Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Best Books I Read In 2015

Once again I am back for another Top Ten Tuesday! For today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic it’s the Top Ten Best Books I Read Overall in 2015. If you haven’t read any of these books in 2015 you should make sure they’re on your 2016 TBR list!

1.The Good Girls by Sara Shepard

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Illustrated Edition) by J.K. Rowling and Jim Kay

3. Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination by J.K. Rowling

4. The Death Cure by James Dashner

5. Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman

6. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

7. Ali’s Pretty Little Lies by Sara Shepard

8. Paper Towns  by John Green

9. Burn for Burn by Jenny Han

10. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

 

Book Review: The Good Girls by Sara Shepard

Title/Author: The Good Girls by Sara Shepard
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult
Publication Date: June 2^nd, 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: Hardback
Page Count: 341
Rating: ★★★★.5 stars

I loved this installment and I think that this was Shepard’s strongest work to date. I was hesitant to pick up the sequel because the first book bored me, but I’m glad I decided to pick this one up. Shepard’s addicting writing style keeps you hooked until the very end with a plot twist that was beyond crazy. I personally did not see that plot twist coming at all and my mind was completely blown by it. Hands down one of my favorite Sara Shepard books thanks to that plot twist. But the ending did have a Pretty Little Liars vibe to it. Even though I think this series is a duology and is over now, I can totally see Shepard adding on more and more books to this series and having this become the next Pretty Little Liars series. Overall I highly enjoyed this thrilling book and rated it 4.5/5 stars. If you’re a Sara Shepard fan you must read this duology as soon as possible!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2015

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday topic is Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2015! For today’s post instead of mentioning my top ten books I narrowed it down to my top favorite seven books I’ve read so far in 2015!

1. Very Good Lives by J.K. Rowling

2. The Death Cure by James Dashner

3. Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

4. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

5. Paper Towns by John Green

6. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

7. Ali’s Pretty Little Lies by Sara Shepard

Book Review: The Death Cure by James Dashner

Let’s just say I was very hesitant to pick up this novel after hearing the dislike and negative reviews, but I was not going to let that stop me from reading this novel. I had to know what was going to happen in the end! I have to say this was way better than I expected it to be. The Death Cure was a thousand times better than The Scorch Trials, but I must say The Maze Runner is still my favorite out of this trilogy.

Going into this novel I had very low expectations due to all the dislike towards this installment, but I was proven wrong. This final installment was packed full of action and adventure that made it very hard to put down. When I had only 100 pages left I was a tad bit nervous though. I didn’t know how things were going to be wrapped up, but Dashner pulled it off. Yes the ending was a bit to open for my liking, but I felt that it was a nice conclusion to the story seeing everyone safe and sound. I could really go for another installment, whether it be a short novella or a whole novel, talking about life after the ending.

Overall very impressed with this final installment. It deserves a 5/5 star rating from me. The entire book felt like one huge adrenaline rush for me and I love how it kept my attention, just like The Maze Runner. I highly recommend not only this book, but this series.

Book Review: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

At first I was hesitant to pick up this novel. I’ve tried reading The Summer I Turned Pretty series a few years back, but had no luck with it. But I’m glad to pick up this fine, fluffy, elegant piece of literature. I found this novel so charming and enjoyable. I loved every aspect of this novel. From beginning to end this was a fast paced read with having short chapters. If I had enough time I could have probably finished this book in one day. Overall a fast paced contemporary romance novel that I couldn’t get enough of. 5/5 stars highly recommend. Now if it was only May so I could have the sequel…

Book Review: Vicious by Sara Shepard

After finishing the last and final book in the Pretty Little Liars series I’ve decided I need an award. I’ve put up with all fifteen books to finally reach this last novel. Let’s just say I had very high hopes going into this installment, but I became quickly disappointed. I’ve broken down my review into two parts; pros and cons. Here are my thoughts about Vicious by Sara Shepard.  Also if you haven’t read this book, this book review is full of spoilers just to warn you!

