Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

Golden, by Jessi Kirby
Publication: May 14, 2013, by Simon and Schuster
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 278
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a clue in her lap—one that might be the key to unraveling a town mystery—she decides to take a chance.
Julianna Farnetti and Shane Cruz are remembered as the golden couple of Summit Lakes High—perfect in every way, meant to be together forever. But Julianna’s journal tells a different story—one of doubts about Shane and a forbidden romance with an older, artistic guy. These are the secrets that were swept away with her the night that Shane’s jeep plunged into an icy river, leaving behind a grieving town and no bodies to bury.
Reading Julianna’s journal gives Parker the courage to start to really live—and it also gives her reasons to question what really happened the night of the accident. Armed with clues from the past, Parker enlists the help of her best friend, Kat, and Trevor, her longtime crush, to track down some leads. The mystery ends up taking Parker places that she never could have imagined. And she soon finds that taking the road less traveled makes all the difference.

My Thoughts:

I'm such a girly book reader. By that, I mean the basic stuff: I constantly deal with squealing, fangirling and finding new fictional boyfriends that I'll never forget about, even if I never re-read the book ever again. Golden is one of those books that I've been meaning to read for a long period of time, and everyone has fawned over it. Why can't I join the club of lovers, I once asked myself. And then I realized that I needed to grab myself a copy, and I can tell you that Jessi Kirby is a stellar author.

Golden is a read that kind of makes readers think about life, and what's the most important in it: to enjoy your time. Parker is a protagonist who wanted to succeed in school and become someone as memorable as Julianna and Shane, though obviously not in the same way. It hit me hard and left my thoughts all provoked into something deep and full of illusions. I'm just so proud of the way it turned out!

"But it seems to me that the experiences that stay with you, the things you'll always remember, aren't the ones you can force, or go looking for. I've always thought of those things as the ones that somehow find you." (Hardcover, page 31)

And did I mention that I, myself, am so glad to have picked it up? The hype is real around Jessi Kirby's books, and I hadn't realized it until reading this. Moonglass hadn't gone in the right direction for me and it didn't turn out to be the best contemporary read taken place in a beach town. Summery, yes, fantastic, no. This is a book more revolved around finding yourself, knowing what you want to do in life and what love has in store for you, because everyone has their own soulmate. Though Parker's character wasn't all obsessed with the guy who always has been there for her (won't spoil), she did like to grab a little smooch from him when the time was right. 

It's part-mystery, but three-quarters of contemporary and romance-related stuff. Parker Frost's high school is the coolest, actually. Her English teacher wants the senior class to write a journal throughout the year/semester about whatever they'd like, and he'd never read it, it's not meant to be marked. In ten years, they'd get it sent to them and can basically reflect on what they were like back then. Parker is chosen to be the one who'll send them out, and finds the journal of Julianna Farnetti, a young girl who died in a car accident alongside her boyfriend, Shane. They're known to have been soulmates and so in love, but as Parker reads her journal, she discovers more of the story than anyone else has ever known, and she goes out on a trip to discover who she is and some secrets through Julianna's story as well.

"What if, after all these years, I found her journal for a reason. I know it's impossible to change the past, but what if I could uncover a version that's been hidden all this time. One that leads me to the most important question of all. What if Julianna Farnetti is still alive?" (Hardcover, page 139) 

To me, I actually believe that Parker found that journal for a reason: serendipity and fate. I believe in those two concepts, and it seems like the fabulous author, Jessi Kirby, does as well through Parker's character. Yeah, Parker does have goals in her life, like to go to Stanford, get that special scholarship and become a doctor. But she loves writing although she knows her dreams can't come true since it's impossible. It freakishly sounds like my life, to be honest. But I'm not going to get into my life story, as we're obviously not here for that reason, but it's pretty cool. Expectations of you are all over the place put onto you by certain people, but why isn't it your choice to pursue what you'd like in life? It's such a deep story, when you think about it.

I adored the premise and every single thing that has to do with it, including Parker and her story. Parker's an unique protagonist when it comes to these kinds of stories, because for once, a character's doing something that doesn't always have to involve them. She did something for the good of her heart, and that's LEADERSHIP AND GREAT INDEPENDENCE. I hope that her mother ended up seeing that, because she was being treated unfairly when it comes to making your own choices, and she's practically an adult. She deserved everything she got in the end, as well as happiness of course.

