Book: The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Published January 2012 by Little, Brown Books For Young Readers|183 pages

Where I Got It: the Nook Store

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

You can find The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight on goodreads & Jennifer Smith on Twitter and her website

Goodreads Summary:

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan’s life. Having missed her flight, she’s stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley’s never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport’s cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he’s British, and he’s sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it. 

What I Thought:

This is one of the cutest books I’ve ever read!  I know a lot of people really like this book, so I was a little nervous about reading it.  But I didn’t need to worry, because I absolutely loved it!It’s quite the mouthful as far as titles go, so I’ll likely shorten it to Statistical Probability so I don’t have to type out the entire title.

It really is a fun, cute, sweet story!  I love the relationship between Oliver and Hadley, and how they form a connection in an airport.  I love that it takes place over the course of one day.  And while Statistical Probability is under 200 pages, it didn’t feel like the book was too short at all!  Which sometimes happens with books under 200 pages, but not this one.  I think it’s because the book takes place over 24 hours, and while part of me wanting to know about Hadley and Oliver after meeting by chance in an airport, I’m also glad that there isn’t more.  Because I like that I can imagine what happens after.

There was a point where I couldn’t help but cry, and there are some heart-warming scenes at the end.  I’m glad Hadley started to come around to her dad and her new step-mother, and that she wanted her mother to be happy too.  She definitely had one crazy day, and I have the feeling that everything has worked out just fine.

Let’s Rate It:

I don’t have much else to say about Statistical Probability, other than it’s a wonderful book to read any time of the year.  It’s a fun, sweet story, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading her other books!  I just can’t believe it took me so long to read it! Statistical Probability gets 5 stars.

Book: The Homecoming Masquerade by Spencer Baum

Self-Published in August 2012|499 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: Girls Wearing Black #1

Genre: YA Paranormal Thriller

You can find The Homecoming Masquerade on goodreads & Spencer Baum on his website

Goodreads Summary: 

In a posh suburb of the nation’s capital, at the most exclusive high school in the world, the vampires who secretly run the government have created a game for America’s daughters of privilege. Show up to Homecoming in a black dress and you’ve entered yourself in a contest where the winner lives forever, and the loser becomes the winner’s first meal.

Only the wealthiest, most connected students can hope to win, so when new girl Nicky Bloom wears a black dress to Homecoming, everyone assumes she has a death wish. They don’t know that Nicky has her own agenda. As the dance continues into the night, they will find out that Nicky Bloom is far more than she seems.

What I Thought:

I have so many thoughts on The Homecoming Masquerade!  I do have mixed feelings about it, but overall, I found I liked it.

I actually really love the premise of the book!  It’s really unique as far as paranormal goes, and I love that it’s a paranormal thriller.  It’s such a random combination but it works really well!  Washington D.C. and an exclusive high school work perfectly as a backdrop for the book.  I have the feeling there will be a lot of intrigue.  Wearing a black dress to homecoming, and getting entered in a contest for immortality, and tasks that are not yet known to the reader…I’m definitely interested to see what’s in store for the girls.

Speaking of girls, I find it interesting that it seems open to only girls.  Why is it only open to girls?  And is there something similar for guys?  I really wish we knew more about why vampires are the ones who secretly control the government, and why this contest is only open to female half of the population.  Because in all honesty, I don’t associate women with vampires, so I’m really curious about it.  There are so many things I want to know, and they aren’t answered in this book. Maybe in the next one, but who knows?

It’s interesting that there aren’t a lot of details in terms of a girls-only contest for immortality, because the book has a lot of history about the different characters.  This is not an action-packed book at all, and the entire book takes place over the course of a few hours.  The Homecoming Masquerade is pretty much a set-up for the rest of the series.  While that’s what first books do, The Homecoming Masquerade takes it to a completely different level.  And even though we get these very detailed back-stories, I feel like I know absolutely nothing about the characters and at this point, I feel like there isn’t one girl I’m rooting for.

The book moves really slow, and it makes me wonder if the following books are going to be just as slow. Hopefully, the back story stuff is out of the way, which might help with pacing.  But it does make me nervous to keep going, because I am worried I’ll lose interest at some point because of too much detail in some areas but not enough in other areas.

