The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

When Jude was 12, she made a pact with her 3 older sisters. They cut their hands, burned their hair in a church candle, and said an oath. They were never to be involved with one of the Vargas boys in order to prevent themselves from a broken heart. Now, it is the summer after Jude's senior year and all of her sisters have already moved out. Her father has Alzheimer's and in a desperate attempt to "cure" him, Jude decides to help him restore the motorcycle from his glory days. Everything is fine, until Jude realizes that Emilio, the boy hired to fix the bike, is a Vargas. She has to figure out what is right for her father, her family, and herself.

Twenty Boy Summer was a completely amazing book. Bittersweet was good, but not great, and The Book of Broken Hearts falls after Bittersweet. Let's talk about the romance. I liked Emilio, but he was no Sam. He was sweet, and I liked him, but the relationship with him and Jude just didn't seem as REAL as it could have been. The chemistry was good but not great unfortunately. 

I liked how this story was more than just a romance, and it was also about a family who is trying to hold everything together. I really felt Jude's pain about Papi and how she is trying to be strong and make everything okay. 

The characters were all very likable and realistic. There was Papi, who was funny and awesome. I liked Jude, I think at first she isn't totally comfortable with herself but she's really sharp. Her friends are slightly annoying, but that's how they're supposed to be and I can understand their reactions. Emilio is great and Jude's sisters are not perfect, but you can still see why they act the way they act. 

Another thing I really liked was the incorporation of Spanish (or Puerto Rican, etc but they are close enough) because I've taken 3 years of Spanish and I liked learning a few new words!

I liked the ending, I thought it was really sweet and a good way to end it. If you had to choose a book to read by Sarah Ockler, choose Twenty Boy Summer, but this one was pretty good too. Good, not great. 5 out of 5 stars.

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

This is the second book in the Divergent series. I never wrote a review on that one, maybe I'll get to that some day... haha :) Don't read this review if you haven't read the first book in the series, there are bound to be various spoilers.

Divergent last left us with Tris discovering the truth about the Erudite and the simulations and everything. That was an awful cliffhanger, and we pick up right where we left off. Literally right off. It might as well have been the next chapter instead of a new book! Tris is horribly confused and hurt and guilty for what happened with Will. She is trying to figure out what exactly is going on with her society and how she can stop its corruption.

I really enjoyed Insurgent. I didn't really feel the romance between Tris and Tobias in this one, but that's okay. It was more about her journey. The plot was well developed and there was a lot of excitement. I feel like I can relate to Tris a lot because she isn't the most physically strong person, but she is very strong willed which makes her awesome.

There are a lot of characters and they all seem very real. I like how even the "bad guys" are shown in a new light in this book and you realize that there are many parts of evil to a person. Overall, if you read Divergent and liked it, definitely read Insurgent. I will be reading the next book in the series. There is a bad cliffhanger anyways.

Also, let's take a moment to recognize how awesome Veronica Roth is. Reading Divergent, I was pretty much in love with Four. He is definitely up there in my top book crushes. But not exactly where Sam from Shiver is. No one could ever top Sam! When we found out that Four's real name is Tobias, I was sold. I then went around telling everyone what a beautiful name Tobias was and that I was going to name my future child Tobias lol. This was influenced this book, but also from Tobias from the Animorphs. Then, I was reading the extra special collector's edition of this book and reading the interview with that author. She said that she had given Tobias his name as homage to the Animorphs character! Like, how awesome is that? Me and this author have like one mind haha.

As I said before, I read the collector's edition of Insurgent. It was pretty cool compared to the regular one. The cover was shinier, there was an attached ribbon bookmark, Free Four (the reason I wanted to get this copy as opposed to the regular one), a Q&A with the author, tattoos, a poster, and a couple of other really cool things. I would suggest you get it if you are a fan of this series.

Also, as a side note, as I read this book I became more and more intrigued about how the factions and wondered which one I would fit in. I took some quizzes online and they said that I would be Candor, which I agree with. I like giving my opinion and believe that honesty is a good thing to have. I definitely wouldn't be Abnegation or Dauntless. I know I'm intelligent, but not to the point of arrogance, so no Erudite. One quiz said that I was Amity, which I would be if there wasn't any Candor.  Thinking about it though, I think I am definitely more Candor because though I really like peace and pleasing people, I am not submissive to that extent. Therefore, Candor.

Well, this has turned into a very long rant only partly relating to Insurgent! Anyways, 5 out of 5 stars.

