How We Fall ARC Review, by Kate Brauning

How We Fall, by Kate Brauning
Published On: November 3, 2014, by Merit Press
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Mystery
Pages: 303
Format: ARC
Source: Author
Rating:    ½

Ever since Jackie moved to her uncle's sleepy farming town, she's been flirting way too much--and with her own cousin, Marcus.
Her friendship with him has turned into something she can't control, and he's the reason Jackie lost track of her best friend, Ellie, who left for...no one knows where. Now Ellie has been missing for months, and the police, fearing the worst, are searching for her body. Swamped with guilt and the knowledge that acting on her love for Marcus would tear their families apart, Jackie pushes her cousin away. The plan is to fall out of love, and, just as she hoped he would, Marcus falls for the new girl in town. But something isn't right about this stranger, and Jackie's suspicions about the new girl's secrets only drive the wedge deeper between Jackie and Marcus--and deepens Jackie's despair.
Then Marcus is forced to pay the price for someone else's lies as the mystery around Ellie's disappearance starts to become horribly clear. Jackie has to face terrible choices. Can she leave her first love behind, and can she go on living with the fact that she failed her best friend?

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

    How We Fall was one of those books that you see everywhere but you end up feeling like you don't have the right guts to pick it up at any moment of the day—but in the end, it was extremely satisfying, interesting, and special, more than any naked eye can see. Kate Brauning will certainly become the new Lauren Kate, or Suzanne Collins, in that matter.

   

       At first, I saw this book as complete and utter incest. I have to admit that I got a little too grossed out—Jackie and Marcus were COUSINS for goodness sake. That was a little too far, but I do now understand why Brauning did it. And now, at this moment, I do have to say that their romance was heart-pounding and wondrous. So where does that take us in that matter? Into a world of mystery, thrill, and reality, in most circumstances.

        I guess you can say that incest forms when people aren't able to see anyone else in their lives except the members of their family, all the time, 24/7. Take for example, V.C. Andrews. THE CHARACTERS WERE BROTHER AND SISTER. Now that was far worse—but they were stuck in an attic for practically all of their lives.

            Jackie and Marcus live in the same house, with their brothers and sisters and parents. For more than a year, they've been keeping their cousinly romance a secret, but inside, Jackie knows that they're risking too much and their love is being too strong at the moment to handle even further. At the same time, Jackie's best friend Ellie goes missing. What happens when your first love moves on with someone who is unspeakable to think about, and when all you have to deal with is loss and falling?

             A lot of the feelings in this book were despair, guilt, and loss. Those three elements together can seriously produce tears. When I saw this book for the first time, I expected a mermaid story, to be honest. Or at least, something girly and cutesy with no action whatsoever. What I got, especially towards the end, was something totally kickass and pretty great, if you ask me. This book was honestly everything I was looking for, and more.

            

             The funny thing is—I felt like I had deja-vu while reading this book. I witnessed something like this before. Haha, I think that it was so good and unique that I felt like I'm somehow connected to it? Something like that, hopefully. I hope it's not something superstitious or whatever. But hey, that's another good side, isn't it? The concept was perfectly there and it was like biting into your favourite sweet-then-sour dish. Funny, there's not too many of those, either.

              For the first few chapters I saw this as something bland and chill. The author did a great job introducing us to the characters, and I fell in love with them instantly. Jackie was kickass and stubborn for what she wanted, in a good way. She fought for what made her happy and didn't get whiny or depressed as many other protagonists would in a contemporary-romance. But remember, there were dark events prior to the ending, as you read on with the book.

               

               *feels* I blushed, and blushed, and blushed. I JUST WANT MORE, OKAY? It was all powerful and special and it totally made sense with this whole story. I ship them so hard, even though I was such a hater in the beginning of the book. You see, I even feel some guilt.

             MARCUS MARCUS MARCUS YOU'RE CUTE. AS IS WILL. ALL OF THE MEN WERE CUTE. IT MADE ME WANT TO PINCH THEIR CHEEKS EVEN HARDER.

