Mini Review Monday #4 - The Tahereh Mafi and John Green edition

On this weeks edition of Mini Review Monday you'll find my brief thoughts on two very popular YA titles that I read recently - Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi and The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I'm only doing mini reviews for these two as they are so popular with many, many reviews available on Goodreads and Amazon that I feel it's a little pointless to provide a full detailed review of my thoughts as I'm sure everyone else has already read them. ;) If there is something you really want to know from me about these titles, feel free to leave a comment and I'll let you know the answer. :)



Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Published: 2nd October 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Series: Shatter Me, #1
Genre: Young Adult: Sci Fi, Dystopian

I heard nothing but amazing reviews for this book and series. It took me a while to get around to reading this, and I'm sorry to say, but for me, this didn't live up to the hype.

Juliette has a fatal touch which got her locked up for murder. The Reestablishment having originally locked her up, changes it mind. Now they think she may be useful. 
The storyline itself is interesting, however it only held my interest in waves. 
The writing was certainly different than anything I have read before, however after a while I found the crossed out sections annoying. I'd first read over them, then have to stop and go back to read them, turning the originally enjoyment of reading this book into a chore. I understand this was done for a purpose, but unfortunately it didn't really make me see Juliette sane or insane due to it. It just annoyed me. 
I didn't feel anything towards any of the characters. None, and that is really different for me. Normally I at least like someone. It didn't help that the romance felt forced and was a driving point for the plot.  

Due to the writing style, despite being unique, and the romance, there were multiple times where I was just bored. I even came to a point where I thought I might DNF it, but I preserved due to the reviews, however my opinion at the end of the book didn't change. 

Unfortunately with all the 5 star reviews I was expecting an amazing book, instead I'm left amazed that it received so many 5 star reviews.

I'm clearly in the minority, but for me, this wasn't as amazing as everyone hyped it up to be and I most likely won't continue with the rest of the series. 

★★

 It Was Ok

Title: The Fault In Our Stars
Author: John Green
Published: 10th January 2012
Publisher: Dutton Books/ Penguin 
Series: Nil
Genre: Young Adult: Contemporary


This was my first John Green novel. I thought this would be a difficult read for me, which is why it took so long for me to read it but it wasn't too bad. 

I loved the characters. Hazel has terminal cancer and attends a support group because her mum wants her to make friends, while Augustus is a cancer survivor after surgery and attends to support his friend Isaac, which is where they meet. Hazel Grace and Augustus were delightful characters that drew me into the story and their journey. I adored Augustus, and the witty conversations between him and Hazel made for a funny, light read considering the seriousness of the subject. There were times that they were more mature then you would expected from teenagers their age, but it wasn't over the top and considering what they have been forced to go through it fitted the characters well. 

I really liked John Greene's writing style and I will definitely be reading more books of his. 
I understand why so many people loved this book as I totally fell in love with it too. 

★★★★★

 It Was Amazing

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Published: 18 October 2007
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Purchased from Book Depository
Genre: Young Adult: Mental Health, Contemporary


Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

Review

Do you know what I have noticed lately? Bullying is slowly coming into the limelight. Just the other day a friend shared a video on Facebook concerning "The Bullying Experiment, by Fouseytube" (You can find it on Youtube if you are such inclined). That was interesting purely for the fact that despite someone being bullied directly in front of some people - they chose to ignore it. They walked away. One person, after being asked "Can I speak to you for a minute?" Answered "No". Were they ashamed they walked away? Or did they really care that little? 
I remember an incident (and I'm giving away my age here) of a comment concerning the RSVP's to my high school reunion. The organisers were getting comments that people didn't want to socialise with the people that bullied them at school. I know this because the organiser posted it on the reunions facebook wall. I remember some of the people - not the bullies, or the bullied - make the comment "oh but we were just teenagers, get over it". Interesting that the ones making that comment were also the ones that turned a blind eye.

Bare with me, I did bring that up for a reason......

Bullying comes in all forms. You don't need to be constantly hit to say you were bullied. 
Anyone can be bullied, and it can occur anywhere - school, work, sports activities, and online. 
Bullying can be verbal, physical, social, psychological, or cyberbullying.  

