Let's try this again!

It has been quite a few months since I have been on here and even longer since I have written a review. Life has been rather hectic and I've been trying my hardest to keep up. In the past year I met an amazing guy, he left for bootcamp for the Navy for 2 months, then he got out of bootcamp, he proposed, we got married, and I moved away to another state to be with him. It has been crazy to say the least, but we are having a lot of fun.

I really want to get back into the swing of things. I haven't been reading a lot lately and I apologize to all the people who have sent me emails asking me to review their books. I am slowly, but surely going to try to get to everyone, but I suggest you email again if you can. I can't promise how quickly the book will be read or a review will be done, but I will do my best. Now I am just going to have to work on getting Kim back into reviewing as well.

I miss this and I miss all of you. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things rather quickly. And, since I've been out of the loop so long, please fill me in on great new books or blogs that you recommend!

-Missy

Need some help!

Okay everyone I need your help. I have been out of the loop for several months now and have completely missed out on everything that is going on in the bookish world. I need book suggestions people! What amazing books have come out or will be coming out that I need to add to my TBR pile. I have quite a bit on there already, but I want the scoop on all the new ones too! Also has anything happened in the bookish world that I should know about?

Oh and what about new blogs and bloggers that I have to start following?

Help a girl out!

Review - Pretties (Uglies, #2) by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Pretties (Uglies, #2) (Amazon)

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: 2005

Pages: 370

Genre: Y/A

Source: Missy owns

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life -- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive. (Goodreads)

Kim’s Take – I thought this book was so much better than the first installment. I was totally hooked on this series by the second half of the first book, which was rather boring in the beginning.

Tally has now had the surgery to become a Pretty and is living a life of luxury and non-stop parties in New Pretty Town. But everything is disrupted by a letter she receives that she wrote to herself when she was still an Ugly. She has promised to take 2 pills to heal brain lesions caused by the transformation. The lesions cause individuals to become peaces loving, unquestioning, and dense. Scared to attempt the cure alone, and leave her boyfriend Zane behind, she splits the pills with him.

The actions begins when Tally and Zane search for the Ruins where the pills have come from and get help for Zane who seems to be having a bad response to the dose. With the Specials on their tail, the journey is an exciting adventure.

I have a fondness for post-apocalyptic books and I love the world Westerfeld has created and the surprises along the way.

This installment kept me on my toes and made it extremely hard to put down. I started the third book in the series immediately! Review on the third book, Specials, will be coming soon!

Kim’s Rating – 5/5

Review - Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Title: Twenty Boy Summer (Amazon)

Author: Sarah Ockler

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: 2009

Pages: 290

Genre: Y/A

Source: Library

"Don’t worry, Anna. I’ll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won’t say anything?"
"Don’t worry.” I laughed. “It’s our secret, right?"

According to Anna’s best friend, Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there’s a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there’s something she hasn’t told Frankie–she’s already had her romance, and it was with Frankie’s older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

TWENTY BOY SUMMER explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every beautiful moment life has to offer. (Goodreads)

Kim’s Take – This was such a sweet, emotional, and heartbreaking read. It takes you through so many different emotions of the main characters, Anna and Frankie. The author does such an amazing job of getting you to know the characters, Anna specifically, that they become easily relatable.

Anna, Frankie, and Frankie’s older brother Matt have been best friends forever. When the feelings between Anna and Matt become more serious and they realize their love for each other, Matt is hesitant to make it known to Frankie. He seems very protective of her and is scared the news will hurt her. Anna is sworn to secrecy until Matt can figure out the best way to tell Frankie. Unfortunately, Matt is killed before Frankie finds out about their relationship. Anna honors her promise to Matt and says nothing to Frankie.

During the year after Matt’s death, Frankie seems to deal with her grief by changing drastically and rebelling, making it hard for Anna to get through to her. When Frankie’s family invites her on their yearly vacation to a beach house in California, Anna jumps at the chance to spend three weeks getting closer to her former best friend. But the moment they step into the house for the first time without Matt, emotions seem to overflow.

But Frankie’s only plan for their vacation is to meet twenty guys over the vacation who are interested in them. Not exactly Anna’s idea of a good time since she is still devastated and mourning the loss of Matt. How can Frankie’s plan help Anna get over her feelings? Feelings which Frankie is unaware of.

A good love story is always a bonus and this one gives you more than you expect. I felt it realistically covered the emotions and common reactions of the life of a typical teen. I found the ending to be happy and sad at the same time but was definitely satisfied and thought it was a great book.

 Kim Rating – 4/5

Hello out there......

So I know it has been a crazy long time and people are probably wondering where the heck we have been. Kim has no excuse, but life sort of got in my way. I went through a pretty bad break up after 12 years, I moved, got a new job and the list goes on and on! During that time I did find myself a handsome new boyfriend who is currently off at Navy boot camp so I have time on my hands again to get back to doing what I love. Reading and reviewing books.

