{Review} The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy by Jenny Han

The Summer I Turned Pretty
Release Date: May 5, 2009
It's Not Summer Without You
Release Date: April 27, 2010
We'll Always Have Summer
Release Date: April 26, 2011
(all) by, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Series: The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy #1-3
Author: Jenny Han
Source: bought; ebook

Belly has always lived for the summertime because it means all her favorite things: swimming, the beach and the Fisher boys, Conrad and Jeremiah. She has spent every summer with them at Cousins Beach for as long as she can remember. She has always been in love with Conrad and finally, one summer, it seems like he might have feelings for her too. But it turns out, so does Jeremiah.

As the summers go on, Belly has to choose between two brothers who love her as she comes to the realization that she will have to break one of their hearts.

For the first time, all three Summer novels are in one collection, including The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer.{Goodreads}

~Review:
  I've been dying to read this series for forever!! It always appealed to me! It sounded so cute and light and and I never got the chance to read it. It's been two years since the last book came out and I barely read it! So I was on a super long road trip and had just finished Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi. I needed something cute and fun to help me calm down from the super hot emotional ride that was Unravel Me. I went to read something else but thought about it and thought it was about damn time I read this series!

 I flew through this series! I read the first two in a matter of a seven hour drive and the last in one day while we rested at the hotel. They were short and simple but they were oh so cute and absolutely adorable! They were cliche in some parts but idk I think that's what I liked about them! Jenny Han has a cute writing style. Yes, I'm going to continue to use the words cute and adorable in this review. That's what they were though! If I could compare them to anything I think it would be a ballerina  music box. Both are girly, cute, delicate and sweet.

We follow Belly throughout her love life. She has only ever loved Conrad but the feelings were never reciprocated. The summer of her 14 birthday she comes back to the Fisher beach house like they do every summer but this summer, this summer she turns pretty. Well, she just gains the attention that she has always but by BOTH Fisher boys. Belly is whiny and frustrating at times but when it comes down to it she is just an ordinary girl hoping to find love. I liked Conrad and I enjoyed Jeremiah's presence. Both boys are like night and day. Jeremiah is fun and loud and a bundle of joy. Conrad is more grim and brooding. Both are cute and each loves Belly.

  I think my favorite would be the third book. Belly finally matures some more and there was enough of other stuff going on that it's not all about the beach house and Conrad. Each boy has had their turn with Belly by the third book and it's now Jeremiah's turn. Ok so actually my favorite would have to be the end of the second book.

  All in all I am glad I finally read this series. It was fun. It definitely wasn't a big favorite of mine but I did enjoy it! It was perfect for a simple beach read or road trip read. It was full of promises, growing up, love, loss, and those cute fluffy thoughts some girls embrace and others keep hidden. If you are looking for simple, fun and frilly then this is your book! If you like some of the more intense, broken, complicated romance books I would completely recommend it. There's not a whole lot of depth to these books but I wouldn't not recommend it. It was really good for what it was. If it peaks your interest definitely give t a try! :)

~Rating:

3.5 of 5 stars!

(the whole series) 

{Review} What the Spell? by Brittany Geragotelis

What the Spell?
Series: Life's a Witch #1
Author: Brittany Geragotelis
Release Date: January 29, 2013
by, Simon and Schuster
Source: *a copy was provided by the author for review*
Pages: 288

A teenage witch juggles popularity and romance while keeping her powers a secret in this spellbinding debut.Almost-sixteen-year-old Brooklyn feels invisible, but she desperately wants to be pretty, to be popular, to be adored by a cute guy. Luckily for her, she’s a witch about to come of age—so she’s only a few spells away from making it all happen.


On her milestone birthday, Brooklyn’s conservative parents finally unbind her powers, which include the ability to magically match couples with a love spell. Brooklyn uses her special skills to get a makeover, new friends, and the attention of her crush, Asher. But the popular clique Brooklyn wants to infiltrate puts her in the same precarious position as her Salem ancestors: If she’s found out, she could be vilified—and lose Asher in the process. Can she make the most of her magic, or will she be luckless and loveless? Be careful what you witch for!{Goodreads}

~Trailer:

~Review:
  The way I got this book was totally epic. I had it as a WOW post cray se I loved the quirky title and series name. A quirky author=a fun book! So anyways she saw the tweet and was gracious enough to offer me a copy!! I was super excited!!

