Stefan's Diaries: Origins

Series: Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries, #1
Publisher: HarperTeen | Hodder's Children
Release Date: November 2, 2010
Paperback: 256 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal Romance
Read it in: 6 days
Source: Hodder's Children
Challenges: ABC Reading
Rating: ★★★

Set during the Civil War, against a backdrop of grand estates, unimaginable riches, and deadly secrets, three teenagers in Mystic Falls, Virginia enter a torrid love triangle that will span eternity.
Brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore are inseparable until they meet Katherine, a stunning, mysterious woman who turns their world upside down. Siblings turned rivals, the Salvatores compete for Katherine's affection, only to discover that her sumptuous silk dresses and glittering gems hide a terrible secret: Katherine is a vampire. And she is intent on turning them into vampires so they can live together-forever.
Based on the popular CW TV show inspired by the bestselling novels, Stefan's Diaries reveals the truth about what really happened between Stefan, Damon, and Katherine--and how the Vampire Diaries love triangle began.

I don't really know what to say about this book or where to begin. I love the original Vampire Diaries series, and I love the show. But the books lately have just gotten...wow. I read the four original Vampire Diaries books and then got excited a couple of years later when a fifth was coming out. But then when it came out and I attempted to read it, I couldn't finish it! It was just really weird.

And now there's a ghostwriter involved and the newer books aren't even written by L.J. and it's sad and horrible. And then these books come out and they aren't involved with the original books. These are based off the SHOW. Which I was kind of curious about because I love the show and want to know more about Stefan and Damon.

Also, by the way, does anyone know who actually writes these books?! It just says based off the novels by L.J. Smith and off the show written by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. But who wrote THIS book??

Anyway, as much as I loved learning more about Stefan, Damon and Katherine and it was fun to read through Stefan's eyes, it wasn't great. I loved reading and being able to see some of the scenes because they were in the show, and knowing more about their history and what happened before they were turned, but something just wasn't right for me. It took me a lot longer than necessary to read this and I just wasn't in it a hundred percent.

Overall, it was enjoyable, but I could only read so much of it at one time. I had to keep putting it down. I love hearing more history than is seen in the show, but something just isn't right. Hard to explain. My husband says the next book is better, hopefully it will be. I'll read it soon, but I'm not absolutely DYING to read it.
                                                                                                                                        
Buy: Amazon| The Book Depository
Add it: Goodreads | Shelfari

The second book in this series is called Bloodlust. It was released on January 4, 2011. 

My Soul to Keep, by Rachel Vincent

Series: Soul Screamers, #3
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: June 1, 2010
Paperback: 296 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Urban Fantasy
Read it in: 3 days
Source: Library
Challenge: ABC Reading
Rating: ★★★★

Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.Until something does.Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that reallycan kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked.And so is someone else…

For some reason every time I pick up a book from this series and start it, it takes me a while to get into it! Not sure why that is, but once I finally do get into it I can't stop! I get dragged in and all I want to do is sit there and read and figure out what kind of mess Kaylee, Nash, and Tod are going to get themselves into next.

And 99% of the time it's because Kaylee can't stand by and not HELP whoever is in trouble. She HAS to help them. She feels it's her duty, and I love that about her. Sometimes I really do want to smack Kaylee, but most of the time she's a great character to be reading about. She's smart and very loyal to her friends and family.

 I also really like Nash and Tod. I remember in the beginning of the first book I didn't like Tod much, but with each book I love him just that much more. He's hilarious. And Nash, I've loved him since the start, if I remember correctly. Though in this book he disappointed me a bit. He always seems to perfect, but he definitely proves you wrong in this book. I'm not going to go into details, but he gets himself into a bit of trouble. He completely broke my heart in this book. =( Though I do still feel bad for him.

My other favorite characters are Harmony, Kaylee's dad and her Uncle Brendon. They are great to have around and they seem the type of people I'd love to have in my own family. Especially Harmony, as she's always nice and ALWAYS baking something nice. =) I do love me some food, and looove me some sweet stuff.

