A Daring Proposal - Review

A Daring Proposal (Memorable Proposals, # 3)

By: Jennie Goutet

Publication: February 8, 2022 by Cedar Fort, Inc.

299 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Regency

Source: YouTube Audiobooks

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--She has loved him for as long as she remembers. He is fast discovering his newfound attachment. And now they may never see each other again. Phoebe Tunstall has lived her entire life in the shadow of her outgoing twin sister and in service to her maiden aunt. When she suddenly finds herself alone and free of all responsibility to others, she decides to heed the challenge thrown out by the man she has long admired-her brother's best friend, Lord Ingram. Frederick Ingram is reeling from the shock of learning that his first love has married someone else upon mere weeks' acquaintance. Filled with frustration, he is unable to watch his friend's little sister, Phoebe, living meekly and waiting for happiness to come to her. He tells her to live more boldly. What he does not expect is for her to take it to heart and travel to Brussels as Napoleon begins his march northward. Frederick arrives in Brussels for his military duty and-contrary to his expectation-does not find Phoebe cowering in fear at the threat of the emperor's invasion. Instead, she appears to be the center of Society with every male eye in the city on her. Phoebe is eager to show Frederick exactly what he has been missing out on all these years, and he is finally ready to declare his love. Then war breaks out.

I was looking forward to Phoebe's story through this series. She was the twin I could relate to between her and Anna. Phoebe has been in love with Frederick as long as she can remember. Frederick is her brother's best friend and the brother of one of her best friends. If something happened between them and that ended up ruining the friendship between their two families, Phoebe would be devastated. But what's more devastating is that Frederick never seems to see her. Not the way she wants to be seen anyway.

Frederick had his heart broken. He had an agreement with a lady who backed out of the arrangement in favor of another man. His eyes have now been opened to her true character. He dares Phoebe in passing one day to do something bold, daring, and unexpected. And she decides to take him up on it.

Phoebe decides it's time she quit pining over a man who does not see her. And she takes her friend's offer to travel with her and her husband to Brussels. Only war is heading toward Brussels, and Frederick is sent to the area, as well. Frederick expects Phoebe to rush back home, but she isn't interested in doing that. He's now there and in danger. As well as her friend's husband who is also in the military. She can't think of abandoning them.

Frederick begins to see a change in Phoebe. She isn't who he always thought her to be. She is coming out of her shell and being the center of attention in Brussels. Many of the men have their eyes on her, one in particular. Frederick and Phoebe grow closer just as war does.

A Daring Proposal was a quick listen for me. And I really enjoyed the historical facts included in the text, specifically the battle that took place. I could picture the scene so clearly. And Jennie Goutet did a great job making it feel like history was coming to life. Of course, the romance has to drive the story in most cases for me to love a book, and that didn't disappoint. A Daring Proposal was a good close to this series and gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read or listened to A Daring Proposal? What did you think? Let me know!

A Proper Scoundrel - Review

A Proper Scoundrel (A Proper Scandal, # 3)

By: Esther Hatch

Publication: May 10th 2021 by Covenant Communications

256 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult

Source: Personal Kindle Library (birthday present)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--As the successful owner of multiple railroad lines, Diana Barton is all too accustomed to fending off suitors seeking to stake their claim on her wealth. In order to keep the wolves at bay, Diana has contrived the perfect plan: appeal to the most notorious rake in London, the Baron Lord Bryant, to ruin her reputation and scare off the worst of the time wasters. The ruse will be no hardship—she’s secretly been fascinated by the man for years.

Lord Bryant is well aware of his questionable reputation. Indeed, he has cultivated the image carefully, and the last thing he wants is a wife. But when he’s approached by the younger sister of a business associate, he tells her in no uncertain terms that he cannot help. However, when he sees for himself what she is up against, Bryant grudgingly offers his assistance. Faced with his most complicated entanglement yet, Bryant is firm in his conditions—and Diana knows that to get romantically involved with Bryant would spell certain heartbreak. But as the counterfeit couple grow ever closer, the line between truth and lies becomes blurred, threatening both Lord Bryant’s well-laid plans and the future of Diana’s railroad business.

Esther Hatch has become a favorite author of mine. Each of her stories have jumped off the page, and the characters and storylines have hooked me from early on. I have truly struggled with read in 2021, but A Proper Scoundrel hooked me immediately. I do think being familiar with Lord Bryant from the previous two books did help.

I was wondering how in the world Esther Hatch would take a notorious scoundrel and rake and turn him into the leading male of any story. But she did a wonderful job of creating a believable backstory with reason and motivation for his actions.

Diana is the sister of Nate from A Proper Scandal. She's already scandalous on her own as a woman both owning and running her own railroad company. I loved Esther Hatch's play on the opening line from Pride and Prejudice: "As everyone knows, a single woman in possession of a railroad company must be in want of a husband." Diana had the confidence needed to be a proper match for Lord Bryant.

I loved the build between these two, and I don't want to get into too much of the specifics due to spoilers. I will say that this is the 3rd book in a row I have read that has used the fake relationship trope, and I have loved every one of them. The banter between these two was so enjoyable.

Favorite quotes:

-"When I win, I will be sure to let you know."

A missed opportunity not to refer to this later, IMO.

-Half the time, I'm not sure what is real and what is pretend.

-He smiled. She was becoming almost tired of his smile and the way it sucked in everyone around him. She wished he would be rid of it for a day and allow her to not dwell on whom else he had been smiling at.

-"But when he dropped his burden in the pond, he became happy for what he could be happy for--that he no longer had a burden. He didn't mourn the things he couldn't change." ..."He didn't want to lose his burden. It was only after it had slipped in that he rejoiced it was gone."

-You couldn't love a dragon, nor could you get close to one, but you wouldn't wish it to become a fish.

-She would not trust her heart if her head didn't agree with it.

-"Since the moment I saw you, I've been on a train hurtling down a track that always leads to you."

Diana and Lord Bryant made such a good story. I was happy with the background and explanation for his scoundrel ways. I could easily root for both of these characters. And I can't wait to read more from Esther Hatch. A Proper Scoundrel gets 4 Stars. Have you read A Proper Scoundrel? What did you think? Let me know!

Delilah: The Making of Red - Review

Delilah: The Making of Red (Nova, # 2.5)

By: Jessica Sorensen

Published: March 18th 2014 by Forever Yours

95 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Novella

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--DELILAH: The Making of Red

Delilah Peirce: the Invisible Girl. Men crane their necks around Delilah just to catch a glimpse of her bombshell mother. Delilah knows looks of indifference, of friendship-but never of desire.

Then she meets Dylan Sanderson, the impossibly gorgeous guy who thinks she's beautiful. When he looks at her, she feels needed. When he kisses her, her troubles disappear. And when he tells her he will never hurt her, she believes him . . .

I read Delilah: The Making of Red after Nova and Quinton: No Regrets. Nova and Quinton: No Regrets tells you the end of Delilah’s story so there were no real surprises for me here. I think Delilah: The Making of Red is pretty vague on the outcome maybe if you’re reading it first. I debated on not reading the novellas for this series, but Nova and Quinton: No Regrets made me want to know all the side pieces that fit into the overall story. Plus they were free.

