Mini Reviews #19

The first Mini Reviews post in 2014 introduces you to three YA contemporary stories that I read or started in 2013. So much high praise for THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales and I couldn't resist to pick up a copy. I had high expectations for NOBODY BUT US by Kristin Halbrook and SUCH A RUSH by Jennifer Echols, too, unfortunately they weren't met in the end.

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Elise is friendless, she is lonely and an outsider in every possible social scenario. And when life couldn't look any less dead-end, she discovers the magic of music at a warehouse party. The opportunity to DJ there opens up a chance to experience life in a whole new way. Maybe Elise isn't lost yet...

Elise is only sixteen and she's already part of the DJ and nightclub scene. I didn't think her too young to go out to the warehouse parties she's attending, playing music, meeting new people. Scoring a DJ job was functioning like a therapy and as much as you hurt with Elise for everything that's happened to her so far, you also see that there's a bright future ahead if she just keeps doing what she loves.
Having no friends in school, no one to turn to, never feeling accepted or even being bullied are very relevant for Elise's story. Everyone of us can in some way relate to this young girl and her thoughts about life, friendship and love. She's searching for meaning, unconsciously wanting help and waiting for that one moment that finally points her in the right direction.

Music is of high importance for Elise's story, too. It has soothing and healing qualities, is her best friend in the worst moments of her life. As much as the music and the fascinating new DJ job are drawing you into the story, Elise's love story with the local DJ, Char, does the same. But unless the strong music parts, the romance lost me somewhere on its way. So I suggest you start THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE with the desire to fall in love with Elise's music rather than her love interest.

4/5 **** THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE – Leila Sales' third book is equipped with the perfect tune to touch many readers' hearts with its musical magic.

THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE is about Elise's favourite bands and songs and the music that influences her life. I'm not very into the music that she listens to. Reading about the power of the songs she plays, I know I have a lot of music education to make up for, starting with Elise's playlist now.

 

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 

Publishing Date: September 17^th 2013
Length: 288 pages
Keywords: YA, fiction, music, DJ'ing, friendship, romance

Source: Bought for Kindle

Goodreads Summary 

This Song Will Save Your Life Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook

Zoe and Will are young and in love. They both haven't grown up in the most stable environment and without a big family who showed them kindness and understanding. Their problems make them want to run away so badly. And then they do... 

It's a lot of fuss about nothing. Yes, Will and Zoe didn't have the easiest childhood, far from it, and they are dissatisfied with their current situation. Originally I thought about them running away as an exciting adventure to find themselves and solve their problems. Only along the way offences kept accumulating and things got more out of hand and complicated the longer they ran. But did they do anything to solve their problems and think up a way to make things better? Not at all. They just ran without thinking about the consequences and act without thinking what it could do to others.

A dual point of view is implemented to show how troubled both of them are and that they are a perfect match. Their romance was one of the most immature and unfulfilling I've read about in a while, Will and Zoe are not a couple I could make myself sympathize with.

2/5 ** NOBODY BUT US - This is the story of rash and immature Zoe and Will who were not the thrill-seeking, brave and clever couple I was looking foward to meet.

 Very poor Bonnie and Clyde retelling, without the glamour and brains of their role models. When I first heard about NOBODY BUS US I expected a very intense love story (which it is) but it stressed me out more than it grew on me, ending in a complete disappointment. 

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publishing Date: January 29^th 2013
Length: 272 pages
Keywords: YA, fiction, romance, runaways, troubled teens

Source: Bought

Goodreads Summary 

Nobody But Us Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

Such A Rush by Jennifer Echols

Leah spent her life on the move, from one trailer park to the next. Being stuck with her uncaring mother and a hopeless future, Leah decides to become a pilot and get away from all of it. She starts flying with Mr. Hall, training to fly planes and there she meets his two sons who are going to play a big role in her life, too.  

Grayson and Alec are getting to know Leah better only now. Grayson and Leah's love story could've been romantic, but not with the lies and deceit that Grayson unnecessarily brings into our story. And it annoyed me beyond belief that he wanted his brother Alec to seduce Leah while truly Grayson wanted her for himself. It's an unfair, oppressive and stupid game the teens are playing.

The majority of dialogues is unsatisfactory and very often infuriating in their naivety and impertinence. And the characters didn't feel well-rounded and too imbalanced in all their extreme behaviours. The only thing that kept me reading were Jennifer's well-written love scenes, which I devoured in no time.