The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride #1) by James Patterson

Why hello there! It has been quite a while. No, I have not disappeared off the face of the Earth and still read every day. I've just been so overwhelmed with school and life that I haven't really had the time to keep up with this blog! Maybe I'll get back on it this summer though. Anyway, I decided to review the last book I read.

This was recommended to me by my brother, who is 14. He has all the Maximum Ride books and claims that they are "the best books ever". On testing week I knew I was going to have tons of time after I finished so I might as well give it a try.

Maximum Ride is about a 14 year old girl who takes care of her family (but they're not actually related). And yes, Maximum Ride is a girl. I read 80 pages before I realized that and was extremely confused. Her other "siblings" are all of various ages that are younger than her. I will not bother to list their names. Anyway, these are special children because they are part avian and have wings (along with other special talents). They are on their own because they don't know who their parents are and their caretaker, Jeb, is gone. They spend most of the novel escaping from Erasers, wolf-like human creations, and other mildly important events.

I was not a huge fan of this story. The writing was too juvenile and sarcastic for me. Also the author would switch from first-person to third person in different chapters, WHICH IS NOT ALLOWED. Writers should not do that. The chapters were an average of 3 pages long. 3 PAGES. That is hardly long enough to be considered a chapter. I really struggled to get through this book and only continued to read it to tell my brother that I read it. The plot was alright, I felt like it didn't really go anywhere and none of my questions got answered. The imagination behind the story is very interesting, but not the most imaginative that I have read. 

I would probably recommend this to my 5th or 6th grade self, but now my reading level is far beyond this series. If you are 10-13, give it a try! You'll definitely have more luck with it than I did. I will not be reading the other books in the series. 3 out of 5 stars.

The Invasion (Animorphs #1) by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs! What a blast from the past. These novels were seriously my 3rd grade life. I only got up to number 37 for some strange reason though. I don't know why I never got farther than that lol. A few days ago, my boyfriend mentioned a hawk. The mention of the hawk reminded me of Tobias, one of the Animorphs who was stuck in a red-tailed hawk form. And then as I was remembering all the characters and the battles and the covers and the aliens and everything I began to get very excited! So then I ran upstairs to retrieve the few Animorph books I had purchased at used book stores and such. And then I promptly began reliving my childhood and reading #13, which had Tobias on the cover. And I sat there, just reading my beloved Animorphs book while my boyfriend fell asleep. Lol.

I'm not sure why I had loved these books so much, considering they were science-fiction, the type of books that I didn't and still don't read. Maybe it was the appeal of the Yeerk invasion and how "real" it all seemed. Like, what if they were real?! And how they were just normal kids but they were given special powers and it's all just so amazing! Haha anyways the next day I took a trip to the library and went to the children's section and behold, there were the books that I had loved so much. I did some research on the Animorphs when I got home and found out that they were being re-released! The fangirl in me is very happy because these books were literally my life. I've read that they're making small changes to make them more timeless, because pop-culture has definitely changed since the 90s! Haha so anyways...

The Invasion is about 5 kids, about middle-school age, who walk through a construction place when they see a dying alien (an Andalite). He tells them about the Yeerks, an invading parasitic alien species that crawl into people's ears and control their mind and body. He gives them the ability to morph into other animals after they have absorbed their DNA. The only thing is that they have to morph back into their human form before 2 hours or they will be stuck that way forever. Until the Andalites can come to Earth and save everyone, it's up to the Animorphs to protect their planet.

This is really awesome series, and maybe I'm just biased because I'm living in nostalgia, but I recommend that you try out this series. And if you're too old for it, recommend it to someone in middle school. Or just read them anyways because they're amazing. 5 out of 5 stars.

Between The Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha van Leer

Delilah is a high-school loner who finds comfort in a picture book called "Between The Lines"  that she found in her school's library. Even though she knows she's too old to be reading fairy tales, she loves to read about Oliver, a handsome prince who sets out to save a princess. He fights dragons, tricks trolls, escapes mermaids, etc. Delilah likes to believe in happy endings, ever since her dad left her and her mom. That's why she can relate to Oliver, whose father was killed protecting his kingdom from a dragon. One day, Oliver from her book talks to her. It turns out that he lives a life too when the book is closed. When someone is reading the book he is an actor saying the liens that were written for him. Oliver has always wondered what was outside his book and desperately wants to get out.

