Title: Looking for Alaska

Author: John Green

 

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book read from February 18-19 for a read-along)

Summary:

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

Looking for Alaska is one of those rare books that stays with you long after you've finished them. It was absolutely amazing & one of the most realistic YA contemporary novels I've read. I wish I've read this when I was in high school :) John  Green with his writing style has got himself a new fan. What I've been waiting for until now? No idea, to be honest. I just do that sometimes with those well praised books or authors, I just keep postponing reading them. But, that ends now! At least, when it comes to John Green's books ;) At the beginning when I started reading this book & I saw that it's split in 2 parts - before & after - I guessed what will happen & I was right! And the moment I started reading it, I couldn't stop until I finished it. I just got so wrapped up in the story & all the characters' adventures. Looking for Alaska is both fun & sad, it's also funny, but yet heartbreaking, and amazingly told story, that will take you on quite an emotional rollercoaster ride. The writing style was amazing, the pacing was perfect & the characters were great. I really liked Miles as a character,  he was a sweety & really likable, as well as Takumi, the Colonel & Lara, too. Who wouldn't want friends like that? As for Alaska, all I can say is that I understand her. As a character she was also fun & interesting, and also smart, but really flawed & definitely screwed-up, although I don't think it's something she wants to be, she just is... This is where John Green had captured the reality with his writing, although actually he does that through the whole book. I think I'll stop here, anything more would be full of spoilers, but Looking for Alaska is a wonderful read, that I think every teen should read it, actually, I think that everyone should read it, because I think everyone would enjoy it! As for me, it's definitely one of the best YA contemporaries I've read, and a book I'd read again & again & I highly recommend it!!!

 

Challenges:

2013 TBR Pile Challenge

2013 Read-along Challenge

Title: Wallbanger

Author: Alice Clayton

 

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book read from January 17-18)

Summary:

Caroline Reynolds has a fantastic new apartment in San Francisco, a KitchenAid mixer, and no O (and we’re not talking Oprah here, folks). She has a flourishing design career, an office overlooking the bay, a killer zucchini bread recipe, and no O. She has Clive (the best cat ever), great friends, a great rack, and no O.

Adding insult to O-less, since her move, she has an oversexed neighbor with the loudest late-night wallbanging she’s ever heard. Each moan, spank, and - was that a meow? - punctuates the fact that not only is she losing sleep, she still has, yep, you guessed it, no O.

Enter Simon Parker. (No, really, Simon, please enter.) When the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. Their late-night hallway encounter has, well, mixed results. Ahem. With walls this thin, the tension’s gonna be thick...

In her third novel, Alice Clayton returns to dish her trademark mix of silly and steamy. Banter, barbs, and strutting pussycats, plus the sexiest apple pie ever made, are dunked in a hot tub and set against the gorgeous San Francisco skyline in this hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

I absolutely loved Wallbanger. I have to admit that although I've seen Wallbanger around the blogosphere with really great reviews, I wasn't sure about the description at first, but a while ago I was convinced & decided to get it & I absolutely loved every second of it! This book was just so hilarious - I laughed out loud over & over again while reading it! It's definitely one of my most fav adult contemporary books now - and a book I know I'll read again & again (actually, the writing of this review is making me want to pick up & read it again right now). So, we got Caroline - she was such a fun character & really hilarious, too. Then of course there's the notorious wallbanger a.k.a Simon himself! That guy was amazing. At first it seems like he's a womanizing idiot, but he's actually not, he's actually quite a decent & amazing guy. Then there are Simon's friends & Caroline's friends - they were all really fun & likable, too. Everything about this book was really fun - such a hilarious read, I couldn't stop laughing. Anyway, when Simon & Caroline meet, there's definitely attraction on first sight, but what I loved is that they didn't jump right into it. At first they disliked each other, then they became friends, then best friends, and slowly that developed in love - really amazing & swoon-worthy love. Yeah, this book was absolutely amazing, with great well-developed characters, fun banter, hilarious situations, swoon-worthy MC & amazing romance! 

I can't recommend enough Wallbanger! If you're a fan of funny contemporary romance novels, then this is a must-read for you. Actually, I think that this is a book anyone would enjoy, so I highly recommend it!!! 

Challenges:

2013 TBR Pile Challenge

Title: Sucks to Be Me

Author: Kimberly Pauley

 

Series: Sucks to Be Me #1

My rating: 4.5 of 5

(Book read from January 10-12 from my own copy)

Summary:

Mina Hamilton's parents want her dead. (Or undead to be precise.) They're vampires, and like it or not, Mina must decide whether to become a vampire herself. But Mina's more interested in hanging out with best friend Serena and trying to catch the eye of the too-hot-for-high-school Nathan Able than in the vampire training classes she's being forced to take. How's a girl supposed to find the perfect prom date and pass third-year French when her mom and dad are breathing down her neck - - literally?

