Review: Everybody Has Everything by Katrina Onstad

Name of book: Everybody has Everything
Author: Katrina Onstad
Publication: May 29th 2012 by Emblem Editions
Genre: Contemporary
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

Combining a pitch-perfect, whip-smart dissection of contemporary urban life with a fresh and perceptive examination of our individual and collective ambivalence towards parenthood, Katrina Onstad's Everbody Has Everything balances tragedy and comedy with verve and flair, and is destined to be one of Canada's most talked-about novels of 2012.
 
What happens when the tidy, prosperous life of an urban couple is turned inside out by a tragedy with unexpected consequences? After a car crash leaves their friend Marcus dead and his wife Sarah in a coma, Ana and James are shocked to discover that they have become the legal guardians of a 2½-year-old, Finn. Finn's crash-landing in their lives throws into high relief deeply rooted, and sometimes long-hidden, truths about themselves, both individually and as a couple. Several chaotic, poignant, and life-changing weeks as a most unusual family give rise to an often unasked question: Can everyone be a parent?

-- My Rating --

3/5 Oscars: Liked it...

-- My Thoughts --

     The book and the author were new to me, here. But these books always appeal to me. These slow and realistic contemporary reads. This one had its ups and downs
     Ana and James really wanted a child. They wanted to be parents. In the end, it took them one hour to be one. When Finn arrives to their house, their lives are changed forever. Will they be able to hold on or will a tragedy-ic split be their future? 
     Interesting, right? Well, that was my first impression. I liked the idea and how it went. The beginning of the novel was too slow for me. I found my mind drifting away to other books that I could read. Which is bad. Then towards the 50th page, it got a little better.
     I couldn't connect with the characters. Maybe it was due to the age limit. Since they are in their thirties and I am in my teenage years. I also couldn't sympathize with them. Maybe if some older audience would read this book, they would like it better.
     This book was enjoyable, really, up until the ending. I hate these kind of unresolved, unsatisfying endings. When I turned the last page, I was like "What??? This is the ENDING?" I couldn't get it, which ruined the read for me. Anyway, don't take me word for it. Read a couple of other reviews and read a sample, then decide if you wanna read it or not.

Review: Mad About Undead You by Carl Plumer

Name of book: Mad About Undead You: A Zombie Apocalypse Love Story
Author: Carl Plumer
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Provided by the kind author...

Imagine you are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse

Imagine fighting for your life, running for your life. Because, one day, you will be. Just like Cathren and Donovan.

Cathren Whitney is half-human, half-zombie. She can’t be harmed or killed by zombies, no matter how many zombies attack her.

Yet she can rip the undead to shreds as if tearing paper. With her lover Donovan Codell at her side, Cathren seeks to put the world right again.

But zombies are the least of her problems

She must avoid a sinister corporation called ATELIC bent on her destruction, as well as the cryogenically-frozen “heads from hell” that ATELIC has let loose on Earth. Can San Francisco be saved? Can love conquer the undead? Will Cathren and Donovan find freedom, safety, and true love?

- My Rating --

3/5 Oscars: liked it....

-- My Thoughts --

      I didn't put too many expectations into this book, but since it was about zombies, I couldn't say no to reviewing it. And I have to be honest, so I am sorry for hurting anyone in this review. This book was just an average one for me.
     Don and Cathren didn't suspect anything would happen on such a normal day. But suddenly, the streets are full of people who are rotting away and missing body parts and craving brains. The source responsible for all this, a huge company, is trying to reassure the public. Cathren is changing, into something entirely new. It's the apocalypse, and it seems like everywhere they go, something will always get in the way of Don and Cathren's safety. Will love find a place in their hearts? Or will the deadly water turn them into what they fear?
     This book was intriguing, I have to give it that. The source of the zombies is believable and it made me think that it might actually happen, which was incredibly scary. The one thing that irked me in this book was the characters. They were so indifferent. The world is collapsing and people are dying and Cathren is putting on makeup? Seriously? All this is happening in the world right now and Don wants to bang her? COME ON! 
     Another thing that I didn't like was the plot. At the beginning, it was fast-paced, scary and intriguing, but then things started crumbling down. Like, Cathren and Don would run from one danger, after a paragraph of happiness, something else comes out. The whole book is like that. A danger after a danger, that towards the end, it becomes boring. How can danger become boring? I didn't like all the drama and the almost unbelievable bunch of villains out there.
     This book had ups and downs. Yes, it seems like I didn't like it at all. But I did, maybe the bad things were more than the good, it was still enjoyable. Nonetheless, I wish I had read something else. I am so sorry but that is just it.

