Swoon Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by YA Bound.
I know I gave a swoon from Saving June last week but I couldn't control myself! So here's another swoon from the book:
We stumble through the door to his room, never breaking contact, and he shoves me up against the wall, kisses me as hard as he can. I think I’ll float up out of my body, being kissed like that, but he anchors me down with his hands pinning my wrists to the wall, his hips pressed against mine. I push back, break my arms from his grip so I can wrap them around him, pull him even closer. God, I love his mouth, love his hands. I’d climb inside his skin if I could. We kiss like we’re drowning, gasping and desperate. Hot right? So now you see why I couldn't control myself? ;P Enjoy! And Happy Reading!
Title: What I Didn't Say Author: Keary Taylor Publisher: Self-published Pub Date: May 11, 2012 Format: e-book Pages: 184 Links:Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site Summary:Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat.
His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.
When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn't the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.
Trailer:
Rating: 9.5/10
Source: NetGalley. Thank you so much Mrs Keary Taylor for accepting my request and letting me read your amazing book!
Cover Talk: I didn't like the cover much at first but (after reading the book) I took a closer look at it and I noticed the notebook and the handwritten font and I liked it better! I like when the cover has little details like these which match the story.
My Thoughts: I loved this book! It was so amazing and inspiring. The cover, synopsis & trailer do not do it justice. Because after reading and watching all that, I thought it was going to be a story about a guy who loses his voice and is now trying to tell a girl he loves her. And that's it. But the story was so much more than that! It was about finding yourself. It was about being a better person. It was about being strong. And most of all, it was about being thankful for all he things you have.
I loved the story. I love books like these, which have a message. Which give you something to think about. Which make you want to change for the better. Which deal with all these issues without being boring. And Mrs Taylor was able to do that very brilliantly! Her writing is amazing.
I don't usually read books which are from a boy's POV. The only boy POV books that I've read are the ones by Nicholas Sparks and some books which are in alternating POVs like Pushing The Limits and From What I Remember. I enjoyed reading this book from Jake's POV. I could notice the differences between a book from a boy's POV and a book from girl's POV and while I definitely enjoy books from a girl's POV better, as I can relate to the feelings and emotions better, I enjoyed this too. It was a nice change :)
The characters were very well-developed. I don't know how life on an island is, but it was fun reading about it. I loved Jake's family! I live in the city and me and my siblings are pretty independent. Also the neighbors aren't that close to each other either. I like how on the island everyone was so supportive of each other and they were all like a big family.
I liked all the characters in the book. Jake had really good friends, Rain and Carter. And I really liked Samantha. I especially liked Jordan, Jake's sister, and how supportive she was of him. Sam's and Jake's romance was so sweet! Jake was a real gentleman. ;)
Sam's and Kali's stories were really touching too. I won't spoil the book for you, but I gotta say I did not see the Sam part coming. And I think it's the most important part of the story, as it changes Jake for the better. I love how Sam and Jake gave each other hope. I'll shut up now or else I might spill a spoiler :P
Overall, this book was really good. It didn't hit the 5 mark for me but it was really close. I would definitely check out other books by Keary. A fact here, this book was somewhat inspired by a real experience. I'll let you read more about it in the author's note at the end of the book. BTW I'm so glad the author added the author's note in the end!
Favorite Quotes: This book was filled with inspiring quotes! Here are a few of them:
“Yet I knew this was one of those experiences for me that made you grow as a person. This was one of those times that made you put things in perspective and appreciate everything you had.”
“But I had become a different person. One who looked at things in a new way. I appreciated life a whole lot more than I had last year.”
“It was perfect moments like that that made all the bad ones worth living through.”
“What I didn’t say before no longer mattered. We had the entire future before us to say everything else.”
“It would have been really easy to spiral down into drugs or alcohol that year, for both of us. But instead we were there, together. We’d taken all the bad things that had happened to us and turned them around into something good and bigger than the two of us.”
About The Author:
Keary Taylor grew up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night.
Also by Keary Taylor FALL OF ANGELS Branded Forsaken Vindicated Afterlife: a Fall of Angels novelette EDEN To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit www.KearyTaylor.com Extras: As an extra I'll share with you the theme song of What I Didn't Say (as said by the author), Somebody Wishes They Were You by Adelita's Way:
"It’s kind of weird, but it feels good to be helping out someone who needs it. Guess it took Mom and Dad quite a while to convince him to move in."- pg 96
Don't know who created the meme, but saw it on BookHounds.
