Love, Lies, and Spies by Cindy Anstey

Summary (from Goodreads):

Juliana Telford is not your average nineteenth-century young lady. She’s much more interested in researching ladybugs than marriage, fashionable dresses, or dances. So when her father sends her to London for a season, she’s determined not to form any attachments. Instead, she plans to secretly publish their research.

Spencer Northam is not the average young gentleman of leisure he appears. He is actually a spy for the War Office, and is more focused on acing his first mission than meeting eligible ladies. Fortunately, Juliana feels the same, and they agree to pretend to fall for each other. Spencer can finally focus, until he is tasked with observing Juliana’s traveling companions . . . and Juliana herself.

Review:

This is the perfect book to take outside and read at the lake. My mom and I had a very tiresome day of getting our nails done and buying flowers. Taking this book out to the lake, while my mom read her newspaper was just pure happiness at the end of a purely relaxing vacation day. It was also a good book to finish on my plane back to reality.

This author pays serious homage to Jane Austen. It was reminiscent of Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and Emma.  Yet, it was also kind of silly and not too plausible. It’s kind of like this super sweet combination of Jane Austen and Meg Cabot. And ahh, can you think of a better summer read combination?

It was fun getting the guy’s perspective too. You don’t normally get the guy’s point of view in a regency romance.  Double bonus points for the guy being a spy and also being interested in women who are unique, intelligent, and independent. There’s so much witty banter and back and forth dialog, that I was practically smiling during my whole reading.

The one thing I didn’t like about this book was how lightly it seemed to take seriously dangerous situations. It wasn’t just about going for carriage rides and making societal blunders. Those carriage rides were with someone who kept trying to get Juliana alone to molest her (or worse). And Juliana kept ignoring this detail…

Everything else about this book was light, British, romantic, and rather innocent. There was just this one creeper in the background. Well of course, there was the spying stuff too. That was about a certain family giving information it shouldn’t to France. This was also super interesting. It did mostly take the sidelines to the teas, balls, and entering into society plotlines. Everything magically seemed to flow well together too.

I loved the main character. I loved the guy. I never fully loved any of the side characters. Her uncle was pretty great. But his greatness kind of just shows up out of nowhere at the end, in his helping to make everything end okay. The two romantic leads more than make up for the less interesting side characters though.

All in all, this had a few flaws, but was really just pure joy to read. It’s the perfect beach book, especially for Austen fans. I give it a 9/10.

The Crown by Kiera Cass

Summary from Goodreads:

When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

Summary:

I have to admit: I was more than a little disappointed with this last installment. I kind of devoured The Selection series. I also rather enjoyed The Heir. You don’t really read these books because the dytopian/fantasy elements are awesome. You read them because the romance is spot-on and the idea for the Bachelor-type setting for it all is just so addicting. I own up to this fact. That being said, I used to like the side elements of the dystopian world. And I liked that there was some serious stuff happening in the background.

This book was lacking in all things serious. But, also, it just kind of felt like the author took every moment she could to fill in space with cheesy lessons or morals learned. There were cheesy moments with the king and queen acting like a retired couple. There were cheesy moments with side characters who were misunderstood. There were cheesy moments where Eadlyn had to realize so many things. And I guess these books were always a little cheesy, but this one seemed a little overkill for me. Or maybe it’s only now bothering me? Or maybe there were just too many morals for my liking. Moral overload.

I did still enjoyed the romance. I like who Eadlyn ended up with, though it felt a tad bit forced (aka: there were no hints of this earlier in the series). It felt a little bit like the author didn’t know who she was going to pick until she wrote it. And that isn’t terrible. I just like things to be backed up in fact/emotional moments and I was lacking that a little. I do like the guy. And I can see things ending successfully for them.

I also love how the stories end for some of the other guys. There’s another moment that surprised me in regards to two of the selection’s sexuality. And I loved that for the most part, the guys all left amicably. How can there be sore feelings in a book made up of morals and lessons learned?

I clearly didn’t love this book, but I also didn’t hate it. It made for good airplane reading on my way to visit my mom in Chicago. But did this side series need to happen? Probably not. Will I still read books by this author? Absolutely. I give this one a 6/10.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Summary from Goodreads:

Raina Telgemeier's #1 New York Times bestselling, Eisner Award-winning graphic memoir based on her childhood!

Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly.

Review:

This was a re-read for me. I read it for the first time in a bookstore. I read it so fast. I remember thinking, “Wow. Why aren’t there more graphic novels like this?” That was probably 5 or so years ago. Enough time has gone by that it felt almost like I was reading it for the first time. And, I have to say, I feel almost exactly the same way. Why aren’t there more books like this?

Telgemeier seriously captures all the awkward, terrible moments of middle school. But, she does it in a way that isn’t painful to read and reflect on. She does it in a way that makes you smile and think, “oh yeah.”

The illustrations are great. It’s easy to read for people who have not read comics or graphic novels before. Everything is rather linear. It’s bright, colorful, and full of emotion that I don’t always see come across in graphic novels.

I also loved the topics this story covered. It certainly covered plenty of image problems. But on top of that, Raina has crushes, mean friends, new friends, sibling arguments, school dances, Valentines, band rehearsals, failed sports tryouts, etc. It felt real. I could see a kid/teen really doing all the things Raina did –which makes sense because it is autobiographical. I can see this “realness” being a major appeal to young readers.

I love that its specifically aimed for middle school girls. There aren’t many graphic novels that are. I also love the teeth drama. Poor Raina suffers through so much pain, surgery, and orthodontics. I related to this as well. I had braces, retainers, and expanders at this age too. I can’t imagine also loosing my two front teeth. There’s only so much one can be expected to bare in middle school.

