Delirium (Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver

Love makes people act irrationally. So what if it was eliminated? In this dystopian world, love is considered a disease. When you turn 18 you will have an operation that makes you immune to the disease. Lena can't wait for her operation. She has lived in fear ever since her mom committed suicide from the disease. She has never questioned anything, until she meets Alex. 

The concept behind this book is fascinating. What WOULD a world look like without love? I liked this as a dystopian book because it was a little bit different. It was very realistic and didn't have any sci-fi gadgets or hoverboards or pills or anything. It also wasn't extremely violent or rebellious. That's what makes it so realistic. If I had to compare it to another dystopian series, I would go with the Uglies. I'm not exactly sure why, but that's what it reminds me of the most. 

The plot was a little slow but the writing is so beautiful that it didn't feel that way. Lena is a winning heroine and Alex is just awesome. I really liked the way that they were portrayed. It was also a little predictable, but that doesn't take away from the story.

The ending was a cliffhanger and you know a second book was in the works, but it wasn't overly terrible. I think I'm slowly dying because I need the second book in the series. I really liked this book and I suggest you give it a try. 5 out of 5 stars.

Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

Jeff has just moved to California and is just trying to fit into his new high school. However that can become difficult once he meets Kimberlee who died last year. She's a ghost now and for some reason only Jeff can see her. Kimberlee was a kleptomaniac and has a whole cave full of stuff she stole. She convinces Jeff to help her return it. They will soon realize that it is harder to return things than it is to steal it.

After reading some of the reviews of this, I didn't have very high expectations. Most of the reviewers seemed to compare it to the Wings series and said it wasn't as good. I remember I read Wings as soon as it came out and then by the time the second book had came out I had forgotten about it lol. I think I should go back and read it. Also, at the time they were thinking about making it into a movie with Miley Cyrus as the main character. I just looked it up and apparently they still are! Haha who knew! Anyways.

For the most part, I really liked this story. I think it was a sweet, simple novel with some important messages. There were a few parts where I was rolling my eyes because it just wasn't believable. The plot was nicely paced and I really liked the voice of the main character. The only thing I have to complain about is the sex part. I really feel like it wasn't necessary to the story at all. I think that the author just wanted a more romantic aspect and threw it in. I feel like she should have just left it out.

Give this one a try if you want a clever, funny, and thoughtful book. 4 out of 5 stars.

Spring Break (Summer #4) by Katherine Applegate

In the next book in the Summer series, Summer heads back to Florida for Spring Break. She'll be with Seth, Marquez, and Diana for a week and it should be perfect. But on the plane she meets Austin, who changes the way she looks at her life. **SPOILERS AND PROFANITY AHEAD**

I had many problems with this book. First of all, Seth is the "love of Summer's life". They have been together nine months and are already thinking about college and marriage. A little unrealistic, but sure. Then Summer goes ahead and kisses Austin? Well Summer, that is called cheating. You are a slut and do not deserve Austin or Seth. I really don't think your infidelity should let you have any guy because you're not worth it. If you are "so happy and in love" with Seth as you claim, then you should have no problem staying devoted to him. I don't care what you say about Austin and how he's sick or whatever, it doesn't matter. A kiss is a kiss. The tarot card lady and Seth on the plane I could handle, but it seems a little unrealistic how she meets ANOTHER hot guy on her plane ride is just too ridiculous. 

Okay, now to Seth. Seth, Seth, Seth. You don't deserve Summer either. YOU CHEATED ON HER WITH HER COUSIN. And worse? You couldn't even tell her at the end of the story. You are a terrible terrible boyfriend and I think Summer should have just gone with Austin rather than be with a jerk and a liar like you. 

Diana... You are a terrible person as well. You are a bad cousin and a friend to Summer. I don't care what feelings you have for Seth, he is your cousin's boyfriend and you have to respect that. I understand that you "did the right thing" in the end, but that still gives you no excuse for what you did. And don't even try using your depression and whatnot as an excuse. There is no excuse for cheating.

Marquez... You are more of the more redeemable characters in this story. However, you get to angry and afraid and run away from all you problems. I thought you had learned this before, but apparently not. You need to grow up and deal with the shit in your life.

