Hey guys! So I'm making it a point to read way more books this year, mostly so I can justify buying more by finishing the huge TBR list I currently have. If you haven't visited http://bookoutlet.com you are seriously missing out. Do yourself a favor if you love books and go there now.
But back to the point, this year I set my Goodreads 2018 Reading Challenge to 60 books and I intend on achieving that goal. Last year I read a very pathetic amount of books so I really feel a need to make it up to myself this year. Check out my 2018 Reading Challenge here - https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/7501-2018-reading-challenge
I'm off to a great start for January with 6 finished books! Check out each book's review and synopsis below.
1) ROMANCING THE DARK IN THE CITY OF LIGHT - BY: ANN JACOBUS - 271 PAGES - 4/5 STARS
MY THOUGHTS: This was a very dark read to start off with, but I didn't actually read what it was about until I was a couple of pages into it. I picked it for the cover, mainly the typography but it had the Eiffel Tower on it so I figured it would be a good book. The main topic of this book is suicide.
There's a couple of reasons why I really enjoyed this book. First off the title itself is actually really clever. 'The City of Light' is Paris, the setting of this book, and 'Romancing the Dark' is really foreshadowing the main character's struggle with wanting to fall in love and be loved as well as with death. The main character, Summer, struggles the entire book with internal issues surrounding her past, family and friends. The other part of this book I thought was really clever is how the character of death was portrayed. I don't really want to give anything away so I'll just leave it at that.
Another part I found interesting was how the author shared someone's struggle with life and death. Throughout the book, Summer realizes she is depressed and knows what everyone wants her to do to snap out of it. It's a really difficult line that she's walking on and one day it's good but the next day she's struggling really bad. What helps her live is her newly developing connection with her mother and a new friend she made at school.
Overall, I think 'Romancing the Dark in the City of Light' is definitely worth reading, just know it might be a trigger.
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS: A troubled teen, living in Paris, is torn between two boys, one of whom encourages her to embrace life, while the other—dark, dangerous, and attractive—urges her to embrace her fatal flaws. Haunting and beautifully written, with a sharp and distinctive voice that could belong only to this character, Romancing the Dark in the City of Light is an unforgettable young adult novel. Summer Barnes just moved to Paris to repeat her senior year of high school. After being kicked out of four boarding schools, she has to get on track or she risks losing her hefty inheritance. Summer is convinced that meeting the right guy will solve everything. She meets two. Moony, a classmate, is recovering against all odds from a serious car accident, and he encourages Summer to embrace life despite how hard it can be to make it through even one day. But when Summer meets Kurt, a hot, mysterious older man who she just can't shake, he leads her through the creepy underbelly of the city-and way out of her depth. When Summer's behavior manages to alienate everyone, even Moony, she's forced to decide if a life so difficult is worth living. With an ending that'll surprise even the most seasoned reader, Romancing the Dark in the City of Light is an unputdownable and utterly compelling novel.
2) ALEX, APPROXIMATELY - BY: JENN BENNETT - 388 PAGES - 4/5 STARS
MY THOUGHTS: I really liked this book. It was a nice light and fluffy book. Something I really enjoyed were all of the movie quotes before every chapter.
The author was also really good at building the character's back stories and developing a believable story that would bring the main characters together. Honestly, they aren't that relatable until you learn more about them. I also like a couple of the other supporting characters.
A few things that really made me enjoy this book, because I'm a sucker for these things, include the bit about Porter's grandma, the fact that Porter's a surfer (I think you can chalk that up to me watching too many surfer movies when I was younger, or Rocket Power) and the time setting is summer (I desperately wish it wasn't winter right now).
Overall, this is the book for you if you want a nice light and fun read.
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS: The one guy Bailey Rydell can’t stand is actually the boy of her dreams—she just doesn’t know it yet. Classic movie fan Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online as Alex. Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush. Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth—a.k.a. her new archnemesis. But life is a whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever it is she’s starting to feel for Porter. And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex…Approximately.
3) THROUGH TO YOU - BY: LAUREN BARNHOLDT - 278 PAGES - 2.75/5 STARS
MY THOUGHTS: I liked this book and I didn't like it at the same time. It ending up not being as memorable as I thought it would be.
My biggest issue was how many holes there were in character development. I just couldn't relate to the characters as much as I should have. By the time things got serious, I thought everything was interesting but I just couldn't put myself into their shoes as much as I want to whenever I read a book. It's a little hard to imagine two people just skipping school and not getting in trouble for it. I don't know, that's just not how I live my life.
Give it a read if you're really looking for something to fly through.