I’m glad to know more about Delilah’s background. She was a character that wasn’t easy for me to relate to in Breaking Nova or Saving Quinton. I never understood how she came to accept what was handed to her. I never understood why she stayed with Dylan. And it’s not even that I completely understand that now since reading Delilah: The Making of Red, but I do feel like I know her better.

The saddest part of all is how many young girls out there are Delilah. How many of them will end up exactly like Delilah. How many of them might not have the same fate, but will struggle to overcome and fight the same battles Delilah faced. Just knowing that breaks my heart.

Delilah is a girl who just wants to be seen. She wants to be loved and appreciated and thought to be beautiful. She wants to star in an epic role that only she can fill. But Dylan isn’t her prince charming. He sees her--sure. But he sees her as someone to be used to get something that he wants. Because Delilah is both naive and insecure, she doesn’t see Dylan for what he is. She doesn’t know that she’s worthy of being treated better—being revered. She settles. She accepts whatever pieces of attention are thrown in her direction, even the scraps.

Though this novella is extremely short, it shows how quickly we can each find ourselves headed down a path of death and destruction. It shows us how much our parental relationships play into our definition of self and how they can leave us searching for love from all the wrong places. Delilah could be any girl out there. She could be you, or your daughter, or your sister, or your friend, or your niece. Her path and her end are haunting and painful.

Ultimately, I’m glad I didn’t skip this novella. Delilah: The Making of Red gets 4 Stars. Have you read Delilah: The Making of Red? What did you think? Let me know!

Before I Fall - Review

Before I Fall

By: Lauren Oliver

Published: March 2nd 2010 by HarperCollins

496 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy

Source: Personal Library (Anniversary Present)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--With this stunning debut novel, New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver emerged as one of today's foremost authors of young adult fiction. Like Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why and Gayle Forman's If I Stay, Before I Fall raises thought-provoking questions about love, death, and how one person's life can affect so many others.

For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—"Cupid Day"—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is…until she dies in a terrible accident that night.

However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined.

Named to numerous state reading lists, this novel was also recognized as a Best Book of the Year by Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, The Daily Beast, NPR, and Publishers Weekly. It has been optioned for film by Fox 2000 Pictures.

Before I Fall makes number 5 of Lauren Oliver’s books that I’ve read. I LOVED Delirium. I was slightly less impressed with Pandemonium. I enjoyed Requiem better than a lot of people because I think I had low expectations. And then Panic had a better concept than execution I think. Before I Fall was a book that was hyped up pretty big time to me before and during my read of it. And that unfortunately played into my overall feelings of the book. Let me say that I did enjoy Before I Fall but not as much as I was expecting to based on the hype.

Sam started out as a character that I hated. She and her entire group of friends. They are the popular girls who elevate themselves by stepping on others. On top of that, these girls were drunk more than they were sober. And they skipped classes more than they attended. They apparently party all the time and their parents are either more screwed up than they are, or they’re essentially absent. Since everyone was raving about how good this book was, I knew that some major character growth HAD to be in store for our leading lady—and thank goodness this was true.

When required to relive the day you will die over and over again, anyone would be forced to consider what’s really important in life versus what is superficial, unimportant, and just plain wrong. Sam was a bit of a slow learner, and it wasn’t really until her last two or three relives that she even started realizing what the difference in these things are. Essentially that’s what this book boils down to, and what makes others rave about it. This book shines in such contrast what is important from what isn’t. Things are not important. The clothes you wear. Whether you have 100 superficial friends or few really good ones. The way you treat other people—your family, your friends, people who aren’t your friends. Whether you are popular or not noticed at all. Whether you’re nice or you torture others. Whether you’re scared and insecure or you’re comfortable in your own skin. All of that is very important. This makes Before I Fall a book that I wish every teenage girl would read.

Even as Sam was learning her lessons and making her slow changes, the process wasn’t always easy to read or live through these experiences. These characters are for the most part real and raw and ugly and beautiful. The hopelessness of trying to change other people, to effect change where it’s needed and been long neglected weighed on me heavily while reading Before I Fall. But most of all, the message is that you just really don’t know how much time is left for you and what will you do with it? Will you take it for granted? Will you redeem it for something valuable? Will you be remembered as the mean girl? Or the one who saved someone’s life? Will you make a difference—make the world a better place? Or will people feel even slightly relieved knowing that you won’t be around to torture them anymore? Do you spread joy and life and love wherever you go? Or like Eeyore, does a dark cloud follow you, raining on everyone around you just for being near? What legacy will you leave?

Like most of Lauren Oliver’s writing, Before I Fall had some beautiful moments and quotes. Here are my favorite non-spoiler quotes:

-Maybe you can afford to wait. Maybe for you there’s a tomorrow. Maybe for you there’s one thousand tomorrows, or three thousand, or ten, so much time you can bathe in it, roll around in it, let it slide like coins through your fingers. So much time you can waste it. But for some of us there’s only today. And the truth is, you never really know.

-The thing is, you don’t get to know. It’s not like you wake up with a bad feeling in your stomach. You don’t see shadows where there shouldn’t be any. You don’t remember to tell your parents that you love them or—in my case—remember to say good-bye to them at all. If you’re like me, you wake up seven minutes and forty-seven seconds before your best friend is supposed to be picking you up.

-Izzy blows air out between her lips, “I wish nobody ever died,” she says. I feel an ache in my throat, but I manage to smile. Two conflicting desires go through me at the same time, each as sharp as a razorblade. I want to see you grow up and Don’t ever change.

-I suppose that’s the secret, if you’re ever wishing for things to go back to the way they were. You just have to look up.

-I’ve never been this sober around people this wasted, and I say a brief prayer that I’m not half as annoying as they are when I’m drunk. --(pretty sure you are)

-So many things become beautiful when you really look.

-He puts one hand behind my neck and pulls me toward him. And then we’re kissing. His lips are soft and leave mine tingling. I close my eyes, and in the darkness behind them I see beautiful things, flowers spinning like snowflakes, and hummingbirds beating the same rhythm as my heart. I’m gone, lost, floating away into nothingness like I am in my dream, but this time it’s a good feeling—like soaring, like being totally free. His other hand pushes my hair from my face, and I can feel the impression of his fingers everywhere that they touch, and I think of stars streaking through the sky and leaving burning trails behind them, and in that moment—however long it lasts, seconds, minutes, days—while he’s saying my name into my mouth and I’m breathing into him, I realize that, right here, is the first and only time I’ve ever been kissed in my life.

-It’s a nice thing to see. I’m glad I was looking.

-”Sam,” he stops me. “Yeah.”…”Why me? For tonight I mean. …” “Trust me,” I say, “it can only be you.”

Before I Fall wasn’t really an “easy” book to read, but it makes an impact. This will be a book that sticks with me for sure. I can’t give it less than 4 stars for that. Have you read Before I Fall? What did you think? Let me know!

Nash - Review

Nash (Marked Men, # 4)

By: Jay Crownover

Published: April 29th 2014 by William Morrow Paperbacks

400 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Will their past determine their future?

