Review: The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot
The Bride Wore Size 12 is one of the reasons I love Meg Cabot so much. Her witty writing had me involved with the story from the very beginning, Meg has a great knack of making characters appear so realistic and real and she weaves the best romance and mystery in a story that you could ever ask for. When I first started the Heather Wells series I remember not being the biggest fan. Don’t get me wrong I adored the book, but I didn’t have a calendar made up and counting down the days until the next release. This didn’t happen until the third book. I was really actually feeling really gutted when it was announced that the third book would be the final book. What would I do without fun loving Heather around? But I didn’t have to despair for too long as two more books were announced and let me just say these were the best books in the series. They were actually that good that they had me rethinking my favourite series by Meg Cabot (Queen of Babble was at the top) I honestly don’t know how Meg does it, it’s like each time I come back to this fantastic series I fall in love even more with these fantastic characters all over again.
If you were expecting The Bride Wore Size 12 to be devoid from any drama with Heather’s wedding just around the corner then you couldn’t be more wrong. Heather’s entire wedding was put to the side once again for another murder investigation at Fischer Hall. Things were a lot different this time though as His Highness crown Prince Rashid Ashraf bin Zayed Faisal who preferred to be called Shiraz was also a resident of these halls. There was top level security lurking around where ever he went. And instead they had the bureau of Diplomatic security controlling the murder investigation because of threats being made to the prince!
It was great seeing the mystery behind the murder unravel slowly as the story progressed. One of the best things about this series is that not once have I ever been able to guess the true identity of the killer or his/her motive behind the killings. So it’s always a great surprise when Heather makes this discovery. Once again Heather had been warned by Cooper to not get involved in the case, but maybe it’s her mothering nature for these students (despite not having her own great role model) that Heather has always felt the need to take care of these students. And actually this time around, she actually found herself getting involved through no fault of her own.
Heather has come a long way since the Heather we were introduced to in 2005, she still finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation every single time but she has as many of her colleagues pointed out become a hardened character, which I truly appreciate. Ever since her success and fame people took too much advantage of her, but with unexpected visitors turning up in this book, Heather excelled in finally standing her ground. Heather is definitely one of the best MC’s that you could ever ask for, she’s witty, fun, always has the back of those closest to her covered and is renown to bring you a darn good time. I was actually very close to tears at having to say goodbye to such a fantastic character.
Of course The Bride wore Size 12 couldn’t be complete without the wonderful secondary characters. These characters have played such an integral role to this entire series that I don’t actually consider them to be secondary characters. They have participated in illegal activities when Heather needed them to, saved her in moments of need and have gone on to demonstrate what friends should exactly be like. Cooper as always stole a piece of my heart, if you all think you’ve met the best fictional crush then sorry ladies you haven’t met Cooper yet. Again he showed his love for Heather had no bounds, his scary threats to anyone who harmed Heather in anyway made me love him even more. Honestly his every appearance brought a huge smile to my face. And I couldn’t go without mentioning Gavin, Magda, Lisa, Julio, Detective Canavan, Hal, Pete and so many others who truly made this book a gem of a read.
The Heather Wells series has been a huge part of my life since 2005, with this series finally coming to an end it feels like the end of an era. Meg Cabot has truly created an unforgettable series which I’m sure will hold a special place in my heart and on my book shelf for a very long time.
On a side note, I don’t want to winge, but a special part of this book was actually ruined for me because somebody on Goodreads didn’t use the spoiler tags when discussing it and so it came up on my feed when I was scrolling through. I love Goodreads, but I love reading more and specially reading without being anything spoiled for me. So please in future please use spoiler tags.
