Review: Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

Title: Nantucket Blue
Author: Leila Howland
Release Date: May 7th, 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Page Count: 294
Source: Purchased
Rating: Friend break-ups suck but this book is WONDERFUL.

For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t. 

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue.

[Summary Source: Goodreads]

THE REVIEW

Cricket and Jules are BFF. They're the kind of BFF who are so close that when Jules's family goes to Nantucket for the summer, they invite Cricket along. For the whole summer. But then Jules's mom dies and everything gets really, really bad, really quickly. Jules shuts Cricket out of her life, even going so far as to disinvite Cricket for the summer. Under the pretense that Jules's dad was the one to say Cricket couldn't come to Nantucket, Cricket finds a way to pave her way to this fancy island she has no where near enough money to vacation on. And then, obviously, she finds out Jules has de-friended her. After that, things get a little dicey. Especially once Jules's younger brother, Zack, and Cricket begin cozying up to one another...

Let's break this down:

Before I get started on the meat and potatoes of this review, I'd like note that I do have personal feelings about this book. I'm not going to get into the details because, well, the details attached to these personal feelings are a little TOO personal. But, just for the record, I get this book. I get Cricket, I get Jules, I get both of them together and it's agonizing and terrible and there's no right way to go about any of this. Even if you think it's the right way, like Cricket did, you might be wrong because you can't know how anyone's going to respond to grief. Even if you know a person backwards and forwards, you can never know. Just like Cricket didn't.

Basically: This book hit really close to home and I found it to be totally accurate to the experience of a good friend losing a parent and then you, as the friend, having to deal with it.

And that's about as personal as this is going to get. Now onto to other stuff.

I think the best thing about this book - aside from my insane ability to relate - are the relationships. All of the characters are so stuck in each others lives in the best and worst way possible that not one of them can really make a move without affecting someone else. Cricket and Jules fight with affects Cricket's relationship with Zack, both of which affect Cricket's individual relationships with her parents. And then there's also the way Cricket interacts with the people she works with - a job Cricket only ended up getting in response to needing to be in Nantucket with Jules.

It's all kind of a great big mess that I love so very much.

Although, I sometimes feel like this is the little book that bit off more than it could chew. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love every single subplot here, but having two different sets of parental issues, two different jobs, a best friend problem AND a boyfriend? I know it's beyond realistic that have to deal with all of these things at once, but not in 294 pages. I feel like I'd need at least another 50 pages or something to deal with all of that.

But, like, maybe I shouldn't try to convert life problems and time to pages in a novel. That seems really subjective and considering how much I loved this book even though I felt like the plot was all kind of crammed in there, I probably can't complain TOO much.

I also think it's worth noting that the whole Cricket-Jules-Zack dynamic was written flawlessly. Like, you knew what was happening was wrong but it was just so right you wanted it to happen anyways, Jules be damned. And I like how a million assumptions were made between the three. I've not only seen that happen, I've been right in the middle of it and it's just as disastrous as the book makes it seem.

Basically, there's a lot of disastrous-ness in this book that I can relate to. It sucks and it's sad, but Leila Howland portrayed the reality of it all flawlessly. And somehow managed to keep this book a great summer read. I mean, if you cry easy, MAYBE you don't want to read the beginning or ending on the beach, but the middle part is safe, I promise.

The long and short of it?

Plot: There's A LOT going on there, but it's all dealt with pretty realistically.
World Building: Have a been to Nantucket? No. But that's exactly what I always thought it would look like.
Character Development: Every single character in this book is a hot mess. Which is pretty accurate to true life, if you ask me.
Prose: I like when books are written in first person because I really get a feel for the character. I especially like it when the first person POV of said character is written really, really well. Like in this book.
Would I Recommend This Book?: Love contemporary? How about books set on the beach? You into stories about best friends who've hit a bump in the road? Vaguely forbidden romances? If you said yes to any of these questions, even if it was only the first one, you should probably read this book.

By the last 100 pages of this book I just wanted to scoop Cricket up and hide her away. [Which is a pretty strong feeling to have towards a fictional character.] Have you read this one? Did you feel the same way? Sound off in the comments below!

Waiting On: Find Me by Romily Bernard (31)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: Find Me
Author: Romily Bernard
Release Date: September 24th, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen

“Find Me.”

These are the words written on Tessa Waye’s diary. The diary that ends up with Wick Tate. But Tessa’s just been found... dead.

Wick has the right computer-hacking skills for the job, but little interest in this perverse game of hide-and-seek. Until her sister Lily is the next target.

Then Griff, trailer-park boy next door and fellow hacker, shows up, intent on helping Wick. Is a happy ending possible with the threat of Wick’s deadbeat dad returning, the detective hunting him sniffing around Wick instead, and a killer taunting her at every step?