Saint Ford has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream of becoming of nurse. Focused on her work and devoted to her patients, there’s no room for love. She doesn’t need a guy making waves in her calm, serene life—especially when he’s the unforgettable hottie who nearly destroyed her in high school. Dark, brooding Nash Donovan might not remember her or the terrible pain he caused. But he turned her world upside down . . . and now he’s trying to do it again.

Saint has no idea that Nash isn’t the cocky player he once was. Uncovering a devastating family secret has rocked his world, and now he’s struggling to figure out his future. He can’t be distracted by the pretty nurse he seems to meet everywhere. Still, he can’t ignore the sparks that fly between them —or how she seems so desperate to get away from him. But the funny, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous Saint is far too amazing to give up on—especially since she’s the only thing in his life that seems to make sense.

When Nash discovers the truth about their past, he realizes he may have lost her heart before he could even fight for it. Now, Saint has to decide: is Nash worth risking herself for all over again?

Nash was the perfect book for me at just the right time. I’ve been struggling to find a good, happy book that I could get hooked into and read and read until I finished all the pages. And that’s just what I got with Nash. Because Rome built up Nash and Saint’s story throughout its pages, I was so excited to start Nash. I loved having an idea of what to expect going into Nash without having too much information at the same time. I still didn’t know why Saint seemed to dislike Nash.

How Saint could have been so utterly destroyed by Nash in high school yet Nash didn’t really remember her was something that I was interested to uncover the juicy details about. Saint was an easily relatable character. She has some serious self-esteem issues. While I normally prefer to read about strong, confident females, Saint was just so relatable that I couldn’t help but like her. She does have issues, but she isn’t what I would consider a weak character. She doesn’t berate herself. She didn’t have a high self-esteem in high school and essentially she saw in others’ behavior towards herself what she expected to see. And that behavior and words she carried with her throughout college until now. Who can’t say that they haven't been there? I know I have. While I would typically categorize myself as someone with a healthy self-esteem (perhaps some would consider high), I can remember in vivid detail the day in 7th grade Music Theory class when a girl a year older than me told me that I had big legs. I carried that with me for a long time. And though I still remember the comment to this day, it doesn’t rule me anymore. But Saint had to get there too. She had to overcome, and though her journey wasn’t easy, I really enjoyed seeing her triumph over her own negative view of herself.

I loved that Jay Crownover didn’t use Nash as Saint’s “fix.” Nash didn’t “fix” her. Nash tried and tried to show Saint that he wasn’t the same person he used to be. He tried to show her how much he valued her, but he eventually learned that their relationship would never work as long as Saint viewed herself the way that she did. No amount of a high opinion from others was enough for Saint to overcome her low opinion of herself. This is so important to me, and I think essential for the young girls of the up and coming generation. It cannot be up to anyone else to define your worth. Nash isn’t a religious book by any means, but I’m going to take this opportunity to share that the Eternal God, Self-Existent Creator of the Universe placed enough worth on each and every one of us that He sent His Son, Jesus, to Earth to empty Himself of deity and become the creation, to live a perfect and sinless life and then to die, unjustly on the cross just to redeem ME (you) back to Himself. That is how much each of us is worth. God defines our worth.

Nash is a good character. We’ve seen him throughout all of the other books, and I couldn’t wait to read his story. I figured his story would be more of a struggle for me because of his known “playboy” status. Yet that really wasn’t the case. Nash knows fairly early on that he wants to explore his relationship with Saint. He doesn’t always understand what his feelings for her mean, especially in the very beginning. But I appreciated the fact that he didn’t put too much effort into fighting his attraction to her or fighting the idea of a real relationship with her. Though he never expected to settle down, he sees it happening for his friends all around him and the idea isn’t as foreign as it once was. Of course, we see Nash struggle with the revelation that Phil is his father and is dying of cancer. Watching their relationship more than anything was what brought tears to my eyes. Anyone who has witness a loved one go through cancer can relate to this aspect of the story.

The big conflict between Nash and Saint was a bit over dramatic and obvious from a hundred miles away. Saint’s low self-esteem results in some assumptions and major overreactions. I understand it all, but it was a bit eye roll-worthy. This was the only real letdown for me when it came to the book. Yet it wasn’t annoying enough to distort my opinion of the book. I love how during this part of the book Nash remained steadfast. He let Saint work through her own thoughts and feelings without resorting to any major, over-the-top romantic gestures. This particular situation didn’t require them.

The more I look back on the book the deeper I feel like this story line gets. Nash was another great installment in the Marked Men series, and I love how Jay Crownover set up Rowdy’s story as well. I wish so bad that a chapter from Rowdy had been included at the end of Nash instead of one from Better When He’s Bad, but I understand the marketing strategy there. Nash was everything that I expected it to be, and everything I needed it to be at just the right time for me. Nash gets 4 Stars. Have you read Nash? What did you think? Let me know!

One Plus One - Review

One Plus One

By: Jojo Moyes

Published: July 1st 2014 by Pamela Dorman Books

384 pages

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Realistic Fiction

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--One single mom. One chaotic family. One quirky stranger. One irresistible love story from the New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You

American audiences have fallen in love with Jojo Moyes. Ever since she debuted stateside, she has captivated readers and reviewers alike, and hit the New York Times bestseller list with the word-of-mouth sensation, Me Before You. Now, with One Plus One, she’s written another contemporary opposites-attract love story that reads like a modern-day Two for the Road.

Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied and your math whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess’s knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Math Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages . . . maybe ever.

One Plus One is Jojo Moyes at her astounding best. You’ll laugh, you’ll weep, and when you flip the last page, you’ll want to start all over again.

I’ve seen Jojo Moyes all over the place. From the very first review I saw from Aussie Zombie of Me Before You, I knew that I would need to read her work at some point. And when the opportunity came up to read and review One Plus One I knew I had to jump on it.

Initially I felt like Jojo Moyes might have been writing from too many POVs. At the very beginning I was getting people confused and wasn’t sure how each POV would draw the story into an overall, cohesive book. It didn’t take too terribly long to know each character, keep them straight, and to begin to see the connections between all of the POVs. The narrators are Jess, Ed, Tanzie, and Nicky.

Jess is a single mom. Her husband, Marty, left around two years ago to move in with his mother and get out of a depression/funk. He hasn’t had anything to do with the kids since he left minus periodic Skype calls. Jess is struggling to make ends meet. She works at least two jobs—as a maid/cleaner and a bartender. She’s working her fingers to the bone trying to take care of her kids—Nicky and Tanzie.

Nicky isn’t even Jess’s biological child. Marty—Jess’s husband—is Nicky’s father. His mother is a drug addict that is mentioned, but we never meet her. He’s been living with Jess since he was eight and she views him as just as much her child as Tanzie. I loved how Nicky looks out for Tanzie. Despite getting bullied and beat up for being a bit different from the other kids at his school, Nicky is going to do whatever it takes to see Tanzie happy. He helps Jess take care of her as much as he can, but he very much needs Jess. He needs a mom, and he needs a dad.