JT... I had kinda liked you in the last summer, but not anymore. You don't deserve any girl in your life.

Diver... You're my favorite character because you haven't done too many things wrong. You also run from your problems, but I think that you have a better reason too.

In case you couldn't tell, this book made me very angry. I found it to be unrealistic with terribly flawed characters. Also, this book is supposed to represent Summer's spring break, but there really wasn't too much other plot going on besides who cheated on who. K.A. Applegate, I still love you with all my heart. And maybe it was your purpose to anger me, but I just wanted to throw this book across the room. 2 out of 5 stars.

Of Poseidon (Of Poseidon #1) by Anna Banks

The prince of Syrena, Galen, is sent to land to find Emma. He's heard that she has the special power to communicate with fish and is therefore royal. However, things are more complicated than he thought and Galen and Emma have to figure out which world they belong in. 

I'll start with the positives. The cover is beautiful and I really like the idea of the story. I also really like the name Galen. I'm always reading and searching for really cool names to name my future children. At first I thought, "Whoa! Galen! That's an awesome name!". But then I thought more about how he would probably get made fun of... But anyways! Emma was a fresh voice and I liked how she and Galen interacted. This book made me laugh out loud at multiple times because of the clever wording and characters of Rayna and Toraf.

Now to the negatives. First, I found it very disturbing that **SPOILER** Emma's BEST FRIEND dies, and she seems hardly affected by it throughout the book. I mean, that's pretty traumatizing. I just don't think the author fully reflected the devastation, guilt, and confusion that Emma should have felt. I also disliked how the story was told. The flap claims that it is "Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view", however Emma's is told from a 1st POV and Galen's is a 3rd POV. That is really confusing and I don't know why the author did that. I think she should have done one of those story tellings that is so popular now where the characters alternate but their name is at the top of the chapter and they both speak in 1st. My last complaint is about the plot. Or the lack of it. There was literally nothing going on because they got next to nothing accomplished. It was clear that the author was planning a sequel, which is no excuse to make your first book go nowhere!

I wish that there had been more description of the Syrenans and their world and customs and everything. Sadly, I have to give this book 3 out of 5 stars. It really does have a lot of promise, so I think I'll be reading the next book and see if that redeems it. 

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Emaline has been with Luke ever since freshman year. Now, it's her last summer before college. Everything between them has been pretty constant, but Emaline is starting to wonder if things need to be changed. She works for her family business in Colby, a small beach town, and meets Theo, a very driven guy from New York. Emaline also has some problems with her father (not Dad) who had broken a very important promise to her. She is very conflicted about what to do with her life and how to stay loyal to Colby and escape at the same time.

The romance of this novel was interesting. It didn't have the swoon-worthy guys I was used to and this novel wasn't really focused around the romance at all! That was a bit refreshing. I really could relate to Emaline and Luke's relationship because I have been with the same guy for almost three years. Like them, there is a lot of comfort and he is a great guy. It was strange how much their relationship mirrored ours. I liked Emaline and all of her flaws and also I LOVED Morris and Benji. They are easily the best characters in this book. Theo however, was cute at first but then he started to annoy me. 

I liked how realistic The Moon and More was and how there were so many different problems woven in. The only thing I disliked was how I felt I didn't get enough closure with the different characters. But I guess that's just how life is!

If you're looking for a good summer read, check this out. 4 out of 5 stars.

August Magic (Summer #3) by Katherine Applegate

This is the last book in Summer's summer. I think this was a nice conclusion to the series and wrapped up things nicely.

The longer I kept reading, the more these characters' flaws showed through. Summer is a bit of a slut. I mean, she says she and Seth are official, and then she's kissing Sean. Yet... she "loves him"? Excuse me, they've known each other for 2 months. But whatever, I will pretend that that is forgivable. Diana annoys me because she feels like revenge is justified. And Marquez, she draws back every time she feels too emotionally involved. It just begins to feel a little bit unrealistic.

Despite that, I think that this is a fun summer series (no pun intended) and if you're looking for a really easy read, try this. 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

July's Promise (Sumer #2) by Katherine Applegate

July's Promise is the second book in the Summer series. It picks up the story right where the first leaves off. 

