HAPPY NEW YEAR!—A Flashback to 2014 + A Surprise Review

HAPPY NEW YEAR, LOVELIES!

   I just can't believe that we're all standing here, at this stage in our lifetime. *giggles* Okay, I'm kidding—I'm not a philosopher here. BUT IT'S 2015, BABY! 2015 means:

• adding a new Goodreads challenge (Mine is 300!)
• finding new books to become obsessed with
• reading new debuts by fantastic authors
• meeting new blogger buddies who will soon join the blogosphere world
• making resolutions to help us become better people (which we already are)

    

   I'm honestly so excited to see what this year has to offer for all of us. Get ready for new books, more and new experiences!

   In the beginning of the year, I did a quote jar; I'd write a quote for each book that I read. Obviously, I couldn't keep up with it—but I will be opening the quotes and will let them soak in at me today, haha.

        2014 was honestly a fantastic year for me. SO MANY THINGS happened, and I've felt like I've learned so much: about blogging, and honestly, about life. Back in the beginning of 2014, I was a little peculiar thirteen year old who thought that the world was huge and not that suiting for her all of the time. I thought that blogging was only about getting a good amount of views and comments: I didn't realize that it was about the love, and much more than that. 

          Although I didn't really see myself growing, I can absolutely say that it has happened, and in a more frequent matter. I came into high school, I've almost survived my first semester, and I've read so many books—about 375! (As I'm writing this I'm estimating, hehe.)

            I really just don't know what to say at the moment. I'm so thankful for happiness and praise. What really matters are those things, and for me, reading and blogging absolutely brings all of that passion to me, every single day.

              What I can honestly hope for the year is NOT a repeat of 2014—but new, fabulous experiences that will change me in a good way, hopefully. 2015 is in it to win it. *gags of cheesiness*

      As 2014 brought a whirlwind of sucky books, THERE WERE SO MANY AMAZING ONES TO FREAK OUT ABOUT. I have like 60 favourites of books that came out in 2014. 

       Here is a review of a book that I recently read about a week ago, which absolutely blew me away of its amazingness. No, it wasn't published in 2014, but it did bring more magic to the end of the year for me. Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, by Kat Rosenfield was stunning and gorgeous.

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, by Kat Rosenfield 
Published On: July 5, 2012, by Dutton Juvenile
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery/Murder/Thriller
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

An arresting un-coming-of-age story, from a breathtaking talent.
Becca has always longed to break free from her small, backwater hometown. But the discovery of an unidentified dead girl on the side of a dirt road sends the town--and Becca--into a tailspin. Unable to make sense of the violence of the outside world creeping into her backyard, Becca finds herself retreating inward, paralyzed from moving forward for the first time in her life.
Short chapters detailing the last days of Amelia Anne Richardson's life are intercut with Becca's own summer as the parallel stories of two young women struggling with self-identity and relationships on the edge twist the reader closer and closer to the truth about Amelia's death.

   

     A few months back, little itty bitty thirteen year-old Michelle walked to her library, and found this, and took it out because it sounded interesting. A few weeks later, the general book public was raving about Inland, a book also by Kat Rosenfield, and she went to the library and also took that one out. She read Inland, and almost threw up. It was really bad. 

      About a week ago, I was debating with myself to whether or not read this. I almost have finished reading all of my library books (and wasn't planning on going back anytime soon), and I was ready to return a whole bunch of them. "Why not just give this a try?" says the cool me. 

      And now, I'm here constantly thinking, "WHAT THE WHAT?!" because this book was just too stunning and captivating. Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone is one of the best mystery novels that I've read this year. But really, who would've thought that in the start?

"We don't trust you if we don't know you, and sometimes, we don't trust you if we do. We band together; we circle the wagons; we peer out of our shuttered windows with weapons in hand and loved ones at our side."

       Close your eyes and imagine that you're reading your most favourite book of all-time. Think of that book. I'm hoping that you're saying that IT IS THIS BOOK, or else I will write a long rant about you and your craziness. Just kidding—but once you read this, get ready to become obsessed.

         

            I honestly feel like I've been waiting my whole life to read this book. The concept and story made your heart feel like it's going to burst out of your chest, and you'll feel like you've known the characters for your whole life. And your reading time will also feel like you drove down your street at 400 km/h and back. Unless you live on the longest street on the world, then you're a little out of it here.

            This book has two points of view—except one's in the past before the incident happened, and the other is while and after everything. But really, both Amelia and Becca are connected, like in a sisterhood kind of way. They're both struggling at so many points of the book, and find that it's not easy to see and visualize their futures. Except, Amelia doesn't have a future. Both different chapters are telling a story of two young girls who basically lost everything. Amelia lost her life in such a tragic way, and her chapters are retelling the days leading up to her death, while Becca is...

         Horribly depressed. And as you get to the end of the novel, you realize that she just didn't seem to see what was happening around her because she was just too out of it. Hey, then you form a guilt feeling for her and the feels sprout out at you and the rest of the world because you'll be obsessed and wanting more for the rest of your ages.

          The way Rosenfield performed her mystery/thriller was perfect. This seemed so real, and mind-blowing because you just can picture everything in your head like your favourite song and its lyrics. The captivation that readers seem to form after reading is like the wings of a monarch butterfly, light and swift. (Okay, I know that was a little too much for that situation.)

            While reading this book, I was unable to move or change my source of doing the whole time. While reading, I was letting everything pour and sink in at me, and I didn't spit anything out. I had an addiction, and it was like feeling the "need to reapply your favourite lip balm back on."

          Although much of the romance seemed forced and a little abusive in some terms, it was perfect for this situation. I'm obviously not saying that people should HAVE A ROMANCE LIKE THAT—NONONONO. It just made the book ten times better because it was so simplistic and somewhat pretty in some terms. It actually helped both Becca and Amelia realize the truth.

           This book really was a sunrise. It came out of the blue, out of nowhere, and it was so gorgeous and contaminated with guilt and those dark feelings. This was real, and not wrong at one chance. It was everything I wanted.