Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman // A Yummy Fantasy!

Legacy of Kings (Blood of Gods and Royals #1), by Eleanor Herman
Publication: August 18, 2015, by Harlequin Teen
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Historical
Pages: 428
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: ½

Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.
Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to a newcomer…
Katerina must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But she doesn’t account for her first love…
Jacob will go to unthinkable lengths to win Katerina, even if it means having to compete for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince.
And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet betrothed, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.
Weaving fantasy with the shocking details of real history, New York Times bestselling author of Sex with Kings Eleanor Herman reimagines the greatest emperor the world has ever known, Alexander the Great, in the first book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.

My Thoughts:

Every year, the YA book community is lucky to discover many new reads that will end up on many of our "Top 10" lists. In 2015, although it took me more than a year to actually get to, the world discovered and was lucky to receive a book by a lovely fantasy author that will change the way we look at high fantasy literature and retellings: Eleanor Herman. With this gorgeous Legacy of Kings, readers are thrown into a story that features many perspectives in the first person (my favourite!), a love square (or something like that—trust me, everyone's connected and in love with each other), retelling aspects, and story about Alexander the Great, something that has never been done before and carries on with George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones and Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass vibes. I am not saying this simply because of the fact that the two are high fantasy novels with assassins and all of that cool gear, but because I feel this historical fantasy vibe while I did read this lovely thing.

I was hesitant, trust me. Reviews are kind of slamming back and forth with this one, and I felt this sure thing that I wouldn't enjoy it. I had a review copy from BEA, so why not take the risk? But you should imagine when I took the risk. I took the risk in May, deciding to lug this one with me on my trip to Chicago, where Eleanor Herman was signing the sequel to this. THANK GOODNESS I GRABBED A COPY. High fantasy either becomes a hit or a miss for me, and I find myself frequently disliking books with magic and hierarchies, and then there are the times where I go on this high fantasy stroll and try to add every book that exists like this to my bookshelf.

Legacy of Kings is such a great read. Every single fantasy lover out there needs to grab their wallets, hitch a ride to the bookstore (or log onto Amazon) and just pick this up. I love the family ties and how every character is connected to one another, and I loved the fact that this takes away from our ordinary Mary Sue books about war. Hell yeah, there was fighting and action, but Herman knows exactly what she was doing to make sure that her debut YA book would stem in the opposite direction from others. 

In order to summarize this huge 428-paged bundle of madness into a paragraph, I will require a good mood. Check. Okay, so... We readers get to sit in the perspectives of three lovely people who are featured in this love square, as I like to call it. Alexander, Katerina and Jacob all live in this Roman period of time or whatever the correct terms seem to be, but this is kind of a prequel prior to Alexander's greatness and so on. Katerina likes Alexander, who likes Zofia, who likes Jacob, who likes Katerina. You see what I mean? At least these characters have a lover somewhere, someone who loves them, even though they may not realize that they love that person instead. YOU SEE MY FRIENDS? THIS IS COMPLICATED. This book is complicated by itself, without the romance, and I strongly recommend buying book one and two together and binge reading them. I feel like I am experiencing some kind of great loss without Empire of Dust in my hands right now. See above: I do own it. I also recommend reading this without any distractions: it is amazingly important to cherish Eleanor's writing with its details and the captivation that she writes with without any distractions. All of fantasy is like that: no distractions needed.

I keep blabbing the positives here, my fellow kings and queens. THIS WAS BORING IN THE BEGINNING. Everyone was and still is saying that, and I seriously agree. This book is really difficult to get into, because there is so much destined to happen but there's nothing occurring at the same time, you know what I mean? I was bored out of my mind for the first hundred pages, and expected that I would DNF this. Once the romance picked up and the real drama (psstt.... OLYMPIA) arrived, I knew that this would be my kind of read.

The character relationships are so complex and yet so interesting that I feel that they are the stars of this novel. Not the idea. Not the plot. THEM. And the amount of plot twists that Eleanor adds in to keep us reading? MAGNIFICENT.

Legacy of Kings was a plus for me, but it could surely be a minus for you, depending on your patience. I JUST NEED TO READ THE SEQUEL NOW. That's what's bothering me, poking at me whenever I decide to add a different book onto my currently reading shelf on Goodreads. Alex's voice is just stuck with readers from start to finish, and definitely way after. I just cannot get this twisted story out of my head and can only wish that I was part of this fictional world somehow. 

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

What is your favourite genre of books overall? What are some other books that could compare to Game of Thrones or Throne of Glass?

Waiting on Wednesday #42: Be Good Be Real Be Crazy

Be Good Be Real Be Crazy, by Chelsey Philpot
Publication: October 11, 2016, by HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 272

Three teenagers. One road trip. Countless detours. From the author of Even in Paradise comes a compelling story of self-discovery that is perfect for fans of Paper Towns andMosquitoland.
When Mia first waltzed into Homer’s small corner of Florida, her bold approach to life changed Homer’s entire world. It wasn’t long before he was hopelessly in love.
Now Mia is moving away—and Homer and his younger brother, Einstein, are helping her drive hundreds of miles to her new home. This is Homer’s last chance to tell Mia how he really feels. And with so many detours in front of them, anything could happen.
In the tradition of Let's Get Lost and Amy & Roger's Epic Detour, Be Good Be Real Be Crazy is a story about love, friendship, and finding yourself.

GUYS.

GUYS.

GUYS.

GIRLS.

GIRLS.

GIRLS.

CHELSEY PHILPOT HAS A NEW BOOK!

That's all of the capital huge letters for today, fellas. But I'm so excited! In case you didn't know or realize, Chelsey Philpot is the HarperTeen author of Even in Paradise, one of my most favourite contemporaries and favourite books of 2015. I adore books that deal with road trips and summer, so THIS WILL MAKE MY DAY/LIFE. The cover is simply adorable, too!

What are you anticipating the most this week?

How It Ends by Catherine Lo // The Good Ole Tale of Friendship

How It Ends, by Catherine Lo
Publication: June 7, 2016, by HMH BFYR
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

There are two sides to every story.
It’s friends-at-first-sight for Jessie and Annie, proving the old adage that opposites attract. Shy, anxious Jessie would give anything to have Annie’s beauty and confidence. And Annie thinks Jessie has the perfect life, with her close-knit family and killer grades. They're BFFs…until suddenly they're not.

Told through alternating points of view, How It Ends is a wildly fast but deeply moving read about a friendship in crisis. Set against a tumultuous sophomore year of bullying, boys and backstabbing, the novel shows what can happen when friends choose assumptions and fear over each other.

My Thoughts:

Catherine Lo's How It Ends is a story that yes, incorporates two foil perspectives, blended into a whole where readers, from the first page, are immediately persuaded into understanding this gorgeous story of friendship from two points of view, but it is also a story that I will never forget when looking through the glass (that was NOT an Alice in Wonderland film title reference—okay, maybe a little) at stories that feature two girls who are friends. Lo adds just the right bit of everything that makes this so utter glorious and satisfying to read that I just wish that it wasn't over. It is one of the most relatable books of the year for me, although I, as a sophomore soon junior in high school, have not experienced nearly anything that both Annie and Jessie have in a matter of a year. This just shows how two people can be put into each other's lives without knowing, or even expecting it. And by the way, before you get your hopes up: This is not based on the romance. Not even closely.

I loved reading this novel for many reasons, but the fact that this was based on the friendship between Annie and Jessie itself, and that the two clicked immediately and that this was based on a parabola (ugh, math) of their friendship makes things so interesting. We readers spend an equal amount of time reading the story of Annie and Jessie, both being similar but different events happening from time to time. Annie is the newbie to Jessie's school, and she hits it off instantly with Jessie, alongside Jessie's mortal enemies, who bullied her all through middle and high school. Jessie deals with anxiety and depression from the outcome of this bullying. Lo, through these two girls, expresses a increase and deterioration of the friendship between these two girls, and how every set of friends have their highs and their lows. 

