Can't Ignore the Boy Next Door

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Songs for this Read: With You Around (Acoustic Version) by Yellowcard, Only Me When I'm With You by Taylor Swift, My Favourite Thing by Tonight Alive

Official Summary: The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

      This is not the typical lighthearted summer read I thought it was going to be. The plot seems a bit tired and used at first, the whole story with the girl who keeps her "wrong side of the tracks" boyfriend a secret and lives in two worlds her friend/family and then her boyfriends world. There was a lot of tension and at times the situations can get down right frustrating, but not in bad way. While I wasn't blown away with the character development,I was impressed by the evolution of the character Tim. I loved seeing Tim grow from this stoned bum to a really lovable character.
        Overall I was pleasantly surprised by "My Life Next Door" it was not a shallow read and had some great twists in the end there. I fell in love with the Garrett family, especially the little ones. In the end there was still some closure I was lacking, there were a lot of issues brought up throughout the book that were never hit again. This probably wouldn't have bothered me as much if the ending hadn't been quite so abrupt.



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Nobody Goes to Mexico to Drink the Water, Anyway

From What I Remember... by Stacy Kramer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

KYLIE: Tijuana WHAT? I should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech. Graduation is TODAY, and is this a wedding band on my finger.

MAX: It all started with Kylie's laptop and a truck full of stolen electronics. Okay, it was kind of hot, the way she broke us out like some chick in an action movie. But now we're stranded in Tijuana. With less than twenty-four hours before graduation. Awesome.

WILL: Saving Kylie Flores from herself is kind of a full-time occupation. Luckily, I, Will Bixby, was born for the job. And when I found out she was stuck in Mexico with dreamy Max Langston, sure, I agreed to bring their passports across the border -- but there's no reason to rush back home right away. This party is just getting started.

LILY: I just walked in on my boyfriend, Max Langston, canoodling with Kylie Flores, freak of the century. Still, I can't completely hold it against him. He NEEDS me. It's even clearer now. And I'm not giving him up without a fight.

...

This is everything you could wish for out of teen read. The perfect book to whip through at the beach or by the pool. It's witty, cunning and just crazy funny in general. Not to mention how relevant it is, any one who has been through high school can relate to this book in some way or another. It's got a rapid fire speed plot line that doesn't give you time for air, let alone to get bored with it. And each escapade is more outrageous than the last. If the description given above doesn't peak your interest enough to want to pick this book up right away, then you're reading it wrong and should try again.



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"Dedication Takes a Lifetime but Dreams Only Last for a Night"

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Songs for this read: Simple Distance by The Workday Release, Falling to Pieces by Junior Doctor, Running From Lions by All Time Low, When I Go Down by Relient K

Sequels in a trilogy always tend to be the ones that mess the most with ones emotions. And never in a good way. Because of this they are given a bad name and notorious for being readers least favorite of a series. And usually with good reason. The middle book is always where the author decides to mess with everyones heart strings and keep the two favorites as far apart as possible so it seems hopeless. Or even worse, insert a love triangle. Yeah who would really want to read that? Deeeepressing. And while I must say I am guilty of holding grudges against certain middle books for these exact reasons, I think it's important to focus on the vital role a middle book plays in the overall plot arc of a trilogy.
As a middle book, Dreamless is more or less obligated to involve At least some of the story elements mentioned above. I used to believe trilogy authors did this simply to keep readers holding on to the next book to see if the lovers would get back together because they had some idea in their head that readers ultimately get bored seeing the couple happy and functional. Don't get me wrong in a sense this theory has complete credibility but this alone isn't enough.
While reading dreamless I realized just how much crucial character and plot development occur in the story line of the second book in a trilogy. While it is all being set up in the first and resolved in the last, the middle is wear you really find out who these people are. And that is why so often something huge drives the couples apart. Not purely to keep readers biting their nails but to let's them get to know the. Characters separate of each other. To get readers to love the characters as individuals that then make up a duo (hopefully) in the next installment.
Ok I really didn't set out to write all that but it just started flowing on the keyboard. Tying this back to this great book I read, dreamless does a great job establishing really just where all the game pieces lie in this plot. The mysteries of the first book are expanded and the epic battle royale has been properly introduced,
The love triangle is in full force and sides have been marked like lines in the sand. And while the second book curse succeeded in making me hurt for Helen and Lucas being so distant, you know the book is a keeper when you don't want to kill the girl when she isn't with her boyfriend. It is a rare thing these days ( at least for me) to find a book where you genuine like the heroine and don't just out up with for her boyfriend.
It's still a middle book so I'm not going to tell you I am in live with this book. But I will say I wasn't disappointed and that I just know the finale will be even better than both the first two combined.