If you've read book two (You better have if you're reading this review!) you've learned about Demon's Breath. In the third installment you get to learn more about it and get a little more deep into it. It makes a great plot and very interesting, but also very scary! I was sighing so much in this book because I was worried about Kaylee, Nash and Tod.

Overall, as always Rachel Vincent has done it again. I'm DYING to pick up book four from the library, but I've made a new rule to finish the ones I have before picking up new ones...Boo! I definitely liked this one a lot better than the second book, they are just going to keep getting better and better I can just feel it. And this third installment had the most twists out of the series so far, at least in my opinion.

If you haven't started this series yet, you should definitely check it out. It's definitely unique and Rachel is an amazing writer. This is her second series that I've fallen in love with. She's definitely one of my top favorite authors. So watch out for her!
                                                                                                                             

Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository

Add it: Goodreads | Shelfari

The fourth book in this series is called My Soul to Steal. It was released on January 4th, 2011.  

Read my other reviews for this series: 

• My Soul to Take (#1)
• My Soul to Save (#2) 

The Golden Lily, by Richelle Mead

Series: Bloodlines, #2
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: June 12, 2012
Genre: Young Adult - Urban Fantasy
Read it in: 5 days
Source: Own
Challenge: TBR Pile, ABC Reading 
Rating: ★★★★★

The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series
Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.
Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

So here I am once again left staring at the screen wondering what the hell I'm going to say about a Richelle Mead book. I've only read her Vampire Academy series, plus the two Bloodlines books, but I have to say that Richelle is an amazing writer. AMAZING!

She always has me dying to read the next book in a series, and then when I finally get a copy of it, I don't want to read it. I want to save it. And then when I finally do start it, I get sucked in. So completely sucked in.  I love when a book grabs you and takes you to another world. Another world where you feel all these amazing feelings that the characters feel. They feel the same feelings we do, but for some reason ALL of their feelings are amazing. Whether they are truly happy, or completely and utterly heartbroken.

The Vampire Academy series, and it's spin-off Bloodlines series does that to me. The Golden Lily did that to me.

I've heard a lot of people say it was kind of slow, and it kind of was, I'll admit that. But I was so sucked in with the plot and characters, that I didn't mind. It could be a story of their every day life, from brushing their teeth, to getting ready in the morning, to going to sleep at night and I wouldn't care! Because not only does the plot make up the story, but the amazing, REAL characters.

I'll admit, too, that I sat there, reading, and waiting for something to happen with Adrian and Sydney. I want something to happen between them SO bad. I want--no, need--them to be together. NEED. I love Adrian and he deserves to be with someone like Sydney. They have amazing chemistry, even if they don't see it. They are so different, but they help each other perfectly.

Also, there are new things brought into this story. You hear about them in the first book, but you think its just a myth. But you're introduced to them in this one. The vampire hunters. Even though I knew that they would probably pop up with all the talk about them in the first Bloodlines book, my mind was completely blown when they did pop up. I literally had to stop and whoop before continuing reading because I was excited. I mean, yeah, they aren't exactly "exciting", they are scary and they pissed me off. But that's also what makes them exciting, if that even makes sense. Even though I hold my breath at the action parts, hoping my favorite characters will be fine, I still love them. Doesn't everyone?

Overall, I could go on and on and on with this book and it's series. But I need to draw a limit at times. I have no real problems with this book except for the fact that I always dive into a reading rut when I finish it's series books. Always. It never fails. it takes me a while to get my head out of the VA world. I'm writing this a full six days after I finished it and I've probably started and put down at least that many books in those last six days.

By the way, if you haven't read the Vampire Academy series, please go do that right now. Please. Do the world a favor. And me. Also, if you've read the Vampire Academy series, but haven't stared the Bloodlines series, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! Go. Now. I'm not kidding. DO IT.
                                                                                                                                           

Author Info: Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository

The third book, The Indigo Spell, will be released on February 12, 2013. 

