A blog for young adult book lovers

Stacking the Shelves #11

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Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews. Stacking the Shelves is a way to show off what books you have received throughout the week (whether they be for review, from the library, etc.)

This week: April 21st-April 28th

Received from library:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky 

Received from Paperbackswap:
Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes

What did you get this week? Leave a comment/link below and I'll come check it out!
See you soon!
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Top Ten Tuesday #16


Check out all the info here at The Broke and The Bookish's website!
April 25th: Top Ten Books I liked more/less than I thought I would

So for this I'll be splitting it right down the middle and the first five will be books that I liked more than I thought I would and the last five will be the one's that I liked less than I thought I would

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1. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
2. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
3. Marked by P.C. and Kristen Cast
4. Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
5. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

Less
1. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
2. Pop Tart by Kira Coplin and Julianne Kaye
3. Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn
4. Crazy In Love by Dandi Daley Mackall
5. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (liked this one A LOT less than I thought I would)

What's on your list?
See you soon!

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Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes

Bergdorf BlondesSynopsis from Goodreads: Plum Sykes beguiling debut welcomes readers to the glamorous world of Park Avenue Princesses, the girls who careen through Manhattan in search of the perfect Fake Bake (tan acquired from Portofino Tanning Salon), a ride on a PJ (private jet) with the ATM (rich boyfriend), and the ever-elusive fiance. 

With invitations to high-profile baby showers and benefits, more Marc Jacobs clothes than is decent, and a department store heiress for a best friend, our heroine known only as Moi is living at the peak of New York society. But what is Moi to do when her engagement falls apart? Can she ever find happiness in a city filled with the distractions of Front Row Girls, dermatologists, premieres, and eyebrow waxes? Is it possible to find love in a town where her friends think that the secret to happiness is getting invited to the Van Cleef and Arpels private sample sale? And how is she going to deal with the endless phone calls from her mother in England demanding that she get married to the Earl next door?

With enormous wit and an insider's eye, Sykes captures the nuances of the rich and spoiled in a heartwarming social satire, featuring a loveable "champagne bubble of a girl" who's just looking for love (and maybe the perfect pair of Chloe jeans).

Number of pages: 320
My review: Okay just a heads up; If you don't like superficial people or books about superficial people, then you better not read this book. Bergdorf Blondes takes these super rich and wealthy people and basically talks about their lives and how the live with all this money and how they're "hunting" for husbands and stuff like that. Our main character, who's name is never stated she is simply "Moi", was someone I started out liking but gradually started to see her real side, which I didn't like.
At first I thought she was a girl who was definitely not as priveliged as her friends (i.e. she claims she borrows clothes from the work closet, and borrows things from her friend Julie Bergdorf, etc.) and the way she talks about her friend Julie, I thought okay, maybe she's really down to earth and Julie is not. Maybe she keeps her grounded.
WRONG. WRONG. WRONG.
"Moi" is just as superficial as Julie and does most of the same things Julie does. Perhaps she wasn't as dramatic as her friends but she sure was stupid sometimes. A lot of the men in the novel kept telling her to stop being selfish and petty and to think about someone other than herself and she never understood them. She couldn't grasp the concept that everything wasn't about her. Definitely frustrating.
I also thought her relationships with the variety of men was very superficial, and she obviously only liked them for their money.
On the other hand, I did like the name dropping and all the talk about the luxiours dresses, jets, hand bags, shoes, etc. It makes any girl pine to be rich and wish that she was living the life that is described in the novel (minus the annoying friends).
The plot itself really went nowhere, but it was a really fast read. I smiled through a lot of it, mostly because it was so ridiculous. But all in all I would say it was a fun read that you can't take too seriously and it's just something for when you're between other books. Needless to say, I gave it three out of five stars on Goodreads, so you make the call.
See you soon,

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Book Blogger Confessions #4


Here's what it's all about: "Started in January 2012, by Karen - For What It's Worth & Tiger - Tiger's All Consuming Media & now co-hosted with my good friend Pam from Midnyte reader, Book Blogger Confessions is a meme that posts the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month, where book bloggers "confess" and vent about blogging/bookish topics. Feel free to share, vent and offer solutions.

Just keep it respectful - no bashing authors or other bloggers!"

April 15th Topic: How long do you see yourself blogging for? Do you think it's okay for a blog to evolve over time? For example: You may have started out as a book review blog but now your interest is in cooking as well. Do you incorporate that or start over?

