Mini Review: You Look Different in Real life

Book Review: You Look Different in Real life

 Book: You Look Different in Real life
Author: Jennifer Castle
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Source: Edelweiss


For the rest of the world, the movies are entertainment. For Justine, they're real life.

The premise was simple: five kids, just living their lives. There'd be a new movie about them every five years, starting in kindergarten. But no one could have predicted what the cameras would capture. And no one could have predicted that Justine would be the star.

Now sixteen, Justine doesn't feel like a star anymore. In fact, when she hears the crew has gotten the green light to film Five at Sixteen, all she feels is dread. The kids who shared the same table in kindergarten have become teenagers who hardly know one another. And Justine, who was so funny and edgy in the first two movies, feels like a disappointment.

But these teens have a bond that goes deeper than what's on film. They've all shared the painful details of their lives with countless viewers. They all know how it feels to have fans as well as friends. So when this latest movie gives them the chance to reunite, Justine and her costars are going to take it. Because sometimes, the only way to see yourself is through someone else's eyes.

Smart, fresh, and frequently funny, You Look Different in Real Life is a piercing novel about life in an age where the lines between what's personal and what's public aren't always clear

[ Goodreads]

Review:

I read You Look Different in Real life in less than 24 hours. You Look Different in Real life tells us the story of Justine and how when she was 6 and 11 she took part of a documentary along with four other children.  Five years have passed once again and there are plans of making a documentary of their lives at 16. Justine at first is against this idea as her life has not how she pictured it to be. She also does not speak to the other participants in the documentary other than her friend Felix and this also makes her uncertain about the documentary. 

You Look Different in Real life was a quick read and I was interested in what was going to happen to the characters even though I found the plot to be predictable. I figured out much of what I would say are major plot points straight away.   I also didn’t find myself connecting to any of the characters and even though I was interested in what was going to happen to them I didn’t really care what happened to them. Justine got on my nerves at times but I liked that she wanted to rebuild some of her friendships with the others and not go back to where their relationships had ended before. 

What I Rate This: 3/5

Book Review: Bittersweet

Book: Bittersweet
Author: Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Simon Pluse
Publication Date: January 3rd 2012
Source: Borrowed from my sister!


Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life, and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances... a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been.

So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life... and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.

It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last..

[Goodreads]

Review:

Hudson Avery used to be a competition winning figure skater, until one night when she threw one of the most important events of her skating career.  This night brought many changes to Hudson’s life, and now years later she is known as the Cupcake Queen, working at her mother’s diner.  But as things unfold she realizes that she misses skating and may want to start again.

I really enjoyed this book and liked it quite a bit more than Twenty Boy Summer, Sarah Ockler’s other novel. I think that this mainly had to do with my feelings for the characters. I mostly liked Hudson the main character. I felt bad for her at many times throughout the novel. At times she got on my nerves and some of the choices she made me want to say WHY? Especially regarding her relationship with her best friend Dani. Dani was another great characters and I loved her spunk and personality. I did get frustrated with her often as well, but that had to do with her relationship with Hudson. Hudson’s family was a very important part of the book and I really enjoyed her relationship with her little brother Bug. He was super cute!! I didn’t really like Hudson’s mother to much, but I felt for her situation and understood her motives.

 My favorite part of this book was probably the romance. Lately I have not enjoyed many romances I have read about.  But I really loved the two boys in this book Josh and Will. I honestly couldn’t choose which guy I preferred but Josh was the sweeter of the two.   I didn’t feel like this was to much of a triangle though because I think it was clear who Hudson would prefer to be with.

If you enjoy cute romances, cute boys, and fun little brothers you should definitely pick this up! I will be picking up more of Sarah’s books soon! 

What I Rate it: 4/5

Book Review: The Rose Throne

Book: The Rose Throne
Author: Mette Ivie Harrison
Publisher: Egmont Usa
Publication Date: May 14th 2013
Source: Netgalley

Ailsbet loves nothing more than music; tall and red-haired, she's impatient with the artifice and ceremony of her father's court. Marissa adores the world of her island home and feels she has much to offer when she finally inherits the throne from her wise, good-tempered father. The trouble is that neither princess has the power--or the magic--to rule alone, and if the kingdoms can be united, which princess will end up ruling the joint land? For both, the only goal would seem to be a strategic marriage to a man who can bring his own brand of power to the throne. But will either girl be able to marry for love? And can either of these two princesses, rivals though they have never met, afford to let the other live?

