Monday 30 July 2012

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

They say be a good girl, get good grades, be popular.They know nothing about me. I can't remember the night that changed my life. The night I went from popular to loner freak. And my family are determined to keep it that way. They said therapy was supposed to help. They didn't expect Noah. Noah is the dangerous boy my parents warned me about. But the only one who'll listen. The only one who'll help me find the truth. I know every kiss, every promise, every touch is forbidden. But what if finding your destiny means breaking all the rules? A brave and powerful novel about loss, change and growing up, but most of all love.
I feel like this book has been all over the Blogsphere this summer so I was thrilled when I got my request accepted on NetGallery. I didn't realise it was almost 400 pages I could not put it down!
This book is everything you could ask for in a YA contemporary novel, a heroine you can connect to, a hot boy with depth, a unique yet familiar plot and utterly addictive!

What I loved:
  • Echo- I loved her character although she frustrated me- I loved so much about her its hard to put it into words! She was such a tragic character at the beginning, she'd isolated herself and had a fragmented memory. I related to her need to please and her authority issues even if it was frustrating. I liked how she grew stronger in herself throughout the book, stood up to her father, began to question and started to live for herself not others. I thought she was inspirational in the way she dealt with the the truth at the end (without spoiling the ending) she managed to work towards resolving all her personal and emotional loose ends as well as realising that she wasn't fully 'healed'. In my opinion this was very realistic, a lot of books wrap up mental and emotional issues like Echo's in one book. It was refreshing to have Echo acknowledge that she still had work to do.
  • Noah- He was my favourite! I loved his loyalty and devotion to his family. I admired how his experiences of foster care had changed his habits and degraded his belief in the system but he still kept his core values and ambition even if it was challenged by his devotion to his family. I found his situation so sad and frighteningly such a realistic one! I thought he was a highly compassionate person from his actions at his first foster home to his reaction to the way he treated Isaiah and Beth as family to Echo. Despite his reputation he really was a gentleman to his friend Beth and Echo. I genuinely think he was a perfect male lead flawed and troubled but reliable, compassionate and so suited to Echo! I loved his ending even though it was heart wrenching it was believable and happy.
  • Lila- I thought she was a great best friend. She supported Echo no matter what even when Echo was despondent she. unlike the other 'friends', never wavered. She put aside her hesitance of Noah for Echo. I loved how she knew High School wasn't the be all and end all of her life and encouraged Echo to live her life for herself. Great best friend.
  • Echo and Noah- Wow! Such perfect chemistry between them, they were drawn together unwillingly and by such traumatic circumstances but their relationship was still cute yet full of passion. I loved how they truly helped each other instead of one just 'saving' the other. I'm going to stop now before I gush too much!
  • Dual viewpoints- I love dual viewpoints! They add so much more depth to the characters and the plot by giving you two different versions. I loved seeing Echo and Noah through each others eyes especially Noah's opinion of Echo as she was so negative towards herself it was good to see her in a different much more positive light.
  • Plot- I really loved how the plot developed slowly building up to revelations for both Noah and Echo. The plot itself felt familiar but the themes and details were very unique. I liked how Katie McGarry added in mini twists and surprises throughout the book not just a big reveal at the end. It kept adding to the mystery and kept you interested
  • Ending First time I've been pleasantly shocked in a long time. No spoilers but I loved how Katie McGarry slowly built up Echo's lost night and it still wasn't quite how I'd imagined which I loved. Noah got a surprisingly positive ending with a bright future which I was really happy about as I hadn't quite pieced together how he could get that!
What I didn't love as much:


