Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Book review #57
Forget You by Jennifer Echols
Rating: Five stars

Summary:(taken from Goodreads)
WHY CAN’T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET . . .  AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER?  There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four- year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon.  But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people— suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

I don't even know where to begin. I'm kind of beating myself up for not reading any of Jennifer Echols's books before. After reading Forget You, she has officially made it to my favorite author's list. She just has this way of creating realistic characters combined with intense scenes that it's almost...magical. 

Zoey is living a complicated life, but her main goal is to trying to block it all out by being perfect. Her dad is living with his knocked up girlfriend-who is his main priority at the time. Her mother got sent to the mental hospital and then there's Brandon, her guy friend, who she finally went farther with. Things are going OK at the moment, she just made the move on Brandon and things on the swim team or going good. But everything changes the night after the accident. She doesn't remember anything and suddenly mysterious Doug carved a space into her life. She struggles to piece together the details of the night to actually make sense of her life.

There's a lot of things I loved about this book, but I would have to say the writing was my favorite. The writing was scrumptious. After I finished reading the book, I curled back into bed and reread my favorite scenes. Jennifer Echols has a way of making the words flow off the pages making it impossible  to stop reading. It wasn't even that much of a mystery, but I had to find out what really happened that night. Oh and did I mention the love scenes? They were hot! Each and every moment Doug and Zoey shared together were pretty unforgettable, sexual tension filled the air no matter where they were.

The characters were the second key to making this such an amazing read. Zoey. Some may hate or love her. I think the reason some people didn't love this book so much is mainly because Zoey can come off as annoying. Her feelings towards Brandon were unexplainable (I don't want to give anything away), but honestly I knew that she really knew what kind of guy Brandon was. It was all to keep her "perfect" image.  I could relate to the trouble she was going through, so to me she wasn't an unlikeable character at all. Doug! Oh my goodness. I think it's impossible not to love him. Sexy, sweet, and sensitive, but not perfect with his "criminal" history. It's safe to say I would love to have a Doug in real life. Even the smaller characters were very well developed and  memorable.

Overall, Forget You is addictive, sexy, and thoughtful. It's simple, yet so complex. And I almost forget to mention how honest it is. Jennifer Echol's actually goes there and addresses those sometimes embarrassing subjects. If you were wondering if Forget You lives up to the hype, personally I think it certainly does. I would reread this book in a heartbeat, so go ahead and buy yourself a copy :)

Book Blogger Hop (12) + Follow Friday

Hey! It's Friday and you know what  that means-it's time for the book blogger hop! I absolutely love this, I've found so many great blogs over the process. Hop on over to Crazy for Books and join in! Oh and if you're visiting make sure to let me know, so I can return the favor! I'm also joining in on Parajunkee's Follow Friday, so check that out as well :) 

To answer this week's question, my favorite new to me author this year would be...well I was introduced to some amazing authors this year so I'm going to choose three. First I would pick Lauren Oliver for her wonderful novel Before I Fall. After reading that I'm confident I'll love anything else she'll write. Morgan Matson who wrote Amy & Roger's Epic Detour would be next to make the list. And lastly I would have to say Kimberley Darling for writing The Body Finder.

Waiting on Wednesday (23)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we "can't-wait-to-read".

Blood On My Hands by Todd Strasser

Release date: September 28th 2010

Summary: (taken from Amazon)

Callie is at an October keg party in the woods, when she notices that her friend Katherine has gone missing. The kids spread out to look for her and Callie finds her, lying on a path, with a big, bloody fake knife in her. She reaches for the knife and raises it, only to discover, to her horror, that it is real. At that moment, another of the search party stumbles on them, and takes a photo of Callie holding the bloody knife. Now she is the suspect in a grisly murder. How can she prove her innocence - and find the true murderer?

I've been waiting for like forever for the summary to come out for this one. I'm definitely intrigued! A girl accused of her murdering her best friend? Sounds interesting for sure. And it's Todd Strasser, he's amazing :) I can't wait to see how it turns out. 