Review: The Paparazzi Project by Kristina Springer

Name of book: The Paparazzi Project
Author:  Kristina Springer
Publication: December 15th 2012
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Provided by the kind author...
Goodreads

Livvie Peterson thought taking Interpersonal Communications her junior year would be an easy A. But when the first assignment is given, her world flips upside down. Here’s the deal: the class is assigned a six-week project and is split into three groups— Paparazzi, Tabloid, and Celebrities. The Paparazzi follow around the Celebrities taking pictures and grabbing any kind of quotes they can. The Celebrities try to navigate being tailed on a daily basis. And the Tabloid receives all the information collected by the Paparazzi and decides what makes the weekly summary report. Sounds harmless…and it’s all just pretend anyway, right?

Livvie is assigned as Paparazzi and when she is matched up with the über-cute Chas Montgomery as her Tabloid boss she’s pretty sure things couldn’t get much better. Livvie’s uncanny ability to capture the Celebrities in compromising photos matched with Chas’s skill of exaggerating captions and editing the photos make them an unstoppable team. And the long hours working side by side with Chas aren’t a bad bonus.

Livvie simultaneously launches an anonymous blog, leaking the class’ photos and stories on the Internet. Her rising follower number quickly becomes addicting and she possibly spills too much information online. Once she finds her own celebrity will she be able to give it back? And will Chas be gone before she ever has the chance to find out?

-- My Rating --

3.5 / 5 Oscars: Liked it...

-- My Thoughts --

     I have never heard of the author before, but when she approached me for a review, I accepted. Since the plot is really promising even though the cover is not exactly flattering. I loved many aspects of this book and it will not be my last from the author, for sure...

     Livvie is just your average teenage girl. The one who avoids attention and prefers to stay off the high school radar. But when, in one of her classes, an intriguing assignment comes up. Livvie is thrilled to be part of the paparazzi group. The class is divided into three parts: The Celebrities (the ones who should get used to being followed), The Tabloids (the ones whom the paparazzi bring photos to), and The Paparazzi (the ones who stalk the celebrities). 

     Having to work with the cute, charming Chas as a tabloid is definitely fun. But when reality and acts mix and a simple project turns into chaos  what should you do? Find out more in this awesome high school tale, The Paparazzi Project...

     The first thing that captured me in this book was the idea of the assignment. Because, in my school, we are only 8 students in class. The SAME 8 students share the same classes, and our number is too small to 

do these kinds of assignments so it was intriguing to read about it. The characters were nothing special but that did not bother me.

     The little romance between Livvie and Chas was cute, teenage crushes and I liked that. I am kinda tired of the I-would-die-without-you, deep-within-the-heart romances in other books. What I didn't like though, was Livvie's choices. They were stupid and I cannot give much away without giving spoilers so you gotta read it for yourself.

     This book was enjoyable and realistic. But it had its bad moments, which fortunately, were not many. You gotta read this book for yourself to find out if it is indeed, your cup of dark chocolate  (or coffee, or tea, whatever you fancy)

ARC Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Name of book: Dare You To (Pushing The Limits #2)
Author: Katie McGarry
Publication: May 28th 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. "Dance with me, Beth."

"No." I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again....

"I dare you..."

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all....

-- My Rating --

4.5 Oscars: Really liked it...

-- My Thoughts --

      When I read the first book in this series, Pushing the Limits (my review here). I fell in love with Katie's absolutely enchanting characters and I couldn't let them go. I knew this book would be about a different set of characters but I was equally enchanted.

     Beth is not a bad girl. No. She has just had a bad life and that is the only way to let go. But when she gets moved back to her old town and reunited with her only relative besides her mother, she is not happy. And when she meets the captivating jock boy, Ryan, she knows that she should not let down her guard. Ryan's had a complicated life, too, but in a different way. And he knows well not to let Beth ruin his future. Sparks fly. But will a love built on pain survive the challenges it will face?

