Monday, January 19, 2015

Never Never - Review

Never Never

By: Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Publication: January 7th 2015 by Hoover Ink

140 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Paranormal

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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

Goodreads description--Best friends since they could walk.
In love since the age of fourteen.
Complete strangers since this morning.

He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget.

Oh my! What to say? What to say? I just don’t know. I’m a huge Colleen Hoover fan, right? And even though I’ve never read Tarryn Fisher before, she’s been on my TBR list for a while. So I knew I right away that Never Never was a book I’d want to read. I was disappointed in the book description they released on Goodreads. I mean it tells you nothing really, and since finishing Never Never I feel like the description makes zero sense. Granted, it is possible that this was the description meant for the standalone book and they didn’t update it once they decided to turn it into a series; therefore, I’m just missing a huge piece of the puzzle for the description to make sense.

Honestly, even though I finished Never Never several days ago (more like a week at the time of this posting), I still don’t fully know how I feel about this book. The writing was good. Smooth and flowing. I was hooked and intrigued. But I had some issues too. It’s hard to know how much information to share about Never Never because I don’t want to spoil anything, but I feel like more than the description has to be touched on to give you an accurate representation of this book.

Here’s the deal: Charlie and Silas both kind of “come to” or “wake up” or whatever at the same time in different places with zero memories of who they are, who their families are, their pasts and all that jazz. They can remember details like who the president is and how to drive a car. But the important stuff that makes up who they are is gone. They figure out that they’ve been in a relationship for four years and that whatever is happening to them is happening to both of them. Colleen Hoover writes one narration—I’m pretty sure Silas—and Tarryn Fisher writes the other narration—again, pretty sure Charlie. The more Charlie and Silas find out about their pasts selves the less I liked their past selves. It was helpful to know that neither one of them seemed to like what they were finding out either, but that still made it a bit difficult for me to connect with them.

Also, the more Charlie and Silas learn about the past the more questions come up. What happened between Charlie & Silas’s fathers? Why were they both not fully committed to their relationship and yet seem so in love at the same time? What’s happened/happening to them to make them both lose their memories? Who can they trust? I wanted to know the answers to all of these questions, but you don’t get them. The answers. To any of the questions. At least not in Never Never Part 1.

And that leads me to the “epic cliffhanger” that everyone is talking about. I wasn’t as thrilled about the cliffhanger as everyone else seems to be. I mean some people hate cliffhangers and some people don’t. I kind of enjoy them if it stirs up excitement for me to look forward to the next book. If that’s the “end of the story” then I might not be so excited. But Never Never’s cliffhanger wasn’t the best one I’ve ever read—that still belongs to Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, # 3) by Richelle Mead. As a matter of fact I was just kind of annoyed, not because it was a cliffhanger, but because the book just ended.

Typically a story goes through the following steps: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution. Well…I felt like we got the Exposition. We got the Rising Action. But it just ended after that. I guess the cliffhanger would be considered the climax. But there was no falling action or resolution….it just ended. Just……………

Since I mentioned the writing style earlier, here are my favorite non-spoiler quotes:

-It's frightening not knowing who you are--even more frightening thinking you'll get it wrong.

-There's no protocol on how to console your girlfriend of four years who you just met this morning.

-How odd to be made of flesh, balance on bone, and filled with a soul you've never met.

Never Never definitely left me wanting more. I can see where once I have all the information included in Part 2 I might very well really enjoy this book and this series, but at this point, I still just feel so unsure about things. I don’t really feel like I can make any accurate assessments at this point except to say that I don’t know anything about this story. The more I’ve learned the more I don’t know. I guess I’d give Never Never 4 Stars, but that rating feels subject to change. Have you read Never Never? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Sunday Post - 132 & Stacking the Shelves - 93

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 was both really slow and really fast. I took the day off work on Friday and spent the entire day cooking for the shower on Saturday. I was literally on my feet from 8:30 am until about 11:00 pm. Saturday I woke up and did some last minute prepping for the shower. It was about 2 hours away from where I live so that meant I had to get going earlier than normal. The shower was a blast but yet exhausting. But I really can't think of anyone more deserving as the bride is literally the nicest person I know. Oh and Husband got a slight promotion at work. So we're celebrating that also.

