Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn | Book Review

Here is the review of Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn.

Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

Publication: January 5th, 2016 by St. Martin's Griffin

Format: Hardcover, 320 pages

Source: It was sent to me by St. Martin's Press.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

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Rating: ★★★.5

Seventeen-year-old Mercedes Ayres has an open-door policy when it comes to her bedroom, but only if the guy fulfills a specific criteria: he has to be a virgin. Mercedes lets the boys get their awkward, fumbling first times over with, and all she asks in return is that they give their girlfriends the perfect first time- the kind Mercedes never had herself.
Keeping what goes on in her bedroom a secret has been easy- so far. Her absentee mother isn’t home nearly enough to know about Mercedes’ extracurricular activities, and her uber-religious best friend, Angela, won’t even say the word “sex” until she gets married. But Mercedes doesn’t bank on Angela’s boyfriend finding out about her services and wanting a turn- or on Zach, who likes her for who she is instead of what she can do in bed.
When Mercedes’ perfect system falls apart, she has to find a way to salvage her reputation and figure out where her heart really belongs in the process. Funny, smart, and true-to-life, FIRSTS is a one-of-a-kind young adult novel about growing up.

Thoughts:

I had talked a bit about how I feel about this book before in my last Book Talk. 

This book was sent to me to review by the publishers and here it is.
There are Spoilers Ahead.

Okay, so Mercedes was a bit of a bitch and a horrible person for deliberately having sex with other girls' boyfriends. And having the excuse that she was just doing it so that the girlfriends didn't have a horrible first time is a bit dodgy too. But I believe that she kinda, a little, tiny bit of her was trying to do a good thing. Even if in the end it turned to bite her in the ass.

Maybe not. Because not only does she have sex with other girls boyfriends (who have to be virgins) but she also keeps a diary where she writes down all the dirty details and gives them ratings and nicknames according to their performance.

So she seems like a total bitch but there is always an explanation for this stupidity. She was raped at a  very young age by a much older boy who acted like he liked her and her parents were going through shit and her dad eventually left them.

Still, I believe that the whole divorce stuff shouldn't really affect her but not only did her parents have a divorce but her mother completely checked out and her dad never visited her. So her life was shit.

In the synopsis of the book, it compares this book, Firsts, with the 2010 movie Easy A.

But in ways, this book is and is not at all like Easy A. Which part is like Easy A. The part in which both characters are ridiculed for they sexuality one everyone in the school finds out and the part in which in a school assembly something big happens. Except that in Easy A the MC (Olive) sings in a sexy outfit and leaves with the boy, while in Firsts the MC's friends Zach and Faye hijack the educational video on sexual harassment and play a "porno" instead and its one in which Zach and Faye are together.

Also Olive doesn't actually sleep with the people that are accusing her of sleeping with them, whereas in First she actually does sleep with those guys.

So yes in no way is this book like Easy A but at the same time, there are small similarities.

But this story isn't all bad. There is a cute romance too. Because even if Zach is just her "fuckbuddy" he has always wanted to be much more than that. He loves her and in the end, she figures out that she loves him too and tries to be a better person just so she doesn't lose him. Aww, right.

My favorite character has got to be these two: Zach and Faye. Zach for being such a cute and adorable character and Faye for being such a kick-ass female because not only did she rebel against what the people were saying and doing to Mercedes but she made a "fake" porno with Zach just so people would talk about her and not her best friend. Yes, it was too much but still to do something like that and knowing the consequences is badass.

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2016 Most Anticipated Books Part 2

Yeah! here is part two of my most anticipated books of 2016. Just thought I should mention that there will be a part three. So many good books come out this year. So fun.

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The Story of Hong Gildong by Minsoo Kang
Pages - 128
Release Date - March 15th, 2016

A new, definitive translation of the quintessential Korean classic: the Robin Hood story of a magical boy who joins a group of robber bandits and becomes a king

The Story of Hong Gildong is arguably the single most important work of classic Korean fiction. A fantastic story of adventure, it has been adapted into countless movies, television shows, novels, and comics in Korea. Until now, the earliest and fullest text of this incredible fable has been inaccessible to English readers.

Hong Gildong, the brilliant but illegitimate son of a noble government minister, cannot advance in society due to his second-class status, so he leaves home and becomes the leader of a band of outlaws. On the way to building his own empire and gaining acceptance from his family, Hong Gildong vanquishes assassins, battles monsters, and conquers kingdoms. Minsoo Kang’s expressive and lively new translation finally makes the authoritative text of this premodern tale available in English, reintroducing a noble and righteous outlaw and sharing a beloved hallmark of Korean culture.

