BOOK REVIEW: Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave

This is a book review for Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave. I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The scheduled publication date for this book is June 2, 2015.

There are secrets you share, and secrets you hide. Growing up on her family’s Sonoma vineyard, Georgia Ford learned some important secrets. The secret number of grapes it takes to make a bottle of wine: eight hundred. The secret ingredient in her mother’s lasagna: chocolate. The secret behind ending a fight: hold hands. But just a week before her wedding, thirty-year-old Georgia discovers her beloved fiancé has been keeping a secret so explosive, it will change their lives forever. Georgia does what she’s always done: she returns to the family vineyard, expecting the comfort of her long-married parents, and her brothers, and everything familiar. But it turns out her fiancé is not the only one who’s been keeping secrets.

I am honestly not sure how to review this book because I was a bit underwhelmed with it. I didn’t have any strong feelings about it one way or the other. The book starts with Georgia running out on her wedding dress fitting when she discovers a secret her fiancé was hiding. Yeah, she didn't run out on her wedding. She ran out on a fitting. I guess that was the excuse for why she showed up at her brother's bar in a wedding dress. The secret was that her fiancé had a child and never told her. This isn't really a spoiler because the reader is informed of this within the first chapter. He didn't cheat on Georgia; he just found out about the child shortly after they became engaged and never told her. I didn't understand why she didn't stick around to at least hear an explanation. She saw him with his child and then took off. Yes, it was a major red flag that he lied to her. But here's my issue with Georgia: she sat around twiddling her thumbs about a decision regarding their future despite the fact that their wedding was five days away. She basically ran away and refused to talk to him. And when he did show up at her family's place, she heard the explanation and then refused to make a decision about whether she actually wanted to marry him. At this point, I didn't even care whether she married Ben or not. Just make a decision already. But no, she just let everyone continue making her wedding plans around her while acting like she didn't know what she wanted to do. I did not care about Ben one way or the other. He seemed wishy washy and spineless. And he was a liar, so that was that. Of course Georgia kept being surprised when she found out about another lie. Come on Georgia . . . wake up! Okay, I guess I did have some strong feelings about this book. I kind of hated Georgia's indecisiveness. 

The book also had chapters from Dan's POV (Georgia's father). These chapters went back to the very beginning, when he first started the vineyard. His chapters talked about the problems they had, both with the vineyard and with their marriage. I found myself so bored with those chapters. I even skimmed them a little. I also did not care about the problems with Georgia's parents' marriage or the problems between her brothers. There was no character at all that stood out for me. I feel like a black sheep because I have seen so many rave reviews about this book. But I just didn't get it.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Skip it. There really wasn’t anything exciting enough about this book to warrant extra attention.

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Vacation Reads!

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. They feature a different top ten list every week. This week's topic is a good one: top beach reads this year. 

This is perfect timing since I am leaving this Thursday for two weeks of visiting my family in the States. I am not sure just how much pool time will be involved, but there are definitely several books I am planning to read on this nice vacation. Of course, we'll see how much actual reading I get done since my niece will be my little shadow. Ha.

1. The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

2. The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 

3. Poison Study by Maria Snyder - I'll be honest. When I first read this book a couple of years ago, I loved it until the end. Then it got kind of too fantasy like for me and I had no interest in reading the sequel. Fast forward to now and thanks to this blog and my fellow bloggers, I have been introduced to the Fantasy genre and I love it. I plan to reread this one so I can read the sequel.

4. Broken Monsters by Lauren Beukes 

5. The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins 

6. Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica

7. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs 

8. In A Handful of Dust by Mindy McGinnis 

9. The Young Elites by Marie Lu 

10. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George 

What books do you recommend for vacation reading?

Musing Mondays - Burn, Rewrite or Reread

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! This is when we speak about bookish rants or issues, among other things.

For this week's topic, I am doing a Burn, Rewrite, or Reread tag. I originally got this tag from Shannon at It Starts At Midnight.

The rules are simple. There are three rounds. I use a random number generator applied to my Goodreads "read" shelf for three books. Then I decide what option I choose for those three: burn, rewrite, or reread. 

Round One

Burn: Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades #3) by E.L. James - Ugh, I am still not sure why I even finished this series. Maybe it was just to see how it ended? So many issues with this one.

Rewrite: Twilight (Twilight #1) by Stephanie Meyer - Sigh. My rewrite would mean this series would have ended with this book. Maybe even after the first chapter. Bella realizes that being a vampire is not sexy and she is not actually in love with Edward. It's just lust, for crying out loud.

Reread: Poison Study (Study #1) by Maria V. Snyder -  I am actually planning on rereading this one soon! I haven't read it in over a year, but I really enjoyed it. I want to reread it before I read the sequel.

