Inexcusable by Chris Lynch

I am a good guy.

Keir Sarafian may not know much, but he knows himself. And the one thing he knows about himself is that he is a good guy. A guy who's a devoted son and brother, a loyal friend, and a reliable teammate. And maybe most important of all, a guy who understands that when a girl says no, she means it. But that is not what Gigi Boudakian, childhood friend and Keir's lifelong love, says he is. What Gigi says he is seems impossible to Keir....It is something inexcusable — the worst thing he can imagine, the very opposite of everything he wants to be.

As Keir recalls the events leading up to his fateful night with Gigi, he realizes that the way things look are definitely not the way they really are — and that it may be all too easy for a good guy to do something terribly wrong.

 

I finished reading this book at least a month ago and I am still confused because of the unreliable narrator. Inexcusable was really something else. I loved it, I really did- I read it in one sitting and it has pushed Chris Lynch up on my list of favorite authors.

I think the unreliable narrator adds a lot to the story because for awhile, I honestly believed that Keir was a good guy who hadn’t done what he was accused of. Little by little as we learn more about his past and his family, the story unfolds. Keir isn’t what he seems to be.

I’ve read plenty of YA books dealing with the topic of rape and each one of them was even more memorable than the last. Inexcusable took YA books about rape to a whole new level. Instead of hearing the story from the point of view of the victim, we hear it from the point of view of the person who committed the crime. One of the most important things about this book (in my opinion) is that it teaches us that everything is not what it seems.

I think my only complaint about it was that Keir kept calling Gigi by her full name. So instead of just saying GiGi, he said Gigi Boudakian every single time. If he said her name a few times a chapter, I wouldn’t mind. But this was multiple times on every page.

Besides that, I really liked reading Inexcusable. I’m not going to say it was refreshing because it really wasn’t- it was jaw-dropping, raw, and tricky as can be.

FTC- Library.

The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti

I am not my illness. "Girl with Anxiety," "Trauma of the Week" -- no. I hate stuff like that. Everyone, everyone has their issue. But the one thing my illness did make me realize is how necessary it is to ignore the dangers of living in order to live. And how much trouble you can get into if you can't. Jade DeLuna is too young to die. She knows this, and yet she can't quite believe it, especially when the terrifying thoughts, loss of breath, and dizzy feelings come. Since being diagnosed with Panic Disorder, she's trying her best to stay calm, and visiting the elephants at the nearby zoo seems to help. That's why Jade keeps the live zoo webcam on in her room, and that's where she first sees the boy in the red jacket. A boy who stops to watch the elephants. A boy carrying a baby. His name is Sebastian, and he is raising his son alone. Jade is drawn into Sebastian's cozy life with his son and his activist grandmother on their Seattle houseboat, and before she knows it, she's in love. With this boy who has lived through harder times than anyone she knows. This boy with a past. Jade knows the situation is beyond complicated, but she hasn't felt this safe in a long time. She owes it all to Sebastian, her boy with the great heart. Her boy who is hiding a terrible secret. A secret that will force Jade to decide between what is right, and what feels right.

I was first drawn to this book because I had read Stay and loved it, and I had heard amazing things about Nature of Jade. When I looked closer and saw that it was a book about a girl with anxiety, I became even more interested in it (for personal reasons). This is probably my favorite of Deb Caletti’s books because of how perfect she got it. Jade is an amazing character who I could really relate to. Her emotions were written so well and I loved the way she interacted with Sebastian.

This story was incredibly sweet and well-written. It’s hard for me to even articulate what I liked about it. I read The Nature of Jade in one sitting and once it was over, I was incredibly sad because I honestly didn’t know what to do with myself. I loved how many different real-life aspects were included in the story. Christian was such an amazing male-lead. I loved the fact that he had a son, it added a lot to the story and let us see multiple sides of his personality.

I completely recommend this book. It enchanted me from the very first page and as soon as I can, I’m going to try and buy myself a copy so I can reread it. Deb Caletti wrote an addicting, sweet, realistic novel that you can’t help but fall in love with.

 

FTC- Library.

The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky

 

When Louise Lambert receives a mysterious invitation to a traveling vintage fashion sale in the mail, her normal life in suburban Connecticut is magically transformed into a time traveling adventure.

After a brief encounter with two witchy salesladies and donning an evening gown that once belonged to a beautiful silent film star, Louise suddenly finds herself onboard a luxurious cruise ship in 1912. As Alice Baxter, the silent film star, Louise enjoys her access to an extensive closet of gorgeous vintage gowns and begins to get a feel for the challenges and the glamour of life during this decadent era. Until she realizes that she's not just on any ship-- she's on the Titanic!

Will Louise be able to save herself and change the course of history, or are she and her film star alter ego, destined to go down with a sinking ship in the most infamous sea disaster of the 20th century?

I wasn’t expecting to like The Time-Traveling Fashionista as much as I ended up liking it. It was written differently than most book I’m used to read. It had pictures, color, but was still mature enough that it made me feel like I was reading an upper middle grade or young adult book.