This book expresses friendship and all of its matters in the most honest way: being real. Annie and Jessie are the realest characters of real; just like Jessie's mom calls them, they are puzzle pieces. After reading, I can only look at my group of friends and think about how we are perfect for each other, and how we are our own puzzle. Puzzles are difficult to put together, but once one finds the right match, it is absolutely perfect. That is such a gorgeous comparison to friendship. Afterwards, I could only hope that a future edition of this novel would have a cover with puzzle pieces on it. That would add that extra fluff. This book was nowhere near fluffy, though. This is not your fluffy contemporary that you decide to read on a boring summer day and you just find yourself flipping through the pages for the reason that you want hot, blazing, steamy romance. Romance with all of the aggressively sexy adjectives placed before them. No. Catherine Lo's writing is strictly for teens or readers who are lurking for a special read. This was a special, satisfying read that I would recommend to everyone.

Age is a big factor when it comes to how relatable book protagonists seem to be. I found myself relating to both Annie and Jessie, not completely, but with certain aspects. These girls are both fifteen, and seem to have so much more maturity in their characters that makes this story even easier to believe in. I loved the play on actual fiction through the story, and how Annie and Jessie's friendship is like a story. I never let that aspect leave my mind. 

How It Ends is a read for everyone, any time of the year, and we could just experience any type of emotion while doing so. I endured anger, tears, happiness... whatever you could possibly imagine. It's one of the truest stories that every single person has experienced at one time or another, but to different extremes. 

How It Ends expresses the lives of modern day teenagers, whipped with friendship, struggles and looking at the bright side of things when life gets too difficult. Because who ever said that teenagers do not have difficult lives?

*A big thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for a honest review!*

~~

I was also very fortunate to take part in this blog tour thanks to Raincoast Books, and was fortunate to ask Catherine Lo one question!

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR YOUNG ASPIRING WRITERS?

Read widely and often! I used to think of reading as “cheating” on my writing time. I

love to read so much that it didn’t feel like work – it felt like an indulgence that

I should be setting aside to get my writing done. I’ve come to see things differently

now, and I read constantly while writing. I find that while I’m reading, I get

inspired, and I find myself analyzing what works and what doesn’t work in a story, how

believable characters are created, how pacing and plotting work, and how authors draw

readers in to the story and get them invested. When I’m struggling with one of my own

stories, I find that letting go and immersing myself in another book is sometimes the

perfect way to clear my head and find inspiration for how to solve the problem.

What are some YA contemporaries that are focused simply on friendship?

Blog Tour: Places No One Knows by Brenna Yovanoff

Places No One Knows, by Brenna Yovanoff
Publication: May 17, 2016, by Delacorte Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

For fans of Lauren Oliver and E. Lockhart, here is a dreamy love story set in the dark halls of contemporary high school, from New York Times bestselling author Brenna Yovanoff.
Waverly Camdenmar spends her nights running until she can’t even think. Then the sun comes up, life goes on, and Waverly goes back to her perfectly hateful best friend, her perfectly dull classes, and the tiny, nagging suspicion that there’s more to life than student council and GPAs.
Marshall Holt is a loser. He drinks on school nights and gets stoned in the park. He is at risk of not graduating, he does not care, he is no one. He is not even close to being in Waverly’s world.
But then one night Waverly falls asleep and dreams herself into Marshall’s bedroom—and when the sun comes up, nothing in her life can ever be the same. In Waverly’s dreams, the rules have changed. But in her days, she’ll have to decide if it’s worth losing everything for a boy who barely exists.

My Thoughts:

Discovering that I was able to review this book was a dream come true. This, the lovely Places No One Knows, is the first book I have ever read by Brenna Yovanoff, and after hearing mixed reviews about her novels and method of writing, I had mixed feelings myself. But I must say that my feelings/anticipation was more on the hopeful side. Places No One Knows was not the best book in the world, but this story does have every single thing that every contemporary novel needs, and even a little bit more: SASS. FLAIR. LOVE. Those three words can describe my feelings, honestly. And that's a good thing. I normally have a difficult time deciding on what my opinion of a novel will look like, but this, the first work I have reviewed by Yovanoff, is a perfect example of what a good book looks like. Minus my dislike of the dreaming theme, of course.

