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

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1)
by Jenny Han

Genre: Romance, Humor, Young Adult
Publication:  April 15th, 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Format: ebook, 283 pages
Source: Own
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

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.

I have actually fallen in love with the cover and the title the first time I saw this book, but I was hesitant to buy and read this book because I was afraid that I was going to be disappointed. Some good looking cover book did that to me sometimes. But I finally decided to pick up the book and was happy with it. To All the Boys I've Loved Before is definitely a cute, fluffy and funny read. It is my kind of book.

Lara Jean wrote a letter to every boy she had ever had her crush on with no plan to mail those letters ever. Lara Jean wrote these letters as a therapy to help her move on from the boys she loved. Imagine her surprise when she found out that someone send those letters. I know that I would die from embarrassment if this ever happened to me.

I admit that the beginning was a bit slow for my liking. But I get to learn more about Lara Jean and her relationship with the people around her, like her sisters, Margot and Kitty. But after a while, things began to get more spiced up. I was excited to see how Lara would handle the love letters and the boys. 

I was a bit shocked when I reached the ending. I certainly did not expect the book to end so soon. I love Lara, her family, Josh and Peter K. I was glad to learn that there is going to be a sequel. I need to know what will happen to Lara next. And I just can’t wait! 

Review: But I Said Forever by Jennifer Gilby Roberts

But I Said Forever (Parker Sisters #2)
by Jennifer Gilby Roberts

Genre: Romance, Chick Lit
Publication: November 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Netgalley, Jennifer Gilby Roberts
Connect: Website | Twitter

Expect little, forgive much?

After a whirlwind courtship, Brittany Beresford married her Prince Charming and looked forward to living happily ever after. Five years later, she’s been reduced to a not-quite-desperate housewife, with a husband who spends more time flossing his teeth than holding meaningful conversations with her.

She braves his disapproval and turns working mother and, other than feeling far more drawn to a handsome baker she works with than him, things seem to be looking up. But then Brittany discovers that her husband’s “hobbies” include something even worse than golf - and he expects her to put up and shut up.

Fairy tale illusions shattered, but still believing marriage is for life and wanting the best for her son, Brittany has a choice to make: should she follow her heart, or her conscience?

I haven’t read the first book of the series, but I think, But I Said Forever, would be good as a standalone. 

Brittany Beresford married young and hoped that her marriage will be a happily ever after. But after years of getting married, she began to feel lonely. Her husband barely had a conversation with her. Brittany decided to take a job at a bakery and found her passion. Then, Brittany found out that her husband had a strange hobby, one that she could not accept. 

Brittany was a likeable character. It was great to see how Brittany transformed from an unhappy stay-at-home-housewife to a more confident woman. Brittany wanted to stay with her husband. She loved him, and their son, James, need his father. But she just could not accept what her husband did. I had a hard time believing what her husband did. I wanted to root for Brittany and hope that she would get the life she wanted. I was glad that Brittany had her friends to support and cheer her.

I love this book. The book focused more on Brittany, but the other characters made the book fun! I especially love the interaction between Brittany and the people from the bakery. And the nannies! 

But I Said Forever was definitely a good read with humor, drama, friendship and just a little bit of romance.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

The Art of Lainey
by Paula Stokes

Genre: Romance, Humor, Young Adult
Publication: May 20th 2014 by HarperTeen
Format: eBook, 384 pages
Source: Own
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins, Sarah Dessen, and Susane Colasanti, The Art of Lainey tells the story of how, with the help of The Art of War, Lainey plots the perfect plan to get her boyfriend back. But is getting him back really what she wants?

Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her—no reasons, no warnings, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed, but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back.

And that's when Lainey and Bianca stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, the girls are sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey's arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous.

After a few "dates," it looks like her plan is going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game. Can fighting for what she wants help Lainey figure out what she really needs?

I always wanted to read Sun Szu, but never really get passed the first chapter. But, when I saw The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes, I wanted to read it. I mean, I simply could not ignore the gorgeous cover. Besides, I do love books with coffee/food related. And I thought that maybe I could get through some of Sun Szu wisdom without reading The Art of War ;)

I absolutely adore this book. The story was cute. I enjoyed reading Lainey and Bianca's plan to win Lainey's ex back. It was very interesting to see how they would apply The Art of War by Sun Szu into Lainey's strategy to win Jason back. There were tons of moments that made me laugh out loud. I must admit that I wasn't a fan of Lainey at first what with her attitude. But she grew up on me. It was fun to watch Lainey matured throughout the story. And Micah! He's cute (despite his mohawk appearance) and fun to be with. He's one of the reasons why I love the book so much. Lainey and Micah were so cute together!

The Art of Lainey is definitely a cute, fun and fluffy read. I'm looking forward to read more from the author.

Best of 2014 Giveaway Hop (INT)

Best of 2014 Giveaway Hop

December 11th to 18th

Hosted by Bookhounds & I Am A Reader

I have read lots of interesting books this year. What's your favorite book from 2014? I have many books that I like. But I decided to pick two from my 2014 pile for this giveaway. I'm offering you to choose ONE of the two books from the title below.