Getting drunk homecoming night your senior year is never a good idea, but Jake Hayes never expected it all to end with a car crash and a t-post embedded in his throat.
His biggest regret about it all? What he never said to Samantha Shay. He's been in love with her for years and never had the guts to tell her. Now it's too late. Because after that night, Jake will never be able to talk again.
When Jake returns to his small island home, population 5,000, he'll have to learn how to deal with being mute. He also finds that his family isn't limited to his six brothers and sisters, that sometimes an entire island is watching out for you. And when he gets the chance to spend more time with Samantha, she'll help him learn that not being able to talk isn't the worst thing that could ever happen to you. Maybe, if she'll let him, Jake will finally tell her what he didn't say before, even if he can't actually say it.
First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews.
Rules:
Grab your current read(s).
Share the first line(s).
Include the title and author.
"There were three things that I knew for sure about Orcas Island:
One: The people here were generally weird. Half its residents were your run-of-the-mill hippies. The other half was a mix of extreme liberals, hermits, and multi-millionaires. Then there was a dash of us “normal” people.
Two: I came from the biggest family on the island. Seven kids made our family stand out and everyone on the island knew who the Hayes’ were.
Three: I knew everyone here just a little too well."
Swoon Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by YA Bound.
I read this book a few weeks ago but I just have to share this swoon with you guys! It's from Saving June by Hannah Harrington.
He leans close and says, “It matters to me,” right against my mouth, and then kisses me like he means it. I’ve thought about what it’d be like to kiss Jake over the past few days, way more than I’d care to admit. But I don’t even have time to register the firm press of his lips against mine, without breath, before he pulls back. His face freezes, eyes wide with oh shit written across them. Maybe I’d be offended if I wasn’t so sure that my own expression matches his perfectly. “I shouldn’t have done that,” he blurts out. “I’m an idiot.” “Yeah,” I agree, “you really are.” I grab the collar of his shirt and tug him back to me. He makes a muffled sound of surprise in the back of his throat, hesitating for a heartbeat before his mouth opens against mine. Suddenly we’re kissing for real— clumsy at first as we feel each other out, but then I shift forward into his lap, fall against his chest and tip my head down, and it’s like two puzzle pieces snapping into place. He tastes exactly the way I thought he would, of cigarettes and citrus and salt. The ocean. And he kisses like I thought he would, too, hard and hot and urgent,
Title: Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls Author: Tellulah Darling Publisher: Te Da Media Pub Date: October 17, 2012 Format: e-book Pages: 170 Links:Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site Summary:Why the hell can't chicks be more like guys?
That question plagues high school senior Sam Cruz. Sam is perfectly happy being a player. He just wishes girls wouldn't change the game from sex to relationships. It makes him look like an asshole. But when Sam's best friend, Ally Klinger, gets dumped, she begs him to transform her into someone who can screw around then screw off. No risk of heartbreak that way. It's Sam's chance to create the perfect female AND cheer up his best friend. Armed with Sam's Three Step Guide to Backseat Success, Ally gets the game better than Sam thought she would and before long, Sam has his wish: the female version of himself. Too bad it's driving him nuts. Told from Sam's and Ally's alternating POVs, Sam Cruz's Infallible Guide to Getting Girls is a fast-paced romantic comedy that follows these teens as they navigate the minefield of sex, love, and friendship.
This book contains strong language, drinking, euphemisms, and lots of "bow chicka wow wow."
Trailer:
Rating: 9/10
Source: Netgalley. A HUGE THANK YOU to Te Da Media and Tellulah Darling!
Cover Talk: I love the cover! It's so simple and blue's my favorite color ♥ But I love the trailer even more! It's so funny and sums up the story perfectly! And the characters, even if the are cartoons, are exactly how I imagined Sam and Ally to be. It's so cute!
My Thoughts: I loved this book! It was so cute and funny! I gotta admit I was nervous about reading it because it had mixed reviews on Goodreads (half of the people gave it 4 stars and the other half gave it 1) and none of my friends have read this book. So I didn't really know what to expect. And when it started out I was still kind of unsure. But by the third chapter I started enjoying it. And when I finished it, I ended up loving it!
