The Body Electric - Review

The Body Electric

By: Beth Revis

Published: October 6th 2014 by Scripturient Books

482 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon)

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

Goodreads description--The future world is at peace.

Ella Shepherd has dedicated her life to using her unique gift—the ability to enter people’s dreams and memories using technology developed by her mother—to help others relive their happy memories.

But not all is at it seems.

Ella starts seeing impossible things—images of her dead father, warnings of who she cannot trust. Her government recruits her to spy on a rebel group, using her ability to experience—and influence—the memories of traitors. But the leader of the rebels claims they used to be in love—even though Ella’s never met him before in her life. Which can only mean one thing…

Someone’s altered her memory.

Ella’s gift is enough to overthrow a corrupt government or crush a growing rebel group. She is the key to stopping a war she didn’t even know was happening. But if someone else has been inside Ella’s head, she cannot trust her own memories, thoughts, or feelings.

So who can she trust?

I’ve heard good things about Across the Universe by Beth Revis, and I’ve had it on my TBR list for quite some time but just haven’t had the opportunity to get my hands on it yet. When I saw The Body Electric by her available for review, I jumped on the opportunity to read and review it. And by jump on it, I mean I requested it quickly. I don’t really know why I procrastinated on actually picking it up to read for so long other than maybe just because I’ve never read anything by Beth Revis before. If I have prior experience of an author then I usually feel more confident about how well I’ll like another book by that same author.

I went into The Body Electric wanting to like it. I’ve not heard much about this particular book—or well anything really. And I didn’t even remember what the description was when I finally picked it up to read. As sometimes happens, it turns out that this description isn’t quite accurate. The description says that “Ella’s dedicated her life to using her unique gift—the ability to enter people’s dreams and memories using technology developed by her mother—to help others relive their happy memories.” Well that’s about as inaccurate as a statement can be. 1) Ella is serving her mandatory year of service as an intern at the Reverie mental spa that her mother founded. Her mother’s technology and a trip to the spa is what allows people to relive their happy memories. So I’d hardly say that Ella’s one year of interning at this mental spa is dedicating her life. 2) Ella only recently discovers her ability to connect to another person while that person is having a Reverie because she desires to help her sick mother experience her own happy memories. This isn’t something Ella’s been actively doing for her entire life. And it wasn’t even something she was sure she could do until she tried it with her mother. After that, any other time she connected to another person in this way was with an agenda, and that agenda was NOT helping them to relive their happiest memories. So yeah…this description as a whole isn’t too far off, but there are a few misleading comments.

The Body Electric was an extremely slow book for me. I thought things might pick up once Ella meets Jack, but they didn’t. And so I really began to dissect why I was having such a hard time getting into this book and connecting. And what I came up with was just that—I had trouble connecting. Ella is essentially secluded. Her best friend is on the moon serving in the military. Her father’s dead. Her mother is sick. And Jack…well as the description accurately states, she has no memory of him. She has almost zero connection to any other character around her. And while that might normally make me feel her seclusion, really I just ended up feeling like most of it was her fault. I imagine it’s difficult to believe someone who tells you that you’ve been in love while you have no memory of them at all, but Ella also made no effort to get to know Jack—even after she realized that his memories of her were true. She shied away from him at every single opportunity for them to grow closer and develop a new connection.

The big plot twist didn’t really seem like a twist at all. There were logistics that I hadn’t quite figured out, but the main villain was pretty obvious. I didn’t have everything figured out that was going on with Ella—like why she was seeing and hearing the things that she was. But when all of that was revealed, I was left thinking “is that it?” I think The Body Electric is one of those books that had such a big concept that execution got lost in translation.

All in all, The Body Electric wasn’t an awful book, but I don’t think it was for me. The pacing was slow. The characters, I couldn’t connect with. The plot twist wasn’t really a twist at all, and the big reveal left me wanting. I hate to give it such a low rating, but the truth is, I didn’t really like this one. The Body Electric is getting 2.5 Stars from me. Have you read The Body Electric? What did you think? Let me know!