  • Luke- Echo's boyfriend from 'before'. I didn't dislike him as much as other people seemed too. I took him at face value for a jock guy who wanted to sleep with girls and party. I got the feeling that if Echo hadn't of experienced what she did they would still be together. Yes he could have been much more understanding and patient but so could a lot of high school boys. I didn't like him but I give him points for his honesty at the end!
  • Echo's family- I tried to be nice to her Dad as he was suffering too and he redeemed himself a little at the end. However he was controlling, dismissive and at times completely unloving towards Echo. He really did seem to keep her at arms length  which got explained but I still didn't understand it! Ashley, her step mother, was just insensitive, oblivious and seemed a bit stupid. She did say she didn't know how to treat Echo but some of the things she said were just so insensitive.  I did feel for them as it was a uniquely difficult and awkward situation but at the same time they'd had months to cooperate with group therapy etc... Plus I thought their relationship was kinda inappropriate! I won't even mention her mother as I don't want to spoil anything but she was highly selfish and rude!
  • Grace-  Awful friend! I got the impression she knew alot of Echo's 'story' but still refused to acknowledge her publicly in order to maintain her social standing. She was happy to force Echo in to a relationship with her ex irregardless of Echo's feelings as it made her 'able' to be 'public friends' with Echo. She also repeatedly mentioned that she felt Echo getting back to 'normal' aka socially acceptable was the most important thing. All in all a sadly typical 'popular' high school girl with a disgraceful lack of compassion for her 'friend'.

I loved it so much I'll be  impatiently waiting for Katie's next book- Dare You To which is Beth's story!
I cannot recommend this enough it is a beautifully written YA contemporary novel with very realistic characters and an engaging plot!



Let me know if you've read this or if you have any recommendations for me to read next!
Much Love!
Lettie
xxx

July Round Up!

New Monthly Feature which will round up all the books I've read, progress on challenges and  review my blogging! I will be posting it the last Monday of the the month :)
It is kind of an expansion (?) of my favourite memes hosted by the lovely Shelia over at Book Journey!


What I read in July!



What I Reviewed!
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson
Love of the Party by Lauren Barnholdt
Matched by Ally Condie
Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

As you can see this month I tried to post more reviews. The readathon really helped as I read a lot of books = more reviews!
I changed my review style to a What I Loved/What I didn't layout which I feel is better and have had positive feedback on. I would love more opinions!

Challenge Progress!

Dystopia 2012 Challenge hosted by Bookish Ardour= Completed- Completion post!
Those Books I Should Have Read 2012 hosted by Reading With Martinis. = 4 out of 12!
What I hope to read in August!
  1. Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
  2. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
  3. Divergent by Veronica Roth
  4. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
  5. Under the Never Sky by Veronia Rossi 
  6. Someone Else's Life by Katie Daley
  7. Daughter of the Flames by Zoe Marriott
  8. Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls by Tellulah Darling
  9. Ten Girl's to Watch by Charity Shumway
  10. Starcrossed by Josephine Angeli
What I hope to achieve blog wise!
  1. Post at least one review and one book non meme post a week.
  2. Make strong progress on my challenges.
  3. Take part in more 'activities' like readthons and read alongs.
  4. Beat my total monthly posts of 17!
So that's been July- my first solid blog month!
Let me know how your July/week was!
Also if you like the idea of a monthly round up :)
Have a lovely week!

Much Love
Lettie
xxx

Friday 27 July 2012

Challenge Complete! Dystopia 2012

hosted by Bookish Ardour

Objective: To embrace theYA Dystopia genre at last. Check out my pre challenge post here!

Aim
Asocial Level= 5 Books

Result!
Just under 6 weeks later I have fully embraced dystopia!
I've read-
  1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
  4. Matched by Ally Condie
  5. The Selection by Kiera Cass
All five are set in a dystopian America and by women allowing me to achieve the extra challenges!
I loved this challenge- it was easy and led me to a new genre to enjoy.
I enjoyed all five of these books and I've got several other dystopia novels on my To Be Read list.
Overall a successful challenge!