Lately I’ve been quite lucky in picking up books which have received a lot of hype before their release dates. Samantha Shannon’s The Bone Season had been promoted as the next Harry Potter and she had already signed a seven book deal even before The Bone Season had been released. As always I had my wary cap on before going into this book but after finishing this book I can safely say the faith that everyone had in Shannon in being able to deliver a stunning debut novel was fully justified.I did admit I did really struggle with getting into The Bone Season, I was really intrigued by the whole concept and found myself drawn to our strong MC Paige, but there was just so much to wrap my head around. I think that if I had realised in the beginning that there was a glossary at the end of the book this would have made my reading experience a whole lot easier. So it did take me until about 40% to really get into The Bone Season, but I’m glad I continued with this book because the second half was so worth it.The world that Shannon created in The Bone Season was just out of this world. The amount of detail she included to make this world appear so real was done wonderfully. I had no problem in imagining Paige practising with Warden in the fields, making her way through the woods or even battling her way through everything else. Some may say that Shannon added too much detail and created such a complex world, but I don’t think that this was the case at all. Without all of this intricate detail I don’t think this world would have been believable at all.Paige found herself in Sheol I, Oxford because of her ability as a dream walker, if there were any dream walkers around they were either pretty limited, so Nashira the blood sovereign to the rephaim was lucky to finally get her hands on one. Nashira was one of those characters who were quick to evoke feelings of anger within me. (The same could be said on Suhail and the rest of her cronies too). Every time she made an appearance all I wanted to do was to scratch her eyes out, but being the blood sovereign that she was and having five angels by her side I knew she was a truly unstoppable force to mess with. But I admired Paige’s courageousness to continue to find a way out. She was left battered and bruised so many times, but she never gave up on going back home to Citadel. What I also admired about her was that she did anything she could for her friends, even if this resulted in her getting a beating. Paige was a truly excellent character in just the first book, so I can’t wait to see how her character will strengthen and develop in the rest of the series.Paige’s relationship with her keeper Warden was a really complicated one. It didn’t help that Warden was such an enigmatic character, that I never realised until the very end what his real intentions were. But this rephaim definitely grew on me over the course of the book. What is it with big scary rephaim that always win you over afterwards? I had an inkling of which way things would go with Warden and Paige, the way his character was slowly softening towards her, helping her out indirectly, believing in her in using her powers for herself, and so I think the way the romance developed was handled beautifully by Shannon, yes Paige did hate Warden with an intensity, but when this other side to Warden slowly began to creep its way through, I know I would have a tough time, rejecting his advances too.What I also enjoyed about The Bone Season was the way Shannon gave us Paige’s back story. We were treated to small stories over the course of the book which helped us understand Paige’s character a whole lot more; how she had matured into this incredible character and why she was the way she was. It was also a great surprise in discovering in how we were getting “access” to Paige’s memories in the first place.The Bone Season was a brilliant start to what I believe will be a promising series. I would have loved to have the chance to get to know more about the seven seals, the glimpses we did get, were thoroughly entertaining. But I’m sure there’s plenty more to come from this fantastic bunch in the rest of the series. There’s nothing more for me left to say about this brilliant book but other than believe the hype.This review can be found on The Readers Den
Time Between Us was a gorgeously written story that deals with falling in love, making choices and if we decide to choose things differently how would this end up affecting our lives in a major way? I’m probably not making much sense right now as I’ve just finished reading the last page of this gem of a book, but in Time Between Us Tamara Ireland Stone develops a sweet relationship between two characters and sprinkles it with a special time travel twist. Time Between Us went way beyond what I was expecting it to be. I had recently devoured another time travel book and was in the mood for another time travel book and a bit of romance. I’m pleased to say Time Between Us delivered in these aspects and provided so much more. It had a nice mystery aspect to it with us not really knowing what was going on with the new boy Bennett. I didn’t like Bennett at all at the beginning, he constantly blew hot and cold which frustrated me to no end, and it was clear that there was something strong between him and Anna but for whatever reason he continued to be closed off and a grump about it. But I admired Anna’s resilience and thought her best friend Emma’s (who was exactly what best friends should be like) encouragement went after Bennett once more. I’m so glad that Anna did because the relationship which emerged was one of the most sweetest and beautiful ones yet. I kind of had a feeling that there would be heartbreak along the way for Anna and Bennett and to be honest this is how I like my romance in stories to be, I want my characters to have a battle through tough hurdles and really fight for their relationship. And this is exactly what Bennett and