Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Wow. Well it's safe to say that this book really surprised me. I have to give credit to this author, the way in which she told this story was so incredibly smart, for so many different reasons. Seriously. The jumping around from past to present was FLAWLESSLY done. The two worked together in perfect harmony to deliver a whole package that was quite fantastic. This book wouldn't have worked even half as well any other way. Bit by brutal bit we got to see how so much of TifAni's past shaped who she was in the future. While, admittedly, the past flashbacks were probably the most interesting parts, I also enjoyed the present more because of them after awhile.
One thing I've noticed that seems to be a new trend in some contemporary books in the past few years, which I kind of love, are stories where the main character, or voice of the story, isn't exactly the greatest of people. Sometimes they're downright unlikeable. When this is done correctly, it can be brilliant. I think Knoll did an amazing balancing act with TifAni, she wasn't someone I can really say that really liked, on the other hand, she also wasn't someone I hated. The plot was just so well done that I think it was darn close to impossible not to be invested in the story, even if you weren't necessarily that invested in the main character. I know that once the flashbacks started I was glued to the pages. I couldn't wait to get all the answers of what exactly happened back then, and better understand why Ani was the way she was now.
Say what you will about Ani's sometimes nerve grating strive for her version of perfection, I have to admit that there were times when I thought some of her brutally honest thoughts pretty spot on!
Don't get me wrong, Ani certainly had an overabundance of delusions, but I'm just sayin', at times, she had an uncanny way of reading people and situations.
Funny enough, Ani vaguly reminded me of a Blair Waldrof type. She was the girl who seemed to easily have it all on the surface, but in reality she worried and worked her tail feathers off to get everything to appear that way to other people. I got the feeling that Ani solidly knew what she wanted, but had very little clue as to what she actually needed. Getting peeks into her childhood was enlightening as well. While I think that the whole striving to fit in with the in crowd thing is something that most teenagers deal with at one point or another.
It was kind of sad to see that Ani never really progressed from that stage, even in to adulthood. It was also heartbreaking to see how that same desire for acceptance affected the huge decisions that Ani made in her younger years, that ultimately still haunted her in the present.
I think that, at least for me, the fact that almost all of the big events and struggles in this book were so close to things that happen in real life, that this story tugged on my heartstrings even more because of that. And enough to make me sweat considering I have my own young teenage daughter to worry over! All in all this was a thought provoking, rollercoaster ride of a story and I highly recommend it!
I received an ARC of this book from Simon & Schuster via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
2.5 stars
I'm not even really sure what to say here. I wanted to love this book.....I mean it's a whole book of Kellan Kyle for goodness sake! Honestly the first half of the book was, at times, a struggle for me to get into. It was so hard to wrap my mind around why Kellan even started liking Kiera in the first place. And I know that I am going to sound like a completely heartless wretch here, but seriously, the constant whining was too much for me. Did I feel bad for Kellan, yes, of course I did, but at a certain point all the ceaseless wallowing goes from sad to just plain annoying.
I did enjoy seeing some scenes from Kellan's point of view. I got a lot better of an understanding of where his head was at with everything that in Thoughtless was kind of mystifying. I really think that if this book would have been cut in about half, and more so just glanced over things a little more, rather than relive every moment, I would have actually liked it a lot better. Will I still continue on with the series when Griffin's book comes out? HELL YES! But if there are more of the reliving all the things I've already read, that can't be recapped in a novella from a different POV, then those I might just have to skip over.
**Please don't revoke my Kellan Kyle fan club membership!!! JK that's actually probably a legitimate thing, that I am really not in. I really did love the Thoughtless series, even when I hated certain things, or people. I know that might not make sense to those of you that haven't read this yet, but those who have get it.**
I received a copy of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I'm not even really sure what to say here. I wanted to love this book.....I mean it's a whole book of Kellan Kyle for goodness sake! Honestly the first half of the book was, at times, a struggle for me to get into. It was so hard to wrap my mind around why Kellan even started liking Kiera in the first place. And I know that I am going to sound like a completely heartless wretch here, but seriously, the constant whining was too much for me. Did I feel bad for Kellan, yes, of course I did, but at a certain point all the ceaseless wallowing goes from sad to just plain annoying.
