Book Review (ARC): The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

Hey Readers,

Another review on a fabuloussss book! :)

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingos in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.

A debut novel from an immensely talented new writer, The Probability of Miracles crackles with wit, romance and humor and will leave readers laughing and crying with each turn of the page.

Doesn't this book sound amazing? That's why I signed up for the tour--the cover drew me in (it is actually very fitting for the book--even the pink!), and then I read the summary and thought, "Wow. That sounds beautiful."

I read it and it was exactly that.

Campbell (Cam for short) has cancer--and her doctor just told her she didn't have much time left. After years and years of treatment, Cam has officially Given Up--but her family hasn't. Her mom decides to pack up and move to a town called Promise, Maine, where amazing things are said to happen. They're hoping for a miracle, but Cam doesn't believe in that stuff.


Let me just say that I do. I believe in miracles--at least the smaller kind--and I am really optimistic. My attitude is that if you expect the worst to happen, well, then it will. Even if things look bleak, there is still hope. You've just got to look for it! Or, hell, even create it yourself.


That said, I didn't think Cam was annoying for giving up hope, and not allowing herself to even believe in the possibility of a miracle. In fact, I totally understood her. Because this book really makes you feel like you know Cam, you are Cam. And it's incredible, because usually only books that are written in first person can do that. And this is written in third person (obviously). But anyway, I loved Cam. Just like the summary says, she is dry and sarcastic, but also realistic and inspiring. She really only cared about her family, when it came to her dying. The parts where she tried to create her own miracles for her family was amazing and hilarious!

Promise sounds like an incredible place. It's not real (or is it?), but still, I want to go to Maine. The funny part is that the beginning of this book takes place in Florida (my state! Woo!). They live at Disney, as employees. I thought this a really interesting setting. But I did not appreciate the bashing on Florida, even if it was all true, hahaha.


I can't really say anything about the ending, because I absolutely do not want to spoil it. I can say that I was in tears. Happy or sad, I won't say. It was still a beautiful ending.

Overall, The Probability of Miracles is a very engrossing read. Cleverly written, with a cast of unique and interesting characters, and a mystical setting that will leave you wishing it were real, you will have some trouble putting this book down. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder why the universe can be so beautiful and unfair at the same time. I wish I could read this for the first time all over again. I absolutely loved it and will read more from Wendy Wunder. She is an incredible author! Highly recommend!

Rating: 5/5

The Probability of Miracles is released in December. I'll be adding this to my Christmas wishlist, and I hope you will too. :) Learn more at probabilityofmiracles.com

_______

On a related note, I am writing this review while listening to Florence + The Machine's, "Shake It Out". Somehow the tone of the song really fits this book. Also some of the lyrics seem to fit (not EXACTLY but they remind me of the book, somehow). Take a listen:
 

And I'm damned if I do 
and I'm damned if I don't 
So here's to drinks in the dark 
at the end of my road 
And I'm ready to suffer 
and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark 
and right at my throat 
'Cause looking for heaven, 
found a devil in me
Looking for heaven,
found a devil in me 
Well, what the hell?
I'm gonna let it happen
to me

Hope you enjoyed the review. See you tomorrow! ♥

Book Review (ARC): The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Hey Readers!


I'm going to have quite a few posts coming up this week, so to start it off: a review!

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

(from Amazon.com)

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail, his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present.
Yeah, that's right. They log on to the internet for the first time, and find themselves on Facebook. You're totally sold, aren't you? You may not even LIKE Facebook (like me), but you are totally intrigued, right?

Exactly. This is a BRILLIANT premise. The second I read the article about this book being sold (and also something about movie rights!), I thought: Wow. I am going to read this book, no matter what.

Then it popped up on Princess Bookie's Around The World ARC Tour site, and I signed up immediately. You can see why I love the tour site:




♥

Anyway,so, I've known about this book for ages, and I was beyond excited to read it. We had a lot of family visiting the week I had this book, so I was telling everybody what it was about, when they asked what I was reading. The look on their faces when I told them was hilarious. They were just like, "That's...genius!!" Also, look that cover? I think it's really cool! And they remind me of Emma Roberts and Alex Pettyfer. O_o

Okay, now. Let's talk about the book...It's told through two points of view: Emma and Josh. The writing was relatively simple--it was very character driven. my only problem was that they were very similar, so a lot of the time, I had trouble remember whose chapter I was reading, and had to look back at the beginning of the chapter again.

I thought it was very funny what they thought when the first figured out what Facebook was actually for. They were just like, "Why do we even NEED this?" Which is basically what I think of Facebook. I do have a Twitter, though (@SlightlyMaddz!), so maybe that's a bit hypocritical. (Twitter is very different, though!) Also, the 90s references! This book was set when I was born, so maybe some of it was a little lost on me, but Seinfeld! Dial-up! Scrunchies!!!!! They even went to see Toy Story when it PREMIERED. (AWESOME), and had no idea what HARRY POTTER was (!!!!!!!!!). It was all just SO DIFFERENT, it was funny. Not in a, "Wow, look how we used to live before the amazing INTERNET!" but in a, "Wow, things have changed so much, it's incredible" kind of way. I really enjoyed that aspect.

What was also amazing was how drastically their futures would change just by deciding not/to do one little thing. It really makes you think about how different your future can be just by deciding to eat Cheerios for breakfast or something. LOL.

Despite all that, I did feel like this book could have been better. Emma was annoying--and not just because she was all wrapped up in Facebook and obsessed with her future, but because of her personality. Josh was a little bit better, but I was annoyed with him as well. There was this underlying plot line about how their relationship had gone bad, because he'd developed some feelingsssss. Normally, I would like this, but I felt like Emma didn't even deserve him. The characters I liked the most were the friends--Kellan and Tyson. They were really funny and cute, and I would have REALLY liked to know how they ended up. Because there was a BOMBSHELL about Kellan that they found on Facebook, and they sort of left us hanging on that one.

Speaking of the ending--I was a little disappointed. It was pretty flat; didn't feel like anything actually happened in the present time. I did like Emma's decision about what to do for the summer, but the rest was really open-ended. I wish there was at least an epilogue on how they actually DID end up.

Overall, this book is really fun, if a little disappointing. I'd still recommend it--it's definitely worth a read! I hope the movie actually happens...

Rating: 4/5

The Future of Us will be out in November!

Book Review (ARC): As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott

Hey Readers,

Another review for you! (Hey, that rhymed!)

As I  Wake by Elizabeth Scott

Ava is welcomed home from the hospital by a doting mother, lively friends, and a crush finally beginning to show interest. There's only one problem: Ava can't remember any of them - and can't shake the eerie feeling that she's not who they say she is.

Ava struggles to break through her amnesiac haze as she goes through the motions of high-school life, but the memories that surface take place in a very different world, where Ava and familiar-faced friends are under constant scrutiny and no one can be trusted. Ava doesn't know what to make of these visions, or of the boy who is at the center of them all, until he reappears in her life and offers answers . . . but only in exchange for her trust.

Okay, ummmmm.....So...

This is going to be a bad review. Well, not bad as in, poorly written (but I guess you can be the judge of that), but bad as in this book was bad, bad.

Let me start by saying I've never read any books by Elizabeth Scott. I've heard of her books and wanted to read them--Perfect You, Something Maybe, Between Here and Forever--but I'd never gotten the chance, until I saw this book pop up on the tour site. I read the description, and was a little surprised she wrote it, because I thought she was more contemporary than...whatever this book was.

But since I seem to be interested in books where the main character wakes up in a hospital, with some memory loss (Mara Dyer, anyone?), I decided to sign up. Plus I thought the cover was really unique--even if the colors don't really blend well for me. I mean, the orange looks kind of bad...


I also didn't want to write this review, because, well, I don't like writing bad reviews. But I feel like I have enough to say about it, so here we go....

The biggest problem was the writing style. It was irritating more than anything. Repetitive, and full of run-on sentences and--dashes like that, which only served to confuse me. There was BARELY any dialogue without someone stopping and stuttering. I practically wanted to slap them and shout for them to SPIT IT OUT ALREADY.

It was written in first person, but because of the way it was written, I could not connect with Ava at all. Her voice in my head sounded like a boring, one-sided robot. There was nothing to like about her. I didn't like any of the other characters either--Morgan was creepy, her friends confused me and irritated me to no end, and, while I was supposed to feel sorry for the mom (I guess), I just didn't, and found her selfish and desperate, instead.