Tanize was a sweetheart. If Nicky’s different from the kids at school, Tanzie is a world apart. She loves math—like advanced level math. She loves sequins and anything homemade by Jess. She was such an adorable kid. Her love of math is actually where the book’s title comes from, and I appreciated the math theories being interwoven into the overall story in a way that made so much sense but without needing to understand advanced level math to understand. I also loved the relationship that Tanzie had with the family dog Norman who was just as much a main character as any of the others. Norman is huge (though I’m not sure exactly what breed). His body produces toxic smells. He can be hard headed and determined. And I fell in love with Norman just as much as the other characters.

And then there’s Ed. He doesn’t seem to fit at all into this equation. He’s the part owner of a software company and is being investigated for insider-trading, of which he’s actually guilty. Ed just wanted to find an easy, quick way to get out of a relationship with a girl that had become entirely too clingy. He was an idiot. And now he’s paying the price. Exiled from his regular home and his office, he spends some time at his beachfront condo where Jess happens to be the cleaning lady. He and Jess end up making a deal where Ed agrees to drive her family to Scotland for Tanzie’s math Olympiad in hopes that Tanzie will win the completion (and the prize money) and be able to go to prestigious private school that Jess can’t afford.

I completely fell in love with these characters. I wanted them all to succeed and find happiness. And I loved the slow development and changes that took place over the course of this crazy, wild, spontaneous adventure they all went on together. The layers upon layers of this story add to such a genuine feel. This is exactly what hooked me. Each character was multifaceted and had their own set of struggles. Each character had separate yet intertwined buildup, conflict, and resolution. While I was enjoying this book, I wasn’t completely hooked early on. I mean I was enjoying myself, but I didn’t find that pressing need to keep reading until after the 50% mark probably. I don’t think that affected my overall opinion of this book, but I did want to note that if you’re having trouble connecting, just keep pushing through. I feel certain you’ll be thankful that you did.

One Plus One actually succeeded where many other books have not. I actually cried. Like tears rolling down the cheeks at this one part. It was so raw and open and heartbreaking in that moment. I’m not the easiest person to make cry so this is often a feat when it comes to books, TV shows, and movies. I’m not sure if the setting being in England has anything to do with the number of f-bombs, but you might also want to be aware of this going into the book.

Favorite quotes:

-…being a parent on your own when you were totally out of your depth was actually the loneliest place on earth.

-She cleaned because if she didn’t she would stand in her overgrown little back garden, lift her face to the sky and scream and scream and scream, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop.

-Who was it who had said you were only as happy as your unhappiest child?

- “Rich is paying every single bill on time without thinking about it.”

-It wasn’t that Ed would make it okay—he had his own problems to deal with—but somehow the sum of them added up to something better.

-It’s weird how you can miss something you only ever complained about.

-The Law of probability combined with the law of large numbers states that to beat the odds, sometimes you have to repeat an event an increasing number of times in order to get you to the outcome you desire. The more you do, the closer you get. Or, as I explained it to Mum, basically, sometimes you just have to keep going.

One Plus One gets 4 stars from me. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I loved all the layering of the characters and the stories. And I loved how everything fit together. The whole of One Plus One is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Have you read One Plus One? What did you think? Let me know!

Torn Away - Review

Torn Away

By: Jennifer Brown

Published: May 6th 2014 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

288 pages

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Born and raised in the Midwest, Jersey Cameron knows all about tornadoes. Or so she thinks. When her town is devastated by a twister, Jersey survives -- but loses her mother, her young sister, and her home. As she struggles to overcome her grief, she's sent to live with her only surviving relatives: first her biological father, then her estranged grandparents.

In an unfamiliar place, Jersey faces a reality she's never considered before -- one in which her mother wasn't perfect, and neither were her grandparents, but they all loved her just the same. Together, they create a new definition of family. And that's something no tornado can touch.

Torn Away was one of those books that I read the description before, requested it, and then forgot what it was supposed to be about by the time I got around to starting it. Of course, the title is fitting, but if you don’t know what the storyline is going to be about then the title doesn’t give much away. I wanted a book that I could read through quickly and considering Torn Away is only 288 pages, it kind of fit the bill for that.

Since I wasn’t fully prepared for what this story was about, Torn Away kind of caught me off guard. Jennifer Brown doesn’t drag out the beginning of the book before the tornado yet it didn’t jump right into it either. There was just enough setup for me to get invested in the characters and then have two of them torn away. Everything about this book felt so real to me. From Jersey’s typical teenage behavior in the beginning, to her thought process during and after the tornado, to the grief she feels, and the little things she salvages from her wrecked home. Begging her stepfather, Ronnie not to send her away, and begging her best friend’s mother to let her stay with them for a while and so on and so on. The entire process felt genuine.

It was just that genuine feel to Torn Away that had me connected and devouring the pages one after the other. I’m not the easiest person to make cry, but I teared-up at least twice while reading Torn Away as I went through the myriad of emotions right along with Jersey. I was happy with where Torn Away ended, but the process of getting there wasn’t always fun.

Torn Away is one of those books where you know that this COULD happen to you in real life and has happened to someone out there, but despite the number of people affected by natural disasters statistically speaking the chances of something like this happening to you are low. It’s kind of like those books about dating a movie or rock star. Sure real life people out there actually do end up dating and marrying famous people, but statistically speaking it happens so infrequently to make those books feel improbably. I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Torn Away hooked me quickly, put me through the ringer, and spit me out. The whole process happened pretty quickly--I read this entire book in less than 24 hours. Torn Away gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read Torn Away? What did you think? Let me know!

On the Fence - Review

On the Fence

By: Kasie West

Expected Publication: July 1st 2014 by HarperTeen

320 pages

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--She's a tomboy. He's the boy next door…

Charlie Reynolds can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at a chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world. To cope with the stress of her new reality, Charlie takes to spending nights chatting with her neighbor Braden through the fence between their yards. As she grows to depend on their nightly Fence Chats, she realizes she's got a bigger problem than speeding tickets-she's falling for Braden. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

Fun, original, and endearing, On the Fence is a romantic comedy about finding yourself and finding love where you least expect.

I picked up On the Fence because I needed a light and fun read. I just finished a really dark and heavy book at the time of writing this review (which is several months prior to the post date), and I needed a completely opposite feel for what I read next. Something that wouldn't be too taxing on my emotions and yet that I could get hooked on and read through quickly. On the Fence was just the book I needed. Aside from the description, which indicated that this book would meet my needs, I've also read Kasie West's The Distance Between Us and figured that if these two books were even remotely similar in tone then On the Fence would suffice.

I could really relate to Charlie. She's a bit of a tomboy because she's grown up surrounded by men. Her mother died when she was younger--like 10 I think. And so she was raised by her father and surrounded by 3 older brothers and the next door neighbor who might as well be another brother. Charlie plays sports with her brothers, she watches sports with them, she gets pulled into their typical boy pranks and bets, and she pretty much has no clue how to be a girl.

After being forced to get a job to pay off a speeding ticket, Charlie is thrown into multiple situations with other females. There's Linda, who owns the store where Charlie now works, there's Skye who works a door or two down in the same shopping center, and there's Amber who uses Charlie's makeup-free face as a canvas for teaching periodic classes on how to apply makeup. All of a sudden Charlie is immersed into the intricacies of being feminine.

