Tag Archives: 2016 books

Book Review: Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

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Life After Theft CoverBook: Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

Published April 2013 by HarperCollins|226 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: Life After Theft #1

Genre: YA Paranormal/Ghosts

Blog Graphic-What It's AboutAprilynne Pike, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Wings series, shines in this stand-alone novel that offers a humorous twist on ghosts and is perfect for fans of Ally Carter, Rachel Hawkins, and Kiersten White.

Kimberlee Schaffer may be drop-dead gorgeous…but she also dropped dead last year. Now she needs Jeff’s help with her unfinished business, and she’s not taking no for an answer. When she was alive, Kimberlee wasn’t just a mean girl; she was also a complete kleptomaniac. So if Jeff wants to avoid being haunted until graduation, he’ll have to help her return all of the stolen items. But Jeff soon discovers that it’s much easier to steal something than it is to bring it back.

Paying for your mistakes takes on a whole new meaning in this hauntingly clever twist on The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I’ve been a huge fan of Aprilynne Pike ever since I read her Wings series, and I knew it was finally time to pick up Life After Theft!

I liked it, and Kimberlee is definitely sarcastic, which I thought added some really interesting but funny moments between her and Jeff.  I really liked Jeff, and Kimberlee was pretty unlikeable, especially in contrast to Sera. Especially once we start learning more about Kimberlee when she was alive, and that made me like her even less. I didn’t mind not liking her, though, with Sera, we see how much Sera tried to change, while Kimberlee seemed to be stuck and unable to move past anything…not just in death, but in life too.  Kimberlee is pretty selfish, and I think she does start to realize how wrong her past actions were, but it was a little too late.

Jeff really was the perfect person to see Kimberlee, though.  He’s new in town, and he doesn’t know Kimberlee, and he’s such a good guy that he was willing to help return all of the stuff she stole.  It is interesting that he’s the only one who would see her, and it does sort of make me wonder why he could see her when no one else could.  Him being new probably has a lot to do with, but now that I think about it, I wonder if there are other reasons for it was him, and no one else.

I also kind of wish we saw more of Kimberlee’s perspective.  I’m not the biggest fan of dual narration, but I think it could have worked really well in this book.  Still, even though Kimberlee was a character I didn’t like, and even though she did some pretty horrible things, she was still an interesting character, and maybe seeing at least a chapter or two from her perspective would have changed how I saw her.  Or maybe not, but either way, I wouldn’t have minded that at all.

As a re-telling of The Scarlet Pimpernel…I’ve never read it, and I have no idea what it’s about, but I have heard of it. So, I don’t know if that’s why I liked it, and didn’t love it, and if it would have made a difference in how I felt about the characters, or if I still would have felt the same way about the book.  And I obviously can’t speak to how it is as a re-telling.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

3 stars.  I liked it, especially the characters and how witty some of them were.

Book Review: The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro And Chuck Hogan

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The Strain CoverBook: The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan

Published June 2009 by HarperCollins|373 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: The Strain #1

Genre: Adult Apocalyptic/Thriller/Vampires

Blog Graphic-What It's About

A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Ephraim “Eph” Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.

In a pawnshop in Spanish Harlem, a former professor and survivor of the Holocaust named Abraham Setrakian knows something is happening. And he knows the time has come, that a war is brewing.

So begins a battle of mammoth proportions as the vampiric virus that has infected New York begins to spill out into the streets. Eph, who is joined by Setrakian and a motley crew of fighters, must now find a way to stop the contagion and save his city – a city that includes his wife and son – before it is too late.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I’ve wanted to read The Strain for a while, and finally picked it up a few weeks ago.  It was a pretty interesting book, and I liked the idea of the book a lot.  Vampires by way of a virus isn’t a new idea (Julie Kagawa’s Blood Of Eden trilogy comes to mind), but I liked seeing it as it happened and as the CDC tries to figure out what’s going on.