---

Winning feels great. Awesome. Drives me higher than anything else in the world. The twisting and pressure that I so often feel - gone. Winning leaves my muscles loose, makes me lift my head higher, and damn if it doesn't bring on a smile. "You may not want it, but you need it." - Ryan

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     Again, I absolutely fell in love with Katie's characters. There is something different about them. They are broken, but they still hold so much hope that it's refreshing. I knew reading from Beth's perspective would be unique and it was. I don't have anything in common with Beth, but I felt WITH her and FOR her. Ryan is an amazing guy. Almost too perfect to be true, as Beth says, and she is right. But he is real to Beth and to watch them grow so much as characters was exhilarating to witness.

     I loved the little scenes we got of Noah and Echo (the main characters in Pushing The Limits). I missed them so much, and I gotta say that I prefer Beth over Echo, and Noah over Ryan.  But I KNOW that Beth and Noah, or Ryan and Echo, or Beth and Isaiah would have never worked out. It's so strange but Katie knows exactly how to pair off her characters so that they are perfect for each other. Two faces of a coin, they say.

     Even before I finished this book, I knew who the third book would be about. It seemed like the most obvious choice, since Isaiah still has to tell his story. CRASH INTO YOU looks amazing and I cannot wait for Miss Katie to write it! I know I won't be disappointed from one of my favorite authors of all time!

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A silver of hope sneaks past my walls and I slam every opening shut. Emotion is evil. People who make me feel are worse. I take comfort in the stone inside of me, If I don't feel. I don't hurt. - Beth

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It's an innocent kiss at first. Soft lips meeting; a gentle pressure that creates a slow burn. The type of kiss you give to someone that means something. This isn't the type of kiss to be wasted on me. - Beth

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Review: Everyday by David Levithan

Name of book: Everyday
Author: David Levithan
Publication: August 28th 2012 by Knopf Books for Young Readers 
Genre: YA Contemporary (I think...)
Source: Won @TheAussieZombie
Goodreads

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

-- My Rating --

4.5 / 5 Oscars: Really liked it

-- My Thoughts --

     I admit that I didn't read this book on purpose. I knew it would be great, so I put so many expectations into it, because of everything I heard of David Levithan and his amazing writing style. I feared that I would be let down. Well, let me just say that you can count me as one of David Levithan's die-hard fans!

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It's so much easier when we're talking about things that are real. We don't have to remind ourselves what the point is, because we're right there in it...

---

     A, wakes up in a different body everyday. He has to keep his interactions to a minimum and never get too close to anyone, because he will leave the next day. So, he can't do any life-changing decisions. But when, one day, he gets into Justin's body, and meets Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon, he knows that he has fallen in love. Head over heels in love, and he wants to spend EVERYDAY with her. But is that possible?

---

I am close enough to see that her eyes are blue. I am close enough now to see that nobody ever gets close enough to see how blue her eyes are...

---

     I can't begin to describe the loveliness and uniqueness of this book. The idea is so different from anything I have ever read, and David Levithan's writing style is... Well, I wish I was him, so I could be the one who wrote so many amazing books. His writing style is captivating and inspirational, I underlined so many amazing quotes from the book. Every page was something new.

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We all contain mysteries, especially when seen from the inside...

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     His characters are superb. A falls in love with Rhiannon over one meeting, in one day, you might think this is rushed, or insta-love, but it's not. A is different, he doesn't know what love is, or what it means to BE in love. He was amazing, and I will always refer to him as HE, since he is one of the most amazing boys I have ever read about, even if he woke up as a girl, somedays. Rhiannon is a like-able character and she is very believable. I would have done the same things if I was her, she wasn't easily convinced and she was lovely.

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I am not blinded by the past or motivated by the future. I focus on the present, because that is where I am destined to live...

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     I didn't expect the ending, at all. But I was pleasantly surprised. And I cried my eyes out in the end. You should have seen what David Levithan did to me, I was a mess. But I loved it. I CANNOT wait to read more of his books. I am IN love. Go, buy this, now!