Towards the middle the plot seemed to slow down, which made it harder to get through at times. I also kept mixing up the main characters age. Louise is twelve (She may be eleven? I forget.) but when I was reading, I felt like she was older than that- possibly in her mid-teens. This could be because I’m used to reading characters that age, but she did seem to be quite mature for being twelve.

Other than that, I really enjoyed reading The Time-Traveling Fashionista. Bianca Turetsky wrote a sweet, addicting, and original novel that girls everywhere should read!

 

FTC- Publisher.

Wildefire by Karsten Knight- Giveaway!

Hey everyone!

Today I have the awesome opportunity to give away and ARC (Advance Readers Copy) of Wildefire by Karsten Knight. Here is a summary of the book-

Every flame begins with a spark.
Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

 

To enter, you must have a U.S. mailing address. There is no way to get extra entries but I would appreciate it if you linked this giveaway and followed my blog. In order to win a copy of Wildefire, you must fill out the form below. Giveaway ends April 23rd.

*Also- Don’t worry if you don’t win this time! I’ll be hosting more Wildefire giveaways as it gets closer to the release date.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Where She Went is one of the most highly anticipated books of 2011 in the Young Adult literature world. I personally thought that Gayle Forman nailed this book. I read it nonstop and loved it immensely. Reading Where She Went was like floating on a cloud while someone is trying to pull you off. I love love love that these characters have flaws.
Forman does a wonderful job making sure that Adam and Mia are not perfect. Adam has flaws- he is annoying, moody, and arrogant. Mia isn’t perfect either.
Where She Went is heartbreaking, emotional, amazing, and a must-read. If I Stay and Where She Went are books that you need to read. They will impact your life so much and I really hope that you enjoy them.

FTC- Received from publisher.

Stay by Deb Caletti

 

Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.

Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....

This was the very first Deb Caletti book I picked up, and it was simply stunning. Stay was one of the most intense books I’ve read so far this year.

Clara was a strong main character who at times I really admired and at times I wanted to slap. Christian is one of the most creepy characters that I have ever read about, I wanted to run away from him. I am so thankful that Deb Caletti didn’t try and cover up or romanticize the creepiness of the relationship. A lot of YA books that have creepy men in it somehow make them seem nice and passionate. This wasn’t the case in Stay.

Since reading Stay, I’ve read other books by Caletti but this one remains one of my favorite books by her. The voice is written incredibly well. Clara’s feelings about the entire Christian ordeal were amazingly realistic and tugged at my heartstrings.

The one problem I had with this book was that it didn’t immediately grab me. I had to read for awhile before I was completely hooked. But once I got hooked, I couldn’t stop.

Deb Caletti wrote a breathtaking and hauntingly realistic novel that everybody should read.

FTC- Publisher.

Clarity by Kim Harrington

 

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.
And a curse.
When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

 

Why didn’t I read this book as soon as I got a copy? Kim Harrington wrote a non-stop thriller that is unbearably addicting. I could never guess what was going to happen next and what all the secrets were. Clare was a feisty character that was fun to read about. She had guts and was so sassy!

Though this is a short book, it packs a lot of punch. The way Kim Harrington wrote the story is mysterious and leaves you waiting on the edge of your seat. I felt like I was reading a longer book than I actually was because of how lovely and intricate the story was.

I can’t really sum up my feelings about Clarity into words because I was just so amazed by it. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

FTC- ALA Midwinter.

Falling in Love with English Boys by Melissa Jensen

 

Sixteen-year-old Catherine Vernon has been stranded in London for the summer—no friends, no ex-boyfriend Adam the Scum (good riddance!), and absolutely nothing to do but blog about her misery to her friends back home. Desperate for something—anything—to .do in London while her (s)mother’s off researching boring historical things, Cat starts reading the 1815 diary of Katherine Percival her mom gives her—and finds the similarities between their lives to be oddly close. But where Katherine has the whirls of the society, the parties and the gossip over who is engaged to who, Cat’s only got some really excellent English chocolate. Then she meets William Percival—the uber-hot descendant of Katherine—and things start looking up . . .

 

The first thing that drew me towards this cover was the title, and then the cover, and then the summary. I think that readers tend to overlook a book sometimes because of its title and cover, and I think I may have fallen victim to that.

Because I love the title and cover so much, I wasn’t expecting the storyline to live up to them, but it did. Falling in Love with English Boys had both a killer contemporary plot and an interesting historical one, so I was anxious to dive into reading it. Once I read it (in one sitting) I couldn’t get it out of my head.

Melissa Jensen is a spectacular writer who captured me at the opening sentence. The characters were all really well developed and it felt like I was talking to a group of my friends. My main complain is that the historical part of Falling in Love with English Boys went slower than the contemporary part.

This book made me cry like a baby. It also made me send frantic texts to friends really really late at night. I felt personally connected to the characters and everything that happened was like an emotional jerk.

I recommend Falling in Love with English Boys to reluctant historical fiction readers, and anybody who loves a little YA romance.

FTC- Bought.