12/31/2016

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han | Book Review


Happy New Years!!!

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Book Review:
To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han


Spoilers?
Maybe.

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Title -To All The Boys I've Loved Before
By - Jenny Han
Publication - April 15th 2014 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Format - Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre - Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.

They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her, these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control. 


The Rating :





My Review:

My review in a gif. Which equals 5 stars.

via GIPHY


The Cover:
Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.

This book cover is so awesome. There’s the main character, Lara Jean, on her bed with a disco ball in one corner, a white background, and the really cool script font in something that looks like sharpie.


The Story:
It's a story about a teenage girl, Lara Jean, whose big sister, Margot, goes off for some studies (???) and gets to be in charge. While she has to take care of her little sister, and help her father around the house her hat box filled with love letters she has written for certain boys in her life goes missing.
They start appearing and chaos. But with the help of one of the boys she wrote a letter too she manages to sift things around.


Relationships:
There were more than one couples, and relationships in this book but I will only talk about one of them.

Lara Jean x Peter
Even if their story was a “let pretend to be together” story, I liked them as a couple. And as things progressed they changed as well. I like that.


Family Dynamics:
As for Lara Jean’s family.
They were really together and supportive. The father was there, and he cared, and despite losing his wife early on he didn’t quit his family like most stories I’ve read, or heard about in real life. He didn’t give them up, he took care of them. 
I also liked that they mentioned the mother as being caring, and the energy of the house.
The sisters are adorable. They stick together no matter what. My favorite was Kitty. She is so adorable.


Settings:
As for my favorite settings in this story I’d have to say that I liked their home most of all. Partly because it's the place I  most remember, but also because it felt warm whenever the parts I was reading were on the home.
If that makes any sense?


Overall:
I really wish I had written this review when I finished reading the book, but sadly I did not. So I don’t remember much of the things I wanted to say here. 

I was a bit adamant about reading this book since it is a series, but when my friend offered it to me, after reading it, I had to give it a shot. I was quickly glad I did because I loved it. I loved the Song girls, the boys, and the entire story was just perfect. I actually remember screaming at the end because I wanted more. So you could say I will definitely read the second book in the series, if I can get my hands on it.




Get a copy at:
Barnes&Noble  |   Amazon US

Or get it here using my affiliate link. Please:
Book Depository

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12/30/2016

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs | Book Review



Book Review:
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs


Spoilers?
Maybe.

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Title - Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
By - Ransom Riggs
Publication - November 15th 2016 by Quirk Books
Format - Paperback, Movie Tie-In Edition, 384 pages
Genre - Young Adult, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.


The Rating :


My Review:

My review in a gif. Which equals 5 stars.



The Cover:
Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.

As most people did when the movie was announced. I got this book because of the movie. So I got the movie cover instead of the original cover with Olive floating on the cover.


The Story:
Jacob is just a regular teenager with no friends whose grandfather just died in his arms, and he sees a monster and gets traumatized by it. Then some things lead him to think that the truth behind his death is in some island in Wales. He goes there and doesn't find anything the first time. The second time around things are different and he meets Miss Peregrine, and the children in her care. 
Adventure ensues.


Relationships:
There was only one couple I could think of in this story so I’ll talk a bit about how I feel about them.

Jacob x Emma
While the movie this is different, in the books Jacob starts a relationship with Emma. Emma is the girl who can control fire.
Though I thought their relationship was weird because she was very close to his grandfather. So her liking Jacob that fast was weird, and understandable since he is a lot like his grandfather.
I believe that since I haven't read the other two books in the series so I can't really say much about these two.


Family Dynamics:
As for Jacob’s family.
With the exception of his really awesome grandfather I though his family was shit. They not only didn't believe him but they tortured him by controlling his life through a psychiatrist. And his dad not believing in what he saw the night his grandfather died was also horrible. Because I’d think, 
“Okay so my dad has been telling us stories about monsters, and creatures all our lives. Maybe something's up because on the day he died my son also saw something. I should believe him”
But no, they think he's going crazy.


Settings:
There was the present Cairnholm, and the past where the children are in their loop. There's also Jacob’s home in Florida. I liked past Cairnholm. Because it's where everything happens. The home is also awesome. Filled with old books and good structure. I’d so like to go there.
😃😍😃


Overall:
Boring bits and all I lied this book. There were photographs which made an easy read, and I liked that my movie edition came with photos from the movie. 