I love best-friend love stories. I know it's a big cliche but I still love them! I think romantic relationships should always have friendship in them. And when you've been best friends with a person for 17 years, you know everything about them. And if you love them still, for better or for worse, well, then that's true love. So naturally I loved this book, because it totally complied with my opinions.
The writing was good. There were times when I didn't get some references (like movie references and all). But all around it was good and it wasn't boring. Although if the writing would've been a bit different, I would've given the book 5 stars. I'm not saying that the writing was bad, I'm just saying that it was ok or good. That it wasn't 'amazing'. Or my type...
But I loved that it was written in alternating POV! I love those kind of books. I love reading both sides of the story.
I loved the characters! The thing I liked the most about them was that they were real. They felt real emotions and made real decisions. I didn't feel like "what the hell, that's not even believable!" Because all of it was! And they were well developed. But most of all, they didn't have mysterious pasts and everything happened in the present. Not that I don't like the 'mysterious pasts' thing. But the books I've been reading, almost all of them had the mysterious past thing going on. This was fresh for me.
I didn't develop a book crush on Sam (even if I do love his name!) but he was really sweet. And I really liked his character. I don't usually like guys like Sam, you know the player type, "jump in bed with anyone" type, "no commitment" type, but I get his reasons. And he was a really great friend and over all a really good guy.
At first I didn't like Abby. She was too nerdy. But then around Sam and her other friends she was fine and I realized that the nerdiness was only around her boyfriend and that was only a part of her character, to show how she evolved.
My favorite part of the book was Sam's and Abby's relationship. To see how they evolved and accepted each other. How they realized what they actually wanted.
Overall, this was a fun read and I would definitely recommend that you check it out. A warning though, there's sex and swearing in the book so if you're not comfortable with that, I recommend that you pass this book. If you're fine with it, then go ahead and read it! Then come back here and let me know what you think.
About the Author:
Tellulah Darling
noun 1) YA novelist 2) Alter ego of a professional screenwriter/instructor 3) Sassy minx Geeks out over: cool tech. Squees for: great storytelling. Delights in: fabulous conversation. Writes about: where love meets comedy, flavored with pop culture. Awkwardness ensues. Help her procrastinate at: www.tellulahdarling.com.
Extras:Inside the Author’s Head: The Making of Sam and Ally(***SOME SPOILERS)
It all started with the phrase “Why the Hell can’t chicks be more like guys?” A riff on the wholeMy Fair Ladything. OrFrankenstein, depending on what you think about the real nature of Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle’s relationship.
And then, because if I don’t torture my characters, I haven’t really done my job, I knew that whoever was asking that silly question about girls, had to be best friends with, of course, a girl. A girl that he didn’t really see as a girl but with whom he had the best relationship.
And I wondered “what kind of shake up did it take for two good friends—who could be so great together—to start to see other in a new way?”
So all that was my jumping off point. From there I began to figure out who I wanted Sam and Ally to be. I knew that I wanted both of them to have these coping mechanisms that they were using to keep themselves happy. Or so they thought.
Sam, having lost his mom, keeps himself safe by never having a relationship. I remember a friend of mine being the same way. Better to get out first, right? Sam has probably never questioned his confidence because he’s never had it challenged. He built this wall up, stuffed all his vulnerability behind it, and kept himself untouchable.
Ally doesn’t risk herself either. She’s the smart kid who doesn’t really have to work that hard. She knows she’ll get into whichever university she wants. Academia is a simple box for her. So is Jeremy. Here is a guy that she initially liked for his brains. Not a bad thing. But do you ever get the sense that Ally was made vulnerable at all in this relationship until the moment she gets dumped? Not really. Even though she was second fiddle in the relationship, I don’t think it truly mattered that much at the time because in the scheme of things, Jeremy didn’t mean that much.
Okay, confession. That was a relationship I had. Looking back, I let him kind of direct the relationship, was shocked when I got dumped, and then pretty quickly realized that I missed the idea of him more than him. But it did help me to figure out what I didn’t want from a relationship.
Eventually…
For the novel, I needed to put Sam and Ally through a major shake up. And that meant that the relationship that had to be on the line was the only one that either had truly invested themselves in.
Their friendship with each other.
And yes, I chose to get them naked. Because I felt that in order to genuinely have them see each other in a new way, it would take a sexual connection. It was the only kind of connection they didn’t already have with each other. I truly believed that this was where my characters needed to go.