Why?
I've actually seen the movie based on this story and I loved it. So I would actually want to know what this story has that's different.

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Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
Pages - 336
Release Date - April 5th, 2016

What if the person you need the most is someone you’ve never met?
Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?
It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.
In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

Why?
The plot sounds like an interesting read and similar to something Ive read. I want it.

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The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood
Pages - 304
Release Date - May 3rd, 2016

Gottie H. Oppenheimer is losing time. Literally. When the fabric of the universe around her seaside town begins to fray, she's hurtled through wormholes to her past:
To last summer, when her grandfather Grey died. To the afternoon she fell in love with Jason, who wouldn't even hold her hand at the funeral. To the day her best friend Thomas moved away and left her behind with a scar on her hand and a black hole in her memory.
Although Grey is still gone, Jason and Thomas are back, and Gottie's past, present, and future are about to collide—and someone's heart is about to be broken.

Why?
Time traveling YA, so why not.

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Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers 
Pages - 400
Release Date - February 2nd, 2016

In the kingdom of Lovero, nine rival Families of assassins lawfully kill people for a price. As a highly skilled member of one of these powerful clans, seventeen-year-old Lea Saldana has always trusted in the strength of her Family. Until she awakens to find them murdered and her home in flames. The Da Vias, the Saldanas’ biggest enemy, must be responsible—and Lea should have seen it coming. But her secret relationship with the Da Vias’ son, Val, has clouded her otherwise killer instinct—and given the Da Vias more reason than ever to take her Family down.
Racked with guilt and shattered over Val’s probable betrayal, Lea sets out to even the score, with her heart set on retaliation and only one thought clear in her mind: make the Da Vias pay.
With shades of The Godfather and Romeo and Juliet, this richly imagined fantasy from debut author Sarah Ahiers is a story of love, lies, and the ultimate vengeance.

Why?
I need more fantasy in my life. I need this.

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A World Without You by Beth Revis
Pages - 352
Release Date -  July 19th, 2016

Seventeen-year-old Bo has always had delusions that he can travel through time. When he was ten, Bo claimed to have witnessed the Titanic hit an iceberg, and at fifteen, he found himself on a Civil War battlefield, horrified by the bodies surrounding him. So when his concerned parents send him to a school for troubled youth, Bo assumes he knows the truth: that he’s actually attending The Academy, a school for kids who, like Bo, have "superpowers."
At The Academy, Bo falls in love with Sofia, a quiet girl with a tragic past and the superpower of invisibility. Sofia helps Bo open up in a way he never has before. In turn, Bo provides comfort to Sofia, who lost her mother and two sisters at a very young age.
But even the strength of their love isn’t enough to help Sofia escape her deep depression. After she commits suicide, Bo is convinced that she's not actually dead. He believes that she's stuck somewhere in time — that he somehow left her in the past, and now it's his job to save her.  

Why?
I should really know why I want to read these books but I don't have a reason. I just want to read them.

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Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke
Pages - 352
Release Date - March 22nd, 2016 b

Every story needs a hero.
Every story needs a villain.
Every story needs a secret.
Wink is the odd, mysterious neighbor girl, wild red hair and freckles. Poppy is the blond bully and the beautiful, manipulative high school queen bee. Midnight is the sweet, uncertain boy caught between them. Wink. Poppy. Midnight. Two girls. One boy. Three voices that burst onto the page in short, sharp, bewitching chapters, and spiral swiftly and inexorably toward something terrible or tricky or tremendous.
What really happened?
Someone knows.
Someone is lying.

Why?
Love the title, the cover, and the author's name. And the story seems pretty cool too.

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Place No One Knows by Brenna Yovanoff

Pages - 384

Release Date - May 17th, 2016

Waverly Camdenmar spends her nights running until she can’t even think. Then the sun comes up, life goes on, and Waverly goes back to her perfectly hateful best friend, her perfectly dull classes, and the tiny, nagging suspicion that there’s more to life than student council and GPAs.

Marshall Holt is a loser. He drinks on school nights and gets stoned in the park. He is at risk of not graduating, he does not care, he is no one. He is not even close to being in Waverly’s world.

But then one night Waverly falls asleep and dreams herself into Marshall’s bedroom—and when the sun comes up, nothing in her life can ever be the same. In Waverly’s dreams, the rules have changed. But in her days, she’ll have to decide if it’s worth losing everything for a boy who barely exists.

Why?

The cover is lovely and pink. I like that. 

