Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos // A Defining Story With Some Issues

Out of Reach, by Carrie Arcos
Publication: October 16, 2012, by Simon Pulse
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Rating:  ½

How do you find someone who doesn’t want to be found? A girl searches for her missing addict brother while confronting her own secrets in this darkly lyrical novel.
Rachel has always idolized her older brother Micah. He struggles with addiction, but she tells herself that he’s in control. And she almost believes it. Until the night that Micah doesn’t come home.
Rachel’s terrified—and she can’t help but feel responsible. She should have listened when Micah tried to confide in her. And she only feels more guilt when she receives an anonymous note telling her that Micah is nearby and in danger.
With nothing more to go on than hope and a slim lead, Rachel and Micah’s best friend, Tyler, begin the search. Along the way, Rachel will be forced to confront her own dark secrets, her growing attraction to Tyler…and the possibility that Micah may never come home.

 My Thoughts:

This book was actually a 'National Book Award' finalist, and I really do believe that it deserves that specific award. With Carrie Arcos' short but defining tale, Out of Reach gave me an understanding of what it's like to be in the place of someone, a character, with no hope or faith left inside of her when everything slowly begins to fall apart from her angle. It's not everyday when we get to see an experience like this, even in literature, but I can tell you that it's so magical to read about a story like this when we've never seen anything like it beforehand. That's the utter power of writing. 

Arcos immediately throws readers into a pile of something special—a risky story. Writing something that may be upsetting to some readers or may be totally difficult to write because it takes time for a story like this to build up and strengthen. It's a story of belonging, of friendship and finding the right person to make you feel welcomed and loved. By looking at its simple cover, the mood reflects a darker, deeper story that might sadden readers, where it kind of did, in a way. 

"Just like a tapeworm, sometimes a lie has to be physically removed. The problem is, most of us still carry the lie around inside a jar like a souvenir." (14)

You see that quote above? It speaks to me. Carrie Arcos' writing contained so many relatable phrases like that throughout this whole novel, and I could literally feel the pain that the characters were giving off, especially Rachel's. Her story may not be the most unique and divergent in the YA lit world, but it was nice to read about a good sister-brother relationship like she and her brother, Micah, once had. It's not everyday when you read about a sister wiling to do anything to save the person she looks up to the most in her life when he's gone.

No, this isn't about death. It's more of a mystery, kind of like John Green's Paper Towns, where Micah has left the clues for Rachel, begging for her to save him in ways that us ordinary people cannot even fully comprehend. That's a big part of the novel, with a hint or two of romance between Rachel and Tyler, because hey—she has to be happy, too. It would've been so miserable if the story just focused on her finding her drug-abused brother somewhere living on the streets. *cries*

This was written in a super high pace and something was missing. Are stories not supposed to be written with slow-moving paces and beautiful writing when they are about these kinds of subjects? Something was missing here. Yeah, I finished the book in a matter of hours and ended up pleased, but I needed a little more from this whole situation to give it a great rating. The writing is quick, meaningful, but I bet that the romance and all of the other themes used kind of jumbled up together to give readers something less than ordinary. (And not in a good way, either.)

Yes, there could have been improvements. Yes, I would have liked a better love interest. Yes, there were issues! But, guess what? I really do not care because I enjoyed reading my first Carrie Arcos book so much. There is a lot in this story that many teens can relate to, and was a total interesting journey that made my heart jump at some moments of fear and/or happiness. I would definitely, definitely recommend this to you if you are a contemporary reader, as I am myself. A perfect read to have with a hot coffee by your side during the autumn season!

What is your favourite kind of contemporary story? 

The Three by Sarah Lotz // Lacking Something Big

The Three (The Three #1), by Sarah Lotz
Publication: May 20, 2014, by Little Brown Books
Genre: Adult Fiction, Science-Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 471
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

The world is stunned when four commuter planes crash within hours of each other on different continents. Facing global panic, officials are under pressure to find the causes. With terrorist attacks and environmental factors ruled out, there doesn't appear to be a correlation between the crashes, except that in three of the four air disasters a child survivor is found in the wreckage.
Dubbed 'The Three' by the international press, the children all exhibit disturbing behavioural problems, presumably caused by the horror they lived through and the unrelenting press attention. This attention becomes more than just intrusive when a rapture cult led by a charismatic evangelical minister insists that the survivors are three of the four harbingers of the apocalypse. The Three are forced to go into hiding, but as the children's behaviour becomes increasingly disturbing, even their guardians begin to question their miraculous survival...

