Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson Book Review

Photo&Summary from Goodreads

Title: Second Chance Summer

Author: Morgan Matson

Published: May 8th, 2012 by Simon & Schuster

Plot Summary:

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

So I was at the library by my work, looking for Since You've Been Gone. They didn't have it, but they did have Second Chance Summer. I thought it might be fun to read some of her earlier book. Plus this looked like a fun summer read.

I was right, but I was also wrong. I enjoyed this book, it was a fun summer read, but it also wrecked me. I cried and I don't usually cry at books. I just related to the main character so much that I could easily put myself in her situation. It also didn't help that I had just hung out with my dad as well when I got to the ending.

However, that was what really drew me in at the end of the book. At the beginning of the book, I was reading for the mystery of what she did to make all of these people mad at her. While that was revealed and I can understand where those people were coming from, I felt Taylor built it up a lot more in her head.

I simply loved all of the characters. Like I said, Taylor was very easy to relate to. I also really liked Warren and their whole family dynamic. All of the characters were people I would want to hang out with, which is rare in books I read. While the romance wasn't too romancy, I felt it fit well within the book. It didn't overwhelm what the book was really about.

Overall, this book sold me on Morgan Matson. It was utterly fantastic. I would definitely recommend it for people who enjoy contemporary but don't want to just read romance. I will definitely be reading the rest of her work. 

Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart Review

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Title: Real Live Boyfriends

Author: E. Lockhart

Published: December 28th, 2010 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Plot Summary:

She’s lost most of her friends. She’s lost her true love more than once. She’s lost her grandmother, her job, her reputation, and possibly her mind. But she’s never lost her sense of humor. The Ruby Oliver books are the record of her survival.

It's no secret that I absolutely love the Ruby Oliver series. She is probably one of the most relatable characters I have come across this year. In this novel, she is in her senior year and preparing college applications while still dealing with high school drama and the like. 

Her growth throughout this series has been phenomenal. I think of the character in the beginning of the series and the character in this book and they are remarkably different. I think this series accurately portrays the type of growth teens go through throughout their later high school years. When I look back at my life, sophomore year Fiona and senior year Fiona are so different. Ruby and her friends are the same way. 

In terms of the plot of this book, it's pretty similar to the other books. Ruby dealing with whatever life throws at her. I will say this one is a little more intense in what she deals with than high school drama. It's a really enjoyable story. I would definitely recommend this series if you enjoy contemporary young adult with funny interesting characters. 

Delirium Book Review

photo from Goodreads

Title: Delirum
Author: Lauren Oliver
Published: February 1st, 2011 by HarperTeen

Plot Summary from Goodreads:
THEY SAY that the cure for Love will make me happy and safeforever. And I've always believed them. Until now.

Now everything has changed. Now, I'd rather be infected
with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.

Fiona's Grade: A- 
Delirium kinda falls into a trap that happens to young adult dystopians  You need to build the world that this book is set in, so there may be some sections where that world building is happening and then some action. Sort of a slow-fast, slow-fast pattern. For example, this books starts slow and you're just sitting here reading about this ordinary girl in Portland waiting to be cured of love or the deliria  as it is referred to. However, once you get through the entire book, you realize that it starts slow to emphasize that Lena, our protagonist is not born inherently special, as can be the case in ya fiction. Rather, it is the choices she makes that make her extraordinary.

Truthfully, Lena annoyed me towards the beginning of the novel. She was just so bland.  But then I realized she was trying to keep herself that way because of her rather colorful past. And she feels plain and ordinary throughout the book and she doesn't like it. That's why the love story blossoms so well. Because Alex makes her feel extraordinary. Which is important, because we as people like to feel special and loved, exactly what the government in this novel is trying to get rid of.

Truthfully, I did not see the end coming. This novel really ends on a cliffhanger, leading you wondering how the series is going to continue. I'm really wanting to pick up the next one because I want to know like how it continues, though I think I have an idea. I guarantee that this ending will not be what you expect going into the book.

Overall, if you like young adult dystopian fiction with just the right amount of romance, this is the one for you.

Have you read Delirium? What did you think of the ending? Have you read the next one? Do you think you could live in a world without love? Let me know in the comments. 

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl Review

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Title:Beautiful Darkness
Authors: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Published: October 12th, 2010 by Little, Brown and Company

Plot Summary from Goodreads:
Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

Fiona's Grade: B- 
I have some mixed feelings over this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed it- it was a nice read away from school work.  On the other hand, some of it reminded me of New Moon, which I did not care for. (In short the whole mythical person goes away against there will part accounted for most of that. Though it was made to look as if Lena had no choice. Then she did. Then the reader understood why.)

One thing I really liked about the book was the fact that Ethan was no longer a Mortal stumbling around in a mythical world. He was given a purpose in "The Order of Things" (actual quote in the book). It made his motives more complex throughout the novel, rather than just "I gotta get Lena back" although it was still one of his driving forces. I also really liked the new character, Liv. I think it will be interesting to see if/how she is incorporated into futures books, though I think her primary purpose (of making Lena jealous) is done.