What Next?
Don't think this counts officially but I will now attempt to achieve the level of Contagion which is 15 books!
So far I'm planning on-  
  1. Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
  2. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
  3. Divergent by Veronica Roth
  4. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
  5. Under the Never Sky by Veronia Rossi
  6. Crossed by Ally Condie
  7. Reached by Ally Condie
This time I'm giving myself to December as I've got double the amount of books to read and two other challenges to complete!


Thanks go to Bookish Ardour for hosting this challenge, I'm so glad I took part in it!

Let me know of any other must read dystopia novels I should add!

Much Love!
Lettie
xxx

Monday 23 July 2012

Monday Round Up!

One of my favourite memes hosted by the lovely Shelia over at Book Journey!

Busy week again!- full of goodbyes, graduation fun and food festivals!
Another quick upload as it's my Mum's birthday!

Reviews Posted
Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson- Finally read this one had to review it straight away!
Love of the Party by Lauren Barnholdt- Another of my readathon reads :)


Read!

Both of these were quick addictive reads!
I knew I'd love Second Chance Summer and The Selection really lived up to it's gorgeous cover.

Reading


I was all for waiting until August for this one and taking part in The Pushing The Limits Read-Along ... but then I discovered NetGallery.

I requested Pushing the Limits thinking as it is so popular I wouldn't get approved- I did!
I am loving it so far even though I have to read it off my phone screen.... Couldn't get it sent to my desktop kindle.
The most annoying thing is how it has no chapter separations as I use those to stop reading I find myself reading for ages and getting momentarily confused when the viewpoint switches!


To Be Read

I don't know! I'm trying to hold back some books such as Delirium, Glow and Across the Universe for the  Summer Wrap-Up Readathon and with half my books still in boxes I'm limited in choice... Maybe I'll go request some books on Netgallery instead!

 

Upcoming Reviews
Pre written a few- just need to figure out which to post first!

Upcoming Posts
Series Vs Stand Alones- The biggest casualty of blogger eating posts! This one is coming along slowly but surely!
Challenge Update post- If you check my Challenge page you will see I've completed one of them! Should of aimed higher :)

Let me know what you've been up to blog or life wise!
I will visit every link left but like last week it may not be today :)

Much Love!
Lettie
xxx
P.S If you are in the UK- take advantage and read outside who knows how long this weather will last!

Saturday 21 July 2012

Love of The Party by Lauren Barnholdt

One Party. Four Different Romances.
In FALLING HARD, Emily and Ashton couldn’t be more different. She’s quiet and sweet, he’s popular and outspoken. And when he flirts with her one night at the party she’s throwing, Emily knows she should stay away. It’s never a good idea to get involved with the hottest guy in school– you’re only setting yourself up for heartbreak.
But even though Ashton might come across as cool and confident, he can’t stop thinking about Emily. And by the end of the night, these two just might be falling hard…
In TELLING SECRETS, Brooke just wants to forget. About the weird stuff that’s going on with her family. About the fact that her best friend moved away right before their senior year. About the fact that lately, she hasn’t been able to feel much of anything.
And that’s what Aiden helps her to do -- forget. So what if he’s kind of… unavailable? Everyone needs a bad boy, right?
Ry just wants to be with Brooke. He had a chance a long time ago, and he’s been pining for her ever since. And when he sees her with Aiden, he decides that some things have been kept secret long enough...
In GETTING CLOSE, Gabriella is afraid. Afraid of what it means to be in love with Landon, afraid of what it means to let herself fall for another person so completely.
Landon knows Gabriella’s scared, and he’s not about to give up on her. But will he be able to convince her that they’re meant to be?
In KISSING PERFECT, Brynn is completely broken-hearted, and the only reason she’s even going to Emily Mulally’s stupid party is to get revenge on her ex-boyfriend. So what if what she has planned is kind of sort of illegal? Aaron deserves it.
But when cute and popular Josh Noth catches her in the act, Brynn thinks she’s in trouble. Josh is a player, super popular, super hot, and known for being a little bit (read: a lot) of a kiss slut. So Brynn does her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach, chalking it up to post-break-up craziness.
But Josh can’t stop thinking about Brynn. And suddenly, he doesn’t want to kiss any other girls. Ever. But will he be able to show her that he’s for real?
 
