Review - So Much Closer

When Brooke's crush, Scott, moves from their suburban town to New York City, she decides to follow him there. Living with her formerly estranged dad and adapting to a new school are challenging, and things go from bad to worse when Brooke learns that Scott already has a girlfriend. But as she builds her new life, Brooke begins to discover a side of herself she never knew existed. And as she finds out, in the city that never sleeps, love can appear around any corner...

So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Before you start reading this. Let me warn you. I wrote half of this last night (I fell asleep) and half of it today. So if it doesn’t make sense don’t say that I didn’t warn you.


Aww.Not any other words are coming to me at the moment. This book was sweet, incredibly sweet. I just finished reading So Much Closer and I really liked it. I bought it yesterday and started reading it at 8:07pm (yeah I remembered the exact time. Because I am a freak) and it is now 11:31pm and I am done. I didn’t love this one, but I did really, really, really live it. Like it. I mean like it, I really liked the book, not lived it. Okay. Not awkward at all. Continuing.


So Much Closer in a sentence: Girl (A.K.A Brooke) is a super genius that is undecided, until the end of the book about her future, she is already not sounding normal (there aren’t many super genius around) so when she decides to follow a guy she has been in love with (he doesn’t know she exists) to New York, the first thing that comes to your mind is probably STALKER! But this girl is not a stalker, she is sort of normal, well she basically gets the guy then they break up then she starts falling for another guy (who liked her before she liked him). And once it ended I was all AWWW, that’s so sweet. Seriously I had no other thoughts. Oh well. That is basically the book in a long sentence (and a half).


The writing was nice, although I thought there were some aspects of the writing that could have been improved, but on a whole it was really good. Here’s the first sentence: Today I’m telling Scott Abrams that I’m in love with him. Can you see why I was so hooked? Yes the writing had me hooked, sure it may have had a few faults but overall I really liked it, it kept reading and me up.


The plot was interesting... I really don’t know what I think of it. What I wrote up there was basically the plot of the book. And sure that was enjoyable and I wanted to know how it ended. But about halfway through I knew how it was going to end. I knew who she would end up with and even though I kept reading to see how the plot played out didn’t mean that I absolutely loved it.


The character/ization/s was really good in this book. I liked the characters and how they grew throughout the book. I liked the fact that Brooke was a super genius, it was something I really didn’t expect and I liked how her views on the world changed over the course of the book. I really really really liked John. Can I say that enough? He was just such a likeable person. I kinda thought it was love ;) And I was so happy to see what happened between him and Brooke (even though there was not one kissing scene with them... I think?) I thought their friendship was super cute and I generally liked John. All the side characters including Scott and her parents were all believable and I could relate to the stuff that Brooke was feeling (about school + college). SO, another plus.


I would recommend this book to YA romance lovers. People looking for a nice (awe, how cute) book. Or people that are bored. Even if you don’t like any of those things feel free to check this book out. It’s a good one even if you don’t like it. It’s worth checking it out.


Overall, I enjoyed it. I am now planning on checking out some of the authors other books. Because I did generally like this one. I even wrote a warm fuzzy for the book. I’m gonna let the book explain what a warm fuzzy is. It’s a warm fuzzy,” Sadie informs me. “A what?” “You’ve never heard of warm fuzzies?” “No, but I’m sure you’ll enlighten me.” “The purpose of a warm fuzzy is to spread the love. If someone needs cheering up or you just want to wish them a happy day, a warm fuzzy is perfect. And there are rules. Like how they have to be cute. They can’t be written with a boring pen on some standard piece of paper.” Warm fuzzies sound sort of pretentious, with their rules and aspirations. “And they count as random acts of kindness,” she continues. That’s a warm fuzz! And I was so inspired I’ve been writing them for people all day. Now one for the book that started it!


Dear So Much Closer,

You were a very cute book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It was good, I take that back! You were good; you were an awe of a book. Xo - Sita






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Review - The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove

A steamy Southern beauty makes one fatal mistake

Natalie Hargrove would kill to be her high school’s Palmetto Princess. But her boyfriend Mike King doesn’t share her dream and risks losing the honor of Palmetto Prince to Natalie’s nemesis, Justin Balmer. So she convinces Mike to help play a prank on Justin. . . one that goes terribly wrong. They tie him to the front of the church after a party—when they arrive the next morning, Justin is dead.