I like that Raina defends herself to her cruel friends. She eventually learns she’d rather be by herself or meet new friends then be around her old ones. This was powerful too. I’ve been in that situation in middle school and high school, and it’s so hard to actually leave friends. So hard to think of spending lunch by yourself. But, she does it and it’s such a great moment in the book for me. I also like that she doesn’t just have one crush. It’s okay to like more than one boy forever.

I loved the story. I loved the art. I loved the intended audience of this story. I loved how real it all felt. And I do still wish there were more graphic novels out there like this one. It was first published 6 years ago. I mean come on already. More girl graphic novels, please.  I give it a 9/10.

First and Then by Emma Mills

Summary from Goodreads:

Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them: first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

Review:

I loved this book. It was the perfect, light, romantic contemporary to get me through a very busy week. It’s exactly what I needed. I had gotten the book for review not too long ago. Mostly, I’d been wanting to read it because I’ve seen it on a few YA Jane Austen lists. Though, I was told by a couple of bloggers to expect it not to be a retelling of anything Austen. This, I admit, did help in my enjoyment. If I thought it was a retelling, I’d be trying to make connections that weren’t necessarily there.

I loved all the Jane Austen connections though. The main character is re-reading Sense and Sensibility throughout the story. She’s constantly comparing her relationship drama (mostly a crush on a best friend) to that of the dramas of Austen. There’s a very Austen/Pride and Prejudice moment when the male lead (not actually the best friend) writes a letter to explain his side of the story. And I loved this. I loved how very Darcy he seemed (because I’m so in fiction-love with Darcy). I’m also in love with this guy. He reads Jane Austen to have something to talk about with the main character! My heart melted.

Mills did a fantastic job of transforming the Austen-style class system (based upon income) into a teen popularity hierarchy (based upon football). I wasn’t entirely sure I’d enjoy the football component because I’m not a football person at all. However, I loved all the drama it brought. Really, I found the whole lifestyle of the town to be so interesting. It was so based on high school football, and I actually found this fun to read about.

The relationship drama kept me interested. There were a couple of big Emma type realizations for the main character and I loved that she was able to see her own flaws and her own misjudgments. She wanted to be better, not to be the girl who pined for the guy who so clearly didn’t return the feelings. She didn’t want to only think of herself when her new brother/cousin was going to be adopted by her parents. And she wanted to care about things and get into a college. She wants to be a better person. This makes her so likeable to me.

I also love that she doesn’t know what she wants to do in college. There’s this whole scene where she’s talking to a college counselor and she pretty much admits to not being good at or particularly fond of anything. Her counselor of course told her she’d have to join something to get into a good school. That whole not knowing what you’re good at thing, seriously resonated with me. I remember feeling that exact same thing when I was teenager, surrounded by people who all seemed to know what they were supposed to be doing. Also, who can’t relate to a crush (that isn’t returned)?

I loved how critical Devon is too. Again, very Emma. She had just the right amount of sarcasm and wit to keep me fully entertained through out the whole thing. Devon was such an Austen type character. The romance was amazing, and very Austen too. As you can tell, I loved making Austen connections. I also, surprisingly got into the football part of the story. There was some serious family drama that meshed well with the relationship drama. And overall, I just ate this book up. I give it a 10/10. I want more.

Waiting on Wednesday (189)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating.

This week I am waiting on The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (11/1/16):

Description on Goodreads:

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

Why I’m Waiting:

This cover is so pretty. I can’t stop looking at those colors. Also, I seriously loved this author’s debut. And I know this book will be well written, with some fantastic characters. It also just sounds super sweet. I need more sweet contemporaries in my life.

What are you waiting on this week?

A Good Week in Books (136)

I had a nice book week. I had an eventful week. It started with my friend, Casey, coming to stay with me. We went to the annual MA library conference together. She actually presented. I left the conference with 2 new books. But, I also won a free raffle prize that was a Cape Cod themed basket (filled with goodies like Cape Cod wine, Cape Cod potato chips, and gift cards for places on Cape like whale watching tours). My picture with the basket is on the library association webpage and Facebook page right now (http://www.masslib.org/).

Then I went with my friend and boyfriend to visit another friend who just graduated law school (Go, Chris!) in Albany. And I leave to visit with my mom in the middle of this week. I’ve been a busy bee lately and I’m not sure if I’ll have any posts next week because I don’t think I’ll be blogging on my vacation. However, I’m hoping to get some serious reading time in.

The Books:

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (I’ve already read and loved this one)
Steampunk! Edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant

And here’s the awesome Cape Cod basket:

How was your week in books?

Waiting on Wednesday (188)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating.

This week I am waiting on Bound by Blood and Sand by Becky Allen (10/11/16):

Description on Goodreads:

Jae is a slave in a dying desert world.

Once verdant with water from a magical Well, the land is drying up, and no one remembers the magic needed to keep the water flowing. If a new source isn’t found soon, the people will perish. Jae doesn’t mind, in a way. By law, she is bound by a curse to obey every order given her, no matter how vile. At least in death, she’ll be free.

Lord Elan’s family rules the fading realm. He comes to the estate where Jae works, searching for the hidden magic needed to replenish the Well, but it’s Jae who finds it, and she who must wield it. Desperate to save his realm, Elan begs her to use it to locate the Well.

But why would a slave—abused, beaten, and treated as less than human—want to save the system that shackles her? Jae would rather see the world burn.

Though revenge clouds her vision, she agrees to help if the kingdom’s slaves are freed. Then Elan’s father arrives. The ruler’s cruelty knows no limits. He is determined that the class system will not change—and that Jae will remain a slave forever.

Why I’m Waiting:

Well, this sounds totally awesome. I’m not sure I’ve read a story like this one before. I’ve also been seriously loving desert settings lately. I already need to know what will happen to Jae, and that is only after reading the description.

What are you waiting on this week?