BOOK REVIEW: The Memory Book by Lara Avery

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The scheduled publication date for this book is July 5, 2016.

Sammie was always a girl with a plan: graduate at the top of her class and get out of her small town as soon as humanly possible. Nothing will stand in her way--not even a rare genetic disorder the doctors say will slowly start to steal her memories and then her health. What she needs is a new plan. So the Memory Book is born: Sammie's notes to her future self, a document of moments great and small. It's where she'll record every perfect detail of her first date with longtime crush, Stuart--a brilliant young writer who is home for the summer. And where she'll admit how much she's missed her childhood best friend, Cooper, and even take some of the blame for the fight that ended their friendship. Through a mix of heartfelt journal entries, mementos, and guest posts from friends and family, readers will fall in love with Sammie, a brave and remarkable girl who learns to live and love life fully, even though it's not the life she planned.


I really needed this book. It seems like every book I have been reading lately has been mediocre or just blah. I needed a book that made me feel and this was it. First of all, I had to look up the disease that Sammie suffers from and it's real. I guess I was hoping it was fictional because of everything Sammie had to go through. One day Sammie is working towards being a valedictorian and practicing for debate tournaments; the next day, she receives a diagnosis that changes everything. She has NPC, a genetic disease that will slowly eat away at her body and will cause her to forget everything and everyone. I can't even imagine what it must be like to be seventeen and to know that you may soon forget everyone you know.

This entire book is written kind of as a letter or journal. It's Sammie writing to herself so that she can look back and remember things. At first, this letter format kind of got in the way of connecting with Sammie, but I think that's because Sammie wasn't feeling a whole lot at first. I mean, yeah she was angry and upset that this was happening. But she was also in major denial. She still thought she could move away and go to college at NYU and become a lawyer. Sammie was a rare case because she didn't start manifesting symptoms until she was seventeen and apparently, that is a lot older than people usually are when they are diagnosed. Maybe it was because she didn't even get sick until later than the usual patient, but she thought she was different from so many other patients. God, I loved this girl's determination. She was so focused and she didn't want to let ANYTHING get in the way of her plans. I hated watching it in a way because I had a feeling I knew it would end badly. And when she did have an episode where she forgot something, I hurt for her.

Sammie's family was so damn awesome. I don't say that much, but I will say that about this one. Her parents were supportive and yet they were afraid. They wanted her to live her life, but they were terrified she would forget where she was in the middle of crossing a street or something. I loved how they tried to encourage her, even though they weren't as optimistic as Sammie was. And Sammie's siblings were so freaking adorable. I wish they had showed them more, but I loved the way Sammie talked about them in her memory book. I absolutely loved the friendship between Cooper and Sammie and I wanted more between them. Sammie had started dating a guy she had been crushing on forever (Stuart) and even though he was really sweet, I didn't like him for her nearly as much as Cooper.

One thing that bugged me was Sammie's friend, Maddie. Sammie didn't tell her or anyone else about her illness for a long time because she didn't want to be treated differently. I get that. When Sammie finally told her, Maddie acted awful. Maddie said she couldn't handle her being sick and that Sammie was selfish for telling her when she did and that Sammie was using her. Maddie made Sammie's illness all about her and she didn't even try to understand why Sammie wouldn't want to advertise it. They eventually made up, but I never really forgave Maddie for that.

This book was so incredibly heartbreaking. I know I said that it was a bit hard to relate to Sammie in the beginning with the format, but it didn't take long to fall in love with her. And the format ended up working REALLY well when Sammie's disease started progressing. You could tell by the lack of formatting that things were getting worse. By the end of the book, I was crying. Yeah, I was up at 4:00am reading this book and trying not to let my crying wake my husband. Not the first time. This book was heartbreaking and emotional, but is WORTH READING! I loved every word.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy this one!!

BOOK REVIEW: Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2) by Rachel Caine

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review. The scheduled publication date for this book is July 5, 2016.