For those of you who may not know, Jodi Picoult wrote this novel with her teenage daughter. I read in Entertainment Weekly that she had wanted to write a novel targeted towards a younger audience because he readers may have wanted to "share her stories with their children or younger siblings". That made me laugh a lot because sorry Jodi, I'm not in a huge rush to tell my younger brother about gay parenting rights, emancipation, cancer, abduction, etc. When I heard that Picoult was writing a young adult book I was very excited and knew I had to get my hands on it. And by the way, the picture of the two was taken by my favorite photographer Adam Bouska, who I actually got to meet the other day. He is a wonderful man and his pictures are extremely beautiful. Here is a video of him and them during the photoshoot: http://www.jodipicoult.com/between-the-lines.html In case you couldn't tell, I am a huge fan of Adam.

Between The Lines has a really cool concept and a nicely narrated story. The plot is decently paced and the characters are likable. The chapters are alternated between a narration of Oliver, Delilah, and the story itself. I like books with chapters like this, which is why I enjoy Jodi's writing. It's a nice romance without being too much of a romance, and it also touches up upon family matters and friendship. I enjoyed this novel and I would recommend it, whether you've read any of Jodi's other novels or not. 5 out of 5 stars.

Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald

When Sadie met Garrett, she knew that one day they would fall in love and live happily ever after. But until that happens, she will have to settle with being very close friends until he realizes his unknown passion for her. Sadie has been pining after Garrett for two years and they have plans to go to a writer's camp together over the summer.Sadly, Garrett gets accepted while Sadie doesn't. It will still be okay though, right? They'll call and text and pick up right where they left off when he gets back. But after a few days, Garrett calls Sadie and tells her that he's fallen in love... with another girl. This event is not unusual, he has had his fair share of girlfriends over the years while Sadie gives helpful advice and waits her turn. This phone call is the last straw for Sadie. She is tired of waiting around for a guy that is clearly not going to love her back so with the help of some new and old friends, she sets out to Get Over Garrett Delaney.

I thought this was a wonderful book. The narration is spot-on and realistic and I really felt Sadie's pain over lusting over her best friend who, just isn't noticing her! This novel had everything in it: a hilarious narrator and main character, a realistic plot, and thoughtful messages. It went by quickly and I really liked the self-empowerment that Sadie went through when she realized that she should stop sculpting herself around a guy. Never change yourself for another person, never! I recommend it, as I found myself smiling and cheering Sadie on the entire time. The only thing I didn't agree on was how Sadie decides to go "cold-turkey" and start ignoring Garrett and just pretending he doesn't exist. I mean, I guess if that's what you have to do! But they were like BEST friends so it was kinda like "okayyy if you say so". The only reason I'm not giving this novel 5 stars is because of the ending. I'm fine for everything it stood for, but I'm not a huge fan of when author's make characters nice and then do a 180. Lol anyways: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

My Sister's Stalker by Nancy Springer

Rig is just living a typical teenage life. His parents are divorced and he lives with his eccentric mother. His sister Kari, short for Karma, lived with their dad before she went off to college. Rig misses his sister and after numerous calls and texts, he Googles her. He comes across a fan site for her featuring some creepy pictures that seem to have been taken through her bedroom window. He seeks help from his mother, but she is always willing to believe the best in people and thinks that it’s cute. Therefore, Rig is forced to seek out his dad, whom he has a difficult relationship with. Rig’s family has to get to the bottom of the stalker issue before Kari gets into real danger.

I read this book because it was less than 100 pages, and sounded somewhat decent. Well, I was wrong . This was the worst book that I’ve read in a LONG time. And I read a lot of books. The writing is choppy and juvenile, which I can forgive because a 15 is supposed to be narrating the story. The basic idea of this novel is interesting, but I think it could have been better told. The plot was basically like “Bam! Bam! Bam!” with one bullet being thrown after another. It was unrealistic, though I know these things do happen, and had be rolling me eyes the entire time. As you can see though, it wasn’t so completely horrible that I finished it. There was no character development and some very unbelievable events.

But the ending. OMG. It was really stupid. That’s the only way that I can put it. If the author had chosen a different ending, I would have been like **sigh** what a waste of my time. But now I am angry! LOL. So I will tell you about the ending and not worry about spoiling it for you because I hope you spend your time reading a better novel. Basically, Rig is like “I feel creepy because I had to think like the stalker would” and his dad is like “ohh, that’s called incest. But it’s okay!” And you’re like “that was a completely stupid little paragraph to put in there”. Argh! Just frustrating! Anyways. Don’t read this book. 1 out of 5 stars.