I did like The Strain, and I know at one point, it was a t.v. show- I have no idea if it’s still airing, but either way, the entire time I was reading it, I kept thinking about how it would be a great t.v. show.  It really was written like it was meant to be on t.v., and I’m not sure if it’s because the book was written with the intention of eventually being adapted for t.v., or if it’s something that, because of what it’s about, would be great to watch.

It was hard to put down, though, and I found I really liked Abraham Setrakian.  The other characters…not so much, but since it’s been a few weeks since I’ve read the book, Abraham is the only character I actually remember.  I think I vaguely remember a nanny from Haiti, and I vaguely remember her being really interesting, and wanting to know more about her story, but other than that, I couldn’t tell you about any of the other characters if my life depended on it.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

3 stars.  I did like The Strain, and it was definitely a page-turner that would be really interesting to watch. Most of the characters didn’t stick with me, but I did like the premise of the book, and the vampires were definitely horrible and creepy.

Book Review: Delirium Stories by Lauren Oliver

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Delirium Novellas CoverBook: Delirium Stories: Hana, Annabel & Raven by Lauren Oliver

Published March 2013 by HarperCollins|208 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the paperback from the library

Series: Delirum # 0.5 (Hana), 1.5 (Annabel) and 2.5 (Raven)

Genre: YA Dystopia

Blog Graphic-What It's About

For the first time, Lauren Oliver’s short stories about characters in the Delirium world appear in print. Originally published as digital novellas, Hana, Annabel, and Raven each center around a fascinating and complex character who adds important information to the series and gives it greater depth. This collection also includes an excerpt from Requiem, the final novel in Oliver’s New York Times bestselling series.

Hana is told through the perspective of Lena’s best friend, Hana Tate. Set during the tumultuous summer before Lena and Hana are supposed to be cured, this story is a poignant and revealing look at a moment when the girls’ paths diverge and their futures are altered forever.

Lena’s mother, Annabel, has always been a mystery–a ghost from Lena’s past–until now. Her journey from teenage runaway to prisoner of the state is a taut, gripping narrative that expands the Delirium world and illuminates events–and Lena–through a new point of view.

And as the passionate, fierce leader of a rebel group in the Wilds, Raven plays an integral role in the resistance effort and comes into Lena’s life at a crucial time. Crackling with intensity, Raven is a brilliant story told in the voice of one of the strongest and most tenacious characters in the Delirium world.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I randomly saw this at the library and thought it might be interesting to read!  This one is the three novels set in the same world as Delirium trilogy, and I loved Hana but thought Annabel and Raven were okay.

Hana is definitely my favorite of the three.  I liked seeing Hana on her own, and something about her story really struck me.  Maybe it’s because she really just needed to have her moment of rebellion before going back to her life.

Annabel’s story was okay, as was Raven’s.  I could care less about Annabel, but we do see her life now and through flashbacks, but I’m so ambivalent about her that I can’t outright hate her story.  And Raven’s was just re-hashing what we already knew about her.

I’m not sure if the individual stories were published as the series was coming out, or if they were all published later on, but having read all three after reading the series has come out, I wasn’t super into it.  They didn’t really add much in terms of world-building, and other than Hana and Annabel, I feel like we don’t learn a lot about the characters. Annabel and Raven’s stories are also pretty forgettable, because I’m writing this several hours after reading Annabel and Raven, and not much has stuck.

I don’t know if re-reading the series would have made a difference in liking it more, or if, at this point I just don’t care.  And while I liked the series overall, I’m not sure if I liked it enough to read the novellas…which I did because I was curious.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

2 stars.  Overall, it’s pretty forgettable, especially if you haven’t read the Delirium trilogy in a while.  And for me, it didn’t add a lot to the series or the world.