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of Twice in a Blue Moon by Cate Masters (2.5 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Inspirational Characters
Wednesday: Waiting on Beautiful Redemption (The Maddox Brothers, # 2) by Jamie McGuire
Thursday: Review of Mayhem (Mayhem, # 1) by Jamie Shaw (4 Stars)
Friday: Review of Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, # 1) by LM Montgomery (5 Stars)
Saturday: Discussion Only We Know: Citing Sources

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Never Never (Never Never, # 1) by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday
Thursday: Review of Out of Breath (Breathing, # 3) by Rebecca Donovan
Friday: Review of Playing It Safe by Barbie Bohrman
Saturday: Discussions Only We Know: Scheduling Posts

Don’t forget to sign up for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15, 2015 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.

Top Secret Twenty One (Stephanie Plum, # 21)

By: Janet Evanovich

Published: June 17th 2014 by Bantam

320 pages

Genre: Adult, Humor

Source: Borrowed from my sister (who 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--Catch a professional assassin: top priority. Find a failure-to-appear and collect big bucks: top score. How she’ll pull it all off: top secret.

Trenton, New Jersey’s favorite used-car dealer, Jimmy Poletti, was caught selling a lot more than used cars out of his dealerships. Now he’s out on bail and has missed his date in court, and bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is looking to bring him in. Leads are quickly turning into dead ends, and all too frequently into dead bodies. Even Joe Morelli, the city’s hottest cop, is struggling to find a clue to the suspected killer’s whereabouts. These are desperate times, and they call for desperate measures. So Stephanie is going to have to do something she really doesn’t want to do: protect former hospital security guard and general pain in her behind Randy Briggs. Briggs was picking up quick cash as Poletti’s bookkeeper and knows all his boss’s dirty secrets. Now Briggs is next on Poletti’s list of people to put six feet under.

To top things off, Ranger—resident security expert and Stephanie’s greatest temptation—has been the target of an assassination plot. He’s dodged the bullet this time, but if Ranger wants to survive the next attempt on his life, he’ll have to enlist Stephanie’s help and reveal a bit more of his mysterious past.

Death threats, highly trained assassins, highly untrained assassins, and Stark Street being overrun by a pack of feral Chihuahuas are all in a day’s work for Stephanie Plum. The real challenge is dealing with her Grandma Mazur’s wild bucket list. A boob job and getting revenge on Joe Morelli’s Grandma Bella can barely hold a candle to what’s number one on the list—but that’s top secret.

Vanishing Girls

By: Lauren Oliver

Expected Publication: March 3rd 2015 by HarperCollins

358 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Suspense

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--New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver delivers a gripping story about two sisters inexorably altered by a terrible accident.

Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before the accident that left Dara's beautiful face scarred and the two sisters totally estranged. When Dara vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl, nine-year-old Madeline Snow, has vanished, too, and Nick becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances are linked. Now Nick has to find her sister, before it's too late.

In this edgy and compelling novel, Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.

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!

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Discussions Only We Know - Citing Sources

Discussions Only We Know

Citing Sources

This is more a jumble of thoughts and questions today.

During Armchair BEA in 2013, one of the topics for the day was about ethics. Naturally a lot of stories about plagiarism came up because as bloggers that's one of the most widely unethical practices we encounter. But I also came across several people who discussed in their posts that they would suggest asking for permission from a blogger before quoting them and linking back to them. So my question is...when is it appropriate to quote someone and link back? And what crosses the line into needing someone's permission before quoting and linking to them?

