ARC Book Review | Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby

Format: e-ARC
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: April 21, 2015
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

When Quinn Sullivan meets the recipient of her boyfriend’s donated heart, the two form an unexpected connection.

After Quinn loses her boyfriend, Trent, in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the pieces of her now-unrecognizable life. She hears back from some of them, but the person who received Trent’s heart has remained silent. The essence of a person, she has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent’s, then maybe she can have peace once and for all.

Risking everything in order to finally lay her memories to rest, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas—a guy whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it—especially since he has no idea how they're connected—but their time together has made Quinn feel alive again. No matter how hard she’s falling for Colton, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she’s lost…and all that remains at stake.

Book Review | Legacy by Ellery Kane

Format: Paperback
Source: Author via Goodreads
Publisher: Balboa Press
Publication: September 5, 2014
Pages: 254
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

How do you want to feel today?

In 2041, the choice is yours.

San Francisco is deserted, the Bay Bridge bombed, and the BART subway trains grounded. The Guardians, members of an elite and mysterious government-appointed military police force, are maintaining order at all costs—thanks to emotion-altering drugs like Emovere that suppress fear and anxiety. Lex Knightley, daughter of a prominent forensic psychiatrist, risks entering the devastated city to partner with the Resistance, a group of rebels intent upon exposing the dangers of Emovere. Lex discovers an ally in Quin McAllister, a magnetic Guardian Force recruit with a haunting past that binds them together. As she uncovers the secrets of the Guardian Force and confronts the truth about her family, Lex begins to realize that even those closest to her are not quite who they seem.

ARC Book Review | When Reason Breaks by Cindy L. Rodriguez

Format: e-ARC
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication Date: February 10, 2015
Pages: 304
My Rating:4.5 out of 5 stars

13 Reasons Why meets the poetry of Emily Dickinson in this gripping debut novel perfect for fans of Sara Zarr or Jennifer Brown.

A Goth girl with an attitude problem, Elizabeth Davis must learn to control her anger before it destroys her. Emily Delgado appears to be a smart, sweet girl, with a normal life, but as depression clutches at her, she struggles to feel normal. Both girls are in Ms. Diaz’s English class, where they connect to the words of Emily Dickinson. Both are hovering on the edge of an emotional precipice. One of them will attempt suicide. And with Dickinson’s poetry as their guide, both girls must conquer their personal demons to ever be happy.

In an emotionally taut novel with a richly diverse cast of characters, readers will relish in the poetry of Emily Dickinson and be completely swept up in the turmoil of two girls grappling with demons beyond their control.

ARC Review | The End of Feeling by Cindy C. Bennett

Fomat: e-ARC
Source: Publisher via Netgalley
Publisher: Skyscape
Publication: January 27, 2015
Pages: 304
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Benjamin Nefer seems to have it all. He’s the most popular guy in school, the star quarterback with college scouts looking at him, his grades are near the top of his class, he can get any girl he wants . . . but he hides behind his dream life to mask the nightmare of his reality.

Charlie Austin is the new girl. Forced to move in with a bitter aunt, she only wants to protect her fragile mom from the world’s cruelty. When Benjamin sets his sights on Charlie, she’s armored against his charm—friends warned her about Benjamin’s game of pursuing and then dumping a long line of girls, not caring about the broken hearts he leaves behind. She doesn’t count on how single-minded he can be when she refuses him, or how charismatic, easing into her life through what he claims is just friendship.

Benjamin thought he could keep Charlie in the same place he keeps all girls—something to be used and then discarded. But Charlie has as many secrets as he does, secrets he’s determined to discover while keeping his own hidden. He realizes she’s the perfect girlfriend candidate . . . someone he can use to keep up the façade of a perfect life. Now he just has to keep his frozen heart from softening toward this unique girl, because if he doesn’t, his carefully constructed lies might just come thundering down around him, crushing him beneath the burden of feeling.

Book Review | No Such Thing as Perfect by Sarah Daltry

Format: e-RC

Source: Sarah Daltry's Rep. Karen via E-mail

Publisher: Smashwords Edition

Publication Date: November 27, 2014

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

College was supposed to be perfect. She was supposed to be perfect.

For Lily Drummond, life is about following the rules. To be specific, her mother’s rules. College fit into the plan – maintain perfect grades, date the perfect guy, and live the perfect life. On her own, though, Lily realizes that she doesn’t actually have a plan. Without being told what to think and do, she keeps making mistakes.

Away from home, the perfect facade is beginning to shatter. When Lily herself starts to break, it’s the support of an unlikely friend that teaches her how much of a lie perfect really is – and how to be whole on her own terms.

NOTE: This is NOT a romance novel and there is no on-camera sex.

Review: Storm by Brigid Kemmerer

Find this book on Amazon

From Goodreads:

Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys all the ones she doesn't want. Ever since her ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her. Then she saves Chris Merrick from a beating in the school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water just like his brothers can control fire, wind, and earth. They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death.

And now that she knows the truth, so is Becca.

Secrets are hard to keep when your life's at stake. When Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes head-to-head with Chris, and Becca wonders who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all.

The storm is coming

My Thoughts:

This book had me hooked from the first chapter.  Once I picked it up, I didn’t put it down until I was finished.  Storm starts off on a dark night with Becca literally swooping in to save Chris Merrick’s life.  Everything pretty much goes downhill from there, when she realizes Chris and his brothers aren’t normal.  The Merrick brothers are targeted due to their levels of power and now that Becca is involved with them, she isn’t safe anymore either.

I love the characters in this book.  Becca is this strong, bad-ass girl but with all of the rumors going around about her she is also vulnerable.  And the Merrick brothers *sigh*.  There’s Michael, the oldest, who controls Earth; the twins, Nick who controls Air and Gabriel, the hot tempered twin who controls fire; and finally we have Chris, the youngest who controls water.   I don’t think Ms. Kemmerer could have done a better job writing the brothers.  I loved that they have this brotherly bond, and even though they fight they still look out and care for one another.

This book is action packed, with plot twists that you won’t see coming.  Brigid Kemmerer is definitely an author to look out for.  Spark is definitely on my wishlist.

My Rating: