It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by The Book Date. A place for bloggers to gather to discuss what books they read and reviewed last week, what books they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read. This is a great way for me to plan my reading week, and get a sneak peek at what others are reading.

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What I read last week:

Last week's book was my first DNF in a very long time.  Almost always I will finish a book, even if I can't stand the story or the writing, but when it came to The Edge of Never I just couldn't struggle my way through. The writing was atrocious, the characters were bland and several of the scenes or chapters even were unnecessary. I barely made it 20% through and that was after 2 weeks of trying to get into the story. 

After seeing such a high Goodreads rating I thought this book must be amazing, but I was sourly disappointed. 

    

 

The Edge of Never

By J.A. Redmerski

What I am currently reading:

Anna and the French Kiss

By Stephanie Perkins

Up next:

The Wedding

By Nicholas Sparks

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What are y'all reading this week?

Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss

By Stephanie Perkins

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss?

Goodreads | Amazon

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My Review:
Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐

***Caution May Contain Spoilers***

“For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.”

Anna and the French Kiss has been sitting on my bookshelf for years. I always had the intent of making it my next read but as time past it got moved further and further down my list. I had heard so many amazing things regarding Stephanie Perkins and her books that I was so excited when I found Anna and the French Kiss on sale, I purchased the book right off the bat eager to crack it open and see what the hype was all about. However, sadly I never did get around to it until now and I can't believe it has taken me this long to finally read it.  

Anna and the French Kiss follows a high school senior who's parent have shipped her off to a prestigious French boarding school. Miles from her home and friends Anna must learn to navigate the Paris streets and her new school. Making new friends is fairly easy for Anna, on her first day at SOAP she is befriended by Meredith, St. Clair, Rashmi and Josh. So far things are looking good, not only is she making friends but she has also discovered she is in the most popular film city in the world, a huge plus for an aspiring film critic. Paris isn't looking so bad now, but things start to go awry when her feelings start getting in the way and her new friendships slowly start falling apart

Anna is falling for her new best friend, St. Clair, but things are not easy when it comes to their relationship. Both are too shy to admit their true feelings and both have been hurt in the past, whether by family or past relationships. The path to love is a long and bumping one for St. Clair and Anna but in the end it is all worth it, they discover the strengths they have when they are together. 

I powered through this book at a record pace, I honestly don't think I have ever finished a book so quickly. The writing had me hooked from the very first page and the characters had me pulled into the story, I was eager to find out what was in store for St. Clair and Anna. Would they find their way? 

Stephanie Perkins is probably one of my new favorite authors. I love her writing style, it kept me hooked from beginning to end and I enjoyed her witty and emotional dialogue between characters. She has a way of bringing to life these characters and the world of Paris so you as the reader feel like a part of the story. I can't wait to read the rest of her books. This book has definitely made it's way onto my recommendation list. 

Published by: K

#FirstLinesFridays: 3.27.20

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Follow the rules below: 

• Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
• Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
• Finally… reveal the book!

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“The moment the door opened I knew an ass-kicking was inevitable. Whether I’d be giving it or receiving it was still a bit of a mystery.”

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Read on to discover what book this excerpt is from:

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Stray

By Rachel Vincent

                                                    

Blurb:

There are only eight breeding female werecats left...

And I'm one of them.

I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

I'd been warned about Strays — werecats without a Pride, constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female, and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back... for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever — and whoever — I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays — 'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them... 

Goodreads | Amazon

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I love everything about this series: the story, characters, writing...absolutely everything. This series had me on the edge of my sit from beginning to end. :)

Read this years ago and it is still one of my favorites!

#FirstLinesFriday: 3.20.20

First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Follow the rules below: 

• Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
• Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
• Finally… reveal the book!

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“I was almost sixteen the first time my grandmother died.”

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Read on to discover what book this excerpt is from:

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Amber House

By: Kelly Moore, Tucker Reed & Larkin Reed

                                                   

Blurb:

Sarah Parsons has never seen Amber House, the grand Maryland estate that's been in her family for three centuries. She's never walked its hedge maze nor found its secret chambers; she's never glimpsed the shades that haunt it, nor hunted for lost diamonds in its walls.

But all of that is about to change. After her grandmother passes away, Sarah and her friend Jackson decide to search for the diamonds--and the house comes alive. She discovers that she can see visions of the house's past, like the eighteenth-century sea captain who hid the jewels, or the glamorous great-grandmother driven mad by grief. She grows closer to both Jackson and a young man named Richard Hathaway, whose family histories are each deeply entwined with her own. But when the visions start to threaten the person she holds most dear, Sarah must do everything she can to get to the bottom of the house's secrets, and stop the course of history before it is cemented forever.