Heist Society, by Ally Carter

Series: Heist Society, #1
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Facebook
Publisher: Hyperion
Release Date: February 9, 2010
eBook: 337 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Contemporary
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 5 days
Source: Library
Challenge: TBR Pile, ABC Reading
Rating: ★★★★

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria... to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected.
Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster has been robbed of his priceless art collection and wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat's dad needs her help.
For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in history-or at least her family's (very crooked) history.

 I first started this book back towards the end of 2010, but I never got to finish it before I had to give it back to the library. I'm so glad I snagged this from the eBook catalog from my library. It was an enjoyable read!

This is a very unique contemporary book! The main protagonist, Kat, is born into a family of thieves basically! They pull heists and steal from museums, art galleries, rich people, and other things! Some even pickpocket! It's crazy! But so interesting!

Kat was an interesting character. She's fifteen, but she acts a lot older. She's really mature, but there are times you can tell she is really just a teenage girl. She is so smart, too. She learns her father is in trouble with a rich bad guy, someone stole a collection of his paintings and the guy thinks its her dad! She hasn't seen her dad in a while after pulling a good heist herself and getting into boarding school, but she runs to his aide whenever she knows he's in trouble and gets a group together herself to pull a tricky heist!

All the other characters were really interesting as well, and really funny. One of my top favorite characters, besides Kat, was Hale. I loved them two together, they were always bickering and he's just so calm and collected and such a smart ass! LOVED it. I can't really tell you a character I didn't like, even the rich bad guy was interesting.

You're all over the place in this book as well! Paris and London and other places that I can't think of right now. Ha!

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. I can't wait to read the sequel. The writing in this book flowed well and had be flying through the pages. Yes, it may not be believable really for a bunch of teenagers to rob a museum, but that's the good thing about FICTION sometimes, right? Sometimes you've got to kick back and just enjoy the ride. And that's exactly what I did. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good enjoyable adventurous read. =) This is my first Ally Carter book, I think I will definitely have to try out her Gallagher Girls books now. I wasn't sure before, but I have to see what they are about after reading this!

The second book in this series is called Uncommon Criminals. It was released on June 21, 2011. 

Darkness Becomes Her, by Kelly Keaton

Series: Gods & Monsters, #1
Author Info: Website / Facebook / Twitter
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: February 22, 2011
Hardcover: 320 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 2 days
Source: Own
Challenge: Off the Shelf, ABC Reading
Rating: ★★★★

Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

 Darkness Becomes Her was very unique. I can't believe I waited so long to read this. I got it a while ago, but never had the chance to read it. The summary has always sounded completely amazing to me, but I've just never picked it up until now. As soon as I open the book and started reading, it sucked me in. I was hooked from the very first page.

Ari is a captivating character, and I'm not just talking about her unique white-blond hair and teal eyes, I mean her personality. She was a great character and she really kicks butt! I mean, she kicked a Goddess' butt! C'mon, how more kick-butt can you get? I will definitely add her towards the top of my list of strong, kick butt female characters.

Not only was Ari an awesome character, but this novel had other intriguing characters as well. I really loved her new friends in New 2. Especially Sebastian and Violet. I really look forward to learning more about them in the next book. Sebastians awesome powers and I really want to know what happens to Violet! I literally screamed when she disappeared.

One thing I really didn't like about this book--though it was addicting to read it...guilty.--was how fast Ari and Sebastian's relationship came upon. It was sweet and I was happy for them, but it happened WAY too fast. They meet one morning, they are annoying each other, and then bam later they have chemistry, and sparks and they are freaking making out! I mean, sure, I'd probably make out with Sebastian too if I met him, but c'mon!

Other than that, though, I didn't really have any complaints. I love the mythology added into this book along with the other creatures that go bump in the night! There were SO many different types of beings in this book; vampires, witches, harpys, Goddesses (Freaking Athena. THE Athena!), shapeshifters! That's just to name a few!