I did enjoy seeing some scenes from Kellan's point of view. I got a lot better of an understanding of where his head was at with everything that in Thoughtless was kind of mystifying. I really think that if this book would have been cut in about half, and more so just glanced over things a little more, rather than relive every moment, I would have actually liked it a lot better. Will I still continue on with the series when Griffin's book comes out? HELL YES! But if there are more of the reliving all the things I've already read, that can't be recapped in a novella from a different POV, then those I might just have to skip over.
**Please don't revoke my Kellan Kyle fan club membership!!! JK that's actually probably a legitimate thing, that I am really not in. I really did love the Thoughtless series, even when I hated certain things, or people. I know that might not make sense to those of you that haven't read this yet, but those who have get it.**
I received a copy of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
.jpg)
4.5 stars
The DUFF is my new LOVE. I devoured this book in one day. I read while the kids napped, I read while I cooked, did laundry, and ate meals, and then I read through the night into the wee hours of the morning until the very end. Work was grueling to get through the next day, but I didn’t have, not even one, regret!
Bianca was a fantastic leading lady. She was bold, sarcastic, smart, and unique. She had this cool way of coming across as such a confident person, even when she struggled with the way she felt about herself and her life on the inside. As anyone who is in or has been in high school knows this, poker face, is a handy dandy survival tool. I could sympathize with the way that Bianca kept a lot of her feelings and problems, especially the harder ones, to herself. I have always struggled with that as well.
Wesley Rush was just as awesome, in completely different ways. I loved the way that he looked at people, with no judgments. Maybe it was that he bore the weight of so many other people’s assumptions and judgments about him that he couldn’t imagine passing that weight to another person.
“Bianca, whore is just a cheap word people use to cut each other down,” he said, his voice softer. “It makes them feel better about their own mistakes. Using words like that is easier than really looking into the situation.”
And I liked that his attitude was catching. I was glad to see Bianca eventually realizing the wisdom in this.
I also really appreciated Wesley’s honesty, he was never one to lie to get what he wants. He could be arrogant at times, and I thought initially calling Bianca a DUFF was horrid. But she wasn’t exactly the nicest to him either, so I guess it sort of evened out in my mind.
Even Bianca’s best friends were like a breath of fresh air. It was endearing how caring Casey was. I love that she had an affinity for sticking up for the underdogs, and I just think that is the bees knees. It takes a certain kind of strength and heart to go against the crowd and stand beside the ostracized. I wish there were a million more Caseys in the world, it would be a better place. Jessica was sweet too, although I feel like she fell more to the wayside in this story. Some of the other characters just shined so bright, I think she was a little over shadowed by them.
I also appreciated the references to some classic literature that the characters were reading, and the parallels they drew between them and what was going on in their current lives. I thought that was pretty neat. All in all this was a fantastic read! I was enamored right from the get go, and it truly never ebbed.
I received a copy of this book from Hachette Children’s Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
The DUFF is my new LOVE. I devoured this book in one day. I read while the kids napped, I read while I cooked, did laundry, and ate meals, and then I read through the night into the wee hours of the morning until the very end. Work was grueling to get through the next day, but I didn’t have, not even one, regret!
Bianca was a fantastic leading lady. She was bold, sarcastic, smart, and unique. She had this cool way of coming across as such a confident person, even when she struggled with the way she felt about herself and her life on the inside. As anyone who is in or has been in high school knows this, poker face, is a handy dandy survival tool. I could sympathize with the way that Bianca kept a lot of her feelings and problems, especially the harder ones, to herself. I have always struggled with that as well.
Wesley Rush was just as awesome, in completely different ways. I loved the way that he looked at people, with no judgments. Maybe it was that he bore the weight of so many other people’s assumptions and judgments about him that he couldn’t imagine passing that weight to another person.
“Bianca, whore is just a cheap word people use to cut each other down,” he said, his voice softer. “It makes them feel better about their own mistakes. Using words like that is easier than really looking into the situation.”
