Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute...


I honestly don’t know why it took me so long to read this book. I had tried reading it in the past but just couldn’t get into it. This time around, once I started reading I was hooked. Anderson wrote an unforgettable story that will change lives. I honestly don’t know what to say about this book. It should be a book that goes down in History. Melinda is a really strong character for what she faced.
Laurie Halse Anderson has incredible talent when it comes to writing characters. She fills her books with their emotions perfectly, and Speak was no exception. I think everybody should read this book. Anderson wrote an unforgettable novel. Speak is the type of book that involves a lot of waiting. After every few pages I just had to stop reading and process everything that I had just read. This was a hard book to read and it has definitely impacted my life. Laurie Halse Anderson is an amazing writer.

FTC- Bought.

As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

Ever since Viola's boyfriend broke up with her, she has spent her days silently wishing—to have someone love her again and, more importantly, to belong again—until one day she inadvertently summons a young genie out of his world and into her own. He will remain until she makes three wishes.

Jinn is anxious to return home, but Viola is terrified of wishing, afraid she will not wish for the right thing, the thing that will make her truly happy. As the two spend time together, the lines between master and servant begin to blur, and soon Jinn can't deny that he's falling for Viola. But it's only after Viola makes her first wish that she realizes she's in love with Jinn as well . . . and that if she wishes twice more, he will disappear from her life—and her world—forever.

I read Sisters Red before As You Wish so I didn’t really know what to expect since As You Wish was Pearce’s first book published. I actually ended up liking it more than I liked Sisters Red (which was pretty darn good). I found As You Wish addicting and irresistible. I stayed up to the early hours of the morning reading this book, and I never for one minute regretted it. Pearce’s writing is lyrical and snappy in a way that most writing isn’t. The witty humor and tremendous dialogue were some of the things I loved best about this novel.
This book was undeniably adorable while still having a touch of sadness. Jinn made me swoon, I think at one point I was actually yelling at the book because of Jinn. Lawrence was a lovely character despite the breakup that made Viola feel invisible. Their relationship broke the stereotype in YA books where when you break up with someone, you don’t remain friends with them. In As You Wish, Viola still maintained a friendship with her ex-boyfriend, which I found really refreshing.
I liked this book more than I thought I would and I totally think that you should pick it up. Jackson Pearce did a wonderful job writing this novel! She is definitely an author to follow.

FTC- Publisher

Rage: A Love Story by Julie Anne Peters

Johanna is steadfast, patient, reliable; the go-to girl, the one everyone can count on. But always being there for others can’t give Johanna everything she needs—it can’t give her Reeve Hartt. Reeve is fierce, beautiful, wounded, elusive; a flame that draws Johanna’s fluttering moth. Johanna is determined to get her, against all advice, and to help her, against all reason. But love isn’t always reasonable, right? In the precarious place where attraction and need collide, a teenager experiences the dark side of a first love, and struggles to find her way into a new light.


This book was just… woa. It discusses two topics that aren’t discussed a whole lot in books. The characters were written well, and were real. They had flaws and acted like real people. I read Rage in one sitting because I couldn’t stop reading. I wanted to know what was going on. Rage talks about both homosexuality and abuse. Abuse can be a hard thing to read about, and it definitely was hard to read about in this book. We have this strong female character who’s friend is abusive and get’s abused.
The constant changing moods of the characters was a bit confusing but it displays how a lot of people actually act. Julie Anne Peters tore my heart out and stomped on it, with this book.
There are some scenes that some people may find are too sexual to read, so depending on the amount of sexual content you find acceptable to read in books will affect your opinion on Rage.
That being said, when you get passed the sex aspect of Rage it leaves a very serious book that will leave you both hopeful and heartbroken.

FTC- Random Buzzers.

Remember Me by Christopher Pike

She won’t let them forget…

Shari Cooper wakes up dead. The last thing she can remember is falling from a balcony during her friend’s party. Her death has been ruled a suicide, but Shari knows she was murdered. All of her closest friends are now suspects. As she tries to find her killer from the other side, she discovers her friends may not have been so loyal to her after all. Now, Shari is not just out for justice, she’s out for revenge….