Overall, this was a great book. I recommend it! I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. I was so tempted to go ahead and buy it before even finishing Darkness Becomes Her, but I have so many new books as it is right now from my birthday, so I'm going to wait. Boo!

Torment, by Lauren Kate

Series: Fallen, #2
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Facebook
Publisher: Delecorte Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 28, 2010
Paperback: 452 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal Romance
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 6 days
Source: Own
Challenge: TBR Pile, ABC Reading
Rating: ★★★★

Hell on earth.
That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts—immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.

At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something—something dangerous.

What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

 I'm so happy I was finally able to read this! I read Fallen in 2011, but never moved on to read Torment. So this year I re-read Fallen and FINALLY dove into Torment. Though Torment wasn't as good as Fallen, it was still amazing and gave you a lot more history on things and Luce was able to find out a lot more about her past lives than she knew in the first book.

Daniel, unfortunately, wasn't in it as much as I was hoping. Boo! BUT after starting the book and learning about the truce, he was in it more than I expected after all that. Which I was happy for. I love Daniel! I'm starting to like Cam again after all the crap at the end of Fallen, but I'm still team Daniel!

I know a lot of people think that this series is a "Been there, done that." series. But I don't think so. Yes, some parts have been done before, but a lot of it is unique and extremely addicting. EXTREMELY. So much that I went ahead and ordered Passion and Rapture.

You meet a lot of new characters in this book as well. Miles and Shelby, whom I absolutely ADORE! At times I was getting mad at Miles, since I'm team Daniel, but at other times I was all "Awww..." and falling under his spell. He's a great guy. =) Shelby is a great friend, at first I was a little annoyed by her, but as soon as she started opening up and being nice to Luce, I started really liking her.

Overall, this is a great series. The writing and plot is addicting and the characters are well developed and you find yourself flipping through pages faster than you think you can even read. You go through so many emotions as well, at least I do. I'll be happy and then I'll be heart broken and it's just so emotional with Luce and Daniel and heart-wrenching at times and sometimes I really need a box of tissues sitting beside me when it involves them.

Read my review of the first book:

Yes, I'm aware this is the Australian book trailer, but I couldn't find a US one. Still the same book, so who cares? Ha!

Angel Burn, by L.A. Weatherly

Angel Burn, by L.A. Weatherly
(Angel, #1)
Author Info: Website / FB US / FB UK / Twitter
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Release Date: May 24, 2011
e-Book: 455 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Paranormal Romance
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 4 days
Source: Library
Challenge: TBR Pile, ABC Reading
Rating: ★★★★★
To learn more about my rating badges, click here!

In a world where angels are beyond redemption, Alex thinks he’s found one that might deserve mercy. 
Alex is a ruthless assassin—of angels. Forget everything you’ve heard about them before. Angels are not benign celestial creatures, but fierce stalkers whose irresistible force allows them to feed off humans, draining them of their vitality until there is barely anything left. As far as Alex is concerned, the only good angel is a dead angel... until he meets Willow. 
She may look like a normal teenager but Willow is no ordinary girl. Half-angel, half-human, Willow may hold the key to defeating the evil angels. But as the hunter and the hunted embark on an epic and dangerous journey and Willow learns the dark and terrifying secrets of her past, Alex finds himself drawn to Willow... with devastating consequences.

This has been on my reading list for a while. I kind of forgot about it for a bit, until I was searching the e-book catalog online for my public library and saw it. I checked it out and started to read it and completely fell in love. I'm really glad that this was my first official e-book on my Kindle. =)

There are a lot of Angel books out there, I know. A lot of them are starting to blend together and not really have any new concepts. There are a few out there that are my favorite and that are different, but this one is DEFINITELY different. When you think about Angels, you think about the glowing, beautiful, serene, gentle, beings from Heaven, right? Well, when you read this book you'll see completely different to these angels. The normal humans who are infected with "Angel Burn" do see the Angels in that way, but they really aren't. They are far from it in this unique series. They're killers!

