August Wrap Up

This month I read 5 books and three graphic novels which is a lot since I did fall into a reading slump towards the middle of the month. Overall I read some pretty good books that I am excited to share with you so let's just get right into it.
1) We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - 5/5 Stars
This was my very first read of the month and it was soooooooo good. It definitely threw me when the plot twist came because I totally didn't expect it.
2) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews - 4/5 Stars
I laughed so hard during this one and I liked it way more than I thought I would. I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 stars because I felt no connection with any of the characters.
3) Every Last Word by Tamera Ireland Stone - 5/5 Stars
This is definitely one of my new favorite books of all time. I loved the poetry aspect of the book and the characters.
4) Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo - 5/5 Stars
Favorite read of the month hands down! I can't wait for Six of Crows coming out this month.
5) The Rent Collector by Cameron Wright - 4/5 Stars
For a book assigned for summer reading, this was pretty good.
6) The Amulet Series (Books 1-3) - I really didn't like this that much.

Reviews
1) We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/08/we-were-liars-by-e-lockhart-book-review.html
2) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews - http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/08/me-and-earl-and-dying-girl-by-jesse.html
3) Every Last Word by Tamera Ireland Stone - http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/08/every-last-word-by-tamera-ireland-stone.html
4) Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo - http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/08/ruin-and-rising-by-leigh-bardugo-review.html
5) The Amulet Series (Books 1-3) - http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-amulet-series-books-1-3-review.html

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews Review

General Info

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Published March 2012 by Amulet Books

(SPOILERS)

295 Pages

Paperback - Goodreads

Plot Summary

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.

My Personal Favorites

Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed this book thoroughly. It was hilarious and had me laughing all the way through.  My favorite character was Earl because he didn't care what people thought about him while Greg's life basically depended on it. This book isn't my absolute favorite but it was still pretty dang good.
My Personal Dislikes
Alright so let's get started. I know that I just said that I enjoyed this book but I still had some problems with it. So to start it off, I didn't feel connected to ANY of the characters. Like when Rachel died, I felt no remorse. It didn't make me feel sad or any types of emotions towards her. I also felt like the use of profanity was a little too much. Last thing is that all of characters felt static to me. They didn't change over the course of the story like I thought they would.
Rating
4/5 Stars
My Final Thoughts
Although this book was enjoyable, I still had problems with it. Anyways see you in the next post.
~Naya J.

 

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart Book Review

General Info

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Published May 2014 by Delacorte Press

(NO SPOILERS)

227 Pages

Hardcover - Goodreads

Plot Summary

A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

My Personal Favorites

The plot summary is quite vague but that is really all you need to know. This book grabs you from the beginning because you're constantly trying to figure out what happened to our main character Cadence and when you find out you're going to need some tissues. Yes, this book indeed made me cry. I really enjoyed this book and I am glad to call it one of my new time favorites.

My Personal Dislikes

I don't have anything to say in this section because I loved this book so much!

My Rating

5/5 Stars

My Final Thoughts

Everyone just read this and give it a chance. And please don't spoil yourself, you'll regret it. I know that this review is short but it's Booktubeathon week and i have to get back to reading. See you later.

~Naya J.



None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio Review

General Info

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

Published April 2015 by Blazer + Bray

(NO SPOILERS)

352 Pages

Hardcover - Goodreads

Plot Summary

What if everything you knew about yourself changed in an instant?

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She's a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she's madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she's decided that she's ready to take things to the next level with him.

But Kristin's first time isn't the perfect moment she's planned—something is very wrong. A visit to the doctor reveals the truth: Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."

Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question. As her world unravels, can she come to terms with her new self?

My Personal Favorites

I had my eye on this book before it even came out mainly because it was about intersex. I never heard of that term before so I wanted to learn more about it. Before I started this book, I did research on the topic just to get a better understanding of it and I think this enhanced my reading experience. The book explains the topic well so you don't have to do this but it helped me a lot. This story was very sad and nearly made me cry😢. I can't believe that people can be so inconsiderate and rude when it comes to things that they don't understand. One thing that I really enjoyed was Kristin's character growing to accept herself throughout the novel. I also liked the father daughter relationship.

My Personal Dislikes

I just wished that it was longer but all good things must come to an end.

Rating

5/5 Stars

My Final Thoughts

Everyone must read this book because it was amazing and it's definitely in my top 15 books of 2015! I hope you love it as much as I do.

See you in the next post.

- Naya J.

 

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han Review

General Info

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Published May 2015 by Simon & Schuster for Young Readers

Second Installment in the To All the Boys I've Loved Before series

(SPOILERS!)

337 Pages

Hardcover - Goodreads

Plot Summary

In the long awaited sequel for To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky are going strong as a real couple after being fake for so long. But then the hot tub video from the ski trip is leaked. And then John Ambrose McClaren, Lara Jean's past crush comes into the picture. Who will Lara Jean choose: Peter or John? This book will have you flipping the pages so fast and leave you wanting another installment in the series.