My Thoughts:

The Three is one of those books that I just wanted to read so badly and what I fell in love with from the first sight after I saw the cover. Yes, it's racing, unique and a full-on thriller that might just knock your socks off, but more was expected. For now, let's just focus on the good stuff happening throughout the whole story, because even though there were a few cons, things turned out to be pretty good. I'll tell you this: I've never read an adult book with this much depth and a concept that is so well thought-about that I seriously wonder where ideas and life comes from. *giggles*

You may think that this book is about aliens. There are a few points that make this sound a little more clear and that this book is complete fiction. But it seems realistic. The story features characters whose lives have been torn apart, all by some mechanical force that no one has ever heard of or would even like to be hearing about. Four plane disasters in one day—three survivors who are only children. Doesn't that sound a little weird to you? At least, I know it sounds weird to me... it seems very science-fictionic, too. Basically, this is all about a weird apocalypse-like situation that is making the world fall apart. Lotz invites readers to read about the lives after and a little after everything of the people who were affected by this whole dystopian catastrophe.

The Three was lacking something big. Yes, it did have a format that was very interesting to read about; it was incorporated with text message/IM chats, news articles and chapter samples from "books published" about the event. That was my favourite part about this. But instead of it being just about the families affected, it was about solving the mystery behind it all but actually had become a novel filled with pages that will just waste time, you know? 

I wanted more from this. There were enticing characters and all, as well as a storyline and summary that I would like to see somewhere else. But almost five hundred pages of this? I don't really think that this amount of craziness was really needed. 

I would've enjoyed depth and research, but also with that class of fiction because this certainly wasn't just a bunch of real news stories put together. I'm used to reading YA fiction with dystopian classes that always have an explanation for the sci-fi issue with a group of characters who are willing to battle everything that is going on around them. This? Not so much. If you're okay with a slow pace and no explanation but minor details being stated about this apocalypse, then it may do you good to read this. At least I gave it a chance. *shrugs*

Do you enjoy books that are dystopian but seem too contemporary to be classified in that section?

The Survival Guide to Bullying and Road Rash Mini-Reviews

The Survival Guide to Bullying, by Aija Mayrock
Publication: August 25, 2015, by Scholastic
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 160
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Aija Mayrock, a 19-year-old girl, offers a fresh perspective on bullying. In her book, "The Survival Guide to Bullying" - written by a kid for a kid, Aija offers support, guidance, and direction to her reader.
Aija, herself was bullied in middle school and part of high school. She shares with her reader the different approaches and strategies that helped her survive and thrive. Aija writes about how to handle bullying, cyber bullying, dealing with fear, personal safety, and ultimately creating the life that you dream of having.
From inspiring Roems (rap/poems), Survival Tips, personal anecdotes and quick quizzes, this book is an easy guide to light the way to a brighter future for teenagers.
Aija handles the issue of bullying with great sensitivity and a fresh perspective. She speaks the same language as her peers, making the book very relatable for kids and teens.

My Thoughts:

Thankfully, I've never been bullied. Thankfully, I've found this book by the inspirational Aija Mayrock. I'm thankful for a lot of things that this book gave me and other readers, and as I'm writing this review, it's Thanksgiving which also leads us in this awesome grateful, thankful spirit of the year. The Survival Guide to Bullying is witty, interesting and captivating. It teaches you how to find yourself with adorable roems (Aija's version of raps and poems that she personally wrote herself) as well as quizzes, step-by-step tutorials and her personal experiences. It's rare to find out about someone's inner experience of bullying since it sometimes is so tragic, but I believe that we should all be thankful for this book.

Although it is written by an amazing teen, this book is for everyone. It could be for someone who had dealt with bullying in the past and would like to read about what they should've done when things were happening and changing their lives, it could be for kids or for teens. There's something in this beautiful guide that's for everyone, even if you're just curious about the writing and what to do kind of thing that I'm here for. It's such a remarkable, interesting guide. 

