{Review} Smashed by Lisa Luedeke

Smashed 
Author: Lisa Luedeke
Release Date: August 21, 2012
by, Margaret K. McElderry Books
Source: *a copy was provided by the author for review purposes*
Pages: 336

A field hockey star grapples with addiction in this riveting debut that will appeal to fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak. 
Stay out of trouble for one more year, and Katie Martin can leave her small town loneliness behind forever. She is a field hockey star on the fast track to a college scholarship, but her relationship with alcohol has always been a little questionable. Then trouble finds her. Alec is the most popular guy in school, and also the biggest bully—with his sights set firmly on Katie. When Alec turns on the charm, Katie thinks she must have been wrong about him.

Except that she wasn’t. On a rain-soaked, alcohol-drenched night, one impulsive decision leaves Katie indebted to Alec in the worst possible way. This debut novel is a fast-paced and compelling story of addiction, heartbreak, and redemption.{Goodreads}

~Review:
  I've read my fair share of contemporary books with the theme being a broken girl thrown into a mix of lies, broken family, etc. It's easy for these kind of books to merge together, each one becoming a replica and nothing outstanding. I have to say that Lisa did a great job at creating Smashed so that it does not blend in with the background but instead, stands out!

  Upon reading some reviews of this book I was wary to start it. I heard things about way too much foul language, explicit sexual description, etc. I even read this one review where it said just this:

"I am now going to tell you what happens and save yourself the embarrassment of having read something so awful.

Guy attracts alcoholic (pretty, successful, and needy) girl, who is dumb enough to coerce herself into his groping hands.

Alcoholic girl parties with guy for half the book.

Alcoholic girl drives drunk with guy and crashes them into a tree, disfiguring said guy. 

Guy takes the blame for the crash so she will owe him sex. 

Guy stalks girl for half the book.

Guy rapes girl.

Girl has PTSD and then beer is found in guy's school locker. 

THE END.

oh yeah, there was supposed to be something about her dad...? Yeah there was, but it was so irrelevant and stereotypical I have forgotten..."

  Ok, I am not even the author by I'm offended. There was so much more to this book than that!! I don't know but I like the broken stories the best. The ones about the girl with so many problems she is practically drowning in them. Where the girl is so strong that she can pull through from all her problems. I think those protagonists are the strongest ones of all. They have more courage, faith, and strength than the ones fighting the government in resistance, trekking through a forest filled with demons and other scary stuff. Why? Because they hold truth. These could be the stories that help a girl or boy out because they are going through the same things.

   "Dumb enough to coerce herself into his groping hands"!!??? Excuse me!!? It is so far beyond that!! Did you not read any of her thoughts? It wasn't a fact of being dumb it was the fact of being a decent human giving someone a benefit of the doubt. She liked him. She thought he was a nice sweet guy. She didn't expect him to attempt rape! Haven't you ever been in love? It can be frighteningly true when they say "love is blind". No girl wants to be raped. No one wants to think someone they know and care about is capable of it. To be honest. I probably might have thought those thoughts before but then I read Knee Deep by Jolene Perry and it kind of opened my eyes a little more to these things that happen. It gave me a different way of thinking about girls that struggle through alchohol addictions, lying, being raped, staying in abusive relationtships, etc. You would think it'd be so easy to just turn away. I mean you'd have to be stupid to stay in an abusive relationship right? Wrong. It is so much more than that and I feel as if whoever is quick to judge is the stupid one. Now, please take note I am not calling the author of the quoted review stupid. I was just deeply offended by it and felt as if I needed to explain something.

  Now, enough with that rant, on to the book. Please, completely disregard any reviews like that. Read it for yourself and see if you agree or disagree. Take head. Don't read it. Read it. You may do as you please. The problem now a days is we see something, hear something and we are too quick to believe it. Instead of finding the facts out ourselves and thinking "Well, based on all the data I have gathered, what do I think?" and do get all sides of the story. Don't read a good review and think "Oh I am going to love it"...you may as well just hate it! Don't read a bad review and think "Oh, well that's not worth it. Might as not read it ever!"....because you very may just have loved it...found a favorite book of yours. Would you know that? No. Why? Because you took someone else's word way too easy and too much to heart. You didn't find out yourself so you lost the chance of falling in love with a book. Heed this warning. Don't. The choice is up to you.