February 2015 EOM Wrap Up

I have read 7 books this month. *These qualify for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge.
Legend (Legend, # 1) by Marie Lu
The Body Electric by Beth Revis
Riot (Mayhem, # 2) by Jamie Shaw
Divided We Fall (Divided We Fall, # 1) by Trent Reedy (not pictured)
Breathe Annie Breathe (Hundred Oaks, # 5) by Miranda Kenneally
The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sara Ockler
A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, # 5) by George R R Martin

I have reviewed 11 books this month. *These qualify for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge.
Rowdy (Marked Men, # 5) by Jay Crownover
Beautiful Oblivion (The Maddox Brothers, # 1) by Jamie McGuire
Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, # 1) by Robin LaFevers (Upon Further Review)
Just One Day (Just One Day, # 1) by Gayle Forman
Maybe Not (Maybe, # 1.5) by Colleen Hoover (2014 Series Enders)
Carter Finally Gets It (Carter Finally Gets Its, # 1) by Brent Crawford (Upon Further Review)
Riot (Mayhem, # 2) by Jamie Shaw
The Body Electric by Beth Revis
Becoming Rain (Burying Water, # 2) by KA Tucker
Breaking the Rules (Pushing the Limits, # 1.5) by Katie McGarry
City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, # 3) by Cassandra Clare (From the Ashes)

Other Posts:
Sunday Post - 134 & Stacking the Shelves - 95
Sunday Post - 135 & Stacking the Shelves - 96
Sunday Post - 136 & Stacking the Shelves - 97
Sunday Post - 137 & Stacking the Shelves - 98
Top Ten Fantasy Books I Can’t Believe I Haven’t Read
Top Ten Dislikes About Fictional Romance
My Top Ten Book Related Problems
Top Ten Favorite Heroes
Waiting on Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road, # 1) by Katie McGarry
Waiting on Sweet (Contours of the Heart, # 3) by Tammara Webber
Waiting on P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, # 2) by Jenny Han
Waiting on Asa (Marked Men, # 6) by Jay Crownover
Discussions Only We Know: Moral Standards
Discussions Only We Know: Repetitive Themes
2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge - February Wrap Up

Goals:
I'm up to date on my daily Bible reading.
I've read 22 out of 104 books. (6 ahead of schedule)
I've read 1 out of 10-12 series enders.

Legend - Review

Legend (Legend, # 1)

By: Marie Lu

Published: November 29th 2011 by Putnam Juvenile

305 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Source: Borrowed from the elibrary

( 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--What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

I’m not sure that I have much to say about Legend. It’s been on my TBR list for a couple of years now, and so when I saw that the e-library had it available on audiobook I put a hold on it. It didn’t take too long to listen to it, but I feel like I didn’t absorb as much as I wanted to as well. I’m sure it didn’t help that I was reading The Body Electric by Beth Revis at the same time. Though the stories don’t seem that similar on the surface, they both had a lot of similar aspects. So I hope that I’m keeping all of the details straight for Legend.

Yes, Day is the "most wanted" criminal. He grew up poor and has to remain a bit separate from his family to keep them out of the trouble he’s caused for himself. He does have Tess, a street-smart yet vulnerable girl, that he’s taken under his wing. Tess has her usefulness as she’s quite a handy medic when needed. Day’s all about causing mischief. I guess you could say that he’s rebellious by nature. Yet, I found myself a little confused by his character. I couldn’t figure out exactly why he keeps doing these little stunts. It’s obvious that he doesn’t trust the government, but he’s not joined the rebel forces either. So I guess I just found myself a little confused by him.

June is straight-laced. She’s the only person to have a perfect score on her trials. So she’s somewhat of a prodigy. She’s young, but when her brother is killed she’s called up from training to hunt down her brother’s killer, namely Day. Yet the problem is…Day didn’t do it. June is too smart for the government’s tricks though. She can see that Day being her brother’s killer doesn’t reconcile with the boy who’s pulled the prior stunts that he has nor with the boy she sees before her—the boy who didn’t leave her behind and the boy who takes care of Tess. But it’s going to take a lot for June to switch off her loyalty to the government.

