Review: Holding Her Hand

Holding Her Hand by Tammy Falkner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I couldn't belive it when I got a notification that a Tammy Falkner book was released and I DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW ABOUT IT!! So of course, while kicking myself, I ran to Amazon and one-clicked that sucker to get downloaded to my kindle ASAP.

Because I knew I would love it, just like all of her other books in the Reed Brothers series.

Have you read her books? No? WHY NOT!!!! These are not just New Adult novels. These have real life events that occur to people all over the country. That is why this is one of my all time favorite series and author.

At the end of this book, Lark talks about a very dark time she went through when she was 15. Instead of hiding from her past like she has been, she confronted what happened and that it wasn't something to be ashamed of, which she had been feeling for years. She finally knew that she was okay to feel how she was feeling and that there is a way to get help for what she went through. And she publicly announced it to the world. As a huge figure in the music industry, she can make a huge impact and difference in society, helping everyone who follows the media or even her music.

And this is why I love Falkner's stories. They have a real impact about very sticky situations and it's brought up in a way that can really make a difference in someone's life. I just want to make everyone read these books because of this importance, but also because I absolutely love the characters and how they crack me up.

It's slowly getting close to the end of the road for these characters, which will break my heart, but I own all of the books so I can most certainly come back and visit these pesky characters :)

Seriously, buy this book. Buy this series. I think it is one of the most influential series I've ever read - one that can really make a difference. All of the books have warmed my heart and I can only hope that there are people like the Reeds and the Zeroes in real life trying to make the same difference in people's lives.

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Review: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this for book club - otherwise I probably would have never picked this book up. For the most part I enjoyed it. It was written in the 1960s so the writing is not the same as what I'm used to reading. And there was a ton of rambling that occurred in the novel, which I started to skim over because otherwise I would lose interest in the story for all of the rambling.

This novel changes narration, sometimes without warning. It was nice to see what Jim and Will and Charles were all thinking, since they had different thoughts on the circus that rolled into town.

There is a lot to think about with this novel. About the purpose of a circus. About time and age. About perspectives and how a town full of people react to kids telling the truth, whether it's preposterous or not.

It's not only about two 13 year old boys, but about a 54 year old man feeling his age, about a stranger lightening rod man who gets caught in the act, about a schoolteacher who gets fooled by a boy. It's about the characters in the circus and what their roles are.

Even though I struggled a little bit with the writing style, this is a great book that will definitely make me reconsider going to a circus - especially late at night.

And it was a bit creepier, maybe, because I read the majority of the novel on Halloween, making the creep factor a bit higher than if I read it in February or March!

This is a very interesting, contemplative novel that I will steer clear of next Halloween!

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Review: Forever with You

Forever with You by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ah, JLA. I really loved this book, not that it's a surprise looking at who the author is. I've been very curious about Nick since we first met him, and I'm so glad he got his own story because it was such a difference seeing him through Stephanie's eyes than the eyes of "outsiders" of his circle.

And the way Nick stepped it up when he was presented with a situation was amazing. Finding out how his family life is heart wrenching. I seriously want to fight Stephanie over him because I fell in love with him during this novel.

Stephanie is a spit fire. When she confronted Nick about the way he acted when she came into the bar the second time was priceless and I was as giddy with anticipation as Jax and Reece and Roxy! Seeing her dish out all that she had on him and putting him on his behind was hysterical and I definitely laughed out loud.

I loved seeing all of the characters come into play in this novel. Especially the ending - it was the best.

I cannot wait for the next book in the series - Brock's book! Yay! After reading this novel, I'm 99% sure who he's going to be with, but I'm super excited to see what is going to happen after the unfortunate events that occurred for him in this novel.

JLA is awesome. She's my hero. And she's a superhero who writes kick ass novels and keeps me happy with her awesome stories. I know she is taking a break (because she's been a machine and her magic fingers are sore from all of the books she's wrote in the last 3 years) which makes me sad, but if I start to miss her, I'll just start re-reading all of her books, since I own every single one of them :)

Thank you for all of your hard, amazing-writing work! Looking forward to more when they get here!

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Review: Beyond What is Given

Beyond What is Given by Rebecca Yarros
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was so excited when this was released! I loved the first two in the series and was upset I had to wait as long as I did for this third novel, but the wait was worth it :)

Grayson was a very intriguing character in the previous novels. Always so quiet and reserved and never gave any personal information about himself. It was so funny when Sam found out some of his information and Josh and Jagger were baffled and grilling her with more info! But we were able to dive inside of Grayson's head for the first time and I loved it!

