Afterward by Jennifer Mathieu // A Beautiful Premise

Afterward, by Jennifer Mathieu
Publication: September 20, 2016, by Roaring Brook Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Abuse
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

When Caroline's little brother is kidnapped, his subsequent rescue leads to the discovery of Ethan, a teenager who has been living with the kidnapper since he was a young child himself. In the aftermath, Caroline can't help but wonder what Ethan knows about everything that happened to her brother, who is not readjusting well to life at home. And although Ethan is desperate for a friend, he can't see Caroline without experiencing a resurgence of traumatic memories. But after the media circus surrounding the kidnappings departs from their small Texas town, both Caroline and Ethan find that they need a friend--and their best option just might be each other.

My Thoughts:

Afterward by Jennifer Mathieu is a story I am so grateful to have finally read. I loved everything that it was about, everything that it was inspiring and trying to tell readers. The author did a fabulous job at writing this story as if the main characters, Caroline and Ethan, were real, and if the kidnappings of Ethan and Caroline's brother actually did occur. As the title suggests, this story takes place as the aftermath of the kidnappings. Instead of the mystery part that every kidnapping story seems to deal with (the victims trying to escape), this focuses on the emotions the characters are enduring and how they feel they can strengthen.

This is a beautiful story that I cannot forget about. Once I began reading, I was not able to stop and it became so addictive. And although I would normally not be the biggest fan of a book involving a romance between two characters who are both dealing with some kind of personal issues, this somehow worked. Mathieu used her brilliant writing skills to create a balance between remedy (of Ethan's), acceptance (Caroline's acceptance of what occurred to her brother), and love. It just shows that everyone is meant to recover from many of the traumas they experience. 

READ THIS NOW. It's an underrated story that has so much potential to please readers. I enjoyed its characters, premise, writing style - all of it. By the end, I was completely pleased and ready to read more like it.

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

What are some other kidnapping YA books?

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris // I Don't Want to Close My Doors Now!

Behind Closed Doors, by B.A. Paris
Publication: August 9, 2016, by St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller, Abuse
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace: he has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You'd like to get to know Grace better. But it's difficult, because you realize Jack and Grace are never apart. Some might call this true love.
Picture this: a dinner party at their perfect home, the conversation and wine flowing. They appear to be in their element while entertaining. And Grace's friends are eager to reciprocate with lunch the following week. Grace wants to go, but knows she never will. Her friends call—so why doesn't Grace ever answer the phone? And how can she cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim?
And why are there bars on one of the bedroom windows?
The perfect marriage? Or the perfect lie?

My Thoughts:

B.A. Paris' Behind Closed Doors is the book I have been recommending the most to every person on this planet (ie. all of my friends and teachers, even) and it is the best psychological thriller I have ever read, seriously, alongside In a Dark Dark Wood. I am in love with the quick pacing, messed-up characters (excluding Grace, of course), plot twists, suspense, flashbacks, ending, everything. I'm amazed by it all, and I still, to this day, cannot imagine how Paris was able to construct such an electrifying story that still gives me goosebumps and chills when I think about the sickness of Jack's character and how poor Grace had to deal with it all. This is unbelievably beautiful, remarkable and seriously amazing. WATCH THIS BECOME A MOVIE. I SWEAR. If I was a multimillionaire, had the time, had the education, knew people and actors, I would turn it into a movie by myself, if everyone else was dumb and couldn't do it on their own.

This was the second book I read from BEA this year, and I decided to pick it up during my psychological thriller phase right after. Well, a friend of mine was reading it after I gave her a copy, and she was going nuts. So I decided that it was my turn to experience such a messed-up story. Thankfully I decided to pick it up at that time or else I would have been miserable before I did my exams because I would've not read a good book. I flew by with this in a day and I couldn't stop reading because I NEEDED JACK TO DIE, GO TO JAIL OR ROT. One of the options. I NEEDED TO KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN. I say that when I write every book review, but with Behind Closed Doors, I am serious. I would have gone psycho if I wasn't able to read the ending and enjoy it as much as I did.

One sentence to describe this psycho story? It's sick. Not in that teenage-boy-slang-way, but in a literal way. It's so messed up that Jack will haunt you at night, and you will be afraid to fall in love. Some authors make falling in love and marrying your true love so beautiful, so real, so easy, but B.A. Paris does the opposite and I seriously now don't know what my future will look like because I don't think I'll be able to trust any man. *looks at my dad cautiously* Hah, no, I'm kind of kidding, but I am still literally scared. I look at the cover of this literary brilliance, and I get scared like that.