I mention this because some people might not think, like my high school classmates, that what happened to Hannah was that bad, or was justifiable due to age. 
Short answer - no, it's not acceptable. Just because you didn't experience it doesn't mean that the other person wasn't bullied. Just because it does not cause the same feelings in you, doesn't mean it shouldn't for someone else. 

This brings me to this book. Some reviews I read said that what happened to her weren't that bad; didn't justify why Hannah killed herself; could have been worse; or the clincher - she should have helped herself, she should have sort help from someone.
Bullying isn't about YOU (the reader, in this case). Bullying is about the person being bullied and how it makes THEM feel. In Hannah's case all the little things built up and ruined her.
You don't have to agree with her reasons. You don't have to feel like they were worthy reasons for her to commit suicide. What you DO have to understand is that SHE felt this way, and SHE felt like she didn't have anything worth living for. SHE felt that she had no one to talk to - in fact she did seek someone to talk too and quite frankly the way they handled the situation was pathetic. 

This is something that every person needs to understand. This is something that every parent should teach their child. This is something that teachers should understand. Bullying is about how you are made to feel and your actions can affect everyone. Like a ripple effect. Everyone in Hannah's community was and will be affected by what happened to her.  
Bullying is a real problem in schools, because children at schools are not treating others with any respect or empathy or understanding. Teachers should be able to say the right things and assist in finding help for someone that feels this lost. 
Not everyone is strong enough to fight through it. Some give in. Some don't. Adults need to be able to see the signs and need to be open enough that the victim sees them as an ally, a friend, and most importantly someone that can help. 
Now just to be clear, we are not talking about a single incident. We are talking about constantly being intimidated; harassed; rumours being spread about you; being hit; teased; etc and it happening over and over again. 

When I finished this book, I posted the photo below (that I took) everywhere. Facebook, instagram, twitter, anywhere where people, young and old, kids and parents, could see it. This is the type of book that should be read in school. Studied at school. Explained at school. To get young people to understand that bullying is NOT ok. It is not ok to make someone feel so low that they want out of life. You don't know what is going on in someone's life away from where you know them. You could be compounding a problem that is already there, and if you're not, you could be starting a problem that might not stop. 

I can't say I enjoyed this book as that isn't an appropriate statement. How can you enjoy reading about someone, who is dead, and how they came to that death. 
I did find this well written. Very well written. I liked the delivery of the story. I liked how someone, who she thought was good, was the story we got to follow. I don't believe hearing it from one of the bullies sides would be appropriate nor show the story from her side as well.

Now the book isn't just about bullying, well it is, but it is also about the fact that Hannah was suffering from depression. No one seemed to pick up on her depressive state. All these things added up for Hannah and would have been overwhelming. 

I can't say this enough, this is a book that everybody should read - if for no other reason but to understand how bullying and depression can affect someone (again - NOT YOU). 

On an ending note- 

Let me put it this way:

If physical illness was treated like mental illness

Source

★★★★★ 

It Was Amazing

Excerpt

"I guess that's the point of it all. No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue. Yet we push it just the same." 

~

"But does that diminish any of your stories? Are your stories any less meaningful because I'm not telling you everything?

No.

Actually, it magnifies them. 

You don't know what went on in the rest of my life. At home. Even at school. You don't know what goes on in anyone's life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person's life, you're not messing with just that part. Unfortunately, you can't be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person's life, you're messing with their entire life."

Cover Reveal: The Rules Of Regret by Megan Squires

Title: The Rules of Regret

Author: Megan Squires

Expected Publication: 1 October 2013

Cover Design: Mae I Design and Photography

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

“Life doesn’t come with a blueprint, which makes it hard to have any plans.”

Nineteen-year-old Darby Duncan is finally on her own. Her boyfriend of six years just left for a high-powered summer internship, though in reality he’s been absent for much longer than that. This newfound freedom wasn’t a part of Darby’s plans, but as she’s come to discover, plans only exist on paper, not in reality.

And guys like Torin Westbrook aren’t supposed to exist in reality, either. But he does, with his disheveled curly hair, irresistible dimples, and endearingly quirky habit of reciting quotes from classic movies and ancient thinkers. When Darby meets Torin as a fellow counselor at the survival camp she impulsively applies to, she’s certain his main goal is to turn her world upside-down. 

