This was an amazing read! The story itself was fast paced from page one. As the storyline developed I began to think that it was going to be predictable... Though, in the end, I was very happily proved wrong! The characters in this story were lovely! It was another case where I either absolutely loved or despised each character, there wasn't an in-between. And oh my goodness was this book dark. The things that the commandment does and says were insane.

Favorite lines:
"A heated, visceral shock flares through me at the clarity of her dark gold eyes. For a second, I forget my name."

"I stare at her, realize I'm staring, tell myself to stop staring, and then keep staring. My breath falters, and my body, traitor that it is, tugs me forward until there are only inches between us."

"Fear is only your enemy if you allow it to be."

Don't let the three star rating throw you, I did really enjoy this book! Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone!! I loved the focus on fan fiction, the characters were lovely and felt real, the family theme was touching, and the light romance was adorable and awkward. But personally, I would just never read it again.

I absolutely loved the characters (Levi specifically!!). Though I did want to reach in and shake Cath when she was being absolutely ridiculous.... How close-minded she was at times made me want to scream. I loved that she was all about her fan fiction, but my goodness. I can't believe how welcoming Regan and Levi were when all Cath would do is shut them down.

Also, when I first picked up this book, I almost put it down again because of how real Cath's feelings and anxiety about going off to college were- it really got my anxiety going!

And oh, the abrupt ending...

I absolutely loved this book. I thought it was insightful and written really well. Considering it is labeled "juvenile fiction," I thought the storyline was perfect. This is one of those books that you read and think, "This needs to be on every single middle/high school's required reading list." I flew through it in just one night because the writing style was so easy to read. I would highly recommend this book to everyone!

Favorite passages/lines:
"Can I help you?" Leo asks.
I realize I'm staring.
"Er- yes - sorry," I stammer, dragging my eyes away from his. "Its just that my friends over there and I..."
I point to Essie and Felix. Helpfully, Essie has plastered her top lip to her gums and Felix has flipped his eyelids inside out.
"Er, well, we were wondering if you'd like to eat lunch with us?"
I hold my breath. Leo is looking at me like I've got two heads.

"Because everything is canceled out by my heart going wild in my chest, like it's going to burst out of me and dance right across the street."

"The bottom line is, I survived the week. And if I can survive one week, I can survive the next one, and the one after that."

It took me a couple of pages to get into the swing of the Shakespearean work. But once I caught the rhythm, I couldn't stop reading. I loved the little bits of artwork that were included, though I do with there had been more! :) This tribute was SO much fun to read! I can't wait to read the others in the series.

I really enjoyed this book! I was hooked right away and couldn't stop reading. It is definitely a very cute romance story, but awkward in a lovely way. I absolutely loved the characters, especially Christine, Jennifer, Beth, Eve, Doris, and Lincoln. They all seemed so REAL-like I could have been best friends with them if they walked right out of the book. The conversations between Beth and Jennifer reminded me of the conversations I have with my best friend, so I obviously adored those bits.

**Here's the spoiler**
My main complaint is about the ending. Even though the ending totally works for this story...I can't help but keep thinking, "man, that was SO weird." I wanted Beth and Lincoln to have a meet cute SO BADLY, so I was glad they finally met up. The initial candy drop and catching each others eye was cute. But then, boom. Make-out session? What? I was stuck between wanting to cheer that they finally got together and cringing because it seemed so odd. It made a little more sense once they talked and Beth told Lincoln that she had talked to Doris, and Doris told her all about Lincoln...but still. Just too weird for me. Also-the two mentions of teeth hitting together while kissing totally grossed me out. That's not romantic at all in my opinion.

The last line of the book's description nails it: "...will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once." Both heartbreaking and lovely, this book is a must-read! I do have to say that the writing style took me a minute to get used to (ex. Noah's over-active artist imagination) but once I figured out what was going on, I absolutely loved it.

Favorite Lines:
"This is what I want: I want to grab my brother's hand and run back through time, losing years like coats falling from our shoulders."

"We were all heading for each other on a collision course, no matter what. Maybe some people are just meant to be in the same story."

"I remember Guillermo saying the cracks and breaks were the best and most interesting parts of the work in my portfolio. Perhaps it's the same with people and their cracks and breaks."

Yet again, MHC did not disappoint. This book hooked me right in at the start and didn't let go until the very last page. Though this was a quick read, it was definitely a page-turner! And as usual, it was full of suspense!