The romance honestly felt a little bit forced to me. I mean there were parts that were believable, but things happened a little bit fast for me. I think I would have liked for the romance to remain tension until book 2. But that’s just me. And truthfully, I never really thought I’d say that. The romance from a book is usually my favorite part. I love love stories. But I also need them to feel authentic. I love the idea of June and Day developing more than friendship, but that takes time and trust—which I imagine they will have more of in the next book.

Marie Lu’s writing style was smooth, and I’m definitely interesting in continuing the series. But I can’t say I was completely blown away with Legend at the same time. I’d give it a 3.5 Star rating. Have you read Legend? What did you think? Let me know!

EOY 2015 Wrap Up

At the end of every year and the beginning of the next, I go into contemplative mode. I think about the past year. What happened? What changed in my life? What were the big things that I accomplished? What did I spend my time doing or thinking about? And then I think about the upcoming one as well. What do I want to see happen? What do I want to change in my life? What big things do I want to accomplish? What do I want to spend my time doing and thinking about? What things about last year do I really want to see change in the upcoming one?

The first thing that I think of when reflecting on this past year is all of the family changes that happened throughout the year. Husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for approximately 18 months (including one miscarriage) when the year started. I found out that I was pregnant the middle of the second week of February. So very early on, we know this year would involve some majorly drastic changes to our lives. Also very early on we became very baby focused. Because of the difficulties we had getting pregnant and the prior miscarriage, my mind was focused solely on getting past week 12 when chances of miscarriage decrease. In March, I lost a cousin who had been fighting breast cancer for quite a long while that had eventually spread to her bones and other areas of her body. She had the most positive attitude through her entire fight. Husband’s parent’s celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary also in March and we partied for them in April where we also announced their upcoming grandchild. Late May, my aunt and uncle were involved in a car accident that killed my uncle and left my aunt with broken bones throughout her entire left side of her body. On July 4th, my husband’s father died somewhat suddenly. He’d been in the hospital for a week but we were getting positive news about his progress. In July, my grandfather was also hospitalized for a hernia in his intestines that required surgery. By October, we welcomed our new baby girl, Ever Lael (meaning “Always Belonging to God”) into the world and into our family. Needless to say, our family has truly been through a lot this year. But everyone goes through hard times, and we celebrate our blessings as well as we mourn our losses.

Pregnancy was a good bit different than I expected it to be. One thing I noticed off the bat was how extremely tired I was. In the first trimester it wasn’t unusual for me to sleep 10-13 hours a day. I noticed early on that I was just not making much progress in my books because I couldn’t stay awake. Prolonging the length of time it takes to read a book also tends to affect my overall enjoyment of the book. So on top of noticing that I wasn’t reading as much as normal, I also noticed that I wasn’t enjoying the books I was reading nearly as much as I hoped or as usual. Throughout the year and my pregnancy, I noted to my friend Paula that “either it’s me, or the books I’ve been reading this year just aren’t as good as other years.” She quickly informed me that it was in fact me. Truthfully, I shouldn’t have been surprised. While pregnancy did leave me more emotional than normal and in a much easier place to cry, I also found myself more annoyed and easily irritable than normal. Hormones. Got to love them. So things that might have been minor annoyances or things that I didn’t even really mentally note in prior years became things that I zeroed in on and would find myself beyond annoyed with. During my EOM Wrap Up posts, I found that I where last year I regularly read between 11 and 14 books, I was doing extremely well to read 8 this year.

My frustration with the books I was reading combined with my lack of progress in reading led me to a bit of a blogging slump as well. My slower reading progress meant that I wasn’t as far ahead on blog scheduling. And I also didn’t have as much of a backlog of reviews already prepared to pull from. I had to cut my reviews from 3 per week back to 2 per week. I told myself that this was fine because I was still reaching my overall goal of 104 books for the year (2 books per week), and I could always supplement a review post with a discussion post.

