Wild Cards, by Simone Elkeles

Wild Cards (Wild Cards #1), by Simone Elkeles

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Publication: September 24, 2013, by Bloomsbury Juvenile US

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)





Goodreads Summary: After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

Review:

"I might not make it past thirty-five, the age my mom was when she died. Right now, as I look across the table at the girl who could very well be the girl of my dreams, I know I won't marry her. I'm going to let someone else be her Irving, someone who'll be able to sit across from her sixty years from now and look into her eyes as if his would have been a horrible existence if not for her."

  I've read books from Simone Elkeles before, and I wasn't left disappointed. Not even close. I always have high-expectations for a good contemporary-romance, and Simone just blasts it and makes it even better than what I wish a good book that's in that genre to be. This book was amazing, SPECTACULAR. I am left speechless because of the romance that Simone created and the beautiful characters.

   First things first: I feel so forever alone. 

     Ashtyn and Derek had such an amazing relationship. I never expected something like that to sprout out of this book, but it did and I have no regrets and no doubts that this was one of my utterly most favourite romance books, ever. Simone Elkeles just aced it and made it beautiful all throughout. It's so difficult to explain how gorgeous their romance was because I've never read about anything like that before. Can I just stand and say that Derektyn has won the Best YA Couple award for this month in my standings?

 

      Like I feel so alone when thinking about the perfect chemistry that they had. (I am not relating to Simone's other book in any way.) It was perfect because there was no insta-love. At first, the two of them loathed each other, and by the end, they found the perfect chemistry between them and ended up having such a strong hunger and would do anything for each other.

       The romance was the thing that touched me the most, so that's why I spoke about it first. Let's talk about what it was really about. Derek is expelled from his prestigious boarding school after taking part in a horrifying prank that he and his friends took part in. But Derek was the only one who took the credit, and meanwhile his friends got to stay for their senior years. His father is in the middle of the ocean somewhere in a submarine, saving lives, and all who he has left is his stepmother, Brandi, who takes him and his 5 year old half-brother, Julian, to her home in Chicago, where her dad and little sister still live. At first, Derek doesn't want to go, but he realizes that he has no other choice. There, he meets Brandi's sister, Ashtyn in front of a shed. She tries to "stab" him because she thinks that he's some thug who's trying to vandalize her house because she's a female and is the captain of the football team at school. When she finds out that Derek is not who he seems to be, she panics and everything changes. Derek is first like a protective older brother, who is hinting that her boyfriend Landon, is messing around with her and is cheating on her. She doesn't believe him at first, but then finds out that he was right the whole time. They both begin to develop feelings for each other, and they soon can't hide it. They both realize that it's too strong to hide and they need to play with wild cards--each other.

        The one thing that bothered me with this book was that the concept and plot was a little too similar to Catching Jordan, by Miranda Kenneally. I don't know which one was released first and which one can take credit to the girl-playing-football-and-falls-in-love-with-another-player idea, but it was a little too similar. But either way, I love that concept, so I'm not going to let it bicker at me too much.

       The romance was a huge part of the concept and plot here, so if you're not in for a romance read and are looking for more of a plot, then stay away from this book. I am a huge sucker for romance, so this is just perfection to me. Although there are some tweaks and spins of coming-of-age moments, the romance really overtook everything, and I loved that as well. So if you like a sappy but edgy romance, then this is for you, as long as you can handle a happily-ever-after ending.

         The plot was very well planned out and amazingly written. Simone Elkeles is an author who writes books that are so captivating and give you the feel that you cannot put it down until it's all over, and then you just want something more from her. I very much appreciate the fact that there's going to be a sequel for this book. :) There weren't any moments when I was bored or disliking something that was written. I'd give a 5 star rating for the plot and writing. 

         The cover could've had a better job on, I must say. It did relate to the story, but it's cheesy. More spunk should've been added to make it more captivating to the audience and readers.