At the same time, she's started meeting next door neighbor, Braden, at their shared fence where they begin a competition of who knows who best. Of course, you can't really know someone unless you've been paying attention to them, right? And so we quickly begin to root for the tomboy and the boy next door.

All of the main plot points of On the Fence were not particularly original, but as with The Distance Between Us, Kacie West's writing style is so smooth and fluid that you hardly care. She has a way of making you care about her characters and feel what they feel. As I said before, I really related to Charlie. Though I grew up with a mother and a sister, both of which I love dearly, I was still a bit of a tomboy and struggled to feel confident in my femininity until my later teen years and early twenties. And Charlie's feelings were so easy to understand.

My favorite quotes:

-"Never date a guy whose jeans don't cover his ankles," Gage said, pointing to the guy twenty yards ahead. He shuddered.
"But he'd be able to walk through puddles and stuff without even getting his jeans wet. He's a planner."

-"...we can't let boys define how we feel about ourselves. You have to know who you are before you should let any boy worth anything in."

-"Are people not allowed to feel sorry for your loss?"

On the Fence isn't a mind blowing book, but it's a solid read that I think anyone who picks it up will enjoy. The characters are all easily likeable, and I wouldn't begrudge Kacie West if she also wanted to write about some of Charlie's brothers that I was intrigued by throughout this book. On the Fence gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read On the Fence? What did you think? Let me know!

The DUFF - Review

The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend

By: Kody Keplinger

Published: September 7th 2010 by Little Brown/Poppy (first published January 1st 2010)

280 pages

Genre: YA/NA, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from my sister

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him. Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

My sister recommended The DUFF to me because she had the audiobook, and she thought I would enjoy it. My sister and I don’t always agree on books, but she was pretty sure that I would like this one. And so when I had some downtime at work I decided to take her up on it to help pass the time. And well overall I did enjoy The DUFF.

The DUFF is one of those books where the characters have a LONG way to go from being likeable in the beginning. Considering that this book is at least inspired in part by Wuthering Heights, it’s understandable that none of the main characters are particularly likeable. I struggled through the beginning, but in the end the character growth and development won me over.

Bianca is our main female character. She’s flawed as all get out. She’s judgmental. She has an awful potty mouth. She jumps to conclusions. She makes assumptions. She’s even hypocritical. She talks and thinks negatively about herself and about others. While I find Bianca, and The DUFF in general, fairly realistic, this isn’t a reality that I really want to be a part of.

Here’s an IM conversation my sister and I had about this book. I’m tried to exclude all of the spoilery parts. I feel like this just gives you the best idea of how I felt about this book (this conversation took place over the two days that it took for me to finish this book):

Sandy [10:37 AM]: I relate to this girl, yet I can't say I really like her that much.
Sandy [10:45 AM]: she's very judgmental
Melissa [10:45 AM]: yeah. I can see you not liking her very much.
Sandy [10:47 AM]: i hope she grows as a character. [removed]
Sandy [1:19 PM]: oh boy...there she goes making out with wesley again
Melissa [1:19 PM]: yep. I was like "what in the world are you doing?!?!"
Sandy [1:19 PM]: yep. next thing you know she's going to be sleeping with him just to not think about [removed]. oh wow...there goes the shirt. maybe i'm not that far off
Melissa [1:20 PM]: smh.
Sandy [1:20 PM]: and the bra. sheesh
sheesh
!!!!!!!!!!!
Melissa [1:22 PM]: :)
Sandy [1:22 PM]: seriously!!!!!!!!!! :-O
Melissa [1:23 PM]: hahahahaha.
Sandy [1:23 PM]: this girl SMH i can't believe her
Melissa [1:25 PM]: yep. she's insane.
Sandy [1:25 PM]: GREAT ^o) i almost feel bad for Wesley.
Melissa [1:26 PM]: oh dear.
Sandy [1:27 PM]: bahahahaha!!!!!!!!! or not
Melissa [1:27 PM]: why?
Sandy [1:27 PM]: she's not nice to him at all
Melissa [1:27 PM]: no, she's not, but he called her the DUFF.
Sandy [1:27 PM]: yeah i know. sometimes he seems like he cares though. perhaps i'm naïve.
Melissa [1:28 PM]: I liked him too. after a little while.
Sandy [1:29 PM]: he keeps asking her if she's alright seems like he actually cares. otherwise why even ask?
Sandy [1:32 PM]: and him having his own bookshelf and stuff. indicates there's more than meets the eye.
Melissa [1:32 PM]: :)
Sandy [1:33 PM]: or...he could just be rich :) she's going to go back for more too i bet
Melissa [1:33 PM]: I bet.
Sandy [1:33 PM]: hey...you already know. ;)
Melissa [1:39 PM]: I didn't say what happens. I was betting the same thing.
Sandy [1:39 PM]: :|
Sandy [1:45 PM]: oh sheesh. that is why i never told my friends if i had a crush on someone
Melissa [1:47 PM]: what happened?
Sandy [1:48 PM]: well first of all kacey told jessica about b kissing wesley to begin with. but then i think it was kacey again said something angie and vicki at lunch about her making out with him. AFTER vicki had already said that she and wesley fooled around in his car at homecoming.
Melissa [1:49 PM]: oh yes. I remember thinking I would have been annoyed if i were Bianca.
Sandy [1:49 PM]: for sure. i would have been furious
Sandy [3:12 PM]: ok just when i was starting to like this book... toby tucker's helping her pass out VD flowers etc
Melissa [3:13 PM]: YEAH...
Sandy [3:13 PM]: 8-)
Melissa [3:13 PM]: what's wrong with that?
Sandy [3:14 PM]: i just doubt it will end happy. i'm assuming she's built him up too much in her head.
Melissa [3:14 PM]: :D
Sandy [3:14 PM]: i bet you love hearing my predictions
Melissa [3:15 PM]: i do.
Sandy [3:15 PM]: i don't mind being wrong
Melissa [3:15 PM]: :)
Sandy [3:16 PM]: and i like to have proof if i guessed correctly and how much do you want to bet that [removed]
Melissa [3:20 PM]: :)
Sandy [3:20 PM]: :D (H)
Sandy [8:36 AM]: did you see where i said yesterday that i keep thinking the narrator says lesley instead of wesley?
Melissa [8:38 AM]: oh yeah. I remember thinking that too.
Sandy [8:38 AM]: i always have to remind myself his name and that he's a boy since i keep thinking she says lesley
Melissa [8:39 AM]: hahahahaha.
Sandy [9:06 AM]: bahahahhaah....[removed]
Melissa [9:07 AM]: :)
Sandy [9:07 AM]: and he was like "while that's disappointing that's not what i was going to ask" BAHAHAHAHA!!!!! oh boy!!!!!!!!
Melissa [9:19 AM]: Hee Hee.
Sandy [10:42 AM]: haha...yep
ugh...i don't want her with toby.
Melissa [10:43 AM]: I didn't either. But, who do you want her with? Wesley???? :)
Sandy [10:43 AM]: well yeah
Melissa [10:44 AM]: :)
Sandy [10:50 AM]: i can't believe she said [removed]. SO NOT TRUE
Sandy [10:54 AM]: and toby just admitted to watching gossip girl seriously?
Sandy [11:02 AM]: BAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! busted
Melissa [11:07 AM]: what?
Sandy [11:07 AM]: [removed]
Melissa [11:08 AM]: [removed]
Sandy [11:08 AM]: yeah go wesley!!!!
Melissa [11:09 AM]: what did he do?
Sandy [11:10 AM]: he said [removed]
now she's [removed]
Melissa [11:10 AM]: :)
Sandy [12:06 PM]: CHEESE! WESLEY RUSH DOESN'T CHASE GIRLS...BUT [removed]. :D
Melissa [12:06 PM]: HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Sandy [12:06 PM]: (H)
Melissa [12:07 PM]: I knew you'd like this book. :)
Sandy [12:08 PM]: WELL...I'm torn on some things, but overall I've enjoyed it and looked forward to it when I had to stop listening.
Sandy [12:48 PM]: man....this book is running out of time for [removed].
Melissa [12:50 PM]: hahahaha.
Sandy [12:50 PM]: :|
Sandy [1:10 PM]: i finished
Melissa [1:10 PM]: yeah? And?
Sandy [1:10 PM]: i liked it. need to write my review now. :)
Melissa [1:11 PM]: were you happy with the ending?
Sandy [1:11 PM]: yeah

