Shopaholic & Sister (Shopaholic #4) by Sophie Kinsella

Becky and Luke have been honeymooning around the world for a year. Everything is perfect, they've been having a great carefree time. When they finally decide to return to London, Becky imagines that everyone will welcome her with open arms and want to hear all about her trip, she'll go shopping with Suze again, catch up with her parents, and Luke will stop being so obsessed with work. She's dissapointed to find that her parents seem nervous around her, almost like they're hiding something. Suze has found a new best friend, and they've bonded over their children. And Luke is still obsessed with his work. Becky has been feeling a bit down, until her parents tell her what they've been hiding from her. She has a sister! Well, a half sister. Becky is filled with wonderful ideas about how they're going to form a sisterly bond and go shopping together and watch girly movies until.... she realizes that Jess (her sister) hates shopping and is super stingy with money. How can they possibly be sisters?

Becky really frustrated me in this one. How has she NOT gotten over her spending problem or improved her habits at all? Putting that small detail aside, Shopaholic & Sister was a nice addition to the series. Jess was a little bit over the top, but then again, so is Becky! They're complete opposites, and it's funny to see them communicate with eachother. I liked how Luke played more of a part in this story than the other ones, and how Becky is sort of not really learing to live frugally (as if).

There's not a whole lot that's different than the other Shopaholic books. The author hasn't lost Becky's voice (or her spending problem lol). I liked the other ones, and I liked this one. It's a cute, fun series that I find worth reading again. :) 4 out of 5 stars.

A Kiss In Time by Alex Flinn

Hello readers! I've been a little behind in writing reviews, so I'm these next few ones are going to be brief so I can catch up :)

A Kiss in Time tells the story of Talia and Jack. Talia was warned by her parents never to touch a spindle, but she does (without knowing what it is) and falls into a deep sleep where she is only to be waken up by her true love. 300 years later, Jack is touring Europe and breaks off from his tour group. He comes across the hidden city of Euphrasia and finds a beautiful girl sleeping. He kisses her, and she wakes up, which is where the trouble starts. Talia's family is very upset with her for "ruining their kingdom" with her stupidity, so she begs Jack to take her with him to Florida.

I loved the modern day take on Sleeping Beauty, which was my favorite fairy tale when I was younger. Talia and Jack are both lovable characters, and the plot is interesting and fast paced. I loved reading Talia's take on Florida's culture and her awe of bathing suits and how people acted. I think the author did a great job of incorporating what someone would be thinking after waking up from a 300 year's sleep.

This book is definitely heavy on dialogue, and I think it's safe to say that it's a lot of "talk but no action". There is action, but it all goes by so fast and is hardly drawn out. I felt like the reading wasn't quite as advanced as I would like it to be (or at least not advanced enough for me). I think that I would have enjoyed this book a LOT if I had read it when I was like in 6th grade. I'm older now, and I still liked it, but I felt there was so much talking and it was so fast paced I didn't get to enjoy just one part of it before I was whisked away to another.

I enjoyed Beastly a lot, an A Kiss In Time was sadly not as enjoyable as Beastly. I would give this 3.5 out of 5 stars . I liked it, but not enough to read again. I would recommend it to readers who enjoyed Beastly, readers who like modern day fairy tales, or middle schoolers who want a fun romance story.

Boy Toy by Barry Lyga

Josh was molested by his teacher when he was twelve. Now he's a senior and is going to be graduating from college soon. Josh has pretty much ignored his past for years, but now when Eve is released from prison he begins to pick up the pieces of his life and put them all together as he rediscovers who he is.

Boy Toy was a lot to handle. Lyga has a beautiful way which he connects the past with the present. It's a little confusing at first, but after you keep reading you're able to get the main idea and all the other little details begin to fall into place. I loved this book, however dark and disturbing it was.

When Josh describes his past, it's hard to read. It's all so real and you're always on Josh's side. You can understand why he likes Eve because when he describes her, she's really not a bad person. As an outside pair of eyes, you know that she's manipulating him and what they're doing is bad, but when you read as Josh, you can see why things happened the way they did. It was horrible to read about how he says he loves her and tries to protect her.

I fell in love with Josh a little bit. He has that wounded, tortured quality about him that makes you want to get to know him and make him feel better. He's honest, endearing, quick to think, and funny. He's also a baseball player. I kind of have a thing for baseball players lol. And when I say "baseball players" I mean my boyfriend. Their uniforms are way cute and I can actually follow baseball, unlike some other sports (**cough** football **cough**). There's a lot of baseball lingo and references and just general talk about the game, so if you know nothing about how baseball works, you'll definitely feel a little lost at parts and be missing out on a lot of Josh's character. I know the game and how it works, and I have someone I can ask about the slang terms, but even then there were still parts I was a little confused at.

