Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Veenable

Summary from Goodreads:

Amanda can’t figure out what’s so exciting about kissing. It’s just a lot of teeth clanking, germ swapping, closing of eyes so you can’t see that godzilla-sized zit just inches from your own hormonal monstrosity. All of her seven kisses had been horrible in different ways, but nothing compared to the awfulness that followed Kiss Number Eight. An exploration of sexuality, family, and faith, Kiss Number Eight is a coming-of-age tale filled with humor and hope.

Review:

This wasn’t the book I was thinking it would be. I was expecting a light-hearted rom-com about kissing, crushes, sexuality, and becoming yourself. It was definitely a much more serious book. It was also really sad. There were some things I really liked about it, and some things I really didn’t like.

First off, I hated Amanda’s friends. They were so awful to her. Also, I hate that Amanda’s best friend kept calling Amanda’s mom a bitch…It’s never cool for a friend to refer to your mom that way. So, I guess, right off the bat I didn’t like her friends. There was also the bad girl friend and the good girl friend. The bad girl friend encouraged Amanda to sneak out, drink, get drunk, swear, fight with their other friend, hook up with strangers, and just so many other awful things. And then the good girl friend never stood up for herself, though she did help Amanda solve a family mystery. But, her end actions made her almost worst than the bad girl friend.

When everything falls apart in the climax of the story (in a colossally bad way), both the bad girl friend and the good girl friend abandon Amanda in her time of need. (Spoiler sentences approaching: don’t read the rest of this paragraph if you don’t want spoilers). The boy Amanda slept with (who’d been crushing on her for years) abandons her because of a rumor…And her father’s prejudices ruined their close/best friend-like relationship. The only one to have Amanda’s back is her mom (clearly not the bitch her friends thought her to be). And soon Amanda finds new friends, much nicer friends. But, there is never any real resolution with the awful best friends who abandon her.

I also like the role religion plays here. I thought for sure that Amanda’s family’s religion would come off negatively. They go to church every Sunday, volunteer in soup kitchens, and got to a Catholic school. However, despite some mean nuns, a prejudiced/religious father, and some falsehoods taught to her since birth, Amanda has faith. Some of my favorite moments in the book are when she’s talking to God, seeking help. And I kind of like that the awful people around her don’t change her or affect her relationship with her faith.

I liked Amanda, and I liked watching her grow into herself. I also loved her mom. I kind of hated everyone else in the story (except for her new friends at the end). I guess my biggest issue is the lack of resolution with her close friends that she’s had since childhood. I get that not all childhood friendships last forever, nor should they…but I felt like I needed some more resolution. So much of the focus of the whole book was on them, and then they kind of disappear. I wished the dad showed up at the end, but I like that Amanda is hopeful about him. There is hope there. That was also believable. I liked the family drama/mystery. I wish the book was marketed as the serious book it is, and not as something lighter. All in all, I give this a 7/10.                    

A Question of Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro

Summary from Goodreads:

The fourth book in the New York Times bestselling Charlotte Holmes series!

Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson think they’re finally in the clear. They’ve left Sherringford School—and the Moriartys—behind for a pre-college summer program at Oxford University. A chance to start from scratch and explore dating for the first time, while exploring a new city with all the freedom their program provides. But when they arrive, Charlotte is immediately drawn into a new case: a series of accidents have been befalling the members of the community theater troupe in Oxford, and now, on the eve of their production of Hamlet, they’re starting all over again. What once seemed like a comedy of errors is now a race to prevent the next tragedy—before Charlotte or Jamie is the next victim.

Review:

This is what I said on Goodreads, just as I finished this book: These books are everything. I have loved them from the beginning. I’m a Sherlock fan, and a long ago English major, who enjoys nothing more than sinking into a good story. I love these stories -and through them, I love these characters. There’s something so classic, so Arthur Conan Doyle-like in the writing and mystery. And add to that some unbelievably amazing YA character development and you have these remarkable books. I loved this ending. It felt believable and honest. I’m so glad to have found these books.

This particular installment was special. It was all in the point of view of Charlotte. Don’t get me wrong; I love Jamie. I seriously have a gigantic book crush on Jamie Watson. However, being in the head of a female Sherlock was just pure magic. Watching her brain work and understanding why she views things the way she does is just unbelievable. I actually feel like a more logical thinker after reading this than when I started. This book makes you feel like you can solve crimes too.