And Sam is a spitfire. She was definitely the best match for Grayson because she just drove right into his quiet, serious life and made a huge mess for him (which is something he doesn't like: messes). And she didn't apologize for it but just kept on doing it, knowing it was opening him up even more.

The two "dark" pasts of both characters were actually very dark, sad, and guilt ridden. Most of the dark pasts are typical, but these two had very different, unique situations - especially Grayson's!

I think that any New Adult readers will REALLY enjoy this novel! This series! And for fans of Rebecca Yarros, this is a great addition to this series and you will be sitting at the end of the novel wanting more! Loved this and can't wait for more by Yarros :)

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Review: Right Where You Are

Right Where You Are by L.E. Bross
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was very excited to dive right into this novel when I got the eARC! I loved the synopsis and was looking forward to seeing how these two characters reacted toward one another.

For the most part I enjoyed this novel. I did have a rough time with Avery at first, especially when she was first getting assigned the community service hours and expecting to be in the office delivering coffee or whatnot. Just because she's always been spoiled and got what she wanted doesn't mean that the judge or community is going to treat her the way she's used to.

But I warmed up to her after awhile, when she finally stopped using her name and family's money to expect things from society. In fact, by the end of the book she wasn't like that at all, which was great character development for Avery.

I loved the tension and atmosphere between Avery and Seth. The way they met was hilarious and I wish I could have actually seen the looks on their faces when they saw each other at community service. Once Avery got the stick out of her butt, the relationship between these two flew off the page.

Seth is a great character. He got a harsh punishment for a crime that was justified to have happened. And he is so loyal and charming and dedicated to his cause. I'm very jealous of Avery!

Because of Avery's personality at the beginning of the novel, that is why this book got 3 stars. Otherwise I would have definitely given it more stars because I really liked the overall story! So glad to have gotten an eARC and will definitely be looking out for more novels by L.E. Bross!

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Review: Frosh: First Blush

Frosh: First Blush by Mónica B. Wagner
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received this free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

At the beginning, I really enjoyed this novel. Things were looking intriguing with the 4 different viewpoints and how everyone was somehow connected to one another.

But then I just started to get annoyed real quickly because all of the characters were so stupid and naive. They thought they should be with one person because of how it would look in society or who was the most popular on campus rather than how they felt around the person they were actually attracted to. Who cares if one of the guys is nerdy and wears nerdy clothes?! If you are interested in that guy, be with that guy!!! Lord knows you'll probably have more in common with that guy than the one you haven't talked to ever but seem to think that they will be the best arm candy.

And the way the characters were so judging really got on my nerves. How can they judge someone they just met and not expect the same thing to happen to them? Karma, baby, karma.

This novel ends on a cliffhanger and another novel is to follow it. I will not be reading that novel because even though I would am interested in how things concluded, I can't read any more of the ignorance that was leaking through these pages.

I think a lot of readers will enjoy this novel, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm glad I got a chance to read this as a free eARC and will look forward to seeing what else will be released by this author.

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Review: Sweet Temptation

Sweet Temptation by Wendy Higgins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been awhile since I read the first three books in this series, but once I started reading Kaidan's story it all came rushing back. I loved reading this through Kaidan's point of view. Seriously, it was so refreshing to see what the bad boy main guy character was thinking the whole time when we were along for the ride with Anna. And even though Kaidan seemed like such a bad boy in the first three, we now know that he really wasn't all so bad.

It was so sweet to see his thoughts and feelings toward Anna. From the first moment he met her he was so confused and intrigued by her. And that last scene! Oh, I forgot how heartwarming and touching it was! Brought tears to my eyes all over again!

This novel wasn't as descriptive as the first three, but I think the author is under the impression that most of the readers are going to have read the first three before this one so it really didn't take anything away from this novel.

I would HIGHLY suggest you read the other novels before this one. Seriously. It will make a lot more sense and you will also melt a lot more for Kai if you read it in the right order. Then you can really see how much of a softy Kai really is.

Once of these days I'm going to own this series and fall into this story all over again because I seriously love it. Not as much as JLA's novels, but this is in the top 10 of my favorites. I think all fans of Wendy Higgins and Kaidan and Anna are going to LOVE this addition to the story. Sad to see the series go, but they will always be available for re-reads in the future :)

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