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS: Opposites attract—and then complicate—in this romantic, relatable novel from the author of Two-Way Street and Sometimes It Happens. It starts with a scribbled note in class: I like your sparkle. Harper had casually threaded a piece of blue and silver tinsel through her ponytail in honor of school spirit day. And that carefree, corny gesture is what grabs Penn Mattingly’s eye. Penn—resident heartbreaker of the senior class. Reliably unreliable. Trouble with a capital “T.” And okay, smolderingly sexy. Harper’s surprised by Penn’s attention—and so is Penn. The last thing he needs is a girlfriend. Or even a friend-with-benefits. The note is not supposed to lead to anything. Oh, but it does. They hang out. They have fun. They talk. They make out. And after a while, it seems like they just click. But Penn and Harper have very different ideas about what relationships look like, in no small part because of their very different family backgrounds. Of course they could talk about these differences—if Penn knew how to talk about feelings. Harper and Penn understand their attraction is illogical, yet something keeps pulling them together. It’s like a crazy roller coaster—exhilarating, terrifying, and amazing all at once. And neither knows how to stop the ride…
4) THE DUFF (DESIGNATED UGLY FAT FRIEND) - BY: KODY KEPLINGER - 277 PAGES - 3/5 STARS
MY THOUGHTS: So I was definitely biased going into this book as I've seen the movie a couple times and think it's hilarious. While the characters aren't exactly 100% believable, reading the book helped fill in some plot holes from the movie (I was definitely picturing the cast from the movie in my head as I was reading the book).
I think the overall idea of a DUFF in a clique of friends is an interesting concept but I just don't know how to feel about it. I guess it's kind of like bullies and all the names that go with that. By the end of the book Bianca forgives Wesley for calling her Duffy throughout the entire book and everyone's all happy, but in reality if someone called me that I don't think I'd be able to forgive them. Especially if he was just using it to get to her friends and them some after that...
It's another one of those books that is just not that relatable because I don't approve of everything that happens in the book but you could read it, or you could just watch the movie. It's weird that I'm ok with the movie but not the book. I don't try living in the movie as I'm watching it while I do with books, that's probably what makes them different for me.
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS: Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face. But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.
Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.
5) ROSIE & SKATE - BY: BETH ANN BAUMAN - 217 PAGES - 3.5/5 STARS
MY THOUGHTS: This was a fun read that touched some interesting topics. Because it was so short the development wasn't as strong but nothing was really out of line. The hardest part to relate to in this book was the age of the main characters which was reflected in how the characters talked and interacted with each other.
A few of the topics: sister bonding, alcoholic father who's in jail, first love, first heartbreak and growing up. Something I wish the author would have worked on developing more is their awesome Victorian house (sure is falling down but Victorian houses are amazing regardless of how kept up they are) and probably how these two teenagers get away with basically everything because of a strong lack of adult guidance.
Should you read it? If you're looking for a quick read, yes.
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS: A wonderful YA debut full of drama for two very different sisters. It's off-season at the Jersey shore, when the boardwalk belongs to the locals. Rosie is 15 and her sister Skate is 16. Their dad, an amiable drunk, is spending a few weeks in jail while their cousin Angie looks after them in their falling-down Victorian on the beach. Skate and her boyfriend Perry are madly in love, inseparable—until now, when Perry goes off to Rutgers. Rosie is shyer than Skate, but she’s drawn to Nick, a boy in their Alateen group. What happens to Rosie and Skate in a few tumultuous weeks is deftly shaded, complex, and true. Readers will be caught up in each girl’s shifting feelings as the story plays out within the embrace of their warmhearted community.
6) MORTAL DANGER - BY: ANN AGUIRRE - 372 PAGEES - 4/5 STARS
MY THOUGHTS: I really enjoyed this book. When books include concepts of mortal and immortal, dystopian, demons, etc. I become much more open minded. This book looks more into Greek Mythology Demons, a subject I never learned about but have always found interesting.
When Edie is offered a life-changing decision, she decides to go for it and tries her best to beat everything the game throws at her but there's always something playing against her and they always seem to be one step ahead of her. Every move she makes has a consequence no matter how small or big it is. Even the smallest choice could greatly impact how the rest of her life plays out and she soon learns that she needs to be careful in order to remain a key player in the game.
This book is actually the first in a trilogy and I will eventually work on getting the last two books because I definitely want to see what else happens.
If it sounds like your cup of tea, I would definitely give this book a chance.
P.S. (To Jessica) - You should really finish this book so we can discuss it!
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS: Revenge is a dish best served cold. Edie Kramer has a score to settle with the beautiful people at Blackbriar Academy. Their cruelty drove her to the brink of despair, and four months ago, she couldn't imagine being strong enough to face her senior year. But thanks to a Faustian compact with the enigmatic Kian, she has the power to make the bullies pay. She's not supposed to think about Kian once the deal is done, but devastating pain burns behind his unearthly beauty, and he's impossible to forget. In one short summer, her entire life changes, and she sweeps through Blackbriar, prepped to take the beautiful people down from the inside. A whisper here, a look there, and suddenly... bad things are happening. It's a heady rush, seeing her tormentors get what they deserve, but things that seem too good to be true usually are, and soon, the pranks and payback turns from delicious to deadly. Edie is alone in a world teeming with secrets and fiends lurking in the shadows. In this murky morass of devil's bargains, she isn't sure who—or what--she can trust. Not even her own mind...
Keep on the lookout for my February reads, and if you have any questions or want to discuss any of my reads just let me know!