I just wish that the love interest had something to do with the story instead of driving Parker and Kat to the art town. He didn't seem like he cared about anything except getting Parker to make out with him and that frustrated me—bringing my rating down. I came to this looking for a summer read, which this was, but more of the romance seemed like it was applicable to come out, it was the right situation. Greatly, this was no insta-love and things did occur before the book's events did take place, though we needed more perspective on the awesome secondary characters, spotlight on them, perhaps.

2/4 of Jessi's books, people. I need to go out and lurk for the other two, because I see her books as comfort reads. You know, you can just begin reading one and it'll last you for a whole afternoon, leaving you with all of these thoughts on reality and real life. Excluding my tiny dilemma with romance-issues, I can admit that I'm a happy teenager. This certainly can turn into a box-office worthy film that I'd go and see. It gets me in a road trip mood, actually. Cheers to small towns and art!

What are some books that actually focus on issues other than the main protagonist's?

Review: Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Challenger Deep, by Neal Shusterman
Publication: April 21, 2015, by HarperCollins
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: ½

Caden Bosch is on a ship that's headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench.
Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior.
Caden Bosch is designated the ship's artist in residence, to document the journey with images.
Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head.
Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny.
Caden Bosch is torn.
A captivating and powerful novel that lingers long beyond the last page, Challenger Deep is a heartfelt tour de force by one of today's most admired writers for teens.

My Thoughts:

Huh. I don't really know how to organize my feelings after this one. Shusterman's Challenger Deep actually was a huge challenge for me, and I'm certainly surprised to see most of the bookish general public adoring and continuously raving about the book with high hopes. To me, this was a huge let-down and filled with mostly negatives. To sum it all down, I'm just going to state what I liked and what I disliked because this is just an annoying mental-illness read. AND I USUALLY LOVE THEM.

"The thing is, I never had social anxiety before—I was always pretty confident and outgoing. They don't know—I don't even know yet—that this is the start of something bigger. It's just the dark tip of a much larger, much deeper, much blacker pyramid." (Hardcover, page 35) 

Before I actually get started, I'm just going to let you know that it's a very eerie, strange book. It's written in two perspectives, both of the same character, our protagonist, Caden. Though in one, it's actual reality and the other talks about him being on a ship headed to Challenger Deep, the deepest point of the Marianas Trench. I guess that kind of makes sense in the way Caden's struck with a mental illness that he just can't comprehend and realize, but it's just plain weird. In the real world, he's so monotone and doesn't have the attention span to look upon positive things, join a sports team to disfigure his anxiety and make friends. He can't do none of that, instead he spends most of his time in his imaginary world with the ship, captain and other people. Childish much?

My reaction.

What I Disliked About the Book and Shusterman's Writing:

-Again with the weird thing. This book seemed so childish, and I certainly hadn't come here for a pure middle-grade novel. I just can't bear to see the importance of the ship, the artwork, just about everything. This book lacked a real plot that would make readers learn and enjoy the symptoms of mental illness, all in my opinion.

-Caden's perspective. Most of the time I grow to have a relationship with characters who suffer from anxiety and depression. Caden? Not so much. It's not that I didn't feel sympathy or anything like that... I just couldn't get what he was trying to tell readers about his story. It's like there was some mega-huge wall barrier between readers and his inner thoughts, and I grew bored. Everything he mentioned seemed super dumb, and this wasn't the time to go deep with the meaning. At least, the mental illness was broadcasted nicely, which we'll soon get to.

-The constant questioning of the right thing to and flashbacks. The flashbacks which Caden brought readers back to were nice... but he made them look so negative. The happy moments he shared with his parents—those were like hell to him when nothing was wrong. Although he has a mental illness, I wish that it wasn't looking like something that he understood too well. He seemed to "know the right thing to do" but would question the wrong.

"I try to relax, but I can't. My reflection looks worried. Am I worried? That's not quite what I'm feeling today—but lately my emotions are so liquid, they flow into one another without my noticing." (Hardcover, page 67)

Um. Well that was a little awkward to rant about, but it's the truth, my wonderful friends. I'd actually would like to explore the Marianas Trench, which leads me to my next point:

What I Actually Liked About the Book and Shusterman's Writing:

-The information that wasn't actually supposed to be facts. Caden's imagination leading him to basically 'hallucinating' the Challenger Deep thing was really cool, and the ending especially shocked me as he went to explore his destination that Shusterman meant readers to get introduced to from the start. It was really interesting to read about, and the ending probably was the best part of the book.