I felt like the this book had more excitement than the first one but I found it to be pretty unrealistic. The dialogue is great and the plot is good, just sometimes it made me roll my eyes. As I'm writing this I've already read the third book and I get the 2nd and 3rd confused. So I'm just going to review my overall thoughts there!

In conclusion, I still think this is a cute series. The characters are easy to relate to and all have very different personalities. If you liked the first book in this series, I definitely recommend you read the second. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

June Dreams (Summer #1) by Katherine Applegate

This book is about Summer, who hails from Minnesota, who comes down to live in Florida with her aunt and cousin for the summer. On the plane a lady tells her about three boys she will meet. One will seem to be dangerous, one will seem to be right, and one will seem to be mysterious. With that in mind, she meets 3 guys: Diver, Adam, and Seth. Summer tries to figure out her relationships with them as well as with her cousin Diana, who seems to have some stuff going on. 

I read this a few years back and loved it. Now, I still think it's a good story but its definitely not the best story I've ever read or anything haha. I find it to be unrealistic most of the times but its a cute, cheesy story. It's a little dramatic, but fun and simple. All the characters are very likable.

It's a little addicting and if you're in the mood for a bit outdated, cheesy, summer series, read this! 3 out of 5 stars. Also, please note that I did not give this 3 stars because I disliked the story. I gave it 3 stars because I don't believe it was exceptionally great and thought provoking.

Tempest (Tempest #1) by Julie Cross

Tempest is about 19-year-old college kid named Jackson. He's completely normal, except for the fact that he can "jump", or time travel, backwards. One day, some people randomly occur and shoot Holly. In a panic, Jackson jumps and ends up in year 2007. He can't get back to 2009 but knows that he must do whatever it takes to find out how to save Holly. 

I really wanted to like Tempest, however it seemed to drag on and on and on. It took me longer than average to read it and it was hard for me to get into. I loved the concept and I really liked Jackson, Holly, and Adam. All the characters were awesome and I think they were the best part of the book. However, it got a little confusing for me with all the jumping and trying to understand how everything works. See, this isn't like time traveling we are used to. If you go back and change something, it doesn't affect the future. I'm not going to give anything away, but as the story progressed and Jackson understands more and more, I just became more confused lol. 

Also, I hated the ending. I kind of understood why he did it, but I still hated him for it. Also, you could tell that there was going to be a sequel and I hate when authors do that! This was going to be a 4 star book until the ending. I disliked it so much that I had to knock off a star. Thumbs up on the cover though, I think it's really pretty!

I feel like other people will enjoy this book more than I would, but I wouldn't recommend it. I think that it was too slow, predictable, and slightly confusing. Also, I'm totally guessing that that little girl with the red hair is Jackson and Holly's daughter. I'm calling it now haha. I don't think I'll be reading the next book in the series. 3 out of 5 stars.

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

When Lottie's boyfriend, Richard, tells her he has a question for her she knows it can only mean one thing: a proposal. After all, they have been dating for a few years and they work so well together! But when his "proposal" has to do with a trip and not a wedding, she is crushed and breaks up with him. Soon after, she's contacted by her first love, Ben. He reminds her of a pact they made when they were teenagers to get married if they were still single by 30. What does Lottie have to lose? She agrees and before you know it, they're off on their honeymoon. Lottie's sister, Fliss, does NOT agree with this marriage. Lottie has been known to make irrational decisions after breakups, which Fliss calls her "Unfortunate Choices". She's going through a divorce and doesn't want Lottie to face the same thing, so she goes out of her way to make their honeymoon the worst ever. 

I love all of Sophie Kinsella's books because they are all so silly and have such lovable heroines. Wedding Night is a bit different than her past novels, because it is told in alternating chapters between Lottie and Fliss. You could even argue that Fliss is the main character, since she is the one who learns the biggest lesson. This book is hilarious and a bit over the top. I found myself laughing aloud multiple times because of the odd situations the characters were put in. I also really enjoyed Noah, Fliss's son, and his bits in the story. Unlike her other novels, this one was very focused on sex. It's portrayed in a silly way though, and it's not too graphic. The plot is fast paced and the ending is cliche, but it is all just good fun.