             I felt like this whole story and plot was like a puzzle. At first, everything was messed up and unfitting, but as you continued to solve it, you got into some mishaps, but eventually, it all turned out perfect and smooth. The beginning of the end was a little confusing, but it all turned out awesome by the end. 

 The great thing is that I finished reading this in one sitting and I still didn't have enough. All in all, this was a pretty quick read, but at the same time, you feel like you're stuck in a majestic world where reality is bound to happen, if you get what I'm saying. This wasn't your average novel. It shows the struggles of being a teenager with boundaries that you've totally overtaken, and it shows how your first love can absolutely be your true love. I WANT MORE!

Emergent by Rachel Cohn Review

Emergent (Annex #2), by Rachel Cohn
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopia, Science-Fiction, Romance
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover (Finished Review Copy)
Source: Publisher
Rating: ½

Zhara, the First. Elysia, her clone. On the surface, they are identical. But looks can be deceiving.
When Zhara plays, she plays to win. She thought she had escaped the horrors of Doctor Lusardi's cloning compound. But the nightmare is just beginning. Elysia has taken everything from Zhara-a softer, prettier version of herself and an inescapable reminder of all she's failed at in her life. Now the man Zhara loves has replaced her with Elysia. Zhara will get her clone out of the way, no matter the cost.
Elysia has finally learned the truth: she has a soul. Her First is alive. She knows it hurts Zhara to see her with Alexander, but she can't give him up. The genetically-perfected Aquine has chosen as her as his life mate, and their days together are limited.
Elysia can't remain in the Rave Caves off the shores of Denesme forever. Revolution is brewing on the island paradise. Hundreds of soulless clones remain imprisoned like Elysia once was, slaves to the whims of their owners-wealthy human inhabitants of the island. As a group of clones and humans, led by Alexander, plot an insurrection that will turn Denesme's world upside down, Elysia knows her place is fighting by his side. Terrible sacrifices must be made to defeat Denesme's twisted regime. But even the greatest losses cannot prepare Elysia for the ticking time bomb built into her own programming...

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

      Let's take a time machine back into time—one year ago. Or actually, a little more than a year ago, to be honest. That was when I read Beta, the first book in the Annex trilogy, and that's where I found one of my most strongest loves, dystopian books. From there, or even a little before that, I've grown to be obsessed with this unique genre where anything is actually possible. Although the wait for Emergent felt extremely long and precious, it was so worth it. Emergent was everything I was looking for in a sequel, and there surely was no signs of second-book-syndrome anywhere nearby, not even a speck.

     "Now, I understand—truly understand—what it means to have a soul, because in this moment, mine feels like it literally just exploded with exhilaration. The feeling spreads to each and every cell in my body, fireworks of joy."

      As most dystopia trilogies are formatted, the first book is where the action makes all of the events prior to happen. It's the starting point and formation. Whatever happens in the second and third books are because of the first. It's like a formula. Many authors decide to follow that formula in order to create sci-fi success.

      At the end of Beta, there was a huge plot-twist that was revealed that would obviously change the sequel's setting and storyline. That was the main thing that struck me the most and made me want this book a hundred times more. As we begin, we're reading in the point-of-view of Zahra, Elysia's First. The beginning basically shows the points in her life that revolve around Elysia, but she herself doesn't even know that she has a clone. In the beginning, she was having a death party and then got resurrected, and woke up. The funny thing is, is that she expected to die at the moment when the pirates found her. Next thing you know, she was brought to a deserted, truly unliveable island where the Emergents are. There, she tries to forget about Xander, the guy who she's loved for her whole life, and decides to move on. And from there, she finds out that she has a Beta, and she's with Xander.

         And of course, that's where Zahra gets fed up and her attitude spews all over the place like lava from a volcano. If you read the first book previously, you'll obviously know that Zahra is the bitchiest bitch around. She's like the Evil Queen from Snow White, after eating twenty poisoned apples and still living. 

          The mind-blowing thing in this situation is that I ended up loving Zahra. She was such a drag queen in the beginning, I must admit, but the magic and personality that Cohn added into her sprouted her into someone better. She even, PSST began a friendship with her Beta—a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

           "I can be patient. Paradise will be mine, next time I get there."