Book Review: Where The Streets Have A Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah

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0-545-17292-6Book: Where The Streets Have A Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Published January 2008 by Scholastic|313 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Blog Graphic-What It's About

Thirteen year old Hayaat is on a mission. She believes a handful of soil from her grandmother’s ancestral home in Jerusalem will save her beloved Sitti Zeynab’s life. The only problem is that Hayaat and her family live behind the impenetrable wall that divides the West Bank, and they’re on the wrong side of check points, curfews, and the travel permit system. Plus, Hayaat’s best friend Samy always manages to attract trouble. But luck is on the pair’s side as they undertake the journey to Jerusalem from the Palestinian Territories when Hayaat and Samy have a curfew-free day to travel.

But while their journey may only be a few kilometers long, it could take a lifetime to complete…

Humorous and heartfelt, Where The Streets Had A Name deals with the Israel-Palestinian conflict with sensitivity and grace and will open a window on this timely subject.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I liked Where The Streets Had A Name!  Not as much as the other books I’ve read from her, but I still really liked it!

Unfortunately, the conflict we see in the book is something that I know nothing about, but I really am glad that Abdel-Fattah wrote such a great book.  I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like to live in Hayaat’s world, and it definitely made me realize how little I pay attention to what’s going on in the world.

I think there may be an assumption that the reader knows at least a little bit about the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and I think an author’s note would have been nice.  Not that I, or other reader’s, can’t learn more about it on their own, but…it still would have been nice.  It didn’t take away from the novel at all, and it’s a story I think everyone needs to read.  And even though I’m not at all familiar with the conflict we see in the book, I think this book is so important because I think it’s about a side that probably doesn’t get the coverage that the other side does.

You still get a clear picture of what life is like for Hayaat and her family, especially with some of the flashbacks/stories we see in the book.  I really felt for them, and Abdel-Fattah does such a wonderful job at showing several different perspectives, and how everyone…they’re just people.  It would have been so easy for her to write one side as…bad…but she doesn’t.  She’s very neutral, but it’s also clear that it was important to her that this story be told.  While it’s very different than her other books, I am glad I read it because it’s about hope and courage and how important family is, even when things have changed so much.

I also really liked the glossary at the end of the book, and I did find myself flipping back and forth when I came across a word I didn’t know.  It was really helpful to have!

Blog Graphic- My Rating

4 stars.  I really liked it, but I didn’t love it.  I still recommend it, though!

Book Review: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

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The Distance Between Us CoverBook: The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

Published July 2013 by HarperCollins|218 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: None

Genre: YA Contempoary

Blog Graphic-What It's About

Money can’t buy a good first impression.

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers learned early that the rich are not to be trusted. And after years of studying them from behind the cash register of her mom’s porcelain-doll shop, she has seen nothing to prove otherwise. Enter Xander Spence—he’s tall, handsome, and oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and the fact that he seems to be one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But just when Xander’s loyalty and attentiveness are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. With so many obstacles standing in their way, can she close the distance between them?

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I thought I’d like The Distance Between Us a lot more than I actually did.  I loved On The Fence, and thought I’d be reading something sort of similar, but it was something I didn’t like as much as I thought because it left me feeling like I was reading something really different than what I thought I was getting.

I did like the humor in the book, and I think that’s something West does well.  But I think, of the books I’ve read by West so far, this one is my least favorite.

I didn’t care about the romance and it was a bit too much on the Cinderella-side.  It’s not that a guy like Xander couldn’t be interested in Caymen, because he could, but something about it felt a little too fake.  It’s a little hard to believe that a guy with Xander’s social status would be interested in Caymen.  It seemed a little too cliche, and it wasn’t done in a way that made me not care how cliche it was.  I just felt like there was no chemistry between them, but I did like that they were both trying to find their place in the world.  It felt more platonic than romantic.

I also felt like their financial situation and why Caymen never knew her grandparents was a little bit forced.  The grandparents showing up seemed really abrupt, and things were perfectly fine, even though they weren’t part of her life until that point.  Even though I can understand why her mom had issues with wealthy people, it also seemed a little fake, like it was there just as a random obstacle coming between Xander and Caymen.