Daily Dose Monday (19)

Daily Dose Monday is hosted by Holly over at Good Golly Miss Holly and features inspiring/magical images that you would like to share with your readers :)

In My Mailbox (27)

In My Mailbox is a meme originally hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren (click for more information) that shares all the new books you've bought, borrowed, received, or traded for the week.

I had a pretty decent week. I actually might have to take a little blogging break in the next couple of weeks unfortunately. I'll keep you guys posted :)

Received/for review:

Forget You by Jennifer Echols
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

WHY CAN’T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET . . .  AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER?  There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up ...more WHY CAN’T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET . . .  AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER?  There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four- year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon.  But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people— suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

I received two copies of this book. One was from the We Love YA tours and the other one was sent from the publishers. A huge thanks goes to Jennifer Echols for that (: Anyways I'm almost finished with this one and whoa! I absolutely love it so far.

Passing Strange (Generation Dead #3) by Daniel Waters
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Karen DeSonne always passed as a normal (if pale) teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. A...more Karen DeSonne always passed as a normal (if pale) teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen’s dead, she’s still passing—this time, as alive. Karen DeSonne just happens to be an extremely human-like zombie. Meanwhile, Karen’s dead friends have been fingered in a high-profile murder, causing a new round of antizombie regulations that have forced them into hiding. Karen soon learns that the “murder” that destroyed their non-life was a hoax, staged by Pete Martinsburg and his bioist zealots. Obtaining enough evidence to expose the fraud and prove her friends’ innocence means doing the unthinkable: becoming Pete’s girlfriend. Karen’s only hope is that the enemy never realizes who she really is—because the consequences would be worse than death.

I haven't read the first two books yet, but I'm going to very soon. It sounds like a great series. Thanks goes to Non-Fiction Books. 

Won:

Privilege by Kate Brian
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Most girls would die for a life of privilege...
Some would even kill for it.

Ariana Osgood ruled exclusive Easton Academy -- until she was arrested for murdering Thomas Pearson. She's spent the past two years at the Brenda T. Trumbull Correctional Facility for Women plotting her escape and is determined to get a second chance at the glamorous life she left behind. And Ariana will do anything to get her way.... 

 I snagged this book for completing the summer reading program at my local library.  I literally fell in love with Kate Brian's Private series and I've always wanted to try this one out. 

Library/for review:

The Awakening and The Struggle (Vampire Diaries #1 and #2) by L.J. Smith
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Elena: the golden girl, the leader, the one who can have any boy she wants.
Stefan: brooding and mysterious, he seems to be the only one who can re
...more Elena: the golden girl, the leader, the one who can have any boy she wants. 

Stefan: brooding and mysterious, he seems to be the only one who can resist 
Elena, even as he struggles to protect her from the horrors that haunt his past. 

Damon: sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him. Determined to have Elena, he'd kill to possess her. 

Collected here in one volume for the first time, volumes one and two of The Vampire Diaries, the tale of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.

I thought it was finally time to give this series a go. If I like it I plan to read all the books and then catch up on the TV show (: 

What's in your mailbox? Elena Gilbert is a pretty, popular teen who was orphaned when her parents were killed in an accident. Despite the tragedy, her life has always been no...more

Laguna Cove by Alyson Noel

Book review #56

Laguna Cove by Alyson Noel

Rating: Three and a half stars

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Moving to sunny Southern Cal feels like punishment to 17-year-old Anne.  the hippie-ish school is different from her old one on the East Coast, and the social scene is all about hanging out at the beach and surfing.  And then there's Ellie: beautiful, competitive queen of the social scene who takes an instant disliking to Anne.  So when Chris--one of Ellie's oldest friends and, oh yeah, the most gorgeous guy in school--reaches out to Anne and offers to teach her how to surf, sparks fly...in more ways than one.