Round Two

Burn: Frozen (Taken #2) by Erin Bowman - Now I didn't really hate this one, but I have to pick one of them for this category, right? I was just not a fan of this series as a whole. I kept reading just to know how everything ended. That is a real sickness with me.

Rewrite: The Last Letter from your Lover by Jojo Moyes - Argh, this one was so hard!! I loved this one. Seriously, Jojo Moyes knows how to write historical fiction. I guess I would just rewrite the ending a little bit. It was kind of bittersweet. It's hard not to give away spoilers, but there isn't too much I would change. 

Reread: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - This was one of my favorite books I read last year! I would gladly reread this one.

Round Three (aka: the hardest round because I loved every single book here)

Burn: Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu - Argh, don't hate me for this because I did love this book. But I have to put something here. Damn you, random number generator!

Rewrite: Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez - This was another tough one because I loved this book so much. It tells the story of four different slave women whose masters bring them to the same resort every year without their wives. There isn't a whole lot I would want to change with this book. It was a tough topic, but necessary.

Reread: The Chocolate Kiss (Amour et Chocolate #2) by Laura Florand - My first book of her Amour et Chocolate series and one of my favorites. The descriptions of Paris and the chocolate were amazing. And those sex scenes were hot. I would gladly reread this one.

Are there any of these choices that you agree with? Or maybe disagree?

BOOK REVIEW: Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas

This is a book review for Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas. I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The scheduled publication date for this book is June 2, 2015. 

Ollie and Moritz are best friends, but they can never meet. Ollie has a life-threatening allergy to electricity, and Moritz's weak heart requires a pacemaker. If they ever did meet, they could both die. Living as recluses from society, the boys develop a fierce bond through letters that become a lifeline during dark times-as Ollie loses his only friend, Liz, to the normalcy of high school and Moritz deals with a bully set on destroying him. Narrated in letter form by Ollie and Moritz-two extraordinary new voices-this story of impossible friendship and hope under strange circumstances blends elements of science fiction with coming of age themes, in a humorous, dark, and ultimately inspiring tale is completely unforgettable.

This book completely blew me away. Even though I loved the concept, I was a little afraid I wouldn't like it. Since the entire book is made of letters between the two boys, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to connect with the characters as much as I wanted. I guess I shouldn't have worried because Leah Thomas made me feel every single emotion from these two boys. 

Ollie has a life threatening reaction to electricity. Every time he comes into contact with it, whether it is a simple booklight or computer or even a car, he starts having horrible seizures. Not only does Moritz have a pacemaker because of a weak heart, but he is sightless. Not blind, but sightless. Apparently there is a difference and Moritz is quick to point that out. He was born without eye sockets in his eyes. Now I am not sure if either of these kids' conditions are scientifically possible, but I just don't care. I willingly suspended all disbelief. When these boys start up a penpal relationship, both boys are desperate for friendship. Ollie's only friend is Liz, who he is not talking to due to a horrible tragedy. Meanwhile, Moritz finds it hard to trust anyone due to some secrets in his background and the fact that he is bullied and tormented on a daily basis. These boys start sharing their hopes and their fears; their letters are humorous and moving and their friendship is one of the best ones I have seen in a book in a long time. There was also a bit of a twist in Moritz's background that revealed a surprise connection between the two boys. I know that I can be a bit clueless sometimes, but I really didn't expect the twist as it was. I had guessed a few aspects, but there was one secret that was a bit horrifying and also sad. 

It's not often that male friendships are featured in YA fiction . . . or at all really. I was so happy to see one here. They definitely win for "bromance of the year." It was even more moving that these two young boys may never be able to meet due to their health issues. And the ending . . . that ending was perfect! I don't use this phrase lightly, but I really think this may be one of the best books I have read this year. 

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy this book!!! You will not be disappointed. 

Friday Finds

Friday Finds is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm, where we show off books we recently added to our TBR list or books we recently purchased, borrowed, etc.

I got approved for some great ARCs this week. I am beyond excited for every single one of these! My husband says I need to stop requesting so many because I will never be able to read them all. Umm, why is he trying to bring logic into this? Besides, I can and I will read every single one of these!!

Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas
Synopsis: Ollie and Moritz are best friends, but they can never meet. Ollie has a life-threatening allergy to electricity, and Moritz's weak heart requires a pacemaker. If they ever did meet, they could both die. Living as recluses from society, the boys develop a fierce bond through letters that become a lifeline during dark times-as Ollie loses his only friend, Liz, to the normalcy of high school and Moritz deals with a bully set on destroying him. Narrated in letter form by Ollie and Moritz-two extraordinary new voices-this story of impossible friendship and hope under strange circumstances blends elements of science fiction with coming of age themes, in a humorous, dark, and ultimately inspiring tale is completely unforgettable.
Note: I pretty much read this book as soon as I received it. I will be posting my review this weekend. Spoiler alert: I LOVED IT!!