I also got to see just how much Charlotte cared for Jamie. I knew she did. And Jamie knew she did. But, it’s not just the simple crush and barely there tolerance I was expecting. It was deep. I finally felt like Charlotte was deserving of the unbelievable Jamie. I loved watching them attempt dating. I loved watching them work together, and communicate without words. These two are just everything a shipping heart will need. Yet, also this book doesn’t have a ton of romance. A lot of their relationship is super innocent –it has to be to get Charlotte where she needs to go. And Jamie is there and patient for all of it, as always.

There’s a fun murder mystery involving the theater, and it worked for Charlotte like I imagine holding a cigarette works for smokers. It gave her something to do, something to focus on besides her building relationship with Jamie and all the big decisions approaching about her future. The mystery wasn’t particularly a hard one. But, it worked as the background Charlotte needed to have. And it allowed the readers to see how Charlotte did it. And I’m not sure this would have been accomplished with a tougher to solve mystery.

I loved the Oxford backdrop too. The setting was both interesting and calm. It had the mystery Charlotte needed as well as the healing calmness that just wouldn’t have been there in London. All in all, there’s not much I can think to say against this story. The characters were unbelievably strong. The mystery was okay, but it accomplished what it needed to. I loved getting a glimpse into the magical, logical Sherlock brain. I love Jamie and Charlotte together. I give this a 10/10.

A Good Week in Books (201)

Surprise, surprise, I had another sinus infection that slowed down my reading…But, I’ve been headache free for a whole week now…And I’ve been slowly catching up on my reading.  I read one awesome mystery, and 2 graphic novels. I’ve also received 8 books for review, thanks to Macmillan and Hachette.

The new books:

The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
Don’t Date Rosa Santos
The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
Aru Shah and the Song of Death
Alien Echo by Mira Grant
All Our Broken Pieces by L. D. Chrichton

How was your week in books?

Honor Bound by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre

Summary from Goodreads:

Zara Cole was a thief back on Earth, but she’s been recently upgraded to intergalactic fugitive. On the run after a bloody battle in a covert war that she never expected to be fighting, Zara, her co-pilot Beatriz, and their Leviathan ship Nadim barely escaped the carnage with their lives. Now Zara and her crew of Honors need a safe haven, far from the creatures who want to annihilate them. But with two wounded Leviathan to treat, plus human and non-human refugees to help, they’ll have to settle for the nearest outpost, called the Sliver: a wild, dangerous warren of alien criminals. Zara’s skills from the Zone may be invaluable. However, Zara discovers that the secrets of the Sliver may have the power to turn the tide of the war they left behind—but in the wrong direction. Soon Zara will have to make a choice: stand against the ultimate evil or run from it. But she’s never walked away from a fight.

Honor Bound is the second installment in Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre’s thrilling and fresh space saga.

Review:

These books are so much fun! I needed a good action-packed sci-fi to keep me out of my reading slump. As I said on Goodreads, “I missed these authors... I feel like this is the Rick Riordan/action-packed/suspense adventure book for the older YA or adult crowd." I did not love it as much as the first installment, but I did find it hard to put down.

Also, it’s one of the rare books that both my fiancé and I were reading at the same time. We were both anticipating its release. And he actually finished it before me, while I got my fourth sinus infection of the season…Ugh. These sinus problems are seriously getting in the way of my reading habits. I have another doctor’s appointment next week where I will talk to a specialist, and hopefully get my sinuses in check. That being said, it was so much fun to have someone to chat about this book with.

Zara is a force in this book. She’s really in her element on the Sliver. Watching her come into her strengths was fascinating for me. I loved how much more of a leader she became here, not just with her crew –but with another crew and some new “friends.” I loved her building relationship with Nadim. And I loved her friendships with everyone. She’s so smart and badass; I wish this was a tv show. She would win the hearts of everyone binge-watching on Netflix.

I liked learning a little bit more about the phage and other aliens. I found the introduction of these god-like aliens to be kind of strange, but also kind of amazing. I want to know so much more. The stakes were raised in this installment. Whole worlds are anhilated, and billions of lives were/are at stake.