After reading such a heavy read earlier, Laguna Cove was just what I needed to lighten the mood. It was fast, enjoyable, and very fluffy. It was the perfect mindless read to take your mind of things. It felt nice to jump into the warm environment of  Laguna Cove. Although I did enjoy this one, I did have some issues about it.

Anne is being forced to move to luxury California to live with her dad. It sounds really great to most people, but not to Anne. Things were great back home, she had a great boyfriend, was number one of the dive team, and awesome friends. She begins to slowly adjust when she meets some friends and tries to learn how to surf. Things start getting way better when her and Chris connect. Now the only problems she has is dealing with stone cold Ellie and then of course her family issues on the side.

Laguna Cove was told through the point of views of four different girls. Usually I love when stories are told through different narrators. But I feel like it didn't really work in this case. Each girl had a LOT going on in their lives, and most of the things didn't connect. I feel like it would have been nicer if it was just focused on Anne and Ellie's point of views. Although saying that, the characters were pretty great. I didn't love them, but it was nice seeing such a diverse cast. There was Anne of course, who I definitely understood where she was coming from. Then there was Ellie. I saw her pain and her thirst for competition, I'm glad I got to see her side or else I wouldn't have understood her at all. The two other girls were Lola and Jade who both had their share of boy problems.

One of my favorite things about the book would be the fact that it was in a summer location, but it wasn't summer vacation. It was at  that time of year where school was just starting, which is creeping up pretty quickly for most of is. It was nice seeing school actually play a big part of the plot. The other thing I enjoyed was the role of surfing in the book. Who wouldn't love reading about the beach and waves? 

The last thing I had a problem with was the ending. It was very vague, but I could at least tell that things came together a bit too nicely.  Overall, I think this is a great summer read if you have some time to spare. It wasn't the best book in the world, but I definitely don't regret picking it up :)

New Award!

So I received like the coolest award ever from The Twisted Book Junkie over at Broken Day Dreams and A Literary Odyssey. She has a seriously awesome blog that you should definitely check out. And I just love the name of it :) Thanks again!

There are a couple of rules that go along with the Oh My Blog award which are:

1.) Get really excited that you got the coolest award EVER!! (Already done!)
2.) Choose ONE of the following options of accepting the OMB Award:

• Get really drunk and blog for 15 minutes straight, or for as long as you can focus.
• Write about your most embarrassing moment.
• Write a "Soundtrack of your childhood" post.
• Make your next blog a "vlog" (video blog). Basically, you're talking to the camera about whatever.
• Take a picture of yourself first thing in the morning, before you do anything else (hair, make-up, etc.) and post it.

3.) Pass the award on to at least three, but preferably more, awesome bloggers. Don't forget to tell them.

So all of these options kind of scare me, but I'll brave it out and tell you guys about one of my most embarrassing moments.

My first driving lesson:
The day I had my first driving lesson is a day I definitely won't forget. It was on Mother's Day and it was the parking lot of the nearby elementary school. I get into the car and I start laughing, I don't even know why. I was kind of freaked out that the car was moving. My mom was sitting next to acting extremely nervous. I went around the parking lot a couple of times, jerking here, almost going onto the grass once. My mom had her hand on the wheel half the time. And then I don't know what happened. My life flashed before my eyes (not really haha). Somehow as I was turning my foot slipped onto the gas hard instead of the brake. Out comes a huge thud that could literally be heard a mile away. I crash right into the sidewalk sideways. The tire deflates. I'm sitting there. In shock. My mom is traumatized. We frantically call my dad and after a long hour (hourish) we get the tire changed. But! The spare tire is flat too! My dad rushes to the house to get the air pump. As we try to pump the tire we realize the pump is out of charge! In the end, my older brother ends up bringing us another pump. So...when we drove it home there were weird noises. Turns out not only did a pop the tire, but something more serious. It took lots of repairing to do. The rest of my family was in historical laughter when they found out what happened, while I've been scared every since...