I also wish we saw more of the relationship between Caymen and her mom, because while Caymen talked about how good of a relationship, I also wish we saw it instead of having it be told to us.

Actually, now that I think about it, a lot of the elements of the book reminded me of Gilmore Girls…but as a book, and not as good.  I just felt like some of the issues that we see in the book weren’t given a lot of attention, and even though I really like the premise, this book just didn’t work for me.  Adult me wasn’t a fan, but I think maybe teenage me would have loved the book.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

2 stars.  The Distance Between Us was just okay.  I liked how Caymen was really sarcastic, and her dry sense of humor, but the romance felt forced and cliche.

Book Review: This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

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This Raging Light CoverBook: This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

Published December 2015 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|160 Pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Blog Graphic-What It's About

Can the best thing happen at the worst time?

Her dad went crazy. Her mom left town. She has bills to pay and a little sister to look after. Now is not the time for level-headed seventeen-year-old Lucille to fall in love. But love—messy, inconvenient love—is what she’s about to experience when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend’s brother. With blazing longing that builds to a fever pitch, Estelle Laure’s soulful debut will keep readers hooked and hoping until the very last page.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I was so excited about reading This Raging Light, but I ended up not liking it.  Which makes me a little sad, because I really liked the premise of the book.

I don’t read a lot of stories where the protagonist is helping pay bills and takes care of a younger sibling to the point that they are basically like a parent to their sibling, but it wasn’t until I was reading this book that I realized how tired I am of this trope.  The parents aren’t in the picture, and Lucy is left to get a job once the money her mom left runs out, and it was just really frustrating to read.  Especially because nothing really gets resolved in terms of her mom leaving.  There really isn’t anything resolved in terms of her dad either, but given her dad is in a halfway house, it makes sense things aren’t really resolved with him.  But we never find out if her mom comes back, or even find out what’s going on with her mom while she’s gone.

And we don’t really get anything about why her parents left, and why Lucille is left to take care of her younger sister. We do get a little bit of backstory, but we’re sort of thrown into Lucy taking care of her sister with no explanation. I also didn’t understand what the point of them leaving was when their story wasn’t completely resolved.

Things are really unresolved at the end of the book, and there are so many things going on that everything is left fairly open-ended at the end of the book.  I don’t mind when things are a little unresolved, but I felt like things were going in so many different directions that I wasn’t sure where the book was going, and things felt glossed over.  I felt things weren’t dealt with very well, especially with how short the book is.

As for the romance…I didn’t feel it at all.  For one thing, Digby cheated on his girlfriend, and she wasn’t really in the book until the end (I think- but I can’t really remember, but I’m pretty sure either her or someone close to her did show up at the end).  I’m confused about why he even needed a girlfriend if she doesn’t even show up. He didn’t even seem interested in Lucille, and then they kiss and all of a sudden, he’s interested in her.  I felt like there was no chemistry between them.

I felt for Lucille, and she was in a tough position, but she also didn’t really stand out to me as a character.  She did seem to have some support from her neighbors and from Digby, and even a little from her best friend, before her best friend gave her the silent treatment for no apparent reason.  I didn’t really feel their friendship, and that too was a little lackluster for me.

I didn’t like the attitude some people seemed to have that it was perfectly okay for a 17-year-old to take care of her sister, and not call anyone about it.  It does seem like a small town, but still.  Just because Lucille’s mom and aunt were in a similar situation when they were kids doesn’t mean it’s okay for Lucille to have to take on that role, even though Lucille is 17-going-on-18.  It’s okay, because her mom went through something similar?  No, it’s not okay. It just really bothered me that people knew and just randomly filled her kitchen up with food.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

1 star.  I didn’t like This Raging Light- I thought it was going in too many different directions that were never fully resolved, and the romance was pretty lackluster.

