The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Seventeen-year-old Mara cannot remember the accident that took the lives of three of her friends but, after moving from Rhode Island to Florida, finding love with Noah, and more deaths, she realizes uncovering something buried in her memory might save her family and her future.

Okay... here it goes. This book is hard for me to review. I liked the book a lot I REALLY REALLY enjoyed the writing, the writing style etc...  I felt so much emotion while I read it. I could feel myself gasping as Mara was gasping, However I was ALWAYS confused. I never really understood, well anything. Not even at the end when it was supposed to come together (in my mind) I still can't tell you how people were dying or how Noah and Mara were connected. I enjoyed reading it, I really loved the characters, especially Jaime. He was a smart ass, and witty and reminds me of some of my high school friends. I liked Noah too but the whole flashing of the money gets a bit old. But he is sweet and caring and a perfect prince charming. 

I like how close the brothers were and protective of their sister. Made me wish for a big brother. :) 

Like I said I REALLY liked the writing, I just wish I understood the story.  The cover is stunning. The words are lyrical and it the relationships developed in the book are intriguing. I was just confused. I am glad I read it though. Michelle can right really well descriptions, comes up with fantastic scenes, invents great characters. 

If I was to rate the cover of the book it'd be a 5 star rating. The cover is gorgeous! How can you NOT judge a book by it's cover? Hard... 

*Spoiler*

I don't understand if the whole thing with the little brother joseph was true or not true. DId it happen? What did it have anything to do with the Dad's case? So did Jude die or not? 

Crossroads by Mary Ting

Claudia Emerson has a good friend who shares the same first name and last name. That friend unfortunately dies in a tragic accident during homecoming dance. Claudia is distraught at the loss of her friend, but is even more disturbed by her dreams, which seem to take her to another place called Crossroads. Unknown to her, Crossroads is like a second heaven, a place between heaven and earth. It is where the souls of humans in comas or near death experiences may wander. Where, Claudia meets Michael, a nephilim, a half angel, half human, whom she often meets in her dreams. It turns out that this isn’t her first visit to Crossroads, which is an enigma for no human can ever travel there until Claudia. 

Now the fallen and demons are after her, suspecting she must be special and it is up to Michael and the other nephilims to protect her. Her dream becomes a nightmare as more secrets are revealed, about who she really is, and the true identities of the people she loves most. Can Michael fight his growing feelings for Claudia and protect her as a guardian angel should?

*First and for most I must say thank you to Mary Ting for sending my daughter this book... YOU SPOIL HER! She loves it! Thanks for making her feel special, she really needed it.* 

This is my daughters FAVORITE book, we read it together, so we are writing the review together. :) 

It was so refreshing to read a YA not full of smut... I never had to skip anything or blushed as my daughter was reading it. PURE DELIGHT! 

We were hooked from the first page. There was always something going on. Full of action, romance that is pure. I felt like I was in another world right along with Claudia while I was reading the book. 

I just don't feel like my words are good enough to describe how awesome this read is! 

The ending shocked us a little, I can't wait for more. Luckily we have the second book and are just waiting until we finish what we are currently reading to read it together... But I am pretty sure my daughter cheated and read it all ready... :) 

"My Sweet Butterfly, Zoey"

And in honor of Zoey I am going to show you all how dang cute she is.... 

THE TAKER

"True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price. . . "

On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae--Lanny--walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.

Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town's founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep--an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.

Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, "The Taker" is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption.

The Taker by Alma Katsu *This has quickly become my favorite book*

First I must say thank you, Alma for the opportunity to read and review your debut novel! I loved it and I know my words can not give it justice.

To all readers, I would HIGHLY suggest you read this in hard back. The book is so beautiful and sometimes there is just something about holding a book in your hand enjoying turning the pages, seeing it stained with tears (proof of the emotion felt while reading) etc... The cover is GORGEOUS!

This story was so addictive. I didn't want to put it down, my poor family... LOL! The story deals with immortal love, has great aspects of historical fiction. The Taker, kept me reading late in the night. I wanted/ want more! Combining paranormal romance and historical fiction, this book will take your emotions up and down leave you gasping, eyes watering, heart racing, wanting to know what is going to happen next. I really enjoyed the research and history that went into this book. I am writing this review several months later after reading it a second time and I enjoyed it more the second time than I did the first! This book is cleverly put together and has a few stories within a story, it's very well written. Alma is able to describe characters and scenes like nothing I have experienced before. Everything is so very detailed. She describes things so well I was not left wondering, I could picture everything perfectly.

The ending COMPLETELY shocked me! I was not expecting it all. I can't wait to read The Reckoning (Taker #2), also excited to read The Devils Scribe, but sad that it is only available electronically.

I have to say thank you again to Alma for captivating me like no one ever has. :)

If I Die Young

When Caelyn Noel was diagnosed with asthma five years ago, it put a damper on things. Now, she’s sixteen and things are finally going her way. She has loving parents, the best friend ever, and the boy she has had a crush on since elementary school has finally noticed her. Then, she collapses in school one day. To her horror, she finds out her heart is failing and she must have a heart transplant to live. Caelyn struggles with her fear of dying and worries of having someone else’s heart. 

If I Die Young is approximately 45,300 words.

If I Die Young is recommended for grade 6 and up

This was such a great short read. I read it in about 3 hours. I bought it on Kindle for 2.99. 