I'm going to pass this on to these amazing blogs:
Michelle's Bookshelf
YA Addict
Reading Nook
Reading Is Sexy
Une Parole
Chick Loves Lit 
I Have a Dream
Suenos En La Luna

I want to give a special shout out to Bere at Suenos En La Luna. She has an amazing blog that is definitely one of my favorites. Her posts are so thoughtful and inspiring. If you haven't checked it out, then you are definitely missing out :) And I almost forgot to mention that she's one of the sweetest bloggers out there :D

Oh and I also received the Versatile Blogger Award from Savannah over at Books With Bite.  Thank you so much Savannah. Her blog is also really cool and she has an awesome layout :) I already received this award so I won't be passing it on again.

Waiting on Wednesday (22)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we "can't-wait-to-read".

Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

Release date: March 1st 2011

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Playing Hurt centers on two former athletes: Chelsea Keyes, a basketball star whose promising career has been catastrophically snipped short by a horrific accident on the court, and Clint Morgan, an ex-hockey player who gave up his much-loved sport following his own game-related tragedy.

Chelsea meets Clint (who's working as a resort fishing guide) soon after arriving with her family for a summer vacation in Lake of the Woods, Minnesota. Sparks fly, igniting the pages, even though Chelsea has a boyfriend back home in Missouri...and even though Clint has sworn never to put himself in the position to be hurt emotionally again.

Their unlikely romance has the potential to heal their heartache and force Chelsea and Clint to realize just how timidly they've been living - but are they really ready to give themselves completely to one another? How will the weeks spent in another man's arms play into Chelsea's feelings for her boyfriend when she returns home? Will Clint allow himself to fall for a woman who's bound to leave him at the end of her summer vacation? By playing hurt - entering into a romance with already-broken hearts - are they just setting themselves up for the kind of injury from with they could never recover? Will Chelsea and Clint pull away from each other before they have a chance to find out just how beautiful their story could be?

I first saw this on Michelle's Bookshelf yesterday and thought it sounded pretty darn awesome! I haven't read her other novel A Blue S Dark yet, but I heard it was wonderful. Oh and I love the cover! :)

Teaser Tuesday (16)

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along. Just do the following:

-Grab your current read.
- Open to a random page.
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
 -BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

"Lola stood in front of the mirror, dripping water all over the mosaic-tiled floor, wondering how her life had gotten so complicated. True, she may have been just the tiniest bit responsible for keeping secrets from those who she loved, but was it really such a bad thing to want to make everyone around you happy?"

-pg.61, Laguna Cove by Alyson Noel

I'm really loving this one so far. It's exactly the type of book I needed after reading Forbidden. Look out for the review coming soon :)

Daily Dose Monday (18)

Daily Dose Monday is hosted by Holly over at Good Golly Miss Holly and features inspiring/magical images that you would like to share with your readers :)

In My Mailbox (26)

In My Mailbox is a meme originally hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren (click for more information) that shares all the new books you've bought, borrowed, received, or traded for the week.

I had a very slow week, but it's OK :)

Library/for review:

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Nothing has been the same since Caleb Becker left a party drunk, got behind the wheel, and hit Maggie Armstrong. Even after months of painful physical therapy, Maggie walks with a limp. Her social life is nil and a scholarship to study abroad—her chance to escape everyone and their pitying stares — has been canceled. 

After a year in juvenile jail, Caleb’s free . . . if freedom means endless nagging from a transition coach and the prying eyes of the entire town. Coming home should feel good, but his family and ex-girlfriend seem like strangers. 

Caleb and Maggie are outsiders, pigeon-holed as "criminal" and "freak." Then the truth emerges about what really happened the night of the accident and, once again, everything changes. It’s a bleak and tortuous journey for Caleb and Maggie, yet they end up finding comfort and strength from a surprising source: each other.

I've only read Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles and loved it! I'm sure this will be just amazing. Can't wait :)

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over.

I've heard mixed reviews about this one, but I decided to try it out. The summary definitely intrigues me.  

What's in your mailbox?

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Book review #55
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
Rating: Five stars

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)
Sixteen-year-old Maya and seventeen-year-old Lochan have never had the chance to be 'normal' teenagers. Having pulled together for years to take care of their younger siblings while their wayward, drunken mother leaves them to fend alone, they have become much more than brother and sister. And now, they have fallen in love. But this is a love that can never be allowed, a love that will have devastating consequences ...How can something so wrong feel so right?

I don't think words can really describe this book or how I really feel about it. Forbidden evokes so many different emotions all at once. Reading the summary, I wasn't really sure if I could handle it. I thought I would be super uncomfortable the whole time. But I wasn't. Without a doubt Forbidden is probably one of the hardest books I've ever read, but it was definitely worth it.

Forbidden is centered around a struggling family consisting of children Tiff and Willa, teenagers Kit, and the elders Maya and Lochan. Their dad isn't in the picture and their mom makes it home on occasional, but is usually hungover. Maya and Lochan have taken over the role of the parents. They cook, transport the kids to school, read them bedtime stories etc. Together they become something much more than brother and sisters, but providers, best friends, and lovers? With each others love and support the two really keep the family together, but one can only be strong for so long...

All of the characters were just so precious, well aside for the nasty mom and Kit who had his rebellious moments. Maya and Lochan were such a great people with bright futures, but are held back by their responsibility. Maya was so sweet and heart-felt. And Lochan was so dependable, the rock of the family. He definitely had issues socially, but nothing that can't be overcome. I really felt Maya and Lochan's frustrations. How can something SO wrong, be oh so right? All I know for sure was that I wanted them to be happy. It's really hard to not root for them. Oh and Tiff and Willa were so innocent and cute. I couldn't imagine growing up like them.

You got to see both Maya and Lochan's point of view, which I was so grateful for. It was nice to see where each character was coming from. The writing was seriously amazing. I fell in love with it. The descriptions were so vivid and strong. There were times I had to reread parts to understand what was really going on. As I already mentioned, this is a very hard book to read. It will make you think really hard...really hard about the difference between right and wrong. I had to read this book over a few days, because of how much it was affecting me. It literally took over my day, I couldn't stop thinking about it. The book, the characters, just about everything will stay with you for a very long time if not forever. 

Forbidden is a very serious book, that really changed my outlook on things. I learned to not be so judgmental. I feel bad about how horrid my reaction was to this book before he picking it up. Forbidden is heart-breaking, painful, and definitely amazing. I have SO much respect for the author for tackling such a hard subject and doing is so wonderful. Forbidden is a book that was needed to be written. I sincerely recommend giving this one a try. But definitely not to younger readers, not only because of the inappropriate scenes, but you have to be mature enough to handle this one. Oh and as a warning, definitely have the tissues nearby. 

Book Blogger Hop (11) + Follow Friday

Hey! It's Friday and you know what  that means-it's time for the book blogger hop! I absolutely love this, I've found so many great blogs over the process. Hop on over to Crazy for Books and join in! Oh and if you're visiting make sure to let me know, so I can return the favor! I'm also joining in on Parajunkee's Follow Friday, so check that out as well :) 

To answer this week's question, "What book are you dying to get your hands on (past, present, or future)? 

I think mine and a lot of other bloggers answers are going to be very similar. Because who isn't just dying to read Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins?! The third and sadly last book in The Hunger Games trilogy. August 24th isn't too far away... I guess.

The Scorch Trials, the second book to The Maze Runner would be a close second. I can't wait :)

Waiting on Wednesday (21)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we "can't-wait-to-read".

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
Release date: February 11th 2011 
Summary: (taken from Amazon)

The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace.

Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. She knows it's crazy, but Kendall finds herself drawn to the desk, dreaming of Nico and wondering if maybe she, too, will disappear...and whether that would be so bad.

Then she begins receiving graffiti messages on the desk from someone who can only be Nico. Can he possibly be alive somewhere? Where is he? And how can Kendall help him? The only person who believes her is Jacian, the new guy she finds irritating...and attractive. As Kendall and Jacian grow closer, Kendall digs deeper into Nico's mysterious disappearance only to stumble upon some ugly—and deadly—local history.

Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

Well this sounds pretty awesome! I just loved Lisa McMann's Wake series, so I'm sure this will be wonderful. I love the cover too, I think it goes along great with the plot. Oh and Goodreads has a slightly different summary, so feel free to check that out as well :)

Teaser Tuesday (15)

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along. Just do the following:

-Grab your current read.
- Open to a random page.
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
 -BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Teaser:


"My voice a quiver of disbelief, emanates from a being of I barely recognize; one that is crushed, hurt beyond repair. 'I always thought of you as the one person'-a steadying breath-' the one person who would never, ever hurt me.'"

-pg. 170, Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma


I'm feeling so many different things right now, I can barely explain. I'm in them middle of reading this one and I've had to reread several pages over again to comprehend what was going on. I can already tell that this book is going to be unforgettable without a doubt. Look out for the review coming this week :)

One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt

Book review #54
One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt
Rating: Four and half stars

Summary: (taken from Goodreads)
Eliza is in a full-blown panic. Her notebook has been stolen—the one that lists everything she wants but is afraid to go after. And the absolute worst person in the world has it: her ex-boyfriend, Cooper.


Like it’s not enough Cooper was lying to Eliza for their entire relationship, now he and his friends are blackmailing her. They’re giving her just one night to complete the most humiliating tasks on her list or they’ll post her secrets online—including the ones that aren’t just about her.

One Night That Changes Everything is fresh, spunky, and super fun. It was spread out over the course of one night and what a night it was! It had everything from parties, breaking in, the police, and even karaoke.  Together we got to witness Eliza face her biggest fears and just hope she can survive.

Eliza is barely recovering from her horrible breakup with Copper. She still can't get over how things ended. One of the only places she can write how she really feels is in her purple notebook. Written along with that are some of her biggest and smallest fears that she wants to conquer, but just can't. She thinks her life is over when the notebook becomes missing. Things get worse when she discovers Cooper and his gang have it and are forcing her to do some of the events in it all in the course of one night. It really is one night that changes everything...

I really loved everything about this book. The characters really topped it all off. Even though I only had one night with Eliza, I felt like I've known her for years. She was extremely relatable and reminded me of myself sometimes and I'm sure plenty of other teenagers out there. Eliza is just a normal girl who secretly has those fears that hold her back. Her two best fiends( Marissa and Clarice) were kind of crazy, but I still loved them. I like how they didn't get along with each other all the time, giving the story a little twist. Cooper was so sweet! Yeah he has faults, but I rooted for him the whole time. Comparing this to Lauren's other book Two Way Street, I can confirm that she was a real talent for creating real, down to earth, and memorable characters.

Along with great characters, One Night That Changes Everything is a very fun and entertaining read. But not only was it fun, but it was pretty inspiring at the same time. It made me want to go out there and accomplish some of the things I'm scared to do. The plot also had some laugh out loud moments built in. And overall there were even some twists and turns keeping it from being predictable.

Lauren Barnholdt officially made on my favorite authors list. With entertainment, life lessons, lovable characters, and even humor, what more could you ask for. It's hard to imagine not really liking this one. I guarantee you'll find yourself smiling by the end of the journey. I'm off to buy myself my own copy, as I suggest you do the same :)

In My Mailbox (25)

In My Mailbox is a meme originally hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren (click for more information) that shares all the new books you've bought, borrowed, received, or traded for the week.

Whoa!  I can't believe it's already time for another IMM post. Is it just me or is time flying? Maybe it's just the summertime. Anyways I had an OK week, not the best, but not too bad :)

Library/for review: 

Audrey Wait by Robin Benway  
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

While trying to score a date with her cute co-worker at the Scooper Dooper, sixteen-year-old Audrey gains unwanted fame and celebrity status when her ex-boyfriend, a rock musician, records a breakup song about her that soars to the top of the Billboard charts.

