Guest Book Review: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover! (@colleenhoover)

It Ends With Us
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publication Date: August 2, 2016
Published: Atria Books
Reviewer: Stephanie M.

My Rating:

SOMETIMES THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU IS THE ONE WHO HURTS YOU THE MOST
Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She's come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up - she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He's also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily, but Ryle's complete aversion to relationships is disturbing.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan - her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.
With this bold and deeply personal novel, Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. It Ends With Us is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.
This book contains graphic scenes and very sensitive subject matter.

I am a HUGH Colleen Hoover fan, and Just like any other Colleen Hoover book I’ve read, I had to emotionally prepare myself to read her lasted novel (since I’ve learned the hard way when I first encountered a Colleen Hoover book, yeah it wasn’t pretty). This time, I made sure I had the essentials nearby, tissues, teddy bear or pillow to hold (a loved one works too since they can hug back).

Blog Tour: The One That Got Away by A.J. Pine! - Review (@AJ_Pine) (@indiesagepromo)

The One That Got Away (The Kingston Ale House #1)
Author: A.J. Pine
Publication Date: April 18, 2016
Published: Entangled Publishing
Source: Indiesage PR
Reviewer: Lametria

My Rating:

How far will one man go for the woman he’s loved since high school?
Jamie Kingston has been Brynn Chandler’s best friend since middle school. Only once was their friendship tested—when Brynn gave Jamie a single kiss. Since then, they’ve had an unspoken agreement never to cross that line again, and she’s ready to let go of the past and move on.
But Jamie has loved Brynn for as long as he can remember, and now that he’s ready to tell her, she has her sights set on someone else. Knowing this is his last chance, he asks Brynn to go on a two-week road trip. But their time alone brings old hurts to the surface, and Brynn has to decide if the one that got away lies at the end of the journey or if he’s been by her side all along.

Amazon | Print | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

The title basically sums up the whole plot of the story, so I don’t need to go into much detail, but I should drop a few names. So, this story revolves around two people, boy and girl, Jamie and Brynn, each take turn narrating the events of what is happening, which I think added to the plot. I like getting both sides of the story.

Guest Book Review: Every Ugly Word by Amiee L. Salter!

Every Ugly Word
Author: Aimee L. Salter
Publication Date: July 29, 2014
Published: Alloy Entertainment
Reviewer: Lametria

My Rating:

When seventeen-year-old Ashley Watson walks through the halls of her high school bullies taunt and shove her. She can’t go a day without fighting with her mother. And no matter how hard she tries, she can’t make her best friend, Matt, fall in love with her. But Ashley also has something no one else does: a literal glimpse into the future. When Ashley looks into the mirror, she can see her twenty-three-year-old self.
Her older self has been through it all already—she endured the bullying, survived the heartbreak, and heard every ugly word her classmates threw at her. But her older self is also keeping a dark secret: Something terrible is about to happen to Ashley. Something that will change her life forever. Something even her older self is powerless to stop.

There is no escape, every word, every ugly word is always there. In the school hallways, and coming from the mouth of the person that is supposed to love you most in the world. Ashley can’t escape the words, she can’t escape all the people around her who hate her and literally tell her to “Just died already,” and her mom who uses every chance she gets to tell her, “You would be so pretty if you just lost a little weight.”

Guest Book Review: Stars Above by Marissa Meyer! (@marissa_meyer)

Stars Above (The Lunar Chronicles)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: February 2, 2016
Published: Feiwel & Friends
Reviewer: Lametria

My Rating: 

The enchantment continues....
The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories—and secrets—that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?
With nine stories—five of which have never before been published—and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer’s upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

I usually hate prequels, because they’re so predictable and boring. Especially after the cliché and really annoying Fairest novella, that told the tale of how evil Queen Levana claimed the throne. However, this prequel was far from annoying, because all the beloved characters from the Lunar Chronicles are back, and we finally get to find out what happened before the events in the series.

Guest Book Review: Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate!