[Goodreads]

Review:

The Rose Throne tells us the story of two very different kingdoms and the two very different princesses who inhabit them.  Ailsbet is the princess of Rurik and Marlissa (Issa) is the princess of Weirland. Rurik values the magic of Taweyr the man’s magic of power and death. Weirland is more concentrated on neweyr the magic of growing and life. Both these princesses believe they are meant to help fulfill a prophecy that will unite their lands and magic as one.

The Rose Throne was an enjoyable book and I liked many aspects of it. The princess though very different where strong in their own ways and they both wanted what was best for their kingdoms. Ailsbet was especially strong and unique. She at times can be unlikable and does not make friends easily but you can tell she does care, especially for her brother and the kingdom. She is not a unkind person but she has to keep a strong shield of indifference surrounding her, for reasons I will not give away. Issa was the complete opposite of Ailsbet, but was strong in her own ways. Her magic of newyr is one the most powerful in the lands. She is also has a strength in her because she is willing to put aside her own feelings and needs for those of her country and the future of all her subjects.

Ailsbet’s father the King was a maniac and would go to any length to get what he wanted.  But he is one of the parts that made The Rose Throne interesting. He was a great antagonist for all the main characters in this book. I did hate his many of the actions he took in this book but they made the story more interesting and I had fear that the main characters might not have a happy ending because of him. Not being able to guess the ending and what would happen to these characters was a definite plus. 

There was no insta-love in this book but I still could not enjoy the romances at all. Issa’s romance seems to be random and as if the author had no one else to pair her with so she choose a character. I also did not like Issa’s love interest at all and felt as if he didn’t truly care about her, just the kingdom of Ruirk. Ailsbet’s romance is not as central to the novel as Issa’s but that made me glad because I felt that she didn’t really care for her love interest and that he just annoyed her more than anything.

The beginning I found to be a little slow as I had a hard time getting the names of the magic and the kingdoms straight. All the names where unusual but I didn’t find they made the story better, just confusing.   There were also some slow parts throughout the book and I would have enjoyed there to be more action.  Then the ending really bothered me because it seemed to be cut off. I expected there to be just a little more to explain what happened to a certain character at the end but was left with nothing. But even with the abrupt ending what happened to some of the characters at the end was different than I expected which made the book overall more interesting. 
  

I think this book is worth a read but maybe borrow it from your library if unsure.  With an unexpected but lacking ending, I do think it will hold many readers interest.

What I Rate it: 3/5 Stars 

March Wrap up!

Hello everyone! I hope you had a great March and an amazing Easter weekend! I am so glad this month is coming to a close because all my school papers will be completed after today and I will have to do is hand them in. This April I have all my finals and the last one is one April 23! I will be really happy when this semester is over and I have four months off. I hopefully will be getting a little bit more reading done in these months off :)

Here are the book I read in March!

1. The Goddess Inheritance by Aimee Carter - 3/5- My Review
2.  The Rose Throne by Mette Ivie Harrison - 3/5 - Review to come in April!
3.  The Statistical Probablity of Love at First Sigh by Jennifer E. Smith- 3/5- My Review
4. The Body At the Tower by Y.S. Lee- 3/5

Every book I read this month Earned 3/5! I hope next month I read 4 or 5's! What did you read this month?

Mini Book Review : The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

 
Book: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Poppy/Little Brown
Publication Date: January 2nd 2012
Source: Purchased as a ebook for my Kobo

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. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother 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 sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it. 

[Goodreads]

Review:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight begins with Hadley missing her plane by four minutes. She is due at her father’s wedding the next morning in London and missing this flight can be seen as just bad luck. But when she meets Oliver it seems her fortunate has changed.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight was a quick, cute read.  I honestly don’t have too many thoughts about it.  I enjoyed Hadley’s character and I definitely felt for her and the situation with her father.  There where so many times I wanted her to yell at her Dad or storm away from him but I was happy with the end result between the two.

Oliver, the love interest who Hadley meets after missing her first plane, is a cute character and seems like an interesting person. I liked how he tried to keep Hadley calm on her plan ride. They seemed to have a real connection and not forced by the author. 