  Ok, I did it again. I ranted and now I am already six paragraphs in and haven't talked about the book like I am supposed to!! And it is a rather boring and high on emotional ranting...Oops! ;D Where'd the fun go!? So Katie has her problems. One problem leads to the other and it all kind of just starts snowballing leaving her run over at the bottom of the hill by the huge snowball that has been falling and collecting for sometime. I felt so sorry for her. But then, I didn't. If she hadn't gone through all that stuff I don't think she would be nearly as strong as she was by the end of the book. It's hard to see but all the bad that happens to us happen for a reason. A reason we may not be able to understand at the time but a reason none the less. Isn't that a horrific thought? But its true. What doesn't kill us really does make us stronger. 

  Katie's friends were the true hope in most of the book. I loved Stan and I loved Matt and I loved Cassie. They were her backbone. Katie didn't realize it while she was being plowed but they were. No matter what she did she still had their support. It'd be nice to have those right? We can if we associate ourselves with the right people. That was one of Katie's flaws...one of the things that lead her to her ultimate downfall. She associated herself with the wrong crowd, pushed away the right crowd, then let herself be alone....think she was alone. Those who truly love us won't ever leave us alone. 

  Mr. Luedeke created a wonderful, heart wrenching, inspiring tale that absolutely touched my heart. Her writing was soulful, ugly in truth but beautiful in outcome. She really explored what it means to find love in others, and especially yourself. Life isn't easy...this is what Lisa shows us. The brutal honesty Lisa portrays is exactly what I loved about this book. It had its flaws. But don't we all? Nothing is perfect and nothing will be. I just wanted to show this one last paragraph from the previously quoted review:

Conclusion.
Let us look at the most penetrating, deep questions Katie poses to herself:

"Why did I ever do half the things I did?" (P.76)

"What did I really want?" (P.179)

Sadly, she never quite finds out. At least she apologizes for being an idiot on page 316, but she does nothing to change it.
This book perpetuates the YA lit lie that things improve without personal change. Absolutely despicable. Just think about it. We teens are getting the message from the protagonist that it's OK to smoke weed. It's OK to get hammered every chance you get. It's good in fact, because your life will improve while you do all these things! Just look at Katie! Just look at her and her stupid life and stupid choices and the utter lack of ability she has to control her own actions!

Indeed, if you take a look at all, take a good long look.
And don't forget this terrifying read."

  No. She doesn't find out exactly what she wants. Or why she did what she did. Do you? Do you know exactly what you want and why you did the things you do? If you do, damn. Color me jealous. No. Katie DOES change. She is able to have the courage to face her fears, step away from her past and start over. You can't go back and change the past. Sometimes you have to move one and completely start over. If you are constantly looking over your shoulder, you might miss that you are walking to your own death. Haha not once did it encourage the smoking of weed or to get hammered. No. SHIT! You have got to be kidding me. The hell!? Katie's life did NOT improve because of those....they let to her utter demise! She was DESTROYED because of it. She lost EVERYTHING! Have you never made a stupid decision in your life? If not, well then color me jealous TWICE. We learn from our mistakes.

  I am sorry but I found that completely insulting. We are entitled to our own opinions but if those opinions are insulting, rude, ignorant and disrespectful don't even bother opening your damn mouth. Sorry my feathers are completely ruffled. I do encourage you to read this book. I liked it. I found it inspiring and lovely. It was true. It was honest. It was done right. I don't encourage you to go and do what Katie did. I don't encourage you to make every damn mistake possible so you can "learn from it". Yes, some of Katies decision's were stupid. So are some of mine. Again, not encouraged. I encourage us to make the best decisions possible. To do what is best for you. Will you make the wrong choice sometimes? Yes. Will that cause you trouble? Most likely. Negative outcomes occur. But life doesn't come with a warning "Do this and this will destroy you". Humanity has blessed with a conscience. A conscience some people refuse to use...A conscience some choose to embrace. There is humanity, morals, goodness! Whether we choose to use them is our choice. There is no perfection in this imperfect world. Katie did some terrible things but it cost her. It molded her. It scarred her. It transformed her.