Foster child. Daughter of a felon. Loner hacker girl. Wick has a bad attitude and sarcasm to spare.

But she’s going to find this killer no matter what.

Because it just got personal.

[Summary Source: Goodreads]

I'm down for a good murder mystery with a tech angle. Also, I like when characters have sarcasm to spare. I get that and I like it. I also like when things get personal. Oh, and I love this cover. So much. So. Much.

Who is similarly excited for this very creepy sounding book? Be sure to let me know in the comments below! 

Review: Fire by Kristin Cashore

Title: Fire (Graceling Realm #2)
Author: Kristin Cashore
Release Date: October 5th, 2009
Publisher: Dial Books
Page Count: 461
Source: Borrowed from the New York Public Library
Rating: FANTASY-TASTIC (And all-around awesome)

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.

This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she had the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.

Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City, The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.

If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.

[Summary Source: Goodreads]

THE REVIEW

Fire is a Monster. She can control people's minds. But she doesn't like to. She doesn't want to be a monster. She saw her father be the worst, and she doesn't want that for herself. So she hides herself away and her best friend, Archer, and his father (AKA her adoptive family) help her do it. Until one day, King Nash and his brother, Prince Brigan (whose father Fire's father corrupted and essentially killed) ask Fire to come to the palace and help put down the rebellion in the Dells. Fire goes. Things get real.

Let's break this down:

So, you don't need to read Graceling (the first book in the Graceling Realm series) to read Fire but I would say you should. Because once you read Fire, there are spoilers for Graceling. And if you're into fantasy into a little bit, you're going to want to read both of these books. BECAUSE THEY'RE AWESOME.

Fire absolutely continues the legacy of awesome Kristin Cashore is creating for herself here. To start with, there's a badass story. Fire's a MONSTER. Her hair is fiery and awesome. And she has the power to basically control everyone but she doesn't use it because her power scares her. But then she gets her shenanigans together and realizes she can control who she is what she does and it's up to her to decide if she's gonna be a psycho like her father was or a normal person, like she can be.

There are also a ton of awesome side plots going on here - the romance between Fire and Archer, the romance between Fire and Brigan, the question of who fathered who (there a ton of confusion there), Leck and like a trillion other things. Although, my favorite part of all these plots isn't that they're all individually awesome, it's that they're all tied together. These characters can pretend to hate each other all they want (as happens in the beginning of the story), but they can't deny that wherever they're going, they're going there together. It's actually pretty glorious.

Aside from the plot, I loved everything about this book. No. Seriously. I'm not even mad that all of the characters are stuck together because I love all of them. Even when Archer turns out to be a playa and Nash is a giant idiot with his irrational feelings for Fire. There isn't a single misstep in this book. Everyone flows SO VERY WONDERFULLY.

And I'm sorry, I love Fire. I love how what she is is explained. I love how no detail is missed. I love how her growth through the story is so deliberate and clear. She could be a real person, sitting next to me, her hair blinding me. Oh, and the tension between her and Archer and her and Brigan? It's not a TRUE love triangle, I don't think, but I liked it, it was good, it worked, don't ever let that deter you from reading. Ever.

I also think this book, in context of the series, is BETTER than Graceling when considering the prose. I mean, the stories and the twists and the characters in both are equally amazing, but the prose in Fire is less clunky. There were some points in Graceling where I felt MAYBE Kristin Cashore was trying too hard to make this sound like a HIgh Fantasy based off Medieval Times, but Fire flows a lot better.

I don't know. I feel like I could go on about this book forever. I really, really freaking loved it, but I think if there's one thing Kristin Cashore does amazingly well is tying all the pieces together. There's nothing put in there just for the sake of having it there. If a character is introduced, he's introduced for a reason. If a fact is but out there, it's not just for kicks, it's to tie into something else. And it's not obvious why these characters or facts are introduced. Or maybe they are and I'm just too engrossed with the story to see them coming. BUT THAT'S ALSO A SIGN OF A REALLY AWESOME BOOK, ISN'T IT?

[I thought so.]

The long and short of it?

Plot: Amazingly constructed and all-around brilliant.
World Building: Flawlessly put together, just like the plot. I really liked how we're taken to a completely different land - AKA not the one we grew to love in Graceling - it really let the story grow into itself, as opposed to relying on the story that came before it (or after, if we're speaking in terms of time in the story).
Character Development: Have I mentioned how much I love Fire and how everything she goes through changes her from a scared monster into an in control girl? HAVE I?
Prose: Confident, strong and perfect for this genre.
Would I Recommend This Book?: I think this would be a good book for lots and lot of people. Even for people who aren't so into fantasy. There is a little harping on menstruation, which might gross people out, but it's there for a good reason. I would definitely recommend reading Graceling first though. It's kind of hard to go back because there are spoilers for Graceling in Fire. But yes. Read both. Please.