       This was like a Lost remake. Probably taking place in the third season, where the action through the island really began. Rachel Cohn truly created a Survival 101 book with sexy romance, thrill and heart-pounding fangirling moments. 

        The only thing that I didn't really like was the beginning. I do wish that the author gave us a better recap on what was happening at the moment. I obviously eventually got it, but it did take a while for me to remember the characters and who was who. It's been more than a year, people.

        The story was honestly so perfect. It's something that would come out of an inspirational person's dream, since it was so smart and logical. There was suspense at the end of every page and I honestly couldn't stop reading. Every word was like something I need to follow by. (OBVIOUSLY NOT THE CRAZY THING THAT ZAHRA DID, DUH.)

        

         

  I just didn't want the end of the book to come. AND IT HAD TO, IT HAD TO. AND NOW I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER GURGRJGRUHGEOGHEUOK YEAR. *sprouts anger*

         "I only want you when I can have all of you." Aidan places his hand over my heart, which is the one part of me that's in no way ready to give itself to a clone."

         The romance was so agonizing in this book. First of all, because there were so many get-together moments where characters were either (a) pissed because they're with someone else or (b) confused with who they really love. And honestly, that's not a bad thing because Cohn really made everything seem real. This wasn't picture-perfect romance, it was much more realistic and special. I had so many ships, and they all sunk. :(

       

       

      This book actually had it all. What a fantastic comeback from Rachel Cohn—who's books I'm so obsessed with. This was action-packed, gorgeous and even had hints of discrimination and mystery. (What dystopia adds that in?) If you haven't picked up Beta yet, I DARE YOU TO, because you'll need to get ready to be obsessed.

          

The Summer I Found You, by Jolene Perry Review

The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry
Published By: Albert Whitman & Company on March 1, 2014
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 240
Format: Hardcover Edition
Source: Borrowed
My Rating: 

All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction. Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life. When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all?

       

My first reaction when seeing the cover

                I was so excited to read this book. I mean, who wouldn't be when spotting a summery cover when it's like -4 degrees outside? This is a definite seasonal read, I must tell you. And now when looking back at the outcome, I'm very pleased because I did manage to shed some tears of happiness.

                First thoughts: DAMN WHAT A BEAUTIFUL ROMANCE. Jolene Perry has written such a freaking awesome story that got me fanning myself because of the feels. The feels were honestly outrageous. What this book did to me was so different and I wish that there was more buzz. MORE PEOPLE NEED TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS BOOK AND I WILL BE THE PERSON TO DO IT. Jolene Perry is the new Sarah Dessen, except her stories are more from the heart and deal with such tough subjects.

                  This all begins when Kate's love of her life suddenly breaks up with her on a random day with no explanation why. And then she sees him with a mystery girl, and this obviously breaks her heart. Soon after, Kate meets Aidan, an older guy who lost his arm while fighting in the military. He has lost the job that took his life and made it amazing, but he now guesses that Kate's made it the best ever. But what happens when you have a medical condition such as diabetes and you don't tell the person you love the most?

           You better tell them. Kate didn't and well... In the end at the same time, she became a fighter, and stronger than you'd ever expect her to become. Aidan made her stronger. :)

              I must admit that I complained of my boredom in the beginning through the middle. The book seemed to have such a huge resemblance to While He Was Away by Karen Schreck and I was all, "Why wasn't this unique?!" but as I continued reading, things happened that made me scream and squeal and fangirl—all of the feels that makes a reading experience even greater.

              Aidan was... 

                SO HOT, LIKE UGH. EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM WAS PERFECT.

• His personality. He was so sweet EEE.
• HIM
• HIM
• HIM
• HIS VOICE

                EVERYTHING—DO YOU GET IT? I just don't know how else to describe his perfection because he was there throughout for Kate and they were perfect. NOT A DOUCHEBAG WHATSOEVER.

                The concept didn't seem to originally sound like a deep gorgeous romance story. But that's what it turned out to become! The scenes were... interesting and I'm the type who loves picture-perfect romance, so I obviously kept on reading forever and ever until the book was ever. I found myself taking it slow and reading it on my own basis because I was so intrigued. WHY DID AIDAN DO THIS TO ME?!