In case you haven't noticed already from what I told you about this book, Aija is a fabulous writer, you could seriously tell. From this guide/novel, you'll discover her true personality and see why she's an amazing person and author. She puts all of herself into this novel and isn't just here to tell her story, she's here to help others. She's motivational and I'd definitely eventually like to see fiction being written by her, because her attitude is positive and different. More people need to discover this story.

The Survival Guide to Bullying may not exactly help you, but it's definitely there for you to help others. Being a bystander is horrible, and this guide is motivational and inspiring, as well as interesting. We don't usually get to read about a first-hand experience of young people getting bullied except in fiction, but that's plain fiction. This is non-fiction and like a memoir with so much more. Aija's story is here, waiting for you to pick it up and recommend it to everyone you know, young or old. Woo!

Road Rash, by Mark Huntley Parsons

Publication: February 11, 2014, by Knopf BFYR

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary

Pages: 352

Format: Hardcover

Source: Gifted

Rating: 

½

After being dropped from one band, sixteen-year-old drummer Zach gets a chance to go on tour with a much better band. It feels like sweet redemption, but this is one rocky road trip—filled with jealousy, rivalries, and on-stage meltdowns. Mark Parsons has written a fast-paced, feel-good novel about a boy finding his place in the world, in a band, and in the music. Zach is a character teens will stand up and cheer for as he lands the perfect gig, and the perfect girl.

My Thoughts:

Books about guys who can play the guitar/instruments in a rock band and with a male protagonist are my guilty pleasures. I'm kidding, I'm not guilty of enjoying them at all. Why would I be? Mark Huntley Parsons' Road Rash was one of those books that sat on my shelves for years (I think it was two) and I couldn't stop being excited for it in a way so I just went for it. Plus, I wanted to clear my shelves of books with not-so attractive cover schemes. But aside from the not attractive artwork, it was a well-written novel that gave me the feels and left me the happiest person ever. 

If you decide to read this, I'm just letting you know one thing that's pretty straight-forward: This is a freaking awesome road trips filled with guys who know that music warms a girl's heart. It's the truth. *wiggles eyebrows* It's a great coming-of-age story that's easy to read and has a fast-paced plot, but kind of doesn't provide much in between. I had the odd smile and giggle, but don't expect any hardcore themes as I once suspected that this would have.

"Anything new is an adventure. At least for a while. But then the novelty wears off and you're stuck dealing with whatever's left, good or bad. In this case, what was left was the simple fact that I'd been fired from my band. Again." (313)

This is a book that would probably turn into a film and be awesome. It's kind of like Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, in a way—it's cheery and hilarious in a way that doesn't always involve laughing, but more of the writing, though it has that deeper meaning that not every reader sees by the end. It focuses on romance in some aspects, but not too much of it until the later portion of the novel. It's interesting and captivating, and I guess that I wouldn't trade my experience for anything because I'm glad that I got to read some lyrical writing with legit lyrics of the band the main character, Zach, is in.

This is a legit indie novel. And by indie, I mean it has some kind of hipster flow and awesomeness to it. The main character, Zach, is charming, but has his stubborn own way of doing things that surely involves lies and flaws, causing readers to have a mixed feeling of him. He lives by doing what he loves and weirdly following his dreams when it's so difficult to do what he does in reality. But then again, I may be thinking about this toughly since reality is not a book, right?

Cheers to an interesting novel that made me smile! This doesn't occur too often but when it does, I feel happy and cheery. I need more of Mark Huntley Parsons' sass, and that's what this book was: utter sassiness. The characters and the whole story gives readers a burst into what it's like to work in the music business and how a teenager could follow his dreams and just have fun, because that's what life really is about. Go for it if you're the kind of reader who practically reads all of YA contemporary, just like I do. 

Do you think that a lot of books deal with teenagers in the music business, like Zach was? What's your impression of that?