Anna had to do. But the hurdles they had to deal with were so different to what a normal couple had to deal with. With Bennett’s ability, it was that they could only enjoy themselves so much before something out of their control could take everything away in an instant. Time Between us not only had a poignant romance it also featured many beautiful places; Vernazza Italy, La Paz Mexico and Ko Tao Thailand, I loved having that feeling of being able to be whisked away to another place anywhere in an instant and being able to forget the rest of your troubles behind. Tamara Ireland Stone truly wrote an exceptional story in Time Between Us. I liked how she didn’t leave it easy for our characters Bennett and Anna that they had to constantly try and savour each moment as their last. The twists thrown in I extremely enjoyed, as I was constantly left guessing until the very last page. Time Between Us was a book which satiated my latest addiction of time travel books. Now all that is left is my own Bennett to turn up and whisk me away to some place else. A big thank you to Rebekah for reading this with me. This review can be found at The Readers Den
The First Affair was a book which I wouldn’t typically pick up, but I’d read some great books by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus previously, that I decided again to venture out of my usual comfort reading zone.Despite not being a huge fan of cheating in books, I felt myself compelled into reading this story because of our MC Jamie. Her relationship (if you can really call it that) with the president kind of just happened when Jamie found herself with the president when he wasn’t in the best state. With so much pressure with the presidential election around the corner, the president was trying his best to deal, but this wasn’t the case, Jamie walked into him having an anxiety attack and by comforting him this led to a kiss out of the blue. Before you know it Jamie’s making the extra effort when going into work just in case she bumps into the president, soon this turns into impromptu calls into his office and late night calls from the president himself. I understand how Jamie felt around him, he was a powerful man and he made her feel what another man was never able to do. But to me from the very beginning it was very clear that this relationship did not mean to him as much as it meant to Jamie. There were early rumours flying about previous affairs and if he really cared about Jamie wouldn’t he have done anything possible to be with her? Instead she was fobbed off to another unpaid apprenticeship this time away from the White House and Jamie was told soon after the election, he would sort everything out. Poor Jamie was a complete sucker, instead of listening to her best friend and going back home, Jamie kept running back whenever he called and just kept waiting in the wings.The reason I kept reading The First Affair despite being annoyed by both Jamie and the president’s behaviour was because I was waiting for the aftermath. I think McLaughlin and Kraus did a brilliant job with this, usually you’re not aware of what’s going down backstage, and you’re just given titbits of information. But this time we get to experience first-hand everything falling apart. And it was painstakingly horrible to watch, with people going back on their word, people coming out of the woodwork to get their two seconds of fame, and Jamie not knowing who she could trust. It was a brutal time for Jamie, but through it all a better character emerged within Jamie and a stronger relationship between her and her sister. Jamie’s sister Erica wasn’t the easiest person to like but through everything coming out in the open, Erica was the only real person that was there for Jamie when she needed someone the most.The First Affair for me was a decent read; there were plenty of twists and turns which I didn’t see coming which had me reading until the very last page. But there were also parts which did take me a while to get around. But overall despite not quite feeling The First Affair initially I’m glad that I gave this book a go.This review can be found on: The Readers Den
I admit to being not a huge fan of The Devil Wears Prada book, it was a decent chick lit read, but after watching the film again recently (I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve watched it) that when I heard about the follow up book I felt really encouraged in giving it a go. And I’m so glad that I did because it was the best chick-lit book I have read in a long time.In Revenge Wears Prada, we find ourselves back with Andy ten years after she left Miranda Priestly hanging at Paris fashion week. For Andy that was the worst year of her life, she didn’t expect that ten years later when Andy was actually happy with what was going on in her life that Miranda would once again threaten to have an impact in her life once more.I adored Andy’s character, despite everyone saying that she had made the biggest mistake of her life those ten years ago; she was actually leading a successful life. Her magazine The Plunge had been bringing in a steady income for nearly the last three years and they had been having great success with big name stars lining up to feature in the magazine. And she was about to marry the love of her life Max. But then all of a sudden things started getting pretty stressful.Andy had so much to deal with so early on that I found myself immediately backing her corner, the Andy we once knew had matured into an even more confident woman. It was easy not to form such a strong connection with her character as all she wanted to achieve was the best out of life. She was always one to think things through carefully and not make selfish, impulsive decisions like a lot of other characters did. I think this is one of the reasons I wasn’t able to rate Revenge wears Prada 5 stars, I absolutely adored this book, but a character who I really became to like over the course of the book, they had literally won me over made the biggest mistake possible. I think I was truly left heartbroken for a few days afterwards after things had gone down.Weisberger did a brilliant job in creating new characters that were easy to fall hard and fast for. Max was an absolutely wonderful inclusion to this book; he was considerate, sweet and had some swoony moments. I admit that he did completely win me over with his gentle side that I didn’t pay attention in the slightest when some ex’s showed up on the scene. It was also great getting to know returning characters once more. Miranda once again was a difficult character to get my feelings around. Whereas I detested her immensely in The Devil wears Prada, she brought out a whole another side to her, that at times I was confused about whose character to believe.Revenge Wears Prada was a wonderful follow up to the Devil Wears Prada. The wait for this book I would have to say was definitely worth it, with Weisberger bringing another entertaining story. There were some crazy stressful times, a pinch of heartbreak along the way (I am seriously still not over this betrayal!) but overall a whole lot of fun. If you’re in the mood for a fun read or a quick pick me up when feeling low, this is the perfect book to go to.This review can be found on The Readers Den
4.5 starsLeila Sales first impressed me with her wit and charm in Past Perfect; it was a book after a recommendation from two great bloggers (Nomes & Flann) I devoured in a few hours. It had an interesting mix of characters and was a book which had me laughing endlessly. It was a story I absolutely adored. This time once again I fell in love with this beautiful story by Sales but for different reasons entirely. Sales has a beautiful talent for making a story appear so real. With Past Perfect I wished that I could attend a history set up, it honestly bought out the inner geek within me. With This Song Will Save Your Life all I wanted to take care of Elise. Elise had experienced a torrid time at school and through no fault of her own. She tried to do as much as she could to fit in, until it all became too much. Elise was an intelligent girl but lacked so much confidence because of the constant taunting she had to deal with. So I’m glad that by accident a chance came her way which allowed her to shine. It did take some time for Elise to finally realise her full potential, there were a lot of hurdles which got in her way, but I’m glad when she needed the support her true friends came through.It took Elise a while to get comfortable with who she was, she had friends but they weren’t friends just people she hung around with. I did appreciate the people she did come in Elise’s life such as Vicky and Harry and even Char who accepted Elise for who she was and didn’t make instant judgements about her. The kids at school just believed what they were told, but with the people at Start Elise had the chance to actually have her own new fresh start. In This Song Will Save Your Life, it was a huge learning and growing process for Elise, like I said before there were a lot of stumbling blocks along the way, but a lot of them I came to realise were there so that Elise could learn from them.This Song Will Save Your Life was a fun read, it was such a different book to what I was expecting, it was a raw honest story of a girl that I’m sure many individuals out there could relate to with her situation. Sales once again weaved a story which had me up reading until the early hours. I truly appreciated the heartbreaking story she decided to treat us to. I liked how she showed that despite loads of things getting in the way you should never give up, Elise continued to battle through things and I admired the character which emerged in the end and that she could show so many people out there that anything was possible. This review can be found on The Readers Den
4.5 starsSanctum was a thrilling I want to gobble you up in one sitting type of book. But lo and behold the time I decided to pick it up, it was as if the world was conspiring against me. It took me five days to finish this book, and by the end of these five days my nails were ruggedly bitten.Sarah Fine gave us a world full of despair, a world where no one wants to go to by choice, but this is what our MC Lela decides to do. Her best friend Nadia who meant the world to her has taken her life, Lela is really distraught about it. Nadia was there for Lela when she needed her the most, without her, she never would have become who she is today. It also doesn’t help that Lela keeps having visions of Nadia; all she wants to do is get her back any way possible. But she didn’t believe that she actually could.Lela was such a head strong girl; I liked her strong will and determination to do anything to get Nadia back. The world she found herself in, I know for a fact that I would never survive, but many a times with her back against the wall Lela came out fighting. Malachi, where do I even start with this fine specimen? I remember a lot of my blogging friends were really enthusiastic about his character and it really is easy to see why. He was also such a tough individual, but I think what makes me melt even over guys is when they show their soft vulnerable side. Many times we were given insights into this other side of Malachi and at times it really broke my heart. Malachi certainly left a lasting impression with me, that I’m sure my blogging friends who have seemed to already have claimed him will have a fight on their hands.Sanctum is another book this year which truly surprised me, it’s not a book which I would have immediately picked up but I’m so glad that I finally did. Sarah Fine has created a gem of a read, with pulsating scenes, a beautiful romance and difficult decisions for characters to make. In a way it’s good that I waited a while to pick up Sanctum as I only have to wait two months before I can get my hands on Fractured.
Tumble & Fall
Tumble & Fall is another book which I knew I had to immediately read after seeing the gorgeous cover. I guess it’s kind of my fault for not reading the blurb more carefully, but who is the couple on the cover meant to represent?, maybe I was expecting more romance from the story, the cover does seem to convey this is what the book would be about. The three different pov’s we got from Caden, Sienna and Zan I didn’t mind. It was interesting learning about these three different individuals back stories and then seeing them intertwine together. But once again I only found myself invested in one story and what a beautiful one it was. I think if it wasn’t for Zan’s story I probably would have given up on this story very early on. But I loved watching Zan go on her journey to discover the truth and the ever loyal Nick by her side. Coutts from very early on led me to believe what had actually gone down between Zan and her boyfriend, but I’m glad that despite this Zan went out to find out more. Where I was fully invested with Zan’s story, with Caden and Sienna, not so much, I even admit to skimming over some of their parts. Tumble & Fall may have not been one of the most memorable reads for me of this year, but Zan’s story definitely found a special way to my heart. This review can be found on The Readers Den
A Tale of Two Centuries for me was a huge step up from Harris’ debut novel; My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century. I thoroughly enjoyed going back to the sixteenth century with Cat and watching her trying to fit in with everyone else. But when it came to Alessandra coming to Cat’s world I was even more excited.Once again Alessandra found herself having to go through Reyna’s riddles before being able to return back home. But Alessandra never thought that she would actually end up loving where Cat lived so much that she’d rather stay there forever. Alessandra had lived a rather conservative lifestyle back home, so it was a lot of fun watching Alessandra take in the dramatic changes in the current world. Despite seeing everything at first in horror and shock, it was great seeing Alessandra adapt to everything so well. I adored the strong Alessandra which emerged, who wasn’t afraid to show a bit of flesh, had big bold colours put in her hair and wasn’t afraid to take a risk with bad boy Austin.Austin was one of those guys who everyone had already made assumptions about; he was the devastatingly gorgeous bad boy that everyone wanted to be with. He had a devilish charm and grin which could make any girl weak at the knees, but never really let anyone in to know him that bit more. I actually fell for Austin’s charms from his very first scene and couldn’t believe how Alessandra held off for so long. I loved the banter between these two characters, Austin was quick to get Alessandra riled up, but she was also very witty with her comebacks, I think as no other girl had done this before to Austin, it’s what drew him more to Alessandra’s character. Also the fact that he thought Alessandra was majorly strung up and needed loosening up a bit, he felt this was his big mission he had to carry out. With everyone assuming that Alessandra should stay away from Austin, especially Cat, it panned out that Austin and Alessandra were exactly what both of them needed to bring out the best in one another.Overall A Tale of Two Centuries was a super fun read. Rachael Harris certainly knows how to mix it up well with swoony characters, a sweet romance and great character growth.This review can be found on The Readers Den
Rose under Fire is another powerful and compelling story by Elizabeth Wein. I was completely overwhelmed by her debut novel Code Name Verity and so was expecting no less from her here. Just like with Code Name Verity I found it extremely difficult to get into this story. But with Code Name Verity, once I got past the initial struggle I was hooked, however with Rose under Fire this was not the case. I hugely liked Rose’s character and her strength and her resilience that she displayed but I never felt myself invested in her story like I was with Maddie and Verity. These two brought out so many different emotions within me. Whereas I’m sad to say that despite bringing such a brilliant diverse range of characters, not one really shone through for me. However I did appreciate the comradeship that came through this book that despite coming from different places and pushed to the limits in many ways, these girls were a solid team with them doing everything to help each other out. Rose under Fire is a beautiful read you just have to read all the praising reviews to see this is the case. Being the mood reader I have lately become, I can only explain this being the reason for not enjoying this one more. This review can be found on The Readers Den
