Words and Their Meanings by Kate Bassett Review

Words and Their Meanings, by Kate Bassett
Publication: September 8, 2014, by Flux
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Death
Pages: 360
Format: Paperback
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 

Anna O’Mally doesn’t believe in the five stages of grief. Her way of dealing with death equates to daily bouts of coffin yoga and fake-tattooing Patti Smith quotes onto her arms. Once a talented writer, Anna no longer believes words matter, until shocking discoveries– in the form of origami cranes– force her to redefine family and love.
As Anna goes in search of the truth, she discovers that while every story, every human being, has a last line, it might still be possible to find the words for a new beginning.

 Every once in a while us humans are prone to be lurking for something tragic and heartbreaking. I find that it's human nature that we always will be longing for something that's hurtful and upsetting, although we don't want it to happen to us. It's a temptation to want raw and enforcing objectives that will hurt our minds until we're incapable of reading these kinds of books any longer. After hearing about this one and its upsetting message, I knew that I wanted to get kicked into it, another temptation of my life.

Words and Their Meanings lacked a meaning. For me, there was a lack of just about everything, and there was an imbalance of good romance. Books with a romance to help the protagonist heal are too cliché, and we see them so often that our heads begin to shake out of frustration. Here's another example of that typical story.

"Because here's a universal truth: You never feel more aware of what it means to be alive than when you're falling in love. Or dying."

Five stages of grief? Ms. Bassett, what on earth are you possibly talking about? So this is a book that's probably supposed to show you mourning and the total "typical" act of what to do when in this situation. Anna O'Mally's uncle Joe (who happens to be a few years older than her) has died from something tragic and she's in complete sorrow and grief. It's difficult for her to now communicate with her friends and family, and she feels completely lost. She makes discoveries and falls in love.

I guess that some people are probably able to enjoy this more than I did, for the sake of the origami cranes and the coffin yoga stuff. It seems too absurd for me, and I just don't feel like making any connections or using my time to read this, for the sake of the concept. Maybe, just maybe, if there were some sort of interesting plot twist according to fate or better characters, then this would've made it to a four star rating.

I began off with high expectations. Okay, that's usually how the story goes since I usually trust the reviewers and pick up the books that they recommend. I actually did discover this book a while ago during the summer where I was bored out of my mind and was all caught up with blogging and reviewing and... well that's another story. But I was completely satisfied and anxious to read this book as I had heard that it was like the new Gayle Forman book and we all needed it in our lives. My local library got it in their 'New Arrivals' section and... I couldn't resist! You see, there's another thing about the temptations.

When I began reading, I was thoroughly enjoying the grieving part of it. Don't get me wrong—it did shatter my heart into a million pieces and I did have a lot of sympathy towards the characters... but I just couldn't feel everything. There was no anticipation for any romance, there wasn't any happiness or crying. After I finished reading, I just dropped it into the overwhelming pile of books that I need to review on my desk, and I completely forgot about it. That shows the care that I have for books, huh?

"Dead people. Joe is a dead person. Joe is a dead person because of me. 365 days later, those words don't seem real. Time's up."

You see, this book doesn't seem real to me. Anna as a protagonist was interesting and completely wicked, though she lacked something raw and sweet. She seemed too whiny and I didn't feel all of the grief inside of her, instead I saw whine.

Cry me a river. I WISH I COULD'VE CRIED A RIVER! Crying in books really does show the majestic-ness that a book could possibly give you and that the author's words are unbelievably gorgeous. I felt like Bassett could've gotten that to happen to me, though we would've needed a ton of good stuff, like a purpose. Yes, the romance between Anna and Mateo was cute, but I can just shrug it away with no problem, if you know what I mean. He was a sweetheart, but it seemed like their attraction wasn't applicable for this sort of novel. *shrugs again* But Bassett's words were gorgeous and pretty, so you can take that as a positive remark.

No crying, no feelings, no purpose. You may be thinking that this is an all-negative rant review, but I have to tell you that I liked it, but not too much. I've read tons of better grief-tragedy books, and this one can't even compare to them. Anna, as a protagonist, was bittersweet, and sympathy was all over the place coming from me, but really, romance? It's like it was added in to make her feel better, not like fate made it come for her because it's what was supposed to happen—you know what I mean? Overall, I've seen better, but I love this genre, so you should go ahead for this treat as well.

Made For You, by Melissa Marr Review

Made for You, by Melissa Marr

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: 5/5 stars

Publication: September 16, 2014, by HarperCollins

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: Bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely books Melissa Marr’s first contemporary YA novel is a twisted southern gothic tale of obsession, romance, and murder. A killer is obsessed with Eva Tilling. Can she stop him, or will he claim her?

When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

For the first time, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr has applied her extraordinary talent to contemporary realism. Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive this Gothic, racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation. Melissa’s fans, and every YA reader, will find its wild ride enthralling.