I loved the other characters too, not necessarily because I liked THEM (well I liked Zik), but I liked how realistic they were. This entire story was very realistic, to the point that it was almost scary because you know that what has happened in the book actually DOES happen.

Boy Toy was fascinating and intriguing, however sad and disturbing it was. It's definitely not a light read, but it is told in a way that makes it interesting so it's not all "I'm a victim and my life is ruined." I would recommend it to an older teen, because there are mature topics and problems. I don't remember why I chose to read it, but I could have sworn it was like an LGBT read, but I guess not. So I wonder where I saw it and wanted to read it... Anyway, I loved the story and how it was written and how much I understood Josh. 5 out of 5 stars. Go read it!

Something Borrowed (Darcy & Rachel) by Emily Griffin

Friend or romantic relationship? I think that a lot of us can relate to that one, because we have had to make a similar choice in our life, whether we've realized it or not. Rachel, our protagonist, is caught in a tricky situation. Her best friend Darcy whom she's known forever has always had it made. She's always had more money, more friends, and more guys. So of course she would be the one to be getting married to Dex while Rachel still doesn't even have a guy in sight. After a night with a little too much drinking, Rachel and Dex end up in bed together. Rachel dismisses it and tells herself that they were drunk and never to think of it again. It was in the past right? Well it was, until Dex calls her and tells her that he is beginning to have actual feelings for her and they should get together again. They meet in secret a few times and Rachel realizes that she is in love with her best friend's fiance.

I really enjoyed Something Borrowed. I liked the plot, the writing style, and the characters. Especially the characters. I think they were really well formed and 3D. However, they do have their flaws but I think it makes them more endearing in a way.

I did have a problem with the morality of the whole issue. I mean, it IS her best friend. And even if she is a bitch and has gotten everything she's wanted, does that make it okay? And Dex, what kind of person does that make him? It was honestly just really confusing trying to decide who I supported when you really think about it. I do have to give Griffin two thumbs up for throwing surprises in there and keeping me on my toes and changing my views on the characters. I have also had to choose between a friend and a guy before in my life (not on such an extreme level as Rachel though). And I chose the guy, so I guess that makes me the bad person lol. So I found it easy to relate to the big picture thing. If I were to just tell you the plot of this story, you would probably already hate Rachel a little bit for doing that to her friend. But as you read the story, you find yourself feeling sympathetic and understanding of Rachel and not hating her. It's weird I tell you! And I am seriously wondering what the whole message the author was trying to convey was. Cheating is okay? As long as it's love? Real friendships would last?

I know this book has been made into a movie and it got really low reviews and they probably butchered the book lol but I'm going to watch it and we'll see. I'll post the movie vs. book here after.

I'm looking forward to reading the second book, because it's about Darcy. I didn't like Darcy, but she might redeem herself in the sequel.

All in all, I did enjoy Something Borrowed and would recommend it. It's morally confusing, but it's enjoyable and it will give you something to think about! 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Every year it's the same. The football team and the soccer team continue with the rivalries that have been going on much, much longer than any of them can remember. It's been going on so long that they can't even remember why it started in the first place. The girlfriends of the players are tired of it though. Every year they are cast aside for the rivalry. Example, if a girl had a date with a football player, he might cancel on her to go do something stupid like toilet paper a soccer player's house. Lissa vows to change this, so she gets together a group of the girlfriends where they take an oath. They say that the guys won't get any action from them until the rivalry stops. It seems simple enough, until it escalates into a full on, guys-vs-girls battle instead.

I loved the humor of this book! It was hilarious and it made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions. The plot is interesting enough, and the author takes a light tone that makes it easy to follow. I loved how it was modeled after a Greek play, especially since that's what we're studying in English right now.

However, I found it to be a bit unrealistic. First of all, how many high school relationships last over a year? Well, being a high-schooler, let me tell you. A year is a longggggg time. So it seems a bit odd that like all the players have such long lasting relationships lol. And also, how desperate the guys are for sex. Like it's almost at an extreme haha. But anyway, besides these few unrealistic qualities of the book, I found It quite enjoyable.

Lissa, I didn't like too much. She makes me want to smack her so she can realize what she's doing and what she's missing out on and all the bad choices she's making! She is basically just clueless to everyone else's feelings around her due to her controlling attitude. Randy kinda disappointed me, because he seemed really sweet and I actually had liked him. Until...... well I won't ruin it for you ;). Cash was adorable, I approve of him haha. And Chloe is awesome. I liked her personality!

I liked how the book wasn't REALLY about romance. The romance was more on the side, and even though the book is about a sex strike, it's also about friendship, girl power, and discovering yourself. Points to Lissa for becoming a better person in the end!