This book made me swoon, and not even just because of the cute boys that popped up at every turn. Or because I love high fantasy. But enough about me, have you read? Do you love? Tell me all about it in the comments below!

Stacking the Shelves (17)

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly feature hosted by Tynga's Reviews

I made a video for all of you. For the first 6 or so minutes I talk about the books I recently bought. Then I take the rest of the time to talk about my next 5 reads and my current read. Because I like to pack it all in there. ENJOY.

BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO

Ruby Red by Kerstin Kier

Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

Eon by Alison Goodman

Dirty Little Secret by Jennifer Echols

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Dangerous Girl by Abigail Haas (AKA Abby McDonald)

Still Star-Crossed by Melinda Taub

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Laini Taylor

Slated by Teri Terry

When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney

False Memory by Dan Krokos

False Sight by Dan Krokos (COMES OUT AUGUST 13TH)

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan (COMES OUT AUGUST 27TH)

AWESOME PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO

Jennifer from ARCycling & Novel Thoughts

Mitali

Rachel from Rachel Reads

Betty from Book Rock Betty

Alexa from Alexa Loves Books

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED THIS WEEK ON THE BLOG

I told you all why I had to DNF Ghost Time by Courtney Eldridge.

Then I told you ALL about how I CANNOT WAIT for Starry Nights by Daisy Whitney.

After that, I reviewed Also Known As by Robin Benway.

And finally, I confessed my weirdness, once again, by tell you all how much I love when I find other people's papers in the books that end up in my life.

So tell me about your week. Any good books? Write or read any good posts? Let me know about them in the comments below! 

One Man's Piece of Paper is My Bookmark

Fact: I don't like coffee. I just like saying Coffee Clutch in my best and deepest New York accent. Considering I'm a New Yorker, I'm pretty freaking good at it. So I've got my tea and I hope you have your heated beverage of choice, because it's time to gab the day away.

So most of the time when I open a library book, I'm all excited because HEY WHATEVER I HAD ON HOLD IS FINALLY HERE AND I GET TO FREAKING READ IT.

But then, sometimes, I open to book and things get EVEN MORE EXCITING.

That's right, someone LEFT SOMETHING in the book.

No, not something weird or gross. Get your head in the game, will you?

More like a piece of paper. Like a bookmark or a list or a receipt.

[I actually thought I had a picture of an example of this, but I don't. So instead I leave you with this glorious gif.]

THIS MAN IS AS EXCITED AS I AM I TELL YOU.

I don't really know why finding these little bits and pieces of paper in books that do not belong to me brings me so much joy, although if I had to guess, it's because I'm curious about the little pieces of paper in other people's lives. What other books DID you take out, mysterious library card holder? Eggs, flour and sugar, you say? What are you BAKING fellow user of the New York Public Library System? A torn bit of paper? What else was on this page, random person who lives in this city whom I will never meet?

I think THE BEST example of this happening to me is when I won an ARC of A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard at BEA. I took the book home, shelved it with the rest of BEA pretties and walked away since I wasn't ready to pick up that series yet. But last week I decided: HEY, I'm in the mood for Steampunk, zombies, necromancy and tension driven romance involving an attractive, scruffy man. So, obviously, I picked up Something Strange and Deadly and tore right through it. When I picked up the ARC of A Darkness Strange and Lovely, I did a quick flip through the pages to find Susan Dennard's airline ticket to NYC for BEA.

Based on the discussion post I just wrote, I think everyone here can understand how much this moment in my life made me smile. And why that gif of Colbert and Kermit is probably the most appropriate thing ever.

Now, I don't go out of my way to find these pieces of paper. And I don't keep them. I use them for the book I'm reading and then toss them. But they are awesome, fun things that I really enjoy. So thank you, strangers in my city and Susan Dennard, for making my creepy habit of using other people's trash as bookmarks possible. 

Am I weirdo? Definitely. Should I stop asking questions that I answer in the next sentence? 100 Percent. Will I? No. And will I stop liking weird things? Never. Not ever. So go ahead and talk to me about your weirdness (related to mine or otherwise) in the comments below.

Review: Also Known As by Robin Benway

Title: Also Known As (Also Known As #1)
Author: Robin Benway
Release Date: February 26th, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury Juvenile
Page Count: 320
Source: Borrowed from the New York Public Library
Rating: Adorableness at it's best.

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case... all while trying not to blow her cover.