Review:

   *sits at desk, squealing like a maniac* So at the moment, I am in a fuss and am writing my reviews that I need to accomplish writing, and I am literally cheering and yelling and fangirling because I've finally gotten to write this review.

      Well, you should, you wonderful people, because THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTICALLY AMAZING AND I AM LEFT WITHOUT WORDS AND AM STILL TAKING DEEP BREATHS AND WHEEZES UNTIL THIS DAY. 

        Made for You was unbelievably amazing. Melissa Marr writing contemporary? I think that she's done an even better job than of writing paranormal. This woman is a legendary writer. 

        You: So what the fudge happened in this book that made it so worthwhile and amazing?

        Me: 

           Except it was exactly a murder... it all began with an obsession and some crazy thoughts, that geared to the richest girl in town, and the most popular one, Eva Tilling. She's the most popular girl in school, and certainly has parents that are the most known, and is part of one of the founding families in their small town in North Carolina. Eva wakes up in the hospital, and has no idea what has happened. She's all bandaged up, and has broken her leg. And then she sees herself in the mirror, and that ruins everything. She is notified that she was struck and hit in a hit and run, and no one has any idea of who could've done this to her and why. Was it by accident, or on purpose? The thing is, Eva is well liked and there was never any fuss to complain about. But everything is not what it seems... as it usually is. What happens when you were "made for someone?"

       

            This was one hell of a thrill ride. That was the first sentence that I literally thought of when finishing this book, and I guess that everyone will be thinking that. At the same time, this was a crazy mystery/thriller and somewhat of a paranormal romance, but I'd stay away from that thought because it certainly wasn't anything close to what Melissa originally wrote about in her previous novels. She began off with a gorgeous premise and a few interesting points of view. 

             You'll probably think that you know what will happen. I was so damn sure that I knew who it was. Who "Judge" was. It made perfect sense. And then the ending came, and I was like:

          AHSHFGRIJGJ[EHGJGEDHGIHE. WOW. WHO LITERALLY SAW THAT COMING?! I can't imagine how people admit that they saw that ending coming. You literally have to be Nancy Drew to figure that out.

           So yes, everything about this book was perfect. The plot was unbelievable and I was glued to the book and was unable to let it go until I finished it. Now, when does that happen to me? Rarely, I tell you. I've read Marr's books in the past and never have been even close to being intrigued as I was here. This was some serious plot-making. 

           JUDGE WAS CREEPY AS FUDGE.

            I got so creeped out by him. Reading the POV of a psychopath killer is unbelievably weird. I literally thought of that clown from IT when reading his POV. And then when he came to the hospital and left the flowe—yeah I was screwed. AND WHEN WE FOUND OUT WHO HE WAS—I'll never get over it. (I have a crazy fear of clowns so I am closing my eyes while adding that gif in).

              And Eva was your average posh-country princess that you're picturing in your head. But at the same time, she was smart, kick-ass and totally not naive. She wasn't broken, and she was strong while all of those crazy events were happening... TO HER. I don't know how she did it, honestly.

               That ending was fabulous, as I already said a thousand times during this review, I NEVER SAW IT COMING. HOWHOWHOWHOW? I don't know, and I seriously don't know how Marr was capable of writing such a perfect book, I felt it coming down from the heavens. Definite favourite of 2014, right next to Dissonance.

Can't Look Away, by Donna Cooner

Can't Look Away, by Donna Cooner

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Tragedy, Romance

Rating: 3/5 stars

Publication: August 26, 2014, by Point

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: Donna Cooner establishes herself as our own Jodi Picoult in this timely tale of sisters, loss, and redemption.

Torrey Grey is famous. At least, on the internet. Thousands of people watch her popular videos on fashion and beauty. But when Torrey's sister is killed in an accident -- maybe because of Torrey and her videos -- Torrey's perfect world implodes.

Now, strangers online are bashing Torrey. And at her new school, she doesn't know who to trust. Is queen bee Blair only being sweet because of Torrey's internet infamy? What about Raylene, who is decidedly unpopular, but seems accepts Torrey for who she is? And then there's Luis, with his brooding dark eyes, whose family runs the local funeral home. Torrey finds herself drawn to Luis, and his fascinating stories about El dio de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.

As the Day of the Dead draws near, Torrey will have to really look at her own feelings about death, and life, and everything in between. Can she learn to mourn her sister out of the public eye?

Review:

    For a long time, I felt like I've been prompted to read this book. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I love watching beauty gurus on YouTube, such as Bethany Mota. The feeling of having young teenagers helping you out with beauty has always been a fascination to me, and probably to millions of other people as well. I never saw a book like this coming at me, and even though it didn't live up to my expectations and was rather dull, it definitely was a masterpiece in terms of a great concept.