And I liked that his attitude was catching. I was glad to see Bianca eventually realizing the wisdom in this.
I also really appreciated Wesley’s honesty, he was never one to lie to get what he wants. He could be arrogant at times, and I thought initially calling Bianca a DUFF was horrid. But she wasn’t exactly the nicest to him either, so I guess it sort of evened out in my mind.
Even Bianca’s best friends were like a breath of fresh air. It was endearing how caring Casey was. I love that she had an affinity for sticking up for the underdogs, and I just think that is the bees knees. It takes a certain kind of strength and heart to go against the crowd and stand beside the ostracized. I wish there were a million more Caseys in the world, it would be a better place. Jessica was sweet too, although I feel like she fell more to the wayside in this story. Some of the other characters just shined so bright, I think she was a little over shadowed by them.
I also appreciated the references to some classic literature that the characters were reading, and the parallels they drew between them and what was going on in their current lives. I thought that was pretty neat. All in all this was a fantastic read! I was enamored right from the get go, and it truly never ebbed.
I received a copy of this book from Hachette Children’s Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Wow. Just wow. I LOVED this book. Spelled was truly enchanting. This story was just so much fun, from the hilarious play on words, to the completely fresh and brilliant take on beloved fairytales. I really can't think of one thing that I didn't enjoy about this story. The characters were flawed but compelling, you couldn't help but root for them and thoroughly enjoy their journey. I really like seeing character growth throughout a story, and there was plenty of that in this one.
Dorothea was a typical spoiled princess at the beginning of the story, but there is nothing like a wish gone awry leading to a dangerous quest to fix everything to humble a girl. I enjoyed watching Dorothea grow, and getting to see a side of her that wasn't just obsessed with the latest designer gowns and shoes. Underneath the surface Dorothea was actually pretty awesome. She had a kind heart and was willing to do whatever it took to help her friends and family.
And what's a quest without some heroic sidekicks? Well maybe heroic is a tad of an overstatement here, more like two disgruntled sidekicks with loads of gusto. Prince Kato was great! I'm not even sure whether I preferred him in his pre-wish human form or his post-wish Chimera form. I'm really leaning towards the Chimera, if I'm being completely honest.
"He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes before plopping down in a big heap. On my lap. "Ahh!" I tried to use his horns to pick his head up, but even that part of him weighed a ton. "What are you doing? Did you just die?" "No." he growled and turned his face up, pursing his lips in total seriousness. "I've recently been advised that you might find the cute and fuzzy approach much less threatening. Supposedly it's also more endearing." "I hate to tell you, but that Jolly Roger has sailed, sunk, and been eaten by ticking crocodiles." I tried to stifle a laugh, but it was too large to contain. Kato really had zero skill at manipulation, but at least he was honest."
Also along for the ride was Rexi, a not so happy to be there servant of Dorotheas that was a constant ray of sarcastic sunshine throughout the entire story. She never skirted around her disdain of Dorothea and pretty much everyone in general, but instead embraced it fully with quick witted, snarky quips. So of course I enjoyed her immensely!
I really liked the compilation of so many different fairytale creatures and characters. It was neat to see them all living in one magical place with their higher power being the storymakers. It ended up raising a some great obstacles and questions for our heroine, most importantly being rather to blindly leave everything up to fate, or destiny, or can you be the master of your own happily ever after?
The last thing I have to bring up is I thought the little blurbs at the beginning of each chapter were absolutely brilliant!!! They ranged from tips from Orbes Magical Business Magazine, rules from the Definitive Fairytale Survival Guide, to quotes from well known princesses, princes and villians alike. And they all brought a smile to my face or made my laugh out loud each time I read one!
Fans of shows like Once Upon a Time, or people who enjoy fairytale retellings with exciting new twists and takes on the original stories are bound to love Spelled. But really anyone who enjoys adventure and humor in their stories will surely find themselves smitten with this one as well. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author in the future!
I received an ARC of this book from SOURCEBOOKS Fire via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Fear not the curse of the second book here, my friends! I fell in love with the world Susan Ee created in the first book in this series, Angelfall. In World After, I was basically strapped in and forced even deeper into the gritty, terrifying devastation, and I was completely captivated from beginning until the very last page.
