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samantha_randolph's Reviews (1.59k)
Short and Sweet
This is one of the most real feeling stories I've ever read. Jolene Perry gives an excellent look at what it's like learning to live with something for the rest of your life that wasn't planned and isn't wanted. Loved it!
To Elaborate...
For Kate, life kind of sucks after being diagnosed with diabetes and her long term boyfriend dumping her for someone else. When she meets Aidan, a 19 year old army veteran who lost an arm, she finally sees someone who can understand what she's going through. The problem is, neither of them really know how to fully break down their walls and actually get attached to each other. As they get closer, they will have to decide what they really mean to each other.
As a huge fan of Jolene Perry's, I was so excited to read this, and it did not disappoint at all. I love how completely real Kate and Aidan feel. Both are struggling to accept realities they know have to face and in the middle of all of it, they find understanding in each other even if they won't admit it. They have so many swoony scenes, and I adore how confident they are when it comes to the physical side of their relationship. While they both definitely wonder what all the kissing and stuff means here and there, neither of them obsess over it or try to force a definition on it. They do what makes them feel happy, and it's so nice.
What cost it a 'heart' for me is that I really wanted more of them. I feel like a few areas could have been fleshed out a little more, especially when it comes to the secondary characters. Kate's best friend and sister are really distinct and great, and I kept wanting to see a little more of them in the story. It's definitely a minor thing, but something I feel the story could really use.
Overall, I'm so glad I read this, and it makes an excellent, quick summer read.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://www.iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-summer-i-found-you-by-jolene.html
This is one of the most real feeling stories I've ever read. Jolene Perry gives an excellent look at what it's like learning to live with something for the rest of your life that wasn't planned and isn't wanted. Loved it!
To Elaborate...
For Kate, life kind of sucks after being diagnosed with diabetes and her long term boyfriend dumping her for someone else. When she meets Aidan, a 19 year old army veteran who lost an arm, she finally sees someone who can understand what she's going through. The problem is, neither of them really know how to fully break down their walls and actually get attached to each other. As they get closer, they will have to decide what they really mean to each other.
As a huge fan of Jolene Perry's, I was so excited to read this, and it did not disappoint at all. I love how completely real Kate and Aidan feel. Both are struggling to accept realities they know have to face and in the middle of all of it, they find understanding in each other even if they won't admit it. They have so many swoony scenes, and I adore how confident they are when it comes to the physical side of their relationship. While they both definitely wonder what all the kissing and stuff means here and there, neither of them obsess over it or try to force a definition on it. They do what makes them feel happy, and it's so nice.
What cost it a 'heart' for me is that I really wanted more of them. I feel like a few areas could have been fleshed out a little more, especially when it comes to the secondary characters. Kate's best friend and sister are really distinct and great, and I kept wanting to see a little more of them in the story. It's definitely a minor thing, but something I feel the story could really use.
Overall, I'm so glad I read this, and it makes an excellent, quick summer read.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://www.iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-summer-i-found-you-by-jolene.html
"Anne Dowling can never resist a good mystery, even if she is strongly toeing the line of expulsion because of trying to solve previous ones. When this emerging mystery seems to connect all the way back to her first semester at Wheatley, she will dig deeper into a past she never saw coming on top of juggling her confused feelings over Brent and Anthony and trying to not get expelled for good." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=46772
Short and Sweet:
While I really, really thought I was going to love this during the first half or so, I ultimately had way too many questions left unanswered/never discussed that I finished it kind of disappointed.
To Elaborate...
Princess Aislynn has done her best to stay on her Path and not stray or give in to the magic that's so hard to control. After a particularly bad incident, she is forced to be Redirected and labeled a stray. Now, she must take up the role of fairy godmother and help out another princess. But no matter where she goes, her magic is still brimming and danger seems to follow her.
During the first part of this book, I was SO loving it. Cool fairytale world with dresses and magic and godmothers and plots? Yes! I loved the idea of 'straying' and how the world was crafted around that.
But soon after Aislynn got Redirected to be a fairy godmother, it started going quickly down hill for me. All the world building questions I had during the first part seemed like they were never going to be addressed (like what exactly is the curse Aislynn keeps mentioning? Why does she get welts and stuff? What exactly is the motivation behind the antagonist? Why was she freaked out when the thing with the red sheets happened? AND WHAT THE HECK IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS MIRROR?).