                 

                 

         Picture-perfect romance, AIDAN, AIDAN, a deep story, touching moments, and did I say Aidan—this book was fantastic. I wasn't able to let it go and I still imagine what would happen next because Jolene Perry is one of the best writers of chick-lit fiction that I've read this year. I NEED MORE! 

Falling Into Place, by Amy Zhang Review

Falling into Place, by Amy Zhang

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Death

Rating: 4/5 stars

Publication: September 9, 2014, by Greenwillow Books

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road. 

Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? Vividly told by an unexpected and surprising narrator, this heartbreaking and nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect? Amy Zhang’s haunting and universal story will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver, Gayle Forman, and Jay Asher.

Review:

   "I wish second chances were real."

         I've honestly have wanted to read this book for a long time. I was one of those eager sad bloggers who really wanted an ARC of this book, eyeing all of the photos that my bloggy friends added when HarperTeen sent them a copy. I'm not trying to say that I was jealous or anything like that, but the important key and thing here is that I missed out earlier.

         

          Falling Into Place was a book that everyone honestly needs to read sooner than later... eventually. It was fantastic, sad, and crazy. You will be left wanting more by the end, and you'll regret not taking your time to enjoy the beauty and excellence, because this book's message is as rich and beautiful as a chunk of gold. *says in a cheesy way*

            As a whole, Amy Zhang has written a book that has a ton of different subjects that are all mixed into one—suicide, science, romance, beauty, art, and jealousy. It's the perfect darker-contemporary that you're all looking for. It's your Prince Charming. The concept was outrageously fabulous, and I'm still poking myself, wondering how this all came to be.

            In the beginning, the story begins off fast and sharp, and furious, in a way. Liz Emerson is on the route to kill herself. Sure, she's already tried to a few times but now she has all of the science and things planned out to make this masterful plan of hers to sprout out, and this is the chance to get everything right. She crashes her Mercedes, and off she goes... into the hospital, barely alive. Everyone is shocked by this unbelievable event, including her family and friends, and people who once loved her, and still are trying to support Liz in this awful time. Told in multiple points of view, over here we have a novel that basically tells us the steps into becoming someone depressed, from multiple points of view.

             

          For most of the novel, I felt like I was having a panic attack. But at the same time, I wasn't crying at any point, which I surprisingly did want to do. I mean, I've heard so many opinions on this book and more than three-quarters of reviewers have cried while reading this book. Me? Nada. I did have the feels, but not the kind that made me spout out bawling or anything like that. I felt like a depressed pig, though.

          So coming from my past words, you can probably see that I was in love with this story. It's remarkable that a woman at such a young age was able to capture our attentions so easily and beautifully with a debut novel. That honestly proves that you can be a writer at any age, with a dream to succeed.

           All of the POVs were spectacular. Amy Zhang switched between the past and the present, and that made me captivated from page 1. I couldn't let this book go. It was like falling into place, and then a huge mega plot twist made me somehow let go, and then I fell back again. This was a beautiful train-wreck.

           Liz Emerson. Now doesn't that sound like a name of the average person? Totally. But really, Liz was person who wasn't average. And that wasn't because she was a fictional character, but because all of the stereotypes and things that characters in the book thought of her. Her fighting and battling made her a person gorgeous inside and out, and although that may seem crazy because "she's not real," Zhang made it seem like she was, and that definitely fascinates me. Liz absolutely deserves the warrior award of this century's books, and you'll definitely see that through her character, even if she wasn't there at the moment, but through memories in the past of the book's events.

            I JUST WISH THAT THERE WAS MORE ROMANCE! We were left hanging, waiting for something sweet, but I felt like all we got was sour. In some ways, that's totally understandable since this was about Liz's fighting.

           Coming to a conclusion, I'm still left breathless. I was captured, thrown around, but was never left behind. The feelings and the romance really didn't get to me, but I was so happy with how everything was left off, and I am proud to say that Amy Zhang is surely going to be getting more positive reviews from me. 