I battled with The DUFF because I didn't like Bianca very much in the beginning. I feel like there's more to address and I could over analyze a lot of this book, but I was happy to see the character growth in Bianca as well as the other characters. The DUFF gets 4 stars from me. I debated giving it 3.5, but pushed it up to the 4 stars because of how much I wanted to come back to it whenever I would have to press "pause." Have you read The DUFF? What did you think? Let me know!

Pivot Point - Review

Pivot Point (Pivot Point, # 1)

By: Kasie West

Published: February 12th 2013 by HarperTeen

343 pages

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, The Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

I’ve read three Kasie West books at this point, and I have to say that I’ve been impressed with every single one of them. I’ve had Pivot Point in my possession for MONTHS. And anytime the subject of Kasie West came up someone would ask if I’ve read Pivot Point or they would recommend Pivot Point to me, and I would always say “I have it in my possession, but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.” And so with the March Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge that Kimba The Caffeinated Reviewer hosted, I decided that was the time to pick up Pivot Point. It just so happened that I was also off work for a day. I woke up around 8:00 am and said “I’m just going to read until 9:00 am.” Nine came and I said “I’m just going to read until 10:00.” Ten came and I said “I’ll just read until 11:00 and then I’ll eat lunch and get up and get some stuff done around the house.” Eleven came and I did put the book down, ate lunch, and then I said “I’m so close to finishing. I might as well just knock this book out.” HA! That’s how that all went down. I just didn’t want to stop reading it. I also have to say that I was impressed with how different Pivot Point was from the other two (contemporary) books I’ve read by Kasie West.

I haven’t read as much paranormal over the last year or two as I used to so that aspect of Pivot Point I was both looking forward to and dreading. As descriptions can sometimes be, I felt like the Goodreads description above was slightly deceiving and gives off the impression of this book being “less” than it is. The description feels a bit juvenile to me. It kind of reminds me of the Vampire Academy movie advertising. The wrong portrayal of the book can give you a totally different impression of what this whole experience is about to be about. For one, Addie doesn’t enjoy Searching the future that much. I actually got the impression from reading the book that she only tries to search major decisions. It’s not about having an insurance plan against the menial aspects of teenage life. Though there are times she’s able to avoid disaster thanks to her ability.

In this particular case as the description says, her parents tell Addie that they’re getting a divorce and because of her gift they want her to see which future she will adjust to the best and which one she should pursue. So using her gift in this rare instance, Addie Searches even further than she normally would and Searches six weeks into the future. She sees two futures that both hold their own pros and cons. But unlike the description seems to indicate, it’s not really about which guy to choose or whether she wants to be popular by dating the quarterback or stuck in some boring Norm school. It’s much deeper than that.

We basically start Pivot Point in the present. Then when faced with the choice of which parent to live with Addie Searches both futures and the narration swaps back and forth between the potential futures—the one where she lives with her mother in the Paranormal compound that she grew up in or the one where she lives with her father off the compound in the Normal world. And then eventually Addie comes out of her Search and she has to choose a future. Luckily since we already know how that future goes for the next six weeks, we don’t have to live that future out, but instead skip six weeks ahead so that we know what happens after the last thing that Addie sees in her Search.

Addie as a character was easy for me to get attached to. I enjoyed seeing how true to character she was despite whichever future was playing out at the time. She’s all for the paranormal side of things and having gifts, but yet, she’s been manipulated by the different gifts she’s been around her whole life. Even when people aren’t using their gifts on her, she knows they have the ability to which prompts her to behave in a way that doesn’t force them to use their gifts on her. She dreams of a world and a relationship where she is completely not manipulated.

Addie’s best friend, Laila, has had a rough childhood. Her father has a drug addiction which has caused all kinds of problems for her family. This has led to Laila acting out at times as children from troubled homes often do. I got annoyed with Laila in both futures that Addie sees, but when push comes to shove Laila is a good friend to Addie despite everything.

And then there are the guys. Bobby who wanted to take Addie to homecoming but Addie saw him being a bit too aggressive in a Search prior to the start of this book. Duke who is the quarterback from the paranormal compound who pursues Addie in the future where she lives with her mom, and then normal Trevor who was injured last year and no longer plays football. Trevor is Addie’s only friend for a while in the future where she lives with her dad. I enjoyed all of the secondary characters, and I love how they are all present in both futures even if their roles and events that take place are different in both futures.

Pivot Point does have a mysterious aspect that Kasie West plays out quite well. Aside from wondering which future Addie will choose, the reader is given clues to each puzzle in the opposite reality. I loved this. Only the reader and the version of Addie performing the Search know all of the pieces to the puzzle. Information is released slowly, but as information is released I don’t think the reader will have too much difficulty figuring out the majority of the plot. This didn’t bother me because I was so wrapped up in seeing how every piece comes together that I wasn’t worried about the parts that were predictable.

Kasie West’s writing style is smooth and easy to get wrapped up in. Having now read three books by her, I find her stories and writing very consistent in quality. Pivot Point was so much more than I expected and so much more than I think the description lends to it. I loved the unique concept as well as the way Kasie West executed everything. I’m definitely looking forward to Split Second and would recommend Pivot Point to anyone who enjoys a bit of paranormal, a bit of mystery, with likeable characters that I found myself rooting for. Pivot Point gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read Pivot Point? What did you think? Let me know!

Favorite quote:

"Sometimes perfection reveals the lie, Addie, not the truth."

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Review

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium, # 3)

By: Stieg Larsson

Published: May 25th 2010 by Knopf (first published 2007)

563 pages

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Lisbeth Salander — the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels — lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

This entire series has been very different from what I typically read. I normally focus on books that have some kind of love story involved, but I'll settle for any story that makes me feel something. The other main kind of story I enjoy is one where all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together just perfectly. And well, that's the type that the Millennium series fits into. Every single piece is important in some way or other. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest picks up immediately where The Girl Who Played with Fire leaves off. The Girl Who Played with Fire ended at a good breaking point, but there were a lot of ends that still needed tying up. The reader is given a sense of satisfaction in knowing who framed Lisbeth and why, but The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest focuses on the rest of the world finding out who framed her and why. And there are still more pieces of the puzzle to be exposed as well.

