Category: book reviews

Alyssa’s Reviews – Everything Leads To You by Nina La Cour

Alyssa Cohen2 Comments

Hello everyone!

Before I get started with my review, I forgot to mention that this year, I hope to review EVERY BOOK that I read (NOT COUNTING GRAPHIC NOVELS)! This was the very first book that I read this year, and it definitely kick started my reading high!

Let’s get started with the review!

Title: Everything Leads To You

Author: Nina La Cour

Pages: 307

Publishing Date: May 15, 2014

Publishing House: Dutton Juvenile

Summary (Via https://www.goodreads.com/):

A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.

Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She’s enigmatic…. She’s beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.

Review:

I loved this book SO MUCH!

I felt like I had a strong connection with all of the characters and that I got to see them growing up together! I thought that the main characters, Emi and Charlotte, had such an amazing passion for the film industry, and it showed so much through out this story.

The main character, Emi, is a lesbian, and I loved the way that the aspect of being gay wasn’t harshly done. Emi is only 18, but everybody is accepting of that, and that is amazing to FINALLY see in YA novels! Most of the time, the gay character will get picked on or bullied, but in this book it was just part of Emi’s personality! It also intertwined beautifully through out this book, as far as the romance aspect goes.

The mystery aspect was another huge one! I loved how the Emi and Charlotte set themselves on a mission to find who the “mysterious” letter was for, while not eve knowing what there were setting themselves up for!

Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars!

I had such a fun journey reading this book, I hope that soon you will be picking this book up to see for yourself!

Good Night Book Worms!

Zen’s Pick: My Name is Parvana by Deborah Ellis

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Hi guys!

Welcome to Zen’s Pick! Every so often, my BFF Zen will write a book review for my blog!
Let’s start with today’s!

Book: My Name is Parvana
Author: Deborah Ellis
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Summary (Off of GoodReads.com):
On a military base in post-Taliban Afghanistan, American authorities have just imprisoned a teenaged girl found in a bombed-out school. The army major thinks she may be a terrorist working with the Taliban. The girl does not respond to questions in any language and remains silent, even when she is threatened, harassed and mistreated over several days. The only clue to her identity is a tattered shoulder bag containing papers that refer to people named Shauzia, Nooria, Leila, Asif, Hassan — and Parvana.

In this long-awaited sequel to The Breadwinner Trilogy, Parvana is now fifteen years old. As she waits for foreign military forces to determine her fate, she remembers the past four years of her life. Reunited with her mother and sisters, she has been living in a village where her mother has finally managed to open a school for girls. But even though the Taliban has been driven from the government, the country is still at war, and many continue to view the education and freedom of girls and women with suspicion and fear.

As her family settles into the routine of running the school, Parvana, a bit to her surprise, finds herself restless and bored. She even thinks of running away. But when local men threaten the school and her family, she must draw on every ounce of bravery and resilience she possesses to survive the disaster that kills her mother, destroys the school, and puts her own life in jeopardy.

A riveting page-turner, Deborah Ellis’s new novel is at once harrowing, inspiring and thought-provoking. And, yes, in the end, Parvana is reunited with her childhood friend, Shauzia.

Review:

Characters:

Parvana- Very strong girl, Holds up to expectations of Taliban, she’s getting help but refuses to take it (Stubborn)
Noria- Older Sister, deep down cares about Parvana
Maryam- Loves Parvana
Ali- Baby of the family
Hassan- Small Boy that Parvana found

Overall Rating:
4/5 Stars
It’s a very interesting novel, about what has happened in Afghanistan. It is also quite the page turner, believe me! Although, I didn’t like what happened to Afghanistan, and it worrys me that it may happen in North America. This book made me feel lucky to have what I have and to appreciate more of the things I get, as not everyone is so lucky/privileged. That would be the one thing I wish readers would take away/learn from this book.

Thanks so much to Zen for reviewing this book for us! We’ll see her very soon!
Good Night Book Lions!

Alyssa’s Reviews – Holiday Reading: Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

Alyssa Cohen7 Comments

Hey guys!

Today I’m going to be reviewing one of my favourite holiday books! Let it Snow is a collection of holiday/winter themed short stories, that in one way or another, all connect.

Summary (made by GoodReads.com):

Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today’s bestselling teen authors—John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle—the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

“Tender without being mushy, these carefully crafted stories of believable teen love will leave readers warm inside for the holidays.”—School Library Journal

“Contemporary culture, humorous romantic developments and strong characters enhance this collaborative effort.”—Kirkus Reviews

Thoughts:

I don’t really know how to review this book, so I’m going to list my thoughts!

  1. I loved how all of the stories came together.
  2. I feel like the authors came together and worked hard on this book.
  3. The stories do not retell each other, they just simply feed off of one another.
  4. The beginnings were a bit slow, but quickly redeemed them selves.
  5. I would defitinitey re-read this book again!

I would highly recommend this book! I gave it 4.80/5 stars!

Good Night Book Worms!

Alyssa’s Reviews – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. By Judy Blume

Alyssa Cohen4 Comments

Hi Book Lovers!

