Sunday Post - 140 & Stacking the Shelves - 100

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 was a good week. It was fast, but productive. I actually went into this week with a very laid back attitude toward the blog. I intended to do a Top Ten Tuesday post, but it slipped up on me. And then I only did two reviews this week instead of three like I normally try to do. And I also didn't do a Saturday post. There's nothing that says I HAVE to do those posts, and ever since last year I've been trying to be more aware of when I need a break and this week was it. I did, however, read much more this week than the past couple of weeks. It was almost like a reboot for me--much needed. Next week is an exciting week. I have a hair appointment which is always nice. Husband, my friend Paula, my sister-in-law, Holly, and I are going to see Insurgent Friday night. We might even do dinner if time allows. Are any of you going to see it this weekend? Saturday is also my mother-in-law's birthday. I don't think we're celebrating as a family until a couple of weeks later, but we'll still see her sometime over the weekend. Also there's 5 days left to enter my Happy 4th Blogoversary Giveaway, so be sure and stop by!

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of Finding Mr. Brightside by Jay Clark (4 Stars)
Wednesday: Waiting on Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
Thursday: Review of Divided We Fall (Divided We Fall, # 1) by Trent Reedy (4 Stars)

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines, # 6) by Richelle Mead
Tuesday: Top Ten Spring 2015 TBR List
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday
Thursday: Review of All Lined Up (Rusk University, # 1) by Cora Carmack
Friday: Review of A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, # 5) by George R R Martin
Saturday: We'll see....

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!

I am also participating in Kimba's March Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge. Here are my goals for the month:

1. Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy, # 1) by Susan Kaye Quinn
2. Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On by Stormie Omartian
3. Ruins (Partial Sequence, # 3) by Dan Wells
4. Kiss of Fire (Imdalind, # 1) by Rebecca Ethington
5. Inhuman (Fetch, # 1) by Kat Fells
6. Wreck Me (Nova, # 4) by Jessica Sorensen
7. The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, # 3) by Michelle Hodkin
8. Ignite Me (Shatter Me, # 3) by Tahereh Mafi
9. Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy, # 1) by Danielle L Jensen
10. What If by Rebecca Donovan
11. The Walking Dead Compendium 1 by Robert Kirkman
12. All Lined Up (Rusk University, # 1) by Cora Carmack
13. All Broke Down (Rusk University, # 2) by Cora Carmack
14. The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines, # 6) by Richelle Mead
15. The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey, # 3) by Julie Kagawa

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Confess

By: Colleen Hoover

Published: March 10th 2015 by Atria Books

320 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Library (LOVED!!!!!!!!!!)

( 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--From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a new novel about risking everything for love—and finding your heart somewhere between the truth and lies.

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, # 1)

By: Susan Ee

Published: May 23rd 2013 by Hodder and Stoughton (first published May 21st 2011)

326 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Angels, Dystopian

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--It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain.

Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night.

When angels fly away with a helpless girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back...

World After (Penryn & the End of Days, # 2)

By: Susan Ee

Published: November 19th 2013 by Skyscape

320 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Angels, Dystopian

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--In this sequel to the bestselling fantasy thriller, Angelfall, the survivors of the angel apocalypse begin to scrape back together what's left of the modern world.

When a group of people capture Penryn's sister Paige, thinking she's a monster, the situation ends in a massacre. Paige disappears. Humans are terrified. Mom is heartbroken.

Penryn drives through the streets of San Francisco looking for Paige. Why are the streets so empty? Where is everybody? Her search leads her into the heart of the angels' secret plans where she catches a glimpse of their motivations, and learns the horrifying extent to which the angels are willing to go.

Meanwhile, Raffe hunts for his wings. Without them, he can't rejoin the angels, can't take his rightful place as one of their leaders. When faced with recapturing his wings or helping Penryn survive, which will he choose?

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!

Divided We Fall - Review

I could NOT get a good cover photo for this book. Sheesh!

Divided We Fall (Divided We Fall, # 1)

By: Trent Reedy

Published: January 28th 2014 by Arthur A. Levine Books

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Action, War, Military

Source: Free audio download from Sync Audiobooks

( 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--From the author of the acclaimed WORDS IN THE DUST: an action-packed YA novel set in a frighteningly plausible near future, about what happens when the States are no longer United.

Danny Wright never thought he'd be the man to bring down the United States of America. In fact, he enlisted in the National Guard because he wanted to serve his country the way his father did. When the Guard is called up on the Idaho governor's orders to police a protest in Boise, it seems like a routine crowd-control mission ... but then Danny's gun misfires, spooking the other soldiers and the already fractious crowd, and by the time the smoke clears, twelve people are dead.

