Carter Finally Gets It - Review

Carter Finally Gets It (Carter Finally Gets It, # 1)

By: Brent Crawford

Published: April 2009 by Disney-Hyperion

300 pages

Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction, Comedy

Source: Free Audio Download from Sync Audiobooks

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Goodreads description--Meet Will Carter, but feel free to call him Carter. (Yes, he knows it's a lazy nickname, but he didn't have much say in the matter.)

Here are five things you should know about him:

1. He has a stuttering problem, particularly around boobs and belly buttons.

2. He battles Attention Deficit Disorder every minute of every day unless he gets distracted.

3. He's a virgin, mostly because he's no good at talking to girls (see number 1).

4. He's about to start high school.

5. He's totally not ready.

Join Carter for his freshman year, where he'll search for sex, love, and acceptance anywhere he can find it. In the process, he'll almost kill a trombone player, face off with his greatest nemesis, suffer a lot of blood loss, narrowly escape death, run from the cops (not once, but twice), get caught up in a messy love triangle, meet his match in the form of a curvy drill teamer, and surprise the hell out of everyone, including himself.

OM! I got this as a free audio download this past summer when Sync was doing their two free audiobooks per week. I never really expect TOO much out of those. I mean they had some good titles, but they’re free. And some of them, like this one, I’d never heard of before. Just looking at the description, I wasn’t expecting too terribly much from this one. However, my friend Paula listened to it a couple of months ago and said it was hilarious and that I needed to listen to it ASAP! When the opportunity came up for me to listen to the audiobook when I had time I just went for it! And you guys, she was SO RIGHT! This book is H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!!!!!

Brent Crawford writes an awesome coming of age story about our young Will Carter. He’s going into high school this year and well…things are going to be different for Carter this year—better. Or so he hopes. Carter has no idea what he’s about to get himself into. And let me just tell you, Carter is all boy! Completely and undeniably…young, naïve, inexperienced, eager, and clueless…boy.

The title suggests that Carter might finally get what’s coming to him. Or things might finally click into place for our young padewan. I won’t tell you which one. But I can tell you that either one would probably be a satisfying ending—although I like the actual way this one ended.

For my friends and fellow book readers who are scared of audiobooks or who have struggled with narrators in the past I say “Have no fear! This is the audiobook for you!” Nick Podehl does the best job narrating a book I have ever listened to--EVER! And this beats Lorelai King who narrates the Stephanie Plum audiobooks that I love. Nick Podehl seriously commits to this book like no other narrator I’ve ever heard. He’s all in. And he is quite possibly what makes this book so great. Brent Crawford couldn’t have asked for a better person to narrate this book. While it’s obvious that the writing is off the charts funny by itself, Nick Podehl just brings this book to life.

I do feel like I need to offer the warning to our more sensitive readers that, again, young Carter is all BOY. This means he’s mostly got one thing on the brain. And so the subject content and language might not fit to all preferences. If that doesn’t bother you, then Carter Finally Gets It needs to be on your must read listen list.

Carter Finally Gets It wouldn’t normally even be a book on my radar, but I think this audio version of it deserves 5 stars if based off the narration alone. The story more of a 3.5 Stars. I’ll give it 4 Stars as an average of the two. Have you read/listened to Carter Finally Gets It? If so, what did you think? Let me know!

Believe - Review

Believe (True Believers, # 3)

By: Erin McCarthy

Expected Publication: January 21st 2014 by InterMix

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!!)

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Goodreads description--Robin used to be a party girl… until she got black out drunk and woke up in bed with her best friend's boyfriend. Now she's faced with being THAT girl, and couldn't be more disgusted with herself. She can't even tell her friends the reason for her sudden sobriety and she avoids everyone until she meets Phoenix—quiet, tattooed, and different in every way that's good and oh, so bad…

Phoenix is two days out of jail when he meets Robin at his cousin's house, and he knows that he has no business talking to her, but he's drawn to her quiet demeanor, sweet smile, and artistic talent. She doesn't care that he's done time, or that he only has five bucks to his name, and she supports his goal to be a tattoo artist.