Pros

• I call sticking around for the final installment a pro. Seriously who puts up with all this crap and drama this series gave out and still reads it?
• I also loved how all the girls came together once more and all became friends. Much deserved happy ending.

Cons

• My first con has to be the pacing of this novel. While Toxic dragged on, I felt as if this novel lacked the speed and action it deserved. The beginning of the novel felt like it took forever to read, but once I moved past that, things were still quite slow. The only really plot twist we had was a huge predictable flop. I thought this novel would have tons of mystery, suspense, and a few big plot twists. Maybe my expectations got in the way, but I was very disappointed with this aspect.
• Prediction. I had many theories set up after Emily went “missing”. From that point on in the novel I made many predictions, and almost all of them came true. I was upset with this point hoping that this novel would have a more wow factor.
• How Ali got caught was another huge con of mine. This really let me down. I was hoping all the girls would catch her and not only serve her a taste of her own medicine, but get caught in an awesome way. It really upset me  that the only one to find her was Emily. Not only that, but it took two seconds to take down Ali. I wished Ali and Emily had a bigger and greater fight against themselves rather than just a small fight in the lawn.
• And last but not least the ending. The last sentence to be exact. “Soon enough, I’m coming to get you all” WHAT THE HECK. WHY. JUST WHY. I was so mad it ended with this sentence. Like what the hell Sara Shepard. You can’t keep doing that and dragging out the series even longer than it needs to be. I get you want Ali to come back and get the girls. Whatever. I got that part. But this series could have ended at book eight and just been fine, but with stalling it out to be twice as long with nothing really happens between books seven and fifteen is just infuriating. Whatever. I’m just glad I’m done with this series now. Sorry about this short rant as well.

It’s safe to say that I’m glad this series is finally complete and that I finally finished it. I don’t think I will be picking up any other books by Sara Shepard for a long while. I wished this novel had a bit  more action, mystery, suspense, or even a huge awesome plot twist. With being disappointed I decided to rate this book 2/5 stars. It would have been a one point five star rating, but since I’ve stuck along this far I’ve decided to bump it up to another star. My only advice about this novel and this series is either stop at book eight and save your time and money, or read till book eight and just skip to this book.

A to Z Bookish Survey Tag

Author you’ve read the most books from:

Sara Shepard

Best Sequel Ever:

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Currently Reading:

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Drink of Choice While Reading:

Apple cider, hot chocolate, tea, or anything Starbucks.

E-reader or Physical Book?

Physical book. I can’t keep focus with an e-reader and I hate looking at a screen too long.

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:

Toss up between William Herondale or Tobias Eaton

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Hidden Gem Book:

How to Avoid Being and Other Paths to Triumph by Jane VanVooren Rogers

Important Moment in your Reading Life:

Choosing to read the Harry Potter series.

Just Finished:

The Geek’s Guide to Dating by Eric Smith

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:

Anything Adult, or YA Sci-Fi. I’m not a huge fan of YA Fantasy either.

Longest Book You’ve Read:

I would have to say Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which is 870 pages.

Major book hangover because of:

I can’t live without or get over the characters

Number of Bookcases You Own:

2 Bookcases. One black Target one and the other a nice wooden bookcase.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:

Harry Potter and Divergent

Preferred Place To Read:

In my bed room either on the floor or my bed. Once it becomes nice outside (spring and summer) I tend to read outside.

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

“Words, I think, are such unpredictable creatures.

No gun, no sword, no army or king will ever be more powerful than a sentence. Swords may cut and kill, but words will stab and stay, burying themselves in our bones to become corpses we carry into the future, all the time digging and failing to rip their skeletons from our flesh.” -Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Reading Regret:

That I don’t read enough.

Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):

The Pretty Little Liars series!

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by: J.K. Rowling, Divergent by: Veronica Roth, and Twilight by: Stephenie Meyer.

Unapologetic Fangirl For:

Harry Potter, Divergent, and Fangirl

Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by: Editor Stephanie Perkins, along with Holly Black, Ally Carter, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Matt de la Pena, Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, and Kiersten White.