-The philosophical view of life presented. God and death are continuously mentioned throughout the ending, and I liked the way it all gave the book a fresh closing. Who would've seen that coming?

You go, Morgan Freeman.

When seeing this book at my local library's catalogue, I requested it right away because I was sure that it'd impress. And here I am, ready to bawl my eyes out because I'm disappointed. The cover was promising, the other reviewers' remarks of this being the new It's Kind of a Funny Story were promising, I just knew that I'd love it. In conclusion, after it all, this is one of the only mental illness novels that failed to impress me. It's a very sensitive subject found in YA that only certain writers can pronounce perfectly, and from my viewpoint, Shusterman was not an author who expressed it amazingly, though there were some positive aspects. I do recommend it to some who prefer a lyrical kind of story. (Not me.)

So that's my not-so positive review! What do you feel about disliking a book that others enjoyed?

Review: What Waits in the Woods by Kieran Scott

What Waits in the Woods, by Kieran Scott
Publication: March 31, 2015, by Point
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Horror
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

It's a beautiful, sunny day. Callie Velasquez holds hands with her boyfriend Jeremy as they follow Callie's new BFFs Penelope and Lissa up the trail. The four friends are embarking on a camping trip -- a trip that immediately goes awry. They lose their way on the trail, and encounter a charismatic stranger with questionable motives. And when Callie stumbles upon a dead body, it becomes clear that the danger that lies in the woods is deadlier than she could have ever imagined. Tensions mount and friendships are tested as these teenagers try to survive the most sinister of circumstances. 

My Thoughts: 

I feel evil when reading a horror story, but don't worry—nothing eerie is coming out of this fabulous personality, my friends. I've read tons of novels by Kieran Scott in the past, from the Private series to the Only Everything trilogy, and never have I ever expected that she'd eventually write a classic in-the-woods horror standalone story. And guess what? It ruled and blew my expectations to a town far far away—the woods where this took place. HOLY SHIZ. 

Since I am the fond black sheep who usually gets superbly surprised and/or pissed off when reading a book that everyone else hated/loved, I was kind of in the in-between with this one. Obviously Scott has impressed me in the past, and I just wanted to be another happy reader, having a good time with a thriller. Thank goodness I didn't read this around midnight, or I would've freaked out. Let's just say that the answer and solution to the whole problem is right around the corner into someone readers know from the start. It's fucking creepy, but interesting at the same time. Your typical American horror story (not referring to the show, guys!) is just about to get even more hellish.

"Someone could be out there right now, watching them. She felt as if she could hear them breathing. At any moment the person, the thing, whatever it was, could pounce. And just like that, they'd all be gone. Vanished." (Hardcover, page 20)

You'll be so scared that you'll need to sleep with the lights on.

I guess that I would've been fine (or even better) if I read this at night since the feels would really explode and be released into the wild. But then I would've gotten so much more distracted, stopping to look around my reading area every few pages that everything's in place and no one's watching me—that kind of thing. Some people should definitely take a precaution, this is one of the wildest books I've read this year, and it all starts from that spooky cover that reminds me of The Cabin in the Woods. If they stayed in a cabin, that wouldn't even have been half as bad. Camping and getting lost? Now that's a whole different story that I'm sure no one would want to discover and go through. Ouch. 

Callie and her two new best friends and her boyfriend are off camping into the woods for a few nights when things suddenly turn for the wrong at the start. They lose more than half of their food supply and end up getting lost in the woods, with cell phones damaged and no signal. Then she finds a body, and things only get wilder from there. What the hell are you supposed to do when it's the final countdown and you have nowhere to turn to?

This was crazy. If I had to choose between one sentence to describe the book, I'd choose that simple one. The story had a very simplistic, easy plot to follow, but it went nuts and I couldn't keep track of what my predictions and theories are. Could this be like some kind of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I wondered. From the experience that Scott has with her Private series filled with some murders and mysteries, I guess that this is a perfect way to follow, especially since this premise and idea hit readers hard, or at least I know that it did to me. I can't stop thinking about all of the goodness that it had and the enjoyment that I eventually realized that was all in me by the end. To this extraordinary moment, I can't stop thinking about the plot and what awesomeness this book has. Everyone needs to pick up this short read and become obsessed!

