It Ends With Us - Review

It Ends With Us

By: Colleen Hoover

Publication: August 2nd 2016 by Atria Books

320 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--Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up. She graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant and has a total soft spot for Lily; and the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head, but Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his no dating rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan, her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

With this bold and deeply personal novel Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all too human characters, “It Ends with Us” is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.

Colleen Hoover always makes her books so hard to review without spoiling anything. It's a blessing and a curse. I'll say up front that It Ends With Us isn't my favorite Colleen Hoover book, but she pulled out all the feels from me and I ended up crying. Actual tears. It's not easy to make me cry, but Colleen Hoover has done it more than once.

It Ends With Us starts out on a roof top where Lily meets Ryle (I STILL HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO PRONOUNCE HIS NAME which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine). The two have both had traumatic days for different reasons and begin to talk. Because they're complete strangers they find it easy and refreshing to be completely honest with each other in what they call "naked truths." I liked that these two had a connection one night but then didn't see each other again for quite some time. Ryle helps give Lily the inspiration and motivation she needed to leave the job she had at a marketing firm to start her own business--a floral shop.

As part of the overall story, Lily finds and re-reads some journals that she wrote back when she was fifteen years old. I didn't love that the journal entries were written in the form of letters to Ellen Degeneres. I mean that made them unique, but also a little annoying to me. Ellen is hilarious so I can kind of understand the need to try to bring in some humor to the weightiness of the story, but that didn't quite translate as Ellen herself wasn't really present. It also served as a flashback to give Lily's backstory and setup for events to come. I'm not always a fan of flashbacks and I found myself sighing (not in a good way) when these sections came up at first, but the further into the book I got the more I wanted to know how her journals would end.

It Ends With Us is a good bit different from all of Colleen Hoover's other books. In the most obvious way I can't really discuss due to spoiling, but what is the same is that I really did feel everything that Lily feels. I felt her excitement with a new relationship, the nostalgia from her past, the hurt and frustration from being let down, the confusion and battle of head versus heart. It Ends With Us is a story of gray areas and how quickly you can find yourself in the exact position you thought you of all people would never be in. And if you read the author's note at the end (read only after finishing the book) then you'll see how deeply personal It Ends With Us was for Colleen Hoover. This was a story that needed to be told.

I laughed, I cried. I shook my head. I predicted. Even though It Ends With Us wasn't my favorite Colleen Hoover book, I still have to give it 5 Stars because she put me through the entire course of emotions. Any time a book can actually make me cry it deserves those 5 Stars. Have you read It Ends With Us? What did you think? Let me know!

PS I appreciated that this was a less physically descriptive book than the last couple that she's done as well.

Sunday Post - 208 & Stacking the Shelves - 149

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

This week flew by! We had Baby Girl's 9 month check up this week. She's doing great. Her weight is up finally! Her doctor wasn't worried about it really, but she was in the bottom 25% for weight when we got her tongue tie revised at 6 months. Now she's in the top 40%. I'm so proud of the progress she's made there. We started finger foods this week. She loves the challenge of picking up little Cheerios and squishing bananas in her fingers, but so far she's not much of a fan of the taste of either. I haven't gotten much reading done as I've been watching the olympics at night. This is the first olympics that I've really watched since 1996 (when I was 10 years old).

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of Return to Paradise (Leaving Paradise, # 2) by Simone Elkeles (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Ten Characters I'd Want As Family Members
Wednesday: Waiting on Unknown (Unknown, # 1) by Wendy Higgins

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2016 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15, 2016 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Like a River Glorious (The Gold Seer Trilogy, # 2)

By: Rae Carson

Expected Publication: September 27th 2016 by Greenwillow

432 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (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--After a harrowing journey across the country, Leah Westfall and her friends have finally arrived in California and are ready to make their fortunes in the Gold Rush. Lee has a special advantage over the other new arrivals in California—she has the ability to sense gold, a secret known only by her handsome best friend Jefferson and her murdering uncle Hiram.

Lee and her friends have the chance to be the most prosperous settlers in California, but Hiram hasn’t given up trying to control Lee and her power. Sabotage and kidnapping are the least of what he’ll do to make sure Lee is his own. His mine is the deepest and darkest in the territory, and there Lee learns the full extent of her magical gift, the worst of her uncle, and the true strength of her friendships. To save everyone, she vows to destroy her uncle and the empire he is building—even at the cost of her own freedom.

The second epic historical fantasy in the Gold Seer trilogy by Rae Carson, the acclaimed author of The Girl of Fire and Thorns.

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

Waiting on Unknown

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Unknown (Unknown, # )

By: Wendy Higgins

Expected Publication: August 16th 2016 by Wendy Higgins

342 pages

Genre: New Adult, Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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

Goodreads description--Amber Tate believes the worst thing she’ll suffer in life is dealing with the unrequited love she feels for her brother’s best friend, Rylen Fite. She also believes war is something unfortunate that happens places far, far away from her rural Nevada town. She’s wrong on both counts.

When an unknown organization meticulously bombs major cities in the United States and across the globe, a trickle-down effect spreads to remaining towns at an alarming speed—everything from food and water sources to technology and communications are compromised. Without leadership, the nation is split between paralysis and panic, but Amber isn’t one to hide or watch helplessly. She’s determined to put her nursing skills to use, despite the danger, even if it means working alongside the man she can never have.