From blackmail to buried desire, dark secrets to darker deeds, Natalie unravels. She never should’ve messed with fate. Fate is the one thing more twisted than Natalie Hargrove.

Cruel Intentions meets Macbeth in this seductive, riveting tale of conscience and consequence.

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got this ages ago when I was at the coast with my Mum (and her friend) and my two younger sisters (and their two friends) My friend who was supposed to come had bailed on me (she was sick) so I was in for a week of spending time with 4 kids under the age of 11. It was a painful experience. We were in Big W and I was bored, as a normal person would be. We were looking for something and my mum kept finding stuff she liked. 

So I convinced my mum to buy a few books for me. This was one of them. I think I am giving it such a high rating because I was bored as hell when I read this and it was a few hours of taking my mind of the real world. I briefly remember what the book was about, but I can't refresh my memory by re-reading it, because my friend Tegan has my copy. 

What I do remember?

Popular bitchy girl (who used to live in a trailer park) wants to be prom/homecoming queen sorta thing (different name in the book), so she does a few bad things, one of them is killing one of her competitors, that was up for the crown. 

Her and her boyfriend hide all the evidence, but it kinda drives them crazy and she ends up jumping off a waterfall (also the place she lost her virginity). She has a flashback where one moment in her life flashes before her eyes and then it's over. We get the epilogue.

The book was actually pretty interesting. It had an interesting plot, characters and I actually enjoyed it more than I did the fallen series. But you know I was bored when I read it. So I may have made it sound a lot better than what it really is. I'll let you decide ;)

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Review - Providence

In the old world shadows of Providence, Rhode Island, Nina Grey finds herself the center of a war between Hell and Earth. 

Struggling with her father’s recent death, Nina meets Jared Ryel by chance…or so she believes. Although his stunning good looks and mysterious talents are a welcome distraction, it soon becomes clear that Jared knows more about Nina than even her friends at Brown University. When questions outnumber answers, Jared risks everything to keep the woman he was born to save—by sharing the secret he was sworn to protect. 

When her father’s former associates begin following her in the dark, Nina learns that her father is not the man she thought he was, but a thief who stole from demons. Searching for the truth behind her father’s death, Nina stumbles upon something she never expected—something Hell wants—and only she holds the key.



Providence by Jamie McGuire
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really don’t know how to describe this book. I picked this up because I loved Beautiful Disaster and I mean LOVED! I read it so many times it was a little ridiculous. Near obsession. Back to this book… I actually had to go on a huge search for this one; I could not find it anywhere. Not in the shops, not in the library, not online. I ended up buying it on I-tunes, to read on my I-phone. Let me tell you now, such a pain! My hands hurt by the end of finishing each chapter and the screen kept moving, from landscape to portrait and it’s taken me forever to actually finish the book. But boy am I glad I read it!  Don’t let my whinging about where I read it actually put you off the book itself, which is easily going to become on of my favourites.


Providence is about... a lovely couple; it is about Nina Grey and Jared Ryel. This lovely couple faces many terrible things, one of them being a mafia-like-crime-gang-dirty-police sort of thing,


That's the evil police for you ;)


If that is not bad enough they also happen to face of a bunch of angry angels. And the everyday problems that come with being a Guardian Angel (yep that’s you Jared) and their siblings (that’s you Claire). Oh yes they also face their undying attraction.





Which strangely and much to my disappointment neither ends up submitting to until the last half of the book.


What did I think of the plot?


And just to prove that I can bring Glee into anything...




Holy Moly! I loved it! I loved the new take on angels; I loved the fact that they were battling a few things. I loved the fact that was a tad bit of an idiot (that award goes to you Nina), whom I wanted to slap most of the time. But that has nothing to do with the plot. So back to the plot, I generally loved. Not much else to say, I think now is the right time to shove in one of my favourite quotes “Because you’re worth it.” He looked at me as if I should know that already, and I couldn’t help but smile. “I think that’s already been trademarked by L’Oreal,” I said. It’s just so sweet, by the way, that’s not from Jared it’s from Ryan *sigh*.