I will say that The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest has had the best opening of the series so far. The previous two books, both had extremely slow beginnings. That wasn't the case here. But overall, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest felt quite long. There were some side pieces of the puzzle that felt unnecessary to the overall story arch of the series. These pieces added a cluttered feeling to the book to me--specifically the additional side story surrounding Erika Berger.

One of my favorite things about the Millennium series is how smart these characters are. Lisbeth and Blomkvist are both brilliant, intelligence wise. Lisbeth is a bit socially awkward because of her childhood and her extreme lack of trust in others. And Blomkvist is quite the opposite. Apparently he's a charmer since women seem to fall at his feet on a regular basis. And I loved watching the battle of wits between Salander/Blomkvist vs. "the bad guys" to see just who would ultimately outsmart who and how. It was fun to watch the pieces come together.

I felt like The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest was a nice series ender. The overall main story arch ended nicely. Everything I was curious about was addressed, but the ending of the book individually left a little something to be desired for me. It wasn't the ending I had hoped for, but at the same time, I wasn't exactly disappointed with it either. I was almost glad it wasn't what I hoped for. Does that make any sense?

All in all, I'm not sure I have much to say about this one. I'm glad that I pushed through and finished this series. I'm glad that I stepped outside my norm. I would recommend the series to others, but I don't find myself raving about it either. I think it was a well put together and thought out series. Yet I'm also glad to be able to mark it off my list and move on.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest? What did you think? Let me know!

Five Ways to Fall - Review

Five Ways to Fall (Ten Tiny Breaths, # 4)

By: KA Tucker

Expected Publication: June 24th 2014 by Atria Books

256 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Purple-haired, sharp-tongued Reese MacKay knows all about making the wrong choice; she’s made plenty of them in her twenty-odd-years. So when her impulsive, short-lived marriage ends in heartbreak, she decides it’s time for a change. She moves to Miami with the intention of hitting reset on her irresponsible life, and she does quite well…aside from an epically humiliating one-night stand in Cancun with a hot blond bouncer named Ben. Thank God she can get on a plane and leave that mistake behind her.

Football scholarship and frat parties with hot chicks? Part of charmer Ben Morris’s plan. Blown knee that kills any hope of a professional football career? So not part of the plan. Luckily Ben has brains to go with his knockout looks and magnetism. After three long years of balancing law school with his job as a bouncer at Penny’s Palace, he’s ready to lead a more mature life—until his first day of work, when he finds himself in the office of that crazy, hot chick he met in Cancun. The one he hasn’t stopped thinking about.

If Ben truly were a smart guy, he’d stay clear of Reese. She’s the boss’s stepdaughter and it’s been made very clear that office romances are grounds for dismissal. Plus, rumor has it she’s trouble. The only problem is, he likes trouble, especially when it’s so good-looking…

Nash (which I haven't reviewed yet) was the perfect book for me to help with my reading slump a while back. But after I finished it…well…it was over. I needed something else along the same lines. I literally got approved for Five Ways to Fall the next day after finishing Nash, and Five Ways to Fall was the perfect book for me to follow up with. I have to say that when I read the description for Five Ways to Fall I wasn’t excited about reading about Reese’s recently dissolved marriage. Too many marriages end in divorce, it’s really sad. But KA Tucker did the same thing to me in One Tiny Lie. She took a topic that I don’t typically enjoy reading about and wrote it in such a way that I couldn’t complain. That’s what she does. I should have known better.

Reese is sassy. She’s snarky. She doesn’t play by the rules. She’s always marched to the beat of her own drummer. She has multiple piercings, tattoos. She rides motorcycles and has a knack for getting caught red-handed (for people who have read Five Ways to Fall--see what I did there?). She loves passionately and hates just as well. So it’s no surprise that she gets married quickly, loves him passionately, and is devastated when the marriage ends abruptly. It’s also no surprise that she’s bitter and wouldn’t mind to see her ex-husband suffer just a little of the same pain that he’s caused her. At the same time, she’s pretty much given up on the idea of men and dating.

Ben, we know really well from all of the previous books. He’s a player, and he’s never tried to hide it. He’s completely upfront with Reese about wanting a good time and a good time only. No strings. No commitments. No feelings. Reese has no issues with that because she wants the same thing. And they slowly become friends. Despite the tension and obvious attraction between them, any attempts at more than friend-zone appropriate behavior is essentially spoiled time and time again. I loved this. To be so open to a lack of commitment, Ben and Reese’s relationship built so slowly. The slow build up made their relationship all the more believable. I would never have bought their relationship--considering the backgrounds of both--if they had come on hot and heavy from the very beginning.

Both Reese and Ben have some major background baggage. Reese’s father dropped her off at a diner when she was little and her mother has tried to change her into what she wants her to be all the while bouncing from marriage to marriage trying to climb the social ladder. Ben’s father has been an alcoholic for a long time--cheating on Ben’s mother and neglecting his family. These two had a lot to overcome and it’s no wonder they both have commitment issues with these parents as their only examples of what committed and “healthy” marriages should look like. Five Ways to Fall was not what I was expecting it to be, but that’s completely a good thing. It was better and more than I was expecting. Despite KA Tucker’s three previous books as proof that she wouldn’t steer me wrong, I somehow doubted. I’m not a doubter anymore and I can’t wait to read more by her. Unfortunately, Five Ways to Fall is the last planned book in the Ten Tiny Breaths series. I seriously hate that because I want more KA Tucker, but also because with each book she’s introduced other characters that I would like to know more about. She could keep writing in this series for eternity and I would be happy.

Like Ten Tiny Breaths, Five Ways to Fall was one of the least graphic books I’ve read in the new adult genre. One Tiny Lie and Four Seconds to Lose I remember being a bit more graphic, but I was impressed with Ten Tiny Breaths and Five Ways to Fall. I have a lower graphic tolerance than some so this was a bonus for me.

My favorite quotes:

I’m going to puke. I’m going to puke doing a facedown starfish if I don’t get up right now.

Mr. Cuervo and I—and all his Mexican cousins—are no longer on speaking terms.

“All out of the kindness of your heart?”
“Definitely for an organ of mine,”…

“Have you always loved yourself this much?”
“I had an awkward year in ‘ninety-nine, but I got over it quick,”…

Five Ways to Fall gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read Five Ways to Fall? What did you think? Let me know!

Losing Control - Review

Losing Control (Kerr Chronicles, # 1)

By: Jen Frederick

Expected Publication: June 16th 2014 by Pear Tree LLC

280 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Author via Publicist (Thank you, Morgan!!)

( Goodreads )

Goodreads description--I’d do anything to keep my mother alive.

Anything, including ask Ian Kerr for help. I don’t know much about him, except that he has more money than some small countries. And he’s willing to spend it on me. Just one catch: there’s a string attached, and not just the one I feel pulling me into his arms and his bed. There’s also the plan for revenge he wants my help with.