One thing I get asked is, given the sex, why did I make Sam and Ally teens? Simple really. Emotionally, they are teens. They’re struggling with issues of empowerment, connection, and identity that I remember being pretty pervasive for me at that age.
But more specifically, this came out of a very personal experience from my own adolescence. I was the girl who had really great friendships with guys but rarely became the object of interest. And I couldn’t figure that out. It seemed like me and my friends were all equally normal cute girls, so what made some of them so sought after and me the one that guys wanted to hang out with, joke with, and talk with?
I remember thinking that maybe if I looked a certain way…
I’m happy that Ally realizes that that isn’t the answer to her problems. She has a ton more self-awareness than I ever did. And happily, in the end, a lot more confidence.
And even though Sam has the biggest transformation in terms of relationships—it’s his voice that starts and ends this book, I think I’m proudest of where Ally comes to. That she has to be happy in her own skin. On her own two feet. That having that great boy love her can be the icing, but she herself has to be the fabulous, geekilicious cake.
I’m hoping that the issues that these two struggle with will feel universal to you, my readers. That all of you who pick up the book will be able to identify with Sam and Ally and their journey.
But more than anything, I hope that in the end, I leave you laughing and loving Sam and Ally as much as I do.
I don't know who officially started this meme but I saw it on BookHounds.
Summary:Rose Zarelli, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some confessions to make…
1. I'm livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I'm allowed to be irate,don't you?
2. I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who might be dating a cheerleader. She is nowenraged and out for blood. Mine.
3. High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and "seeing red" means being angry—get it?)
Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.
(Don't know what they mean? Look them up yourself.)
Title: Confessions of an Angry Girl Author: Louise Rozett Series: Confessions #1 Publisher: Harlequin Imprint: Harlequin Teen Pub Date: August 28, 2012 Format: e-book Pages: 266 Links:Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site Summary: ROSE ZARELLI, self-proclaimed word geek and angry girl, has some confessions to make...
1. I’m livid all the time. Why? My dad died. My mom barely talks. My brother abandoned us. I think I’m allowed to be irate, don’t you?
2. I make people furious regularly. Want an example? I kissed Jamie Forta, a badass guy who might be dating a cheerleader. She is now enraged and out for blood. Mine.
3. High school might as well be Mars. My best friend has been replaced by an alien, and I see red all the time. (Mars is red and “seeing red” means being angry—get it?)
Here are some other vocab words that describe my life: Inadequate. Insufferable. Intolerable.
(Don’t know what they mean? Look them up yourself.)
(Sorry. That was rude.)
Rating: 9/10
Source: NetGalley. Thank you so much Harlequin!
Cover Talk: I absolutely love the cover! Blue is my favorite color and looks so cool on this cover! Even though the girl is partially visible, she looks like how I imagined Rose to be. I especially love the little details like the pendent in the girl's hand has an R on it (the weird thing is I imagined the pendent to be exactly like the one on the cover and I noticed it after reading the book) and lines on the right-hand top corner of the cover. The lines are also used in the book where seasons are told.