Here are my thoughts. First let me say that I'm open to opinions on this for real. But I think if you're just quoting something someone said in a review or a discussion post once then quoting them and linking back to them should be fine. I don't contact an author of a book every time I cite their work in a research paper. No, I just document my source appropriately. I don't think there's a much more appropriate way to document my source than to link back to them--especially if I can link directly to their post or comment I'm referencing.

I think contacting someone for permission would definitely be necessary if you're interested in playing off an idea that you got from them. Whether that be a feature or meme or something like that. But off the top of my head, I'm not coming up with many other situations where I think that would be necessary.

What do you guys think? When is it necessary to contact someone before quoting them or playing off an idea you got from them? I've even seen bloggers say something like "I've not seen any posts like this before, but if you know of anyone who has please let me know in the comments so I can give them credit." REALLY? Is that necessary? I'm just curious. I mean citing sources is great, and I 100% think we need to do so, but if you've never encountered an idea, topic, or thought from any outside source then is it necessary to ask for sources?

I need your thoughts guys. Let me know!

Friday, January 16, 2015

Anne of Green Gables - Review

Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, # 1)

By: LM Montgomery

Published: first published 1908

320 pages

Genre: Classics, YA, Historical Fiction,

Source: Audiobook Sync Free Download

( 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--Everyone's favorite redhead, the spunky Anne Shirley, begins her adventures at Green Gables, a farm outside Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. When the freckled girl realizes that the elderly Cuthberts wanted to adopt a boy instead, she begins to try to win them and, consequently, the reader, over.

Anne of Green Gables is a reminder straight to my childhood. I remember my mom had the first five books of the series. I tried to read Anne of Green Gables once as a child, but I just couldn’t get into it. I did, however, love the movies starring Megan Follows (who also plays Queen Catherine on Reign). My sister and I still quote the movies back and forth to each other periodically. So when Sync Audiobooks offered Anne of Green Gables as a free download this past summer, I swooped it up.

Colleen Winton did a great job narrating the audiobook. She was so enthusiastic during Anne’s parts. It was great because I was enthralled by Anne and exhausted by her at the same time—which is I think the exact reaction that LM Montgomery was going for. As an adult, I can see how Anne might have gotten on my nerves had I not been as attached to her as I was in childhood. What I didn’t think much about in childhood was the optimism and positivity that Anne has. Of course, she often finds herself in the “depths of despair.” Marilla observed that Anne feels her highs and low so intensely, but even with the hand she’s been dealt, she’s mostly able to appreciate the most simple and basic things in life that really make her an adorable character—one I dare you to try to not fall in love with.

I can’t help but remark about how perfectly the cast of the movies were. Marilla, Matthew, and Anne especially. Marilla is so stubborn. She refuses to admit how fond she is of Anne for a really long time and seeks to make a moral lesson out of almost everything—she kind of reminds me of myself. Matthew is perfect. He’s so quiet, but he just loves Anne from that first ride home with her. And he spoils her and showers her with such quiet affection. It’s beautiful.

I absolutely loved Anne’s relationship (or lack thereof) with Gilbert. Of course, I already know how that ends, but it was even better to see how LM Montgomery worked this in the story. How Anne was so mad at him that she wanted to refuse to acknowledge him, but she’d slip up and mention him (not completely) in relation to their school rivalry. Pretty brilliant.

I’m sure that I’ve not said (nor will I say) anything that hasn’t already been said about Anne of Green Gables, but I just had to weigh in since this has been on my TBR list since I was a child. And if nothing else, listening to this book on audio has sparked my desire to go back and re-watch the old movies. I even put them on my Christmas Wish List. Anne of Green Gables gets 5 Stars from me. Have you read Anne of Green Gables? What did you think? Let me know!

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Mayhem - Review

Mayhem (Mayhem, # 1)

By: Jamie Shaw

Expected Publication: January 20th 2015 by Avon Impulse

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

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--When college freshman Rowan Michaels meets gorgeous, up-and-coming rock star Adam Everest, she knows a player like him is the last thing she needs after her ex-boyfriend shattered her heart. But she can't stop thinking about the kiss they shared on his tour bus.