I honestly expected this to be an abduction story. I thought that Grace would get abducted or something like that, thrown in a cellar. I wanted to lightly skim through the synopsis so I wouldn't initially make theories and predict how Grace would be able to save herself from this horrifying forced marriage, in a way, so I didn't know what I was coming into. I finished this so quickly, and I wanted to continue reading it forever and ever. Like now, I need to read all of the good adult thrillers: The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, The Good Girl, anything. Just send me psychological thrillers. If you know me well, you'll know that this book falls in my favourite genre of books. I LOVED THIS TO DEATH.

"Go on, go and tell that person over there, or perhaps that one over there, that I am holding you prisoner, that I am a monster, a murderer. But first, look around you. Look around this beautiful restaurant I have brought you to, and think, think about the delicious food you are eating and the wonderful wine in your glass. Do you look as if you are a prisoner? Do I look as if I am a monster, a murderer? I think not. But if you want to go ahead, I won't stop you. I'm in the mood for some fun" (153).

I just wanted to hand you all an example of how sick Jack is. At the same time, I loved him, because without his screwed up personality, the book wouldn't be what it was. Basically, the plot revolves around Grace and Jack, who are a married couple in England. Grace is being held prisoner, unable to be free in the riches of her own home, stuck in a tiny room where she suffers constantly. She has a little sister, Millie, who has Down's Syndrome, and Grace soon discovers that Jack married Grace so he could have a way to get to Millie, who is vulnerable and easy to scare. Grace struggles with herself, and doesn't want her frantic husband to get to her sister, who is currently living in a boarding school. 

The question that lies as you read this book is: how will Grace be able to tell the world that she's being held a prisoner, that her husband is a monster, with someone believing her? You certainly will not guess the answer until the end. That's why I love these kinds of books. The best authors keep it so secretive, so addicting until the last page where there is a hidden message and you need to reread the page over and over again until you completely understand what the author is trying to get at. B.A. Paris is one of those best authors.

I seriously recommend this to everyone, lover of thrillers or not. I am even telling my mom to read this, who rarely reads. You just keep guessing towards the end, and by the end of every chapter, we readers end up thinking that Grace has the chance, that she's able to conquer her battle and finally be able to leave Jack, but then, she doesn't. This proves how us humans are monsters, how there are messed up people wherever you go, and how we must be cautious, how we cannot trust anyone. I have always been told to never trust anyone a hundred percent, and that statement certainly works with anyone, young or old, and even in fiction. 

I FELT SO MUCH PITY FOR GRACE. She is such a sweet, successful young woman, and it hurt me reading about her deterioration because of her husband, and how she was unable to be with her sister, friends, anyone. It killed me inside. This whole book did, and I needed to get into contemporary romance afterwards because this made me so emotional afterwards.






Behind Closed Doors will make you (1) cry, because you'll love Grace's character and only want the best for her and her sister, (2) never want to close your doors again—that's pretty self-explanatory, (3) scream, because of Jack's psychopathic-self and (4) fan yourself, because it's a wild ride and it's so damn good. I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL RELEASE DAY WHERE THE WHOLE WORLD WILL FALL IN LOVE. I feel like re-reading this or finding another psych-thriller to read right now. B.A. Paris, you are my favourite author.

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

What is a recent good psychological thriller you have read? What is your favourite thriller of all time? What are some good thriller films?

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay // A New Adult With YA Elements

The Sea of Tranquility, by Katja Millay
Publication: June 4, 2013, by Atria Books
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Abuse, Romance
Pages: 434
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Full of rage and without a purpose, former pianist Nastya Kashnikov wants two things: to get through high school without anyone discovering her past and to make the boy who took everything from her pay.
All 17 year-old Josh Bennett wants is to build furniture and be left alone, and everyone allows it because it’s easier to pretend he doesn’t exist. When your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.
Everyone except Nastya, a hot mess of a girl who starts showing up and won’t go away until she’s insinuated herself into every aspect of his life. The more he gets to know her, the more of a mystery she becomes. As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he may ever learn the secrets she’s been hiding or if he even wants to.
The Sea of Tranquility is a slow-building, character-driven romance about a lonely boy, an emotionally fragile girl, and the miracle of second chances.

My Thoughts:

New adults with some deep meaning to them are my remedy. The Sea of Tranquility and its beautiful cover (that I had not really noticed until I picked it up) has been on my eye for ages, ages since before it was released and after. The romance is deep, meaningful, and the whole subject matter is different than anything else I have read in a long time. I cannot get this out of my head, to be purely honest. It has truly been a while since a book has touched me like this had. 

There is more to this story than readers know. Katja Millay starts us off with us getting to know Nastya, who is torn apart by some tragic event that she keeps mentioning. Readers get to figure out that she is continuously trying to overcome her demons and something that has traumatized her. We honestly did not figure this out until the very end when Josh gets to know her really well and all is revealed. This all turned out to have so much meaning to it after all! *smiles*

The Sea of Tranquility features subjects that are rough—not wanting to be mentioned greatly about in YA fiction especially. This could be classified as both YA or new adult, depending on the reader's take. There is a mature subject matter, especially when Nastya gets her flashbacks. No twelve year old would be ready to read about what the young girl had dealt with in the past. Josh, a lovely, lovely fictional boyfriend for Nastya and I, was able to get it out of her. This seemed to be like a mystery in itself, actually. Though you may be asking, you should definitely not turn to the last page and discover the truth. Millay adds so much detail and beauty to the story that you could just not turn back and forget about this.

The drawbacks after looking back is the boringness. Things were wild, going well, and the romance was taking such a dramatic turn, and then everything fell apart at some times. It was honestly going back and forth repeatedly. I kept feeling like the story was not going anywhere, though the emotions were real. Heartfelt. Precious. Those are two words that could perfectly describe the tone of this novel. And I totally get why people are going crazy. Written with a YA flair to it, taking place in a high school from a perspective of a girl who is very insecure and sensitive with her own feelings after bearing such horrendous things in the past, we love it. I loved it. I feel that this is a much-needed story to be stuck on everyone's shelves. Just look at the daring title. TRANQUILITY? That word just makes me feel calm all the same from when I read it. 

This is a complete match made in heaven for readers who enjoy teenage angst and stories about girls who self-pity and need help. Angst is the biggest thing that I witnessed in this story, and I do like some of it to make me enjoy it more. Katja Millay created some of the most beautiful characters that I have ever read about, and the two of them—Josh and Nastya I mean—just click, like two puzzle pieces that are meant to be. I would not have this book change into something any other way. It was pretty hectic with drama, if you ask me.

The Sea of Tranquility could definitely compare to riding on a wave. You feel the adrenaline, the vibe pushing you to go further, but there are those splashes in the face that make you feel a little hesitant at times. But for the most part, you enjoy riding and feeling the rush. Nastya and Josh equal the perfect couple and seriously? The emotions could just help you give this book a positive rating. I am still jittery after reading this a few weeks ago. Take a deep breath and feel the beauty of this story.

What books make you feel tranquility? What is your favourite genre that is mixed with romance? Would you give this book a try?

Burying Water and Becoming Rain by K.A. Tucker // Two Fabulous Starts to the Series

Burying Water (Burying Water #1), by K.A. Tucker
Publication: October 7, 2014, by Atria
Genre: New Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Abuse, Romance, Mystery
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Left for dead in the fields of rural Oregon, a young woman defies all odds and survives—but she awakens with no idea who she is, or what happened to her. Refusing to answer to “Jane Doe” for another day, the woman renames herself “Water” for the tiny, hidden marking on her body—the only clue to her past. Taken in by old Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety but kind lady living on a nearby horse farm, Water slowly begins building a new life. But as she attempts to piece together the fleeting slivers of her memory, more questions emerge: Who is the next-door neighbor, quietly toiling under the hood of his Barracuda? Why won’t Ginny let him step foot on her property? And why does Water feel she recognizes him?
Twenty-four-year-old Jesse Welles doesn’t know how long it will be before Water gets her memory back. For her sake, Jesse hopes the answer is never. He knows that she’ll stay so much safer—and happier—that way. And that’s why, as hard as it is, he needs to keep his distance. Because getting too close could flood her with realities better left buried.
The trouble is, water always seems to find its way to the surface.

My Thoughts:

K.A. Tucker is an author who everyone has heard of. She writes New Adult/Adult fiction, which is a genre that I don't touch upon too often, but I do have my favourites. Burying Water is a book and series that I've been meaning to get to forever practically, and now that I have the sequel to the first, I can just go ahead and binge read them both at once and actually feel the development and change between the two novels. This was a real success and I'm so excited to continue reading Tucker's books and see what they'll bring to my emotions in the future. I'm sure that everyone'll find something they love about this book, whether it is the mystery between Water's amnesia and how she was left beaten or the romance. Agh, I just can't get all of the in-depth part of the story out of my head.

I guess that you could call this a new adult book for a reason. It's kind of YA, but then again, this features characters who are in their early to mid-twenties and minor sexual content as well as false language. Nothing that an older teenager can't handle, actually. I love the psychological thriller part of it, which I will get into more in detail soon, but the most important thing is that you'll take a chance with this beauty.

So here we have our protagonist, Jane Doe, who wakes up in the hospital, full of bruises and cuts, not remembering who she is or what had happened to her. She renames herself Water, and wants to begin her new life, trying to remember what had happened to her. She goes to live with an older woman and there she meets Jesse, the son of the doctor who had treated her and the sheriff. He knows something about what had happened, and hopes that she'll never remember it and tries to stay away from Water, but they actually begin a relationship that turns to more love instead of betrayal.

This was featured in two memorable perspectives: the two main beautiful characters. Jesse and Water both had two complete different stories that readers definitely wanted to hear the truth from, and as we already kind of knew the answer to the mystery, we spent a big chunk of the novel waiting to see both ends closing and the discovery there. Usually authors keep readers guessing, but in this case, it was the complete opposite, that's for sure. You'll fall in love with the bad boy who didn't want anything to do with the girl who wasn't his problem at first, and the girl who's trying to find out who she actually is by the end.

I love the use of the name "Water" and how deep Tucker went in with all of this. It's not like it's just some saying that represents the book's plot or anything in that sense. The title, cover, everything relates to the deep theoretical stuff that she featured in her writing as well as in the romance. It's my first K.A. Tucker book and I'm truly satisfied, that's for sure. Brace yourself for your feels getting overwhelmed by actually being buried by water.

You may be wondering if something was missing in this book or if there was an issue. There actually is one, to be honest. The pacing and plot. It's very tight but uneven writing. The beginning is kind of fast-paced as K.A. jumps to the spoiler and big issue of the book and then goes back and forth from past to present, modern day in Water's POV. It didn't feel right for an author to reveal everything except ONE BIG FACTOR and then leave the rest of the book to flow slowly and weirdly. The ending came around, I got satisfied again but I still felt that it was just a weird novel in general. The writing, descriptive words use is captivating and memorable and all, but the actual content? Not so much.

So after my interesting experience with this novel, I'm kind of curious to see how the rest of the series will unfold. I do know that it's not going to be all focused on the same characters (which rocks because the story's done and everything) but I'm kind of hesitant because of my experience with the subject and the actual book's content here. But it was great anyways and I guess that it won't be like that for everyone. There are tons of individuals who adore this series, so that shows that there are positive things in there for others. But NO WAY was this close to a bombshell or something horrible. 

Congrats past-me for picking this book up, because it sure was a pleasure to devour! I feel like I'm in some kind of pleasure island, with all of the positive aspects floating around me. K.A. Tucker is an author whose books I'd really love to learn more about and enjoy, people! Let's get ready for a new character development and a new sexy relationship, something like Water and Jesse's, which I just can't get out of my head! Who would've thought that I would actually love a bad boy? (In case you didn't know, intelligent quiet ones are more of my type. Heh.)

What do you think of series that have a new character/story introduced in every book? I used to think that it's not even a series, just a bunch of books that have the same cover scheme, hah. Have you enjoyed K.A. Tucker's books in the past?

Becoming Rain (Burying Water #2), by K.A. Tucker
Publication: March 3, 2015, by Atria Books
Genre: New Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Mystery
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

Luke Boone doesn't know exactly what his uncle Rust is involved in but he wants in on it-the cars, the money, the women. And it looks like he's finally getting his wish. When Rust hands him the managerial keys to the garage, they come with a second set—one that opens up the door to tons of cash and opportunity. Though it's not exactly legal, Luke's never been one to worry about that sort of thing. Especially when it puts him behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 and onto the radar of gorgeous socialite named Rain.
Clara Bertelli is at the top of her game—at only twenty-six years old, she's one of the most successful undercover officers in the Washington D.C. major crime unit, and she's just been handed a case that could catapult her career and expose one of the west coast's most notorious car theft rings. But, in order to do it, she'll need to go deep undercover as Rain Martines. Her target? The twenty-four-year old nephew of a key player who appears ready to follow in his uncle's footsteps.
As Clara drifts deeper into the luxurious lifestyle of Rain, and further into the arms of her very attractive and charming target, the lines between right and wrong start to blur, making her wonder if she'll be able to leave it all behind. Or if she'll even want to.