Let’s Rate It: 

I liked The Homecoming Masquerade, and it’s such an interesting premise for a book!  At the same time, it moved really slow, and takes place over the course of several hours.  And there’s too much back story on the characters, but not enough detail about the world they’re living in.  I’m interested enough to keep going, but I might wait a while to pick the other books.  The Homecoming Masquerade gets 3 stars.

Book: The Chaos Of Stars by Kiersten White

Published September 2013 by HarperCollins|199 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: Stand-alone

Genre: YA Paranormal- Mythology Re-telling

You can find The Chaos Of Stars on goodreads & Kiersten White on Twitter, Facebook & her blog

Goodreads Summary: 

Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of Paranormalcy, is back with The Chaos of Stars—an enchanting novel set in Egypt and San Diego that captures the magic of first love and the eternally complicated truth about family.

Isadora’s family is seriously screwed up—which comes with the territory when you’re the human daughter of the ancient Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. Isadora is tired of living with crazy relatives who think she’s only worthy of a passing glance—so when she gets the chance to move to California with her brother, she jumps on it. But her new life comes with plenty of its own dramatic—and dangerous—complications . . . and Isadora quickly learns there’s no such thing as a clean break from family.

What I Thought:

I loved Paranormalcy, and when I saw The Chaos Of Stars, I knew I had to read it!  What I think surprised me the most was how I liked it, but not as much as I thought.

I really want to start off with the setting: my hometown of San Diego!  I loved that Balboa Park- and the Museum Of Man, in particular- was the setting for a good chunk of the book!  I actually used to work at one of the museums in Balboa Park several years ago, so it’s a place that’s very familiar to me.  I really could picture everything so well, and I’ve been to the Museum Of Man a few times, so I knew exactly which museum White was referring to without her having to name it. I kind of wish we saw more of Balboa Park, but I also understand why it’s limited to the Museum Of Man.  And I wish that it didn’t take White so long to name which museum Isadora was volunteering at.

And it actually works really with Isadora’s story and how she was the human daughter of Isis and Osiris. There’s this ancient Egypt exhibit that’s been there for as long as I can remember, and I loved seeing Isadora’s reaction to volunteering there, given her connection to ancient Egypt and its mythology.  Her reaction to the resident’s Free Tuesday was absolutely hysterical and pretty spot-on.  It took me a while to stop laughing, because I still have some very interesting memories of resident’s Free Tuesday.  I don’t think it was meant to be funny, but to someone who’s worked 3 years worth of Free Tuesday, it’s absolutely hilarious.

Side Note/Explanation: Balboa Park has 13-ish museums and the San Diego Zoo, and every Tuesday, some of the museums are free to San Diego residents.  It rotates every week, so different museums are free every week, and every museum has one free day a month. Except for the 2 or 3 museums that are already free.

As much as I loved that San Diego was the setting for a good chunk of the book, I was kind of surprised that San Diego was the other setting…because I don’t typically associate us totally awesome ancient Egyptian artifacts that other cities might have.  Don’t get me wrong, Balboa Park is a really awesome place, and there’s is some really cool exhibits in the museums, but it seems like things tend to go to places like New York or L.A. or London.  I know it’s away from her parents, and she kind of needs to be away from them in order for the ending to happen (and really, getting artifacts like the ones that Isadora has seen her entire life would be great for the Museum of Man), but it’s still slightly weird.

Speaking of Egyptian mythology, I love that The Chaos Of Stars focused on Egyptian mythology, with only a hint of Greek mythology.  I haven’t come across too many stories focusing on Egyptian mythology, and there’s maybe two or three other books that have done Egyptian mythology re-tellings that I can think of.  It’s definitely different, and it’s an interesting take on Egyptian mythology.  It was slightly confusing in the beginning, which made it hard to get fully into the book, but once Isadora got to San Diego, things seemed infinitely less confusing.

Her crossing paths with the Greek mythology version of herself was interesting, and I liked the idea that all mythologies have human children out there, and that the different gods and goddesses are real.  I kind of wish that the mythology White added were explained a little better, but it did make sense by the end of the book.

