Review: Between by Jessica Warman

Title: Between
Author: Jessica Warman
Publisher: Walker & Company
Pub. Date: August 2, 2011
Length: 320 Pages
Summary (from goodreads):

Elizabeth Valchar--pretty, popular, and rich--wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday on the yacht where she'd been celebrating with her closest friends. A persistent thumping noise has roused her. When she goes to investigate, she finds her own drowned body is hitting the side of the boat. Liz is dead.
She has no memory of what happened to her, and can only observe in horror the fallout of her death. She's also soon joined by Alex Berg, a quiet boy from her high school who was killed by a hit-and-run driver. The two keep each other company, floating in and out of memories and trying to piece together the details of what happened to each of them.
In her regular life, Liz was a runner. It wasn't abnormal for her to run 8-10 miles per day. But as memories from closer to her death begin to surface, Liz finds that she'd been running much more than normal, and that she'd all but stopped eating. Liz's mother, who died when Liz was nine, had battled with anorexia as well, and those around her worried Liz was following in her mother's footsteps. But something more sinister was consuming Liz from the inside out. . . .
From critically acclaimed author Jessica Warman comes a shocking mystery, a heartbreaking character study, and ultimately a hopeful tale of redemption, love, and letting go.

My Thoughts: This review isn't going to be much of a 'review', because really, I don't even know where to begin. Jessica Warman, you have written an absolutely spectacular book, one that when it comes to reviewing it, I am at a loss of words.

I don't think there is one thing I didn't like about Between, and I am being completely, 100% honest. I loved the characters, the writing, the relationships, all of it. I hope everyone will, at the least, give this book a try; it's both wonderful and unique :)

Review: Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard (Books 1-8)

Title: Pretty Little Liars Series (Books 1-8)
Author: Sara Shepard

Publisher: HarperTeen
Pub. Date (1st Book): Oct. 2006

Average Length: 304 Pages

Series: Pretty Little Liars
Summary (from back cover):

 Everyone has something to hide—especially high school juniors Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna.

Spencer covets her sister's boyfriend. Aria's fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily's crushing on the new girl at school. Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful.

But they've all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished.

How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were, the naughty girls they are, and all the dirty secrets they've kept. And guess what? I'm telling.

My Thoughts: Pretty Little Liars has been a popular series since before I even got into reading. I'll admit that at first, despite all the hype it got, I didn't want to read the series. I'd recently read Gossip Girl, which I didn't enjoy, and the two seemed very similar so I figured it wouldn't be for me. However, one day at the store while waiting for my family to finish shopping, I picked it up and starting reading. I was hooked almost immediately, and my love for the series was born.

Pretty Little Liars is written from the third person point of view, following each of the four girls' lives and their quest to find out who A really is and who murdered their friend. I was surprised by the flawless way Shepard wove the events together and kept me on my toes throughout it all. There were plenty of twists and turns that kept me captivated and never bored with the books.

In order to avoid giving away any spoilers, I'm going to keep this review short and end it here. Pretty Little Liars is a wonderful, additive series, and I can't wait to read the final four books.

Review: Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

Title: Invincible Summer
Author: Hannah Moskowitz
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pub. Date: April 19, 2011
Length: 269 Pages
Summary (from goodreads):
Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss?

Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart.  But some girls are addictive....

My Thoughts: Practically Everyone who's heard of Invincible Summer knows that its not your typical beach read; You've probably also heard how talented Hannah Moskowitz is, but I can't resist not mentioning these things in my review. You see, despite knowing all this ahead of time, I was still surprised when I found out what exactly lies inside the cover of Invincible Summer and the emotion it contains.

Perhaps my favorite part of Invincible Summer was Chase, particularly his voice; it was raw and emotional and I just loved it. Of course, I adored all the characters in IS but his is the one I felt for the most. In this novel, we follow him through four summers starting when he is fourteen and finishing once he is eighteen. We watch him grow up, mature, and experience love and regret.

So yes, this is more than your average beach read. But it's more than that in the best way possible. I hope you'll all give IS a chance, it is a truly wonderful book.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

 Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that features upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
by Jennifer E. Smith
Release: January 2, 2012
Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?
Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18B. Hadley's in 18A.
Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second chances and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

I've already heard good things about this one from a few lucky girlys who got to read it before the release, and I've got to say, January 2 couldn't come fast enough! 

As always,  I'd love to see what you're waiting on this week. Leave a link and I'll check it out!

Review: Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Title: Imaginary Girls
Author: Nova Ren Suma
Publisher: Dutton
Pub. Date: June 14, 2010
Length: 348 Pages
Summary (from goodreads):

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns...moreChloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.
But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.
With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

My Thoughts: I really love the whole idea behind Imaginary Girls; it's a story I won't forget for a long, long time. Imagine a completely unique story with unexpected twists and turns, astounding characters, and beautiful writing, then bring it to life. This novel is what you would get.

There is so much I could say about this book, words that would lengthen this review and make it hundreds of sentences long. I loved practically everything about it, from the characters to the writing to the setting. I'm not going to say all that though, instead I'll just give you my word that it was truly wonderful.

Despite all the greatness of this book, there is one thing I can't get past: Imaginary Girls is one of those books you have to pay complete and total attention to, which means reading in a quiet place when you don't have much on your mind. Of course, I'm saying this because that happened to me. 

I'm currently in the middle of rereading it, in hopes of understanding more and catching things I missed the first time around. The truth is, while I loved the writing, the plot, the characters, even the cover, I found myself confused at times and was left with that sort of feeling once finished with the novel. Overall, I'd say I enjoyed this book. I'd still recommend it, even with the flaw that kept it from being one of my favorites.

In My Mailbox #17

In My Mailbox is hosted by the story siren.

 An Abundance of Katherines | The Bell Jar

That's all for this week! Feel free to leave a link to your IMM, and I'll be sure to check it out :)

Review: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Title: An Abundance of Katherines
Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton
Pub. Date: September 21, 2006
Length: 227 Pages
Summary (from goodreads):

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.
On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.
Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself by Printz medalist John Green, acclaimed author of Looking for Alaska.

My Thoughts: I've been very excited to read An Abundance of Katherines ever since reading two of John's other works, Paper Towns and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (which he co-wrote with David Levithan). I can safely call myself a fan of his; I love his writing, characters, and, of course, his humor. While I still liked all of these aspects in An Abundance of Katherines, they seemed to be.... less compared to his other novels. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, honestly, I just couldn't connect with the story and felt as if it were missing something.

I know you all must be expecting me to go into detail as to why this book didn't do it for me, but I'm not going to. I can't. An Abundance of Katherines is simply one of those few books that was completely average. It wasn't bad but it wasn't particularly good either. Overall, I just... I don't know. I was disappointed with it and really expected more from John Green.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that features upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Disenchantments

by Nina Lacour

Release: February 16, 2012 

Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev’s band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she’s abandoning their plans—and Colby—to start college in the fall.
But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie-Colby struggles to deal with Bev’s already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what’s next?
Morris Award–finalist Nina LaCour draws together the beauty and influences of music and art to brilliantly capture a group of friends on the brink of the rest of their lives.

 I absolutely loved Nina LaCour's debut, Hold Still, so I am definitely looking forward to this one.

In My Mailbox #16

In My Mailbox is hosted by the story siren.

 Heartless | Wanted

 Imaginary Girls | Clean

I purchased Imaginary Girls and Wanted (PLL #8) from Target, and Heartless (PLL #7) and Clean from Barnes and Nobles. I'm super excited to read all of these books and hope to get to them asap. 

 I'd love to see what's in your mailbox. Leave a link and I'll check it out :)