Goodreads | Amazon

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This book turn out to be one of my favorite reads from last year. I had no idea going in that I was going to find myself so invested in the characters and story. Click here to read my review. 

Down the TBR Hole: 3.19.20

Down the TBR Hole is a meme created by Lia at Lost in a Story where we decide whether to keep or remove books on our TBR.

The rules for Down the TBR Hole:

• Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

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Here we go with another Down the TBR Hole!! Let's see what gets booted off this week. 

Lash

By L.G. Castillo

Date Added: May 30th, 2013

Blurb:

An angel's rules were simple. Obey the Archangels. Don't show yourself to humans. Never fall in love with one.

He broke them all.

Banished to Earth for defying the archangels, Lash is given one last chance to redeem himself. His mission is simple: protect Naomi Duran, a captivating young woman lost in grief. The assignment proves to be anything but simple when the Archangels withhold key information about Naomi and refuse to restore Lash's powers. When an unexpected source reveals centuries-old secrets, his trust is shaken to the core, and he begins to doubt those whom he had once considered to be his greatest allies.

Determined to avoid anything that would risk his chances of returning home, Lash struggles with the greatest obstacle of all--his growing feelings for Naomi. But when her life is threatened by an unknown source, Lash questions the wisdom of the Archangels and his ability to keep her safe. Soon, Lash will have to choose where to place his trust--in the home he has fought so hard to regain or in the forbidden love he can't bear to lose.

***Several years ago, this cover drew me in and had me hooked long before I read the premise. Even today I find myself drawn to this cover.***

Verdict: Keep it

Eve

By Anna Carey

Date Added: May 30th, 2013

Blurb:

Where do you go when nowhere is safe?

Sixteen years after a deadly virus wiped out most of Earth's population, the world is a perilous place. Eighteen-year-old Eve has never been beyond the heavily guarded perimeter of her school, where she and two hundred other orphaned girls have been promised a future as the teachers and artists of the New America. But the night before graduation, Eve learns the shocking truth about her school's real purpose and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she's ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Arden, her former rival from school,

and Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust... and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

In this epic new series, Anna Carey imagines a future that is both beautiful and terrifying.

***Even after all these years I am still fascinated by dystopian and end-of-the-world novels, they are some of my favorite genres. Several years later this premise still has me eager to hop on Amazon to make another book purchase.***

Verdict: Keep it

The Man from Primrose Lane

By: James Renner

Date Added: May 31st, 2020

Blurb:

A mind-bending, genre-twisting debut novel

In West Akron, there lived a reclusive elderly man who always wore mittens, even in July. He had no friends and no family; all over town, he was known only as the Man from Primrose Lane. And on a summer day in 2008, someone murdered him.

Four years later, David Neff is a broken man. The bestselling author of a true-crime book about an Ohio serial killer, Neff went into exile after his wife’s inexplicable suicide. That is, until an unexpected visit from an old friend introduces him to the strange mystery of “the man with a thousand mittens.” Soon Neff finds himself drawn back into a world he thought he had left behind forever. But the closer he gets to uncovering the true identity of the Man from Primrose Lane, the more he begins to understand the dangerous power of his own obsessions and how they may be connected to the deaths of both his beloved wife and the old hermit.

With a deft and singular blend of suspense, literature, and horror, The Man from Primrose Lane boasts as many twists and turns as a roller coaster. It’s a spellbinding journey of redemption and a reflection on the roles of fate, destiny, and obsession when it comes to matters of the heart.

***I met James Renner years ago at a book signing and was instantly intrigued by his novel. At the time I did not purchase this novel I ended up going with a different book purchase that day, but it has forever been on my mind. Even today the premise has be guessing.***

Verdict: Keep it

Dissonance

By Erica O' Rourke

Date Added: May 31st, 2013

Blurb:

Some decisions have unimaginable consequences.

Every time someone makes a choice, a new parallel world is spun off the existing one. Eating breakfast or skipping it, sneaking out instead of staying in bed—every decision creates an alternate universe in which an Echo self takes the road not traveled. As a Walker who can navigate between these realities, Del is training to help keep the dimensions in harmony.

When Del secretly starts to investigate other dissonant worlds, she get tangled up with an Echo of her longtime crush. She knows she shouldn't keep seeing him. But as Del persists, she uncovers a truth that the Council of Walkers is trying to hide—a secret that threatens the entire multiverse. 

***Like most books this cover drew me in, the vibrate colors and interesting title. However over time my taste in novels has changed some and I have become a bit more picky in the books I read.***

Verdict: Kick off

Shadowlands

By Kate Brian

Date Added: May 31st, 2013

Blurb:

Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection program. Entering the program alongside her, is her father and sister Darcy. The trio starts a new life and a new beginning leaving their friends and family behind without a goodbye.