The plot is a bit sci-fi. It has to do with alternate universes, and that was never thoroughly explained. There were too many questions left about where Ava came from, which we only saw through her memories. And when she did remember, it was like, "Oh, yeah, I remember who I am now and I love Morgan" and didn't bother to fill us in on enough details, so we could feel like that too. It was seriously like reading a book about complete strangers--didn't know who they were or where they came from, but apparently they love each other? Oh, okay. I'll just ride this book out until it's over, so I can have it over with already.

That's the thing though: out of the many things that I didn't like about this book, I have to admit that the mystery did keep me reading. But that was the only thing. And then it ended, random and awkward.

Overall, this book just wasn't for me. Maybe if you are a sci-fi fan, or an Elizabeth Scott fan, you'll like it. If you're not, I suggest that if you do read this, you read it with low expectations and an open mind.

As I Wake is out in bookstores now.

Rating: 2/5

Yeesh, I know--harsh review, yeah? I didn't want to write it, but I felt like I needed to get my rant about this book out of my system, and into some intelligible words. So there you have it!

I'll be back with a better review this week. Until then!

Book Review (ARC): The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Hey Readers,

I am back for a review on a *very* anticipated book. Check it out!

The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

If you are involved in the book blogging community at all, you have probably heard of this book. And I have been falling out of the book blogging lately (excluding my own blog), so the fact that even I have heard about this book says something. I've heard all about it on Twitter, with the "Who Is Mara Dyer?"  and the endless giveaways and contests. All I actually knew about the book was that the cover was pretty. Because, seriously, just LOOK at it. SOMEONE GIVE ME THAT DRESS!!! I will wear it forever.

Going off on a bit of a side note here, but here's a brain crack for you: a clothing store where all they sell are the clothes from the covers of YA books. So the dress from Mara Dyer, and Matched, the shoes from Prada & Prejudice....You know. Stuff like that. WOULD IT NOT BE COOL? I would never shop anywhere else.

 Um. Anyway.

After the buzz for this book went in one ear and out the other, I noticed that it was available on my favorite awesome tour site, Around The World ARC Tours....



I actually read the summary (it's short!) and I was like, "Whoa, this sounds pretty cool!"

And here we are.

The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer...was a lot of things. First of all, it was HUGE. Like, 450 pages. Insane. I almost thought it would never end. It would probably look really nice on my bookshelf.
The story started out so quick. Prologue, accident, after effects of the accident, and then they move to Florida. It was sufficiently creepy, but also confusing, and it felt rushed. I was surprised that her parents actually moved to Florida. I kind of felt like I was missing something.

Mara Dyer (not her real name!) was okay. She was funny and sarcastic, and a lot of the banter with her brother and/or Noah made me crack up (even if it was kind of forced at times). But Noah...okay, I grew to like him. He was weird and annoying at first, but I did like him. By the end, he felt like a completely different character, though so I'm not really sure about him. But let's talk about Mara and Noah's relationship: it was too...fast. Like, one second, she's all, "Oh my God, I hate this guy" and then the next, she's all, "We're soul mates" and he's all she thinks about. Don't you hate that? It didn't bother me all that much, like it usually does, but it was annoying.

Now the story...It was random. That is a good way to describe it.... Like, some of the stuff that happens seemed so forced and out of place, but was supposed to tie into the story. Like, the dog scene. Like 50 pages were spent on this random dog she found. And then the "thing" happens and you're like, "Ohhhh, so this is why the dog is important." But still. Also, I may point out a scene with some random crocodiles. That was just...confusing. (And yet somehow, it was the scariest part of the book.)

Because this book was confusing. The writing was nice, but something about it made my eyes skim past a lot of words. Mara has post-traumatic stress disorder from the accident, and every time that kicked in, it was CONFUSING. I didn't realize until the end that it was just her PTSD, so I was very confused until then. And then her "secret" is revealed, and you're like, "WAIT. THAT is what this book is about?? O_O" And it's STILL CONFUSING. Then NOAH reveals a little something-something, and you're like, "WTF DOES THIS MEAN THEN?!" And then that ending! Oh the ending. The little details about her father's case that have been sprinkled throughout the book came right back around, didn't they? Honestly, I am still a little confused on what THAT was. I reread it a few times, and I still don't know. A lot of things happened that make me think rereading the book entirely would be a great choice.