That being said, it did seriously have that book 2 feel. It felt like this book was a placeholder for the next one, which I know will be epic. It was a pit-stop on the way to crazy town. Also, I was not a huge fan of an alluded to romantic relationship.  That came out of nowhere for me. I needed more slow-burn, less all of a sudden meant to be shipping…And is it weird that I’m still kind of shipping Zara with Nadim? I also don’t think the summary of the book actually summarizes it. It makes it sound like it all comes down to this big decision for Zara….when in reality, she made up her mind in seconds. There was no question. And this certainly wasn’t a pivotal moment in the story.

All in all, this was a fun, high stakes, action-packed sci-fi adventure. I love the worlds created here. I love the characters. I love the strangeness of it all. It was very hard to put down this book (sinus pain and all). It did feel a little too much like a book 2, and I wished the place-holder vibe wasn’t there. The summary for the book might have been written by someone who has not actually read it...but this isn’t the book’s fault.  I give this a 9/10.

Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith

Summary from Goodreads:

Having just been dumped by his girlfriend, British-born Hugo is still determined to take his last-hurrah-before-college train trip across the United States. One snag: the companion ticket is already booked under the name of his ex, Margaret Campbell. Nontransferable, no exceptions.

Enter the new Margaret C. (Mae for short), an aspiring filmmaker with big dreams. After finding Hugo's spare ticket offer online, she's convinced it's the perfect opportunity to expand her horizons.

When the two meet, the attraction is undeniable, and both find more than they bargained for. As Mae pushes Hugo to explore his dreams for his future, he'll encourage her to channel a new, vulnerable side of her art. But when life off the train threatens the bubble they've created for themselves, will they manage to keep their love on track?

Review:

I loved this book. I read it in 2 sittings. As I said on Goodreads: This book was what I needed to get out of my book slump. It’s so romantic. It’s a true old fashioned coming of age story. The characters were amazing. I felt like I was watching Roman Holiday mixed with Before Sunrise mixed with the tv show, This is Us.

The setting of the train ride was pure magic. The love story felt both old and new at the same time. I finished the book, and just gave it a hug. It was just what I needed.

Love stories always have some level of fantasy for me. Some are more believable than others. Some, like this one, will have a timeframe making it more believable. And others just seem to happen at the right moment to make the right story. This had some level of fantasy with the whole needing a girl to have the same name as Hugo’s ex, thing. She also happens to just be the same age as Hugo, and is about to go on the same growing up journey.

That being said, both characters are extremely different. I loved how motivated Miriam was. I love that she was always filming or thinking about filming. She seemed like a genuine filmmaker, and not just a character with a hobby to make her sound more interesting. Film almost defined her. And I loved her grandmother and their relationship. I also loved her two dads.

I was so beyond fascinated by Hugo’s family. He’s one of six. He’s a sextuplet! I loved all the group text messages and the banter between them. I loved his mother’s blog and his father’s unwillingness to let go. I loved his family and how close they were. His siblings’ willingness to do a certain thing (that I won’t spoil) for Hugo just melted my heart. And then there’s Hugo, himself. I loved him completely. I loved that he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life; he just knew that he wanted some time on his own to figure it out. It was refreshing to have one character unsure of his future like that.

And then there’s all the people the couple meets along the way on the train. They interview people for Mae’s newest film, and it’s just so romantic and beautiful. The setting is always changing from one state to another. The stories change. And the couple’s relationship changes. This book is always moving, like the trains they take.

I can’t really come up with anything negative to say here. I usually really enjoy books by this author. This one, I loved. I give it a 10/10, and I highly recommend it to the romantics out there.

Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks

Summary from Goodreads:

Miriam's family should be rich. After all, her grandfather was the co-creator of smash-hit comics series The TomorrowMen. But he sold his rights to the series to his co-creator in the 1960s for practically nothing, and now that's what Miriam has: practically nothing. And practically nothing to look forward to either-how can she afford college when her family can barely keep a roof above their heads? As if she didn't have enough to worry about, Miriam's life gets much more complicated when a cute boy shows up in town . . . and turns out to be the grandson of the man who defrauded Miriam's grandfather, and heir to the TomorrowMen fortune.

