All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

Does the racism and Islamophobia bring out all my rage...yes.
I just wanna protect my babies who are just trying their best. 
Sabaa Tahir makes me feel so many things and I was....like...so stressed out.
I cried at least twice.
384 Pages

Psalm of Storm and Silence by Roseanne A Brown

A new ship shows up: thanks I hate it. 
The whole "Find one thing" just...resonates with me for so many reasons.
And there's Madam Zeroni vibes

560 Pages

A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

I will protect Monty with my life. He is stupid and I love him. 

Helena and the string. I'm dead. Send help. 
Ok but like......coming to terms with trauma and accepting yourself. A+
Percy is honestly my favorite. I would die for him.

Felicity is so fierce and wonderful. She's got female Sherlock vibes. (Or Molly Hooper?)
544 Pages

The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis

The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was gut-wrenching. I find stories of parental abuse to be very disturbing, but I also can't stop reading them once I get started, at least not until I know whether or not the child survives and/or escapes it.

This is also a story of friendship and first love and finding your voice in the worst of circumstances. There are brief flashes of gorgeousness between all the painful moments, and those moments are so hopeful that it pulls you through the rough patches.

Pages: 336

The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor

The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was not what I expected. It's a story of first love gone awry. Bettina receives very little trust or respect from her father, so when she receives that in her first relationship, and worse, she doesn't at first recognize that the comments, behaviors, and treatment is wrong. Once she does realize it she stays in the situation for far too long, and for all the wrong reasons.

Then a gentler soul becomes her friend and helps to show her the ways in which the people who love her should treat her.

This story sounds hopeful, and on some level it is. But first you have to endure a lot of pain, suffering, and tragedy. It runs far deeper than I expected and stirred up a lot of emotions.

Book 30 read in 2019

Pages: 368

Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry

Only a Breath Apart by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book releases January 22, 2019: Go pre-order a copy right now!

This book fronts as a YA contemporary romance, but it has this delicious undercurrent of magical realism that just takes my breath away.

It reminded me of being a kid, when I also felt so tied to the land that I haven’t set foot on again since I was about 13 years old. It’s funny the way the things that shape us as a child can suddenly seem so distant once you are 38. This story threw me back into the shell of an emotionally fragile teenager who fought through the challenges life served up in a far less graceful and mature fashion than Jesse and Scarlett. Granted, I didn't have the sort of mentors they had to help guide me on my way.

This story basically scratched me raw from the insides out, and I spent the better part of the story trying not to cry, not because it’s so painfully sad but because it hit home in so many ways that just left me feeling vulnerable and emotional.

Katie McGarry understands characters and relationship dynamics in a way that is so real and honest. She creates characters that I fall so hard in love with that it hurts just a bit when I have to admit to myself that they aren’t real. The writing is excellent. The plotting and pacing are spot on, and this story is gritty and aches in all the right and wrong kinds of ways. It ran me through the full emotional spectrum, and the end result is that it was such a satisfying read that I expect this story will cling to me, even after I have moved on to other books.

I will definitely reread this one, and while I received it free from Netgalley to review, I suspect I’ll pop on Audible and pre-order the audio, as this is a story I could reread again and again and likely take something a bit different away from it each time I revisit it.

Like the land, this story has life and breathes.

Book 7 read in 2019

Pages: 368

Fallen Crest High by Tijan

Fallen Crest High by Tijan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

On the drama scale of 0 to 10, this gets a 27. It’s as if a soap opera, had an affair with a telenovela, and all the offspring got sent to high school. That’s what I liked best about this book.

The initial drama sucks you in, and it isn’t until you step back from it that you realize some things are missing here, like character development, plot elements (including a plot, in general), transitions between scenes and dialogue, setting, and realism and believability, which typically exist in a contemporary novel.

You have to suspend disbelief at a pro level for this one. Still, it’s an amusing experience, if you need a change of pace.

The final thing I found difficult is that the story has approximately 237 side characters, when about 15 would have been sufficient. The majority of those side characters aren’t developed past having a name and a side in the drama. Most of them aren't useful to the story, and they just get in the way and waste time.

343 Read in 2018

Pages: 375

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Fallen Crest Family by Tijan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Book two is the end of the line for me. All of the writing issues that were evident in book one are magnified in book two. And it’s exhausting. I love drama, but I can’t handle the poor story construction any longer.

The plot is missing, as are most plot elements. The only thing that fuels this book is drama, but it all feels like recycled drama at this point. The conflicts are all weak, which in turn equals boring, which is a shame, as this book could actually use some real conflict…not blown up, unrealistic drama, but true conflict, the kind that forces characters to make difficult choices and reveal more of who they are.

There are even more side characters in book 2 who aren’t developed at all. Example: Hey, meet Jeff. We don’t know what Jeff looks like, who he is, why he matters to the story, or even what his personality is. He just suddenly appears out of thin air, as if he has always been there. Then Jeff keeps getting his name randomly mentioned in the scenes that pretty much could go in any order, as it’s all the same thing over and over again: parent drama, sex, party time, sex, teen drama, threats of violence, sex, substance abuse, parental neglect and abuse, drama, sex, party time, repeat ad infinitum.