Stacking the Shelves #52: October 25

-Stacking the Shelves is a meme created by Tynga's Reviews.-

This Week's Headlines:

It's the most wonderful time of the year... HALLOWEEN IS ON FRIDAY! And please don't tell me that you DIDN'T read that with the tune in your head. The "C" word that ends with a "mas" is still ages away, so don't get your hopes up, haha. I'm pretty excited for Halloween because it's basically the spooky season with those nice rain storms that just makes me want to hide instead and cuddle up with a book, my favourite thing to do if you haven't noticed already. 

What are you all going to dress up as? I'm going DIY again this year and am being Minnie Mouse. Pretty simplistic, but I like the look. *blushes* 

School's been okay for me, the workload is beginning to get heavier and heavier since midterm marks are coming in mid-November. This means that it'll be the halfway mark of the semester, which has already gone by so fast! I have a ton of essays and assignments due soon, so my reading time will be declining. Ugh.

My Book Haul:

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs: The last book is here, HOORAY! I have been anticipating this one forever. I have a poster of it in my room which I got at BEA and I've been eagerly, angrily sitting here waiting for Ransom to release this. And now, I HAVE IT. AGH!

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters: You're not going to believe the bargain I got this one for! $1! RIGHT? I purchased it from my library and there even wasn't any stickers or anything, like brand new! I'M SO EXCITED FOR IT!

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard:  Finally! This was one of my most anticipated reads and I'm so glad that the library allowed me to have it in my hands! *giggles*

The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen by Katherine Howe: I read Katherine's debut YA book, Conversion, a few weeks ago and I was very excited to see that she has a new book! This will be fab I bet.

The Unquiet by Mikaela Everett: Most anticipated HarperTeen book of the year. WOOOO! This deals with parallel universes and cool stuff. I love the cover, too.

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios: FRIENDSHIP, TEARS AND ROMANCE? AWWW! This will be my first Heather Demetrios book and I'm enchanted, that's for sure!

Posts You May Have Missed:

• Word on the Street 2015 Recap
• My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga // It Broke My Heart, Literally.
• WOW #17: The Hunt by Megan Shepherd
• ARC Review: The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle // Just in Time For Halloween!
• Starters by Lissa Price // I Had Lower Expectations!

How was your week and how are you? What are your newest additions to your shelves? What are you being for Halloween, if you're dressing up?

Word on the Street 2015 Recap

I recently headed over to a wonderful, free book festival downtown Toronto in the harbourfront called Word on the Street! This is my second time attending, and I was more excited than ever for a new year of cheap books, interesting excerpts from authors I've never heard about and of course... the stunning view of Lake Ontario! (Seriously, you missed a lot if you attended but didn't go out to see the view. Poor you.)

I only spent a few hours there, less than last time, but it was quick, much more organized than last year and a complete blast! I found a lot of books on bargain for good prices, and yes, I will be discussing my haul below! 

Back when this event happened, the weather was gorgeous. UGH.

The team who made everything possible were awesome, though I wish that they had a broader selection of Canadian YA authors visiting! MORGAN RHODES, WHERE WERE YOU? *cries* I didn't really head to any autographing or events like that, but I definitely would have if there was more time, and less chaos.

The. Most. Beautiful. BOOK HAUL EVER, RIGHT?

Well seriously, let's make this haul happen every single day. Here's a list on Goodreads where I actually added all of these books: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/92938.Beautiful_Covers_That_I_Just_Can_t_Wait_to_Fall_In_Love_With YOU ALL NEED THEM AND I CAN'T WAIT TO START READING THEM. 

I wish I could've gotten the chance to take more photos and feel more calm at this event, but it was stressful—SO MANY PEOPLE. Thank you, WOTS for a fantastic event and I'm already prepping myself for next year! (Harlequin, thank you for that amazing deal: 3 books for $5!)

Have you read any of the books I got? Do you have any free book events in your community?

My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga // It Broke My Heart, Literally.

My Heart and Other Black Holes, by Jasmine Warga
Publication: February 10, 2015, by Balzer and Bray
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 302
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.
There’s only one problem: she’s not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel’s convinced she’s found her solution: a teen boy with the username FrozenRobot (aka Roman) who’s haunted by a family tragedy is looking for a partner. 
Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other’s broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together. Except that Roman may not be so easy to convince.