*If you are a "crier" I highly suggest you read with a box of tissues.* 

Caelyn Noel is an ordinary teenager. Maybe not as active as some of her friends, due to asthma, but she still has the usual problems. Getting homework turned in, final exams, breaking up with her boyfriend. All of a sudden Caelyn is faced with some heart wrenching issues. She is in the last stage of heart failure and it has been misdiagnosed her whole life as asthma. Her heart is giving out and she is in desperate need of a new one. 
Her parents don't tell her she is going to need a heart transplant and she keeps asking the Doctor what else can you do. Her parents have asked the Doctor not to mention a heart transplant to her and for some reason he agrees. She knows they are hiding something from her, but never guessed it to be this big of a secret. 
She has a best friend Lindsay, and her parents but everyone else seems to disappear. She is lonely. She wants love. She has normal thoughts that I think every teen has even if not faced with heart failure. What if she dies without having found the love of her life? When she meets Austin Walker, she thinks that maybe she does have chance at love. Has she found her true love? 

"If I Die Young" is a must read for any young adult. It is a sweet yet heart wrenching romance and filled with Caelyn's life as she deals with heart disease and facing death. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. Caelyn's situation is a bit terrifying, a lot for a young girl to go through, yet she soldiers on. I highly suggest you read it for yourself! 

After reading the Kindle version, I purchased it in paperback so that my kids will have it to enjoy when they are older. 

*Spoiler alert* 

There is one part in the story where she is faced with the decision to be put on a machine that breathes for you. I have to say this part really touched me. I balled. She thought this was the end of her. She said her goodbyes right there. But she didn't want to give up. She kept on trucking, not being able to speak. SHE NEVER GAVE UP! She was so close to death. As a parent I think if I ever have to face situations like this. I don't know how I would even begin to cope. She was strong for her parents.

You Are My Only

Emmy Rane is married at nineteen, a mother by twenty. Trapped in a life with a husband she no longer loves, Baby is her only joy. Then one sunny day in September, Emmy takes a few fateful steps away from her baby and returns to find her missing. All that is left behind is a yellow sock.

Fourteen years later, Sophie, a homeschooled, reclusive teenage girl is forced to move frequently and abruptly from place to place, perpetually running from what her mother calls the "No Good." One afternoon, Sophie breaks the rules, ventures out, and meets Joey and his two aunts. It is this loving family that gives Sophie the courage to look into her past. What she discovers changes her world forever. . . .

The riveting stories of Emmy and Sophie—alternating narratives of loss, imprisonment, and freedom regained—escalate with breathless suspense toward an unforgettable climax.

*Thanks To Negalley for giving me the opportunity to review this beautiful story!*

Oh wow! What a read! My words could never begin to describe the beauty and hope this story has. It alternated between two main characters, Emmy and Sophie. The story was just AWEMAZING! The way the author can describe things is stunning. Made me feel like I was right there watching it unfold. I read it out loud to my oldest daughter and the words just flowed off my tongue. My daughter doesn't usually like my style of books but she wanted more of this one as did I. This is not my normal genre of book but I am so glad I read it. This is the first time I have read Beth Kephart and I will for sure be reading her again. I think my only gripe would be I would like to know how Emmy and sophie felt at the end of the story. I would recommend this read. 

Inside The Outside

By the time Timber Marlow is fifteen years old, she has already killed three men. Despite the bloody and violent nature of their deaths, Timber is hardly a murderer, at least not in the traditional sense. She has lived her entire life as a cannibal within a cult tucked away in the San Bernardino Mountains called the Divinity of Feminine Reproach. The Divinity keeps itself isolated from the Outside, which is the mainstream society beyond its invisible borders. When the opportunity presents itself, Timber escapes into the Outside, bearing witness to some dark and unsettling truths about the world around her and the integral role she plays in it. But no matter how long she stays away, Timber finds out the past isn't as far away as she thinks it is. In this debut novel, laced with scenes of horrific violence and uplifting humanity, Martin Lastrapes has written a one-of-a-kind story about love, friendship, sacrifice and cannibalism.

Thanks to Martin Lastrapes for the honor to review this book for him. Also for writing it. I must say this is well deserving of 5 stars. Totally over and beyond what I usually read. LOVED LOVED LOVED it! AMAZING!

When you think about cannibalism, might gross you out but don't let that keep you from reading INSIDE THE OUTSIDE! Very well written. I never got bored or uninterested. I wanted it to keep going. I was sad when I was done reading it, not because the way it ended because I didn't want it to end. 

I totally loved this book. It was hard to read at times imaging what was laid out about cannibalism. Made me cry and laugh. I am not quite sure how to review this book with out giving spoilers. I want more, more of the same twisted story but also more of Martin Lastrapes amazing imagination and his talented writing. The way he can lay a story out I am in awe of. I recommend this read to any adult reader that doesn't have a weak stomach and enjoys a good warped, distorted story.

If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure... people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a onenight stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young mother who didn't raise her, a father who wants nothing to do with her and living in a small-minded town where she's never fit in hasn't been easy. But she's been surviving. Until she sees her mom's new boyfriend making out with her own best friend. When do you forgive people for being human or give up on them forever?

****First I must say thanks to netgalley and sourcebook fire for giving me the honor to review this book! **** I really liked this book. It was a great fast read. Took me a little to get into it, page 58 is where I got the feeling of where I didn't want to stop reading it, even though nothing really eventful happened. I think that is where the story started to come together for me. Anyway I would for sure recommend this read to any looking for a heart warming story. Jaz was bi-racial and she just wanted to fit in. She was always worried about what people thought of her. Something really tragic happened to her in the fourth grade that she kinda based her existence on. She has so many secrets. I think throughout the book Jaz realizes it is okay to talk to people about her troubles, it helps lighten her load in a sense. I want to read more of Janet Gurtler. This is the first book of hers I read and I really enjoyed it