Wow this is awkward- I've repeatedly referred to this book as At The Party in all of my posts.... However I brought, downloaded and read Love of The Party. Whoops! Main difference is the inclusion of an extra novella!
I loved how short these were, made for a great quick fun read-  if I'd downloaded the kindle app on to my phone during the readathon I would have finished it before the end of readathon!
I love Lauren Barnholdt anyway so I knew I'd enjoy these! :)

What I loved-
  • Pace- how all of these stories took place in the space of one story, they were quick but gave you all you needed!
  • Viewpoints- I loved how all of them switched from girl to boy so you got both sides of the story.
Falling Hard
  • Emma- I loved her character, how Lauren hinted at deeper issues with her mum and h
  • Confusion- I loved all the misdirects, Emma's gay best friend, Ashton's drunk ex girlfriend and the fact the characters had never met before and were from different 'groups' all made for a brilliant story.
Telling Secrets
  • Brooke- I think I'm partial to characters named Brooke anyway but I loved how she had such a profound realisation of the realities of her life. She was very realistic with her good girl persona and her bad boy thing.
  • The whole story- I think this was my favourite storyline, it had drama, romance, bad boys and good best friends all you need!
Getting Close
  • Gabriella and Landon- I loved this couple, they were all ready established and freshly broken up. I loved seeing how their perceptions and the truth were so different.
  • Insight- It was interesting to see Brooke who was part of Gabriella's group through different eyes as it painted a sadder picture than Brooke had and gave insight in to their relationships.
Kissing Perfect
  • Josh- Such a stereotype but with a twist! I liked how he helped Brynn and took her to Home Depot, where they had so much fun.
  • Kaci- as a side character I liked her! I loved her 'invite me to the wedding' comment and the way she reacted to Josh and Brynn.
What I Didn't Love as Much

Falling Hard
  • Haven- I felt a little bad for her but she wasn't very nice especially with the way she pursued Ashton.
Telling Secrets
  • Trip- He does Ry the small favour of swapping shifts and expects Ry to write his essay for him, making sure to dumb himself down, at the party- rude!
  • Aiden James- I was going to cut him some slack as Brooke did give him a free pass, but then I thought he never acknowledged her or listened to her or took her anyway= bad boy! 
Getting Close
  • Julia - I couldn't believe this girl- sadly I'd seen versions of this girl at parties which is why I disliked her so much!
Kissing Perfect
  • Aaron- Oh my gosh! This guy was such a horrible boyfriend- he was overly political, rude and self obsessed!
I picked up these four really good novellas for the bargain price of £2.54-Perfect for a quick read!

Let me know your thoughts!
Much Love!
Lettie
Xxxx

Friday 20 July 2012

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson



Taylor Edwards has made  leaving things behind into an art form. When things get tough, she gets going. Then her dad gets some terrible news and the whole family decides to spend the summer at their old lake house, where Taylor is forced to confront her past. She hasn't been to the lake for years and isn't keen to go back. But then she starts to reconnect with the people she thought she'd left behind- including Henry, her first crush, who's even cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve....
With fireworks, fireflies and midnight swims, the summer feels full of possibility and, for the first time, Taylor wants to hold on to the moment but is one summer really enough to have a second chance- with family, friends and love?

Finally got reunited with this book- it was every bit as amazing as I thought it would be. Just like with Amy and Roger's Epic Detour I could happily go and live in the Poconos and live this book (minus the sadness)! It was more emotional than Amy and Roger's Epic Detour but just as captivating. Before I gush too much I'll get in to..

What I Loved:
  • Edwards siblings- I loved Warren for his facts, nervousness and moments of brotherly affection. Gelsey was so devoted to Ballet and clearly looked up to Taylor, who was unaware. As the summer progressed it was clear that they were closer than they thought. Taylor set up Warren and showed Gelsey how to be twelve, Warren displayed just how well he knew Taylor. They may not have been a super close unit but when needed they were supportive which was very realistic and made a change to all the super close siblings in YA fiction.
  • Taylor- Wow it is hard to put into words how much I loved this character! She was flawed yet endearing. I think we have all left things behind when they got hard so it was easy to relate to Taylor. I liked how she recognised that she had a tendency to run and tried to combat it, whether intentionally or not. I loved her relationship with her dad who accepted her for who she was and how she related to him. I liked that she was actually quite confident in herself despite everything.  I just loved her!
  • Robin Edwards- Taylor's dad was very courageous, he got diagnosed and despite being scared he spent his time with his family, experiencing all his favourite things. I especially loved how he treated each of his children individually, he talked law with Warren, did breakfasts and ice cream with Taylor  and whatever with Gelsey. It was heart breaking to read his slow then quick deterioration.
  • The Poconos- The setting of the summer! I loved the summer community vibe. How nothing substantial had ever really changed. How there was a predictable routine. How even the people were often  It was the best setting for the story!
  • The pace- Morgan Matson managed to tell a story over a summer with well placed flashbacks and flawless pacing. I could feel the summer slipping away and the flashbacks felt like you were five years in the past.
  • Henry- Genuinely a good guy! He was forgiving, sweet and sounded pretty hot! I liked that he had layers he wasn't just the same guy from five years ago. I loved their cute history and how their relationship developed.
  • Minor characters- Morgan Matson has a brilliant talent for creating a cast of side characters with background and significance. I loved Davy with his love of the wilderness. Mr Crosby's dedication to trying to revive Robin's appetite. Leland's spaced out life guarding. They were all well thought out and added something to the book instead of just being there.
  • The mysterious reason Taylor didn't want to go back- I won't spoil this but I kinda loved it. Mainly for how it reminded me how different things are to twelve year olds and how grudges or indiscretions can last as long as you let them. I also think it helped Taylor realise that running away hadn't made it any better and had just cost her relationships and fun summers.
  • Realism- Most people can remember a time when they holidayed every summer with their whole family to the same place, played board games and knew that place as well as their home. However like the Edwards, families change, your parents get tired of the same place, siblings grow up or you decide to holiday with a friend instead. I loved , despite the circumstances, that the Edwards got one last summer to reconnect as a family.
What I didn't love as much.
  • Lucy- She did grow on me but I didn't feel she'd really grown up in the five years. Taylor believed she had a strict sense of right and wrong but it kind of felt like she was just unfairly stubborn. She was also a terrible employee and really mean to start with!
  • Mrs. Edwards- I felt like she openly favoured Gelsey. She always seemed to be helping her with ballet or doing her hair or organising for her to practise ballet. She didn't seem to show the same level of interest in Warren or Taylor. At times, most likely because the book was from Taylor's point of view, she was unfairly harsh on Taylor. She grew on me at the very end.
  • How sad this book was!- I knew the book would be sad from the beginning but it still was hard to read especially as I really fell in love with the characters!


Morgan Matson has cemented herself as my go to summer author- especially as Amy and Roger made a brief cameo, love when authors do that!
So go pick this up and be prepared to love and cry!

Much Love!
Lettie
xxxx
P.S my review of Amy and Roger's Epic Detour.

Monday 16 July 2012

Monday Round Up!



One of my favourite memes hosted by the lovely Shelia over at Book Journey!

Crazy hectic week- full of 21st parties, surprise work, goodbye drinks,  visiting injured friends and driving around the countryside! Which means I had less time to blog as these events were all pretty spontaneous. This is a rushed post purely as I'm leaving for Graduation in half an hour!!

