was a lot going on in Black City, way too much detail to mention. It's one of those novels you should read for yourself and hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. It’s also told in multiple points of view, which I really liked.
Black City was a fantastic debut you should read as soon as possible.
Overall: I could write a lot more about Black City but it's complicated. You have to really read it to fully understand everything. So do me a favor, and just go read it so you can enjoy it like I did!!!
Cover: Like it! Its colorful!
What I’d Give It:
Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Release Date: January 24, 2012
Publisher: Balzer And Bray
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 384
Summary: Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.
Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.
As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.
"Everneath" is a captivating story of love, loss, and immortality from debut author Brodi Ashton.
My Thoughts: From the first page of Everneath, I was hooked. I was instantly sucked into this one, and I finished it within a day!
We are introduced to Nikki who has just returned from the Everneath. She has spent quite a long time there, but time moves differently on the surface. On the surface she’s only been gone 6 months. When she gets back, it seems like everything has changed, however some things still remain the same.
One thing that got her through living in the Everneath was Jack. He’s the precious boy she loved before she left, but he also hurt her pretty bad.
During her time in the Everneath she spent most of it with the other boy she met on the surface. His name is Cole. Cole was pretty dangerous, a musician, and you could tell there was more to his story from the beginning. He also returns to the surface with her, only to try to make her go back and rule with him. She has a tough choice to make, she can either go where he wants, or go someplace even worst. Either way, she’s not allowed to stay on the surface.
She knew her time was limited, but she just wanted to see her family and Jack again, and try to make things right.
I really liked both guys. I tried to resist Cole, but I couldn't! And Jack, he seemed loyal enough, especially towards the ending. I wasn't always sure about him at first, but he grew on me.
And of course this novel focuses on the daughters of Persephone so there was some myths behind it we had to figure out.
I truly loved this one! Once I started reading it, I didn't want to stop. And, I really enjoyed the writing style. It just flowed and it was very hard to find a chapter to stop to take a break.
And the ending, wow! Didn't see that coming. I really didn't!
Overall: I’m glad I gave this a chance, even though I read it around 6ish months after its release date.
After I read this novel, I went and searched my friends blogs to see if they enjoyed it. Some did, while others didn't. I can see both points of views especially if you don't like paranormal romance, but I don’t seem to read as much paranormal as I used too so maybe I was just in the mood for this. I’m not sure, but either way I really enjoyed it, and I hope you at least give it a chance.
Cover: Love it! Such a pretty cover! Lately, a lot of covers have this feel to it, but I really love them.
Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 256
Summary: Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.
It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").
But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.
Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.
My Thoughts: So freaking cute! That is one way to describe this novel.
Meant To Be is about a girl who goes on a class trip, to see all the places she’s always wanted to see, and ends up with an annoying partner. Julia is on her way to London with her class. She’s excited yet nervous. But it gets even worst when she’s partnered up with Jason. He’s the class clown, annoying, does everything wrong, and just plain irritating, at least to Julia.
She gets stuck with him so she has to spend a lot of time with him! A lot! Exploring the city, having a little adventure, and doing assignments.
She meets a guy on the trip named Chris, who she is constantly texting. She figures it wouldn’t hurt to learn a few things from him so when she gets back to Mark, her longtime crush, she’ll have a little practice. She totally believes in Meant To Be, and she thinks he’s her Meant To Be.
Meant To Be was such a fun laughable book. It had its hearty moments, but it was such a sweet book!! And Jason, gosh he was funny.
Honestly, this review is hard, because I really loved this one, and I want you to read it yourself to find out what happens with Julia. She learns a lot about life, more than I expected her too.
Fun characters, great scenery, a novel you have to read this year!!!
Overall: Loved it! I really liked all the bickering between Jason and Julia. You could tell they were compatible for one another, but they were always on eachothers butts so they didn’t really realize it!
Cover: Beautiful!!!! I would hang it somewhere just to look at it!!!
What I'd Give It:
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