         I loved the characters so dearly much. But in fact, I felt a dear connection to Ashtyn. She was a very real character whose traits are very much like mine and I feel her. She was getting over the fact that her ex-boyfriend was betraying her and with someone else. Her mom and sister both left her and she was all alone with her father, who didn't support the fact that she played football. He never came to watch her games. She never really fell in love, and as she watches her best friend, Monika, with her soulmate, it aches Ashtyn's heart. When she met Derek, he changed her and loved her and showed her that he's all she needs to be happy. Simone Elkeles shows us that people can make you happy, without needing anything else. Ashtyn's voice felt real, and wanting. She was calling for us to help her and read her story throughout the whole book.

         Derek was also an absolute favourite. First of all, he's hot, second of all, he's hot, and third of all, well, you get the idea. I loved him to death, and readers can definitely incorporate a relationship with his realistic qualities as well. If you're looking for an innocent but tough adorable male protagonist in a book, then pick this one up. 

          We all saw the ending coming, but it was beautiful at the same time. Having a happily-ever-after ending might be disturbing in some senses (or in some books), but it fit to have that in this one. But there's going to be a sequel, and maybe (just maybe) Simone Elkeles will put a plot twist and will change everything. 

         I love you, Wild Cards, and thank you for making my day.

We Are The Goldens, by Dana Reinhardt

We Are The Goldens, by Dana Reinhardt

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Mystery

Rating: 4/5 stars

Publication: May 27, 2014, by Wendy Lamb Books

Format: Hardcover Edition (Borrowed)





Goodreads Summary: Nell knows a secret about her perfect, beautiful sister Layla. If she tells, it could blow their world apart.

When Nell and Layla were little, Nell used to call them Nellayla. Because to Nell, there was no difference between where she started and her adored big sister ended. They're a unit; divorce made them rely on each other early on, so when one pulls away, what is the other to do? But now, Nell's a freshman in high school and Layla is changing, secretive. And then Nell discovers why. Layla is involved with one of their teachers. And even though Nell tries to support Layla, to understand that she's happy and in love, Nell struggles with her true feelings: it's wrong, and she must do something about it.

Review: 

  "I wanted to twinkle underwater like the lights of the city."

   This was one of mine and even Buzzfeed's most anticipated books of 2014. When I found it at the library a few weeks after it was published on May 27, I ran straight for it and grabbed it with my all-mighty strength. (LOL, yeah right.)

    After reading, I'm very glad that I've decided to read it. It was a novel of change, change from all of the mainstream books that are out there. This was a very well-written book. It's not the type that you'll want to re-read (at least I don't think so) but it's a pretty fun read that's sure to get you enticed in reading more from this splendid author.

     I just wanted to let you know that this isn't your average fluffy contemporary read. We Are the Goldens is more of a darker contemporary read. In some ways, it has the aspects of those that deal with abuse and rape (especially because how the characters were feeling at times, *cough*Layla*cough.* We usually never get those type of books in the stores. 

      The concept of this book was very well planned out. The author made the characters deal with very harsh problems that really affected them. A very naughty teacher, signs of depression, obsession, this book was full of everything.

       Second-person narratives aren't my favourite. I wasn't really glad that this book was written that way, Nell speaking to Layla through diary entries/letters/whatever it was, but we all have our favourite ways of books being written. With that said, the plot was kind of dull as well at times. 

        I don't know. Did some people think that this book was a roller coaster? Because for me, it wasn't. 

         For some people, I could see why they gave it a 5 star rating or a 4.5 one. This book stood out for some people because they have different tastes in drama contemporaries. For this book, it basically matters on what you like the whole time. The story was written extremely well, yes, but the plot at times didn't seem to get anywhere. There were no plot twists until the end and I found that this was dragging to much onto Nell's side when her sister is the main story here. The romance between Nell and Felix in the end just shouldn't have been added. We all know that we liked them JUST as friends! What was this, "Friends With Benefits?" 

         My utterly most favourite thing about this book was the relationships and friendships. The author absolutely made this the most BRILLIANT part of the book. She just mastered an A+ in friendship here. 

         The way Nell looked up to Layla really shows the truth behind the way most little siblings look up to the oldest ones. I'm the oldest sibling, and this book really gave us an idea from the minds of the youngsters. 

