Top Ten Books/Authors I've Read in 24 Hours

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books/Authors I've Read in 24 Hours excluding novellas.

1. Colleen Hoover - November 9, Confess, Ugly Love, Slammed, & Point of Retreat
2. Jennifer Anne Davis - The Key & Red
3. Amy Harmon - Making Faces, The Law of Moses, & The Bird and the Sword
4. Kasie West - On the Fence & The Fill-In Boyfriend
5. Katie McGarry - Pushing the Limits, Dare You To, Take Me On, Walk the Edge
6. Unraveling You/Raveling You by Jessica Sorensen
7. To All the Boys I've Loved Before/PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han
8. Faking Normal by Courtney C Stevens
9. Easy by Tammara Webber
10. Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan

Which books/authors have you read in one sitting? Let me know!

Ten Books I'd Buy Immediately If I Had the Money

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books I'd Buy If I Had the Money.

Ok so the truth is that I'm a cheapskate. I'm a hoarder of gift cards. I probably have enough money in gift cards to actually buy all of these books (especially because several are only $2.99), but I just can't bring myself to buy them just yet. However, if I had unlimited money and time then I'd buy these immediately.

1. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Harry Potter, # 8) by JK Rowling, John Tiffany, & Jack Thorne
2. Chaos (Mayhem, # 3) by Jamie Shaw
3. Never Never Pt 3 by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
4. Bathsheba (A Dangerous Beauty, # 2) by Angela Elwell Hunt
5. Built (Saints of Denver, # 1) by Jay Crownover
6. The Beauty of Darkness (The Remnant Chronicles, # 3) by Mary E Pearson
7. The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett
8. Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices, # 1) by Cassandra Clare
9. Inspiring You (Unraveling You, # 4) by Jessica Sorensen
10. The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles, # 2) by Mary E Pearson (already read but don't own)

Which books would you buy immediately if you had the money? And which ones here should I go ahead and snatch up? Let me know!

Awakening You - Review

Awakening You (Unraveling You, # 3)

By: Jessica Sorensen

Published: March 27th 2015 by Smashwords Edition

264 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library ($0.99 @ Amazon)

( 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--Lately, life has been going well for Ayden. His relationship with Lyric is starting to heat up and his career in music is taking off. But the disappearance of his sister still weighs heavily on his mind.

Desperate to find out where his sister is, Ayden decides to take drastic measures. But his dangerous risk leads to the unraveling of secrets, and he’s left facing a darker past then he ever could have imagined.

I feel like a lot of this review will be a repeat of my Raveling You review. This is a different kind of series than I’m used to. Instead of each book feeling like a separate piece of the overall puzzle, each book in this series really just feels like a continuation of one story. Awakening You picks up pretty much where Raveling You left off. Ayden is still in therapy trying to recover his lost memories. His relationship with Lyric is continuing to grow and deepen even if it’s not really moving forward physically. He is becoming more and more a part of the Gregory family. Ayden is not just helping the police search for his brother’s killer, but he’s also trying to find his kidnapped (again) sister. But just as he is pursuing those who held him captive several years ago, it seems as if those people are hunting and stalking him just as much.

There are so many small pieces of this story that are moving along. Lyric and Ayden are still in a band. They’re making music together. Lyric is still working to overcome her stage freight, and she’s working on getting Ayden to agree to do a duet with her. They settle for writing a song together. And there’s even the potential (through Micha’s connections) that they might be able to tour during the summer. But Ayden can’t commit to something like that as long as his sister is still being held captive.

Fiona seems to have some strange things going on. She keeps mentioning that she can feel things before they happen or as they happen or maybe she dreams that things are going to happen. Really it’s quite unclear, but what is obvious is that Ayden’s sister, Sadie, had/has a similar ability. I’m waiting to see what becomes of that.

With Lyric’s help in the form of sketching a tattoo design for him, Ayden begins to try to move beyond his past and really make some progress on the physical contact with other people. Getting the tattoo that was branded on him covered up is a huge step in him feeling free of the people from his past while also being a giant step because of the amount of time that the tattoo artist had to actually be in contact with his skin. That, plus his increasing desire to be with Lyric in a more intimate way has him pushing past some things that make him uncomfortable. The two still haven’t progressed too far physically, and we all know that I always appreciate that.