Missing one star on my review because of the repetition (reading pet peeve)- ex. discussing how the receptionist comments on everything and how that bothers Susan....how her sister doesn't think there is anything serious going on between Susan and Alex.

This was a bit of a let down for me. Overall, I DID really enjoyed the book, but I felt that it just dragged. I would definitely recommend this to friends, but I wouldn't read it again.

My favorite lines:
"...make a note of all the times you could have said yes to something. And junk about where that yes could have led you. It might come in handy one day."

"I ha-haed, probably a little too ha-hard..."

"But sometimes to look forward, you had to look back."

"If there were such a thing as the Grown-up Scouts, I'd probably get a badge for that."

"Sometimes the biggest risk is never taking one!"

"Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places. Even the ordinary can be magical. Be open to it.”

“It’s incredible what can happen…when you allow it to."

“It was maybe thirty-five degrees, and I was sweaty and my boxer shorts already appeared to be trying to attempt an expedition of their own, exploring areas of my body usually reserved for someone with a qualification.”

“Take the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. At least it’s done. It’s over. It’s gone. We can all learn from our mistakes and heal and move on. But it’s harder to learn or heal or move on from something that hasn’t happened; something we don't know and is therefore indefinable; something which could very easily have been the best thin in our lives, if only we’d taken the plunge, if only we’d held our breath and stood up and done it, if only we’d said yes.”

Oh my goodness. This book. I HIGHLY recommend it. I honestly think that the description doesn't do it justice. The Fireman is definitely one of my favorites of the year. Thank goodness I started this on a Friday and ended on Monday night, because once I picked it up, I was hooked immediately. I had to force myself to put it down to get anything done around the house. When I needed to work on Monday, I had to make sure the book was tucked away upstairs so I wouldn't keep wandering over to it to just read "one" quick chapter during my breaks.

The idea of the Dragonscale (and later learning how it travels to infect the hosts) absolutely fascinated me. The writing style was fantastic. Many times throughout the story (and right up until the very end!) I felt myself getting wicked anxious. No matter what was going on, I needed to read on to see what happened next. I really loved or absolutely despised each of the well developed characters- there didn't seem to be an in-between (which I love). I also loved the dashes of humor and pop culture references mixed in with the horror and action. The storyline over all was incredibly well-paced. Sure, there were some bits that could be considered "slow", but I felt that after all the action, these slower parts were refreshing!

I would have happily continued to read 700 MORE pages.

A couple of my favorite lines:
"So much of what was best in life went unnoticed in the moments you had it."

"Love never burns away. It just keeps on and on."

I went into reading this book with absolutely NO idea what it was about. When I realized it was a self-help-ish book, I had a, "oh, duh..." moment where suddenly the title of the book made sense. Chris Hardwick offers up a LOT of really helpful life lessons in three main categories- Mind, Body, and Time. Personally, I skimmed a bit of the "body" section and really focused during the "Time" section. My main issue with it was that (my reading pet peeve) it seemed to repeat itself quite a bit- I had that, "Wait, did I already read this paragraph?" moment happen a few times.

I was glad that I kept putting the book down so I could add something to my to do list, or just complete the task if it was a more simple one. Definitely worth a read- especially if you want to "reach the next level" in your life!

My favorite lines:

"A Nerdist is, more specifically, an artful Nerd."

"Talk of chess club and D&D could get you stuffed in a trash can. Let me rephrase that: One day after chess club, I got stuffed in a trash can.”

“I was pissed at the volume of time I had been wasting, an being pissed created the necessary friction to light a fire.”

“In short, knowledge is useless if it isn’t shared."

"If your brain feels soupy, it may be because you've been carrying around too much crap in it so it's important to pull that out onto the paper and into the physical world."

"External forces trying to attack you in this world can be difficult enough. Don't add to them by attacking yourself."

"Anxiety finds much of its strength in rooting itself in you past or future. 'I should have done A.' 'What f B happens?'"

"You will fall. You will get up. Then you will fall less."

"Recharging is an important part of brain maintenance. If you're busy all the time, it's important for your self-image to reward yourself."

"That should have been my first *abort* clue, but sometimes I see red flags more as pretty decorations than as warnings that should be heeded."

"If you're going to shit on yourself when you fail, it is only right in the name of balance that you hug yourself when you succeed. Take the wins. Shut your eyes when they happen and just take a snapshot of the moment. FEEL what you have accomplished coursing through your vines."

"The key to mastering anything is data.”

“SPREADSHEET THAT SHIT."