You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston // Disappointing In Comparison to Preston's Other Books

You Will Be Mine, by Natasha Preston
Publication: February 6, 2018, by Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller
Pages: 292
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

Lylah and her friends can't wait to spend a night out together. Partying is the perfect way to let loose from the stress of life and school, and Lylah hopes that hitting the dance floor with Chace, her best friend, will bring them closer together. She's been crushing on him since they met. If only he thought of her the same way...
The girls are touching up their makeup and the guys are sliding on their coats when the doorbell rings. No one is there. An envelope sits on the doormat. It's an anonymous note addressed to their friend Sonny. A secret admirer? Maybe. They all laugh it off.
Except Sonny never comes home. And a new note arrives:
YOUR TURN

My Thoughts:

I really expected You Will Be Mine to be stunningly fabulous. After reading all of Natasha Preston's other books, I made the assumption that this book would be just as fabulous. Well, as you can see based on my rating of the story, I didn't think it was as enjoyable. To me, this was a really childish, teenager version of a psychological thriller or mystery story. There was no depth to the story for the most part, and if the ending wasn't as shocking or entertaining as it was, I surely would've given this a lower rating.

This story of Preston's features a group of university students living together in a home. There's Lylah, our protagonist, Chace, her crush, Sienna, her best friend, Sonny, Isaac, and Charlotte. Lylah has been dreading Valentine's Day approaching, and this is causing her to remember the past when her parents died on that day. When the group prepares for a party, the doorbell rings and a note sits on the doormat, addressed to Sonny. He never comes home after that, and eventually, more people become targets of this mysterious individual.

I guess what disinterested me in terms of this novel is the fact that this story seemed too good to be true.The police in this British imaginary world had no large role whatsoever until the end of the story where we discover the culprit, and it seemed as if the 'killer' was unstoppable. No traces were found. No one was suspicious. And our protagonist did all of the dirty work by tracking them down and doing dangerous things; I certainly do not think that attempting to solve the mystery in this manner would actually happen in reality. The mystery is obviously believable, but the way it was solved? Not so much. In fact, Lylah's attempt to go all Nancy Drew to find who the killer is was what made the book lack of any sort of entertainment. I felt a struggle to read the book from about the halfway mark towards the end. But let's just say that the ending made up for a lot of the negativity.

From all of the characters introduced, I believe that Natasha Preston made a great decision to choose Lylah to be the protagonist of her story. Lylah was the most flawed character from the group living in the home, which allowed me to see her as a realistic character, minus the sleuthing skills she somehow acquired. I appreciate the author writing about Lylah's struggles with anxiety and grief that she experienced in the past; it made the book so much better.

You Will Be Mine disappointed me, but then it redeemed itself to be a pretty good read. I am psyched to see what else Preston has in store for us thriller fanatics.

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

Have you ever read a book with a Nancy Drew-like protagonist?

The Cabin by Natasha Preston // What a Shocking Ending!

The Cabin, by Natasha Preston
Publication: September 6, 2016, by Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller
Pages: 327
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: 

There may only be one killer, but no one is innocent in this new thriller from Natasha Preston, author of The Cellar and Awake.
When Mackenzie treks to a secluded cabin in the woods with six friends, she expects a fun weekend of partying, drinking, and hookups. But when they wake to find two of their own dead and covered in blood, it's clear there's a killer among them.
As the police try to unravel the case, Mackenzie launches her own investigation. Before long secrets start to emerge, revealing a sinister web of sins among the original seven friends. The killer is still free. Every one of them is a suspect. And Mackenzie starts to realize that no one is innocent…

My Thoughts:

The Cabin was highly anticipated by me, as I really wanted to read another good psychological thriller by Natasha Preston. I have previously read two of the authors' books: Awake and The Cellar, and reading about the summary of this one really impressed me and made me excited. It's rare to find psychological thrillers for YA readers, and this one was a pure success. It kept me guessing, sitting in suspense, and left me wondering about who in my life I should trust, and who I should not. While it was not written in the fastest pace possible and in the writing style I prefer as a reader, it was an excellent read that I recommend to all of you.

The story unfolds when a group of six friends head off to a cabin to spend the weekend partying and celebrating their summer. Mackenzie, our protagonist, is not too excited about the idea, as she will be forced to spend time with Josh, a guy who deceived her and who she does not approve her best friend of dating. While there, she meets Josh's brother, Blake, and all goes well until everyone wakes up the next morning to find two of them dead. Murdered. The police suggest that there is a certain chance that the murderer is one of the four left, causing Mackenzie to question all she's ever known and who to trust.