This Raging Light by Estelle Laure
Synopsis: Can the best thing happen at the worst time? Her dad went crazy. Her mom left town. She has bills to pay and a little sister to look after. Now is not the time for level-headed seventeen-year-old Lucille to fall in love. But love—messy, inconvenient love—is what she’s about to experience when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend’s brother. With blazing longing that builds to a fever pitch, Estelle Laure’s soulful debut will keep readers hooked and hoping until the very last page.

If You're Lucky by Yvonne Prinz
Synopsis: When seventeen-year-old Georgia’s brother drowns while surfing halfway around the world in Australia, she refuses to believe Lucky’s death was just bad luck. Then a stranger named Fin arrives in False Bay, claiming to have been Lucky’s best friend. Soon Fin is working for Lucky’s father, charming Lucky’s mother, dating his girlfriend. Georgia begins to wonder: did Fin murder Lucky in order to take over his whole life? Determined to clear the fog from her mind in order to uncover the truth about Lucky’s death, Georgia secretly stops taking the medication that keeps away the voices in her head. Georgia is certain she’s getting closer and closer to the truth about Fin, but as she does, her mental state becomes more and more precarious, and no one seems to trust what she’s saying. As the chilling narrative unfolds, the reader must decide whether Georgia’s descent into madness is causing her to see things that don’t exist–or to see a deadly truth that no one else can.  

Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica
Synopsis: She sees the teenage girl on the train platform, standing in the pouring rain, clutching an infant in her arms. She boards a train and is whisked away. But she can't get the girl out of her head. Heidi Wood has always been a charitable woman: she works for a nonprofit, takes in stray cats. Still, her husband and daughter are horrified when Heidi returns home one day with a young woman named Willow and her four-month-old baby in tow. Disheveled and apparently homeless, this girl could be a criminal—or worse. But despite her family's objections, Heidi invites Willow and the baby to take refuge in their home. Heidi spends the next few days helping Willow get back on her feet, but as clues into Willow's past begin to surface, Heidi is forced to decide how far she's willing to go to help a stranger. What starts as an act of kindness quickly spirals into a story far more twisted than anyone could have anticipated.

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom
Synopsis: Everyone has secrets. Everyone is a secret. Parker Grant is a junior in high school who loves to run, has great friends, and isn't afraid to speak her mind--especially when it comes to how stupid some people can be around a blind person like her. The only topic to avoid is how Parker feels about the boy who broke her heart in eighth grade... who has just transferred to her school. And as long as she can keep giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death three months ago, she'll be just fine. Right?  Combining a fiercely engaging voice with true heart, debut author Eric Lindstrom's Not If I See You First sheds light on the metaphorical blind spots that are a part of life, whether you're visually impaired or not.

Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell
Synopsis: Nicolette's awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother's knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have pushed her into a life of dreary servitude. When she discovers a secret workshop in the cellar on her sixteenth birthday—and befriends Jules, a tiny magical metal horse—Nicolette starts to imagine a new life for herself. And the timing may be perfect: There's a technological exposition and a royal ball on the horizon. Determined to invent her own happily-ever-after, Mechanica seeks to wow the prince and eager entrepreneurs alike.

What new books have you acquired this week?

BOOK REVIEW: Let Me Die In His Footsteps by Lori Roy

This is a book review for Let Me Die In His Footsteps by Lori Roy. I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The scheduled publication date for this book is June 2, 2015.

On a dark Kentucky night in 1952 exactly halfway between her fifteenth and sixteenth birthdays, Annie Holleran crosses into forbidden territory. Everyone knows Hollerans don’t go near Baines, not since Joseph Carl was buried two decades before. It was 1936, and there were seven Baine boys. That year, Annie’s aunt, Juna Crowley, with her black eyes and her long blond hair, came of age. Before Juna, Joseph Carl had been the best of all the Baine brothers. But then he looked into Juna’s eyes and they made him do things that cost innocent people their lives. Sheriff Irlene Fulkerson saw justice served—or did she? As the lavender harvest approaches and she comes of age as Aunt Juna did in her own time, Annie’s dread mounts. Juna will come home now, to finish what she started. If Annie is to save herself, her family, and this small Kentucky town, she must prepare for Juna’s return, and the revelation of what really happened all those years ago

First of all, I will freely admit that I requested this book solely because of its cover. Yes, I judge books by their cover and I don't even care. But isn't the lavender on the cover gorgeous?? The descriptions of the lavender fields in the book are just as breathtaking. I loved hearing Annie describe the vibrant colors and the smells. The author did such a great job that I swear I could smell the loaves of Annie's grandmother's lavender bread. The setting of Kentucky was also brilliant. I grew up in a small Southern town and I swear everything was accurate, even the belief in evil spirits and curses and of course all the gossip and secrets that come from living in a small town.