Now that I've had 2 1/2 months of being a mom I've realized that it's likely that I just won't be able to read as much as I thought or hoped I would. Even though I'm now a stay-at-home mom, I still just don't have as much time as previous years to read. Being home full time doesn't mean I don't have a job. Instead I have the best job in the world. A job that doesn't pay in cash but in smiles and snuggles and a heart full to bursting with love. I realize that Ever's first year will be full of changes and my time to read will likely vary as much from month to month as it does from day to day. However, since this is my first time doing this mom thing, I have no idea what is a good goal for reading or blogging for 2016. That being said, I rather hate having vague goals. I like my goals to be specific and measurable. But truthfully, I think my goal for 2016 will simply be to read some and blog some. I'm not going anywhere. I just have to do some readjusting. And so far the biggest lesson that I've realized I need to learn since becoming a mom is being a bit more flexible and letting go of my imagined control--I don't truly have any control anyway. This year has taught me that for sure.

EOM Wrap Up Posts for 2015

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Blogging Highlights from 2015

Holly and I successfully hosted the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge. This was our second year. We are returning for 2016 also.

I participated in the March Take Control of Your TBR Pile and read 5 books from my TBR pile.

Celebrated my 4th Blogoversary.

Participated in Armchair BEA for the 4th year in a row.

October was my 3rd annual All Things Halloween event of Halloween-ish book reviews and such.

I continued features created in previous years: Upon Further Review, From the Ashes, and Discussions Only We Know. Although, I didn't get any Series DNF or Cover Doubles posts done.

I reviewed one movie: Insurgent.

I listened to 15 audiobooks. A significantly less number than last year.

I re-read 4 books that I've read in previous years.