~Rating:

4 of 5 stars!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a wonderful day!!

~Jaiden

{Blog Tour} Falling for Summer by Kailin Gow

Falling for Summer
Series: Loving Summer #1.9
Author: Kailin Gow
Release Date: December 12, 2012
by, TheEdge Books
Source: *a review copy was provided for review purposes*
Format: Ebook

Love hits you when you least expect it, grabs you, sucks you in whole, and twists you around until you could hardly breathe. Love hurts like a sucker punch, that’s both glorious and beautiful. Falling for Summer was like that for me, every time. – Nat Donovan

The Donovan Brothers

Two brothers as gorgeous as they are dangerous.

Nat Donovan, the older more responsible brother with the passion of a starving man. Knows what he wants, but knows he can’t have it without giving up everything.

Drew Donovan, the really bad boy, the black sheep, the one who has a devil-may-care attitude, wants what he wants, but knows he would have to go through the ones he loves to have it.

Nat and Drew Donovan has known Summer Jones since they were kids. She had always been the girl next door who was best friends with their little sister Rachel and was cool enough to play with the guys. Now Summer is all grown up, gorgeous, and scorchingly sexy without even knowing it. Responsible older brother Nat, who had always tried to keep their friendship platonic, now can’t stop thinking of her and wanting more. Carefree Drew, who had always had a crush on Summer, but knew Summer’s heart was already taken, can only fall further for her. But no one had anticipated what would happen between the time the Donovan brothers fell for her and now. No one knew how hard they would fall.{Goodreads}

~Review:

  Lets start out by saying I have yet to read Loving Summer. When I got the invite for the Falling for Summer tour I was informed that you did not have to have read Loving Summer in order to understand Falling for Summer. Its true. I wasn’t completely lost when reading it but I have to admit I felt a tad out of the loop. (The author) did a good job filling you in about the past events and the characters involved. I have to say that I still recommend you reading Loving Summer. I think I might have enjoyed this book a hell of a lot better if I had. Now, this does not mean I didn’t enjoy it cus I did. A lot. I just felt as if I was missing that personal connection that is loved when reading a book. It was talking with two people that share too many inside jokes. I was missing those mere details that would provide that tie with the characters and their story. I had questions like what happened last summer!? The most important one of all. Other than that Falling for Summer carried its own story and I enjoyed it. If anything it made me want to read Loving Summer that much more. I have kept my eye on it for a while now but just haven’t found time to just yet. Looks like I will be pushing some books behind for it huh? ;D

  (The author) has a nice writing style. It all kind of just flows and makes you sit back and enjoy the words on the screen (or pages). I will admit that at times I caught grammatical errors but hey, she is an indie author and I find with most indie books there are bound to be mistakes and heck! Even the published books have their mistakes. These mistakes never hindered me from loving this book though. The characters, even though I didn’t have a deeper connection with them due to not reading the first book, grew on me. Summer is a strong, independent girl I came to enjoy. I was kind of surprised when the book had chapters from her point of view. I expected it to just be Nat’s book which obviously added to the surprise of having Drew’s point of view too.

  Now, lets get down to the nitty-gritty shall we? ;) Boys..to be more clear…the Donovan boys! O my! These boys are hot. Seriously. At times I felt as though some of Drew’s sexy dialect was a bit awkward but at others…holy smoking cows!! Ya, he had me drooling. That said, I think my heart belongs to Nat. He is totally hot and completely and entirely sweet. He is strong, courageous and would do anything for Summer. That really really shined through in this book. Again, I have no clue what happened that summer but I know I love Nat Donavon. Let’s see if that changes when I read Loving Summer. (I hardly doubt it but…I do have an act for falling for the “Drew” types).

  All in all I am so glad I got to participate in the Falling for Summer Tour! It was a super cute read and I can’t wait to read more. I totally recommend this book if you are a fan of cute beach reads with a horrible (meaning you have two boys that have you doubting the team you are on with every line of theirs) love triangle, some drama, emotion, and a little bit of inspiration. This book was totally worth the read. I feel that if I had read Loving Summer this book would be getting a better rate so based of of that…. 