My Thoughts: I absolutely LOVED this book! I've been reading such amazing contemporary books lately, I think this has become my favorite genre! The story wasn't something different but it was interesting. I liked Rose's voice (i.e Ms Rozett's writing). I liked how it was genuine and true. I remember how hard it was for me in ninth grade so I understood what Rose was going through. I didn't fit anywhere and I wasn't about to change myself to "fit in" either, exactly like Rose. But what Rose had to go through was more than that. She lost her father and her mother was trying to deal with the grief so she couldn't give Rose much attention. And then her brother, who was like a best friend, left for college. All this, coupled with her best friend changing and the high school drama, it was natural for her to be this angry. I really liked the genuineness and truthfulness of this book. How all the characters were REAL. I mean, I've seen people like Tracy and it makes me so sad. My best friend was like Tracy and now we don't talk anymore because she totally changed to be "cool". I won't go into my life details and all, but you get the point. Though I think by the end, Tracy came around and realized her mistake. She was a good friend, just a little confused. I really admire Rose for how strong she was and yeah, sometimes her choices did piss me off, but I realized that if I were in her shoes, I would've made the same choices. At first, I didn't think I had much in common with Rose but over the course of the novel I realized I was more like her than I thought. Especially when I was her age (I know I'm only 16 right now but I've learned a lot over the 2 years and 9th grade seems like ages ago!) and I think a lot of other readers can relate to her too. I felt sorry for Robert. He was a good friend to Rose and he didn't deserve to be treated that way. I did find him annoying at times, but still, he was nice. And it wouldn't really have bothered me much if Rose would've ended up with him in the end. I really hope he gets a girl in the next book! A good book always needs a good villain. Well that's not true, but this book did have a pretty... umm.. what's the word? Evil villain? Regina (I really don't like her name!) was definitely a pretty evil villain! But you how there are characters you just love to hate? Yeah, she's that character for me! I loved Anthony! I love people who don't care what others think and who are not afraid to say the truth. But I never really thought boys talked that much =P And I also really liked Peter (Rose's brother). He was so nice and supportive. I wonder if big brothers are really like that in real life. I've always wanted a big brother, like Peter! Jamie Forta. Before I go into his personality and all, I have to tell you, I really don't like his name. Actually, it kinda cracks me up =P The thing is, Jamie has always been, in my mind, a girl's name. And Forta's just weird. I know that if Jamie were real and if he were reading what I just wrote, he'd either be angry at me or he'd be laughing one of his warm and rich laughs =P Moving on, he's one of those bad boys who're really good at heart. I was actually expecting him to break Rose's heart, I don't know why I just thought he was kinda mean sometimes and he didn't actually like Rose, but I guess I was wrong. Which was good, because I really wanted to like him (you know how much I love bad boys!) and he turned out to be really nice and sweet. The writing isn't heavy or serious. Actually it's pretty light. And I loved Rose's humor and sarcasm. I really love it when books have a little something extra and different for the readers, for example in From What I Remember every chapter started with a movie quote. And in this book, every chapter started with a difficult or 'AP English' word and it's meaning along with a see also which was pretty cool and hilarious. I really can't wait for the next book! To find out where does Rose & Jamie's relationship go and how does the rivalry between Regina & Rose continues.
Extras: As an extra I'm going to give you an excerpt from the book, which is also available on the author's website FYI.
I’m in the bathroom by the gym, the bathroom farthest from the school’s main front doors, when the final bell rings. Two girls are smoking in a stall at the end. It’s hard to breathe. I wait until they leave, and then I wait a few more minutes. It’s still hard to breathe. I wonder if I’m having one of those panic attacks my mom is convinced I get now but I distract myself by reading the graffiti on the wall, which says “Suck it,” among other things, in hot-pink nail polish.
Such originality here at Union High. Such excellent use of vocabulary.
When I can breathe again, I leave.
The halls are basically empty. I go to my locker. I get my books. I leave by the front doors because there’s no other way to leave at the end of the day; they funnel us out through the front to keep an eye on us. I’m waiting at the crosswalk when I see him on the other side of the street. He isn’t holding any books. The crosswalk light goes from the red hand to the silver guy, and I’m afraid to move but I do anyway. I get closer and closer and closer but he doesn’t say a word. In fact, I just walk past him as if I don’t see him, and a few seconds pass. My legs are still moving when he says, “Rose.”
I’ve never, ever heard anyone say my name like that in my entire life. I didn’t even know that was my name until he said it like that.
“Yeah?”
He holds out his pencil, the one I used my eyeliner sharpener on when he wasn’t looking. “What did you do?”
“I...just...it was...” I falter.
“What’s this stuff on it?”
“Oh, um, sorry--it’s eyeliner.”
He takes a few steps closer and looks carefully at my eyes. “You don’t wear that stuff.”
The flush starts. It’s slow-moving, but it’s going to be a huge burn--it stretches from shoulder to shoulder and it’s going to spread above my collar in about three seconds. I notice that his eyes are hazel with gold specks and then I can’t look anymore.
“Sometimes I do.”
“Like when?”
“If I’m going out with my boyfriend or something.”
“Oh yeah? Who’s that?” I have nothing to say. “You’re a freshman, right?” he asks.
“I’m fourteen,” comes out of my mouth. And then, like we’re playing in the sandbox, I ask, “How old are you?”
That glint of a smile shows up briefly again but disappears before I’m sure it was real.
“Come on, I’ll take you home.”
“You don’t know where I live.”