My Personal Favorites

I literally loved this book so much. It was definitely a satisfying sequel for one of my favorite contemporary reads. So since I liked a ton of stuff I'm just going to list my favorite moments down below.

1) I loved the whole Assassin game and how Lara Jean took it so seriously.

2) The treehouse scene where Peter and Lara Jean talk about SEX. It had me rolling because it was so hilarious. My favorite scene in the whole entire book.

3) When Kitty got Peter to take her to school after Lara Jean and him broke up. I was just like "Wow. Your little sister stole your hot boyfriend.

4) I really liked the part when John and Lara Jean plays in the snow and the Frozen reference was just so perf.

5) The party at the old folks home

6) When John and Lara Jean shared their first kiss

8) I am Team Peter so when they ended up together at the end, I just screamed. Hashtag Team Peter for life!

My Personal Dislikes

To be honest, the only thing that I disliked was the ending. I really wanted to see Peter and Lara Jean after they got back together because it just ended so abruptly.

Rating

5/5 Stars

My Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't better than the first book but I still loved it. I really hope there is another book because I am in desperate need of one. Please Jenny Han, make it happen. I am begging you! I hope you guys liked this review and I might do one for the To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

See you guys in the next post.

~Naya J. 

 

 

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven Review

 
General Info

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Published January 2015 by Knopf

388 Pages

Hardcover - Goodreads

Plot Summary

This book follows our two main characters Theodore Finch and Violet Markey. Theodore Finch is fascinated with death and contemplates ways that he could kill himself. But with each attempt, something happens that holds him back from doing it. Violet Markey is anxious for the future and thinks that if she leaves her small Indiana town, she can escape the grief of her sister's recent death. When they both meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it is pretty unclear on who saved the other. And when they are paired to do a school project to find the 'natural wonders' of their state, they both make important discoveries about themselves. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

My Personal Favorites

Finch is the best character I have read in a while. He is relatable and so real. He wasn't the perfect boy who everyone falls in love with, he was actually the outcast. And I loved how he was a funny, nice guy but in reality he was hurting inside. It showed me that you don't really know what people are dealing with behind the smile on their face. My favorite element of the book is the romance between Violet and Finch. It made it seem like everything was okay, when clearly one of duo was going far downhill. This was the first book I read that revolved around the main topic of suicide and it opened my eyes on how severe that subject could be.

My Personal Dislikes

Initially I was in love with this book but then something happened towards the end that was kind of predictable. If you read it, then you might know what I am talking about. I also thought that it could have been prevented but no one took the situation seriously. Finch's family didn't even help him with his problem and it frustrated me because they just acted like the it didn't exist. Other than that the book was great.

Rating

4/5 stars

Final Thoughts

Overall this book was pretty good and I enjoyed it a lot. I did have minor problems with it, but I still recommend everyone to read it so you can get your own perspective on the book. Just try it out because you might like it way better than me. I also forgot to say that I love you Finch!

*This is probably how my reviews will look from now on and I hope you guys like it. See you in the next post.

~Naya J.

 

Summer Contemporary Reads

     Well we are now approaching that lovely time of the year again. SUMMER!!!! Now I can have more time to read and I don't have to deal with school. It's going to be great. During this time a lot of people like to read the light-hearted contemporary books. I on the other hand read what I am in the mood for, which can range from fantasy to dystopian to contemporary. But for this post I will be listing some of my favorite books and my rating for each that would be great to read over your summer break.

1. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick- I gave this book four stars but it was still a fantastic book.

2. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell- This book was amazing. It was cute and the characters were pretty relatable. I gave this one five stars.

3. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han- I love this book so much! You guys need to read it because the sequel is coming out this month. FIVE STARS!

4. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally- It might be a little cheesy at times but it does have a great story to tell. Besides I need a cheesy book once in a while to please my guilty pleasure.

5. Any book by Sarah Dessen is great for the summer because I think almost all of them take place in a quote on quote 'beachy town'.

I hope you liked these book recommendations. I don't read that much contemporary so if you have any books that you want to recommend to me, leave them in the comments. Bye for now.


                                                                                                                              ~ Naya J.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli Review

 

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli Review

Star Rating: 5 stars

Genre: Contemporary

Page Count: 303 pages



      This book is about a not so openly gay teen named Simon emailing an anonymous boy under the pseudonym of Blue. But one day after forgetting to close his emails at school, they fall into the wrong hands. Now he is being blackmailed by a fellow classmate. If Simon doesn't achieve to get his best friend Abby to date his blackmailer, his biggest secret will be exposed.

 

     Overall this book was amazing. I loved all the characters especially Simon and my favorite part of the book were the emails. They were just so cute and hilarious.  Through the whole book you are trying to guess who is Blue. When Blue's identity finally came to the surface, I was so surprised. I didn't expect it to be the person that it was. When they finally got together, I just fangirled so hard. I just wish that this book was longer because I wanted to see more of the relationship. But I guess that everything great must come to an end.


                                                                                                                              ~ Naya J.