This book certainly started in a whirl. It began as fast-paced, and I kept waiting for the murder to happen; I was so intrigued. After it happened, my expectations fell as the book's plot began to slow down as we readers tried to find murder suspects and try to see who is innocent or not. Eventually, the pace picked up as another person was murdered, and the book became entertaining once more. The ending was super shocking, and left me wanting more, though only because it fell short in the last few sentences. I wish we had another chapter or epilogue to really close it. Once you feel like the story is closing, it actually isn't, and more suspense is left. 

The author really succeeded at capturing a nice romance: the one between Blake and Mackenzie. While readers may suspect that it was rushed, I really enjoyed it and supported it. 

The Cabin initiated as a boring read that *seemed* predictable. It really wasn't, and I was wrong. Although it was lacking through the middle, the story eventually picked up once again and totally impressed me. I can't wait for more of Natasha Preston's work.

What are some GOOD YA thrillers?

Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally // HOLY MOLY.

Coming Up for Air (Hundred Oaks), by Miranda Kenneally
Publication: July 4, 2017, by Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Rating: 

All of Maggie’s focus and free time is spent swimming. She’s not only striving to earn scholarships—she’s training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and cheers her on. But Levi’s already earned an Olympic tryout, so Maggie feels even more pressure to succeed. And it’s not until Maggie’s away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the “typical” high school experience she’s missed by being in the pool.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year. First up? Making out with a guy. And Levi could be the perfect candidate. After all, they already spend a lot of time together. But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to sacrifice in the water to win at love?

My Thoughts:

I have really, really avoided writing this review. Why, you may ask? Why be so lazy? *giggles* Because I didn't want to let this series go. Miranda Kenneally's Thousand Oaks series has been with me since the start - the start of my obsession with reading and all things YA fiction. Coming Up For Air was just as good as the others in this series, and I am so obsessed with it. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for the author's writing and what is yet to come! 

I feel that this series HAD to end because Kenneally ran out of sports to write about — we have been through them all: soccer, football, baseball, running, swimming, you name it! Haha - but in an honest sense, I must say that what I loved most about this book was the fact that romance was incorporated in a realistic way. Maggie and Levi had the most passionate relationship ever (!! seriously!), and I cannot get them out of my head. 

This could’ve been bad—real bad. You see, I’m used to a lot of those cheesy fluffy contemporaries with a lot of unrealism in them. I could spend hours naming them all, but I’d rather not since contemporary is probably my favourite genre. 

I feel like books in this genre could either go one way or the other. The characters in this one seemed more mature and relatable than the others of the author, and that surely shone a light onto this all, just like a little topping or sprinkle of something onto your ice cream sundae. Like really, it was the magical touch and new-thing to this series. It was what we needed to get this to a whole other level. 

Buy, loan, grab, steal (just kidding) this book IMMEDIATELY. I promise you will adore it, and if you (somehow) don't, I'll kindly (or forcefully) ask you to pick up the first books of the series and devour them. There is literally no way that you will not find this book enjoyable. Now, go ahead and go for it!

What was the best final book of a series you recently read?

We All Fall Down by Natalie D. Richards // Did This Just Bring Me Into a Reading Slump?

We All Fall Down, by Natalie D. Richards
Publication: October 3, 2017, by Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

Theo's always been impulsive. But telling Paige how he feels? He's obsessed over that decision. And it's time. Tonight. At the party on the riverbank, under the old walking bridge, site of so many tales of love and death.
Paige has had a crush on Theo since they first met, but she knows her feelings are one-sided. She's trying to move on, to flirt. A party at the river is just what she needs. Except a fight breaks out, and when Paige tries to intervene--Theo's fist lands in her face.
All Theo and Paige want to do is forget that fateful night. But strange events keep drawing them back to the bridge. Someone, something is determined to make them remember...and pay for what they each did.

My Thoughts: 

 DNF @ 150(?) pages

We All Fall Down was a read I couldn't wait to pick up and devour for its mystery premise and for the fact that Natalie D. Richards wrote it. I really enjoy her writing, so I figured that this would be just enjoyable. HOWEVER. This wasn't really enjoyable, to be quite honest. I DNFed it midway, not knowing if I would eventually pick it up. I left it sitting on my nightstand for a month, until I realized that I had no plans to pick it up ever again. This was definitely one of the worst books I read in 2017. It was just too boring, too plain, and superficial.