“Yeah I do,” he says. I stare at him dumbly. “How’s your brother?” he asks.
The question surprises me. Even though Peter and Jamie played hockey together, I assumed they never talked off the ice. “Okay, I guess. He’s at Tufts. Are you guys friends?”
“I drove him home when Bobby Passeo skated over his fingers,“ he says, not answering my question.
“I saw you, you know. Play hockey. When you were still on the team.” I suddenly become very interested in my shoes, realizing that I sound like exactly what I am--a babbling 14-year-old. He looks at me, waiting. When I don’t say anything else, he says, “So do you want a ride?”
“I can’t get in the car with you,” is my response. I’m no longer a babbling 14-year-old. I’m now 10. Or maybe 8.
He can’t help himself this time. He breaks into a huge smile. My heart skitters for a second.
“What do you think is gonna happen?” he asks. I feel like an idiot. “Come on, freshman. I’ll drive you home.”
Title: Vengeance Author: Michelle Madow Series: Transcend Time Saga #1.5 Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing Pub Date: December 6th 2011 Format: e-book (ePub) Pages: 28 Links:Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site Summary:How far would you go to get revenge? When Chelsea Givens discovered that her ex-boyfriend Drew dumped her to be with her former best friend Lizzie, she'd never felt so betrayed in her life. Then her new friend Shannon tells her she can help set things right. Chelsea's willing to listen, but what Shannon wants her to believe -- that she shared a past life with Drew -- is impossible. And what she wants her to do to get him back … well, it's downright crazy.
Could Shannon be telling the truth? And if she is, what lengths will Chelsea go if it means making Lizzie pay?
Find out in Vengeance, the second part of the Transcend Time Saga.
Rating: 9/10
Source: Received by the author on request. Thank you so much Michelle! You're the best!
Cover Talk: Again, I love the cover. The girl is very Chelsea. But I wish a more different, interesting font would have been used. But since the theme had to be continued from the first book, this cover had to be the same so it's ok.
My Thoughts: Loved it! Seriously, Transcend Time Saga is now one of my favorite series/trilogy! This short story was amazing!
Unlike the first book, which was written in Lizzie's POV, this was written in Chelsea's POV. I like how Michelle gave Chelsea her own voice. If you read a part of Remembrance and then a part of Vengeance you would know instantly that both have different narrators.
I love Michelle's writing! It's detailed without being boring. It's captivating and I definitely liked her writing better in Vengeance, even if it is a short story. Not that I didn't like it before, I just think it is better in the second book.
I was kind of angry at Drew. I mean what he did to Chelsea was wrong and all and I get why he had to do it but why did he have to be so nice to her? I mean he did all these sweet things for her even when he knew he loved Lizzie and the only reason he dated Chelsea was to be close to her. Maybe he thought why not be a good boyfriend if I'm already a boyfriend. Or maybe he's the nice and sweet kind of guy. But I can't help but think that he liked Chelsea too. Maybe not loved her, but liked her.
This was a short story, yes, but still a lot happened! I'm not going to give out any spoilers but seriously, I did not see this coming! And boy do I hate cliffhangers! Yes, this book/story has a cliffhanger. And a pretty good one! Oh I can't wait for the next book!!
Title: Remembrance Author: Michelle Madow Series: Transcend Time Saga #1 Publisher: Dreamscape Publishing Pub Date: July 27th 2011 Format: e-book (ePub) Pages: 162 Links:Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ Book/Author Site Summary:Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet. Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?
Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.
Rating: 9/10
Source: Received a copy by the author. Thank you so much Michelle for sending me this book!
Cover Talk: I love the cover! The girl is very Lizzie. But I just wish they had used a different, a more.... interesting font. I'm a big font buff and this font just brings the whole cover down. It's so simple.... BTW I entered a cover contest for Remembrance a while ago and made a few covers myself, click here to check them out.