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld Review

Afterworlds, by Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopia, Contemporary, Fantasy

Rating: 4/5 stars

Publication: September 23, 2014, by Simon Pulse

Format: ARC 




Goodreads Summary: Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to publish her teen novel, Afterworlds. Arriving in New York with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made the right decision until she falls in with a crowd of other seasoned and fledgling writers who take her under their wings… 

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, a suspenseful thriller about Lizzie, a teen who slips into the 'Afterworld' to survive a terrorist attack. But the Afterworld is a place between the living and the dead and as Lizzie drifts between our world and that of the Afterworld, she discovers that many unsolved - and terrifying - stories need to be reconciled. And when a new threat resurfaces, Lizzie learns her special gifts may not be enough to protect those she loves and cares about most.

Review:

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review!

SCOTT WESTERFIELD IS GENIUS—if you didn’t know that already. Afterworlds was fantastic. Scott Westerfield truly captured the image of two point of views; what it’s like to be a writer and what it’s like to be written about. What YA book can you think of that brings you through a young author’s experience of writing a YA novel? It’s basically a book inside a book, and by the end, I was truly mind-blown with the stellar ending.

Darcy Patel is a young aspiring author who deferred college for a year and moved to New York City to broadcast and change her entire life to something new. Her novel that she wrote in a month, Afterworlds, is soon to be published and as it’s becoming edited and all, she’s spending her time meeting new people and learning the ways of authors and the whole lifestyle. As soon as she’s got everything figured out, other feelings such as her sexuality and confidence begin to come out..

At the same time, we’re reading another point-of-view of Lizzie—the protagonist in Darcy’s novel. Lizzie survived a terrorist attack in an airport, and is brought into the ‘Afterworld.’ The Afterworld is a world between the living and the dead, and Lizzie soon finds out that she can switch between worlds whenever she’d like. All it takes is a calling, and she’ll end up in a world where aging is not possible. Of course, she meets new people and everything changes as she begins to find more about the unbelievable world that she’s caught in.

As this book was basically split into two, I preferred reading from Darcy’s POV. Since Westerfeld is the master of publicity and being popular, he really provided some awesome insight on how everything works and the datelines. It was more fascinating than Lizzie’s POV, probably because of even her character. He just did it perfectly. DARCY EVEN WENT TO BEA!

But there were some things that I didn’t catch well. The overall beginning was fantastic, but as I surpassed page 100, the story got slow and I was wanting something that didn’t look like it was going to happen.

I guess it was mainly Lizzie’s story’s fault. The actual story of Afterworlds wasn’t everything that I hoped it’d be. Tweaks were missing and as a whole, compared to Darcy’s, it was lacking of. The idea was unique (I’ve never read about a terrorist attack before), and it seemed inspirational coming from the reason Darcy wrote it and all.

THIS BOOK WAS DIVERSE, which was another reason why this book was so unique and consisting of everything I want in a contemporary-dystopia. This man totally knows how to mix it up for readers. ;)

And the romance? SQUEEE. It was amazing and totally surprising—in both POVs. Darcy and Imogen had such an amazing chemistry and had so much alike—I love the same-sex romance, because Westerfeld just creates it on-point.

Now that I think about it, I wish there were some quotes I can share with you… The writing was believable and alluring. I was captivated from page 1.

Darn it. THIS IS A STANDALONE! *cries to self* Although this was a chunky book of 600 pages, I WANTED MORE. That’s how I felt with Uglies by Westerfield, and now that the time is here, I’m grieving. If you love contemporary, fantasy, and a little sci-fi mixed together with diversity and uniqueness (really, who doesn’t?) then this book will come to you like a literature masterpiece. There were a few tweaks needed here and there, but it overall was very enjoyable and recommended to others!