I am not the only one, which can be seen from the book's Goodreads ratings. Many people are also putting this one down, feeling that its plot and premise is a little too "tween" and not thrilling or interesting. This book was not different or anything new. I bet that my thirteen-year-old self would have adored this story and everything that came with it, however, today, this doesn't fit my standards. 

What is it about? Damaged characters and a weird mystery. That's all I can recall; I haven't thought about this book in a long time and felt really icky to even write this review. I previously found myself really enjoying Richards' work, however, I am now skeptical and feel as if I will gain the same experience every time I pick up one of her books. Eek. *shrugs*

This is a book that I believe has drastically thrown me into a reading slump. I truly wish I enjoyed it more, as it seemed impressive at first glance. Read some adult mysteries or thrillers instead.

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

What is the latest book you DNFed? Do you ever experience reading slumps?

Remember Me Always by Renee Collins // I Never Expected to Love This!

Remember Me Always, by Renee Collins
Publication: October 3, 2017, by Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

Shelby is nervous to start her senior year after spending the whole summer away from home. After all, it's hard to be carefree when you're trying to protect a secret.
Shelby was in a devastating car accident, and everyone in town thinks that she was undergoing more physical therapy in Denver. Instead, Shelby's mother enrolled her in a clinical program to stop the panic attacks that started after the crash. The treatment erased Shelby's memory of the accident, but she can't help feeling as if a piece of herself is missing, that the treatment took more than the doctors claimed.
So when Shelby starts hallucinating a boy with dark and mysterious eyes, she knows it must be a side-effect of the clinical program. Except you can't kiss hallucinations. And this boy insists that they know each other and are in love...

My Thoughts:

Remember Me Always was unbelievable. UN-OMG-BELIEVABLE. After previously reading Renee Collins' debut, Until We Meet Again, I expected to sadly never pick up a book of hers again because of the weird mysterious fantasy she tried to create in that book. However, when word first was released about this new 2017 book of hers (and the fact that it had an aesthetic cover with gorgeous Polaroid photos), I was so in. Of course, I was skeptical that it would be a favourite of mine, as the premise... well, let's just say that it does not sound like the most promising book. FORGET ABOUT EVERYTHING I JUST SAID. Remember Me Always is surely one of the best books I have read this year. It picked me out of a hideous, dreadful reading slump that I have experienced since the summer (!!!!), causing me to finish it in one sitting. There's nothing better than being on a road trip with a gorgeous story that keeps you going and not bored. Because let me just say it: some of the 'scenery' we can view out of the window is not always so... awing. 

THIS WAS ACTION-PACKED AND BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN. Collins has a poetic vibe to her writing which I totally appreciated due to how it made this story seem less fictional and more moving. This time around, Collins explores the effects of PTSD, a traumatic experience, loss/love and the setting of a small Colorado town. She mixed all of these various concepts together, and voila: this novel was born. The spotlight shines on Shelby, a heart-warming, real protagonist who has spent her entire summer before senior year in a hospital in Denver trying to forget. To forget the memories that scarred her so much. It turns out that Shelby was in a tragic car accident, leaving her with tragic memories and panic attacks that wouldn't stop occurring. When her mother discovers a clinical program that will relieve the panic attacks and fade some memories away, Shelby is sent off for a month, discovering that the memories are blurry. Except for those involving a mysterious boy. 

When the boy starts appearing in Shelby's 'memories,' we immediately expect that this guy could be a ghost or some supernatural figure. However, FORTUNATELY, he is not: he's real. And Shelby meets him, discovering that she once knew him... quite well. And even though this book is a total love story, as the cover suggests, it focuses on a lot more than just the love. Renee Collins captures the reality of living in a small town with citizens who literally have their nose in everyone's business. Imagine hiding Shelby's huge secret (of losing her memory) in a place where everyone knows everyone. It felt as if there were so many characters in this story in comparison to other books. I loved learning about the personalities and lives of so many — I find that it is often difficult to connect with characters in books, but this one had no flaws with that, or anything, for that matter.

