Rating System:

For those of you who don't know, I rate books based on their ability to hold my attention. I don't really like to rip apart someone's hard work. If I don't finish a book, then I don't feel comfortable rating it. So you might see a lot of 4 and 5 star ratings. However, if I do have issues with a book, I will always tell you. Enjoy! (:

Monday, February 29, 2016

Summer of Sloane ARC Review


Summer of Sloane by Erin L. Schneider
5 Stars
I am so incredibly happy that I was able to read this book early. Thank you so, so much to NetGalley and the publisher for "granting my wish". Summer of Sloane is a novel about friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, and finding yourself. I'm not going to say what, but a huge bomb was dropped right on the first page. WHAT?! I wasn't sure where it was going to go, but I needed to find out. 

The characters all felt very real and relatable in a sense and I found that quite refreshing. I will say I found myself very angry at Mick throughout the whole novel. The actions of this character just rubbed me the wrong way, but also it felt like that was intentional so it's not a bad thing. My favorite character had to be Finn. He was charming and funny, he just pulled me in from the very start. As I got to know more about him, I loved him even more. A book from his perspective would be welcomed with open arms. *wink wink* Or even just a sequel. I need more. Sloane is a very independent yet confused girl who clearly needs time to discover who she is and what she wants. I think that's one of the most enjoyable parts. I loved her thought process and how although her mind thought things were very black and white, her heart saw things as grey. I could go on forever about the wonderful characters in this novel. 

Schneider does a fantastic job at describing the scenery, man I wish I were in Hawaii. I'd like to also address the pool. A small fact is that Sloane has anxiety and she deals with it by building a pool in her mind, drop by drop, piece by piece. As someone who also has anxiety, I found this to be amazing. I have never heard of such a way to deal with it and watching Sloane do it was very calming. I haven't read a lot of books that talk about anxiety in such a real and helpful way. I think it was wonderful that it was included in this book even though it didn't necessarily need to be. Thank you, Erin.

To sum everything up, Sloane is a journey. While it is a fun Summer read, it is also a perfect example of how sometimes all you need is to get away for a little while. That focusing on yourself is not wrong, but also how things can change in a single moment. Sloane takes on a serious side as well. I recommend this to absolutely anyone who loves contemporary and even those who are unsure. For those of you who are interested, Summer of Sloane will be out on May 3, 2016. I do hope you'll get yourself a copy and discuss it with me.
Xoxo,
Gabriella

Also, here are two of the pictures I took of my Sloane bookmark for the event called #SloaneAroundTheWorld. You can see everyone else's photos by looking up the hashtag on both Instagram and Twitter. You also might want to check out Erin's Blog.
                   




Saturday, February 20, 2016

A Little Something Different Review

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall
5 Stars
Around Valentine's day I was looking for a super cute read and so I picked up A Little Something Different. The title definitely fits. If you don't already know this is a love story and it is told from fourteen different perspectives, none of which are the actual couple. I must say, while that is a lot of vantage points, there was only one that bothered me. Her name is Hillary and boy did she just rub me the wrong way. Other than that, I enjoyed them all. I especially loved the meddling friends and the creative writing professor (the squirrel was cute too). Now on to the actual story. While I did give it 5 stars because I enjoyed it overall, I had no idea it was going to be full of so many near misses! It was incredibly frustrating, but I guess that's what you get when you don't have "instalove". Gabe and Lea were both so adorable and the connection was there. I just would have liked to see them as a couple as well as all of the before. Regardless of my little issues, I could not put it down. Maybe because I was hardcore rooting for these two to get together since there wasn't a whole lot else going on. If you're looking for a super cute and quick read, this is absolutely what I'd recommend. I picked the perfect book for a holiday about love. If you've read this, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you wish there were more to the story? Are you happy with where it ended? Let's discuss!
Xoxo,
Gabriella

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Holding Court ARC Review

Holding Court by K.C. Held
5 Stars
Holding Court caught my attention because the description seemed so different. A book about a girl working in a castle who finds a body? Not to mention her "PTS", wow. I needed to see what this was all about and I'm glad I did. I found myself falling in love with Juliet, her gran, and yes, Grayson Chandler (There's an obvious need to use his full name once you read it). I can tell you Juliet's gran is absolutely hilarious. Back to the story, the focus of Holding Court is this mystery of who died and where did the body go? Even though I kind of figured out who did it around halfway through, it was still entertaining and I didn't know 100% that my suspect was indeed the guilty party until it was revealed. Bottom line, I could not put it down. I needed to know who had done the deed and I was also rooting for a certain couple. K.C. wove together an intriguing mystery that's also hilarious and adorable at the same time. If you're looking for a fun, quick read, then this one is for you. A special thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy. Holding Court will be available for purchase on March 1, 2016, grab yourself a copy and we can talk about it.
Xoxo,
Gabriella

Thursday, February 4, 2016

City of Bones Review

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
5 Stars
I know, I know, I'm so late to the cool kids club with this one. Fuck it, I took my time and I'm glad I did because damn, I loved this book. I finally understand the hype surrounding this series and I am definitely going to continue with it. As late as I was, I finally picked this up because the television show, Shadowhunters, was starting this month. I don't know about you, but I struggle to read something once I've seen its adaptation so I had to hurry my ass up.

I loved practically all of the characters, but I was mildly annoyed by Simon. Clary had her moments as well, but let's focus on the good. Jace was so cocky, he didn't hold back in any aspect and it was perfect. Definitely the most entertaining character to read about for me. Isabelle’s confidence is for sure something I am jealous of. I found Hodge to be kind of sketchy throughout the book, but I feel like a sketchy character is always needed especially with a story like this one. As for Alec, I don't have a lot of thoughts there except for the scene where he gets a tad angry. DAMN. Lastly, I want to see more of Magnus. His character seems to just draw me in! Anyone else feel that way?

As for the plot, I felt it was very well paced with a few serious bombs dropped throughout. Seriously, WHAT?! I enjoyed the romance aspect as well and how it was in the background instead of the forefront. There is a couple that I ship and I don't know how to feel about it. If you've read it, you know. If you're behind on the times like I am, read it. Read it now. If you love adventure, sarcasm, action, etc. then this book is for  you. Book two is in my future for sure. I'd love to hear your thoughts, whether they're on the book, the movie, or the tv show. Just try not to leave any spoilers.
Xoxo,
Gabriella