It has been some time since I read Angelfall so I was slightly worried that I would be lost in starting this book, but thankfully I was able to jump right back in like no time had passed. There were enough past references to give you tiny refreshers as the story went, but not too much that it was redundant. One thing I really enjoyed in World After was the darker story. I think this book was more sinister than it's predecessor and I really liked it! I immensely enjoyed the more pronounced horror element. The World After was a cold, scary shell of the world we know, and I felt that in my bones while reading this.
The intensified gruesomeness and creepiness in everything going on around Penryn was a stark contrast to the confusing longing and more romantic feelings that she was internally struggling with. Even the desolation radiated off the pages. My heart was constantly breaking for poor Penryn and the relentless barrage of atrocities that she continuously endured. But really all of that and the way she never backed down, she always rallied for the people she cared about, and even people she didn't know.
"You're a hero. I'm hoping that you'll restore my faith and show me that we're worth saving."
"I am so not hero"
"You saved my life back at the aerie. By definition, you're my hero."
"I left you in a basement to die."
"You broke me out of the grasp of a living horror when I thought all hope was gone. You gave me the opportunity to crawl back to life when no one else could."
She glances over at me, her eyes shining in the dark. "You're a hero Penryn, whether you like it or not."
Penryn is my favorite kind of heroine, she is far from perfect but she mostly does the right thing and she does it with flare! Anyone who can keep their sense of humor in the midst of the hell she's in is a boss in my book for sure! I absolutely adored the addition of Pooky Bear!!! Seriously. A sentient Angel sword with feels...HELL YES! The way Penryn and the sword communicated was super cool as well.
I had hoped to see more of Raffe in this book, because come on, who in their right mind isn't shipping Penryn and Raffe?! But Penryn had so much excitement going on, and with the bonding moments with the sword, Raffe was never really too far away, at least in spirit.
One interesting theme that came to mind here was the contrast between the things/people that appear beautiful or good, when really they're something to be feared or evil. As opposed to the things/people that appear frightening or evil, that in reality are actually favorable. You saw this same idea play out in so many ways throughout this story, and I really thought that was cool.
"I even offered Raffe asprin when he was unconscious before I ever got to know him. I offered the enemy pain relief but never considered it for my own sister. Why? Because she looked like a monster, that's why. And it never occurred to me that monsters might feel pain."
I really can't praise this series enough!! If you haven't started it yet, you are missing out! Good news is the next book, End of Days releases on May 12, just a few weeks away! So you have some time to catch up, I am super glad that I did!
**Seriously....does anyone know if there are Arcs of End of Days out there?? I need this in my life like ASAP!!!**
I received a copy of this book from Amazon Children's Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
THE HOBBIT BY: J.R.R. TOLKIEN
Like so many conflicting emotions. I really liked this book. It was seriously a really fun fantasy book, with rich engaging characters and funny, witty banter. The only reason there is any problem with it whatsoever.....because I watched the freaking movies first and they were incredible. I went into this book with such high expectations, it's no wonder that I feel, at least a little, let down. I mean this story was split up into, not 1, not 2, but 3....3 EPIC MOVIES. So it was so hard for me to see that condensed in a few hundred pages, even though they really were a fantastic couple hundred pages. And were the hell was Legolas???
He's like one of my favorite characters! If he's not in The Lord of the Rings books, I'm going to be pissed! Seriously.
I really like Bilbo too though, the reluctant hero always resonates just a little more with me. It makes them more down to Earth, and I dig that. And Smaug was everything I hoped he would be! I'm sorry, I know I am probably not supposed to like him, but I do. One of my favorite parts was his repartee with dear Bilbo.
All in all this was a rather quick, fun read. I only wish I would have read this book before having experienced the movies, I think it would have made a much....muchier
impression than it did.
I do have slightly higher hopes for the LOTR books though, they seem quite a bit heftier. But Legolas better be there. That's all I'm sayin'.