My Thoughts:

My Heart and Other Black Holes seriously shattered my heart. I still feel the aches and the bits and pieces being scattered around me because this book was utterly fabulous. Just in time for International Mental Health Awareness Day, I read this with high hopes of being impressed and finding a new favourite... and that's just about what happened in this case as well. It's going to be so difficult to explain what Jasmine Warga's writing made me feel, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to give it a go. YOU NEED THIS BOOK IN YOUR LIVES, EVERYBODY.

I had legit tears streaming out of my eyes and I didn't even know that it was happening. This is one sad, deep concept that only a select few authors could manage to rock, and I agree that this was a perfect example of it. Both main characters (Aysel and Roman) dealt with suicidal thoughts and depression throughout the novel, and it's hard for a reader to see such miserable thoughts being put into perspective by two teenagers who still have a life ahead of them. They're desperate to forget about everything, but it's one perfect love story with the way things turn out. It kind of goes in the opposite direction, in a way.

The characters are normal people, in every way. Before getting depressed, or at least, in their spare time when things got rough, they focused on other things: Roman and discovering the great things he wants to see before his time on the world ends, and Aysel focusing on physics and science, the only thing she loved before she met Roman. Aside from those other things, they were two puzzle pieces who were complicated, yes, but that is the point of humans. We are complicated beings, and those two complicated characters fit each other and saved each other in a way that's so broad to be understood. Now that's a book with a deeper meaning than most.

'One spark can change everything...' is absolutely the truth for Aysel in this situation. She knew she wanted to die, she went and found someone who did as well because hey, she thought a companion would be better, but she grew attracted to Roman and things changed. One person can save a life, just like the song by The Fray noted. Their attraction and relationship was beautiful, because it certainly wasn't any kind of instant romance and only acquaintances at first, but things turned out to be magical.

It's truly rare to find a book like this on the shelves. It hit so many people just as hard as it hit me, and I totally understand that. The writing is slow-paced, but in one of those great ways as if you're watching honey fall from a spoon into a cup. It's satisfying and beautiful. 

My Heart and Other Black Holes actually created a black hole into my heart of sorrow and sadness, because I promise and warn you that the ending is a killer. No, that is NOT a pun. (Okay, it kind of is, but who said I told you?) The romance, the writing, everything about Aysel and Roman's story is satisfying but heartbreaking, depending on which perspective you look at everything at. Marvellous. 

Do you shed some tears in every single sad novel you read?

Waiting on Wednesday #17: The Hunt by Megan Shepherd

The Hunt (The Cage #2), by Megan Shepherd
Publication: ...2016?
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian, Science-Fiction, Romance
Format: Hardcover

They’ve left the cage—but they’re not free yet.
After their failed escape attempt, Cora, Lucky, and Mali have been demoted to the lowest level of human captives and placed in a safari-themed environment called the Hunt, along with wild animals and other human outcasts. They must serve new Kindred masters—Cora as a lounge singer, Lucky as an animal wrangler, and Mali as a safari guide—and follow new rules or face dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, Nok and Rolf have been moved into an enormous dollhouse, observed around the clock by Kindred scientists interested in Nok’s pregnancy. And Leon, the only one who successfully escaped, has teamed up with villainous Mosca black-market traders.
The former inhabitants of the Cage are threatened on all fronts—and maybe worst of all, one of the Hunt’s Kindred safari guests begins to play a twisted game of cat and mouse with Cora. Separated and constantly under watch, she and the others must struggle to stay alive, never mind find a way back to each other. When Cassian secretly offers to train Cora to develop her psychic abilities—to prove the worthiness of humanity in a series of tests called the Gauntlet—she’ll have to decide fast if she dares to trust the Kindred who betrayed her, or if she can forge her own way to freedom.

The cover for this beauty was just released a few days ago... and I died. AND CAME BACK, DUH. I NEED THIS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. I adored book one to the moon and back, and I just really need to know what's going to happen next. CORA HAS TO GET WITH LUCKY. NOK HAS TO BE STRONG. CASSIAN NEEDS TO GET THE HELL OUT OF THE PLOT. I have so many theories that just need to be correct and Megan Shepherd, beautiful lady who I'm fortunate to have met, I NEED THIS NOW. Manuscript, please?