But Phoenix knows Robin has a secret, and that it's a naïve dream to believe that his record won't catch up with them at some point. Though neither is prepared for the explosive result when the past collides with the present…

After finishing Sweet, I had to jump right into Believe, and I was so glad that I had it already available to pick up next. Erin McCarthy has sucked me into these characters. She started planting little bits and pieces of Robin’s story into Sweet, and it was easy to see that Robin was going to be next to get her story told. However, I hate cheating books. I hate cheating period. The very idea of it makes me sick to my stomach. So to see that Robin’s story involved this topic I was a little wary of it. But Erin McCarthy didn’t glorify it. She didn’t excuse it. And neither did Robin.

As a matter of fact, Robin is pretty much disgusted with herself after waking up from blacking out one night from partying. Robin is so shaken by what she’s done to her friend that she goes into a bit of a depression. She pretty much hates herself. She doesn’t understand how she could do something so far from what her sober self would have done. And because of this, Robin makes a conscious decision to quit drinking. She wants to be sober and know that she’s in control of herself. While again, I doing enjoy reading cheating stories, it was nice to see a character feel so guilty about her own behavior and the step she takes to make sure it never happens again.

Phoenix is Tyler and Riley’s cousin. We’ve met their aunt before so we had an established tie there. But we find out that Phoenix is fresh out of a stint in jail. Obviously we don’t know why he was in jail for a while. But Phoenix and Robin connect over a shared love of art and simply wanting to be around someone who has no expectations of them. I loved seeing how their relationship grew. Robin makes a conscious effort (along with not drinking) not to play any games with Phoenix. She decides to be honest with him whenever she can and whenever she can’t, she stays silent. Neither push the other to discuss things they would rather not because they both understand what it’s like to not want to talk about a particular topic.

Like Riley from Sweet, Phoenix doesn’t fit into the typical new adult leading male pattern and I loved that. It’s so refreshing to get not one, but two guys who aren’t trying to sleep their way through town. And even though Robin is a bit of a party girl and she made a huge drunken mistake, she’s not fast and easy either.

I found myself highlighting up a storm whenever I was reading this book. Some of my favorites quotes:

Of course, I was never going to find that guy at a keg party. Another reason I had stopped going to the frat house all-nighters. I didn't have the stomach for the so-called living-in-the-moment fun since I had woken up next to Nathan.

I wanted to say that she wasn't good enough for him anyway, that she was a liar and a cheat and a [crappy] girlfriend who didn't deserve him, but did I really know that? And if I was no better than her, did I have any right to say anything?

Sometimes we needed forgiveness.

At eight, I just knew there was something wrong with both of us because I was supposed to have the drugs but she was the one who couldn't go a day without them.

I just wanted someone to look at me, in all my pale, non-drinking glory, and think I was someone they wanted to talk to. That's all.

For some reason, that touched me. The guy that old ladies shied away from at the drugstore was worried about inconveniencing me. Me. I hadn't felt worthy of consideration lately.

"'The bluebird carries the sky on his back.' That's Henry David Thoreau."..."'No one is free, even the birds are chained to the sky,'" Phoenix said. "That's Bob Dylan."

"'There is no remedy for love, but to love more.' That's Thoreau," I mummered. Phoenix kissed the corners of my mouth. "'The future for me is already a thing of the past. You were my first love and you will be my last.' That's Bob Dylan."

I will say that I was disappointed with the ultimate conflict of the book. I had been so proud of Robin and Phoenix up until this point that the decisions and reactions they made to the major conflict (or more accurately, that CAUSED the major conflict) was a letdown. It felt out of character, and it felt almost like Erin McCarthy took the easy way out there. I did enjoy the character growth and the effort that both Phoenix and Robin put into making themselves better people and into their relationship as a whole.

Overall, I was hooked on this story and these characters. Despite the topic cheating having a prominent place in the storyline, I found myself enjoying most every aspect of this book. Believe was also less graphic than most new adult books that I’ve read—as I’ve found to be the case with Erin McCarthy’s other books in this series—and I always appreciate that. I’m giving Believe 4 Stars. Have you read Believe? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on Five Ways to Fall

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

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

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*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…

What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Top Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon.

