Between by Jessica Warman

Imagine that it's your birthday, and you have a bunch of friends spending the night on your family's boat. You hear a thumping noise that wakes you up, so you go outside to investigate. You lean over the boat to see a girl face down in the water. And then you realize that the girl is you.

This is how Between starts out of Liz. She finds herself not quite in the afterlife, and not quite on Earth. Instead, she is Between. For some reason, she is unable to remember the events leading up to her death. It's like parts of her memory has been wiped clean. She has nothing else to do than to wait and observe the people around her as they, as well as her, try to put all the pieces together. 

This was an awesome book. I'm going to try not to give too much away, because it ruins the experience. I read Breathless by Warman, and though I don't really remember what happens in it (I forget everything I read... lol), I remember I really enjoyed it. And Between was even better. It's a haunting mystery which has just the right amount of supernatural elements. It's also a romance and a story about family and friendship. I loved how you know exactly how much Liz does, and you're figuring out her death just like she is. From the very first chapter, Between tells of intriguing mystery lays all the pieces out for you, and then helps you put them together.

It was slightly predicable at times, and not at others. How it happens is what makes it interesting. I honestly can't think of one thing that I don't like about this book, because it was just that awesome. I know that I'm being kinda vague, but if you know any more it will ruin the experience of the book!! Read this one, it's worth it. And it has a little bit in it for everyone. 5 out of 5 stars, and I would give it 6 if I could.

Never Been Kissed by Melody Carlson

Elise is going to be attending a new school her junior year, and what time is better than now to reinvent herself and get ride of her NBK badge? She falls for an already-taken guy named Asher and is crushed to see him with his girlfriend. Then, she gets an email from Asher telling her that he’s actually into her, but his girlfriend (Brianna) is super jealous and so that they should just communicate over email, and then in person act like they hate each other. Then out of nowhere, Elise is arrested for something she knows she didn’t do. Can she prove her innocence before it ruins her reputation and life?

I picked up this book because I turned to a page and it mentioned sexting, a topic I haven’t read a book on before (It’s so new it’s not even a word on my laptop lol). The story itself was interesting and I thought that there were a lot of good lessons incorporated into it. Thumbs up to Melody for that.

I found the writing to be a little juvenile and predictable, but there were a few parts I didn’t see coming in there. Like Asher’s emails? Seriously? Can Elise really be that naïve? It was also a little dramatic and hard to believe, but putting those thoughts aside, it was a decent book.

The matters of sexting are serious, and I like how I learned JUST how serious it can be.

If you’re looking for a REALLY light and entertaining read, this one’s for you. Don’t expect a whole lot from it though, the writing is just decent. The themes are good though, and it would probably make a good movie. I would have given this 2 stars, but the concept and morals of Elise redeemed it a bit.

3 out of 5 stars.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

After reading The Best of Me, I was like “No more Nicholas Sparks books.” But I loved the Notebook (the movie) so I decided to give this one a try.

One thing that bothered me was how similar it was to The Best of Me. Guy and girl fall in love when they’re young, girl’s parents disapprove of guy, they go separate ways, meet again years later and realize out they’re not satisfied with their lives, and find they still have a connection. Exact same formula right?

The last chapter or so were so touching and sweet, and made me cry, even though I already knew what was going to happen. The rest of the story, however, I found to be adequate. There were some thoughtful and memorable quotes in there, but I didn’t really FEEL the romance.

If you saw the movie and are interested in reading the book, I suggest you just skip the book and just leave it at that. And if you are thinking about reading the book and then watching the movie, just watch the movie. I think it told the story better and you see more into the personalities of the characters. I wished I could have loved this book as much as I loved the movie, but I just didn’t. The movie was more of Allie and Noah when they were young, and the romance then and what made it so great and such, but the book seemed to be more about when they get crabs (whoops that sounds better in my head) and go on the canoe and about old Noah talking about his love for his wife. And as sweet as that is, I wanted to know more about their past. There were some amazing moments in the story, but at other times, it was boring for me.

I recommend the movie, because it was amazing. The book? Yeah, on a smaller scale. I like the story, but not so much how it's told. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Crossed (Matched #2) by Ally Condie

Crossed is the sequel to Matched. Ky had been sent out to the Outer Provinces and Cassia was sent to a camp. They both can’t forget the relationship they had, and will do anything to find each other again. Crossed is about searching, love, and secrets.

I LOVED Crossed. I’ve read a few dystopian series and the Matched series has definitely put its mark on my list. First of all, I loved how this story was told in alternating points of view, between Ky and Cassia, like in the Shiver stories. I wish that the author would have been consistent and done it in the first book but anyways… It really gave Ky more of a character and made him more likable. I also love Xander, hopefully there will be more of him in the last book!

I liked the addition of the new characters Indie, Eli, and I liked Vick. Indie was a little too sneaky for me though, and not friend material.