      Having heard much about Donna Cooner's Skinny, I've always been intrigued to pick up a book of hers one day. I guess you can never get too much contemporary, right? And really, that is what this book was. Surprisingly, this was a dark-contemporary. It was short, but a difficult read to concur at the same time. It dealt with so many subjects, all combined in one. And the most important thing? It felt real.

       Torrey Grey has moved from the place-she's-ever-known in Colorado to a whole new atmosphere in Texas after her younger sister's tragic death. And all in all, Torrey feels like it's all her fault. The last words she's ever said to her sister was to grow up after she made a stupid decision to make her sister film a video of Torrey and her best friend at the mall. Did I mention that Torrey is a super-famous beauty guru YouTuber? A video of Torrey blasting out at her sister's final moments of living is leaked, and the general public bashes out on her, blaming her for her sister's death. But really, it was a drunk driver's fault. Now she's at her new school, not knowing how to act when people can possibly know who she is and what happened. 

        The main message that this book let out was that you can't look away from your past and troubles. In those terms, I guess you can say that this book's title makes sense with this whole concept. 

         Torrey actually reminded me a lot of Bethany Mota. Her attitude wasn't as cheerful and caring as Beth's is, but if you read this, you'll probably see the resemblance. But the thing is, Torrey is really bitchy at times. You possibly might be trying to tell me, "Michelle, this girl's sister just died in front of her eyes. How is she supposed to act?" but then at the same time, she doesn't have a right to block everything out around her and crouch into a shell away from the rest of the world. And that's exactly what she did. She played stupid. She acted like nothing was real—which possibly might be the way she was supposed to deal with tragedy. She was the factor that made this book seem unrealistic. I felt like I was screaming "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING!" at her for three-quarters of the story until she smartened up.

            The story started off well with a pretty great beginning, and I felt like I was sitting there, reading on to find out what really happened and what made Torrey become this way. Cooner did a fantastic job at trying to get us to realize the who, the what, and the why. 

            Full of grief, trouble, and a realistic story, Can't Look Away was a pretty good story, but I felt like I couldn't find the relation to the characters. I was left with many "meh" moments. With this book, you'll probably have to be trying to choose your way through the story.

The Impossible Knife of Memory, by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Impossible Knife of Memory, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Genre: Young Adult Fiction,  Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 5/5 stars (A GAZILLION STARS)

Publication: January 7, 2014, by Viking Juvenile

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed, sadly)



Goodreads Summary: For the past five years, Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

Review:

"A quick lesson.

There are two kinds of people in this world:

1. zombies

2. freaks

Only two. Anyone who tells you different is lying. That

person is a lying zombie. Do not listen to zombies. Run for

your freaking life."

     Need a little flavour in your life? Then pick this beauty up. It's not your average contemporary read, it's something darker with a gorgeous backstory. It deals with a variety of subjects, including PTSD. You will end up crying and not understanding what the freak is going on with you and your feelings.

     

     Words can't even explain my love for this book. It was so powerful and gorgeous and addicting, and one hell of a roller coaster ride. You'll end up crying and not knowing what to do with yourself. Laurie Halse Anderson is my favourite author, no doubt about it. The way she portrays her protagonist's voice is beautiful.

     

"My earbuds were in, but I wasn't playing music. I needed to hear the world

but didn't want the world to know I was listening."

      This is about Hayley Kincain. She's a teenager who lives with her single depressed father, Andy, who is going through a tough time in his life. He has PTSD, and is beginning to show signs that he is too immature for his age. He's Hayley's father, and he's supposed to be taking care of Hayley, instead of her taking care of him, right? They used to be traveling around the US in a truck, but now they're back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend a real high school. Hayley meets Finn, a guy who obviously likes her but is hiding some secrets of his own. Will Andy end up changing for the good? 

     From the start, I was in love with this book. The plot was fast-paced, and because of the issues incorporated, everything ended up being 100% awesome. Anderson just had a masterpiece idea, and did it.

     

     From page 1, I loved Hayley. She and Melinda are Laurie's best characters yet, and Hayley's voice really stood out to me. At first, she didn't know what to do with herself and her life.

      As her relationship with Finn grew, her personality grew, too. Her badassness went to a whole other level and she really learned more about herself and what she deserves. Her love and caring for Andy was beautiful, and right. 

       Although Andy overreacted at times and wasn't who he was supposed to be, I loved him. He didn't take the role of responsibility very well, but by the end, after the incident, he became a whole other person. He became stronger, and that was all because of his outstanding daughter who took a voice.

        I saved Finn for last because well, I loved him.

       HE WAS MY TEENAGE HEARTTHROB! Just look at this quote which he spoke to Hayley: (spoken in a texting conversation between him and Hayley after their date)

"nxt to you

i didnt notice any stars

night"

        

      Oh gosh. *fans myself* It's so hot in here! Or is it just me?