Also, the main characters don’t show any level of growth. They’re basically the same as they were in book one, so I couldn’t stay interested in following them through the endless cycle of repeat scenarios, ad nauseam. They have the potential to be interesting, layered individuals, but they aren’t. It would be fun to peel away those layers, but it never happens….or it happens at a snail's pace, which isn’t enough to keep me reading. Honestly, everything that happened in book one and two could easily have been condensed to fit in the first half of book one, had this been edited better and rewritten.

There are no transitions between scenes, so one second we are at a party, and then I suddenly realize we are with an entirely different group of people in another location, and I don’t even know how we got there or why that occurred. The setting and world building are almost nonexistent, which would be okay, if the story was easy to follow. It's not. You're going to get whiplash from how it just randomly jumps around as soon as the dialogue cuts off.

Plus, two of the characters basically have the same name, and since I listened on audio, it was the end of book two before I knew it was two different people. I mean, it honestly could have just been one person, as basically both Tate and Kate are just mean girls, so I didn’t lose much from the story by not realizing that Kate was a separate person. She might as well just be Tate.

If you like lots of drama and steam, and you can overlook issues with story construction,you might fare well with this. Both of my book besties really enjoyed it,which makes me the odd woman out. I tried to let it all go, but I just can’t overlook that many issues with the writing. I’ve reached the point where the more I read, the more frustrated I get by it, so I'm calling it quits here and moving on to something better.

If you are looking for an excellent YA romance series with lots of drama, that is extremely well-written, try anything by Katie McGarry. I also enjoyed I'LL MEET YOU THERE by Heather Demetrios.

Book 344 Read in 2018

Pages: 287

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

*#&^*&@^*!!

~$*%(@&%#*!(*#&*%$@!

Every. Time. This just guts me. I have a brutal headache. I've been emotionally distressed all day, and I just cried my eyes out, and yet there's such a layer of raw truth in this book that even after it completely breaks me down, I just want to pick it back up and start again at the beginning.

If I want to read Colleen Hoover over and over again for fun, I'd run straight to UGLY LOVE, but when I want to read her best book, the one that she put the most of herself in and that because of that it's so painfully honest and raw that it's like having my skin scratched off with sandpaper while I read, then it's this book.

And the author's note at the end of the book is quite frankly the best and most upsetting part.

Book 321 read in 2018

Pages: 376

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
*expletives redacted*

I had no idea what this story was about. I just started it, because I read everything Colleen Hoover writes. No. I don't just read her stories. I drink them down and dwell inside them. She creates characters and worlds that cling to you, that make you face all your hopes and fears, that put you through the full range of emotions.

Anyway, long story short, I was completely unprepared for how a book with such a pretty cover could contain such ugliness, pain, and suffering. I mean, the destroyed flower probably should have been a warning sign . . . Regardless, it's still a gorgeous story, in the kind of way the embers of a fire are beautiful, after the flames have just destroyed something.

Be sure to read the author's note at the end of the story.

Pushing the Limits Series by Katie McGarry

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

Katie McGarry is an Author Goddess. She writes words that wrap me up inside so tight that I don't care about the world going on around me. Her characters are complex and layered. Her storylines are interesting and so effective. She takes every emotion I have and forces me to feel it at max volume. It melts my face off, and I love it.

This is my 2nd time through this book, and I'm still stunned by this story.

Book 309 read in 2018

Pages: 392

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
It's emotionally gut-wrenching in the cry so many tears the page gets blurry kind of way. The characters are complex and well-developed. The storyline is fascinating and fast-paced. The voice is good, the writing admirable, and I love the alternating POVs.

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Dare You To by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

I'm really glad I decided to revisit this series, because it has so many things I enjoy in a good story. The characters are complex, well-developed, and show a lot of growth. There is a school counselor who is interesting and quirky and does a whole lot to help these teens with their struggles. The parents are all flawed individuals, who also don't make the best choices, so that's a recurring theme that continues to be interesting.

They're also romantic in a realistic, believable sort of way, and Katie McGarry is a phenomenal storyteller. I'd read the sports pages, if she'd write them (not that I get a newspaper, I don't, because this is 2018).

Book 310 read in 2018

Pages:456

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Crash into You by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

I don't know how many of you had a moment in your teenage years, or maybe even early 20s, where you realize your parents are more screwed up than you are (or than you ever even understood). If you did, then you'll relate to this series on a whole different level, because it showcases a lot of flawed and complicated family relationships, which make the stories more interesting, though often more painful.

Isaiah is a delicious book boyfriend, even if he sometimes needs to dial down the overprotective vibe. And watching Rachel deal with her anxiety and panic attacks, and/or not deal with them, added another layer of concern to the story.

I definitely still appreciate the pro-therapy/counseling message of this series.

Book 311 read in 2018

Pages: 474

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
I'm so upset that this story ended. I can't even talk about it right now. I just wanted to stay in the world for as long as possible, and now I'm kicked back out of it and devastated. Boo on reality. This is going to be an ugly book hangover.

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Take Me On by Katie McGarry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

#BecRereads2018

There were so many characters in this story on their own difficult journeys. Every person in the story has a purpose, and every major side character is developed well enough that you really get invested in everyone, not just the main couple.

This is the story of a boy who can't stop fighting everyone and everything, and a girl who did nothing but fight and now never wants to fight again.

Book 312 read in 2018

Pages: 544

PREVIOUS REVIEW:
Don't love fighting. Do love this book. Katie McGarry writes flawed characters who are so lovable I hate when our time together ends.

View all my reviews