Reviews Posted
If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman- two amazing books!
Other posts
Stacking the Shelves- Find out what I picked up this week!

Follow me through my Readathon journey!
First Post ->Last Post


Read!


Loved all of these- great reading week although it tapered off after the readathon.


Reading and To Be Read


Heading back for Graduation week and taking these with me so depends on which one I pick up first :)
I'm thinking Someone Else's Life!

Upcoming Reviews
To be Rewritten (still) due to random busy week!
- Matched by Ally Condie
- Mockingjay/Hunger Games Review- eaten by Blogger so being rewritten grrr!!
- I Heart Lindsey Kelk- basically an overview of Lindsey Kelk's fabulous books. Also eaten by Blogger!


Upcoming Posts
Series Vs Stand Alones- The biggest casualty of blogger eating posts! I am furiously rewriting this one :(
I will also be putting together my bookcase so maybe a bookcase post??
Signed up for another Readathon so I'll be posting my top ten books for that!


Let me know what you've been up to blog wise this week and your plans!
Much Love
Lettie
xxx

Saturday 14 July 2012

Stacking The Shelves!

STSmall
What is Stacking The Shelves all about?
 Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Picked up a few books this week and I stumbled across this meme! Such a good idea :)

Brought

I brought this with a Waterstones gift card!
It's been all over Goodreads and blogs and it sounds awesome!

Borrowed

Across The Universe by Beth Revis- Finally picked this one up from the library :)
Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale- This one kept being recommended to me by Amazon so I took their advice!
Delirium by Lauren Oliver- Tracked this one down finally and I think I'm going to keep it until my next readathon! I still find the cover a little weird though..

Previewed

I'm on a self imposed Amazon ban so I've been taking advantage of Kindle preview!
In Honour by Jessi Kirby- Loved the bit I read- will be buying it soon!
All That Matters by Kels Barnholdt- Haven't read this one yet!

Let me know what you've brought/borrowed/previewed!
Much Love!
Lettie
xxx

Thursday 12 July 2012

Once Upon a Readathon: Wrap Up!


Once Upon a Read-a-Thon

This Readathon is hosted by Lori at Pure Imagination, Candace at Candace's Book Blog, and Angela at Reading Angel f. It runs from 12:01 AM on July 9 to 11:59 PM on July 11th.

Objective- To set a goal for yourself to read more books that is beyond your average number of books you read. There is no minimum, it's all up to you!

Aim-To read five books

Daily Updates- Monday (including challenge), and Tuesday.


Result


Finished
Princess of Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George- 272 pages
If I Stay by Gayle Forman- 250 pages. Review
Where She Went by Gayle Forman- 260 pages. Review




Started
Love of the Party  by Lauren Barnholdt

Thoughts
I loved this! Why haven't I done a readathon before! I've already signed up for my next one- Summer Wrap-Up Readathon here.
I didn't meet my goal but I always set unattainable goals so I guess that's ok at least
all the books I read were so good!
I loved the Mini Challenges- well done to the hosts. Only wish I'd participated in more of them :)
I gained followers- Hi new followers!
All in All a successful and fun few days :)


Did you take part- how did it go for you?
Know of any other readathons??
Much Love
Lettie
xxx

If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman!


The last thing Mia remembers is the music.
After the accident, she can still hear it. And she can see her damaged body being taken from the wreck of her parents' car - even though she can't feel a thing.
All she can do is watch as doctors rush to save her life, as her friends and relatives gather outside her room, as the boy she loves struggles to be near her.
As the next twenty-four hours unfold, Mia must come to terms with what came before the crash - and what could come after. And she knows she must make the most difficult choice of all.