This review was apart of the SupaGirls Tour....

~Rating:

4 out of 5 stars!!

~Author:

Contact her at: ~Website~Blog~Twitter~Facebook~Goodreads~

Kailin Gow uses her author platform to bring awareness to issues affecting young adult and women. She has appeared on national radio as a regular guest on topics such as body image, self-esteem, dating and sexual relationships, bullying, and more; often brought up in her fiction books for young adults and women. She has won multiple awards from the International Book Awards and the Green Book Festival. Selling over half a million books, Kailin Gow has been a bestselling author of over 100 distinct books which includes the Desire Series, PULSE, Wicked Woods, and the Frost Series. She has been professionally published since 2001. She was one of the first authors for young readers to write books for girls with supernatural elements. Her first book series about extraordinary girls guided by an angel in 2001, was a success, selling thousands of print copies in days, and inspiring girl book clubs around the U.S. In 2003, she came out with more series, including The Fairy Rose Chronicles, about fairies in Feyland. Her books have been recommended by PBS Kids, US Mental Health Association, the PTA, and homeschooling associations in the United States.

Thanks for stopping by!! 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! ;D

<3 Jaiden 

{Review} What Kills Me by Wynne Channing

What Kills Me
Author: Wynne Channing
Release Date: June 6, 2012
by, Jet & Jack Press
Source: *a copy was provided by the author for review purposes*
Format: E-book
Pages: 209

The fight for survival begins.  An ancient prophecy warns of a girl destined to cause the extinction of the vampire race.
So when 17-year-old Axelia falls into a sacred well filled with blood and emerges a vampire, the immortal empire believes she is this legendary destroyer. Hunted by soldiers and mercenaries, Axelia and her reluctant ally, the vampire bladesmith Lucas, must battle to survive.
How will she convince the empire that she is just an innocent teenager-turned bloodsucker and not a creature of destruction? And if she cannot, can a vampire who is afraid of bugs summon the courage to fight a nation of immortals? {Goodreads}

~Review:
  For starters...another absolutely stunning cover!! Like seriously...look at that guys!! It has a major gorgeous factor there!! And its story...even more amazing and wonderful!!

  Here is an honest confession for you guys...I am afraid to read vampire books. Yup!! Its true! But...not because the vampires scare me. No, its because I am afraid of the writing, the plot, the story line. I am a fan of the Twilight saga. I really am but...every vampire book is in need to copy them and make as big of a name. They try to hard and they end up being..not so good. So starting this book I was afraid that it might be another vampire flop...Dudes...I had no reason to be worried. This book was so flippin fantastic!! The vampire lore was a mix of different stories I had read from. The story line was unique and the writing was superb! Wynne Channing definitely has a gift. Her writing and her imagination! She is a new favorite author of mine! Plus...a million props to her for defining herself in the world of vampire books. That is exactly what she did with her book..she stands out and proves that not all vampire books have to be a sappy love story...they can be kick ass and still have a love story entwined but one that doesn't take up the entire book.

  This book had me hooked and I couldn't put it down. It was intense and completely entrancing. Zee was one awesome character to stick with. She is smart and witty and totally kick ass...even if she doesn't know it. Zee was just a normal teen seeking a summer adventure in the land of Italy and maybe a little summer romance in a foreign city would be nice right? Ya, so that's when she meets a nice, handsome guy....a guy that leads her to her doom....almost literally. He, after trying to kill her (vampire folks!!) introduces her to the world of vampires. Again, after luring her with his charm...tries to kill her and ends up doing it...unintentionally. What!? Well, he planned sucking her dry but she ended up dying a different way...and then she returns..as a vampire...a vampire wanted by the vampire Monarchy..dead. And that is where are plot takes off!

