The Karma Club by Jessica Brody

The Karma Club, by Jessica Brody
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5 stars

Madison Kasparkova always thought she understood how Karma works. You know—do good things and you will be rewarded, do something bad and you’ll get what’s coming to you. But when Maddy’s long-time boyfriend gets caught tongue-wrestling with Miss Perfect Body Heather Campbell, and they wind up the hot new couple at school, it seems like Karma is on a break. So Maddy and her friends decide to start the Karma Club—a secret, members-only organization for dealing with messes the universe is leaving behind. They’re just doing what Karma should have done in the first place, right?

Review:

• I love chick-lit books. I really do. I love the idea of Karma being put into this. 
• Here's my main complain- the main character, Madison. SHE IS SO ANNOYING AND OVERLY ATTACHED. Like to me, she is so unlikeable and I wanted to strangle her. The author did a horrible job trying to relate to readers using her. Ugh. Overall, the idea was cute and all, but the main character wasn't.

Every Day by David Levithan

Every Day (Every Day #1), by David Levithan
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

Review:

• The concept of this book is gorgeous. It's so theoretical and I love it. A was a great character who was strong and just adorable. David Levithan has one great mind. 

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter

Lost Voices (Lost Voices #1), by Sarah Porter
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Mermaids
Rating: 1.5/5 stars

What happens to the girls nobody sees—the ones who are ignored, mistreated, hidden away? The girls nobody hears when they cry for help?
Fourteen-year-old Luce is one of those lost girls. After her father vanishes in a storm at sea, she is stuck in a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village with her alcoholic uncle. When her uncle crosses an unspeakable line, Luce reaches the depths of despair. Abandoned on the cliffs near her home, she expects to die when she tumbles to the icy, churning waves below. Instead, she undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid. A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. The mermaids are beautiful, free, and ageless, and Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: they feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks.Luce’s own talent at singing captures the attention of the tribe’s queen, the fierce and elegant Catarina, and Luce soon finds herself pressured to join in committing mass murder. Luce’s struggle to retain her inner humanity puts her at odds with her friends; even worse, Catarina seems to regard Luce as a potential rival. But the appearance of a devious new mermaid brings a real threat to Catarina’s leadership and endangers the very existence of the tribe. Can Luce find the courage to challenge the newcomer, even at the risk of becoming rejected and alone once again?Lost Voices is a captivating and wildly original tale about finding a voice, the healing power of friendship, and the strength it takes to forgive.

Review:

• I really thought that this book would be great, but it really wasn't. I usually enjoy books about mermaids but this one didn't seem to catch my eye.
• The plot was very slow and the characters were snobby. I didn't find this book amusing at all. 

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

Ask the Passengers,  by A.S. King
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Gay/Lesbian
Rating: 2/5 stars

In this truly original portrayal of a girl struggling to break free of society's definitions, Printz Honor author A.S. King asks readers to question everything--and offers hope to those who will never stop seeking real love.
Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most personal questions...like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl.
As her secret relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people she imagines flying over her at thirty thousand feet, and they don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection will affect these strangers' lives--and her own--for the better.

Review:

• I expected this book to be much better and it was on my TBR list for a short time because I got it not too long ago. 
• The concept of a girl speaking to the people that fly in planes over her is stunning. I wanted the author to emphasize more on that. 
• To me, the whole book was about gay people partying. I didn't find that interesting in any way. I wanted it to be my favourite, to be so good. 

Watch Me by Lauren Barnholdt

Watch Me, by Lauren Barnholdt
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5 stars

She thinks she has nothing to hide…
Ally has everything under control. She’s about to move into a house full of strangers and have her life broadcast to the world, but as long as she still has her long-distance boyfriend, Corey, nothing can go wrong. Nothing, that is, until Ally starts spending time with her housemate Drew, the hot and sensitive guy who always seems to be around when she needs someone the most.
As suspicions and lies start pulling Ally and Corey apart, she’s not sure if she can trust anyone, not even herself. Ally is about to learn the hard way that life is what happens when everyone is looking, and it doesn’t always capture her good side…

Review:

• Lauren Barnholdt always pleases me with her novels. She is one of my favourite chick-lit authors and I find that she has the best story ideas forming in her mind.
• I find that books about reality TV are always the same and end up predictable, but Lauren made this idea form into a gorgeous book with too much drama, not in a bad way.