From what I expected (especially from the cover), I expected an ordinary contemporary built with some coming-of-age theme. Don't get me wrong: this book is solemnly written about Waverly's difficulty of herself coming of age, but I must set a disclaimer straight: I was fooled yet again. Again. The last time this occurred was with Siobhan Vivian's newest, The Last Boy and Girl in the World. Listen, friends: I don't really like to read synopses thoroughly before I read a book, and this occurred with both of these two cases. There is nothing majorly wrong with these two books. Who knows, maybe the authors wouldn't have done such a good job with my original thought? Brenna Yovonoff captured the light and darkness of dreams and romance, whipped together as if they were created a secret recipe of a cake. We have two love interests, Waverly and Marshall, who legitimately have foil personalities (making the story even more scandalous), and I really enjoyed their love story that came together because of the unusual. THEY ARE SO CUTE.

"Let me tell you about blisters: they are irrelevant. They tear, they weep, they scar, but they do not keep you from getting to the finish line. Pain is a series of impulses. It helps from your nerve endings to your brain, telling you to move your hand off the burner, to get that gash stitched up. It's an evolutionary function, a language of survival. Pain as a concrete, factual thing does not exist." (45)

This is a witty story that seems legit. We have an intelligent protagonist, who, makes the right decisions and does not spend all of the pages of the novel thinking about makeup. Boys, maybe, but I really admired Waverly's sense-of-self throughout the story. It never changed, or deteriorated. Waverly simply had, and continued to gain her coming-of-age as she matured and overcame new experiences. Marshall was her exact foil, and the cheesy love quote of opposites attracting really does make sense when we compare these two love interests together. Marshall is your stereotypical guy who drinks, smokes, and doesn't care about school. Stereotypical. No opinions added, I promise. But he does have a dark side to his story that most people do not expect. This just shows how judgmental and prejudicial our society is. Another problem that leaves me for another blog post and another time. I admired his cycle of gaining positivity very highly.

I had major issues with the formatting. This book was written so absurdly, more weirdly than anything else I have read for years. Brenna Yovonoff has that unique style to her writing, absolutely, but, the way it was written just kind of made me dissatisfied and hesitant to continue. I've seen that this is also a big problem to other reviewers as well. We have a back-and-forth rotation of perspectives between Waverly and Marshall, but at the same time, the narration was completely confusing. This book was confusing itself. From the synopsis to the moment I flipped the last page, something was... off. It could have been just me, don't get me wrong. But Places No One Knows is a little too eerie for my liking. That was the only con, to be honest, but I was kind of laid off and a little tinkered with a bit too much by this.

The funny thing is as I was reading, I felt that everything was going downhill. I was on page 100 when I realized that this was not going to well. And something just switched. I grew to like Waverly even more than I initially had, and the romance and everything was put together beautifully. The dream thing... I cannot really still comprehend it, but whatever.

There are books that we will find in life that are just not for us and we end up a little hesitant with the outcome. Places No One Knows was kind of like that, but I felt more, much more satisfied than dissatisfied. If you like complex stories, then great. If you enjoy a novel with a good base of characters and romance, then great as well. Even if you normally do not pick up plain contemporary, for sure there are elements of other great authors such as John Green or Lauren Oliver that give us the vibe to absolute enjoyment.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What are your thoughts on romance, specifically contemporary mixed with dream-related themes? What are some books like this? (I do like books similar to this, to be honest!)

Release Day Review: I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid (I'M MIND-BLOWN.)

I'm Thinking of Ending Things, by Iain Reid
Publication: June 14, 2016, by Galley/Scout Press
Format: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller, Mystery
Pages: 224
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

In this deeply suspenseful and irresistibly unnerving debut novel, a man and his girlfriend are on their way to a secluded farm. When the two take an unexpected detour, she is left stranded in a deserted high school, wondering if there is any escape at all. What follows is a twisted unraveling that will haunt you long after the last page is turned.
In this smart, suspenseful, and intense literary thriller, debut novelist Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Reminiscent of Jose Saramago’s early work, Michel Faber’s cult classic Under the Skin, and Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about Kevin, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an edgy, haunting debut. Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, this novel pulls you in from the very first page…and never lets you go.