The president wants the soldiers arrested. The governor swears to protect them. And as tensions build on both sides, the conflict slowly escalates toward the unthinkable: a second American civil war.

With political questions that are popular in American culture yet rare in YA fiction, and a provocative plot that could far too easily become real, DIVIDED WE FALL is Trent Reedy's very timely YA debut.

Divided We Fall was a free audiobook download I got from Sync Audiobooks this past summer. I went into Divided We Fall with pretty low expectations. The thing with Sync Audiobooks is that it is totally awesome to get free audiobooks, but the downside to that is they’re not all in my normal wheelhouse. But I’ve found a couple of absolute gems through this system as well (i.e. Carter Finally Gets It). My friend Paula has been jumping on the audiobooks a lot sooner than I have been so she listened to this one a good while back, and she said that it was definitely different from our normal reads but that she surprisingly enjoyed it. And essentially that’s exactly how I felt.

There are different types of audiobook narrations. Sometimes there is one narrator who essentially reads the book with little to no inflection or acting. Sometimes there is one narrator who basically acts out the book, especially the dialogue. Other times there are multiple narrators. This usually happens when the book has multiple POVs, but sometimes there are different readers/narrators/actors for each character. Divided We Fall had the most unique combination of all of these types. There was one main narrator, Andrew Eiden, but then there were special narrations done by Trent Reedy (the author) and other person that I missed the name of that I felt like really added to the overall feel of the audiobook.

I don’t read too many war books or too many political books either. Divided We Fall had a little bit of both, but just enough Young Adult to make it relatable. So here’s the low down: Danny is seventeen years old. Over the past summer he went through basic training for the Idaho National Guard. Because he’s not eighteen yet, he can’t be deployed with the rest of his unit overseas. The President has just passed a controversial law that requires all citizens to carry a government issued ID card with a chip that includes all of their government identification information as well as all of their medical history and information. The chip is trackable, but the federal government swears they will only enact the tracker in situations where the ID card has been lost, stolen, or at the request of the owner of the card. So far this is plausible considering our own upcoming government issued ID card. However, the state of Idaho has decided that they do not want to be involved with the ID card program. (An actual State vs Federal case is how Alabama as a state voted against same sex marriage, yet because of a federal court ruling, the state was overturned.) Unrest begins in the state of Idaho which results in riots and protests (Ferguson and other various recent protests ring any bells?). The governor of Idaho calls the Idaho National Guard to service to stabilize and diffuse the rioting situation in Boise. As the description says, Danny’s gun misfires and a domino effect takes place that leads to so much more.

It’s very surprising to me that I enjoyed a book that has such a political storyline. I HATE politics. I don’t really want to discuss specific politics here on my blog, but as I’ve pointed out, so much of what sparked the events of Divided We Fall is not only plausible, but has actually happened in some form or other within the last year. One of the best parts to me was the insets of the media’s and the public’s response to all of the events. It was SPOT ON! And HILARIOUS! Almost every comment by the media or by the public within this book was almost word for word verbatim a comment I’ve heard or seen myself over the last year in relation to the topics I referenced above and others. It was so hilarious in the ridiculous nature of the media coverage and the public’s response that I couldn’t help but feel like Trent Reedy was simply making fun of every aspect of politics—both parties, the state, the federal government, the media, the public….EVERYTHING! Which I found to be awesome.

Danny himself was an extremely likable character. He joins the National Guard because his father served in the military before he died, and because Danny sees the National Guard as being a huge stepping stone to achieving his goals for his future, which include one day proposing to his girlfriend, Jo Beth. Danny’s understandably scared when he gets called for active duty for the Boise riots. And then the worst thing happens. Someone in the crowd throws a rock and hits his facemask and his gun goes off. Danny feels responsible for starting the events that follow. And even though he’s been sworn to secrecy by the governor, his name and his involvement eventually leaks. Some people think he’s a hero and others want his head. Few people stop to get Danny’s real story and assumptions begin. If nothing else, Divided We Fall showed me that we rarely know what actually happened in all of these stories that are on the news. People are so quick to jump to conclusions, to place blame, and to find someone to take out retribution on. But thankfully, Danny has a great set of friends that support him.

I was on a see-saw with Danny and Jo Beth’s relationship. Jo Beth starts off the book very interested in all things political, and before she knows of Danny’s involvement, she takes a very vocal stance against the National Guard. She’s one of the first ones to place the blame and demand blood in payment for the deaths caused during the riot. During this time, I was very anti-Jo Beth. But I came back around. Danny and Jo Beth had fights like a real couple, yet what I loved about them as a couple was how they always seemed to come back together as a united front. I ended up rooting for them even though Jo Beth has the potential to annoy me and sometimes did. I do have concerns about them for the future of this trilogy. Because Jo Beth has such strong opinions, I can see this causing more struggles to come. And then there’s also the hint of interest from two other parties—one interested in Jo Beth and one interested in Danny. So we’ll see if Jo Beth and Danny survive the series or not.

The side characters were all very developed. And I really liked each one of them. At the same time, there are multiple storylines, multiple conflicts, multiple facets being weaved together to make this book, and that’s something that I really love about good storytelling. Good stories are not one dimensional, and well Divided We Fall was a really good story.

I am so surprised at how much I ended up liking this book. Even though Divided We Fall is not my typical read, I fell into the story and into the characters. I hate politics, but I think because I felt like Trent Reedy was making fun of everything involved in a situation like this I was able to enjoy this story including the politics involved. Even more so, it was almost scary to me how truly plausible Divided We Fall is. In the end, I’m giving Divided We Fall 4 stars. And I truly am looking forward to book two, Burning Nation. Have you read or listened to Divided We Fall? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on Daughter of Deep Silence

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

Daughter of Deep Silence

By: Carrie Ryan

Expected Publication: June 2nd 2015 by Dutton Juvenile

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery

( 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--A delicious tale of revenge and identity from Carrie Ryan, the bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth

In the wake of the deadly devastation of luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story—and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace, rescued from the ocean after torturous days adrift with her dying friend Libby, knows that the Persephone wasn’t sunk by a rogue wave as survivors Senator Wells and his son are claiming—it was attacked.

To ensure her safety from the obviously dangerous and very powerful Wells family, Libby’s father helps newly orphaned Frances assume Libby’s identity. Frances has spent years in hiding, transforming herself into Libby, and she can no longer allow the people who murdered her entire family and Libby to get away with it. After years of careful plotting, she’s ready to set her revenge plans into motion—even if it means taking down the boy she’d once been in love with: the senator’s son.

The game has just begun, and Frances is not only playing dirty, she's playing to win.

I loved The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, and I have been waiting and waiting for her to release something else young adult. So I can't wait to get my hands on this! What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Finding Mr. Brightside - Review

Finding Mr. Brightside

By: Jay Clark

Expected Publication: March 24th 2015 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

288 pages

Genre: Young Adult, 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--Abram and Juliette know each other. They’ve lived down the street from each other their whole lives. But they don’t really know each other—at least, not until Juliette’s mom and Abram’s dad have a torrid affair that culminates in a deadly car crash. The funeral is uncomfortable, to say the least. They don’t speak.

Fast forward to the neighborhood pharmacy, a few months later. Abram is on Paxil. Juliette is on Adderall. Abram decides to say hello. Then he decides to invite her to Taco Bell. To both of their surprise, she agrees. And the real love story begins.

I’m not really sure why, but I didn’t have high expectations for this book when I started it (in November 2014). There really is no good reason why. Maybe just because I wasn’t familiar with the author? I’m not sure. Either way, I think having low expectations for Finding Mr. Brightside turned out to be a good thing for me because I was so pleasantly surprised with this book, the writing, the characters, the story, all of it. And since I read it months ago, I'm really excited to finally get to share my thoughts with you.

As the description says, Abram and Juliette have known each other for a really long time. I mean they go to school together, have classes together, but it’s not like they speak or hang out or anything. It’s just one of those “I know you, you know me” type of relationships. But Abram’s father and Juliette’s mother have been having an affair. One day they’re involved in a car accident which kills both Abram’s father and Juliette’s mother, and thus both families and the world is exposed to this affair which leaves Abram and Juliette in a really awkward situation.

I love how Abram has been intrigued by Juliette for a really long time. He just thinks that they should be friends. And so one day after being slightly stalker like, he runs into her in the pharmacy where they’re both getting their prescriptions filled. Abram’s on Paxil for depression, and Juliette is addicted to Adderall, which we learn was first given to her by her mother before she passed and Juliette’s been faking ADHD symptoms ever since in order to continue to receive her prescription. And truthfully I loved seeing this side of a prescription drug addiction story. I’ve read drug addiction stories before, but I’ve never read one that came at the subject from this angle. It felt very real and authentic especially as I know someone that takes Adderall for ADHD symptoms. This was an enlightening read from that perspective for me.

But I also just genuinely liked these characters. Juliette is so rough around the edges. She’s a hurt, grieving, angry, broken girl. And so she’s a bit of a negative energy. Yet she wasn’t unlikeable because of that. She just took a really long time to trust others, Abram included. Abram is kind of the opposite. He’s such a positive guy, especially considering the revelation of his father’s unfaithfulness and even while grieving his death. It was so refreshing to see him be open to Juliette and to life in general. I loved his efforts to pull Juliette out of her negative space and back into a much more happy and bright world—he’s Mr. Brightside. And I loved this aspect because I feel like Husband has been my Mr. Brightside as well. Even when our stories don’t relate to Abram and Juliette, I just love being able to see our relationship in some way or other reflected in other characters.

Along with Juliette and Abram themselves, I really adored Abram’s mom and even Juliette’s quirky father. Plus the neighbors, Terry & Linda. Easily likeable characters that really fit into the story and help Abram and Juliette grow and move forward.

Jay Clark’s writes from both Abram and Juliette’s perspectives, and I absolutely enjoyed how distinct their voices were. Just as distinct as the characters are, from positive to negative, and from open to closed off. It made connecting to the characters so much easier.

My favorite quotes:

-Okay, enough. I’m not going to be the girl who pulls him up by the straps of his flip-flops, prunes his scraggly sideburns with a pair of nose-hair trimmers, and transforms him into four-year-college-material.

-You’re never too young to feel disappointed in your parents.

-I pick up a slinky black dress. The Chanel label I was once so enamored of seems so silly and pointless now. Just a word on a thing.

-It’s easy to be an amazing, sexy version of yourself for two-hour stretches, especially around someone who doesn’t have to live with you.

-He has a knack for sucking up all the toxic energy I bring to a room.

-“If we ever do meet, I don’t want to feel sorry for her hair the whole time.”

-“I’ll go to class if you hold my hand there,” he bargains, once again forgetting to include what’s in it for me.

-I like the way he says the wrong thing sometimes.

-…she removes a huge canister of sunscreen from an elephantine purse that rivals mine is size. I want to ask where one can purchase such a tote monster, but I don’t, because now we’re unspoken purse rivals.

-Between the Janette encounter, the girl talk with Linda, the Adderall she probably took afterward to make herself feel back in control of the situation, and the creepy master-bedroom setting she’s using to unnecessarily torture herself, it’s too much about everything else, not enough about us.

Finding Mr. Brightside was an unexpected gem. I loved the characters. I loved the writing. I actually chuckled out loud once while reading. I very much enjoyed the story as a whole and the unique look into prescription drug use. Over all Finding Mr. Brightside gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read Finding Mr. Brightside? What did you think? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 139

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 had a lot going on. My grandfather was in and out of the hospital. He's doing better now. Yesterday marked me 4th Blogoversary! Be sure to check out the giveaway I have going on to celebrate! Also, I didn't get any new books this week, but that's okay. Next week is going to be more laid back for me blog wise. I've been posting three reviews a week for a while, but I've only got 2 scheduled for this week to give myself a slight break. I think that's all the news I have to report now.

THIS PAST WEEK:

Sunday: February EOM Wrap Up
Monday: Review of That One Summer (Summer, # 3) by CJ Duggan (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Favorite Reads from the Past 3 Years
Wednesday: Waiting on Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger
Thursday: Review of Beautiful Redemption (The Maddox Brothers, # 2) by Jamie McGuire (4 Stars)
Friday: Review of Legend (Legend, # 1) by Marie Lu ( Stars)
Saturday: Happy 4th Blogoversary Giveaway

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Finding Mr. Brightside by Jay Clark
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday
Thursday: Review of Divided We Fall (Divided We Fall, # 1) by Trent Reedy

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!

I am also participating in Kimba's March Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge. Here are my goals for the month:

1. Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy, # 1) by Susan Kaye Quinn
2. Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On by Stormie Omartian
3. Ruins (Partial Sequence, # 3) by Dan Wells
4. Kiss of Fire (Imdalind, # 1) by Rebecca Ethington
5. Inhuman (Fetch, # 1) by Kat Fells
6. Wreck Me (Nova, # 4) by Jessica Sorensen
7. The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, # 3) by Michelle Hodkin
8. Ignite Me (Shatter Me, # 3) by Tahereh Mafi
9. Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy, # 1) by Danielle L Jensen
10. What If by Rebecca Donovan
11. The Walking Dead Compendium 1 by Robert Kirkman
12. All Lined Up (Rusk University, # 1) by Cora Carmack
13. The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines, # 6) by Richelle Mead
14. The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey, # 3) by Julie Kagawa

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!