Although there were times when I wanted to punch Jacob’s dad, and whoever didn't believe him because I would believe him.

I really wish I had written this when I finished reading the book because now I can't remember what I wanted to write down and this part is more empty.



Get a copy at:
Barnes&Noble  |  Amazon US

Or get it here using my affiliate link. Please:
Book Depository

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12/28/2016

Stacking The Shelves - 7



Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what books they got throughout the week!



I completely forgot about Stacking The Shelves,  so I'm doing it on a Wednesday. 
This week not much has happened. I haven't read much of anything and I haven't gotten books. Except for today, which is the reason I remembered this post.

I also have been working hard on finishing the first draft of my novel to finish it before the year ends. And I actually finished it yesterday which is both exciting and scary. Now I just have to print it out and do some edits and annotations and stuff to make sure somethings make sense or add certain things. You know editing stuff. 



As For Update:


       

This week and the past one I read a bunch of Harley Quinn graphic novels. I love Harley Quinn since like the beginning of her existence but I think I love her more since I read her recent graphic novel series. Since after her thing with the Joker. Like I'm so glad that she got over him. I love her so much when she's just herself.

I also read the two awesome children books that I got sent by Nobrow.
The Brownstone’s Mythical Collection: Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd Stanton
&
Nightlights by Lorena Alvarez Gomez



Haul:



Gosh! It's just so beautiful. Plus, that orange spine and the title font are way pretty.



Books To Read:


    
I, sadly still haven't gotten to reading this book, which is such a tragedy because it's so good. At least the part I read was good. Last week took it with me to the dentist office for a clean up I had to get and while I waited I read like over 20 pages. It's an easy read but I'm just lazy sometimes.
😏


12/18/2016

Stacking The Shelves - 6


Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what books they got throughout the week!



This week and the one before I decided to take off of blogging and other things to concentrate on my last two weeks of my first semester of my bachelors in college. Which was successful btw. 😄😄  But I did manage to read a few books and get two.



As For Update:

   

I read To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han and loved it. I cant wait to get my hands on the second book in the series.
I also finished reading This is My Brain on Boys by Sarah Strohmeyer last week as well and even if it was all big words and confusing plots I actually liked it a lot. 

I stated reading No Love Allowed by Kate Evangelista and its getting interesting but I don't know if I like it yet.


Haul:



This week I got in the mail two beautiful books. 
The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee & The Brownstone’s Mythical Collection: Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd Stanton

Lately I've been getting into journaling and it helped me out a lot during my semester. It helped me be more organized and in control. So for next year I'm going to get prepared. I bought more stickers and tape. I also bought a set of 10 or so notebooks for when I'm traveling or stuff. 
I got inspired by this girl who does the most awesome journal entries.



Books To Read:

    

This next week I want to get my hands on and try to finish How To Keep a Boy From Kissing you as well as the books above. And since I don't have any big school responsibilities I can actually read these books.
😎😁😎

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Below those covers I have the books I borrowed from my friend.
Books Borrowed:
This is My Brain on Boys by Sarah Strohmeyer
To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
No Love Allowed by Kate Evangelista

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I usually add the links on the goodreads but  that is a lot more trouble when there are a lot of covers. So I will make a list and link them here.

This is My Brain on Boys by Sarah Strohmeyer
To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
No Love Allowed by Kate Evangelista
The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee
The Brownstone’s Mythical Collection: Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd Stanton
How To Keep a Boy From Kissing You by Tara Eglington


12/07/2016

Waiting on Wednesday #13 - In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody


Updated: July 4, 2017

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases.


I have a little to talk about this book. Like how I discovered it, and how much do I want to read it.

First, I have to talk about how I discovered this book.
So I was looking for something on youtube, and I ended up coming across the author, Jessica Brody’s youtube account. And on her account, I saw that there was one video that sparked my interest. That was of her talking about one of her books, A Week of Mondays. Which I recently read because of that video.
(*pssd* I reviewed it earlier this week.)
😃😁😃

I subscribed to her immediately and then saw that she was doing a video on one of her new books that are coming next year. It's In Some Other Life.

It was her showing us the cover and talking about what it's about. I really liked how it sounded and adored the cover, so I went and added it to my tbr list on Goodreads.

And after having read her book, A Week of Mondays, I think I got attached to her writing style, and how she made me connect to a character I would otherwise dislike. And as a writer, I admire that and wish I could someday write like that.