Book Review: Gabi, A Girl In Pieces by Isabel Quintero

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Gabi, A Girl In Pieces CoverBook: Gabi, A Girl In Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Published October 2014 by Cinco Puntos Press|284 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the paperback from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Blog Graphic-What It's About

Gabi Hernandez chronicles her last year in high school in her diary: college applications, Cindy’s pregnancy, Sebastian’s coming out, the cute boys, her father’s meth habit, and the food she craves. And best of all, the poetry that helps forge her identity.

July 24

My mother named me Gabriella, after my grandmother who, coincidentally, didn’t want to meet me when I was born because my mother was unmarried, and therefore living in sin. My mom has told me the story many, many, MANY, times of how, when she confessed to my grandmother that she was pregnant with me, her mother beat her. BEAT HER! She was twenty-five. That story is the basis of my sexual education and has reiterated why it’s important to wait until you’re married to give it up. So now, every time I go out with a guy, my mom says, “Ojos abiertos, piernas cerradas.” Eyes open, legs closed. That’s as far as the birds and the bees talk has gone. And I don’t mind it. I don’t necessarily agree with that whole wait until you’re married crap, though. I mean, this is America and the 21st century; not Mexico one hundred years ago. But, of course, I can’t tell my mom that because she will think I’m bad. Or worse: trying to be White.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I really liked Gabi, A Girl In Pieces!  I can’t believe it’s Quintero’s debut novel, because, for some reason, I thought that Quintero was a lot of other books out there.

I really liked Gabi’s story, and how it’s told through diary entries.  Something about this book made me think of Princess Diaries, and I think they’re a good read alike for each other.  Gabi’s honest, and she has to deal with so many things.  I really felt for her, and I really liked her and there’s something about her that made me want to hug her. She’s also really funny, and I really wish that a book like this was out when I was in high school, because I am pretty sure teenage me would have LOVED it.  I still really like it, though, and I think the thing I related to the most was how she sometimes felt insecure about how she looked (don’t we all, though?) and I can really relate to turning lobster red after being in the sun for a while.

I feel like Gabi is so aware of everything going on in her life- the diary format really gets her to reflect on things, and we really see her change over the course of a year.  There’s something very sincere about Gabi and she does have her flaws, but I love that she’s flawed, and doesn’t try to be anyone other than herself.

I did want to talk about the cover!  This is a book I’ve wanted to read for a while, and while I like that the cover is totally how Gabi sees herself, and that it’s a color version of the illustration we see in the book, that she draws for her zine.  I can see people not picking up the book because of the cover, but if you can get past the cover, this really is a great book.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

4 stars.  I didn’t love it, but Gabi definitely has a unique voice!

Book Review: Soundless by Richelle Mead

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Soundless CoverBook: Soundless by Richelle Mead

Published November 2015 by Razorbill|266 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Fantasy

Blog Graphic-What It's About

In a village without sound…

For as long as Fei can remember, no one in her village has been able to hear. Rocky terrain and frequent avalanches make it impossible to leave the village, so Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom.

When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink. Many go hungry. Fei and all the people she loves are plunged into crisis, with nothing to look forward to but darkness and starvation.

One girl hears a call to action…

Until one night, Fei is awoken by a searing noise. Sound becomes her weapon.

She sets out to uncover what’s happened to her and to fight the dangers threatening her village. A handsome miner with a revolutionary spirit accompanies Fei on her quest, bringing with him new risks and the possibility of romance. They embark on a majestic journey from the peak of their jagged mountain village to the valley of Beiguo, where a startling truth will change their lives forever…

And unlocks a power that will save her people.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

I was really intrigued by Soundless, because not only is it a fantsasy inspired by Chinese mythology, but it’s a village comprised of people who cannot hear.  Unfortunately, Soundless was really lackluster, and I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would.  Actually, I didn’t like it at all.

First of all, this book is a stand-alone, and I don’t know that fantasy works very well as a stand-alone.  It’s just, how do you give enough world-building to make the world feel real, while also keeping the story contained to one book? It seems like something that’s very hard to balance and do well, and things were really vague and pretty much happened because they needed to happen with no real explanation.