Shelby was a protagonist who I know I will compare others to. She had the right amount of down-to-earth-ness and intelligence and empathy to the extent that she was not letting anyone around her use her. I appreciated her so much - the book would have surely been different if she wasn't around. AND THE LOVE INTEREST? Auden? He's my lover. New book boyfriend. New favourite character. AGH. If you like a mysterious, interesting man, you now know which book to read. YAY FOR THEIR FLAWED, BEAUTIFUL ROMANCE! Collins showed, through this lovely book, that love is so flawed, that there is no perfection involved.

Remember Me Always is a book I (and you, if you read it) will never forget. I loved the pacing, premise, characters and most of all, romance, which was the opposite of perfection. How can I relive what I felt during this book again? To remember it always.

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

What book would you want to remember, always?

Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally // The Best Book in the Hundred Oaks Series Yet!

Defending Taylor (Hundred Oaks), by Miranda Kenneally
Publication: July 5, 2016, by Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

Captain of the soccer team, president of the Debate Club, contender for valedictorian: Taylor's always pushed herself to be perfect. After all, that's what is expected of a senator's daughter. But one impulsive decision-one lie to cover for her boyfriend-and Taylor's kicked out of private school. Everything she's worked so hard for is gone, and now she's starting over at Hundred Oaks High.
Soccer has always been Taylor's escape from the pressures of school and family, but it's hard to fit in and play on a team that used to be her rival. The only person who seems to understand all that she's going through is her older brother's best friend, Ezra. Taylor's had a crush on him for as long as she can remember. But it's hard to trust after having been betrayed. Will Taylor repeat her past mistakes or can she score a fresh start?

My Thoughts:

Miranda Kenneally's Hundred Oaks series just keeps getting better and better. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I love how us readers can expect a new novel as a part of the series every July—it's the best part of the summer when Sourcebooks Fire releases the new novel right in time for my birthday. This time around, we have an amazing protagonist who is the captain of the soccer team and falls in love with an older boy who doesn't have the best reputation. Defending Taylor introduces readers to a new group of characters in our uttermost favourite setting, the Hundred Oaks. We are able to read parts where we hear from some of our favourite characters from the past like Annie and Jeremiah, and are able to read a story that will hit us just as hard as everything Miranda has written in the past. This was a literal masterpiece that every contemporary romance lover would enjoy.

What is the best part of the Hundred Oaks series is that you could read it in any order. Every part of the series is a new addition that has nothing to do with the one released the year before. Soo... I am seriously recommending picking this one up first because it definitely is one of my favourites. We have an overachieving protagonist (who kind of reminds me of myself), a love interest who to this day I still freak out over (even though I read this book six months ago) and a beautiful story that I surely will not forget. This was definitely one of my favourite books of 2016, as Kenneally's are year after year.

SO. This time around, the story revolves around a relationship between two people who are basically on opposite sides of the 'spectrum,' or society, as you may like to call it. Taylor is the daughter of the Tennessee senator, while Ezra is her brother's best friend. It's just... awkward. But love works surprisingly sometimes, and who cares? We readers all wanted it to work. And it did! THIS WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL AND HEARTWARMING AND *insert fifty million positive adjectives* Defending Taylor does have to do with sports and high school life, though it also has to do with being a teenager and coming of age. I appreciate books like this so much because it reminds me that in life, we have so much growing up to do. This was like a love letter to teenagers who are undergoing struggles concerning what they would like to do with their futures. Nothing can get better than this.

Defending Taylor is the master of all contemporary novels. It's fast-paced, causing you to finish it in a matter of hours. Read a chapter, and you'll call yourself intrigued. This is THE BEST. 

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

What is a contemporary series that is never ending because everyone wants more?

My Life With the Walter Boys by Ali Novak // I LOVE CONTEMPORARY SO MUCH.

My Life With the Walter Boys, by Ali Novak
Publication: March 1, 2014, by Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: ½

My Life with the Walter Boys centers on the prim, proper, and always perfect Jackie Howard. When her world is turned upside down by tragedy, Jackie must learn to cut loose and be part of a family again.
Jackie does not like surprises. Chaos is the enemy! The best way to get her successful, busy parents to notice her is to be perfect. The perfect look, the perfect grades-the perfect daughter. And then...
Surprise #1: Jackie's family dies in a freak car accident.
Surprise #2: Jackie has to move cross-country to live with the Walters-her new guardians.
Surprise #3: The Walters have twelve sons. (Well, eleven, but Parker acts like a boy anyway)
Now Jackie must trade in her Type A personality and New York City apartment for a Colorado ranch and all the wild Walter boys who come with it. Jackie is surrounded by the enemy-loud, dirty, annoying boys who have no concept of personal space. Okay, several of the oldest guys are flat-out gorgeous. But still annoying. She's not stuck-up or boring-no matter what they say. But proving it is another matter. How can she fit in and move on when she needs to keep her parents' memory alive by living up to the promise of perfect?