Yes, I did say killers. They've come to Earth to feed off humans in order to stay alive. Sometimes they just infect the humans with Angel Burn, which makes them slowly lose it more and more each day and develop diseases like schizophrenia and cancer,  and other times they kill.

BUT don't be afraid, because there are awesome Angel Killers to help somewhat get rid of these killer angels and protect the Earth! Like sexy Alex. Oh my! If I haven't intrigued you yet with this amazing book, just picture a hot guy who is smart, badass, and kills angels for a living! You'll just have to read his description yourself and see his personality by reading this book. It's the only way to get the full awesomeness that is Alex!

This book switches points-of-view between Alex and Willow; the main characters. It also sometimes shows the views of Raziel, one of the head Angels, and Jonah, one of the people from The Church of Angels. Though Raziel was just plain evil and Jonah was helping him out, I still liked their characters. All the characters in this book are real and have so much personality to them.

Other than the killer angels, and sexy AK's, there was romance brewing throughout the whole book. I'm not going to mention much about that though. It was amazing. Had be going crazy the whole time, screaming at the two to just tell each other how they feel, and then they're finally together and its awesome and then its sad and, well, you get the point. It was amazing.

Overall, don't let the fact that it's "another angel book" get to you. It's very unique. VERY. So do yourself a favor and READ IT. So much awesomeness going on throughout it. Most of the time it actually had me forgetting the fact that I was reading it on my Kindle, which I am NOT used to doing. Which added another brownie point to its awesomeness. I'm itching to read Angel Fire now. I'm glad it's already out, I'll definitely be using birthday money on that. =D

The sequel, Angel Fire, was released on January 24th, 2012. 

Wither, by Lauren DeStefano

Wither, by Lauren DeStefano
(The Chemical Garden, #1)
Author Info: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Hardcover: 358 pages
Genre: Young Adult - Dystopian
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 8 days
Source: Own
Challenge: Dystopian, TBR Pile, Book Blogger Recommendation, ABC Reading
Rating: ★★★★★
 To learn more about my rating badges, click here!

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can’t bring herself to hate him as much as she’d like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband’s strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?Together with one of Linden's servants, Gabriel, Rhine attempts to escape just before her seventeenth birthday. But in a world that continues to spiral into anarchy, is there any hope for freedom?

I can't believe it took me this long to read this book. I've wanted to read it since I first heard about it before it even had a cover! But no matter how much I checked at my library's website for it after it came out, it just wasn't there. Finally MONTHS after it came out, it appeared, but I never put it on hold.

Finally, I got my own copy as payment for a layout I made for the lovely Michelle. I was excited, but it still just sat there on my TBR pile under my nightstand. FINALLY got to read it and I'm completely blown away. Sometimes, I worry when a book has too much hype. I'm worried hearing it all will give it very high expectations and then it won't live up to it in my eyes and ruin it for me. But that wasn't the case with this book. It lived up to EVERY great thing that everyone has said about this book.

I was sucked in from the very first chapter by all the amazing detail and writing. Lauren, you've definitely made a lifetime fan out of me! You're writing is beautiful! When you're reading this book, you feel as if you're really there. I felt everything Rhine felt. (LOVE her unique name.) All the pain, and anger, and longing to escape. Everything.

All the characters were vivid and real. Even the ones that I hated. Rhine and Gabriel were my favorites, of course. Which reminds me to let you all know that I am 100% team Gabriel. Yes, Linden was nice at times and you learn a lot about him. But he's not for Rhine! And who would want to share a man with two other women?

This book made me think--as all Dystopians do--what if the world is really like this in 100 years? 50 years? Maybe even 20 years from now? That is VERY scary. Girls being kidnapped out of no where and married off to a man along with a couple of other women? And being locked inside a mansion with no freedom at all? And basically only being there to continue the human races? Really freaking scary.

But overall, this was an amazing book. I'm dying to get my hands on a copy of Fever. I'm dying to see what happens, definitely after that ending! It's driving me nuts! At least one great thing came out of me waiting so long; I don't have to wait a year for the sequel. It's already out!