With an iron fist, The Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion, forbidding the personal ownership of books in the name of the greater good. Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower and doomed to a life apart. Embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library’s deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London. But Jess’s home isn't safe anymore. The Welsh army is coming, London is burning, and soon, Jess must choose between his friends, his family, or the Library willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the search for ultimate control.

I loved the first book in this series, so I was so excited to read this one. It had its moments, but to be honest, it was not nearly as good as the first one. The first one was so action packed and full of suspense. This one . . . eh, not so much. Jess and all his friends who survived the class, are doing their jobs and trying not to get in trouble with the Library. That's hard stuff, especially since Thomas is in prison, Morgan is locked away in the tower and people are still determined to kill Wolfe.

I will tell you the most interesting part of this whole book: the automata that patrolled the Library. Those things were super intense and they were not afraid to rip the throat out of anyone they felt was a threat to the Library. The scenes where the automata lions were chasing Jess had my heart pounding. I craved more scenes with them. I know they were vicious things, but they added more excitement to an otherwise very slow plot. Another thing I loved: the emails and messages between the higher ups in the Library. I actually loved those a little bit more than Jess's POV. These messages added intrigue and drama and clued me in a little on who was doing what. 

In between scenes with the automata, not a lot happened and that's probably why I got a little bored with certain parts. Jess complained about the Library, Jess smuggled stuff he shouldn't, and Jess kept trying to get Morgan to forgive him for his part in putting her in the tower. I'll be honest: I didn't really understand just why she was so mad. The Library will always find you. If Morgan didn't know that before this book, she knows it now. I know I got their relationship in the first book and maybe it's because Morgan was only in about half of this one, but I kind of prefer Glain. That being said, I guess it's nice to see a genuine friendship between a straight man and a straight woman. You don't see that all the time. Glain is Jess's Commander, so she is in charge (LOVE THAT!!!!). On the field, he listens to her and respects her. Off the field, they had a great chemistry and there was a lot of loyalty and protectiveness between the two of them. 

Other than the stuff with the automata and the occasional messages between members of the Library, the book didn't really get suspenseful until more than halfway through. At that point, all the characters from the first book were together again and they were on the run for their lives from the Library . . . again. Seriously, this Library is freaking evil. (I never thought I would say those words.) There was one part (no spoilers) where Jess just started crying because it was so traumatic and I have to say that if I were in his shoes, I would feel the exact same way. And just when you thought Jess and his friends were safe, BOOM . . . something would happen and they were screwed again. There were a few twists and turns with the plot and I was super interested in the cliffhanger. Even though I had a few issues with this one, it was still entertaining and I am still excited for the next one.

Buy/Borrow/Skip: If you love this series, I would recommend buying it!

Top Ten Tuesday - Favorite 2016 Releases (so far)

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 my favorite books that have been released this year (so far).

1. Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

2. This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

3. You Were Here by Cori McCarthy

4. The Way I Used To Be by Amber Smith

5. Only In Naples by Katherine Wilson

6. Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake

7. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

8. The Love That Split The World by Emily Henry

9. The Rose And The Dagger (The Wrath and the Dawn #2) by Renee Ahdieh

10. A Court Of Mist And Fury (A Court of Thorn and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas

What are some of your favorite books released in 2016?

DISCUSSION: Easier to hate than to love

Have you ever noticed that it is so much easier to hate on a book than to love on it?

Here's what I mean: I have discovered that it is way easier to write a book review about a book I hated than a book I loved.

Last week, I read a book that I loved and I swear, the review took forever to write. I mean, what am I supposed to say?

I LOVE THIS! YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK ASAP!!

Let's face it: there are only so many ways I can think of to tell you just how much I adored a certain book. At some point, my brain runs out of ideas and I can't thin of enough synonyms for awesome and earth shattering.

But then when it comes to books I disliked . . .  just try and shut me up.

I read a book that I had very strong (negative) feelings for this week and I am kind of worried that my review may be too long.

It's just so much easier to think of all the things I dislike about a book and all the reasons why the book may not be the best one for you.