  Now the main question? Was it worth all my hype? Yes I think it was. There were times I wanted to throw it across the room and slap Brooklyn so hard that her head turned around but I still enjoyed it when the book ended.

  Brooklyn was my main problem but it was a problem created purposely by the author I think. The thing is is Brooklyn is a witch. A witch that had her powers bound for her life until now, her sixteenth birthday. If your powers were bound your whole life would you be a little more than curious and go a little buck-wild? Ya well that's what she does. But another thing is Brooklyn is a sort of wall flower and she is tired of it. She's tired of her average looks and eating lunch with the guidance counselor. She wants to be noticed. Admired. Envied. She wants to be an Elite. I was just so annoyed by how shallow and naive she was. She made mistake after mistake hurting people after people and ruining why made her...her!! Again that was kind of the point. If she hasn't done all those stupid things that made me want to slap her she wouldn't have learned and t wouldn't have ended the way it did.

  This book was fun and more of a contemporary with a slight dash of the witch paranormal. I mean, excluding the magic Brooklyn uses to get her through life it would be a contemporary. Now I know what your thinking. Wouldn't that be the case with ALL paranormal books? Strip away the paranormal and that's all your left with right? Ok so let me rephrase then. There wasn't any paranormal goal. There wasn't some huge witch hunter threatening Brooklyn or anything like that that normally drives the paranormal plot. There was mention of the Salem witch trials and hunters but that was it. Just mentioned.

  I think What the Spell was a fun read. It is the book that introduces one hell of a series. I can feel it. The way it ended just goes to show the amount of potential for the Life's a Witch series and I am highly looking forward to reading more of it. It was like the Nightwatchers series by Michelle Rowen. book one wasn't my favorite but i knew the next one would be epic and it totally was. there is so much potential for this series its ridiculous! hopefully book two will bring just what it needs to and dazzle me! ;D The writing was really clean and crisp. It flowed and made for a breezy read. Knowing this book had an awesome author made the book that much more awesome. You could tell she had fun writing it just by reading it. That my friends is something you don't get all the time. To actually feel that is spectacular! It's a one in a million kind of thing. Would I recommend this book? Yes!!

~Rating:

3.5 of 5 stars!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Have a great day!! :)

~Jaiden 

{Blog Tour} Vengeance Bound by Justina Ireland

Vengeance Bound
Author: Justina Ireland
Release Date: April 2, 2013
by, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Source: *a copy was provided for review purposes on this tour*
Buy: ~Amazon~IndieBound~
Pages: 320

The Goddess Test meets Dexter in an edgy, compelling debut about one teen’s quest for revenge… no matter how far it takes her.  

Cory Graff is not alone in her head. Bound to a deal of desperation made when she was a child, Cory’s mind houses the Furies—the hawk and the serpent—lingering always, waiting for her to satisfy their bloodlust. After escaping the asylum where she was trapped for years, Cory knows how to keep the Furies quiet. By day, she lives a normal life, but by night, she tracks down targets the Furies send her way. And she brings down Justice upon them.


Cory’s perfected her system of survival, but when she meets a mysterious boy named Niko at her new school, she can’t figure out how she feels about him. For the first time, the Furies are quiet in her head around a guy. But does this mean that Cory’s finally found someone who she can trust, or are there greater factors at work? As Cory’s mind becomes a battlefield, with the Furies fighting for control, Cory will have to put everything on the line to hold on to what she’s worked so hard to build. {Goodreads}

~Review:
  Woah. Just woah. I kinda new what to expect when I agreed to do the Vengeance Bound Tour. I saw the cover and read the premise. It seemed interesting enough so I went ahead and agreed and signed up. Now when I started reading it I totally forgot what it was about and was kind of caught off guard.

  This book was really really good. I was a bit iffy of how I would feel about it but in the end I really really liked it. I finished it in about 6 hours (spread over the course of two days). I didn't even know I was reading so much till I looked and saw the percentage I was at. The writing style of Justina Ireland is just so smooth. It was like riding a floaty tube in the lazy pool. Once you get into the rhythm and get comfortable you are surprised by how many trips you have made around and around again. I enjoyed we writing style very much. Justina has definitely got a talent and I'm looking forward to more books from her!