         I liked Nell, a lot. She was very independent and smart. In fact, she was more wiser and smarter than her bitch of a sister, let me tell you that. I'm not going to begin ranting on why I hate Layla, but by the end of the book, you'll realize that she was a s*ut and just went in the way of everything and messed everything up for everyone. She really showed that life isn't fair. 

       The parent-child relationships in this book was wonderful. For once, we had a wrecked-but-beautiful family over here, which rarely occurs in books. In a lot of novels, when the protagonist is going through something, the parent isn't even spoken of! 

          

         Overall, this book had its flaws and imperfections and all, but it was worth it to read without any doubts. If you liked anything by Carol Lynch Williams, then this will be a much-lighter breeze for you.

The Declaration, by Gemma Malley

The Declaration (The Declaration #1), by Gemma Malley

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopia, Sci-fi, Romance, Mystery

Rating: 2/5 stars

Publication: September 3, 2007, by Bloomsbury

Format: Hardcover Edition (Borrowed)




Summary: It's the year 2140 and Anna shouldn't be alive. Nor should any of the children she lives with at Grange Hall. The facility is full of kids like her, kids whose parents chose to recklessly abuse Mother Nature and have children despite a law forbidding them from doing so as long as they took longevity drugs. To pay back her parents' debt to Mother Nature, Anna will have to work for the rest of her life. But then Peter appears at the hall, and he tells a very different story about the world outside of the Grange. Peter begs Anna to escape Grange Hall, and to claim a life for herself outside its bleak walls. But even if they get out, they still have to make their way to London, to Anna's parents, and to an underground movement that's determined to bring back children and rid the world of longevity drugs.

Review:

"She opened the book and began to read. As she worked her way through the first few pages, her eyes widened with indignation. But she couldn't read it all now."

  Well, here's another book that was recommended to me that really ended up sucking. I really expected this book to be good--especially because it's a dystopia science-fiction romance. It definitely sounded like my type of book that I could've end up loving. And for that...

    It's the future, and in 2140 in a post-apocalyptic world, Anna realizes that she shouldn't be alive. Where she lives in Grange Hall, all of the kids are like her, and if she escapes, she will be put down like animals in the pound. Anna has to work for the rest of her life to pay debt to Mother Nature (what the heck) and when Peter, who is just like her, comes into Grange Hall, he has a lot to say about the outside world, and Anna wants to get out to meet her parents.

     I understand that this was published a long time ago. (7 years is a long time when talking about ideas of books revolving.) But the idea wasn't anything special. In fact, I kind of thought it to be immature and boring. The whole book practically was.

     In the beginning of the book and story, I was bored. I was beginning to get DNF thoughts into my head, but I kept on going because I trust recommendations and I didn't want to hate this book. Through the middle, it was great. And then it went totally downhill to the end. The ending sucked and the beginning sucked. Now that's kind of rude to do to us readers. 

     The story wasn't anything special. To classify the whole book itself, I'd say that it's just an under-classified dystopia sci-fi romance. That's all. It tried to build up the potential to become something amazing, but it just couldn't build itself to get up there. But from what it looks like, this book was just the beginning of dystopias and the revolution of the genre. If the author published this today, then that's a total different story we're talking about here.

      I thought the characters were okay. Anna was just a blob of nothingness and Peter was bearable. But I wouldn't classify them to be a good couple. They were both too plain-Jane. I don't have much to say about them because they both weren't any special, but they're the type of characters that you can read about without trying to stick your head out the window for air. 

        Surprisingly, I completed this book. But I ended up skimming through the end because I was barely interested in what would happen to the characters. So don't ask me if I plan on reading the sequel, because you already know the answer. x) But from what I found the ending to be, it was just like the rest of the book, the same old nothingness. Nevertheless, the cover of this book (at least the one I read from) wasn't beautiful for the eyes either.

          Hah, if you're looking for a boring dystopia read with a weird world-development, then this book is absolutely for you!