The writing was beautiful, but I thought the storyline was a little slow. I wish there was more action and more romance. And they spend the entire time looking for the Rising and then look what happens? Like… geez.

I love the simple romance that Ky and Cassia have. They’re not like Bella and Edward status and are just simply in love. I don’t like how Ky treats her at one point though, it’s not right and just makes me sad.

Despite the slowness, I loved the romance and the entire dystopian story. I have suspicions that the Rising is like the Society in it’s own twisted way. All in all, I thought Crossed was a good story and I can’t read to tread the next story in the series. Hopefully all my questions will be answered! 5 out of 5 stars.



Mini Shopaholic (Shopaholic #6) by Sophie Kinsella

When we last left off Becky, she had just had a baby. Mini Shopaholic continues her story about 2 years (I think) later. She still lives with her parents because all of her house plans fell through and Minnie has turned out to be a problem child. She’s a bit of a spoiled brat (though Becky is in denial). On top of that, there’s been a huge dilemma with the banks which is causing everyone to cut back and create budgets. Becky sees how stressed Luke is and plans a surprise party to take the edge off things. As she gets further into planning, she begins to realize how difficult it is to create her dream party on a budget.

This was a nice addition to the Shopaholic books. Becky hasn’t changed much and it’s a fun book. Nothing new and special here, and Becky still hasn’t gotten over her addiction (wait what addiction?). Becky is so sweet and lovable, though slightly irritating at times. The only complaint I have about this book is the lack of connection between Becky and Minnie.  I felt that more of the story was focused on the surprise party rather than her relationship with Minnie. I would have liked to see some parts about their bond instead of Minnie just acting out.

It’s a cute story, a good weekend read, and worth reading if you enjoyed the others. 4 out of 5 stars.

Something Blue (Darcy & Rachel #2) by Emily Giffin

Something Blue is the sequel to Something Borrowed. It is told in Darcy’s point of view of her side of the story, and how karma has hit her hard. She goes to Europe in hope to start a new life, but then she realizes that to have a better life, she must also become a better person.

I really enjoyed this novel, and how it was told in Darcy’s point of view. When I first read the blurb, I was like “Why would I want to read an ENTIRE story about Darcy? She's such a…” I was happily proven wrong, and ended up enjoying hearing the other half. It helps you to understand Darcy as a person and see her motives. She’s still not the best person, but at least I can see what caused her to act the way she did and feel the same feelings as her.

I loved Ethan in this story, he was one of my favorite characters in the first book. I found Something Blue to be very redeeming for Darcy, and that is a wonderful thing to say. Even if I didn’t like her for most of the book, I respect her for becoming a better person in the end.

If you read and enjoyed the first book, I strongly encourage that you read this one. It’s completing. I don’t know about you, but after Something Borrowed, I felt like there was something missing, and this filled it. I wish they would have somehow incorporated this into the movie, because I think it would have made it a lot more interesting and believable. I like to be fair, and Rachel, as lovable as she is, DID sleep with her friend’s fiancé. Nevermind that Darcy had cheated on Dex and gotten pregnant with his friend, it was still wrong.

5 out of 5 stars for this compelling read, it was well thought out and interesting, and just good chick lit in general!

Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry #3) by Simone Elkeles

The latest Perfect Chemistry book is told in the youngest Fuentes, Luis' point of view. Luis may have big plans to become an astronaut, but that doesn't mean he lacks that rebellious streak his older brothers have. He falls for Nikki, and is determined to make her his girlfriend. He is also drawn into the Latino Blood, who reveal a devastating secret to him. Nikki had been dating Marco for a year when he broke her heart, saying he was going to be involved in the LB. Nikki was heartbroken, especially since she was pregnant with Marco's baby. Ever since then, she hasn't let any guy get close to her and keeps her guard up. She's skeptical of love, until Luis.

Overall, I the plot and characters were enjoyable as always. There was just the right amount of romance mixed with action and family. I liked how all the previous characters are still involved in this book and how they've come along. I did like how the shower scene from the cover was Incorporated into the story, it was a nice surprise than what was expected.

The only thing I can say is that after reading this series I felt like I basically read the same story three times. Because that's basically what it was. Fuentes meets rich girl, they don't click right away, then eventually fall hopelessly in love. Throw in some gang violence and other various complications, and there you have it! A Perfect Chemistry story. I was excited to read that Nikki was Mexican because I was expecting a variation in the plot, but I was pretty wrong because you might as well put her in the same category as the other girls.

Something else I find amusing about the Fuentes is that they are so driven on breaking the stereotypes of Mexicans and gangs, yet they enforce those stereotypes. Like when they say things like "I'm a Fuentes, it's in our blood." or "violence is in my blood" "I have to fulfill my father's footsteps" bla bla bla. Anyway...

I thought Chain Reaction was pretty good, even though it's basically the same as the other books in the series. 4 out of 5 stars.