Dorothy Must Die (Dorothy Must Die #1) by Danielle Paige

or

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #1) by Jenny Han 

I am going to choose ONE lucky winner from BookDepository.com

Okay. Here's how you can enter this giveaway:

• To enter this giveaway, enter your contact details in the form below.
• You are not required to follow me, but, it would be nice if you follow me via GFC/Goodreads/twitter/Bloglovin' too :)
• This is an International giveaway as long as BookDepository.com ship them to your country.
• One entry per person.
• Winner will be notified via email.  Winners will have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. 
• I'm not responsible for any lost package.
• Have fun and good luck!

Be sure to check out the other giveaway stops on this blog hop:

<!-- end LinkyTools script –>

Review: When by Victoria Laurie

When
by Victoria Laurie

Genre: Crime, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Young Adult
Publication: Jan 13 2015, Disney-Hyperion
Format: ebook
Source: Netgalley
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father’s premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually death dates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.

Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching death date of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she’s unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie.

Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late?

I wanted to read this book when I saw the author (I have previously read Victoria Laurie's book from the The Psychic Eye Mysteries and liked it) and saw the synopsis. I was intrigued by the idea of how Maddie can see the death day.

Maddie's father died earlier in the story, and Maddie blamed herself, knowing that she could save her father's life with her gift. When she saw the death date of her client's son, she wanted to save him, because part of her felt guilty that she was not able to save her father. But when the boy went missing on the date, Maddie was suddenly a suspect. 

I really like Maddie. She's kind, loyal and brave enough to go through things to prove that she and her friend is innocent. The other supporting characters made the book much more interesting. I really enjoyed the interaction between Maddie and Uncle Donny. I like how he was always looking after Maddie and her mom. And Detective Faraday! He wasn't really my favorite in the beginning, but he wasn't so bad after a while. 

This book pulled me right from the start. Once I start, it was very hard to put down. The pace was perfect and the plot was really great. There were a few twists that I wasn't expecting, but in the end, the book was written up nicely with a cute surprise. It would be awesome if the book could be made into a movie. When, or Death Date by Victoria Laurie is an enjoyable read filled with YA mystery. This is definitely one of the 2015 books you should look forward to. I would definitely recommend When to mystery/paranormal fan.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1)
by Megan Shepherd 

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Publication: January, 2013 by Balzer + Bray
Format: Paperback, 420 pages
Source: Own
Connect: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London, working as a maid and trying to forget the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumours about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he's alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she's determined to find out if the accusations were true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward, Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the secret of her father's new life: He experiments on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans.

Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius - and madness - in her own blood.

The Madman’s Daughter was not the kind of book that I usually read. I didn’t read a lot of horror and I'm not really a fan. But once I see the cover of The Madman's Daughter, and read the synopsis, I knew that I wanted to give this book a try.

Juliet Moreau worked as a cleaning maid in a medical school after her father’s scandal and her mother’s death. When she saw one of her father’s diagrams, she began to investigate it, hoping that her father has returned to London. But she met Montgomery, a servant boy from her childhood. Juliet then convinced Montgomery to take her to her father.

This story was supposed to be inspired by The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. I haven’t read or seen the movie yet. But The Madman’s Daughter was definitely a great read. I like Megan Shepherd’s writing. I admit that I wasn’t really into the book at first. I’m not into horror, and that thing with that rabbit at the beginning was disgusting (poor rabbit!). Besides, I think that the pace was a bit slow for my liking. But after a while, it was hard to put down the book. I’m shocked to find out what Juliet father did on the island. But I love the mysterious surrounding around the island and I am very curious to know what was going to happen to everyone. 

There was a twist at the end of the book that I did not expect. But I still like the book (more than I think I would). I can’t wait to read the next book and find out what will happen to Juliet, next. I would recommend this book to horror/mystery lovers.

Review: Exposure by Kathy Reichs

Exposure (Virals #4)
by Kathy Reichs & Brendan Reichs

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Publication: April 10th 2014 by Arrow
Format: Paperback, 432 pages
Source: Own
Connect to Kathy: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Tory Brennan - great niece of Dr Temperance Brennan - and the Virals return for their most terrifying adventure yet.

Morris Island has barely had a chance to return to normality after the high profile trial of the Gamemaster, when two local students seem to vanish into thin air.

Tory Brennan and the Virals pack, move quickly in their attempts to discover what has happened to their twin classmates. But the pack's canine powers are growing wilder, and it is becoming ever harder to conceal the secret which protects them.

When Tory and her friends find evidence of blood in the students' basement, they realise that the disappearance is no game.

But in order to save the twins, the Virals must risk the exposure of their powers, and in doing so put even their own lives in terrible danger.

I’m excited to see what the Virals are going to face this time. In Exposure, the Virals relationship has changed, since the last event with the Gamemaster, especially between Tory and Ben. It was fascinating to see how the Virals are going to get back together as a pack. 

I must admit that I wasn’t really intrigued by the case of the missing classmate at first. But, the writers did a great job in building the plot. I am excited to see the Virals back with another adventure and danger. Their powers are getting stronger and harder to control. I’m very happy to see Chance Claybourne. He made the story much more interesting. He just won’t stop until he finds out the Virals’ secret, to prove his sanity. 

I have to say that Kathy and Brendan Reichs did a really great job in writing this book. Exposure is packed with excitement! It was very hard to put down the book. I need to find out what happen to the Virals. I love Tory and the Virals. Hi and Shelton never disappoint to humor me. Exposure ended with a brilliant cliffhanger. I can’t wait to read the next book!