"To her there was nothing more satisfying than being in the bookstore the day the latest book in a series was released, picking it up off the shelf, reading the first page, bringing it to the counter, being one of the first people to buy it, then scurrying off to a corner to devour chapter one. She loved the feeling of a big, heavy book in her hands. She loved marking the pages with the flap of the jacket to see how far she'd read. That was who she was." (Hardcover, page 48)

Me to Kieran Scott.

As you can tell from that fabulous quote above, I love Callie's character. She's that perfect goody-two-shoes chick who is pure in heart and wants to be there for everyone. Yes, she longs for popularity and to be seen by others after feeling as a nerd for all of her life back before she moved to NY, but she's down-to-earth and not one of those chicks who goes camping for no reason, you know? She longs to have a regular, typical teenage life with her hot boyfriend, Jeremy, and have great friends, that's all. And honestly, the situation that she's put in isn't her fault at all, it's because of the people around her. (It isn't Jeremy's, either). Kieran Scott delivers a romance that's not so focused on the kissing, but the elements around the chemistry that cause the horror in the book. Penelope and Lissa are two complete bitches who don't know what they're doing, the typical stupid teenagers. I wish that they weren't like Mean Girls' Plastics. Ugh, I see the typical Regina George coming out of Lissa.

The plot was heart-racing, fast-paced and everything that I could've ever wanted. I could almost even picture the strange music playing in the background as I read, which I realize that I definitely could've played to get in the mood. Hmm... The ending was my only issue, as it wasn't very closing and just too predictable. They obviously got back together, and things obviously turned out to be okay. Why hadn't there be some kind of plot twist that scared readers even more? It's like the calm in the storm or something, it all plays out with pure sunshine afterwards. Ugh. TAKE A LOOK AT THE TITLE, FOR PETE'S SAKE.

I can't even try to repeat how many times I fidgeted and was scared for my life while reading. With Scott's writing, you're sucked in immediately and you're unable to stop reading until the final page, which did leave readers with a tiny hint of predictability, but it was a great novel that I will remember for ages. I highly recommend it, and you'll enjoy every bit of it, from character to character or page to page. Beware, this would be an amazing movie and you'll get even more afraid. What waits in the woods is... a copy of this gorgeous read!

Favourite horror reads? IT'S ONE OF MY FAVOURITE GENRES!

Review: Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

Top Ten Clues You're Clueless, by Liz Czukas
Publication: December 9, 2014, by HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 289
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe’s Day
5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market
4) Crashing a cart into a customer’s car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi
3) Trying to rock the “drowned rat” look after being caught in a snowstorm
2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3)
1) Being accused—along with her fellow teenage employees—of stealing upwards of $10,000 
Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers . . . even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe’s list of Top Ten Best Moments.

My Thoughts: 

Cute, fabulous, adorable... and did I mention "cute?" Those are the three words that come to mind when I picture the cover and title of Liz Czukas's late-2014 novel. I just can't get enough of it and the way it made me feel! When you pick it up, you certainly won't be able to read anything else quite like it for ages. If you ask me about the cutest chick-lit I've read lately, I'll let you know the name of this one and beg you to go out and purchase it. Your bookshelf certainly will thank you for a copy, and it's the perfect read that you'll finish in one luxurious sitting, trust me. 

Top Ten Clues You're Clueless took a spin on the average boy-meets-girl and girl-loves-boy-from-afar setting... in a grocery store, taken place in the timespan of one day—Christmas Eve, the busiest day of the year for the Goodfoods (reminds me of Goodreads, LOL) supermarket. It's not easy writing about the different grocery sections like produce, meat and all, where Czukas certainly needed to do a lot of research on the broad subject. After reading her acknowledgments, it's awesome to see how she based the crew and store off of one she actually knows personally. And lists? Yeah, those are certainly unique in a novel.

What a gorgeous cover! I love how it looks like Ask Again Later.

Again, as I mentioned the GoodFoods market, this is where Chloe works. She's a teen who has diabetes and is supposed to be working at Christmas Eve, where she writes lists to help her get through her day. Except this day... she tries to get herself to actually speak to her co-workers and find something new about them. Not to mention the fact that Tyson, a cute guy, is on her eye and she might even like him. When mystery strikes and everyone discovers that a box filled with money going to charity is stolen (at least, most of the money is) the high-school teenage crew try to still have fun on this crazy day and discover challenges in between.