Here is the video where she revealed the cover and title of In Some Other Life.


And this one is about Jessica Brody giving us a sneak peak of the book.
(Subscribe to her channel for more videos like this and about writing)

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In Some Other Life by Jessica Brody

Three years ago, Kennedy Rhodes secretly made the most important decision of her life. She declined her acceptance to the prestigious Windsor Academy to attend the local public school with her longtime crush, who had finally asked her out. It seems it was the right choice—she and Austin are still together, and Kennedy is now the editor in chief of the school's award-winning newspaper. But then Kennedy's world is shattered one evening when she walks in on Austin kissing her best friend, and she wonders if maybe her life would have been better if she'd made the other choice. As fate would have it, she's about to find out . . .

The very next day, Kennedy falls and hits her head and mysteriously awakes as a student at the Windsor Academy. And not just any student: Kennedy is at the top of her class, she's popular, she has the coolest best friend around, and she's practically a shoo-in for Columbia University. But as she navigates her new world, she starts to wonder whether this alternate version of herself really is as happy as everyone seems to believe. Is it possible this Kennedy is harboring secrets and regrets of her own? A fresh and funny story about how one different choice could change everything, Jessica Brody's In Some Other Life will keep readers guessing, and find them cheering for Kennedy until the final page.


Published by: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR)
The Release Date for the book is:
August 8th 2017

Pre-Order:
Or pre-order it from Book Depository using my Affiliate link:
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12/04/2016

Stacking The Shelves - 5


Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where bloggers share what books they got throughout the week!



I have been busy lately with projects, re-taking a math exam, and studying for finals that I haven't posted one of these posts in a while. So this one will be bigger than normal, since I have been reading a lot lately. I'm glad my reading slump had lifted, and I no longer have a problem not reading. Plus, I have participated in NaNoWriMo this past month and will talk a bit about that here.


Reviewed:


        

 Last week I didn't do this Stacking The Shelves, so I have a bit more to talk about. This week I reviewed three of the bunch of books I read.
I really liked these three books, giving them 5 out of 5 stars each, despite reading them one after the other.

A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody -- REVIEWED!!
The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West -- REVIEWED!!
We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun & Susan Mullen -- REVIEWED!!


As For Update:



I did finish more books that I read and still haven't reviewed. I have kind of been a little lazy recently when it comes to blogging. And I have sadly noticed that my instagram is dying a little too, because of that. But I'm still working out how to work with this new laptop so in time I will make a comeback.

I read this week and the last week a total of 5 books. Which is a lot for me, because I'm such a slow reader. But then again these are just books I finished this week and the last, I did not start them now. Well a few I did, but not We Are Still Tornadoes, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and A Week of Mondays. Those I have been reading for a while, and stop reading them for days only to pick back up.
I also have to say that I did finished Miss Peregrine's and I loved it. The very next day I went and saw the movie. Because, duh.
 I would have to say that even if I liked certain parts of the books ending, I loved the movies ending a thousand times more. I don't know if it's because it showed more promise, or because of the visual aspect, and the monsters and the ship, but I just loved it.
😍



I have also been reading This is My Brain on Boys by Sarah Strohmeyer. I just immediately feel I should say that I already love it. It does have a ton of big scientific words that I don't understand, but I still like the story it has, and the romance between the two main characters. It's sweet and smart, and I like it.


Books To Read:


   


        

This is the new part I decided to add to my version of Stacking The Shelves where I talk about the books I want to read or finish in the near future.
So, let me start with the books I feel like I have to read, whether its because it was sent to be for review or because its been in my tbr for a while.
I want to read:
How To Keep a Boy From Kissing You by Tara Englington
Nine Woman, One Dress by Jane L. Rosen

And Below those covers I have the books I borrowed from my friend. They all have beautiful covers and interesting synopsis.
Books Borrowed:
Vendetta by Catherine Doyle
Love Fortunes and Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius
99 Days by Katie Cotugno

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I usually add the links on the goodreads but  that is a lot more trouble when there are a lot of covers. So I will make a list and link them here.

A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody -- REVIEWED!!
The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West -- REVIEWED!!

We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun & Susan Mullen -- REVIEWED!!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
This is My Brain on Boys by Sarah Strohmeyer

How To Keep a Boy From Kissing You by Tara Eglington
Nine Woman, One Dress by Jane L. Rosen


We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen | Spoiler Free Book Review



Book Review:
We Are Still Tornadoes by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen


Spoilers?
No!