Reason I read the book: I've been wanting to read this book since it came out. I read Michelle's interview on a Taylor Swift fan blog long ago and I was like "a book inspired by Taylor Swift's music video, who happens to be my favorite singer, and about incarnation? Yeah, I HAVE to read this book!" But I couldn't get my hands on it and books in Pakistan don't really arrive early. So anyway, I read in Michelle's blog that she would be happy to give an e-copy for review and I jumped at the offer! Thanks a lot Michelle! For writing such an amazing book and for providing a copy to me! =)
My Thoughts: Wow! Have you ever read a book and felt the feelings and emotions so intensely that it was like you were actually living in the book? That you were the character and all of this was actually going on with you? I've felt it before while reading other books, but this book was different. It was like I was Lizzie. If she cried, I cried. If she laughed, I laughed. If she was irritated, I was irritated. If she was angry, I was angry. I even found myself doing actions that I read Lizzie doing. I felt all the emotions she was feeling. It was crazy! But good crazy :)
So bottom line is, I fricking LOVED this book! The story itself was so amazing! I've never read a book about incarnation (which must be weird because everyone is always saying "everyone's writing about incarnations these days" and I'm like "really? cuz I haven't read any books about incarnations" I must read more I guess) so the idea alone really appealed to me. And the fact that this was something 'paranormal' didn't interfere with the romance or the average high school life was great! And there were many twists I didn't see coming. Sometimes the scenes or dialogues became too cliched but the story as a whole and the writing overcame that.
I really enjoyed the Pride and Prejudice references. And some of the lines reminded me of songs. For example:
"But it was time to realize that I wasn’t Cinderella, and no matter how hard I wished it were true, life wasn’t a fairy tale where everyone lives happily ever after."
These lines reminded me of Taylor Swift's song White Horse which goes like:
"I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale"
I also liked Lizzie's humor and sarcasm :)
"It was simple and to the point, and judging from the unfamiliar number, I assumed it came from Shannon. If not, I would see who came by my house at 4:30 and go with it. Maybe it would be Mr. Darcy coming to pick me up in an extravagant horse-drawn carriage, but I couldn’t picture Mr. Darcy using a cell phone."
I loved Lizzie. She sometimes became a little unrealistic to me, but I still loved her. She was flawed and her feelings were very true. If she would've been fine with Drew being with Chelsea, I wouldn't have believed her for a minute! She felt guilty but she also tried to fix her mistakes. And I also liked the fact that Chelsea was flawed. She was a real person. I get why she did what she did. She was hurt and she had to do something. Jeremy was the typical high school football player. I never really liked him with Lizzie, he didn't treat her that nicely, but I did feel sorry for him in the end.
I've had plenty of book crushes. Trust me, the list is long. Drew just falls in a whole new category of book crushes.... in fact, I think I'm in love. I mean even at the mention of his name my stomach started doing crazy things. It was like my stomach was actually doing somersaults! He was so sweet and so nice and so.... perfect! I don't know if that makes sense but he seemed like the perfect prince ready to sacrifice everything for the people he loves. I'm glad this is a series (trilogy) because I would love to read more about Drew. BTW Drew is one of my favorite boy names. And you can never go wrong with Carmichael (If there are any Chuck fans out there reading this they would know what I'm talking about ;)). Andrew Carmichael has such a nice ring to it!
I'm looking forward to reading the next book. And the final book comes out later this year! When this book is available here in my country, I'm totally going to buy it! I always did like Michelle as a person and now she's one of my favorite authors!
Extras:
Michelle has a lot of Remembrance Extras on her blog. So go over there and check them out! They're amazing! From deleted scenes to playlists to actors who Michelle thinks look like the characters in the book.
P.S I seriously think this book should be turned into a movie! It would be so awesome, don't you think?
If you follow my blog, you must know I don't usually do discussion posts. But a few days back someone said something to me which totally changed my out look on book blogging.
I started book blogging because I love reading. And I wanted to voice my opinions somewhere. I didn't know if someone read anything I wrote or if they liked it or not and I thought a lot about giving it up. Finishing book blogging, because it took up a lot of my time and I wasn't even sure if I was doing anything right.
But then I realized that I couldn't give it up, not now. Because if I would then I wouldn't be able to voice my opinions about a book. And more importantly, discover new books. I'm so glad I started book blogging because I found such amazing books that I wouldn't have been able to discover if I hadn't. I met so many great people, bloggers, authors and publishers including and it has been such a great journey.
Also, I realized that there's no right way to book blog. You just write what you feel. It's not about someone reading it, it's about you writing it. My former English teacher told me this. I would quote her right now, but I can't find the status she commented on =/ Well anyway, it was pretty inspirational.