My Thoughts: 

This book was certainly a breeze. And by a breeze, I mean something that almost knocked my socks out of happiness. Becoming Rain features a new storyline, a new set of characters, a new romance and a new protagonist who's willing to fight crime and fall in love, both at the same time. Just like the first book in this series, K.A. Tucker has truly impressed me and I'm left wanting more. Like seriously, wanting more. Imagine me heading onto my local library's website and requesting all of the available possible books by this fabulous new-adult author. At least, it was something like that.

I always wanted to read about what it's like to be a police officer. And here we have a female cop, which makes it all ten times better. Clara, also known as Rain, is the coolest  protagonist I’ve read about this year and I just can’t get the relationship of her and Luke. It’s actually strictly forbidden, which is kind of the thing that Tucker has going on with this series, and I truly prefer forbidden stuff. *winks*

“I am tempted to inhale those sheets. If I do, maybe it will be enough to erase everything. But you can only hold your breath for so long. Eventually, I’ll have to exhale her, and then it’ll be like those mornings, when I wake up, forgetting before remembering.”

Becoming Rain, just as the previous novel, is all about a girl named Rain. Well at least, it’s her fake one. Clara, her real identity as a female police officer, heads undercover to spy on Luke, the nephew of a guy who’s known all over for his crimes. But as they get to know each other more and more, Rain feels a greater connection, more than one between rival and rival—romance. 

Hooray for the fantastic premise and writing! Looking back at what I had disliked about the first book in this series, the content matter, this has turned out much better. It’s a new view on life and wanting the things you can’t have, which is complete human nature. Clara wants Luke, which she knows is humanely impossible, and he wants her for reasons that are completely unexplainable. Now that’s a gorgeous connection, I have to admit. And the make-out sessions/scenes? Those are some events that literally flipped my heart inside and out. Gah. 

Basically a huge chunk of the novel was about the characters' deep dark secrets and them discovering who their 'love interest' really is. It's like their inner selves already knew the answers and them wanting each other, knowing that they can't have each other just leads them to a bigger romance. I bet that there are some things that the author herself can't even explain that just randomly popped up as she was writing this awesome piece of literature. Hmm...

Bam. And that's seriously it. Looking at some aspects, this book certainly could be looked at as something that's much better than the first, but for some reason I'm still strictly giving the first two both four star ratings. Becoming Rain was highly entertaining compared to the previous novel, but they both shared the kind of magic that only the author of the book that you enjoyed can put in their own subjects/writing. It's compelling and completely rejected from the rest of my bookshelf, just because it's being itself and I'm not reading a replay of anything else that captivated me. 

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

How do you feel about binge reading a series, even if you don't have all of the books but just a few, perhaps two or three? Do you like to be stuck in the same world over and over again?

Review: The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Connor

The Things You Kiss Goodbye, by Leslie Connor
Publication: June 24, 2014, by Katherine Tegen Books
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Abuse
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Bettina Vasilis can hardly believe it when basketball star Brady Cullen asks her out, and she just about faints when her strict father actually approves of him.
But when school starts up again, Brady changes. What happened to the sweet boy she fell in love with? Then she meets a smoldering guy in his twenties, and this “cowboy” is everything Brady is not—gentle, caring, and interested in getting to know the real Bettina.
Bettina knows that breaking up with Brady would mean giving up her freedom—and that it would be inappropriate for anything to happen between her and Cowboy. Still, she can’t help that she longs for the scent of his auto shop whenever she’s anywhere else.
When tragedy strikes, Bettina must tell her family the truth—and kiss goodbye the things she thought she knew about herself and the men in her life.
Leslie Connor has written a lyrical, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about family, romance, and the immense power of love.

My Thoughts:

I'm completely and just about the most crippled I've been in a while. The Things You Kiss Goodbye is nothing like what the cover may tell you it is. Sure, it's cute and fresh and light, but it is incorporated with abuse, a subject that affects girls so often these days that it's about time we are touched upon with a read that'll leave us how I'm feeling right now: feeling the need to stand up. This was super memorable and touching.