Books Read in 2015

*These qualify for the 2015 Series Enders Reading Challenge.
Burning Glass - Kathryn Purdie (review coming soon)
Assassin's Heart - Sarah Ahiers (review coming soon)
Sword and Verse - Kathy MacMillan (review coming soon)
*Paradise Road (Paradise, # 2) - CJ Duggan
Kate and Alf - Carrie Stone (DNF @ 6%)
Kiss Kill Vanish - Jessica Martinez
November 9 - Colleen Hoover (review coming soon)
The Praying Woman's Devotional - Stormie Omartian
Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, # 1) - Laini Taylor (re-read)
The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles, # 2) - Mary E Pearson (review coming soon)
Faking Normal - Courtney C Stevens (review coming soon)
Cage of Deceit (Reign of Secrets, # 1) - Jennifer Anne Davis
Whisper - Heather Hildenbrand
The Fill-In Boyfriend - Kasie West (review coming soon)
The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey, # 3) - Julie Kagawa (DNF @ 64%)
*War (True Reign, # 3) - Jennifer Anne Davis
Red (True Reign, # 2) - Jennifer Anne Davis
The Key (True Reign, # 1) - Jennifer Anne Davis
The Lies About Truth - Courtney C Stevens
Until Friday Night (The Field Party, # 1) - Abbi Glines (review coming soon)
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E Smith
The Sin Eater's Daughter (The Sin Eater's Daughter, # 1) - Melinda Salisbury
*Surviving Ice (Burying Water, # 4) - KA Tucker
Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy, # 2) - Pierce Brown
*The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, # 3) - Michelle Hodkin
Velvet Undercover - Teri Brown
Stealing Third - Marta Brown
Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy, # 1) - Rae Carson
Truest - Jackie Lea Sommers
*Sweet (Contours of the Heart, # 3) - Tammara Webber
A Thousand Nights - EK Johnston
The One (The Selection, # 3) - Kiera Cass
Awakening You (Unraveling You, # 3) - Jessica Sorensen
Raveling You (Unraveling You, # 2) - Jessica Sorensen
Unraveling You (Unraveling You, # 1) - Jessica Sorensen
Deliverance (Defiance, # 3) - CJ Redwine
My Life Next Door (My Life Next Door, # 1) - Huntley Fitzpatrick
Unbreakable (Unbreakable, # 1) - Rebecca Shea
*PS I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, # 2) - Jenny Han
All Played Out (Rusk University, # 3) - Cora Carmack
The Elite (The Selection, # 2) - Kiera Cass
*Deep (Stage Dive, # 4) - Kylie Scott
Chasing Impossible (Pushing the Limits, # 5) - Katie McGarry
The Selection (The Selection, # 1) - Kiera Cass
Lead (Stage Dive, # 3) - Kylie Scott
Forbidden (Forbidden, # 1) - Kimberley Griffiths Little
Beautiful Sacrifice (The Maddox Brothers, # 3) - Jamie McGuire
Deception (Defiance, # 2) - CJ Redwine
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between - Jennifer E Smith
For the Love:Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards - Jen Hatmaker
*Champion (Legend, # 3) - Marie Lu
Things I Can't Forget (Hundred Oaks, # 3) - Miranda Kenneally
Prodigy (Legend, # 2) - Marie Lu
Chasing River (Burying Water, # 3) - KA Tucker
Never Never Part 2 - Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
Stealing Parker (Hundred Oaks, # 2) - Miranda Kenneally
Faking Perfect - Rebecca Phillips
Jesse's Girl (Hundred Oaks, # 6) - Miranda Kenneally
All the Rage - Courtney Summers
Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road, # 1) - Katie McGarry
Paper Towns - John Green
Catching Jordan (Hundred Oaks, # 1) - Miranda Kenneally
Crimson Bound - Rosamund Hodge
*Asa (Marked Men, # 6) - Jay Crownover
*Ignite Me (Shatter Me, # 3) - Tahereh Mafi
The Night We Said Yes - Lauren Gibaldi
World After (Penryn & the End of Days, # 2) - Susan Ee
What If - Rebecca Donovan
7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess - Jen Hatmaker
Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days, # 1) - Susan Ee
Vanishing Girls - Lauren Oliver (DNF 25%)
Unrequited (Woodlands, # 4) - Jen Frederick (not reviewed)
*Ruin Me (Nova, # 5) - Jessica Sorensen
Wreck Me (Nova, # 4) - Jessica Sorensen
Confess - Colleen Hoover
All Broke Down (Rusk University, # 2) - Cora Carmack
All Lined Up (Rusk University, # 1) - Cora Carmack
*The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines, # 6) - Richelle Mead
Paradise City (Paradise, # 1) - CJ Duggan
A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice & Fire, # 5) - George R R Martin
The Summer of Chasing Mermaids - Sarah Ockler
Breathe Annie Breathe (Hundred Oaks, # 5) - Miranda Kenneally
Divided We Fall (Divided We Fall Trilogy, # 1) - Trent Reedy
Riot (Mayhem, # 2) - Jamie Shaw
The Body Electric - Beth Revis
Legend (Legend, # 1) - Marie Lu
That One Summer (Summer, # 3) - CJ Duggan
Beautiful Redemption (The Maddox Brothers, # 2) - Jamie McGuire
City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, # 3) - Cassandra Clare (re-read)
*Until the End (Sea Breeze, # 9) - Abbi Glines (not reviewed)
Becoming Rain (Burying Water, # 2) - KA Tucker
Red Rising (Red Rising Trilogy, # 1) - Pierce Brown
Carter Finally Gets It (Carter Finally Gets It, # 1) - Brent Crawford (re-read)
99 Days - Katie Cotugno
Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, # 1) - Robin LaFevers (re-read)
Top Secret Twenty-One (Stephanie Plum, # 21) - Janet Evanovich
Invincible (Invincible, # 1) - Amy Reed (DNF 40%)
Never Never (Never Never, # 1) - Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
The Secrets of Attraction - Robin Constantine
Things We Know By Heart - Jessi Kirby
Mayhem (Mayhem, # 1) - Jamie Shaw
Twice in a Blue Moon - Cate Masters

Top Ten Winter 2014 TBR List

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Winter 2014 To Be Read List.