  The story was very interesting. Talk about some chics out for guys blood! Along with Amelie/Cory's help the two Furies (one hawk woman and one serpent woman who frankly reminds me of Medusa) go around serving justice by killing the men who have done injustice among women. It really was pretty cool but also terrible. It was vicious and terrible how blood thirsty the Furies were! This book was action packed of sorts. When Cory went on her runs it could get pretty serious. I definitely would be shaking in my bots if I ever can across them.

  An awesome story line, mythology recreated for today's age and great writing equaled one great book! I would totally suggest this to everyone who is fond of mythology romance with a little bit of blood and vengeance put into the mix ;D Holy crap the romance dudes!!! I am in love with Niko!! I want one ;) haha I liked how Justina made each character important. I kind of saw the end coming but just the one part of the ending. The ending was killer and absolutely terrible! Then of course absolutely amazing!! Buy it borrow it, I don't care just give it a chance when you can ok? Trust me it's good! :)

This review was a part of the Vengeance Bound Blog Tour hosted by AToMR Tours.

~Rating:

4 of 5 stars!!! <3

~The Author:

Justina Ireland enjoys dark chocolate, dark humor, and is not too proud to admit that she’s still afraid of the dark. She lives with her husband, kid, and dog in Pennsylvania. Vengeance Bound is her first novel.

Find her at: ~Twitter~Facebook~Website~ 

~The Giveaway:

The Prizes:

(2) Hardback copies of VENGEANCE BOUND plus a Swag Pack - US/Canada Only  

(5) Vengeance Bound Swag Packs - US/Canada Only  

Swag pack includes:   

Stickers 

Deluxe Bookmarks 

Rubber Bracelets 

Nail polish 

Lip gloss

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!! :D

Thanks for stopping by!!

Have a great day! :)

~Jaiden 

{Review} The Forsaken by Lisa M Stasse

The Forsaken 
Series: The Forsaken (#1)
Author: Lisa M Stasse
Release Date: July 10, 2012
by, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Source: *an ARC was provided for review purposes*
Pages: 375
A thought-provoking and exciting start to a riveting new dystopian trilogy.

As an obedient orphan of the U.N.A. (the super-country that was once Mexico, the U.S., and Canada), Alenna learned at an early age to blend in and be quiet—having your parents taken by the police will do that to a girl. But Alenna can’t help but stand out when she fails a test that all sixteen-year-olds have to take: The test says she has a high capacity for brutal violence, and so she is sent to The Wheel, an island where all would-be criminals end up.

The life expectancy of prisoners on The Wheel is just two years, but with dirty, violent, and chaotic conditions, the time seems a lot longer as Alenna is forced to deal with civil wars for land ownership and machines that snatch kids out of their makeshift homes. Desperate, she and the other prisoners concoct a potentially fatal plan to flee the island. Survival may seem impossible, but Alenna is determined to achieve it anyway. {Goodreads}

~Trailer:

Woah! I absolutely love this trailer!! So cool! 

~Review:

  I was so happy to receive an advanced readers copy of The Forsaken! Miss Stasse is one of the sweetest authors and I was thrilled to read her book! But even though the author may be nice....when it comes down to a review...you have to be honest. Good or Bad? SOOO good! I loved this book! I especially loved how the setting wasnt so far in the future. Today, most dystopian books are set where the new government has been around for decades or centuries. This one was fresh and new. Which made it that much more believable. I loved the world set up.

  Now, nothing is cooler than the Wheel, a place where those teens who have failed the personality test are sent...to die (basically). With harsh conditions, wild animals, and a crazy brainwashed tribe of teens....the Wheel is someplace I do not want to be sent. But...at the same time..I do...no, I don't..maybe? There is seriously danger surrounding you! This place is crazy intense and super scary. I loved it! And another thing I loved...the characters! My fav...Daniel haha idk why but I just did! But he has his secrets...secrets that may just tie him to the enemy tribe...dude! Those guys were freaky! *shivers* Ya, no chit-chat with those brain-washed crazies!! 

  And the main character, Alenna, was absolutely awesome! I loved how she wasn't the hard-as-steal kick ass character but also wasn't the poor-me-I-can't-do-this whinny character that everyone hates. She was her own mix. Her own kick-ass character that I loved! Yes, she wasn't slaying every bad guy she came across with....and she was whinny at times..but...do you know what? After she whined, she would see it and try hard to face that fear and become better..even if she sucked at first. She never gave up. She was real, reliable, relatable, believable. Who the hell goes from city girl to goddess warrior in one day? No one! You have to be trained, work hard, learn to survive! And that is exactly what Alenna did. And that's why I liked her so much. She's not afraid to admit she is scared but she doesn't let that fear consume her. Here is an example of what I'm talking about:

"'That's llife on the wheel for you.' She looks me square in the face. 'Having second thoughts?'