Oh boy this list could be SO LONG!!!!! I'll try to keep it to as short a list as I can. Though I know there are several other books I could add to my list.

1) Reason to Breathe (Breathing, # 1) by Rebecca Donovan
2) Just for Now (Sea Breeze, # 4) by Abbi Glines (review coming soon)
3) Because of Low (Sea Breeze, # 2) by Abbi Glines (review coming soon)
4) Jet (Marked Men, # 2) by Jay Crownover
5) The Temptation of Lila & Ethan (The Secret, # 3) by Jessica Sorensen (review coming soon)
6) Hopeless (Hopeless, # 1) by Colleen Hoover
7) Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits, # 1) by Katie McGarry
8) Ten Tiny Breaths (Ten Tiny Breaths, # 1) by KA Tucker
9) Slammed (Slammed, # 1) by Colleen Hoover
10) Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, # 1) by Jamie McGuire
11) Beg for Mercy (Cambion, # 1) by Shannon Dermott
12) Obsidian (Lux, # 1) by Jennifer L Armentrout
13) Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, # 3) by Richelle Mead

What are your top swoon worthy books? Let me know!

Panic - Review

Panic

By: Lauren Oliver

Expected Publication: March 4th 2014 by HarperCollins

416 pages

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

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*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--Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

I fell in love with Lauren Oliver's writing when I read listened to Delirium. Her writing style was so poetic and frantic almost. I loved it. But truthfully I felt like that was missing from Panic. I don't remember any passages that I ended up highlighting in my kindle because of how beautifully they were written. And the pacing felt very slow for me. I finished Panic as fast as I did because I had the opportunity to continue reading, not because I was driven by frantic writing and a compulsive need to know what happens.

Most of the time whenever a book has dual narrators and one is male and the other is female, I assume that the two will end up together in a romantic relationship. I both love and get annoyed when this isn't the case. For Panic, I believe Lauren Oliver chose these two narrators because of the unique stories they each have to tell as a participant in the game, and while their stories are intertwined, they're not exactly about each other.

Panic, the game, is as the description says. It's a game that's been around in Carp that no one really knows how it started. Every year from the first day of the school year until the end, students contribute $1 per day to the pot that the winner gets to claim at the end of the game. The first challenge is to jump off this cliff into a lake. That's tradition. And every challenge after that is created by two judges whose identities are a secret and who are picked each year. The challenges are chosen to incite fear and well...panic. And the contestant who does the best in these challenges eventually wins.

There are all different kinds of reasons to play the game. The most obvious is the money. This year's pot is up to $67,000. But money isn't the only reason to play and Heather and Dodge both have varying reasons to participate.

I liked the concept of this book and the game itself. It reminds me of Countdown by Michelle Rowen, except these contestants choose to play the game. However, Panic can be just as dangerous as Countdown. Contestants have died, been paralyzed, etc in the past. This is not a game for the faint of heart.

One of the issues I had with Panic was that I really had a hard time liking any of these characters. Dodge has some anger issues that blind him and make him hard for me to connect with. He's had a crush on another character for quite a while, but it feels like the crush has no more substance other than thinking that she is pretty. He reminded me a lot of Carter from Carter Finally Gets It--true to a typical teenage boy, yet immature for my typical reading preference. Heather has had a rough childhood. She's been hurt so frequently that she puts up walls to protect herself. But because she rarely allows herself to be vulnerable, it wasn't the easiest to connect with her either. I understood her, but that didn't make me like her anymore--though I didn't hate her. I genuinely liked Bishop probably the best of all the characters, but I felt like he needed more of a backbone. And Natalie...well I didn't connect with her at all. She's one of those characters that I don't think I'll ever be able to connect with. Pretty and used to getting her way, she uses that to work advantages in all aspects of her life. I often found myself wondering why she and Heather were such good friends.

Ultimately, I wanted to love Panic just as much as I loved Delirium, but I just didn't. The lyrical and poetic writing was missing. The frantic and desperate pacing that kept me devouring pages was missing. My connection to the characters was missing. My connection and fear of the game itself was missing. I expected to enjoy this book so much, and in the end, I just found it to be "okay."

Panic gets 3 Stars for me. Have you read Panic? What did you think? Let me know!