I really didn't like (although after doing some soul searching, I do understand better) was Lena's angst. Angst, angst everywhere. It was understandable towards the beginning but after awhile it just got to be too much. And though I now understand why, it is still a little irksome.

Once again, I didn't really see the romance between Ethan and Lena. I think the authors are telling us rather than showing us this, because after all, a Mortal and a Caster can never be together (physically, a mortal will die.) So, I guess it's some sort of forbidden romance.

Overall, if you enjoyed Beautiful Creatures, you will probably enjoy this. It didn't go crazy off in some other direction, although there were a few twists you probably won't be expecting, which I for one enjoyed. The lower grade than the first is because Lena's angst really started to grate on my nerves, but once I got past that, it was very enjoyable. I do plan to read Beautiful Chaos, but it may take me awhile because the books in this series are not a short read.

Lock and Key Book Review

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Title: Lock and Key
Author: Sarah Dessen 
Publisher: Speak (An Imprint of the Penguin Group) April 22nd, 2008

Plot Summary from Goodreads: 
Ruby, where is your mother?

Ruby knows that the game is up. For the past few months, she's been on her own in the yellow house, managing somehow, knowing that her mother will probably never return.

That's how she comes to live with Cora, the sister she hasn't seen in ten years, and Cora's husband Jamie, whose down-to-earth demeanor makes it hard for Ruby to believe he founded the most popular networking Web site around. A luxurious house, fancy private school, a new wardrobe, the promise of college and a future; it's a dream come true. So why is Ruby such a reluctant Cinderella, wary and defensive? And why is Nate, the genial boy next door with some secrets of his own, unable to accept the help that Ruby is just learning to give?

Best-selling author Sarah Dessen explores the heart of a gutsy, complex girl dealing with unforeseen circumstances and learning to trust again

Fiona's Grade: A-

Confession: I didn't like Sarah Dessen books for a long time. No real reason why; I just didn't think her books were for me. I attempted several of her books multiple time with only ever finishing one. Until, I went to my library and decided I would give it one more shot. And I am certainly glad I did.

Lock and Key at its core is a book about the idea of family. Ruby has always been a "one woman operation" and just because her mother has disappeared and she is living with her sister whom she hasn't talked to in years doesn't change anything.

This is a less-plot driven book and more of a character driven book. There isn't a character that makes you think "Oh this is a stereotypical _______." They are all complex, especially our protagonist Ruby. We get to look into her past a little and get inside her head and although she does do things we might find stupid, it somewhat makes since to her. And in the end she does the right thing. 

What I found interesting in this book is that the plot center in this book changes in an interesting way. We go from being a Ruby-centered story- her life and her problems- to being centered around another character and their life and their problems- and in the end, the climax of this book is actually related to them and not Ruby. This is important to notice because it shows that Ruby has gone from being a "one woman operation" to genuinely caring and being concerned about others that she loves. By the end of the novel she has also learned the importance of asking for help. 

Overall, if you enjoy great stories about the idea of family and learning just what that word means, this is a book for you. I'll leave you with this quote.

"Family isn't something that's supposed to be static or set. People marry in, divorce out. They're born. they die. It's always evolving, turning into something else. Even  that picture of Jamie's family was only the true representation for that one day. By the next, something had probably changed. It had to." p. 287.  

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Photo from Goodreads 

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Authors: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company- December 1st, 2009 
Plot Summary from Goodreads: 
There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything

Fiona's Grade: B 

When this book first came out, I started it, but didn't really care for it so I stopped reading it after only a couple of pages. However, when I heard a movie was coming out, I decided I should pick it up and give it another try. And I actually really enjoyed it. 

When I started it, I really enjoyed the Southern small town aspect of it- how they were living in the past. Those are the kind of stories that interest me. The first subplot with the Civil War Era soldier was really interesting to me for that reason. Not so much the magical stuff until the second half of the book. Probably not even the second half, more like the last quarter. I also enjoyed all the references int he book, particularly when they were quoting all sorts of people at the meeting halfway through the book. 

My one thing I didn't really get about this book was the whole romance aspect. I just didn't see it. What I saw is that Ethan was an open-minded human being, unlike the rest of Gatlin and was interested in making a new friend- even if that new friend was a little odd. Also, they went from being kinda friends to being in love and refusing to admit it to being in love and admitting it. That just seemed really rushed to me. 

The characters were okay. When I picked up the book the first time, I thought Ethan was a girl. I didn't make that mistake the second time around. Truthfully, all the characters were stereotypical. No one surprised me. 

Overall, I enjoyed this book for the two plots in  its massive page number. If you like paranormal novels, this is one for you. It was a little dull at time, but fortunately, I could put it down and pick it up at my leisure. When I looked on Goodreads, it had some truly awful reviews; I don't think it is that bad. Sure it has some things that could be fixed (I even noticed a typo at one point), but it's a debut novel. I plan to check it out but don't know whether or not I will continue with the series. 