Definately! But I'm still going.'"

  See? She is scared..but she is willing to do what she needs to do anyways! Love her! Haha and...insert romance....I loved Liam and Alenna! Their relationship didn't move to fast but when you are on the wheel...you kinda have to seize the moment you know? So fast but..not too fast. And it was innocent and so very cute! Can't wait for more!! :D

  With danger lurking in every shadow, crazy blood-thirsty teenagers, and innocent love, The Forsaken was a pleasant surprise. For me, even better than the Hunger Games! While reading the HG at times I felt the characters lacked depth, but The Forsaken's characters were real and had the depth I like all characters to have. The Wheel was intense and crazily scary! Lisa's writing pulled me in and had me wanting more when it all ended! I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. A great debut title and a new favorite series! If you are a fan of Divergent and the Hunger Games, you will love this book too! Get your little hands on a copy when you can!

~Rating:

4.5 of 5 wonderful stars!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hope you have a great day!! :)

~Jaiden

{Review} The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Series: Mara Dyer #1
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Published: September 27, 2011
by Simon & Schuster
Source: Bought
Pages: 452

Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.
She’s wrong. {Goodreads}

~Trailer:

~Review: 
 I have been dying to read this book for...EVER! And just like with every other thing having to do with my reading/blogging life....it was out on hold...because of school. But fear not!! School is over AND I have had time to read this wonderful amazing book!

 This book had everything! Suspense, thrill, romance, a gorgeous boy that I just so happen to have fallen in love with and who just so happens to be in my top 5 favorite fictional boys, all equaling the perfect horror/mystery/paranormal book!

 The characters were put together so well! Each and everyone of them had a likable (or not so likable in some cases) character. Following Mara's confusion and trying to figure out what was real and what was just a hallucination made for the best "wild-goose-chase" anyone could ask for!

 Did I mention that I was pulling my hair out in some parts because it was so damn confusing!!? Or that I was biting my nails and the inside of my lip so much because it was making me flip out!!? Ya well I was doing all of the above. This book was not only funny, enjoyable, cute, and suspenseful but it was also sooo flippin FREAKY!!! Gah! They aren't lying when they say to read this book with the lights on that's for sure! Just by telling one of the freakiest parts to my brother made him want to stay up all night!

Oh....so! I have mentioned this new love of mine before right? Well, here he is again...in a little more...detail *laughs evily* hahaha jkjk! ;D This boy. Noah Shaw. WOW! Ya one ..he has GOT the looks! Now why?
Let me break it down for you...

• He has the whole just-woke-up-out-of-bed hair....and looks hot!
• Blue-grey eyes that you can just fall into....and looks hot!!
• Cutest lips that can form into: hot crooked smile, hot devilish smile, hot shy smile, hot you-don't-want-to-know-what-I'm-thinking smile, etc's of smiles that melts your heart and gives your stomach the flips....and looks hot!!!
• Has no choice but to wear the school uniform (he adds his own touch of style)...and looks hot!!!!
• An animal person....which makes him hot!!!!!
• Has that bad boy rep. but is sooo not the guy people make him out to be....which makes him HOT!!!!!!
• Should I go on......?

 Didnt think so.....ya OH!!! The way him and Mara are!!!! Ya....from beginning: OMG! HILARIOUS!!! the middle to end: O.M.G!!!! I freaking love the crap out of you!!? Seriously. like come alive and share some of those heated kisses with me huh?? ;) AND!!  his secrets......SQUEEEEE!!!!!! Gah! I just can't wait to get more of this boy when the second book comes out..which luckily isnt too far but...still not close enough! >:(

 This book will intrigue you and keep your reading until you've had no chouce but to finish that night. You do NOT want to miss this series. That ending....that ending.!!! Seriously! You will have no say so in finishing this book from beginning to end then book to book....Good luck getting your sleep in for the next few days! ;)

 Get this book. read this book. love this book. enjoy this book. and NEVER EVER forget this book! 

Thanks for stopping by! :)

~Jaiden

~Rate: