When you pick this up to read, remember that it is a YA novel. Teens have a different way of thinking than adults. I've read a few reviews about the quick all consuming love being over the top. Do you remember when you were a teen? I do and I'm pretty sure I was positive that I thought I would marry and be in love with a person forever. Remember, writing names all over your things and being convinced this was it? I know, I'm young but it's the exception, I've found the person I'm going to marry. It happens all the time with teens! I really enjoyed this book. I think for me it was more about the bullying part. Poor Eleanor has to go through some really horrible events because of bullying. Not only that, she's also being bullied at home by her step-father. I was trying to get through this book so quickly because I had this bad feeling about what would happen. Thankfully, the author didn't take it there and this girl got out of a bad situation. Even though, this fictional character was lucky, there are thousands of girls who are not as lucky. What Eleanor found with Park was pretty beautiful. In the book she says that he saved her life. I honestly, think that he did. Sometimes we just need one thing to hold on to and Park was that for Eleanor. A girl who is made fun of because she is "weird" but no one knows that the reasons she has patches all over her clothes is to hide the holes. The reason her hair is a mess is because she has to use dish soap or tick and flee shampoo. Sometimes she doesn't get a bath because she has a tiny window to bathe when she gets home and before her step-father does. The reason she wears the same clothes is because her family is dirt poor and can't even afford food. All these reason she gets made fun of and bullied are totally out of her control. I think it's good that teens see this. Maybe it will make them think twice about teasing someone because of the way they look. Maybe it will teach kids that sometimes there is much more than what meets the eye.

Thanks to Random House Publishing for this ARC. I won this from a goodreads, First Reads, Giveaway. This is my first book by author Lisa See. This is a story about 3 Asian girls who become best friends. They have to deal with sharing the limelight, overcoming horrible pasts and dealing with a lot of racism. I loved the fact that these girls basically saved each other in the beginning. It was interesting to see how they eventually tried to tear each other apart. I always felt that a group of 3 just can't be best friends. Someone always feels left out at some point. It creates a lot of jealousy and that is definitely something addressed throughout this whole book. They all work together as dancers but it was crazy to me how much they each tried to steal the lime light or try to have power over each other. They come to a point where they all just explode and all the secrets and lies come out before a huge performance. This performance is what they all have been dreaming about. What I liked is that the author didn't just brush over it. They do the show and instead of instantly forgiving each other and going onto more stardom, they have to take a break from each other. For me this book was about the struggles and joys of friendship. Another aspect that I found interesting was the complete divide between the Japanese and Chinese people. They had some pretty strong opinions about each other and after Pearl Harbor, they really become more apparent.I found this book interesting and really enjoyed it!

I have received this arc from a First Reads, good reads giveaway. I was excited to see what this book had to offer. I'm a late fan of the series. I just read the Hobbit a year ago and really enjoyed it. When I got this book, I read it right away. It's such a fast read that I got through it in less than 2 hours. I was a bit disappointed with the depth of his lessons. I was sure he would have found more wisdom and lessons from the book than I would have. I pretty much knew everything he was talking about. I felt that some of the time he was redundant on some things. So I felt like this book really did nothing for me. This is the type of book for someone that doesn't really understand the series. I will say it was nice that he added some connections to all the books. Overall, I have it a three because it's nice that someone took the time to get the wisdom from the books for those who didn't/don't understand. I didn't benefit but maybe someone else will. I also felt that I could have written this book and I am not a hardcore fan. Someone who has studied and really gotten into this series, I expected a lot more to this book.

I had a hard time with this book. I usually enjoy a good historical fiction from time to time. I caught myself enjoying the little bit of dialogue from the president more than anything. The parts of actual history were described in a way that felt a summarization of a history text book. I felt like there really was no emotion from the main character, Elizabeth. When her son died it just skimmed over the whole thing like it was nothing. I didn't feel anything because she didn't really have much emotion. I guess I could say the writing was too "dry" for my liking. I also felt that Elizabeth never learned from her mistakes. She kept ignoring all her feelings and thoughts on how things should be handled. I did not enjoy this book!