Airplanes and flying are the main theme of SUCH A RUSH. Leah is working at a small airport and is dreaming about becoming a pilot herself one day. The flying gives her space and opens up a whole new world of possibilities, freedom and happiness. It was cool to learn more about the different types of planes and how they are functioning.

3,5/5 ***/* SUCH A RUSH - A pilot girl fighting for her future and sexy scenes on the one hand, upsetting romantic confusions and redundant dialogues on the other.

SUCH A RUSH appeared to be pretty unpolished, with many rough edges I didn't like. Why did the characters have to be so obnoxiously stubborn and inconsiderate of other people's feelings all the time? I'd like to read this story again, the nice version please. 

Publisher: MTV Books

Publishing Date: July 10^th 2012
Length: 325 pages
Keywords: YA, contemporary, romance, flying, love triangle, brothers

Source: Bought

Goodreads Summary 

Such A Rush Excerpt 

Author's Homepage

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Book Review: Wild Cards (Wild Cards #1) by Simone Elkeles

Title: Wild Cards (Wild Cards #1)
Author: Simone Elkeles
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publishing Date: October 1st 2013
Length: 342 pages
Keywords: YA, fiction, contemporary, romance, football, patchwork family
Source: Netgalley

After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

Summary by Goodreads

Derek and Ashtyn are yet another of Simone Elkeles' impulsive pairings who have to go a long way to finally disclose their feelings for each other. They are both quite hot tempered and very stubborn in their own ways. As always it was a pleasure to witness one of Simone Elkeles' turbulent romances evolve.

Derek might be introduced as the bad boy who breaks every girl's heart, but his true side is much more vulnerable and relaxed than anyone outside of his family would ever see. He and Ashtyn both have moving pasts that are constantly coming back to them and majorly affect their present and future together.  

Their living situation, Ashtyn and Derek in the same house, leads to a delicious attraction and constant electricity between the two of them. Them getting together would be so much more complicated for the whole family. There's also a thrilling and sneaky side to it that makes it so much more of a fun game both of them can't resist to play.

You'll also love the scenes circling around their patchwork family life. There's always something going on at their house that should keep you entertained in between very fulfilling make-out sessions and the rivalry with another football team.

Football's a huge part of Ashytn's life as it's her only hope to finally get away from her hometown and her dad. It's her great passion and Derek isn't a stranger to the sport either. I grew to like the sport very much in Miranda Keneally's CATCHING JORDAN and was happy to see football and especially the reality of female players with serious talent getting some more attention in Simone Elkeles newest YA book, too. 

WILD CARDS had very much the same feel to it like Simone's previous three Fuentes books, without the Spanish cultural background, yet not missing the hot tempered relationships. 

Simone Elkeles supplies us with a male and female perspective on the story. It's one of Simone's best writing traits, considering the need of so many readers to be in both of her characters' heads. And I definitely needed to be in Derek's head at some points during the story or I might not have cared about him as much as I did in the end (very much!).

4,5/5 ****/* WILD CARDS – An absorbing and energizing new YA game.

I expected no less than a very unpredictable love story, a couple with fiery tempers. A road trip, an unforgettable first meeting and an alluring story line should be argument enough to convince not only the football fans to pick up WILD CARDS. Very pleased to see there's already a second book in this series in work.

""You want to join me, Sugar Pie?"

I look down at my football jersey. "I'm not dressed for a party, and you didn't answer my question."

"I answered it. You comin' or not?"

He walks out of the room when I don't join him, leaving me alone with his grandmother. "Well, that was...entertaining, to say the least," she says" ― p. 270

WILD CARDS you might also enjoy CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally and SHUT OUT by Kody Keplinger with two strong heroines who are caught in different kinds of football rivalries. Or maybe you like HOOKED by Liz Fichera about a girl on the school's golf team being not very welcome. 

  

* Haven't you read Simone's PERFECT CHEMISTRY series, yet? Get started now!

* Click here for an excerpt of WILD CARDS.

* Watch the first episode of WILD CARDS on Youtube.

* For more information about Simone and her books visit www.simoneelkeles.com.


 

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Books Read in 2013

In the beginning of 2013 I challenged myself to read 108 books (one more than the year before). In November I realized I wouldn't make that goal and set the goal to 100 instead. I didn't make that goal either, but I'm still very happy with all the titles I chose to read last year. In the end I read 93 books. 

