Review: Drive Me Crazy

Drive Me Crazy
Author: Terra Elan McVoy
Publication Date: April 28th 2015
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Buckle up…

Lana and Cassie have met only once before, at the wedding of Lana’s Grandpa Howe and Cassie’s Grandma Tess two months ago. They didn’t exactly hit it off—in fact, depending on who you ask, that first meeting was either an embarrassment or a disaster—but they’re about to spend an entire week together, just the two of them and their honeymooning grandparents, road-tripping in Cassie’s grandmother’s Subaru.

Lana thinks a summer road trip sounds like fun, but the backseat is a crowded place for two tween girls with two huge secrets to hide, and this bumpy road to friendship is full of unexpected twists and turns. Like it or not, they’re in this together, full speed ahead on the adventure of a lifetime.

This review is going to be short, so more of a mini review, mainly because it's a middle grade, there's not much to talk about. And swearing at said middle grade's review is probably frowned upon. I don't know how old Cassie and Lana are, it probably was said at some point-or maybe not-but I can't remember, but since it is middle grade, you get the age range. Which makes me realise, I do not miss being that age. At all. Nada. If I acted anything like Cassie did, I wouldn't blame anyone for slapping me-and believe me, this girl needed a slap-hell, I'd slap myself, because fu freaking hell, she was a bi challenge.

I Love You...But I Don't Want to Review You

Or it's better known as Books I'm Never Reviewing because Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight is awesome, and she let me use her idea (which, is equally awesome. Her idea, not letting me use it, and well, that too.)

 When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.

I heart you, book. And you know what? I do think this is my favourite out of all of them, and the reason why? Gia (and Hayden, obviously, but shh), out of all of Kasie West's characters, she's the one with the most character growth, and I know all of them have a lesson of learning to be yourself, but this was the strongest. I could've done without Jules (I think we all could have done without Jules) considering she was a few steps away from being a complete psycho and seriously needed to fucking get a life, but there we go.  AND THE ROMANCE WAS ADORABLE, OKAY?

Rating: 5/5

      

Waiting on Wednesday (#99)

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

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Expected publication: October 20th 2015 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

 My dear trusted friends who have already read this, you're mean for making me want to read it now because I have to wait and I'm impatient. ;)

What're you reading?

Review: Made You Up (hug the book, just hug it)

Made You Up
Author: Francesca Zappia
Publication Date: May 19th 2015
Publisher:  Greenwillow Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.

Made You Up is a...touchy one to review, which is why I'm doing more of a What I Liked Vs Issues. But, I just have to say, though I haven't read many (if any) books about Schizophrenia, this has to be the best one I've read (I know, totally illogical, but whatever). I loved how it was explored and felt more  of a positive story than a negative one. 

Review: Deadfall (I'm so not forgiving you, Anna Carey)

Deadfall
Author: Anna Carey
Publication Date: July 16th 2015
Publisher: HarperTeen
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

 In the compelling sequel to Blackbird, Anna Carey delivers a gritty and adrenaline-filled story of a girl desperate to escape her mysterious and terrifying assailants. Told in second person, this heart-pounding thriller puts the reader in front of the target.

A week ago, you woke up in Los Angeles with no memory of who you are. The only thing you knew: people are trying to kill you. You put your trust in Ben, but he betrayed you and broke your heart. Now you've escaped to New York City with a boy named Rafe, who says he remembers you from before. But the two of you are not safe. The same people who are after you are tailing Rafe as well. As the chase heats up, your memory starts to return, but your past cannot save you from the terrifying circumstances of your present, or the fact that one wrong move could end this game forever.

With enemies on every side, and not a reprieve in sight, Deadfall will grab readers and refuse to let go. Perfect for fans of the Maze Runner series and the Legend series.

• Warning! There might be some slight spoilers for Blackbird ahead!

I really enjoyed Blackbird last year, while I know some had a problem with the second person narration, I loved it and it worked so well with the plot and story, and I don't think it would have worked any other way.

Blackbird and Deadfall have a lot of things working for it in YA, it's original, I haven't read another book like it, it runs and feels like a movie, which I always love when books can do that, they're fast paced to the point where they don't let you get comfortable with the story so you feel how intense it is and it creates the dangerous atmosphere and keeps you on your toes. It isn't predictable and while one major thing felt predictable in Blackbird, it set things up perfectly for Deadfall, which I have to say, is more intense, crazy and twisted than I thought it would be.

Guest Review by Amber: Possess

Possess
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Publication Date: August 23rd 2011
Publishe  Balzer + Bray

Pages : 382

Rough estimate of time it took to read: 8 Hours

Source: Gifted by Kirsty 

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her overprotective mom, by Matt Quinn, the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, the voices are demons - and Bridget possesses the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from. Literally.

Terrified to tell her friends or family about this new power, Bridget confides in San Francisco's senior exorcist, Monsignor Renault. The monsignor enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession, but just as she is starting to come to terms with her freakish new role, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. And when one of her oldest friends is killed, Bridget realizes she's in deeper than she ever thought possible. Now she must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone else close to her winds up dead - or worse, the human vessel for a demon king.

 Reaaaally enjoyed this book a lot, so I'm suddenly really glad Kirsty's pawning off her DNF'S to me. I've you've been reading my reviews (or even just checking out the ratings) then you would know I have only really disliked one or two books, although it is rare for me to hate a book, since I always like to see the good in a book more than being technical (or if you've read some of Kirsty's DNF reviews, cynical sorrynotsorry)

Now, onto Possess...