Camp Boyfriend was a cute read perfect for the summer. Our MC Lauren has been going to camp Juniper point for the summer far as long as she could remember it’s where she met long term crush Seth and so she is just itching to go back to her friends and Seth once again. This summer is meant to be Lauren’s last at camp, so she wants to make sure it’s one to remember. But things have changed dramatically in the last year; Lauren’s changed as a person both physically and emotionally. Will her friends and Seth (who has become a summer camp boyfriend only) recognise her anymore? Also Lauren has to break it gently to her boyfriend Matt that they can’t be together any more. What was meant to be a simple summer camp to look forward to ends up being one of the worst.I read the prequel Camp Kiss before picking up Camp Boyfriend and I really enjoyed the watching the relationship develop between Seth and Lauren. Lauren then was an under-confident girl, who didn’t ever think Seth could end up liking her back. So it was great watching a girl like Lauren come into her own when she realised the guy she had been pining for, for so many years actually shared the same feelings back. I thought their relationship was sweet, and it was cool how they had their own things in common, they were just liked the perfect fit! So I was immensely looking forward to them reconciling back in the summer. I just couldn’t wait to see what was to come for both of them, as it was their final summer together and with them being only a couple over the summer would they still have the same strong feelings for each other? So having Lauren’s boyfriend Matt on the scene was totally unexpected. He was a nice guy don’t get me wrong, but Seth had immediately won me over with his sweet gestures in Camp Kiss so I didn’t want Matt getting in the middle of it all.However with things not going to plan, everything at camp Juniper point went crazy. I truly felt for some of the characters as Lauren took forever working out her feelings. I did think that I knew which way things would eventually end, but the decision in the end really surprised me.With it being the last camp for a lot the kids, I greatly appreciated the character growth amongst so many individuals. A lot of the characters hadn’t left the greatest impression with me in Camp Kiss, but I liked walls being broken amongst rival groups and characters coming to their own.I hugely recommend Camp Boyfriend if you’re looking for a fun read for the summer, it had the summery feeling of what summers are meant to be about nailed and its unexpected twists certainly kept me on my toes.This review can be found on The Readers Den
I have really conflicted feelings after finishing this book, on the one hand I truly admire Grace’s courage to tackle such a difficult subject. And even though I knew what it was about, I was in no way put off by it I wanted to know how things ended between our two main characters. Despite being invested in the story, my biggest complaint was our MC Madelyn. We were told the story about her slowly developing relationship with her college professor Bennett through a letter. I wanted to know everything about their relationship, how it started, what happened, would they ever get caught out etc. And I understood why Madelyn felt such a strong connection with Bennett, her family was the worst with the constant 24 hour pressure to study and exceed all expectations and constantly excel. Madelyn was already two years ahead in terms of education, she was at college at the age of 16! she always received A grades and she was likely to graduate early. What else did they want? Had they even taken time out of their rigorous schedules and constant controlling of Madelyn’s life to ask what she wanted to do? And then there was Madelyn’s brother, who was four years older but always thought it was a game between them both to see who could achieve the most. He was constantly upping the bar, that their parents did nothing else but compare one to the other. On top of that Madelyn had no friends, I know this doesn’t make falling for her college professor, any more right, but she had finally found someone who wanted to know her, the real her and actually cared about her rather than her college grades. And Bennett didn’t pull out the stops and say their relationship was something they shouldn’t do, in fact he encouraged her in some respects by inviting her over to his house. But what frustrated me about Madelyn was that she never once told Bennett her real age. Maybe their relationship would have never got any further if she had told him the truth to begin with, but I’ll guess we’ll never know. Madelyn for me was a really hard character to connect with, the fact that I was intrigued and invested in the story already was the sole reason I finished this book. Madelyn could be hugely frustrating. Bennett and Madelyn decided not to risk Bennett’s job (well actually Bennett decided) until he would no longer be her professor anymore, which would be eight weeks away. Bennett was so eager to be with Madelyn but was doing absolutely the right thing, they would spend time together outside of class at his place, but they did nothing but talk, sharing with each other their hopes, dreams and past relationships (well it was mostly Bennett doing this) and that’s why I liked Bennett, what he was doing was wrong, but he was being upfront and honest about