And this is random but I had to say that I love the cover!  It’s so pretty and simple and goes with the book so very well.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked The Chaos Of Stars, but not as much as I was expecting or hoping.  I love that it was set in San Diego, and in a place that’s really familiar to me!  I was slightly confused in the beginning, but the fact that it’s a re-telling of Egyptian mythology is pretty unique.  The Chaos Of Stars gets 3 stars.

Book: Shades Of Earth by Beth Revis

Published January 2013 by Penguin Group|359 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: Across The Universe #3

Genre: YA Science Fiction/Dystopic

You can find Shades Of Earth on goodreads & Beth Revis on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship” Godspeed” behind. They’re ready to start life afresh–to build a home–on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn’t the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? “Godspeed”‘s former passengers aren’t alone on this planet. And if they’re going to stay, they’ll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who–or what–else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed–friends, family, life on Earth–will have been for nothing. 

FUELED BY LIES. RULED BY CHAOS. ALMOST HOME.

What I Thought:

What’s really interesting about this series is that while I really like the series as a whole, I also have found that I’ve liked each book less and less as it went on.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked Shades Of Earth, and it’s actually really interesting what’s going on in this version of earth, but I just didn’t get as into it as the previous two books.

Centauri-Earth is definitely a strange place, and everything that’s been happening on Centauri-Earth while Godspeed was hovering above the planet was unexpected.  But it’s one of my favorite parts of the book because they’re not the only ones on the planet,and everything they thought they knew is proven wrong.

I’m actually not sure how I feel about any of the characters.  I’m actually feeling pretty neutral about them, and I don’t really have thoughts on them either way.  Except for Amy’s parents, who we finally meet, and even then, I don’t have strong feelings either way.  I understand why Amy’s dad acted the way he did, but I really didn’t care for him.  And I wish we saw more of Amy’s mom, but as she was a scientist and not stepping in as a leader (like Amy’s dad had to), it’s to be expected that we wouldn’t see a lot of her.

Leadership: It’s to be expected that Elder and the military leaders (namely, Amy’s dad) are not going to get along.  I’m not surprised that the people of Godspeed and the people brought in had their share of issues, but something about it bugged me and I’m not sure why.

Still, I liked all of the different conflicts, and while they were explored just fine, I still wish there was a little more to it. Which actually leads me to the ending, which is pretty open as far endings go.  I don’t mind open endings (for the most part) and I’m glad it ended the way it did.  Given where they end up, things aren’t going to be wrapped up with a pretty little bow, and I like that they have to figure things out.  I’d actually be interested to see another book set in this world to see how things turn out after this book ends.  (Kind of like how the Uglies series had Extras, which took place a few years after the series ended).

I did like the descriptions of Centauri-Earth and how different but similar it is to the earth that we live on.  Sometimes things moved really fast, but there were other times when it felt like things were going really slow, and so the pacing of the book felt a little off.

Let’s Rate It:

I liked Shades Of Earth and found all of the different conflicts to be one of the more interesting parts of the book.  And it’s the same thing with everything that happened on Centauri-Earth.  I just couldn’t get as into it as I did with the other books. Shades Of Earth gets 3 stars.

Book: The Program by Suzanne Young

Published April 2013 by Simon Pulse|302 pages

Where I Got It: nook store

Series: The Program #1

Genre: YA Dystopic

You can find The Program on goodreads & Suzanne Young on Twitter, Facebook, and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program. Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories. Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

What I Thought: 

The Program is definitely an interesting book…I liked it, but it’s also a book that I have mixed feelings about.  There is something oddly unsettling (maybe even disturbing) about this book.

I mean, the book focuses on suicide as epidemic, with having to go into The Program at the first sign of a problem.  Teens get flagged in the system, and they have to fill out a questionnaire every morning, and you really have to show no emotion whatsoever if you don’t want to end up in The Program. Depression and suicide is stigmatized to the point of kids going through this horrible treatment, and I think that’s part of why it’s so unsettling.  Treatment for mental illness is good, but this treatment?  It definitely scares me.  This government’s way of dealing with suicide is horrible on so many levels, and totally not the best way to deal with it.  I think it’s also unsettling because it’s something I can also see happening.  If erasing someone’s memories means that they won’t commit suicide…I can see why parents agree to it, and why it could come up as a solution to deal with it.  But as someone who’s dealt with it…I wouldn’t want that part of me erased, no matter how painful.  Especially if I didn’t remember people who mattered to me.