But Darby’s not sure she can adapt to Torin’s ways of viewing his past and the tragedies he's faced. Because she’s had her own share of heartache, too, and as much as she wants to believe that it’s all been for a purpose, her grief hasn’t allowed her to get to that point. Yet the more Darby is around Torin, the more she craves the freedom to break out of her carefully constructed routine and mindset and fall into something new. 

She’s just not sure that she should be falling for Torin along the way.

Mini Review Monday #2

I have decided to start doing some mini reviews to allow me to tell you what I thought of a book, without the full review depth. The reason why I have decided to do this is because some books have been out of a while and there are plenty of reviews on Goodreads if anyone wants further details already, and the other is that some of the books I've read are actually novellas and I wouldn't be able to write full reviews on something that is generally under 100 or so pages. 
I'm not sure if this will be a weekly, fortnightly or monthly thing. More than likely it will be just when I need to so a short review. I do have a few to do, but I'll space them out of the next few weeks and then take it from there. =)

Title: Crossing The Line

Author: Katie McGarry
Series: Pushing The Limits, #1.5
Published: April 1, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Source: Free for Kindle promo by Harlequin Teen Australia

Katie McGarry captivated readers with her “riveting, emotional”* Young Adult debut, Pushing the Limits. In this gripping novella, she tells the story of Lila and Lincoln, who discover that sometimes it’s worth crossing the line for love…

Lila McCormick, Echo's best friend from Pushing the Limits, first met Lincoln Turner when tragedy struck both their lives. But she never expected their surprise encounter would lead to two years of exchanging letters—or that she’d fall for the boy she’s only seen once. Their relationship is a secret, but Lila feels closer to Lincoln than anyone else. Until she finds out that he lied to her about the one thing she depended on him for the most.

Hurting Lila is the last thing Lincoln wanted. For two years, her letters have been the only thing getting him through the day. Admitting his feelings would cross a line he’s never dared breach before. But Lincoln will do whatever it takes to fix his mistakes, earn Lila’s forgiveness—and finally win a chance to be with the girl he loves.

My Thoughts

This was a lovely little (it's 67 pages!) novella about Lila. If you read Pushing The Limits, she was Echo's friend who in the end was the only one to stand by her. 

Lila's relationship with Lincoln is built up through letters, and as with Katie McGarry's stories, both have issues within their lives but have each other to depend on. 

You don't need to have read Pushing the Limits before this one. It's would read fine as a stand alone if you wanted. 

Even though it is a very short story, Katie McGarry managers to make fantastic characters and an emotional read. 

★★★★ Really Liked It

Book Blitz: I Breathe You by Lori L. Clark with Excerpt & Giveaway

Title: I Breathe You  
Author: Lori L. Clark 

Publication date:  August 2nd 2013

Genre: NA contemporary romance

Synopsis:

When a tragic accident leaves Rhane Evans — lead vocalist for the rock band Fate’s Crazy — permanently unable to speak above a whisper and kills the love of her life, she moves across the state to pick up the pieces. Shattered, Rhane struggles to understand what happened the night of the accident, an accident everyone blames her for, even though she wasn’t driving the car.

Enter Ian Callahan. He’s the one person who may have a more tumultuous past than Rhane. Though they try hard to deny the sizzling attraction between them, it proves nearly impossible. When Ian’s troubled past threatens to tear them apart, they begin to believe happiness isn’t in their cards.