In her endearing debut novel, cartoonist Faith Erin Hicks pens a sensitive and funny Romeo and Juliet tale about modern romance, geek royalty, and what it takes to heal the long-festering scars of the past (Spoiler Alert: love).

Review:

I was really excited for this one. I’ve enjoyed Hicks’ graphic novels. And after reading the summary for this book, I was excited enough to mark the book’s release in my calendar. I’ve become a bit of a comic geek over the years. And I’m certainly getting married to one too. Nick has hundreds, possibly thousands of comic books. I love all of the super hero movies, particularly the Marvel ones. And I grew up watching all of the animated tv series. Needless to say, this book spoke to me on a deep comic level.

Unfortunately, I think my expectations were too high. There were some really great elements to this book, but it just wasn’t enough for me. I have to say too that I started this book right before a long-lasting sinus infection. And it’s not the book’s fault that I struggled to read because of headaches. But, headache or no, it should never take me more than 2 weeks to read something…

I loved the idea for it all. I loved the drama of the lawsuit, and the rights to the story. There’s not many YA books today that tackle copyright issues, and I always find that stuff fascinating. I also loved the store Miriam worked in. I loved her weird parents and their attitude of letting things go.

I did not love Miriam. She was too wishy-washy for me. Sometimes she read like the teenager she was supposed to be, and sometimes she read way too young. I get that not all teenagers are the same, and some will come off as younger….but, it was enough of a problem for me that it took me out of the story, and confused me. Some of the girl’s thoughts and logic read more like that of a nine year old or ten year old. And adding to this, sex was never brought up. Miriam and Weldon have a bit of a whirlwind romance that’s just too innocent to be believable. Not that all teenagers are having or wanting sex…but, this felt more like first crush 10/11 year old territory…like chapters of debating whether or not hand holding was okay….

I also never fully understood Miriam’s attachment to her grandfather and what was due to him. Her parents didn’t feel this way, and they knew him. And clearly they were trying to teach Miriam to feel the same way. Miriam never met her grandfather, but talked about him like she did. She was also not a very materialistic person, so I can’t see missing out on the money as being her driving motivator.  I feel like all of this would have been drastically more believable if she had a relationship with her grandfather (even just as a young kid) that inspired her actions.

Also, not a lot happens, plot-wise, until the very end. And at the end, everything kind of seems to happen too easily. Weldon’s mother magically gets involved at just the right time. Miriam happens to meet the one person her boss wanted her to. She also just happens to get the one thing that makes the lawsuit seem okay…Too many things “just happen” to work out perfectly for my liking, especially after a full book of “what ifs?” and postponements of any decision making.

Also, do that many kids in Canada decide not to go to college? Miriam was the only one in her friend group going to college? That seemed strange. I get that money is a factor, but everyone I know has student loans or attended community college, or state schools…none of which were mentioned as possibilities for all of her friends.  Are Canada students not all driven to attend college, like we are here?

All in all, this book was a bit of a disappointment. The concept was there. There were a lot of interesting elements. These just didn’t outweigh the problems for me. I never liked the main character, who often seemed more like 10 or 11 year old, than a senior in high school. The romance was too innocent. Miriam’s motivations didn’t seem believable. And too much magically just worked out in the end. I give it a 6/10.

A Good Week in Books (200)

I cannot believe I’ve made 200 of these posts! I guess I’ve been blogging a long time…

I’ve been a bit MIA lately. Mostly this is because I had a crazy, terrible sinus infection. I seriously had the worst headaches for about 3 ½ weeks. Sadly, this greatly affected my ability to read and I’ve had such book nostalgia. I finally caught up on a lot of TV…but, it’s just not the same. I’m finally doing better after a couple rounds of antibiotics. Bring on the books!

I’ve only read 2 books in about 4 weeks though…so I have a ton of catching up to do. One book was okay, and one was amazing. I’m going to be honest; I read the amazing book in about a day (yesterday). And the okay book lasted throughout my whole bout of sickness…

I’ve received 8 books for review over this time (thank you Macmillan!):

Small Town Hearts by Lillie Vale
The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson
The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena
Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum
Fear of Missing Out by Kate McGovern
Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Venable and Ellen T. Crenshaw
Beware the Night by Jessika Fleck

How was your week in books?