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

So, what were my first thoughts when I finished Sucks to Be Me? I loved it, loved it, loved it. It was just so much fun & hilarious, with really colorful & likable  characters, and I loved every second of it! Having already read & loved Kimberly Pauley's Cat Girl's Day Off  a few months ago, I expected a fun read, but I was surprised by how fun it actually was :)  I really liked Mina as a character, she made me laugh so much with the way she narrated the story, and I especially liked her vampire myth/truth at the beginning of each chapter. Her friend Serena was a great character & a true friend, too. Nathan was also really great, I absolutely loved George from the moment we meet him in the book :) Aubrey was so silly - hot, but really silly, he got what he deserved ;) as for the romance part, everything went as I predicted it will, and the romance was really sweet. But, don't be afraid that I mentioned 3 guys, there was not a love triangle :) And don't get me start on Uncle Mortie - he actually turn out to be a really cool uncle, so that was a pleasant surprise :) And I absolutely loved the vampire school - so hilarious. 

So, do I recommend Sucks to Be Me? Definitely! If you'd like to read a different & light, but laugh-out-loud take on the vampire myth, then this is a book for you.

Challenges:

2013 TBR Pile Challenge

2013 Books-In-A-Series Reading Challenge

Title: So Close to You

Author: Rachel Carter

 

Series: The Montauk Project #1

My rating: 3.5 of 5

(Book read from January 08 to February 22 from my own copy)

Summary:

Lydia Bentley has heard stories about the Montauk Project all her life: stories about the strange things that took place at the abandoned military base near her home and the people who've disappeared over the years. Stories about people like her own great-grandfather.

When Lydia stumbles into a portal that transports her to a dangerous and strange new reality, she discovers that all the stories she's ever heard about the Montauk Project are true, and that she's in the middle of one of the most dangerous experiments in history.

Alongside a darkly mysterious boy she is wary to trust, Lydia begins to unravel the secrets surrounding the Project. But the truths behind these secrets force her to question all her choices — and if Lydia chooses wrong, she might not save her family but destroy them... and herself.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

At first, I found So Close to You really predictable & boring - after 100 pages I've put it aside, because I was just so, so bored. After over a month later, I decided it's time to return to it, and yeah, at first still wasn't a fan, but as the story continued to develop, I started to enjoy it more & more. I started to like Lydia & I started to like Wes, too, and I'm really hoping they'll get a HEA in the end of the trilogy, however unlikely it seems now. They were just so sweet :) And poor, poor Wes... And also there were a few great surprises, although some things I guessed early on, but in the end I loved this book, and I'm dying to get my hands on the sequel, so I can see what will happen next :)

So, do I recommend So Close to You? If you're a fan of time-travel stories, it's a nice addition to the genre & I recommend it.

Challenges:

2013 TBR Pile Challenge

2013 Books-In-A-Series Reading Challenge

Title: Catching Jordan

Author: Miranda Kenneally

Series: Hundred Oaks #1

My rating: 2.5 of 5

(Book read from February 18-19 for a read-along)

Summary:

ONE OF THE BOYS

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?

My Thoughts on the Book:

I'm definitely in the minority when it comes to this book. I know how much everyone loves it, every review I've seen about it has been really positive, and I didn't really had any expectations, except for it to be a fun YA contemporary, and yeah, it was a fun read, but only an ok read for me, nothing special.

At first I really liked it, it was really fun, and I enjoyed it, although I didn't love it. Sam & Jordan's other teammates were really likable & fun characters, and yeah, they were really funny, and I liked a lot the friendship between them & Jordan. As for Jordan, I liked her, too, at first, but as the story progressed, my enjoyment in the story decreased, and I found Jordan really annoying. Ok, since my reviews usually are spoiler-free, and if I start talking what annoyed me & which actions & decisions of the characters annoyed me, I'm afraid I might start to rant a little, and I don't want to do that, since this wasn't a bad book. I wasn't a big fan of Jordan & Ty, it was a little too insta-love, or maybe I should say insta-lust, and one of the things that annoyed me was the reason why Jordan stayed with Ty later on in the book.

So, there were some things I liked, some things I disliked, and it was a fast read, but if it wasn't for the read-along, I probably would've put it aside for some time, and return to it some time in the future (because I rarely give up on books). But, as it was for a read-along (and I actually almost forgot about the read-alongs this month) I kept on until I finished it (although I took a break & read another book inbetween).

So, do I recommend Catching Jordan? I wasn't a fan of it, but I think that you should read it  yourself & see, because so many other bloggers & readers loved it. In the end it comes to this - how much you'll connect to the characters? I really couldn't connect to the characters, I wanted to, but I just couldn't, so it was ok read, but nothing special, but I might try another book by Miranda Kenneally, to see how that one will go ;)

Challenges:

2013 Read-along Challenge

2013 TBR Pile Challenge

2013 Books-In-A-Series Reading Challenge