1. Forbidden (Forbidden, # 1) by Kimberly Griffiths Little
2. Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot
3. The Iron Trial (Magisterium, # 1) by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
4. Blue Lily, Lily Blue (The Raven Cycle, # 3) by Maggie Stiefvater
5. This Shattered World (Starbound, # 2) by Aime Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
6. The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, # 3) by Michelle Hodkin
7. Breaking the Rules (Pushing the Limits, # 1.5) by Katie McGarry
8. Forever Summer (Summer, # 4) by C.J. Duggan
9. Deception (Defiance, # 2) by C.J. Redwin
10. The Body Electric by Beth Revis

Most of these are books that I really NEED to read. What's on your winter to-be-read list? Let me know!

Sunday Post - 136 & Stacking the Shelves - 97

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.

It has been a good week, but boy am I tired. Friday we got to dress down for work. That was nice. Friday night the Hubs and I went out to eat to celebrate Valentine's Day early. We're not usually a flowers and chocolate kind of couple. We're more of a brand new 3DS for him and new purse, Amazon gift card (for books), and something-else-that-still-hasn't-arrived-and-hubby-won't-tell-me for me kind of couple. HA! Saturday we really just relaxed. Next weekend is my friend Amanda's wedding and since I'm a bridesmaid it's going to be a busy weekend. I cannot wait to see her through her happy day!

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of Just One Day (Just One Day, # 1) by Gayle Forman (4 Stars)
Tuesday: Top Ten Dislikes About Fictional Romance
Wednesday: Waiting on Sweet (Contours of the Heart, # 3) by Tammara Webber
Thursday: Review of Maybe Not (Maybe, # 1.5) by Colleen Hoover (4 Stars)
Friday: Upon Further Review: Carter Finally Gets It (Carter Finally Gets It, # 1) by Brent Crawford (4.5 Stars)
Saturday: Discussions Only We Know: Repetitive Themes

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Riot (Mayhem, # 2) by Jamie Shaw
Tuesday: Top Ten Book Related Problems
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday
Thursday: Review of The Body Electric by Beth Revis
Friday: No blog posting due to wedding events
Saturday: No blog posting due to wedding events

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.

Breathe Annie Breathe (Hundred Oaks, # 5)

By: Miranda Kenneally

Published: July 15th 2014 by Sourcebooks Fir

306 pages

Genre: Young Adult/New 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--Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.

But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.

"Breathe, Annie, Breathe is an emotional, heartfelt, and beautiful story about finding yourself after loss and learning to love. It gave me so many feels. Her best book yet." — Jennifer Armentrout, New York Times bestselling author of Wait for You

The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines, # 6)

By: Richelle Mead

Published: February 10th 2015 by Razorbill

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult (YA), Paranormal, Vampires, Fantasy

( 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--The epic conclusion to Richelle Mead's New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series is finally here...

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

After their secret romance is exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series. When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world.

Fate (Fate, # 1)

By: Elizabeth Reyes

Published: December 12th 2013

324 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Kindle Freebie Deal

( 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 Rose tagged along with her big sister to a baby shower the last thing she expected was to meet a guy. But this wasn’t just any guy. This was the exciting, sexy as sin, way out of her league black sheep of his family--Vincent Moreno. Even more surprising, this heart-stopping bad boy seemed interested in her.

Fate always had a way of interfering in Vince’s best-laid plans. His forced attendance to his annoyingly perfect cousin’s baby shower was no different. He was sure to be bored out of his skull, but instead, he met sweet little Rosie Zendejas.

What begins as a unlikely friendship between two very different people turns into one of the most intense and passionate relationships that neither ever saw coming. But just like it had so many times in Vince’s troubled past, Fate steps in once again, threatening to take away the one thing he can’t seem to even breathe without now—Rose.

Mature YA - New Adult. Fate is a Moreno Brothers spinoff series. All books in the series are stand alone and can be read separately without the need to read the others in the series.

Wreck Me (Nova, # 4)

By: Jessica Sorensen

Publication: October 22nd 2014

350 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

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

Goodreads description--Once upon a time there was a girl named Avery Hensley who thought she’d found the guy—the one that she thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with. They got married young and had the most beautiful son in the world.

Life seemed perfect.

But not everything is what it seems.

Turned out the guy had another side to him, one Avery didn’t see coming. He wrecked her and broke her into a thousand pieces that she had to put back together again. She swore off guys from then on, vowing never to let anyone hurt her or her son again. She built a wall around herself and planned on never letting anyone through it again.

But then she meets Tristan Morganson. He wrecks Avery in a different way, the kind of way that makes her feel free again, the kind of way that makes her think not all guys are bad. But can Avery trust him enough to let her wall come crumbling down?

Ruin Me (Nova, # 5)

By: Jessica Sorensen

Published: January 19th 2015

253 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--A part time student, CNA, and caretaker for her slightly deranged mother, Clara McKiney doesn’t have time for a relationship. That’s why her friends with benefits arrangement with sexy and ridiculously charming Jax Hensley works perfectly.

But Jax has other ideas.

The moment Jax met Clara he was instantly drawn to her wittiness, confidence, and gorgeous smile. Even though he agreed to the friends with benefits arrangement, he secretly hopes for more than their weekend hook ups.

When Jax's estranged mother mysteriously disappears, he sees an opportunity to spend more time with Clara. After convincing her to return home with him, a new agreement is made. One road trip and week together to find out why his mom vanished into thin air.

Things are about to get complicated.

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!

Sunday Post - 137 & Stacking the Shelves - 98

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 pretty great week. Work has been so busy that I've been quite exhausted by the time I get home, but that's better than having nothing to do. Husband and I took off work Friday. That was nice. We were pretty lazy most of the day. But Friday night was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner for my friend Amanda's wedding. And then Saturday, of course, was the actual wedding day itself. Amanda was radiant. She's literally the sweetest person I've ever met, and I'm so happy for her and her new husband, Jim. And now I'm literally exhausted again.

THIS PAST WEEK:

Monday: Review of Riot (Mayhem, # 2) by Jamie Shaw (3.5 Stars)
Tuesday: My Top Ten Book Related Problems
Wednesday: Waiting on P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, # 2) by Jenny Han
Thursday: Review of The Body Electric by Beth Revis (2.5 Stars)

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Becoming Rain (Burying Water, # 2) by KA Tucker
Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Heroes
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday
Thursday: Review of Breaking the Rules (Pushing the Limits, # 1.5) by Katie McGarry
Friday: From the Ashes: City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, # 3) by Cassandra Clare
Saturday: Discussions Only We Know (maybe)

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.

Paradise City (Paradise, # 1)

By: CJ Duggan

Expected Publication: April 28th 2015 by Hachette Australia Books

363 pages

Genre: New 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--There's bound to be trouble in Paradise . . .

When her parents decide a change will be good for her, seventeen-year-old Lexie Atkinson never expected they'd send her all the way to Paradise City. Coming from a predictable life of home schooling on a rural Australian property, she's sure that Paradise will be amazing. But when she's thrust into a public school without a friendly face in sight, and forced to share a room with her insipid, hateful cousin Amanda, Lexie's not so sure.

Hanging out with the self-proclaimed beach bums of the city, sneaking out, late night parties and parking with boys are all things Lexie's never experienced, but all that's about to change. It's new, terrifying . . . and exciting. But when she meets Luke Ballantine, exciting doesn't even come close to describing her new life. Trouble with a capital T, Luke is impulsive, charming and answers to no one. The resident bad-boy leader of the group, he's sexier than any boy Lexie has ever known.

Amidst the stolen moments of knowing looks and heated touches, Lexie can't help but wonder if Luke is going to be good for her . . . or very, very bad?

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!