I reviewed 70 books of the 93 I read (with one re-read). My resolution for 2014 will be to write the missing reviews and review every old Netgalley title I read in the past years, leave more comments on my favourite blogs, discover many new authors and read at leat ten debut novels.

January

Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty  5/5 stars - Review JANUARY FAVOURITE
Paper Valentine by Branna Yovanoff 3,5/5 stars - Review 
One Perfect Summer by Paige Toon 4,5/5 stars - Review
Shades of Earth by Beth Revis 5/5 stars - Review JANUARY FAVOURITE
Crave by Melissa Darnell 3/5 stars - Review

February 

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick 4/5 stars - Review
Pivot Point by Kasie West 5/5 stars - Review FEBRUARY FAVOURITE
Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick 3/5 stars - Review
Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi 4,5/5 stars - Review

March

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith 4/5 stars - Review
Requiem by Lauren Oliver 4,5/5 stars - Review
Ordinary Beauty by Laure Wiess 4,5/5 stars - Review
Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally 5/5 stars - Review MARCH FAVOURITE
She's So Dead To Us by Kieran Scott 3/5 stars - Review
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare 5/5 stars - Review MARCH FAVOURITE
He's So Not Worth It by Kieran Scott 3/5 stars - Review

April

This Is So Not Happening by Kieran Scott 3/5 stars - Review
Reboot by Amy Tintera 3,5/5 stars - Review
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson 5/5 stars - Review APRIL FAVOURITE
Wherever You Go by Heather Davis 4/5 stars - Review
The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson 4,5/5 stars - Review APRIL FAVOURITE
Boundless by Cynthia Hand 4/5 stars - Review
Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma 2/5 stars - Review

May

The Elite by Kiera Cass 3,5/5 stars - Review
Cinder by Marissa Meyer 3,5/5 stars - Review
How My Summer Went Up In Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski 5/5 stars- Review (Re-Read)
The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa 4/5 stars - Review
The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross 3/5 stars - Review 
Slide by Jill Hatahway 3,5/5 stars- Review
Famous Last Words by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski 4/5 stars- Review
Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting 4/5 stars - Review MAY FAVOURITE
Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins 5/5 stars - Review MAY FAVOURITE
Imposter by Jill Hathaway 3,5/5 stars - Review

June

The Impossibility of Tomorrow by Avery Wiliams 5/5 stars - Review JUNE FAVOURITE
The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen 1,5/5 stars - Review
The Longest Holiday by Paige Toon 4/5 stars - Review
Of Triton by Anna Banks 3,5/5 stars - Review
Truly, Madly, Deadly by Hannah Jayne 4/5 stars - Review
Golden by Jessi Kirby 4/5 stars - Review
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 4,5/5 stars - Review JUNE FAVOURITE
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson 3,5/5 stars - Review
Mercy by Rebecca Lim 1,5/5 stars - Review
The Sound by Sarah Alderson 4,5/5 stars - Review

July

Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess 4/5 stars - Review
All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill 5/5 stars - Review JULY FAVOURITE
Letters to Nowhere by Julie Cross 2/5 stars 
Timepiece by Myra McEntire 5/5 stars - Review
Infinityglass by Myra McEntire 4,5/5 stars - Review
Allegiance by Cayla Kluver 4/5 stars - Review
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi 4,5/5 stars - Review
The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler 4/5 stars - Review
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead 3/5 stars - Review
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris 4,5/5 stars
Frostbite by Richelle Mead 5/5 stars - Review

August 

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead 4,5/5 stars - Review
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead 5/5 stars - Review
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead 4,5/5 stars - Review
Moonglass by Jessi Kirby 4/5 stars - Review
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead 5/5 stars - Review
Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas 3,5/5 stars - Review
The Distance Between Us by Kasie West 3,5/5 stars - Review
Ten by Gretchen McNeil 3,5/5 stars - Review
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen 4,5/5 stars - Review
Such A Rush by Jennifer Echols 3,5/5 stars
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner 5/5 stars - Review AUGUST FAVOURITE

 September

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles 4,5/5 stars
From What I Remember  by Stacy Kramer and Valeria Thomas 4/5 stars - Review
Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook 2/5 stars
Little White Lies by Katie Dale 4,5/5 stars - Review SEPTEMBER FAVOURITE
The Hundred by Kass Morgan 4/5 stars