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. Just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?

***Again we another book cover that sunk its nails into me and pulled me into its stratosphere. With a cover like that and premise that holds so much mystery how can anyone say "no".***

Verdict: Keep it

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So as we can see this week was not as productive as previous weeks, but now I can start clearing out some of these old TBRs!!

Can't Wait Wednesday: 3.18.20

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted here, at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

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I haven't read any Veronica Roth since Divergent and look forward to reading some of her more recent work. I love Divergent up until the end and Insurgent was difficult for me to get through, but that first book had me hooked from the very beginning. I look forward to seeing what she has in store for this series. :)

Chosen Ones

By Veronica Roth

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction

Format: Hardcover, ebook, audiobook

Length: 419 pages

Publication Date: April 7th, 2020 by John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Blurb:

The first novel written for an adult audience by the mega-selling author of the Divergent franchise: five twenty-something heroes famous for saving the world when they were teenagers must face even greater demons—and reconsider what it means to be a hero . . . by destiny or by choice.

A decade ago near Chicago, five teenagers defeated the otherworldly enemy known as the Dark One, whose reign of terror brought widespread destruction and death. The seemingly un-extraordinary teens—Sloane, Matt, Ines, Albie, and Esther—had been brought together by a clandestine government agency because one of them was fated to be the “Chosen One,” prophesized to save the world. With the goal achieved, humankind celebrated the victors and began to mourn their lost loved ones.

Ten years later, though the champions remain celebrities, the world has moved forward and a whole, younger generation doesn’t seem to recall the days of endless fear. But Sloane remembers. It’s impossible for her to forget when the paparazzi haunt her every step just as the Dark One still haunts her dreams. Unlike everyone else, she hasn’t moved on; she’s adrift—no direction, no goals, no purpose. On the eve of the Ten Year Celebration of Peace, a new trauma hits the Chosen: the death of one of their own. And when they gather for the funeral at the enshrined site of their triumph, they discover to their horror that the Dark One’s reign never really ended.

Goodreads | Amazon

Top Ten Tuesday ~ Spring 2020 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Each Tuesday Jana assigns a new topic...create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic - putting your own spin on it if you want.

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My goal this Spring is to finally finish my TBR of forgotten books, these are books that have been sitting on my shelf for years and slowly gotten pushed further and further down my pile. Fingers crossed I can finally get through this pile so I can move onto my Black Friday books!! :)

Click on the book title in order to be redirected to it's Goodreads page.

Top Ten Books On My Spring 2020 TBR List

               
           

          

1. The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

2. The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski

3. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

4. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

5. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

6. The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks

7. The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

8. The Forever of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen

9. Fates by Lanie Bross

10. Ruined by Paula Morris

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What books do you plan to read this Spring?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by The Book Date. A place for bloggers to gather to discuss what books they read and reviewed last week, what books they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read. This is a great way for me to plan my reading week, and get a sneak peek at what others are reading. 

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What I read last week:

This past week I was able to get through two books from my TBR of forgotten books. :) Click title to be redirected to that review.

                              

Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks

Variant by Robison Wells

What I am currently reading:

                                                         

The Edge of Never by J.A. Redmerski

Up next:

                                                        

The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski

Review: Variant by Robison Wells

Variant

By Robison Wells

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

Goodreads | Amazon




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My Review:
Rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐

When I went into this book I honestly did not have very high hopes. Variant has been sitting on my shelf for years and as time past so did my interest. The premise no longer sounded as captivating as it had the first time I read it. However, over the last few months I have been going through my TBR of forgotten books and stumbled upon this book. It was time to finally crack open this book to see what was written inside and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. 

Throughout Variant we follow Benson a foster kid that has won a scholarship to a prestige private school on the west coast. He is excited to start his new journey away from Pittsburgh and the foster life, but Maxfield Academy is not the prestige school he was promised. No teachers in sight, gangs ruling the school and no way out. 

Benson's one goal from the very start is to find a way out of his new prison. However, escaping Maxfield Academy is no easy task, especially when his peers thwart his every move. Yet, Benson is stubborn and will not stop trying...no matter what. 

I found myself hooked from the very beginning, a new mystery every chapter and I was surprised with how much I truly enjoyed this book. The mystery behind the school and students had me invested from the start. That final chapter left me hanging on such a huge cliffhanger I'm eager to purchase book 2, in order to find out what happens to Benson and his friends. I feel like I left Maxfield with more questions than when I arrived. 

This book is a great middle grade/young adult novel, it definitely keeps you guessing at every turn. 


Published by: K