Because Fate’s Crazy that way…

Buy Links

Purchase link will be found here come release day

Amazon

 B&N

Excerpt

Gwen announces that it's time to eat and we make our way to the kitchen with T leading the way. I stiffen momentarily when Ian's fingertips rest gently against my lower back but soon relax beneath his reassuring touch as he guides me forward.Several times during dinner, I sense Ian's eyes on me, and I glance up. The first couple of times, I quickly avert my gaze to the plate in front of me. But now, a glass and a half of wine later, it's getting harder to shift my attention elsewhere. He watches me through hooded eyes, and I refuse to look away. I reach for my wine and swirl the liquid slowly around in the goblet. I take a long swallow and slowly run my tongue around the perimeter of my tingling lips, teasing him. His eyes darken and the corner of his mouth tips into a half smirk.After we eat, I stand, offering to help Gwen clear the table. Shockwaves of electricity jolt down the center of my back when Ian steps behind me and whispers into my ear. "Thank God you weren't eating a banana or I might have had to excuse myself from the dinner table for a few minutes." I draw my lips between my teeth to keep a mad case of giggles from erupting."I'll go bring in some wood for the fire," Ian offers. Under his breath he mutters low enough only for me to hear, "It'll be the closest thing to a cold shower I can get away with right now.""Do you want me to help?" I whisper playfully."No. You’ve done more than enough already," he shakes his head. Gwen arches an eyebrow at his remark. I understand the meaning behind his words and grin. He shrugs and walks outside with a huge smile on his face.

Author Bio

I read, I write, I run 1/2 marathons for fun. Ten things about me:

1. I’m an only child.
2. I love dogs! 
3. I was born in Iowa City, Iowa and lived in Iowa my whole life until January 2007.
4. I worked as a professional psychic reader for 2 years.
5. I’m a Pisces Sun, Leo Moon with Aquarius rising.
6. I’ve written 5 books and am in the process of brainstorming a 6th.
7. I don’t look or act my age!
8. I ran my first 1/2 marathon at age 50.
9. I love 80′s hair band music.
10. My day job is as a claims payment analyst for one of Fortune 500 Magazine’s “Top 100 places in America to work.”

Author links

Website 

Goodreads 

Facebook 

Twitter

Giveaway

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Blog Tour: Review: Prep School Confidential by Kara Taylor, withExcerpt and Giveaway

Expected Publication: July 30th 2013

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Blurb:

In this breathtaking debut that reads like Gossip Girl crossed with Twin Peaks, a Queen Bee at a blue-blooded New England prep school stumbles into a murder mystery.

Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne could care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school. 

When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.

Review

Prep School Confidential was a big surprise package for me. I wasn't expecting such a deep and twisted mystery, nor was I expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. 

I liked Anne, thought sometimes she seemed a touch too full of herself in the I'm-just-too-smart kind of way but it wasn't enough to put me off. Also her persistence to solve who killed Isabella had me wrapped up in the story so very little bothered me. 

All the characters felt so different from each other, and I didn't know who to suspect or point the finger at. There are a fair few characters in this story, but I didn't find it hard to keep track of as they all had some part in the story and mystery and their voices were different enough to remember them. 

I don't make it a hidden fact that I don't like love triangles as a writing device. Prep School Confidential did have a love triangle, and surprisingly (compared to those I have read) it is done really nicely, to the point I didn't know who I liked more. 

Anthony, Isabella's twin brother grew on me pretty quickly, though I feel he is still a little mysterious. 

Brent, Annie classmate, I wasn't sure of at first. I grew to like him as the story progressed. 

I loved the school description. I could picture this old school and all it's "secrets" (no more details than that - no spoilers) with no problems. 

Prep School Confidential had me guessing and questioning all the characters and their roles - did they do it, were they really like that - right until the end. And even that was a bit of a shock. Just when you think you figured it out, BAM, nope you didn't. 

This is definitely worth checking out if you like mysteries and whodunits. A fun read with some very memorable quotes (My favourite is below).  

★★★★ 

Really Liked It

Buy Links

Excerpt

"Mr. Dowling." The officer stands up and extends a hand. "I'm Detective Holmes."

I can't help it - I giggle a little. I mean, really, a detective named Holmes? I wonder if Watson is nearby. 

Dad glares at me and accepts Holmes's handshake. "I'll be representing my daughter from this point. If you have no proof of her involvement with the fire, I'll be taking her home now."

I wince, but Detective Holmes looks confused. "With all due respect, Mr. Dowling, your daughter confessed to being on school grounds unattended after hours and gave us the name of the classmate who helped start the fire."

Dad looks at me as if I'm dumber than the bacteria on the bottom of his shoes. He's never, ever looked at me like that before. When the older cop shuffles back into the room, I'm thinking there's no way this could possibly get worse. (Loc 168 4%). 