So. Besides being a little all over the place, and ridiculous, I liked this book. I enjoyed reading it, I laughed, I freaked out, and I almost wanted to sleep with the lights on because it got SCARY. But I don't think this is book is as great as everyone thinks it is. Though, I still think it's worth checking out. Be warned, though, it has the mother of all cliff hangers. I would suggest checking it out closer to the sequel's (there had BETTER be a sequel!) release date!



Rating: 3.9/5

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is out now!

Book Review (ARC): Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

Hey Readers,

Back with another review of a lovely book....

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.

Okay, so you guys know how much I LOVE fairytale re-tellings, right? Because I do. SO MUCH. And recently I've been hearing about Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen", thanks to Jackson Pearce. Sounded pretty awesome to me, so when I saw this book on the tour site, I signed up IMMEDIATELY. Also: how GORGEOUS is that cover? I absolutely love it.

Anyway, I was eagerly awaiting my turn in the tour. When I got it, I was looking through it and realized...it's a middle grade book. I had no idea. Maybe if I took a closer look at the cover, instead of being blinded by its gorgeousness, I would have realized. I was expecting it to be a young adult book, and since middle grade books haven't been too good to me lately, I was disappointed.

Then I read it.

I fell in love with this book, as soon as I started reading it. The writing is clever and funny, and so, so honest. Also, incredibly creative! I can't even describe it better than that. You just have to read it. Also, I loved how it was very modern--references to stories like Harry Potter, Narnia, and Coraline made me grin.

Hazel is a fantastic main character. I absolutely loved her. She was brave, funny, honest and, at the same time, just a regular kid. She was in command of this story--it was told like she was telling it, though it's third-person. Just a few chapters into the book, and I felt like I'd known her forever. The innocent way she thought about being adopted and her parents being divorced, et cetera, was incredibly touching. Yet, some of the best parts of the book were when we took the spotlight off of Hazel. The parts with Jack and the Queen...the stories of the people Hazel met on her journey to save her best friend...they were all so incredible. I actually read parts aloud to my older sister, and she agreed.

Speaking of, Breadcrumbs is the perfect read-aloud story. Honestly, if I am ever able to grab a final copy of this book, I will actually read it aloud to my little brothers and sister before bed. It's that kind of story. The only thing is that there are quite a few SAT level words that even I barely knew, LOL. I think the eleven or ten year-olds might need to keep a dictionary handy...Other than that, this book is wonderful for all ages.

The only problem I had with Breadcrumbs was that for a fairytale re-telling, it felt like the actually fairytale part didn't start until the last half of the book. Not that I minded, because even though the first half of the book focused on Hazel and her relationship with Jack and her mother, I really loved reading it. Still, it was sort of weird.

Overall, this book was fantastic. A great story to read to your siblings or kids, with a brave main character and a sweet ending. (It sort of reminded me of the May Bird and the Everafter series by Jodi Lynn Anderson....) It was beautiful, incredible and everything in between. I'm not sure how similar this book is to the original fairy-tale, but clearly, I need to read it. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5/5
  
Breadcrumbs is out now.

 

Book Review (ARC): Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Hey Readers,

I swear one of these days, I will get back to posting things that aren't *just* book reviews. Maybe even SOON. But I'm still catching up on reviews. So, until then, enjoy! ;D

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
 
Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention. 


Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all. She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

 I'd heard soooo many good things about Kody Keplinger's debut novel, The DUFF, but I've never been able to get my hands on a copy. (Plus, how COOL is it that she's a teenager and she has two books published?! YOU GO, GIRL!) So when this book popped up on Around The World ARC Tours, I thought it might be just as good. Plus the summary sounded interesting. (I KNOW. I actually read the summary, and didn't pick it just by the cover--which I'm not a big fan of, by the way.)




This is going to be a short review for once, so bare with me. I probably should have read some reviews for this book before signing up for the tour, because...I just didn't like it. I don't know why, but it just....ugh.