Like so many conflicting emotions. I really liked this book. It was seriously a really fun fantasy book, with rich engaging characters and funny, witty banter. The only reason there is any problem with it whatsoever.....because I watched the freaking movies first and they were incredible. I went into this book with such high expectations, it's no wonder that I feel, at least a little, let down. I mean this story was split up into, not 1, not 2, but 3....3 EPIC MOVIES. So it was so hard for me to see that condensed in a few hundred pages, even though they really were a fantastic couple hundred pages. And were the hell was Legolas???
He's like one of my favorite characters! If he's not in The Lord of the Rings books, I'm going to be pissed! Seriously.
I really like Bilbo too though, the reluctant hero always resonates just a little more with me. It makes them more down to Earth, and I dig that. And Smaug was everything I hoped he would be! I'm sorry, I know I am probably not supposed to like him, but I do. One of my favorite parts was his repartee with dear Bilbo.
All in all this was a rather quick, fun read. I only wish I would have read this book before having experienced the movies, I think it would have made a much....muchier
impression than it did.
I do have slightly higher hopes for the LOTR books though, they seem quite a bit heftier. But Legolas better be there. That's all I'm sayin'.
THE ACCIDENTAL HERO BY: MATT MYKLUSCH
The Accidental Hero was, I think, one of those fun books for any age! It is geared towards middle grade age, but I had no problem getting interested and staying such throughout the whole story. Actually I found a couple of the references, in particular the thoughtful pokes at standardized testing and whatnot, to be rather sophisticated.
I enjoyed the non stop action, and really liked watching the characters develop from beginning to end. I really dug the whole Imagine Nation (extra points for the awesome word play).
It was such a unique place that I really look forward to seeing more of! The School of Thought sounded like a pretty rad place to be, with all the growing superhero/supervillains attending. I mean who wouldn't want to go to superhero school, really?!
Jack was an easy character to like and root for. He was kind, brave, and just trying to figure things out and do the right thing. I have to say I was honestly surprised with the twist at the end and I really enjoyed that! It was an interesting way to go with the story and it really guaranteed that I'll be continuing on with this series. I believe fans of Percy Jackson or Harry Potter type books will enjoy this story as well.
The Accidental Hero was, I think, one of those fun books for any age! It is geared towards middle grade age, but I had no problem getting interested and staying such throughout the whole story. Actually I found a couple of the references, in particular the thoughtful pokes at standardized testing and whatnot, to be rather sophisticated.
I enjoyed the non stop action, and really liked watching the characters develop from beginning to end. I really dug the whole Imagine Nation (extra points for the awesome word play).
It was such a unique place that I really look forward to seeing more of! The School of Thought sounded like a pretty rad place to be, with all the growing superhero/supervillains attending. I mean who wouldn't want to go to superhero school, really?!
Jack was an easy character to like and root for. He was kind, brave, and just trying to figure things out and do the right thing. I have to say I was honestly surprised with the twist at the end and I really enjoyed that! It was an interesting way to go with the story and it really guaranteed that I'll be continuing on with this series. I believe fans of Percy Jackson or Harry Potter type books will enjoy this story as well.
FEED BY: MIRA GRANT
This was actually a hard one to rate. The last 150 pages was easily the best, and most exciting in the whole book. And at nearly 600 pages....let's just say that was a lot of build up for the action to really start. At least 200 pages too much build up if you ask me. If I'm being honest, I just think it ended up feeling excessive, and like the story would have been stronger if I wasn't quite frequently trying to power read to get to the good parts.
I will say that I found this story to be really unique though. I really liked to get such a different version of a zombie story. I mean really, it's kind of hard to call this a Zombie story, when the zombies for the most part weren't necessarily the focus of this story, they felt more like just another part of daily life in the new world, a dangerous part, but still kind of just a fact of life. It was actually very well done how the author brought you to that same level of enlightenment that the characters were at. This was 20+ years after the zombies came to be, so for most of these main characters, this way of life (with Zombies, and all the aftereffects of such) was completely normal to them. They never knew anything different. I've never read a story like that before. Especially one that depicts a world that went on, meaning that there was still civilization. Different areas had fallen to the undead, but there were still safe (as safe as one can get amidst zombies anyway) communities. That alone made this story unique. Life was going on even among the dead.