Even though this novel didn't get very good reviews, I still liked it. It's a little bit ridiculous, but all of Sophie Kinsella's books are. I think it had some good morals buried in it and was just plain fun to read. If you liked her other books or are in the mood for a simple book, I recommend this one. 4 out of 5 stars.

How They Met, and Other Stories by David Levithan

How The Met is a compilation of various stories about love by David Levithan. It's pretty cool to see how these were written if you read the before note from him in the book. It started in his physics class when he was bored and wrote a Valentines' story for his friends. They liked it so much that it became a tradition. Also some of his other novels started as Valentines' stories, like Boy Meets Boy. 

I really liked the style of this book and all the different little stories. They all weren't love stories, but stories ABOUT love. Some stories were better than others, but my favorites were Flirting With Waiters, Lost Sometimes, What a Song Can Do, Starbucks Boy, Princes, the escalator, and The Good Witch. I think my favorite one out of all of them was Princes. That one was really sweet and realistic. 

I loved how all the stories had characters of different sexualities, so there were some gay ones and some straight ones. Also as I was reading Lost Sometimes, I was like, "I could have sworn I've read this before" and it turns out I had! It was part of 21 Proms, a compilation of 21 prom stories also edited by David Levithan.

David Levithan, I love you so much. All your stories are so wonderful. 

I recommend this one if you aren't in the mood for a long story, that way you can just read a story or two. 4 out of 5 stars.

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.

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.

Fair Coin (Coin #1) by E.C. Myers

Ephraim (what an awesome name!) comes home after school and finds his alcoholic mom passed out with pills in her hand. He immediately calls 911 and she is taken to the hospital. Ephraim's mom had attempted suicide because she had identified Ephraim's body earlier because he had been hit by a car and died. Ephraim is puzzled and finds the fake Ephraim's personal items in his mom's purse. Among them he finds a library card with a picture of him and having his name (very strange considering he never lost his) and a coin. Being the coin collector he is, he knows that there is something strange about the quarter. It doesn't face the right way and identifies Puerto Rico as being a state. Ephraim later receives some anonymous instructions saying to wish upon the coin. He goes for it, and wishes that his mom would be more normal. Surprisingly, the next morning he wakes up to the smell of bacon and a healthy breakfast. Since the coin had worked, he begins to make more wishes. Maybe now he can get Jena, his longtime crush, to finally notice him. Or maybe he can solve other problems. But when his wishes begin to have small side effects, Ephraim must figure out what he is supposed to do next.

We've all made wishes before. On shooting stars, 11:11, coins before throwing them into fountains, eyelashes, birthday candles, you name it! Or at least I have. Fair Coin was an awesome book! At first it seems like a fantasy paranormal book, but it soon grows to be way more than that! The plot, imagination, and mystery and amazing and the characters are realistic and exciting. It’s seriously an AWESOME story if you can follow along with it.

And also, the cover is so pretty that it deserves to be noted. And I LOVE the title. A fair coin means that you have an equal chance at getting heads and tails, so I think that it’s really appropriate.

The only thing that kept me from giving this novel 5 stars was how it was a little confusing. About halfway through, my face was like O_o... because I was thoroughly like “wait, what?" I think this would be an awesome story if I ever read it a second time, just because I know a little more about what’s going on and I can read it a little slower and more carefully, rather than just plowing through the book because I wanted to know what happened. So, I suggest taking notes. I’m not kidding you! It was a little mind boggling.

I recommend Fair Coin if you’re into dystopian, sci-fi novels or if you liked the Uglies by Scot Westerfeld (I think his name is :P). I look forward to the next book in the series, which made me extra excited because I didn’t know that this was a series! I’m also wondering what more there is to write about. Hmm… Anways, 4.5 stars out of 5.

Sugar and Spice (L.A. Candy #3) by Lauren Conrad

In the concluding novel of the L.A. Candy series, Jane has her game face on. She knows that people have lied to her, and she’s ready this time. This time around, she’s sworn off guys, but what happens when Caleb and Braden both want her? What is she supposed to do? And what about Scarlett? She’s having her own troubles with Liam and her family. And of course we have Madison. But she has her own skeletons (figuratively) that she’s trying to keep in the closet.