So if my rave reviews seem a little on the short side to you, please don't take it as a sign that I didn't enjoy the book enough. You should actually take shorter reviews as a sign to READ THE BOOK IMMEDIATELY!

Does anyone else have this problem? Do you find it easier to review books you disliked than books you loved?

BOOK REVIEW: First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The scheduled publication date for this book is June 28, 2016.

Growing up, Josie and Meredith Garland shared a loving, if sometimes contentious relationship. Josie was impulsive, spirited, and outgoing; Meredith hardworking, thoughtful, and reserved. When tragedy strikes their family, their different responses to the event splinter their delicate bond. Fifteen years later, Josie and Meredith are in their late thirties, following very different paths. As the anniversary of their tragedy looms and painful secrets from the past begin to surface, Josie and Meredith must not only confront the issues that divide them, but also come to terms with their own choices. In their journey toward understanding and forgiveness, both sisters discover they need each other more than they knew . . . and that in the recipe for true happiness, love always comes first.

I have been a fan of Emily Giffin's work for a while, so I was excited about this one. But it's hard to like a book where you despise both of the main characters. 

Let's start with what I did like: the setting of Atlanta. I grew up outside Atlanta so I just loved the references. My favorite was when they talked about Cracker Barrel and Meredith ordered the chicken dumplings. Yes, they are a bowl of starch as Meredith described but they are SO GOOD. Seriously, I started drooling just thinking about their chicken dumplings and butter biscuits. Amazing. I also loved that Josie decided to take charge of her own life and try to get a baby, even without a man. She was really independent and she went after exactly what she wanted. That was one character trait I loved about Josie. I also liked the portrayal of friendship between a straight girl and a straight guy (Gabe). They had a great friendship and it is so rare to see that kind of friendship in books, where the man and the woman genuinely feel no attraction towards each other. 

Meredith and Josie drove me completely batty. They fought about absolutely EVERYTHING. It was the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. And let me say that I do have a sister and we have a far more complicated relationship than Meredith and Josie. My sister is actually very selfish (unlike Jose, but we'll get to that in a second) and I disagree with so much of what she does on a daily basis. But here's the thing: since we are both in our 30's, we have learned to be civil to each other and sometimes we even have fun together. One thing we don't do is start a fight with EVERY SINGLE CONVERSATION. God, these two women acted like children every time they were together. Even Josie saying something on the phone like, "I guess I'll let you go." was enough to bring out a bitchy response from Meredith.

And then there was Josie's decision to have a baby on her own. Meredith was so judgmental and said that Josie was selfish for making that decision. Another thing I really didn't understand was that Meredith said Josie's baby would eventually become HER burden and that Josie was not ready to be a mother because she wasn't responsible at all. I have no idea where that came from. Josie had her own job, she supported herself, she didn't appear to make any selfish decisions, so where was this idea that Josie was totally irresponsible coming from? Meredith's insane jealousy, that's where.

Josie was not as irritating a character as Meredith, but she came close. I don't understand her very first date with Pete. She just decides before going in that it will be her last date ever because she wants a baby and she refuses to even give him a chance. Seriously? Okay, have a baby if you want but to totally dismiss Pete after one conversation was a bit much, especially since they had a lot of great banter going on. But of course, he ended up sticking around (kind of), so it was fine.

The whole brother dying thing was just overdone and I felt no emotion from it. Their brother, Daniel, died fifteen years ago. I get that losing a brother would be hard, but it was FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. It seemed like Meredith and Josie used his death as an excuse for every bad decision they ever made and I didn't buy it. And they got pissed off that his girlfriend at the time didn't spend her entire life mourning him. There were also a couple of subplots that never really went anywhere. First, there was their dad's alcoholism. First, they said he started drinking a lot more after Daniel's death but then they said he was already an alcoholic before that. But they never really did anything with his alcoholism so I don't understand why it was mentioned. Then there was Josie acting like a brat about Gabe's girlfriend, Leslie. Leslie didn't even do anything and Josie was acting like a jealous girlfriend or something with all of her cattiness. But that jealousy disappeared as quickly as it came and no one ever did anything with that either. So what was the point?