Please don't expect the mystery in this case to be like something where Sherlock Holmes will need to step into. No. It's a case that would probably appear on the news as a small story with expectations for things to get worse by the second. It's a real-life situation, not some tragic murder where everyone is questioned in the store. It's contemporary-romance fiction, which adds another 10 awesome points to my charter of granting this book a great rating. You like a little mystery added into the problem but having the main character not being the one to solve it? Yes, I think I like myself a bit of that as well. You see, I don't even classify it as mystery, but I'm letting you know that it's present. There's so much more to this glorious story than that, relating to all of their lives!

Poor characters. Wah.

So I'm thinking of making a list here. Let's do it. Top Four Reasons Why Czukas rules the YA chick-lit world:

1. Easy Romance That Takes Some Time To Brew: Chloe and Tyson were adorable. You can't even state that they had an insta-love relationship because they knew each other before the book's events even took place. Chloe kept going into fucking questioning when all of the signs were there! Talk about jealousy when a girl has an accent, my friends. But hey, I wouldn't even blame her because Tyson is such a cute guy who is friendly to everyone (like Micah was) and he wanted to be nice to every single person.

2. Each character has a distinctive personality and all have their own issues: Gabe has trouble with his decision to go to college and all of that. Micah is more of an introvert, but such a great person, and his homeschooling kind of disrupts his chance of shining and making more friends. Chloe has trouble with her love life and dealing with her diabetes at times. Tyson? Well, he's a character that surely could've been more improved on, we needed to know more about him. And Sammi? Total bad chick, I was getting afraid that she was holding something more like anorexia. Oh my, thank goodness no. They're like The Breakfast Club characters, only in a grocery store, riding in carts to find turkey slices. No joke.

3. Diversity, duh: Tyson had skin like chocolate, which Chloe described in her perspective. Chick-lits these days are just so prone to only stick to one culture or such, but this was a distinct decision to follow and Czukas did a perfect job at hiding the diversity in the shadows, but not making a big deal out of it that it was even there. Hooray for that, I paid so much attention to it.

4. Great, fast-paced plots: You can honestly finish this book in two hours straight. It's such an easy read to get by with and you'll adore it. I couldn't ask for a better experience, and you'll definitely be stuck thinking about it night and day, just don't make the whole situation too hard on yourself, it all plays out to be super positive by the end, trust me.

Top Two Reasons Why This Didn't Turn Out to Be a Five-Star Read:

1. The ending: Um. Predictability? Check. Happiness? Check. It was predictable, and there were no jaw-dropping moments, sadly. I recommend looking onto the bright side of things when it's all over, so your mood can make everything look better. Huh. Guess what happened between Tyson and Chloe? You got it stuck in your head, yep.

2. Chloe's perspective: You'll already guess what I might say but one word to describe it was: no confidence whatsoever. This ruined a lot of it for me and I wish that her diabetes and who she was made her stronger, but she kept putting herself down and it made me really upset. Where's our cheery contemporary protagonist?

Okay. You'll love this, I loved this, the whole book community will just find this to be a book that's not clueless on messing around with readers's personalities at all. I giggled, snickered, laughed and even shed a few inside tears, feeling sympathy for Chloe and her story. I actually really want to go and apply for a job at the grocery store now, hoping that I wouldn't be caught in a crazy mystery like the GoodFoods crew had. Brace yourself for wondrous lists, and you'll find yourself beginning to make them to get through your day!

What do you specifically think of lists? Do you use them? What other books have been written using them?

Review: All I Need by Susane Colasanti

All I Need, by Susane Colasanti
Publication: May 21, 2013, by Viking Juvenile
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 240
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: ½

Skye wants to meet the boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at the last beach party of the summer, it’s obvious to both of them that this is something real. But when Seth leaves for college before they exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she did—and if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences?
Teen favorite Susane Colasanti returns to the alternating-voice style of her beloved debut When It Happens in this Serendipity-inspired story about summer, soul mates, and the moments that change our lives forever. 

My Thoughts:

I've actually read every single book by the masterful chick-lit writer, Susane Colasanti. This woman actually knows what she's doing in terms of having readers fall in love with her writing, and I know that I'm not the only one who is. After seeing her at BEA (but not being able to go up since they didn't allow anyone else to go) I've realized how much of an extraordinary author she is and how I look up to her love-filled stories. All I Need *sings John Legend's song* is exactly what I was looking for—a quick summer read that I can go through before bed and still remember when I wake up in the morning.