As for Fei’s village…I was intrigued by the fact that they couldn’t hear, but it didn’t work for me.  It came across as them being telepathic, rather than signing to each other, and I actually forgot that they couldn’t hear until signing was mentioned.  I don’t know if it’s something that doesn’t come across well in print, or if maybe it can be done well in print, but not with how Mead did it in this book, but it really came across as mental telepathy.  I did like how some of their signs were different than signs in a couple of near-by villages, and I wish we got more of that.  And back to the vagueness of world-building, I thought why they had issues with hearing and, for some, seeing, was interesting, but could have been a lot more interesting with more background.

And…I didn’t really get the sense that the book was steeped in Chinese mythology.  Granted, I know nothing about about Chinese mythology and folklore, so maybe that’s why I didn’t get the connection to Chinese mythology.  But at the same time, I felt like, if you changed the character names, Fei’s village could have been on any mountain on any continent.  It seemed like the names were the only part of the book that were Chinese.

Overall, I really wanted to like the story, but I couldn’t.  Which is a little disappointing, because her Vampire Academy series was a lot of fun too read, and the concept is such a cool idea.  Maybe Soundless would have worked better as a series, instead of trying to fit everything into one book.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

1 star.  Soundless fell really flat for me, and it could have been really interesting, but unfortunately, it had a lot of things working against it.

Book Review: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

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Every Last Word CoverBook: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Published June 2015 by Disney Press|257 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

If you could read my mind, you wouldn’t be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can’t turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn’t help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she’d be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam’s weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet’s Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more “normal” than she ever has as part of the popular crowd…until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

Blog Graphic- What I Thought

This book is so, so special!  It’s my favorite book of the year so far, and I love it for so many reasons!

Like, I love that there’s a book about a character who’s OCD.  It’s nice to see a book about someone who’s not depressed/suicidal.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic books that deal with depression/suicide, but it’s really nice to see a book that deal with mental illness- and something that’s not depression.  Reading this book really makes me want to read more books that deal with mental illness that’s not depression.

I also love that she sees a psychiatrist, and that we actually see her sessions- and that while she worries about her friends finding out, she does work hard to not let it take over her life.  I loved that she had swimming and that she had the Poet’s Corner, and that poetry became such a great outlet for her.  The poetry throughout the book was beautiful, and she has such good friends in the Poet’s Corner.

The ending had me crying, and it was one I didn’t see coming, but at the same time, it somehow fit with what was going on in Sam’s life.

I also really liked the aspect of Sam’s friendships with the popular girls.  It was interesting to see her have such toxic relationships, and how hard it was for her to let them go because they had such a shared history.  But she really did become a lot stronger than she already was, and she really become someone completely amazing.

The note that Stone had at the end of the book was also really nice to read because it felt like Stone put a lot of care into the book, and into making sure that her portrayal of Sam was authentic and accurate as possible. Something about Sam’s story rang true, and while it isn’t representative of every single experience of OCD,  I also thought it was a really great representation of one person’s story.

Blog Graphic- My Rating

5 stars.  I think this book is really special and amazing, and words cannot express how much I loved this book!

Book Review: Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah

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0-545-05055-3Book #1: Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Published January 2009 by Orchard Books|304 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

What It’s About: Randa Abdel-Fattah’s new novel about about finding your place in life…and learning to accept yourself and your culture.

“At school I’m Aussie-blonde Jamie- one of the crowd. At home I’m Muslim Jamilah- driven mad by my Stone Age dad. I should win an Oscar for my acting skills. But I can’t keep it up for much longer…”

Jamie just wants to fit in. She doesn’t want to be seen as a stereotypical Muslim girl, so she does everything possible to hide that part of herself. Even if it means pushing her friends away because she’s afraid to let them know her dad forbids her from hanging out with boys or that she secretly loves to play the darabuka (Arabic drums).