The ending is predictable and one you can expect from a cute, fun read like The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. But I still enjoyed the ending and am glad it happened how it did.  I am glad this is a stand-alone because I want to keep the happy ending in my mind. If you enjoy cute, fun, quick reads you will want to pick this up!

  

Top Ten Books I Recommend

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish!
 I honestly don't recommend books to often because lots of people in my life do not read that much. But these are the ones I do talk about in hopes of getting people to read! I have gotten my sister to Game of Thrones and Divergent. I also got my brother to read Graceling and Enclave! They both loved them.  My biggest success story is a girl I work with. I got her to read The Hunger Games, Divergent and If I Stay and I would say she likes them even more then I do!


1. Game of Thrones- I think many people have read this book because of the TV show. But for those who haven't and can take a longer read I say go for it because it will be worth it.
2. The Hunger Games- One of the books that made me love Dystopia.
3. Divergent- This series is great for someone who loves action! You wont be able to put it down because you will need to know what happens!
4. If I Stay- A sad book but one I think is worth the read.
5. Enclave/Outpost- Outpost is my favorite book this year. I love Deuce and how she has grown. I also enjoy Fade the love interest. Which is saying something because a ton of the books I have read recently have been the opposite.


6. The Kitchen House- A adult historical novel. Historical was my favorite in the past but I had not read that many recently. I picked this up in the beginning of the year and I cannot wait to read it again. So many things happen in this book that are terrible, but its about love, family, and its amazing.
7.Anna and the French Kiss- When I first started this I did not think I would like it that much! But I was so wrong. Anna was frusterating at first but don't let that stop you! I ended up loving her and Etienne.
8.Graceling- Another book full of action. I liked Katsa personality and I liked her love interest. Plus no insta-love. Yay!
9. The Knife of Never Letting Go- It is kinda hard to get into at first but the story is awesome and unique.
10. The Giver- I re-read The Giver this year and it was awesome. I think everyone should pick it up, and its short so people who might not read that often don't have to worry about length!

Book Review: The Goddess Test

Book: The Goddess Test
Author: Aimee Carter
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication Date: February 26 2013
Source: I purchased this at my local bookstore! (Indigo)


Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.

[Goodreads]

Review:

The Goddess Inheritance begins around nine months after the events of Goddess Interrupted. Kate is still a prisoner of Calliope and Cronus and she is ready to give birth at any moment. Calliope still is jealous of Kate and wants nothing more to see her dead, and to have Henry. Cronus has other plans in place for Kate… He will spare humanity if Kate promises to become his and leave her life with Henry and the Gods. 

I overall enjoyed the Goddess Inheritance more than both the previous books. The plot had more action and had more intense moments then in the last two books.  I felt plenty of different emotions while reading this book, anger, frustration, annoyance, excitement and happiness. Even though I feel the plot was more interesting than the past books I still had some problems with other parts of the book.

Kate has definitely become a more interesting and strong character over the course of this series.   She was really protective of her family and was willing to put them before herself. She would not back down without a fight and wouldn’t let the other Gods make her seem insignificant or incapable of fighting for her beliefs. But I did have some problems with her. The way she treated Ava throughout most of the book really got on my nerves, and I found her very annoying during these parts. For all her talk of doing whatever was needed to protect her family, she would not accept Ava’s reasons for doing the same thing. I truly believe Kate would have done exactly the same thing if she was in Ava’s situation. Even more, just by the other actions she took in The Goddess Inheritance.

 I liked Ava in this book and I really felt for her situation. She did what she had to and you knew from her actions that she was very sorry for it.  She tried her best to make Kate understand and to gain her forgiveness. I also enjoyed James character and wish he had more parts in the novel. He brought some lightheartedness to a novel was full of intense unhappy moments. 

Henry is a character that I really did not like and is one of the main reason I lowered my rating. I don’t see him as having a very big personality. He seems pretty bland to me. I have never been a big fan of his throughout the series anyways so I didn’t expect that to change in this book. He seems like he is never fully formed, and I hate how his life is all about one person… 

Overall I did enjoy this series and I will pick up the next book Aimee Carter writes.  There was actually the first chapter of her next book printed in the back of the Goddess Inheritance and it seemed pretty interesting! But I would say this is more of a series to borrow for me then a series I need to have on my self .

What I Rate it: 3/5 Stars