I also liked the way the world after was. I thought it was neat to see how the bloggers came to be a real source of, well everything! Anything from the news, to entertainment. That was super cool. It also felt like something that wasn't exactly far fetched after everything that had happened. That element alone was enough enticement for me to want to read this book! I liked following this trio of bloggers, even though I didn't necessarily like all of them that much.
George was kind of hard for me to relate to, and she was the real voice in this book. She just felt kind of as emotionally removed in life as she was in the news she reported. I don't know if that was because of her profession or that's just what made her so good at what she did, but either way, it took something away from the story for me. It always kept me at arms length. I did really like George's brother Shaun though. He was very interesting to me, and he seemed to have a little more emotional depth than George. I am really excited to hear that he is the voice of the second book! That, and the fact that I already own this whole trilogy, has me ready to read book 2. Maybe not right away, but sometime soon anyways.
So all in all.....I'd say that the first 400 or so pages was closer to a 2 star rating, but the last 100-200 were easily 4 stars and worth the wait. So all together I guess it's somewhere around 3 stars as a whole. I really hope that the next book steps it up a little with the action. It appears to be about the same as this one length wise, and I will be disappointed if it doesn't deliver more.
This was actually a hard one to rate. The last 150 pages was easily the best, and most exciting in the whole book. And at nearly 600 pages....let's just say that was a lot of build up for the action to really start. At least 200 pages too much build up if you ask me. If I'm being honest, I just think it ended up feeling excessive, and like the story would have been stronger if I wasn't quite frequently trying to power read to get to the good parts.
I will say that I found this story to be really unique though. I really liked to get such a different version of a zombie story. I mean really, it's kind of hard to call this a Zombie story, when the zombies for the most part weren't necessarily the focus of this story, they felt more like just another part of daily life in the new world, a dangerous part, but still kind of just a fact of life. It was actually very well done how the author brought you to that same level of enlightenment that the characters were at. This was 20+ years after the zombies came to be, so for most of these main characters, this way of life (with Zombies, and all the aftereffects of such) was completely normal to them. They never knew anything different. I've never read a story like that before. Especially one that depicts a world that went on, meaning that there was still civilization. Different areas had fallen to the undead, but there were still safe (as safe as one can get amidst zombies anyway) communities. That alone made this story unique. Life was going on even among the dead.
I also liked the way the world after was. I thought it was neat to see how the bloggers came to be a real source of, well everything! Anything from the news, to entertainment. That was super cool. It also felt like something that wasn't exactly far fetched after everything that had happened. That element alone was enough enticement for me to want to read this book! I liked following this trio of bloggers, even though I didn't necessarily like all of them that much.
George was kind of hard for me to relate to, and she was the real voice in this book. She just felt kind of as emotionally removed in life as she was in the news she reported. I don't know if that was because of her profession or that's just what made her so good at what she did, but either way, it took something away from the story for me. It always kept me at arms length. I did really like George's brother Shaun though. He was very interesting to me, and he seemed to have a little more emotional depth than George. I am really excited to hear that he is the voice of the second book! That, and the fact that I already own this whole trilogy, has me ready to read book 2. Maybe not right away, but sometime soon anyways.
So all in all.....I'd say that the first 400 or so pages was closer to a 2 star rating, but the last 100-200 were easily 4 stars and worth the wait. So all together I guess it's somewhere around 3 stars as a whole. I really hope that the next book steps it up a little with the action. It appears to be about the same as this one length wise, and I will be disappointed if it doesn't deliver more.
USE SOMEBODY BY: RILEY JEAN
Where do I even start?! I guess the first thing that comes to mind is that one of the things I really enjoyed about this book were the things that it made me think about myself. First of which being that I found myself about 300 or so pages into this story thinking, "Oh come on, when is Scar going to pull her head out of her ass already?!" I was desperately searching for everything to start to fix itself. I kept telling myself isn't this when a book usually does this? Here's the thing, part of the reason I was so expectant for this story to fit in the usual parameters of books I read, is because so many of the books I read lately are part of a series and tend to come to an end around this point, just to be continued when the next part comes out. It's been some time since I read a FULL (like really full) length novel. So as soon as I quit thinking about how this book should compare to others in that sense, I actually just sat back and enjoyed experiencing everything it had to offer. And it truly did have so much to offer. So yet again I learn the life lesson that patience pays off (a constant thing I have to relearn lol)
<---- totally me, like all the time.