This is a mash-up of the books in the Remember Me series by Christopher Pike. When I started the first book, it was pretty slow. I have a reading rule that many other bloggers also have. If I get to page 50 and I still don’t like it, then I stop reading. I got to page 50. I didn’t like it. Since the book is so large, I told myself that I would try to get to page 150, and if I didn’t like it by then I was going to put it down for sure. I got to page 150 and right as I did so, the book started getting better. Book 1 was slow, stereotypical, and a bit predictable. Half-way through it started getting addicting though, and the characters emotions were written well.
In Book 2 in my opinion was the best out of the three books in this mash-up. All of the characters blended together nicely, it was addicting, and original. What I didn’t like was that there were parts that seemed scattered which caused me to be confused and the plot was kind of complicating. Book 3 was the worst in my opinion. I know it’s hard to close up a series but book 3 just seemed to drone on and on. It was a crazy emotional rollercoaster (and not the good kind). There were parts that I skipped because I didn’t see how they related to the story and they felt like filler.
Overall, these books aren’t something that I would re-read. While I was reading them, it was definitely interesting. The idea is original but the writing just wasn’t very good.

FTC- Bought

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by Kristi of The Story Siren, and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Let's get started! This also includes a few of the books I got from last weekend. If you click on the book title, you should be led to the books goodreads page.
For Review-


From HarperTeen-

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Origins (The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries, #1) by L.J. Smith, Kevin Williamson, and Julie Plec
The Trust by Tom Dolby
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
The Lying Game by Sara Shepard *2 copies*
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand *2 copies*




From Candlewick and Dial-

Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Beat the Band by Don Calame
Stork by Wendy Delsol
Butterfly by Sonya Hartnett
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John


Books Read This Week-
Actually.... it's books read in the past two weeks. No links here since there are so many books.

The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchinson
Vesper by Jeff Sampson
Emily the Strange:Dark Times by Rober Reger and Jessica Gruner
The Samantha Granger Experiment by Kari Lee Townsend
Babe in Boylanbd by Jody Gerhman
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Once in a Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber
Origins (The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries, #1) by L.J. Smith, Kevin Williamson, and Julie Plec
Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell
The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
The Odyssey by Homer
The Sweetness of Salt by Cecilia Galante
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

ARC Giveaway

I have a couple ARC-doubles that I'd like to get off my hands so it's giveaway time! One person will win-

1 ARC of Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund
1 ARC of Blue Fire by Janice Hardy
A Bunch of Bookmarks and Book Post-Cards

You get 1 extra entry if you follow my blog.
Open to US residents only, sorry!

To enter, fill out the form below-

I'm Part of a Group!

Every Friday I'll be posting on the YA Lit Six, which is a blog abut writing. It's really awesome and you should check it out. There's six of us and we post Monday-Saturday. Before I joined the YA Lit Six I loved reading it, and if you don't read it I totally think you should go and check it out.
Just wanted to let you all know where I'll be blogging about writing every Friday!

Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson

James Hoff likes to rant against America's consumerist culture. He also likes to rant against his ex-girlfriend, Sadie, who he feels isn't doing enough to change the world. But just like he can't avoid buying things, he also can't avoid Sadie for long. This is a fantastic, funny, sexy, cool masterpiece from one of the best YA writers at work today, an anti-consumerist love story that's all about idealism, in both James's relationship with the world and his relationships with the people around him.


Destroy All Cars is an enthralling book about James Hoff, who wants nothing more than to destroy all cars and get his girlfriend back. I went into this book, not expecting a lot. I hadn’t heard much about it* and I only had a rough idea of what the book was about.
I started reading Destroy All Cars while I was in the middle of my reading slump. This book is what got me out of the slump. All I wanted to do was read it. It challenges our way of thinking about the environment and how we plan to “save” it. I loved that the story switched off being told from James’ point of view, James’ AP English essays, and dialogue written like a screenplay.
Blake Nelson wrote an A-plus book that captures the emotions of teens perfectly. His characters were real, as were their actions.
I couldn’t stop reading this and I hope you read it. This book gets into your head and it never let’s go.


*Last December the editor of the book and my favorite author, David Levithan mentioned it at a book signing he was doing.

FTC- Library.