Matched by Ally Condie

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Title: Matched
Author: Ally Condie
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile November 30th, 2010
Plot Summary from Goodreads: 
Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow

Fiona's Grade: B- because "Eh..." 

So I really liked the first half of Matched but I was really upset for the second half.

This books doesn't feel like it's going much of anywhere during the first half and I was really enjoying it. The love triangle was going smoothly and I was actually enjoying this was book.

Then for the second half, if you'll pardon my language, all hell breaks lose.

The love triangle becomes rather one sided and everything just kinda escalates. There are only a couple hints in the first half as to what happens in the last half and I was just really upset by the end of it. I don't know if I'm going to read the second one simply because I feel like Crossed will be more of the second half than the first half and I can only yell, "I don't like this!" so many times at a book before I am really upset.

Anyway, the book is written really well even if there seem to be some holes in the plot. This book is written poetically and it is not a bad book. I was just a little upset with the love triangle at a couple points.

I did enjoy the twist at the end. It can make me understand Cassia's choices in some ways. In other ways I cannot understand why she does what she does. The back story of Ky was very interesting. I particularly enjoyed seeing her parents relationship as they were both conflicted at points throughout the book. I think that is one thing this book did really well. It showed that everyone was questioning whether the Society's choice was the right choice and I think that's more realistic in a dystopian novel.

Overall, I only somewhat liked this book and probably won't be reading the next one. 

Smart Girls Get What They Want

Title: Smart Girls Get What They Want
Author: Sarah Strohmeyer
Publisher: Balzer + Bray June 26th, 2012

Plot Summary from Goodreads:
Gigi, Bea, and Neerja are best friends and total overachievers. Even if they aren't the most popular girls in school, they aren't too worried. They know their "real" lives will begin once they get to their Ivy League colleges. There will be ivy, and there will be cute guys in the libraries (hopefully with English accents)! But when an unexpected event shows them they're missing out on the full high school experience, it's time to come out of the honors lounge and into the spotlight. They make a pact: They will each take on their greatest challenge--and they will totally "rock" it.

Gigi decides to run for student rep, but she'll have to get over her fear of public speaking--and go head-to-head with gorgeous California Will. Bea used to be one of the best skiers around, until she was derailed. It could be time for her to take the plunge again. And Neerja loves the drama club but has always stayed behind the scenes--until now.These friends are determined to show the world that smart girls really can get what they want--but that could mean getting way more attention than they ever bargained for. . . 

Fiona's Grade: A for being Adorable! 

This book is super  cute and adorable with surprising depth. Reading the title and the blurb, I thought it was going to be a cute story about the shy nerdy girl becoming the prom queen and date the sweetheart jock. And while this book does have a dance and a sweetheart jock in it, it's really a book about coming out of your shell and adolescence in general.

Gigi is falsely accused of cheating, and has to set the record straight and change the ridiculous cheating policy. But in order to do that she has to run for student rep- a recently vacated position. But in order to do that, she must give a speech and she has incredibly stage fright. The plot is both predictable and unpredictable at the same time- like I knew which guy she would end up with, I just didn't know how. It definitely kept you interested.

One thing I also liked was that while the plot focused on Gigi, her two best friends were also doing things like skiing and acting and they were as real as she was. I really enjoyed both Bea's love of skiing and Neerja's pursuing acting. I also enjoyed the French grandmother and all the other characters. Even Ava and Will were interesting in some respects.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It is a super cute contemporary read that made me wish I had branched out more in high school. If you love a good contemporary this is the book for you.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han Review

Photo also from Goodreads

Plot Summary from Goodreads:
Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

So I originally picked up this book simply because I had seen a lot about last summer and I have been reading a lot of contemporary recently so I decided to pick it up. And I read it in one day.

This book was really not what I was expecting. I was expecting a light contemporary with the two brothers kinda bickering over Belly and shenanigans. However, this book was darker and had a lot of secrets that come to light. Overall, the plot is pretty simple. It's the summer before she turns sixteen and her relationships with all the people at the beach house, especially Conrad and Jeremiah. It's also about her first love and a new love.

I liked Belly. She reminded me a lot of one of my friends and I could identify with her easily. Both the brothers were interesting too. I definitely had a preference for Jeremiah, but I could see Conrad was hurting and that was why he annoyed me sometimes. I liked how it explored Belly's relationship with her parents.

One things this book did is it flashed back to previous summers they had spent at the beach house, which I think helped us to understand what the characters are going through present day. I especially liked the story arc with her best friend Taylor.  Also, I really loved how it took place at the beach, but because it was kinda a darker beach read, I cannot imagine the beach as a hot, sunshiny place. When I think about it, I can only imagine it as overcast. 

My main issue with this book is actually the title. I don't really like the title. It just sounds silly, like it's some seriously light chick lit. And while it does kinda fall into the chick lit genre, it's a little more complex than the title would lead you to believe.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you like summer reads that take place at the beach, but am looking for some depth.