As I already mentioned, someone appears to be stalking Ayden. Leaving him notes. Breaking into his house. Snagging a chunk of his hair. Following him. And all roads point toward the cult people from his past that held and tortured him and his siblings. I’ve been continually impressed with how frequently Lyric and Ayden both actually turn to and turn over evidence to the adults and authorities instead of how a typical series about characters this age and undergoing these circumstances would have the characters trying to tackle these big things by themselves. Kudos. That’s not to say that Ayden and Lyric always involve their parents or the police but for the most part, I’ve been impressed.

As with the previous two installments, it doesn’t feel like we’ve actually made much progress at all in the overall story. Figuring out what happened to Ayden in his past, what these people want with him, finding his sister (alive or dead), or even in moving forward in his life. It’s hard to imagine how everything will be wrapped up in just over 100 pages with the next book, Inspiring You, but I do believe that’s the last book of the series.

Favorite quote:

”…wanting to overcome something is the first step to getting there.”

Awakening You feels like just as good of an installment as the previous two. I’m so curious to know the answers to all of my questions. I do worry a little bit that the last book will be slightly rushed in trying to wrap everything up as well as reveal all of the answers about the past considering the length. But I enjoyed Awakening You all the same. Awakening You gets 4 Stars. Have you read Awakening You? What did you think? Let me know!

Raveling You - Review

Raveling You (Unraveling You, # 2)

By: Jessica Sorensen

Published: January 13th 2015 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing

256 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle 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--Ayden Gregory may want to keep running from his nightmares, but he no longer has a choice. His past is catching up with him. And fast. He relies on one person to keep him from crumbling. His best friend Lyric Scott.

Lyric feels helpless watching her best friend’s world turn upside down. But she does her best to remain positive and upbeat. She gets their band their first gig and even with everything going on, her relationship with Ayden starts to heat up.

But when danger enters Ayden’s life again, even Lyric might not be able to help him.

Raveling You and this series (so far) kind of reminds me of Never Never in that Never Never is written in installments roughly 100 pages each and each “installment” is a piece of the puzzle but for one cohesive story. The Unraveling You series is more like 250 pages per each installment, but I say this based on how each book (again so far) has ended kind of abruptly. Neither Unraveling You nor Raveling You really felt like there was a solid ending and the story continues throughout all of the books. What I’m used to in a typical series is that there may be an overall arc for the characters or story over the course of the series, but that each book has its own conflict that has to be addressed and overcome making it somewhat independent of the others. That’s not really the case here. But truth be told, I kind of like that this is different. It keeps me progressing forward in the series at a rather rapid pace while still feeling accomplished since I’ve finished yet another book.

We find out at the end of Unraveling You that Ayden’s brother was recently murdered and his body found near the house that Ayden and his siblings were rescued from. Things intensify in this area as Ayden begins to do extra counseling called amnesia therapy in an attempt to uncover his lost memories of the time he and his siblings were held captive. The police think that anything he might be able to remember about that time might lead them to his brother’s killers. Throughout the book, it goes beyond this to the point of Ayden even potentially being stalked himself by the very same people.

Things with Lyric and Ayden intensify as well. They had a few moments in Unraveling You, but attractions and emotions are just getting deeper and more complicated. Lyric is sure about how she feels. She wants to be with Ayden, but Ayden is a little more hesitant. He doesn’t believe that he has much to offer Lyric, especially when she can’t really touch him in any real way without him falling into some kind of memory or panic attack. But his feelings for her aren’t going away either.

A few little irritants for me. 1) Lyric and Ayden both write songs and periodically moments they have together will spark a sudden section of lyrics or poetry or thoughts or something. These pieces fit in line with the story I guess, but they aren’t my favorite. And I don’t feel like they add too much to the story itself. 2) There’s a good bit of name dropping—specifically band names and song titles—which is a personal pet peeve of mine. And then 3) this is really just an observation more than anything, but it seems like almost anytime Jessica Sorensen describes an outfit that Lyric or Ayden is wearing it is always some combination of red and black.

All in all, I’m still impressed with this series, and with Raveling You. It hasn’t been anything like I expected it to be. There is some cursing and f-bombs and a few sexual situations, but nothing really too graphic at all. The characters and backstories just get deeper, and I can’t wait until all of the secrets are revealed. And the mystery behind what actually happened to Ayden and what all he’s blocked from his memory spurs me to keep reading. Raveling You gets 4 Stars. Have you read Raveling You? What did you think? Let me know!

Unraveling You - Review

Unraveling You (Unraveling You, # 1)

By: Jessica Sorensen

Published: November 25th 2014 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

252 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library (currently free on Amazon)

( 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--Lyric Scott has always had a good life. Outgoing, spunky, and musically talented, she’s constantly surrounded by family and friends, yet she still feels there’s something missing.

Then she meets her new next-door neighbor Ayden Gregory. Mysterious, sweet, and sad, Ayden is the exact opposite of Lyric and exactly what she needs to fill the void in her life.

Ayden has been through more than most people and believes his life is always going to be rocky, so when he’s suddenly adopted by the Gregorys, he’s thrown for a turn. But even with a new, loving family, he still finds himself haunted by the memories of his old life. The only true breath of fresh air is when he’s with his best friend, Lyric Scott.

As Lyric and Ayden grow closer, the lines of their friendship start to blur. But when Ayden's past unexpectedly pushes its way into his new life, their friendship and newfound attraction will be tested.

**A novel about Ella and Micha's daughter and Lila and Ethan's son from The Secret Series. However, this series can be read on its own.**

I wasn’t sure about Unraveling You based off the initial cover releases. I think most bloggers/avid readers would admit that they don’t follow the whole "never judge a book by its cover" thing. But seriously, all those covers said to me was “sex.” So I put off even looking into the books. Well…then they did a cover redesign and I didn’t even realize that I was looking at the description for the same book. This time, I was drawn in by the fact that Unraveling You is a story about Lyric, the daughter of Ella and Micha, and Ayden, the newly adopted son of Lila and Ethan from The Secret of Ella and Micha. That was totally intriguing. And so I got Unraveling You when it was on sale as a freebie. Randomly I got the vibe that now was the right time for me to read this specific book, and so I picked it up.

Lyric is….verbal. She takes after her dad, Micha, in the music department. She plays guitar, violin, and drums. Plus she sings—although she has major performance anxiety. Lyric’s favorite aspect of music is songwriting, but she finds that her lyrics tend toward happy and popish because she feels like she just hasn’t had the life experiences necessary to write really heartfelt and moving songs. She’s typically upbeat and tends to be friends with everyone. Because her parents are so close with the next door neighbors, Lyric takes on the task of befriending the newest addition to the Gregory family.

The description makes it seem like Ayden’s been next door all along, but he is only recently moving in. Ayden is the complete opposite of Lyric. He’s quiet, shy, and doesn’t necessarily make friends easily. He’s been through so much in his past that making friends is a desire deep in his heart, but it’s one that he’s too afraid to hope for. So when Lyric announces that she’ll be his friend and she’s got his back he doesn’t really know what to think or how to feel. He quickly learns that Lyric gives him reason to hope and makes life a bit more bearable.

Even though she doesn’t know him well, Lyric can see the obvious pain and sadness in Ayden’s life and she makes it her personal mission to make him smile more often. The two grow closer and become very dependent upon one another. Their relationship isn’t completely unlike her parents’, Ella and Micha. Eventually, Lyric and Ayden become best friends. But a few moments between them show them both that attraction complicates all good friendships. And this is exactly why I find the initial covers for this series so bizarre. Not only is there no sex between Lyric and Ayden, but things barely get heated at all. They have tension, sure, but the action just isn’t there. Now, I do expect that to change somewhere in the future of the series, but at this point the initial cover for Unraveling You doesn’t fit the story at all.

One thing that complicates matters, specifically Lyric and Ayden’s mutual attraction, is that Ayden has some missing memories from his past that he’s terrified to remember. He fears that remembering will break him. But one thing’s certain: when Lyric touches him in any kind of intimate way, it strikes a memory and the feeling of touch being unwanted leading Ayden to believe that he’s potentially been sexually assaulted in the past. He knows that he’s going to have to deal with his past eventually, especially if he wants to move forward with Lyric, but he also doesn’t know if he can.

Unraveling You really felt like it ended at such an awkward point to me. There was no resolution at all, yet I can’t even say that it ended on a cliffhanger exactly either. It was kind of odd truthfully. But I will say that the ending of Unraveling You being where it was sparked me to go ahead and pick up book 2, Raveling You, up immediately.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Unraveling You. The things I was initially worried about weren’t even an issue at all. The redesigned covers make much more sense for the actual story. Lyric and Ayden were both likeable characters, easy to connect with. And I’m still so curious about what’s happened to Ayden in his past and whether he can move forward or not. Unraveling You gets 4 Stars. Have you read Unraveling You? What did you think? Let me know!