Guest Review by Amber: The Perfectionists

The Perfectionists
Author: Sara Shepard
Publication Date: October 2nd 2014        
Publisher: Hot Key Books

Pages: 267

Rough estimate of time it took to read: 1 week (it was a slow reading week)

Source: Gifted by Kirsty 

In Beacon Heights High, Nolan Hotchkiss is king. His charm, wealth and good looks are deceptively seductive, and many are the students whose lives and reputations have been ruined by it. All while Nolan continues to reign, unquestioned and undisrupted. Until now, that is.

Mackenzie, Ava, Julie, Caitlin and Parker seemingly don't have much in common. Each has their own friends, dramas and goals. But one thing they do share: they all have a deep hatred of Nolan Hotchkiss. And they all think it's about time he paid for what he's done. They come up with the perfect murder - a hypothetical murder, of course. It's all wishful thinking ... until they wake up one morning to find that their wish has come true. Nolan has been killed - in exactly the way they planned. The thing is, they didn't do it. So who did?

This is the first time I'm reading and reviewing the same book Kirsty has previously reviewed (if you want to check her review out, you can find it here...) and although I didn't entirely hate it as Kirsty did  (or as she puts it, it felt more of a Pretty Little Liars 2.0) I do have mixed feelings for The Perfectionists. Although I did really enjoy the story, maybe more so because I haven't read Pretty Little Liars (I have had a look at how many there are though and whoa) or watched the TV show, I did have a few issues with the book, mainly due to the characters, but I am looking forward to reading more.

My main problem with The Perfectionists are the characters, I found them to be very very superficial and shallow, and at time a bit "run of the mill" teenager/brat, and it was hard to tell the characters apart from the other. The ending also felt rushed, which since there were quite a few filler chapters, I would've preferred a non rushed ending compared to fillers.

 

Then we come to that ending. And it leaves on a cliffhanger, so now of course I want to find out what happens in the next one, curse you book.

Waiting on Wednesday (#100!)

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

When We Collided by Emery Lord 

Expected publication:  April 5th 2016 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Meet Vivi and Jonah: A girl and a boy whose love has the power save or destroy them.

Vivi and Jonah couldn't be more different. Vivi craves anything joyful or beautiful that life can offer. Jonah has been burdened by responsibility for his family ever since his father died. As summer begins, Jonah resigns himself to another season of getting by. Then Vivi arrives, and suddenly life seems brighter and better. Jonah is the perfect project for Vivi, and things finally feel right for Jonah. Their love is the answer to everything. But soon Vivi's zest for life falters, as her adventurousness becomes true danger-seeking. Jonah tries to keep her safe, but there's something important Vivi hasn't told him.

Perfect for fans of E. Lockhart and Jandy Nelson, When We Collided is a powerful story of two teens whose love is put to the test by forces beyond their control.

Because it's Emery Lord, duh.

What're you waiting on?

Review: Because You'll Never Meet Me (Let's ignore the ending, okay?)

Because You'll Never Meet Me
Author: Leah Thomas
Publication Date: July 2nd 2015 
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

In a stunning literary debut, two boys on opposite ends of the world begin an unlikely friendship that will change their lives forever.
Ollie and Moritz are best friends, but they can never meet. Ollie is allergic to electricity. Contact with it causes debilitating seizures. Moritz’s weak heart is kept pumping by an electronic pacemaker. If they ever did meet, Ollie would seize. But Moritz would die without his pacemaker. Both hermits from society, the boys develop a fierce bond through letters that become a lifeline during dark times—as Ollie loses his only friend, Liz, to the normalcy of high school and Moritz deals with a bully set on destroying him.
A story of impossible friendship and hope under strange circumstances, this debut is powerful, dark and humorous in equal measure. These extraordinary voices bring readers into the hearts and minds of two special boys who, like many teens, are just waiting for their moment to shine.

The thing is, I couldn't put Because You'll Never Meet Me down, even though I wanted to at times,  it's nostalgic for me because it brings me back to when I was twelve (or 13, can't exactly remember) and started writing to my pen pal, although I wouldn't call her a pen pal now, because she's become such a great friend (hey, Britt!) and it's true, you really can say anything that you might not tell someone you know, without worry or judgement, because you've never met them.

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?