       

      The romance was just astonishing and it had a point. Some books just have romance for no reason, but the relationship between Hayley and Finn made sense and it made me squeal. I felt steam all the time and a gorgeous connection between them. 

       I never saw that ending coming. It surprised me, but it was amazing and made the book 10x better. 

      This book had everything that you're looking for in a perfect YA novel: romance, drama, mystery, feels, squeals, and issues. This gives you a variety of flavours, not only one in life.

        Beautiful quotes:

       "She dumped you," I said.

       "Not yet." He put a box of food and soda at the edge of a plaid blanket.

       "Maybe she had to pee," I said. "What's her name again?"

       "Her name is Hayley." He straightened up and handed me the cup of marigolds. "Hello, Miss Blue." (p. 93)

"Then I'd see Finn in the hall, or I'd catch a glance of his profile out of the corner of my eye while we were driving to school, and he would turn to me and smile.

And I didn't want to be a hermit anymore." (p. 151)

"Until then we're going to keep making memories like this, moments when

we're the only two people in the whole world. And when we get scared or lonely

or confused, we'll pull out these memories and wrap them around us and they'll make us feel safe." He kissed me again. "And strong." (p. 391)

Review: Heartbeat, by Elizabeth Scott

Heartbeat, by Elizabeth Scott

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Publication: January 28, 2014, by Harlequin Teen

Format: Hardcover Edition (borrowed)




Goodreads Summary: Life. Death. And...Love?

Emma would give anything to talk to her mother one last time. Tell her about her slipping grades, her anger with her stepfather, and the boy with the bad reputation who might be the only one Emma can be herself with.

But Emma can't tell her mother anything. Because her mother is brain-dead and being kept alive by machines for the baby growing inside her.

Meeting bad-boy Caleb Harrison wouldn't have interested Old Emma. But New Emma-the one who exists in a fog of grief, who no longer cares about school, whose only social outlet is her best friend Olivia-New Emma is startled by the connection she and Caleb forge.

Feeling her own heart beat again wakes Emma from the grief that has grayed her existence. Is there hope for life after death-and maybe, for love?

Review:

   I've always loved Elizabeth Scott's books. She always creates a heart-pounding contemporary that deals with such subjects that many authors cannot even think to portray. She writes her books so beautifully and with such passion that you cannot deny that she's one of the best YA tragedy authors to this day.

   I cannot say that this is Elizabeth's best book, because it sure wasn't. In fact, this was one of the worst ones she written, comparing to the ratings that I've given for her others. That doesn't mean that this was horrible, it's just that it didn't gravitate to the level that I expected it to.

   I've been anticipating to read Heartbeat for a long time. Every book Elizabeth Scott writes comes with a whole new premise, and seeing this very unique one come to life in 304 pages was very beautiful to see and go through.

    Emma is going through a lot in her life. Her mom died because of becoming pregnant. She's tried drugs and many methods, and when she finally made it, she died reaching for a piece of toast. She had a stroke that killed her instantly, but not the baby boy growing inside her. So, her husband, (Emma's stepfather) Dan, decided to keep the baby alive by hooking Lisa, Emma's mother, to many machines that will keep his soon-to-be son living for a few more months before coming out into the real world. Emma is devastated as hell. We all would be, right? Your stepfather is keeping your dead mother hooked up because of a baby? He acts like a life of a baby is more precious than the one of his wife. And so, Emma cannot stand even looking at him and having to go on daily visits to the hospital to have a chat with her dead mom. Caleb Harrison, a known-druggie and car-stealer from her school, then witnessed Emma having these chats with her mom and unexpectedly... he can relate to her in many ways. They soon find a real connection and begin to have feelings for each other. 

    I enjoyed this book a lot. It didn't have the clearest plot out there (there were many misunderstandings) but it was good. By the end, I felt like it was all too-rushed and something large was missing and scrambled out of the plot, and that's why I was left thinking that nothing was happening in the 304 pages of this book. That was one of the biggest disturbances that this book created by the end for me.

      I loved and hated the concept. Sometimes I wondered what was the point of the book, and at other times, I loved it. I guess the main idea was Emma and her romance during the time of grief and loss. But since I didn't go mad for the romance here, I didn't see any large importance during this book.

       Emma took things too far. She was a selfish character. From the start, I knew that I was going to have a cat-fight relationship with her.

         I totally get where she was going at through the middle, but then she took things way too far. Her mom died, so why not save another life? It's sad to hear what happened, but it just angered me. And then in the end, she suddenly was all:

          When she was so moody and depressed before. I was all, "WHAAT?" until it was over.

          I liked Caleb fine, but the relationship between him and Emma was very weak and needed work on. It had the potential to become amazing, but they obviously aren't and weren't a power couple.

           Looking for a sad tragedy? Fast-paced book? Mystery? Then this book is a definite "yes" for you.