First of all, I just couldn't connect or relate with Lissa at all. She wasn't very likeable, even though I understood why she was the way she was. The only time I liked her was when she was joking around with her best friend, whose name I have forgotten. Those parts made me laugh a bit. I can't remember any other characters, except Cash. He was cute. That library scene was pretty sweet. ;)

As for the story, a lot of it felt way too forced. Every time the girls had a sleepover and talked about their relationships with their boyfriends, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I completely understood the message and agreed with it and all--but seriously. I wish it could have a little more subtle or SOMETHING. I'm sure most teens would appreciate it, but I couldn't get past how forced it was.

Oddly, I still liked this book. It was funny, the writing style was nice, and it had a cute romance (after the whole jerk Randy thing blew over...). I DO like the idea of football vs. soccer, but the soccer players were barely present.

Anyway, if you don't mind being annoyed with the main character, and want to read a light romance, I might suggest this book to you (it's out now!). As for me, I wasn't a big fan. I mean, I'll probably still check out The DUFF and Kody's future books, because she has a lot of potential (that probably sounds weird), but Shut Out fell flat for me.

Rating: 3/5

Do you agree with my review? Have you read The Duff or Shut Out? Let me know in the comments, and I will see you tomorrow. :)

Book Review (ARC: Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Hey Readers,

So....That review week totally failed didn't it? Oops. School has been keeping me WAY busy. To make it up to you: another review! :D  

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

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 on 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 now there’s a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team…and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate.

Once again, this book is a tour book. Shockingly, I did not sign up for this tour, because of the cover. (I happen to think the cover is a little cheesy, not to mention that tagline!) I'd just heard this book was awesome, and went for it. I thought it would be pretty cool, because I haven't read any other kind of football YA books. And, because I apparently suck at reading a summary before reading a book now, I only thought it was about football and that some teenage girl falls in love with one of the guys on the team or something?


I was totally wrong! There is a lot more to it. I was totally surprised to find out that Jordan (our main character) is the quarterback of her high school football team!! I mean, HOW AWESOME IS THAT? You go, Jordan! xD

The second I started reading, I loved it. The writing style is very Meg Cabot-esque, but with more bad words, LOL. There were also little "journal" entries from Jordan, which were really good. It really showed you how interested she became in writing, without her having to really say it herself until later.

I am still so in love with the characters in this book, and I read it a few weeks ago. JJ, Carter, Sam Henry are Jordan's three friends from her team, and they are all awesome. And hilarious. And so sweet at times, even though they have terrible relationships with some of the cheerleaders....

I love Sam the most (although, Jordan calls him Henry most of the time, so it's easy to forget his name is actually Sam). He is Jordan's best friend and he is amazing. The whole part with "Jerry Rice" made me laugh so hard while I read it out on my porch, that my neighbors probably think I'm crazy. Still, his relationship with Jordan was so adorable. ♥

Then, there is Ty, the new guy on the team. At first I didn't like him, because, even five pages in, I was rooting for Sam. (Who cares if it was a seemingly-typical guy-loves-best-friend thing? I LOVED it!) Then, as Jordan started to like him, I had to. And I thought, "Crap, there goes all hope for Sam" and pretty much gave up on that idea. But then we start to realize how totally annoying Ty is...and what you thought was going to happen just doesn't. It's crazy how much changed over the course of this short book. The relationships were so realistically portrayed, and there was a lot of character development.

Now, you're probably thinking that book kinda sounds cute...but what if I don't like football? Or know anything about it?

No problem! I hardly know anything about football myself, except that my Dad watches it every weekend and we usually make delicious food for the Super Bowl. Even though this book is very focused on football, and Jordan trying to get a scholarship for it, there is still so much else going on that you can still really enjoy it. And I actually found the football part pretty fun, and easy to understand. I have to give some points to the author for being able to describe the game so well in words.

So, overall, I just really really enjoyed this book. I had so much fun reading it, there were great characters, great romance, and a great ending. I will definitely check out more by this author. Speaking of which, after checking out her website, I found out that this book will have two companion novels! Because they are companions, I'm assuming they aren't direct sequels, but are probably set in the same town. Which is good, because, while this book doesn't need a sequel, I wouldn't mind hanging out with them some more!

Catching Jordan is released in December. I highly suggest you check it out! There is a lot more I can't talk about that involves spoilers, but...seriously. Check it out! :D

Rating: 4/5

All right, guys....I promise to be back soon! Hope you enjoyed this review! Thanks again to Around The World ARC Tours for this book....