Onto the characters. I am strange, but hopefully you already knew that. That was a random change in topic. Back to the book. Now that we have already discussed my strangeness, let’s discuss Ryan. I loved Ryan, sure I liked Jared, he was pretty cool, and I mean he’s a guardian angel for goodness sake. I’m still trying to decide if I want one of them, but if it was like Ryan, actually if I had one like Claire, hell yes. I loved Ryan because he was totally sweet, he was charming and was destined (they were going to get married) for Nina, but Jared got in the way and un-destined that. If you read the book you will see why I fell in love with Ryan and not Jared.


I just want to warn you, I’m not a crazy or anything, but Claire. Will you marry me?





Claire has got to be the kick-ass side character in the history of kick-ass characters. She was rude, obnoxious, she was hilarious (I loved when she was talking), and the way she accepted everything that happened to her. And she could kick some ass! So I ask again, even though I kind of like guys I am willing to make an exception for you Claire. Because as Ryan said to Nina “Because you’re worth it.”


The writing, sure there were a few typo’s, or maybe that was just my copy. Can we really trust I-tunes? But they were far and few and the super amazing story kinda makes up for them.





Overall, it was a fun, wonderful, enjoyable read. That I loved. I liked the fact that it was a whole different take on the angel thing, it was refreshing and I really didn’t expect that when picking up the book. I recommend this to lovers of the YA genre, romance and paranormal romance. This is actually a bit of a side note, but I was actually avoiding PR as of late, because I just couldn’t finish any books with it as a main theme. This book was different, good different. I really loved it, and I can’t say that enough. Here’s to another quote. This one cracked me up. “So…if I’m cramping…” Jared closed his eyes and nodded. He clearly didn’t want to dwell on the subject. I giggled in disbelief. “That hurts you?” He could feel what she was feeling, just really toned down.



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Review - Telling Secrets (At The Party #1)

Brooke just wants to forget. About the weird stuff that’s going on with her family. About the fact that her best friend moved away right before their senior year. About the fact that lately, she hasn’t been able to feel much of anything.

And that’s what Aiden helps her to do -- forget. So what if he’s kind of… unavailable? Everyone needs a bad boy, right?

Ry just wants to be with Brooke. He had a chance a long time ago, and he’s been pining for her ever since. And when he sees her with Aiden, he decides that some things have been kept secret long enough…

Told from both Brooke and Ry’s point of view, AT THE PARTY is a romantic novella from Lauren Barnholdt, author of TWO-WAY STRET and ONE NIGHT THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.


Telling Secrets by Lauren Barnholdt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


                                                                               3.5






Because it’s a novella, I am not going to bore you with a long review. So here is a quick one. This is the book-o-metre.




Characters: 5/10









Not all the characters annoyed me. Just Brooke (one of the main people). Cause I liked Ry just fine. There was something about Brooke that just pissed me off; maybe it was the way she treated her friends or how she acted with Aiden (total douche by the way)... But don’t let that put you off. Ry (the other main character) is super awesome and sweet.




Writing: 6/10


No comment.




Plot: 6/10




Pretty average, boy loses girl he really liked when he was young, tries to get her back because girl has moved on and is hooking up with another guy, but subconsciously she hasn’t moved on...




Enjoy-ability: 8/10




Light, fluff, not super moving and you’ll probably forget the book in a couple days but at the time, it is generally enjoyable.




Overall interestingness: 7/10




It will keep you reading, it wasn’t boring.




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Review - Getting Close (At the Party, #3)

Gabriella is afraid. Afraid of what it means to be in love with Landon, afraid of what it means to let herself fall for another person so completely. 

Landon knows Gabriella's scared, and he's not about to give up on her. But will he be able to convince her that they're meant to be?

The third novella in the romantic At the Party series by Lauren Barnholdt...



Getting Close by Lauren Barnholdt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


3.9/5




Because it’s a novella...Here is the book-o-meter:




Characters: 8/10




What can I say? I liked these characters a lot more than I liked Brooke and Ry. They were a lot funnier and for them it wasn't lust at first, they had actually dated and were dealing with their very recent break up. And what can I say? I liked that.