My Thoughts:

Dear Friends and Fellow Reviewers,

One month ago, I was fortunate to attend BookExpo America 2016 and was especially fortunate to grab a copy of Iain Reid's newest novel (by the way, he's Canadian in case that makes things even better for reviewers like me!), I'm Thinking of Ending Things. This was highly anticipated by me and I was meaning to grab a copy of this one as soon as I stepped onto the show floor during that amazing experience. Fellow book lovers, this could easily be your next favourite book of all time. Pull the covers up, grab a cup of coffee (to help you stay awake), turn your phone off and just live in the whimsical mind of Iain and his story that really resembles a lot of other psychological thrillers I've read, but is completely different at the same time. ITOET is unlike your usual read; I was so damn scared that I actually had to put the book away for the night and continue it the next morning.

I WAS SCARED. There was this weird part where the main character (we never discover her name) is sleeping in her room and she wakes up, finding that there is a man outside of her window, and she only sees his torso because he is so tall. I thought that I would pee my pants. I don't think I'll ever forget about that scene, honestly. And those kind of memorable scenes or excerpts are the ones that stay with you and have you believe that the book is more beautiful than one can ever imagine. Yeah, there are a lot of complaints that the bookish community has been giving in terms of the beginning being very loooong, but WHO CARES? This is a short story in general and we readers are just left shocked by the end.

"Getting to know someone is like putting a never-ending puzzle together. We fit the smallest pieces first and we get to know ourselves better in the process." (61)

This is a simple, but complex story at the same time. We have two main characters and they legitimately are just stuck together for the story. The majority of the plot takes place in Jake's car, and the main character, who we eventually discover to be his paranoid girlfriend, is in this car with him, heading over to his parents' house. The parents actually have nothing to do with the story, but they just add that extra creepy vibe to this all. Wait until the high school. That's where my eyes came out of their sockets, kind of. Involved with creepy paintings/photos, abandoned high schools and eerie janitors, this all makes so much sense when we put the puzzle pieces together. This is the kind of story that high school English teachers would want their classes to analyze and write those five-star essays on. There is so much to talk about in relation to this completion of beautiful pages.

You are not reading this book for the romance, but for the completion of the story and how a mastermind like Iain Reid is able to put a story together like this. There are plot twists and such a twisted ending that I am still in shock to this very moment. You realize that there are several meanings to this book and we must pay very close attention to the format, because IT MEANT SOMETHING ALL ALONG. The title does too, of course. I couldn't help but wonder where this was being taken place, and then I realized that Canada was probably the answer, and I got the chills again. It's horrible when you read a book so close to home. *shivers*

"What if suffering doesn't end with death? How can we know? What if it doesn't get better? What if death isn't an escape? What if the maggots continue to feed and feed and feed and continue to be felt? This possibility scares me." (83)

I am in love with this story. Of course, I would never want it to occur in reality because that's just sickening, but I loved everything about it. Being the first book I picked up after returning home from BEA, I am so satisfied and so obsessed with the ending and everything that this book has to offer for readers. Honestly? This is not YA, but there isn't a ton of mature subject matter except for the creepy-jeepy stuff. I'm scared to this day, but I guess that the only thing we could do is move on. Agh. And then we have the overflow of life lessons here and I realize that I cannot trust anyone and now I'm starting to shake and become overwhelmed and... that quote I cited above is started to get me a little more tense. No worries, though. You haven't read this one so I'm betting that it doesn't affect you like it did me. Once you know the meaning...

I'm Thinking of Ending Things is both a suicide note and also something more. We are not reading it because our main character is not named and we do not know much about her except for the elements of depression and stress that she deals with. I AM SO SHOCKED AND MESMERIZED BY IAIN'S WRITING THAT I JUST WANT TO MEET HIM AND TELL HIM HOW AMAZING HE IS. I'm sure you would think the same. So, I'm thinking of ending things right now. (Ending the review, obviously). 

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

What is your favourite psychological thriller? Do you ever get these moods where you decide that you want to read a specific kind of genre of books?

The Last Boy and Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian // Aww! The Title Fooled Me!