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Monument 14 (Monument 14 #1), by Emmy Laybourne
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian
Rating: 5/5 stars

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.
In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

Review:

• When I first saw the cover of this book, I knew that it was going to be amazing. Is it weird that I read books about the fear that I have? I'm really scared of storms, especially thunderstorms and tornadoes, but reading books about them actually really interest me and some of them end up becoming FAVOURITES.
• This is the ultimate survival novel. Like these kids are smarter than anyone. Most people would think that being trapped in a superstore would be easy to survive in, but Dean and the others really showed that it's not difficult at all. 
• The characters were just plain awesome and I totally feel what they felt. 

Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman

Want to Go Private?, by Sarah Darer Littman
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Abuse
Rating: 5/5 stars

Abby and Luke chat online. They've never met. But they are going to. Soon.
Abby is starting high school--it should be exciting, so why doesn't she care? Everyone tells her to "make an effort," but why can't she just be herself? Abby quickly feels like she's losing a grip on her once-happy life. The only thing she cares about anymore is talking to Luke, a guy she met online, who understands. It feels dangerous and yet good to chat with Luke--he is her secret, and she's his. Then Luke asks her to meet him, and she does. But Luke isn't who he says he is. When Abby goes missing, everyone is left to put together the pieces. If they don't, they'll never see Abby again.

Review:

• Wow. I knew that the book would be spectacular, but I never thought that it would be this good. I loved it and it ended up being one of the best books I've heard in a while. It's super-duper contemporary, and really speaks up on the issue of rape and internet safety, which I thought was great.
• The author made the readers totally understand what Abby was going through the whole time. She was fed up with "doing whatever her parents wanted her to do," and needed a break, especially by talking to someone who understands her, and will "never meet anyways."
• Luke was really cute in the beginning, but of course, we grew to hate him, duh. Even though we all knew what was coming, you still wanted to be able to read the book more and more until it was completely over. I loved it so much!

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Evolution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #2), by Michelle Hodkin
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Paranormal Romance
Rating: 4/5 stars

Mara Dyer knows she isn't crazy. She knows that she can kill with her mind, and that Noah can heal with his. Mara also knows that somehow, Jude is not a hallucination. He is alive. Unfortunately, convincing her family and doctors that she's not unstable and doesn't need to be hospitalized isn't easy. The only person who actually believes her is Noah. But being with Noah is dangerous and Mara is in constant fear that she might hurt him. She needs to learn how to control her power, and fast! Together, Mara and Noah must try and figure out exactly how Jude survived when the asylum collapsed, and how he knows so much about her strange ability...before anyone else ends up dead!

Review:

• I mainly love this series because it has to do with psychological beings. It's different than other books and the characters are so riveting. 
• Noah is so, so bookishly attractive. He's my new favourite male fictional character, if he was real, we'd be riding into the sunset together, no kidding. 
• Michelle Hodkin is a fantastic author, the way she puts her thoughts into words is unbelievably haunting and she causes readers to want absolute more. The Evolution of Mara Dyer was beautifully gorgeous, that's all I can say.

Illusions by Aprilynne Pike

Illusions (Wings #3), by Aprilynne Pike
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Faeries
Rating: 3/5 stars

I don't do patrols, I don't go hunting, I just stick close to you. You live your life. I'll keep you safe," Tamani said, sweeping a lock of hair from her face. "Or die trying."
Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.
But just as life is returning to normal, Laurel discovers that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail.
This is the third installment of Aprilynne Pike's Wings Series.

Review:

• I liked the second book better! What happened here? It was really good from the start, but then it got worse and worse. 
• The plot was really good at first, but then it slowed down and it became really boring. In my opinion, the series started off well but ended up getting worse and worse. I am not planning to read the final book.

The Fox Inheritance, by Mary E. Pearson

The Fox Inheritance (Jenna Fox Chronicles #2), by Mary E. Pearson

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Dystopian

Rating: 4/5 stars








Goodreads Summary: "Once there were three.

Three friends who loved one another - Jenna, Locke, and Kara.

And after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together. At least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, then centuries.

Two hundred and sixty years later, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead.

Everyone - except Jenna Fox."

Review:

• The first Jenna Fox Chronicles book was fabulous and I couldn't wait to read the second. I finally got to see what Locke and Kara are like as characters, and a trip to the futuristic dystopian world of Jenna Fox wasn't a bad thing either. I'm very proud to admit that this was the best book I've read for a while and cannot wait for the next.