What I Thought: I really liked it!  After reading Does My Head Look Big In This? last year (and really liking it- it was in the running for one of my favorite books), I knew I wanted to read Abdel-Fattah’s other books!  I really liked Jamie, and I feel like she’s someone we can all relate to because I think we all have parts of ourselves that we want to hide from others.  And with how some of her classmates treat people from other ethnic backgrounds, I don’t blame her for wanting to hide that part of herself, especially with how people see Muslims and people from Middle East. Abdel-Fattah did such a great job at showing how she struggles with her identity within two cultures.  I did like that she became more open at the end of the book, and that she revealed Jamilah to her classmates- and it really made me wish we saw a little bit more of that in the book!

My Rating: 4 stars.  I really liked it, and it’s definitely worth reading!

Rebels By Accident CoverBook #2: Rebels By Accident by Patricia Dunn

Published December 2014 by Sourcebooks|223 pages

Where I Got It: I own the e-book

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

What It’s About: Mariam Just Wants to Fit In.

That’s not easy when she’s the only Egyptian at her high school and her parents are super traditional. So when she sneaks into a party that gets busted, Mariam knows she’s in trouble…big trouble.

Convinced she needs more discipline and to reconnect with her roots, Mariam’s parents send her to Cairo to stay with her grandmother, her sittu.

But Marian’s strict sittu and the country of her heritage are nothing like she imagined, challenging everything Mariam once believed.

As Mariam searches for the courage to be true to herself, a teen named Asmaa calls on the people of Egypt to protest their president. The country is on the brink of revolution—and now, in her own way, so is Mariam.

What I Thought: I thought Rebels By Accident was just okay- overall, I’m feeling sort of ambivalent about it. There were some things about the book I thought were odd.  Like, Mariam’s parents, who are really strict, are somehow okay with sending her to Egypt to stay with her grandmother…with the best friend who she went to the party with. Really?  You think her BFF is a bad influence, and you’re really strict, and yet you’re completely okay with the two of them flying to Egypt by themselves?  I really don’t get it, but I’m hoping there’s a cultural aspect I’m missing.

I also thought there would be more about the dissent in Egypt, and yet we don’t get a lot of it.  I get that it’s before things really got going, but for some reason, I thought it would have a bigger role in the story.  I also felt like it was more of a fun outing that staying with her grandmother as a form of punishment.  I didn’t care for Mariam- we all have insecurities, but it seemed over the top with her, and a bit too stereotypical.  Also stereotypical was her best friend, who seemed to be trying a little too hard to learn everything possible about Egyptian culture (it could have been nice, but it was just annoying).

My Rating: 2 stars.  It’s okay, but her parents sending her to Egypt made zero sense, I really wanted more of the dissent/political issues going on, and Mariam and her best friend fell flat.

Proxy CoverBook #3: Proxy by Alex London

Published June 2013 by Philomel Books|384 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: Proxy #1

Genre: YA Dystopic

What It’s About: Knox was born into one of the City’s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.

Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own.

Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid.

What I Thought: Proxy was a book I was really intrigued by, but I end up thinking it was okay.  While the actual concept of a proxy is interesting, I didn’t really like it as much as I thought.  For some reason, I thought we see more from that part of it, but we only see Syd get one punishment.  I guess it makes sense, because you need to focus on one thing, but honestly, something about it didn’t work for me.  It was a lot more boring/uninteresting than I thought, and it’s a pretty forgettable book.  I did like that Proxy’s are named after literary figures.  And that Syd is gay added something to the book, though I can’t explain why.  It did seem like there might have more to that story line, and it fizzled and got lost in everything else going on.  Knox was obnoxious, and Syd is a little sympathetic, but overall, I wasn’t terribly invested in what happened to Syd.

My Rating: 2 stars.  It’s an interesting idea, but overall, pretty forgettable.  Even though the ending was interesting, it wasn’t enough to make me want to pick up the next book.