The Last Boy and Girl in the World, by Siobhan Vivian
Publication: April 26, 2016, by Simon and Schuster BFYR
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

What if your town was sliding underwater and everyone was ordered to pack up and leave? How would you and your friends spend your last days together?
While the adults plan for the future, box up their possessions, and find new places to live, Keeley Hewitt and her friends decide to go out with a bang. There are parties in abandoned houses. Canoe races down Main Street. The goal is to make the most of every minute they still have together.
And for Keeley, that means taking one last shot at the boy she’s loved forever.
There’s a weird sort of bravery that comes from knowing there’s nothing left to lose. You might do things you normally wouldn’t. Or say things you shouldn’t. The reward almost always outweighs the risk.
Almost.
It’s the end of Aberdeen, but the beginning of Keeley’s first love story. It just might not turn out the way she thought. Because it’s not always clear what’s worth fighting for and what you should let become a memory.

My Thoughts:

I came into this book, deciding to pick it up at the moment I did because I expected to legitimately read about the last boy and girl in the world. I actually expected to read about a dystopian-like romance with us trying to discover why are they the last, or if they are just the beginning, you know? The title kind of fooled me. But either way, this was so adorable and I must admit, Siobhan Vivian keeps on doing it. Keeps on surprising readers with her flair and beautiful writing that just keeps on making us beg for more. Begging on our knees. At least I am. I would totally want some kind of continuation to Keeley's story and how everything fits together perfectly. But at the same time, it did end more perfectly than I could have ever wanted it to. I must say that there is just one main point in my mind that keeps on echoing in a spiral: love is gorgeous. Listen: I don't think I'll get some kind of personal intake from this, because I know I will not ever form some kind of high school romance, but this story works in so many ways and FOR THOSE WHO WANT ROMANCE AND SOMETHING NEW? READ THIS THING. NOW.

Siobhan Vivian has similar writing to the magnificent Jenny Han. Well, they are best friends after all, and they probably rub off on each other. I remember reading Burn for Burn and discovering that I could not even imagine whose perspective was written by who. I kind of feel the same way now; it was like Jenny Han's presence was in here. That's a positive thing, my friends. This is a cutesy contemporary that comes with (A) a flood that really has you looking out your window for any severe thunderstorms (B) a cute rebellious guy and (C) that back-and-forth motion of a relationship. This is about two love-struck teenagers, after all. There HAS TO BE that back-and-forth motion where we end up expecting that the relationship is going to downfall and plummet into the dirt. I cannot give you any hints if there was a good turnout for Keeley and Jesse (there, that's his name! I almost forgot!)

This story, again, is about a flood that shocks a very small town. That's so interesting to read about, because the flood actually does take a major toll on the plot. We read about the many circumstances that Keeley has to overcome, and most of these hardships involve the flood in one way or another. We read about the hardships of her parents' relationship, and how their opposite personalities really rip their love apart, and it all occurred because of the flood. And in a way, things came together between Keeley and Jesse because the flood occurred. Their "huge school" did not make this happen, but their attraction did. And let's mention that there was a year age gap between them; it's not like they knew each other well.

I had a few issues with this: Levi and Elise. These were two side characters that us readers did not expect to come into play of this book at all. But towards the end, we not-know-it-alls realize that they did play a big role in Keeley's life. Levi is that side-character that just shocks us, and we've always felt his presence by Keeley's side. And then we have Elise, who is that third wheel in the relationship that we do not want to tear apart: Morgan and Keeley's. I've always been told that there can never be a friendship of three people, and this is why. I kind of raged that these two characters were plummeted into the plot, but whatever, honestly.

I read this book on my road trip to Chicago (#BEA16!) and for the majority, it was something that really pulled me in. It took me a few good hours to read, but I was so interested into knowing what would happen next that time literally flew by. Before I knew it, I was in Chicago and more books were being thrown into luggages. YIPPEE! This is Siobhan's usual style of writing, and I thank her very much for that. We don't have some major contemporary confusion, just a nice, rich story about a girl who is torn apart between reality and love.

Me, as an avid reader, occasionally finds contemporaries to be kind of fluffy. Too fluffy sometimes. I found the plotting very detailed in this story and that was a huge highlight for me. This turned out to shock me in more ways than another, and I was so excited to read the ending, and feeling that burst of rainbows inside of me. Siobhan Vivian does it again, she whips a relatable protagonist with so much angst in her that I just FEEL her, alongside friendships and romance. 2016 is not the same without this book, y'know?

*A review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What are some YA contemporaries that you know of that shock readers by the end? Have you read Siobhan's books before? (If you had, did you enjoy it/them?)