everything. Madelyn used to mention her real age (16) in her head about 1000 times over the story, but decided not to tell Bennett the truth until the day they decided to be together. If Madelyn really cared about him, didn’t she think it would be the right thing to tell Bennett her real age instead of letting him assume she was 18/19 years old? The way the narrative was told too I found it was a bit odd, as it was told in a letter to Bennett. Madelyn would constantly remind us of this, so during her telling the story she would stop to ask Bennett rhetorical questions, which I would have rather have not had her do and just continue with the flow of the story. But again the need to know how things would end kept me wanting to read on. My review so far probably sound like a mini-rant, but honestly it’s not. I did have a couple of issues with The Truth about You & Me, but it ended up being a really poignant story. The second half was a lot better compared to the first half, we had the inevitable day to look forward to, would Bennett and Madelyn go through with it? Would Madelyn eventually tell the truth? And a character finally came through for me, I also found myself being able to appreciate Madelyn’s character in the end. I think I would have liked to have a chapter from Bennett, just so that we could experience everything he was feeling and going through especially during those pivotal moments. But I think Grace ended this book in the best possible, with closure for both characters.
Burn for Burn was a book which I really adored last year; it was a fun contemporary with a different twist. I don’t know what I was expecting going into Fire with Fire, but it wasn’t this. Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian literally came out all guns blazing with this book. It was a story of three different girls coming together, but in particular the stories of Lillia and Kat really struck a chord with me.I instantly connected with Kat and Lillia’s character in Burn for Burn, so I couldn’t wait to see how things would be different for them in this book. We barely touched upon these characters in the first book, but I really feel as if I got the chance to know them that much more. Despite Kat being tough on the outside and acting like she didn’t give a crap, I admired her strength in this book to actually go for what mattered to her most, her spot at Oberlin. It was always her mum’s dream and one that Kat wanted to fulfil. So getting Kat’s back story, and learning how much of an important role her mother and family played in her life I greatly appreciated. Her story really left a strong impression with me. I was at parts left with swollen eyelids after crying so hard.The same can be said with Lillia’s story; my heart went out so much for these girls, as they really put their hearts on the line. Lillia really found her back against the wall in this book, she was torn between deciding with whether she should stick with what the girls had been telling her to do or whether she should listen to her heart. Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian did a tremendous job, in displaying the inner turmoil Lillia had to battle with. Her depth of feelings which she developed over the course of the book and having to constantly battle them away was so hard to watch. And then there was Alex, in my review of the first book I admitted that I didn’t know his true feelings and once again this was the case here. Alex was a great guy, who I adored from the first book, but I’m going to have to say that somebody else stole the limelight away from him in this book. I know we’ve been shown and told just how bad this other guy is and he deserved everything coming his way. But honestly my heart so went out for him. Yes he could be a punk at times, but the moments when he shared his sweet and tender side I loved! I need more of this guy right away!Fire with Fire was a book which I thought would highly fixated upon the girls and getting their revenge. But it was a lot more than that, I loved Lillia’s and Kat’s stories, and to be honest that’s all I wanted, their stories. Whenever Mary popped up I really wanted to skip her chapters. I wasn’t able to connect with her character in the first book and this feeling just became stronger with this book. I understand she was hurt by what happened, but I think her idea of revenge just got totally got out of control in this book. I didn’t want Reeve to get hurt anymore, poor guy had already been put through so much and had his life completely side tracked because of the girls. And then when I got to know him that bit more I was even more against her plan. And as the story progressed she came across really deluded, with her lurking about and not considering that she had such great friends in front of her. However I thought I knew my feelings when it concerned Mary, but the ending just completely threw me. I honestly just don’t know what to think now.Fire with Fire was an incredible follow up book from Burn for Burn. We’re thrown back together with a wonderful set of characters, some which just shredded away at my heart and others two in particular; Mary and Rennie which just left me enraged. With so much going on constantly, I never wanted this book to end. Also with things going off in so many directions I didn’t expect especially with that ending *shakes fist*. And the great depths we got to experience of my favourite characters made this a top read of this year for sure. I cannot wait to see where this story will go next, I’m sure there will be a lot of heartache and consequences to deal with in Ashes to Ashes.This review can be found on The Readers Den