Every time he says my name, it makes my body shiver and my heart stutter. I know he’s going to wreck me, know there won’t be anything left of me but lust and sensation by the time he’s done with me, but even though I can see the heartbreak coming towards me like a train, ready to crash into me, I can’t get out of the way. I want what he makes me feel. Want what he’s offering.

This may have started out as something to save my mother, but now…now it’s about what he makes me feel. I’m in danger of losing everything that’s important. Worse? Ian's whispered words and hot caresses are making me believe that's okay.

When the opportunity came up for me to read and review Losing Control, I jumped on it. I’ve read three other books by Jen Frederick earlier this year and enjoyed each one (Undeclared, Unspoken, and Unraveled). So reading Losing Control was a no-brainer for me.

I really enjoyed reading about Victoria. She’s not what I would consider the typical leading female character. She has a learning disability which causes her trouble with reading and writing. Often times authors write about female leading characters who love to read because often times authors themselves love to read, but I loved that Victoria pretty much avoided reading as much as possible. She’s not normally bothered by her struggles or disabilities, but it can be a sore subject. Victoria is still a very smart character. She’s observant and perceptive, not a pushover. Aside from that, Victoria has a close bond with her mother who has just been re-diagnosed with cancer. Because her mother, Sophie, can’t work due to her treatments, Victoria has taken on the financial burden as well as the responsibility of caring for her mother. She’s sacrificed and compromised her moral standard in order to do what pays the bills. Don’t get me wrong, she’s not a prostitute, she just delivers packages that she’s aware are probably illegal. I loved that Victoria was a bike courier. That’s something we don’t have in small towns, but it added authenticity to Victoria’s story.

On one delivery (a legal one), she runs into a handsome man, Ian Kerr. Ian and Victoria do have an insta-lust relationship that Ian later explains might have been insta-love-ish on his part. At least one of those “I knew you were special from the moment I saw you” kind of things. Ian’s a bit of a mystery. Victoria knows that he has dealings with her step-brother, Malcolm, who is also her boss for the illegal deliveries that she does. But yet Ian doesn’t seem like a criminal. She’s hesitant to let her guard down around him. As luck would have it, Ian just so happens to be filthy rich. And he wants to lavish his money upon Victoria. Of course, Victoria doesn’t want any of it, but what kind of man would he be if he didn’t want to share his abundance with her?

Ian’s dealings with Malcolm aren’t illegal exactly, but they are unsavory. Ian struggles with asking Victoria to participate in his plan, but he’s trying any way he can think of to get her to accept financial help from him. I loved seeing his genuine care and concern for Victoria but also for her mother, Sophie.

I do have to say that Losing Control was pretty graphic. It was funny because as I was reading Losing Control the "dirty talk" was cracking me up. There were moments when what was said just wasn’t anything that would have been attractive to me...like at all. It took Ian and Victoria a while to work up to this place in their relationship, but boy once they did…it was "on like Donkey Kong." Like…all the time. Just a fair heads up there.

Losing Control gets 4 stars from me. Likeable, different characters. The plot that was interesting, not entirely original, yet not overdone. I loved that Losing Control didn’t have the characters making stupid decisions at the 70% mark just to create some kind of conflict. As a matter of fact, I really enjoyed the entire last 30% of the book just as much as the beginning. And I’m looking forward to checking out Taking Control, book 2, as soon as I can! Have you read Losing Control? What did you think? Let me know!

Author Biography

Bestselling author Jen Frederick lives with her husband, child, and one rambunctious dog. She's been reading stories all her life but never imagined writing one of her own. Jen loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at jensfrederick@gmail.com.

Social Networking Links

Newsletter Sign Up: http://bit.ly/TCLAaA
Website: http://jenfrederick.com Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6995972.Jen_Frederick Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenFrederick Twitter: https://twitter.com/JensFred

Bestselling author Jen Frederick is offering readers a free digital serial romance via her newsletter starting on Tuesday, May 27th. To celebrate the release, Jen is holding a Rafflecopter giveaway for a Kindle Fire e-reader loaded with her entire backlist. The giveaway ends June 7th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Matched - Review

Matched (Matched, # 1)

By: Ally Condie

Published: November 30th 2010 by Dutton Juvenile

369 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction

Source: Borrowed from the Public Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

You guys Matched is so similar to Delirium by Lauren Oliver. They both have societies who have deemed what is acceptable and what is off limits, limiting books, music, and just about every other aspect of the citizens’ lives. There are Officials (Regulators in Delirium). And at a specific age each citizen is Matched (cured and then matched in Delirium) to another citizen. In Delirium, love is a disease that must be eradicated. In Matched, love is allowed, but who you love is forced upon you—essentially free-will is eradicated. In both books our protagonist falls in love with a boy that she is not "meant" to be with, and then she must decide if love is worth fighting for or if surrendering to the society is what’s best for everyone. Between these two books, Delirium is my favorite, both in story and in prose. Lauren Oliver has just a little extra something in her writing style, and Lena has a little bit more to lose in striving to escape the cure from the “disease” amor deliria nervosa and losing her ability to love at all. However, Matched and Delirium were just different enough for me to enjoy them both.

Where Delirium fascinated me with the concept of love being considered a disease, Matched fascinated me with its society entirely dependent upon statistics. The future is almost predictable based on figures and stats, even what we know to be the most unpredictable—the human element.

The description tells you that Cassia and Ky fall in love, so that’s not a spoiler, but I will say that there was something about Cassia’s relationship with Ky that I wasn’t buying. While I did feel a connection between the two of them, I wasn’t convinced they’d made it to the love stage yet. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is that holds me back, but it just feels too soon. They share a connection, they share secrets, they would fight for each other, but I don’t feel the intensity that I wanted to in order to be convinced. For a book that’s about defying an entire society and culture in order to be with your true love, the whole true love concept better be well done, and this felt lacking to me.

Probably the best thing Matched had going for it was Ally Condie’s writing style. My favorite quotes*:

What is it about your voice that makes me want to hear you speak?

They’re different when you’re different. - Speaking of songs/music.

It settles on a point, but I still spin, wondering where to go. - Reference to a compass.

Everything I dream of is simple and plain and every day.

My heart will always fly his name.

Do not go gentle into that good night…Rage, rage against the dying of the light. (Dylan Thomas)

Because the language was the best thing going for Matched in my opinion, I’ve got to give props to Kate Simses who narrated the audiobook version that I listened to from the library. She’s one of the better narrators I’ve ever listened to. Ironically enough, also very similar to Sarah Drew who narrated Delirium. She was easy to listen to without spacing out (meaning she wasn’t monotone). The inflection and emphasis in her voice was used at just the right moments. She was intense when she needed to be, and quiet and somber when appropriate as well.

Matched gets 4 Stars for being well written even if all aspects weren’t as well done as other books I've experienced. Have you read Matched? What did you think? Let me know!

*It's almost impossible for me to quote an audiobook correctly. I pause and play, pause and play, trying to get the words correctly. But punctuation and such is impossible to be 100% about it without seeing it in print.