This was my favorite book of the three. My thoughts on the writing and the series remain the same. They’re just fun afternoon novels! The plot twists in this novel were really unsuspected and I especially liked the ending and Jane’s decision with guys. If you enjoyed the other two books in this series, I would recommend reading this last one. It really pulls everything together. And I am looking forward to reading Lauren’s second series soon. :) 4 out of 5 stars.

Sweet Little Lies (L.A. Candy #2) by Lauren Conrad

In the sequel to L.A. Candy, Jane returns to L.A. after a picture scandal with Madison by her side. Even though Madison is helping Jane now, we all know she has something more devious planned. Scarlett, Jane's best friend, tries to warn her about Madison. But Scarlett is also facing her own drama regarding guys. The lies continue to grow...

My review of this novel is pretty much like the first. I think it's a cute, fun story with likable characters. My only complaint is how they are supposed to be on a "PG rated reality show", a "family show", yet they go out to clubs, drink, party, and hook up with guys. Is that family rated? If you consider Jersey Shore to be a family show, then maybe! And also, the girls on the show are 19, underage to be drinking and going to clubs. So how is that okay to show on a TV show? Anyways... Sweet Little Lies is a nicely paced novel with plenty of "Hollywood drama". Enjoyable, but forgettable. A good summer read though and I will be reading the next one. 4 out of 5 stars.

L.A. Candy (L.A. Candy #1) by Lauren Conrad

Jane and Scarlett are just your every day girls. They recently moved to L.A. in hopes of a change of scenery. Scarlett is a UCLA (I think) student and Jane works for a prestigious event planner. Then one night, they are approached by a TV producer. He says that he's going to be filming a new "reality show that is a PG version of Sex in the City" and that Jane and Scarlett are what he's looking for. They agree, and soon realize what "reality" really is and get caught up in all the show's dramas.

First off, let me say that I've never seen the Hills and I don't know too much about Lauren Conrad, so my review is based simply off of the novel. I chose to read this because the cover is really cute, and it sounded decently interesting. I had actually started reading this a few years ago when it came out, but I think I had to return it to the library and never got around to finishing it. Anyways, here are my thoughts about it.

There's really nothing too special about it, the plot is interesting enough and the characters are decently developed. This novel is what I would consider a "beach read" where it's just a quick, fun, and really light book. I liked how it gave me more of an insight into reality TV shows, since Lauren Conrad was on one. It really made me realize that you can't believe everything you see on TV!

One thing that does make me a little angry is the low reviews on Goodreads.com , mostly of which are saying "she should stick to TV and not write a book", but it's not a bad book. It's just an okay, decent one but it doesn't need to be ragged on just because of the author's prior career. If you've ever read the A-list series, this novel fits into that category haha.

I have already read the second book in the series. They're entertaining and good enough that I'm not rolling my eyes saying "who let this person write a book". If you're up for a fun, quick novel then check this one out. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

Hello Readers!

It has been quite a while and I sincerely apologize for that. The last few months of school were very busy and filled with homework and tests. I'm sure you can relate. Anyway, today was the last day of school and I am looking forward to catching up on my reviews. I apologize in advance if they are somewhat short and not be the best :P I will try to remember the most of these books. I am currently 11 books behind my reading goal of the year, but don't worry! I will catch up this summer! Let's get on to the review now ...

The Beginning of After is a story about mourning and just dealing with life. Laurel, your average teenager, is completely devastated when she finds out that her parents and brother were killed during a car crash. She would be dead too if she hadn't had to study for school. Laurel cannot believe that the person driving the car, her neighbor's father, lies in a coma while her family was not spared. Laurel has to learn how to get on with her life and the changes that have been made. She has to learn to accept and adapt.

This book did not make me cry and I found it to be just okay. It was a decent read, but not something that was just SOOO special and touching. It is definitely not up to the standards of Sarah Dessen or Sarah Ockler, and I found this to be a little disappointing. This novel has good intentions, but I felt like there could have been MORE from it and I could have felt more connected to Laurel. 3 out of 5 stars.

Also, if you're in the mood for a touching story about loss, acceptance, and a little romance, try reading Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. I'll give you a link to my review of it here.