All these questions and more starting piling up and by the end, not a single one was answered. Since this isn't so much a 'sequential' series, as a future collection of companions, I expected most of my questions would be answered. And most of my questions weren't even ones that you would expect answered in a second book. These answers were necessary to understand what was currently going on. I just felt like screaming, "TELL ME MORE" during the entire second half of the story.
This even drifted over into the romance. Thackery seems somewhat, vaguely swoony, but you know next to nothing about him. I think the story mentions that he has green eyes? This isn't completely a case of insta-love, but they somehow like each other while know nothing about each other. I'm not even sure when Thackery finds out she's a princess and not just a fairy godmother.
Overall, this was a let down for me. I love the premise of it so, so, so much, and it kind of kills me when a story has that and then doesn't follow through in awesomeness. I might be willing to give the next companion a chance just in hopes that a better balance will happen, but it'll be a tough call.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-stray-by-elissa-sussman.html
While I really, really thought I was going to love this during the first half or so, I ultimately had way too many questions left unanswered/never discussed that I finished it kind of disappointed.
To Elaborate...
Princess Aislynn has done her best to stay on her Path and not stray or give in to the magic that's so hard to control. After a particularly bad incident, she is forced to be Redirected and labeled a stray. Now, she must take up the role of fairy godmother and help out another princess. But no matter where she goes, her magic is still brimming and danger seems to follow her.
During the first part of this book, I was SO loving it. Cool fairytale world with dresses and magic and godmothers and plots? Yes! I loved the idea of 'straying' and how the world was crafted around that.
But soon after Aislynn got Redirected to be a fairy godmother, it started going quickly down hill for me. All the world building questions I had during the first part seemed like they were never going to be addressed (like what exactly is the curse Aislynn keeps mentioning? Why does she get welts and stuff? What exactly is the motivation behind the antagonist? Why was she freaked out when the thing with the red sheets happened? AND WHAT THE HECK IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS MIRROR?).
All these questions and more starting piling up and by the end, not a single one was answered. Since this isn't so much a 'sequential' series, as a future collection of companions, I expected most of my questions would be answered. And most of my questions weren't even ones that you would expect answered in a second book. These answers were necessary to understand what was currently going on. I just felt like screaming, "TELL ME MORE" during the entire second half of the story.
This even drifted over into the romance. Thackery seems somewhat, vaguely swoony, but you know next to nothing about him. I think the story mentions that he has green eyes? This isn't completely a case of insta-love, but they somehow like each other while know nothing about each other. I'm not even sure when Thackery finds out she's a princess and not just a fairy godmother.
Overall, this was a let down for me. I love the premise of it so, so, so much, and it kind of kills me when a story has that and then doesn't follow through in awesomeness. I might be willing to give the next companion a chance just in hopes that a better balance will happen, but it'll be a tough call.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-stray-by-elissa-sussman.html
"Full of heartbreak, despair, hope, and love, LES MISERABLES has become a classic audiences can't get enough of. It has now been adapted into a graphic novel form with art from TszMei Lee. The journey of Jean Valjean, Cossette, Fantine, and Javert takes on a whole new visual with this new adaptation." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=46773
Seven Out-of-this-World Teen Novels
Stephanie Thomas, Tiffany Truitt, Tara A. Fuller, Shea Berkley, Cecily White, Chloe Jacobs, Lea Nolan
Though I haven't read every novel in this collection, I did get to read one of them, Greta and the Goblin King. Full of the classic Entangled Teen line voice, it delivers delicious swoons and a heart-pounding plot. I was originally a bit hesitant about the goblin part, but the author did an incredible job of putting so much originality into them. I love their complex dynamic with the humans and all the mystery going on around them. Wyatt and his gang are hilarious, fun, and occasionally heart breaking. I really hope to see more of them in the sequel. Greta herself is the perfect mix of kick butt and kind. She goes through an intense and rough journey in this book, and I can only imagine how her character will develop on later in the series.
If you're looking to lost in worlds of the paranormal, supernatural, and fantasy, this is a wonderful collection to pick up. I can't wait to get started on reading some of the other novels in this grouping.
If you're looking to lost in worlds of the paranormal, supernatural, and fantasy, this is a wonderful collection to pick up. I can't wait to get started on reading some of the other novels in this grouping.
Short and Sweet:
This is an adorable collection of holiday tales, perfect for getting you in the end of the year/Christmas spirit!
To Elaborate...
As a lover of all things Christmas, including but not limited to: holiday movies, cookies, presents, TV specials, and music, I was SO EXCITED to read this. It absolutely holds up to the fun description. Many wonderful authors are featured in the collection including Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Myra McEntire, Kiersten White, Stephanie Perkins, etc. While their writing styles and their stories are all different, I highly enjoyed each and every one of them.
It's too hard to pick a favorite out of them all, but I particularly enjoyed Myra McEntire's "Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus". It takes place in Tennessee (where I live), and her story is an awesome mixture of A Walk to Remember and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, but with a lot more giggles. I also enjoyed the opening story by Rainbow Rowell, which was all too adorable.
What pleasantly surprised me was the age of the characters. I would say that the majority of the stories featured older teens, several of which were in college, or out of high school. There was also an extraordinary amount of diversity in some of the characters that I absolutely loved. Christmas is mentioned in several stories, but the focus is really on the December/January holiday season in general.
If you're like me and count down to the 25 Days of Christmas on ABC Family every year (and/or own an eyebrow raising collection of holiday movies), this is quite possibly a perfect fit for you.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-my-true-love-gave-to-me-edited.html
This is an adorable collection of holiday tales, perfect for getting you in the end of the year/Christmas spirit!
To Elaborate...
As a lover of all things Christmas, including but not limited to: holiday movies, cookies, presents, TV specials, and music, I was SO EXCITED to read this. It absolutely holds up to the fun description. Many wonderful authors are featured in the collection including Rainbow Rowell, Laini Taylor, Myra McEntire, Kiersten White, Stephanie Perkins, etc. While their writing styles and their stories are all different, I highly enjoyed each and every one of them.
It's too hard to pick a favorite out of them all, but I particularly enjoyed Myra McEntire's "Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus". It takes place in Tennessee (where I live), and her story is an awesome mixture of A Walk to Remember and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, but with a lot more giggles. I also enjoyed the opening story by Rainbow Rowell, which was all too adorable.
What pleasantly surprised me was the age of the characters. I would say that the majority of the stories featured older teens, several of which were in college, or out of high school. There was also an extraordinary amount of diversity in some of the characters that I absolutely loved. Christmas is mentioned in several stories, but the focus is really on the December/January holiday season in general.
If you're like me and count down to the 25 Days of Christmas on ABC Family every year (and/or own an eyebrow raising collection of holiday movies), this is quite possibly a perfect fit for you.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-my-true-love-gave-to-me-edited.html
Short and Sweet:
Full of Louisiana charm, creepy swamp mysteries, and underlying heart, I loved this novel!
To Elaborate....
When Sterling's brother, Phin, heads into the dangerous swamp after a fight, she waits for him to return. And waits...and waits... After hours pass, the only person that emerges from the swamp is a girl named Lenora May who is suddenly her only sibling. No one remembers Phin but her, and Lenora May has no interest in returning to the swamp or revealing what happened to Phin. Sterling has to brave the deadly swamp if she ever wants to see him again.
This is one of the most delightfully creepy books I've ever read. From the beginning, the swamp is a mysterious and dangerous place that fits perfectly in the Louisiana setting. Since I'm normally a wimp when it comes to scarier stories, I really liked how this one is more edge-of-your-seat, intensely suspenseful and mysterious than horror-filled. The creepy factor will definitely give you chills more than once, but I read this during a storm and didn't feel the need to hide under the covers (which is saying something).
The romance is fabulous and sweet. Heath and Sterling both face some serious real world issues (Heath with the loss of his best friend and Sterling with the decision to starve herself), but they find an understanding in each other that's beautiful. They have several cute moments amidst all the swamp tales and I love how they both grounded the supernatural story.
This is a great book to try if you're looking to be spooked, but not out of your mind frightened. The swamp is so haunting, and it's the perfect book to get lost in on a hot summer night.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-beware-wild-by-natalie-c-parker.html
Full of Louisiana charm, creepy swamp mysteries, and underlying heart, I loved this novel!
To Elaborate....
When Sterling's brother, Phin, heads into the dangerous swamp after a fight, she waits for him to return. And waits...and waits... After hours pass, the only person that emerges from the swamp is a girl named Lenora May who is suddenly her only sibling. No one remembers Phin but her, and Lenora May has no interest in returning to the swamp or revealing what happened to Phin. Sterling has to brave the deadly swamp if she ever wants to see him again.
This is one of the most delightfully creepy books I've ever read. From the beginning, the swamp is a mysterious and dangerous place that fits perfectly in the Louisiana setting. Since I'm normally a wimp when it comes to scarier stories, I really liked how this one is more edge-of-your-seat, intensely suspenseful and mysterious than horror-filled. The creepy factor will definitely give you chills more than once, but I read this during a storm and didn't feel the need to hide under the covers (which is saying something).
The romance is fabulous and sweet. Heath and Sterling both face some serious real world issues (Heath with the loss of his best friend and Sterling with the decision to starve herself), but they find an understanding in each other that's beautiful. They have several cute moments amidst all the swamp tales and I love how they both grounded the supernatural story.
This is a great book to try if you're looking to be spooked, but not out of your mind frightened. The swamp is so haunting, and it's the perfect book to get lost in on a hot summer night.
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-beware-wild-by-natalie-c-parker.html
Short and Sweet:
I am completely blown away by this book's awesomeness. There's so much great action that it was hard to put down!
To Elaborate...
Mac is a Keeper, someone who works to keep Histories where they belong in the Archive, a place where the dead are categorized and kept. Since her family moved to a historical hotel after her brother's death, more and more Histories have gotten loose, enough to make Mac suspect maybe someone in the Archive is helping them. She has to figure out exactly what's going on before chaos is unleashed everywhere.
I had heard so many good things about Victoria Schwab's books that I was so happy to finally pick up a copy of The Archived and read it. It absolutely lived up to the wonderful expectations I had. Schwab's writing is perfectly unique and full of insanely beautiful descriptions. There's a kind of mesmerizing and smooth quality to the writing that had me constantly turning the pages and not realizing just how lost I was getting in the story.
The Histories and the Archive were a little confusing at first, but mainly because I haven't read anything like it before. Mac lives in our modern world, but she has the task of working with the Archive to keep Histories in their place and out of the Narrows, or her own world. Histories are kind of like dead people but it's more they just have their human body shape while there actually 'filling' is their history and memories, their 'records' of their life. That probably sounds confusing, but it makes total sense once you really get into the story, and it's completely fascinating.
There is a touching romance/friendship with Wes going on, and I love how Schwab does it. The romance isn't a big focus at all, but there are some warm and fuzzy swoons that give it the perfect dose of potential shipping. I know that as much as I love a strong romance, I often find myself wishing for something that might have romance, but focuses majorly on something else like the action or mystery, and The Archived does exactly that.
Overall, this is such a beautiful and gorgeous read. I need to buy the sequel as soon as possible. I definitely recommend this one!
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/09/throwback-thursday-review-archived-by.html
I am completely blown away by this book's awesomeness. There's so much great action that it was hard to put down!
To Elaborate...
Mac is a Keeper, someone who works to keep Histories where they belong in the Archive, a place where the dead are categorized and kept. Since her family moved to a historical hotel after her brother's death, more and more Histories have gotten loose, enough to make Mac suspect maybe someone in the Archive is helping them. She has to figure out exactly what's going on before chaos is unleashed everywhere.
I had heard so many good things about Victoria Schwab's books that I was so happy to finally pick up a copy of The Archived and read it. It absolutely lived up to the wonderful expectations I had. Schwab's writing is perfectly unique and full of insanely beautiful descriptions. There's a kind of mesmerizing and smooth quality to the writing that had me constantly turning the pages and not realizing just how lost I was getting in the story.
The Histories and the Archive were a little confusing at first, but mainly because I haven't read anything like it before. Mac lives in our modern world, but she has the task of working with the Archive to keep Histories in their place and out of the Narrows, or her own world. Histories are kind of like dead people but it's more they just have their human body shape while there actually 'filling' is their history and memories, their 'records' of their life. That probably sounds confusing, but it makes total sense once you really get into the story, and it's completely fascinating.
There is a touching romance/friendship with Wes going on, and I love how Schwab does it. The romance isn't a big focus at all, but there are some warm and fuzzy swoons that give it the perfect dose of potential shipping. I know that as much as I love a strong romance, I often find myself wishing for something that might have romance, but focuses majorly on something else like the action or mystery, and The Archived does exactly that.
Overall, this is such a beautiful and gorgeous read. I need to buy the sequel as soon as possible. I definitely recommend this one!
Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/09/throwback-thursday-review-archived-by.html
"For years, Allie Johnston has wanted something she rarely discusses outside of an online chat group: a nose job. For her, a nose job could mean becoming beautiful, which in turn, would equal great self-esteem and happiness. When she meets two girls online who also want nose jobs, the three team up to support each other as they face the procedure. As Allie begins to seriously face the surgery and not just dream of it, she will have to decide if fixing her nose is what she is really after." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=47112