October

The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain 4/5 stars
Captive: The Forbidden Side of Nightshade by A.D. Robertson 3,5/5 stars - Review
Racing Savannah by Miranda Kenneally 4/5 stars - Review
The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles 3/5 stars
Allegiant by Veronica Roth 4,5/5 stars - Review OCTOBER FAVOURITE
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor 4/5 stars

 November

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia 4/5 stars - Review
A Gift To Remember by Melissa Hill 3,5/5 stars - Review
Panic by Lauren Oliver 4/5 stars NOVEMBER FAVOURITE
Jessica Darling's It  List #1 by Megan McCafferty 4/5 stars
The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone 3/5 stars
The Taking by Kimberly Derting 4/5 stars
A Match Made In Highschool by Kristin Walker 3/5 stars
Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle 4,5/5 stars NOVEMBER FAVOURITE
The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver 3/5 stars

December

Teardrop by Lauren Kate 4/5 stars - Review
A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young 3/5 stars
When The Guns Fall Silent by James Riordan 4/5 stars
Split Second by Kasie West 4,5/5 stars
Everbound by Brodi Ashton 5/5 stars - Review DECEMBER FAVOURITE
Wicked Games by Sean Olin 2,5/5 stars
Evertrue by Brodi Ashton 4/5 stars
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning 5/5 stars DECEMBER FAVOURITE

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Most Anticipated Standalones of 2014

Composing this list was much fun! Here are my ten most anticipated 2014 standalones. So much YA contemporary splendidness, I can't help being excited about all of them.

# 1 Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

Sinner follows Cole St. Clair, a pivotal character from the #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver Trilogy. Everybody thinks they know Cole's story. Stardom. Addiction. Downfall. Disappearance. But only a few people know Cole's darkest secret -- his ability to shift into a wolf. One of these people is Isabel. At one point, they may have even loved each other. But that feels like a lifetime ago. Now Cole is back. Back in the spotlight. Back in the danger zone. Back in Isabel's life. Can this sinner be saved? 

♥ Maggie Stiefvater, you are making so many many readers happy with this standalone novel. Cole and Isabel were always my two favourite characters of the SHIVER trilogy and I was a bit annoyed about their ending being so open. Now I know why it had to be that way. So that we can read even more about their story in their own book. Love, love, love this! 

#2 It Felt Like A Kiss by Sarra Manning

Meet Ellie Cohen, one of the most perfect girls in London.

Ellie manages a swank Mayfair gallery, but it’s her life that’s a real work of art. Great job, really good hair, loyal friends, loving family. It’s only her succession of lame duck boyfriends that ruin the picture.

Oh, and the world-famous rock-star father she’s never met, who won’t even acknowledge her existence.

Then Ellie’s perfect life is smashed to pieces when her secret is sold to the highest bidder and her name, face (and pictures of her bottom) are splashed across the tabloids. Suddenly everyone thinks she’s a gold-digging, sex-crazy, famewhore.

Enter David Gold. Charming and handsome David Gold. On paper he’s even more perfect than Ellie, if only he wasn’t her father’s ruthlessly ambitious lawyer whose job is to manage the crisis – and her. He certainly doesn’t think that Ellie’s the innocent party and she doesn’t trust him at all. So why is it that every time they’re alone together, damage limitation is the last thing on their minds?

♥  ADORKABLE was my first book by Sarra Manning. Absolutely adored it. So I put YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME on my Christmas wishlist. I got a copy and finished it in three days (555 pages + family time, so very fast for my reading standards). I need a copy of IT FELT LIKE A KISS in my life, as soon as possible!

# 3 The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle

Growing up in privileged, Manhattan social circles, Caggie's life should be perfect, and it almost was until the day that her younger sister drowned when Caggie was supposed to be watching her. Stricken by grief, Caggie pulls away from her friends and family, only to have everyone misinterpret a crucial moment when she supposedly saves a fellow classmate from suicide. Now she's famous for something she didn't do and everyone lauds her as a hero. But inside she still blames herself for the death of her sister and continues to pull away from everything in her life, best friend and perfect boyfriend included.
Then Caggie meets Astor, the new boy at school, about whom rumours are swirling and known facts are few. In Astor she finds someone who just might understand her pain, because he has an inner pain of his own. But the more Caggie pulls away from her former life to be with Astor, the more she realises that his pain might be darker, and deeper, than anything she's ever felt. His pain might be enough to end his life…and Caggie's as well.