  This book was intense and crazy! Along the way she meets Noel, Jerome, and Lucas. But things go down and I can't say much more without ruining the entire book for you. Mrs. Channing is also not a amateur when it comes to the fighting scenes....and yes, this book has tons of action packed fighting! Like I said...intense and crazy! The characters were so well written and the story was too making it feel like you are right there with Lucas and Zee the entire time! Lucas!! My goodness!! Lucas!! I loved him from the beginning! Well..to be honest I thought Zee and Jerome were going to be the love interest but..it ended up being Lucas and I am SO SO greatfull!! Lucas has his scars. He doesn't smile often and s often broody and as far as first impressions go...jerk status!! But there is so much more to him. You have to be pretty special for him to go out of his way protecting you. Him and Zee are major pains in the asses....so combine them and...ya, they pair up perfectly! I love how their love was a slow progression. They hated each other...slowly made it to tolerate each other....made friends...then they loved each other...but didn't act on it but when they did...SPARKS!!!! They were awesome together. They learned to have fun and they had their witty banter that just ended up defining them. I love Lucas!! He is definitely up there in my favorite boy crushes!!!! Omg....what happened..their first kiss...so awesome! It was just perfect. They were perfect!!

  This book was perfect!!! I can't even write a nice, semi-sophisticated review for this one! I am too busy fan girling over here!What Kills Me caught me completely off-guard sadly...I should have had full faith in it but I think that is what made it even better for me! The ending was magnificent and has me begging for more! What Kills Me is enticing and full out fantastic! You will fall head-over-heels in love with this book. From the writing, love, kick-ass fighting and characters and the vampire lore this book will knock you out! It has everything a perfect book has! I suggest every single one of you go pick up a copy ASAP! You do NOT want to miss out on this book! Seriously one of the best vampire books I have ever read! It deserves so much more hype and everyone should read it! Please!! Please! Please tell me there is a sequel cus all I want is more!!! I had planned on saying so much more but...starting to write this review...I lost all train of thought to the gushy love I have for it! I say this every time but it is true...I have tried to hold back on the five star hand outs because I wanted the big 5 star award to have more meaning to it...5 stars should only be given if the book is absolutely amazing....an obsession...a book that sinks its claws into your little heart....one that will forever leave footprints....and this book you guys...has everything needed to claim a 5 star ranking so.....

~Rating: 

5 of 5 wonderful stars!!!!!! <3 Buy. it. Now!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Have a great day! :)

~Jaiden

{Review} Wander Dust by Michelle Warren

Wander Dust
Series: The Seraphina Parrish Trilogy #1
Author: Michelle Warren
Release Date: November 30, 2011
Source: **an ebook copy was provided by the author for review purposes**
Format: ebook
Pages: 374

Ever since her sixteenth birthday, strange things keep happening to Seraphina Parrish.
The Lady in Black… burns Sera’s memories.  Unexplainable Premonitions… catapult her to other cities.
The Grungy Gang… wants to kill her.
And a beautiful, mysterious boy… stalks her.
But when Sera moves to Chicago, and her aunt reveals their family connection to a centuries old, secret society, she is immediately thrust into an unbelievable fantasy world, leading her on a quest to unravel the mysteries that plague her. In the end, their meanings crash into an epic struggle of loyalty and betrayal, and she’ll be forced to choose between the boy who has stolen her heart and the thing she desires most.
Wander Dust is the breathtaking fantasy that will catapult you through a story of time, adventure, and love. {Goodreads}

~Review:
  Where to start? Uhmm the cover? Uhhh gorgeous!!!!!! And the title! So adorable! I totally got it after reading the book! I love when the titles have a direct link to something in the story line! Michelle Warren was not only a brilliant cover and title creator...she was a fantastic writer! I loved her writing style and her creativity with Wander Dust!

  Seraphina was a great protagonist. She was real and strong. Yes, I use the word "real" a lot when I refer to characters but it is one of my main needs in characters, in books. I have to be able to find something to relate to. It all can't be pure fiction. I need real. And this book had it. Props!! I liked all the characters! Even the bad ones! They all had these likeable things to them. Well...maybe not one of them...stupid girls ;) But I felt betrayed with the ones who I came to like. I felt a loss just like Sera. :( I LOVED Bishop!!!! O.M.G!!! British? Yes please! Brown hair, green eyes? Hell Yes!! And then on top of it all...he is your protector? An excuse to spend time with him? Double hell to the yes!! Give me!! ;D He was not just a pretty face though...no this boy is as sweet as it gets and...the most romantic thing? They can travel to exotic places thanks to the wandering abilities...also...in whatever time they want...as long as they have a relic of course!