On the first day of school, Rowan is stunned when Adam saunters into her French class. He's soon failing miserably, and, on a whim, she offers to tutor him. But Adam doesn't recognize her as a makeup-free, glasses-clad college student—a far cry from the beautiful, mysterious "Peach" he met at his concert.

During a wild weekend on tour with the band, Rowan can't help falling for the sweet guy buried beneath Adam's rocker persona. Yet she knows she could never compete with the girls constantly throwing themselves at his feet. She'd just end up hurt … again.

Peach is all Adam thinks about, though, and when Rowan realizes this, she has a decision to make: stay just friends to protect her fragile heart … or reveal the truth about the night they met and admit she's fallen completely, hopelessly in love with him.

Mayhem is another book that I took a risk on. There weren’t many Goodreads reviews when I requested it, but the description pulled me in. I was reading Red Rising more out of obligation than being in the mood for it, and I was feeling bogged down with all the description of the dystopian setting, so I wanted something that I could read quickly. Contemporaries usually fall into that category for me because I get sucked in and don’t come up for air until they are over. And that’s exactly what happened. Husband took a three hour nap one Sunday afternoon (he had a bad headache), and so I sat in the bed with him reading the whole time. Next thing I knew I was 60% finished with Mayhem.

Mayhem doesn’t feel entirely original to me. It reminds me of a combination of the Marked Men series by Jay Crownover and the Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott. But I guess more Stage Dive than Marked Men.

Rowan is in a long-term relationship with a guy who doesn’t deserve her. He breaks her heart and Adam from this rock band shows some concern for the girl crying outside of one of his shows on the curb. I never really quite understood why Rowan wanted to keep it a secret that she’s the girl Adam affectionately nicknamed Peach. Well I can understand her keeping it from Dee (at first), but only because Dee seems a bit over-the-top and Rowan doesn’t seem the type to like a big deal being made out of anything. I can definitely understand Rowan’s resistance to letting her guard down with Adam though. He shows very little indication that he wants anything more from her than a physical relationship, so she works hard to keep their relationship in the friend-zone.

Adam is easily likeable. He has a laidback vibe to everything he does. You can tell that he obviously treats Rowan differently than any of the other females he’s around, but I wish he were a little more obvious about his intentions. However, that makes sense since Adam doesn’t even understand his own intentions. I had been hoping to have a dual narrative, but Adam only has one narration—the epilogue.

The side characters were all fun even if some were a bit cliché. Dee should be interesting to read about as she’s more of a partier, she’s more casual in her relationships, and she has some baggage with her mom that Rowan conveniently set up in Mayhem. (The next book, Riot, is supposed to be about her.) I started to say that Shawn is probably the other character that I’m most interested in getting a story about. While I definitely want his story, I remembered Mike about halfway through typing that statement. Mike isn’t like the other guys. He doesn’t seem to care one lick about the groupies that follow the band around and that I respect.

Obviously, there are some sexual situations and there is language. Just throwing that out there as always.

Favorite quotes:

-“Say something to me in French.” “Adam thinks about it for a moment, and then with a big smile, he looks up at her and says, “Tu parles trop.”” [translation- “You talk too much.”]

-“Promise?” He shakes his head. “I don’t make promises. But I’ll show you.”

-“You’re my favorite…That’s why.”

-I thought I had loved Brady, but that was the love of a girl who barely knew herself.

Mayhem was a pleasant surprise. It sucked me in. Despite not being an entirely original concept for my reading life, I enjoyed almost every minute of it. There were a few small things that made me roll my eyes, but nothing that had me too frustrated. More than anything, I was trying to keep the smile off my face so that I didn’t look like a lunatic. I told Husband that Mayhem was cheesy….BUT the GOOD kind of cheesy—as in, I can’t stop smiling cheesy. Mayhem gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read Mayhem? What did you think? Let me know!