Scarlett's transformation from the light, bubbly girl full of hope in the beginning, to Scar the broken loner, who doesn't dare to dream anymore was such a stark contrast. It felt like Scar and Scarlett were two completely different people.The not knowing what brought on this radical transformation was killing me! As the story progresses we get little glimpses from Scarlett's past and many of the things that contributed to the huge change. All the small hurts and disappointments and eventually the monumental one.
"Relationships are like that. Each time you fall in love with someone, you give a part of your heart away. And when they're gone, they take it with them. Some people gave little pieces away too many times, like Lexi. Some people gave their whole heart away once, like Gwen. When it ends, what is left of their heart? A smaller piece? A large hole? Could you fill it up, would it heal over or grow back?"
There was a lot of stuff in this story that was so easy to relate to. So many hard life lessons that we learn along the way, from realizing who are our real friends, to dealing with and learning from the mistakes we've made in the past, and also learning what real love looks like and how it works, and does not work. The thing that I liked about this factor of the story was that Scarlett started realizing these things slowly, and even in the midst of doing so, she still made plenty of mistakes. It wasn't something she learned all at once and executed with precision, it was like real life, always evolving and getting knocked down and deciding to get back up again.
"When I hid behind my walls, they blocked everything out, the good along with the bad. I was convinced that numbing myself was the only way to survive. I hadn't seen anything beyond my own misery to find something worth holding onto. But now, looking at the sky and trees and earth before us, I could only wonder, what kind of life could I have without this?"
Now that's not to say there weren't times when Scarlett screwing up wasn't extremely frustrating, like wanting to pull your hair out frustrating, because it definitely was, but it also made this story seem more genuine, so I accepted it.....well by the end.
"...But as bad as it can be, I think it could be just as amazing. And that makes all the hard parts worth it. So you can't let it keep you down. People come and go. But you can always hold on to the good times in your heart, even if that person's no longer with you. You have to look back at everything that's made life good, instead of why it isn't now. Life isn't something to endure, Rosie. It's something to experience."
Another thing I really enjoyed was the other characters, Vance especially (of course!). Vance was the best! He was the ray of sunshine that couldn't help but cut into Scarlett's vast darkness. I loved that more than anything, Vance was an incredible friend. Everyone in life should count their lucky stars if they have just one friend like him. He was someone you couldn't help but to like instantly.
Even some of the other characters that were harder to warm up to or like in general, weren't always total villains. They had many different layers, or reasons for doing the things they do. May not be good ones, but the point of it all was beautifully summed up by the end. I think that notion played into the whole everyone kind of uses someone theme here. Sometimes whether they admit it to themselves or not. And that's definitely something else that's relatable to real life. If it's using someone to make you forget about someone or something else, or using someone so you aren't alone, using someone to make you feel better about yourself, or even using someone to hurt someone else. At one point or another we all use somebody, and get used by somebody, and this story showed this brilliantly.
I just want to add a few brief things. The first being that this book really kept me guessing the whole time, as to what happened in the past and to what was going to happen next, which was refreshing and quite a ride. Even if you figure out some of it, there's PLENTY that will knock you on your ass, so just you wait!
Finally, a thank you to Riley Jean, first for gifting me this fantastic story for review, and secondly because (very tastefully) there was some brief context in this story concerning religion/church, which for the first time in sooooo long made me feel something positive about it. Thank you for bringing to the forefront all the absolute best, most beautiful things about a subject that typically has me shying away from it. Use Somebody was an emotional journey and I highly recommend it!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review
Where do I even start?! I guess the first thing that comes to mind is that one of the things I really enjoyed about this book were the things that it made me think about myself. First of which being that I found myself about 300 or so pages into this story thinking, "Oh come on, when is Scar going to pull her head out of her ass already?!" I was desperately searching for everything to start to fix itself. I kept telling myself isn't this when a book usually does this? Here's the thing, part of the reason I was so expectant for this story to fit in the usual parameters of books I read, is because so many of the books I read lately are part of a series and tend to come to an end around this point, just to be continued when the next part comes out. It's been some time since I read a FULL (like really full) length novel. So as soon as I quit thinking about how this book should compare to others in that sense, I actually just sat back and enjoyed experiencing everything it had to offer. And it truly did have so much to offer. So yet again I learn the life lesson that patience pays off (a constant thing I have to relearn lol)
<---- totally me, like all the time.