♥ Rebecca Serle's debut novel was a brilliantly written Romeo and Juliet retelling. THE EDGE OF FALLING sounds a lot darker, but just as good. This could be a favourite read!

# 4 To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.

♥ After reading Jenny Han's SUMMER series I've been wanting to read another of her books and I'm expecting to find a sweet and comical romance in TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE.

# 5 The Geography of You And Me by Jennifer E. Smith

Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they're rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. But once the power is restored, so is reality. Lucy soon moves to Edinburgh with her parents, while Owen heads out west with his father.
Lucy and Owen's relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and -- finally -- a reunion in the city where they first met.

♥ Jennifer E. Smith has the greatest book titles, doesn't she? After THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT and THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE, I'm looking forward to read THE GEOGRAPHY OF YOU AND ME. Set in New York City and at night, perfect for me!

# 6 The Break-Up Artist by Philip Siegel

Some sixteen-year-olds babysit for extra cash. Some work at the Gap. Becca Williamson breaks up couples. 


After watching her sister get left at the altar, Becca knows the true damage that comes when people utter the dreaded L-word. For just $100 via paypal, she can trick and manipulate any couple into smithereens. With relationship zombies overrunning her school, and treating single girls like second class citizens, business is unfortunately booming. Even her best friend Val has resorted to outright lies to snag a boyfriend.
One night, she receives a mysterious offer to break up the homecoming king and queen, the one zombie couple to rule them all: Steve and Huxley. They are a JFK and Jackie O in training, masters of sweeping faux-mantic gestures, but if Becca can split them up, then school will be safe again for singletons. To succeed, she'll have to plan her most elaborate scheme to date and wiggle her way back into her former BFF Huxley’s life – not to mention start a few rumors, sabotage some cell phones, break into a car, and fend off the inappropriate feelings she’s having about Val’s new boyfriend. All while avoiding a past victim out to expose her true identity.
No one said being the Break-Up Artist was easy.

♥ Not my favourite cover, but the summary suggests a fun read!  

# 7 Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg

For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

♥ I've read THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB. TAKE A BOW and PROM & PREJUDICE are on my shelf waiting to be read. Elizabeth's books are fast and delightful reads, expecting BETTER OFF FRIENDS to be one, too. 

# 8 What I Thought was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

From the author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions.
Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.

♥ WHAT I THOUGHT WAS TRUE sounds like an awesome summer read! I enjoyed Huntley's debut MY LIFE NEXT DOOR very much and am so happy to see her second book being released in 2014. 

 

# 9 Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

The Pre-Sloane Emily didn't go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn't do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just... disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try... unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait... what?
Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?
Go Skinny Dipping? Um...

♥ Morgan Matson is another of my favourite YA contemporary authors. I've read both of her books that have been released so far. She writes the best summer reads! 

# 10 #scandal by Sarah Ockler

Lucy’s learned some important lessons from tabloid darling Jayla Heart’s all-too-public blunders: Avoid the spotlight, don’t feed the Internet trolls, and keep your secrets secret. The policy has served Lucy well all through high school, so when her best friend Ellie gets sick before prom and begs her to step in as Cole’s date, she accepts with a smile, silencing about ten different reservations. Like the one where she’d rather stay home shredding online zombies. And the one where she hates playing dress-up. And especially the one where she’s been secretly in love with Cole since the dawn of time.
When Cole surprises her at the after party with a kiss under the stars, it’s everything Lucy has ever dreamed of… and the biggest BFF deal-breaker ever. Despite Cole’s lingering sweetness, Lucy knows they’ll have to ’fess up to Ellie. But before they get the chance, Lucy’s own Facebook profile mysteriously explodes with compromising pics of her and Cole, along with tons of other students’ party indiscretions. Tagged. Liked. And furiously viral.

By Monday morning, Lucy’s been branded a slut, a backstabber, and a narc, mired in a tabloid-worthy scandal just weeks before graduation. 

Lucy’s been battling undead masses online long enough to know there’s only one way to survive a disaster of this magnitude: Stand up and fight. Game plan? Uncover and expose the Facebook hacker, win back her best friend’s trust, and graduate with a clean slate.

There’s just one snag—Cole. Turns out Lucy’s not the only one who’s been harboring unrequited love...

♥ Drama, kisses and a social network intrigue? Win!