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Title -We Are Still Tornadoes
By - by Michael Kun and Susan Mullen
Publication - November 1st 2016 by St. Martin's Griffin
Format - Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre - Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Growing up across the street from each other, Scott and Cath have been best friends their entire lives. Cath would help Scott with his English homework, he would make her mix tapes (it's the 80's after all), and any fight they had would be forgotten over TV and cookies. But now they've graduated high school and Cath is off to college while Scott is at home pursuing his musical dreams.

During their first year apart, Scott and Cath's letters help them understand heartache, annoying roommates, family drama and the pressure to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives. And through it all, they realize that the only person they want to turn to is each other. But does that mean they should be more than friends? The only thing that's clear is that change is an inescapable part of growing up. And the friends who help us navigate it share an unshakable bond.


The Rating :





My Review:

My review in a gif. Which equals 5 stars.

via GIPHY

I want to say that this was sent to me for review from publisher and that, as all my reviews, this one is full of my honest opinions.


The Cover:
Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.
This blue is so pretty and bright and I love the font of the title. The thing that bothered me was how the tornado looked like it was made in microsoft paint.
Please tell me you agree.



The Story:
This is the story of two friends since childhood who had just graduated from high school. We see them going through what is the main characters. Cath, going through college life, and Scott staying in his hometown and working in his father's clothing store, and starting a band with his friends. It's set in the 80’s, in the form of letters sent back and forth between these two. 
It has great music references from the time and Scott’s band’s song lyrics strewn throughout.



Relationships:
For this review I will only talk about the main characters relationship.

Scott x Cath
Scott and Cath have been next door neighbors and friends for a long time. After they graduated from high school Cath went off to college on another state, and Scott stayed behind and started working in his father's clothing store for men and boys. But they never stopped all communications. Instead they wrote letters to each other, back and forwards, telling each other of their day. How college was for Cath, and for Scott it was stories from the store and the band he started with his friends, Crash.



Family Dynamics:
As for Cath’s family.
While Cath went off to college her family (i.e her parents) did go through their share of troubles and I like how well it was explained and how realistic each of their reactions to this problem was. The took their share of hurt and broke through them coming out more alive, in a sense. 

As for Scott’s family.
Scott’s family also went through some trouble. Though theirs was more serious. I like how Scott and his mom united to go through it and not go their separate ways and make things worse. I think they were braver that way.



Settings:
There is this place in the book that is where Cath worked at the campus and it is also a pizza place /bar/place for people to listen to good music. I love the sound of that place and would totally love for a pace like that to exist near my college.



Overall:
I admired how Cath and Scott kept in contact with each other despite being in two different states. With Cath at college and Scott working with his father in their hometown. To keep in touch with a friends in that kind of situation is a hard thing to do. For me it was hard because I sometimes don’t know what to say, and I have lost friends because of this. 

I had fun reading their letters and reading their stories. The song lyrics from Scott’s band, Crush, were fun to read too.

But I have to say that I wished there were more 80s references. Like movies and music. Cause even if I was born in he 90s, I love 80s movies nd music, so it would have been cool to spot more references, and know what they were. Or look them up.

This book reminded me bit of Cecelia Ahern’s Love Rosie (also known as Where Rainbows End). With how Rosie and Alex have been exchanging notes or emails or sometimes letters to each other since they were in school. Adorable story. Sadly I’ve only watched the movie.

But while Love Rosie is of them sending letters since they were kids, We Are Still Tornadoes is of Cath and Scott sending letters after they graduated from high school. Small difference but yeah.


I don’t know what else to say about this book, other than please read it. It truly is worth five stars out of five and I would totally read this book again.
 No lies.





Get a copy at:
Barnes&Noble  |  Book Depository

______________________________________








12/02/2016

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West | Book Review



Book Review:
The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

Spoilers?
Yes!

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Title - The Fill-In Boyfriend
By - Kasie West
Publication - May 5th 2015 by HarperTeen
Format - Paperback, 343 pages
Genre - Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she has to think fast. After all, she'd been telling her friends about him for months now. This was supposed to be the night she proved he existed. So when she sees a cute guy waiting to pick up his sister, she enlists his help. The task is simple: be her fill-in boyfriend—two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies. After that, she can win back the real Bradley.