   Now you have to give props where props are due.....This was an awesome sci-fi time traveling book. I loved the "wander dust", relics, and team theories! I loved it all! It was all so awesome and thought out! I seriously wish I had the wanderer's powers! :( I want my own protector too ;)...just saying! I had so much fun reading this book! I didn't want it to end and then of course how it ended!! Thankfully, thanks to Michelle, I didn't have to but I guess in a way I do...I have books up to my ears peeps!! :( But omg, this book was amazing ya'll! I can't express any more how much I loved the theories of this time travel! I loved following this book around to how things fell in place and all! A-MAY-ZING!!

  Wander Dust is excitingly unique. With its brilliant, enticing, and time-warping story line you are bound to be hooked from the very beginning! I had only ever read one time traveling book before and I found Wander Dust wonderfully refreshing! I loved Wander Dust! Once I got into it (which didn't take too long) I couldn't put it down. I totally recommend this book to any sci-fi time traveling lovers! And to all those who aren't! You will find yourself pleasantly surprised! It has a cute love story and awesome theories to tie you into the story. If I had one super power/paranormal power it definitely would be time-traveling! I am a history junky and that would be an easy way to get around history with the personal experience! I mean wow...Ya, guys read this! You won't regret it at all!

~Rating:

4.5 out of 5 wonderful stars!!! 

Thanks for stopping by!! 

Have a great day!! <3

~Jaiden 

{Review} Hurricane by Jenna-Lynne Duncan

Hurricane (Hurricane #1)
Author: Jenna-Lynne Duncan
Published: August 29, 2011
Source: review e-book copy! MAJOR thanks!
Pages: 208
Publisher: Divertir Publishing LLC

Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…

A portion of the sales from 'Hurricane' will be going to the New Orleans Area Habitat Humanity for Humanity. {Goodreads}

Wow you guys! This book was incredible! First off I want to apologize to the author! It has taken me an awful amaount of time to get you review and I apologize greatly! (Also to other authors that are still waiting for the reviews: An explanation, apology, and agreement post will be up soon!)

As for the book.....ya it was amazing! I have slapped myself for putting reading it for so long! It has so much to offer! The beginning intrigues you and makes you wonder what is going to happen! Great prologue! Genius! It has so many mysteries and gets right to the point! Miss Duncan wastes no time and has a way with words that's for sure!

Adriana was a great protagonist. I enjoyed reading everything from her point of view. She isa person I can relate to...except for the paranormal in her life that is. This book was so detailed I believed it to be real some of the times! I literally had to check outside at a couple of times to see if there was a hurricane brewing outside and I live in a dessert! :O Seriously...like no joke! I had to constantly make sure I was brunette (have the blue eyes) and that everything was like it as supposed to be....THAT'S how real it all seemed!

Oh I can't leave out the boys now can I? So I admit! I love these boys! Word of advice for when you read this book....go easy on Luke.....Hayden...Hayden is super cute! Man I can't even say anything without giving it all away! All I'm going to say is...As cute as Hayden is....I LOVE Luke! Always have even from the very beginning...I don't know why I just did and I knew! From the very beginning I knew!! Muahahahahahaha #TeamLuke...enough said! ;p

~~~~~~~*My Rate*~~~~~~~

4 and 1/2 out of 5 stars!!

~~~~~~~*Final Say-So*~~~~~~~

You guys NEED to read this whenever you get the chance! You will not regret it! And a portion of your buy helps go to the New Orleans Area Habitat Humanity for Humanity!! Great right! This book is one I am going to re-read for sure! Even now I keep re-reading my favorite part over and over AND over and OVER AGAIN!!! I just can't get enough! It makes me smile every time I think of.......ya book two needs to come out soon! That ending was way to terrible! ;p

Thanks & many sorrys!!

~Jaiden