[Summary Source: Goodreads]

THE REVIEW

Maggie's the daughter of two spies and a master safecracker. She always works on her parents assignments, but for the first time, Maggie gets her own mission - and she has to go to high school for the first time ever and flirt with a cute boy to complete it. Piece of cake, right?

Let's break this down:

The cuteness of this book is OFF THE FREAKING CHARTS.

I feel like that's a strange thing to say about a spy book. Like, you'd think a spy book would be gritty and scary and suspenseful. Which isn't to say this book wasn't a little of at least two of those things (scary and suspenseful - there really wasn't any grit here). But in general, it was just really adorable. This is because the baseline of this book is just adorableness and then there's some spy stuff slapped on top.

Do I think the spy stuff was inaccurate? Absolutely not. In fact, I think it was super accurate. Why WOULD you use a drill to break into a safe? That does seem loud and very illogical. All that stuff with the calling cards and secret meetings and passports? Yup. I buy it. But Robin Benway doesn't really focus on the scary. She more focuses on a teenage girl actually getting to be a teenager for once in her life. And said teenage girl is actually exercising her more or less true personality, making her first every friend and getting to know her first ever boyfriend. It's messy and complex and very cute and high school.

The scary's there, to be sure. There's a chase scene and a murder plot and a plot to expose ALL OF THE SPIES that would lead to imminent death. And yet the whole thing is just super light and fluffy. There's enough suspense to keep you turning the pages of this book, but it's light enough for you (dear reader) to be able to read this one before bed and not have trouble sleeping/have any nightmares.

Aside from the plot of this book being the most adorable of the adorables, I also loved the following:

1. Jesse Oliver - He's just such a precious, baggage-having teenage boy who happens to have a really cute puppy. So. What's not to love?
2. Maggie - She's just so adorably all over the place, is she not?
3. Jesse Oliver and Maggie together - I like Jesse, I like Maggie, stick 'em together, you have an adorable Jesse/Maggie sandwich.
4. Roux - This whole troubled teen who needs a friend after she betrayed all her other friends plot? I like it. I'd totally be down to read her story, but I feel like it'd be a little darker...
5. Maggie's Parents - I love to hate and hate to love overbearing, unreasonable parents. Even when those parents are spies.
6. Angelo - You dear, dear man. Never change. And please, take me to the Met with you. I feel like that'd be fun.
7. EVERYTHING ELSE - Can someone please take me on a date inspired by the dates in this book? Please? Thanks.

Okay. I think that's enough from me on the cuteness factor of this book. Especially since, if I keep going, I'll probably have to look up synonyms for "cute" and "adorable" and I really don't want to do that.

The long and short of it?

Plot: I mean, cute? Adorable? Those work. This one's also wonderfully simple and a totally page turner.
World Building: I don't know much about spies (GOOD JOB SPY ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE WORLD!) but it sounds pretty legit to me. And that's totally what private schools in Manhattan look like. Trust me.
Character Development: I like how Maggie stops being JUST A SPY and totally becomes a teenage girl with teenage girl problems (plus a whole pile of spy problems on top).
Prose: The first-person narrative in this book totally helped the page-turning quality on this book. Maggie's voice is genuine and awesome. Very teenager-y, totally perfect for this light, fun spy book.
Would I Recommend This Book?: Looking for a cute romance, a little scary and suspense and a total page turner? This book's for you.

Like spies? Cute boys? Fun date ideas? WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOT READING THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW? Talk to me about your life choices in the comments below!

Waiting On: Starry Nights by Daisy Whitney (30)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: Starry Nights
Author: Daisy Whitney
Release Date: September 3rd, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens

Seventeen-year-old Julien is a romantic—he loves spending his free time at the museum poring over the great works of the Impressionists. But one night, a peach falls out of a Cezanne, Degas ballerinas dance across the floor, and Julien is not hallucinating.

The art is reacting to a curse that trapped a beautiful girl, Clio, in a painting forever. Julien has a chance to free Clio and he can't help but fall in love with her. But love is a curse in its own right. And soon paintings begin to bleed and disappear. Together Julien and Clio must save the world's greatest art . . . at the expense of the greatest love they've ever known.

Like a master painter herself, Daisy Whitney brings inordinate talent and ingenuity to this romantic, suspenseful, and sophisticated new novel. A beautifully decorated package makes it a must-own in print.

[Summary Source: Goodreads]

I love Impressionism. Like, a whole freaking lot. I love cute boys who like art. Especially Impressionism. The plot of this one sounds a little out there, but I like things that are a little out there, don't I? Oh. And I love Impressionism. So that's enough for me to read this one, no matter how out there the book is.

Also? THAT COVER.

Like art? Boys who like art? This quirky sounding book is probably as perfect for you as it is for me. So tell me how excited you are in the comments below!