The problem is that days after prom, it's not the real Bradley she's thinking about, but the stand-in. The one whose name she doesn't even know. But tracking him down doesn't mean they're done faking a relationship. Gia owes him a favor and his sister intends to see that he collects: his ex-girlfriend's graduation party—three hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

Just when Gia begins to wonder if she could turn her fake boyfriend into a real one, Bradley comes waltzing back into her life, exposing her lie, and threatening to destroy her friendships and her new-found relationship.


The Rating :





My Review:

My review in a gif. Which equals 5 stars.

via GIPHY


The Cover:
Although they say never judge a book by it's cover I believe the cover should represent what the book is going to be like or at least some aspect of it.
The photo they used for the cover was perfect. It made me picture the couple as Gia and Hayden. But what I thought made me eek alittle,  was the font. If they used another font maybe it'd be all awesome but I just hated it too much. 
Or no- actually I think it's the font for the artist name that I don't like. Looking at it now I do like the title designs. It’s the artist's name, the font and the green color. No thank you.



The Story:
It's the story of a girl, Gia, who gets dumped at the parking lot when her promise starting. She had already told her friends that her boyfriend was going with her and they had never met him and believed he wasn't real. All because of salty Jules, who spent the duration of Gia and  Bradley's relationship saying that he may not be real. 
Gia's is not boyfriend-less and about to go in and tell her friends that she got dumped but decide to make a total stranger in the parking lot a deal. He has to be her pretend boyfriend, a fill-in Bradley, and she will owe him a favor. One thing leads to the other and she ends up wanting to know more about this fill-in boyfriend.



Relationships:
There weren't that many couples in this book but the ones that were established I appreciated them.

Gia x Bradley
While we don't really know much about Bradley we do know that he is older than her by a few years, a college student. And that they rarely saw each other. Hence why her friends never met him and believed he wasn't real.
Even with that I never found myself feeling sorry for her being dumped by him. And even after we do find out a bit more about him -I didn't much care for him.

Gia x Hayden
They are so cute. He cares so much about her and she likes him so much but with the bundles of lies that were created, not just by her, it was difficult for them to see that they liked each other. All throughout the story I just wanted them to stop playing pretend and just be. That's how much I liked this book couple.



Family Dynamics:
As for Gia’s family.
Gia’s family was so horrible to me. 
Gia was immature and like total popular girl in high school cliche. Her mom was Mrs. perfect who wore makeup all throughout the day and was always dressed up. The dad was always agreeing with whatever mom would say as to not get into fights. Oh! And Mr. Im also so duche was horrible. How in the hell do you make a video making out your younger sister to look bad infront of his peers and post in online. Like what the fu*k.
What was worse is how she would always try to give him another chance to be a better big brother and he would always keep messing with her.

Even if not everyone in the Montgomery home changed, at least Gia became aware of how she acted. She started being more kind to people and not bossy to her friends like she used to. So this is good.


As for Hayden’s Family
We didn't see much of his dad but we did meet his mom. She's an artist and she's amazing at it. She gives great advice and is nice. You see how her being like that made Hayden and Bec the way they are. This was even a conversation between Gia and Hayden where he said he wasn't like his dad or his mom, that he was a bit of both. 



Settings:
Some of the paces I liked and would love to be around is the beach. I just liked the way it was described in the scenes that took place there. 
I think I also would like to go to old man’s house and smash some car windows. That is such a great way to release anger and stress that when I was reading this I was cheering them on. 
Is that weird?



Overall:
Okay, so, at one point I just wanted to toss the book across the room of trough a window, but I'm glad I did not. Well I didn't because it want my book and the feelings were internal but you get what I mean.
I hated Gia’s family and Jules was a horrible human being and biggest manipulator ever. All the time I was wishing Gia would just confront her head on, but I'm glad she didn't. Mostly because if her friends were so easy to go convince that they should go against her, then they weren't really friends.


I loved the natural progression of Gia and Hayden’s story. It had it's ups and downs but they liked each other a lot. I was glad they talked it out and believed in the other despite the world being against them. 
I'm also glad that Bec tricked them in the end. She's such a good cupid. And she was so awesome. Hands down my favorite side-character in this book.



I’ve read a couple of books between this one and now so I barely remember what I was going to say about it. Maybe I’ll remember and do an update.




Get a copy at:
Amazon US  |  Book Depository

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