I want to address the last question first; I do think it's okay for a blog to evolve over time. No one should feel obligated to continue something they don't enjoy. Most of us aren't being payed to blog so do something you enjoy. And if someone is worried about "losing followers" or something but if your followers like you, then they'll stay and you can always gain new followers in the process of switching topics!

Now the first question; how long do I see myself blogging for? That's an extremely tough question. Right now, as a high school senior, I have a lot of time to devout to reading and blogging, but what will happen next year? I'm moving away from home to go to college, and I have no idea how much time I will have to blog. Sure, I'll try and maybe I will be able to blog....just less. 
The future is always uncertain, so we'll see what happens. 

What about you guys? What do you feel?
See you soon,


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Top 10 Tuesday #15


Check out all the info here at The Broke and The Bookish's website!
April 16th: Top Ten Tuesday REWIND-Pick a past topic you missed or want to revisit!

The previous Top Ten Tuesday I picked was Top Ten Reasons why I love blogging

1. First, and most important, it's fun! I love being able to share what I read with others and maybe influence others into reading a book.

2. It connects with me a bunch of people. I really like how by blogging I've discovered so many authors, and so many people have stopped by my blog to talk and share their blogs as well which helps me get to know them better.

3. Blogging helps me discover new genres in books. When I first started blogging I was stuck in one genre, Young Adult. Which, I know this has a lot of sub-genres but I was mainly reading contemporary romances, and now I'm reading more mystery, adult, dystopian, etc.

4. Blogging also really helps me stay on track with all the books I've purchased and keeps me on track for my reading goals!

5. Giveaways are always awesome! Enough said.

6. Same goes for memes like this

7. Blogging has really provided an outlet for my love of reading. I'm very shy about telling people that I like to read, and being able to anonymously talk about it on the Internet for anyone and everyone to hear, it's liberating I guess.

8. The book community in general is really awesome and kind. I love how we all have the same passion, no matter which books we like.

Sorry that's all I can think of right now! What did you do for your top ten tuesday? Leave a comment below and I'll come and check it out!
See you soon!

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Stacking the Shelves #10

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Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews. Stacking the Shelves is a way to show off what books you have received throughout the week (whether they be for review, from the library, etc.)

This week: April 8th-April 14th

Received from the library: 
How to Ruin My Teenage Life by Simone Elkeles

How to Ruin My Boyfriends Reputation by Simone Elkeles

Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes

That's all I got this week! What did you get? Leave a link below and I'll come and check it out!
See you soon!

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The Allegra Biscotti Collection by Olivia Bennett

The Allegra Biscotti Collection: Book 1Synopsis from Goodreads: She could be a world-famous fashion designer-but can she pass the 8th grade?
By day, Emma Rose is a quiet, under-the-radar student who doesn't mix with the popular set. But when school's out, she becomes Queen of the Runway-whipping up cutting-edge designs.
When Emma is discovered by a well-known fashionista, the pseudonym Allegra Biscotti is born to protect her from the lime light. She soon discovers balancing a secret identity, boys, school, and friends isn't as easy as she thought.
This fashion-themed series features doodles throughout the book-two-color illustrations are found as chapter openers and in the margins-adding tons of delicious style detail!

My review: Even though this book is probably targeted at girls in middle school, I definitely still enjoyed it as a senior in high school. It was fun, fast paced, and if you love fashion books then this is definitely the one for you! (There's even pictures so you can visualize the clothes better, which I thought was really well integrated into the novel, without it being distracting) Also, one of the characters' names is Paige, so how could it get much better than that?
Also, there are a couple of other books in the series, but you can get away with just reading this one (the first one) and feeling satisfied with where it ended. Honestly, this was such a cute book, and it discusses everything from changing friendships, keeping secrets, academic struggles, and of course fashion! So it's a great coming of age story, without it being to in your face like "Hey! This is coming of age!"
A seriously adorable novel, that can appeal to a large variety of girls. I would definitely recommend picking this up as a cute and quick read!
See you soon!

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Sorry!

Sorry everybody that I have been out of the office, missing in action, etc. for the past couple of days, but I recently went on vacation to visit the college that I would like to attend next year!
I had planned to be back on Monday night but then our flight was cancelled due to snow storms, but I'm back now and have posted a new Book Blogger Confession, Top 10 Tuesday, and Stacking the Shelves! So feel free to check them out!
See you soon!