O is for The Outsiders

   Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for, the letter 'O.' O is for the phenomenal classic book by S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders.

   *WARNING* This review might be 19965 characters long! 

   I had to read this for my seven grade English class. My school's providing a copy for everyone to borrow, but my teacher explained that we'd be reading this book at the beginning of the year, so I received my own copy for Christmas. I'd never expect it to be this amazing. Seriously. Gangs? Violence? So not my thing. But... surprisingly, the school curriculum made an awesome choice of books. Actually, as I can see, my whole class  loved the book. All the girls and guys. And, I felt as I skimmed through it. But I didn't actually. The font is very small, I paid attention to the details extra closely, because we're writing an essay about the book, and I chose to compare it to Looking For Alaska, by John Green. 

     

   Now, the actual plot. I don't where the heck S.E. Hinton got this amazing idea of the story from, but it sure was fascinating to read about. The story takes place in the 1960's, where gangs separate the people of the southern U.S. from joining together. The main character Ponyboy Curtis, has been jumped over by the Socs, (socials) rival gang of the Greasers, the gang Ponyboy is in. His brothers Darry and Sodapop come to save him and that introduces all of the gang, Johnny Cade, (my favourite) Sodapop Curtis, Darrel Curtis, Steve Randell, Two-Bit Matthews, and Dallas Winston. We later find out that Darry, Soda, and Pony live alone after their parents got killed in a car accident. 

     Darry is known as the big guy, the popular guy in high school, highly academic, the football star. After his parents died, he decides not to take his college scholarship because he needs to take care of his younger brothers. Darry might seem way overprotective in the book, hitting Pony which causes him to run away, (not giving too many spoilers) but he only did it because he loves Ponyboy. 

    Sodapop is Pony's older brother, by a few years. Soda is funny, good-looking and is currently dating Sandy in the book. He can be sarcastic at times, but that's what he's known for. Soda is known as a drop-off, who quit school, and was working at a gas station. 

    Steve Randell wasn't a main character, just a background one, who we don't find too much about. Steve is known as Sodapop's best friend, and was played by Tom Cruise in the movie.

    Two-Bit Matthews is the Curtis' fellow gang member, who has an obsession with Mickey Mouse and likes to stand up for his gang members. Two-Bit is known for his hilarious laugh, found in the movie, and his wild personality.

     Dallas Winston is one tough guy. Dallas is the bad-boy of the group, joining rodeos, getting drunk at parties, and who wears a leather jacket to show his muscles off. Dallas is one of my favourite characters, who has a soft side, that will make you tear up. Although he has a bad reputation, many fans enjoy him, and espcially believe that the book wouldn't be nothing without him.

    Johnny Cade is my all-time favourite character of the whole story, with his heroic, shy, special personality, that will have many people obsessing over him from years to come. Johnny is a sixteen-year old gang member that was previously beat up by the rival gang, the Socs, where the Greasers found him. Johnny may be shy, but he has a rebellic reputation that made me feel all happy inside.

    Ponyboy Curtis is the main character in the book, and whose point of view this is from. Pony is a dreamer, as I describe him, who is smart, loves to read and watch sunsets, and who stands up for his buddies. Ponyboy holds a special place in each of our hearts, and will be remembered for his story, forever.

   The Outsiders is about two rival gangs, the Greasers and the Socs. As a Greaser, Ponyboy learns that when things get a little too far, you shouldn't take them farther, as he did one night, that changed his and the Greasers' lives forever...

   I'm not going to give you spoilers.

  Yes, because it would ruin the whole book for you! And.. I know that you will want to read this, if you haven't! It's short, fast-paced, and will make you cry for hours, because I know I did!

   The Outsiders was phonomenally written, it's one of the best books written of all time. And.. surprisingly, it was written by a sixteen year old girl! 

So, if you decide that this book might be worth it, it is 100%! I dedicated today's post to this for a reason, and that reason is because everyone, young and old, have to understand the importance of friendship, and how youth might be one of the best times of your life, even if there are some twists and turns in between. Everything happens for a reason, doesn't it?