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Skip this one.

BOOK REVIEW: Read Me Like A Book by Liz Kessler

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

Ashleigh Walker is in love. You know the feeling - that intense, heart-racing, all-consuming emotion that can only come with first love. It's enough to stop her worrying about bad grades at college. Enough to distract her from her parents' marriage troubles. There's just one thing bothering her... Shouldn't it be her boyfriend, Dylan, who makes her feel this way - not Miss Murray, her English teacher?

I had been looking forward to this book for a long time and I was a bit disappointed. The story itself was okay, I guess. It was just lacking something and it's hard to put my finger on it. Maybe it's the whole crush on a teacher thing. I don't necessarily have a problem with this storyline, as long as it is handled well and it doesn't glorify those types of relationships. This book didn't glorify it and I think it was handled well. The problem was that I didn't understand why Ashleigh fell for Ms. Murray so hard. She didn't seem to stand out as a particularly exceptional teacher. She was just kind of blah. I understand Ms Murray was really just a plot point to help Ashleigh come to terms with who she was, but I guess I wish there had been more scenes between the two of them that would explain why Ashleigh fell so hard.

Ashleigh's family was AWFUL. They fought all the time. When they weren't fighting, they were giving each other the silent treatment and the mom would do childish things like ask Ashleigh to tell her dad to do something, even though HE WAS RIGHT THERE. Man that was annoying as hell. Her mom didn't know anything about Ashleigh's life. Her parents had no clue that she had a boyfriend at all.

Speaking of boyfriend, I didn't get the attraction to Dylan or the speed at which their relationship developed. They went out for a couple of weeks and suddenly, Dylan is telling her he wants to have sex with her. And she was considering it even though she was a virgin! Rubbish. 

And let's talk about her friends, who were just as poorly developed. Ashleigh's best friend, Cat, was not even in the picture that much. She was mentioned sporadically and then all of a sudden, the two of them are having a fight about how awful a friend Ashleigh is. Really? The fight literally came out of nowhere. Both of them kind of acted like brats about the whole thing and it just made Ashleigh feel even more alone. I would have loved for friendship to be more of a focus so that Ashleigh would have someone to talk to, especially since her family was so royally screwed up.

The ending was kind of predictable, I guess, but it did wrap everything up. I was just kind of bored by the end. I wanted there to be more emotion and more feels, but there was just the feeling that I wanted to hurry up and finish. Very disappointing. 

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Skip this one.

Top Ten Tuesday - 2016 Books I Am Drooling Over

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 top books I am anticipating for the rest of 2016.

There are so many great looking books came out this year! I have divided this list into two categories: sequels and stand-alones. The links will take you to that book's Goodreads page.

Sequels

1. Shiny Broken Pieces (Tiny, Broken Things #2) by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton

2. The Midnight Star (The Young Elites #3) by Marie Lu

3. A Torch against the Night (An Ember In The Ashes #2) by Sabaa Tahir

4. Gemina (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

5. Blood for Blood (Wolf by Wold #2) by Ryan Graudin

6. Tales of the Peculiar by Random Riggs 

Stand-alones

1. Heartless by Marissa Meyer - An Alice and Wonderland retelling by Marissa Meyer? YES PLEASE!

2. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake - A new fantasy series where three sisters (triplets!) must battle to the death for the crown.

3. The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron - I loved Rook, so I am super excited for her new release.

4. One Half From The East by Nadia Hashimi - This book is set in Afghanistan and it's about a preteen girl who starts dressing like a boy to bring the family luck. This one sounds so interesting!

5. Look Both Ways by Alison Cherry - The story of a girl who goes to a summer theatre camp, only to fall for her roommate.

6. Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay - I absolutely love Roxane Gay's writing and I am so excited for her memoir. 

What books are you most excited about for the rest of 2016?