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Most Anticipated Sequels of 2014 - Teaser Edition

The best about a new year beginning is all the books that are being released into the wild. With only two days remaining in 2013 it's time to share my most anticipated sequels of 2014. I tried to supply you with teasers,  but couldn't find them for every book on my list. So some of the teasers are actual quotes from the previous book of each series. I counted eight out of ten books on my list marking the end of a series and two books are the second books in their series. 2014 will be an unbelievably emotional book year I'm sure!

♥ Again the third MARA DYER book is one of my most anticipated sequels (you could also find it on my 2013 list, but then it was pushed back until June 2014). The good news about that is, that the additional eight months wait not only justify but demand a re-read of the first two books = NOAH!!! 

# 1  The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

"The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I was covered in blood.

The second thing I noticed was that this didn’t bother me the way it should have.

I didn’t feel the urge to scream or speak, to beg for help, or even to wonder where I was. Those instincts were dead, and I was calm as my wet fingers slid up the tiled wall, groping for a light switch. I found one without even having to stand. Four lights slammed on above me, one after the other, illuminating the dead body on the floor just a few feet away.

My mind processed the facts first. Male. Heavy. He was lying face down in a wide, red puddle that spread out from beneath him. The tips of his curly black hair were wet with it. There was something in his hand.

The fluorescent lights in the white room flickered and buzzed and hummed. I moved to get a better view of the body. His eyes were closed. He could have been asleep, really, if it weren’t for the blood. There was so much of it. And by one of his hands it was smeared into a weird pattern.

No. Not a pattern. Words.

PLAY ME.

My gaze flicked to his hand. His fist was curled around a small tape recorder. I moved his fingers—still warm—and pressed play. A male voice started to speak.

“Do I have your attention?” the voice said.

I knew that voice. But I couldn’t believe I was hearing it."

♥ PIVOT POINT was one of my top three favourite reads of 2013 and the ending totally killed me. I knew I couldn't wait one year for its sequel and I'm so glad I got my hands on an ARC of SPLIT SECOND. Of course I already read it. Knowing how desperate I was to read it, it still has to be on this list.

# 2  Split Second by Kasie West

"Just promise me something. If this is a Search and you don't pick me, don't pick this path, for whatever reason, promise me you won't Erase me." ― Pivot Point quote 

♥  The day I picked up the first THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS book was mostly spent reading and falling in love with Clary and Jace and their love story. It still feels like yesterday that I read CITY OF BONES and I can't believe 2014 marks the year that this incredible series comes to an end, with its sixth book CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE.

# 3 City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

 

" Isabelle tugged her tank top back down and glared at her brother. “You don’t knock now?”

“It’s my bedroom!” Alec spluttered. "

♥ I know very few people who didn't love ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS and its companion LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR and many readers have been waiting for the happily ever after for over two years now. Stephanie Perkins is a brilliant YA contemporary author and everyone who is following her blog should know that she should get all the time she needs to finish her books the way she wants them to end. It's the third time that I put ISLA on my most anicipated list of books of the year to come and that only shows my faith in her writing, I think.

# 4  Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

"Once upon a time, there was a girl who talked to the moon. And she was mysterious and she was perfect, in that way that girls who talk to moons are. In the house next door, there lived a boy. And the boy watched the girl grow more and more perfect, more and more beautiful with each passing year. He watched her watch the moon. And he began to wonder if the moon would help him unravel the mystery of the beautiful girl. So the boy looked into the sky. But he couldn't concentrate on the moon. He was too distracted by the stars. And it didn't matter how many songs or poems had already been written about them, because whenever he thought about the girl, the stars shone brighter. As if she were the one keeping them illuminated.

One day, the boy had to move away. He couldn't bring the girl with him, so he brought the stars. When he'd look out his window at night, he would start with one. One star. And the boy would make a wish on it, and the wish would be her name.

At the sound of her name, a second star would appear. And then he'd wish her name again, and the stars would double into four. And four became eight, and eight became sixteen, and so on, in the greatest mathematical equation the universe had ever seen. And by the time an hour had passed, the sky would be filled with so many stars that it would wake the neighbors. People wondered who'd turned on the floodlights.

The boy did. By thinking about the girl."  ― Lola and the Boy Next Door quote

♥ It took me some time to notice Maureen Johnson's SHADES OF LONDON series. It's no wonder that once I got started on it I didn't want it to end. THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH had such a maddening ending that I've been anxious about reading the third book ever since. I couldn't find a teaser for THE SHADOW CABINET, so I'm sharing this beautiful fan art I found on a THE NAME OF THE STAR fan site.