One of my favourite quotes:

Author Bio

Kara has a BA in English/Secondary Education from Stony Brook University. She loves New Girl, sushi, and puppets that say rude things. It’s her dream to own a bakery someday. 

Kara was inspired to start writing in part by her grandmother giving her Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and in part by her father’s bizarre antics, such as blow-drying his car. Her father looked like Borat in the 80′s. 

Kara lives on Long Island with a Chihuahua named Izzy and a kitten named Felix. Her favorite authors are Gillian Flynn, Maureen Johnson, and Nelson Demille. She writes full-time, both on the PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL series and on an untitled television pilot for Warner Brothers Studios.

Author Links

www.karamtaylor.com 

twitter.com/@karataylor_

Giveaway

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eARC Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Title: Dare You To

Author: Katie McGarry

Series: Pushing The Limits, #2

Publication Date: May 28, 2013

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Description

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...

Review

It took me awhile to get into this book. I don't believe it was the book itself, I think it was just the formatting of the copy I had. The chapters weren't separated other than a few words in capitals and I found it extremely difficult to read as the jump between POV's wasn't clear. I was originally reading it on my mobile, but then I swapped to the kindle for a bigger screen, thinking that might help - and it did. Though I still didn't get the "I can't put this down" feeling I had with Pushing The Limits until I was about 30 - 40% into it. Then I fell in love with the story. 

I felt for Beth. I really liked her even though there were points where I thought "you stupid girl". I still liked her, and I could empathise with her, even in those moments, and understand why she did what she did. 
I wasn't instantly drawn to Ryan, but he grew on me as the story went on. I thought he was good for Beth which is where some of my frustration came from with her. haha.
I liked Isaiah in Pushing the Limits and I liked him even more in this. He is such a great character and I'm dying to read his story in Crash Into You, but I digress. 

Katie McGarry is amazing at writing characters with a troubled background. She makes the story emotional, believeable, and heartbreaking. You connect with the characters, feel for them, and want everything to be better for them. You want the story to have a positive ending, no necessarily a happy ending, just something positive to come out of it for the characters involved. I didn't think it was possible to write a better story then Pushing The Limits, but Dare You To is just was wonderful, if not a little better. 

Dare You To could be read as a stand alone. Pushing The Limits will give you a wider view into some of the characters as well as the connections, but it isn't totally necessary. 

★★★★★ 

It Was Amazing

Book Trailer

Review: Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

Title: Pushing The Limits

Author: Katie McGarry

Series: Pushing The Limits, #1

Publication Date: July 31, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Source: Bought

Description

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

Review

A while ago Harlequinn Teen offered a sneak peek at Pushing The Limits, the first 2 chapters I believe. I wasn't sure this was going to be for me so I read those 2 chapters. I was instantly draw to the story and purchased the book. It took me a little while to get to read it (and even longer to write the review! o_o  Shame on me) but I definitely loved this story. 

Firstly there is Noah who has lost both parents and is wanting custody of his younger brothers, who are currently with a lovely couple. Unfortunately Noah doesn't believe they are nor does he realise they are the best thing for his brothers. 

Then there is Echo, who has her own tragedies  With the death of her older brother, and scars that she hides from everyone along with the lost memory of how they occurred that night at her mothers place. 

The novel alternates between Noah and Echo's point of views throughout the novel and is engaging this way.   

Both are seeing the school counselor, Mrs Collins, who is actually trying to help them and is a major factor in Noah and Echo getting together, pairing them for Echo to tutor Noah. 

Through their contact they grow and develop into better versions of themselves. 

I loved this book as it is written in a way that you can empathize with them; see and feel them grow and feel their pain, sadness, joy and happiness. I loved both Noah and Echo, and Noah's friends Beth and Isaiah. This is an emotional read with surprising depth and feeling. Another to add to the TBR if you haven't already. 

Also Beth has her story in Dare You To (released May 28 2013), and Isaiah in Crash Into You (expected release November 26 2013). 

★★★★★ 
It Was Amazing

Author Bio

Source

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Katie would love to hear from her readers. 

 Author Links

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