Every year, halfway between a girl's fifteenth and sixteenth birthdays, girls dress up and go to the well in the Baines' yard. There is a legend that girls will be able to see the face of the man they are supposed to marry. This is called a girl's ascension. During the summer of 1952, when Annie reaches her ascension, going into the Baines' yard is forbidden because of a tragedy between Annie's Aunt Juna and one of the Baine boys in 1936. Despite the fact that her parents warn her not to go and despite the fact that Mrs. Baine is often on her porch with a shotgun, Annie goes to the well anyway. In the process, she discovers a body. This discovery reminds the town of the tragedy from 1936. The book bounces from Annie and her sister Caroline in 1956 to Juna and Sarah (Juna's sister) in 1936. There are very similar mysteries in both time periods.

It did take me a while to learn all the characters in the story. Going back and forth, I was sometimes confused as to everyone's relationship. When it changed from past to future, it would take me a minute to adjust and figure out who everyone was and who everyone was married to or who was dead etc. There were just so many people in the story. I do think that the buildup to the resolution of both mysteries was very slow and a bit drawn out. Nevertheless, I was quite engaged with both Sarah and Annie. There was a twist at the end with both mysteries that had me reeling. I know that I am usually clueless anyway, but I didn't see it coming. 

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Borrow. The mystery took a while to build up to, but the setting and the resolution were worth it. 

BOOK REVIEW: Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel

This is a book review for Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel. I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The scheduled publication date for this book is June 2, 2015. 

In Paris, family and friends gather to mourn the tragic passing of Charlie Price—young, handsome, charming, a world-traveler—who is presumed dead after an explosion. Authorities find only a bloodied jacket, ID’d as Charlie’s. At the funeral, two teens who are perfect strangers, Lena Whitney and Aubrey Boroughs, make another shocking discovery: they have both been dating Charlie, both think Charlie loved them and them alone, and there is a lot they didn’t know about their boyfriend. Over the next week, a mind-bending trip unfolds: first in London—then in Mumbai, Kerala, and Bangkok, the girls go in search of Charlie. Is he still alive? What did their love for him even mean? The truth is out there, but soon it becomes clear that the girls are harboring secrets of their own. 

Have you ever read one of those books where the ending made you say OUT LOUD: What. The. Hell? Yeah, that’s what this book did. This book had an awesome premise. Yes, there was a crazy love triangle. But since the boyfriend was presumed dead and the two girls were joining forces for revenge, I could get behind that.  The book told the point of view of the two girls, Lena and Aubrey. There were also a few chapters from Charlie’s POV thrown in. It took me a while to get into Lena and Aubrey’s story. First of all, they had way too many arguments about trust. Lena and Aubrey meet and the VERY NEXT DAY, decide to band together for answers about Charlie’s life. Both girls had secrets, about themselves and about their relationship with Charlie. Whenever one girl found out about a secret the other was keeping, the girl would cry and pout and talk about betrayal. Ugh. That happened way too many times. And let me repeat this again: they had only known each other ONE DAY before embarking on this adventure. Why on earth would you confess all of your secrets to a perfect stranger, especially when that stranger had been secretly dating your boyfriend? 

Despite all of this, I still became very engaged in their story and their developing friendship. They started getting to know each other and I felt like they really cared for each other. I loved that they placed their anger where it belonged: with Charlie. This could have gone in a horrible direction where the girls were pissed off and bitchy with each other, even though neither girl knew about the other.  The few chapters that had Charlie’s POV were just weird. His chapters went a little back in time to the point where he started cheating on Lena with Aubrey. I will try not to give away any spoilers, but this guy seemed mentally deranged. And because the chapters never went to far in depth with his character and because I only knew about him from Lena and Aubrey, I just didn’t get him. His actions were so far out there and I never understood what made him do all the things he did. He was a spoiled rich kid who was sent all over the world to different private schools. There was no reason for him to go as far as he did unless he was mentally ill.  But let’s talk about the ending. I can’t even deal with how messed up that was. I kept reading this story expecting some kind of closure or some kind of confrontation. WE GOT NOTHING!! Not only that, but there was a MASSIVE CLIFFHANGER with both Lena and Aubrey. Now I have never been opposed to open ended books, per se. It does depend on the circumstances, but sometimes I can understand it. But this wasn’t just open ended. I mean, this was straight up “where the hell is the rest of this book because surely this can’t be the end”. This book does not indicate whether this is a series or not. Honestly, I am not sure which answer would make me angrier. There is no reason to turn this book into a series, but then again, if this is the end, I just can’t deal. I did tweet the author to ask if there would be a sequel, but she did not respond at all. She favorited the tweet, but didn't actually give an answer. Arghhhhh!!! t swear, if this book weren’t on my Kindle, I would have thrown it across the room. My rating for the book went way down because of it.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Skip!!!!!!