It's a bit forward about sex, but not graphic or anything. So if it will make you uncomfortable I don't recommend it. But for anyone else, it will be a light, entertaining, fun read :) I found it entertaining and enjoyable.  4 out of 5 stars.

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin (Birthright #1)

When I heard that the author or Elsewhere had a new book out, it was on my to-read list instantly. Elsewhere was one of my favorite books when I was like in 5th/6th grade and I've probably read it on 5 different occasions. I had also recommended it to my friends and my mom, that's how much I liked it. So you can see how excited I was to be reading something new from Gabrielle. Then Queen Taco recommended it to me, so then I was like, "I have to actually read this... like now."

All These Things I've Done takes place in 2083, when chocolate has been banned, caffeine is illegal, as are a number of other things. You have to have vouchers to buy pretty much everything. You even have to pay postage to send an email. New York is full of crime and suspicion. Anya Balanchine, our protagonist, is a simple 16 year old. Well, maybe not so simple considering her deceased father was involved in major crimes. All Anya wants is to take care of her family, go to school, avoiding her ex. It's all been going okay for her, until one day her ex ends up in the hospital and Anya is charged for "attempted murder". And after that, she knows her life will never be the same.

When I first read the summary, I thought this was going to be a dystopian read. And for some reason I'm really into dystopia so I was kinda excited haha. But this novel isn't dystopia at all. It's actually more crime and mystery, with romance, friendship, family, adventure, and science fiction. Honestly, this book covers a million different genres and I think that a lot of people could enjoy it.

The best thing about this book is probably the characters. Anya is so real and I can completely relate with her. I love how she has flaws, and you can clearly see them when you read, but yet somehow you're always on her side because you can relate to her. She's smart and easily loved. As for her best friend Scarlet, wow. I wish I could have a best friend as loyal as she is. She's seriously awesome, and I don't think Anya really deserves her forgivingness and everything lol. Her younger sister Natty is adorable, and Leo is so cute and you really just have to love him. And Win? OMG I love him <3 Almost as much as Sam from the Shiver series haha. Win is soooo cute!!!! Argh Anya, she really needs to snatch him up! The characters of this book are very well developed and easy to relate to, you find yourself loving them all.

The plot was quick, intriguing, and very unique. The romance was almost like a Romeo and Juliet thing, starcrossed lovers and all. The ending, was a little sad for me though. First of all, I didn't know this was a series until I was about 50 pages from the end and I was like "I don't think this is all going to be solved so it must be a series!" lol so I was a little sad :( because I wanted more. And Win.......

Well, I wouldn't want to give away anything I'm not supposed to haha. So, I recommend this book. There's a little bit of something for everyone, and you won't be dissapointed. 5 out of 5 stars. I'm looking forward to reading the next one :)

Love Story by Jennifer Echols

Alright so this is going to be a quick post because I have to get back to my homework :P Super fun right...

Erin Blackwell is working long hours in a New York coffee shop. She has a goal to become a romance novelist and is paying her own way through college in hope. It's tedious, but she holds onto the goal of an internship to keep herself going. It wasn't always like this for Erin, she lived in Kentucky and her family owned many horses. She used to have lots of money and get anything she wanted. Then, Erin told her grandmother that she wanted to be a romance novelist instead of being a business major so she could run the horse farm. Erin's grandmother disapproved of this, so she cut Erin off. She wouldn't support Erin's dream job, so if she wanted to get somewhere, she would have to do it herself. To make matters worse, her grandmother gives the stable boy, Hunter, Erin's inheritance. So Hunter is the one who is getting designer clothes and a free ride to college. Erin had a complicated relationship with Hunter in the past, and she writes a fantasy romance story  about him for her English class. Everything is fine, until he walks through the door and everything changes.

I loved the way the author wrote, I can't really explain it but its so lyrical and like the words were individually chosen perfectly. I liked Erin, but she did have a few flaws, and I loved Hunter. They were REAL characters to me because I saw bits of them in myself and other people I know.

The plot is interesting, and I loved how the author included the short stories throughout the book.

And the ending. Ohmygod, I LOVED it. I won't give anything away, but I think it's worth it to stick it out to the end in this one. It was really, really cute. It made me wanting more, but I'm glad it ended when it did.

I also liked how this story wasn't really a "Love Story". It had romance in it, but its really about Erin learning about herself. I love when you think books are supposed to be about romance, but its much more than that. There's also a downfall to that though. Because Erin is spending so much time figuring out herself, her and Hunter are never really on good-terms with each other, which kinda sucks because the reader wants them together. You just want to yell at them "Get over yourselves, move along with your life, and fall in love!!!"

Haha but anyway, it's a cute story. Not the most capturing story, but one that will keep you going. 3.5 out of 5 stars.