2.5 starsBrooklyn Girls was in my eyes a fresh book in a new series which could deliver something different. However I had far too many hang ups that resulted in Brooklyn Girls not leaving the greatest impression with me.Pia has messed up big time, a photo of her topless and drinking was uploaded to Facebook and now her agency has dropped her. Her parents then rock up with an ultimatum she has eight weeks to sort her life out, otherwise she will be forced to leave Brooklyn and come and stay with them. Pia realises it’s important to finally sort her life out, she loves living in Brooklyn in a great brownstone with four fabulous girls (one who isn’t talking to her, but that’s beside’s the point!). Brooklyn is the place where it’s at and she doesn’t want to leave just because her parents say so, she’s a grown adult!Half the time Pia didn’t act like an adult and I think that’s the biggest problem I had with her. Some of the decisions she made; borrowing money off a dodgy guy she knew nothing about and not checking with anyone beforehand. If she had confided with any of her flatmates, things could have been a lot simpler. I had a hard time connecting with Pia’s character she was at times a bit rash and didn’t appreciate what she had already. The only characters I really liked were Jules and Coco. I know this was Pia’s story, but if Jules and Coco were given more time to shine; they were nice girls I think I would have appreciated this story more.Another thing which didn’t work out for me was that Pia eventually found herself in a huge mess with no way out. I actually appreciated this part, as finally something other than Pia and her friends partying and getting off their face was happening. But the issue was resolved far too quickly for my liking. This also again happened afterwards with Pia’s parents. They were quick to back down after making threats for like 2/3 of the book. I don’t mind things getting resolved in a book at all; however I do when it happens far too quickly.It’s disappointing that I wasn’t able to enjoy Brooklyn Girls, as a lot of my blogger friends found it to be a decent read. This series is set to continue with the next book told from the pov of Angie, but I don’t think I will be continuing any further with this series.This review can be found on The Readers Den
An Endless Summer (Summer, #2)
An Endless Summer was a book I was immensely looking forward to after I literally devoured Boys of Summer at the end of last year. Duggan just had that knack to capture the essence of what summers should be about; having fun, blossoming friendships, a sweet lasting romance and making it a summer you will never forget. And once again Duggan has been able to do that with An Endless Summer.With An Endless Summer we are given the story of Sean and Amy. I adored Sean in The Boys of Summer; he had that laid back care free attitude about him and that golden smile which could reassure you that everything would be okay. He had a super sweet side to him that I appreciated but also a cocky swagger about him which I adored. Sometimes cocky guys can become hugely infuriating, but with Sean this wasn’t the case at all. So I couldn’t wait to finally have a Sean story, underneath all that bravado, I so wanted him to get his happy ending. Whereas Amy on the other hand didn’t leave the greatest impression with me in The Boys of Summer, she was the type of girl who would throw tantrums and be the one who was throwing death glares at you from the other side of the room. For some reason when I read the blurb, it didn’t click with me that it would be that Amy whose side of the story I would be getting. But I’m glad that despite this I gave this book a try because despite some mix ups and wrong decisions along the way Amy did show some great growth and maturity along the way.The obviousness of Amy and Sean being totally right for each was so clear very early on. I did enjoy some of the mind games between them, but I wish that they realised sooner well in particular Amy that Sean wasn’t messing around. Because the swoony scenes between them were so worth it!Once again Duggan was able to mix the story up well, despite the fun nature of everyone getting together at The Onslow Hotel, there was always the potential threat of losing a place they cared about a lot; a place where they share many memories, and which played a massive role in so many characters lives.Overall An Endless Summer was a cute summer read, with lots of returning characters, fans of the first book will not want to miss out on.This review can be found on The Readers Den