All the hype surrounding this book is so well deserved! It was so heart breakingly perfect! This review was hard to write as I loved so much of it but I couldn't quite put it into words!
What I loved:
  • Mia's Family- Her parents were the kind of cool parents everyone secretly wishes they had. Her brother adored her and didn't find her embarrassing. Her extended family rallied around. Willow, not technically family, but still a person you would wanted by your side in a crisis.
  • Mia- So realistic from the way she felt she was an outcast in her family to her issues with her best friend and her boyfriend. She was such an ordinary girl you felt you knew her so the crash really jolted you- she could be your best friend or the girl who's been in your class forever which made her decisions so much more poignant.
  • Flashbacks- I love the way flashbacks were incorporated into the story so you learnt all about the different characters and their relevance. Sometimes flashbacks are just an unnecessary plot device but Gayle Forman uses them to their full potential so they kept the story moving forward.
  • Kim- Such a good best friend. Despite not being Adam's biggest fan Kim goes to tell him in person about the accident and supports him throughout knowing that it would be important to Mia. She also tells Mia one of the most poignant things in the whole book- that she still has a family. Almost had me in tears!
  • Mia and Adam- Her mum says it best- they have a forever love and it is so clear. The little flashbacks on their relationships and the way he is with her family- beautiful. His 'Stay' speech- no words!
  • Adam- Seeing as I'm writing this after reading Where She Went in which I got more insight into Adam I'm just going with I love him!
  • Relationships- The relationships in this book were so perfectly formed and realistic even those less significant. Kim and her mother. Mia and her grandparents. Adam and Teddy, Henry and Mia's Dad. You really felt you knew them and their relationship with just a few paragraphs which I loved.
  • The Ending- which I already knew due to all the blog posts I'd read ages ago and the existence of the sequel but I still found it fit perfectly. It gave you enough closure that you knew the most important part without telling you everything.
What I didn't love as much:
  • Premise- I've put off this book for so long because I knew it would be heart breaking. However I ended up devouring it and loving every second, but do I love what had to happen? Nope! I'll always be a happy ever after girl!
  • The book had everything it needed but I wanted more! More of the past, more of the future... Which is why I rushed out and brought....

It's been three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life.
And three years he's spent wondering why.
When their paths cross again in New York City, Adam and Mia are brought back together for one life-changing night.
Adam finally has the opportunity to ask Mia the questions that have been haunting him. But will a few hours in this magical city be enough to lay their past to rest, for good - or can you really have a second chance at first love?

Where She Went was so similar yet so different from If I Stay. Adam narrated this one from his point of view and it had less of an obvious direction. In If I Stay it was all building to Mia's decision and she had to decide one way or another but in Where She Went there wasn't the same promise of resolution. I don't know who I love more Mia or Adam but I felt this book showed more of Adam's raw emotions whereas If I Stay had less in depth individual emotional exploration.

What I Loved:
  • Adam- A man with everything he'd always dreamt of career wise but an unhappy messy personal life. It was so tragic to see how Adam had changed yet in some ways stayed the same. I found his fear of crowds strangely adorable and the way he treated Mia so hot and cold showed just how confused he was. I think Mia had it right when she realised no one had looked after Adam- he lost three people who were pretty much his family and had to be strong to help the love of his life through it all who then dumped him! That would break the strongest person but he struggled on.
  • Mia- I liked how she'd dealt with her family- by having them everywhere, all over her walls, in her bag and in her decisions, it was refreshing and what her family would have wanted. I liked how she refused to be pitied or treated differently. I don't think she was right to dump Adam like she did, but she understood that and it was in a way understandable.
  • New York- I loved how it provided such a good backdrop with Mia's secret tour. I loved the touches of Oregon in the secret bowling alley and the familiarity in the diner. I liked how the tour like them came full circle.
  • Kim- Still a good best friend to Mia. I liked how Adam and Kim grew into an actual support team during Mia's recovery. I loved how Kim had just gone off to Afghanistan to photograph war- so brave!
  • The pace- The story takes place over one night- so much is done but it's very realistic.
  • Theo- Willow and Henry's baby boy just gave me hope for their future.
  • Flashbacks- continued to add to the story rather than take away. I liked that they were fundamentally different from Mia's flashbacks. You could feel Adam's emotions and the things that had been most important in the past to him. I also liked seeing Adam's family, they weren't cold or unwelcoming like I'd imagined in If I Stay just not as amazing as Mia's.
  • The ending- I loved the flash forward which gave you just a little more closure with the characters, that they were doing ok!
What I Didn't Love:
  • Shooting Star- In particular Mike. Maybe I'm biased but after all Adam went through, yes he left you for awhile but he came back with a double platinum album! I felt that Mike held that absence against him for the rest of their career. I reserved judgement on Liz as she seemed to struggled between compassion, exasperation and jealously but you could tell she still cared.
x2!
Loved these books so much- I know they will be staying with me for awhile!
Let me know if you have any recommendations of similar books just slightly out of my happy ever after zone :)