Still, I was pretty bummed that I didn't get any comments. I mean, really, you should see my face when I find I've gotten a comment. It's like someone gave me a present. I love to hear what other people have to say about a particular book or their opinion on a character or even what they think of my review and if they are going to read the book or not. Long comments are my favorite ones! I may not be much of a talker, but I love listening.
So back to the topic, a few days ago a friend on Facebook messaged me. She was like one of those people you know you go to school with and you know who they are but haven't really hung out with them or talked to them. EVERYONE knows I'm a bookworm and I love giving book recommendations. She asked me for some and I gave her a list. Then she talked to me about how she used to pick out random books but she never liked them so she just stopped reading. Then she read a review on my blog (I had shared my blog with all of my friends on Facebook) of Dear John by Nicholas Sparks and she went out and bought the book. She loved it and that brought back her love of reading! I was so happy to hear that! That I actually inspired someone to read again! And then I realized that I do make a difference by writing!
Then I thought further about how bloggers are important and I realized that bloggers are very important to authors/publishers for the promotion of their books. (I know it sounds dumb that I never really noticed it before but I did. I just didn't give much thought to it.) There are so many people who read book blogs for book recommendations and book blogs promote books and encourage others to buy those books. That must be very important for indie authors and honestly I love supporting indie authors because sometimes their work is so brilliant but it's not recognized at all by the readers and it really frustrates me.
And so the conclusion is that I love book blogging. Even though it sometimes takes up a lot of my time and I get disappointed when no one comments (BTW a HUGE thank you to all the people who do!), I'm glad I inspired at least one person to read again and I'm happy that I'm supporting authors who are amazing but don't get much exposure.
Here's a message to ya'll from the author of The Burning Star, Jessie Lane: Melissa and I wanted to do something BIG after doing all of that hard work on the re-edit of The Burning Star. So, in honor of Melissa's birthday (9/10), we are going to be giving away free ebook copies through B&N, Amazon, Smashwords and All Romance/OMNI Lit starting 9/1/12 to 9/10/12. From now until 8/31/12, we are going to continue the price of $0.99. However, when the giveaway is over, on 9/11/12, we will go back to the original price of $1.99.
Here are the links to our sales pages on B&N and Amazon for your convenience:
Here's the info about the meme (taken from the blog):
It's that time again! We created a HOT meme, and if you're new to the game, here's how to join in the fun: From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! We want to know :-) Isn't this meme awesome?! So the book I'm swooning over right now is Remembrance by Michelle Madow. Oh, everything Drew does makes me swoon! Every time his name comes up, there are frickingpterodactyls flapping around in my stomach (yes, I just stole a Pushing The Limits metaphor)! But since I can only share one swoon (I know it's sad but if I were allowed to share more than one, every Drew scene would've been in this post :P) so here's my swoon: Drew stood on the ground below my room, the moonlight glowing off his dark hair and light skin. He looked better than ever. His arm was mid-throw, but he dropped it to his side when he saw me. I rested my hands on the rail and leaned forward to get a better look at him, surprised by how warm it was for early November. “What are you doing?” I asked in the loudest whisper I could manage. I didn’t want to risk my mom hearing and coming back into my room. It would be best if she thought I was asleep. “Getting your attention.” He grinned devilishly, causing my heart to do that pounding thing it did whenever I saw him. I bit my lip to try to keep from smiling. “Couldn’t you have just used your cell phone?” I asked, reminding myself not to smile. I was supposed to be annoyed with him.“I tried,” he said. “You didn’t pick up. Besides, this is more fun.” I glanced at the bag that my mom had just dropped off in my room. My cell was inside it, still set on silent from school. “I left it downstairs,” I explained, staring at the object in his hand to figure out what he was throwing. “Are those pinecones?” “Yep.” He tossed it in the air, catching it with his other hand. “I almost used rocks, but I didn’t want to break the glass.” I laughed at his reasoning, watching a pale light spread across his face as the moon came out from behind the clouds. He looked up at me and smiled—a true, genuine smile that made his eyes glow. This was the Drew that I remembered, who danced with me at glamorous balls and listened as I played our song on the piano. He tossed the pinecone from one hand to the other, preparing to throw it again. “Are you going to come down here, or will I have to come up and get you myself?” he teased. There's more but I don't want to give away go much. Plus I think this is long enough :P There were a lot of great Drew scenes but I chose this one because I thought it was just so sweet! ♥