Scarlett's transformation from the light, bubbly girl full of hope in the beginning, to Scar the broken loner, who doesn't dare to dream anymore was such a stark contrast. It felt like Scar and Scarlett were two completely different people.The not knowing what brought on this radical transformation was killing me! As the story progresses we get little glimpses from Scarlett's past and many of the things that contributed to the huge change. All the small hurts and disappointments and eventually the monumental one.
"Relationships are like that. Each time you fall in love with someone, you give a part of your heart away. And when they're gone, they take it with them. Some people gave little pieces away too many times, like Lexi. Some people gave their whole heart away once, like Gwen. When it ends, what is left of their heart? A smaller piece? A large hole? Could you fill it up, would it heal over or grow back?"
There was a lot of stuff in this story that was so easy to relate to. So many hard life lessons that we learn along the way, from realizing who are our real friends, to dealing with and learning from the mistakes we've made in the past, and also learning what real love looks like and how it works, and does not work. The thing that I liked about this factor of the story was that Scarlett started realizing these things slowly, and even in the midst of doing so, she still made plenty of mistakes. It wasn't something she learned all at once and executed with precision, it was like real life, always evolving and getting knocked down and deciding to get back up again.
"When I hid behind my walls, they blocked everything out, the good along with the bad. I was convinced that numbing myself was the only way to survive. I hadn't seen anything beyond my own misery to find something worth holding onto. But now, looking at the sky and trees and earth before us, I could only wonder, what kind of life could I have without this?"
Now that's not to say there weren't times when Scarlett screwing up wasn't extremely frustrating, like wanting to pull your hair out frustrating, because it definitely was, but it also made this story seem more genuine, so I accepted it.....well by the end.
"...But as bad as it can be, I think it could be just as amazing. And that makes all the hard parts worth it. So you can't let it keep you down. People come and go. But you can always hold on to the good times in your heart, even if that person's no longer with you. You have to look back at everything that's made life good, instead of why it isn't now. Life isn't something to endure, Rosie. It's something to experience."
Another thing I really enjoyed was the other characters, Vance especially (of course!). Vance was the best! He was the ray of sunshine that couldn't help but cut into Scarlett's vast darkness. I loved that more than anything, Vance was an incredible friend. Everyone in life should count their lucky stars if they have just one friend like him. He was someone you couldn't help but to like instantly.
Even some of the other characters that were harder to warm up to or like in general, weren't always total villains. They had many different layers, or reasons for doing the things they do. May not be good ones, but the point of it all was beautifully summed up by the end. I think that notion played into the whole everyone kind of uses someone theme here. Sometimes whether they admit it to themselves or not. And that's definitely something else that's relatable to real life. If it's using someone to make you forget about someone or something else, or using someone so you aren't alone, using someone to make you feel better about yourself, or even using someone to hurt someone else. At one point or another we all use somebody, and get used by somebody, and this story showed this brilliantly.
I just want to add a few brief things. The first being that this book really kept me guessing the whole time, as to what happened in the past and to what was going to happen next, which was refreshing and quite a ride. Even if you figure out some of it, there's PLENTY that will knock you on your ass, so just you wait!
Finally, a thank you to Riley Jean, first for gifting me this fantastic story for review, and secondly because (very tastefully) there was some brief context in this story concerning religion/church, which for the first time in sooooo long made me feel something positive about it. Thank you for bringing to the forefront all the absolute best, most beautiful things about a subject that typically has me shying away from it. Use Somebody was an emotional journey and I highly recommend it!
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review