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Top 10 Tuesday #14


Check out all the info here at The Broke and The Bookish's blog.
April 9th: Top 10 Books I Read Before I was a Blogger

1. The Clique Series by Lisi Harrison
2. The A-List series by Zoey Dean
3. The Night World series by L. J. Smith
4. Anything by Simone Elkeles
5. Anything by Rachel Hawthorne
6. The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
7. Maximum Ride series by James Patterson
8. Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter
9. Miss Match series by Erynn Mangum
10. All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

What's on your list? Leave a link below and I'll come check it out!
See you soon!
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Stacking the Shelves #9

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Stacking the Shelves meme hosted by Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews. Stacking the Shelves is a way to show off what books you have received in the week (whether they be for review, from the library, etc.)

This week: April 1st-April 7th

Received from Paperbackswap:
Wake by Lisa McMann (paperback)

Fruits Basket: Volume 1 by Natsuki Takaya (paperback)

Purchased from an Indie Bound bookstore while on vacation:
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (hardcover, $12.00)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver (hardcover, $8.00)

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (paperback, $2.00)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (paperback, $2.00)

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (paperback, $2.50)

What did you get this week? Leave a comment below and let me know!
See you soon!

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Sun-Kissed Christmas by Katherine Applegate

Sun-Kissed Christmas (Summer, #8)Synopsis from Goodreads: All she wants for Christmas… Summer is headed to the Keys for winter break, but what should be a fun-in-the-sun holiday is becoming unbearable. Summer hasn’t been able to stop thinking about her ex-boyfriend, Austin, since their summer romance fizzled, and she can’t stand seeing him at the beach with his new girlfriend….

Now Austin is everywhere she goes. She’s reminded of how much fun they had, how gorgeous he is, and what she really wants is what she can’t have. Will it take a Christmas miracle for Summer to survive this holiday season? Or will the mistletoe work its magic?



Number of pages: 208
My review: In my previous review of Tan Lines, which is the book that comes before this I had said that that specific book put my faith back in the series, but now with this conclusion I'm kinda iffy on the whole thing. So, let's review:
Summer (the first omnibus in the series) was fantastic. I've read it multiple times and is the perfect summer romance novel.
Spring Break (the follow up novel) wasn't that good. A little too predictable and perfect, and definitely wasn't one of my favorites in the series.
Tan Lines (the novel that follows Spring Break and the second omnibus) was also really good. Another good summer romance novel and something I'll probably read each summer.
Sun-Kissed Christmas (the last stand alone novel in the series, and the final book) also wasn't that good. Too perfect, and honestly you can read the first chapter and the last chapter and not waste all your time reading all the stuff in the middle because nothing really happens (seriously the first words out of my mouth when I finished were, "That's it!?"),
Well, I take that back, nothing happens with Summer herself but I liked seeing what Diana and Marquez got themselves into this time around. The one awesome character that I liked meeting was Austin's great uncle Harris. He was pretty cool and I liked the scenes where he was in the picture.
I think the main problem I had with this last book in the series was there was so many loose ends. All the previous books have sort of tied everything up nicely, but not this one. I still had so many questions and this book seriously could have been a lot longer. I felt like everything was really rushed and was pushing more the seasonal mood of Christmas more than the plot itself. Plus, you can literally read the whole book in an hour or so because it's that short, and that easy of reading.
Definitely the weakest novel in the whole series, I think. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I read it because it sort of continues the story for some points that were kinda left undone in Tan Lines, but then I was just left with more questions at the end again. And I don't think there will be another book after this. I don't see how this whole series could be pushed on any further. Sometimes I felt that I should be more infuriated with some of the characters with their actions but at this point I just said screw it and figured that this whole novel would be a repeat of the last one's with their little perfect endings and perfect lives (which wasn't totally true, but I think I've given up caring for the characters).
Anyways, I'd still check it out if you've read the other books in the series, but don't go looking for a lot of closure in this book because you won't get it.
See you soon!