YOLO by Lauren Myracle Review

YOLO (Internet Girls #4), by Lauren Myracle

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Chick-lit, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Publication: August 26, 2014, by Amulet Books

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)





Goodreads Summary: Through texts and messages, the mega-bestselling, beloved Internet Girls series followed the ups and downs of school for three very different, very close friends. Now it’s freshman year of college for the winsome threesome, and *everything* is different. For one, the best friends are facing their first semester apart. Way, way apart. Maddie’s in California, Zoe’s in Ohio, and Angela’s back in Georgia. And it’s not just the girls who are separated. Zoe’s worried that Doug wants to break up now that they’re at different schools, and Maddie’s boyfriend, Ian, is on the other side of the country.In the face of change and diverging paths, Maddie’s got a plan to keep the friends close, and it involves embracing the present, making memories, and . . . roller derby! Using of-the-moment technology, Lauren Myracle brings her groundbreaking series into the brave new virtual world of texting and tweets.

Review:

" mad maddie: what do you mean, why?

  mad maddie: what's the point of torturing ourselves by talking about something we can't have?

  SnowAngel: :/

  SnowAngel: um, because sharing your feelings would make you feel better? 

  mad maddie: ohhhh

  mad maddie: and what wld I say? that I wish I'd gone to UGA instead of Santa Cruz so that we cld hold hands and walk to class together and crawl into the same bed every night? that California is so much farther away than I thought? that without him, I feel like I'm dying inside? "

    Maddie, Angela, and Zoe have been there for me and with me since I was young. Pre-teen age, actually. I first read TTYL when I was 10. Sure, it was a little too mature for me at the time, but the actuality of reading a book in text format seemed so interesting and awesome. That was before. Now, the text format doesn't matter. It's more than that. It's their stories, their friendship, their believing. Yeah, that sounds cheesy, but that's what it did for me, and I'm so thankful for their teaching and story. 

    It's been many years since I finished the supposedly "last book," L8R, G8R, and I would never think that a new book would be released in this series. Finding this out, I wanted YOLO more than anything—to experience and read about what happened later, and to fall asleep knowing the fact that everything turned out okay in the end and that my favourite trio is happy. 

     You're probably thinking: What could three girls be texting about in 200 pages? Sure, it's not many pages and this looks like a rather quick read, but in fact, I took my time reading it because I know that I won't get to enjoy their stories anymore except if I re-read them, which I probably will in the future. Lauren Myracle has written 200 pages of happiness, 200 pages of amazingness, 200 pages of believable friendship that makes you wish that you can experience what they experienced with each other. 

      The story begins with the threesome apart. Angela's in Georgia, living in a dorm with her new sorority sisters. Maddie's in Santa Cruz living in a dorm full of girls who all knew each other in high schools and are practically besties. And Zoe? Zoe's in Ohio, two hours away from her boyfriend, Doug, in a single dorm. As much as they wish they could be together, they're where they are for separate reasons, and when Maddie tries to get the other two to agree to a pact about living your life (because YOLO), they're in. At the same time, they all have their own struggles and are beginning to realize what they really want to do in life and how much they really need each other.

      Looking back to their attitudes and personalities back in the first book, the character-developments have been crazy. 

       That's ^ what I was like when meeting them for the first time in this book. Sure, the trio still have their own quirks and weird stuff, but in the end, they've all went beyond their personal boundaries. High-five to my favourite chicks!

       Zoe: As for who went the craziest in personality, Zoe comes to mind. Through the beginning of this book to the middle, I hated her. She's too goody and too whiny and doesn't let others do what they want. But after the incident with Doug, she changed, and I'm actually happy to say for the better. She let loose, but in good ways. Her usual two-faced self went to one good face. 

      Maddie: Man, has she changed. For most of the book, our crazy-partying Mads has turned into a depressed girl. And, everyone sensed it, including Zoe and Angela. Maddie has always been my favourite character out of the three, and I hated to see that the whole college-experience was bringing her down. Man, but what awesome friends she has!

    Angela: Angela? Partier? NOO! Yeah, she was. This girl gave me so many LOL moments—she stunned me, as usual. Total favourite. She quirked me up, hehe.

      Lauren Myracle always creates a bumpy ride for us with real-life problems, but her books are so fun. As an ending to a fabulous series that has taught me a lot and has given me a new perspective on friendship in literature, it was amazing. I basically couldn't have asked for anything better, except a stronger beginning. Fab!