I haven’t done a book review since JULY! I wanted to make a new one and I thought this would be a perfect book to write a review on! I bought this book yesterday and devoured it! I read it in one day and thought it was amazing! I gave it a 5/5 stars on goodreads! Let’s hop in to this review!

Never heard of this book? NO Problem! (summary by GoodReads.com):

Margaret Simon, almost twelve, has just moved from New York City to the suburbs, and she’s anxious to fit in with her new friends. When she’s asked to join a secret club she jumps at the chance. But when the girls start talking about boys, bras, and getting their first periods, Margaret starts to wonder if she’s normal. There are some things about growing up that are hard for her to talk about, even with her friends. Lucky for Margaret, she’s got someone else to confide in… someone who always listens.

Plot Line:
I thought that the plot was amazing and in my opinion this is a must read for teens! Although, you may think that this book is about puberty and religion, the bigger picture is helping Margaret find who she really is.

Characters:
There are many main characters in this book.
Margaret is our protagonist and is a loving twelve year old girl.
Her grandmother, Sylvia, is a great role model for Margaret and is so caring for her. I thought she made a great touch to this story.
Nancy is Margaret’s best friend, but is quite annoying and is quite the little snoop!

Setting:
This book takes place in a small town in the New Jersey sub-urbs. Margaret has lived in “the big apple”, New York, for the majority of her life. So, it takes time for Margaret to get used to it.

Overall:
I overall loved this book and (like I previously mentioned) gave it a 5/5 stars! It was amazing and is a must read for teens!

Good Night Book Lions!

Alyssa’s Reviews – Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Alyssa Cohen4 Comments

Hey guys!

Welcome to my review of Thirteen Reasons Why!
I finished this book last week and ADORED it!

Summary (Via Goodreads):
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.
On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay’s dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

Plot:
The plot and overall summary of this book was really intriguing to me. I then found out that a lot of book bloggers had read it and really enjoyed it, so I thought I would give it a go!
This book was even better then what people were saying! The overall writing style of this book was unlike anything I had ever read before!

Character:
I thought that Clay Jensen was an out standing character in this book. You could tell that he was very kind and didn’t want to hurt a sole.
Although, Hannah Baker was another story. I thought that Hannah said very silly and non-thought through things on her tapes. Hannah was interesting. I loved her stories and the way that Clay further explained them.

Overall Thoughts:
I absolutely adored this book and it’s guide lines. The writing style captured the essence of Jay Asher’s story. Rating: 5/5 stars!

That’s my review!

Good Night Book Lions!

Alyssa’s Reviews – Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Alyssa Cohen2 Comments

This is going to be my non-spoiler book review of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi!

Never heard of this book? NO Problem! (summary by GoodReads.com):

I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I’m more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Plot Line:
I thought the plot line was very unique. The whole “my touch can kill” plot was very interesting but can also be considered a typical dystopian YA book.
The way the plot was dragged through throughout the whole book was very well thought through.
The plot never got boring and was very actioned pack!

Characters:
Juliette, Warner and Adam are the main characters in this book.
Juliette has a killing touch and that is showcased throughout this book. Needless to say, pretty much every book has an annoying and misleading character. This was that charcter. Many of Juliettes desicions were not thought out and that annoyed me quite a bit throughout this book.
Adam is the soilder that is chosen to watch over Juliette. Her and Adam have known eachother since they were kids. Although, I would have liked to see more flashbacks from that period. Adam is our love interest in this novel.
Warner is the leader of the cult. He is the one that is trying to get Juliette on his side of the page. In the “bookish community” Warner can be considered the second love interest.

Team Adam or Team Warner?
I have always been on team Adam side just because.

Overall thoughts:
I thought this was an amazing start to a YA dystopian trilogy. It was action packed and full of fun. I could not put this book down! I hope to continue this trilogy sometime in the future! 5/5 stars!

Thats it for now!
Good Night Book LIONS!

Alyssa’s Reviews – Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson (ARC)

Alyssa Cohen6 Comments

Hey everyone!
I’m so excited to do this review! I’ve been waiting to put it up for a while now! This was one of my most anticipated books and definitley did not dissapoint! Tomorrow the book will be out for the public! This is my first Morgan Matson book and I’m so excited to read more of her books soon!

Disclaimer:
I received an ARC copy of this book an exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinions/feelings of this book, what so ever!

Plot:
Emily and Sloane were best friends. They did everything togethers and stayed by each others side no matter what. This summer was going to be the most EPIC summer ever! But not anymore. Sloanes’ been gone for 2 weeks and hasn’t told anyone, YET. One night, when Emily comes home she finds an envelope with no return address. All that is inside is a checklist written in Sloanes’ handwriting? Will this help Emily find Sloane? With the help of Emily’s new found friends, will she be able to find Sloane?

Overall:
This is definitely one of my favourite books of 2014, or for that mind, ever. This book is absolutely spectacular. It has all the wants of contemporary and needs of adventure! The characters were so funny! Dawn, Emily’s new found friend is my favourite charcter; she’s so sweet and has an amazing freindship story with Emily! Overall 1000/5 stars for me! I loved it so much and will definitely be picking up another one of Morgan Matsons Books anytime soon!

Good Night Book Worms!