You all want this, you need this book in your life. Although there is a whole lot of insta-love, which negatively impacted me and took out .5 of the perfect rating which it almost received, it was almost perfect. Almost. The serendipity premise and cuteness was totally my kind of thing, and I kept gushing and smiling to have my own Seth. Why do I always have to end up being jealous like there's no other fictional fish in the sea who are single? *cries* It's actually such a deep, real book that doesn't let readers down with some sad, dramatic occurrences that pop out of nowhere, you know? 

"A part of me that's been comatose since my heart was destroyed wakes up. When she looks at me with those unreal sky-blue eyes, I know that everything is about to change." (Hardcover, page 7)

Already?

Before I even get started, I want you to really analyze that quote above. IT'S PAGE SEVEN AND THE GUY IS ALREADY IN LOVE. Don't you think that's a little cheesy and cliché? After their initial meeting at a party, serendipity puts Skye and Seth together, and they fall in love at first sight. That's also something that I call: insta love, which is okay in certain situations, but this was a little over exaggerated. If you dislike instant romance, also known as love at first sight in modern society. Yes yes, we all predicted it to be fantastic and beautiful, as well as the long-distance thing kicking in, but I was a little frustrated with the fact that they kissed an hour after they met at the party. This rarely happens in reality, but I guess that I pretended that it did to make the story look better.

It's your typical love story set in a summer beach town, where Skye is rich and owns one of the houses while Seth struggles to earn money, especially as he worries for his future. He enjoys doing art but feels that there's no living for him if he pursues his dreams. Skye, on the other hand, is younger but has the same ambition for love as he does. Of course, the long-distance thing is an issue, but will they make it work?

I was hoping that they'd make it work, because obviously the romance was the main point of the book and Sketh were such a memorable couple. You know when the emotions are real and you long for some kind of relationship? Yeah, in that case, the some kind of relationship is theirs. I loved them together—it's like a relationship that has small issues but the two partners never see a problem between each other. And the ending? THE PROMISE RING? I was ready to die.

"But tomorrow will come. We'll go our separate ways again. Except this time will be different. This time we'll stay together. Tomorrow isn't goodbye. Tomorrow is only see you soon." (Hardcover, page 90)

Emotions? Emotions. As I constantly mention throughout each and every single Colasanti review, she writes with passion. Readers are unable to stop trying to feel what the other characters feel, especially their pain as they struggle to keep their relationship floating above and beyond the typical expectations. They both were very memorable, risk-taking characters who wouldn't change anything of their lives and relationship together. I'm squealing right now and I need some kind of chill pill or NOVELLA TO CONTINUE THEIR FANTASIES TOGETHER FOREVER AND EVER.

All I Need is your ultimate summer read that you'll keep by your bedside for ages cause you know you can turn to it again and again. Colasanti's writing this time is the same as always, fun and devouring, and it's so easy-going that no trouble sleeping afterward from all the drama involved. All you need is a copy of this book, make it hardcover because from all of the re-reads, it'll surely be worn out. I SHOULD'VE READ THIS SOONER, AGH! Save it for the summer, though!

What genre of books are you able to read in a jiffy before bed?

Waiting on Wednesday #6: The Trouble With Destiny

The Trouble With Destiny, by Lauren Morrill
Publication: December 8, 2015, by Delacorte Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover

With her trusty baton and six insanely organized clipboards, drum major Liza Sanders is about to take Destiny by storm—the boat, that is. When Liza discovered that her beloved band was losing funding, she found Destiny, a luxury cruise ship complete with pools, midnight chocolate buffets, and a $25,000 spring break talent show prize. 
Liza can’t imagine senior year without the band, and nothing will distract her from achieving victory. She’s therefore not interested when her old camp crush, Lenny, shows up on board, looking shockingly hipster-hot. And she’s especially not interested in Russ, the probably-as-dumb-as-he-is-cute prankster jock whose ex, Demi, happens be Liza’s ex–best friend and leader of the Athenas, a show choir that’s the band’s greatest competition.
But it’s not going to be smooth sailing. After the Destiny breaks down, all of Liza’s best-laid plans start to go awry. Liza likes to think of herself as an expert at almost everything, but when it comes to love, she’s about to find herself lost at sea.

 2015's full of these cute contemporary romances that make me giggle and squeal over the adorable love interests, and The Trouble With Destiny is that perfect one for me, especially with the destiny kind of premise. I'm so excited for this, and I guess that it'll be my Christmas wish-list read!

What are you anticipating for this week?