# 5 

The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson

"I remember how, at first, I had felt the tension in his lips, as if he was trying to make a barrier between us - then they had relaxed, parted slightly. And that's when I had known he wanted to kiss me, wanted to give in. That little parting of the lips, the little sigh that came out... I would hear that sigh forever. That little, little sound when the whole world seemed to open up." ― The Madness Underneath quote

♥ SWEET RECKONING is another third book in a series. Anna and Kaidan are one of my favourite YA couples and Wendy Higgins writes the sexiest scenes. I'm always fanning myself when Kaidan enters a scene. No need to say April can't come soon enough!

Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins  # 6

"I texted Kaidan, who was listed in my contacts under “James,” for James Bond. He’d chosen it. He had me listed as “Hot Chick From Gig.”
Video chat in 30.
His immediate response made me shake my head.
Clothing optional?
It was nice to know he could keep a sense of humor in the face of calamity. Or maybe he wasn’t joking...
“Are you two flirting?” Patti asked, her eyes darting to me from the road.
I blushed and deleted his message."

♥ Amie and Meagan are two of the friendliest and lovliest authors I'm following on Twitter. They are funny and so creative. They may not be related, but I aways imagine them as the writing Gilmore Girls who just don't happen to be mother and daughter, but best friends. These two author girls rock! THESE BROKEN STARS was my favourite read in 2013, so it's only natural that THIS SHATTERED WORLD can be found on this list of most anticipated reads of 2014. 

 # 7 This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

"For a moment the image before us is frozen: our world, our lives, reduced to a handful broken stars half lost in uncharted space. Then it's gone, the view swallowed by the hyperspace winds streaming past, blue-green auroras wiping the after-images away.

Until all that's left is us"  ― These Broken Stars quote

♥ SHATTER ME was a book that swept me off my feet and knocked me down with its awesomeness. UNRAVEL ME was an ok read most of the time and a brilliant in some scenes. I expect my heart to be severely broken in IGNITE ME!

# 8  Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

"Wake up", he whispers.

A sharp intake of breath and I'm awake but not up, surprised but not scared, somehow staring into the deperately green eyes that seem to know too much, too well. 

Aaron Warner Anderson is bent over me, his worried eyes inspecting me, his hand caught in the air like he might've been about to touch me. 

He jerks back."

♥ ALL OUR YESTERDAYS is Cristin Terrill's debut novel. I read it as a standalone and it was another favourite 2013 debut of mine. A few days after I finished the first book I found out that Cristin Terrill is writing a sequel. Major fan girl moment! 

# 9  All Our Yesterdays #2 by Cristin Terrill

"Let me look at you.” I pull away and put my hands on his cheeks, examining his face. Blue eyes, of course. And how could I forget that mouth? Thin pink lips with one crooked corner always suggesting a mocking smile. My God, how had I never noticed before how handsome he is? “You need a haircut.”
He rubs the side of his thumb over my cheekbone. “You’re beautiful."  ― All Our Yesterdays quote

♥ It took me over a year to pick up EVERBOUND after reading EVERNEATH. The second book in Brodi Ashton's first series was even better than her debut and thanks to Harper Collins I was lucky enough to dive into the third book right after finishing the second. It was a great reading experience and I'm sure many readers will love the ending to this series. Only three weeks till it will be released! 

Evertrue by Brodie Ashton # 10

"However he'd found his way here, it didn't matter. I knew then that the boy under the tree had to be mine. That floppy hair should be mine to touch. That big, knuckly boy hand should be mine to hold. That gruff voice should be mine to hear, and those ears should be mine to tell all my secrets to. Except for the biggest secret. That I loved him. More than the crush I was dealing with for years. More than I should've loved a best friend. More than he would ever love me back. I was gone for him." ― Everbound quote 

Q! What are your most anticipated reads of 2014? Tell me in the comments, on Twitter or feel free to link me to your posts. 

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Happy Holidays

and Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you are having the best holidays possible with lots of books, great food and time with your families and friends. Looks like I'll only do two more blog posts, about my most anticipated books of 2014. I'm spending New Year's Eve in The Hague , so if I don't find the time to visit your blogs or talk on Twitter in the next days, know that I wish you all the best. See you in 2014! 

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