Seven Ways We Lie
Author: Riley Redgate
Publication Date: March 8, 2016
Published: Amulet books
Source: Netgalley
Reviewer: Lametria

My Rating:

Paloma High School is ordinary by anyone’s standards. It’s got the same cliques, the same prejudices, the same suspect cafeteria food. And like every high school, every student has something to hide—whether it’s Kat, the thespian who conceals her trust issues onstage; or Valentine, the neurotic genius who’s planted the seed of a school scandal.
When that scandal bubbles over, and rumors of a teacher-student affair surface, everyone starts hunting for someone to blame. For the unlikely allies at the heart of it all, the collision of their seven ordinary-seeming lives results in extraordinary change.

I thought the seven deadly sins were only in Vegas, but apparently they’re in Kansas as well, in the hallways of Paloma High to be exact. The seven sins lay in seven of the students, Olivia, Kat, Juniper, Claire, Matt, Lucas, and Valentine. In some way all these people connect to different drama that is happening in the school. There’s a student-teacher scandal, a hidden homosexual, some envy, mentioned and family drama. Which is typical high school drama if you attend Degrassi.

Guest Book Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell! (@rainbowrowell)

Carry On
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publication Date: October 6, 2016
Published: St. Martin's Griffin
Reviewer: Lametria

My Rating:

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.
That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.
Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.
Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.

I didn’t think I could ever love a book based on Harry Potter fanfiction. The Potter universe is untouchable, but Rainbow Rowell touched it and I think it’s awesome! The story chronicles the life of Simon Snow, a teenager in his last year at his magical school, Watford, who is also the chosen one, but lacks skill with his wand. Of course, he has to fight something that’s taking over the magical world known as the Humdrum, with the help of his best friend Penelope and evil roommate, Baz. Not only do these three have to tackle the Humdrum, but they also have to figure out who murdered Baz’s mother all those years ago.

Guest Book Review: The Wrath and The Dawn by Renée Ahdieh! (@rahdieh)

The Wrath and The Dawn (The Wrath & The Dawn #1)
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Publication Date: May 12, 2015
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Reviewer: Lametria

My Rating:

One Life to One Dawn.
In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.
Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?
Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, The Wrath and the Dawn is a sumptuous and enthralling read from beginning to end.

Just when I thought I was growing out of the YA fantasy genre, I came across this story. I’m not a big fan of Aladdin and I’ve never read Arabian Nights, but I do know that this story is based off of those stories.

Guest Book Review: Rebel Bully Geek Pariah by Erin Jade Lange! (@erinjadelange)

Rebel Bully Geek Pariah
Author: Erin Jade Lange
Publication Date: February 16, 2016
Published: Bloomsbury
Source: Netgalley
Reviewer: Lametria

My Rating:

"The Breakfast Club" gets a modern, high-stakes reboot in this story of four very different teens and a night that changes them forever.

The Rebel: Once popular, Andi is now a dreadlocked, tattooed wild child.
The Bully: York torments everyone who crosses his path, especially his younger brother.
The Geek: Tired of being bullied, Boston is obsessed with getting into an Ivy League college.
The Pariah: Choosing to be invisible has always worked for Sam . . . until tonight.

When Andi, York, Boston, and Sam find themselves hiding in the woods after a party gets busted by the cops, they hop into the nearest car they see and take off—the first decision of many in a night that will change their lives forever. By the light of day, these four would never be caught dead together, but when their getaway takes a dangerously unpredictable turn, sticking together could be the only way to survive.

What a modern twist on the Breakfast Club?! This story, chronicles the tale of four misfit teenagers that are thrown together very randomly, and are forced to share a crazy night together that they will never forget. Who forgets their first crime?

Guest Book Review: Winter by Marissa Meyer! (@marissa_meyer)

Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication Date: November 10, 2015
Published: Feiwel & Friends
Reviewer: Lametria

My Rating:

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.
Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.
Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

I can’t believe it’s over! The conclusion to the Lunar Chronicles has finally arrived and even though it wasn’t the greatest novel in the series, because Scarlet will forever by number 1, it was still great.