Worst Bookish Habit:

Buying a lot of books

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

Your latest book purchase:

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

The Maze Runner by: James Dashner. That novel was a constant page turner and I could not put that book down! That hasn’t happened in a LONG time.

Book Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

  Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

Summary from Goodreads.com

Setting

Throughout this novel we experience a breathtaking setting. Whether it was in Paris or Manhattan you’re bound to fall in love with the setting. Stephanie Perkins’ writing style flows fluently with perfection creating the ultimate romantic setting. I’m also glad that we get to travel back to Paris for this final installment, and that we get to see Manhattan as well.

Characters

Isla: I loved her character and character development throughout this entire novel. I’m glad we got to see and enjoy the novel through her narration. I also loved the first few chapters as we get to see how big her crush on Josh actually is.

Josh: Ah one of my favorite swoon worthy characters! I quite enjoyed his rebel side he had along with his artistic side. Josh made me develop a crush for him and made me want to fall in love with him.

Kurt: Eh. Yes he was Isla best friend, but I really could have cared less for this character. At points in the story he would annoy me, but over all I tend to ignore him.

Anna, St. Clair, Lola, and Cricket: I was pleased to see these characters return to the final installment. I’m always glad whenever I get to read about Anna and St. Clair.

“The Feels”

•         Love

This is the type of swoon worthy love that you can’t help but fall in love with. The amount of fluffy loving feelings created in this novel is beyond words. I enjoyed how Isla had her awkward crush at the beginning of the novel and that it blossomed into something beautiful at the end. I’m glad that Perkins’ created another guy character that makes me want to fall in love with them. And thanks to this setting everything was ten times more romantic and beautiful.

 

Final Thought

With the novel being so loving and charming I had to give this a 5/5 star rating. I enjoyed every moment with all the characters, setting, and plot. Stephanie Perkins could not have concluded this novel/series any better. I recommend this novel to anyone who wants to blush constantly and someone who enjoys young adult romance!

Summer 2014 Reading Challenge

Summer 2014 Reading Challenge

My 6 Genre Challenge

The other day I came across a bookmark when I was cleaning my room. I looked it over and I thought this would be a perfect little challenge for my summer reading. I took six genres and thought of a book I would like to read at some point and time this summer. My list includes:

Choose a book from the following Genres:

-Mystery: Twisted by: Sara Shepard

-Sci-Fi: Shatter Me by: Tahereh Mafi

-Fantasy: Clockwork Princess by: Cassandra Clare

-Contemporary: My Life Next Door by: Huntley Fitzpatrick

-Adventure: The Maze Runner by: James Dashner

-Historical Fiction: Seeking Signs by: Staci Angelina Mercado
With those books in mind, hopefully I will get through all of them this summer. As of last night I decided to pick up Shatter Me. Now let the start of my genre challenge begin! You can also check out my video below of myself sharing some other reading challenges that I’m taking part of this summer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxZzJO4EAh8

Book Review: Legend by: Marie Lu

In Marie Lu’s 305-paged book titled, Legend, she brings together two POVs of June and Day both fifteen years of age. June is a strong girl who lives the wealthy lifestyle of the Republic. While Day on the other hand lives in the slums and is the most wanted criminal.  They’re backgrounds are so diverse, yet they end up crossing paths when Day is on the hunt for a cure to save his brother from the plague that is spreading around their community, and June is looking for revenge.

I rated this book a 4.5/5 stars. At the very beginning I thought it was going to be almost like The Testing by: Joelle Charbonneau and I wasn’t too excited for this read. But once I started getting more and more into the book, the more I felt amazed by it. Also it had plenty of FORESHADOWING, which is done to an excellent standard and always kept me on my feet. Another part that I loved was the last 15 pages. I got so much thrill and excitement it felt like I was watching an action movie. I loved Lu’s writing style of action and foreshadowing that made for an upbeat read. I overall enjoyed this novel and will be picking up Prodigy.