The idea that depression and suicide are related to memories that need to be erased didn’t completely sit well with me. Depression and memories may be the case for some people, but it’s not as simple or as linked as the book makes it seem, because depression can be caused by so many things, and not just memories that need to be erased.  I just wish we knew more about why it’s considered an epidemic and how the treatment came to be.

Also: the idea that suicide/depression is an infection that can be passed around definitely makes me not happy.

The Program definitely reminds me of Delirium, and it’s definitely different than a lot of other dystopic books I’ve read. It’s definitely interesting, and I’m kind of curious about where things are going, especially with the epilogue.  I’m not sure how I feel about the epilogue, because it was totally unexpected, and I’m really wondering how we get from the last chapter to the epilogue that takes place 2 years later.

I think the first part of the book is definitely the most interesting, and I think it’s because it’s the part that deals with suicide the most.  I was still intrigued by Sloane’s time in the program and what life was like for after leaving the program.  I feel like the tension that we see in the first part of the book drop off in the rest of the book.

Let’s Rate It:

I know it seems like I didn’t like The Program, but I did!  There is something compelling about the program and how kids end up there, and why it only affects teens (but not adults) and so many details I feel like we didn’t get in this book.  I’m not sure if I’m interested enough to keep reading this series, but I might pick up the next book sometime in the future.  The Program gets 3 stars.

Book: Pandemic by Yvonne Ventresca

Published May 2014 by Sky Pony Press|216 pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary/Survival

You can find Pandemic on goodreads & Yvonne Ventresca on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: 

Even under the most normal circumstances, high school can be a painful and confusing time. Unfortunately, Lilianna’s circumstances are anything but normal. Only a few people know what caused her sudden change from model student to the withdrawn pessimist she has become, but her situation isn’t about to get any better. When people begin coming down with a quick-spreading illness that doctors are unable to treat, Lil’s worst fears are realized. With her parents called away on business before the contagious outbreak-her father in Delaware covering the early stages of the disease and her mother in Hong Kong and unable to get a flight back to New Jersey-Lil’s town is hit by what soon becomes a widespread illness and fatal disaster. Now, she’s more alone than she’s been since the “incident” at her school months ago.

With friends and neighbors dying all around her, Lil does everything she can just to survive. But as the disease rages on, so does an unexpected tension as Lil is torn between an old ex and a new romantic interest. Just when it all seems too much, the cause of her original trauma shows up at her door. In this thrilling debut from author Yvonne Ventresca, Lil must find a way to survive not only the outbreak and its real-life consequences, but also her own personal demons.

What I Thought:

I’ve been excited about Pandemic for a while- excited enough to start reading it when it came out.  I really liked it, and it’s one of those books I won’t forget anytime soon.

A horrible, horrible strain of the flu breaks out, which becomes a disaster as it spreads all over the world.  What makes this book frightening and terrifyingly real is that it’s a scenario I can see happening.  Especially since it seems like it really could happen any time now.

And the flu combined with all of Lil’s issues were a good combination.  Having enough supplies and worrying about things like global pandemic and infectious diseases seemed to be Lil’s way of dealing with the Mr. B incident months earlier at school.  I really felt for Lil and everything that was going on with the pandemic. There’s so much going on, and I was definitely interested throughout the entire book.  It’s a book where no one is safe, and I liked that you never knew who was going to die, and that it happened to people you got to know.  Ventresca didn’t shy away from that at all, which made the book feel so much more realistic.

I love that Lil’s good side really came through and that people came together to make sure people were taken care of.  The hope that people have and trying to get through hard, scary and uncertain times really came through and there is a definite sense of community in the book.  Which was nice.  There really is a good balance of hope and community along with uncertain scariness.

Let’s Rate It:

I really enjoyed Pandemic!  It’s action-packed and realistic…like, creepy, scary realistic.  Pandemic gets 4 stars.