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Thanks For The Trouble by Tommy Wallach

Pages - 368

Release Date - February 23rd, 2016 

A young man overcomes a crippling loss and finds the courage to live after meeting an enigmatic girl.
“Was this story written about me?”
I shrugged.
“Yes or no?”
I shrugged again, finally earning a little scowl, which somehow made the girl even more pretty.
“It’s very rude not to answer simple questions,” she said.
I gestured for my journal, but she still wouldn’t give it to me. So I took out my pen and wrote on my palm.
I can’t, I wrote. Then, in tiny letters below it: Now don’t you feel like a jerk?
Parker Santé hasn’t spoken a word in five years. While his classmates plan for bright futures, he skips school to hang out in hotels, killing time by watching the guests. But when he meets a silver-haired girl named Zelda Toth, a girl who claims to be quite a bit older than she looks, he’ll discover there just might be a few things left worth living for.

Why?

This story sounds so cool and different than what I have read but then again I haven't read that much.

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2016 Most Anticipated Books Part 1

New year new book releases. And there are some good ones.
 I decided to divide this into two parts and this is the first.

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The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Pages - 496

Release Date - May 3rd, 2016

Andie had it all planned out. 

When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future.

Important internship? Check.

Amazing friends? Check.

Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks)

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life.

Because here’s the thing - if everything's planned out, you can never find the unexpected. 

And where’s the fun in that? 

Why?

This is from the author of Since You've Been Gone which I haven't read but head very good things about it and I think this book is going to be good too.

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A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Pages - 336

Release Date - March 1st, 2016

The last thing sixteen-year-old Jamie Watson–writer and great-great-grandson of the John Watson–wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s enigmatic, fiercely independent great-great-granddaughter, who’s inherited not just his genius but also his vices, volatile temperament, and expertly hidden vulnerability. Charlotte has been the object of his fascination for as long as he can remember–but from the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else.
Then a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Holmes stories, and Jamie and Charlotte become the prime suspects. Convinced they’re being framed, they must race against the police to conduct their own investigation. As danger mounts, it becomes clear that nowhere is safe and the only people they can trust are each other.

Why?

Its Sherlock Holmes related and sounds fun.

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All The Birds in The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

Pages - 320

Release Date -  January 26th, 2016

Childhood friends Patricia Delfine and Laurence Armstead didn't expect to see each other again, after parting ways under mysterious circumstances during high school. After all, the development of magical powers and the invention of a two-second time machine could hardly fail to alarm one's peers and families.
But now they're both adults, living in the hipster mecca San Francisco, and the planet is falling apart around them. Laurence is an engineering genius who's working with a group that aims to avert catastrophic breakdown through technological intervention into the changing global climate. Patricia is a graduate of Eltisley Maze, the hidden academy for the world's magically gifted, and works with a small band of other magicians to secretly repair the world's ever-growing ailments. Little do they realize that something bigger than either of them, something begun years ago in their youth, is determined to bring them together--to either save the world, or plunge it into a new dark ages.

Why?

The cover is so pretty and reading the synopsis got me.

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Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Pages - 160

Release Date - April 5th, 2016

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children
No Solicitations
No Visitors
No Quests
Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.
But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.
Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.
But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.
No matter the cost.

Why?

Love the cover. This novella sounds so lovely and fantastical.

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Fellside by  M.R. Carey

Pages - 496

Release Date - April 5th, 2016

Fellside is a maximum security prison on the edge of the Yorkshire Moors. It's not the kind of place you'd want to end up. But it's where Jess Moulson could be spending the rest of her life.
It's a place where even the walls whisper.
And one voice belongs to a little boy with a message for Jess.
Will she listen?

Why?

Fellside is from the author of The Girl With All The Gifts (M.R. Carey) which was a book that I wanted to read but I never saw it over here. But this book sounds so interesting. I keep saying interesting but I just can't seem to find a better word that doesn't make the books sound like food. Also its a horror thriller so it will be good but at over 400 pages it's a bit too much for me.

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Dead Girl Society by Michelle Krys

Pages - ?

Release Date - November, 2016

You are cordially invited to participate in a game of thrills and dares. Tell no one, and come alone. If you dare.
Hope is sick of everyone treating her like she’s breakable. Sure, she has cystic fibrosis (basically really bad lungs), but she’s tired of being babied by her mom and her overprotective best friend, Ethan, not to mention worrying about paying for her expensive medication and how she’s going to afford college. And she’s bored with life in her run-down New Orleans suburb.
When an invitation arrives from a mysterious group that calls itself the Society, Hope jumps at the chance for some excitement. This could be her ticket out. All she has to do is complete a few dares and she might win some real money.
But the Society isn’t all it seems . . . and soon Hope finds that playing the game isn’t a choice—it’s a requirement.