Much Love!
Lettie
xxx

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Once Upon a Readathon: Day Two



Once Upon a Read-a-Thon
This Readathon is hosted by Lori at Pure Imagination, Candace at Candace's Book Blog, and Angela at Reading Angel f. It runs from 12:01 AM on July 9 to 11:59 PM on July 11th.

No Challenges for me today as I spent my evening having goodbye drinks for a very good friend who's off to London for a graduate job <3!

Progress So Far

Wow! Everything I'd heard about this one was right! Emotional, heart breaking, heart warming and so beautiful! Worst part was knowing that I had no way of getting Where She Went until tomorrow as my local bookshops and library don't have a copy!

Started

Lauren Barnholdt is so worth reading off my laptop screen- so far so good!

Next

Leaning towards Glow or Under The Never Sky as I actually have those ones nearby!

How are you getting on with the readathon?
Have you read any of these titles?
Let me know!

Much Love!
Lettie
xxxxx

Monday 9 July 2012

Once Upon a Readthon: Day One

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon

This Readathon is hosted by Lori at Pure Imagination, Candace at Candace's Book Blog, and Angela at Reading Angel f. It runs from 12:01 AM on July 9 to 11:59 PM on July 11th.

Cover Mini Challenge!
Hosted by Bailey of IB Book Blogging

Question 1:What is your favourite cover that has been revealed this summer and why?
I have only just seen the Reached cover so I think it must be a recent reveal but I might be wrong!
Reached by Ally Condie- I love how it fits in so well with Matched and Crossed. On the Matched cover the girl was trapped inside of a ball, Crossed the girl is beginning to break out. Reached, the final book in the series, features the girl completely free of the ball- clever and beautiful!


Dreamless by Josephine Angelini- Again a cover that fits well with the previous book! I love the vivid colour and the continuation of the lightening theme. I can't say how well it fits with the series itself as Starcrossed is on my TBR list but this beautiful cover is bumping it up my list!


Question 2: Do you rely on the cover to help you choose whether you want to read a book or not?

If I'm browsing in a bookshop then yes an attractive cover will be the reason I pick up a radom book, this happened recently with Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. I'm much less likely to pick up a book with a boring or ugly cover- for example the original blue and orange Hunger Games covers made me think they were 'boys' books so I didn't give them a second glance.
However if I'm browsing online I'll go on the books recommended on the Amazon page of a book I already love or check out what's popular in the blog world and see if I like the sound of it! I also have been known to buy the US version of books if I really dislike the UK cover. Still need to learn not to judge a book by it's cover!


Progress So Far




If you saw my goal post here you will see I completely deviated from my plan! This book snuck up on me and I'm loving it! It's hard to keep up with all the names and ages due to reading so quickly. I'm also being a good blogger and making review notes on it so I won't get confused when I write a review after the readathon. :)


Next- Who Knows!




Let me know what you think of the Reached and Dreamless covers!
Are you taking part in the Readathon? How are you doing so far?

Much Love!
Lettie
xxxx