Writing: 8/10




Like most of Lauren Barnholdt’s other writing.




Plot: 6/10




It’s so short that of course there isn’t enough time for a plot but there is one there and the plot that is there is short and sweet. Also, I like the fact that the novellas are all set over the same night. And some of the novellas overlap, like we got to see what was happening to other people from the outside. But the plot in a sentence: Boyfriend and Girlfriend just broke up, trying to get over each other, realise that they're not, decide to get back together.




Enjoy-ability: 8/10




No comment.




Overall interestingness: 8/10




Best plot/back story, it was pretty interesting.









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Review - Act Of Faith

England,1640. Sixteen-year-old Isabella is forced to flee her home when her father’s radical ideas lead him into a suicidal stand against Oliver Cromwell’s army.Taking refuge in Amsterdam and desperate to find a means to survive, Isabella finds work with an elderly printer, Master de Aquila,and his enigmatic young assistant, Willem. 

When Master de Aquila travels to Venice to find a publisher brave enough to print his daring new book, Isabella accompanies him and discovers a world of possibility -where women work alongside men as equal partners, and where books and beliefs are treasured. 

But in a continent torn apart by religious intolerance, constant danger lurks for those who don’t watch their words. And when the agents of the Spanish Inquisition kidnap de Aquila to stop him printing his book, Isabella and Willem become reluctant allies in a daring chase across Europe to rescue him from certain death. 




Act of Faith by Kelly Gardiner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


3.5




I don’t actually read Historical fiction that often and even though I like the genre I just don’t like many of the books that come out of it. I’m still trying to figure out if I liked this book or not. I read the book in one sitting, but by the end I didn’t feel that satisfied. Everything happened so fast, the problem was fixed and forgotten so quickly.









I think that describes how I felt after completing the book... Not the pants thing though...




Because everything happened so quickly I felt that I didn’t have time to get to know the characters, the story was mainly based around the plot, not that that’s a bad thing, but I felt that the main character Isabella was missing something. Sure, she was a pretty cool heroine, she was stronger and smarter than a lot of girls back then but she just didn’t seem real to me. She was not jumping out at me.









Okay, I have to admit. I really didn’t like Willem. I found what he thought of women annoying and he was a general ass.









Plus the fact that his ass-ness really didn’t change was kind of a let down for me. But Isabella made up for his ass-ness with the fact that she was able to always come up with a good comeback.




I loved Master de Aquila as a character. He was just so passionate about books and freedom of speech! I liked learning about how dangerous just some of the thoughts thought in that time period could be.









What I really didn’t like was the fact that the blurb gave the plot away it also made you think that there would be a bit of a romance between Isabella and Willem. No romance whatsoever, which was the main reason I actually picked up the book.









Or non-existant...




This book is for people that love history and people that are looking for something new to read.




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Review - Eighth Grade Bites

Junior high really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: he’s being hunted by a vampire killer.



Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This has got to be the best out of the whole series, I remember buying and reading these at the start of year 8, I loved them then, sped through all the books and bought and read the last one the day it came out. I recently read them and I was a little disappointed. I thought they were amazing in my mind, not so much in real life.







But in saying that, I still found them slightly entertaining, and after re-reading them all. I again concluded that the first one was the best. This is why:

      1)8th Grade, I was in 8th Grade at the time, I felt I could really connect to Vlad.



      2)Vlad was a cool person, he was funny, he was awkward, and he had a crush. He was a awesome      vampire that I believed was real. It was someone I could imagine going to school with.



      3)The plot was not stretched out, it was short and sweet. It was a good plot.



      4)The Cover, only reason I picked up the book in the first place.



      5)He wasn’t up himself. Unlike a lot of vampires I've read about.



      6)It was generally a good book.



      7)Henry and Vlad were not pms-ing all the time.



Yeah, that’s all I can think of at the moment, but I’m sure the list goes on. Oh yeah, they were young and innocent, LOL. 



Overall, this is an interesting twist on the whole vampire thing and is worth looking at. Even if you only read the first in the series.







Yep, it kept me awake...


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