I've been wanting to read this one for a long time now but I've always had the expectation of it being a pure contemporary romance love story with a love triangle. I can't even imagine someone sticking on Brady's side, the guy who begins to hurt Bettina as "a joke." It's not something that's focused on the love triangle. There's so much of the book focused on the loss and "kissing goodbye" which Bettina does after a tragedy that literally shook me in my seat. It's a true different read that more people have to pick up.

"Brady Cullen became my beacon. He was my boy my father would let me go out with. Brady picked me. Bampas picked Brady. I flew free—a couple of times a week." (Hardcover, page 17)

Bettina comes from a Greek background where her parents are super strict on everything she does. She's not allowed to get a job, date, go anywhere after school—it's everything a teenager would dread in their life. When Brady Cullen asks her out, she's astonished and would love to, but she knows that her father would never allow it. Somehow, he does and she has the best summer of a lifetime with him. When school starts again, he's changed and begins to hurt her. Small things, pulling her long braid or 'accidentally' pinching her. She hates it but loves him at the same time. When she meets Cowboy, she can't get enough of him. He's older, works as a car mechanic and has a smile that can make her belly flop. When tragedy strikes (and it fucking does hurt) she learns her lesson.

And that lesson is that love's completely messed up. 

It is for Bettina. Fate can always destroy everything that may have had a chance to turn better and beautiful. When Bettina met Cowboy, her life changed completely and she finally felt that she could be loved for real. He loved her too. And then fate kicks in at the worst possible moment and the title of the novel kicks in. She has to kiss her love goodbye because it's destroyed. And me as a reader felt so bad. No, I hadn't cried, but the feels were present and kicked in my stomach. I wanted to cry for Bettina and all that she lost, adding to the struggles of her life and how unfair everything seems to be. Looking at the ending of the book, I was completely shocked with the way things turned out, how Bettina became happy again. But yet again, you just have to because you won't be able to live with your troubles on your mind all the time. 

"Pain is... a message. Time for heart, body, and soul." (Hardcover, page 344)

I love that quote. And this just shows how great of an author Leslie Connor is. Yes, I've actually read her middle-grade novels in the past and hadn't enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed this, but I'm glad that she moved to YA with this great read. There's not too much hype surrounding it for the reason that people are disliking Bettina's character and all, but I guess that's what my role here is. I'LL RAISE THE HYPE AND GET EVERYONE OBSESSED! Here are some reasons why: romance, loss, abuse and gloomy issues.

The cover of this book looks so merry and cheerful, right? Don't let that fool you. Abuse was a subject incorporated with Bettina's first relationship, and that's like the worst first love experience ever. I'm glad to see that her strong, independent character didn't want to let that abuse feed off and make it look like it isn't a big deal. Once or twice, that's okay. But hurting her knee, causing her to limp? That's something that's completely unreal. Cheers to a memorable character with a horrifying experience. And abuse is just one of the things that she had to deal with—loss was another one, right when she was going to announce something huge to her strict family.

Silas and Bettina...? They're a match made from heaven, I'll tell you that. Fuck the 9 or 10 year difference between them, you know? Like Bettina's mother said, love is supportable at almost any age. And because they had such an affection for each other, they'd wait to actually start their official relationship off by announcing it to the public. And then all of the readers' hearts got shattered, like mine, and we all died of sadness. I never saw that coming. I don't think that anyone did, because everything was so mellow and sweet and Bettina had gone through enough to suffer more. How can you move on after something that tragic? You just can't. Thankfully she had her awesome mother by her side as a friend, Bonnie and Emmy too.

Leslie's writing is pretty freaking awesome. From page one, I was intrigued and wanted to read past my bedtime (which was impossible since my eyes were literally shutting), but I ended up keeping the rest for one sitting where I'll finish it for sure. Other than some slow parts in the middle surrounding the progression of Cowboy and Bettina's relationship, the novel can be classified as a favourite for me. I don't want to kiss this wonderful read goodbye...

You know how there are some novels that aren't your ultimate favourite but you feel that they're so special and deserve a gracious spot on your bookshelf? The Things You Kiss Goodbye is one of them. Better read this without looking through the summary to give you a thrill, because I certainly never saw the plot twists and dark gloomy mood coming. Those books do usually turn out more splendid though. It's your pick, my fellow friends who'll ship this relationship so bad.

Do you prefer actually going through the summary of book full-out, or leaving yourself a surprise?