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Top Ten Tuesday #13


Check out all the info here at The Broke and The Bookish's blog.
April 2nd: Top Ten Characters I would crush on if I were also a fictional character

These aren't in any particular order, just whatever came to my head when looking at my bookshelf:

1. Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind
*swoon*
2. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy from (duh) Pride and Prejudice
*double swoon*

3. The Fuentes brothers in the Perfect Chemistry series

4. Caleb from the Leaving Paradise duology

5. Ash Redfern from the Night World series

6. Also, Quinn from the Night World series

7. Scott from Teen Idol by Meg Cabot

8. Ian from The Host

9. Jack Cooke from Bed of Roses

10. And last but not least, Del Brown from Savor the Moment 

Leave a link below with your list and I'll come check it out!
See you soon!

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Deadly to Love by Mia Hoddell Blog Tour and Giveaway

Hey everyone I just want to take a moment to talk to you about the novel Deadly to Love by Mia Hoddell.
Check out all the info below: 


Title: Deadly to Love (Elemental Killers #1)
Author: Mia Hoddell
ASIN: B00BDQ3QGA
ISBN: 9781291319170
Genre: YA/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Romance

Description
There is a love that is so dangerous, so powerful, so intoxicating that it embraces your heart and smothers your mind until it leaves you defenseless.

Serena knew that but still, it didn't stop her. His name was Kai. He was the most beautiful, irresistible man she had ever encountered. Their attraction was too compelling to fight and she knew she would go to the end of the world beside him. That is love.

However behind the allure was hidden a deadly secret – a secret that threatened her fragile life... But secrets best left unsaid never remain hidden forever. When Kai reveals his true identity, she is exposed to a frightening world she had no idea existed. Controlled by powerful Elemental forces her life is placed in mortal danger.

Unbeknown to them, their lives have been entwined from the beginning and it leads her to discover an even greater secret about who she really is. As the pieces begin to unravel and death becomes a reality, Serena is forced to decide what is more important...her love or life.

Teasers
She only took one look at my face when her eyes creased with concern and worry.
“Serena what’s wrong?” ~ Page 17


As I took my notes out he continued to stare, and I tried to calm myself, not wanting him to know that sitting near him was making me want to flee the room. ~ Page 66

When the bus reached Chloe’s house she simply got up saying, “remember what I said about Kai,” before she walked off the bus without the usual hug and smile.
Sighing I stayed on the bus until my stop and when I reached my house I trudged to my room, nervous about what I would or wouldn’t find. ~ Page 100

We arrived on the outskirts of the city, quicker than I thought possible, to find smoke billowing above the buildings. I could just about see the enormous flames dancing in between the houses, while the smoke spiralled up. ~ Page 193

I turned my head, searching all the possible places he could be hiding but saw no sign of him. That’s when I felt two strong hands plant themselves firmly on my shoulders, causing me to yelp in surprise and fear. ~ Page 246


Buy Links:  
Paperback (Lulu) and will be available on Amazon soon

About the Author
Mia Hoddell lives in the UK with her family and two cats. She spends most of her time writing or reading and her preferred genre is Young Adult, Paranormal Romance. Before 2009, Mia wouldn't even pick up a book and was more interested in sports. However she finally found some novels that captured her interest and developed a love of both reading and writing. Mia began with poems and after getting two published in separate anthologies she moved on to short stories. Although she enjoyed this, Mia found she had too much to tell with too little space, so later on she created her first series The Wanderer Trilogy and from there other ideas have emerged which she hopes to turn into novels as well. Elemental Killers is her second series and book two will be out soon.

Author Links

What people are saying:
I read this book in one sitting as I just couldn't put it down. The story line was original, intriguing and made you feel like you were part of the action.  As well as this there were many twists and turns that kept me hooked and the book was really well written with a solid plot. The book didn't reveal everything straight away which was great as it left in suspense right up until the end.” ~Lucy M 5/5

 I found that it's surprisingly original concept was quite common in real life but not so much in books. I found it a delightful read that I will look forward to reading in the future. And the new cover! Marvelous.” ~ Kathy H 5/5

All I can say is WOW! This book was amazing and different. I love the twist and detail she used I was instantly pulled in and felt like I was there with the characters.”  ~Brianna 5/5

Tour Wide Giveaways
        1 ebook copy of Deadly to Love  through amazon kindle (INT)
        Deadly to Love Swag (UK ONLY)

Swag giveaway code


Thank you so much to Mia Hoddell for hosting the tour and asking me to be a part of it! Enjoy everyone!
See you soon!
Paige
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