The sequel is called Fever. It was released on February 21, 2012. 

Lola and the Boy Next Door, by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door, by Stephanie Perkins
(Companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss)
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Tumblr / Blog
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: September 29, 2011
ARC: 338 pages
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 2 days
Source: Won it in giveaway from Andra
Challenge: TBR Pile, ABC Reading
Rating: ★★★★★
To learn more about my rating badges, click here! 

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.
When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

I've been dying to read this since I finished Anna and the French Kiss back in August 2011. I won this in a Twitter giveaway from Andra and it took a while to get here because of the stupid mail people, and I was SO excited to have it in my possession. But once I finally had it, I couldn't read it! I wanted to SO badly, but I wanted to save it for a time that I got into a major reading slump. Which, I did! And I joined a    read-a-thon and read it during that time and it definitely got me out of my slump, though now after I've read it nothing else compares and it really sucks!

It took me a couple of pages to really get into this new character. You can obviously tell Stephanie Perkins wrote this book, she has a certain unique voice to her that makes you fly through the pages of her books before realizing you're already a hundred pages in. But this wasn't Anna, and I was worried she wouldn't be able to compare to her. Which, she doesn't. I do like Anna better. But I absolutely LOVE Lola. She's definitely unique! I'd definitely want to be her friend.

It was hilarious when Anna and St. Clair pop up in this book. At first when I saw the name Anna and the whole thing with Anna's banana necklace, it didn't click for some reason. I was too into the story to notice. But when I read St. Clair's name, oh boy. I freaked out and had to go back a page or so to read where Anna showed up again. And then I was all, "Yay! Anna and St. Clair." and gosh, they are SO freaking cute. And hilarious. Just makes me so jealous!

I love my husband to death, but sometimes I'd love to go back to fresh new love where we wanted to be EVERYWHERE the other way. Sooo cute! But anyway, the characters are so real in this book. For a while Lola was annoying me a bit, I was screaming at her asking her what the hell was up with her with Max. Yes, he's a hot rockstar. BUT he wasn't right for her. I'm not going to go into anymore details about that....

But, oh, Cricket. He's so awkward and cute and makes you want to just snuggle up to him and give him a HUGEEE hug. *le sigh* I'm SO happy with the ending!

Overall, yes, I do love Anna and the French Kiss more. But this definitely was an amazing read and definitely one of my favorite contemporarys. I can't wait for the next companion novel. I'm going to be sad about getting into yet another characters head, but I know it will be great. =D Don't stop writing, Stephanie! You're amazing! I recommend this cute companion novels to EVERYONE! Especially if you're a hopeless romantic and you love contemporary romances. *Sighs with stupid grin on my face*

The third and final companion novel to  Anna and the French Kiss & Lola and the Boy Next Door is called Isla and the Happy Ever After. It is set to be released in 2013. 

Read my review for the first companion novel:

The Last Echo, by Kimberly Derting

The Last Echo, by Kimberly Derting
(The Body Finder, #3)
Author Info: Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: April 17, 2012
Hardcover: 360 pages
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 4 days
Source: Gifted
Challenge: TBR Pile, ABC Reading
Rating: ★★★★★
To learn more about my rating badges, click here. 

In the end, all that's left is an echo...
Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet's talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it's Violet's job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by "the girlfriend collector" she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new "relationship" and Violet may have caught his eye....

 Wow, okay. So let's keep track of my ratings for this series so far: The Body Finder=5 stars, Desires of the Dead=4 stars, and now The Last Echo=5 stars. WHAT?! This series is amazing! The first book was amazing--but the sequel, Desires of the Dead--didn't really catch me right away. It wasn't my favorite, but I still enjoyed it. And then here comes The Last Echo and it completely blows the second book to pieces.

