Review: Love Letters to the Dead

Love Letters to the Dead
Author: Ava Dellaira

Publication Date:  May 1st 2014

~A copy was provided by HotKeyBooks in exchange for an honest review~

 

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It begins as an assignment for English class: write a letter to a dead person - any dead person. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain - he died young, and so did Laurel's sister May - so maybe he'll understand a bit of what Laurel is going through. Soon Laurel is writing letters to lots of dead people - Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, Amelia Earhart... it's like she can't stop. And she'd certainly never dream of handing them in to her teacher. She writes about what it's like going to a new high school, meeting new friends, falling in love for the first time - and how her family has shattered since May died.

But much as Laurel might find writing the letters cathartic, she can't keep real life out forever. The ghosts of her past won't be contained between the lines of a page, and she will have to come to terms with growing up, the agony of losing a beloved sister, and the realisation that only you can shape your destiny. A lyrical, haunting and stunning debut from the protégé of Stephen Chbosky (THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER).

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Love Letters to the Dead is as personal as it gets and for me I had a hard time detaching myself from it because in all retro respect, Laurel could've been me. Or you. Or everyone else. A lot of shit happens in this world, and by the synopsis, you don't even get half of it. And that was the shocking thing because while I was reading it, I picked up a few little hints here and there but I still wasn't expecting it.

Stacking the Shelves (#44) AKA, the lazy edition because I just finished We Were Liars.

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

How was everybody's week? Yup, this is the lazy edition, so no links or recap because I joined the #liarsliveread and haven't long finished We Were Liars and ohhh, so many feelings. Can't. Function.

 

Bought (for the kindle)

(Because Christy @ Christy's Love of Books sold it to me)

(Because Cait @ Notebook Sisters says so)



  What did you get this week? :)

Review: Poppy

Poppy
Author: Mary Hooper

Publication Date:  May 8th 2014        

~A copy was provided by Bloomsbury Childrens in exchange for an honest review~

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England, 1914. Poppy is fifteen, beautiful and clever, but society has already carved out her destiny. There's no question of her attending the grammar school - it's too expensive and unsuitable for a girl. Instead, Poppy will become a servant at the big house. And she'll 'keep out of trouble'. But Poppy's life is about to be thrown dramatically off course. The first reason is love - with someone forbidden, who could never, ever marry a girl like her. The second reason is war. Nothing could have prepared her for that. As she experiences what people are capable of - the best of humanity and the very worst - Poppy will find an unexpected freedom and discover how to be truly her own person

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I do love Historicals, mainly because it's a way of learning without actually feeling like you're learning, because you're not reading a textbook, you're not reading information. You're reading about a life in that era, about the war and the way of treatments, you're learning while reading something you enjoy. Although it's researched, and of course, might not all be accurate, but...

We Were Liars: Read-Along #lliarsliveread

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey, you...psst, yes, you...

 

 

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A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE

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Have you read We Were Liars by E. Lockhart yet, or just want to read it for the second, third, fourth...time? (Come on, you know you want to.) I'm joining HotKeyBooks, other bloggers and readers in a read-along under #liarsliveread this Saturday (17th) at 1PM (BST)/ 5AM (PDT) on twitter.

So join, come say hello, laugh at our reactions (because you know, that's going to be fun). Plus, my review for it is going to mainly be a reaction review because you obviously need to read the book to understand it. So. Go. Do. It. Read. Now. (Or Saturday) ;)

So, see you there! Or read you there? I don't know, I'm leaving now.

 

Waiting on Wednesday (#44)

 "Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Diamonds in the Rough by Michelle Madow

Expected publication:  October 28th 2014 by Harlequin Teen


 

 

 

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All-access doesn't mean no problems.

The three Diamond sisters survived the summer in style after coming to live with their long-lost billionaire father. But making a place for themselves at their exclusive new Las Vegas private school is throwing them any number of gold-plated curves. Savannah's YouTube stardom turns into a Sweet Sixteen reality show extravaganza with complimentary enemies on the side. Dangerous flirtations don't keep Peyton from a gamble that will risk far more than she planned to bet. And when Courtney and the sisters' archenemy, Madison, uncover two explosive secrets, it will rock even this town of glittering illusion and turn their lives upside down all over again.
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You know the thing I loved about The Secret Diamond Sisters? Reading about Vegas. And how happy am I that there's blue on the cover this time. Favourite colour.
 

What're you waiting on?

Review: Life By Committee

Life by Committee Life by Whatever strangers tell me to do next because I don't have one.
Author: Corey Ann Haydu

Publication Date:  May 13th 2014        

~A copy was provided by Katherine Tegen Books in exchange for an honest review~

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Some secrets are too good to keep.
Tabitha might be the only girl in the history of the world who actually gets less popular when she gets hot. But her so-called friends say she’s changed, and they’ve dropped her flat.

Now Tab has no one to tell about the best and worst thing that has ever happened to her: Joe, who spills his most intimate secrets to her in their nightly online chats. Joe, whose touch is so electric, it makes Tab wonder if she could survive an actual kiss. Joe, who has Tabitha brimming with the restless energy of falling in love. Joe, who is someone else’s boyfriend.

Just when Tab is afraid she’ll burst from keeping the secret of Joe inside, she finds Life by Committee. The rules of LBC are simple: tell a secret, receive an assignment. Complete the assignment to keep your secret safe.

Tab likes it that the assignments push her to her limits, empowering her to live boldly and go further than she’d ever go on her own.

But in the name of truth and bravery, how far is too far to go?

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Secret: I want to hit this book.

Assignment: Do it.

Ohhh, there are a lot of things I have to say about Life By Committee. So, the good news or bad news first? Hmm.

The good news? It's short, and for a fraction there, you might think it has some deeper meaning.  Kudos.