What are YOU anticipating the most this week? 2016's the year of new books, but this series is my one and only true love.

ARC Review: The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle // Just in Time for Halloween!

The Accident Season, by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Publication: August 18, 2015, by Kathy Dawson Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Mystery, Contemporary
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: ½

Every October Cara and her family become inexplicably accident-prone. Some years it’s bad, like the season when her father died, and some years it’s just a lot of cuts and scrapes. They know what they need to do—stock up on bandages and painkillers, cover sharp table edges with padding, banish knives to locked drawers, switch off electrical items. They buckle up, they batten down.
But this accident season—when Cara; her ex-stepbrother, Sam; and her best friend, Bea, are seventeen—none of that will make a difference.
Because Cara is starting to ask questions. And the answers were never meant to be found.
A haunting, untethered, addictive read that perfectly captures that time in our lives when our hearts crack open and the raw secrets of our true selves burst forth—whether we are ready or not.

My Thoughts:

Horror stories are my loves. No, for real. Especially those spooky ones that come with some aspects of dystopian sci-fi concepts that are so unreal to even try to understand. With Moïra Fowley-Doyle's mysterious tale, I loved every part of it and am proud to call it my new favourite novel. It's something I've been looking for, for ages, and I am now so satisfied and excited for the fact that I adored it. I read it a while ago, but I can tell you this: It's the perfect novel for the October fall spirit, and it's one of my favourite books of the year and from BEA. The writing is excellent, and I'm now pretty much afraid that I'll be stuck in some kind of accident season as well.

The Accident Season stars a kick-ass protagonist and her family who begin to be part of this "force" that occurs every October, but only to them. They keep getting stuck in accidents. Things have been horrible some years, like when Cara's father died, and other times there were minor injuries like broken limbs. It's seems pretty minor to them, and they now are used to it and know that they'll have to save themselves. This year, Cara's seventeenth year, she begins to want to uncover the truth because she simply just can't take it no more.

"We bite back the things we can't say and we cushion every surface for the inevitable moment when they all come fighting out." (172)

This is a beautiful concept. I just can't believe the kinds of things that just popped out of this magical, frisky and sexy story made for teens of all ages. Yeah, there's some fantasy themes presented, but nothing is unbelievable. You can just picture the majority of the book's events happening in real contemporary society today. The way Moïra presented the characters and their perspectives was quite interestingly, since most of the time we'd expect a fast paced story coming out of this. No, this was slow paced and enjoyable, but perfect for the mood of the book.

Once again, this isn't the kind of book that you're going to end up bawling of fear to. It's creepy, not too scary in a horror gory movie way, but in a way that makes you question society and the way science works. It's interesting to read about the family life that Cara and her siblings have, since year by year things keep getting more and more horrible to deal with. I can't say that I relate to this story somehow, but it truly enchanted me. 

Cara, the protagonist, is lovely. She's selfless and there for all of her siblings. Instead of doing things for herself, she puts the people she loves first and takes risks. Agh, I love characters like her. She seems so real and someone many readers could become friends with. Her story is like it's off the news, frightening but more realistic than ever.

"I think she means we're celebrating that it's almost over for another year, but there's something in her toast I find unsettling. Like the accident season shouldn't be acknowledged so openly. Like if we call it by name too often, it'll become even more aware of us. Like it's actually some creature that wants to do us harm." (37)

It's like this accident season is a physical force. It's like this book is based on savaged humans and the way evil and karma could come back at us. All in all, this is one thought provoking read.

When a book provokes crazy thoughts in a reader's mind, it shows that the author has succeeded into creating a fan of their writing. More than that, it illustrates that they have chosen a beautiful story that thankfully popped into their mind one day and voila, created this. This story is powerful. It features a mistaken romance that could be questioned, but I feel that it works all the way. I need more from this amazing author or I'll literally freak. Read this or else the accident season will happen to you. I guess that's my only way of bribing someone?


*A review copy was provided by the publisher via BookExpo America in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!*

If something unreal has been happening to you/your family for years, would you look into it?