I can't figure out which is my favorite now, Book One, or now Book Three. How do I decide?! This isn't how a normal series goes. SOMETIMES the books get better each book, but most just start losing feeling. But this series is just wow. I really have no words. I can't describe anything right now.

The suspense completely killed me in this book. I mean, after reading the first two books, I was watching out for the suspense. It was inevitable. But it was A LOT stronger in this book and just completely had me gripping the sides of the book while reading it. I was so scared! My heart was beating so fast.

Though this book has a paranormal twist, it still feels VERY real. You believe EVERY word that you see in this book. Because it's REAL. (I don't mean real, real. Just real as in, you FEEL like it IS real.)Violet is an average--excluding her body finding ability--teenager with average teenage problems. Which I love about Violet. She's REAL.

And ugh, the love triangle. It makes me so furious! I hate love triangles 90% of the time. But this one I don't mind because it's real. (I'm going to use that word a lot in this review apparently....) I don't know who I like more. I mean, I adore Jay. I've adored him from the start. But there's also just something about Rafe, and it's not just the fact that he understands Violet and that he has abilities. There's something there that just makes you want to play "What if...?"

Overall, there isn't much I can say on this book. It was amazing. Completely drew me in and I couldn't stop, it was addiciting! If you haven't read this series yet, I really hope you will. I wish I'd read them along time ago. You don't just get in Violet's head, but you also get into the creepy head of the suspect they are looking for.

The fourth novel is currently Untitled. It is set to be released 2013. 

 Reviews for other books in series:

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink, by Stephanie Kate Strohm

Pilgrims Don't Wear Pink, by Stephanie Kate Strohm
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Facebook
Publisher: Houghtin Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Paperback: 204 pages
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Buy: Amazon
Read it in: 3 days
Source: Publisher
Challenge: Debut Author, YA Contemp, ABC Reading
Rating: 
To learn more about my rating badges, click here!

A story of crushes, corsets, and conspiracy

Libby Kelting had always felt herself born out of time. No wonder the historical romance-reading, Jane Austen-adaptation-watching, all-around history nerd jumped at the chance to intern at Camden Harbor, Maine’s Oldest Living History Museum. But at Camden Harbor Libby’s just plain out of place, no matter how cute she looks in a corset. Her cat-loving coworker wants her dead, the too-smart-for-his-own-good local reporter keeps pushing her buttons, her gorgeous sailor may be more shipwreck than dreamboat — plus Camden Harbor’s haunted. Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Libby learns that boys, like ghosts, aren’t always what they seem.

 When I first read the summary for this book, I was like, "This sounds like a fun, quick contemporary!" and added it to my list. When I got it in the mail for review, I was happy, but not OMG YAY! happy. Once I started reading this, I got sucked in. It was so dang hilarious! The main character was so crazy. She was REALLY into fashion, and had her high standards, but she was also an aspiring historian and a nerd!

So many people underestimates her upon meeting her. They thing she's just your average dumb blonde, but she's not! She has a deeper layer that you realize once you start talking to her. Which made her seem that much more real!

At first, I was worried that she WAS that typical dumb blonde. But after a couple of pages I started to like her and knew there was a deeper layer. I'd really like to read more about her! And gosh, I never thought about working for a history museum for the summer when I was in school! That would of probably been quite fun! I love the old time dresses like she had to wear and would of loved to learn how to do some of the colonial cooking and things!

It was such a fun read, I wish it were bigger! At first I grabbed it from my TBR pile on my nightstand of books I want to get to ASAP and just wanted it for a quick contemporary read, but now I'm really sad it's over with. I really would have read 100 or even 200 more pages of it!

I really liked Garrett as well, right from the start! And I did like Cam as well, but was really suspicious of the way he acted. He was just...too weird. Too "perfect". That's always trouble! Okay, not always, but mostly.

Overall, if you're looking for a quick, fun, contemporary that has  some historical points in it (i.e she went to a history museum for the summer to live in the "colonial times") you should definitely check this out! And this is Stephanie debut novel for this year!  I will definitely be adding her to my author watch list!