My Thoughts:

At the time when I read this, which was, actually, a few weeks ago, I kind of was bored with everything I was reading. Who knows? If Ali Novak's debut Wattpad-turned-published contemporary romance about a girl who lost everything, and then had everything, including a new family after moving into the Walter household hadn't come into my life, I would've went into a reading slump, and my Goodreads challenge would have been even more at stake. It already is, in case you were wondering. I'm like, 60 books behind schedule. Anyways, I must say that My Life With the Walter Boys is absolute literary brilliance. For anyone seeking a new, never-been-done-before kind of story that has every bit of gushing, squealing and ship-creating in it, I would strongly recommend reading this. It changed the way I look at contemporary-romance and how others look at the genre. Many tend to stay away from it because some books become cheesy and predictable, and although this was really, really predictable (I know some of you really dislike that), I loved it. So much that I want to go and read everything that Ali Novak has written. After I grabbed a copy of this at BEA last year, I discovered that Ali is also the author of another book Sourcebooks was amazing to hand out: The Heartbreakers. My younger sister read it and adored it, so I am very excited for it, too.

My Life With the Walter Boys is one of those books that you imagine becoming a TV show slash sitcom. I would love to watch it if that ever became something. It's so real, normal though significant at the same time. I loved our protagonist, Jackie Howard, who reminded me a little too much of myself, being obsessed with school and a total perfectionist. I loved the romance, even the love triangle that formed. This was an exception to all of the bookish things I once said I hated. For some reason, this seems like the book I would dislike, in the end. Somehow, it was the opposite. 

The only thing I have to complain about is the predictability. But that's what occurs when a teenage girl writes a book about romance and releases it on Wattpad. That's the only way that predictability occurs. Only with romance. I knew that the ending would occur the way it did, and there was nothing that was a shocker for me. But thankfully, I liked the characters too much to have to dislike this book even more. 

Jackie, like the title states, is in a house with the Walters. There's eleven guys. GUYS. (I would go nuts) She has just lost everything, including her parents and her sister, in a car crash that she was supposed to be in, if she hadn't caught the flu. She lost her NYC luxurious life, her friends, and has to move to the other side of the country—Colorado, because her uncle cannot take custody of her. Instead, her mom's old best friend and her family are Jackie's new home. Of course, she hates all of them at first, blaming them on her horrible life, but as she forms a connection with the older boys, like Alex and Cole, romance sparks. Duh.

Each of the Walter boys (and Parker, of course, who is the only girl in the family, excluding their mother) had their own personality—that was interesting. It's so interesting to ponder about how an author must conquer twelve different personalities (that's without Jackie) into a single novel. Twelve different characters who have different hobbies, opinions, appearances... this is crazy. Ali Novak did it wonderfully. We have our popular, player boy who Jackie finds herself attracted to, Cole, who has a twin, and then there's Alex, who is the computer-freak and Jackie also finds him attractive. It kind of was instalove between her and Cole, but that's okay. It didn't bother me. Yet again, here I am talking about how INSTALOVE DOESN'T BOTHER ME. Am I hearing myself correctly? I think I am, though.

It was extremely easy to relate to Jackie. Although I thankfully had not gone through what she had, I loved her as a character. She goes through a swift character transition, from good to bad, doing many things that in the past, she would never believe that she would do. Some may think that this is a a cheesy kind of thing to add into contemporary romance, but honestly, it happens to many people. Sometimes, being too good is boring. *twiddles eyebrows* I promise, I don't have anything bad in store.

My Life With the Walter Boys is just such a fun, summer read. Purchase it, bring it to the beach, pool, or even couch with you and just devour it. Ali Novak writes with a very fast pace that keeps us readers addicted, and unable to put it down and take a breath until it's all over. When it was over, I swear, I felt such an attraction to the Walter family that I felt like I, myself, had lost everything.

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