This is going to sound horrible, but I can honestly say that I have not picked up a book in months. Scary and unthinkable right? I agree. I can't believe it myself. With all the things that were going on it was just hard to find the time to actually be able to concentrate on a book without my mind swirling around with a million other things.

So I am back in the game. It might take a few days for me to start posting stuff, but it will come! I promise! Now I just have to get on Kim to get back to it too!

Review - Insatiable by Meg Cabot (Insatiable, #1)

Title: Insatiable (Insatiable, #1) (Amazon)

Author: Meg Cabot

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: Jun 2010

Pages: 451

Genre: Y/A

Source: Library

Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper.

But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them.

Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does).

But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.

The problem is, he already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own.

And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.

Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . .

If she even has one. (Goodreads)

Kim’s Take – I have to say I was pretty intrigued when I found a vampire story written by Meg Cabot. She has become one of my favorite authors whose books I go for automatically when I want to read something I am guaranteed to like. And I wasn’t let down. I loved this book!

There is always humor thrown into Meg Cabot’s books and this one was no different. Meena Harper is a writer on a popular soap opera. Irritated by the vampire craze, she is livid when she finds a vampire character is being written into the show. In Meena’s opinion, vampires are non-existent. Which is odd since she possesses a strange capability of determining how someone is going to die. The skill has often hurt her more than helped.

When Meena is saved one night on the street by a mysterious stranger she almost feels as if it had to be a dream. But she soon finds that is not the case once she meets Lucien. Sweet, sexy Lucien is like a knight in shining armor and she falls in love with him immediately. Unfortunately for Lucien, he also finds himself obsessing over Meena. Which is a good thing for neither of them. Lucien is not only a vampire, but he is the worst of them all. He is the “Prince of Darkness”.

Enter Alaric. He is the hot, misunderstood, demon hunter who has his sights set on ridding the world of Lucien. He finds that Meena is becoming more to him than just a link to Lucien.  Imagine a battle between the prince of darkness and a bad-ass demon hunter for possession of one woman. Hot! It’s hard choosing one side when both guys are swoon worthy!

There is a very interesting cast of characters throughout the book which makes it interesting during the battle at the end and the truth regarding many of these characters comes out.

I was obsessed with the story and started the second book in the series immediately. More to come!

Kim’s Rating -5/5

Review - The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

Title: The Truth About Forever (Amazon)

Author: Sarah Dessen

Publisher: Puffin

Release Date:  May 2004

Pages: 374

Genre:Y/A

Source:  Library

Sixteen-year-old Macy Queen is looking forward to a long, boring summer. Her boyfriend is going away. She's stuck with a dull-as-dishwater job at the library. And she'll spend all of her free time studying for the SATs or grieving silently with her mother over her father's recent unexpected death. But everything changes when Macy is corralled into helping out at one of her mother's open house events, and she meets the chaotic Wish Catering crew. Before long, Macy joins the Wish team. She loves everything about the work and the people. But the best thing about Wish is Wes—artistic, insightful, and understanding Wes—who gets Macy to look at life in a whole new way, and really start living it.

Kim’s Take – I have to admit that this is my first Sarah Dessen book even though I have heard and read such great things about her. I now know why. I loved the book and can’t wait to read her others.

The book is based around Macy, whose father passed away suddenly. I automatically felt so bad for Macy since she seemed so close to him and felt unnecessary guilt over his death. Unfortunately, she has no one to talk to about her feeling and holds everything inside where it eats her up. Outwardly, she tries to make herself appear in control and that she is fine. Mrs. Responsibility.

Her so-called boyfriend (I call him Mr. Cold, Insensitive, Perfection!) is going away for the summer to a nerd camp and has recruited her to replace him at his library job during his absence.  Spending her summer days being condescended to in the company of her boyfriend’s admirers, who feel she is not good enough for him, is hellish.

She meets Wes at a catered affair at her mother’s house and seems to be attracted to the chaos and how well the owner seems to thrive on it. When she begins doing some side work catering events with them, she begins to question her current controlled existence and spends more time with Wes who seems to be able to open her up more about her feelings. I loved the relationship between the two of them and hoped they would end up getting together.

Over the course of the summer, Macy rediscovers herself and the things that are important to her. She gains her voice and is able to verbalize her feelings to change things for the better and to question and rethink her relationships.

It was such a good story about being yourself and not what you think everyone wants you to be. Without this, you will never be truly happy and it just had such a positive ending.

Though the beginning was rather slow, it reflects the mundane life Macy was leading and picks up as she realizes things about herself and begins to open up more. A great read for everyone and I will be ordering other books by Dessen right away! (Goodreads)

Kim’s Rating – 4/5