Why?

Cute cover. Clever Mystery/Thriller story. I might really like this.

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Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Pages - 256

Release Date - April 12th, 2016

A summer in Italy turns into a road trip across Tuscany in this sweeping debut novel filled with romance, mystery, and adventure.
Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.
But then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept from Lina for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and ever herself.
People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

Why?

Again, another very cute cover. Lovely road trip young adult romance. Cant wait.

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Run by Kody Keplinger

Pages - 288

Release Date - June 28th, 2016

Bo Dickinson is a girl with a wild reputation, a deadbeat dad, and a mama who's not exactly sober most of the time. Everyone in town knows the Dickinsons are a bad lot, but Bo doesn't care what anyone thinks.
Agnes Atwood has never gone on a date, never even stayed out past ten, and never broken any of her parents' overbearing rules. Rules that are meant to protect their legally blind daughter -- protect her from what, Agnes isn't quite sure.
Despite everything, Bo and Agnes become best friends. And it's the sort of friendship that runs truer and deeper than anything else.
So when Bo shows up in the middle of the night, with police sirens wailing in the distance, desperate to get out of town, Agnes doesn't hesitate to take off with her. But running away and not getting caught will require stealing a car, tracking down Bo's dad, staying ahead of the authorities, and -- worst of all -- confronting some ugly secrets.

Why?

Run sounds like such a good book. Road trip, running from the police, running away from home, Agnes is blind, Bo is a badass. It's just amazing how good it sounds. Can't wait to have this and read it.

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Book Talk | Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

I wanted to talk about this book that I got from a publicist at St. Martin's Press and I wanted it to be in a Book Talk because I have yet to get near halfway in the book. 

 First by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

First by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn is basically about a girl names Mercedes and her high school experience is the taker of boys virginity so that they can treat their girlfriend's first times as a very special moment and not like how she lost her virginity. 

It sounds like a very real high school story and very normal too. I've definitely heard my share of super interesting high school stories when I was in high school whether they were from the actual person involved or rumors. And compared to that this book is very well balanced. I recommend this book for those who are looking for a more normal than most bubble gum high school centered YA.

To me its a very interesting read. I'm so far investing all the time I can get when I'm not glued to a tv show to read it and so far so good.
This book was released this year on January 5th so if you're interested in picking it up here is the link to the Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn book Goodreads page to read the description.

Link to Goodreads

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Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns & Melinda Metz | Book Review

Happy New Years everyone! I hope it was safe and fun.

I got sent this book by the lovely publishers over at St. Martin's Press and I'm here to give you an honest review of the book Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns & Melinda Metz

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Author:  Laura J. Burns & Melinda Metz

Title: Sanctuary Bay

Publication: January 19th, 2016 by St. Martin's Griffin

Format: ARC, 320 pages

Source: It was sent to me by St. Martin's Press.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller

Rating: ★★★

When Sarah Merson receives the opportunity of a lifetime to attend the most elite prep school in the country-Sanctuary Bay Academy-it seems almost too good to be true. But, after years of bouncing from foster home to foster home, escaping to its tranquil setting, nestled deep in Swans Island, couldn't sound more appealing. Swiftly thrown into a world of privilege and secrets, Sarah quickly realizes finding herself noticed by class charmer, Nate, as well as her roommate's dangerously attentive boyfriend, Ethan, are the least of her worries. When her roommate suddenly goes missing, she finds herself in a race against time, not only to find her, but to save herself and discover the dark truth behind Sanctuary Bay's glossy reputation.
In this genre-bending YA thriller, Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz, Sarah's new school may seem like an idyllic temple of learning, but as she unearths years of terrifying history and manipulation, she discovers this "school" is something much more sinister.

Thoughts:

I give this book 3 out of 5 but I think that the first half is 3 and the second half is 3.5.
The book started out being very interesting and addictive but then it took a turn and I really did not want to read it. It gave me the same feelings that The Violinist of Venice by Alyssa Palombo gave me. And as I did with that book I kept reading it.  I got to a certain part that just gave me a surge of I-want-to-read-it-all-in-one-go and I did. The ending was unexpected and truly awesome. 

This book really felt different then what I had been reading in the year 2015 and I hope that 2016 brings me cool and exciting books and amazing stories.

Add on Goodreads.

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