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What is this, Middle School??

This is your typical teen girl confused, mindless rant. Last week I went to a school baseball game to see some friends on the team. Had some brief encounters with some of the other players, nothing to write home about. Next thing I know that night one of my friends texts me asking me what I think of one of the guys on the team. I barely new the guy, just met him that day. But my gut instinct was he wasn't my type which is what I told her. She of course then tells this kid that. Honestly I have Zero interest in the kid but I was like what the hell i'll make the guys night and text him. Well that was ok, boring as crud but ok. Until i get a text the next morning "mornin'". Woahhhh there buddy, no body signed up for good morning texts here. Back up that relationship train. In fact get rid of that train, you are making this way more than it needs to be. So now i must put up with the most boring, pathetic flirtation I have ever had to deal with. Well, second most pathetic, but tops to the boring. Its like middle school all over again but wayy more awkward because i thought we were all past this stage by now. Why is it so easy for me to hook the guys that im not interested in, yet so much work to get attention from the ones I want to hook??? Questions that plague the teenage mind. or at least mine. FML.

Something Out of Nothing

Callum & Harper by Fisher Amelie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Songs for this Book: Drift Away by Move Out West, Everywhere by Michelle Branch, Only Fooling Myself by Kate Voegele,  Please Don't Go by Barcelona (duh!)

This book was equal parts charming, breathtaking, frustrating and heartbreaking. The writing its self was really lovely. The grammar, at times, left something to be desired, but it didn't distract too much from the story. Harper and Callum are intoxicating narrators. Their voices are so strong and both so witty and real. This is just one of those book that no one will ever really get until they read it themselves. I could give you a very lengthy summary of this story and let you know how it all plays out but there is some kind a poetry to the words in this story that really make you fall in love with it.

Harper and Callum are two lost souls failed by the foster system. Having turned 18 they have been kicked to the curb. One fateful day they find each other instantly feel as though they have found a missing piece of themselves. Callum takes Harper under his wing as he has been on his own a little longer than her. Each night fighting for a bed to sleep on. These two seem to have to worst luck ever, with robbery, stalkers, arson, brooding hidden love, and a knack for always getting interrupted at critical moments. But together with dear friends along the way they form a big misfit family. More family than either of them has ever had.

 I must say, the beginning is my favorite, when these two first meet there is such an innocence to their relationship, but they grow some much as characters as the book progresses over several years. Its the young innocence that pulls you in and the growth and maturity of themselves and their relationship that keeps you turning pages.
Its honestly a great read, its indie label is a bit off putting to some, as I was at first, but It will make you laugh and smile and wave your arms around in anguish, and if you're anything like me, you will love every word of it.



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The Only Thing We Have to FEAR is FEAR Itself.

Fear by Michael Grant

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Songs for this Book: Dark Horses by Switchfoot, I Will Follow You into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie, Bullet Believer by The Bigger Lights

And just when I was starting to like her...
Wow this book was a total game changer. It felt to me like this book just breathed new life into all the characters. They ally just seemed a little... Different. And mostly in a good way. Sam seemed to finally figure out his place in this new world, while Astrid seemed to lose a part of her, yet I liked this new Astrid so much better that whiney Astrid the faithful genius. I liked badass, independent, do what she wants Astrid. Even Caine was growing on me. King Caine seemed to know his place and was almost a just ruler. I'm excited to see how his character develops even more.
Fear seemed to me to have the most character/relationship development in all if the books, and it really worked. Needless to say big things are happening In the FAYZ and it's all shaping up to be an epic showdown to the finale. Grant has rekindled my love (and utter hatred) for these kids and I can't wait to see how it all goes down.



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Belong. Long To Be.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Songs for this book: Over You by Miranda Lambert, Concrete Girl by Switchfoot, Back to the Start by The Summer Set



The pages of this book are laced with sadness. An it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. Sometimes it makes me cry, and I can't tell if it's because I am so saddened by it or if it is just so beautiful I can't handle anymore. I can't put my finger on it but every word I read about Webb and Tate and narnie give me chills and I this feeling some where between being wonderstruck and utterly disheartened.
You know how in "Because of Winn-Dixie" they describe the candy as melancholy? This book is like that. You don't know how such a thing and elicit such an emotion but you know that it does, and something about this unknown feeling is so beautiful that you can't contain you emotions and you cry. Those candies made people cry, the irony being how can something as sweet and good as candy make a person cry? In this case the irony is how can something do basic as symbols in a page stir such strong emotions in a person?
I can't say I know the answer or that I ever will but I'm glad I know enough to ask the question because the feeling I get reading this book is something that will stay with me forever.



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