I've always passed this one at the library, but after reading so many fab reviews I just had to pick it up! I can't wait to get started on it. 

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy in to the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reason to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already-worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel. 

I loved her other two novels- Story of a Girl and Sweethearts, so I'm sure this one will be wonderful.

Pretty Little Devils by Nancy Holder
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Hazel Stone wants nothing more than to be a part of the hottest clique in school, the Pretty Little Devils, but she's stuck at a lunch table full of high school C-listers. Hazel has resigned herself to life as a nobody—when suddenly everything changes. The PLDs invite Hazel to one of the group's famous parties, held at the site of one of their babysitting jobs. Before Hazel knows it, she's in with the in crowd—and she couldn't be more thrilled!
But nothing turns out the way she expects. Especially when one her classmates becomes jealous of her newfound status—deadly jealous.

This sounds like my kind of book! It kind of reminds me of the PLL series, but from the reviews I've read, it's even creepier ;)


Received/for review:

Greek: Double Date by Marsha Warner
Summary: (taken from Goodreads)

Two dates—same night!Major oops. When Casey Cartwright's brother begs her to be nerdy Dale Kettlewell's date to the sure-to-be-boring Honors Engineering Awards, Casey says yes. Even though Dale is totally not her type… and might have a crush on her. Ugh. But it's a nice thing to do, and Casey's always been the "nice" girl.
But now, that night conflicts with the biggest event of the semester, the All-Greek formal. Casey already has a date lined up: hot transfer student Rob Howell. He's her plan to get over her sexy-slacker ex, Cappie. And even nice girls get to be bad sometimes, right?

What to do? With a little help from BFF Ashleigh, unwanted advice from frenemy Rebecca Logan and even a push from Cappie, what Casey does may surprise even herself….

I've seen all the episodes of the TV series, so I'm curious to see how this will compare. I big thanks goes to Harlquin Teen for sending this one in.

 What's in your mailbox?

Book Blogger Hop (10) + Follow Friday

Hey! It's Friday and you know what  that means-it's time for the book blogger hop! I absolutely love this, I've found so many great blogs over the process. Hop on over to Crazy for Books and join in! Oh and if you're visiting make sure to let me know, so I can return the favor! I'm also joining in on Parajunkee's Follow Friday, so check that out as well :)

OK now to answer this week's question, "What are some of your favorite authors and why they are your favorites?"

This is a toughie because after I started blogging my favorite authors list expanded like crazy, but I'll try to control myself ;)

1. Elizabeth Scott because she's uh just AMAZING! Not only is she an amazing writer, but she's an author that can write a wide variety of books. Two of my absolute favorites of hers are Love You Hate You Miss You and Living Dead Girl (which is a book that made a huge impact on me!). If you click on the links they take you to my reviews :)

2. J.K Rolling for writing the The Harry Potter series. I'm probably one of the HP series biggest fans! I grew up with the books waiting on pins and needles for the newest books to come out. I could never get sick of reading them over and over again. Enough said.

3. Sarah Ockler for Twenty Boy Summer. I'm still in awe that this is her first novel. I fell in LOVE with everything about Twenty Boy Summer. It was just beautiful.

4. Sarah Shepard for the genius behind the Pretty Little Liar series. Each book just gets better and better. The series is plain delicious ;)

5. Suzanne Collins for writing possibly one of the best series ever. It's hard to find someone who didn't love The Hunger Games. I try to get everyone around me to give it a try because it's just that good. And I think everyone is dying to read Mockingjay, can't wait!

And I can't help but give a shout-out to some of my other favorites: Lauren Oliver for Before I Fall, Simone Elkeless for Perfect Chemistry, Sarah Dessen for all her amazing books and characters, Jenny Han for The Summer I Turned Pretty series (my favorite!),Gayle Forman for the stunning novel If I Stay, and my latest Morgan Matson for her debut Amy and Roger's Epic Detour- which I just reviewed :)

*Authors are in no particular order.