In this first installment of NY Times bestselling author, Wendy Higgins’s debut New Adult series, a frighteningly realistic apocalyptic America is brought to life, entwined with searing romantic tension that will leave you eager for more.

I still need to read The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins, but this one sounds really good to me too. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Top Ten Characters I'd Want As Family Members

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Characters I'd Want As Family Members.

1. Mustang from The Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown - because she's loyal but not blind.
2. Addie from Pivot Point by Kasie West - because wouldn't it be great to have someone close by who could search the future?
3. Sean from The Summer Series by CJ Duggan - because it would be awesome to have an excuse to visit his house in Australia on vacation.
4. Dany from A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin - because...well...dragons of course.
5. Ismae from His Fair Assassin by Robin LaFevers - because it couldn't hurt to have an assassin in the family, right?
6. Val from V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram - because she would make an awesome role model.
7. Lisbeth from Millennium by Stieg Larsson - because should I ever need a computer hacked or to get out of some kind of legal trouble.
8. Rose from Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - because she makes me laugh and because if I ever need to break out of prison.
9. Miles from Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover - because he could fly me anywhere in the world.
10. The Weasleys from Harry Potter by JK Rowling - because they just have the kind of family that everyone wants to be a part of.

This topic ended up being a bit harder than I expected it to be, but it has also inspired a topic for my next freebie post. What about you guys? Which characters would you want to be members of your family? Let me know!

Return to Paradise - Review

Return to Paradise (Leaving Paradise, # 2)

By: Simone Elkeles

Published: September 1st 2010 by Flux

291 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from the 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--Caleb Becker left Paradise eight months ago, taking with him the secret he promised to take to his grave. If the truth got out, it would ruin everything.

Maggie Armstrong tried to be strong after Caleb broke her heart and disappeared. Somehow, she managed to move on. She's determined to make a new life for herself.

But then Caleb and Maggie are forced together on a summer trip. They try ignoring their passion for each other, but buried feelings resurface. Caleb must face the truth about the night of Maggie's accident, or the secret that destroyed their relationship will forever stand between them.

The Sequel to LEAVING PARADISE From the New York TimesBestselling Author of RULES OF ATTRACTION

Praise for Leaving Paradise
"Elkeles writes convincingly about family tensions, retreating from painful reality, and teens outgrowing their old skins." —School Library Journal

"Elkeles creates raw emotions, dialogue, and high-school ambience that’s just right… [A] delicate, delicious love story."—Booklist

Okay so we found out at the end of Leaving Paradise that Caleb wasn't actually the one who hit Maggie the night that changed everything. Instead his twin sister Leah did and Caleb decided to take the fall for it. I loved how Simone Elkeles played up Caleb being the hero and taking the fall throughout the entire story of Leaving Paradise. However, Caleb's come to a place where carrying the blame for something he didn't do is leaving him with nothing but bitterness. This reminds me of Defending Taylor where I was mad at Taylor for becoming bitter when the boy she took the fall for didn't stand up and take responsibilty for his actions because he never asked her to take the fall for him. She volunteered. And while Leah did come to Caleb for help, she also didn't really ask him to take responsibilty either. Yet, there's a big difference between getting kicked out of some fancy private school and going to jail for a year and having a permanent record as a convicted felon. I think Caleb's case is a bit more serious. However, it did make me rethink my harsh judgment of Taylor's feelings. Caleb's guilty verdict in this accident has changed every single relationship in his life. And at the place where we begin Return to Paradise none of these changes were for the better. It's no wonder that he's become bitter by the way everyone acts like he was bound to end up in this place because he's such a bad person when he never did the crime they believe him to have committed in the first place. When who you are as viewed by the world is based on a lie there's no wonder when you feel like no one knows you and no one understands you. You can't keep a secret like this forever and come out unchanged by it.

Maggie realized at the end of Leaving Paradise that it wasn't Caleb's fault. Yet Caleb leaves Paradise because he doesn't trust Maggie with this secret. While he's gone, Maggie makes peace with Leah. She's made peace with her new life, her new phyiscal limitations. And she's planning a trip to Spain (again). But before she goes, she's joined up on a program to travel around to schools and camps and programs to share with others how reckless driving has impacted her life. What she didn't expect was for Caleb to be assigned to this program as well in exchange for keeping him out of jail--for real this time, not juvie.

Caleb has a real chip on his shoulder and he must work through his feelings and the truth about the accident in order to move forward. He must find a way to trust Maggie--and others--with the truth. He needs to confront his sister to let her know what bearing her guilt has really cost him. He needs to patch things up with his parents. Maggie has a few things to work out on her own too. Caleb not trusting her and leaving is a repeat of her father's actions. She has to work through how family is often the people who choose to be in our lives and not always those we share blood with. And I absolutely loved that Maggie is the shining example of how to move forward and offer forgiveness for Caleb. She forgave Caleb when she thought it was him that caused the accident, and she forgave Leah when she remembered the true events of the night as well. Kudos to her for being able to do what so many others wouldn't.

Return to Paradise had a lot of ground to cover. There was much conflict that needed to be worked through and overcome. But I blew through it all. I couldn't stop reading. And Simone Elkeles covered each piece in a way that felt authentic and allowed me to experience the emotions of the characters. I very much enjoyed Return to Paradise. This series and this book was exactly what I was in the mood for at the right time. Return to Paradise gets 4 Stars. Have you read Return to Paradise? What did you think? Let me know!